Using the static game theory,based on the general contractor and subcontractors co-production model,the benefits of general contractor and subcontractors in various strategic choices were analyzed.Two equilibriums were obtained which are the general contractor cannot cooperate and the subcontractors cannot cooperate,and the general contractor cannot cooperate but the subcontractors cooperate.The analysis results show that the short-term co-production model seeking maximum benefits in single project is not helpful for achieving the general goals.Therefore,the long-term cooperation mechanism between the general contractor and subcontractors should be established.The external supervision mechanism in the construction phase should be set up and improved.This study provides the important basis for the healthy development of the co-production model and for the cooperative relationship decision making for construction enterprises.


A growing body of research has documented the role of select users and customers in influencing the design of new products. A major impetus for this study was the observation that practitioners, as well as professionals in research and development groups, are an important source in the production and dissemination of knowledge for innovation. Neville Johnson and Warren Brown carried out a field study in a medium-sized school district to examine the innovative practices and use of innovative knowledge by practitioners, in this case, junior and senior high school language arts teachers. The article concludes with a series of recommendations to improve the innovation performance of professional groups.


The type-k disturbance observer, known as 'high order disturbance observer', is a variant of disturbance observer which contains an internal model for polynomial-in-time disturbances so that it can reject those disturbances exactly as well as unmodelled low frequency disturbances approximately. This paper presents a systematic design procedure for the type-k disturbance observer so that the closed-loop system is robustly internally stable and at the same time polynomial-in-time disturbances are rejected exactly. To develop the procedure, we employ the Kharitonov theorem and a root-locus based design tool to deal with the uncertain plant parameters explicitly, and as a result it is guaranteed that one can always find a solution step by step even if the uncertain parameters belong to an arbitrarily large (but bounded) set.


We consider resource management problems in multi-user wireless networks, which can be cast as optimizing a network-wide utility function, subject to constraints on the long-term average performance of users across the network. We propose a state-augmented algorithm for solving the aforementioned radio resource management (RRM) problems, where, alongside the instantaneous network state, the RRM policy takes as input the set of dual variables corresponding to the constraints, which evolve depending on how much the constraints are violated during execution. We theoretically show that the proposed state-augmented algorithm leads to feasible and near-optimal RRM decisions. Moreover, focusing on the problem of wireless power control using graph neural network (GNN) parameterizations, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed RRM algorithm over baseline methods across a suite of numerical experiments.


Berck and Bible (1984) have suggested a solution approach for harvest scheduling problems based on the Dantzig-Wolfe (1960) decomposition algorithm. We first expose the fact that the area constraints in their problem possess a network structure, requiring the solution of a single longest path problem, and show that the elegant closed-form solution derived by Berck and Bible is precisely a readily obtained longest path solution. Moreover, we show that when additional variable bounds are imposed, the network structure remains exploitable (...)


Abstract: Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is related to the role of seed dispersal agents in realizing the reproductive potential of plants through seed dispersal and subsequent plant recruitment. The SDE of a given seed disperser may vary spatially and temporally, with important implications for our understanding of the mutualistic relationships involving plants and frugivores. Here we observed 22 frugivorous bird species visiting an individual tree (Cabralea canjerana) over a 9-y period in a fragment of Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil to document the temporal variation in SDE. The quantitative (that takes into account the frequency of feeding visits to the focal plant and the number of fruits removed per visit) and qualitative (that considers the probability of seed deposition on a suitable site for plant recruitment) components of SDE varied in two and one order of magnitude both among bird species and among years within bird species, respectively. As a result, the SDE of bird species fluctuates over the years, especially for a migratory species that is the main seed disperser of C. canjerana (Chivi vireo Vireo chivi) whose quantitative component (i.e. the product of visit and fruit intake rates) varied from 3.0 to 7.1. This study illustrates the dynamic nature of the seed-dispersal environment to which a plant is subjected to over the course of its life, which has important consequences for the plant's individual fitness.


The influence of index contrast variations for obtaining single-mode operation and low threshold in dye doped polymer two dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) lasers is investigated. We consider lasers made from Pyrromethene 597 doped Ormocore imprinted with a rectangular lattice PhC having a cavity in the middle of the crystal structure. We demonstrate that the index contrast, neff,high/neff,low, is an essential parameter for achieving low threshold, and we identify a trade-off between low threshold and single-mode operation.


Ten years ago the San Diego light rail transit (LRT) system opened for business after 4 years of planning, design, and construction. The initial system included only the basics, a 15.9-mi (25.6-km) single-track line with three passing tracks operating at 20-min headways. The total vehicle fleet consisted of 14 light rail vehicles operating in two-car trains. Today the San Diego LRT system has undergone four separate expansions resulting in a doubling of the system to over 35 route-mi (56.3 km). Seven more mi (11.3 km) are under construction, with another 28 mi (45 km) in various stages of preliminary engineering and final design. By the year 2005 the overall system is expected to operate over 90 route-mi (144.8 km). Although the basic philosophy of low cost, high speed, and primarily at-grade is still the foundation of the design process, 10 years of design experience, together with changing socioeconomic conditions, have resulted in the design approach being modified to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding LRT system. Experience has taught lessons that have been incorporated in subsequent design efforts.


Business model innovation (BMI) is the process of integrating a new logic of doing business into an established firm to improve profitability or to capitalise on new business opportunities. However, existing research offers only limited clarity on BMI compared to business model upgrades or a specific product innovation. From a body of extant literature, we develop a BMI identification tool which is then tested by senior managers from four large European corporations to assess whether innovation efforts represent BMI. The tool operationalises BMI and offers straightforward criteria and indicators to assist researchers but especially practitioners at accelerating BMI in established firms. This paper closes with recommendations for future research and limitations.


Over the rapid technological developments in the field of business especially now a lot of companies that create delivery services goods. With various bustle owned, service users delivery of goods more want something practical, fast, and economical especially for local communities urban areas. In perform delivery services goods  main concern is the time and cost efficiency, by sending goods via freight, of course we expect the optimal route in order to arrive on time and do not takes a lot of travel expenses such as gasoline. The shortest route problem is a classic problem often encountered in daily life in various sectors of life, including in the field of transportation. This problem becomes an important issue because it deals with the problem minimizing the cost and time required efficiency. Shortest path is the search for the shortest route or path between nodes that exist in graph. Cost generated is minimum. the shortest path is one problem that can be solved by using graph. if given a weighted graph, the shortest path problem is how do we seek a path in the graph that minimizes the weighted sum forming the side of the track. (arix oyouz: 2013). Transport is one of the most important part in our daily lives that will enable us to reach the place of destination faster and eficient. Transport users in his journey would require so much faster shortest path to the place of destination and it takes a lot of time and transport costs


The nurse's job? The nurse's task? No, that was not right. I was trying to find a synonym for 'role', because in the piece I was writing I had used the word twice already. So I asked my husband. What did he come up with? 'Bap', 'bun' and 'teacake', which goes to show that you can take the Yorkshireman out of Yorkshire, but never Yorkshire out of the man.


The deformation and fracture behaviour of AISI 403, a tempered martensitic stainless steel for end fitting application of Pressurised heavy water reactor is being reported. The deformation behaviour studies entailed characterisation of tensile behaviour in the temperature range 77 - 873 K for the as recieved and the fine grained Nb modified variant of AISI 403. the study of elevated tensile behaviour in the two steels has been undertaken with the purpose of characterising the strain rate - temperature domain of the occurrence of dynamic strain aging (DSA) phenomenon. In both steels, while the temperature range for the manifestations of characteristic anomalies in the tensile curve due to DSA was observed within 523 - 673K, the strain domain for the fine grained Nb modfied variety was significantly higher as comapred with the as recievied variety. The low temperature tensile tests for the as recieved AISI 403 revealed the presence of Pseudo=alloy softening in the temperature range 273 - 193 K. The effect of high DBTT of the AISI 403 steel was shown by the fracture toughness tests in the J-integral format at room temperature that displayed significant scatter in smaples with high in-plane and out of plane constraint. Smaples with lower constraint showing stable crack growth were further tested at high temperature to obtain the temperature dependence of initiation fracture toughness and propagation touhgness. Within the DSA tempertaures a sharp decline in the fracture properties were observed. A mechanistic interpretation for the manifestations of the various observed phenomena is presented.


Second-order detection of malware is frequently more effective than traditional malware detection in that it operates on the basis of a heavily influenced malware behavior. In this paper, we advance second-order detection of webcam spyware through an approach that aims at reaching their behavior at a greater than before depth. We propose decoy user space activity, along with a case study of it, namely a decoy security protocol, to involve malware in a series of interactions that lead them towards accessing a decoy I/O device, i.e. a decoy webcam in this case. In practical terms, decoy user space activity is delivered by a coherent ensemble of decoy I/O devices and decoy processes. This work makes decoy user space activity and decoy I/O indistinguishable from their real counterparts, and therefore increases uncertainty in malware operations on a compromised machine to benefit their detection.


Simulation is a powerful analytical tool which facilitates an investigation of financial risk through the examination of repeated outcomes from the same model. It is not, however, an easy matter to use simulation in a property investment context due to the existence of complex relationships between the fundamental components (such as the periodic cash flows, vacancy rates, letting up periods and capitalization rates). Seeks to examine a simple investment scenario in which the variations in net annual cash flows and final capitalization rate determine the overall viability of the investment. Shows that the relationship between these two variables and between the net annual cash flows over time significantly increases the investment′s risk. The use of asymmetric variables to describe these property characteristics is also discussed as are the interpretation of "expected" outcomes as either the "average" and the "most likely" result. These are all critical considerations if the simulation model is to provide...


