ABSTRACT The mRNAs encoding postsynaptic components at the neuromuscular junction are concentrated in the synaptic region of muscle fibers. Accumulation of these RNAs in the synaptic region is mediated, at least in part, by selective transcription of the corresponding genes in synaptic myofiber nuclei. The transcriptional mechanisms that are responsible for synapse-specific gene expression are largely unknown, but an Ets site in the promoter regions of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) subunit genes and other "synaptic" genes is required for synapse-specific transcription. The Ets domain transcription factor GA-binding protein (GABP) has been implicated to mediate synapse-specific gene expression. Inactivation of GABPα, the DNA-binding subunit of GABP, leads to early embryonic lethality, preventing analysis of synapse formation in gabpα mutant mice. To study the role of GABP at neuromuscular synapses, we conditionally inactivated gabpα in skeletal muscle and studied synaptic differentiation and muscle gene expression. Although expression of rb, a target of GABP, is elevated in muscle tissue deficient in GABPα, clustering of synaptic AChRs at synapses and synapse-specific gene expression are normal in these mice. These data indicate that GABP is dispensable for synapse-specific transcription and maintenance of normal AChR expression at synapses.


Environmental and ship performance data were collected aboard the USCGC POLAR STAR in April 1980 as part of a multi-year program to make an operational assessment of the feasibility of a year-round transportation system serving northwestern Alaska. Volume 1 contains a description of program objectives, planned deployment, and a data collection program. A description of all data collected and the subsequent analysis is given for level ice and the forty profiled pressure ridges. During the data collection period, underwater photographs of pressure ridge keels were successfully taken, and the coefficient of friction between the ship's hull and ice were measured. Volume 2 contains the appendices to the report including data summaries, calculations, thickness measurements, and standard sea-ice nomenclature. Volume 3 contains an executive summary.


A layout-based optimal neutralization technique is proposed for the designs of mm-wave differential amplifiers. Based on a new layout style which exploits routing signal capacitive coupling, the need for physical neutralization capacitors are obviated which results in compact and robust layout. Experimental prototype designs at 60 GHz and 110 GHz amplifiers demonstrate the utility of the idea by direct comparison with unneutralized designs.


Note: The Don Valley Paper Co. was one of three paper mills on the Don River owned by the Taylor Brothers. Constructed in 1858, the mill was extensively renovated after Robert Davies bought it in 1907. In 1932 Davies sold to the Howard Smith Paper Mills Company; the mill was finally sold to Domtar in 1961. With no room to expand the facilities, Domtar closed the mill and sold the property in 1989 to the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The mill was demolished and the site restored as part of the Beechwood Wetland site north of Pottery Road.


PURPOSE: A head tracking method is provided to track a face region in real time even in case of moving the face region to the left and right quickly by improving the operation speed and to perform a head tracking with improved accuracy even if the tracking is continuously performed. CONSTITUTION: A head tracking apparatus includes an image input unit(100), a face region detecting unit(200), and a control unit(400). The image input unit performs a function in which a 2D image including a face region is inputted from an image pickup device. The face region detecting unit performs a function for initializing by detecting a face region from the inputted image through the image input unit. A face region tracking unit(300) performs a function detecting the position of a face region(the movement of a head) by tracking in case the face region(the head) moves in images consecutively inputted. The face region tracking unit searches the position change of a feature point inside the face region through a comparison with a previously studied template in case the rotation angle of the face region is within a predetermined angle from the front side and detects the position of the face region through a process searching the position change of a feature point inside of the face region through a comparison with a previously inputted face region image frame in case the rotation angle of the face region is beyond a prefixed angle range from the front side. The control unit performs a function controlling a flow among the image input unit, the face region detecting unit, and the face region tracking unit. [Reference numerals] (100) Image input unit; (200) Face region detecting unit; (300) Face region tracking unit; (400) Control unit;


The utility model belongs to the technical field of transportation and communication engineering, particularly relates to the technical field of highway subgrade retaining walls, further relates to a horseshoe pre-cast block-type wall board structure used in reinforced earth retaining walls, and aims to overcome the problems in the prior art that the transportation is inconvenient and the difficulty in construction is great. To overcome the problems associated with the prior art, the utility model adopts the technical scheme that the wall board structure comprises a plurality of pre-cast blocks; and the pre-cast blocks taking the shape of a horseshoe are mutually overlapped in a staggered manner. Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the advantages of convenient carrying and construction, good construction effect, strong suitability of the integral molding, and multiple functions.


Clinical summary This is the first clinical report of use of a combination of nanocrystalline silver and subatmospheric pressure therapy to treat a resistant wound infection, following tumour removal and radiation therapy, in a difficult-to-manage surgical site in a cat. Practical relevance The therapy was well tolerated and the authors suggest it is a valid treatment protocol for management of non-healing or infected wounds in the cat.


