References 1. Jenkins TA, Medelsohn FA, Chai SY. Angiotensin-converting enzyme modulates dopamine turnover in the striatum. Journal of Neurochemistry 1997; 68:1304–1311. 2. Baghai TC, Schule C, Zill P et al. The angiotensin I converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism influences therapeutic outcome in major depressed women, but not in men. Neuroscience Letters 2004; 363:38–42. 3. Arinami T, Li L, Mitsushio H, Itokawa M, Hamaguchi H, Toru M. An insertion-deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin converting enzyme gene is associated with both brain substance P contents and affective disorders. Biological Psychiatry 1996; 40:1122– 1127. 4. Rigat B, Hubert C, Corvol P, Soubrier F. PCR detection of the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the human angiotensin converting enzyme gene (DCP1) (dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase 1). Nucleic Acids Research 1992; 20:1433. 5. Furlong RA, Keramatipour M, Ho LW et al. No association of an insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin I converting enzyme gene with bipolar or unipolar affective disorders. American Journal of Medical Genetics 2000; 4:733–735. 6. Pauls J, Bandelow B, Ruther E, Kornhuber J. Polymorphism of the gene of angiotensin converting enzyme: lack of association with mood disorder. Journal of Neural Transmission 2000; 107:1361– 1366.


A stoichiometric complex of formula maleic acid•2H2O•18-crown-6 has been obtained from maleic acid and the macrocyclic polyether 18-crown-6. Crystals of this complex have been shown by X-ray diffraction crystallography to belong to the Cc space group of the monoclinic system. The acid molecules in the adduct are linked to each other through a water molecule, giving infinite [-acid-H2O-]n chains. They are also linked to the crown ether via water molecules. The infrared and Raman spectra of the complex are presented and compared to those of crystalline maleic acid. Keywords: maleic acid/18-crown-6, structure, X-ray, spectra.


Blockchain is an online decentralized and distributed ledger technology that has the ability to keep and track records in a safe, verifiable, and transparent manner. More significantly, it has an infrastructure that is compatible with Web 3.0, which offers great potential for lifelong learning. This chapter explains the different modalities of learning (formal, non-formal, informal), blockchain technology, and its current use in educational processes. Based on the findings, the authors suggest that blockchain technology can be used to connect and interlink different educational experiences that occur in different educational modalities, enabling us to evaluate educational processes holistically and thus promote lifelong learning through the use of cutting-edge technologies.


The fight against international crime has been a serious problem for states, especially since the second half of the 20th century. One of the most effective organizations in the fight against this is the International Criminal Court. One of the main bodies of the International Criminal Court is the Prosecutor Office. The article describes the main tasks of Prosecutor Office, the main features of the candidates for this position, the grounds for appointment and dismissal, the main functions of collecting evidence used in the investigation of international crimes and the main features of the cooperation agreement between Interpol and the Prosecutor Office. Key words: fight against international crimes, prosecutor office, evidence, investigation of crimes, cooperation agreement


Through statistics,it is concluded that the thickness and displacement pressure of cap rock,destroy degree of cap rock from fault,pressure of gas reservoir and gas viscosity are the main factors that influence the gas reservoir cap sealing ability of 46 large and medium gas fields in China.According to relationship between them and sealing and preservative ability of gas reservoirs,this paper has corrected an evaluation method of sealing and preservative ability of gas reservoirs,and evaluated for sealing and preservative ability of large and medium gas fields in China by the method.Finally it is concluded that sealing and preservative ability of 46 large and medium gas fields in China were bad in the main,followed by the middle,again best,and at least were better.Through the study of the sealing and preservative ability of cap rock and gas reserves abundance of 46 large and medium gas fields in China,this paper considered that there was a direct correlation between them.The average reserves abundance of gas fields sealed and perseverated by medium cap rock is the highest,followed by better cap rock.The minimum is best and bad cap rock.It indicates that sealing and preservative ability is not the only main factors controlling formation of large and medium gas fields with high reserve abundance in China.The reserve abundance of large and medium gas fields was yet controlled by other main factors.


Measurement of fruit firmness using impact response is greatly influenced by the angle and location of the impact
on the fruit surface. To overcome this variability, a method to measure fruit firmness non-destructively using a multiple
impact approach was developed. Incorporating impact response information for cantaloupes in various melon surface
locations resulted in a correlation of r = 0.86 compared to a destructive flesh firmness test using a penetrometer and r = 0.94
with elastic modulus evaluated from a parallel plate loading test. This non-destructive method for estimating cantaloupe
firmness proved to be useful for the classification of cantaloupes into five ripeness stages at a significance level of a= 0.05.
Rigorous examination of fruit sensitivity to multiple impacts showed negligible effects with regard to physical damage.


We are only at the "tip of the iceberg" with respect to our recognition and treatment of the burgeoning population of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The latest data place the number of adults with congenital heart disease in the United States at 1 million, and that number is growing at 5% per year.1 Unfortunately, many ACHD patients do not receive routine follow-up care, so exact numbers do not exist—but recognition is growing that healthcare delivery for ACHD patients needs to improve.

In 2008, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) published guidelines for the management of ACHD patients.2 These guidelines stressed the need for the development and strengthening of transition clinics for adolescents and young adults with CHD. They also mandated a more formal education program for ACHD specialists, to ensure optimal management of patients. This is a fundamental issue that will need to be confronted as the population of ACHD patients grows. The number of sufficiently trained ACHD cardiologists is inadequate, and appropriately trained congenital heart surgeons are even scarcer. The importance of having a trained congenital heart surgeon to perform surgery in ACHD patients was highlighted in a recent study that examined national practice patterns for the surgical management of ACHD patients.3 The sample included 30,250 index cardiac operations: 73% were operations on children and 27% were operations on ACHD patients. When looking at the same diagnostic group, these investigators found that congenital heart surgeons performed the pediatric operations 68% of the time, and non-congenital heart surgeons performed the ACHD operations 95% of the time. Also, the hospital mortality rate was higher in ACHD patients who were operated on by non-congenital heart surgeons (4.84%; 95% confidence interval, 4.30–5.38) than in ACHD patients who were operated on by congenital heart surgeons (1.87%; 95% confidence interval, 0.62–3.13) (P <0.0001).

Other specific recommendations from the ACC/AHA guidelines included the eventual issuance of a "medical passport" to provide a mechanism for the ready availability of patient history information, the designation of medical guardians, collaboration between specialists, access to specialized follow-up care, and the identification of regional centers of excellence for ACHD. Examples of case scenarios that warrant consultation and treatment at an ACHD center include admission for urgent care, or for diagnostic or interventional procedures; procedures requiring general anesthesia or conscious sedation; acute care of a cardiac problem; and acute care of a non-cardiac problem in high-risk patients.

Currently, at Texas Children's Hospital, the management of ACHD patients is in evolution. Congenital heart surgery at this institution has a long history that began in 1955 with Dr. Denton Cooley. The program was reorganized as a dedicated congenital heart surgery service in 1995 and has continued to grow through the years. Most of our patients are newborns and infants. Outcomes for this cohort of patients have improved drastically in the last 20 years, and, as a result, more children with congenital heart disease are surviving into adulthood. One particular condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, has seen great improvement in surgical survival in the last decade. Not only are these patients surviving—they are guaranteed further surgical care, because their treatment involves a series of staged palliative operations.

To provide a mechanism for transitioning the care of the ACHD patients to specialists within the region who can offer appropriate follow-up care, the Texas Adult Congenital Heart (TACH) Center was formed in 2004. The center comprises internists and pediatricians who focus on ACHD patients and congenital heart surgeons who are trained in both adult cardiovascular surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery. The center involves a network of adult and pediatric institutions that provide varying degrees of physical and human resources and support by specialists. Since the inception of the center, we have observed that a strong ACHD program requires strong support from all involved institutions. Although there are benefits to this institutional collaboration, some challenges remain.

Issues that require further development and agreement are identifying the best hospitals for congenital heart surgery in ACHD patients and standardizing appropriate cardiopulmonary bypass strategy, anesthetic management, intraoperative monitoring, and intensive care unit monitoring. Moreover, it is important to determine how to accommodate the many ACHD patients who have no insurance. Information sharing can also become problematic when records are located at multiple facilities.

There are 4 common paradigms in which ACHD patients present for surgical consideration. The first is as an undiagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed patient with a noncyanotic lesion, such as complete atrioventricular (AV) canal, partial anomalous pulmonary veins, and anomalous coronary artery origin. The second is the previously "cured" patient with tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, corrected transposition, and coarctation. The third is the previously palliated patient, such as one with a shunted single ventricle or one who has undergone an atriopulmonary Fontan procedure. The fourth and final category includes patients with heart failure who are often listed for heart transplantation before their referral. These last 3 paradigms arise in the setting of decreased ventricular function.