The influence of Sb content, substrate type and cap layers on the quantum anomalous Hall effect observed in V-doped (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ magnetic topological insulators is investigated. Thin layers showing excellent quantization are reproducibly deposited by molecular beam epitaxy at growth conditions effecting a compromise between controlled layer properties and high crystalline quality. The Sb content can be reliably determined from the in-plane lattice constant measured by X-ray diffraction, even in thin layers. This is the main layer parameter to be optimized in order to approach charge neutrality. Within a narrow range at about 80% Sb content, the Hall resistivity shows a maximum of about 10 k$\Omega$ at 4 K and quantizes at mK temperatures. Under these conditions, thin layers grown on Si(111) or InP(111) and with or without a Te cap exhibit quantization. The quantization persists independently of the interfaces between cap, layer and substrate, the limited crystalline quality, and the degradation of the layer proving the robustness of the quantum anomalous Hall effect.


Suppose that at any stage of a statistical experiment a control variable X that affects the distribution of the observed data Y can be used. The distribution of Y depends on some unknown parameter �, and we consider the classical problem of testing a simple hypothesis H0 : � = �0 against a simple alternative H1 : � = �1 allowing the data to be controlled by X, in the following sequential context. The experiment starts with assigning a value X1 to the control variable and observing Y1 as a response. After some analysis, we choose another value X2 for the control variable, and observe Y2 as a response, etc. It is supposed that the experiment eventually stops, and at that moment a final decision in favour of H0 or H1 is to be taken. In this article, our aim is to characterize the structure of optimal sequential procedures, based on this type of data, for testing a simple hypothesis against a simple alternative. Mathematics Subject Classification: 62L10, 62L15, 60G40, 62C99, 93E20


It looks as if Brazil has found herself, finally. To have a law journal such as the Fordham International Law Journal dedicate one of its five yearly issues to a newly-elected president of a Latin American country is homage in itself. The fact that the chosen country is Brazil would have to be considered by the Brazilians as a meritorious decision. Further, to have a man like our new President, Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, as the focus of the Journal's attention is certainly interesting.


Nipah virus is a pleomorphic virus that causes high mortality with unpredictable outbreaks. The virus also shows high zoonotic potential with long term neurological damage after recovery further adding to the disease burden. An in-silico epitope-based vaccine offers a promising solution to supplement wider efforts to control the viral spread. This is achieved through immunoinformatics approach using a plethora of servers available. We derived cytotoxic T-cell, T-Helper, B-cell and IFN-γ targeting epitopes from surface glycoprotein G. Cytotoxic T-cell specific epitopes, HLA-B*4402, chimeric multiepitope vaccine structures were prepared using homology modelling method. The structures were validated using various methods and docking simulation was performed between epitopes and HLA-B*4402. Similarly, the vaccine construct was docked to Toll like receptor-4 and a molecular dynamics simulation was performed to assess stability of interaction. Both the docking simulations showed stable interactions with their respective receptors. Immune-simulation was carried out to validate the efficacy of vaccine candidate which showed elevated levels of antibodies such as IgM and IgG due to increase in active B cell population. Both in-vitro and in-vivo serological analysis is required for confirmation of vaccine potency. To facilitate this effort, codon optimization was undertaken to remove existing codon bias. The optimized gene sequence was cloned into the PUC19 vector to express in Escherichia coli K12 strain. Additionally, a poly histidine (6xHis) tag was added at the C-terminal end to ease the purification step. The immune-informatics approach hopes to accelerate vaccine development process to reduce the risk of attenuation while increasing the success rates of pre-clinical trials.


In this work a new image reconstruction technique for imaging two- and three-phase flows using electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) has been developed. A brief review on reconstruction techniques developed recently for ECT is also given. The reconstruction technique proposed here is based on multi-criterion optimization using an analogue neural network, hereafter referred to as neural network multi-criteria optimization image reconstruction (NN-MOIRT). The reconstruction technique is a combination between a multi-criterion optimization image reconstruction technique for linear tomography, and the so-called linear back projection (LBP) technique commonly used for capacitance tomography. The multi-criterion optimization image reconstruction problem is solved using Hopfield model dynamic neural network computing. For three-component imaging, the single-step sigmoid function in the Hopfield networks is replaced by a double-step sigmoid function, allowing the neural computation to converge to three distinct stable regions in the output space corresponding to the three components, enabling differentiation among the single phases. The technique has been tested on a capacitance data set obtained from simulated measurement as well as experiment using a 12-electrode sensor. The performance of the technique has been compared with other commonly used iterative techniques, i.e. iterative linear back projection technique (ILBP) and the simultaneous image reconstruction technique (SIRT) for two-phase system imaging, and has shown great improvements in the accuracy and the consistency as compared with those techniques. The technique has also shown the capability of three-phase image reconstruction with high accuracy.


With the growth of large urban centers, some problems arise and solutions must be sought to contain them. In this context, traffic congestion is one such problem, where road infrastructure does not follow the high growth in the number of vehicles. Traffic Management Systems (TMS) arise to mitigate traffic-related problems, with automatic detection of slow roadways and vehicle rerouting to avoid such routes. Such applications are supported by the Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs), where traffic information are disseminated between the vehicles or central server, and thus the better decisions about traffic management can be made. However, the data dissemination in VANETs is a challenging task, due to the short-range communication and high node mobility. Thus, this paper introduces a protocol for Data Dissemination based on Metrics of Complex Networks, called CRONOS. It provides data dissemination of traffic data with low overhead and high coverage. Simulation results show that CRONOS reduced the number of transmissions by 95%, the congestion time by 48.95%, and travel time by 18.11% for a TMS application.


My home is good to be in, in so many wonderful ways. How did it also become my place of work? Do I want it to continue to be my working life?


Pumping-induced normal fault reactivation and the resultant ground fracture have been observed in faulted basins worldwide, but the process and mechanism are poorly understood thus far. In this study, we conducted centrifuge model tests to investigate and analyze these issues. Two simplified faulted models, Models 1 and 2, were developed based on an actual event that occurred in the Beijing Plain, China. Our model tests reproduced the pumping-induced normal fault reactivation, characterized by localized hanging wall subsidence with new fault scarp formation in the models. The monitoring results showed that water table decline drastically accelerated uneven subsidence. Although the deformation pattern did not respond to variations in the material properties of the hanging wall and footwall, the magnitude of the reactivated normal faulting was influenced. The maximum vertical offset in Model 2 was much larger than that in Model 1 due to a larger compression modulus in the hanging wall and footwall in Model 2. Furthermore, the reactivation mechanism was revealed based on Anderson's faulting theory. Normal faulting occurs once the maximum principal stress becomes vertical and the intermediate and minimum principal stresses become horizontal. Groundwater pumping increases the effective stress, leading to the addition of vertical stress and the resultant normal fault reactivation. Our findings provide a better understanding of human interactions with the Earth's surface and are helpful for mitigating faulting-caused disasters.


The paper presents a new technique for unknown metamorphic viruses' detection. It is based on the analysis of the potentially suspicious behavior of the programs on the host. The novelty of the contribution is that, the analysis is performed via the comparison of the functional blocks of the disassembled code before and after program's emulation, which is executed within the modified emulators installed on each host of the network. The conclusion about the similarity of the suspicious program to the metamorphic virus program is performed by the means of the fuzzy inference system. In order to provoke possible presence of the metamorphic virus other hosts of the network are involved in the detection process. Thus, experimentally it was shown that level of metamorphic viruses' demonstration increases with the number of hosts.


An array of numerical simulations of the equation of transport were performed using the adsorption isotherm equation proposed by Zhu and Gu, and a simple cubic polynomial. The COMSOL implementation, was in 1D, where the solutes are injected from one face of a homogeneous, isotropic core (small sample of reservoir rock); the concentration of the injected surfactant is kept constant during all the simulation. The spatial distribution of the adsorption of solutes along the rock core was investigated. The main idea is to attempt to understand the numerical effects of varying several features of the modeling of the transport equation.


During the last decade leukemia and lymphomas have been a hot topic in the biomedical area. Their diagnosis is a time-consuming task that, in many cases, delays treatments. On the other hand, discrete orthogonal moments (DOMs) are a tool recently introduced in biomedical image analysis. Here, we propose a combination of DOMs to help in the diagnosis of leukemia and lymphomas. We classify the IICBU2008-lymphoma dataset that includes three hematologic malignancies: chronic lymphocytic leukemia, follicular lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma. Our methodology analyzes such diseases in the hema-toxylin and eosin color space. We also include feature analysis to preserve the most discriminating characteristics of the malignant tissues. Finally, the classification of the samples is performed with kernel Fisher discriminant analysis. The accuracy is 93.85%. The results show the proposal could be useful in different biomedical applications.


The effects of linear inertia on the action of the squeeze film between two parallel annular plates,when the upper plate moved normal to itself and approached the lower plate with uniform velocity,were theoretically investigated using the method of regular purturbation Expressions for pressure,load capacity and squeeze time were obtained. For the same annular plates, pressure, load capacityand squeeze time were found to increase with the linear inertia.