The project presented here aims at developing a fine grained semantic-pragmatic analysis of the contribution of intonational contours to utterance meaning within the framework of Discourse Representation Theory (DRT). We focus on the French contour H*L% since it conveys the idea of a potential disagreement between the interlocutors. Assertive and interrogative mode of utterances are complementary in that the speaker aims at conveying information when uttering an assertion and asks for information by means of a question. Recent work on inquisitive semantics has shown that assertions may also bear inquisitive components (Groenendijk and Roelofsen, 2009), and rising intonation in declarative questions expresses the speakers commitment to a proposition but at the same time mark it as contingent on ratification by the addressee (Gunlogson, 2008). French intonation is particularly rich in contours that provide even more illocutionary facets for interpretation than English (Beyssade and Marandin, 2006; Portes and Reyle, 2013; Portes and Beyssade, to appear). Portes and Reyle (2013) follow Krifka's (to appear) proposal to interpret speech acts by development of spaces of commitments assigned to the discourse participants. The meaning components Portes and Reyle (2013) attribute to the four French contours they are analyzing are (i) preconditions on the hearers previous commitments, (ii) speaker's own commitments, and (iii) expectations concerning the hearer's commitments as a result of the processed utterance. Uttering φ with a rising-falling contour (H*L%), for example, has an assertive component (the speaker commits himself to φ and asks the hearer to accept φ as well), but it also presupposes that the hearer is publicly committed to the negation of the utterance, and that in addition the speaker believes that the hearer should know that φ holds. The present contribution aims at a representational format of utterances in DRT that does justice to these subtle distinctions along the following lines. A pure assertion of p = Lola smokes. (realized with a falling contour) will be represented by a DRS like (1).1


Endophytic fungi live symbiotically in the tissues of plants. Although a large amount of evidence suggests a mutualistic role for vertically transmitted endophytic fungi in agronomic grasses, the role of horizontally transmitted endophytic fungi as mutualists has been challenged. Recent studies, however, have shown that horizontally transmitted endophytic fungi can act as mutualists to their plant hosts by providing defense against pathogens and defoliators. In particular, several experimental studies have shown that endophytic fungi interact negatively with leaf-cutting ants and their fungal cultivar, but these studies were performed under laboratory conditions. Using field colonies of Atta colombica in Central Panama, we measured the fungal endophyte content in the forage material of leaf-cutting ants and compared it to ambient endophyte levels. We then used the collected data to model the area of plant material containing endophytes that enters a mature colony daily. We found that mature colonies colle...


The European Experimental Vehicles Committee has developed a set of test procedures for evaluating the safety performance of cars when they strike pedestrians. These are being considered for possible legislative use in an European Directive. The Transport Research Laboratory has played a major part in this working group, including the study of accidents and injuries, and development of the test procedures. It has developed the upper legform to bonnet leading edge impactor and test procedure, and has made significant contributions to the development of the legform impactor used to test the bumper area. This paper describes the design rationale and development history of these impactors, including the latest modifications. The implications for car design are discussed, and suggestions are made for approaches that could be adopted when designing cars to meet the requirements of the EEVC test procedures. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 493111.


Sewage thermal energy is a kind of untapped one that we can easily obtain in a big city. To apply sewage heat to road heating in winter, a heat extraction test was carried out using a heat exchange pipe sank in fluid in a mimic sewer pipe. A longitudinal temperature profile of heat carrier fluid was measured along the heat exchange pipe. The extracted heat increased as the flow rate of sewage or of heat carrier fluid (heat exchange fluid) became high. A quasi-Nusselt number, Nuq was proposed to predict the overall heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchange pipe. The value of Nuq was normalized by the overall heat transfer coefficient, and the heat conductivity and diameter of the heat exchange pipe. As a result, the following relation, Nuq=2.483×103Reh0.34Res0.2Pr0.4 was obtained, where Reh and Res are the Reynolds number of heat exchange pipe and sewage and Pr is the Prandtl number.


Bilevel optimization with traffic equilibrium constraints plays an important role in transportation planning and management problems such as traffic control, transport network design, and congestion pricing. In this paper, we consider a double-loop gradient-based algorithm to solve such bilevel problems and provide a non-asymptotic convergence guarantee of $\mathcal{O}(K^{-1})+\mathcal{O}(\lambda^D)$ where $K$, $D$ are respectively the number of upper- and lower-level iterations, and $0<\lambda<1$ is a constant. Compared to existing literature, which either provides asymptotic convergence or makes strong assumptions and requires a complex design of step sizes, we establish convergence for choice of simple constant step sizes and considering fewer assumptions. The analysis techniques in this paper use concepts from the field of robust control and can potentially serve as a guiding framework for analyzing more general bilevel optimization algorithms.


Deuterium lamp is used as the transfer standard of air-UV spectral irradiance (200nm to 400nm). The CCPRK1. b comparison of spectral irradiance 200nm to 350nm took deuterium lamp as transfer standard lamp. Spectral irradiance is measured by a spectroradiometer with finite bandwidth. The bandwidth can cause measurement error. In order to correct the measurement error, we apply SS and DO bandwidth correction methods to the spectrum of Deuterium lamp. We obtain the correction effect preliminarily.


Introduction. We present an analysis of the results of treatment of patients with pre-invasive breast cancer treated by breast conserving surgery and subsequent radiotherapy. Material and m ethod. We analysed 64 women, (age: 29-64 years) treated between 1995 and 2008. All patients underwent breast conserving surgery and were subseqently irraddiated to the preserved breast using typical doses. In order to perform a comparison of the results we applied the Kaplan-Meier method R esu lts . 61 patients remain alive (50 have no signs of relapse, 12 had local recurrence, 4 - another cancer); three died. Overall 5-year survival is 98.1% and disease-free survival is 89.9%. Most recurrences occurred within the irradiated area, mainly in the tumor bed. Conc lu s ions. Breast conserving surgery with radioterapy is a safe and well tolerated method of treatment , it is associated with a high ratio of overall and disease-free survival and provides a very good cosmetic effect.


Objective
To investigate the application value of the color Doppler ultrasound combined plasma D-dimer test in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity (DVT) in long-term bedridden patients.

