Motivational approaches that build on the concepts of risk and harm reduction are new developments in the application of behavioral sciences to health promotion and disease prevention. This article develops a generic approach for helping practitioners motivate patients to change unhealthy behaviors.


Glial brain cells, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia, have received much attention as crucial players in neurological diseases. As a result of their critical roles, numerous in vitro studies are being conducted, necessitating the use of appropriate isolation methods for different glial cell types. The most effective glial isolation at the moment is labeling‐based protocols that require expensive antibodies and equipment. More commonly used label‐free methods are better known for higher accessibility but with compromised accuracy and longer isolation time. In this study, a cost‐effective surface wettability‐based isolation protocol for mixed glial cell population that does not require labeling is established. Specifically, when cultured on a hydrophobized substrate coated with a thin‐film of poly (cyclohexyl methacrylate)(pCHMA), glial cells spontaneously segregate into substrate‐adherent microglia and spheroids of astrocyte/oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in suspension. In comparison to existing label‐free isolation methods, the strategic approach ensures rapid isolation and high purity. Furthermore, this is the first to demonstrate that the hydrophobic property of pCHMA‐coated substrate can be used to sort multiple brain glial cell types based on their differential adhesion properties without the need for complex labeling procedure. The study emphasizes the wettability‐controlled substrate's potential for segregating different cell types of various pathophysiological states.


A portable membrane‐feeder (PMF) was compared with a multiple membrane‐feeder (MMF) for blood‐feeding both wild‐caught and laboratory‐emerged females of S. damnosum s. l. Wildcaught females fed best on the MMF with 27.9 % feeding through a thin silicone membrane and 26.7 % through a baudruche membrane. When the same type of blood was offered in the PMF (which was tested facing up and down) feeding rates were significantly lower: 15.9 % for the thin silicone membrane and 15.1 % for the baudruche membrane; p < 0.01). When a thin silicone membrane was used with laboratory‐emerged flies, 31.5 % fed on the MMF but only 3.5 % on the PMF. Using the baudruche membrane, the PMF was best with 28.2 % fed compared with 16.5 % for the MMF, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). Facing the PMF up or down did not affect the results. With both apparatuses results were inconsistent and many flies fed only partially but possibilities for improvement are discussed.


Transformation optics suggest a novel way to control the propagation of light. By apply it to resonant optical cavity, we restore the whispering gallery mode in an optical cavity of deformed boundary.


Paediatric and Maternal Schistosomiasis: Shifting the Paradigms 1 Amaya L. Bustinduy, J. Russell Stothard and Jennifer F. Friedman c 2 a Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of 3 Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK; b Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School 4 of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; c Center for International Health 5 Research, 55 Calverick Street, Suite 101, Providence, RI 02903, USA 6 7 * Corresponding address. Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, 8 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK. 9


IoT technology has improved the quality of life as well as provides intelligence and comforts to the user. A Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) technology is one of the powerful technologies that enable IoT objects to communicate with each other. Device-Free Localization (DFL) system exploits changes in radio signals across different environments aims to detect and track entities without requiring them to carry any additional RF devices or to be cooperatively participating with the localization process. This paper proposes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) - based DFL system that can be used to detect human presence in an area of interest (AoI) using changes in signal strength measurements. The main objective of this paper is to design a DFL system that can be easily deployed and configured using IRIS mote from MEMSIC based on `plug and play' concept and operates in real time. The system is deployed in CEASTech's Research Room by using the IRIS mote as the communication module in the network. The principle behind this is that the human body and motion have strong impact on the signal strength of indoor wireless links being transmitted from a transmitter to one or more base stations by either shadowing or diffraction, or by scattering. Result shows that signal strength fluctuate by 3.97dBm and from 10 to 15dBm with the presence of stationary human and moving human respectively.


An index of motion-transmission characteristics τ of the planar six-link mechanism with a prismatic pair is presented through investigations of the sensitivities of the angular and linear displacements of the links to the deviations of the kinematic constants and the forces acting on the pairs due to the external forces on the links. Generally speaking, the average of the sensitivities S and the average of the forces acting on the pairs F decrease rapidly in the interval [0, 0.3] and slowly in the [0.3, 1]as τ increases. The τ-S and τ-F relations are approximated to the regions bounded by two rectangular hyperbolas. Consequently, it is possible to estimate the values of S and F for any mechanism at the given crank angle by means of τ.


Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was standardized for real-time applications and extended to support terminal mobility by Internet Expert Task Force (IETF). However, SIP terminal mobility suffers from the considerable handoff latency which is unsuitable for the real-time communications. In this paper, we propose Predictive Address Reservation with SIP (PAR-SIP) which decreases handoff delay by proactively processing the address allocation and session update using link layer information of wireless networks.


According to the object of higher vocational education and the situation of students ,three measures are taken (as follows) to reach a new phase of the teaching. First make the best use of the unintelligent factor.Second,deal with the problems of Linear Algebra between valubility and basis.Last,use the theory of construction to correspond with the contradiction between abstract and acceptability.


The present invention improved the azole derivative of the formula: where B is O or S; Het is a heterocycle selected from the many specific Provided that at least either one of R The insecticidal compounds, acaricidal, live mollusc, including, nematocides and composition, and to use that compound to a method for the eradication and control of insects, mites, molluscs, nematodes and insects.


PURPOSE: An automatic door closer unit is provided to conveniently control the closed speed of a door, and to prevent oil from flowing out when the door closer unit is powered. CONSTITUTION: An automatic door closer unit(1) comprises a main housing(10), a spiral spring(30), a damper housing(50), a movable shaft(70), and a cover(90). The main housing is installed in a door. The bottom of the main housing is closed. The spiral spring supplies restoring force to the movable shaft when the door is closed. The damper housing divides the main housing into an upper chamber(10b) and a lower chamber. One end of the movable shaft is extended to outside through the cover, and the other end is rotatably supported by the bottom end of the main housing. The cover is fixed to the top of the main housing.


Effects on fracture and ductility of a spherical and an angular particulate-reinforced 6061-Al composite containing 20(vol)% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were studied using SEM fractography and modeled using finite element method (FEM). The spherical particulate composite exhibited a slightly lower yield strength and work hardening rate but a considerably higher ductility than the angular counterpart. SEM fractography showed that during tensile deformation the spherical composite failed through void nucleation and linking in the matrix near the reinforcement/matrix interface, whereas the angular composite failed through particle fracture and matrix ligament rupture. FEM results indicate that the distinction between the failure modes for these two composites can be attributed to differences in development of internal stresses and strains within the composites due to particle shape.


We have measurement the time-dependent electron densities in a relativistic electron beam (REB-) pumped HF chemical and KrF excimer lasers. An interferometric method with two wavelengths was used to probe electrons. The dependences of the temporal behaviors of electron density on H/sub 2/-F/sub 2/-O/sub 2/-He and Kr-F/sub 2/-He gas mixture ratio, the total gas pressures, and the electron energy were measured systematically.


Traditional indoor air quality and thermal comfort standards prescribe ideal indoor environments in terms of e.g. minimum fresh air supply rates, maximum pollutant concentrations or minimum winter ...


The water environment condition of the Wei River reach in Shaaxi province was analysed in terms of the water quality, water quantity and the integrated results of the water quality and quantity, based on the data collected over the period from 2000 to 2008. Moreover, the correlation between the runoff and the concentrations of COD and NH3-N at the main hydrological stations in the Wei River reach was discussed. The conclusions can be drawn from the results. (1)The middle and lower stream of the Wei River reach in Shaanxi province has already been polluted. The concentrations of COD, NH3-N BOD5 and DO exceed the national surface water quality standards from the Xingping control section to the Tongguan control section. (2) The average runoff of the Wei River amounts to 51.91×108 m3, which equals to 70 percent of the average annual runoff volume of the Wei River over the period from 1959 to 2008. The available water resource descends in terms of the runoff volume of the Wei River reach. The scarcity of water resource resulting from the water quality problems has been more and more severe in the region. (3) The concentrations of COD, NH3-N correlates to the runoff weakly in the upstream of the Wei River, while the average negative correlation between the pollutant concentrations and runoff is shown in middle and lower stream of the Wei River. Compared to COD, NH3-N correlates to the runoff the Wei River more apparently.


Significance Human DEAD-box polypeptide 3 (DDX3) is an ATPase/RNA helicase involved in the replication of many viral pathogens. We reported herein the first inhibitor, to our knowledge, of the helicase binding site of DDX3 endowed with a broad spectrum antiviral activity [HIV-1 WT, HIV drug-resistant strains, Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Dengue virus (DENV), and West Nile virus (WNV)]. The good toxicity profile suggests that the DDX3 activity, although essential for viruses, could be dispensable to the cells, validating DDX3 as a pharmaceutical target. Our results clearly showed that DDX3 inhibitors could be exploited to treat HIV/HCV coinfections, emerging infectious diseases (such as DENV and WNV), and HIV-1 patients carrying drug-resistant strains. Each of these three medical conditions currently represents a major challenge for clinical treatment. Targeting a host factor essential for the replication of different viruses but not for the cells offers a higher genetic barrier to the development of resistance, may simplify therapy regimens for coinfections, and facilitates management of emerging viral diseases. DEAD-box polypeptide 3 (DDX3) is a human host factor required for the replication of several DNA and RNA viruses, including some of the most challenging human pathogens currently circulating, such as HIV-1, Hepatitis C virus, Dengue virus, and West Nile virus. Herein, we showed for the first time, to our knowledge, that the inhibition of DDX3 by a small molecule could be successfully exploited for the development of a broad spectrum antiviral agent. In addition to the multiple antiviral activities, hit compound 16d retained full activity against drug-resistant HIV-1 strains in the absence of cellular toxicity. Pharmacokinetics and toxicity studies in rats confirmed a good safety profile and bioavailability of 16d. Thus, DDX3 is here validated as a valuable therapeutic target.