"Sensory characterization is one of the most powerful, sophisticated and extensively applied tools in sensory science. This book focuses on sensory characterization of food and non-food products, providing an overview of classical and novel alternative methodologies. A complete description of the methodologies would be provided. Each description would be accompanied by detailed information for their implementation, discussion of examples of applications and case-studies. The implementation of the majority of the methodologies would be performed in the statistical free software R, which would make the book very useful for people non-familiar with complex statistical software"--


The presence of gas hydrates along the Indian continental margins has been inferred mainly from bottom simulating reflection (BSR) and the gas stability zone thickness map by many scientists ( Ramna M.V. et al,2006,Rastogi A et al,1999). Gas hydrate accumulation has been established in KG basin with the help of gas hydrates related proxies inferred from multidisciplinary investigations( Ramna M.V. et al,2006) . In the present study, BSR like features are noticed during the analysis of conventional 3D seismic data of Mahanadi deep water basin. It shows huge aerial extent of the order of 250Sqkm in central part of the area. It shows all the characteristics of classical BSR such as mimicking the seafloor, cutting across the underlying and overlying dipping strata and exhibiting large amplitude but opposite polarity event with respect to sea floor reflection. The BSRs are present to specific area where there is low/depositional centre at Pleistocene level. There might have been biogenic gas generated in that area and under suitable temperature and pressure condition it might have been transformed into hydrates. Coherency inversion of PSTM gathers shows definite inversion of interval velocity across BSR indicating free gas below it. However AVO studies did not show significant anomalies, further data analysis form AVO point of view is required. Full wave form inversion of seismic data is suggested to arrive at velocity-depth profile across BSRs. An integrated study of geophysical, geological, geochemical and microbiological data is proposed to establish the gas hydrate reserve in the area which might be very huge reserve.


Polygonum cuspidatum is commonly used as a traditional medicine for promoting blood circulation and relieving pain,clearing heat and detoxifying. Modern pharmacological researches show that Polygonum cuspidatum and its extract resveratrol have a certain protective effect on liver cancer. Professor SUN Guizhi commonly used Tenghu Decoction,which contains Polygonum cuspidatum,for treating liver cancer effectively. Further to facilitate the study of Polygonum cuspidatum relevant pharmacology,and promote its clinical application and development of new medicines,this article reviews the research progress of Polygonum cuspidatum and its extract resveratrol from anti hepatoma in the area of anti mutation,inhibiting proliferation,chemotherapeutic sensitization,inducing differentiation of tumor cells,inducing tumor cell apoptosis,regulation of cell cycle,inhibition of tumor angiogenesis,anti tumor cell invasion and metastasis.


A study of the spectroscopy and photophysics of thiophene−fluorene oligomers as well as the respective molecules incorporated in polyesters are reported. The same oligomers having carbonyl groups at both ends of the molecules have also been studied. These molecules provide a better correlation with their corresponding polyesters. The first absorption band of each derivative can be assigned to the S1 ← S0 electronic transition computed from ZINDO/S calculations performed on the optimized geometries (HF/6-31G*). This transition corresponds mainly to the promotion of an electron from the HOMO to the LUMO and is strongly allowed and polarized along the long axis of the molecular frame. The insertion of alkyl lateral chains at the 3-position of the thiophene rings caused a torsion of the backbone of the oligomers, which induces a blue shift of the absorption band. From fluorescence data, it is observed that a more planar conformation is favored in the relaxed excited states. The increase of the oligomer chain ...


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a simulation and realization of the different types of chaotic attractors using the generalized Chua's circuit equations.Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents n+n‐scroll and 2D n‐scroll chaotic attractors by introducing multiple breakpoints to the nonlinearity. Two piece‐wise linear elements controlled with x‐ and y‐state space variables are used. Chaotic scrolls are originated through both x‐ and y‐axes. The current feedback operational amplifiers are preferred in the experimental circuits because of their wide bandwidth.Findings – It is possible to increase the number of the scrolls in two directions by varying the number of breakpoints in the piece‐wise linear characteristics or changing the location of equilibrium points of the system on 2D‐plane. Theoretically developed behaviors are also experimentally tested.Originality/value – The excellent adaptation is observed between theoretical and experimental results. This paper also provides use...


ABSTRACT Classroom discourse is an interdisciplinary area of study that contributes to multiple domains of knowledge, including pedagogy, teacher training, second language acquisition, and communities of practice, to name a few. As classroom discourse continues to grow and evolve, so too have the approaches used by scholars to investigate the discourse in classroom discourse. The current special issue represents one of several noteworthy approaches to discourse that continues to make an impact in the literature. Namely, contributors to the special issue consider why it is important to take a critical perspective beyond the interests of the micro discursive features of teaching and learning. Collectively, the contributions make connections between the teaching and learning that occurs within a classroom space and wider societal factors that come to shape such discourses.


Objective:To investigate whether initial periodontal therapy may affect the presence of oral Helicobacter pylori(Hp),and to compare the genotype of Helicobacter pylori in oral cavity and that in stomach. Method:6 patients with gastric Hp and periodontitis were enrolled in this study. DNA sequence of PCR products of 5 patients and 1 Hp infected patients relative was compared and analyzed. Result:An identical sequence of oral and stomach Hp was found in one patient, most likely identical in 1 case,difference of 1-4 bases in 2 cases.In one case and his family oral Hp showed 3 different types of DNA sequences. Conclusion:There may be multi-Hp strain existing in oral cavity.Oral colonization of Hp may imply that there is a risk of the relapses of gastric and duodental Hp infection.


Introduction Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a class of additive brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in polystyrene foams and textile products, has been manufactured worldwide because of its remarkable flame retardancy. However, there is growing concern about whether its consumption should be prohibited in that HBCD has been recently reviewed not only as one of the candidate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention but also labeled amongst the Type I Monitoring Chemical Substance of the Chemical Substances Control Law, Japan. Monitoring survey of HBCD in biotic and abiotic environment has been done extensively over the past two decades. Furthermore, photolytically mediated loss of HBr from HBCD to form pentabromocyclododecenes (PBCDs) and tetrabromocyclododecadienes (TBCDs) has been reported in abiotic environment 1 , which attracted interest in its degradation products.


This thesis describes and assesses the preparation of Athens International Airport for and its performance during the Olympic Games in 2004. The analysis includes infrastructural modifications made and organizational restructuring processes undertaken. It also describes the rationale behind some of the decisions, as well as the implementation of certain specific measures. The time-frame of the preparations stretches from the very strategic beginnings, the forecasting, to the actual management of passenger flows during the Games. The focus of the thesis is on the transportation of the Olympic Family Members, i.e. athletes, sponsors, and VIP's. Finally, the thesis incorporates lessons learned from the Athens Olympic Games. Thesis Supervisor: Amedeo Odoni Title: T. Wilson (1953) Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering


Early estimates of failure-proneness can be used to help inform decisions on testing, refactoring, design rework etc. Often such early estimates are based on code metrics like churn and complexity. But such estimates of software quality rarely make their way into a mainstream tool and find industrial deployment. In this paper we discuss about the Tempest tool that uses statistical failure-proneness models based on code complexity and churn metrics across the Microsoft Windows code base to identify failure-prone binaries early in the development process. We also present the tool architecture and its usage as of date at Microsoft.


Acetaminophen is a widely used oral analgesic and antipyretic medication; however, quality control parameters may differ across various brands. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare critical quality attributes, including in-vitro dissolution characteristics, of five acetaminophen tablet brands (labeled A–E) from the Saudi market and determine their pharmaceutical equivalence. All brands were tested for conformity with the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) standards, through evaluation of weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration, and dissolution. Dissolution profiles were compared using model-dependent and independent approaches relative to the innovator brand A (Panadol). All tested brands passed the weight variation and friability tests with deviations of less than 5% from the average weight and less than 1% weight loss, respectively, with the exception of brand C showing relatively higher friability (1.13%). All brands displayed variable disintegration times; however, all were compliant with USP specifications. All studied tablets released less than 80% of the drug within 30 minutes; however, brands B and C had lower drug release rates, area under the curve (AUC), and dissolution efficiency (DE) compared with the innovator. Brand E, on the other hand, had a higher drug release rate, AUC, DE, and mean dissolution time (MDT), and thus was pharmaceutically inequivalent to the innovator. All tested brands exhibited a non swellable matrix diffusion-controlled dissolution as assessed by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model of drug-release kinetics. In conclusion, all acetaminophen brands were able to pass USP specifications to justify interchangeability. Minor variations in in-vitro dissolution characteristics could reflect inherent manufacturing compounding differences.


It is often uncomfortable for disabled individuals, especially those with vision impairment, to conduct educational activities in collaboration with people that have perfect vision. This can be because of the former's lack of confidence, vision capability, and acceptance. Information and communications technology (ICT) has played a vital role in giving support to people with visual impairments so that they can overcome their issues. This study proposes innovative solutions that address the challenges faced by partially or completely visually impaired people. It provides an interactive and intelligent interface, which they may use to perform educational activities, such as editing, writing, or reviewing documents, in collaboration with people without visual impairments. The system provides high-quality awareness features by sending them instant voice notifications about the actions and events occurring in the shared environment. A speech-recognition engine has been integrated into the system to allow users to interact with the application through voice commands. The system is evaluated through experiments, where people with visual impairment and people without visual impairment were engaged in collaborative writing. The obtained results are encouraging. The users showed curiosity in the system and were able to focus on the productive task instead of their disability.


Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) which are the core psychopathology symptoms in schizophrenia patients cause amounts of distress, functional disability and behavioral dys-control. However, the neural mechanism with the onset of AVHs in schizophrenia remains unclear. In the present study, we recruited 30 schizophrenia patients with AVHs, 20 schizophrenia patients with non-AVHs (nAVHs), and 50 healthy controls. Structure magnetic resonance imaging was obtained, and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to analyse the gray matter volume (GMV) in the three groups. We found that the GMV of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left superior temporal gyrus (STG), and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) significantly decreased in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. In addition, the left STG with significantly decreased volume was found in nAVHs compared to AVHs, but no significant changes of GMV in ACC and left MTG were found between AVHs and nAVHs. Our current study identified the abnormal GMV of the left STG in schizophrenia patients with AVHs. Our findings further supported the view that, whilst mild reduced GMV of the left STG might still enable the emergence of AVHs, more severe alterations may prevent the occurrence of AVHs experience.


Consumers are indifferent about the provenance of the goods and services they consume. Given their information, income, and preferences, they choose from the lowest price source--with price defined to include transaction and deadweight costs. There are many supply sources: families, charitable and humanitarian organizations, cooperatives, business enterprises, and governments. These compete with each other. Competitive success is determined by comparative advantage, which in turn depends not only on differential economies of scale and other "standard" factors, but also on the differential capacity to control free riding and to reduce the deadweight burdens of the sums that have to be levied to pay for the goods and services demanded.


The present invention relates to a low yield hot-rolled steel plate having excellent weldability and a method for manufacturing the same and more specifically, to a low yield hot-rolled steel plate having excellent weldability which has a yield ratio lower than 0.75 by optimizing the steel component and hot roll texture, and which has excellent integrity at a welding portion during an electric resistance welding process. [Reference numerals] (AA) Equation 1; (BB) Example; (CC) Comparative example; (DD) Yield ratio (YR=YS/TS)


Several ways occur in lifestyle 2022 to protect themselves from coronavirus transmission. The research objectives are as follows: To find out the activities of Indonesia Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, to find out the interests of Indonesian students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, to find out the opinions of Indonesian students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The research method uses a descriptive approach with the type of qualitative research. The research subjects based on the purposive technique were seven students. The results; Activities of Indonesian students are mainly carried out at home by government regulations by limiting interaction activities with family, friends, and neighbors. Their attention to government policies, studying while doing business, interacting with friends, and entertainment. When making decisions, they are more concerned about money, benefits, and health and are confident in the decisions they make. Student opinions facing the covid pandemic situation are more healthy, grateful, and able to help each other, maintain SOPs, stay productive, the government pays attention to the people, and families always maintain cleanliness and health. Thus, most student activities during the Covid-19 pandemic are carried out at home by limiting interaction activities. Students have attention to government policies, study while doing business, interact with friends, and entertainment to relieve boredom. Students are concerned with maintaining health, being grateful and helping each other. Efforts are being made to maintain SOPs, stay productive, and maintain health protocols. Efforts that need to be made by the government are by listening to the voices of the community and helping the affected communities, while the hope that families need to always maintain cleanliness and provide mutual support, respecting the things around them.


The scheme of the monophonic transcription system implemented here, is illustrated in figure 1. If the fundamental frequency of a harmonic signal is calculated, and the resulting track is visualised, it can be noticed that, for most of the duration of the notes, the pitch remains approximately constant. This relation, so clear to the eye, requires some comment. In order to implement some grouping criteria and rules for sounds, emphasis should be given to the similarity in human perception between image and sound [2]. Important clues can be obtained by observing carefully the plot of the pitch track.


Deep learning is the state-of-the-art for medical imaging tasks, but requires large, labeled datasets. For risk prediction, large datasets are rare since they require both imaging and follow-up (e.g., diagnosis codes). However, the release of publicly available imaging data with diagnostic labels presents an opportunity for self and semi-supervised approaches to improve label efficiency for risk prediction. Though several studies have compared self-supervised approaches in natural image classification, object detection, and medical image interpretation, there is limited data on which approaches learn robust representations for risk prediction. We present a comparison of semi- and self-supervised learning to predict mortality risk using chest x-ray images. We find that a semi-supervised autoencoder outperforms contrastive and transfer learning in internal and external validation.


In order to pinpoint the thin line separating literature from reality, the author makes reference to Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion , popularly known as Naufragios , which the famous explorer wrote sometime after his first returning from America. Jimenez Nunez suggests the convenience of using literary texts as ethnographic documents in anthropological analysis. In addition, he touches upon related issues, such as the veracity and credibility of the literary texts, the difference between fact and fiction, and whether or not only facts are suitable objects for analysis in anthropology. In an attempt to take his position to its limit, he reminds us that facts can overcome fiction and thereby become, at first sight, even less credible than fiction.


The vegetative and inflorescence apices of Myosotis laxa and Mertensia virginica have been compared and contrasted in order to determine how helicoid and scorpioid cymes differ in development. The apices have been interpreted on the basis of the tunica-corpus theory, since no clear histogenic layers could be determined for these species. The stem apex enlarges and broadens at the onset of flowering, and apical dominance is lost. The number of tunica layers is reduced in both cases, and the enlargement of the apex is found to be due to more, not larger cells. The helicoid cyme of M yosotis laxa results from a continuous renewal of meristematic activity on the same side of the apex. The scorpioid cyme of M ertensia virginica develops in a stepwise fashion as a result of renewed meristematic activity at ninety degrees from the previous point of growth. Both are sympodial axes. More than one hundred years ago De Candolle (1827) presented a fairly clear discussion of several types of inflorescences, among them the helicoid and scorpioid types. The majority of recent attempts to categorize inflorescences have been primarily taxonomic in scope and represent only superficial investigations of how these inflorescences originate. Rickett ( 1944) attempted to explain the origin of the helicoid and scorpioid cymes and gave a rather fragmentary description of their development. He considered the helicoid type a "continuous spiral of flowers" and the "far less common" scorpioid type an "axis that reverses itself" wherever a flower bud is produced. Because they have been variously described in taxonomic literature and because of their basic similarity in construction, the inflorescences of Myosotis laxa Lehm. and Mertensia virginica L. provide excellent material for study in their development from vegetative apices to sympodial floral axes. Fernald ( 19 SO) described M yosotis as bearing "naked racemes,'' whereas Bailey ( 1949) called the inflorescence a "terminal raceme." Williams ( 193 7) described the inflorescence of the genus Mertensia as a "lax or congested, ebracteate, unilateral, modified scorpioid cyme." Bailey ( 1949) called them "nodding clusters" and Fernald (1950) referred to them as simply "scorpioid cymes." MATERIALS AND METHODS Vegetative and flowering shoot apices of Myosotis laxa were col1 Biology Department, Texas Technological College, Lubbock, Texas. 76 1 Prior: Development of the Helicoid andScorpioid Cymes in Myosotis laxa L Published by UNI ScholarWorks, 196


ABSTRACTOne of the greatest problems facing the U.S. auto industry is the erosion of its manufacturing base. Another is the increasing challenge from Japan, which keeps building on its solid postwar accomplishments mapped out by such pioneers as Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo. Their enduring legacy includes a reliance on the firm's human resources for maintaining productivity and quality control. The Japanese paradigm thus has a built-in mechanism for self-improvement and competitiveness enhancement.The continued strife in Detroit suggests that the older American paradigm must be restructured; its top-down way of conducting business must allow labor to become a genuine partner with management instead of an adversary. The Japanese immigrant plants in the United States clearly show the way to do this. While such restructuring is frequently time-consuming, the period available for reform dwindles as the Asians keep strengthening their U.S. operations.


The results of the Students Assessment International Project (PISA) are changing the foundations of our educational system, as, the media and various educational sectors assume that these results reveal the level of competence achieved by students in their school career. However, there is little research to determine the relevance of pencil & paper tests used to assess this development. In this article, included in the research, "Assessment of the competencies of second order. Learning how to learn," the work done by an internal committee of the Group is explained, at the stage of the investigation called "Project review and evaluation programs Diagnostic performance of students supported in the approaches to learn how to learn and other related competencies". This work analyzes the evaluation of the PISA Reading competence, series 2000, 2003, 2006, guided by the aim of discovering the weaknesses and strengths of PISA, as far as reading competence is concerned. We are looking for answers to the question: is PISA measuring what it claims? To do this, we have studied the theoretical frameworks of PISA and released test items used to determine the level of students in Reading competence. Having compared and evaluated the results of the analysis, in the light of knowledge about assessment processes and, specifically, PISA, it does not seem possible, with paper & pencil tests to measure reading competence, because PISA only pays attention to cognitive abilities. It therefore, is necessary to design, to take assessment processes to other dimensions of reading competence and to save remaining inconsistencies that invalidate PISA tests, such as the fragmentation of abilities.


The type III-E Cas7-11 effector nuclease forms a complex with a CRISPR RNA (crRNA) and the putative caspase-like protease Csx29, catalyzes crRNA-guided target RNA cleavage, and has been used for RNA targeting in eukaryotic cells. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of the Cas7-11–crRNA–Csx29 complex with and without target RNA, and demonstrate that target RNA binding induces a conformational change in Csx29 and results in the protease activation. Biochemical analysis confirmed that Cas7-11-bound Csx29 cleaves Csx30 in a target RNA-dependent manner. Reconstitution of the system in bacteria uncovered Csx30-dependent cellular toxicity regulated by Csx31, and that Csx29-mediated cleavage produces toxic Csx30 fragments, promoting cell death. We find that Csx30 can bind both Csx31 and the associated sigma factor RpoE, suggesting Csx30 can inhibit RpoE and modulate cellular stress response towards infection. Overall, the RNA-guided nuclease-protease activities of the Cas7-11–Csx29 effector complex facilitate protease-based programmed cell death.