To illustrate one of these scenarios, consider the following case of a 17-year-old boy with corrected transposition of the great arteries, a ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, and a displaced left AV valve, who presented at our institution with heart failure, cyanosis, decreased exercise tolerance, and 3rd-degree heart block.4 Hemodynamic data from a cardiac catheterization revealed a well-protected pulmonary vasculature, low pulmonary vascular resistance, reasonable biventricular function, apical displacement of the left AV valve with at least moderate insufficiency, and a nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect. After careful review of the cardiac anatomy, we concluded that the most reasonable option for a biventricular repair in this individual would be a double-switch procedure, most likely a Senning atrial switch with a Rastelli repair, which would commit the morphologic left ventricle to the systemic circulation. After a median sternotomy and aortobicaval cannulation, we performed a right atriotomy, confirmed the anatomy, and decided that the creation of an unobstructed left ventricle-to-aorta baffle was possible (Fig. 1). An appropriate baffle was sewn in place through a longitudinal right ventriculotomy. After this, inspection revealed that the combination of the baffle and the dysplastic left-sided AV valve had reduced the effective size of the right ventricle to the extent that it might not accommodate the entire systemic venous return. This was remedied by performing a hemi-Mustard atrial switch procedure and a bi-directional Glenn anastomosis, cutting back the coronary sinus in such a manner as to include it in the systemic venous atrium (Fig. 2). The main pulmonary artery was transected and oversewn, a 22-mm valved conduit was placed from the morphologic right ventricle to the pulmonary artery bifurcation (Fig. 3), and a dual-chamber epicardial pacemaker was placed. The patient's recovery was uncomplicated except for a persistent pericardial effusion, which was managed with a pericardial drain. This patient is currently monitored by the TACH Center. He is fully saturated and asymptomatic. He has full exercise capacity and reports an excellent quality of life.

Fig. 3 The completed repair.

Fig. 2 Both a hemi-Mustard atrial switch procedure and a bi-directional Glenn anastomosis were performed to accommodate the entire systemic venous return.

Fig. 1 Illustration of the patient's cardiac anatomy, which included corrected transposition of the great arteries, a ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, and a dysplastic atrioventricular valve.

In conclusion, excellent surgical outcomes and a high quality of life can be achieved in ACHD patients. The challenge lies in replicating these outcomes consistently through an effective care-delivery model for ACHD patients. Educational programs must respond to the increased demand for specialized ACHD practitioners, ACHD centers must have the proper resources, and specialists must collaborate. Finally, we need more data on outcomes in this population, so that we can refine expectations and optimize care.


The 30t oxygen top-blown converter is introduced,the product of 30MnSi wire rod has been successfully produced through optimization of smelting and continuous casting process.


Abstract The paper deals with possibilities to apply a new developed software support for simulation programme ANSYS CFX. A direct export of heat-transfer coefficients into variables used under edge conditions as well as of physical properties of gas mixtures into material properties during simulation solution of technical tasks means a significant saving of time. The paper summarizes in detail description of the software for calculation of heat-transfer coefficient during free convection (HTC-FC) and of material properties of gas mixture (MPGM) that enable to export calculated data directly into the text files which can be imported then into the programme ANSYS CFX.


The construction of C4ISR system requirements engineering needs a suit of integrity C4ISR system requirements architecture and a methodology of development. The development method of C4ISR system requirements was studied. The requirements of C4ISR system is divided into three levels-operational requirement, user requirement and system requirement. UML is an object-oriented modeling language, and is used in the description of C4ISR system requirements. Based on the development method of C4ISR architecture and the mapping between architecture productions and UML models, the development approach of C4ISR system requirements and the modeling method based on UML are put forward. The concordance strategy of C4ISR system requirements development was put forward to ensure the concordance of requirements models.


The Time-Of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) technique is rapidly gaining importance as a stand-alone inspection technique. TOFD technique is an advanced ultrasonic technique that fulfills the need for reliable inspections. TOFD is routinely used in a wide range of applications such as inspection of piping and pressure vessels. The principle of TOFD technique is based on mapping of the position of the edges of defects. This is in contrast with conventional ultrasonic, which relies on the amplitude of specula reflections received from defects. Defect's length can be readily measured by subtraction of the depth of lower and higher edges. Like any other technique, TOFD also has its limitations. In this investigation, this technique has been applied to thick sections (>15 mm). This paper discusses the application of finite element method to simulate the ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction technique in a twodimensional geometry. The finite element package ABAQUS was used to model the propagation of ultrasonic waves. This study helps in the design and setup of TOFD testing measurements. Especially when dealing with thin sections and complex geometry, the findings of this study are viable. The simulated results were compared with experimental observations, and found to be in good agreement with each other.


Kabaddi is a commonly played sport in Asia and now it is getting recognition worldwide. With the emergence of this sport, concern related to injuries associated with this sport is also increasing. For uniform reporting of injuries and illness in the epidemiological study (Kabaddi), it desired to have standard definitions on Kabaddi-related injuries.

After the initial review of various studies on other sports; the definitions and terms which can be valid for Kabaddi were selected and modified according to this sport. These definitions were then reviewed by experts, who have an abundance of experiences in the treatment of injuries related to this sport. After multiple meetings among the expert panel final definitions, terms, and methodology for injury surveillance studies were laid down.

Only new and modified definitions were used in this paper, therefore, it is advised to use this paper in conjunction with STROBE-SIS. Injury rates were defined per 1000 raids or 1000 tackles. Various definitions like match time loss, general time loss, match injury incidence, training injury incidence, match injury prevalence, etc. were included in this paper.

These standard definitions will help inconsistent and better data collection in injury surveillance studies. This will also help in a better understanding of injury patterns.


Duran-Reynals 1, 2,3 has shown that there exists in the testes of normal rabbits a substance that has the remarkable power of enhancing skin infections produced by vaccine virus and by staphylococci. Hoffman 4 confirmed the observation on the enhancement of vaccine virus and extended the work to show that this phenomenon is equally effective with the viruses of vesicular stomatitis, Borna disease, and herpes; and in the case of the viruses of herpes, Borna disease, and vaccinia, the enhancement applied also to central nervous system infections. Pijoan 5 reported that this substance, when added to cultures of twenty different bacteria, caused enhancement to a high degree of the resulting intradermal lesions. Hoffman and Duran-Reynals 6 found that the Berkefeld filtrate of testicular extract was equally as effective as the unfiltered emulsion. To this enhancing substance Ledingham and Barratt 7 have given the name "Reynals factor." Since all the bacteria used in the above mentioned experiments were those that usually produce a more or less uniform, acute reaction, it was felt that it might be of interest to apply this enhancing substance to an organism giving an entirely different type of reaction, i.e., to the tubercle bacillus. Consequently experiments were designed to determine what effect, if any, testicular extract might have upon the character of the lesions resulting from the intradermal injection of tuberde bacilli in rabbits.


In the well-known Chinese classic "A Dream in Red Mansions",the scene when Lin Dai-yu buried flowers with grief is very impressive.The readers have always been moved by the unspeakable tragedy resulted from the character herself,the historic and social environment.Further more,the scene offers the readers a distant and boundless openness to think about its aesthetic implications.


Past approaches on motion estimation use iterative algorithm to produce dense motion fields, which is modeled by the energy functions. The optimization strategy such as simulated annealing or iterated conditional mode reorganize the motion fields slowly. This paper introduces adaptive block matching and multiscale smoothing as an initial motion fields for bayesian based motion estimation. The adaptive block matching is a local intensity matching procedure, which gives a unique matching results. The results are smoothed by multiscale smoothing algorithm. This algorithm is based on kalman filter, but the time domain of this filter becomes the scale domain. The result shows that this strategy can give a more global motion fields than the result of single resolution bayesian motion estimation method. This multiscale smoothing algorithm have numerous possibility to enhance the speed as well as strategy to produce better motion fields.


Children are using mobile media more often and at early ages than ever before, and parents are unsure how to manage. A new study reveals that parents want more guidance from pediatricians on the best ways to expose their children to media.


The peak energy–isotropic energy (EpEi) relation is among the most intriguing recent discoveries concerning gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). It can have numerous implications for our understanding of the emission mechanism of the bursts and for the application of GRBs to cosmological studies. However, this relation has been verified only for a small sample of bursts with measured redshifts. We propose here a test of whether a burst with an unknown redshift can potentially satisfy the EpEi relation. Applying this test to a large sample of BATSE bursts, we find that a significant fraction of those bursts cannot satisfy this relation. Our test is sensitive only to dim and hard bursts, and therefore this relation might still hold as an inequality (i.e. there are no intrinsically bright and soft bursts). We conclude that the observed relation seen in the sample of bursts with known redshift might be influenced by observational biases and the inability to locate and to localize well hard and weak bursts that have only a small number of photons. In particular, we point out that the threshold for detection, localization and redshift measurement is essentially higher than the threshold for detection alone. We predict that Swift will detect some hard and weak bursts that would be outliers to the EpEi relation. However, we cannot quantify this prediction. We stress the importance of understanding the detection–localization–redshift threshold for the coming Swift detections.


With the development of advanced computer information,hospital pharmacy will adopt a new serial information system,which can bring more and more benefit.


Circular dichroism of a chiral molecule, S(+)2-butanol, is investigated in intense laser light. Although theory suggests the possibility of enhanced differences in absorption (leading to ionization) of circularly polarized light of a particular handedness by a random ensemble of chiral molecules, we report results of experiments that fail to observe such effects. While the ionization probability does not significantly change with the ellipticity of the incident light, fragmentation decreases with enhanced ellipticity. The kinetic-energy release accompanying CH + formation decreases as the laser light becomes more intense, a possible manifestation of bond softening.


Experiments have been conducted using the 40-MHz Sunset radar in Colorado and the 50 MHz Poker Flat, Alaska, MST radar to reexamine the range resolution (Δr) dependence of backscattered power for Fresnel scatter. Sunset radar observations now show a (Δr)1 dependence for backscattered power provided Δr > 1 km. For Δr < 1 km, results vary from day to day but are closer to (Δr)1 than (Δr)2. In an independent experiment the Δr dependence of backscattered power observed by the Poker Flat MST radar was also found to be close to (Δr)1.