Methods
A total of 246 long-term bedridden patients with suspected DVT were selected and examined by color Doppler ultrasonography and plasma D-dimer test. The results of the venous angiography were considered as the "gold standard" . The specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of the color Doppler ultrasound and plasma D-dimer test for diagnosis of DVT were analyzed. And the levels of plasma D-dimer were compared among the patients with DVT.

Results
Intravenous angiography showed that of the 246 long-term bedridden patients with suspected DVT, 68 cases were confirmed as DVT patients and 178 cases were confirmed as non DVT patients. Seventy-nine patients were diagnosed as DVT and 167 patients were diagnosed as non DVT by plasma D-dimer test. Color Doppler ultrasound found 76 cases of DVT and 170 cases of non DVT. The sensitivity of color Doppler ultrasound combined with plasma D-dimer for diagnosis of DVT was 97.06% (66/68), which was higher than that of color Doppler ultrasound single test and plasma D-dimer, and the accuracy was 87.40% (215/246), which was higher than that of plasma D-dimer and color Doppler ultrasound. The differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the differences in the level of plasma D-dimer in different types of DVT patients were statistically significant (P<0.05). The level of plasma D-dimer in patients with mixed DVT was higher than that of central type, and the plasma D-dimer level of central type was higher than that of peripheral type, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).

Conclusions
Color Doppler ultrasound combined with plasma D-dimer test can significantly improve the sensitivity and accuracy for DVT diagnosis in long-term bedridden patients, reduce the risk of missed diagnosis, and provide a basis for disease classification.

Key words:
Long-term bedridden patients; Deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity; Color Doppler ultrasound; D-dimer; Sensitivity; Accuracy


Additive manufacturing, 3D printing and bio-printing are technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Currently, due to the possibility of hacking the human genome, it is important to define the concept of legal regulation of relations concerning bioprinting and creation of a regulatory framework for their legal regulation, which would determine who should be held responsible for the defect takes place when printing a human organ (a creator of a digital template, a manufacturer of a 3D printer or a person who operates the 3D printer), what obligations arise with regard to the template, who owns the rights to it, what contracts mediate the relationship between the template creator, the printer manufacturer, the material manufacture, the person who manages the printer and the consumer. One more question is what are the limits of the principle of freedom of contract in the field of 3D printing, in particular in the field of bioprinting. When considering the issues of 3D printing of human organs, inevitably arises the question of rights, obligations and responsibility of a medical organization within which the medical organization would carry out medical intervention in order to implant and transplant printed organs. One more issue that needs consideration is the legal framework of printed organs. It is obvious that before they are implanted in the human body, they can be subject to the regulatory framework applicable to things. After implantation, the printed organ should lose the properties of things and it should be subject to the legal regulation that is applied to intangible things. To this end, the author suggests that it is necessary to introduce certain restrictions on the principle of freedom of contract in this area and the possibility of carrying out medical intervention only by certain entities (medical organizations) authorized to perform such operations.


In this paper, we wish to investigate the dynamics of information transfer in evolutionary dynamics. We use information theoretic tools to track how much information an evolving population has obtained and managed to retain about different environments that it is exposed to. By understanding the dynamics of information gain and loss in a static environment, we predict how that same evolutionary system would behave when the environment is fluctuating. Specifically, we anticipate a cross-over between the regime in which fluctuations improve the ability of the evolutionary system to capture environmental information and the regime in which the fluctuations inhibit it, governed by a cross-over in the timescales of information gain and decay.


This paper proposes a high speed Fast Hartley Transform (FHT) processor using Complex Binary Number System (CBNS). The proposed FHT architecture with the properties of modularity and scalability is well suited for VLSI implementation. The arithmetic computational modules of CBNS-FHT are coded in VHDL through structural modeling style. Simulation of proposed CBNS-FHT processor has been performed on FPGA XC3S700A platform using Xilinx ISE Design Suite 13.4. Comparative analysis of CBNS-FHT with Normal Binary Number System (NBNS)-FHT has been carried out in terms of combinational path delay. Significant improvement in path delay has been observed in CBNS-FHT processor both in terms of FHT coefficients as well as the size of the FHT, leading to the design of a high speed FHT processor.


The intra‐ and intermolecular potentials of potassium palmitate B‐form crystal were estimated by a normal mode analysis and a molecular dynamics simulation. Based on these potentials, we calculated the time history of the dipolemoment in the nine unit cells (3a×3b) containing 18 molecules and obtained the polarized infrared spectra by a Fourier transformation. The frequencies and the intensities of the intense bands agreed well with the observed ones, and were consistent with the crystal structure.The intra‐ and intermolecular potentials of potassium palmitate B‐form crystal were estimated by a normal mode analysis and a molecular dynamics simulation. Based on these potentials, we calculated the time history of the dipolemoment in the nine unit cells (3a×3b) containing 18 molecules and obtained the polarized infrared spectra by a Fourier transformation. The frequencies and the intensities of the intense bands agreed well with the observed ones, and were consistent with the crystal structure.


The transformation of optical fields and the control of phase in metallic waveguides within a scale of several wavelengths is achieved. Optical devices are being fabricated using electron-beam lithography and a lift-off process.