After attending this presentation, attendees will gain basic understanding of the nature of face shape variation in 3D as measured empirically in a large study sample and its implications for forensic facial comparison from videotape, photographic, and other facial images. This presentation will impact the forensic community and/or humanity through this first large empirical study of face shape variation in 3D undertaken using contemporary stereophotographic measuring techniques. This paper will provide a summary of a study of face shape variation measured in three dimensions in a sample of over 3000 individuals collected in an eighteen month period from December 2003 to May 2005. A feasibility study will be briefly reviewed, which indicated that an anthropometric approach to face shape comparison in twoor threedimensions using traditional craniofacial landmarks was plausible on the empirical grounds of density and visibility of the landmarks, particularly in areas of the face that it is commonly believed are variable between individuals—the shapes of the major facial features and the positional relationships between them. A student project examining face shape variation in two dimensions conducted in collaboration with Dr Nick Fieller of the Department of Probability and Statistics at the University of Sheffield, offered further confirmation of differences in positional relationships between landmark datasets in different individuals. A substantial proof-of-concept project was initiated involving a much larger sample of three-dimensional landmark data, which will form the core of this presentation. The structure the collaborative research, between three University research groups—Sheffield, Nottingham and Kent at Canterbury, will be described. The process of ethical review and informed consent for the collection of 3D photographs of volunteer's faces for research in crime prevention and detection will be reviewed. Promotion of the project, with the support of the Magna Science Adventure Centre, near Rotherham, United Kingdom, will be described. In general, the museum visiting public were overwhelmingly well disposed to volunteer to be photographed in support of research in crime prevention detection. Methods used for collecting data from three-dimensional landmarks using a Geometrix® stereophotographic scanner and FaceVision® software will be presented. A pilot study involving a sub-sample of thirty five faces landmarked at sixty sites in triplicate by two different observers offered measures of interand intra-observer error, and indications of landmarks that were relatively distinct in position between individuals, more or less subject to intraor inter-observer error, and technically problematic with regard to establishing consistency in placement via a standard operating procedure. As a result of the pilot study, an optimal landmark set—based on accuracy and discriminating power—of thirty landmarks was chosen. This set of thirty three-dimensional landmarks was placed on a total sample of over 3000 individuals, in duplicate. A small comparative control dataset was collected manually using calipers and also using a Cyberware® 3030 RGB Head and Face scanner. Age, biological sex and ancestry distributions—all of which can affect face shape—will be discussed, especially in relation to the representativeness in an investigative context. Our key findings with regard to the nature of face shape variation in 3D as assessed by the measurement of 30 landmark positions in duplicate in the sample of over 3000 individuals will be discussed. The distribution conformed to that of a multivariate normal model and normal distributions were indicated in pair-wise distance distributions assessed between paired landmarks. Landmark distributions between the most and least discriminating landmark pairs in the set of thirty will be described. The overall potential for the utility of three-dimensional landmarking in forensic face shape comparison will be discussed in relation to possible further research.


The isolation and identification of maysin and two of its analogues, 3'-methoxymaysin and apimaysin (3'M+A),in the silks of corn, Zea mays L., has given plant breeders a new tool for reducing damage by larvae of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). This study was initiated to examine the inheritance of these compounds so that a logical course for developing germplasm with high concentrations can be determined. Incorporation of the compounds into corn hybrids for the southern USA can then proceed. Twelve inbred lines were crossed in all combinations and evaluated for maysin and the sum of 3'-methoxymaysin plus apimaysin concentrations in their silks. Analysis of data from 2 yr by Griffing's Method 3 Model I revealed that reciprocal and maternal effects were not significantly different from zero. Subsequent pooling of reciprocal crosses in a Gardner-Eberhart Analysis II gave significant main effects (P < 0.01) and years x entries interactions (P < 0.05). Further partitioning of the variation established additive effects as the predominant source of genetic variation among the 66 crosses evaluated. Selection for increased maysin and (3'-methoxymaysin plus apimaysin) concentrations in corn silks should be successful by means of a simple backcrossing procedure or routine recurrent selection within a population. One or two inbreds, among the 12 tested, appear to be good candidates for establishing a selection program because they have both good general and specific combining ability. Maysin concentration and the sum of its analogues 3'-methoxymaysin and apimaysin are closely correlated in corn silks (r = 0.81, P < 0.01).


To improve the convergency speed, a bilinear method for bundle adjustment is presented in this paper. The algebraic distance instead of the geometric distance is minimized. The alternate steps where these projective points keep constant (respectively estimated) while the projective matrices are estimated (respectively kept constant) is proposed. The advantage of the method is that all the images are treated uniformly. It is proved that the method can converge to the minimum. The theory analysis and experiment results show that the proposed method is very efficient.


Longshore sediment transport (LST) measured at monthly beach profiles on Kaanapali Beach, Maui is compared to three predictive models. We observe cumulative net sediment transport rates of approximately 29,379 ±4400 m 3 /yr to the north and 22,358 ±1300 m 3 /yr to the south for summer and winter respectively. Kaanapali Beach experiences a net annual rate of 7,021 ±700 m 3 /yr to the north and a gross annual rate of 51,736 ±5100 m 3 /yr. Transport models, namely CERC (1984), CERC, 1991 (GENESIS) and KAMPHIUS (1991) predict net annual LST rates at 3 × 10 3 percent, 77 percent and 6 × 10 3 percent of the observed rates respectively. The success of the Genesis model is attributed to its ability to account for short-term changes in near-shore parameters. The use of CERC (1984) is prone to practical errors in its application including use of the recommended K coefficient and wave averaging that may significantly overestimate LST. The use of KAMPHIUS (1991) is more sensitive to beach slope and wave period than CERC (1984) and may over-predict transport on steep sloped beaches with high wave energy. Presence of fringing reef significantly affects the ability of LST models to accurately predict sediment transport. When applying CERC (1984, 1991) and KAMPHIUS (1991) formulas, functional beach profile area available for sediment transport is assumed much larger than actually exists in Kaanapali. None of the models evaluated account for the presence of a reef system. This may contribute to overestimations of LST as they assume the entire profile is mobile sediment. However, the fact that CERC (1991) underestimates the observed transport implies that environmental parameters employed in these models (such as wave height, direction and period) play a more substantial role than the influence of the reef in model results.


The present invention relates to a scroll compressor of a back pressure device, by allowing the back pressure of the turning scroll can be stably formed, to a back pressure device of the scroll compressor which can improve the reliability and efficiency. The present invention is fixed by having a receiving space for the casing and the wrap of the frame which is securely fixed to the interior of the casing, the involute shape to form a sealed therein is fixed to the frame scroll and, involute shape for this purpose and comprising a wrap is the to be engaged with the fixed scroll to form a two to move in a continuous pair of compression chamber provided between the orbiting scroll is coupled to a relative movement between the frame and the fixed scroll, the orbiting scroll and the frame in the scroll compressor includes a rotation preventing mechanism for orbiting, while preventing rotation of the orbiting scroll, the back pressure plate which is disposed between the orbiting scroll and the frame supporting the orbiting scroll, and; Back pressure forming that is configured to include a back pressure chamber formed between the back-pressure plate and the frame, the back pressure passage portion for guiding the refrigerant gas discharged from the compression chamber into the back pressure chamber to form a back pressure to the back surface of the back pressure plate unit; Provides a back pressure device of the scroll compressor that is configured including a feature; by-pass valve for selectively by-pass the refrigerant gas flowing into parts of the back pressure chamber so that the pressure in the back pressure chamber portion can be uniformly maintained. The scroll compressor, the orbiting scroll, the back pressure plate, the back pressure forming unit, valves, all damring


IntroDuctIon Metabolic network reconstruction has become an indispensable tool for studying the systems biology of metabolism. The number of organisms for which metabolic reconstructions have been created is increasing at a pace similar to whole genome sequencing. However, the quality of metabolic reconstructions differs considerably, which is partially caused by varying amounts of available data for the target organisms and also by a missing standard operating procedure that describes the reconstruction process in detail. This protocol details a procedure by which a quality-controlled qualityassured reconstruction can be built to ensure high quality and comparability between reconstructions. In particular, the protocol points out data that are necessary for the reconstruction process and that should accompany reconstructions. Moreover, standard tests are presented, which are necessary to verify functionality and applicability of reconstruction-derived metabolic models. Finally, this protocol presents strategies to debug nonor malfunctioning models. Although the reconstruction process has been reviewed conceptually by numerous groups and a good general overview of the necessary data and steps is available, no detailed description of the reconstruction, debugging and iterative validation process has been published. This protocol seeks to make this process explicit and generally available. The presented protocol describes the procedure necessary to reconstruct metabolic networks intended to be used for computational modeling, including the constraint-based reconstruction and analysis (COBRA) approach (see Box 1 for definition). These network reconstructions, and in silico models, are created in a bottom– up manner based on genomic and bibliomic data and thus represent a biochemical, genetic and genomic (BiGG) knowledge base for the target organism. These BiGG reconstructions can be converted into mathematical models and their systems and physiological properties can be determined. For example, they can be used to simulate the maximal growth of a cell in a given environmental condition using flux-balance analysis (FBA). In contrast, the generation of networks derived from top-down approaches (high-throughput data-based interference of component interactions) is not discussed here, as they do not generally result in functional, mathematical models. The metabolic reconstruction process described herein is usually very labor and time intensive, spanning from 6 months for well-studied, medium-sized bacterial genomes, to 2 years (and six people) for the metabolic reconstruction of human metabolism. Often, the reconstruction process is iterative, as demonstrated by the metabolic network of Escherichia coli, whose reconstruction has been expanded and refined over the last 19 years. As the number of reconstructed organisms increases, the need to find automated, or at least semi-automated, ways to reconstruct metabolic networks straight from the genome annotation is growing. Despite the growing experience and knowledge, to date, we are still not able to completely automatically reconstruct high-quality metabolic networks that can be used as predictive models. Recent reviews highlight current problems with genome annotations and databases, which make automated reconstructions challenging and thus they require manual evaluation. Organism-specific features, such as substrate and cofactor utilization of enzymes, intracellular pH and reaction directionality remain problematic and thus require manual evaluation. However, some organism-specific databases and approaches exist, which can be used for automation. We describe here the manual reconstruction process in detail. A limited number of software tools and packages are available (freely and commercially), which aim at assisting and facilitating the reconstruction process (Table 1). This protocol can, in principle, be combined with those reconstruction tools. For generality, we present the entire procedure using a spreadsheet, namely Excel workbook (Microsoft), and a numeric computation and visualization software package, namely Matlab (Mathwork, Natwick, MA, USA). Free spreadsheets (e.g., OpenOffice and Google Docs) could be used instead of the listed spreadsheet. Alternatively, MySQL databases may be used, as they are very helpful in structuring and tracking data. Matlab was also used to encode the COBRA Toolbox, A protocol for generating a high-quality genome-scale metabolic reconstruction