With the financial support from the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Union | European Commission - Directorate-General Home Affairs.


Liquid filling flows driven by surface tension forces into microchannels with residual liquid were numerically simulated using the finite volume method with volume of fluid(VOF interface tracking methodology and the continuum surface force model for the surface tension.The analyses considered the residual liquid as liquid drops and liquid columns.The liquid drops on the wall reduce the liquid flow rate but slightly increase the filling efficiency.The liquid columns also reduce the liquid flow rate while producing gas bubbles in the channel,which handicap the liquid filling.These conclusions can be used to design filling procedures for micro-fluidic devices.


We report the first observation of the Goos-Hanchen shift in metallic reflection. The shift is found to be insensitive to surface flatness but it depends on the microscopic roughness of the metal surface.


The problem of cracking in precipitation hardenable high temperature alloys during postweld heat treatment has been studied by numerous investigators. However, in all the proposed theories, no attempt has been made to study the deformation modes operating in the temperature range where strainage cracking occurs. Such information would seem vital to a complete understanding of the mechanism of postweld heat treatment cracking in this class of alloys. Therefore, this investigation was undertaken to determine the mechanical response of a relatively simple agehardenable superalloy, Inconel X-750, to tensile loads in the temperature range of 1000-1750° F, and to identify any microstructural changes that accompany deformation in this temperature range. The mechanical response to stress in the temperature range of 1000-1750° F was obtained from short-time tensile tests conducted at a series of loading rates ranging from 0.16-16.0 ipm. The fractured samples were then examined for any microstructural changes which accompanied the tensile deformation. All testing was done in the RPI Gleeble, and the resultant microstructures were examined using both optical and transmission electron microscopy. Fracture morphology studies were also made using standard replication techniques supplemented by scanning electron microscopy. The results of the short-time elevated temperature tensile tests revealed that the tensile ductility of Inconel X-750 loaded at rates ranging from 0.16-16.0 ipm exhibited a minimum in the vicinity of 1600° F. Both the testing temperature at which the minimum occurred and the ductility at this minimum increased as the strain rate increased. Failure in the temperature range where the minimum ductility occurred was found to be associated with grain boundary sliding. A. W. DIX is an Instructor and W. F. SAVAGE is Director of Welding Research, School of Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y. Paper presented at the AWS 52nd Annual Meeting held in San Francisco, Calif., during April 26-29, 1971. The balance between the contribution of grain boundary sliding and transgranular slip to the overall deformation process appeared to control the ductility in the range 1000-1750° F, with an increase in the amount of grain boundary sliding causing a decrease in ductility. Grain boundary sliding was found to increase both as the strain rate was decreased and as the testing temperature was increased from 1000-1600° F. Recrystallization was observed to occur at 1700° F and was accompanied by an increase in ductility. Although evidence was found that both fracturing of the carbides and separation at the carbide-matrix interface occurred as a result of plastic deformation, grain boundary carbides appeared to inhibit grain boundary sliding. No evidence was found of embrittlement due to either stress-induced or strain-induced precipitation of either y' or carbides during the short-time elevated temperature tests.


High variability in cross-shore thermally driven exchange Hugo N. Ulloa (1) , Kristen A. Davis (2) , Geno Pawlak (1) and Stephen G. Monismith (3) (1) Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, USA and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, USA (3) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA email@example.com (2) Civil Abstract The variability of cross-shore thermally driven exchange was examined using ensemble-averages of observations from the Kilo Nalu Observatory on the south shore of Oahu Hawaii. The cross- shore vertical shear, δV z , top-bottom temperature difference, ∆T z , and cross-shore advective heat flux, Q ex , were analyzed to evaluate the influence of the surface heat flux, the cross-shore wind and the M 2 tide in the cross-shore exchange variability. The M 2 affects the exchange through the effects of tidally driven alongshore flow on turbulent diffusivity and on Coriolis driven cross-shore accelerations. Lunar phase ensemble-averages are compared with a theoretical model to show that the interaction of the diurnal wind pattern and the tidally driven alongshore flow can lead to significant cross-shore exchange variability at sub-diurnal time scales. Introduction Nearshore physical processes can modulate the mass, momentum and heat transport in complex ecosystems such as coral reefs (Monismith, 2007). A key physical process in these environments is the cross-shore exchange, between nearshore and the adjoining ocean, because it regulates the transport of nutrients, phytoplankton and waste (e.g., Genin et al., 2009; Paul et al., 1997). Cross-shore exchange can be driven by a variety of mechanisms, including Ekman transport, buoyancy driven flows, cross-shelf wind driven surface currents, internal waves, and surface and internal tides, all of which have different spatial and temporal scales. The role of these various processes will depend on local characteristics, such as bathymetry, shelf width, stratification, etc (Monismith et al., 2006). In particular, field studies have identified that diurnal surface heat flux is an important mechanism in driving for cross-shore flows at diurnal time scale in coastal regions, where the bed depth increases toward offshore (Monismith et al., 1990, 2006; Molina et al., 2014). Here, the heat flux acting on the surface with a diurnal periodicity causes shallower waters to heat and cool more rapidly than deeper waters, thus setting up a cross-shore temperature gradient due to the change in depth. This thermal structure drives cross-shore baroclinic flow that exchanges momentum and heat between the reef and the adjoining ocean. The cross-shore flow pattern associated with the cooling/heating diurnal phase response is shown in schematic form in figure 1; the fluid response associated with the cooling phase (0-12 hr) leads to colder offshore flow at the bottom, balanced by warmer onshore flow at the surface, with the opposite flow pattern for the heating phase (12-24 hr) (Farrow, 2004; Monismith et al., 2006). Field observations of the velocity and thermal structure at Kilo Nalu Observatory (KNO) on the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii show that thermally driven baroclinic exchange is a dom- inant mechanism for cross-shore transport for this tropical forereef environment, modulated principally by the diurnal surface heat flux signal, the wind speed/direction and tides (Molina et al., 2014). Velocity and temperature data were collected from a bottom mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP, 1200 kHz RDI Workhorse) and a thermistor chain (T-chain, Precision Measurement Engineering Inc.) deployed at 12 m depth and 370 m from shore at KNO site during January to September of 2010. Local atmospheric data, including pressure, relative humidity, short wave radiation, air temperature, wind speed/direction were available for this period. Currents, tidal height and temperature data were averaged into 20 min ensembles and atmospheric data were averaged into 1 hr ensembles. The bathymetry slope at KNO is VIII th Int. Symp. on Stratified Flows, San Diego, USA, Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2016


With more and more people becoming Internet users there have been great increase in using Web in all areas of life, including communication, education and shopping. And as a result of these changes the security concerns have also grown. The web application vulnerability scanners help reduce these security concerns in Web-based applications. In today's market a large number of web scanners are available. Although these tools are available in the market but question is how efficient they are to address security concerns in WEB applications? The primary objective of the paper is to study the effectiveness of the scanners and to try to identify common types of vulnerabilities in web services environment. Also, one of the prominent objectives is to provide defense measures, which secure the application significantly. To compare vulnerability detection rate of different scanners, it is important to have an independent test suite. This paper describes a web application, which is intended to be used to evaluate the efficiency of Netsparker and Acunetix web application vulnerability scanners. For several vulnerabilities presented in this application, we also explain defense measures, which secure the application significantly. The results of web application evaluation identify the most challenging vulnerabilities for scanner to detect, and compare the effectiveness of scanners. The assessment results can suggest areas that require further research to improve scanner's detection rate.


Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and can prolong survival in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, therapeutic resistance can limit its efficiency and use. Our lab has previously identified that the activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) MET and RON contributed to cetuximab resistance. In the absence of activating mutations of MET and RON, the activity of these RTKs depends on the availability of their ligands, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and hepatocyte growth factor-like (HGFL), respectively. To become biologically active, the inactive precursors of HGF and HGFL must be processed by serine proteases (HGFA, matriptase, and hepsin). A survey of TCGA datasets indicated that MET and HGF were overexpressed in several CRC CMS subtypes. However, we did not observe any significant overexpression of the serine proteases. Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 and 2 (HAI-1/2) are two Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitors that displayed reduced expression in TCGA datasets. The addition of recombinant human HGF conferred cetuximab resistance to cetuximab-sensitive cells and cetuximab-sensitive cells engineered to overexpress HGF also exhibited cetuximab-resistant phenotype. Cetuximab resistance induced by HGF addition or overexpression could be overcome by downstream inhibition with crizotinib, a multi-targeted RTK inhibitor. ZFH7116 is a small molecule inhibitor of the serine proteases that mimics HAI-1 activity. ZFH7116 suppressed HGF cleavage and maturation in our cetuximab-resistant SC cells. We observed cooperative effect of ZFH7116 with cetuximab to reduce SC cell growth in 3D collagen cultures. We are currently testing if upstream inhibition with recombinant human HAI-1 addition can suppress HGF cleavage and overcome cetuximab resistance induced by HGF overexpression. Collectively, our findings suggest that inhibiting HGF cleavage and processing may be a unique strategy for overcoming EGFR-targeted therapy resistance in colorectal cancer.
 Citation Format: Vivian Truong Jones, Ramona Graves-Deal, Galina Bogatcheva, Zheng Cao, James Higginbotham, Sarah Harmych, Gregory Ayers, Marisol Ramirez, Qi Liu, James Janetka, Bhuminder Singh. Overcoming cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer through inhibition of HGF processing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2584.