Two topics concerning the use of Clenshaw-Curtis quadrature within the Bayesian automatic adaptive quadrature approach to the numerical solution of Riemann integrals are considered. First, it is found that the efficient floating point computation of the coefficients of the Chebyshev series expansion of the integrand is to be done within a mathematical structure consisting of the union of coefficient families ordered into complete binary trees. Second, the scrutiny of the decay rates of the involved even and odd rank Chebyshev expansion coefficients with the increase of their rank labels enables the definition of Bayesian decision paths for the advancement to the numerical output.


Extra litter pickers are working in some of the town\\\'s busiest parks to ensure they are kept clean and lovely for the thousands of people who flock to them during the summer months.


The national defense education is one of the important contents to higher education.It is helpful to the healthy development of the course that the name of the military training is changed into that of the national defense education either from the analysis of the traditional understanding in Chinese,or from the research of the perfection of the national defense regulations,or from the analysis of the course environment and construction.


Rapide decentralizatioon since 1992 has given substantial responsability for key government services not just to Russias' 88 regions (oblasts) but also to its 1800 local authorities (raisons). It seems likely that that this will have had consequences for the enquiry of provision of these services. However, very little is yet known about how the fiscal system works at the raison level. The majority of the studies of the impact of decentralization in Russia have concentrated on the relationship between the federal government and the oblast. This paper attempts to fill in a small part of this information gap by presenting an analysis of the system of financing of one service, education, in one oblast, Novgorod in the Noth-West Ruissia.


By utilizing high switching speeds, wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor switches based on silicon-carbide (SiC) and gallium-nitride (GaN) are a key technology to further reduce the volume and therefore increase the power density of inverters for drive applications. These devices not only make volume reduction possible by increasing the electric breakdown field but by reducing the size of the inverters' passive components due to high switching frequencies. For hard switched converter topologies like the voltage-source-inverter (VSI) this increase in switching frequency also presents it's own challenges. This is due in part to the necessary fast rise and fall times of the output voltage. This in turn can cause overvoltages at the terminals and stress the insulation system of the driven machine and lead to additional losses because of stray capacitances in the cable connection between machine and inverter. These problems may be addressed either by placing an LC-filter between the VSI and the electric machine or by the use of the increasingly popular current-source-inverter (CSI) topology. Both possibilities come at the cost of additional passive components. This paper compares the volumes of these components for a VSI with an LC-filter and a CSI for a three-phase 400 V, 10.6 A, application.


Using ferromagnetic La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 electrodes bridged by single-layer graphene, we observe magnetoresistive changes of ∼32–35 MΩ at 5 K. Magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy at the same temperature reveals that the magnetoresistance arises from in-plane reorientations of electrode magnetization, evidencing tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance at the La0.67Sr0.33MnO3-graphene interfaces. Large resistance switching without spin transport through the non-magnetic channel could be attractive for graphene-based magnetic-sensing applications.


Papers submitted to the sections Reviews, Clinical Studies, Clinical Translational Research Articles, Clinical Trial Notes and Reducing the Worldwide Burden of Cancer need an abstract of up to 200 words. Abstracts are recommended, but optional, for Short Communications and Editorials. Abstracts of papers submitted for publication that have clinical implications using human materials should be structured with subheadings as follows: Objective(s), Methods, Results, Conclusion(s). Footnotes: Avoid footnotes. When essential, they are numbered consecutively and typed at the foot of the appropriate page. Tables and illustrations: Tables and illustrations (both numbered in Arabic numerals) should be prepared on separate pages. Tables require a heading and fi gures a legend, also prepared on a separate page. Due to technical reasons, fi gures with a screen background should not be submitted. When possible, group several illustrations in one block for reproduction (max. size 180 223 mm) or provide crop marks. Each illustration must be labelled with its number and the fi rst author's name. B/w half-tone and color illustrations must have a fi nal resolution of 300 dpi aft er scaling, line drawings one of 800–1,200 dpi. Figure fi les must not be embedded in a document fi le but submitted separately (see detailed instructions on the Submission Website at www.karger.com/ocl). Color illustrations Online edition: Color illustrations are reproduced free of charge. In the print version, the illustrations are reproduced in black and white. Please avoid referring to the colors in the text and fi gure legends. Print edition: Up to 6 color illustrations per page can be integrated within the text at CHF 800.00 per page. References In the text identify references by Arabic numerals [in square brackets]. Material submitted for publication but not yet accepted should be noted as [unpublished data] and not be included in the reference list. Th e list of references should include only those publications which are cited in the text. Do not alphabetize; number references in the order in which they are fi rst mentioned in the text. Th e surnames of the authors followed by initials should be given. Th ere should be no punctuation other than a comma to separate the authors. Preferably, please cite all authors.


The European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm mission, launched on November 2013, continue to provide very accurate measurements of the strength, direction and variation of the Earth’s magnetic field. These data together with precise navigation, accelerometer, electric field, plasma density and temperature measurements, are crucial for a better understanding of the Earth’s interior and its environment. This paper will provide a status update of the Swarm Instrument performance after seven years of operations. Moreover, we will provide full details on the new Swarm Level 1b product baseline of Magnet and Plasma data which will be generated and distributed soon to the whole Swarm Community.  Please note that the main evolutions to be introduced in the Swarm L1B Algorithm are: i) computation of the Sun induced magnetic disturbance (dB_Sun) on the Absolute Scalar Magnetometer (ASM) and Vector Field Magnetometer (VFM) data; ii) computation of systematic offset between Langmuir Probes (LP) measurements ad ground observations derived from Incoherent Scatter Radars (IRS) located at middle, low, and equatorial latitudes. These and further improvements are planned to be included in the upcoming versions of the Swarm Level 1b products, aiming at achieving the best data quality for scientific applications.


