In recent years, the cutting and banking areas along the railway in Korea are exposed to the erosion problem during rainy season. The reinforcement is a composite construction material in which the strength of engineering fill is enhanced by the addition of strong tensile reinforcements. Various problems of the railway infrastructure have occurred due to the differential settlement, frost heaving, mud pumping, lack of bearing capacity, partially loss of embankment. In advanced countries, railway roadbed reinforcement is applied to solve these problems on railway roadbed. This paper presents the solution of such problems by means of the


Aimed at current state of lack of complete consideration of determination on the fabrication dimensions of girder segments,according to design aims and construction requirements of steel box girders in full consideration of deformations obtained from global analysis of whole structure and local analysis of individual segments,compensation method of end section corner was proposed to calculate fabrication dip angle of web at two end sections and then it was used to derive the fabrication geometry and pre-assembled geometry of girders,as well as the calculating methods of axial length compensation of girders and the length compensation of top plate and bottom plate at both ends of girders were proposed.Practical calculation analysis of Guangzhou Huangpu Cable-stayed Bridge was carried out.Results show that if the local deformation of individual segment is neglected in the determination of fabrication dimensions,errors in pre-assembled geometry will increase with the cantilever erection construction process,the quality and shrinkage of welding seam will be hard to control.


Constraint Logic Programming solvers on nite domains use constraints to prune those combinations of assignments which cannot appear in any consistent solution. There are applications, such as temporal reasoning or scheduling, requiring some form of qualitative reasoning where constraints can be changed (restricted) during the computation or even chosen when disjunc-tion occurs. We embed in a CLP(FD) solver the concept of constraints as rst class objects. In the extended language, variables range on nite domains of integers and relation variables range on nite domains of relation symbols. We deene operations and constraints on the two sorts and one constraint linking the two. Programming examples are given, showing the advantages and the expressive power of the extension proposed.


Orf disease is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the Orf virus which is a member of the Parapoxvirus family. It is commonly seen in sheep and goats. It leads to papulovesicular and crusted sores around the mouth and the parts without wool of sheep, lambs and goats. Orf disease often manifests with hand nodules in people engaged in sheep and goat husbandry. The disease is self-limited and heals without treatment. Orf disease skin lesions can be misdiagnosed as other endemic zoonotic infections such as anthrax in our country if the disorder is not considered. Knowledge of Orf disease will therefore prevent unnecessary further evaluation and treatments. Orf disease can be prevented by personal hygiene measures. In this report, a 13-year-old boy with Orf disease who was diagnosed with the history and physical examination is presented.


This is a comment on a recent article entitled "Enacting and Reproducing Social and Individual Identity Through Mediation" by Ho-Beng Chia, Chee-Leong Chong, Joo-Eng Lee-Partridge, Chantel Chu Shi Hwee, and Sharon Francesca Koh Wei-Fei, in Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 2000, 19(1).


Education is the part and parcel aspect of human's life. There are various faculties exist in the system of education. Commerce is one of the major faculty which has deep impact on human's life. Commerce is a branch of business. It is concerned with the exchange of goods and services. It includes all those activities, which directly or indirectly facilitate that exchange. It means knowledge of commerce is essential for every country. The students should choose the commerce faculty for the betterment of the nation. But nowadays there is a problem of students' absenteeism in commerce faculty. So the present paper has studied this problem. The paper has studied the meaning of commerce. It enlightens the importance of commerce. It has studied the information about commerce faculty. The paper enlightens reasons of absenteeism of the students in commerce faculty. It also studies the remedies for increasing intake of the students in commerce faculty.


The People's Hospital of Jiangsu Province is the largest tertiary general hospital in the province and has been shouldering the pivotal tasks of providing medical services to province-wide patients, mentoring medical practitioners, and advancing medical research. As the hospital's new clinic building is going to be put into use, a batch of advanced medical instruments will be introduced to provide better care and treatment to the patients.


Abstract Pollen used as an alternative or supplementary food source for a predatory mite not only provides important nutrients but also allows the predator to establish a population before prey becomes available. In this study, we compared the pollen of apricot, pear, hollyhock, opium poppy, and date palm, and a factitious prey, UV-irradiated eggs of Ephestia kuehniella, as food sources for Amblyseius swirskii. Different food items affected all development stages differently, except for hollyhock pollen, where eggs failed to develop to maturity. Food type affected the reproductive ability of females, which did not reproduce when fed on opium poppy during immature stages. Most eggs per female were produced when feeding on the factitious prey, and second most with apricot pollen. Feeding on factitious prey compared with pollen, resulted in greater longevity of both female and male adults. Feeding on pear pollen or factitious prey caused, respectively, the lowest and highest population growth rates (r and λ). Both net (R0) and gross (GRR) reproductive rates were highest when the factitious prey was the food source. Among the pollen diets, apricot was the most beneficial food item. Because of their effects on rates of population increase, either apricot pollen or the factitious prey could be further utilized as cost-effective alternative food diets for both experimental and commercial mass rearing of A. swirskii.


Research Summary: Integrating research on independent philanthropy and organizational misconduct, we argue that affiliations with independent foundations provide social approval benefits for firms that restate their financials. We use a panel of S&P 500 companies from 2004 to 2011 to investigate the addition of foundation board ties by restating firms. CEOs of restating firms add more new foundation board ties than CEOs of non‐restating firms, while existing corporate philanthropy and greater corporate reputation diminish this effect. We also find that new ties to foundations boards influences media tenor for restating firms more than it does for non‐restating peers. Our study offers a nuanced analysis of the post‐crisis actions of restating firms relative to non‐restating peers and highlights the relevance of ties to nonprofit boards for corporate governance. Managerial Summary: Firms oftentimes fire their top executives in the aftermath of misconduct, but such response is itself disruptive for the firm's operations. Instead, we suggest that forging ties to independent foundations can help firms in such contexts without unsettling effects. Our results show that, after a restatement event, CEOs of misconduct firms are especially likely to join new foundation boards as trustees and thus seem to be aware of the benefits of these associations. CEOs from firms with existing in‐house philanthropy or a high reputation do not join as many new foundations' boards of trustees. We also find that new firm‐foundation links are promptly and positively evaluated by the media, thus helping misconduct firms regain social approval.


Data management system for radar structure simulation is established for clearing the situation of confusion of simulation data,promoting the accumulation and solidification of knowledge,and improving simulation level gradually.Data is first established through task-flow and then organized with inherent logic relations.In this system,data in conceptual design step and relation of simulation and test data are especially emphasized.


The emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) is expected to recon figure the traditional supply chain (SC) with more flexibility and agility, leading to opportunistic collaboration. The purpose of the work is to identify research dimensions based on AM-enabled supply chain management (SCM) taxonomy from the product, information and service flow point of view. This article uses a systematic literature review (SLR) on AM-enabled SCM. The literature from 116 peer-reviewed journal papers over 10 years (2010–2021) was comprehensively reviewed and assessed. The selected articles were characterized using (a) SC processes—upstream, manufacturing and downstream and (b) SC flows—goods and services, information and finance. This work provides a direction to scholars and academicians for identifying important SC implications of AM technology adoption. Practitioners can benefit by understanding several challenges involved in AM technology adoption and its implications on SC processes. This work adds new insights by identifying research dimensions based on AM-enabled SCM taxonomy.


Emission of PFCs (perfluorocompound) has attracted much attention in recent years due to its relatively high contribution to the global warming. Non-thermal plasma is one of the most promising technologies to effectively control the PFC emissions. In this study, a cylindrical DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) reactor is adopted for the treatment of NF 3 -containing streams. Besides the experimental work, a numerical model is also developed for better understanding of the reaction mechanism of NF 3 abatement in N 2 / NF 3 mixtures. Good agreement is observed between the experimental data and the simulation results. Simulation results indicate that the electrons and the N atoms are the major active species responsible for the NF 3 decomposition. In addition, N 2 (A 3 Σ + u ) metastables plays a significant role in the NF 3 abatement. A simplified mechanism for the NF 3 decomposition in the N 2 - NF 3 plasmas is proposed as well.


Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) use signals acquired from the brain to control actuators such as computer cursors or robotic arms, with potential to restore motor function to individuals with disabilities. While the process of learning and controlling a BMI is complex, involving cortico-striatal networks, it has been well-established that the brain is able to learn to control BMI actuators using relatively few neurons as direct inputs into the decoder. In particular, neurons that are used as inputs to a BMI decoder (direct neurons) experience changes in direction tuning and modulation depth, eventually forming a stable neuroprosthetic map. Furthermore, previous work has shown that indirect neurons (those that are not inputs to the decoder) also form a stable neuroprosthetic map that differs from manual reaching. However, it is still unclear how these changes in indirect units are formed over the course of learning. We found that indirect neurons adapted similarly to that of direct neurons over learning. Indirect neurons formed a stabilized tuning map, decreased neural dimensionality, and consolidated firing activity into more correlated patterns. Furthermore, direct and indirect neurons adapted together, not only coordinating activity within each population, but across populations as well. Together, our results show that indirect neurons change alongside direct neurons, suggesting a large-scale neural search and adaptation for direct neurons.


We obtain new sharp bounds for the Bernoulli numbers: , , and establish sharpening of Papenfuss's inequalities, the refinements of Becker-Stark, and Steckin's inequalities. Finally, we show a new simple proof of Ruehr-Shafer inequality.