Most of us use our eyes and ears to negotiate our environment, but what about other senses such as touch? Do we use mechanical contact and touch to perceive the lay of the land over the long range? Steven Harrison and Michael Turvey from the University of Connecticut are fascinated by the


Abstract Coordination of distributed design work is an important activity in large-scale and complex engineered systems (LSCES) design projects. Coordination strategies have been studied formally in system design optimization and organizational science. This article reports on a study to identify what strategies are used in coordination practice. While the literature primarily offers prescriptive coordination strategies, this study focussed on the contribution of individuals' behaviours to system-level coordination. Thus, a coordination strategy is seen as a particular set of individual actions and behaviours. We interviewed professionals with expertise in systems engineering, project management and technical leadership at two large aerospace design organizations. Through qualitative thematic analysis, we identified two strategies used to facilitate coordination. The first we call authority-based and is enabled by technical know-how and the use of organizational authority; the second we call empathetic leadership and includes interpersonal skills, leadership traits and empathy. These strategies emerged as complementary and, together, enabled individuals to coordinate complex design tasks. We found that skills identified in competency models enable these coordination strategies, which in turn support management of interdependent work in the organization. Studying the role of individuals contributes an expanded view on how coordination facilitates LSCES design practice.


Despite the popularity of narrative approaches to the change in psychotherapy, a better understanding of how narrative transformation facilitates therapeutic change is needed. Research on innovative moments (IMs) has explored how IMs in psychotherapy evolve over time. We expand on past studies by exploring how IMs become aggregated in narrative threads, termed protonarratives, which come to constitute an alternative self-narrative at the conclusion of therapy. The results suggest that the good outcome case had a different pattern of IM integration within protonarratives, revealing greater flexibility than the poor outcome case. These results support the heuristic value of the concept of the protonarrative.


Faecal incontinence affects 1–2 per cent of the adult population. While many patients can be managed successfully with conservative therapy, a small proportion require surgery. Improved imaging techniques and technological advances have led to the availability of a wide range of surgical treatments. Decision‐makers increasingly require clinical and cost‒effectiveness studies of surgical treatments for faecal incontinence. This review examines the practical aspects of undertaking such studies.


CONTENTS: THE 1984 AUTO NEGOTIATIONS : A UAW PERSPECTIVE BY HOWARD YOUNG. -- THE 1984 AUTO CONTRACT : A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE BY ERNEST J. SAVOIE. -- DISCUSSION BY MARK L. KAHN AND ARTHUR R. SC- THE 1984 AUTO NEGOTIATIONS : A UAW PERSPECTIVE BY HOWARD YOUNG. -- THE 1984 AUTO CONTRACT : A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE BY ERNEST J. SAVOIE. -- DISCUSSION BY MARK L. KAHN AND ARTHUR R. SCHWARTZ-


The Diesel engine is an Internal Combustion engine (IC engine), on combustion of fossil fuel, high pressure and high temperature gases makes the piston to move. This reciprocating motion is converted into rotary motion for applications in industry, power generation, automotives and marine applications. The chemical energy of fuel is converted into mechanical work in the process of conversion of energy. Internal combustion engines play a major role in industry, transportation and power generation. The experiments have been conducted using diesel and then the fuel is blended with different biodiesel. The corresponding readings of surface roughness (Ra) values of cylinder liner have been recorded by using the surface measurement test equipment. The blend of Hippe oil has better lubrication properties exhibited as compared to diesel and other biodiesel blends considered.


A fast frequency analysis of lossy substrate‐integrated waveguides based on the asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) and Padè approximant technique in conjunction with the dyadic Green's function technique, is presented. The derivatives needed to evaluate moments in the AWE method are computed in a simple way thanks to an efficient method that reduces their computational cost. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed approach. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2435–2437, 2015


This paper emphasizes on the electrical efficiency of a system formed by the combination of PCM and TLSC using COMSOL® Multiphysics. We have incorporated Phase Change Materials in Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators which will help the concentrator to cool efficiently when they get heated due to solar radiation and heating in the Photovoltaic Material. If the phase change material is placed adjacent to the PhotoVoltaic Material at the sides of the slab which is used to harvest the electrical energy from the electrons emitted due to solar radiation. The heating due to its I2R losses reduce by large proportions. PCM, being able absorb heat at even lower temperature ranges, has been proven useful. This combination will be able to increase the efficiency of TLSC by up to 3% which is a significant improvement to the current 1% efficiency of TLSC alone. This combination of TLSC and PCM finds many applications such as making windows out of the TLSC which can be attached to the frames using the PCMs. It can be used in places which are required to be cool the enclosed system being considered. It can also be used in most places which require a transparent surface like cameras, cell phone screen, etc. By using this combination we will be able to produce energy without being aware of its presence.


Advanced vortex combustor (AVC) has the significant superiority of higher combustion efficiency,lower pollution level and lower total pressure loss.In this paper,three-dimensional numerical simulation was carried out to study the flow field of AVC.The effect of distance between fore-body and after-body and width of after-body was obtained,on flow resistance,trapped vortex configuration and stability.The results can provide valuable data for further research on the flow characteristics and combustion of AVC.


Many Web sites give the user a structure, such as a site map, to interact with. When debis (Daimler-Chrysler Inter Services, the services company of the Daimler-Chrysler Group) decided to offer information about car financing on its popular Web site, the company knew it faced a serious design challenge. The paper considers how Daimler-Chrysler Research designed a simple interface to a dynamic simulation that helps users learn by interacting with content, not structure.


Thirty‐one patients with Stage I melanoma were studied with regard to their response to common skin antigens. Patients were divided into two groups, those who had surgery alone, and those who had surgery and BCG. The results were comparable. It was found that the disease‐free interval was longer and the recurrence rate lower in patients who demonstrated cutaneous hypersensitivity to common antigens than in those who did not. Patients who had Clark's levels I and II lesions were more likely to be immunocompetent. The addition of BCG in the study did not appear to decrease the rate of recurrence, which seems to be related to the basic immunological status of the individual.


According to the self-adaptability of time-frequency domain in the wavelet analysis,this paper applied the analysis method to machine tools detection based on the combination with neural network technology. This method is convenient and efficient,and can reduce the input-nodes amount of neural network,as well as improve the speed of neural network training,enhances the accuracy of neural network training. The experiments results indicate that this method is satisfactory.


PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS IN IRRITABLE REFLUXING INFANTS Babies cry, and cause their parents much concern. Distress that might once have been attributed to 'colic' is these days often put down to 'reflux', even when there isn't much evidence of it. Medications such a proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are increasingly used, with apparent success, but as gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) is self-limiting anyway, only double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials can prove genuine effectiveness. Authors from Belgium searched the literature and performed a systematic review, focusing specifically on 'crying and irritability' rather than more objective outcomes (Gieruszczak–Bialek D et al. J Pediatr 2015;166:767–70). They found only 5 studies involving infants <1 year old of sufficient quality to include, although 4 of these had some risk of bias. PPIs studied included Esomeprazole, Omeprazole, Lanzoprazole and Pantoprazole, mostly given for 4 weeks. Different but wellvalidated parental reports on crying and irritability were used as outcomes. None of these found any significant difference between drug and placebo groups, although as expected all groups tended to improve. Most of the studies were supported by drug manufacturers in some way, which makes the lack of any observed effect even more convincing. One study suggested increased respiratory infection as a possible adverse effect. The authors' conclusion is that PPIs do not help. This conflicts somewhat with the recommendations of a recent guideline from the UK's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE NG1; 2015. p 180): after reviewing much the same literature, NICE advise 'a 4-week trial of a PPI...' for those with overt regurgitation and, amongst other things, 'distressed behaviour'.


Introduction Cdk5 has been related to cancer progression and metastasis and to response to DNA damage in cancer. In colorectal cancer (CRC), our previous results showed that Cdk5 was overexpressed in CRC tumours as compared to normal tissues. CDK5 gene knockdown was associated with decreased migration and invasion of colon cancer cells but has no effect on cell proliferation; this effect was not not observed in cell lines with BRAF or KRAS mutations. In cell lines with acquired resistance to oxaliplatin (OXA) CDK5 knockdown overcame this resistance. The aim of this work was to study the involvement of Cdk5 on migration and invasion according to KRAS status and to investigate the prognostic and predictive value of Cdk5 in representative patients cohorts. Material and methods SW48 (KRAS WT) and the isogenic SW48 KI G12V (KRAS mutant) cell lines were used (Horizon Discovery Ltd). CDK5 gene was silenced with specific siRNA (Ambion, 5 nM) to study its role in migration and invasion using Boyden chamber assays (HTS transwell, Corning). Comparisons between different experimental conditions were carried out using the T test. For clinical studies, we used 342 tumour samples from CRC patients (Non-treated stage II-III frozen n=135; stage IV FFPE=207). Stage IV tumours corresponded to patients treated with schedules containing irinotecan (n=139) or OXA (n=68) without antitarget drugs. Cdk5 expression was analysed by qPCR (Taqman assay) or by immunohistochemistry. Log rank (LR) and cox regression (CR) tests were used to study differences in disease-free (DFS) overall survival (OS) or time to progression (TTP); Chi-square or Fisher's tests were used to study differences in response rates (ORR). Results and discussions CDK5 gene silencing was associated with decreased cell migration only in SW48 G12V cells (p=0.035). High Cdk5 mRNA levels was a bad prognostic factor in stage II (DFS CR HR=4.15; p=0.022; OS CR HR=8.25, p=0.048) and III (DFS LR 24 months vs. not reached; p=0.048). In stage II, Cdk5 prognostic value was associated with KRAS mutant status (CR p=0.045). In stage IV CRC, Cdk5 positive IHC staining was associated with worse TTP (LR 8 vs. 18 months, p=0.043; CR HR=2.17) and ORR (53% vs. 87%, p=0.029) only in OXA-treated patients. Conclusion These data confirm previous results establishing Cdk5 as a tumor-promoting factor in CRC, especially in a KRAS-mutated environment. Cdk5 immunostaining predicts outcome of stage IV CRC patients treated with OXA. Extensive data will be presented during the EACR meeting.