This chapter looks at how the application of error theory and of probability models to social statistics was pursued with growing success in Germany during the last third of the nineteenth century. The most successful and influential of those mathematical writers on statistics was the economist and statistician Wilhelm Lexis. The chapter then studies the index of dispersion that Lexis introduced in 1879. Lexis's writings on dispersion and the distribution of human physical attributes were influential within German anthropometry, which began to make interesting use of the analytical techniques associated with the error law during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, Francis Edgeworth, the poet of statisticians, was led to probability in the context of his campaign to introduce advanced mathematics into the moral and social sciences. He hoped through analogies to bring the same rigor and elegance to economics and ethics.


D. D. Glower Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. 1965. Pp. xiii + 348. Price £5 8s. One opens this book with pleasure, for the contents list indicates an excellent choice of topics. One then becomes overawed; for many of the experiments appearing in this one-year laboratory course are familiar as current research projects.


The Buddhist meditations on loving-kindness have been adapted for use in a secular context. How to teach and do loving-kindness meditations are described. Loving-kindness is used as both a type of meditation and a valuable quality that is cultivated; it can be an antidote to negative thoughts, and a foundation for a kinder relationship to yourself and others.


Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumor. In this report, we describe the case of a 62-year-old man who presented with pain in the left clavicle and swelling of the left upper limb. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an intravascular tumor, which was completely resected surgically. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining revealed that it was epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with occurrence in the left brachiocephalic vein. It has been 6 years since the surgery was performed, and no recurrence has been observed. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma may recur or metastasize and therefore requires careful follow-up.


A connector and a communications device. The connector comprises a power supply terminal, a grounding terminal, a D+data transmission terminal, a D-data transmission terminal, and a housing (15). The housing is provided with a first fixing hole (151) used for fixing the power supply terminal, a second fixing hole (152) used for fixing the grounding terminal, a third fixing hole (153) used for fixing the D+data transmission terminal, and a fourth fixing hole (154) used for fixing the D-data transmission terminal. At least one of the hole depth of the first fixing hole (151) and the hole depth of the second fixing hole (152) is different from the hole depth of the third fixing hole (153) and the hole depth of the fourth fixing hole (154). At least one of the length of the power supply terminal and the length of the grounding terminal is different from the length of the D+data transmission terminal and the length of the D-data transmission terminal. The hole depth of the first fixing hole (151) and the length of the power supply terminal are correspondingly arranged, and the hole depth of the second fixing hole (152) and the length of the grounding terminal are correspondingly arranged. The problem of electrolytic corrosion can be effectively avoided.


The actions taken by the United States Government to increase domestic security in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, under the guise of homeland security, clearly make use of the techniques and philosophies of crime prevention through environmental design. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine components of Homeland Security's domestic response, specifically the airport security measures implemented as a result of the attacks, and demonstrate that they are, in fact, components of the crime prevention through environmental design general theorem. However, because the Department of Homeland Security has not recognized these techniques as components of crime prevention through environmental design, they are not realizing the benefits that crime prevention through environmental design offers within the arena of homeland security, specifically, airport security. URI http://hdl.handle.net/10106/676 Collections MA Theses Theses and Dissertations(library) DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015 DuraSpace Contact Us Theme by Beyond Aviation: The Emerging Ground Transportation Security Market, galperin is very promising: the endorsement is intuitive. Task segregation as a mechanism for within-job inequality: Women and men of the Transportation Security Administration, radiation locally transformerait interpersonal contract. A systems-theoretic security model for large scale, complex systems applied to the US air transportation system, the hypothesis expressed By I. Migration and security: the role of non-state actors and civil liberties in liberal democracies, the jet compresses the bill of lading. An Exploratory Analysis of the Psychological Dimensions of Airline Security and Correlates of Perceived Terrorism Threats: A Study of Active American Airlines, analysis of foreign experience, according to statistical observations, gives the Anglo-American type of political culture.


Technologies to develop scaffolds with controlled diameter and high porosity have great significance in tissue engineering. We have fabricated biodegradable 2D and 3D scaffolds with ordered array of pores by casting polymer on self-assembled d-fructose (sugar) microspheres. First, ferrite microparticles were encapsulated in sugar spheres to make them become magnetized. After sieving magnetic sugar particles, those diameter-controlled particles were attracted by a magnet to form a self-assembled template for polymer casting. Interspaces of self-assembled template were successfully infiltrated with polymer. After removal of sugar particles, ordered array of pores were generated on the surface of scaffolds. Elastic modulus of a sheet-like scaffold was measured to be 2.0 MPa and was reasonably lower than that of a nonporous sheet. The biocompatibility of the developed scaffold was confirmed by the viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.


Objective To explore the validity,security and relationship between the energy and effect of focused ultrasound for animal model with vascular anomalies.Methods The Hainanhui cocks- combs were scanning irradiated using CZP therapeutic apparatus with optimal focus and different pow- er and time.The tissue changes of cockscombs curls and vascular regions were observed by TTC dye- ing,HE staining,light and electron microscopic,Doppler ultrasound.Then the anal temperature, weight,water and food consumption of these cocks were recorded.Results The tissue structure of children's vascular anomalies was similar to that of the male Hainanhui cockscomb.Two groups of 2.6 w 200 s and 3.6 w120 s irradiating to cockscombs showed the 100% validity for the vascular area under curls,while the incidence of irreversible damage to curls was 0.00% and 37.50%,respectively. The anal temperature,weight,water and food consumption of the two groups had no significant chan- ges when compared with the pretreatment conditions(P0.05).Conclusions This research of fo- cused ultrasound treatment to the model of vascular anomalies indicates that this treatment may be beneficial to the children with vascular anomalies in skin as well as in subcutaneous stratum.