Between January 1990 and October 2000, 108 total hip arthroplasties using a cemented polished titanium stem and a cemented ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWP) cup were performed at our hospital. Because during routine follow-up visits we noted instances of resorption of the calcar, we decided to assess whether this was a problem. We were able to assess 85 of the original 108 hips. Calcar resorption was observed in 43 hips. The extent of calcar resorption varied from 1 mm to over 15 mm. In one patient a biopsy showed typical polyethylene granuloma. Because there is a risk of long-term failure, we concluded that it is inadvisable to use a cemented polished titanium stem when UHMWP is one of the bearing surfaces.


A special period,from 1977 to 1988,can be honored as the Exxon times,which is marked by both the appearance of useful concept and working method of sequence stratigraphy and their further maturity.Thus,the R-T model represents the first change of the post-Exxon times of sequence stratigraphy,which defines the maximum flooding surface as sequence boundary.Subsequently,the recognition of the inconsistence of sequence stratigraphic concept system of the Exxon School represents the post-Exxon times characterized by the diversification of models.Almost simultaneously various models were proposed,such as the T-R model,the drowning unconformity sequence and so on,which mean a new age of 'contention of a hundred of thought'.Interpreting the origin of various sequence stratigraphic models and tracing their pertinence and existing problems contribute to the further understanding of sequence stratigraphy 'division and correlation of sedimentary rocks in stratigraphic architecture',which provides an important approach for analyzing the complex stratigraphic records.


This paper considers a repairable load-sharing parallel system with two different components which are distributed as exponential distribution. The availability function and reliability function of the system are calculated and some special cases are discussed. Finally, we derive the bayesian estimator of parameter for the system. Keywords—load-sharing system; availability; reliability; Bayesian estimation


Forty-nine patients with increased airway resistance (AR) and ten normal men were studied before and after isoproterenol hydrochloride inhalation. They were subdivided on the basis of chest roentgenogram, sputum production, and history into asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema groups. lsoproterenol hydrochloride increased neon dilution volume (V A ) but not diffusing capacity (D L ), which was much less in the emphysema, highest in the asthma, and intermediate in the chronic bronchitis group. Neon dilution volume/plethysmographic lung volume (TLC) and D L /V A were similarly affected, except that V A /TLC was not increased after isoproterenol administration in the emphysema group. These results, confirm the anatomic observation that the capillary bed is most abnormal in emphysema and suggest that AR, which determines pulmonary gas distribution, is less responsive to bronchodilators in emphysema. They also suggest that dilution volume added by bronchodilators may have less than usual blood-gas contact.


This study aims to determine the effect of financial and macroeconomic ratios on the company's financial distress. In this study, the financial ratios used are the liquidity ratio with the proxy current ratio (CR), the leverage ratio with the proxy debt to assets ratio (DAR), and the profitability ratio with the proxy for return on assets (ROA). Meanwhile, the macro economy is measured by inflation and interest rates. The sample in this study is the food & beverage sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2015-2019. The sampling technique used purposive sampling and obtained 17 companies with 5 years of observation so that there were 85 total observations. The analytical method used is logistic regression analysis using the SPSS version 23 program. The results show that the leverage ratio (DAR) has a positive and significant effect on financial distress, the profitability ratio (ROA) has a negative and significant effect on financial distress, while the liquidity ratio (CR) and macroeconomics as measured by inflation and interest rates have a positive but insignificant effect. against financial distress.


Introduction: The OMEGA reflectance spectrometer onboard Mars Express [1, 2] and CRISM onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter [3, 4] have identified large phyllosilicate deposits on heavily impacted Noachian aged terrains, some associated with fluvial and deltaic deposits. This contrasts with the sulfate deposits which are mainly present in Hesperian aged terrains [2, 5, 6]. However, recent observations have shown that this model may be more complicated, as deposits of phyllosilicates have been identified along with sulfates in numerous locations, including Columbus [7] and Cross craters [8]. Such observations raise questions about the spatial, temporal, and chemical relationships between various types of phyllosilicates (kaolinite vs. smectite, composition variations), and between phyllosilicate and sulfate deposits. Methods and Materials: Phyllosilicates (Table 1) were weathered with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) solutions at varying pH. Two grams of each phyllosilicate were placed in tubes containing 30 mL of H2SO4 initially at pH 0, 2 and 4. Tubes were stored at temperatures of 60 ° C to increase the kinetics of the reactions. The phyllosilicates were removed from the acidic solution after 30 days. The solid phase was separated by centrifugation and subsequently freeze dried. The pH of the acidic solutions was measured, and then each solid phase was analyzed using FT-IR reflectance spectroscopy and XRD. The NIR configuration consisted of a quartz-halogen source, a CaF2 beam splitter, and a DTGS detector.


The paper introduces the design idea and realization way of excitation source for storage battery performance testing,with the control of digital signal process TMS320F2808.With the principle of bipolar SPWM modulation,the design can obtain SPWM signal waves with different frequencies on the basis of the full bridge circuit and corresponding power electronic devices in circuit design.The design has the advantages of fast computation speed,low total harmonic distortion and can vary the frequency flexibly.This method is implemented and verified by experiment,and the effect is admirable.It provides a practical method of online fault detection and diagnosis for storage battery testing.


Dark red extract of abdominal skin of Bombina Orientalis was separated and purified with TLC, PLC(preparative thin layer chromatography) and column chromatography. Through the physical and chemical properties, visible and infrared spectral characteristics the third major pigment was identified as -cryptoxanthin(3-hydoroxy--carotene)


Dynamical inverse problem of representation theory, which has its origin in a classical paper of E.P.Wigner on a determination of commutation relations of quantum mechanical quantities by the quantum dynamical equations, is illustrated on the simplest examples.


Reflection paper, which from the decolonial perspective, understood as the detachment of the westerners' epistemologies, raises the alternative proposal of the Circular Economy (CE) and reducing consumption, in which compensation is claimed for the environmental damage generated by consumerism and the exploitation of natural resources in the past 30 years. The CE assumes the cyclical structure of nature, to generate a model for the use of ecosystem resources and to bring industrial production to the bare minimum by including the reuse of inputs that, due to their characteristics, should not return to the environment. The methodology used consisted of a conceptual review based on 30 documents published between 1990 and 2020. For the bibliographic search, academic databases were used. In addition, for the co-occurrence relationships by semantic link, the BibExcel software was used and, for the visualization of semantic communities, the Gephi program. It is concluded that strategies must be designed to strengthen the alternative proposal to reduce consumption, within the framework of globalized markets embedded in the guidelines of a


This article examines the historical creation of the legacy of Kyniska, the Spartan royal who was the first woman to win at the ancient Olympics in the early fourth century BCE, from her own lifetime to the modern era. By investigating the reception of her victory rather than her agency as historical actor, I demonstrate that the continuing relevance of her victory has depended on others' literary, historical, or political goals. I examine the creation and contestation of Kyniska's victory at five key moments of reception: 1) in the narratives of Xenophon, Plutarch, and Pausanias; 2) in her own victory monument; 3) in poetry commemorating Hellenistic rulers; 4) in feminist didactic biography of the nineteenth century; and 5) in the debates surrounding the modern Olympics. These moments reveal how her victory's reception has contributed to ancient and modern discourses on womanhood and gender. By contextualising Kyniska in each of these distinct eras and environments, I suggest that the perception of her victory has never been monolithic, not even in the ancient world.


While humans are quite good at copying motions from others, it is difficult to do so in a dynamic sport such as skiing. Hence, we propose a virtual reality ski training system, which visualizes prerecorded expert motion in different ways and enables users to learn by copying. The system is based on a commercial indoor ski simulator, a VR headset, and two VR trackers to capture the ski's motion. Users can control their skis on the virtual ski slope and improve their skills by following a digital avatar of the expert skier replayed in front of them. We investigate 3 types of visualizations for training: Graphs to visualize the angle of feet compared to the expert, periodic copies of the expert's pose to show the spatial and temporal motion of the key movements, and a more minimal ribbon-trace of the leading skier to point out the optimized trajectory.


The population growth rate and max density of Brachionus plicatilis Muller cultured under different conditions were studied in this research.The results showed that the population growth rate of the group exposed to nature light treatment was higher than that exposed to dark.Under nature light,the population growth rate of the group with the mixed feed containing Chlorella sp and yeast was the highest one,and those of the group fed on Chlorella sp or yeast followed respectively.Fed on Chorella sp and under the nature light,the highest value of growth rate 0.4326 was got in the group with the initial density of 1.0 ind/mL,although,the latest to get the peak.The highest initial density was 30.0 ind/mL.According to the results,the best culture condition of Brachionus plicatilis Muller were under nature light, fed on Chlorella sp,and with the initial population density of 20~25 ind/mL.