A new method of design and manufacturing of bone graft substitutes is introduced. For the first time it is possible to prepare bone graft substitutes with a directed and controlled pore structure. Furthermore, the formation of sophisticated geometries is feasible. First in vitro investigations with cell cultures show a vital cell growing on the synthetic bone graft material. Numerous applications are possible.


Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most important leading causes of death in hospitalized patients. It is often asymptomatic, leading to long-term complications and results in death. VTE prophylaxis can reduce the incidence rate of VTE and is an important component in the safety management of hospitalized patients. VTE risk assessment plays an important role in thrombosis prevention. Recently, the Caprini risk assessment model has been validated worldwide. In this study, the research progress of the Caprini risk assessment model were reviewed to provide reference for clinical application of the Caprini risk assessment model.

Key words:
Review; Venous thromboembolism; Caprini risk assessment model


Corresponding Author: Ahmad Mohammad Abdel Hameed Abdel Ghany firstname.lastname@example.com M.Sc. Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of medicine zagazig university ABSTRACT Background and aim: Complete disruption of the ossicular chain can result in up to 60 dB hearing loss. Hearing restoration surgery comprises ear drum repair and ossicular chain reconstruction in ears housing defective ossicles. The aim of this study was to assess cartilage strip and bone cement in ossiculoplasty. Patients and methods: This is a prospective, cross sectional study and was carried out on 36 patients (27 females and 9 males) with chronic suppurative otitis media, their age ranged from 12 to 38 years. Patient were subjected to complete history taking, complete ENT examination, preoperative audiological evaluation, high resolution computed tomography "HRCT" and complete laboratory investigations. All patients were operated by tympanomastoidectomy for eradication of middle ear pathology (21 cases underwent canal wall up technique while 15 cases underwent canal wall down technique), Then reconstruction of the ossicular chain was done by cartilage strip and bone cement (30cases between malleus to stapes while 6 cases between incus to stapes). Postoperative assessment done by pure tone audiometry & tympanometry 3 & 6 months postoperatively. Results: Regarding improvement in hearing 83.3% of our patient were improved while the remaining 16.7% were not. The result of pure tone audiometry & typanometry were significantly improved (p=0.0008). Graft taken occur in 83.3% of cases. Conclusions: The usage of bone cement with a cartilage strip is a simple and effective method for ossicular reconstruction and associated with significant improvement in conductive hearing loss. Keys word: Ossiculoplasty, Bone cement, Cholesteatoma, Cartilage strip, Reconstruction.


New strategies and tools are demanded today to put qualified electronic applications on the market. An efficient data management from electronic design to the test should be guaranteed. Electronics manufacturers react by designing new tools which make automated test programs and in-circuit-test possible.


Perovskite chalcogenides have emerged as a new class of semiconductors with tunable band-gap in the visible-infrared region. High quality thin films are critical to understand the fundamental properties and realize the potential applications of these materials. We report growth of quasi-epitaxial thin films of quasi-one-dimensional hexagonal chalcogenide BaTiS_3 by pulsed laser deposition. Optimal growth conditions were identified by varying the substrate temperature and H_2S partial pressure and their effects on the film structure were examined. High-resolution thin film X-ray diffraction shows strong out-of-plane texture, whereas no evidence of in-plane relationship between the film and the substrate is observed. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and scanning transmission electron microscopy studies reveal the presence of weak epitaxial relationships of the film and the substrate, despite a defective interface. Our study opens up a pathway to realize quasi-1D hexagonal chalcogenide thin films and their heterostructures with perovskite chalcogenides. Graphical abstract


This paper suggests estimators of the frequencies (N8) or proportions {N8/N) of N distinguishable objects contained in S categories; given various types of information, We consider information in the form of exact constraints on the N8, sample frequencies, and frequencies of related data, The analysis uses Bayesian methods, where the prior distribution is assumed to be a function of the cross-entropy between the N8 and a reference distribution, We show the relationship between our estimator and the log-linear and logit models and also present a sampling experiment to compare our proposed estimator with the iterated proportional fitting estimator.


The Reactor Critical Facility (RCF) of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is the only remaining U.S. facility for carrying out critical experiments in support of the nation`s light water reactor power programs, civilian and naval. The RCF can accommodate fuel rod or fuel plate cores up to 4 ft high and up to several feet in lateral dimensions, generally with {open_quotes}infinite{close_quotes} lateral water reflectors. Unless control rod properties are specifically required in the cores, the control rods are in reflectors and are fully withdrawn when {open_quotes}clean{close_quotes} cores are required. The RCF is the only U.S. university reactor designed and built (in the 1950s) as a critical facility, and for the last 10-yr improved methods and equipment have been under development and reported. This paper considers cores, measurements, safety, security, radiological matters, and licensing as required for mixed oxide rod cores or naval reactor plate cores at the RCF.


Often, such as in the presence of conicts, an agent must choose between multiple intentions. The level of completeness of the intentions can be a factor in this deliberation. We sketch a pragmatic but principled mechanism for quantifying the level of completeness of goals in a Belief-DesireIntention{like agent. Our approach leverages previous work on resource and eects summarization but we go beyond by accommodating both dynamic resource summaries and goal eects, while also allowing a non-binary quantication of goal completeness.


Benzyl acid and L-lysine were dissolved in 95% ethanol and purified water, respectively.Crude bendazac lysine was synthesized by a salification reaction of their mixture in certain ratio. The total yield of bendazac lysine was 86.7%. The process has many advantages such as available raw materials, mild condition of salification and purification, short reaction time, high yield and purity, low cost, it is very fit to be industrialized.


Often Coal Mines use Spiral Drum Pulleys for tail pulleys. These were developed to auger material out and away from the tail pulley and belt. However, these have had some issues with plugging of the spiral, especially with wash down. While some have tried wing pulleys, these are usually avoided due to concerns of stirring up the dust, or the intermittent contact with the belt causing too much vibration, or the fact that a wing pulley will throw the material back onto the belt. In this case the material will collect with other material falling onto the belt and can eventually plug up the wings. This paper will focus on the development and application of the Herringbone Wing pulley, a hybrid of the spiral drum and wing pulley.


We give a (remote) quantum gambling scheme that makes use of the fact that quantum nonorthogonal states cannot be distinguished with certainty. In the proposed scheme, two participants Alice and Bob can be regarded as playing a game of making guesses on identities of quantum states that are in one of two given nonorthogonal states: if Bob makes a correct (an incorrect) guess on the identity of a quantum state that Alice has sent, he wins (loses). It is shown that the proposed scheme is secure against the nonentanglement attack. It can also be shown heuristically that the scheme is secure in the case of the entanglement attack.


This paper presents the design and implementation of a quadcopter capable of payload delivery. A quadcopter is a unique unmanned aerial vehicle which has the capability of vertical take-off and landing. In this design, the quadcopter was controlled wirelessly from a ground control station using radio frequency. It was modeled mathematically considering its attitude and altitude, and a simulation carried out in MATLAB by designing a proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller was applied to a mathematical model. The PID controller parameters were then applied to the real system. Finally, the output of the simulation and the prototype were compared both in the presence and absence of disturbances. The results showed that the quadcopter was stable and able to compensate for the external disturbances.


When users look for information on the Internet through their smart devices, their physical location is usually highly correlated with the contents they are trying to find. Actually, localization (as well as language) is an integral part of the input data used by web search engines to customize the information provided to the users. Based on this concept, we have designed a Location Based Service (LBS), called LAW (Location Aware Web), which exploits the relationship between Web based applications and the context, including mainly the position and other sensor or personal information. In this paper, we outline the LAW concept, the design of the protocol to support the idea and the description of a system implementing both concept and protocol. We have designed a protocol to support the LAW service, intended for the application OSI layer based on a clientserver architecture. We also present the design and prototypes of subsystem implementing both idea and protocol, including all the necessary details: hardware selection, network technology and developed software. In the industrial environment, the Location Aware Web service could be used to provide feasible information for the user, for example, support to procedure operations such as maintenance or stock control.


The paper confirms sociocultural model of stresscoping research including the influence of and individualistic social behavior. Psychometric characteristics of Russian adaptation of Theodore Singelis and Harry Triandis "Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism" inventory is given. Empirical data reveal that Russians outlive hardships connected with transformation from collectivistic values and behavior patterns towards individualistic ones. The hypothesis about collectivism and individualism as cultural syndromes that may predict choosing definite ways of coping has got support.


Abstract The eigenvalue decomposition of the polarization matrix is employed to find out the geometric interpretation of the traditional degree of polarization and, in particular, of the degree of polarization for arbitrary electromagnetic fields put forward recently by Setälä et al. [2002, Phys. Rev. Lett., 88, 123902]. It is shown that both measures have similar geometric meaning as a measure for the purity of the polarization state. Possible extensions to the analysis are discussed.


To observe the effect of mangiferin on the spontaneously hypertensive rats models' heart,brain,kidney tissue morphology,particularly the inflammatory damage,spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR) were randomly divided into model group,the mangiferin high dose group,the mangiferin middle dose group,the mangiferin low dose group,and benzene enalapril group,and the same age WKY rats served as normal controls the morphology of each rat's heart,brain and kidney is used light microscopy,transmission electron microscopy to observe.Light microscopy results show that mangiferin high,middle and low dose group can improve myocarditis cell infiltration and glomerular atrophy,necrosis;electron microscopy results show that mangiferin can inhibite cardiomyocyte apoptosis,improve the muscle fibers,and reduce mesangial cells and basement membrane thickness.It is conclused that mangiferin can protect spontaneously hypertensive rats' heart,kidney tissue morphology,including the protection of the inflammatory injury.


