Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), an extensively investigated cytokine, plays a very important role in promoting the spread of cancers in the body, and can play a direct role in facilitating metastasis. Consequently, TGF-β is currently explored as a prognostic candidate biomarker of tumor invasiveness and metastasis. Therefore, in clinical scenarios involving increased TGF-β activity, attempts to decrease or abrogate TGF-β signaling could be used as a therapy for advanced or metastatic disease. It follows that TGF-β signaling offers an attractive target for cancer therapy. Several anti-TGF-β approaches, such as TGF-β antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides and small molecules inhibitors of TGF-β type 1 receptor kinase, have shown great promise in the preclinical studies. These studies, coupled with progressing clinical trials indicate that inhibition of TGF-β signaling may be indeed a viable option to cancer therapy. This review summarizes the TGF-β biology, screening cancer patients for anti-TGF-β therapy, and several strategies targeted against TGF-β signaling for cancer therapy. The next several years promise to improve our understanding of approaching cancer therapy by further evaluation of TGF-β signaling inhibitors for clinical efficacy. The complexity of TGF-β biology guarantees that many surprises lie ahead.


I EMERGE FROM THE TOKYO Monorail station on Showajima, a small island in Tokyo Bay that's nestled between downtown Tokyo and Haneda Airport. Disoriented and dodging cargo trucks exiting a busy overpass, I duck under a bridge and consult the map on my phone, which leads me deeper into a warren of warehouses. I eventually find Espec Mic Corp.'s VegetaFarm, in a dilapidated 1960s office building tucked between a printing plant and a beer distributor. Stepping inside the glass-walled lobby on the second floor, I see racks upon racks of leafy green lettuce and kale growing in hydroponic solutions of water and a precisely calibrated mix of nutrients. Energyefficient LEDs emit a pinkish light within a spectral range of 400 to 700 nanometers, the sweet spot for photosynthesis.


Guidelines are given for applying SCR's in resistance welding controls. The stresses the SCR's are subjected to in resistance welding applications due to the cyclic nature of the load are discussed from a device, design, and application point of view. In addition the special rating of SCR's and cooling requirements for cyclic duty are described along with techniques for protecting the devices from overvoltage, overcurrent, and loss of coolant. Gating requirements are outlined from a circuit view point.


In Romania the flowers are popular and appreciated by buyers, that is why in the Greenhouses Complex of Oradea, in 2008-2011were made experiments which can prove the positive effect substratum over the productivity, quality and growth of plants.The Columbia species were used in the experiment with big red flowers, heart-shaped, bright-green leaves(24-26 cm/16-18 cm), with long stems (Georget P, 1999).


This letter presents the implementation and measurement results of a partially digitized envelope-based carrier-bursting transmitter operating at 2.6 GHz. The transmitter consists of two chips, in this case: a partial-envelope delta–sigma modulator (PEDSM) and an up-conversion mixer with 130-nm CMOS technology. A second-order continuous-time delta–sigma modulator with a 622-MHz sampling clock is designed as an envelope digitizer in the PEDSM. With a long-term evolution signal with a peak-to-average power ratio of 8.7 dB, the fabricated transmitter showed a coding efficiency of 90.4% and an error vector magnitude (EVM) of 3.44% for a PEDSM threshold level of 1/3.


Rock alteration processes can be studied through geochemical Mass Balance (MB) estimation in several ways. Due to the ease of its adaptability, especially its graphical approach, the ISOCON method of mass balance is extensively used for such studies. However the technique suffers from a serious limitation, in particular with reference to the graphical treatment involving arbitrary scaling, which is explained in this paper with the help of illustrative examples. The reference frame for MB obtained by best fit regression is biased to the element scaled upward that plot away from the origin. The scaling factors actually act as weighting factors which bias the slope of the ISOCON line because it is controlled by data points having higher numerical value in the plot. Since scaling of concentration data are unavoidable in ISOCON analysis, the results of MB may potentially be misleading. The slope of the best fit ISOCON line may vary within the range of slopes defined by individual conserved elements. In case, no scaling is done, the ISOCON shall weight in proportion to the abundance of the immobile elements. The co-linearity of the immobile elements with origin is also subjective in nature with the elements near origin apparently seem to satisfy a wide range ISOCON slopes than those that are away from origin. When equal weight is assigned to all elements, regardless of their concentration level, an average of the slopes of the immobile elements (i.e., concentration ratios in altered to unaltered) may provide better approximation for reference frame without recourse to graphical plot and ISOCON solution. The existing weighted least-squares or equal weight least-squares ISOCON method is found to be more appropriate in case of higher uncertainty in the protolith compositions. In any case, a proper identification of the conserved species is an essential prerequisite to successful implementation of mass balance computation minimizing the inherent errors of the ISOCON technique.


The present study intended an approach to the attitude change by persuasion from the standpoint of developmental social psychology. More specifically, this study was designed to investigate the effects of the communicator attractiveness (i.e., attractiveness defined in terms of personality, attitudes, and other nonphysical features) and threats to freedom upon the resistance to persuasion. Three factors were involved in this experiment : the teacher attractiveness (attractive or unattractive) , the degree of threat (high or low), and the subjects' age/school year (4th, 6th, or 8th grade) . A 2 X 2 X 3 factorial design was used and subjects were assigned to 12 conditions. Results indicated that attractive teachers induced positive responses to persuasion, while unattractive teachers induced the resistance to persuasion (negative emotional responses, aggression intent, negative evaluation of the message contents) . The 8th graders displayed greater resistance to persuasion, whereas the 4th graders showed positive responses. A three factor interaction effect indicated that the 8th graders in an unattractive, high threat condition displayed the greatest resistance to persuasion. These findings were discussed in terms of developmental social psychology.


Four properties(lithology,physical property,oil property and electrical property) to Kexia formation in Kelamayi oilfield have been analyzed at first,to establish conventional resistivity logging interpretation model.There is a series of glutenite sediment developed in Kexia formation. To some wells,there is no acoustic log curve,but only resistivity log curve.Therefore,resistivity calculation method is determined to calculate effective porosity and permeability,according to core analysis and various log value correlation.Electric resistivity logging interpretation model,established with "core scale logging" technique,has a higher calculating precision,and is suitable for oilfield development.


Turkey is expected to experience significant climate change, including increased temperatures and desertification. As these changes affect forestry, agriculture and animal husbandry, they threaten the livelihoods of forest communities across the country. In addition, other, institutional factors such as the property regime can act in tandem with physical stressors to increase communities' overall vulnerability to climate change. This article focuses on how the current structure of Turkish forest property rights, in determining access to forest resources that communities depend on for building resilience in marginal environments, influences communities' adaption strategies and shapes their vulnerability to climate change. Through an analysis of how forest communities in the Seyhan River Basin gain access to state-owned forest resources, this article shows that without secure access to these resources, forest communities in the Basin are made more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.


We performed laboratory experiments that highlight the specific erosion processes governing fluvial dike breaching (Rifai et al. 2017a). The experimental setup includes a 10 m long and 1 m wide main channel, separated from a floodplain by a 0.3 m high dike of trapezoidal cross-section. The dike material was homogeneous and made of uniform sand. A rectangular initial notch was cut in the crest to initiate 3D breaching. The breach development was monitored continuously using a self-developed laser profilometry technique (Rifai et al. 2016).


Social Network Analysis (SNA) has received growing attention among diverse academic fields for studying 'social relations' among individuals and institutions. Unfortunately, its application has remained limited in the study of livelihood systems of rural poor. Complexity in rural livelihoods has increased sharply in the face of increased pressure on natural resources and rapid shift in farm-based to non-farm based employments. This poses great challenge to successful livelihood intervention in rural areas. On one hand, rural development/extension needs to cater to diverse information and service need of the rural people; on other hand, rural institutions need to deliver livelihood-sustaining services more efficiently, which often need institutional restructuring at multiple levels. To achieve these challenges, a strong innovative analytical tool is required for understanding the complexity of rural livelihoods and the associated role of rural institutions. SNA provides excellent scope to analyse such complex systems and interactions among their components. This article proposes an outline of using SNA in livelihood system analysis. The analysis can provide answer to many questions of practical importance – Who are the influential actors in a livelihood system? Which are the key institutions contributing towards sustainable livelihoods? How do these actors interact among themselves? This will help rural development administrators to deliver livelihood-supporting services more efficiently through informed targeting and capacity building.


Local communities encounter various problems related to the global economic system. Socio-economic challenges arise in these communities due to the disappearance of jobs and the leakage of money, t ...


Basic particle swarm optimization(PSO) can not get good optimization performance,because it is easy to get stuck into local optima.Therefore,an algorithm named improved PSO which combines proposed inertia adaptive PSO with partial particles Morlet mutation is proposed.The proposed algorithm and fuzzy entropy are applied to image segmentation,and improved PSO is used to explore fuzzy parameters of maximum fuzzy entropy,which gets the optimum fuzzy parameter combination,then obtains the segmentation threshold.By comparing the proposed algorithm with other two algorithms,the experiment results show that the proposed algorithm has the capability of good segmentation performance and low time cost,which can be use to real time and precision measure coal dust image.


Twitter offers politicians a direct path of communication to the public, and by its very nature, encourages tweets that are often heavy on emotions. Given the rise of Twitter and emotional appeals in politics, this paper investigates two important questions: How "emotional" are political candidates on Twitter, and, how does the public respond to candidates' tweets containing emotional appeals such as joy, fear, anger, and disgust? Based on Crimson Hexagon's sentiment analysis of over 500,000 tweets for 541 members of the 115th Congress and the public's corresponding replies, we find that the tone of candidates' tweets and the public's reactions is primarily positive. We also find congruence in the emotions between a political tweet and its reply.


