Brittle leaf disease or "Maladie des feuilles cassantes" (MFC) is a disorder affecting date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) orchards in oases of southern Tunisia. No causal pathogen has yet been identified, despite search for nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses and viroids. Although the soils of the oases in which affected palms grow have similar contents of total and exchangeable manganese (Mn) compared with oases with no disease, the leaflets of affected palms are deficient in this element. Here, we characterized the bacterial flora in the rhizosphere of three MFC-affected date palms and three non-affected controls. Our results show a high bacterial diversity in the date palm rhizosphere. From 201 clones corresponding to a 16S rDNA PCR fragment, we identified 177 different bacterial phylotypes. Some of them corresponded potentially to Mn-oxidizing bacteria that may be involved in soil Mn oxidation and, consequently, deplete this micronutrient in MFC-affected date palms. More detailed studies are necessary to establish the exact role of these bacteria in the disease syndrome.


. This chapter deals mostly with the definition of terms regarding economic vulnerability and economic resilience so as to distinguish between those economic conditions that are responsive to policy measures and those that are not. The author argues that it would be useful conceptually and methodologically to confine the discussion on economic vulnerability of a country to inherent and permanent economic features which render that country exposed to damaging forces outside its control. In this sense, economic vulnerability would not be responsive to domestic policy measures. It follows that the components of the Vulnerability Index should measure inherent features only. The author further argues that the discussion on economic resilience should refer to policy-induced changes, which affect the country's ability to cope with or withstand its inherent vulnerability. The chapter also proposes the construction of an index of resilience to complement the vulnerability index, so as to assess the risk of a country being harmed by external shocks. The resilience index could also serve to assess the extent to which economically vulnerable countries, individually or as a group, are moving ahead or otherwise, in coping with or withstanding their economic vulnerability. A number of variables which could be used to construct a composite resilience index are proposed.


By means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis peroxidase isoenzymes(POD)、superoxide isoenzymes(SOD) of P.koraiensis and P.prokoraiensis were determined. The results showed that interspecific zymogramatic differences are obviously. There are two bands of POD in P.koraiensis , but, there is only one band of POD in P.prokoraiensis . The enzymes active are different from each other. P.koraiensis enzyme active is five times as much as P.prokoraiensis . From the study of molecular level has proved the explain in precis terms of two species pine trees standing alone in Pinus L., therefore, the conclusion of anatomy structure of P.prokoraiensis is correctly, i.e. P.prokoraiensis is originally, P.koraiensis is evolved.


The invention relates to a human body target production process. The human body target production process comprises the following steps: 1) an elastic cover and a support pipe frame are prefabricated; a separation plate is arranged at the lower part of the elastic cover; and a projected reserved feed pipe and a mounting hole for mounting a support pipe are arranged on the separation plate; 2) the upper end part of the support pipe frame is inserted in the elastic cover from the mounting hole of the separation plate to form a human body target empty mold; 3) the assembled human body target empty mold is put in a human body target shaping device; the reserved feed pipe is enabled to penetrate out of the human body target shaping device; and the positioning of the human body target empty mold and the locking of the human body target shaping device are finished; 4) the human body target shaping device rotates to enable the head part of the human body target empty mold to face downwards; and a foaming body for filling in the elastic cover is injected in the human body target empty mold of the elastic cover through the reserved feed pipe; and 5) after the foaming body in the human body target empty mold is shaped, the reserved feed pipe is blocked; and the human body target shaping device is started to obtain a molded human body target. The production process is simple, and facilitates of quick manufacturing of the human body target.


The experiment was conducted during October 2014 to December 2014 to evaluate the effect of different levels of salinity on seed germination and seedling growth of sunflower. The factorial experiment consists of three variety of sunflower such as BRAC HySun 33, BARI sunflower-2, KU SL-1 and five levels of salinity viz. 4, 8, 12, 16 dS m-1 with control. The effect of variety and salt stress on seed germination and seedling growth of sunflower were varied significantly. The germination (germination energy, capacity and speed of germination) and seedling growth parameters (root length, shoot length and seedling growth) were significantly affected by salt stress and gradually declined with increasing salinity levels. The variety of BRAC Hysun 33 (V1) showed better performance upto 12 dS m 1 salinity in laboratory condition.


Backgrounds: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) but it is largely unknown if such a relationship between NAFLD and CVD risk relates to severity of liver disease or if it is independent. We aimed to study the severity of NAFLD in a well characterized non-obese population and to compare this to prevalence of CVD risk factors and Framingham risk score. Methods: This study included 30,172 subjects. Based on the presence or absence of steatosis on ultrasound and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), subjects were divided into controls, an increased serum ALT group without steatosis and a group with presumed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which included a steatosis alone group and a group with presumed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with steatosis and an elevated ALT. ramingham risk score epatic steatosis Results: The odds ratio for 10-year risk by total Framingham risk scores ≥10% was 5.3 times higher in NASH groups. The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, elevated CRP and metabolic syndrome were all increased up to 15-fold over controls, independent of age, BMI, smoking and exercise habits. Overall CVD risk was significantly greater in NASH than in either steatosis or raised ALT alone. Conclusion: Young, non-obese subjects with NAFLD are at significantly increased CVD risk, especially those with NASH. As well as specific therapy for liver disease, a diagnosis of NAFLD should lead to targeted risk assessment and risk factor modification. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


Let X 1 ,...., X n be a collection of iid discrete random variables, and Y 1 ,...., Y m a set of noisy observations of such variables. Assume each observation Y a to be a random function of a random subset of the X i s, and consider the conditional distribution of X i given the observations, namely μ i (x i ) = P{X i = x i |Y} (a posteriori probability). We establish a general decoupling principle among the X i s, as well as a relation between the distribution of μ i , and the fixed points of the associated density evolution operator. These results hold asymptotically in the large system limit, provided the average number of variables an observation depends on is bounded. We discuss the relevance of our result to a number of applications, ranging from sparse graph codes and multi-user detection, to group testing.


Background: We have previously reported evidence of in vitro sensitisation to cow's milk protein in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in preterm infants with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). In the present study, we document the changes in the PBMC responses to stimulation with mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin) and cow's milk proteins &bgr;-lactoglobulin (&bgr;-lg) and casein over time: from the acute presentation of NEC, to initial recovery (reinitiation of enteral feeds), to full recovery (full feeding). Methods: Of the 14 preterm infants recruited with acute NEC, 12 were followed until fully enterally fed (2 died during the acute phase). Cytokine secretion (interferon-&ggr; [IFN-&ggr;], interleukin 4, [IL-4], IL-10, and transforming growth factor-&bgr;1 [TGF-&bgr;1]) by PBMCs in response to stimulation by phytohaemagglutinin, &bgr;-lg, and casein was measured by enzyme-linked immunospot in the acute phase and subsequently at recovery and full recovery. Results: The high levels of cytokine secretion (IFN-&ggr;, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-&bgr;1) observed in response to &bgr;-lg and casein in the acute phase increased by a further 50% to 100% at recovery (P < 0.005). At full recovery (full feeding), however, IFN-&ggr;, IL-4, and IL-10 secretion response had returned to, or below, acute-phase levels, whereas the augmented TGF-&bgr;1 response was maintained (P = 0.005 vs acute level). This response pattern was similar for casein, and did not appear to be influenced by the nature of the feed used following NEC (breast milk/formula/hydrolysed formula). Conclusions: The evolution of the cytokine response profile in parallel with the clinical recovery from NEC is consistent with a putative role for TGF-&bgr;1 in regulation of inflammation, and possibly also oral tolerance.


Sensor fault diagnosis of fixed value and servo single closed-loop system NA Wen-bo, GAO Yu†, LI Ming, LIU Tian-tian (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Metrology, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310000, China) Abstract: The fault of the sensor in the online closed-loop system is complicated due to the adjustment of the controller. Based on the analysis of dynamic characteristics of normal system and fault system, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis method based on dynamic trend and data-driven for sensor fault of fixed value and servo single closed-loop system. The method uses dynamic window residual data to implement fault monitoring; the maximum value of data changes is used to implement fault estimation; quadratic linear regression is used to implement fault separation; a static model of system fault monitoring, fault estimation, and fault separation is established. Meanwhile, the calibration method and diagnosis flow of online application of diagnosis model are given. The validity of the method and the high accuracy of diagnosis are verified by experiments. The method is suitable for real-time fault diagnosis of general first-order fixed value and servo closed-loop control system sensors.


The relevant literature shows that populists come to power through various rhetorics by exploiting the incumbent orders and the problems they have caused. However, failures and disappointments in fulfilling their promises push them to employ increasingly authoritarian measures to silence society to stay in power by gradually changing the system, manipulating citizens through controlling media, and undermining fundamental institutions.By emphasizing the overall performance of populist governments during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, this article explores the future course of populist politics and governments after the pandemic. The paper concludes that although the pandemic has clearly shown the limits and capacity of many populist governments, the political and economic conjuncture in the post-pandemic era, coupled with the high tension of power transition, might bring new "opportunities" for the use of populists. With several defects and structural weaknesses of the existing liberal multilateral order, populism is here to stay with different implications for the multilateral liberal order and globalization.


In 1990s, self-interested market participants pined to assume away the physics of power systems and have 'simpler' markets. They argued that a market that honors the physics unnecessarily complicates markets. In an effort to make the market 'easier', we created fictions to make the market easier and broader. But you can't fool Mother Nature, we now know empirically that the simple market is easier to manipulate and to date, the easier markets have failed. Evidence points to complexity for efficient commitment and dispatch. Since fictions are necessary because we cannot yet solve the more complicated market model with more physics. Care must be taken in creating fictions. In power systems, bad fictions can lead to cascading blackouts that are disruptive and very expensive. In ISOs, Complexity and Simplification co-exist. The day-ahead market and real-time market contain the necessary complexity to solve the complex operations problems. Financial market exists for those who want simplicity.