The Oxford History of the British Empire will surely gain recognition as one of the great monuments of Anglophone historical scholarship of the twenty-first century. Early on in the project, the editors determined that the five volumes of the main series would be inadequate to explore the significance of the British Empire in world history. They then launched a companion series, now comprising twelve volumes, to explore themes that could not be covered fully in the main series, given how fully it incorporates the most recent research and provides fresh interpretations of important topics. Most of the volumes in the companion series are sharply focused on well-defined topics such as blacks in the empire; migration and empire; gender and empire; Australia, Canada, and Ireland in the empire; and the like. Unfortunately, such is not the case with the volume under review. The population covered in Settlers and Expatriates includes "the overseas Britons outside the dominions, and outside the colonial or military services.. . . The non-officials and unofficials, traders, planters, men and women in the professions, and in service trades, state functionaries at all levels—police, public works and health, customs, merchant marine, railways—and the entrepreneurs who filed the remaining gaps—journalists and hoteliers for example" (102). The problem this diversity presents is suggested by the editor's inability to find a single name that describes the group. Bickers is dissatisfied with "overseas Britons," the usual label, but the alternative he suggests, "transmarine British" (17), seems unlikely to catch on. As the title of the volume indicates, the central division is between settlers—those who went out to stay and participate in the building of a new society—and expatriates—sojourners who went out to do a job, find an exotic adventure, or make a fortune and then return home. The problem of diversity is increased by the geographic and temporal scope of the volume. Like the British Empire, the volume ranges across the globe, from Africa and the Middle East to Argentina, India, Malaya, and China. There is even a chapter on England, covering the lives of those who returned home after serving the empire abroad. Temporally, the volume covers three and a half centuries. Despite this diversity, several common themes emerge from the volume's well-crafted essays on the overseas British in various parts of the empire. Everywhere, Britons struggled to retain a British identity and pursued similar institutional strategies and ideologies to construct and maintain their identity. Many of the essays are concerned with rehabilitating the reputation of the British overseas. Settlers and expatriates have fared poorly in contemporary commentary and recent scholarship, where they are often dismissed as "Philistine, snobbish, myopic, and racist" (330). In the emerging nationalist historiographies of former colonies, they are considered "beyond the pale of scholarship" (12). When they appear at all, it is usually as "a caricatured and demonized Occidental other" (12). Several of the essays in this volume suggest that this verdict needs shading. Although one does not need to admire the settlers and expatriates, one can still "find them interesting and acknowledge their importance" (330). Although this volume is fairly comprehensive, there are some omissions. The most annoying is the absence of maps, which often sent me scurrying to an atlas. The volume also lacks an essay on the Caribbean, which the editor explains by the lack of interest in colonizers in current scholarship. This is a surprising claim given the emerging scholarship evident in the work of Natalie Zacek, B. W. Higman, Larry Gragg, and others who have encouraged scholars to rethink longheld ideas about the presumed inability or unwillingness of seventeenthand eighteenth-century British West Indian colonists to uphold metropolitan social, political, and cultural ideals. Despite the omissions and the lack of a sharp focus, this is a fine volume. Bickers has assembled essays by some of the leading scholars of the various places covered, and the volume is bookended by fine essays by Bickers and John Darwin that help identify common themes in the experience of the British overseas. Academic historians interested in the British experience abroad will find much of value. Those whose interest in history is more casual might find the book difficult, but anyone interested in the state of play among professional historians will find this a good place to start.


The growth of wheat tillers and plant nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) will gradually deteriorate in response to high plant density and over-application of N. Therefore, in this study, a 2-year field study was conducted with three levels of plant densities (75 ×104plants ha−1, D1; 300 ×104plants ha−1, D2; 525 ×104plants ha−1, D3) and three levels of N application rates (120 kg N ha−1, N1; 240 kg N ha−1, N2; 360 kg N ha−1, N3) to determine how to optimize plant density and N application to regulate tiller growth and to assess the contribution of such measures to enhancing grain yield (GY) and NUE. The results indicated that an increase in plant density significantly increased the number of superior tillers and the number of spikes per m2(SN), resulting in a higher GY and higher partial factor productivity of applied N (PFPN). However, there was no significant difference in GY and PFPN between plant densities D2 and D3. Increasing the N application rate significantly increased the vascular bundle number (NVB) and area (AVB), however, excess N application (N3) did not significantly improve these parameters. N application significantly increased GY, whereas there was a significant decrease in PFPN in response to an increase in N application rate. The two years results suggested that increasing the plant density (from 75 ×104plants ha−1to 336 ×104plants ha−1) in conjunction with the application of 290 kg N ha−1N will maximize GY, and also increase PFPN(39.7 kg kg−1), compared with the application of 360 kg N ha−1N. Therefore, an appropriate combination of increased planting density with reduced N application could regulate tiller number and favor the superior tiller group, to produce wheat populations with enhanced yield and NUE.


Rate constants for the reaction between excited singlet state aromatic donors and the dialkyl peroxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP), and the bicyclic endoperoxide, ascaridole (ASC), were measured in acetonitrile using fluorescence quenching techniques. The rate constants, measured with 18 different aromatic donors by Stern-Volmer quenching, range from 9.2  109 to 4.4  106 M-1 s-1. Using accurately measured standard reduction potentials for the peroxides, the driving force for photoinduced electron transfer is predicted to be thermodynamically feasible over the entire range of excited donors ranging from 49 to 10 kcal mol-1 for ASC and 38 to 2 kcal mol-1 for DTBP. However, when the photoinduced kinetics are combined with previously measured electron transfer kinetics by homogeneous redox catalysis with ground state radical-anion donors, a smooth parabolic correlation for a dissociative electron transfer mechanism is not observed. Rather, a discontinuity is observed between the photochemical and electrochemical data sets with the rate constants with singlet excited states donors being over two orders of magnitude larger than the ground state kinetics at the same driving force. The discrepancy is examined considering the importance of attractive interaction between fragments in the dissociative photoinduced electron transfer reactions.


The concept of Vertical landing Rockets was developed to achieve re-usability of the rocket in order to decrease cost and time of Rocket launching . Successful attempts of vertical landing rockets have been attempted by SpaceX and Blue origin with the motivation of reduction of manufacturing and research costs, these have led the path for the re-usability of rocket engines and autonomous recovery of rockets. This paper will discuss the challenges to meet the precision landing of rockets on earth and other planets and also factors required to extend this technology to implement it in future space tourism.


The effects of first nozzle pressure, second nozzle pressure and spinning speed on the internal structure of MJS yams have been studied. The yam cross-section has been divided into five concentric zones of equal width and the fibre packing density of each zone as well as the total packing density have been studied. The radial packing densities of different MJS yams show good resemblance. Radial packing density decreases gradually with the increase in distance from the yam axis. Total packing density varies significantly with machine variables.


................................................................................................................... 18 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 19 Research Methodology ................................................................................................ 23 Research Method and Design. ................................................................................. 23 Research Context and Participants........................................................................... 24 Data Gathering and Procedure ................................................................................. 24 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 26 Trustworthiness ............................................................................................................ 27 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................. 28 Findings........................................................................................................................ 30 Intergenerational Interactions in Relational Contexts and Subjective Experiences 31 Challenges of Respect in Relationships ................................................................... 36 Discussion .................................................................................................................... 39 Implications of the Findings ........................................................................................ 41 Limitations and Recommendations.......................................................................... 42 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 43 References .................................................................................................................... 44 CRITICAL REFLECTION .......................................................................................... 52 The Mmogo-method® ................................................................................................. 53 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 54 References .................................................................................................................... 55


A reasonable low-energy chiral Lagrangian of vectors and pseudoscalars involves three a priori unknown coefficients for terms proportional to the Levi-Civita symbol epsilon/sub ..mu..//sub ..nu..//sub ..cap alpha..//sub ..beta../. We argue that these cannot, from a theoretical standpoint, be reliably determined by consideration of electromagnetic processes. Hence we use purely strong-interaction processes which enable us to determine two out of three of these. We examine the nucleon as a soliton excitation in the model and find that adjustment of the third parameter does not greatly change the, in most respects accurate, description of the nucleon obtained in a previous treatment by Meissner, Kaiser, and Weise. The paper includes a new and careful formulation of the addition of electromagnetism to the full Lagrangian.


We show that a star orbiting close enough to an adiabatically grown supermassive black hole can capture a large number of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) during its lifetime. WIMP annihilation energy release in low- to medium-mass stars is comparable with or even exceeds the luminosity of such stars due to thermonuclear burning. The excessive energy release in the stellar core may result in an evolution scenario different from what is expected for a regular star. The model thus predicts the existence of unusual stars within the central parsec of galactic nuclei. If found, such stars would provide evidence for the existence of particle dark matter. White dwarfs seem to be the most promising candidates to look for. The signature of a white dwarf burning WIMPs would be a very hot star with mass and radius characteristic for a white dwarf, but with luminosity exceeding the typical luminosity of a white dwarf by orders of magnitude . 50 L ⊙ . A white dwarf with a highly eccentric orbit around the central black hole may exhibit variations in brightness correlated with the orbital phase.