In this article weakly isotropic quadratic forms over a (formally) real field are studied. Conditions on the field are given which imply that every weakly isotropic form over that field has a weakly isotropic subform of small dimension. Fields over which every quadratic form can be decomposed into an orthogonal sum of a strongly anisotropic form and a torsion form are characterized in different ways. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 11E04, 11E81, 12D15


There is a growing trend in the theory and practice of sustainable development to focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and not only transnational companies, as part of the process of creating a more sustainable world. The recognition of the impact of SMEs on social development and the environment, as well as the need for studying them, stems mainly from their significant contribution to the economy of countries and employment, as well as from the significant cumulative impact of SMEs on the environment. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the extent of environmental responsibility, as a subconstruct of CSR, of small and medium-sized businesses in Bulgaria. The report presents a comparative analysis of the activities undertaken by Bulgarian SMEs to reduce environmental impact in the context of the same in other EU member states, the opportunities and difficulties they are facing in improving their environmental responsibility.


Summary Our results indicate that sulfonamides do not interfere directly with the functioning of coenzyme I in yeast fermentation or in several systems in normal rat liver. The available experimental evidence does suggest the possibility that the drugs may inhibit the synthesis of the coenzymes.


This note contains a short discussion on the sufficiency of finite optimality in martingale transport. It is shown that finitely minimal martingale measures are solutions of the martingale transport problem when the cost function is upper semi-continuous and bounded from above by a sum of integrable functions. As an application a transparent proof of the uniqueness of left-monotone martingale transport plans is given.


Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represent a difficult clinical challenge because of the need for repeated moderate-to-high-dose corticosteroid exposure and/or long-term cumulative corticosteroid use. Thus, immunosuppressive agents are often used for their corticosteroid-sparing effects as well as for maintaining long-term remission. Among the immune suppressants, azathioprine (AZA) and a related prodrug, 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), are most commonly used due to their efficacy in maintenance therapy. Treatment with 6MP and AZA significantly decreases relapse rates and corticosteroid requirements. However, adverse reactions have been reported, including leukocytopenia, liver dysfunction, pancreatitis, malignancies, and allergic reactions, and clinicians should be aware of and inform patients regarding these risks. For patients who have experienced complications from treatments with 6MP or AZA, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an immunosuppressive agent used to prevent acute rejection of renal allografts, has shown beneficial effects. Because MMF is only approved for use in patients with renal transplantation in Japan, we used mizoribine (MZR) (4-carbamoyl-1-b-D-ribofuranosylimidazolium-5-olate), another inhibitor of inosine monophosphate (IMP) dehydrogenase, which is the key enzyme for the de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides, and is well-used in renal diseases in children. As MZR was found to inhibit both humoral and cellular immunity by selectively inhibiting the proliferation of lymphocytes, it was developed as a new immunosuppressive agent. MZR activates leukocytopenia and other adverse reactions less frequently than 6MP and AZA in patients so it appears to be very safe and well-tolerated. Therefore we decided to use MZR for the treatment of pediatric IBD cases who experienced some adverse reactions during previous therapy with 6MP.


Online banking authentication plays an important role in the field of online banking security. In past years, a number of methods, including password token, short message password, and USB token, have been developed for online banking authentication. In this paper, we introduce a new authentication protocol for online banking. Our approach enhances performance and robustness against various attacks by using mobile phones to store digital certificate for clients. We provide attack analysis to illustrate the strength of the protocol.


THIS REPORT IS PRESENTED AS A GUIDE TO THE DESIGN OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE FLAT PLATES IN BUILDINGS, POST-TENSIONED WITH EITHER BONDED OR UNBONDED TENDONS. THE REPORT PRESENTS: ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PROCEDURES, PERMISSIBLE STRESSES FOR FLEXURE AND SHEAR, RECOMMENDATIONS ON TENDON DISTRIBUTION AND SPACING, NONPRESTRESSED REINFORCEMENT REQUIREMENTS, SPAN-DEPTH RATIOS FOR DEFLECTION AND CAMBER CONTROL, SEISMIC DESIGN PROVISIONS, FIRE RESISTANCE RATING CRITERIA, AND CONSTRUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS. THE REPORT IS FOR THE GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS WHO MUST ADD PROPER ENGINEERING JUDGMENT TO APPLICATIONS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS.


This research aimed at determining the effect of chitosan in synthesizing imprinted Cu carbon-chitosan composite properties, the effect of imprinting Cu in carbon-chitosan composites to the adsorption efficiency and adsorption capacity of Cu in electroplating waste via batch methods, and the regeneration pattern of the composite. Composites were characterized using FTIR and SEM-EDX. In FTIR spectra, the addition of Cu caused the reduction of -OH and -NH functional groups intensity as the active site of Cu chemical bonding in 3448.72 cm-1. SEM-EDX analysis showed that the carbon-ionic imprinted chitosan composites after desorption contains the element of C = 60.17%, O = 38.8%, Cu = 0.83% and Na = 0.85%. The optimizations of Cu adsorption were studied from the concentration pattern of its variable, measured with Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The results showed that an optimum concentration for adsorption of Cu was 75 mg / L and an optimum contact time for adsorption of Cu was 24 hours with adsorption efficiency of 98.54% and adsorption capacity of 2.62 mg/g respectively. The adsorption yield of electroplating waste showed the adsorption efficiency of 31.62% and adsorption capacity of 367,79 mg/g respectively. Regeneration test was investigated from adsorption-recovery-reactivation (A-Rcov-RAct) steps. This regeneration test was carried out in three cycles. Recovery test was carried out using EDTA 0.05 M and 0.1 M HCl solutions. The efficiency of reactivation was identified from adsorption ability after activated with 0.1 M NaOH from two routes of recoveries. The results showed that recover agents do not influence the adsorption percentage, while to the recovery percentage progress, HCl 0.1M EDTA 0.05M. All routes of reactivation showed the similar results in average 99%


Development of two platforms used to perform component and system level validation of grid forming techniques. In this thesis novel grid forming techniques are implemented in a control card and tested in real-time.


The article describes the theoretical aspects of visualization of the expert system of the barotherapy process. The implemented models of hyperbaric oxygenation modes are presented: pathologies during hyperoxia, functional initial characteristics and reactivity to hyperoxia during hyperbaric oxygenation, indicators of the activity of regulatory systems. Assessment of adaptation reserves. Indicators of activity of regulatory systems. Visualization of all sessions of the system.


The technique fits a sinusoidal model to additive vocalic speech segments such that the least mean square error between the model and the summed waveforms is obtained. Enhancement is achieved by synthesizing a waveform from the sine waves attributed to the desired speaker. Least squares estimation is applied to obtain sine-wave amplitudes and phases for both talkers, based on either a priori sine-wave frequencies or a priori fundamental frequency contours. When the frequencies of the two waveforms are closely spaced, the performance is significantly improved by exploiting the time evolution of the sinusoidal parameters across multiple analysis frames. The least squares error approach is also extended to estimate fundamental frequency contours of both speakers from the summed waveform. The results obtained, though limited in their scope, provide evidence that the sinusoidal analysis/synthesis model with effective parameter estimation techniques offers a promising approach to the problem of cochannel talker interference suppression over a range of conditions.<<ETX>>


Abstract. Images of objects and scenes on earth taken from high and low altitude aircraft have been used for many purposes, including natural resource analysis, weather prediction, and navigational aid. For an image of low contrast, the amplitude variations of the high frequency components of the video are small and can be masked by noise introduced during recording and transmission. Digital and analog image processing techniques are used to enhance and retain the detail information of the scene represented by the high frequency components. Experimental results are presented for the processing of optical and radar images.


Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Korean medical treatment as supplementary treatment method in ART. Methods: The research was investigated with Korean, Chinese and western medical clinical journals of ART with herbal medicine, acupuncture, and other oriental medical treatment as supplementary treatment. Results: ART with additional herbal treatment achieved notably better result when ovulation rate, quality of oocyte, pregnant rate were compared. In the indepth review and analysis of five journals of ART with acupuncture intervention, firm effective results were not found, however, acupuncture intervention on patients with embryo transplantation had higher achievement rate in artificial insemination. Conclusions: According to the review of the Korean, Chinese, and western medical journals of the effect of Korean medical treatment as supplementary treatment method in ART, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and other oriental medical therapies in ART contribute to the improvement of the outcome of ART. The limit in the research was limited strong enough well-designed RCT studies as evidence for they were very seldom.


We read with interest the important article by Zipes. Zipes has reported 8 cases of ventricular fibrillation (VF) after TASER shocks.1 His findings indeed validate animal reports that have shown that TASER discharges can stimulate the myocardium. His findings are predicted by our early work on the vector, duration of the TASER discharge, and the associated sympathetic stress that are related to the onset of myocardial capture, the degree of myocardial capture, and the propensity to ventricular fibrillation.2

Two important facts that Dr Zipes produced in his article need attention.

Zipes has demonstrated 1 episode of asystole following TASER discharge and another recording in which it was was difficult to differentiate fine VF from asystole.1 Although …


Te way the figure of Pontius Pilate has been viewed throughout history ranges from a good man to an evil character. As a Roman prefect, it is highly likely that he did not hesitate to sentence no prisoner to death in Palestine. Nevertheless, since the Gospels were written, Christian documentary sources have described the Roman governor unwilling to convict Jesus and forced to do so due to the insistence of perfidious Jews. Te reason for this may be no other than the competence between two rival creeds at the beginning of the expansion of Christianity. Late antique and medieval sources will insist precisely to portray Jews as the main instigators of Jesus' death; therefore, Pilate would not have been responsible for this fatidic event. Medieval art will be likewise ambiguous to depict Pilate both as a good governor fatally advised by evil Jews to crucify Jesus or as an eager participant in the death of the Messiah.