Communication by location is a very common practice today. To keep pace with this practice, new technology is generating new process of communication. This paper explores a new location-based stude ...


The problem arose in one-dimensional pattern recognition: The input is a vector X of N real numbers; the output is the maximum sum found in any contiguous subvector of the input. The problem is when some of the numbers are negative. This column is built around that problem with an emphasis on the algorithms that solve it and the techniques used to design them


Research questions: What factors are important in hairdressers work to strengthen the relationship and loyalty with customers? What makes customers loyal to their hairdresser? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of how customer loyalty can be created in the hairdressing sector. Method: A qualitative approach has been chosen in which interviews with hairdressers have been made and two focus groups have been conducted. The study is based on a deductive approach. Conclusion: Factors that are important in the hairdresser's work to strengthen the relationship and loyalty with customers is: hairdresser education, handling of dissatisfaction, clarity and reconciliation with the customer, the timing, word-of-mouth, customer focus and trust. What makes customers loyal is: trust and confidence to the hairdresser, customer satisfaction, security, expectations exceeded, education and the salon's location.


[Objective]In order to evaluate the facticity and diagnostic power of the double antigen sandwich enzyme linked absorbent assay(DAgS-ELISA)in detecting Brucellosis cases of different clinical phases.[Methods]Case control study is applied in this study.To compare with SAT method,which is the standard diagnosis for Brucellosis,the same serum specimen of human is tested by 5 different serum methods,such as the DagS-ELISA,the Brucellosis serum agglutination test (SAT),complement fixation test (CFT),Rose Bengal Plane Test (RBPT) and Indirect ELISA test (I-ELISA),and to compare their sensitivity and predictive value,positive rate in different clinical stage,then evaluate the facticity and diagnostic power of 5 methods mentioned above.[Results]To detect simultaneously serum specimen of the cases in acute stage and the control,the agreement ratio and Youden index of DAgS-ELISA is respectively 96.49% and 93.44%,the false negative rate is 2.27%.There is significant deviation in sensitivity through U test at α=0.05 level,which suggest the sensitivity of DAgS-ELISA method is higher than CFT and I-ELISA.In chronic stage,The sensitivity of QDAgS-ELISA,RBPT and I-ELISA are all 100%,DAgS-ELISA 93.33%,CFT 40%.When the DAgS-ELISA method is compared with the RBPT andⅠ-ELISA in sensitivity,there is no significant deviation through U test at α=0.05 level,compared with CFT,there is significant deviation through U test (P0.05). In the specificity,there is significant difference between DAgS-ELISA and I-ELISA method through U test at α = 0.05 level(P0.05).[Conclusion]The study of experiment and application on-the-spot indicate that the DAgS-ELISA is superior to the other methods such as RBPT,CFT and I-ELISA in different clinical stage,especially in the acute stage.


Investigated the essence and content of artistic activities of concertmaster through historical development of music art. Defined skills of performing orientation as a basis of artistic activities of concertmaster. It has been established that concert master's competence must necessarily include not only operativeperforming skills and skills, but also the skills of performing orientation, which will allow the concertmaster, using a whole complex of performing-intonational technical means, to carry out positive instrumental-performing support of the soloist (instrumentalist) in the process of joint music-making, while displaying their own companion style.


Abstract This article expands on previous discussions of La Haine by concentrating specifically on the construction of the image of the Jew within the film's representation of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-religious trio. Through this exploration, the article not only raises questions regarding self-representation of 'the Jew' in La Haine, but also reflects on the justified ethical questions raised by the beur film-makers who criticized Kassovitz on issues pertaining to 'authenticity', the legitimacy of representing 'other' communities, and the commercial exploitation of oppressed minorities in and by cinema. By shifting the boundaries of the debate on La Haine from the banlieue genre to the relationship between what I call the 'post-Holocaust' French Jew and the postcolonial context that characterizes the condition of contemporary France, this article attempts to offer a different perspective on this highly controversial film.


In this paper, we propose a novel adaptive selection cooperation scheme using prediction-based decision combined with a new relay selection strategy. In the proposed scheme, the destination predicts whether the transmission from a selected relay would be successful or not by utilizing instantaneous state information about the channel from the relay to the destination. Then the destination gives back a command determined by the prediction to the whole network. Numerical results show that the proposed adaptive selection cooperation scheme combined with the new relay selection strategy improves its throughput, saves transmission power, and prolongs the lifetime of the network, while having the same outage probability as a conventional selection cooperation scheme combined with the best relay selection strategy.


Reactor neutron capture and fission reaction rates are determined as the product of the neutron flux density and the neutron capture or fission cross section. The standard energy for tabulation of thermal neutron cross sections is that of room temperature of 20.43{degree}C, corresponding to a neutron energy of 0.0253 eV or a neutron velocity of 2200 m/s. Since most reactors do not operate at a temperature of 20{degree}C, there must be some mechanism for converting the cross section, {sigma}{sub 0}, at the tabulated energy to the effective cross section {cflx {sigma}}, at the actual temperature of the reactor. Westcott developed a method for converting {sigma}{sub 0} to {cflx {sigma}} by describing the neutron spectrum as a combination of a Maxwellian distribution characterized by temperature, T, and an epithermal component, proportional to dE/E. For an isotope whose cross section does not vary inversely with the neutron velocity, {cflx {sigma}} = {sigma}{sub 0} (g + rs), where g is the Westcott g-factor, the epithermal index, r, is approximately the fraction of the total neutron density in the epithermal component, and s is a temperature dependent quantity related to the reduced resonance integral. The values for the g-factor at different temperature for actinidemore » nuclides are given in this paper.« less


The main objective of this paper is to supply scientific basics for preventing and forecasting the prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease to explore the effect of different meteorological conditions on occurrence of hand, foot and mouth disease in Wuwei City, northwestern China. Here the data about the diseases and weather was collected from 2008–2010, and the correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and exponential curve fitting methods were made. The results showed that 2688 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease were collected from 2008 to 2010, and the annual average incidence was 47.62/100,000. The average prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease at Liangzhou District, Minqin County, Gulang County and Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County were 42.69, 38.52, 65.92 and 49.18 per 100,000 respectively. This disease occurred year-round in Wuwei City, but had a clear seasonal climax. Generally, the incidence increased from April and rose to the first peak in May, Jun, July respectively. The second peak was in September or October every year. Different meteorological factors had different impact on the epidemic of disease in four areas, such as average temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, rainfall and evaporation capacity. The results of multiple linear regressions indicated that relative humidity and atmospheric pressure were the main influence factors in Liangzhou District, average temperature in Gulang County, atmospheric pressure in Tianzhu County. The incidence of the disease and average sunshine hours showed exponential function relationship in Minqin County. In conclusion, different weather conditions have different impact on the prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease. A high correlation exists in four areas of Wuwei City between meteorological factors and hand, foot and mouth disease occurrence. And summer and autumn were the important seasons to prevent and control the disease.


Plants of Sagittaria generally possess different leaf shapes, but these shapes were rarely quantified. In this study, all species of Chinese Sagittaria were collected, and their leaf shapes were analyzed using two geometric tools: Topological description and geometric morphometric analysis. The leaf shapes of Chinese Sagittaria can be divided into three major groups according to topological types of the venation architecture, and the variation of leaf shape is closely related to the development degree of Sagittaria plants. Even if corresponding to the same venation pattern, many leaf shapes have evident differences which could be revealed by geometric morphometric analysis, and these differences show species specificity to a great extent. Making use of these results, some misunderstandings in the taxonomy of Sagittaria also be cleared up.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a calibration tool favorably calibrating data of wide range measurement of three-dimensional shape information of a workpiece. SOLUTION: A calibration tool 22 is disposed on a rotating stage 12 every time when the height of a probe 14 is changed in order to acquire rotation shaft information of the stage 12 and height information on the rotation shaft by measuring positional information of each point of a workpiece 24 within a field of view by the prove 14, upon wide range measurement for acquiring three-dimensional shape information of the workpiece 24 by integrating multiple data acquired by division measurement of the workpiece 24 on the stage 12 from different angles. The calibration tool 22 comprises two plates 60 and 62 for acquiring the rotation axis information, and a height position calibration characteristic region 64 for acquiring height information, the plates 60 and 62 being not parallel to each other, wherein an intersection line 66 determined according to information of the planes 60 and 62 based on the positional information of each point on the planes 60 and 62 is disposed on the stage 12 to agree with a rotation axis 26, and the region 64 is formed at a predetermined height. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT


The recent failure to predict the strong growth in consumer spending and decline in the savings ratio in the United Kingdom has prompted a number of economic forecasters to reassess the basis of their consumer expenditure relationships. This paper assesses the failure of the traditional Davidson, Hendry, Srba and Yeo, and Hendry and Ungern-Sternberg specifications and show that a Hendry and Ungern-Sternberg specification applied to the LBS definition of consumer spending forecasts the period 1985-87 remarkably well. The treatment of asset stocks, particularly the inclusion of housing wealth in the definition of personal wealth, and the link with durable spending have an important bearing on this improvement in forecasting performance. Copyright 1990 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd


AIM: To investigate the changes of calreticulin precursor in the normal,pulmonary hypertensive induced by monocrotaline and puerarin rats,and to explore the mechanism of the inhibition of puerarin on the pulmonary hypertension and pneumoangiogram rebuilding.METHODS:The pulmonary hypertensive rat model was established and the mean pulmonary arterial pressure,mean carotid arterial pressure,weight ratio of right ventricle to left ventricle plus septum,thickness of pulmonary arterial media smooth cell layer were measured.The two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to detect the total proteins from these five groups.The MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS was used to identify the differential protein and the retrieval databank in NCBInr was searched.RESULTS: The mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP),right ventricle proportion by weight([RV/(LV+S)]%) and pulmonary artery media thickness(PAMT) of 3week-monocrotaline group were highly significant than those of normal group(P0.01),indicated that the rat model of pulmonary hypertention formed.The mPAP,[RV/(LV+S)%] and PAMT of puerarin group were lowly significant than those of 3-week-monocrotaline group,indicated that the pulmonary hypertention,pneumoangiogram rebuilding,the right ventricle hypertrophy could be inhibited by puerarin.The MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS discovered that the calreticulin precursor expressed almost 0 in normal group and expressed a great quantity in 3-week-monocrotaline group,but down-expressed quickly in puerarin group,almost 0 level.CONCLUSION: The puerarin could inhibit the form of pulmonary hypertension by interfering with calreticulin precursor,it is worth further studies.