The results of researches in phenomenon of non-own activity of pharmacones (in terms of herbicides) are considered and qualified possible means of its deep-rooted study in further.


We put forward the multiplicative atom bond sum connectivity index of a graph. We determine the atom bond sum connectivity index and the multiplicative atom bond sum connectivity index for some chemical nanostructures such as armchair polyhex nanotubes, zigzag polyhex nanotubes and carbon nanocone networks.


Emotion is the fuel of human communication. Researchers who have dedicated themselves to deep theoretical understanding of communication processes and effects must come to grips with just how interwoven emotion is with every phenomenon they investigate. Fortunately, our colleagues in psychology have developed extensive lines of research on human emotion that have led to rigorous theoretical models. The two models that have guided a large majority of the research are the discrete and dimensional views of emotion (Nabi & Wirth, 2008). This essay will compare and contrast the two dominant theoretical models of human emotion focusing on how a dimensional theoretical perspective on human emotion provides a superordinate organizational structure to human emotion.


Background: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a digital health system supporting clinical care through monitoring and self-management support in community-based patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a fully automated Internet-linked, tablet computer-based system of monitoring and self-management support (EDGE' sElf-management anD support proGrammE) in improving quality of life and clinical outcomes. Methods: We compared daily use of EDGE with usual care for 12 months. The primary outcome was COPD-specific health status measured with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD (SGRQ-C). Results: A total of 166 patients were randomized (110 EDGE, 56 usual care). All patients were included in an intention to treat analysis. The estimated difference in SGRQ-C at 12 months (EDGE−usual


Reviews systems for the measurement of winds, waves, tides, currents, barge motions, platform dynamics, and production operations. The results of field measurements of environmental parameters made during the conduct of pipe laying operations and for platform motions are included. The expected trends in oceanographic instrumentation development as applied to the offshore oil industry are outlined, and specific instrumentation systems being designed for remote installations are presented.


A series of anacardic acids possessing different side-chain lengths were synthesized, and their antimicrobial activity was tested. In the case against Staphylococcus aureus, the anacardic acid having the C 10 alkyl side chain was most active, while against Propionibacterium acnes, Streptococcus mutant, and Brevibacterium ammoniagenes, the anacardic acid possessing the C 12 alkyl side chain was most effective


In this paper, the effects of hot carrier stress (HCS) and constant voltage stress (CVS) on NMOSFETs with a HfSiO gate dielectric have been investigated. In the case of the poly gate electrode, the stress bias dependant positive charge, attributed to the hole generation/trapping process, may complicate the evaluation of the CVS and HCS. Based on a comparison of CVS and HCS dependence of the V/sub th//g/sub m//I/sub d/spl I.bar/sat/ parameters, we showed the feasibility of separating the reversible charge trapping induced degradation from the permanent damage using a negative bias. Accumulated HCS induced degradation has been shown in g/sub mmax/ with a TiN gate device, while poly gate devices show only the reversible V/sub th/ shift, dominated by the charge trapping that does not generate permanent damage.


The introduction of inhomogeneity into twistor diagram theory provides a solution to the problem of defining massive states in a suitably finite way. To produce states of finite norm, however, it is necessary to make a further change in the fundamental definitions of twistor diagram theory, with the effect of introducing new inverse derivative operators.


This paper presents a method for operational testing of a memristor-based memory look-up table (LUT). In the proposed method, the deterioration of the memristors (as storage elements of a LUT) is modeled based on the reduction of the resistance range as observed in fabricated devices and recently reported in the technical literature. A quiescent current technique is used for testing the memristors when deterioration results in a change of state, thus leading to an erroneous (faulty) operation. An equivalent circuit model of the operational deterioration for a memristor-based LUT is presented. In addition to modeling and testing, the proposed method can be utilized also for continuous monitoring of the LUT in the presence of memristor deterioration in the LUT. The proposed method is assessed using LTSPICE; extensive simulation results are presented with respect to different operational features, such as LUT dimension and range of resistance. These results show that the proposed test method is scalable with LUT dimension and highly efficient for testing and monitoring a LUT in the presence of deteriorating multiple memristors.


Visual object tracking has achieved remarkable progress in recent years and has been broadly applied in intelligent transportation systems such as autonomous vehicles and drones to monitor and analyze the behavior of specific targets. One typical tracking approach is the discriminative tracker, which branches into two main categories: the correlation filter (CF) and the convolutional neural network (CNN). However, most of the current researches consider both categories as two separate techniques and only rely on one of them. Thus, a dense cooperation between the CF and the CNN still remains less discovered and the question of how to effectively join both techniques to further boost the tracking performance is still open. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose a collaborative architecture which incorporates models constructed with both techniques and dynamically aggregates their response maps for target inference. By an alternating optimization, both models are learned on each other's errors to persistently improve the classification power of the whole tracker. For further efficiency, we present a faster solver for our utilized CF and an analytical solution for dynamic model weighting. Through experiments on standard benchmarks, we reveal the influence of key factors on the joint learning architecture and show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.


Laser Doppler flowmetry is a well-established tool for imaging flows. It has been used as a clinical tool for measuring microcirculation in superficial tissue for applications including studies of allergic reactions, burn depth assessment, skin cancer diagnosis, assessment of skin diseases and investigating the effects of transdermal drug delivery. Imaging is often performed by scanning a single laser beam over an area of interest to build up an image point by point, however, the acquisition time is relatively long due to the necessary mechanical scanning. For example a typical commercially available system can take up to 5 min to obtain a 256 × 256 image. Line scanners utilizing a 64 × 1 photodetector array can provide 64 × 64 pixel images in 4 s. An alternative technique is Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (LASCA), in which a full name CCD camera is employed to acquire speckle images and a block of pixels is used to calculate the speckle contrast. The measured speckle contrast is proportional to the velocity of the moving blood cells. Although LASCA provides a cost effective method for real-time blood flow imaging the measurement results are exposure time dependent and the spatial averaging performed across a sub-array (often 5 × 5 or 7 × 7 pixels) results in a reduction in spatial resolution. In recent years with the development of high frame rate CMOS technology and fast signal processors such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), an implementation of full field laser Doppler flowmetry based on a commercial CMOS image sensor coupled with a digital signal processor has been demonstrated. The Doppler signal detected by the sensor at each pixel is multiplexed, digitized and then transferred off chip for signal processing. The advantage of this system over the scanning laser Doppler imaging system is that the frame rate of the system is increased due to the absence of moving scanning components. We have developed such a system which has allowed a direct comparison of laser speckle and laser Doppler imaging to be carried out in which the detected light is processed in real time on an FPGA using both processing algorithms. Custom made cameras with on-chip processing can also be fabricated using CMOS technology [1]. A custom made camera design offers several advantages over commercial cameras as the specifications can be tailored to the signals of interest. For laser Doppler blood flowmetry, the pixel size, current to voltage conversion gain and number of digitization bits can be designed to best match those of typical signals. Appropriate anti-aliasing filters can also be added at the pixel level. Integration of the pixel front-end with on-chip processing enables each pixel to be sampled at a minimum rate of 40 kHz with a low data readout rate required, as the output is a processed flow image rather than a series of raw data images. In CMOS custom made designs there are considerable design constraints in terms of the silicon area of the processing electronics and the ratio between the areas of the pixel level electronics to that of the photo-detectors (fill factor). The circuits used in the discrete electronics systems cannot simply be replicated on-chip as the relatively low frequencies used in LDBF means that on-chip component sizes are commensurately often large. Therefore moving from discrete electronics at a single point to a fully integrated sensor array is a challenging task and design optimizations and compromises need to be made. The system design and results from flow phantoms and blood flow will be presented.


A procedure is described for the conversion of N-acetylglucosamine 2 into N-acetyigalactosamine 1, in which use is made of a 4,6-acetyl migration in a precursor selectively deprotected by a biotransformation procedure.


A dynamic traffic simulation and evaluation system of urban road network reliability was designed in detail, and the module functions and roles and relationships between the modules were expounded. On the basis of collecting real-time traffic data, the road network dynamic traffic demand throughout the day was deduced based on the OD estimation module Estimator of PARAMICS. Considering the characteristics of the microscopic traffic simulation output, travel time characteristic evaluation module was built through selecting two indicators of the 90% sub-bit travel time and travel time fluctuation, and then its function interface was designed. Then travel time evaluation was implanted to the simulation module(Modeller) by using the secondary development function of PARAMICS, to achieve integration and automation of simulation and evaluation. Finally, the feasibility of the system was verified by an instance of Xuefu and 121 street area network of Kunming.