Abstract—Studies of the physical and chemical forms of I131 fallout following the USSR nuclear tests of late 1961 and the United States and USSR studies of 1962 have shown that the fraction existing in the gaseous state varied from about 10 to 90 per cent. Very little of the gaseous I131 appeared to be in the elemental or HI form. The I131 which could easily be leached from the particulate portion of the fallout was found to be mainly in the reduced form as iodides or elemental iodine; about one-third was in the iodate form and very little or none was in the periodate form.


Abstract The high frequency response to a point force excitation of an infinite elastic cylindrical shell, filled with a liquid including a column of gas bubbles, is investigated. A state vector approach is used for the shell theory to include the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia. The far field mobility of the shell for each propagating circumferential modenis calculated using a residue method. Each of these residues are evaluated at the polesknsof the infinite coupled system. The waves associated with axial wavenumbers of the same type (orders) reveal similar characteristics in the fluid field, such as the number of radial nodal lines, and the corresponding residues are thus grouped together. The resulting wave type decomposition of the system response carries important information. At the non-dimensional Ω = 10 for the shell studied, the response of the system is dominated bys= 1 waves and a column of gas bubbles in the fluid field is difficult to detect by its effects on the vibrations of the shell. As the frequency is increased (to Ω = 50, for example), the system response is dominated by waves of increasing type order (s= 15, 16, ...,) and a column of gas bubbles has the effect of bringing a large attenuation to the shell response. Various experiments were performed to verify these results.


Since ranodon sibiricus was rediscovered in 1989 in China,there are three more habitats found.The paper is to illustrate the significance of Ranodon sibiricus rediscovery and to analyse the development of its species and its habitat environment,providing corresponding protective tactics.


Iron aluminides are perspective structural materials for high temperature use. Addition of Zr into Fe3Al matrix leads to formation of strengthening intermetallic phases, which affect their high-temperature behaviour. The present work focuses on the behavior at high temperature, especially on the mechanical strength and coefficient of thermal expansion with respect to the alloy structure. Transition temperatures are not affected by Zr-addition in comparison to binary alloy.


The geometry and resistivity of the trap-rich layer are key parameters for 300 mm trap-rich silicon-on-insulator (TR-SOI) wafers. In this paper, the evolution of the warpage and resistivity of poly-Si layers grown by atmospheric chemical vapor deposition with deposition temperature has been studied. The ability to quantify the surface grain size of undoped poly-Si was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattering diffraction, and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD). With a resolution scale of several nanometers, the fine grains on the surface of poly-Si are accurately identified by TKD. It is confirmed that the decrease in compressive stress with deposition temperature is caused by the lower ratio of (110) grain orientation and the reduction of fine grains on the surface. However, when stress is released, the random grain boundaries (GBs) of poly-Si change into coincidence site lattice low-Σ GBs with low recombination activity, which greatly lowers the film bulk resistivity and reduces its capacity to trap charges. Thus, a process window for the manufacturing of 300 mm TR-SOI wafers is created by balancing the degradation of resistivity in the process of using deposition temperature to seek improvements in poly-Si warpage.


There have been a number of studies in recent years relating to the mechanisms of grain refinement, poisoning and fade of Al-Ti-B refiners. In addition there have been several new grain refining products introduced for the foundry sector, such as TiBAlloy and Strobloy, for which studies have also been performed, albeit in a more limited way. The new generation of grain refiners have a number of specific beneficial attributes, which distinguish them from the traditional Al-Ti-B refiners. These benefits are explored by characterising the refiner particle types in terms of composition, size, poisoning tendency and fade characteristics.


This study is to research the tear film stability for 48 eyes, agreed the purpose of study, didn`t have no contact lens wearing and were tested all two times in a day. Their visual acuity was more than 0.8, corrective visual acuity more than 0.8, the fattest K-reading, apical corneal radius, was in 7.40~8.40mm, corneal astigment was less than 1.00D and orthophoria. The tests, tear scope test, tear film break up time test(TBUT) and schirmer test order, were performed their functions before and after their working at interval of 6 hours over. The tearscope test results was no difference, TBUT was no difference, although 1.2 seconds more in the afternoon, shcirmer test was decreased 2.0mm in the afternoon.


The pulse oximeter (Nellcor, Hayward, CA) is a noninvasive monitor that utilizes spectrophotoelectric techniques to measure arterial oxygen saturation (Sao,) in a pulsating vascular bed such as that of a finger. The technique has been described and its accuracy in adults has been documented (1). Abstracts of current research indicate that the monitor is accurate in pediatric patients as well (2,3). Surgical manipulations of the pulmonary artery (PA), such as application of a band or a clamp, can reduce PA blood flow enough that hypoxemia results. We are using the pulse oximeter for early detection of this complication. Two recent cases illustrate its use. A 3-week-old term neonate had coarctation of the aorta and a single ventricular septa1 defect (VSD) associated with large left-to-right shunt, pulmonary hypertension, and congestive heart failure. The operation was repair of the coarctation followed by PA banding. Proper placement of a PA band usually results in a small decrease in arterial oxygen saturation due to variable shunting across the VSD. The optimal saturation range immediately following banding is 87-92% during ventilation with 100% oxygen (4). If the band is too tight, the reduction in pulmonary blood flow may be so great as to cause hypoxemia. When the PA band was initially placed in our patient, Saoz decreased from 95 to 82%, indicating that the band was too tight. The band was adjusted until Saoz was 90%. When banding was complete, systolic pressure in the main PA distal to the band was 56 mm Hg and in the right ventricle 98 mm Hg. Arterial bloodgases were satisfactory. The second patient was a term neonate with pulmonary atresia. Prostaglandin E was infused to main-


Background: Turner's syndrome (TS) arising from partial or complete X chromosomal monosomy is the most common genetic disorder in females. In South Asian countries like India diagnosis and care of patients with TS is still in the developing stage. Hence this study was undertaken to review details of patients with TS, diagnosed in the Division of Human Genetics (DHG) of our centre. Objectives: To study the clinical features and karyotype of patients with turners syndrome. Method: It is a retrospective study of patients with turners syndrome who were karyotyped over 30yrs (1978-2008) in DHG in over hospital. Result: In this retrospective audit, details of 89 patients with Turner's syndrome were analysed. The most common age group of presentation was 11-15 years and the most frequently observed genetic defect was 45, X followed by 46XX/45 X. Some patients were diagnosed after the age of 20 years. Conclusion: This study brings to light the lack of efficacy in diagnosing and referring patients with TS at a younger age, when therapies for short stature and sexual infantilism are available. In addition systemic and metabolic abnormalities can be detected and treated at the earliest. It is important to increase the awareness of this condition among pediatricians and general practitioners


On this work were grown and characterized thin films of zirconium oxide on seven different substrates: common glass, silicon (100) and stainless steel AISI 304, 304LS, 316L, 321 y 2205. The coatings were deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique and the effect of some deposit variables was analyzed. Some of the variables were: substrate temperature, the flow ratio of impact and drag, and deposition time. Deposited phases identification was carried out by Xray diffraction scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The phase analysis of steel and coating was performed by Rieltveld refinement and surface chemical analysis performed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The results show homogeneous films, with high reproducibility in the tetragonal crystalline structure and shows stability over time. The coatings deposited on 316L steel showed a higher orientation in the plane (101), while the other substrates show mixed orientation.


A perceptual and acoustic investigation was conducted to better understand the discrimination power of the burst regarding place‐of‐articulation of French stops. These perceptual experiments showed that the burst provided very reliable spectral information about stop place and that prior knowledge of the vowel identity led to a slight but significant improvement in stop identification [A. Bonneau et al., to appear in J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (1995)]. This acoustic study confirmed that burst cues cannot be extracted and exploited without taking into account the vocalic context. Based on these conclusions, a hybrid recognizer was implemented. First, it recognizes the vocalic context, and then it takes this into account to extract and exploit the burst cues for the stop recognition task. The vocalic context was correctly recognized in 90% of the cases: Back vowels were perfectly recognized, central vowels with 80% accuracy, rounded front vowels with 90%, and unrounded front vowels with 89%. The global recognition...


The invention relates to application of wood frog high protein calcium powder in preparation of anti-fatigue health-care products or drugs. The invention is characterized in that the wood frog high protein calcium powder is a high protein calcium-containing health-care product produced by processing wood frog carcasses processed through micronization and is mainly applied to constitution deterioration of middle-aged people caused by overstrain of their nerves, working in a fatigue state, cumbersome household duties, etc. and sub-health of the white-collar race caused by social engagement, lack of sports, disordered diet and daily life, etc. The invention has the following advantages: the wood frog high protein calcium powder has a small size, rapid absorption in a body and high utilization efficiency; preparation process is simplified, has short flow and enables nutritional ingredients to be well preserved; prepared anti-fatigue health-care products or drugs can improve endurance and alleviate fatigue.


Using calculus techniques of solving filter equations the investigation has been carried out to find air distribution in cross-section area of storing bunkers and trenches. The engineering procedure has been suggested to estimate processes of air flow in temporary works for storing agricultural products and a method for calculating aerodynamic resistance in layers of stored products has been developed. At the design stage the presented information allows to choose an efficient ventilating system and the required type of a storing bunker.