This paper deals with the 44 medicinal plants used by aboriginal tribes of Andaman & Nicobar Islands mentioned in Ayurvedic classics and their traditional uses in most common ailments.


removes the Anatolian influence and with itour theory of Greeks coming out of North-west Asia Minor (p. 26). Undoubtedly we shall all feel happier without Greeks in this region, for 'Proto-Luwians' are a much more likely substitute, as Palmer suggests (p. 26). E. Laroche has shown that names ending in -assas and -andas are common to both Luwian and Hittite (i.e. to Proto-Anatolian, from which both languages derived), but their unmistakable relation to pre-Greek toponymes ending in -ssos and -nthos would suggest that Greek was not the first IndoEuropean language there {Gedenkschrift P. Kretschmer, n> -57> PP~7> KHA, 69, 1961, pp. 57-98, also L. Palmer, Mycenaeans and Minoans, 2nd ed. 1965, pp. 348-9). Professor Crossland argues from the linguistic evidence as a whole that 'Luwians' did not migrate to Greece in large numbers (p. 29), following Mylonas. This may well be so, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that if the Proto-Minyan of Anatolia and Greece in E.B.3 are related genetically they may have been introduced by 'Proto-Anatolian' elements, whether they could already be called 'Luwians' or not. There is, however, more obvious evidence for Anatolian participation in the E.H.III invasion of Greece, in the form of North-west Anatolian (Troadic) E.B.3 ware at Lefkandi in Euboia, identified by D. H. French. This strengthens Laroche's and Palmer's thesis of two successive waves of IndoEuropeans in Greece; the first 'Proto-Anatolian' (or 'Luwian'), the second Greek, the latter perhaps not before the transition from Middle to Late Helladic. Now that we know that the 'Hittites' were able to establish themselves without undue bloodshed, destruction and cultural upheaval, it may be admitted that the same could have happened upon the arrival of the Greeks in the age of the Shaft Graves. Professor Crossland emphasises on more than one occasion (pp. 27, 46) 'the late contact between the dialects which were ancestral to Greek, Armenian, Phrygian and Iranian'. Would this not suggest that Greek came somewhat later than Hittite and Luwian, just as Palmer and Laroche also assume? There is a perceptible widening of horizons, a quickening of tempo with the Shaft Grave era that might well be the result of new blood, in the form of new arrivals. But the one question that has still not been solved is where these Greeks came from.


Purpose – The paper sets out to describe the testing of a model of work and family life among a sample of professional and managerial employees in the Australian construction industry. The model positioned work‐family conflict as a variable linking experiences in one domain (i.e. work or family) with outcomes in the other domain.Design/methodology/approach – A survey exploring experiences of work and family life was conducted among employees of one large private and one large public sector construction organization in Queensland, Australia. Regression analyses were performed to test the validity of the work‐family interface model.Findings – The model was partially supported in that time and strain‐based demands in the work domain were linked to family functioning via work interference with family. However, time and strain‐based demands in the family domain were not linked to work role outcomes via family interference with work.Research limitations/implications – The survey was cross‐sectional so the causa...


Is it possible to efficiently suppress the release of nutrients and harmful metals by subaqueous sediment capping over a longer period of time by use of an active barrier system in an acidified reservoir? To answer the question, a delimited area of the reservoir bottom was covered with a 1 cm thick layer of freshly precipitated calcite. The layer and simultaneous settling in the reservoir were observed during the course of approximately two years. The active calcite layer was covered with new sediment within a few months. Over the longer term, the precipitated calcite did not act as a diffusion barrier against redox-sensitive NH + 4 , Mn 2+ , and Fe 2+ ions. However, it did reduce the release of phosphate and aluminium into the pore water even in the younger top sediment, probably due to the formation of practically non-soluble humic Al-P compounds. This may result from the influence of upwardly diffusing Ca 2+ ions from slowly dissolving calcite crystals, a process which is estimated to take more than 25 years.


The algebra of the weakly vanishing Hamiltonian generators of localized translations, rotations, and supersymmetry transformations of supergravity theory is found. I argue that supergravity is the square root of ordinary general relativity in the same way as the Dirac equation is the square root of the Klein-Gordon equation and the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz model is the square root of the spinless string.


As a critical gas-liquid contact component, trays play an important role in the performance of distillation column. In this paper, the hydrodynamics of a new type of tray, the total spray tray (TST), were investigated. Taking air-water as the working medium, the pressure drop with different F0 was tested under atmospheric pressure. The results indicate that there is no flooding with the tray and thus the wider operation flexibility can be provided by TST. Furthermore, the pressure drop of TST is much lower than that of other trays. The above properties of TST would benefit the production expansion and energy decreasing in distillation operation greatly.


Mathematical models are applied to the dissolution, transport, and decay of organic materials in unsaturated sanitary landfills. The models are based on cascaded reactor concepts and on unsaturated moisture and contaminant transport in porous media. The roles of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria are simulated using conventional kinetic formulations. Computer simulations are obtained for landfill experiments reported by others, and good agreement with observed behavior is demonstrated. The results indicate that aerobic activity is negligible over the leaching life of a landfill, and that anerobic activity is significantly inhibited from that observed in coventional municipal wastewater treatment. Further, the processes of dilution of landfill moisture by infiltration of rainwater, and convection of materials from the landfill via leaching, are significant and in some cases the predominant influences on overall organic behavior. The retention of cells within the landfill system during leachate recycling can be a significant contributor to accelerated rates of biostabilization. The landfill models are useful in the analysis of empirical data and in the identification of important leaching processes.


The fluorescence spectra of solutions of naphthalene and fourteen of its methyl, ethyl, dimethyl and trimethyl derivatives were observed as a function of molar concentration c at 20 °C and as a function of temperature from 20 to -70 °C. All the compounds show similar excimer fluorescence characteristics with mean values of the excimer binding energy B = 0.28 ± 0.03 eV and of the excimer interaction energy V'm = 0.765 ± 0.03 eV, with the exception of 1,8-dimethyl naphthalene (B = 0.14 eV) in which excimer formation is sterically hindered. The monomer fluorescence quantum efficiencies and ionization potentials were also determined. The fluorescence spectra of liquid 1,6-dimethyl naphthalene and its solutions in three solvents were observed, and the rate parameters and the entropy change ∆S on excimer formation were determined, B and ∆S (= -19.1 cal mole-1deg-1) have similar values in the pure liquid and in cis-decalin and dilute (c ≤ 1 m) cyclohexane solutions, but slight differences occur in n-heptane and concentrated (c > 1 m ) cyclohexane solutions.


Fisheries managers use buybacks to reduce fleet capacity, conserve fish stocks, and accomplish other goals. In 2009, Maryland and Virginia conducted auctions to buy back commercial fishing licenses. The auctions in both States had similar timing, objectives, and target populations. The divergent designs of the auctions, however, provide a case study with which to investigate effective buyback practices. We compare and contrast the market designs used by Maryland and Virginia, and describe how those differing designs influenced the respective outcomes.


1,2,3,4Student at Pillai College of Engineering, Panvel 410206 5Prof. Sujit Tilak, Dept. of Computer Engineering, Pillai College of Engineering, Panvel, Maharashtra, India ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract The goal of our project is to present the results of systematic and comparative experimentation for automatic duplicate question detection, when different types of methods are applied to datasets of larger sizes.


Calsenilin is a member of the recoverin branch of the EF‐hand superfamily that is reported to interact with presenilins, regulate prodynorphin gene expression, modulate voltage‐gated Kv4 potassium channel function, and bind to neurotoxins. Calsenilin is a Ca+2‐binding protein and plays an important role in calcium signaling. Despite its importance in numerous neurological functions, the structure of this protein has not been reported. In the absence of Ca+2, the protein has limited spectral resolution that increases upon the addition of Ca+2. Here, we describe the three‐dimensional solution structure of EF‐hands 3 and 4 of calsenilin in the Ca+2‐bound form. The Ca+2‐bound structure consists of five α‐helices and one two‐stranded antiparallel β‐sheet. The long loop that connects EF hands 3 and 4 is highly disordered in solution. In addition to its structural effects, Ca+2 binding also increases the protein's propensity to dimerize. These changes in structure and oligomerization state induced upon Ca+2 binding may play important roles in molecular recognition during calcium signaling.


The measure of the sustainability in agriculture is a complex task because of various approaches existing and different quantitative and qualitative parameters available in function of the national contests. In this study it has been chosen a multi-dimensional approach of the phenomenon including environmental, economic and social dimensions. Main objective of the work is to build up 29 simple indicators for the three dimensions, using the only sources of EU FSS & SAPM 2010 to cluster the NUTS2 areas of EU in four level of sustainability: High, Medium-High, Medium-Low and Low. Results are shown in the synthetic map.


The tea industry occupies an important place in Assam and plays a very special role in the state economy in particular and in the national economy in general. Assam has maintained its international reputation and commands significant share in the world tea market. The tea industry in Assam also provides daily employment to more than 6.86 lakh persons in the state which is around 50 percent of the total average daily number of labour employed in the country (Economic Survey, Assam, 2013-2014.)This paper attempts to highlight the recent status of growth and development of tea industry in Assam. For this secondary data are mainly collected from books, national and international journals, newspaper, Statistical Handbook of Assam, Economic Survey of Assam, etc. The finding of the study reveals that area under tea cultivation, tea production and average yield have been increasing in the state and the tea gardens have also been providing good job opportunities to many unemployed workers available in the state since long time. The govt. should come forward and lay much stress for further development of the tea industryfor the benefits of the society and for the state economy as well.


The method described was developed to enable direct contact between the design engineer and the computer, allowing him to control in real time the results of his design solutions, and to intervene with any necessary modifications. The minicomputer because of its ease of use, small size, economy and accessibility, (avoiding analysts and operators), is shown to be an appropriate instrument in road design applications. A description of the program and method of calculation is accompanied by a flow chart and an example of data input. /TRRL/


The washed refuse and slime as fuel for power generation and ash comprehensive utilization in Laowuji refuse power plant is introduced The result is confirmed that, it is a main route for reducing the waste and improving environment in coalmine district.


Background Despite the United States (US) having one of the safest food supplies in the world, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year nearly 48 million people (roughly 1 in 6 Americans) are sickened, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 people die from preventable foodborne illnesses. In recent years, high profile and deadly outbreaks of foodborne illness have fueled the interest of policy makers and their constituents in improving food safety.