To solve the calibration transmission problem in near-infrared( NIR) spectroscopy,a novel model transfer method,Simple Linear Regression Direct Standard-ization( SLRDS),has been presented. To investigate the validity of the proposed method,a real corn sample NIR dataset was tested and the direct standardization( DS) method and piecewise direct standardization( PDS) method were involved as a comparison. Our results indicated that SLRDS can correct compressed NIR data differences among instruments and enable the user to share corn sample PLS calibration model among three instruments,at the same time it has higher prediction accuracy,fewer parameters and simpler model than DS and PDS.


In today's world of advanced technologies, accessible transportation, and fingertip talking, adolescents are spending too many hours each day sedentary. The purpose of this article is to underscore the importance of foot and ankle mobility in an adolescent population that spends very little time on their feet. Physical educators and athletic coaches may be pivotal in implementing activities that promote good foot and ankle function in youth populations.


In the Russian Federation about 600 active ingredients of pesticides are currently registered. A large share among them is occupied by analogous pesticides (generics), which may differ in their properties from the original products due to an increased level or altered composition of impurities. Therefore, to ensure the safe use of analogous pesticides, it is necessary to evaluate their chemical and toxicological equivalence. The analysis of algorithms described in international documents and implemented in practice in some countries for determination of the equivalence of technical materials of analog pesticides is presented. Particular attention is paid to the evaluation of pesticide safety on the basis of the mutagenicity criterion. The applicability of different methods for genotoxic activity determination to confirm the equivalence of active substances of pesticides-analogues to patented products is discussed. A brief review of the results of the researches confirming the need to assess the genotoxicity of all technical materials of analogous pesticides with a view to preventing the entry of hazardous substances into the consumer market is presented.


The effect of cupric ions on the uptake of tritiated-thymidine and 5-tritiated-uridine into endometrial cells obtained from pseudopregnant rabbits was studied in vitro. In endometrial cells obtained 48 and 120 hours after human chorionic gonadotropin injection the uptake of tritiated-thymidine was significantly inhibited by cupric ion concentrations ranging from 3-10 mcg/ml (p less than .05). Threonine histidine and human serum albumin significantly reduced the effects of 5 mcg/ml cupric ions on the incorporation of tritiated-thymidine (p less than .025). Generally cupric ions had no effect on the uptake of 5-triated-uridine though in 1 experiment incorporation was significantly stimulated at cupric ion concentrations of 5 mcg/ml (p less than .05) and 10 mcg/ml (p less than .001).


The paper describes the results of the study of broadband velocity pulsations, induced by dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator in the 2D subsonic boundary layer, and their role in a boundary layer excitation. The origin of the velocity pulsations is the stochastic dynamics of microdischarges. The presented data include the parametric study of the disturbances power on the supply voltage characteristics and their structure. Also, the preliminary study of the role of the broadband disturbances in the Tollmien-Schlichting wave excitation was performed.


gants is forbidden and other methods of reducing Cold stored plants of 12 cultivars ('Alice', 'Alba', 'Clery', soil-borne pathogens effectively are not found yet. 'Elsan- 'Daroyal', 'Darselect', 'Divine', 'Dora', 'Eva', 'Record', ta', the main early-mid season strawberry cultivar in parts 'Queen Elisa', 'Salsa', 'Sonata') and of 'Elsanta' as control of Europe, though convincing because of good fruit char- were planted in April-June 2005 at 11 sites on 9 farms in acteristics and high yield, is highly susceptible to soil-borne 5 different regions of Eastern Austria (20-48 plants each pathogens (Barth et al. 2002, Spornberger et al. 2005). cultivar and site, 1-4 replications per site). 2 of the farms The aim of this study was to find new cultivars which were 'organic', all others were managed conventionally, combine tolerance to V. dahliae and other diseases with a The content of microsclerotia of V. dahliae in the different high yield, a high percentage of marketable fruits and soils was determined using the wet-sieving method de with consumer acceptance, which should be achieved by scribed by Harris et al. (1993). From each site (area on carrying out trials on farms with different farming sys- which the trial was planted) a bulked sample of 25 cores terns and climate conditions in the main Austrian straw- (to a depth of 20 cm) was taken using a soil borer. The in berry regions. To find early-ripening cultivars with these festation risk for susceptible cultivars was estimated us qualities is of particular interest for farmers because ing the scheme of Harris et al. (1993): <0.3 vital strawberries in the beginning of strawberry season gain microsclerotia g"1 soil = very low risk, 0.3-0.6 = low risk,


Rodehlo Valdes is head of the monoclonal antibody production department at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CGEB), Havana, Cuba, 537.2716022, ext.7101, email@example.com. Maria del Rosario Aleman is the head of the cell culture laboratory of the monoclonal antibody production department at CGEB. Andres Tamayo, Sigifredo Padilla, Lamay Dorta, and Biunayki Reyes are researchers at the monoclonal antibody production department at CGEB. Enrique Noa,Marta Dubed,and Giselle Alvarez are researchers at the National Reference Center for AIDS Research, Havana,Cuba. Deborah Geada and Leonor Navea is a researcher at the Research Institute of Tobacco, Department of Industrial Development, Havana, Cuba. Tatiana Gonzalez is an engineer at the Process Control Department of CGEB. Eutimio Gustavo Fernandez is a researcher at Inorganic Chemistry Department, Center for Engineering and Chemical Researches, Havana, Cuba.


The article is devoted to the subject insufficiently developed in the national historiography. The study is conducted on materials of State archive of Sverdlovsk region and archive of the Territorial body of Federal state statistics service for Sverdlovsk region with the assistance of scientific and statistic literature. The relevance of the topic is determined by its importance for the social sciences. The study of the level of food consumption by health care workers of the Sverdlovsk region in 1957 is made. Scientific novelty of the research is seen in the fact that the new materials discovered by the author in mentioned archives are introduced into scientific usage. It is noted that proposed work continues the already published author's article devoted to the monetary income of health workers. It is stated that for the "minor" categories of the population (primary and secondary school teachers, doctors, nurses and others), the statistical authorities usually propose low-representative samples. It is emphasized that neither people under studying, nor their family members were not abusing alcoholic beverages. It is stated that there was a rather serious differentiation of the surveyed health workers in terms of food consumption. It is argued that the level of their food consumption, taking into account the situation in the country, should be assessed: for physician - as generally sufficient, for other respondents - as insufficient. It is concluded that the level of consumption of food was significantly lower than scientifically based standards.


Grain yields of wheat and grain sorghum increased with decreased tillage intensity in a wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) rotation. In 2014, available soil water at wheat planting was 2 inches greater for no-till (NT) than for reduced-tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). For grain sorghum in 2014, available soil water at planting was greatest with RT and least with CT. Averaged across the 14-year study, available soil water at wheat and sorghum planting was similar for RT and NT and about 1 inch greater than CT. Averaged across the past 14 years, NT wheat yields were 5 bu/a greater than RT and 7 bu/a greater than CT. Grain sorghum yields in 2014 were 22 bu/a greater with longterm NT than short-term NT. Averaged across the past 14 years, sorghum yields with long-term NT have been nearly twice as great as short-term NT (61 vs. 33 bu/a).


Over the next three issues, Shari Baker will be discussing subtle differences between funding sectors and detailing the most appropriate techniques for applying to each. In this issue she unpicks the 'narrative' proposal, often required by trusts and private funders.


4. Wrt human impacted, regulated flows we concede that impacts of dams etc. on river flow have not been accounted for in our model nor in this paper. Thus, all results presented refer to naturalised flow. We will state that more explicitly. In paper I, a brief analysis has been made, partially attributing the reduction of skill between theoretical and actual to the effect of dams and other man-made channel modifications.


A description of the small-scale fisheries of the coastal pelagic and demersal resources off Kribi, Cameroon, is presented. The major fishing grounds are within the estuarine zone, an area of high productivity. Catch estimates of 19.5 t year super(-1) and 6.5 t year super(-1) were obtained for the pelagic motorized and nonmotorized canoes, respectively, while estimates of 11 t year super(-1) were obtained for the demersal motorized canoes. The social benefits from these fisheries are also discussed.


Three published surveys with large reflectors and two additional, un-published surveys furnish homogeneous counts of nebulae to five different limiting magnitudes. The results of Mayall's study of the 36-inch Crossley plates at Mount Hamilton,I to m = 19.0, have been, adopted as published, except that latitude corrections for galactic obscuration have been applied to the counts in order to make them strictly comparable with the Mount Wilson data. The hour exposures only have been extracted from the Mount Wilson surveys2 with the 60-inch anA the 100-inch reflectors, and these counts to m = 19.4 and 20.0, respectively, have been reduced separately. The straight line, Uniform Distribution, is the relation log N (per square degree) = 0.6 m - 9.052, which represents uniform distribution with the density equal to that observed in the vicinity of the galactic system. The curve, Observed Relation, is a least-squares solution representing the mean results of the five surveys on the assumption that apparent departures from uniformity, when expressed as corrections to-the observed limiting magnitudes, are linear functions of the distance. The solution is log N = 0.6 (m - Am) - 9.052, where log Am = 0.2 (m - Am) - 4.239. The curve marked Departures exhibits the corrections, Am, as a function of the observed limiting magnitudes, m.


With the continuous reform and progress of education, the social education sector has paid more and more attention to the education in China. Based on the continuous increase of funds for speculative education in China, the construction projects of colleges and universities are also increasing. All kinds of university construction projects need huge capital operation. Therefore, the audit of university funds has become the focus of people. It is a new audit method to carry out the follow- up audit of university construction projects. The artificial auditing method is slow and can't meet the needs of university construction. In this paper, we use the network to build an information-based way of tracking audit.