This paper discusses the convertible bonds pricing problem with regime switching and credit risk in the convertible bond market. We derive a Black-Scholes-type partial differential equation of convertible bonds and propose a convertible bond pricing model with boundary conditions. We explore the impact of dilution effect and debt leverage on the value of the convertible bond and also give an adjustment method. Furthermore, we present two numerical solutions for the convertible bond pricing model and prove their consistency. Finally, the pricing results by comparing the finite difference method with the trinomial tree show that the strength of the effect of regime switching on the convertible bond depends on the generator matrix or the regime switching strength.


a Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan b Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan c Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan d Department of Pathology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan e Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan f Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan g Center of Excellence for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan


The South African government is seeking to shift the economy from being efficiency driven toward being more knowledge-intensive. Noting that the economy is dominated by services we examine research and development (RD secondly, the new RD thirdly, the extent to which the better-paying services sector is attracting talent away from research careers in science, engineering and technology. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.


Red meat is classified as probably carcinogenic to humans by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based on evidence on how it may affect the development of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer worldwide. A plethora of scientific experiments prevailing to establish a positive association between red meat and colorectal cancer suggested different mechanistic hypotheses in order to explain such a phenomenon. This paper aims to discuss major hypotheses related to how red meat consumption may lead to colorectal cancer. Such hypotheses involve the role of natural compounds present in red meat (such as lipid, protein, N-glycolylneuraminic acid and heme iron) and neoformed substances during meat processing (such as heterocyclic amines, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and N-nitroso compounds).


The Public transport reform is very important to increase the use of public transport mode. Public transport problems include: an overall lack of capacity, lack of quality and choice, severe traffic congestions and insufficient fund to renew and repair vehicles. Generally, the comfort and quality of the public transport fleet is poor, and many of the vehicles are dilapidated and dirty. Whereas those who can least afford to travel may be prepared to suffer such indignities, people who can pay to travel by their own vehicles, or by taxi, would seldom find any temptation to use public. Increasingly, patronage will be confined to the poorest members of society, thereby further eroding service levels and comfort. Most of the public transport users are captive passengers, who use the public transport because they have no choice to travel by other modes. Public transport system in Yogyakarta and Bandung were analyzed by counting public transport vehicles and occupancies, interviewing the public transport passengers, drivers and institutional staffs, who involve in public transport management. This paper will then analyze the possible plan to develop the urban public transport system to become more attractive and to improve the public transport management. The short, medium and long term plans are analyzed, to find the best solutions. Some constraints such as social impacts and financial impact are also taken into accounts.


The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent a detailed oral instruction about treatment after surgical removal of a lower wisdom tooth affect postoperative quality of life. The research on quality of life after removal of a lower wisdom tooth was conducted with 108 patients. Depending on the type of information given to each respondent individually, the examinees were divided into two groups: a test group which was given detailed written and oral instructions, and a control group which received only written instructions about treatment after the surgery. In this research were examined the quality of life using modified OHIP-14 criterion four, seven and thirty days after the operation depending on the type of information previously provided to the respondents. In order to reduce the dimensionality of the obtained data sets, as well as in order to explain the relationship between the examined variables that are interrelated we applied a principal component analysis. The results of this study indicate that the type of information did not influence the intensity of postoperative pain. Both groups expressed satisfaction with the postoperative period for the individual variables investigated in modified OHIP-14 questionnaire, with the intensity and the order of the major components of satisfaction determined by the principal component analysis differing between the two groups of the patients. On the fourth postoperative day, the test group expressed the highest level of satisfaction with sleep, physical appearance and the ability to eat. In the later postoperative period the test group (on the seventh and thirtieth day) had the highest level of satisfaction with the absence of discomfort during removal of sutures, performed treatment satisfaction, and the ability to eat. Detailed preoperative oral instructions to patients can significantly improve the quality of life after operative removal of a lower wisdom tooth.


While much work has been carried out on cave communities that obtain energy from measurable exogenous energy sources (surface organics, sulfide or nitrite), very little work has been carried out on communities that subsist in regions of nutrient scarcity. In this study we generated a 16S SSU-rDNA clone library from an oligotrophic, bacterial community that occurs on a wall in Fairy Cave, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in the absence of observable energy sources. Thirty-eight unique phylotypes based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences revealed that these phylotypes did not correspond to any known sequence, but were related to organisms in the bacterial divisions Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cytophagales and the Low G+C gram-positive bacterial relatedness group. Comparative metabolic analysis suggests that the bacterial community subsists using a complex metabolic network, with input from trace organics within the environment or fixation of atmospheric gases using lithotrophic metabolism. Community distribution of these phylotypes is unique from previous observations in caves using cultivation, suggesting that many of the species identified are sufficiently adapted to the oligotrophic lifestyle and thus remain resistant to cultivation using standard techniques. Such oligotrophic microbial communities may reflect the principal form of life in subaerial cave environments.


The protein binding of piroxicam, a widely used non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug has been investigated by high‐performance liquid affinity chromatography, with phenylbutazone and diazepam used as markers for binding‐site characterization, and by circular dichroism titration.


We review the local Monte Carlo dynamics and Swendsen-Wang cluster algorithm. We introduce and analyze a new Monte Carlo dynamics known as transitional Monte Carlo. The transitional Monte Carlo algorithm samples energy probability distribution P(E) with a transition matrix obtained from single-spin-flip dynamics. We analyze the relaxation dynamics master equation,
d P(E, t)/ dt = sum{E'} T(E,E') P(E',t), associated with Ising model in d dimensions. In one dimension, we obtain an exact solution. We show in all dimensions in the continuum limit the dynamics is governed by the partial differential equation
d P/dt' = d^2 P / d x^2 + x dP/dx + P. where x and t' are rescaled energy deviation from the equilibrium value and rescaled time, respectively. This equation is readily solved. Thus, we have a complete understanding of the dynamics.


This document describes a combination and profiling of existing IETF
protocols to provide a datagram service that is suitable as a generic
transport substrate for the RTC-Web family of real-time audio/video
applications.


A guide for locating patent resources available through the D'Azzo Research Library, as well as background information on the importance of patents to the Air Force Research Laboratory. Links to resources for locating non-U.S. patents


In this paper, an improved method based on the Gauss-Legendre quadrature and Unscented Transform (UT) is proposed to estimate the statistical characters of the EMC/EMI problems with stochastic parameters. The UT method provides a fast method to propagate mean and covariance information through nonlinear transformations. The Gauss-Legendre quadrature as an efficient numerical integral method is used to select the sigma points and weights. The coupling problem of electromagnetic field and transmission line can be treated as a nonlinear maping. So, we calculate the statistical characters of coupling voltage on the load of the transmission line by the GLUT method. It only needs about five times of FDTD simulation to obtain the mean and standard deviation of the coupling voltage. The Monte Carlo (MC) method has been used to validate the GLUT method. The numerical simulation results indicate that the GL-UT method can reduce the number of FDTD simulation from more than thousands of times to several times.


This paper from the perspective of improving the surface quality of the raw material which is 316Lstainless steel plate used for tank container,and through the optimization of related emulsion parameters in the process of stainless steel cold rolling,developed a set of comprehensive control technology to prevent the stainless steel plate from surface scratches,hot scratches and marks.The technology has been directly applied to the production of stainless steel plate,and good results have been obtained.


operates differently. There is the situation when. he falls ill, as did President Franklin Roosevelt over a period of months before his death toward the end of the war; General George Marshall, then Chief of Staff, certainly not a volunteer but enjoying the President's confidence, fortunately stepped into the breach and grasped many decisions that would normally have fallen into the hands of the President and the Secretary of State. Marshall just happened to be the right man at the right time. I wish the author had found a different


The Ohio River is one of the busiest inland waterways in the world. It stretches from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to its confluence with the Mississippi River, a reach of 981 river miles (1579 km). Over 240 million tons (217,724 million kg) of cargo are shipped on the Ohio River annually. Additionally, a large number of recreational and other craft use the river. There are 19 high-lift lock and dams on the Ohio River of various ages and capacities.
 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is presently conducting the Ohio River Mainstem Systems Study (ORMSS). Lock and dams are generally designed for a 50-yr service life. As projects approach the end of their initial design life, USACE investigates the need for rehabilitation of the existing project to extend their service life. The study will address a master funding plan for all 19 lock and dams along the Ohio River for the time period 2000–2060. Because of the variation in ages, traffic levels, and maintenance history at the different projects along the Ohio River, the study will use both engineering and economic modeling to determine when and where improvements should be implemented during the study period.


In mammals, islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is co-produced with insulin in pancreatic s-cells. In the chicken, the expression of IAPP in the brain is more than 10-fold higher than in the pancreas. ...


The new Vision for Space Exploration initiative issued by President Bush requires technology development in several disciplines to place humans on the Moon and Mars within the next twenty years. One major technology development to achieve these goals could be nuclear thermal rockets (NTR). Several NTRs were developed and tested by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in collaboration with NASA and private industry from 1956 through 1972 in the Rover and NERVA programs. The technology reached TRL-6 by the current NASA definition. Recovery of the NTR technology could significantly reduce the cost of building a Lunar Base or of sending humans to Mars. Any recovery of NTR technology would be greatly facilitated by identifying and consolidating all designs, drawings, and blueprints generated during the NTR programs. More specifically, accumulation of the component designs for the Pewee I reactor could greatly facilitate recovery of the NTR technology base. We have completed an effort to identify the information still present on the Pewee and to identify the requirements to construct electronic CAD/CAM files of parts used in an NTR. Completion of this project will be used in formulating a technology roadmap for the recovery of NTR technology.