Lead-related complications compose a noticeable share of device-related complications. Pacemaker lead perforation is a recognized complication of lead implantation, particularly with active fixation leads, and should be considered in postoperative lead malfunction cases. We herewith present 3 challenging cases with ventricular pacemaker lead dispositioning who were successfully treated via percutaneous access.


[Figure 1]. Bedside ultrasound using a high frequency linear probe was performed [1]. The high resolution images showed irregular thickening and retraction of the quadriceps tendons which were attached to hyperechoic foci well above the patella; in addition, anechoic fluid collections were identified. These findings confirmed the clinical and radiographic diagnosis of bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture with avulsion of the superior pole of the patella, and acute hematoma in the suprapatellar bursa [Figure 2]. One day after the accident, the patient underwent surgery with primary repair of both quadriceps tendons. His legs were then immobilized in full extension by tutor casts for 6 weeks. The injury was suspected to be associated with the polyneuropathy as the patient had no other identifiable risk factors. a 66 year old man with a history of sensory motor polyneuropathy of unknown etiology presented to the emergency department with bilateral suprapatellar knee pain and swelling after a fall. He was unable to walk or actively extend his knees after the incident. Radiographs of the knees showed abnormal soft tissue contour in the suprapatellar region and abnormal calcific opacities several centimeters cephalad to the patella in both knees Simultaneous bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture is a rare injury, generally occurring in men over the age of 50 who are diabetic, obese, or have age-related changes in their tendons [1]. Other factors leading to tendon rupture mostly in younger individuals include local steroid injections, use of anabolic steroids, history of chronic tendonitis, chronic renal failure, hyperparathyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, and gout [1] A similar case of bilateral quadriceps tendons rupture after statin use has been described [1]. These predisposing conditions cause tendon degeneration by altering collagen synthesis, resulting in sclerosis or fibrosis in the tendon, fatty degeneration, decreased tendon collagen composition, necrosis, or calcification [2]. The quadriceps tendon is inherently a very strong structure that is extremely resistant to heavy load [3]. The tendon can rupture spontaneously or as a result of trauma. The most common cause of simultaneous bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture appears to be either a fall [4] or a sudden violent eccentric contraction of the quadriceps mechanism against the body weight with the knee slightly flexed and the feet in a fixed position [2,3]. The commonest site of rupture is the osseotendinous junction [4]. Early diagnosis in quadriceps tendon rupture is important, because a delay in treatment can result in considerable morbidity. Tendon retraction, fibrosis, and atrophy reduce the possibility of successful operative repair [5]. Plain knee radiographs [Figure 1] can be suggestive of underlying conditions, such as the calcified opacities found in our patient, suggestive of chronic tendinopathy quadriceps tendon, bilateral rupture, polyneuropathy


The paper deals with the modern methods of testing and diagnostics of existing, mainly steel, bridges. The focus is on the DIC method (digital image correlation) and its application for the static measurements and dynamic measurements of the bridge deflection at high speeds and on the detection of the behavior of bridge details, such as pins and fatigue cracks. The sources of potential related error values are identified and possible strategies for the minimization of errors corresponding to the DIC field measurements are developed and described in the paper. The proposed DIC methods were successfully applied on the deflection measurement on long distances and on the measurement of the strain on details in‐situ. Relevant applications were done in the Czech Republic as a part of the bridge load testing and the results are discussed in the paper.


(57) Abstract: inhibit angiogenesis and can cause tumor regression, about 20 kDa, corresponding to the C-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII, inhibitors of endothelial cell proliferation, and treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases Method.


This paper mainly study structural effective life of tower crane and tower crane fleet monitoring system from the aspects of optimization design, control and management based on system engineering. Firstly, tower crane working parameters were collected dynamically through wireless data transmission technology, whose feasibility has been tested to be good in experiments. Secondly, with improved RBF optimization algorithm, tower crane structural stress was obtained, which is important in calculating effective life. Finally, the optimal control of tower crane fleet effective life was tried, by fixing parameter collection, feedback, control and effective life monitoring together. Through combining security monitoring variable with tower crane working parameters and structure effective life, the optimization control and management of tower crane fleet structure effective life monitoring are realized.


Nitrogen fertilizer is widely used in farming but has recently been implicated for its role in surface and groundwater pollution. Corn is especially dependent on fertilizer inputs, but the amount of fertilizer applied often exceeds optimal levels. Fertilizer inputs can affect the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil, which might carry implications for crop yields and economic returns. Two cornfields in Northfield, Minnesota were partitioned into plots treated with varying amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. The fields were farmed under different tillage methods, either strip tillage or conventional tillage, and were treated according to different nitrogen fertilization schedules. The strip-tilled field was subdivided into six different levels of nitrogen fertilizer, each treatment were analyzed for differences in soil physical and chemical properties, plant properties, yields, and economic returns. While there were few differences by N treatment level within the field, there were significant differences between the two fields under different tillage methods. Soil physical and chemical characteristics, plant properties, yields, and economic returns varied between the two fields. This data can provide valuable information to farmers about optimal levels of fertilizer inputs and can also shed light on the ecological implications of different nitrogen fertilization and tillage practices. Introduction Nitrogen fertilizer is a ubiquitous and inevitable part of the modern agricultural system. Because most soils lack a large pool of weatherable nitrogen, the main sources of new nitrogen are atmospheric fixation or synthetic inputs (Robertson and Vitousek 2009). The rate of nitrogen removal by agricultural crops is a large determinant of ecosystem N-balance. When nitrogen is removed through crop harvest, plant residues are lost that would otherwise add more nitrogen to the soil. This can lead to nitrogen depletion in the long term if the rate of removal exceeds the rate of fixation. Corn (Zea mays), a major crop in the Upper Midwest, has one of the highest rates of nitrogen removal and is dependent on continuous inputs of synthetic nitrogen to maintain high yields (Robertson and Vitousek 2009). According the developers of the Iowa State Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator, when no nitrogen fertilizer is added, corn yields average 55 percent of the optimal level in continuous corn rotation and 70 percent of the optimal level in soybean-corn rotations (Sawyer et al. 2006). While nitrogen fertilizer can increase corn yield and soil organic carbon levels, over-fertilization adds more nitrogen to the soil than can be broken down via natural biogeochemical processing (Kim and Dale 2008). Excess nitrates can then leach into groundwater or enter the surface water as runoff.


This paper defines the discipline and practice of virtual engineering for architecture development engineers or managers using systems engineering methodology. Vehicle system is more and more complicated to meet the requirements by complex environment such as green policy, speedy information technology, social network infrastructure, safe and comfortable driving, and entertainments. The new architecture development is required to optimize alternative studies in concept stage. This paper provides the requirements analysis, concept technical description, vehicle technical specifications, and tailored virtual analysis loadcases to meet requirements by systems engineering process. This study also defines the virtual assessment methodology for architecture concept development with actual examples.


Metoprolol was synthesized with isopropylamine and 4-(2-methoxyethyl)phenyl glycidyl by different Lewis acid.Effect of different Lewis acid,reaction temperature,reaction time on the yield of Metoprolol were considered.Result showed that FeCl3 was an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of Metoprolol.The yield was 80%.


This study examined the relative consistency and characteristics of memories for trauma and other non-traumatic emotional experiences over time. A community sample of 52 participants who reported a recent traumatic event were asked to recall both the traumatic and a positive emotional experience in two interviews separated by approximately three months (M = 105.39 days). The recollections were elicited with either a free narrative, cognitive interview, guided imagery, or written narrative approach. Results indicated that traumatic experiences were recalled more reliably over time than other emotional experiences. Traumatic memory imagery tended to persist in memory (with no apparent impairment), whereas features of positive memories were subject to considerable distortion, regardless of interview style. The findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of trauma on memory with the passage of time. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Summary form only given. All-optical wavelength converters are key components for future WDM networks e.g. to eliminate wavelength blocking in optical cross-connects (OXCs) and to simplify traffic allocation and network management in the optical layer. It is accurate to say that in any WDM network and specifically at the OXC some of the channels will be converted and some of them will go through without conversion. The use of wavelength conversion may introduce considerable phase shift and bit-pattern inversion. This can significantly affect the evolution of nonlinear impairments between channels especially in long-haul, high density WDM networks.


The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) first officially sanctioned a charitable income tax deduction for the donation of a conservation easement in 1964. In 1980, Congress enacted § 170(h), which authorizes a deduction for the donation of a conservation easement or a façade easement that is "granted in perpetuity" to a government entity or charitable organization "exclusively for conservation purposes." The deduction has encouraged thousands of property owners to donate easements that protect land and historic structures with important conservation and historic values. The deduction has also, however, been subject to abuse, including valuation abuse.