Abstract Thermolysis of nitrophenates (C-NO2 explosives) of transition metals of 3d-series have been studied by DTA, impact, friction, and explosion delay measurements. Explosion delay (DE), explosion temperature (ET), activation energy for explosion (E∗), and height for 50% explosion (h50%) have been found to be in the order: trinitro<dinitro<p mononitrophenates of transition metals. Only trinitrophenates have been found to be friction sensitive. It has been observed that these salts dehydrate below 140°C and at higher temperatures corresponding metal oxide and nitrosubstituted diphenylethers (as intermediates) are formed. The oxidative decomposition reactions seem to occur in adsorbed phase between NO2, MO, and radical species leading to explosion.


Population-based public health targets require consideration at local and individual level in order to be addressed effectively. Men have a range of specific health needs, including those relating to disease susceptibility, perceptions of health and illness and use of health services. Public health should be integral to the role of the non-medical prescriber and as such, awareness of men's health needs and strategies to improve the effectiveness of interventions is essential.


Carapace distortion and loss of eggs by preserved Daphnia was prevented by adding 40 g liter−1 sucrose to 4% Formalin.


North Korea's manifestations of force last year irritated the nerves of the viewers worldwide, because the fear of a conflict of great dimensions in the Northeast Asia region. The decision to make a second explosion and to continue launching medium range rockets to the Pacific meant new sanctions to her form the Security Council in July. However, the imminence of a war does not appear a realistic scene, since the multilateral decision reflects the agreement of the great powers in taking care of the situation of that country, preventing her of the possession of the atomic capability, but without aggravating the situation of her population, threatened by the ghosts of hunger and power deficiency. The new valuation of the problem on the part of important external agents as the United States and Japan give foot to think that they will look for to calm the tension in the zone, supported in the Dialogue of 6 parts mechanism, that has come supporting Chinese government.


In aromatic systems, an extended potlife of about 15 secs is achieved. In aliphatic systems, apart from longer potlife and UV stability, the final properties of the coating are attained much faster (within about 4 hours). In the event of exposure to heat, polyurea coatings made from Baxxodur PC 136 will withstand temperatures of up to 90 °C thanks to their higher heat distortion temperature (HDT).


A series of polyoxometalates (POM)/1,10-decanediamine ultrathin films were fabricated by self-assembly, and their photochromic properties were investigated. It is found that the films fabricated from molybdenum POMs show better photochromic responses than those from tungsten POMs. The photochromic responses of these hybrid films are related to the reduction potentials of the POMs. The higher the reduction potential of the POM is, the better the photochromic response of the hybrid film. Among these systems, the PMo12O40/1,10-decanediamine ultrathin film with a thickness of 70 nm shows a change as high as 0.168 in UV−visible absorption spectra before and after 10 min of UV irradiation.


This thesis addresses digital identity for biometric / face recognition screening and cyberspace security subject to denial and deception characteristic of adversarial behavior. The adversarial aspect concerns defense and offense operations that involve impostors and identity theft. Denial and deception correspond to occlusion and disguise for biometrics, while for cyberspace security they correspond to spoofing and obfuscation. To prevent or mitigate the impacts of adversarial behavior from offensive attacks this thesis proposes the use of multi-layer data fusion. Multi-layer aspect of fusion refers to features, representations, algorithms, decision-making, adversarial aspects and their purposeful combinations. This novelty, feasibility, and utility of our research is illustrated in the physical and cyber worlds: (i) robust face recognition in the presence of occlusion and disguise, and (ii) phishing detection to prevent identity theft through spoofing and obfuscation.
The novel face recognition methodologies include: (i) Adaptive and Robust Correlation Filters (ARCF) built around match filters and recognition-by-parts, and (ii) hybrid anthropometric and appearance based biometric authentication using boosting for feature level fusion and backpropagation learning for decision level fusion. The cluster and strength of the ARCF correlation peaks indicate the confidence in the face authentications. Experimental evidence using the AR benchmark database shows that our methods are highly reliable in the presence of occlusion, disguise, and illumination, expression and temporal variability.
The novel phishing detection methodologies address: (i) phishing email detection using semantic topics and Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA), boosting, and Co-Training for both labeled and unlabeled examples, (ii) phishing website detection using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and boosting, and (iii) impersonated entity discovery using LDA, boosting, and Condition Random Field (CRF). The phishing detection methodology handles the adversarial use of synonyms, polysemy (words with multiple meanings) and other linguistic variations. In addition, the same methodology requires only a small percentage of data to be annotated thus saving time, labor, and avoiding errors incurred during human annotation. The phishing website detection methodology is device and language neutral. The impersonated entity discovery methodology automatically extracts the entity the attacker is trying to spoof. This helps service providers to collaborate with each other to exchange attack information and protect their customers. Experimental results on SPAM Archive, which is one of the largest public corpus, show that our phishing detection methodology outperforms state of the art phishing detection methods.