Loss of body weight in cancer patients strongly influences morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have suggested that both tumor and host factors play a major role in tissue catabolism in cachexia, leading to upregulation of degradative pathways in both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.


Knowledge of temperature effects on whole canopy photosynthesis, growth, and development of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is important for crop model development and evaluation. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of temperature on canopy photosynthesis, development, growth, and partitioning of potato cv. Atlantic under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (700 m LL 21 CO2). Potato plants were grown in day-lit plant growth chambers at six constant day/night temperatures, (12, 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32C) during a 52-d experimental period in 1999 in Beltsville, MD. Main stem length and main stem expanded leaf number were measured nondestructively at 4 d intervals while leaf, stem, root, and tuber weights were obtained by destructive harvesting at biweekly time intervals. Canopy level net photosynthesis (PN) was obtained from gas exchange measurements. The optimum temperature for canopy photosynthesis was 24C early in the growth period and shifted to lower temperatures as the plants aged. Total end-of-season biomass was highest in the 20C treatment. End-of-season tuber mass and the ratio of tuber to total biomass decreased with increasing temperature above 24C. Accumulated biomass was a linear function of total C gain with a common slope for all treatments. However, the proportion of C allocated to tubers decreased with increasing temperatures. High respiration losses decreased total C gain at higher temperatures. When simulating photosynthesis and C assimilation in crop models, source–sink relationships with temperature and photosynthesis need to be accounted for.


This study addresses the link between management concern for organizational crises and competitive strategy in small and medium‐sized enterprises in Peru, Mexico and the United States. Surveys were completed by 270 Peruvian, 218 Mexican and 256 American managers. Strategic orientation in Peru did not mirror the broad pattern found in Mexico and in the United States. Levels of concern for crises were significantly higher in both Mexico and Peru than in the United States for 12 of 21 crises. The level of concern for crises tended to increase with management level more in Mexico and Peru than in the United States. Correlations between competitive strategy and crisis concern were significant in 26 of 126 instances.


The traditional laser-guided bomb ballistic trajectory fitting methods have the disadvantages of complex calculation and lower fitting precision. A method of ballistic trajectory fitting of laser-guided bomb based on genetic programming was presented. Firstly,the 6-DOF model of laser-guided bomb was established to solve the multiple sets of trajectory data. Then,the data was normalized by the maximum minimum value method,and the reasonable fitness evaluation function,function sets and terminator sets were established. Finally,the genetic programming algorithm was used to simulate and fit the trajectory data,and the results show that the method has low computing complexity and high fitting precision,and meets the demand of actual projects.


Despite 35 years of political turbulence and social change, a constant feature of China's employment situation has been its overwhelming agrarian orientation. In 1952, 88 per cent of China's total work force lived in rural areas, and 95 per cent of these individuals worked in agricultural jobs, primarily farming. By 1986, 74 per cent of the country's work force were considered rural, yet still an overwhelming 80 per cent of these individuals were engaged in agricultural pursuits. Few countries have experienced as rapid a growth as China has over the past four decades, yet maintained an employment structure so closely tied to the soil, the seasons, and the sun.


In order to take back display to the client,reduce the communication between the traditional Web application and server-side,fully use both sides of the network resources,combine two modes of advantages with C/S and B/S,and learn the ideas of component development,web client components without refreshing are proposed by using JavaScript and DOM techniques.They will provide for the developers with a set of full-featured,easy-to-use client-side components,which can further shorten the development cycle.


As technology advances with time, new devices are invented and old ones used in innovative ways. Microchips have been increasingly minimized to the point where they can now fit on a fingernail. Whe ...


Stable analysis patterns are conceptual models that capture the core knowledge and concepts of the problems they model. In stable analysis patterns, concepts and knowledge are presented in abstraction levels that make them reusable whenever the problem occurs. Driving the design model from analysis and conceptual models is essential to develop the required system. In this paper, we propose an approach that transforms a stable analysis pattern into a design model by composing the appropriate set of design patterns. The approach can be generalized to transform a collection of analysis patterns (i.e. analysis models) to the system design. We highlight the approach and illustrate its applicability through an example.


Ophthalmomyiasis is infestation of the eye by fly larva which leads to variable clinical presentations depending on the scale of penetration, species of the fly, and the involved ocular framework. A case of accidental external ophthalmomyiasis, who presented with symptoms mimicking of an acute catarrhal conjunctivitis, is being reported, which was managed with prompt mechanical removal of the larva under topical anesthesia along with supportive treatment. The patient had rapid recovery in the follow up with subsequent microbiological taxonomic identification of the retrieved larvae as of Musca domestica (housefly).


The aim of this study was to evaluate the carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions during the composting and vermicomposting of sewage sludge under the effect of different proportions of straw pellets. Four treatments, including a control with three replicates, were designed to mix the initial sewage sludge with varying rates of pelletized wheat straw (0, 25%, 50%, and 75% (w/w)). Over a 60-day period, vermicomposting with Eisenia andrei treatments and composting were carried out. The results indicated that both composting and vermicomposting produce a significant (p < 0.001) amount of CO2 and CH4 emissions from all treatments. Vermicomposting significantly reduced CH4 emissions by 18%, 34%, and 38% and increased CO2 emissions by 75%, 64%, and 89% for the treatments containing 25%, 50%, and 75% straw pellets, respectively, compared to composting. However, CO2 emissions decreased and CH4 emissions increased during composting compared to vermicomposting. As a result of this finding, both composting and vermicomposting processes are recommended as an additive of pelletized wheat straw, depending on the target gas to be reduced.


Groundbreaking, amalgamation of digital supply chain and blockchain is increasing day by day
as it helps to reach the needs of the consumers and also track the services effectively, which helps in providing
viewable supply chain management. This paper focuses on the essential availabilities of block chain application.
A modest attempt is made to examine the previous study and the previews and opinions of the experts, studies
undertaken earlier. This study intent is to begin with introducing of Blockchain, how blockchain work,
blockchain as a decentralized database, blockchain a driving force, blockchain empowering a better customers
experience and finally the blockchain benefits. The current research study is trying to look over the various
attributes of the blockchain. Therefore, full attention is given to identify how blockchain can be useful. Based on
all these evaluations, this study tries to identify the uses of blockchain as a decentralized autonomous
organization (DAO).


As wearable devices continue to advance, the implementation of additional sensors and device health monitoring capabilities has become integral to their development. To explore noninvasive health monitoring capabilities, in this study, we developed a multimodal system consisting of multiwavelength photoplethysmography (PPG), and bio-impedance (Bio-Z) used to extract signals simultaneously from the wrist above the radial artery. We then evaluated the systolic rising edges of each modality and the systolic temporal peak-to-peak separation between the Bio-Z and PPG signals. The preliminary results show a signal time delay with a correlation to penetration depth between the systolic peaks across modalities within and across subjects. The trend showed the systolic peak of Bio-Z arriving first, with PPG systolic peaks arriving milliseconds after in the order of infrared, red, and green, each with its own time delay and decreasing slope intensity, likely resulting from differences in light penetration depth and impedance changes due to continuum mechanics associated with the cardiac pulse wave.


Through the engineering practice,the author puts forward the method to excavate and increase the dead weight by using the long arm excavator,discusses the construction procedures,the method,the main points and the corresponding technical measures to make the dual-arm steel boxed cofferdam sink 8.5 m in the thick overburden of the large particle gravel.


Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is an attractive topic model research because LDA is so flexible for solving different problems. Because of its different core dependencies, it can be applied to many topics, such as emotion detection, information systems or image clustering. In recent works, researchers have focused on novel dependency to obtain perfect fitting to datasets. However, real world data is too diverse and abundant to be fitted with one single dependency. A single dependency model can only concentrate on the overall characteristic of datasets and thus ignores small details in the data. In addition, model selection for different situation is always difficult. As a result, we propose Multi-dependent Latent Dirichlet Allocation (MD-LDA). MD-LDA can be applied various dependencies into the model. We don't need to select a specific model. For each piece of data, MD-LDA can pick up the most optimal fitting dependency from the dependency set and therefore obtain the best dependencies for the dataset. We also apply some previous works into MD-LDA as a basis for comparison. In our experiments, MD-LDA exhibits the best performance in various cases and is an improvement compared to the other models under consideration.


To investigate the tribology performance of journal bearings with different boundary slip regions under high-speed water lubrication,the two-component slip theory is employed to establish corresponding numerical model.In this model,the extended Reynolds equation is obtained by taking the fluid boundary slip effect into consideration.And the flow conservation boundary condition is applied in cavitation region.Setting high load bearing capacity and low friction drag as the optimal goals,the influence of different slip regions on tribology characteristics is studied to get optimal parameters of the bearing and the slip region.The results show that for bearings with small eccentricity ratio,small width and large diameter,the slip/noslip interval surface on sleeve enables to shorten the cavitation region,enhance the load carrying capacity and reduce the friction drag dramatically.When the border line of the slip/no-slip regions gets close to the location between the pressure peak and the minimum film thickness of normal bearing,load carrying capacity reaches the maximum value.