The linkage between financial markets is the important manifestation of the spreading of risks in different financial markets. With related data from January 2011 to November 2019, and VAR, BEKK-GARCH and DCC-GARCH model, this paper empirically analyzes the linkage between Chinese and American stock markets and the foreign exchange market of RMB. The estimate results show that the United States has significant horizontal spillover effect on the Chinese stock market, and the volatility spillover effect of Chinese and American stock markets is significant and two-way, and the Chinese stock market has significant one-way volatility spillover for the foreign exchange market of RMB. Moreover, the linkage between Chinese and American stock markets and the foreign exchange market of RMB is significantly time-varying.


A combination of the lattice Boltzmann method and the most recently developed dynamic mode decomposition is proposed for stability analysis.The simulations are performed on a graphical processing unit.Stability of the flow past a cylinder at supercritical state,Re = 50,is studied by the combination for both the exponential growing and the limit cycle regimes.The Ritz values,energy spectrum,and modes for both regimes are presented and compared with the Koopman eigenvalues.For harmonic-like periodic flow in the limit cycle,global analysis from the combination gives the same results as those from the Koopman analysis.For transient flow as in the exponential growth regime,the combination can provide more reasonable results.It is demonstrated that the combination of the lattice Boltzmann method and the dynamic mode decomposition is powerful and can be used for stability analysis for more complex flows.


Treating severely disturbed adolescents in a residential setting without including the family seems impossible. Several ways of letting the family participate in the clinical treatment are discussed. The focus of this article lies in multiple family therapy: groups of family members, adolescents and staff are treating each other. The objects of these meetings are manifold: to modify the stereotyped views that all the participants have of each other, to reduce the isolation of the family which is created by their child's admission, to stimulate interaction and mutual correction between family members, adolescents and staff, and to create a warm-up for and understanding of family system therapy.

These multiple family sessions, which take place in a clinic with sixty disturbed adolescents, have a strong influence on the entire therapeutic process. Their impact is felt in the group psychotherapy, psychodrama and other forms of therapy.


Online harassment is becoming prevalent as a specific type of communication on Twitter. Considering the huge amount of user-generated tweets each day, the problem of detecting and possibly limiting these contents automatically in real-time is becoming a fundamental problem. But often real-world datasets are imbalanced, comprising predominantly of "normal" examples and less number of "abnormal" ones which causes the learning algorithm to simply generate a trivial classifier that classifies every example as the majority class. To tackle this problem, we use SMOTE to oversample the embeddings of the minority classes where the embeddings are obtained from the BERT pretrained language model. Finally, we use these oversampled embeddings to train our bi-directional LSTM classifier model to categorize the tweets into four classes: non-harassment, sexual harassment, physical harassment and indirect harassment. Our experiments show that using SMOTE on the top layer representations of BERT significantly improves the F1 score than merely adjusting the class weights.


Mobility is key to maintaining independence, especially as people age. Sustainable development goals focused on providing access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transportation for all by reducing number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. Providing transportation facilities for the elderly is an important part of sustainable transportation. This review assessed the mobility dynamics of the elderly with the aim of proffering sustainable solutions to the effective mobility of this unique set of individuals. Several literatures on mobility dynamics, travel behaviour and trip pattern of this unique set of people were assessed. The study showed that the use of public transport is influenced by distance in comparison with different modes of transport for the elderly. The review also established that distance is a function of the pendulum pattern. The mobility patterns of older people are influenced by various elements that depend on individual circumstances and state of health. Other factors that influenced mobility dynamics of the seniors as reviewed are age, gender, educational level, type of disability, income, residential area, availability of means of transport and built environment. The outcome of this review will aid transportation policy makers on the way-forward for effective and efficient mobility for the elderly now and in the foreseeable future towards a sustainable transportation system.


Eutrophication is a major water environmental problem in many countries. This study intends to introduce a basic methodology to assess water quality in natural water sources. Lake Sanaru in Japan and Lake Dianchi in China were used as case studies. We studied the pollution mechanisms in these two lakes by analyzing data from aqueous environmental samples and other related factors. Then, a simple and practical simulation model was proposed to express material balances around the two lakes of several constituents present in water. Material balance equations were used to calculate the internal productions of several constituents. Finally, purification methods and pollution loading for water quality targets were discussed.


Since the recognition of stabilization phenomenon of supercooled liquid in multi‐component metallic alloys without metalloid elements in 1988, a number of nonequilibrium alloys in a bulk form have been fabricated with the aim of clarifying the origin for its novel phenomenon and finding useful characteristics. This review deals with alloy systems in which the stabilization can be achieved, stabilization mechanism, and physical, chemical, mechanical and magnetic properties of the resulting glassy and nonequilibrium crystalline bulk alloys.


Aim: The aim of this article is to identify trends and determinants related to the development of the level of wages in Poland. The issue is important as the level of payment received by employees in return for their work is reflects the state of economic development. Design / Research methods: In the article data of average wages in Poland available in the Social Insurance Institution as well as the Central Statistical Office are presented and analyzed. Conclusions / findings: During the researched period (2004-2014), average real wage has systematically increased. This is a positive phenomenon, both from the point of view of an individual worker as well as the whole economy, as it indicates continued economic development of in Poland.


The knowledge economy, enabled by easier and faster electronic processing, has brought geography to the fore in the minds of a wide variety of users, from politicians, government, and the commercial sector and to the citizen. This appears to be a make or break moment for national mapping agencies involved in mapping and geography. Geographic information, more than mapping, is now in demand. This information needs to fulfill specific roles and needs for the people who use it, often by integrating with all kinds of existing information, such as client inventories, property information, and consumer services for "where is my nearest?" The Ordnance Survey (OS) embarked on a program to redevelop the existing National Topographic Database in the late 1990s and this is now being transformed with the release of the OS MasterMap based on the Digital National Framework, which is a conceptual model and standards for integrating geographic information. There are several parallels with The National Map being


The purpose of this paper is the presentation of temporal, frequential, and angular experimental studies of the acoustic scattering by two identical air‐filled elastic shells immersed in water. They are insonified by a quasiharmonic wave at normal incidence. The distance between the shells is about 1 to 3 diameters of one shell. The frequency range investigated corresponds to the whispering gallery wave resonances (l=2). The configuration considered is the eclipsed one: Emitter and shells are on the same axis. The complex structure of the backscattered temporal signal is analyzed and theoretically justified. According to the part of the temporal signal considered, different backscattering spectra are obtained and analyzed. The results are discussed in term of acoustic rays involving internal and external acoustic waves. In addition, a phenomenon of acoustic interference is clearly shown. At the resonance frequencies of one shell, the angular diagram shapes are justified and compared to those provided by a...


To better understand the dynamics of Fe2 + oxidation in facultative wastewater stabilization ponds, water samples from a three-pond system were taken throughout the period of transition from anoxic conditions with high aqueous Fe2 + levels in the early spring to fully aerobic conditions in late spring. Fe2 + levels showed a highly significant correlation with pH but were not correlated with dissolved oxygen (DO). Water column Fe2 + levels were modeled using the kinetic rate law for Fe2 + oxidation of Sung and Morgan.[ 5 ] The fitted kinetic coefficients were 5 ± 3 × 106 M− 2 atm− 1 min− 1; more than six orders of magnitude lower than typically reported. Comparison of four potential Fe redox couples demonstrated that the pε was at least 3–4 orders of magnitude higher than would be expected based on internal equilibrium. Surprisingly, measured nitrate and DO (when present) were typically consistent with both nitrate (from denitrification) and DO levels (from aerobic respiration) predicted from equilibrium. Although the hydrous Fe oxide/FeCO3 couple was closest to equilibrium and most consistent with the observed pH dependence (in contrast to predicted lepidocrocite), Fe2 + oxidation is kinetically hindered, resulting in up to 107-fold higher levels than expected based on both kinetic and equilibrium analyses.


A qualitative assessment of the performance of several holographic interferometry techniques for the formation of full field fringe patterns representative of individual displacement components is made. Typical interferograms obtained from surfaces undergoing various types of displacements are shown and discussed. Areas where practical problems exist are indicated and an estimation of the accuracies of the techniques given.


Advances in artificial intelligence have transformed the paradigm of human-computer interaction, with the development of conversational AI systems playing a pivotal role. These systems employ technologies such as natural language processing and machine learning to simulate intelligent and human-like conversations. Driven by the personal experience of an individual with a neuromuscular disease who faces challenges with leaving home and contends with limited hand-motor control when operating digital systems, including conversational AI platforms, we propose a method aimed at enriching their interaction with conversational AI. Our prototype allows the creation of multiple agent personas based on hobbies and interests, to support topic-based conversations. In contrast with existing systems, such as Replika, that offer a 1:1 relation with a virtual agent, our design enables one-to-many relationships, easing the process of interaction for this individual by reducing the need for constant data input. We can imagine our prototype potentially helping others who are in a similar situation with reduced typing/input ability.


Dipyrrolylpyrazole 3, obtained from l,3-di-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)propane-1,3-dione (2), was prepared as a building block for pyrazole-based binuclear expanded porphyrins. An unusual transformation of 2, in solution or on chromatography, afforded l,3,3-tri-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (4) in good yield. HRMS indicated the presence of an unstable pyrazole-based expanded porphyrin 1 and its trinuclear Mg derivative 5 on condensation of 3 with benzaldehyde.