This case study examined how a large university in the southern U.S. incorporated branding strategies into its social-media content. Specifically, the strategies for using text-based social media (Twitter) and visual-based social media (Instagram) to communicate brand identity through brand associations and brand personality were investigated. To do this, the authors conducted a 2-part study. The first, a content analysis of social-media content, revealed how the athletic department communicated the football team's brand identity through brand associations and brand personality. Second, a survey assessed the perceived brand personality of the football program through social-media content to determine external perceptions of the team. Results support the use of Instagram as a branding strategy. Instagram was used more than Twitter to communicate brand associations and brand-personality cues, while survey results indicated that respondents exposed to Instagram content reported higher perceptions of brand pe...


Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, sporadic, fatal multisystem progressive disorder characterized by autonomic failure, orthostatic hypotension, neurogenic bladder/erectile dysfunction, cerebellar ataxia, corticospinal dysfunction, and parkinsonism that may be poorly L-dopa responsive. MSA in Asia has a predominance of cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C), whereas the United States and Europe have a predominance of parkinsonism (MSA-P). Mean survival from diagnosis to death is 7 to 10 years. Currently, there are no treatments that halt or reverse disease progression. Neuropathologically, MSA is characterized by glial cytoplasmic inclusions of abnormally aggregated a-synuclein with loss of nearby neurons. Disease progression is thought to be causally linked to accumulation and aggregation of a-synuclein, and accordingly considerable effort has gone into devising strategies to combat these events. Recent work with transgenic models suggests that a redistribution of neuronal to oligodendroglial a-synuclein may take place in the pathophysiology of MSA, but the precise mechanism by which aggregation leads to neuronal loss is unproven. Recent evidence suggests a resulting deficiency of growth factors, especially brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, which might respond to infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Against this background, the open-label study by Lee et al reporting that MSC infusion halts the progression of MSA sparked interest in the potential value of MSCs in the treatment of MSA. A commentary on the publication criticized the limited scientific basis for the study and the lack of blinding. The current publication has greater scientific credibility. The study was performed at a single center and comprises a doubleblind, placebo-controlled treatment trial on 33 subjects with MSA-C (17 placebo and 16 MSCs). MSCs or placebo was infused intra-arterially sequentially into the internal carotid arteries and dominant vertebral artery followed by subsequent infusions (at 1, 2, and 3 months) intravenously. The primary endpoint consisted of a mixed model approach to the total unified MSA rating score (UMSARS). This scoring system rates the symptoms and functional status of relevant activities of daily living (UMSARS I) and a motor examination (UMSARS II). Secondary endpoints included UMSARS II, cerebral glucose metabolism, and estimated gray matter density. The results included improvement in both UMSARS II and UMSARS total, with the secondary endpoints all trending in the appropriate direction. This potentially important study stimulates a number of questions. Does the study demonstrate that we have a treatment for MSA? Is the treatment safe? What is the mechanism of action? How do the MSCs breach the blood–brain barrier (BBB)? One key issue in MSC treatment of MSA is developing access to target tissue across the BBB. This is a significant barrier to the delivery of stem cells, although it appears to be less intact in MSA than in normal subjects. In a study that evaluated the integrity of the BBB with 2 clinical methods, the barrier was less tight in MSA than in normal subjects, and the impairment correlated with the severity of disease (UMSARS score). Nevertheless, the remaining barrier continues to constitute a major hurdle to MSC access. Because growth factors also do not generally cross the BBB, peripheral stem cell delivery may not reach target neurons in the relevant areas of the brain. Intravenous infusion results in poor delivery to target tissue because of entrapment and loss of MSCs, especially in lungs, but also in liver and spleen, resulting in minimal engraftment of stem cells in the brain. In contrast, intra-arterial administration of stem cells significantly improves engraftment into target brain tissue. The safety of intra-arterial injection is controversial, and both development of microstrokes and increased mortality have been reported. The study by Lee et al is clearly a potentially important step forward in the treatment of a fatal disease.


We aimed to assess the effect of Vitamin E on hepatic pathology in terms of liver enzymes and ultrasonographic (USG) findings in Non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. Vitamin E was administered as α-tocopherol for 12 weeks for 60 patients. Baseline and after 12 weeks of Vitamin E therapy values of anthropometric measures, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile were estimated apart from liver enzymes and USG based assessment of liver size and Hamaguchi score. NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), a predictor of hepatic fibrosis was evaluated pre and post treatment with Vitamin E. Significant statistical difference was noted in the reduction of Triglycerides, Cholesterol, VLDL and LDL both diabetic and non-diabetic population in our study. ALT and AST normalization was observed and the mean reduction were -38.11 (p 0.001) and -22.4 (p 0.001) respectively due to Vitamin E. Mean liver size was also decreased from 16.05 (SD±1.2) to 13.36 (SD±2.0) after 12 weeks of Vitamin E therapy. However, no significant change in NFS score was noted [baseline – 0.248 (SD±0.78) and at the end of treatment – 0.535 (SD±0.87)], indicating morphological changes were not reversed with Vitamin E. No significant difference observed for mean weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, bilirubin and HDL levels as well as platelet count from baseline to end of treatment. Hence, Vitamin E alone would be useful in the treatment of NAFLD patients even with diabetes and irrespective of biopsy status.


This article is focused on comparison of Islamic and conventional bank stock volatility by VaR (Value-At-Risk) risk assessment method. The performed analysis has shown that factors affecting stock values for the different financial models are very similar, as well as that including stocks of both Islamic and conventional banks to an investor's portfolio gives no significant benefits in terms of diversification.


The digital era is known for technological breakthroughs in knowledge exchange through portable computing devices that include android and iOS smart phones. These gadgets, which have become a necessity for many, offer numerous advertising opportunities for companies to reach a wide pool of potential customers. Mobile advertising holds the best promise for one-to-one communication and provides avenues for direct and personalised marketing. Previous studies on consumer attitudes towards mobile advertising have generated conflicting results. This paper conceptualizes the effect of mobile advertising content on buying intention in a framework derived from past models and theories of technology acceptance. In light of the high purchase intentions of the younger generation in Malaysia, antecedents previously used in predicting the behavioural response of consumers towards mobile advertising and purchase intention were reexamined and combined with the personalization factor. Additionally, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are proposed to have considerable impact on the purchase intentions of consumers in Malaysia. It is hoped that the proposed framework will lead to further clarity about the importance of mobile advertising content on behavioural response and therefore benefit the marketing efforts of companies by providing valuable insights on factors that influence the buying intentions of Malaysian consumers.


examine the of a to assess the psychological safety of a into account changes in the of to improve the professional and of military personnel.


Trimethylstannyl-diethylamine, trimethylstannylethylsulfide, trimethylstannylmethoxide and trimethylstannylhydroxide were reacted with phenylisocyanate at various temperatures. The product was only triphenylisocyanurate below and the mixtures of triphenylisocyanurate and diphenylcarbodiimide were obtained at . Whereas, in the reaction of trimethylstannyldiethylamine with chloral, N,N-diethylformamide and trimethylstannyltrichloromethide were produced. The products from the reaction of N-ethylhexamethyldistannazane with phenylisothiocyanate were bis(trimethylstannyl) sulfide and N-ethyl-N'-phenylcarbodiimide.


Freshly prepared samples of dibenzo-24-crown-8 and 4-t-butylbenzo-15-crown-5 were found to have melting points which varied significantly from those origionally reported in the scientific literature. Samples prepared for the origional report were obtained, and were compared with the new samples. The origional report was found to be in error and the corrected values are provided. Dibenzo-24-crown-8 was found to exist as at least three polymorphs. One of these is a glass. The other two are crystalline, but have identical melting points. It was discovered that the less stable form is thermally converted to the more stable form at temperatures below its melting point.


This study examines the relation between the health expenditure and pension payments which are among the most important spending items leading to the budget deficit of the Social Security Institution (SGK) and the current accounts deficit, in other words the current deficit, which is one of the basic accounts of the balance of payments. For this purpose, the current deficit amounts obtained from the data of the Turkey Republic Central Bank between the years of 2002 and 2013 and the data on health expenditure and pension payments announced by SGK and included among the SGK budget deficit items were subject regression and correlation analyses with the SPSS 20.0 program. According to the results of the regression and correlation analysis, high level relation and explanation level were found between health spending and current deficit as well as between pension payments and current deficit. However, no econometric relation was found between current deficit and SGK budget deficit. Within the framework of the econometric analysis in our study, it was found that the current deficit increase had an effect of 72% on health spending and 75% on pension payments.