In this dissertation, we are going to examine the Greek political culture and the reforms that are necessary for the development of our country. The Greek political culture is formed by political developments and changes in order to take its current form. It is determined by negative stereotypes and behaviors that create stagnancy in the country's development. The features that specify the Greek political culture are nationalism, populism, corruption, party politics, nepotism, statism and tax evasion.
In the second part of the dissertation, we are going to analyze the reforms that are necessary in Greek Society, the designed governmental changes that are going to bring the development in Greece and a modern profile. We are going to refer to the reasons that create the failure of the reforms and the necessity that created for improvements in the Greek factualness, after the Greek incorporation in the European Union.
The reforms that are necessary are in those in the public administration, in the tax system, in the pension system, in the health system, in the educational system, and the privatizations that must take place in the public sector. In these areas, will be submitted proposals for their improvement.


This essay introduces the legal maxims of fiqh {qaw?cid kulliyya fiqhiyya) as a distinctive genre of fiqh literature side by side with three other related areas of development, namely al-d?aw?bit (rules controlling specific themes), al-fur?q (distinctions and contrasts), and al-na^ariyy?t al-fiqhiyya (general the ories of fiqh). Developed at a later stage, these genres of fiqh literature seek, on the whole, to consolidate the vast and sometimes unmanageable juris corpus o? fiqh into brief theoretical statements. They provide concise entries into their respective themes that help to facilitate the task of both the students and practioners of Islamic law. Legal maxims are on the whole inter-scholastic, and disagreement among the legal schools is neg ligible on them. Legal maxims also closely relate to the maq?sid, and pro vide useful insights into the goals and purposes of Sharfa (maq?sid al-sha?ca), so much so that some authors have subsumed them under the maq?sid. Yet, for reasons that will presently be explained, legal maxims represent a late development in the history of Islamic jurisprudence. The discus sion which follows begins with introductory information on the basic con cept and scope of legal maxims. This is followed by a more detailed account of the leading five maxims which the jurists have seen as repre sentative of the entire field, saying that all the other maxims can be seen as a commentary on these five. The discussion continues by looking into the history of legal maxims, and then provides an account of their sub sidiary themes, namely the daw?bit, the fur?q, the resemblances and simil itudes (al-ashb?h wa'l na^ir), and finally the naiariyy?t. There is a lacuna in the available English literature on Islamic law that cries to be filled. Except for a few cursory references in the works


Based on the latest research results of neotectonic movements and geological hazards,a new 1 ∶ 5000000 map of region stability evaluation in China is compiled which uses the theory of modern tectonic movement to evaluate region stability in the comprehensive analysis of basic laws of China's neotectonic movement. The new map aims to further perfect our basic geological data and improve the level of region stability evaluation research,in the service of the construction of major national projects and the regional city group,the western development strategy and the promotion of the northeastern old industrial base,the macroscopic decision of government and the sustainable development of national economy.


The under-display camera (UDC) provides consumers with a full-screen visual experience without any obstruction due to notches or punched holes. However, the semi-transparent nature of the display inevitably introduces the severe degradation into UDC images. In this work, we address the UDC image restoration problem with the specific consideration of the scattering effect caused by the display. We explicitly model the scattering effect by treating the display as a piece of homogeneous scattering medium. With the physical model of the scattering effect, we improve the image formation pipeline for the image synthesis to construct a realistic UDC dataset with ground truths. To suppress the scattering effect for the eventual UDC image recovery, a two-branch restoration network is designed. More specifically, the scattering branch leverages global modeling capabilities of the channel-wise self-attention to estimate parameters of the scattering effect from degraded images. While the image branch exploits the local representation advantage of CNN to recover clear scenes, implicitly guided by the scattering branch. Extensive experiments are conducted on both real-world and synthesized data, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed method over the state-of-the-art UDC restoration techniques. The source code and dataset are available at \url{https://github.com/NamecantbeNULL/SRUDC}.


Erosion,landslide and debris flow occurred widespread and severely in upper reaches of Yangtze River. It is very significant to study the soil features and micromorphology of erosion,landslide and debris flow in typical regions. In this paper,the soil profiles of typical erosion,landslide and debris flow from eastern slope of Mt. Gong- ga,Yanting in hilly region of central Sichuan,Yunyang in Three Gorges as well as Jiangjia Ravine of Dongchuan in Yunnan Province were conducted,the main results are as follow:(1) The soil features are different in the regions with different erosion intensity,however,such features as weak development,coarse particles,easy dispersion are common,which are in favor of the formation of erosion,consequently,some micromorphology of erosive soil formed,for example,micromorphology of coarse skeleton accumulation,micro-spefleaching of fine soil,micromor- phology of buried soil horizon etc. (2) The micromorphology and features of favorable landslide formation in land- slide soil were observed,e. g. ,fine andround-eroded skeletons,fingerprint microstructure of favorable attenuating water and so on. Some peculiar micromorphology also was found in landslide bed such as tensile micro-crack,opti- cal beamed clay aggregates,Fe-Mn isolates and glassy materials. (3) The soil of debris flow are very special in features and has peculiar micromorphology,for example,lacustrinemuddy-like matrix,rock fragment-coated muddy inclusions,dislocation microstructure and so on. The results revealed that the features.and micromorphology of three type of soil are different because of their different environmental condition,which has taxonomic implication for the formation of erosion,landslide and debris flow.


Phosphorus‐doped microcrystalline silicon (P‐doped μc‐Si:H) has been prepared by radio‐ frequency glow discharge method. Effects of pressure on the formation of microcrystalline silicon film have been explored. If the hydrogen dilution ratio R is high enough, highly conductive P‐doped μc‐Si:H films can be obtained under the appropriate pressure. However, for lower R there is a critical pressure for the formation of microcrystalline phase. Above this pressure the film is mostly in amorphous phase and below it microcrystalline phase is formed. The structural and electrical properties studied by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and dark conductivity measurement are reported. An ion bombardment assistance hydrogen selective etching model consistent with structural and electrical properties of μc‐Si:H film is proposed and discussed.


The effect of hydrogen on temperature dependence of critical stress σcr(T), the shape memory effect and superelasticity for [11]-oriented single crystals of Ti-50.7Ni (at.%) and [23]-oriented single crystals of Ti-49%Ni-1%Fe (at.%) alloys at tensile deformation has been studied. It was shown that the change of temperatures of the martensitic transformation, symmetry of thermal hysteresis and level of σcr(Ms) and σcr(B2) stresses are determined by the phase state of the material (martensite or austenite) in the process of hydrogenation.


The article deals with the scientific comprehension of ontological properties of the semantic formation «own - alien» and its particular realization at the level of political discourse, the model which reflects the content of semantic spheres «own» and «alien» in the political communication of different historical periods being created.


For the time-domain integral equation (TDIE) solution, the Marching-on-in time (MOT) algorithm is often employed to calculate the electromagnetic scattering. However, the main drawback of this MOT algorithm is the late-time instability. A method using Laguerre polynomials to obtain stable responses with the electric-field integral equation (EFIE) is presented. In this paper, Hermite Polynomials is used as the temporal basis functions. Numerical results involving currents and coefficients of each order computed by MOO and this method are presented and compared.


In angiographic procedures, intraarterial injection of 5-10 ml. of 1 per cent procaine has been extensively used prior to withdrawal of the catheter, needle, on cannula in order to minimize arterial spasm. However, the angiographer must be aware of the possibility of cortical irritation if the procaine is injected rapidly. The symptoms are transient, but nevertheless alarming to both the patient and the angiographer.We report 2 patients who had percutaneous transaxillary arteriography, each of whom developed transient symptoms of marked cortical irritation following the rapid intravascular injection of 5 ml. of 1 per cent procaine just prior to the removal of the catheter.We believe that careful attention to slow injection quite near the arterial entry site will avoid such cortical irritation. To our knowledge this minor, but possibly major, complication has not been reported previously.


F. MARCUS (University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.) : I wanted to talk just for a minute on drug interactions. I have been exceedingly impressed by the adverse effects of even mild degrees of hypokalemia in patients who are prone to recurrent ventricular arrhythmia. Even when their potassium is decreased to 3.5 or 3.8 meq/liter, they seem to be much more prone to ventricular tachycardia as compared to when the potassium is at a level of 4.5 meq/liter. Dr. Bigger, would you comment on this point? J. T. BIGGER (Columbia University, New York Ci ty ) : Potassium has antiarrhythmic effects, and we studied that in the late 1960s. Injections of potassium and infusions of potassium were quite antiarrhythmic on their own even in the absence of hypokalemia. Infused intravenously, potassium has almost the same plasmic kinetics as does procainamide, that is, it has about a four-hour half time. MARCUS: Yes, I am very impressed with the arrhythmogenic effects of hypokalemia, even in a modest degree. A. J . Moss (University of Rochester, Rochester, N . Y . ) : I wanted to follow up on one question that was asked of Dr. Hjalmarson with regard to the beta blocker story. There is certainly some evidence of a potential harmful effect of beta blockers in older patients with myocardial infarction. Second, the experience that you report that the patients who had the worst mechanical function seemed to get the greatest benefit is surprising. Certainly the beta blocker heart attack trial (BHAT) studies dealt with almost exclusively good risk patients, and patients with left ventricular dysfunction were excluded. Could you expand a bit on these two points? A. HJALMARSON (University of Goteborg, Goteborg, Sweden) : There was one report from Denmark with alprenolol in which patients above 65 years of age responded badly to beta blockers. Personally I think that that was due to the selection of patients. They included patients with a systolic blood pressure of 90 mm mercury and they accepted unconscious patients with hypotension and backward failure combined. That might not explain all of it, but I think that selection is very important. In our study we included patients up to the age of 75. When we look at patients above 65 and below 65, there is, if anything, a more marked effect in the elderly group. The mortality rate in the placebo group is twice as high in the patients above 65 compared to below 65. It is known from a variety of studies that the higher the placebo mortality the better possibility of reducing mortality. On all variables we looked into, if we have the same indications and contraindications for beta blockade, we have used the same dose for the elderly people as for the younger ones. The tolerance to beta blockade is essentially the same in the older and younger patients with only a 4% higher exclusion rate in the latter group for hypotension, AV block, and bradycardia. SO there seems to be a very good tolerance among elderly people. They have more diseases, however, so we have to be more careful.