A question bank management system based on ASP.NET was designed.The system implements the test questions management,auto-generating test paper,test paper management and other functions.This paper introduces the analysis,design and implementation of the question bank management system,introduces the component-based development technology for ASP.NET.The intelligent technology of generating test paper based on the genetic algorithm and the implementation of manually editing test paper is illustrated in detail.This system has been used in practice and achieved the desired function.


A facile and convenient synthesis of quinolyl-substituted ferrocenes via Friedlander reaction of acetylferrocene or 1,1'-diacetylferrocene with 2-aminobenzaldehyde, 2-aminopiperonal, and (2-aminophenyl)(phenyl) methanone, respectively, with good yields is described.


We study the crossover from the one-dimensional to the two-dimensional Hubbard model in the photoemission spectra of weakly coupled chains. The chains with on-site repulsion are treated using the spin-charge factorized wave function, known to provide an accurate description of the dynamics of the model in the strong coupling limit, while the hoppings between the chains are considered as a perturbation. We calculate dynamical spectral functions at all energies in the random-phase approximation by resuming an infinite set of diagrams. Even though the hoppings drive the system from a fractionalized Luttinger-liquid-like system to a Fermi-liquid-like system at low energies, significant characteristics of the one-dimensional system remain in the two-dimensional system. Furthermore, we find that, of introducing (frustrated) hoppings beyond the nearest-neighbor one, the interference effects increase the energy and momentum range of the one-dimensional character.


Maintenance support information system (MSIS) is the key technology for improving the level of equipment maintenance support. Surrounding the realization of maintenance support information system, we start research from creating framework of parallel, modeling of maintenance support information, modeling of source date and transformation and technical date generation. Combination of systems engineering and software engineering ideas, a PLM-based MSIS creating framework of parallel was put forward, the modeling of maintenance support information based on S1000D was established, and the source date model transform into information model and the technical date generating automatically were discussed. Finally, an example of system implementation was done. This research is the key of realizing maintenance support information system.


Summary form only given. Most of the previous convolute simulations have used either short-circuit or Z-pinch loads. For Z-pinch loads the impedance starts as a short circuit and rises near the peak of the X-ray signal as the Z-pinch collapses causing a rapid change in the inductance. Electron-beam-diode loads are currently being developed for the Saturn machine located at Sandia National Laboratories. The impedance history for an electron beam diode is quite different than a Z-pinch. The impedance history of the diode can lead to dramatically higher flow currents in the magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITL's) and produce higher electron losses in the convolutes. These enhanced losses can cause plasmas to short out the convolutes leading to a substantial loss of usable power at the load. The diode impedance is initially very high during the time when electron and ion emission thresholds are being met and electrode plasmas are being formed. It is during this critical time when the voltage is high and the current is low that substantial losses can occur. In recent experiments, it was shown that a plasma-filled diode (PFD) substantially improved the power delivered to an electron beam diode load on Saturn. In a PFD, the diode impedance is initially a short circuit which then rises to a finite value as the current pulse redistributes the plasma. The impedance history of the PFD has many potential advantages over the vacuum diode. The early-time power-flow through the convolutes should improve with a PFD since the current is initially high and the voltage is low. The three-dimensional particle-in-cell code, LSP, is being used to study the effect of the load-impedance history on power-flow through the Saturn convolutes. Available simulation results will be discussed


The ability of SEM/EDAX to determine the physical and chemical composition of very small areas was used to study several diverse types of samples representative of NASA-LaRC technology. More systematic investigation was carried out on differences in the results of grit-blasting Ti 6-4 adherends and the presence of extraneous elements, primarily silicon, in some polymer/HT-S fiber composites. Initial results were obtained from a fractured (ILS) short-beam shear specimen, and from Ti 6-4 alloy, before and after a proprietary Boeing anodizing surface preparation for adhesive bonding. Photomicrographs and EDAX spectra were also obtained from new, fractured lap shear strength specimens that employed PPQ and LARC-13 adhesives.


Deep-learning based language models (LMs) have significantly enhanced services relating to language generation and classification. Our focus in this paper is on the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) which is commonly used internationally by medical schools to screen applicants based on their ability to answer short questions in a considerate, professional manner. In this paper we establish the ability of LMs, specifically GPT-3, to generate MMI questions, simulate responses, and rate answers. We compare these simulated questions with their human generated counterparts and, after identifying the optimal hyperparameters, find that 92% of generated responses are capable of fooling humans. We also find that after identifying the optimal hyperparameters for question-answering, LMs are capable producing high quality simulated MMI responses, with an average human rating of 3.5 out of 5. Finally, GPT-3 is shown to have some agreement with human ratings, although it tends to overestimate the quality of the response. Conditional text generation by LMs alone seems to be able to significantly support MMI preparation.


The two patients were previously healthy young people who developed a 'flu-like illness during a minor epidemic of influenza A. Influenza A virus was implicated in case 1 by serological studies and in case 2 by isolation. In both there was clinical and laboratory evidence of intravascular coagulation. In the first case this produced acute renal failure while in the second a severe consumption coagulopathy produced defibrination, intrapulmonary haemorrhage, and death. Infectious agents are known to produce intravascular coagulation (McKay and Margaretten, 1967; Dodsworth and Bums, 1971) but influenza A virus has not been implicated previously. Wilson and Smith (1972) reported a case of Goodpasture's syndrome after influenza A2 virus infection but made no mention of intravascular coagulation. The mechanisms whereby viruses induce intravascular coagulation are unknown, but may be related to haemagglutinating properties, haemolytic factors, direct endothelial cell damage, or antigen antibody reactions. In neither of the above cases were we able to detect viral antigen or any significant immunoglobulin deposition within renal tissue. Certain drugs may produce intravascular coagulation in sensitized people but such a mechanism is improbable in these two patients. The treatment of intravascular coagulation is controversial but the use of anticoagulants has been advocated (Lo et al., 1971). Such drugs are not without hazard, and the first patient resolved satisfactorily without such agents. Anticoagulant therapy should possibly be reserved for those patients with a consumption coagulopathy severe enough to render them at risk from haemorrhage. Such therapy might have been of value in the second patient.


Heat or exercise have been implicated as potential initiators of the hypermetabolic cascade within MHS individuals. A significant amount of the MHS diagnosed population do NOT express known pathogenic mutations. Greater screening for MH susceptibility is required. Altered 3' 5' cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) second messenger activity and altered metabolism have correlated with the MHS genotype.


For many years globally convergent probability-one homotopy methods have been remarkably successful on difficult realistic engineering optimization problems, most of which were attacked by homotopy methods because other optimization algorithms failed or were ineffective. Convergence theory has been derived for a few particular problems, and considerable fixed point theory exists, but generally convergence theory for the homotopy maps used in practice for nonlinear constrained optimization has been lacking. This paper derives some probability-one homotopy convergence theorems for unconstrained and inequality constrained optimization, for linear and nonlinear inequality constraints, and with and without convexity. Some insight is provided into why the homotopies used in engineering practice are so successful, and why this success is more than dumb luck. By presenting the theory as variations on a prototype probability-one homotopy convergence theorem, the essence of such convergence theory is elucidated.