Carburizing and induction hardening are two commonly used surface heat treatments that increase fatigue life and surface wear resistance of steels without sacrificing toughness. It is hypothesized that induction hardening following carburizing could yield further increased torsional fatigue performance through reducing the magnitude of the tensile residual stresses at the carburizing case-core interface. If successful, manufacturers could see gains in part performance by combining both established approaches. A carburizing heat treatment with a case depth of 1.0 or 1.5 mm and an induction hardening heat treatment with a case depth of 0, 2.0, or 3.0 mm were applied to torsional fatigue specimens of 4121 steel modified with 0.84 wt pct Cr. The carburized samples without further induction processing, the 0 mm induction case depth, served as a baseline for comparison. The as-received microstructure of the alloy was a combination of polygonal ferrite and upper bainite with area fractions of approximately 27% and 73% respectively. The case microstructure of the heat-treated conditions was primarily tempered martensite and transitioned to a bainitic microstructure around the deepest overall case depth. Material property characterization consisted of radial cross-sectional hardness testing and torsional fatigue testing. The hardness profiles confirmed that the designed case depths were achieved for all conditions. Torsional fatigue testing was conducted using a Satec SF-1U Universal Fatigue Tester. Of the six tested conditions, the condition with the deepest case depths, i.e. carburized to 1.5 mm and induction hardened to 3.0 mm, was expected to have the greatest increase in fatigue performance. However, initial fatigue results potentially indicate the opposite effect as the non-induction hardened samples exhibited longer fatigue lives on average.


In this important book, Christophe Thiers presents the monumental bilingual stela (hieroglyphic egyptian and Greek) found in 2001 at the underwater site of Herakleion-Thonis off the Mediterranean coast of egypt near Canopus. The text and commentary of what is the longest surviving hieroglyphic inscription on a stela from the Ptolemaic period constitute the heart of this volume. Additional short interpretative essays put the document in its historical, religious, and political context during the reign of Ptolemy vIII with his two wives, Cleopatra II and Cleopatra III. The study begins with a brief introduction by Franck Goddio, summarising the discovery and the excavation context of the gigantic stela. Luc Tamborero then presents the purely technical data concerning the once monolithic gneiss stela, which is 617 cm high, 314 cm wide, and up to 38 cm deep, and broken into numerous parts. Altogether, seventeen fragments of the stela have been discovered, weighing around seventeen tons. Figure 4 on p. xii, and plate 1, present the re-assembled fragments. The lowest part of the stela, about 115–120 cm long, was intentionally left blank as it was embedded in the ground. Several parts of the monument are still missing, mainly from the lunette and the middle of the hieroglyphic text, but also from the uninscribed lower part. In addition, due to erosion underwater, the inscribed face is now quite deteriorated, so that the beginning of every hieroglyphic line has been lost. Of the Greek inscription, which followed the egyptian one, only a few letters remain. According to Goddio (p. xv) the stela had not been reused, but tumbled down from its original location. After the introduction (pp. ix–xxii), the volume is divided into six chapters, by Christophe Thiers. First is the general presentation of the stela (pp. 1–6), including the dating and the discussion of its lunette; second, the translation of the hieroglyphic text (pp. 7–24); third, the running commentary (pp. 25–37); fourth, the presentation of the almost entirely destroyed Greek inscription (p. 39); fifth, essays of interpretation (pp. 41–9); and sixth, the conclusion (pp. 51–5). Several useful tools are added: chapter seven presents a comprehensive overview of the hieroglyphic inscription and its translation as a running text (pp. 56–66). The volume concludes with extensive indices (Chapter 8, pp. 67–92), a wide-ranging bibliography (Chapter 9, pp. 93–105), as well as several plates of the stela—now in the Maritime Museum Alexandria (SCA 529)—and squeezes of it, which are now kept in Paris. Highly useful is the loose facsimile drawing inserted at the back cover. Altogether, the volume is well produced with fine plates and figures in clear print. The hieroglyphs are for the most part legibly printed, but occasionally they are partly cut, primarily in the notes (for example on pp. 15–16). After a general description, Thiers' first chapter deals with the dating of the stela (pp. 2–3). Most of the stela's right half is destroyed, as is the first part of line 1 and with it the year date. This date can be narrowed down, however, since Ptolemy vIII euergetes II is depicted with both his wives, his sister Cleopatra II and his niece Cleopatra III; the stela must therefore have been erected in the years after the wedding of Ptolemy vIII and his younger wife, Cleopatra III, either between 142 1 and 131, or 124 and 116. Following werner Huss, Thiers dates this event to the year 140/141 (p. 2 n. 8). A further indication of the stela's terminus post quem is the presence of Ptolemy Neos Philopator as a royal ancestor on the left side of the lunette. He can be rather clearly identified by the only surviving word in his inscription (C 5, p. 7), Hnw (neos). Neos Philopator was the son of Ptolemy vIII and Cleopatra II and is first attested in the ruler cult and thus in the titles of the eponymous priests only after the amnesty edict in 118. This dates the stela to the years 118–116. The only problem with Neos Philopator's identification in the lunette is his position on the right, after the second, third, and fourth Ptolemaic couple, which places him in a position that is — chronologically speaking — rather unexpected. Due to the poor state of preservation, the Ptolemaic ancestors depicted in the lunette are not easy to identify. In addition, no comparable stela with ancestors survives from the reign of Ptolemy vIII, but Thiers presents a nuanced analysis, in which he reconstructs the almost entirely lost right half of the lunette. There, only the last human figure survives more or less complete, easily recognised by her crown: Arsinoe II. She is thus depicted twice on this stela, on either side of the lunette, perhaps due to the fact that she was specifically venerated at Zephyrion, located close to


Wind energy has been widely used in recent decades to achieve green and sustainable development. However, wind speed prediction in wind farm clusters remains one of the less studied areas. Spatial features of cluster data of wind speed are not fully exploited in existing work. In addition, missing data, which dramatically deteriorate the forecasting performance, have not been addressed thoroughly. To tackle these tough issues, a new method, termed input set based on wind farm cluster data–deep extreme learning machine (IWC-DELM), is developed herein. This model builds an input set based on IWC, which takes advantage of the historical data of relevant wind farms to utilize the spatial characteristics of wind speed sequences within such wind farm clusters. Finally, wind speed prediction is obtained after the training of DELM, which results in a better performance in forecasting accuracy and training speed. The structure IWC, complete with the multidimensional average method (MDAM), is also beneficial to make up the missing data, thus enhancing data robustness in comparison to the traditional method of the moving average approach (MAA). Experiments are conducted with some real-world data, and the results of gate recurrent unit (GRU), long- and short-term memory (LSTM) and sliced recurrent neural networks (SRNNs) are also taken for comparison. These comparative tests clearly verify the superiority of IWC-DELM, whose accuracy and efficiency both rank at the top among the four candidates.


Out of band (OOB) radiation from the EUV source has significant implications for the performance of EUVL photoresists. Here we introduce a surface-active polymer additive, capable of partitioning to the top of the resist film during casting and annealing, to protect the underlying photoresist from OOB radiation. Copolymers were prepared using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and rendered surface active by chain extension with a block of fluoro-monomer. Films were prepared from the EUV resist with added surface-active Embedded Barrier Layer (EBL), and characterized using measurements of contact angles and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Finally, the lithographic performance of the resist containing the EBL was evaluated using Electron Beam Lithography exposure


Spectral pairs have certain relations to tiling pairs.Both have a direct application in the theory of wavelets and in the theory of trigonometric approximation.In the present paper we give an application of the density method in spectra-tilings relations.The research here is based on the fundamental properties of spectra and tilings.By applying the density method,the Lebesgue measure ofsets in the spectra-tilings relations is estimated.This is necessary for the further investigate on the relations between spectra and tilings.The research here is based on the fundamental properties of spectra and tilings,and is closely related to the dual Fuglede conjecture.


In this paper, we deal with two mode switching strategies for capacity-optimum transmission over a cooperative relay network. Both of them switch the transmission mode back and forth between a cooperative mode and a non-cooperative mode based on their corresponding spectral efficiencies. We use the distributed Alamouti code [1] for the cooperative mode transmission. The first strategy uses the same frame structure in both the cooperative and non-cooperative modes. In the cooperative mode, a source node S transmits two signals to a relay node R and a destination node D over two consecutive time slots during the 1st phase. During the 2nd phase, S and R transmit again cooperatively the same set of the above two signals to D over two consecutive time slots according to the Alamouti encoding rule, and then D detects jointly the two signals received over two consecutive phases. Sometimes a spectral efficiency of the S-D link might be higher than that of the S-R link. In such a case, cooperative transmission might not be better any longer and non-cooperative transmission in which D does not take any relayed replicas of the two signals would be recommended. We also introduce the 2nd disruptive strategy that changes disruptively the frame structure between the cooperative and non-cooperative modes in order to utilize best the radio resource in the non-cooperative mode. In the non-cooperative mode, one signal for every slot is transmitted only through the S-D link with no interruption for relaying. Numerical and simulation results show that the second one can provide almost twice the spectral efficiency than the first one does, though it may need a little forward signaling that S notifies the mode change status to D. The performance of the second strategy gets improved more significantly as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the S-R link is getting low and/or the SNR of the S -D link is getting high.


We study how rents from power for a dissident group might affect broader public mobilization against the current regime. Our model predicts that rents decrease the incidence of public mobilization when the public observe the group's mobilization. Individuals in the broader public infer the group seeks rents from power only, confusing greed with correct information about the regime's strength. When the public do not observe the group's mobilization, rents increase the incidence of public mobilization because rents facilitate coordination. Our results suggest that recent seemingly spontaneous mobilizations that toppled autocratic governments may have been spurred by dissident groups seeking power.