This article represents an attempt to investigate the Greek elections of January 2015 within the political context of Greece. The outcome of this election illustrated the main features of the exact previous election of 2012 including the fragmentation of the party system and the rise of anti-bailout forces. In this context for the first time since 1974 and for the first time since the entry of Greece in the rescue bailout mechanism of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in 2010, an anti-bailout party, the radical left SYRIZA, won the elections forming a coalition government with the right-wing ANEL on an anti-bailout platform.


A Watt-type functional response predator-prey system with time delay is studied.By analyzing the characteristic equation of the linearized system of original system at the positive equilibrium,the system's stability at the positive equilibrium are discussed.By applying the theorem of Hopf bifurcation,the existence of Hopf bifurcation of the system is obtained.


This paper discusses aspects of re-design of loadshedding schemes with respect to actual developments in the Kosovo power system. Load-shedding is a type of emergency control that is designed to ensure system stability by reducing power system load to match the power generation supply. This paper presents a new adaptive load-shedding scheme that provides emergency protection against excess frequency decline, in cases when the Kosovo power system might be disconnected from the regional transmission network. The proposed load-shedding scheme uses the local frequency rate information to adapt the load-shedding pattern to suit the size and location of the occurring disturbance. The proposed scheme is tested in a software simulation on a large scale PSS/E model which represents nine power system areas of Southeast Europe including the Kosovo power system. Keywords—About Load Shedding, Power System Transient, PSS/E Dynamic Simulation, Under-frequency Protection


Ras proteins are guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that play pivotal roles in the control of normal and transformed cell growth and are among the most intensively studied proteins of the past decade. After stimulation by various growth factors and cytokines, Ras activates several downstream effectors, including the Raf-1/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and the Rac/Rho pathway. In approximately 30% of human cancers, including a substantial proportion of pancreatic and colon adenocarcinomas, mutated ras genes produce mutated proteins that remain locked in an active state, thereby relaying uncontrolled proliferative signals. Ras undergoes several posttranslational modifications that facilitate its attachment to the inner surface of the plasma membrane. The first-and most critical-modification is the addition of a farnesyl isoprenoid moiety in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme protein farnesyltransferase (FTase). It follows that inhibiting FTase would prevent Ras from maturing into its biologically active form, and FTase is of considerable interest as a potential therapeutic target. Different classes of FTase inhibitors have been identified that block farnesylation of Ras, reverse Ras-mediated cell transformation in human cell lines, and inhibit the growth of human tumor cells in nude mice. In transgenic mice with established tumors, FTase inhibitors cause regression in some tumors, which appears to be mediated through both apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. FTase inhibitors have been well tolerated in animal studies and do not produce the generalized cytotoxic effects in normal tissues that are a major limitation of most conventional anticancer agents. There are ongoing clinical evaluations of FTase inhibitors to determine the feasibility of administering them on dose schedules like those that portend optimal therapeutic indices in preclinical studies. Because of the unique biologic aspects of FTase, designing disease-directed phase II and III evaluations of their effectiveness presents formidable challenges.


The 'thundersnow' weather phenomenon in Shandong on 28 February 2010 was analyzed using the routine data,sounding data,T639 model and satellite image.Results show that the process produces under the large-scale circulation background.Southwest warm and wet air flow are dominative,the low-level jet of lower troposphere continuously transports to the water vapor and energy of Shandong Province.The intrusion of cold air in lower layer at the same time forces the warm and wet air raising along the cold air to trigger the unstable energy release,whick result in the occurrence of severe convective weather.850 hPa vortex and cyclone enhanced upward motion.The rain turns to snow with ground layer temperature being below 0 ℃.Then cyclone moves to the northeast that result in heavy snow in Central and Peninsula.Combination of satellite images,it can clearly see that MCC is a direct cause of the heavy rainfall.


Background: Approximately 5-10% of epileptic patients do not respond to antiepileptic drugs. Adenosine has an inhibitory effect on the nervous system and its metabolism is prevented as a side effect of allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. The current study evaluates the efficacy of allopurinol in intractable epilepsy. Methods: In this double-blind case-control clinical trial, of the 38 epileptics with intractable seizures, 18 received 300 mg allopurinol daily and 20 received a placebo as adjuvant treatment to their previous antiepileptic drugs. The patients were first examined two weeks after initiation of the treatment and then monthly for a total of six months, during which they were evaluated for seizure control and possible side effects. Result: Of the 38 participants, 32 patients completed the study. There were significant differences between the two groups in terms of reduction in the total number of seizures over the entire six-month trial. A seizure reduction of 30% observed in 66% of the patients, 50% in 55%, and 60% in 44% of the cases in the allopurinol group was achieved after two months and persisted throughout the study. Furthermore, a significant difference in seizure duration was found between the two groups in month four of the trial. In the allopurinol group, two patients had transient rashes, two patients had mild nausea, and two experienced dizziness; however, only one patient discontinued the drug due to dizziness. In the placebo group, one patient had rash and one had nausea. In addition, no significant hematological or hepatic changes were found during the trial in either group. Conclusions: The results suggest that allopurinol is a safe and effective adjuvant agent in refractory epilepsy. Based on this study, we suggest that purine metabolic pathways and the specific use of allopurinol should be further investigated for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Abstract


The largest private owner of neighborhood retail shopping centers in the United States is a full-service real-estate development and management company involved in the design, construction, leasing, management, and rehabilitation of retail and retail-mixed-use properties. Started in 1967 and owned primarily by one family, the business has provided financial security for the family and its employees and has made major contributions to the surrounding community. Now the current CEO has to decide which of three family members will be his successor. He knows that his choice is critical because it concerns many people. Excerpt UVA-S-0146 Rev. Aug. 16, 2010 Edens & Avant , Edens was a full-service real-estate development and management company involved in the design, construction, leasing, management, and rehabilitation of retail and retail-mixed-use properties. Started by Joe Edens Jr. (Joe Jr.) in 1967, the business provided financial security for his family and its employees and made major contributions to the community; thus, Joe Jr.'s choice of his successor was a critical decision that concerned many people. He had three candidates under consideration. Beginnings . . .


A study investigated the distribution and specific use of adjectives and related expressions in the naturally acquired German of one Turkish and two Italian migrant workers in West Germany. The research was part of a larger study of untutored language acquisition by migrant workers in Europe. Specifically, this study examined the learning of vocabulary for ascribing properties to objects, comparisons, grading of qualifications, and expressions of evaluation in the course of 2.5 years. In general, a low adjective frequency was found in these subjects despite the fact that as adults they had a fully developed system of perceptual and cognitive patterns for structuring and conceptualizing linguistic input. Explanations for this phenomenon are sought in pragmatics (i.e., the learner's uncertainty about the appropriateness of usage) and the organization of concepts. The subjects also showed an analytical (i.e., lexical) approach to comparison, attempting to specify the degree to which an object shows a particular property. The semantic, logical, and pragmatic status of adjectives are examined for insight into both low frequency and idiosyncratic use in these learners' language. (MSE) ************** ***** **************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***************ft******* ***** *******************************************


This report describes the measurements which ECN supplied to the WP8 group of the EU 6th Framework project 'Upwind'. Furthermore an analysis is given of the measurement results and some comments on the quality of data are added.


Looks at Blanchot's first novel Thomas the Obscure, including its long genesis throughout the 1930s. The influence of various writers on the novel is evaluated, and the characteristics and importance of fiction for Blanchot are discussed.


In this paper,the occurance situation of main pest and disease in Sophora japonica has been discussed,the occurance factors have been analyzed,the controlling thoughts has been sumarized,and the controlling measures have been put forward.


The automation of inspection methods for concrete structures is a pressing issue worldwide. Weakly supervised approaches, i.e., approaches based on supervision in other forms than traditional class labels, offer a unique mix of automation and human involvement that is highly effective for critical tasks such as inspection work. Generating weak supervision is less tedious than generating training data for supervised learning approaches. However, since it is less informative, high amounts of weak supervision are often needed. In practice, it is often the case that only scarce amounts of weak supervision are available. In this article, we propose a novel approach for weakly supervised acoustic defect detection in concrete structures that augment human-provided weak supervision. Experiments in both laboratory and field conditions showed that the proposed method allows for considerable performance gains for low amounts of weak supervision.


We obtain a rational approximation of the Voigt/complex error function by Fourier expansion of the exponential function ${e^{ - {{\left( {t - 2\sigma } \right)}^2}}}$ and present master-slave algorithm for its efficient computation. The error analysis shows that at $y > {10^{ - 5}}$ the computed values match with highly accurate references up to the last decimal digits. The common problem that occurs at $y \to 0$ is effectively resolved by main and supplementary approximations running computation flow in a master-slave mode. Since the proposed approximation is rational function, it can be implemented in a rapid algorithm.