In Afar pastoral area, livelihoods depend, at least in part, on livestock. Small ruminants made by far the greatest contribution to livestock-based livelihoods in all study districts. This study was conducted to assess and analyze trade sensitive disease problems of goats of Afar pastoral community. Information was gathered from pastoralists from June 2013- June 2014. At producers' level, 12 focus group discussion and interview with 291 pastoralists were held at the selected four districts of Afar pastoral areas. Majority of markets in Afar region performed below their capacity. About 72.2% of pastoralist offers goats for sale to meet their urgent needs at any time during the year. Majority (51.9%) of the producers have no specific target to sale their goats. Animal characteristics in terms of health, quality and other criteria required by exporters were known only by 7.6% of the producers. Afars' sheep are the most demanded by exporters next to Somali black head but from total shoat presented for sale, sheep accounts only 20%. Majority of producers (40.9%) indicated that they present young male for sale and 28.2% of producers presented culled female shoat for sale. Pastoralist motioned PPR, Pasteurellosis, goat pox, External parasites and CCPP as most important diseases in terms of impact on livelihoods. There was no veterinarian performing pre-purchase inspection and selection for quality assurance and certification for live shoat at various points in market chain. Quarantine centers listed PPR, pasteurellosis, CCPP, goat pox and external parasites most important disease of shoat in terms of impact on businesses. Most of the diseases motioned by quarantine centers as major diseases are also the major diseases prevailing at the producer level. Key w ords : Trade sensitive, PPR, CCPP, Goat Pox, Producer, Quarantine, key informant


Objective To study the best surgical treatment of femoral neck fracture and clinical efficacy.Methods The type of hospital in 2005 from January to December 2010,80 cases of femoral neck fracture patients were followed up,choose the type of fracture,operative time,fracture reduction and quality of the implants after bed time effective evaluation and hip joint function recovery.Results 80 patients have received an average of 30 months of follow-up.73 cases(91.25%) patients after injury,2~4 d expert surgical treatment,the Garden II,patients with type III fractures were closed reset titanium narrow heart nail fixation,Garden type Ⅳ and pathology,old fractures underwent open reduction and titanium cannulated screw fixation and bone grafting of the iliac bone.Reset intraoperative evaluation of an average of 4.95 points,average of 4 months after bed time.Hip function according to the Harris scores:excellent in 39 cases,good in 30 cases,may 9 cases and poor in 2 cases,good rate of 86.25%.Garden II,III fracture of the excellent rate of fracture than type Ⅳ good rate,but the difference was not statistically significant(χ2 = 1.35,P= 0.25).Conclusion The key factors of femoral neck fracture surgery is early surgery,anatomic reduction,gold titanium alloy cannulated screw firmly fixed and Garden IV fractures of the iliac bone grafting,reasonable postoperative as early as activities,and late weight-bearing is effective reduce postoperative avascular necrosis of the guarantee.Tailored to develop the most scientific and rational treatment options and postoperative rehabilitation strategy based on the patients with femoral neck fracture damage process is an important prerequisite to improve the femoral neck fracture efficacy.


In stage 1, the nine groups of 15 subjects each learned one, two, or four eightpair lists to a criterion of 4/8, 8/8, or 16/8, which required a minimum of 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 correct associations. In stage 2, they all learned an eight-pair list to two errorless trials. The higher criteria (8/8, 16/8) in stage 1 and the greater numbers of required associations (especially the 8 and 16), but not the number of lists (except on the first trial in stage 2), all facilitated performance in stage 2. The results indicate the importance of level of mastery and the relative unimportance of practice per se in nonspecific transfer.


Rural electricity supply is broadly considered a key driver of the structural transformation away from a dependence on agricultural livelihoods. Nevertheless, the causal effect of improving electricity access on the diversification of rural livelihoods away from agricultural incomes remains poorly understood. Recent systematic syntheses of electrification impacts in literature confirm that there remains limited quasi-experimental quantitative evidence describing the effects of electrification on non-farm entrepreneurship and labor market outcomes in Sub-Saharan African countries. In this report, we investigate the causal effects of household-level electrification on household non-farm entrepreneurship and employment trends in rural Ethiopia and Nigeria, contributing to the literature in terms of the geographical region of analysis and through the application of modern quasi-experimental methods. We analyze household-level observational panel datasets collected under the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) program, between 2010 and 2015. Our analysis indicates that rural household electrification alone was insufficient to trigger shifts in household non-farm entrepreneurship and labour market outcomes in the 2-4 years following grid connection. These findings are aligned with contemporary rural electrification impact literature urging caution in the interpretation of descriptive and potentially biased analyses that are unable to effectively disentangle the many co-determinants of non-farm entrepreneurship and labour market outcomes with respect to electrification.


On-chip spin valve sensors were used to measure the flow velocity within fabricated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannels. Superparamagnetic particles with dimensions of 250 nm in diameter were introduced into a 100 /spl mu/m wide microchannel, bonded to the chip surface. The flow velocity was determined by measuring the changes in resistance of a pair of spin-valve sensors, 1.65 mm apart from each other, caused by the passage of ensembles of superparamagnetic particles. Flow velocities ranging from 50 to 300 /spl mu/m/s were estimated, depending on the pressure used to drive the flow. The application of this system provides a means to measure and control flow velocities on microfluidic devices.


Ceres reveals some of its well-kept secrets in two new studies in the journal Nature, thanks to data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft.


Non-technical summary The distribution of household carbon footprints is largely unequal within and across countries. Here, we explore household-level consumption data to illustrate the distribution of carbon footprints and consumption within 26 European Union countries, regions and social groups. The analysis further sheds light on the relationships between carbon footprints and socially desirable outcomes such as income, equality, education, nutrition, sanitation, employment and adequate living conditions. Technical summary We need a good understanding of household carbon distributions in order to design equitable carbon policy. In this work, we analyse household-level consumer expenditure from 26 European Union (EU) countries and link it with greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities from the multiregional input–output database EXIOBASE. We show carbon footprint distributions and elasticities by country, region and socio-economic group in the context of per capita climate targets. The top 10% of the population with the highest carbon footprints per capita account for 27% of the EU carbon footprint, a higher contribution to that of the bottom 50% of the population. The top 1% of EU households have a carbon footprint of 55 tCO2eq/cap. The most significant contribution is from air and land transport, with 41% and 21% among the top 1% of EU households. Air transport has a rising elasticity coefficient across EU expenditure quintiles, making it the most elastic, unequal and carbon-intensive consumption category in this study. Only 5% of EU households live within climate targets, with carbon footprints below 2.5 tCO2eq/cap. Our analysis points to the possibility of mitigating climate change while achieving various well-being outcomes. Further attention is needed to limit trade-offs between climate change mitigation and socially desirable outcomes. Social media summary EU top 1% of households emit 22 times the per capita climate targets. Only 5% of EU households live within the targets.


Problem statement: Orthogonal circular moments of gray level images such as Zernike,
pseudo Zernike and Fourier-Mellin moments are widely used in different applications of image
processing, pattern recognition and computer vision. Computational processes of these moments and
their translation and scale invariants still an open area of research. Approach: a unified methodology
is presented for efficient and accurate computation of orthogonal circular moment invariants. The
orthogonal circular moments and their translation and scale invariants are expressed as a linear
combination of radial moments of the same order in polar coordinates, where the later moments are
accurately computed over a unit disk. A new mapping method is proposed where the unit disk is
divided into non-overlapped circular rings; each of these circular rings is divided into a number of
circular sectors of the same area. Each circular sector is represented by one point in its centre. The total
number of input Cartesian image pixels is equal to the number of mapped circular pixels. Results: The
implementation of this method completely removes both approximation and geometrical errors
produced by the conventional methods. Numerical experiments are conducted to prove the validity and
efficiency of the proposed method. Conclusion: A unified methodology is presented for efficient and
accurate computation of orthogonal circular moment invariants.


We present a direct connection between the 2-cocycle defining the double cover of the real symplectic group and a Feynman path integral describing the time evolution of a quantum mechanical system. Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 05C38, 15A15; Secondary 05A15, 15A18


The main purpose of this paper is to connect Freud's and Forster's ideas , examining the common ground shared by their conceptual development through an ana1ysis of Freudian theory on "Three contributions to the theory of sex" (1905) and Forster's fiction in Maurice (1913/4); publication (1971). There is no coincidence so far detected in terms of characters and plot; this article, then, suggests the process of se1f-ana1ysis and catharsis as part of Forster's debt to Freud


Splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion, secondary to an interruption of blood supply or hypoperfusion, induces lesions of the intestinal mucosa and endothelial dysfunction. The consequences are at first an intestinal barrier failure with a defect for the entry of nutriments into the body. In parallel, splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion induces systemic inflammatory response. Gut reperfusion produces numerous mediators such as reactive oxygen metabolites, pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric monoxide and activates numerous enzymes. The interaction between polymorphonuclear neutrophils and endothelial cells appear to play a key role in inducing damage to distant organ, particularly to the lungs. Briefly, splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion may be implicated in intestinal permeability, bacterial translocation and injury to distant organs. These effects are well observed in experimental models. In humans, the role of the gut remains always a controversial hypothesis. Nevertheless, the role of gut as a "motor of multiple organ failure" may be a tenable hypothesis, which warrants clinical research in this area. © 2003 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. Tous droits réservés. Mots clés : Ischémie–reperfusion ; Intestin ; Polynucléaires ; Espèces réactives de l'oxygène ; Défaillance d'organe


This paper studies the influences of forest regeneration on the species diversity of sarcosaprophagous beetles (Coleoptera) in Wolong Natural Reserve (102°52′-103°24′E, 30°45′-31°25′N), Southwestern China. Comparisons were made among larch plantations dominated by Larix kaempferi of different ages (namely, 5 years, 15 years, and 45 years after being planted) and natural deciduous broad-leaved forest (ca. 100 years old). Bait-traps were used in the field collections and laid in two ways, on the ground and 1.5 m high above the ground. A total of 3 066 beetles were collected, of which 43.71% belonged to Staphylinidae, 31.83% Leiodidae, and 17.97% Silphidae. These three families are so considered as dominant groups. Species-abundance patterns fit the lognormal distribution; the patterns of the larch plantations, as their age increases, resembled more and more closely to that of the natural broad-leaved forest. Species richness and diversity were significantly lower in the larch plantations than in the natural broad-leaved forest, and the lowest values of both were observed in the 5-year-old larch plantation. Based on the species composition and abundance, sarcosaprophagous beetles of the three larch plantations and the adjacent natural broad-leaved forest could be separated from each other by ordinations based on principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and cluster analysis. Our results showed that larch plantations could not completely replace natural broad-leaved forests in the role of conserving the biodiversity of sarcosaprophagous beetles.