We currently build up a demonstration plant for the direct catalytic conversion of CO2 into methane according to the Sabatier reaction CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O. We have already reached conversion rates higher than 90% and a
selectivity close to unity in our laboratory experiments with NiO based catalysts. A good long term stability was obtained with a reactant gas flow density of 0.8 l/min cm2·
at 350∘C. We will study the process now on a larger scale with a factor 10000. The process is controlled via mass flow controllers with a throughput of 20m3/h H2 and
5m3/h CO2 at an inlet gas pressure of up to 15 bar, the temperature is regulated by a PID multichannel controller. As water is a by-product we use an efficient cooling trap for its separation form the obtained methane. The reaction products are analyzed by a quadrupole mass spectrometer under reaction conditions. We start our experiments in using clean CO2 and H2. Later experiments will involve industrial quality (oxy-fuel) conditions also. Goal of this project is to determine the performance of the catalytic process under conditions which enable an industrial implementation in energy storage concepts. In this contribution we report of the design of a
demonstration plant and on first experiments concerning the kinetics within the system.


Microgrid is one essential part of study in smart grid. In this paper, an optimal energy management in microgrid considering the impact of energy storage system is studied. The purpose is to minimize the total cost, improve the renewable energy utilization efficiency and maximize the profits gained by a microgrid. The model for this problem is found as a multi-parametric programming constrained by dynamic programming. In this study, an advanced dynamic programming is proposed in solving this model. This approach is tested on a typical microgrid case in different operation conditions. At last, the results are presented and conclusions are drawn.


This paper presents information regarding the nosecap Flush Airdata Sensing (FADS) system on Orions Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) vehicle. The purpose of the nosecap FADS system was to test whether or not useful data could be obtained from a FADS system if it was placed in close proximity to firing rocket nozzles like the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) nozzles on the PA-1 Launch Abort System. The nosecap FADS system used pressure measurements from a series of pressure ports which were arranged in a cruciform pattern and flush with the surface of the vehicle to estimate values of angle of attack, angle of sideslip, Mach number, impact pressure, and freestream static pressure. This paper will present the algorithms employed by the FADS system along with the development of the calibration datasets and a comparison of the final results to the Best Estimated Trajectory (BET) data for PA-1. Also presented in this paper is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study to explore the impact of the ACM on the nosecap FADS system. The comparison of the nosecap FADS system results to the BET and the CFD study showed that more investigation is needed to quantify the impact of the firing rocket motors on the FADS system.


The production of the seedling and flower industry of Feixi County in Anhui Province has led the local peasants into wealthy and themarket into booming, but there were still some problems in the process of development. The suggestions could be beneficial to the furtherdevelopment based on the information fromthe investigation.


I found the analysis reported by Choi et al. very interesting, particularly because it emphasizes the role that quantitative breast measurements (preoperative and postoperative) may have in support of surgical planning and outcomes evaluation in autologous fat grafting for breast reconstruction and correction of deformities. I share the authors' opinion on the validity of three-dimensional analysis for breast surgical planning, which might also benefit from the incorporation of biomechanical breast modeling1 and time-resolved surface acquisition techniques, which combine complete breast three-dimensional digitizing with patient involuntary movement compensation.2 The reported results in terms of fat survival reflect what is currently experienced in this type of regenerative/reconstructive technique,3 especially if one deduces from the authors' report that only one session of fat injection was performed and that no pregrafting expansion was applied. Data are in line with those coming from a recently published prospective multicentric study that compared long-term (average follow-up, 3.7 years) breast augmentation with (82 18 percent) and without (55 18 percent) the application of pregrafting external expansion.4 Unfortunately, data related to the variability (e.g., the SD) among categorized groups are missing, and this hinders full appreciation of the significance of the reported augmentation survival trends. Particularly interesting is the patient stratification according to the volume of grafted fat. In this case, the authors report statistically significant differences of the patient group, which received the largest fat volume (average, 151 cc) compared with the two groups receiving intermediate (average, 93 cc) and small (average, 51 cc) volumes of fat, with the highest volume retention being in the large-volume group (52.3 percent) with respect to the intermediate(38.1 percent) and small-volume (27.1 percent) groups. A close view of the time trend of the average absolute retained volume along the observed period (Fig. 1) reveals quite similar behavior for the largeand intermediate-volume groups (with high data correlation, R 0.99, p 0.05). A more linear trend is observed for the small-volume patient group, which exhibits slower volume reduction up to day 49, as opposed to a slightly faster long-term volumetric loss with respect to the other two groups. Nonetheless, data correlation was still high and significant (large versus small, R 0.95, p 0.05; intermediate versus small, R 0.96, p 0.05). In the early period after surgery, one expects that volumetric loss is caused by a dominant effect of edema reabsorption that seems to be higher in the largeand intermediate-volume groups compared with the small-volume group. A more detailed investigation of the differential effects of edema and fat reabsorption on the very first day after surgery might be a topic for further studies. In the long


ABSTRACT Though residents' involvement is extremely important to foster sustainable tourism, explanations as to why locals become involved are rather scant. This research explores the role that emotional solidarity and empowerment play in explaining residents' involvement in planning for tourism. We collected a sample of 415 residents residing in three counties highly impacted from tourism in Central Florida – Orange, Osceola, and Seminole. Using structural equation modelling, we found that constructs tested in the model, including welcoming nature, sympathetic understanding, social empowerment, and political empowerment, explained 54% of the variance in residents' involvement in tourism planning. Furthermore, two relationships including the effect of resident emotional closeness on their involvement in tourism planning and the effect of resident psychological empowerment on their involvement in tourism planning were not significant. Interestingly, standardized regression coefficients were stronger for the two social and political empowerment factors in explaining resident involvement in tourism planning than for welcoming nature and sympathetic understanding factors. Our results thus contribute to empirically-rigorous, holistic modelling of residents' attitudes.


An experimental technique has been specifically developed for the determination of heating inequivalence errors in the use of electrically calibrated pyroelectric optical detectors. The technique is based upon an analog simulation of detector response. A null balance current detection method is used to eliminate preamplifier distortion errors. The technique is similar to thermal pulse methods used in the study of electret materials and may, therefore, find further application in this area. In addition, the technique may be adapted to allow investigation of thermally stimulated relaxation effects in the audiofrequency range.


This paper is an attempt to explicate, using the method of conceptual reconstruction rather than historical, text-oriented analysis, the plurality of meanings of two connected terms that play an important role in scholastic thought: "confusio" and "praecisio". These terms are used in a plurality of meanings by the scholastics, and sometimes even in one and the same context. The aim of this paper is to disentangle these various meanings from each other, offer their precise definitions and explore not only their interrelations, but also their role and impact in such crucial matters as theory of abstraction, realism-nominalism dispute, theory of science, or theory of analogy.


The Parent Champion Programme is a personal development course which was piloted in two Medway Children's Centres by 'Every Family Matters' from April 2011 - April 2013, sponsored by Big Lottery funding.

This evaluation of the programme examines evidence including parents' testimonies, questionnaire data and reports from professionals including Children's Centre Managers. The programme has resulted in some profound improvements for parents and vulnerable families including a 'stepping down' of Social Services provision for a significant number of families.

Approaches are based on coaching in the development of positive, connected, emotionally intelligent approaches that affirm parents and children as people and empower them as agents of change to make choices that improve their life chances and wellbeing. 12 participants have progressed to OCN Level 3 accreditation which includes developing capacity to champion the programme's approaches within the community.


In France, the turn of the 21st-century has given rise to a welter of considerations on the condition of literature. The present article aims to present the various sides of the debate about contemporary literature, showing what connects it to the 50s Nouveau Roman and to the following postmodern wave. It goes without saying that there is no question of going back to traditional realism while stressing, on all sides, the need for a new realism. Instances can be found in various quarters: from the supporters of a world literature in French (Litterature-monde) to new versions of life-writing, to genres' hybridisation. The common ground is an attempt to represent the subject in the context of its own unstable identities and within the undetermined realm between fiction and reality.


Published examples of conglomeratic sandstone shorelines are extremely rare. Two different middle to late Eocene facies sequences reflect variable proximity to sediment influx and high-energy domination. Storm-generated deposition predominated away from fan-delta input. A tripartite coarsening-upward transition represents an offshore to shoreface succession. The lowermost mudstone contains graded rhythmites, starved ripples, flame structures, and bioturbated zones, indicating alternating low- and high-energy offshore deposition. Overlying sheet sandstones thicken and amalgamate upward, denoting shallowing and increased storm deposition still below fair-weather wave base. These beds contain a basal lag overlain by planar laminae, then hummocky cross-stratification, and fin lly wave-ripple laminae. Coarse-grained, cross-stratified, upper-shoreface sandstone caps the sequence. In contrast, sedimentation associated with subaerial flooding dominated a coarsening-upward sequence seaward of and truncated by an alluvial fan. Tbce turbidites characterize offshore deposition below fair-weather wave base. Thick climbing-ripple intervals and intervening unburrowed rhythmites indicate high sedimentation and/or freshwater influx. The overlying fine-grained, planar-laminated, lower-shoreface sandstone also lacks bioturbation and contains isolated cobbles surrounded by scours. An enigmatic succession of lensoid sandstone bodies, each 2 to 10 m wide and draped by mudstone, caps this sequence. Upper surfaces of these antiformal beds create a swell-and-swale topography. Internally, planar laminae pass upward to trough cross-stratification, then an upper organic- ich, muddy zone with Ophiomorpha and Gyrolithes burrows. Subaqueous channeling and/or bar formation in front of the fan delta, with intervening quiescent periods, are suggested. End_of_Article - Last_Page 602------------


The utility model discloses a disposable anti-counterfeiting outer package box. A box bottom, a box body and a box cover form a box body provided with a vessel cavity, wherein the box body is composed of a paper board inner layer and a covering outer layer which is covered on the surface of the paper board inner layer and is connected with a connecting gap. The upper part of the covering outer layer is also provided with a tearing opening which can be torn along the connecting gap of the paper board inner layer. The utility model has the advantages of reasonable structure, convenient opening, simple manufacturing process, disposable usage and good anti-counterfeiting effect.