Monday September 23rd. I must say that, although it is only 10am, I am struggling a bit to keep awake. Looking around me, I realise (surprise surprise!) that I am not the only one: there is a lot of yawning going on, and some of my colleagues look like they are threatening to doze off any minute. What is the cause of this exhaustion?


The electroanalytical determination of zinc in human blood via an acoustically assisted double extraction technique is reported. First zinc(II) is rapidly extracted from diluted blood via complexation with diphenylthiocarbazone in chloroform through acoustic emulsification of the two phases. After insonation the bulk phases reform and the metal is back extracted by emulsifying with electrochemically clean aqueous acid and the zinc quantified via anodic stripping voltammetry, giving close agreement to the blind independent AAS analysis. The double extraction method is effective since species that otherwise interfere with the direct ASV determination either remain in the initial aqueous phase, or are transferred to the organic phase, but are unlikely to be doubly transferred so producing a 'clean' final aqueous medium for ASV.


Masonry is still a commonly used type of residential construction in rural and even in urban regions. Unfortunately, the strength and stability of masonry structures are critical in the case of high amplitude cyclic lateral loads such as earthquake ground motion. Hence, the masonry buildings with structural deficiencies belong to the most vulnerable class of structures which have experienced heavy damage or even total collapse in previous earthquakes, especially in developing countries like Turkey. The damage and loss in earthquakes are not only due to the lack of technological advances and knowledge, but also due to inappropriate design and construction of masonry structures ignoring code requirements and prohibitions. Considering all these facts, a comparative study is carried out based on the investigation of codes and standards for masonry design. The adequacy and feasibility of regulations in the last two and the current versions of Turkish earthquake code is assessed in comparison with the most commonly used codes in Europe and the United States. At the end of the study, the current status of the masonry related code regulations in Turkey among well-known international standards is emphasized and further recommendations for upgrading the current code regulations are given.


To establish an ELISA for detection of host cell proteins(HCP)of porcine testis in biologicals,the soluble proteins were prepared from swine testical(ST)cells,and then were injected into rabbits to produce high titers of polyclonal antisera.The titers and specificity of rabbit sera were determined by ELISA and Western-blot,respectively.Using the purified polyclonal antibodies from rabbits,an ELISA was established for determining host cell proteins of swine testis in biologicals.In result,the titers were more than 1∶10 000 and the polyclonal antibodies against ST HCP prepared had a good specificity and reactivity.The polyclonal antibodies have no cross-reactions with DMEM,MEM,newborn bovine serum,fetal bovine serum,and horse serum,respectively.The ELISA method developed had good specificity,sensitivity,and reproducibility and the detection limit was 25 ng per milliliter.The linear range of the standard curve is between 25 to 400ng per milliliter and the correlation coefficient was 0.999.In conclusion,aquantitative ELISA was established for detecting swine testical cell proteins,which provides a reliable method for detection of the host cell proteins in biological products.


Recent events in the international financial economy have begun, after the usual time-lag,
to generate comment and analysis in the academic media. So far, writers have tended to
discuss reasons for the crisis (eg Brunnermeier, 2009), rather than impacts of particular
aspects of the crisis upon particular parts of the wider economy. Of course, the popular
media and professional publications have been full of predictions and analyses con-
cerning such impacts, often relying upon selective case studies to convey their alarmist
arguments. Of greater interest perhaps to academics are ways in which the outcomes
of the recent financial crises serve to reinforce or overturn longer term trends in
economic and societal relations. In this light, I want to examine some early impacts
of the `credit crunch' upon commercial property markets, which in more normal times
are fundamentally dependent upon loan finance. As a case study which also touches
upon everyday experience, relationships between retail property owners and their retail
tenants in the UK's shopping centres and high streets are of particular interest. Do
recent and current events follow preexisting trends, or do they represent a significant
departure from established practice? And which sector of the commercial property
industry seems likely to benefit the most in the longer term? ...


The resonance interaction effect between hot sample and adjacent cold core was evaluated in a small sample 238U Doppler effect measurement. For this analysis a collision probability code with an ultra-fine group structure PEACO-X was developed. The previously measured Doppler effect reactivity coefficients at FCA are systematically analyzed by using the PEACO-X code. The results were compared with the conventional calculation results using the SLAROM code. From these results, it was shown that this effect depends on the background cross section for 238U in a core, and also depends on the radius and density of the sample. When this resonance interaction effect is taken into account, the calculated Doppler reactivity worths becomes larger than those using the conventional method and the sample dependency of calculation disappeared. The reliability of Doppler effect calculation was significantly improved.


The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer lifestyles and preferences for sofa leather through Literature Review, Focus Group Interview and Experts Interview. The lifestyle questionnaire was created to research into the subjects' preferences in accordance with 4 kinds of leather types, 5 kinds of grains, and 5 kinds of colors. After the authors' statistical analysis of 206 copies of the effective questionnaires, the research results among every group showed that the favorites were Aniline Leather of leather types, smaller particles of grains, and high contrast colors, such as white and black. Further, the consumer groups against sofa leather could be divided into 5 difference ones. The taste of the elder subjects in "Appreciate Life" was similar to the overall preferences ; however, the taste of the junior subjects in "Single Learing" and "Youthful & Carefree" was unique and different from the overall preferences.


The Port Acres and Port Arthur gas-condensate fields offer a classic contrast between an anticlinal closure, the Port Arthur field, and an adjacent stratigraphic trap, the Port Acres field; the two fields are separated by a large normal fault. An exploratory test well drilled in 1941 would have found the Port Acres field had it been drilled only 20 ft deeper; however, the field was not discovered till 1957. The Port Arthur field, discovered in 1958, would have been found in 1954 had an exploratory test well been drilled less than 2,000 ft deeper. The Port Acres field area is approximately 3,200 acres and 60 wells have been completed. The proved productive area of the Port Arthur field is approximately 1,700 acres, with 10 wells completed. Faulting separating the two fields was contemporaneous with deposition, and structural configuration probably is a result of deep-seated salt movement. As much as 700 ft of displacement is evident along the two normal faults. Gas in the Port Acres field is trapped because of lensing out of the upper sandstone unit of the lower Hackberry against a southeast-plunging structural nose. Gas in the Port Arthur field is trapped because of a northeast-trending anticlinal closure dipping northwest into a fault in lower Hackberry sandstone. Both fields are in what is known generally as the downdip part of the Frio producing trend of the Gulf Coast. In the area of the two fields, the lower Hackberry zone consists primarily of sandstone, although in most of the Gulf Coast section it is predominan ly shale. The lithologic character of the sandstone suggests that it was deposited as a seaward-building delta. Reservoir characteristics in the lower Hackberry are varied but generally are excellent. The middle Frio, or Nodosaria zone, also produces gas at Port Arthur; its reservoir characteristics are not as good as those of the lower Hackberry. Production from an upper Frio sandstone has been found in five wells in Port Acres field, but reservoir characteristics are poor and production is not significant. Both fields produce condensate with gas. Condensate has averaged approximately 50 bbls per million cubic feet of gas. Gases from both fields are predominantly methane, with between 9 and 10 per cent heavier hydrocarbons. Inert gases constitute less than one-half of 1 per cent. There are possibilities for deeper production in the lower Vicksburg and Jackson sections, neither of which has been tested.


This work presents recent field activities in support of the NASA CYGNSS missions' land applications. Land reflected GNSS signals are known to be sensitive to surface topography, vegetation cover, and soil moisture. To better understand CYGNSS sensitivity to surface conditions, especially freeze-thaw states, two SoilSCAPE wireless in situ network sites were deployed in the San Luis Valley (SLV), CO, in late Oct. 2019. These sites capture similar weather and climatic conditions but have contrasting topography and vegetation cover. Initial analysis of CYGNSS Signal-to-Noise (SNR) observations over SLV indicates the need to fully account for land-scape topography. To this end, a forward wave scattering model that incorporates a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)is currently being developed to help explain the effects of local topography on SNR observations.


A. Pertusi, Selezione Uatrale e scelta erudita nella tradizione del testo di Ewipide, ii: Repertorio Uatrale e scelta erudita: the groups of nine and of ten plays represent selections made in the 3rd-2nd centuries B.C. and the 4th5th centuries A.D. respectively; in both theatrical tradition was more influential than scholastic or rhetorical principles. F. C. Gorschen, Die Hypothesis zu Aischylos' Aitnaiai: examines Pap. Ox. xx. 2257, fr. 1, especially w . 1—7, and concludes with a text and Latin paraphrase of the whole fragment. D. Bindzus, Grieckische Arbeitsgemeinschqft der Olg des Staatlichen Gymnasiums zu Flensburg 1955-6a study of Pap. Ox. xx. 2251; perhaps Dia's lament for her father Deioneus killed by Ixion after a quarrel. G. Andresen, Pap. Ox. xx. 2256, fr. io(a): appears to be relevant to Phineus and the Harpyes; probably a fragment of the Phineus. A. Giannini, Platone comico e la commedia attica sullafine del V sec.: follows the dramatic development of Plato and estimates his importance in the transition from Old to Middle Comedy. G. L. Luzzatto, VAntigone di Carl Orff: an appreciation of Orff's opera, with special reference to its literary qualities and relation to Sophocles. G. Schiassi, La Comoedia Florentina e la sua attribuzione alle Koneiazomenai di Menandro: the K<ovtial,6fi.cvaj. fragment alone fits the dramatic situation inferred from the Com. Flor.; on the basis of these texts and the title a more detailed reconstruction of the plot is attempted. A. M. Scarcella, Letture Euripidee: V'Oreste' e il problema dell' unitd: finds the unity of the play confirmed by a number of recurrent themes and by a consistent treatment of the main character; rejects the comic elements seen by some in the latter part of the play. D. Del Corno, P. Ox. 2256, 3 e le rappresentazioni postume di Eschilo: re-examines evidence for later productions of Aeschylus' plays in relation to this fragment. G. L. Luzzatto, 'Ifigenia in Tauride' di Gluck alia Scala: Gluck, whose aim is to make his music serve the poetry, has remained faithful to the Euripidean characters.