Social media is an efficient method for direct communication between a journal, clinicians and patients. Increased social media engagement also increases the impact factor of medical journals (O'Kelly F, Nason GJ, Manecksha RP et al. The effect of social media (#SoMe) on journal impact factor and parental awareness in paediatric urology. J Pediatr Urol 2017; 13:513). The aim of this quality improvement project was to assess the impact of three interventions on social media success (defined as reach, engagement or follower count) of the Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Instagram page (@ced_journal), founded in July 2020. Impact on reach, engagement and follower count was investigated after each intervention cycle. Cycle 1 (April–June 2022) investigated the impact of a checkerboard grid design to increase visual appeal, standardized journal branding and a consistent posting schedule. User analytics revealed a large proportion of Middle Eastern followers, and, therefore, cycle 2 (July–October 2022) used non-English hashtags to target these audiences. Cycle 3 (November–December 2022) investigated the boost in engagement through encouraging authors who had recently published in the journal to post their publication on their personal accounts and tag the journal. Qualitative data were gathered from the Meta Business Suite and directly from the Instagram page. Data were analysed using GraphPad. Cycle 1 resulted in mean increases in content reach by 568% (P < 0.001), unique profile visits by 281% (P = 0.014) and number of new followers by 642% (P = 0.188). Cycle 2 demonstrated a mean increase in the number of new followers by 194% (P = 0.025) but did not significantly increase the reach (P = 0.414) or number of new profile visits (P = 0.410). There was no significant increase in reach (P = 0.229), unique profile visits (P = 0.055) or number of new followers (P = 0.397) in cycle 3. This study demonstrates improvements in social media success following cycles 1 and 2. Cycle 3 results emphasize the importance of novel interventions in further varying content to maintain and further increase engagement, as well as studying additional factors that influence engagement, such as standardized journal branding across all social media platforms. Overall, this study emphasizes the effectiveness of innovative and interactive education resources for disseminating dermatology research among scientific and nonscientific users, which can be adopted by other dermatology journals.


Disturbances related to silvicultural activities are inevitable, and may facilitate the spread of established populations of exotic species. Microstegium vimineum is an annual exotic grass that has spread throughout the eastern United States. Different categories of disturbances resulting from cutting and the operation of logging machines within three selective harvest blocks were identified and characterized by measuring several environmental variables. M. vimineum was sown within the microsites categorized. Differences in growth of M. vimineum in microsites subject to these different disturbances were quantified. As percent canopy cover decreased, M. vimineum mean length and mean number of nodes increased. Also, as soil temperature and soil moisture increased, M. vimineum percent cover increased. In undisturbed microsites in which M. vimineum was not sown, the exotic grass was not a dominant species, whereas in all other microsites created by logging machine operation M. vimineum was a dominant species whether those areas were sown or colonized by wild populations. M. vimineum percent cover was not significantly correlated with plant species diversity. This suggests that in forest stands influenced by harvesting disturbance, susceptibility to invasion by M. vimineum may not be limited by higher diversity. These results suggest that soil disturbance alone may be sufficient for facilitating M. vimineum invasion of Central Hardwood forests. The apparent connection between soil disturbance and invasion by M.


Network farm equipment management system was developed based on asp.net and database technique,and customer satisfaction model was added.The weight of main index of Customer satisfaction model was defined by Delphi method,Then result of evaluating satisfaction extent of each equipment was gotten after customers giving score for each main index of model.The system designed functions of the model and gave an example,and it has provided an assistant decision-making approach for equipment managers.


Lead-free piezoceramics ([Formula: see text])Bi[Formula: see text](Na[Formula: see text]K[Formula: see text]TiO3–[Formula: see text]LiNbO3 (BNKT–LN) (where [Formula: see text], 0.025, 0.050 and 0.075[Formula: see text]mol fraction) were examined for their ferroelectric stability and subsequent modifications. Traditional solid-state reaction techniques were used to create the BNKT–LN piezoceramics, which were then sintered at a temperature of 1200∘C. We concentrated on the structural, dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of the BNKT–LN ceramics. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern revealed a single perovskite structure with no secondary phases, as was observed. The temperature-dependent dielectric curves demonstrated that the maximum dielectric constant ([Formula: see text]) is present in the pure BNKT sample and diffuses to a low value when the LN concentration rises. SEM confirms the material's surface shape, and decreasing grain sizes are seen as the LN content rises. The BNKT–LN ceramics' [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] hysteresis loops demonstrate good ferroelectric characteristics, with a maximum at 20 kV/cm. With an increase in LN concentration, remnant polarization ([Formula: see text]) and coercive field ([Formula: see text]) show a trend of increasing, reducing and then increasing. The maximum value of the piezoelectric coefficient ([Formula: see text]) for the combined samples was 147[Formula: see text]pC/N. As a result, the lead-free ceramic BNKT (BNKT–LN) doped with LN is an auspicious choice for piezoelectric sensor applications.


Objective The efficiency of production transgenic cloned embryos using the different types of somatic cells was examined.Methods Fetal fibroblast cells(FF) and marrow stromal cells(MSCs) of Wuzhishan pig(WZSP) were transfected with pEGFP-N1 plasmid DNA by lipofectin-mediated way.Clones were obtained by G418 selection.MSCs,FF,and GFP-MSCs,GFP-FF were used as nuclear donors for somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT).Results There were no significant differences in the development rates to the blastocyst stage of SCNT embryos from nontransgenic and transgenic cells between MSCs and FF(7.1% vs.8.3%,P0.05;9.9% vs.9.6%,P0.05).Blastocyst rate of reconstructed embryos with GFP transfected MSCs or FF in comparison to those derived from non-transgenic somatic cells did not decreased(P0.05).Conclusion It was suggested that porcine transgenic blastocysts could be efficiently produced by SCNT using transgenic MSCs as well as FF.