This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of stock return predictability in the Indian stock market by employing both the portfolio and cross-sectional regressions methods using the data from January 1994 and ending in December 2018. We find strong predictive power of size, cash-flow-to-price ratio, momentum and short-term-reversal, and in some cases of book-to-market-ratio, price-earnings-ratio. The total volatility, idiosyncratic volatility, and beta are not consistent stock return predictors in the Indian stock market. In cross-sectional regression analysis, size, short-term reversal, momentum, and cash-flow-to-price ratio predict the future stock returns. Overall, the two variables momentum and cash flow to price ratio demonstrate reliable forecasting power under all methods and both small and large size samples.


The serotonin (5HT) transporter (SERT) is an important target for antidepressants and psychostimulants, including cocaine and ecstasy. Using an evolutionary comparison of human and Drosophila SERTs, we have identified residues in transmembrane segments (TM) 1 and 3 that influence 5HT and competitor interactions. In TM 3, replacement of isoleucine at hSERT position 172 with methionine, the residue native to dSERT, discriminates between 5HT and antagonists, demonstrating no effect on substrate potency while causing a thousand‐fold loss of potency for citalopram, as well as significant losses in potency for several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and cocaine. Importantly, the reciprocal mutation in dSERT, M167I, shows a significant gain of potency for citalopram, fluoxetine and cocaine, but no change in 5HT uptake properties. hSERT I172 may coordinate citalopram binding with a previously identified TM 1 residue Y95, as hSERT Y95F/I172M shows a synergistic loss in citalopram potency.


Epidemiological study findings regarding the association between use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and risk of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have been inconsistent. We aimed to systematically review epidemiological studies of the association and calculate pooled relative risks using meta‐analytic methods. We searched eight electronic literature databases and three clinical trial registers to identify all studies (including observational studies and randomized clinical trials) of the association published prior to October 2013. Identified studies were independently reviewed by two researchers. We used a random effects model to calculate pooled odds ratio (PORs). Heterogeneity amongst studies was examined using Cochran's Q and I‐squared (I2) tests; and sources of heterogeneity were explored using subgroup and meta‐regression analyses. A total of 17 studies (12 case‐control studies and five cohort studies), all adult studies, were included. Use of NSAIDs was not associated with overall risk of NHL [POR = 1.05, and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.90–1.22] or NHL subtypes including B‐cell lymphoma, T‐cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Aspirin use was associated with reduced risk of CLL/SLL (POR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54–0.91) but not with the risk of all NHLs (POR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.89–1.17). Use of non‐aspirin NSAIDs was associated with increased risk of NHL (POR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.01–1.97) amongst females only. The epidemiologic evidence remains inconclusive. Effects of NSAIDs may differ by drug type, NHL subtype, and sex and more studies taking into consideration these differences are needed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The consequences of employing the Bethe approximation for dipolar interactions in the inner part of the electrical double layer are examined. Apart from providing explicit results for order parameters, dipolar potential, and differential capacitance for a two-state polarizable point dipole model, a nonlinear regression analysis using experimental data is carried out in order to estimate interfacial constants such as permanent dipole moment, polarizability, effective coordination number, etc. This indicates that the simultaneous agreement of dipole potential and differential capacitance variations with charge density on the metal surface cannot be obtained using conventional discrete multistate orientational state models, thereby pointing to the need for explicit introduction of a metal surface into the double layer theories.


Using the Heegaard Floer homology of Ozsváth and Szabó we investigate obstructions to definite intersection pairings bounded by rational homology spheres. As an application we obtain new lower bounds for the four-ball genus of Montesinos links.


To eliminate the harmonics caused by nonlinear loads in power network, a modularized active power filter (APF) for low voltage power network is designed. In the design scheme of the main circuit, three-level diode clamping converter with the structure of three-phase three-arms is adopted, and the functions such as soft start, voltage stabilizing control at DC side and two-stage over-voltage and over-current protection are equipped; the digital-analogue hybrid circuit is adopted in the control. According to the features of domestic industrial consumers, capacitor circuit of this APF is in series with specific inductor, and a hybrid compensations structure of capacitor and active filter is given. Experimental results show that the proposed device not only can eliminate the harmonics that have not been amplified effectively, but also the total distortion rate of bus current can be depressed from its original value of 39.4% to less than 6%, and the distortion rate of bus voltage from 10.1% before putting into operation of the low voltage shunt APF to less than 3.0%, as well as power factor is improved from original value of 0.58 to more than 0.92, thus the effectiveness and application value of the proposed low voltage shunt APF are validated.


Over the last forty years, the advent of transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling has revolutionized the synthetic chemist's ability to generate C–C bonds. Since the 1970s, a parallel effort to control the stereochemical outcome of such transformations has yielded a variety of chiral catalyst complexes that deliver enantioenriched cross-coupled products. Nonetheless, challenges in the use of C(sp3)-hybridized coupling partners have limited asymmetric variants to a narrow fraction of the total number of cross-coupling methodologies published each year. Herein, we report studies on the asymmetric cross-coupling of benzylic groups under either Pd or Ni catalysis. We have developed a Pd-catalyzed Fukuyama cross-coupling of thioesters and secondary benzylzinc halides to deliver racemic ketones under mild conditions. Investigations with chiral catalysts revealed that a promising asymmetric transformation could be achieved to give modestly enantioenriched ketones. Reductive cross-coupling, involving the union of two different electrophiles, has the added advantage of avoiding harsh or expensive organometallic reagents. We have discovered the first highly enantioselective Ni-catalyzed reductive cross-couplings of two organohalide electrophiles. Treatment of an acid chloride and a secondary benzyl chloride with a chiral nickel/bis(oxazoline) complex and Mn(0) as the stoichiometric reductant furnishes ketone products in good yield and high enantioselectivity. Expanding on this result, we have demonstrated that vinyl bromides and secondary benzyl chlorides can be cross-coupled using a different chiral nickel/bis(oxazoline) complex, illustrating the generality of an asymmetric reductive coupling platform. Preliminary studies directed toward other coupling partners are also disclosed.


In this paper we look at Deep Learning methods using TensorFlow for autonomous driving tasks. Using scale model vehicles in a traffic scenario similar to the Audi Autonomous Driving Cup and the Carolo Cup, we successfully used Deep Learning stacks for the two independent tasks of lane keeping and traffic sign recognition.


This paper deals with approaches to planning and management of development projects in the area of construction, specifically construction of nuclear power plant units, using the tools of the process-based budgeting model. The author considered development project processes, linked them to processes of nuclear power plant units construction and developed a business model of a group of companies, which implements these projects.


In Iceland, ice caps have been generally retreating since the 1890's, when the current general warming trend started. Deglaciation causes widespread uplift in central Iceland, as recorded by countrywide GPS campaigns in 1993 and 2004 which showed vertical velocities of up to 25 mm/yr. We model the uplift using a 3D finite element model and ice loss estimates from the largest ice caps between 1890 and 2004. Our best fit 1D Earth model has a 10 km elastic layer on top of a 30 km viscoelastic layer with viscosity 1e20 Pa s, overlying a viscoelastic half-space with viscosity 1e19 Pa s. The inferred viscosity is higher than found by some previous studies that considered more spatiallylimited data sets.


3608 Background: UFT, an oral fluoropyrimidine consisting of Tegafur plus uracil (1:4 molar ratio), constitutes a readily absorbed combination agent inhibiting DPD and is reliably converted to 5FU. LV has been added to each dose in order to potentiate 5FU activity (Orzel). Phase III trials in metastatic colorectal cancer showed activity comparable to intravenous 5-FU/LV with reduced gastrointestinal and dermatologic toxicity (tox). In this study we evaluate the response rate (RR) and tox profile in the elderly defined as those ≥ 75 years of age. Methods: Elderly pts ≥75 years, with measurable disease, PS≤2 and no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were enrolled. Adjuvant therapy if completed ≥ 6 months prior was permitted. Treatment was administered as UFT 100 mg/m2 plus leucovorin 30 mg q8 hours for 28 days with 7 days of rest. CT scans were performed every two cycles. Results: 58 pts were enrolled between June 2000 and July 2001. Twenty-seven (46%) were women; median age was 81 (range 75–89) yrs,...


A teratoma is the most common benign germ cell tumor that develops in the mediastinum. Patients with a mediastinal teratoma are usually asymptomatic. However, a spontaneous rupture of a mediastinal teratoma into the pleural cavity or adjacent organs can cause severe chest pain, hemoptysis, acute dyspnea, etc. Complications such as recurrent pneumo- nia, pericardial effusion, pleural effusion and great vessel invasion can sometimes occur. We encountered a case of a patient with an abrupt onset of dyspnea after persistent shoulder pain for one month. The X-ray examinations revealed a unilateral mediastinal mass with contralateral pleural effusion. Subsequent evaluations confirmed a spontaneous ru- pture of the teratoma into the contralateral pleural cavity. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 60: 347-352)


Background: Oral and pharyngeal cancers (OPC) represent the seventh most common type of cancer and the seventh leading cause of deaths by cancer worldwide. Few studies have assessed the occupational exposure risks associated with OPC and in many cases the results are conflicting. The aim of this study was to determine, through a systematic review, association of OPC and exposure to different occupational carcinogenic substances. Methods: The addressed focused question was "Is there an association of occupational carcinogenic substances with OPC?" PubMed, Medline, EMBASE and ISI Web of Science databases were searched between January 1995 up to and including July 2016 using the keywords "oral cancer", "pharyngeal cancer", "pharyngeal neoplasms", "oral neoplasms", "occupational disease", "occupational exposure", "occupational risk factor" in various combinations. Letters to the Editor, review articles, case-reports and unpublished articles were excluded. Findings: Fourteen original articles were included. Majority of the studies were conducted in European countries and used a case-control design. The results showed a significant association between formaldehyde, wood dust, coal dust, asbestos, welding fumes and risk of developing OPC, while marginal association was observed with metal and leather dust. No associated risk was observed for textile fibers. Conclusion: There is some evidence to suggest associations of occupational substances with OPC, particularly in the pharynx. Future well-designed studies are required to confirm or rule out with confidence the associated exposure risk of these substances.