ZHOU Da-xin's novel has portrayed countenance each different feminine image from the different angle,which constituted the beautiful artistic corridor.In which Soul of a beautiful woman Female Gao two sister-in-law is an especial model.Gao two sisters-in-law is an abnormal which is under the specific environment accomplishes,She is poisoned deeply several millennium feudalism culture does not come to understand,also imposes this kind of pain on others,who is pitiful also hateful,therefore she is both worth sympathizing and needs to criticize.Gao two sister-in-law's tragedies have represented that time all feminine tragedy,which is the universality and the representation extremely,thinks deeply for the human.At the same time,this kind of tragedy synthesizes the cultural quality along with the humanity the enhancement,will be vanished gradually.


This study aims to develop a new approach in doing evaluation of irrigation system in terms of getting accurate data at a reasonable cost in an essay and fast manner. The research was done at Gumbasa Irrigation District in Sigi, Central of Sulawesi, Indonesia on May-June 2015. The workflow consists of: (i) preparation; (ii) flight planning; (iii) automated flight; (iv) data processing. Data analysis was done by comparison between Red Green Blue (RGB) method and Near Infra Red Green Blue (NirGB) method. The results show that the use of micro-UAV provide an efficient way to collect data needed to manage a very large irrigation system.  The RGB image can be effectively used to identify crop's condition on an irrigation area, which is needed to plan irrigation efficiently.  The NirGB image can be effectively used to assess tertiary and secondary level of irrigation canal such as leakage.


The autoimmune background as found in chronic thyroiditis (CT), also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis or autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis, does not represent an indication of surgery but the discovery of macro-nodules may represent a risk for thyroid cancer, thus thyroidectomy becomes an important tool of approach. Environmental triggers, less or more described up to this moment, are a contributor to higher prevalence of CT and to the shift through more frequent cases of papillary thyroid cancers (PTC) rather than follicular type. This is a mini-review of literature focused on the association between CT and differentiated thyroid cancer, especially PTC. The research used as key words all the mentioned synonyms used for CT. A number of 62 references are selected, since 2004 (while 45 of them are published between 2015 and 2017), and 53 of them are accessible via PubMed database. The CT - PTC relationship may be described at different levels: PTC is presented more frequently than follicular thyroid cancer in relationship with iodine supplements including cases with autoimmune background; 2. CT is involved in multifocal PTC but this histological pattern may not be more aggressive than generally expected because lymph nodes are somehow blocked by the immune process and protected by lymph nodes metastasis from primary thyroid source of PTC so the risk of recurrence and aggressive profile is not higher than seen in CT-free subjects. Team approach is essential for many aspects as the detection of CT and the selection of those rare cases that need thyroidectomy. The association between CT and PTC is actually more frequent that expected, especially for micro-PTC subtype. Overall, the survival of PTC patients does not seem to be influenced by CT if surgery is correctly applied despite a risk of multifocal intra- and not extra-thyroid spreading of malignancy.


Low-latency, low-overhead and reliable control channels are essential to the efficient operation of wireless networks. However, control channels that utilize current in-band and out-of-band designs do not fully meet this requirement. In this paper, we design and implement Aileron, a novel control channel based on automatic modulation recognition that carries control frames over an OFDM(A) PHY by varying the modulation rate of the OFDM subcarriers. With Aileron, the control information is embedded into the modulation type, not as the actual symbol value. The thus-transmitted information can be received with little to no frame synchronization. We have evaluated Aileron using both extensive simulations and real-world measurements, and discovered that control frames can be transmitted with more than 80 percent accuracy using only 10 OFDM blocks on a channel with SNR of merely 10 dB. In order to demonstrate its applicability and efficiency in realistic networking scenarios, we also show how Aileron can be used in conjunction with a fine-grained channel access protocol to increase throughput under heterogeneous link conditions.


In this paper, we present a system for vision-based grasp recognition, mapping and execution on a humanoid robot to provide an intuitive and natural communication channel between humans and humanoids. This channel enables a human user to teach a robot how to grasp an object. The system comprises three components: human upper body motion capture system which provides the approaching direction towards an object, hand pose estimation and grasp recognition system, which provides the grasp type performed by the human as well as a grasp mapping and execution system for grasp reproduction on a humanoid robot with five-fingered hands. All three components are real-time and markerless. Once an object is reached, the hand posture is estimated, including hand orientation and grasp type. For the execution on a robot, hand posture and approach movement are mapped and optimized according to the kinematic limitations of the robot. Experimental results are performed on the humanoid robot ARMAR-IIIb.


Ammonium (NH 4+ ) contamination makes groundwater undrinkable. The dropping nitrification unit, a simple and low-cost biological unit, has been found to be effective for NH 4+ -removal from con taminated groundwater at a near-neutral pH. However, the pH of groundwater varies widely and is highly alkaline (pH 8.7−10) in some areas of the world, which could negatively affect the biological nitrification process. The objectives of this study were to investigate the NH 4+ -removal from alkaline groundwater using dropping nitrification units with sponge or biofringe material, compare their re moval efficiencies, and characterize the effect of alkaline groundwater on the growth and activity of nitrifying bacteria. Synthetic alkaline groundwater (50 mg-NH 4+ -N L −1 ; pH 9.4 ± 0.1) was dropped from the top of 1-m long hanging units at 3 mL min −1 for 56 days. The NH 4+ -removal efficiency of sponge units (> 88%) was significantly higher than that of biofringe units (56−89%). The abundance of amoA gene of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria increased significantly over 56 days and was significantly higher in sponge units than in biofringe units, resulting in higher NH 4+ -removal in sponge units than that in biofringe units. This study demonstrated that dropping nitrification units can be used effec tively for NH 4+ -removal from groundwater having a neutral to alkaline pH.


Experimental modelling of nerve injury was carried out by its clamping and subsequent treat- ment with drug product Nucleo C. M. P. Forte. Ultrastructural study of femoral nerve after clamping detected significant dystrophic and destructive changes in axoplasm of axis cylinders of nerve fibers in rats not treated with the drug. Treatment with Nucleo C. M. P. Forte was found to be associated with significantly less pronounced ultrastructural changes as compared to the rat sreceiving no treatment after femoral nerve clamping. Taking into consideration all abovementioned ultrastructural morphological signs, it can be confidently stated that this drug product improves the recovery of nerve fiber, actingas a neuroprotective and restorative agentat tissue and cellular levels.


The objective of the study is to determine the current tendencies in the use of osteoplastic materials based on tricalcium phosphate (TCP) in orthopedics and traumatology. Methods. The search of the scientific information for the analysis was carried out in the PubMed, Google Scholar, World Digital Library, ScienceDirect. Results. The development of biomaterials for reconstructive surgery on the skeleton remains an urgent issue of biomaterial engineering, biology and current traumatology and orthopedics. Calcium-phosphate ceramics have the excellent properties of biocompatibility, affinity with bone tissue, biodegradability as well as perfect osteoconductive and osteointegrative properties. They are used in orthopaedics and traumatology as a coating for endoprosthesis components in order to achieve a strong bond with the bone as well as a filling material for bone defects in the form of blocks, granules or powder. The optimal structure of ceramic materials in order to achieve the necessary hardness and control of the dissolution rate is still undetermined. The interest of researchers in the creation of osteoplastic materials containing TCP is explained by the advanced osteoinductive properties and the ability to quickly degrade with the formation of bone tissue. Due to different configurations and sizes of the bone defects, the creation of a material with osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties that could be inserted into the cavity in a liquid state and which would quickly harden and acquire the properties similar to those of the bone has been of great current interest. The material should be biodegradable while having sufficient time for bone formation at the implantation site. In view of the above, the creation of cements based on calcium phosphates has become more attractive. Unfortunately, this material is limited in use due to its brittleness and insufficient hardness. Certain reinforcing additives are expected to significantly improve the mechanical properties of the cement. It is desirable that these particles should have bioactive properties analogous to those of cement. A slight modification of the material can significantly change its properties, which makes it imperative to investigate experimentally the biological properties of the investigated material.


Peroxynitrite (ONOO−) has been implicated as a causative factor in dopamine neuronal damage resulting from exposure to methamphetamine and1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), and it may be involved in the etiology of Parkinson's Disease. ONOO− causes a concentration-dependent and irreversible reduction in dopamine uptake by EM4 cells stably expressing the human dopamine transporter (hDAT). The effect of ONOO− is manifested as a reduction inVmax. Cysteine, dithiothreitol, glutathione, and N-acetyl-cysteine, reagents that interact directly with ONOO−, prevent this inhibition, whereas a scavenger of hydroxyl radical (dimethylsulfoxide), hydrogen peroxide (catalase), and superoxide (superoxide dismutase) did not. Dopamine in the extracellular medium protects the hDAT from ONOO−, whereas intracellular dopamine does not. Parachloromercuribenzoic acid and 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate (MTSEA), which share with ONOO− the ability to modify cysteine sulfhydryls, also inhibit hDAT function. ONOO− treatment lowers cysteine-specific labeling of the hDAT by MTSEA-biotin, suggesting that ONOO− reacts with one or more cysteines in hDAT. A mutant of hDAT (X7C) in which all intracellular and extracellular loop cysteines were mutated was resistant to inhibition by ONOO−. Sensitivity to ONOO− was restored in mutants of hDAT in which reduced cysteines were present only in the first (C135) and third (C342) intracellular loops (CD-DAT), or in which C342 alone had been reintroduced into X7C (X7C-M342C). These results indicate that the hDAT is inhibited by ONOO− through oxidation of cysteine 342. Our studies also substantiate the possibility that drugs known to decrease DAT function in vivo (e.g., methamphetamine and MPTP) may exert their effects through ONOO−-mediated oxidative stress.