In this study, laboratory test was carried out on uniaxial compressive strength by making 320 specimens in total, which were divided into two groups considering the curing time of 7 and 28 days for 80 cases mixed with stabilizers of 8%, 10%, 12%, 14% of 20 cases of clayey, sandy, and gravel mixed ground conditions to understand laboratory strength characteristics of deep mixing specimen for field application in various ground conditions. As a laboratory result, all specimen showed a clear tendency to have uniaxial compressive strength increase as the curing time and the stabilizer mixing ratio increased, and the strength increments depending on the age by ground types were, around 40.0% for clayey and gravel mixed grounds, 48.4% for sandy grounds which was the highest, and for the increment of stabilizers, around 37.0% for grounds with mixing ratio less then 14%, and 49.6% when the ratio was 14% which was the highest. Also, with sandy grounds, it showed a tendency to have a constant amount of strength increment as the stabilizer mixing ratio increased, for clayey mixed grounds, the strength increment tendency seemed to be similar to gravel mixed grounds. Due to these tendencies, it is concluded that we are able to propose a stabilizer mixing ratio for various ground conditions.


Synthetic materials that alter their binding affi nity to target ions and molecules in response to external stimuli have gained considerable attention as substitutes for proteins. Inspired by reversible ion capture triggered by the conformation change of monensin, Shinkai et al. developed photoresponsive synthetic receptors for reversible recognition of specifi c ions. [ 11 ] It has also been reported that temperature-responsive poly( N -isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAm) hydrogel fi lms, NPs, and fi bers comprising functional groups reversibly captured targets such as ionic dyes, [ 12 ] bicarbonate ions, [ 10 ] drugs, [ 13 ] peptides, [ 14 ] proteins, [ 15 ] nucleotides, [ 7 ] and cells [ 16 ] under heating and cooling cycles. The binding affi nity of pNIPAm NPs to capture target ions, [ 17 ] peptides, [ 18 ] and proteins [ 19 ] can be further enhanced by polymerizing NPs in the presence of target molecules that serve as a template. In this polymerization procedure of molecular/ion imprinting, the three-dimensional shape of the target molecule is transferred into the polymer network, leaving complementary binding sites in the network after removal of the target. [ 20 ] The imprinted NPs showed a greater affi nity shift in response to the phase transition than the nonimprinted NPs. [ 19 ]


At press time, President Clinton was preparing to release his budget for fiscal year 2000. His proposal is expected to include funding in many areas affecting children and pediatricians, such as graduate medical education, childhood immunization programs, the Maternal Child Health Block Grant and National Institutes of Health programs. Check next month's "Washington Report" for a more detailed article about the budget, or in the interim, AAP members can go to "Federal Affairs" on the Members Only Channel at the Academy's Web site, www.aap.org.


A study on improvement of frequent braking circuit checkup by using inspecting braking device that is improved in cab of GEC trains. while working trains, this device checks non-release braking and then it shows a warning lamp in cab and side lamp as well as alerting locomotive drivers to non-release barking. a crew can recognize troubling of braking from a proposal circuit. so a train avoid fire smoking with over heating floating levers to remove a case of fire beforehand. On frequent braking, It is possible to check lamp on/off of braking air pressure through a warning lamp in cab and side lamp on the outer rolling stock after circuit is revised. in conclusion, this study makes safety running of trains which is directly linked to passenger"safety and reducing the malfunctioning of running trains to a minimum with the process of trouble through specific investigation and analysis of frequent baking circuit.


Impulse Radio UWB (IR-UWB) transceiver systems are emerging with highest level of prospect in biosensor application for continuous and contactless monitoring of vital signs. Moreover, such systems can be equally applicable in rescue operation of survivors trapped under debris. But success of these system applications depends on the range of detection. This paper presents spreading technique as a winsome solution to enhance the range of detection of these biosensors still meeting the regulation of Federal Communication Commission (FCC). System performance is analyzed and compared based on RF UWB transceiver part MC270113 of XS110 chipset. Three spreading codes: 1) PN sequence, 2) Walsh sequence and 3) Hadamard sequence are tested. Minimum 200% range extension has been observed with spreading factor 64. However, increasing the spreading factor increases the range of detection rapidly still having compliance to the FCC rules. Simultaneous communication and radar operation is also successfully tested.


Abstract The leaf oil of Annona elliptica R. E. Fires grown wild in western Cuba was analyzed by GC/MS. Twenty-seven volatiles were identified, of which α-pinene (10.4%), sabinene (12.1%), myrcene (11.9%) and limonene (12.0%) were found to be die major constituents.


This paper examines metal–ferroelectric–insulator–semiconductor negative-capacitance FinFET (NC-FinFET) based VLSI subsystem-level logic circuits. For the first time, with the aid of a short-channel NC-FinFET compact model, we confirm the functionality and evaluate the standby-power/switching-energy/delay performance of large logic circuits (e.g., dynamic 4-bit Manchester carry-chain adder and the formal hierarchical 32-bit carry-look-ahead adder) employing 14-nm ultra-low-power NC-FinFETs. Our study indicates that the inverse <italic>V</italic>ds-dependence of threshold voltage (<italic>V</italic>T), also known as the negative drain-induced barrier lowering, of negative-capacitance field-effect transistor is not only acceptable but also beneficial for the speed performance of both the static and pass-transistor logic (PTL) circuits, especially for the PTL at low <italic>V</italic>DD.


The possibility of significant line emission contributing to the 12, 25, 60, and 100 μm infrared emission is explored for the Rosette H II region. We find that the [O III] fine-structure lines in the far-infrared contribute significantly (25%-40%) at both 60 and 100 μm. All of the 12 μm emission is consistent with emission from [S IV] and other lines. The [O IV] line can explain the 25 μm emission near the central cavity but is unable to explain the strength of the 25 μm emission at more distant lines of sight. Based on the strength of the 25 μm emission and the high 60/100 ratio, we conclude that a hot dust component within the H II region is necessary and that the best candidate for this component is "astronomical" iron.


Abstract : This three-volume report summarizes research efforts undertaken in a two-year research program to develop two laboratories at AFML for studies of the interaction of high-power CO2 laser beams with materials of interest to the USAF. In Volume I, various elements of the laboratories developed by Battelle are discussed, including systems for beam transport, event sdequencing, safety control, irradiation timing, alignment, target air flow, data acquisition, data reduction, and laser beam mapping. Target diagnostic techniques are also described in Volume I. Volume II contains Appendices A-E which present detailed schematics, listings, and drawings for some of the laser laboratory systems. Volume III contains Appendix F (classified) which presents a new concept for hardening materials to laser radiation.


The social aspect of human functioning seems to play a considerable role in the explanation of the Facebook intrusion phenomenon. The present article examines the relation between social support and Facebook intrusion, with hope of success and positive orientation controlled for. We administered the Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Positive Orientation Scale, and the Hope of Success Questionnaire. The participants in the online study were 611 Polish Facebook users, whose mean age was 20.79 years (SD = 2.38). The results show that there is no direct relationship between social support and Facebook intrusion, but there is an indirect one, with hope of success and positive orientation as mediators. We have found that social support weakens Facebook intrusion via positive orientation in both genders and via hope of success in men. Moreover, a low level of personal resources contributes to problematic Facebook use. The study has also revealed that individuals who use social media in a problematic way focus on the present rather than on the future.


The working principal and project design method of the controllable pitch propeller(CPP) are analyzed.The realization of the project design for the CPP by means of charts design method is discussed,in which the propeller design charts were established from the experimental results of the open-water test of models.It is the base of the later design for the CPP.


Development of disease in humans is increasingly diverse and runs quickly. One cause of the incidence of various diseases are microorganisms such as Escherichia coli. The usual treatment is the use of chemical drugs, which can cause the effects of resistance to bacteria and even side effects for patients, so it is important to do business utilization of plants as herbal medicinal materials by utilizing the waste of sweet orange seeds as an antibacterial. This study aims to determine the antibacterial activity of orange seeds (Citrus sinensis) against Escherichia coli. This study is designed as an laboratory experimental with diffusion method for the antibactey test. The study was conducted with the following stages: (1) preparation of the sample of orange seed powder, (2) maseration of orange seeds powder with n-hexane and ethanol solvent, (3) antibacterial test. The results showed that orange seeds inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli with inhibition zone of n-hexane and ethanol extracts of 7.93±1.90 mm and 18.27±2.40 mm. Sweet orange seeds (Citrus sinensis) have the potential as antibacterial.


Polarization aberrations are variations of intensity and polarization of an optical beam in the exit pupil of an optical system, and the dependence of these variations on the position of the object in the field. A set of functions has been derived to describe the low-order polarization aberrations of a symmetric optical system. A method is given for calculating polarization aberration coefficients for a refracting system from a paraxial raytrace. A model of these aberrations as weak polarizers that vary across the pupil will be discussed.


Dual-color total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy revealed that the N-terminal half of Srv2 (N-Srv2) directly catalyzes severing of cofilin-decorated actin filaments. N-Srv2 formed novel six-bladed structures resembling ninja throwing stars (shurikens), and N-Srv2 activities were critical for actin organization in vivo and were lethal in combination with Aip1.


Abstract 1. It is shown that, in addition to the previously described steady decrease of tensile strength of vulcanizates during swelling, there are cases in which the strength passes through a maximum at low degrees of swelling. 2. Variations of a similar character during swelling are also found for the relative elongation of vulcanizates. 3. Such variations of tensile strength and relative elongation are found when the increase of chain flexibility and the associated increased orientation effect is greater than the effect of weakened intermolecular bonding in the polymer caused by penetration of the solvent molecules into the polymer. 4. A strength maximum may also be found if the swelling agent (softener) is introduced into the rubber composition on rolls before vulcanization.