Wastewater volumes are increasing globally as a result of increased population and industrial growth. This, together with increasingly stringent discharge limits, has resulted in a consequent rise in energy demand for wastewater treatment. Activated sludge process has been successfully used for more than a century with various configurations for the removal of organic carbon and nutrients. Compared to conventional activated sludge plants, membrane bioreactors (MBRs) offer a higher treatment efficiency, however, they are energy-intensive. The aim of this study is to investigate the operational and energy flexibility of MBRs by mathematical modeling. Based on a variable electricity price tariff, an appropriate optimization strategy can save 9%–41% of the energy cost without violating exiting discharge standards. The results of dynamic simulation revealed that, under variable energy price structures, hybrid MBRs can provide significant flexibility for reducing energy costs while maintaining satisfactory effluent quality.


The invention provides a road network vector data generation method and device. The method includes: acquiring reference vector data of a target road on the tourist map according to a tourist map of a target area, wherein the reference vector data of the target road include coordinate information of nodes on the target road in a reference coordinate system; further, performing transform processing on the coordinate information of the nodes on the target road according to the reference vector data of the target road and first candidate road network vector data of the target area so as to acquire geographical location information of the nodes on the target road; utilizing the geographical location information of the nodes on the target road to update the reference vector data of the target road so as to acquire second candidate road network vector data of the target area; subjecting the first candidate road network vector data and the second candidate road network vector data to adjustment processing so as to acquire target road network vector data of the target area. Therefore, the purpose of generation of the road network vector data of a tourist region is achieved.


This report gives the flight test maneurvers specifications13; for MI-8 and Chetak helicopters in order to generate13; meaningful flight data for stability and control analysis.


Denoising of images is an emerging technique in the present day research works, since it is used in the various processing in image. Considerably, the denoising of image is a method in which the image is restored by removing the unwanted distortions or noises from the image in order to obtain a high visually enhanced image. But existing denoising algorithms mainly focus on the noise reduction instead of focusing on the edge preserving. Hence the finally obtained image is of low quality. Therefore in our paper we proposed to eliminate the noise such as zero mean white Gaussian noise from the image by using the high resolution frequency analysis. For this process we calculate the texture features of the image in order to implement the segmentation make possible in noisy image. Hence, we implement different segmentation techniques for different images corrupted with different noise in order to obtain the efficient segmented image. In our paper we implement mean shift clustering for segmentation of object from the image. In addition to this segmentation we also use edge segmentation technique with different parameters. And then the non uniform regions obtained from the segmentation process are analyzed based on the Mask NHA which is an extended version of 2D NHA. However, the calculation of the different parameter values takes more time and it is not an easy job. After studying and conducting experiments on the image by using Mask NHA method it is noticed that this method provides valid and better results compared to state of art methods such as BM3D and LRF.


This article reveals the basic concepts, principles, significance of public-private partnership (PPP), its significance, main provisions and importance for the functioning and development of the road sector in Ukraine. The main advantages of the functioning of the public-private partnership system are also given, the legal framework and the main principles for effective activity are analyzed. Examples of successful global public-private partnership projects in the field of road management, which are the basis for determining the amount of tolls on public roads for vehicles, are outlined. The agreements concluded by administrative institutions on the basis of public-private partnership are described.The main activity of the state road fund, sources of its financing and distribution of funds are investigated. The main debt obligations of the road industry and their further impact on the development of public-private partnership in Ukraine have been identified. The main problems, the reasons for the inefficiency of public-private partnership in thefield of road management are clarified and effective ways of development and solution of complex issues are suggested. The analysis of the main factors influencing the development of public-private partnership of Ukraine is carried out and the ways of elimination of negative factors are given. The principles of operation and essence of the first six pilot transport projects of Ukraine and further increase of their number, which were developed taking into account world standards on the basis of requirementsof both parties, are considered. The impact of the global pandemic on the traffic of different countries is revealed. There are examples of companies that were able to resume their activities and increase the economic rating during the easing of quarantine restrictions. The main ways to improve the functioning of the road industry of Ukraine are proposed.


Process model with high fidelity plays an extremely important role in the design and operation for chemical plant. Yet the growing complexity along with fidelity increases the computational time, causing decision delay in RTO (real-time optimization). This study demonstrates a systematical method of model reduction in the application of RTO. The reduced model could get the optimization results much faster without breaking the model structure and keep the model accuracy under an acceptable error tolerance. In this method, a chemical model is first classified as layers according to its structure and the inner layer which is kinetics and thermodynamics layer is mainly chosen for reduction since it takes the most CPU time during simulation and optimization. In the reduction of kinetics, the DRG method is used, and in the reduction of thermodynamics, a Kriging method is used to map the input and output. A numerical case study on an industrial P-Xylene oxidation process problem is applied to validate the method.


The ICT industry has a very significant role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in rapidly developing countries. Future development in the newly developing industries should not follow the reckless path taken by developed countries. Many industries can make use of modern ICT technology to move into higher efficiency low carbon markets. This can include use of ICT technology to move away from existing energyintensive work habits and lifestyles supported by government policy innovations, incentives for companies and the active participation of consumABSTRACT


Marketing campaigns based on Bushmanness, with tours to rock-art sites and visits to cultural villages can be alienating for those subject to the gaze. They may have misgivings about the ways that their cultural heritage is being explained and marketed. This seems to be an issue primarily articulated by the traditional ?Khomani, as the same attitudes are not found in Zulu cultural villages, though guides and managers may take on or express messianic cultural motivations in doing their jobs. This chapter offers practical advice, especially for managers of cultural tourism ventures like !Xaus and other such lodges. Academics are often criticised by professionals for ?talking theory', and then the author is criticised by academics for not ?talking theory'. Keywords: ≠Khomani; Bushmanness; cultural tourism ventures; Kruiper currency; Zulu


Up to now there is no consensus within which theoretical models can be evaluated and divide experimentally values of the two additive parts of the coefficient of friction adhesive (molecular) and deformation (mechanical) components. For the first time, for roughness simulated by prismatic rods with one-dimensional probability density the deformation (mechanical) component of friction was described through bending of prismatic bars of roughness which simulating the interaction with each other. Also for the first time, a formula that relates the deformation coefficient of friction with the depth of mutual penetration of two plane roughness of the interacting surfaces.


Herein, we describe the total syntheses of three bioactive pyrones isolated from Polygala sabulosa (i.e., 1, 4, and 7) and eight isolated from Piper methysticum (i.e., 8–10, 13, 15, and 18–20) using the Heck–Matsuda arylation as the key strategy. The evaluation of this methodology by employing different arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates revealed that the Heck arylation was more efficient when the olefin undergoing arylation possessed the vinyl-2-pyrone structural unit instead of the vinyl dihydro-2-pyrone moiety. The Heck–Matsuda arylation of many of the examined olefins proceeded in a practical manner with total regio- and stereocontrol.


The general rationale for conducting Foresight studies is to reduce uncertainty, for instance, by providing information in the form of scenarios, critical technology lists, priorities and recommendations for action. Such initiatives, aside from their discrete outputs, also tend to foster process benefits, which can include increased networking and coordination among actors. We propose Foresight Support Systems (FSSs) as collaborative computer-based systems aimed at supporting

communication

decision modelling

rules of order in foresight processes.

The relevance of the authors' proposal arises from the growing necessity in Foresight for instruments that allow researchers and practitioners to innovate by means of an intensive use of Information Technology (IT). Issues such as the scope, the features, users and components of FSS are discussed.


A large number of transcriptional activation domains (TADs) are intrinsically unstructured, meaning they are devoid of a three-dimensional structure. The fact that these TADs are transcriptionally active without forming a 3-D structure raises the question of what features in these domains enable them to function. One of two TADs in human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) is located at its N-terminus and is responsible for ~70% of the transcriptional activity of hGR. This 58-residue intrinsically-disordered TAD, named tau1c in an earlier study, was shown to form three helices under trifluoroethanol, which might be important for its activity. We carried out heteronuclear multi-dimensional NMR experiments on hGR tau1c in a more physiological aqueous buffer solution and found that it forms three helices that are ~30% pre-populated. Since pre-populated helices in several TADs were shown to be key elements for transcriptional activity, the three pre-formed helices in hGR tau1c delineated in this study should be critical determinants of the transcriptional activity of hGR. The presence of pre-structured helices in hGR tau1c strongly suggests that the existence of pre-structured motifs in target-unbound TADs is a very broad phenomenon.


Little is known about the extent of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) activity dysfunction in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH). We aimed to assess the hepatic MRC activity in AH patients and its potential impact on the severity and prognosis of this life‐threatening liver disease.