IntroductionAmong Americans, asthma continues to be a significant public health and economic concern. It is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting American children, the third leading cause of preventable hospitalizations, and one of the chief causes of school absenteeism. In Georgia, there are about 259,000 children living with asthma, and the prevalence of asthma in black children (18.4%) is more than two times higher than in white children (7.8%) (2). Asthma incurs high costs, in terms of the direct cost of care, lost workdays and productivity, and lower quality of life for the individual and the family. However, asthma not only burdens the individual and the family, but is onerous to society as a whole. For example, in 2010 asthma related hospitalizations cost the State of Georgia approximately $200 million (2).There are myriad factors associated with asthma that may result in exacerbation of asthmatic episodes, leading to unnecessary visits to the emergency department and, in some cases, hospitalization. These include: lack of access to pediatric physicians and specialists, a lack of family education on the best practices for managing childhood asthma, and lower quality of the indoor home environment.Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, twothirds of which is spent in the home. Thus, children have extensive exposure to indoor allergens. For children living in substandard or unhealthy housing conditions, this means that their health outcomes are at even greater risk of being affected adversely, because indoor triggers of asthma are typically encountered more often in poor quality housing stock. One study reports that 40% of asthma cases in low income, minority children result from allergens in the home (3).In-home interventions break the link between unhealthy housing and sick children by reducing or eliminating indoor allergens that trigger asthma. This strategy benefits children, their caretakers, and the community by improving child health and development, boosting school attendance rates and adult work productivity, reducing healthcare costs for society, and decreasing racial and economic health disparities.The paper examines the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative's in-home intervention program, which aimed in-part at eliminating in-home triggers of asthma. The Atlanta GHHI program did not conduct a comprehensive post-intervention analysis to evaluate the efficacy of its in-home interventions targeted at asthmas triggers. Perhaps this is because the interventions were primarily targeted at reducing lead hazards and not at asthma triggers. According to the GHHI staff person who primarily oversaw the Atlanta program, there were 170 lead hazard reduction implementations and 163 health & safety interventions (4). Nonetheless, using pre and postintervention interview data that we have collected, our review of GHHI's work helps demonstrate that a relatively modest investment to improve in-home systems and conditions could yield significant benefits for families that are beneficiaries of the interventions and, as result, likely generates significant savings in healthcare costs.ObjectiveThis study was undertaken to assess the estimated cost savings to a health care system by employing inhome interventions with an environmental focus aimed at reducing exposure of children with asthma to multiple indoor asthma triggers (allergens and irritants). From the data derived from Atlanta postintervention reviews, we are trying to ascertain outcomes for children with asthma and their families. In addition, we aim to use information concerning these outcomes to consider potential citywide and statewide effects. We hypothesize that homes in poor state of repair benefit from in-home interventions more than homes in a relatively good state of repair. Furthermore, we posit that in-home interventions will reduce the likelihood of acute exacerbations of asthma, reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations, reduce school absenteeism, reduce lost work days and productivity, and improve the quality of life for children with asthma and their families as well as provide significant medical cost savings. …


Abstract Frequency distribution of words, syntax and semantics in many languages abides by certain laws. However, because of the shortage of discourse corpora, few studies have examined whether the frequency of discourse relations follows some distributional patterns. Although there is some research based on the Rhetorical Structure Theory discourse treebank (RST-DT), each of these studies is limited to a single language. Otherwise to the RST-DT, the Penn Discourse Treebank (PDTB), adopting another annotation system, has had an enormous influence on the study of discourse structure and discourse annotation. Discourse corpora in other languages, such as Chinese, Hindi, Turkish, Czech and Arabic have been annotated following PDTB style. With the data from these discourse treebanks, we find that the rank-frequency of discourse relations follow the same pattern and that these languages share significant similarities in using semantic relations to organize the discourse. It is evidenced in our research that humans assume the relationship between two consecutive sentences is a causal connection or expansion link for fewer connectives used, but the relation of contrast is the most marked by connectives. This research will be of significance for understanding the homogeneity of discourse structure across languages.


A statistical approach is presented for incorporating in conceptual rainfall-runoff models more complex storage-discharge relationships than presently used. This approach is applied to generalizing the storage-discharge power law used in the runoff-routing model RORB. The generalization is based on recent studies of wave speed-discharge behaviour in natural channels. In a case study involving a 461 km2 catchment having observed storm events with ARls ranging from 6 to 30 years, it was found that no pronounced departure from the RORB power law could be detected. The proposition of catchment linearity at high flows was then considered. RORB and an asymptotically linear version were fitted to 15- and 30-year events using nonlinear regression techniques. For each fit, a design hydrograph and its prediction limits were computed for a design storm of extreme magnitude. It was found that, despite good fits to the observed events, the extrapolation of the asymptotically linear RORB model induced unacceptably wide prediction limits on the design hydrograph, while extrapolation of RORB resulted in comparatively narrow prediction limits. The apparent good performance of RORB rests on a strong assumption about the shape of the extrapolated storage-discharge relationship. The asymptotically linear RORB model relaxed this assumption. However, because there was insufficent information in the observed storm data to reliably estimate its parameters, a disturbing loss of accuracy results in the extreme design hydrograph. Thus, in the absence of very rare observed events available for calibration, the reliability of extrapolated extreme design hydrographs is, at best, unknowable, and, at worst, unacceptable.


Considering passengers' travel psychoanalysis,the public traffic model of optimum route is proposed,which goal is minimal transfer times.On the integrated analysis of the space relationship between stations,the twice-project of how to found the public traffic network's model is proposed,which is from the space data to the topology model and finally to the searching model.Basing on the searching model,the least transfer times problem is solved by translating to the problem of the shortest route between two stations.The improved Dijkstra algorithm with edge value is one is proposed,and the prior-node algorithm is designed basing on it.Then the all-shortest-route algorithm is constructed of the prior-node algorithm,which can efficiently solve the travel project of all the least transfer times between two spots.Finally,Dalian public traffic data is used as an example to prove that modeling of public traffic network and the searching algorithm are feasible.


It was recently found that it is theoretically possible for there to exist quantum processes in which the order of the operations performed by separate parties cannot be ascribed a definite causal order. Some of these processes have been claimed to have a physical realization in standard quantum mechanics via coherent control of the times of the operations. A prominent example is the quantum SWITCH, which was recently demonstrated experimentally. However, up until now, there has been no rigorous justification for the interpretation of such an experiment as a genuine realization of a process with indefinite causal order as opposed to a simulation of such a process. Where exactly are the local operations of the parties in such an experiment? On what spaces do they act given that their times are indefinite? Can we probe them directly rather than assume what they ought to be based on heuristic considerations? How can we reconcile the claim that these operations really take place, each once as required, with the fact that the structure of the presumed process implies that they cannot be part of any acyclic circuit? Here, I offer a precise answer to these questions: the input and output systems of the operations in such a process are generally nontrivial subsystems of Hilbert spaces that are tensor products of Hilbert spaces associated with different times---a fact that is directly experimentally verifiable. With respect to these time-delocalized subsystems, the structure of the process is that of a circuit with a cycle, which cannot be reduced to a probabilistic mixture of acyclic circuits. I further show that all bipartite processes that admit a certain type of isometric extension have a physical realization on such time-delocalized subsystems. These results unveil a novel structure within quantum mechanics, which may have important implications for physics and information processing.


The Dutch railway system has reached the limits of its capacity. The solution to the problem is based on better utilisation of the network. The government, railway operators and infrastructure providers have combined together in a project called Benutten en Bouwen (Utilise and Build) to upgrade the rail network and to promote long-term investment. The authorities responsible for infrastructure, traffic management and safety, and infrastructure capacity management, signalling and infrastructure maintenance have been merged into one group called ProRail. Key targets in the plan include increased passenger train frequencies, more efficient use of infrastructure, reduced failure rates in rolling stock and infrastructure, and noise reductions. The improvements would also benefit freight services.


Abstract : The ever-expanding need for exchange of information has crowded the radio frequency spectrum. A qualitatively new solution to the problem of channel capacity is offered by the recently created sources of monochromatic coherent light. These so-called masers and lasers operate at extremely high frequencies, and, since the quantity of information theoretically able to be transmitted on a communications channel is directly proportional to the frequency, their theoretical information capacity is tremendous. The capacity of a laser communications channel is at least 1000 times greater than the capacity of all radio channels used up to now, including microwave. The primary problem hindering laser communications now is modulation of the laser beam. Theoretically, any of the four standard parameters of a laser beam can be modulated to place information of the beam: frequency, amplitude, phase and polarization. Actually, two primary methods can be used to modulate the light beam exiting from a laser: internal and external methods. In the first case, the light beam is acted upon as it is being formed, i.e., within the actual laser. In the second case, the modulation is performed after the beam has been created. Internal methods include regeneration modulation, modulation using the Stark effect and modulation using the Seeman effect. Scientists at present are giving preference to the external modulation methods, which include modulation of the pumping, mechanical modulation, modulation using the Faraday effect, modulation using the Kerr effect and modulation using the optical birefringence effect in piezoelectric crystals.