Advancement in immunosuppressive and nonimmunosuppressive therapies for lupus nephritis (LN) has led to a substantial reduction in the incidence of endstage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality.1 However, pooled data from different ethnic groups in both developed and developing countries revealed plateauing of the rates of patient and renal survival of LN after the mid-1990s.1,2.


Photolysis of (Me2SiSiMe2) [C5H4Fe (CO)2]2 with a series of bis-(phosphine) ligands Ph2P(CH2)n PPh2 (n = 1–4) leads to the formation of the corresponding diiron complexes with intramolecular and intermolecular bis (phosphine) substitution. When these complexes were heated in refluxing xylene, only in the complexes with intermolecular bis (phosphine) substitution the thermal rearrangement reaction occurred.


Several recent empirical and theoretical studies have revived interest in the relationship between the level of the exchange rate and economic development. This paper develops a dynamic model based on the Ricardian framework with a continuum of goods to consider the issue from a somewhat different perspective. While directly suppressing the real wage could also lead to diversification, what makes nominal devaluation a particularly useful tool is that it makes it possible to expand domestic profits while limiting internal distributional conflict and the ensuing negative effects on development.


Several efforts are being put in place on researches about the interactions between rock and fluids and also on the physical laws that describe the fluid behavior in porous media, in order to optimize the production of hydrocarbons in an economic and effective way. Pore volume compressibility is one of the main properties on reservoir simulations and can be determined from correlations found in current scientific work that uses logging and seismic data, however for more accurate results additional lab measurements are crucial. Fluid production occurs due to a reduction on pore pressure while the overburden pressure is steady, which cause pore volume changes in the rock. This study comprises a Helium Gas Expansion Porosimetry that provides pore compressibility data for each applied confining pressure, a low cost method for very important experimental data. Such technique is based on an exponential relationship between pore volume measurements and the confining pressure. It was applied to four sandstone and three limestone samples at nine different confining pressures ranging from 400 to 2000 psi. Although the sandstone samples had a good correlation, limestone tests did not show an efficient correlation, probably due to their dual porosity behavior.


The self-learning Monte Carlo method is a powerful general-purpose numerical method recently introduced to simulate many-body systems. In this work, we extend it to an interacting fermion quantum system in the framework of the widely used determinant quantum Monte Carlo. This method can generally reduce the computational complexity and moreover can greatly suppress the autocorrelation time near a critical point. This enables us to simulate an interacting fermion system on a $100\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}100$ lattice even at the critical point and obtain critical exponents with high precision.


Radiative B decays provide valuable information on some poorly known CKM matrix elements |Vtb| and |Vts|. So in our letter we propose to study the flavor changing radiative B decays corresponding to the inclusive b→ sγ and b→dγ decays. In this letter we discuss the radiative flavor changing B→ K**γ, Bs→ϕ;γ and the rare Bc→D*γ decays taking into account both the Penguin as well as weak annihilation contribution and it is found that weak annihilation contribution is negligible in case of decay of mesons consisting of light spectator, i.e. for B→K**γ and Bs→ϕ;γ but in case of decay of Bc→D*γ, weak annihilation contribution is the most dominating factor. It is also interesting to note that all the B→ K**γ, Bs→ϕ;γ and Bc→ D*γ decays have almost the same decay width because they have the same type of inclusive decay process b→ s(d)γ.


The leading enterprises succeeding in market competition are those quality forerunners in each industry and operation fields. Because of the emerging diversification of customers' quality demand, enterprises must provide customers with a `satisfaction chain' in market competition. At this `satisfaction chain', customers' satisfactions with using value, added values of product, enterprise's services and product's sociality are the linkages. Customer satisfaction is the ideology base of quality improving for an enterprise. And the quality improving is a dynamic and sustainable process. It is the new extension of today's total quality management theory that customer satisfaction should be performed throughout the complete producing process of the product quality at the point of customers everywhere. Quality improving is a continuous developing concept. Compared with traditional quality improving, conceptual intension of modern quality improving is more emphasizing on the sustainability of quality improving which is defined as a constant goal of an enterprise.


Alacati, one of the historical settlements of the Cesme Peninsula, until 2000 while carrying the typical exchange town identity of the Aegean Region, it is a process of gentrification parallel to the tourism sector. This study aims to investigate how the transformation in Alacati influences the spatial structure and traditional touch prevention studies. Within the scope of the research, in order to understand how and when the change began in Alacati, plans, projects, investments and activities developed for settlement in the recent past have been transferred in chronological order, then in order to reveal the spatial effects of transformation; expansion of settlement spot, changes in land use characteristics, plan decisions and conservation-restoration studies. At the end of the study; in the course of the development of the tourism industry, the changes in the spatial characteristics of the settlement and the work put forward to preserve the original historical heritage of the settlement, and the conservation and planning principles. Reviews; Alacati'da experience of protection, function changes, unauthorized repairs and integrated protection approach to the problem is that it shows the problem. It appears that the historical features of Alacati have begun to be considered as a decor and showcase, and in particular the relation between social and spatial texture has been overlooked.


This essay begins with an account of three real-life situations that I have experienced as a teacher in a preschool. I describe different scenarios that have highlighted the challenges and problems ...


This paper aimed to determine the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of local tuberculosis (TB) control programs in two purposively selected localities in the Province of Laguna, Philippines. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with six policymakers and program implementers at the regional, provincial, and city/municipal levels were qualitatively analyzed in accordance with the method of Miles and co-authors and validated through triangulation and informant/stakeholder feedback. Identified facilitating factors include 1) allocation and mobilization of human, material, and financial resources to support the implementation of program activities; 2) supervision and monitoring of program implementation; 3) formation and mobilization of partnerships with the other government agencies and the private sector; and 4) streamlining and improvement of existing processes and technologies. Hindering factors were: 1) mismatch in demand and supply for program-related resources; 2) variation in the diagnostic and treatment strategies employed by providers; 3) focus on service provision and reduced attention to activities focused on more upstream factors; and 4) external program drivers. In a decentralized healthcare setting such as the Philippines, local governments play an important role in implementing health programs designed to achieve national and even global health goals. Program managers and implementers will need to design strategies to leverage the identified facilitating factors and mitigate the effects, if not totally prevent the emergence, of hindering factors to implementation of the local TB prevention and control program.


The paper deals with control impulsive "rough" differential equations, namely, dynamical systems driven by discontinuous control inputs of bounded p-variation, p ≥ 1. For p ∊ [1, 2), we prove the existence of a solution to the impulsive rough differential equation and perform its constructive representation by a discrete-continuous equation involving a Young integral and the sum of jumps of a state, described by an auxiliary ODE. Finally, we state an optimal impulsive control problem for the rough dynamical system, and prove the existence of a minimizer.


1. The stomach hormone gastrin and the intestinal hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) share a common C‐terminal pentapep‐tide sequence but have different biological roles. Gastrin is the major stimulant of gastric acid secretion and has a growth stimulatory effect on the secretory part of the stomach. The physiological roles of CCK are the stimulation of pancreatic secretion and the contraction of the gall‐bladder.


Video object detection (VOD) is a sophisticated visual task. It is a consensus that is used to find effective supportive information from correlation frames to boost the performance of the model in VOD tasks. In this paper, we not only improve the method of finding supportive information from correlation frames but also strengthen the quality of the features extracted from the correlation frames to further strengthen the fusion of correlation frames so that the model can achieve better performance. The feature refinement module FRM in our model refines the features through the key–value encoding dictionary based on the even-order Taylor series, and the refined features are used to guide the fusion of features at different stages. In the stage of correlation frame fusion, the generative MLP is applied in the feature aggregation module DFAM to fuse the refined features extracted from the correlation frames. Experiments adequately demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. Our YOLOX-based model can achieve 83.3% AP50 on the ImageNet VID dataset.


We show that two types of complex fluids belonging to the same class of soft materials (transient networks), and having the same linear rheological properties (Maxwell fluids) exhibit two distinct fracture behaviors as solids do. We have designed a third experimental system that captures the distinct features of both former ones. We show that it could be a good candidate to investigate the brittle-ductile transition in complex fluids.