Based on the analysis of actual teaching situation in domestic teaching and training institutions,this paper synthesizes the most practical method of teaching management in the traditional classroom teaching and network teaching,and presents the design idea,process management model and the system framework of the blending teaching management to class as the core. This will provide a practical method of blending teaching management to the modern teaching institutions.


The selectivity of ozone in the delignification of unbleached pine and eucalyptus kraft pulps is studied at ultralow consistency in a stirred reactor under closely controlled experimental conditions. The effect of several operating variables is analyzed, but special attention is paid to the depolymerization rate of polysaccharides with the particular goal of evaluating the influence of the lignin contents on its kinetics. By using substantially different ozone concentrations in the pulp suspension and different reaction temperatures, it is possible to show that ozone selectivity can only be slightly improved by manipulating these operating variables. Furthermore, for the same type of material, it was observed that the initial rate of delignification plays the most important role on selectivity. In fact, for a given pulp, selectivity decreases with a decrease of the initial lignin contents, and such results can be well justified by the corresponding reduction of the initial rates of delignification. To fur...


and provide important information complementary to the level spacings. For better estimations with reference to the experimental values, various corrections due to radiative processes, higher order QCD contributions are required [3]. In this context, the NRQM formalism is found to provide systematic treatment of the perturbative and nonperturbative components of QCD at the hadronic scale [4]. In heavy meson spectroscopy non relativistic models are found to be more suitable in studying the mass spectra, predicting the higher orbital states and other properties like leptonic and two photon decays. The Hamiltonian employed in our model is given by [5],


The study aims to determine the effect of applying for intercropping food crops (rice, corn, and soybeans = jagole) on the cropping index and income of urban farming community activists. This study was conducted by comparing the use of six models of growing food crops, namely three kinds of monoculture model of jagole, upland rice-soybean, sweet corn-soybean, and sweet corn-upland rice polyculture/ "Turiman". Observational data includes data on land characteristics, annual cropping patterns in related locations, and input-output data of the test models. Corn and soybeans are harvested young. Data were processed using descriptive analysis and the economic feasibility analysis of the tested technology was based on the R/C ratio. Based on data, it is known that there is potential to increase the cropping index of dry or limited land in the Jakarta area, from 1-2 to 2-3 a year by optimizing planting through intercropping systems/ food crop Turiman. such as corn-upland rice-soybean. The results of the analysis showed that the soybean monoculture technology model, with yields of young soybeans, gave a higher profit (R/C 2.58), compared to the other models, namely sweet corn monoculture, upland rice monoculture, upland rice-sweet corn polyculture, soybean-sweet corn polyculture, soybean-upland rice polyculture, and (R/C respectively: 0.24, 0.54, 0.17, 1.25, and 1.71).


Whole room indirect calorimeter (WRIC) validation techniques consist of propane combustion (PC) or infusion of mixed carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) by a precision blender (PB). To determine the best method, PC of 6, 10, 22‐h and PB infusions of 6, 10, and 14‐h, were conducted. The 14‐h infusion consisted of two metabolic settings. Energy expenditure (EE; kJ), ventilation (V; liters/min) of oxygen (VO2), VCO2, and respiratory quotient (VCO2/VO2) obtained from the WRIC were extrapolated to the respective test durations and compared to similarly calculated values. Moreover, accurate equations (AE) were derived to correct infusions for additional N2. As a final evaluation of a PC validated WRIC, weight maintenance (WM), energy balance (EB), respiratory quotient (RQ), and food quotients (FQ) were determined in 22 subjects who had repeat 24‐h EE measurements. Statistical analyses (P < 0.05) were conducted (SPSS, version 23). Significant differences in RQ existed between PC and stoichiometry after 6‐h. Errors for the rest of the PC tests ranged from −1.5 ± 2.4 (VCO2) to 2.8 ± 4.6% (EE). When compared with the WRIC, all uncorrected metabolic parameters for six and 10‐h PB infusions were significantly different with errors from −12.8 ± 1.6 (VO2) to 6.0 ± 2.8% (RQ). The AE reduced the magnitude of errors to −12.4 ± 1.5 (RQ) to 2.2 ± 3.0% (RQ). The PB infusion with two settings showed similar performance. No differences in WM, EB, RQ, or FQ existed in the subjects. In conclusion, 10‐h PC tests are sufficient for validating WRICs.


The results of the study of influence of the processes of oxidation and thermal destruction on the optical properties, the kinematic viscosity, volatility and anti-wear properties of full synthetic motor oil are presented. It was found, that the processes of thermal destruction have reduced the rate of change of optical density, volatility, kinematic viscosity and anti-wear properties, however the processes of thermal destruction have dominated at the processes of oxidation, when optical density is more 0,4.


The effects of two-step-leaf remaining techniques on the agronomic characters,upper leaf quality and economic traits were investigated by using K326 as the tested variety.The main results were as follows: remaining 16 and 18 leaves on the main culm and raising 4~8 branch leaves would increase the leaf length and width on the main culm;the length of branch leaves were 57.40~65.33 cm,and the width were 22.53~24.53 cm.The treatments with raising branch leaves had good effects on decreasing the upper leaf ratio by 0.49~6.67 percent.There were no significant differences in total sugar and reducing sugar content of upper leaves among different treatments,but the nicotine content decreased significantly.Compared with the CK,the leaf yields under the treatments with 16 main culm leaves +8 branch leaves and 18 main culm leaves + 8 branch leaves were increased by 10.28% and 3.33%,respectively.But the output value,average price,fine leaf ratio of the treatments were decreased contrasted to the CK variety.


Background: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke associated with tandem lesion is challenging. Achieving rapid intracranial revascularization and managing the extracranial lesion without complications are the main challenges. Materials and Methods: The balloon angioplasty followed by aspiration of large-vessel occlusion (BAFALO) technique was used to address this clinical issue. A review of a prospectively maintained stroke registry from January 2015 to April 2020 was performed. Patients had stroke with TO and treated with the BAFALO technique were included. Results: Twelve patients were enrolled: 11 had anterior circulation stroke, and 1 had posterior circulation stroke. There were 10 ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenosis/occlusion, one left common carotid artery to subclavian artery bypass stenosis, and 1 vertebral artery orifice stenosis. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 16 (interquartile range [IQR]: 14–16). Revascularization with a Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b or more was achieved in 11 (92%) patients. The median puncture-to-revascularization time was 25 min (IQR: 19.5–31). Emergent stent implantation was performed in five (42%) patients. Three had distal protection devices (DPDs) with no distal embolization. Two patients did not use a DPD, and one had intracranial reocclusion. Eight (67%) proximal stenotic vessels remained patent. No symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred. Eight (67%) patients had favorable clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Score 0–2 at 90 days). Conclusion: While managing TO, the BAFALO technique could achieve rapid intracranial revascularization and treat extracranial lesions under embolic protection. These merits translate into favorable clinical outcomes.


The acute reinforcing effects of cocaine are thought by some to result from cocaine binding to the dopamine (DA) transporter, which inhibits DA uptake and increases synaptic DA levels in the mesolimbic system. Other data suggest that neurotransmitters other than DA contribute to cocaine reinforcement and addiction. These considerations illustrate the need to have additional research tools with which to test the "DA hypothesis." One strategy is to identify drugs which bind to the DA transporter (DAT ligands) but which do not inhibit DA uptake as effectively as cocaine. The purpose of the present study was to identify members of a novel structural class of DAT ligands and to characterize their interactions at the DA transporter. A positional scanning hexapeptide D‐amino acid library was screened for inhibition of [125I]RTI‐55 binding to rat caudate DA transporters. Based on the results, 12 peptides were synthesized. All 12 peptides inhibited [125I]RTI‐55 binding to DA transporters with IC50 values, which ranged from 1.8 μM to 12 μM. The two most potent peptides (TPI‐669–1 and TPI‐669–4) were prepared in larger quantities and were characterized further for activity at the DAT and 5‐HT transporter. Both peptides inhibited DA and 5‐HT uptake and transporter binding with IC50/Ki values in the low micromolar range. In vivo microdialysis studies demonstrated that both peptides increase extracellular DA and 5‐HT in the nucleus accumbens of rats. These data demonstrate that peptides can function as inhibitors of biogenic amine transport. Future work will focus on developing more potent and selective peptides. Synapse 33:239–246, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


With the world population growing exponentially reaching 7.8 billion people in 2020, the issue of crowd management has become more difficult especially when the situation requires social distancing (e.g. due to COVID-19). The Internet of Things (IoT) technology can help in tackling such issues. In this article, we propose a behavior analysis-based IoT services architecture for crowd management. We propose to use a behavior analysis approach based on using generative model as Hidden Markov Model to help crowd managers to make good decisions in invoking IoT services. The proposed approach is based on sectioning video segments captured from surveillance cameras of locations that require crowd management into spatio-temporal flow-blocks for marginalization of arbitrarily dense flow field. Then, each flow-block is classified as normal and abnormal. To demonstrate our approach, we used a real case study where crowd management is required namely, Muslim's pilgrimage (i.e. Hajj and Umrah), where real dataset is used for experimenting. The results of the experiments we have conducted are promising in real-time performance. Such results are expected to compare favorably to those found in the literature by other researchers.