Fairy Tales exist for centuries and have intrigued educators who have been utilizing their "magical power of affection", especially when teaching young children. In the current paper, story creation is examined with the perspective of the children as authors. A web 2.0 service, Tikatok, which provides several facilities for creating stories in a book-like format, is utilized in order to examine the effect of the digital medium (ICTs) in the story creation process by the children. Eight Kindergarten students divided into four pairs, worked in different settings. The results show an impressive effect of the computer on children's motivation, as well as several qualitative aspects of story creation.


Halfen AF and Johnson WC (2013) A review of Great Plains dune field chronologies. Aeolian Research 10: 135–160. Holliday VT (2001) Stratigraphy and geochronology of upper Quaternary eolian sand on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, United States. Geological Society of America Bulletin 113: 88–108. Lancaster N (2011) Dune change in time and space – Global and regional patterns. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 43: 385. Monaghan GW and Lovis WA (2005) Modeling Archaeological Site Burial in Southern Michigan: A Geoarchaeological Synthesis (Environmental Research Series No. 1). East Lansing, MI: Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan State University Press.


Tan spot is a stubble-borne foliar disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Died.) Drechs. The potential for yield losses due to tan spot has increased with the adoption of conservation tillage practices. The main objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of resistance among seven wheat genotypes to the tan necrosis- and chlorosis-in ducing, race 1, isolate ASC1 (nec+ chl+), and the necrosis-inducing toxin, Ptr ToxA. Crosses were made between four resistant (Erik, ST6, 6B367, 6B1043) and three susceptible genotypes (Katepwa, BH1146, ST15). Parental, F1 and F2 populations were inoculated with ASC1 and infiltrated with Ptr ToxA under controlled environments. F2-derived F3 families were grown in the field and inoculated with ASC1. No reciprocal differences were observed. Resistance to the tan necrosis-inducing component of ASC1 and insensitivity to Ptr ToxA was controlled by a single recessive gene, whereas resistance to the chlorosis-inducing component o...


A toaster comprising a housing (1) enclosing a heating means (3), a carrier basket of bread (4) movable between an ejection position at which it is brought an elastic medium (5) and a toasting position in which is retained by an electromagnetic device (14), said electromagnetic device comprising, on the one hand, a ferromagnetic part (15) fixed to the bread-holding carriage (4) and, on the other hand, an electromagnet (16) fixed to the housing and control means acting on the supply circuit of the coil (17) of said electromagnet, characterized in that the control means are adapted to act on switching means (I1, I2) of the supply circuit of the coil (17) so that a voltage (UL) positive at the terminals of the coil during the toasting operation is applied, and then a negative voltage of an absolute value lower than the end of the toasting operation.


OBJECTIVE:To investigate the characteristics of ADR in our hospital. METHODS:In the retrospective study,a total of 226 ADR cases reported in our hospital from Jan. 2008 to Jun. 2009 were analyzed statistically in respect of patients' sex and age,route of administration,distribution of reporters' occupations and departments,drugs categories,organs or systems involved in ADR and clinical manifestations,new or severe ADR,return of ADR,evaluation of ADR causality,etc. RESULTS:Of the total 226 ADR cases,patients aged more than 41 showed the highest proportion (151 cases,66.81%); 76.99% (174 cases)were caused by intravenous route; 61.95%(140 cases)were reported by nurses; 58.85%(133 cases)were induce by antibiotics,with cephalosporins taking the lead,followed by quinolones and penicillins,etc.; lesions of skin and its appendants were the most common presentations of ADR,which accounted for 53.10%(120 cases),followed by injury of digestive system and respiratory system,etc.; new or severe ADR cases only accounted for 8.85%(20 cases). CONCLUSION:It is necessary to pay attention to the occurrence of ADR in the clinic.


An experiment was performed on the signal cancellation loop that utilises a carrier wave (CW) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) signals to show that negative group delays can be used to cancel out positive group delays. According to the closed loop measurements, a 30 dB signal cancellation for a CW signal and a WCDMA 4FA signal were obtained over a 30 MHz bandwidth at the WCDMA downlink band, with a fabricated two-stage planar negative group delay circuit.


【Objective】 Capsule endoscope produces large quantity of images,among which valueable images may be missed by human-eye selection.This article explores autodetection of ulcers,edema etc.among these images.【Methods】 Noise reduction,multi-resolution wavelet transform with db handle and HSB color space conversion are orderly processed.Adaptive value of the radius will be to make open and cloese operation and obtain the basic shape of the ulcers.Finally,the shape will be compared with,the ones experts outline manually.【Results and Conclusion】 Wavelet transform remains details of the target area.Similarity can be observed between autodetected areas and the ones experts outline,and less time is spent when the outline of ulcers preliminary obtained.


The aim was to evaluate the influence of different application forms of soybean oil in diets for Nile tilapia performance. We used 192 fish with average weight of 15.34 ± 0.60 g and average total length of 8.61 ± 2.11 cm. We made isocaloric diets in three application forms: oil after extrusion, oil before extrusion, oil before and after extrusion and one control diet without soybean oil, totaling four treatments with four replicates. We evaluated the performance parameters, filet chemical composition and blood biochemistry. There were no difference (P>0.05) among the three different forms of soybean oil application and the control diet promoted the lowest results (P<0.05) in the performance. Regardless of its application, the inclusion of soybean oil did not influence the analyzed variables, although its use concomitant to a source of carbohydrate has provided better performance of Nile tilapia juveniles.


Nothing recently has captured both public and professional attention so much as the notion that there is a proper time for breast cancer surgery related to the menstrual cycle. It has been suggested that correct timing of surgery is associated with much better long-term survival in premenopausal women with breast cancer than surgical intervention performed at the wrong time. As an example, Sandy Rovner, in the health section of the Wushington Post on March 9, 1993, starts her brief article with the opening line: "Women who have breast cancer surgery during the second half of their menstrual cycles may live longer without a recurrence than women whose surgery occurs before ovulation, a series of studies indicates." It is not just the lay press and the public who have been persuaded by the idea. At Guys Hospital in London, all breast cancer surgery in premenopausal women is being done in the latter part of the menstrual cycle. Increasingly many surgeons are being asked by patients about the importance of proper timing of their breast cancer surgery. Obviously, if small changes in the timing of surgery could predictably improve 10-year survival rates in breast cancer, the inconvenience and the complexity would be a small price to pay for the benefit. However, before we adopt any particular window of timing, let's look at the existing data upon which the idea rests. The first study suggesting the importance of timing came from Hrushesky et al. in 1989 [l]. They retrospectively looked at 41 premenopausal patients and noted a much poorer survival when surgery was done in the perimenopausal period (days 0-6 and 21-36). This conclusion was bolstered by their earlier studies in mice where resection during oestrus, when unopposed estrogen was highest, produced the best survival. The worst survival was seen when resections were done late in the cycle. Two subsequent studies in 1991 reopened the question, although the particular window of benefit in the menstrual cycle was now different. A retrospective study of 249 women operated on at Guys Hospital 3-1 2 days after their last menstrual cycle had a 54% I0-year survival compared to 84% for those operated upon on days 0-2 or 13-32 [6]. The second retrospective study from SloanKettering [7] found that surgery done around the time of ovulation (days 7-14) was associated with the highest recurrence rate, and recurrences were lowest between days 20 and 30. The authors of this study suggested that the unopposed estrogen potentially enhanced micrometastases that were inhibited by the progesterone surge late in the cycle-precisely the opposite of the Hrushesky hypothesis and the mouse model. Each of the authors of these studies has emphasized some of their serious drawbacks. First, all of the studies are retrospective analyses where in most instances only the date of the last menstrual period is noted. None have information about the actual lengths of the menstrual cycle in the study patients or basal body temperature measurements, and none have data on the actual hormonal patterns in their patients. Second, it is sometimes difficult to know what surgical data should be used as the starting point. Should initial biopsy, mastectomy, or axillary dissection be used if they all do not take place at the same time? Finally, the two 1991 studies both note that the benefits appear primarily in women who have positive nodes, a finding somewhat paradoxical if alterations in hormonal influence on micrometastasis is the proposed explanation. Why should apparent windows of benefit occur in so many of these studies if there is no truly important effect? The best explanation provided to date appears to be that They called for more studies. Accepted for publication May 7, 1993. Four retrospective 12=i to Address reprint requests to Robert C, Young, MD, president, Fox the difference in between done Chase Cancer Center, 7701 Burholme Avenue, Philadelphia, PA in midcycle and surgery done in the perimenstrual period.


Performance anxiety is one of the things that is really challenging for a lot of couples, a lot of men in particular. Women hate it and men are ...


Abstract Three major hydrogenated castor oil crystal morphologies have been observed: fiber, rosette and irregular crystal. Due to the difficulty in obtaining samples with a single crystal morphology, rheological studies of suspensions containing mixtures of the three morphologies in an aqueous solution have been undertaken. The viscometry of dilute suspensions has shown that the magnitude of intrinsic viscosity is dominated by the fraction of a crystal morphology type, i.e. fiber > rosette > irregular crystal. A modified Farris model was fitted to the rheology data for mixtures of crystal morphology with interacting particles. A yield stress exists for concentrated suspensions followed by a shear thinning behavior with the increase of shear rate. A power-law relation has been found between yield stress and total particle volume fraction, and a constant exponent of 1.5 has been obtained regardless of crystal morphology.