Proteins, biomolecules, and cells play an important role for their use as therapeutics and reagents for research applications. However, one main limitation is their inherent instability. Proteins can easily denature and lose activity under a variety of stresses, and cells can easily lose viability due to cytotoxic compounds and conditions. This has led to the investigation of excipients that can aid in preserving activity, including polymers, osmolytes, proteins, and sugars. Among the sugars, trehalose has been shown to have remarkable properties for general protein and cell stabilization. This dissertation presents the utilization of trehalose glycopolymers for the stabilization of cells and proteins in three different applications. The polymers were used for protein stabilization during protein micro- and nano-patterning, stabilization of a therapeutic-relevant protein, and for cell preservation.Direct write patterning of multiple biological molecules on surfaces has tremendous potential in applications of tissue engineering, diagnostics, proteomics and biosensors. Precise control over the position and arrangement of proteins, especially on the micro- and nano- scale level is a particular challenge towards the improvement of miniaturized devices. A trehalose glycopolymer was utilized as a resist material that protects proteins during electron beam lithography, and thus enables direct write multiplexed protein patterns with micro- and nano- scale features and alignment capabilities. The trehalose glycopolymers behave as negative resists, crosslinking to the substrate upon electron beam irradiation, and provide stabilization to proteins against the harsh processing conditions. Patterns with user-defined shapes were generated with a variety of protein types, such as antibodies, enzymes, and growth factors, and were shown to retain their activity. To further demonstrate the technique, fabrication of antibody patterns for multiplexed cytokine detection from live cells was achieved. A sandwich immunoassay was developed for the detection of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) secreted directly from stimulated macrophage cells. Multiplexing with both IL-6 and TNFα on a single chip was demonstrated successfully with high specificity and in relevant cell culture conditions. The ability to monitor cytokine release over time following cell stimulation was also demonstrated. Simultaneous detection of these extracellular signaling markers demonstrates the potential application towards disease profiling and diagnostics.Next, the trehalose glycopolymers were used for the stabilization and enhancement of the pharmacokinetic properties of a therapeutic protein, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). G-CSF was designed with a polyhistidine-tag, maltose binding protein for solubility, and an enzyme cleavage site, and was expressed in E. coli and purified for the studies. Trehalose polymers with polystyrene or polymethacrylate backbones (P1, P2, and P3), as well as a degradable trehalose polymer (p(BMDO-co-trehalose)) were synthesized to investigate their potential for therapeutic use. The trehalose polymers were shown to be non-cytotoxic in mouse and human cell lines up to a concentration of 8 mg/mL. However, the degraded products of p(BMDO-co-trehalose) exhibited cytotoxicity at a lower concentration of 1 mg/mL. Stability screening with the trehalose glycopolymers on G-CSF showed that styrenyl acetal linked trehalose polymer, P1, best stabilized G-CSF compared to the other polymers and was selected for G-CSF conjugation. Therefore, P1 with a benzaldehyde end group was synthesized and conjugated to G-CSF via reductive amination. The resulting G-CSF-P1 conjugate retained higher bioactivity compared to native G-CSF when subjected to heat and lyophilization stressors.Finally, the trehalose glycopolymers were investigated for the stabilization and preservation of cells. Three different approaches were evaluated. First, extracellular protection by the covalent attachment of trehalose polymers to cells using modified sugars was tested. To evaluate the effectiveness of extracellular trehalose on cell stabilization, the trehalose polymers were added as excipients. Jurkat cells were heated at 50 ?C and the added trehalose polymer did not significantly stabilize the cells at longer stress times. Cryopreservation with a combination of the polymer and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) showed slight increase in cell viabilities (65.7% ? 3.1 with polymer and DMSO compared to 55.6% ? 2.1 with DMSO only), but the results suggest that trehalose polymers are not likely to fully replace DMSO as a cryopreservative agent. The final approach utilized a bacterial pore-forming toxin, streptolysin O (SLO), to permeabilize human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells for loading trehalose polymers. Permeabilization and loading was characterized by fluorescence with a fluorophore-labeled trehalose polymer and by the anthrone assay. No significant improvements in cell preservation were observed through trehalose polymer loading by this approach. Other techniques for cytosolic uptake of trehalose polymers should be considered for future work.


The paper reveals the scientific and research experience when exploring the impact of Nabikat (nanobiological catalyst, a product of mechanochemical synthesis of silicon compounds of rice husks and green tea, produced by the Centre for Technology Implementation inNovosibirsk) on the carp organism. The experiment was conducted in May-November of 2017 at Troitsk Fish Factory. The researchers selected 500 specimens of Scaly Carp of which 2 similar groups were arranged. The first group served as a control group and received the feed from the fish factory, while the second group of carps received Nabikat dosed2 kgper 1 ton of feed. The researchers took blood of 10 fish from each group for morphological biochemical analysis. Hematological analysis included the following indicators exploring: hemoglobin content, number of red blood cells and total number of leukocytes. The researchers determined total protein, albumins, urea, glucose, total lipids, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium as biochemical parameters. All the indicators were within the standard before the experiment, except for albumins and calcium, which concentrations were low. When applying Nabikat, the authors observed changes of the main microelements in the blood: lower calcium concentration by 20.68% (P<0.001), magnesium – by 8.51% and higher phosphorus concentration in comparison with the control group. The carps of the experimental group had higher concentrations of albumins by 10.08%, erythrocytes by 4.76 and haemoglobin by 31.51% compared to the control group. Application of Nabikat results in improvement of physiological and biochemical blood parameters of the fish from the experimental group. This was revealed in facilitating of the blood respiratory function.


Since the British Museum found its first home in Montagu House in 1754, its architectural development has had to be almost continuous to keep pace with the growth of the collections. This book unravels the evolution of the present building.


I give a first characterization of the class of generalized measurements that can be exactly realized on a pair of qudits encoded in indistinguishable particles, by using only linear elements and particle detectors. Two immediate results follow from this characterization. (i) The Schmidt number of each element in the positive operator valued measure cannot exceed the number of initial particles. This rules out any possibility of performing perfect Bell measurements for qudits. (ii) The maximum probability of performing a generalized incomplete Bell measurement is one-half.


Immersion education is described and discussed in this paper since it has already been successfully implemented in countries where English is used as a Second and First Foreign Language such as in Singapore and Hungary (Johnson & Swain. 1997). Different models using varying percentages of the target language on campuses allow for different levels of success at each institution. Following a discussion on the relative usefulness of each strategy for teaching immersion education in English as the First Foreign Language (EFL) classes, this paper concludes that only eight of nine strategies can be used in teaching immersion education in EFL classes in Indonesia


Currently, the cloud top height (CTH) is measured by remote satellite and radar methods. Radar methods detect only clouds with precipitation, so their information about the optical cloud top height has little reliability. In addition, any remote method must be monitored. The CTH is most accurately measured by aircraft methods. However, its use for measuring the height of cumulonimbus clouds is almost impossible. The paper presents the results of comparing the measurement of the CTH using a radiosonde with an optical sensor and an aircraft with a special laser locator. The measured heights differed from each other by 30 meters, which corresponds to the accuracy of the equipment used. The purpose of the work is to monitor the quality of satellite and radar methods for measuring the CTH.


This paper will describe the system architecture, the avionics components, the key performance and reliability requirements, and the current development status of the X2000 Avionics.


Brick-masonry load bearing elements of heavy historic structures such as towers, heavily loaded pillars, and large masonry walls (i.e. curtains) frequently exhibit very typical mechanical deterioration phenomena like (a) formation of vertical or sub-vertical, thin but very diffused cracks and (b) more or less local detachment of the outer leaf in multiple leaf walls [1, 2]. Such a particular crack pattern is often not attributable to common causes of damage like seismic events, foundation settlements, instantaneous increase of external loads (e.g. for added storey or building changes) or to chemical, physical and mechanical degradation of the basic materials. On the contrary, it is due to the prevalent effect of the dead load and to the connected time dependent phenomena, often combined with cyclic loads, like wind actions, thermal and hygroscopic excursions, or bell ring oscillations (in bell-towers) [3, 4]. Because of the large weight of this sort of structures, wind and temperature loads do not cause substantial increase of stresses (shear and fl exure) at the bottom. On the contrary, they can act in combination with the previously mentioned condition and contribute to worsening the crack situation in the heaviest portions of the structure with their cyclic trend. In fact, close to the ultimate strength of the material, alternate cycles of loading and unloading can lead to fatigue damage, which can increase the failure hazard of the structure. As it is well known, cracks appear very thin until the failure, which happens suddenly, without any apparent warning (such as large cracks or spalling), even in close proximity of the collapse. In the past, such problems were disregarded in comparison with other more evident critical conditions (large cracks, out-of-plumb, relevant deformations, etc.),


This paper studies the importance of microfinance funding channels by analyzing how for-profit and non-profit microfinance institutions' performances differ in practice. Generally all MFIs seek financial sustainability in order to avoid reliance on external funding and increase efficiency. However, for-profit MFIs tend to rely more heavily on standard economic assumptions established by the neoclassical economics model, shifting the priority away from the social and economic development process among poor communities to the final product of loan repayment enjoyed by such institutions. By contrast, non-profit MFIs attracting donors contributions tend to focus more closely on shifts in social dynamics within communities they sponsor leading to higher development enjoyed by such communities in the long run.


Fawehinmi, Gani (ed.), Digest of the Supreme Court cases 1956-1984. Lagos: Nigerian Law Publications, 1986. lOv. N4000,00 The ten-volume set is a digest of reported and unreported cases of the Supreme Court of Nigeria decided between 1956-1984. (In the period between 1956-1963, the court was known as the Federal Supreme Court. Judgments of the court for this period are reported in the Selected Judgments of the Federal Supreme Court vols. 1-5.) Volume 1 is the general index and volumes 2—7 treat reported cases on evidence, civil actions, civil procedure, criminal law, criminal procedure and appeals in that order. Volume 8 which is referred to as "general" covers reported cases on constitutional law, jurisdiction, doctrine of judicial precedent, legal practitioners, locus standi and natural justice. It also includes principles of interpretation, words and phrases and what the editor termed notable pronouncements. Volumes 9 and 10 deal with unreported judgments on the subjects treated in volumes 2-8. The general index is made up of chronological and alphabetical lists of reported and unreported cases as well as alphabetical lists of Nigerian and foreign cases, statutes and rules referred to. The reported cases are arranged under the following headings: serial no., appeal no., case, citation version, reference and justices who sat on each case. The unreported cases are also arranged under the above headings but with parties substituted for "case" and "date of judgment" for "reference". (Cases and parties are synonymous in this context, so the change was not necessary.) The general index also includes lists of books, practice directions and practice notes. The cases in volumes 2-10 are arranged under the following headings: subject matter, sub-subject, subsidiary sub-subject (if any) principles, quotes, case, appeal no., date of judgment and reference. Two major shortcomings of this digest are (1) the absence of a comprehensive index and (2) the arrangement of cases in volumes 2—10. In the first instance, the 1405-page general index would have been considerably less voluminous and possibly less expensive if there was a single alphabetical list of the decided cases (or at most two lists—for the reported and unreported cases), instead of the superfluous chronological and alphabetical lists for the reported and unreported cases. Such an index would have provided a most efficient access to the contents of volumes 2-10. A reader who does not know the year a case was decided has to leaf through the yearly alphabetical lists of reported and unreported cases in order to locate it. If volume 1 was meant to be an index to the other volumes, as it should be, it has failed in this respect as there is no reference to the volumes in which cases can be found. There is therefore no meaningful link between the general index and the other volumes. The arrangement of cases in volumes 2—10 presents problems for a researcher who is interested in cases in a particular subject headings/matter. The cases should have been grouped together under narrower subject headings. It would have been of greater assistance to the researcher interested in a particular aspect of law (for example fundamental human rights) to have all such cases together. To aid him further the various rights should have been arranged either alphabetically or systematically. The value of the set would have been further enhanced by the use of cross-references between related subject headings and also references from unused to used subject headings. A digest, according to Black's law dictionary, gives "brief statements of court holdings or facts of cases"; but this digest places undue reliance on quotations; which is another major defect. The omissions or summary of some of the lengthy "quotes" in volumes 2—10 would have resulted in a less voluminous set. For example, in volume 8, pp. 116-124, were devoted to quotes of the five justices who presided over the case. The inclusion of the list of books referred to in volume 1, pp. 1369-1404 has added unnecessarily to the size of the volume. If there was a comprehensive index of cases with reference numbers, then the frequent repetitions of book titles would have been