We present a practical implementation of a fully unsupervised disease progression model [10]. The implementation utilizes all new components we developed for generic use in Bayesian disease progression modeling. It improves upon [10] by providing a more informative fully Bayesian approach and a faster inference algorithm. The implementation is completely built on the pyMC3 open-source library making it easy to extend the model and apply to new settings. 1 Disease Progression Models Traditionally, disease severity and progression have been assessed manually by physicians using guidelines such as the GOLD criteria for COPD [6]. These guidelines are typically based on rules applied to the patient's biomarkers, demographics, and other data easily extracted from health records. The sub-area of machine learning called disease progression modeling (DPM) focuses on automating this process [5]. Automation leads to more accurate diagnoses and optimal treatment paths which can literally be the difference between life and death as in the case of coagulopathy patients [9]. More broadly, we expect that algorithms that learn disease progression models from electronic health records will lead to new insights on the progression of rare and difficult to stage chronic diseases, guiding both clinical practice and medical research. 2 Bayesian Models and pyMC3 Bayesian networks provide a natural framework for modeling disease progression. They allow for the flexible modeling of "hidden states" which often arise in medical scenarios where measurements are simply proxies for variables of interest. Furthermore, Bayesian posteriors provide a full description of parameters of interest as oppose to point estimates and simple confidence intervals. Several examples of Bayesian network models for disease progression exist in the literature [1, 2, 4, 7, 10]. pyMC3 is a Python module that provides a unified and comprehensive framework for fitting Bayesian models using MCMC [8]. pyMC3's key strength is its modularity and extensibility: ran∗Research performed while interning at Evidation Health


The purpose of this paper is to explore the critical success factor for implementing standards, best practices and codes of ethics, what their benefits are when implemented and how they impact the quality of information technology (IT) services. Through extensive literature review and interview with experts in the field we identified instrumental determinants. The structural equation model (SEM) has been used on the case of IT departments in large Slovenian companies to test the hypotheses presented. The study is based on 102 responses from IT managers in large Slovenian companies. Research findings confirmed a positive correlation between used factors. DOI: 10.15458/85451.39


e14094 Background: Role of KRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations in pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been mostly clarified. In this population-based study, we investigated the incidence rates and roles for such somatic mutations in genetically isolated population of Sardinia. Methods: From April 2009 to July 2011, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues (n=478) were prospectively collected from Sardinian CRC patients at clinics across the entire island. Genomic DNA was isolated from tissue sections and screened for mutations in KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA genes by automated DNA sequencing. Results: Overall, KRAS tumor mutation rate was 30% (145/478 positive cases). Distribution of mutation carriers was however different within the island: 87/204 (43%) in North Sardinia vs. 58/274 (21%) in Middle-South Sardinia (p=0.023). Among 384 CRC cases whose DNA was available, only one (0.3%) mutation in BRAF gene was observed; conversely, PIK3CA was found mutated in 158/384 (41%) patients. An inverse distribution o...


The extracellular concentration of pyrophosphate (PPi) is increased by the activity of proteins like ectonucleotidepyrophosphatase/ phsophodiesterase (ENPP1) and progressive alkalosis protein homolog (ANKH), whereas the concentration of PPi is decreased by tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) through hydrolysis. Since PPi prevents calcium-phosphate deposition, ANKH and ENPP1 inhibit tissue mineralization and TNAP enhances mineralization. The presence of the inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1 (IL-1)β alters expression of important regulatory proteins in many cells. The objective was to determine the effect of IL-1β on the gene expression of ANKH and ENPP1 in bovine Nucleus pulposus (bNP) cells, and the importance of vitamin C.A dose-dependent increase in calcium staining of TNAP-transduced bNP cell cultures was observed with alizarin red, indicating increased calcium deposition in the matrix at 3 and 7 days when treated with IL-1β. A dose-dependent decrease in the transcripts for the pyrophosphate regulating proteins ANKH and ENPP1 was also observed with IL1β treatment in cultured naïve cells. A possible cause of the enhancement in matrix mineralization seen with IL-1β treatment is this downregulation of ANKH and ENPP1 transcript in bovine NP cells treated with IL-1β. The expression of both in cells treated with 2ng/mL IL-1β is statistically lower than the untreated cells at 1 day. However, only in the presence of vitamin C do we see a sustained decrease in gene expression. ANKH has been implicated in several studies as an important protein for homeostasis and maintenance of the cell phenotype. ENPP1 expression could also be important in the NP niche. We show IL-1β down-regulates expression of ANKH and ENPP1 which could play a significant role in pathology of DDD, and vitamin C prolongs this response.


Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of requirement for the degree
of MA (Counseling Psychology) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2009.


Pneumatic tire of the present invention, in one of the carcass plies, the crown (crown) the carcass at least one belt arranged on the radially outer side of the fly-fly at the portion of the tire, and a side wall part located adjacent to the carcass ply tire load provide support for the includes at least one insert, which allows to work in a less expanded (underinflated) state the tire. The carcass ply is composed of one or more complex code. Composite code 2 with at least around the first yarn (yarn) The yarn made of one or more second twisted spirally. The use of claim 1 and a second live gatdoe a different modulus of elasticity, the first's modulus greater than the modulus of the second yarn.


In the presence of very substantial increasing returns, freedom (such as in the choice of jobs or the place of residency) and fairness (horizontal equity) may be inconsistent with the attainment of (vertical) equity (interpersonal equalization of marginal welfare of income) and/or efficiency, even abstracting from familiar factors (incentive effects, administrative costs) accounting for the equity-efficiency trade-off. The imposition of congestion taxes on urban residency or the offer of high salaries to attract volunteer soldiers may achieve an efficient division of the population consistent with freedom and fairness but is unlikely to coincide with the equalization of the marginal welfare of income. This conflict may partly explain the urban–rural segregation in China and the prevalence of conscription in many countries. Needless to say, it does not justify most illiberal policies.


Magneto-oscillations due to a minority carrier two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the base of a bipolar quantum-well resonant tunneling transistor at liquid helium temperatures are described. The 2DEG forms in a wide (20 nm) setback layer adjacent to an abrupt emitter/base heterojunction, often used in conventional HBTs as well as in the BiQuaRTT. The 2DEG has unusual capacitive effects at low temperature, since the sheet density increases to a maximum near 10/sup 12/ /cm/sup 2/ at flat-band conditions, then decreases at higher emitter/base bias. The high-mobility 2DEG accounts for the high lateral recombination, but may allow an effective reduction of base resistance, improving the high frequency response.


Hollow Concrete Blocks (HCBs) are manufactured by using coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, cement and water. We have made an attempt to replace conventional materials by concrete waste materials (CWMs) in the manufacture of HCBs. In this present work, we report the manufacture of HCBs by the replacement of coarse aggregates with 10% and 20 % of CWMs which were obtained from the construction site at Adama city, Ethiopia. The samples were cured for a curing period of 14 days and tested for their compressive strength, block density, water absorption, weight loss, dimension, tolerance and moisture movement. The results observed were found to be positive in response compared to the existing HCBs, with 40 % increase in compressive strength, 16% reduction in water absorption and 11% increase in weight for the sample with 20% of CWMs. It was also observed that there is no difference in block density and moisture movement which indicates that shrinkage is almost similar to that of existing HCBs. The major component of the manufactured HCBs was found to be calcite as confirmed by XRD patterns. The HCB can use be used for the construction purpose.


Abstract Copolymerization of methyl 2-cyano-3-phenyl-2-propenoate (MCP) and 2-phenyl-1,1-dicyanoethene (PDE) with ethyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, 2-chloroethyl, and phenyl vinyl ethers in broad ranges of comonomer ratios always produces copolymers of an equimolar composition. The alternating structure of these copolymers was established by elemental analysis and by infrared, 1H− and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Microstructure analysis of the copolymer of PDE and phenyl vinyl ether, as deduced from 1H and NOESY 13C-NMR data, demonstrated the formation of alternating monomer structures with different orientations of the monomer units. Additional characterization of the copolymers was carried out by DSC and TGA. The order of decreasing T g values, ethyl > phenyl > 2-chloroethyl >i-butyl >n-butyl vinyl ether, is the same for both MCP and PDE.


The Ministerial Council on Gambling is comprised of the Ministers responsible for gambling in each State and Territory Government and the Australian Government. The objective of the Council is to minimise the adverse consequences of problem gambling via the exchange of information on responsible gambling measures and by acting as a forum for discussion and facilitation of the development of an effective interventions framework.


Many modern communication and smart devices are equipped with several microphones, in addition to one or more loudspeakers. Each microphone not only acquires sounds produced in the near-end room, i.e., desired near-end speech, background noise, and other interferences, but also a far-end signal that is reproduced by the loudspeaker(s). This particular type of acoustic coupling, commonly denoted as acoustic echo, can be reduced in a distortionless manner by employing multi-microphone acoustic echo cancellation (MM-AEC) techniques. However, under noisy conditions, the performance of AEC is limited by the echo-to-noise ratio, and additional echo reduction is needed. Further, to ensure high-quality end-to-end communication in noisy environments, background noise has to be reduced as well. To achieve the latter, multi-microphone speech enhancement techniques, such as beamforming (BF), are often used as they are capable of reducing undesired signal components while causing little distortion to the desired near-end speech. In spite of its high computational cost, the most effective solution to reduce acoustic echoes and background noise is to cascade MM-AEC and BF. In this work, a low-complexity multi-microphone echo controller is introduced, which not only combines low-complexity MM-AEC with BF, but also integrates residual echo reduction into the beamformer design.