A history of two figures as an analysis of Protestant republican and feminist radicalism in Ireland in the revolutionary era.


capricious change' among voters. Their argument is that rather than being innately irrational and unpredictable in their opinions, voters are completely rational. 'American public opinion, as a collectivity, holds a number of real, stable and sensible opinions about public policy.' To the extent that there is opinion change, the authors suggest that it is in response only to 'changing circumstances and to new information' (p. 1). Although they acknowledge that voters may sometimes be ill-informed or uninterested in particular issues, they argue that these random effects will cancel themselves out within the electorate as a whole. Their overall conclusion is that any cure for contemporary American democratic ills (and, by implication, those of other advanced industrial societies) must involve more democracy rather than less. The book's argument is based on a meticulous decade-long search through the public opinion archives to find comparable questions on domestic issues and foreign policy that were asked in successive national opinions surveys. The result is 1,128 questions which form the database for their analyses. The data show that in a majority of the questions 58 per cent there is no statistically significant change at all in the public's policy preferences, with opinions on domestic issues (63 per cent) being slightly more stable than foreign policy preferences (51 per cent). The conclusion is that the policy preferences of Americans show remarkable stability over time. Where large fluctuations in opinion do occur, it is over an extended period of time. Moreover, these changes have usually been on issues such as civil rights, individual liberty and women's rights, and almost all have been in a liberal, egalitarian direction. Not surprisingly, the mainsprings for these changes are to be found in generational turnover, better educational standards, and in shifts in labour force participation. The Rational Voter is a significant counterweight to those who have argued that public opinion is irrational, unpredictable and untrustworthy. The evidence that is deployed to support this view is thorough and comprehensive, and the use that is made of it is scholarly and convincing. The book is an important contribution to the debate about the causes, nature and direction of public opinion in liberal democracies. Ian McAllister University of New South Wales


This paper aimed to explore mathematical connections that pre-service elementary mathematics teachers identified in model-eliciting activities that they designed. The study used a qualitative, in-depth exploratory case study approach conducted with a total of 42 undergraduate students selected using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected from mathematical modeling problems prepared by pre-service mathematics teachers and from written assignments in which pre-service teachers evaluated their problems in terms of mathematical connections. Data analysis utilized open coding to identify and label common patterns thematically. Results showed that most of the problems designed were consistent with the principles of the model-eliciting activities. A cross-case analysis of model-eliciting activities revealed that four types of mathematical connections were identified: (i) connections to real-world situations, (ii) connections between mathematical concepts, (iii) connections between different modes of representation, and (iv) connections to other disciplines. The mathematical connections identified in the modeling activities did not seem to be mutually exclusive, but rather supportive and sometimes overlapping. Pre-service mathematics teachers' identification of mathematical connections in modeling problems reflects both their awareness of mathematical connections and their perception that the skills required for the mathematical modeling process are directly related to mathematical connection skills. Therefore, it is important that pre-service mathematics teachers have a comprehensive understanding of mathematical connections and believe that this is an essential element of the modeling process so that the various dimensions of mathematical connections, along with relevant mathematical, pedagogical, and curricular knowledge, can be effectively integrated into model-eliciting activities.


The paper examines the mechanism by which recurrent neural networks (RNNs) achieve equalization whilst operating on simple digital communication channels. The mode of operation is seen to be essentially similar to the conventional decision feedback equalizer (DFE) and the RNN node nonlinearity is identified as a limiting factor. Two versions of an alternative RNN structure are formulated for channels with longer impulse responses based on soft-decision feedback. Simulations demonstrate the improved BER performance compared with the DFE.


The data from 21monitoring intersections of 7rivers in one cycle year were collected to evaluate the water pollution situation of Hangzhou.The pollution index and fuzzy evaluation methods were applied,and the results from the two methods were compared and discussed.The conclusion indicated that:①the rivers were all polluted to some degree,and the predominant pollutants were TN,NH+ 4-N and TP,namely the nitrogen and phosphorus, while organic pollution was relatively slight;②the evaluation results of pollution index method were closer to the actual water standard and agreed with the real situation better;③when the level of water quality was inferior V,fuzzy evaluation results were comparatively conservative,however,when one indicator severely exceeded the standard, the result from this method was more serious;④The evaluation results of pollution index method were in accordance with the actual situation of main urban rivers in Hangzhou better.


This executive order by Governor Mark Sanford orders the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission to redact any and all personal identifying information of any claimant from any report, form or other information submitted by the Commission.


Few American composers had a longer or more intimate association with dance than Aaron Copland. He discovered it as an exciting form of theater art in Paris during his student years, which coincided with the heyday of Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Rolf de Mare's Ballets Suedois. In the Paris of the early 1920s new music and ballet were synonymous. Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Falla were stars of the "Russian" troupe; Satie, Milhaud, and Honegger of the "Swedish" one. In 1923, like so many other young composers, Copland attended the revival of Stravinsky'S Rite of Spring and the first performance of his Les Noces, as well as the premiere of Milhaud's La Creation du Monde. Copland's first orchestral score, which he began in Paris, was a ballet. Although it was never produced, he recycled parts of it in his 1929 Dance Symphony, an independent orchestral work, and his 1934 ballet for Ruth Page, Hear lef Hear lef. "Ballet was the big thing in Paris during the 1920s," he told Phillip Ramey in 1980. "One of the first things I did upon arriving in Paris in 1921 was to go to the Ballets Suedois, where I saw Milhaud's £Homme et son Desir."] Copland discovered ballet in the aftermath ofDiaghilev's modernist revolution. Through his successive choreographers-Michel Fokine and Vaslav Nijinsky before World War I, Uonide Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, and George Balanchine during and after the war-Diaghilev transformed not only what ballet looked lil(e but also how it sounded. With his impetus the one-act ballet became the modernist standard. He jettisoned the choreographic formulas identified with Marius Petipa and late-nineteenth-century Russian tradition-the pas de deux and variation, the divertissement, the grand pas that presented the dancers by rank climaxing in the appearance of the ballerina and her partner, the division of dances into "numbers," and the mime scenes that "explained" the dramatic action. These conventions shaped


Extensive studies have demonstrated the benefits of LiFePO4 cathode material. Its drawbacks associated with low electronic and ionic conductivity have been successfully overcome by nanosizing and carbon coating. However, the structure and electrochemical properties of nanosized LiFePO4 depend on the synthetic process. One of perspective solid-state methods to prepare nanostructured materials is mechanical activation performed in high-energy planetary mills. Recently, we have shown that it can be successfully used to prepare LiFePO4/C nanocomposite by one-step carbothermal reduction of low-expensive Fe2O3 [1]. Particle size and electrochemical properties of as-prepared material were comparable with the properties of LiFePO4 obtained from Fe precursor. High reactivity of nanosized materials is well known. The effects of prolonged exposure of LiFePO4 to air and of its thermal treatment under air have been investigated in [2,3].


In this paper, the genetic algorithm is considered as a whole, as well as options for the implementation of its individual stages. The multi-threaded model is developed that contains all the necessary iterations and data parallelization elements. The possibility of multi-threaded implementation of the genetic algorithm on graphical processors of NVIDIA with the use of CUDA technology is described. Analysis of the relevance and applicability of algorithms in solving various applications are considered.


In many trawl fisheries, codend size selectivity is supplemented by adding selection devices to the gear. In the Barents Sea gadoid fishery, combining diamond mesh codends with sorting grids is compulsory. However, the use of grids increases the costs and complexity of the gear, causing discontent among fishermen and prompting researchers to seek alternative solutions. Lastridge ropes are ropes attached to the selvedges of the codend. In this study, we tested the effect of shortening the lastridge ropes of two diamond mesh codends with different mesh sizes on the size selectivity of cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogramus aeglefinnus), and redfish (Sebastes spp.). Shortening the lastridge ropes by 15% increased the mesh opening during the fishing process, which significantly improved the size-selective properties of the codends. Further, the L50 values were always higher for the codends in the short lastridge configuration. Therefore, codends with shortened lastridge ropes may be a simpler alternative to sorting grids in this fishery, and they may be applicable to many other fisheries in which additional selection devices are used.


Transient penetration of plasma with magnetosheath origin is frequently observed with the hot plasma experiment on board the Viking satellite at auroral latitudes in the dayside magnetosphere. The injected magnetosheath ions exhibit a characteristic pitch angle/energy dispersion pattern, earlier reported for solar wind ions accessing the magnetosphere in the cusp regions. In contrast to the continuous plasma entry in the cusp, the events discussed here show temporal features which suggest a connection to transient processes at or in the vicinity of the magnetospheric boundary. A single event study confirms previously published observations that the injected ions flow essentially tailward with a velocity comparable to the magnetosheath flow and that the energy spectra inferred for the source population resemble magnetosheath spectra. Those ion injection structures, which were resolved by the Viking mass spectrometer, consist of protons. Based on a statistical study, it is found that these events are predominantly observed around 0800 and 1600 MLT, in a region populated both by ring current/plasma sheet particles and by particles whose source is the magnetosheath plasma. Magnetic field line tracing based on the Tsyganenko magnetic field model yields a scatter of the source locations around the mid-latitude region of the magnetospheric boundary. The probability for these events to occur is highest when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is confined to the ecliptic plane. The event occurrence frequency shows a dawn-dusk asymmetry depending on the azimuthal direction of the IMF. The occurrence frequency is independent of the solar wind velocity but increases with increasing solar wind pressure. For radially directed IMF the probability for observing the events is generally higher than for azimuthally directed IMF. The difference is especially pronounced during times when the solar wind pressure is comparatively low. Some of the most prominent events are obviously associated with significant changes in solar wind plasma density. The connection of the events to transient impulsive solar wind/magnetosphere interaction processes, such as transient reconnection (FTE), impulsive plasma transfer, Kelvin Helmholtz instabilities, and solar wind pressure pulses, is discussed. A relation with transient reconnection can be excluded.