Percutaneous Kirschner wires ("K" wire) fi xation is the most commonly done procedure in any of the orthopedicians career. Clavicular fractures can be treated surgically with pins and wires or with plates. The wires, usually, follow a retrograde path, protruding near the entry point. When they migrate in the opposite direction, serious problems may occur. The migration of metallic devices such as K-wires from the shoulder to a variety of anatomical proximal and distal locations is well-documented. We report a rare case of migrated "K" wire to posterior pharyngeal wall, which was applied for distal clavicle fracture.


Abstract The multidisciplinary research on the Yangshao period (4200–2900 BCE) tomb M13, a joint secondary burial at the Baligang site of the Yangshao culture in Dengzhou City, Henan Province showed that there were in total 126 individuals buried in this grave. Their death crossed at least 200 years; among them, at least five individuals were from three maternal lineages, and the descent system of this group was patrilineal. There were also 138 pig mandibles buried in M13, which had been dated and shows that they were collected across over 400 years. Based on the statistics the death population at Baligang site, it is estimated that the human bones found from M13 went through a secondary burial process during which they were probably regarded as "ceremonial objects." The joint secondary burials as M13 is seen as a result of some reburying ceremonies held at the Baligang site.


Purpose: This study was aimed to clarify the concept of ego-resiliency in the context of nursing and to propose a definition of ego-resiliency. Methods: Rodgers" evolutionary approach to concept analysis was used to identify common attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the term ego-resiliency. A literature search of the RISS, NDSL, NAL, CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases from 1980 to 2014 was conducted, using the key words of ego-resiliency, ego-resilience, and ego-resilient. Thirty-four relevant articles and one book were finally selected and throughly reviewed. Results: The results of the concept analysis concluded that ego-resiliency was a individualized, integrated, and coping resource and capacity leading personal adaptive capacity including physical, psychological, social well being in various adversity and challenge of life. Conclusion: The findings of this study warranted nursing research on a development of nursing intervention related with ego-resiliency as a pivotal personal characteristic. By doing so, better understanding of human and health within the context of nursing could be achieved.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the association of several single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes of the FCGR2A gene with ulcerative colitis (UC) among Chinese patients.

METHODS
For 198 UC patients and 356 healthy controls, the alleles and genotypes of the FCGR2A gene (rs1801274, rs10800309 and rs6696854) were detected with a multiplex SNaPshot technique. All subjects were also subjected to linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analyses.

RESULTS
The mutant homozygote (CC) of the FCGR2A gene rs1801274 polymorphism was less frequent among UC patients compared with the controls (5.56% vs. 11.80%, P=0.017, OR=0.440, 95%CI: 0.221-0.875). However, the allelic and genotypic distributions of other two SNPs did not differ significantly between the two groups (all P>0.05). Furthermore, no association of the three SNPs (rs1801274, rs10800309 and rs6696854) of the FCGR2A gene with the severity and location of the UC was found (all P>0.05). The three SNPs were shown to be in a strong linkage [rs1801274-rs10800309 (D'=0.863, r2=0.634); rs1801274-rs6696854 (D'=0.753, r2=0.546); rs10800309-rs6696854(D'=0.990, r2=0.802)]. Moreover, the frequency of T-A-T haplotype was higher among the UC patients compared with the controls (67.40% vs. 60.93%, P=0.032, OR=1.326, 95%CI: 1.024-1.717).

CONCLUSION
Our findings suggested that the mutant homozygote (CC) of the FCGR2A gene (rs1801274) may have a protective role among Chinese patients with UC. Moreover, the T-A-T haplotype formed by rs1801274, rs10800309 and rs6696854 may confer a higher risk for UC.


The reservoir of Chang-6 formation in Ansai oilfield has high content of acid sensitive minerals. The result of acid sensitivity evaluation shows that it belongs to medium-weak acid sensitivity. So for a long time acid treatment was considered to have no feasibility. On the basis of the abundant experimental studies, the organic acidizing field test is performed, obtaining a good result of stimulation. This proves that the acid treatment is feasible in this reservoir. This paper analyzes the defects in acid sensitivity standards from the rock/acid reaction mechanism and experimental methods and points out existing results from acid sensitivity evaluations cannot be as the judged bases for performing acid treatment in this reservoir.


. The article describes the peculiarity of the kinetics of candied fruit drying. The object of research is a pumpkin fruit. Candied fruit, a healthy product made from vegetables, fruits and berries. Method of preparation: skinned, sliced, steam treatment, cooking in sugar syrup, drying and storage 6 months. The finished product has excellent quality and organoleptic properties. Drying of candied fruits is a complex, lengthy and energy-intensive process. The drying rate is carried out. On the basis of theoretical generalizations, equations have been derived that allow one to deter-mine the numerical values of the drying rate and drying coefficients, as well as theoretically establish the nature of the drying rate change. Reasonable rational temperature conditions (40 °С - 80 °С) during drying of candied pumpkin fruits.


Flipped classroom is a novel model that can help students develop their learning skills of critical thinking in postgraduate law program. The assumption is made that the flipped classroom benefits students by fully engaging in learning experience through team working and pre-designed class activities with tailor-made questions. The literature about flipped teaching reveals that the flipped model is still underutilized and underexplored in the higher education law teaching. This study thus aims to fill in this gap by developing a model that can provide a foundation for further research and practice for flipped learning in higher legal education. This study presents information about how this model promotes greater critical thinking. The proposed research and design model is a threefold dimension. Every dimension is at the right angles to other dimensions comparing flipped classroom effective rating with: i) different communicative learning stages, ii) engaging experiences, and iii) final grade). This model was implemented in a flipped classroom environment and evaluated based on Module Evaluation Questionnaires and final module grades. Research was conducted using eleven-week-long postgraduate law modules of "international trade law", "international human rights law" and "international criminal law". The participants in the study were 65 postgraduate students who were attending the above three law modules at Coventry University in the academic year 2017/18 and 2018/19. Data was collected from students who completed module survey in each term and submitted summative assessment for their final module grade. Result shows that over 90% post graduate law students found the flipped classroom model to be either effective or very effective to promote critical thinking. Students who perceived effectiveness of the flipped classroom had a significant association to their academic performance in the course as measured by their final grade. However, students who found the flipped classroom to be effective were more likely to be satisfied with their learning experience with their counterparts and interaction with lecturers.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objectives Using large-sample, real-world administrative claims data, we evaluated the prevalence of putatively asymptomatic pancreatic cysts, the historical growth in their incident diagnosis, and their risk of malignant progression. Methods Data were sourced from IBM MarketScan administrative claims databases of more than 200 million patients. Period prevalence was assessed using 700,000 individuals without conditions that predispose to pancreatic cyst. The standardized cumulative incidence was compared with the cross-sectional abdominal imaging rate from 2010–2017. The risk of progression to pancreatic cancer for 14,279 newly diagnosed patients with a cyst was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Standardized prevalence increased exponentially with age and was 1.84% (95% confidence interval, 1.80%–1.87%) for patients older than 45. Standardized incidence nearly doubled from 2010–2017 (6.3 to 11.4 per 10,000), whereas the imaging rate changed from only 8.0% to 9.4%. The cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer at 7 years was 3.0% (95% confidence interval, 2.4%–3.5%), increasing linearly (R2 = 0.991) with an annual progression risk of 0.47%. Conclusions Using large-sample data, we show a significant burden of asymptomatic pancreatic cysts, with an annual risk of progression to cancer of 0.47% for 7 years. Rapid growth in cyst diagnosis over the last decade far outpaced increases in the imaging rate.


The (superscript 99m)Tc-MIBI parathyroid imaging is useful for evaluation of hyperparathyroidism. False-positive findings have been reported in cases with thyroid nodular goiter, adenoma, and carcinoma. However, functioning thyroid remnant, especially stimulated by high TSH level, has not been mentioned. The uptake in hyperplastic pyramidal lobe deserves special attention in patients after thyroid surgery.


From to , Beckett understood and undermined aporias that resonate with Heidegger's and Derrida's to the point that it is counterproductive to reflect on these aporias using the simple and classical negation of path. How does the writer keep the experience – passage and crossing – of the impossible from being a non-experience?