Objective: To report the experience of emergency surgical treatment of ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms. Methods: 15 middle cerebral artery aneurysms treated by emergency operation in our hospital during April 2000 to July 2002 were reviewed retrospectively, among which 12 were located in M1-2 segment, 3 in M3-4 segment, and according to Hunt-Hess classification, 12 were of grade II-III, 2 of grade IV, 1 of grade V. Results: After a follow-up of 3 months to 2 years, all patients got excellent or good recovery except of 1 dying and 1 remaining mild hemiplegia. Conclusion: A emergency operative treatment of ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms can effectively prevent a second criminal rupture and evacuate intracerebral hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage in early time, thus improve the prognosis of the patients.


Uncertainty is a fundamental experience in human life, and medical decisions are no exception. This will not surprise readers of Medical Decision Making. The communication of risk information is a crucial activity in medicine, as risk information informs the judgments and recommendations of physicians as well as the decisions of patients. Risk communication, however, is complicated not only by the need to express uncertainty effectively, efficiently, and accurately but also by the aim to receive and perceive these communications to equitably enable consistent, coherent, and useful action. Two articles in this issue provide compelling demonstrations of these complications. Wegwarth, Gaissmaier, and Gigerenzer 1 asked physicians to estimate the effectiveness of cancer screening on the basis of combinations of 5-year survival rate, annual diseasespecific mortality, and incidence and found that ineffective screening programs can appear highly effective to physicians when presented as comparisons of 5-year survival rates between groups or over time. Peters, Hart, and Fraenkel 2 measured numeracy in an Internet sample and asked participants to rate the subjective risk of a hypothetical headache treatment under differently framed (as gains, as losses, or combined) descriptions of side effects presented in either frequency or percentage formats. They demonstrated the expected impact of gain/loss framing on perception of risk, that combined framing resulted in intermediate perceptions, and that the percentage format led to lower risk perception among respondents who were low in numeracy. The studies differ in their participants (physicians v. general public), their stimuli (statistical outcomes of screening v. numerical descriptions of therapeutic effects), and their response tasks (decisions about effectiveness that have correct answers v. subjective ratings of risk), yet each of these studies reveals that risk perceptions are substantially influenced by the way "objective" risk data are described and presented. Each represents a relatively early exploration of the phenomenon in medical decision making, and each cries out for further research on the mechanisms of influence. Among the physicians in the first study who attempted to estimate numerical effectiveness of the cancer screening program, few provided estimates from a clearly determined source. Among the patients in the second study, the impact of numeracy on framing in medical decisions differed from that found in research on nonmedical decisions. We need to discover why.


I want to suggest that the major influence of classical arguments for embodiment like "The Embodied Mind" by Varela, Thomson & Rosch (1991) has been a changing of positions rather than a refutation: Cognitivism has found ways to retreat and regroup at positions that have better fortification, especially when it concerns theses about artificial intelligence or artificial cognitive systems. For example: a) Agent-based cognitivism' that understands humans as taking in representations of the world, doing rule-based processing and then acting on them (sense-plan-act) is often limited to conscious decision processes; and b) Purely syntactic cognition is compatible with embodiment, or supplemented by embodiment (e.g. for 'grounding'). While the empirical thesis of embodied cognition ('embodied cognitive science') is true and the practical engineering thesis ('morphological computation', 'cheap design') is often true, the conceptual thesis ('embodiment is necessary for cognition') is likely false syntax is often enough for cognition, unless grounding is really necessary. I conclude that it has become more sensible to integrate embodiment with traditional approaches rather than "fight for embodiment" or "against cognitivism". 1 Cognitivism / Computationalism The classic view of what is called 'cognitivism' or, more accurately, 'computationalism' is that syntactic processing over symbolic representation is sufficient for intelligence, or perhaps even necessary as well (Newell and Simon 1976). It follows that its reproduction in computing machines will result in intelligence. On this classical view, artificial intelligence and cognitive science are just two sides of the same coin: Artificial intelligence is not the study of computers, but of intelligence in thought and action. Computers are its tools, because its theories are expressed as computer programs that enable machines to do things that would require intelligence if done by people. (Boden 1977: xi) See also the classic Textbook: Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig where they say at the outset "We define AI as the study of agents that receive percepts from the environment and perform actions." (Russell and Norvig 2010: viii). This expression has remained the same in the 1995, 2003 and 2010 editions. The only thing that was added in the latest edition is "We place more emphasis on partially observable and nondeterministic environments" (Russell and Norvig 2010: ix). Philosophically, the main thesis of classical computationalism is that the human mind 1 Anatolia College/ACT, Greece & University of Oxford, UK Web: www.sophia.de is a functional computational mechanism operating over meaningful representations. These representations are caused by informationtheoretical processes (Dretske 1981, 1995) or biological function in a "teleosemantics" (Macdonald and Papineau 2006; Millikan 2005). This account is motivated by classical 'machine functionalism, going back to (Putnam 1960) and nicely characterized by Churchland: "What unites them [the cognitive creatures] is that [...] they are all computing the same, or some part of the same abstract , >function." (Churchland 2005: 333). The set of functions that can be computed in this fashion is delineated by the 'Church-Turing thesis': All and only the effectively computable functions can be computed by a Turing machine–i.e. step by step, following an algorithm (definite and finite rule). Machine functionalism together with a semantics make the basics for classical cognitive science and AI. 1.1 Critique of the computationalist picture Of course, classical computationalism has come under criticism from many directions over the years, and some of that criticism has coincided with a perceived lack of technical progress in technical AI. We will not aim to give any details here, but allow me to mention a few milestones in that debate. • Computation alone cannot generate intentional states of agents, especially the state of 'meaning something'. This problem has prominent forms in the 'Chinese room argument' (Preston and Bishop 2002; Searle 1980), the critique of 'encodingism' (Bickhard 1993; Bickhard and Terveen 1996), and others. • The 'frame problem', one version of which seems to show that a computational system cannot make decisions without representing a very large number of facts (Dennett 1987; Pylyshyn 1987). • Digital items like 'concepts', 'words' or 'phonemes' play little or no cognitive role, perhaps no representation plays much of a cognitive role (or none) anti-representationalism and sub-symbolic cognition: (for example Bermudez 2003; Calvo Garzon 2006). • Human cognition presupposes a human condition (Dreyfus 1992– originally 1972; Wheeler 2005). • Cognition is goal-dependent, thus a property only of certain biological creatures, that act–"enaction" or "deep embodiment" (Di Paolo et al. 2010; Froese and Di Paolo 2011). • All and only the cognitive agents are embodied, cognition is largely a function of a body, etc. (Clark 1997, 2003; a useful introduction Hoffmann et al. 2010; Varela et al. 1991). • ... And from all this, one might conclude: "Cognition is not computation!"


Background It is well known that diabetic retinopathy(DR) involves in complex pathogenesis.Worse outcome of brain ischemia with hyperglycemia is mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK).However,the effect of phosphorylation of MAPK signal pathway on DR needs further investigation.Objective This study was to explore the the possible role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2(ERK1/2)in DR.Methods Sixty SPF SD rats aged 8-weeks were grouped into the control group and diabetes group.Diabetic models were established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg) dissolved in citric acid buffer.Blood glucose level was more than 16.7 mmol/L were used as the diabetic group.The equivalent amount of citric acid buffer was injected in the same way in the rats of the control group.The rats were sacrificed and retinas were isolated in 4 weeks and 12 weeks after modeling.The morphology of rat retinas was examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining.The relative expression levels of phosphorylated-ERK1/2 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)(absorption,A value) in rat retinas were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results Blood glucose levels of rats were significantly higher than those in the diabetic group compared with the control group at both 4 and 12 weeks after modeling(t=14.174,13.771,both at P<0.05).In addition,the body weight was significantly lower and the drinking was much more in the rats of the diabetic group in comparison with the control group in 12 weeks(t=8.670,18.725,both at P<0.05).Twelve weeks after modeling,the decrease of retinal thickness,swelling of outer plexiform layer and decline of number of retinal ganglion cells,rods and cones were seen under the optical microscope.The relative expression levels of GFAP in the retinas were 3 197.1 ±13.1 and 7 202.0±56.8 in the diabetic group at the 4 and 12 weeks,which were significantly higher than those in the control group (2 152.8 ± 16.1 and 2 337.0±8.6) (t =6.327,16.417,both at P<0.05).In 12 weeks after modeling,the relative expression level of phosphorylated-ERK 1/2 was significantly higher in the diabetic group compared with the control group (2 850.6±2.4 versus 1 274.6± 1.3),showing a significant difference between them (t =12.771,P < 0.05).Conclusions Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 signal transduction pathway is involved in the STZ-induced DR through mediating the activation of Muller cells and inducing the apoptosis of photoreceptor and ganglione cells.

Key words:
Diabetes;  Retinopathy;  Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2;  Glial fibrillary acidic protein;  Sprague-Dewley rat