Internet of Things (IoT) provides an unprecedented opportunity to realize smart automated systems such as smart manufacturing, smart city and smart home in the past few years. Pervasive sensing and mobile technology deployed in large-scale IoT systems lead to the accumulation of big data. In particular, wearable biosensing accelerates human-centered computing for smart health management. However, limited work has been done to develop advanced IoT technologies for smart monitoring and control of heart health. There is an urgent need to develop a new IoT technology specific to the heart, namely Internet of Hearts (IOH) that will enable and assist (1) the acquisition of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals pertinent to space-time cardiac dynamics at anytime anywhere; (2) real-time management and compact representation of multi-sensor signals; (3) big data analytics in large-scale IoT contexts. This paper presents a new technology of Mobile and E-Network Smart Health (MESH), which is composed of 4 components as follows: 1) Mobile-based ECG sensing device; 2) Space-time representation of cardiac electrical activity; 3) Optimal model-based representation of ECG signals; 4) Dynamic network embedding for disease pattern recognition. Our preliminary experimental results demonstrated that network analytics is efficient and effective for smart health management in IoT contexts. The MESH technology shows strong potentials to provide an indispensable and enabling tool for realizing smart heart health and wellbeing for the population worldwide.


A numerical investigation of interference phenomena of an upper wing mounted engine configuration is presented. The analysis is based on the Euler equations. Variations of the engine position, the pylon shape and the pylon toe angle are performed for a generic large commercial transport aircraft at cruise conditions.


This survey was conducted in 2015, following up on theed tthe occurrence of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) nationwide in radish and Chinese cabbage fields of 28 cities in South Korea. A total of 152 samples of Raphanus sativus and 29 samples of Brassica rapa, showing virus-like symptoms, were collected. Among these, 107 B. rapa samples and 9 B. rapa samples were positive for TuMV when analyzed by RT-PCR. The TuMV strains found in the two crops showed 99% homology in nucleotide and amino acid sequences of coat protein to each other. Furthermore, their sequences showed 99% homology to the sequences of TuMV isolates R007 (GenBank: KU140420) and R041 (GenBank: KU140421) that were collected in 2014. These results suggested TuMV isolated from radish and cabbage in 2015 were the same strain as the isolates R007 and R041 collected in 2014. A screening test was conducted using these two isolates to select TuMV-resistant B. rapa lines out of 167 B. rapa breeding lines.and identified eight lines resistant to R007 (Kenshin, 279002, 279012, 279064, 279081, MP, C-21, HKC-004) and nine lines resistant to R041 (C-26, HKC-005, 11Su-4, 11Su-5, 11Su-7, 11Su-8, Tian Jin Lv Qing Ma Ye, CNU_141193, Jing Lv 60). Our prior data indicated 4.24% difference in sequences between the two isolates and these can serve as potential tools to develop B. rapa markers to screen for resistance against TuMV strainsin breeding populations.


Continuous-media traffic has rigid delay constraints and how to reasonably define and describe node-state is a challenge in a QoS based packet-switched network. In this paper, the node-delay's probability density function (PDF) is treated as the node-state. Normal distribution is adopted to describe PDF. Analysis and simulation show that normal distribution is a simple, achievable and reasonable description.


The thermal sensitive dye microcapsules containing material with different quality were prepared by interfacial polymerization method.Compared with the characteristics of thermal phase change of microcapsules,the influence of the dye content on the paperbased microcapsule coated thermal imaging density was studied.TGA results show that the poly urea wall reaches glass transition temperature at about 120℃ with permeability increasing,and the microcapsule wall decomposes when its temperature reaches 253.8℃.Results of temperature-controllable FT-IR show that the microcapsule's wall changes between the glass state and the high-elastic state under 170℃,and changes of the molecular structure and bonding characteristics of wall molecular are reversible under the temperature range.Meanwhile,image density test results show that the paper-based thermal imaging microcapsule coating density increased with ODB-2 content increasing,while the improvement of the density became slow with the dye coating increasing.


The problem of key reconciliation based on LowDensity Parity-Check (LDPC) codes and Slepian-Wolf coding for physical layer key generation is investigated. When using the channel-state-information (CSI) of a reciprocal wireless channel for key generation between two legitimate users, independent noise components, quantization, and synchronization errors at the end nodes give rise to key differences that need to be corrected by sending side information. We provide a comparison of three different quantization schemes in terms of key disagreement rate and output probability distributions and present the loglikelihood formulations required by a soft decision LDPC decoder to perform key reconciliation, for the investigated quantization methods.


The present invention, in the optical disk system using the PRML identification system, a method to obtain the optimum recording wave in a short period of time. By an evaluation value obtained by a signal evaluation method suitable for the PRML identification system as an index to adjust the parameters of the recording waveform. In this case, as a parameter adjusting method utilizing a plurality of control method (S1-S3, S5).


This work discusses clearing policy used by a specialist agent on marketing strategies under the rules of TAC CAT agents International Tournament. The goal of this agent is to create a market and then establish a set of policies for controlling agents' behavior of other agents interested in trade with him. This agent must be able to establish accepting, prices, charging and clearing. Clearing policy determines how and when to clear the market, that is, how to match accepted shouts, and when to perform transactions over already matched shouts. A clearing policy implementation is proposed and the impact of it over number of matched shouts, number of transactions and traders attracted during a CAT game simulation is analyzed.


The permittivity and loss spectra of a hydrogel of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) containing ethylene glycol aqueous solution have been measured over the frequency range 12 Hz–200 kHz, and the temperature range 77–275 K. The results are compared with the corresponding behaviour of the bulk ethylene glycol solution. The half-width of the spectrum is increased by a factor of two in the hydrogel and the relaxation time by nearly four orders of magnitude, but the calorimetric glass transition temperature (Tg) remains relatively unchanged. The low-temperature, or high-frequency, permittivity is raised from ca. 3.5 to 7.0 which suggests the presence of a second high-frequency relaxation process in the hydrogel. The catastrophic crystallization of the solution is prevented by its incorporation in the hydrogel. These observations are discussed in terms of H bonding and preferential removal of water in the aqueous solution by H-bond interactions with the polymer's network.


[T]he only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised society, against his will, is to prevent harm to others... The only part of the conduct of anyone, for which he is answerable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right absolute. Over himself, over his mind and body, the individual is sovereign. (pp. 22–23)


This paper presents a voltage-source converter (VSC) topology for high-power applications. This topology combines three three-phase converters with isolated dc buses. The proposed topology can be implemented by using two-level or multilevel three-phase converters. In this paper, three three-level neutral-point-clamped (3L-NPC) converters have been combined. Two zero-sequence blocking transformers (ZSBTs) are used to interconnect the three converters. In order to validate the good performance of the proposed VSC topology, two modulation techniques are implemented: phase-shifted carrier pulsewidth modulation (PSCPWM) and selective harmonic elimination (SHE) modulation. The VSC topology has been simulated in the simulation tool Saber, and the results have been validated experimentally in a test bench of 60 kVA.


Medicine is more complex and uncertain than other sciences, EBM(Evidence-based Medicine) playsan important role in the evolution process of Medicine from experience to real science. However, new uncertainties emerge though EBM had contributed a lot to decrease them.


Reflectarrays are used as a hyperboloidal or ellipsoidal subreflector in dual-reflector antenna systems. The design formulas for reflectarrays acting as hyperboloid are discussed and its location consideration which is important for dual-reflector system is presented. A 48-inch Cassegrain antenna is chosen to demonstrate the application of compact dual-reflector designs. A subreflectarray is designed to emulate a hyperboloidal subreflector and the plots of the reflection phase shift and scattered field of the subreflectarray validate its effectiveness.


In this paper, an embedded jitter measurement system is presented. The system uses the Vernier delay method to achieve high resolution. The jitter test circuit is implemented using current-mode logic, so it is fast enough for testing today's high-speed I/O signals such as PCI Express. And the differential structure also makes the circuit immune to common-mode noise. Other advanced jitter measurement functions can be added to the time interval analyzer, (TIA) system presented here. Simulation results show that the TIA system can be used with low-cost ATEs to meet jitter measurement requirements


The authors submit a retrospective study based on their own material, pertaining to experience with coloscopies in acute and chronic haemorrhage from the colorectal region. They analyze the causes of haemorrhage, and give a detailed histological classification in particular of polyps as possible precancerous conditions. They also compare the clinical value of coloscopy with other examination methods according to their own experience and data in the literature.


Presently there are several classes of detected gamma-ray extragalatic sources. They are mostly associated to active galactic nuclei (AGN) and (at soft gamma rays) to gamma-ray bursts (GRB), but not only. Active galactic nuclei consist of accreting supermassive black holes hosted by a galaxy that present in some cases powerful relativistic jet activity. These sources, which have been studied in gamma rays for several decades, are probably the most energetic astrophysical objects, and their appearance depends much on whether their jets point to us. Gamma-ray bursts, thought to be associated to collapsing or merging stellar-mass objects at cosmological distances, are also accreting highly relativistic jet sources that shine strongly at high energies. These are very short-duration events, but they are also the most luminous. Recently, star formation galaxies have turned out to be also gamma-ray emitters. On the other hand, clusters of galaxies have not been detected beyond X-rays yet. These are the largest known structures in the Universe; in their formation through accretion and merging, shocks and turbulence are generated, which may lead to gamma-ray production. In this work, the gamma-ray physics of AGNs is briefly presented, as well as that of starburst galaxies, GRBs and clusters of galaxies. Afterwards, we consider some particular cases of gamma-ray production in non-blazar AGN jets interacting with their medium at different scales.