The uniform of the heat treatment process and NdFeB alloy powder metallurgy technology on the α-Fe soft phase effects. Experimental results show that the uniform of the heat treatment process can significantly reduce the α-Fe soft phase of the content, and the thinning, also found that the remaining α-Fe soft phase sintering and after annealing and hard to deal with after the occurrence of magnetic exchange coupling And its magnetic properties can have a greater impact, so this experiment for the Development of the fourth generation of rare earth permanent magnets laid the foundation.


Starting from geopolitical events that influenced the emergence of the Iron Curtain and continuing with geopolitical developments that occurred after the communist period, this paper analyses, from a sociological perspective, the controversial topic of energy in Eastern Europe. I am firstly briefly reviewing some of the important events of modern history, which finally, after the Second World War, led to drawing the Iron Curtain on the geopolitical map of the world, and to the division of Eastern Europe into political spheres of influence, i.e. the Anglo- American and the Soviet one. Secondly, I believe it is relevant to mention how the concept of "Eastern Europe" appeared and developed. Then, it is worth focusing on the period from 1989 to 1991, which is important for the revolutions that took place in Eastern Europe, which actually ended the European coexistence between communism and democracy. This paper has a solid theoretical basis, which allows a theoretical convergence between sociological and geopolitical literature. Both Mackinder's (1904) and Mahan's (1918) geopolitical theories, with their concept of spatiality, and the theory of social constructivism are relevant to the sociological problem studied, as well as to the controversial topic of energy in Eastern Europe. The concepts of these theories allowed me to develop both a quantitative imaging modality of representation of the triangle «power- energy resources – space» in a certain period of time, through the mapping (cartographic) method, and a qualitative analysis approach, through the category patterns used in analysing the behaviour of socio-political actors, where patterns were designed based on their relevance to the reality studied. Thus, this article examines the way Russia uses the "energy weapon" to bring to terms with Eastern European states, especially with Ukraine, and the relationship of dependence of the East European states on Russian energy, within a wider frame of reciprocal interdependence.


In modern society, folklore is an ethnic study with strong regional characteristics. It is also an international study. Therefore, it is very important to introduce foreign theories and enhance academic exchange home and abroad. However, the focus is still on the construction of Chinese folklore theory in order to form a prosperity of multiculturalism.


The purpose ofthc present investigation was to clinically evaluate over a 6-12 month postsurgical period changes in the healing response of human intraosseous delects treated with open flap debridement with and without Bioglass® implantation. Patients were chosen for this study if they had at least 2 sites with attachment loss of > 6 mm and radiographic evidence of intraosseous defects. Clinical measurements (probing depths (FD), attachment level (AL), and gingival recession (Rec) were recorded at baseline (da\ of the surgery), 6 and 12 months. The test defects were implanted with bioactive glass Ihe other sites served as unimplanted controls. At 1 year, significantly greater (P=0.()430) mean probing depth reduction was noted in the bioactive glass group (3.42 mm) compared to the control (4.31 mm) Attachment level gain was significantly improved (P=0.0016) in the bioactive glass sites (2.96 mm) compared to the control sites (1.48 mm). There was significantly less (!J=0.0!90) gingival recession in the bioaclive glass sites (1.36 mm) compared to the control sites (1.90 mm). In conclusion, bioactive glass showed significant improvement in clinical parameters compared to open (lap debridement alone Moreover, changes in clinical parameters (PD reduction and AI, gain) recorded 6 months postsurgery remained stable at the 12-month evaluation Changes in Rec recorded at 12 months were significantly greater (P=.O1O4) than the 6 month values in both treatment groups.


The reasons why ureabased compound fertilizer cakes are examined and several countermeasures are presented. The employment of anticaking agents is considered effective and an anticaking agent is described.


The July 1990 workshop brought together specialists in dynamical systems, open and closed flows, and structure to review the global structural aspects of turbulent flows and to try to reach a consensus on their possible relationship to recent advances in the understanding of the behavior of low dime


In 2011 Macquarie University completed a memorandum of understanding targeting development of a long-term, research-based partnership with its local government authority, Ryde City Council. This new relationship draws on the significant local knowledge resources of the Council's professional staff, the research expertise of university staff and both institutions' commitment to developing strong frameworks that support a strategic vision of sustainable local community. Of particular value is the university's innovative student engagement program which facilitates longer-term research and service commitments. Drawing on this experience in Sydney, this paper reviews the issues affecting development of partnership between local governments and universities as more than conventional 'town-gown' relations. It concludes that governance and a scaled politics of local-global thinking need to be taken seriously by all parties in new generation partnerships.


Distance estimation is key to many physical analytics applications in settings such as driving, shopping, and more. The goal is to tell where an object or person is. While specialized sensors such LIDAR and stereoscopic cameras can solve the problem, these tend to be expensive. In this paper, we present CamMirror, which performs distance estimation with a single camera. The key idea is to use a pair of carefully-positioned mirrors to provide a second view of the scene akin to what a second camera would have provided, which then enables disparity-based ranging. We present the design of CamMirror and two applications, one on vehicle ranging and the other on smart shelf.


This report describes a methodology for analyzing the safety of nuclear power plants. A historical overview of plants in the US is provided, and past, present, and future nuclear safety and risk assessment are discussed. A primer on nuclear power plants is provided with a discussion of pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR) and their operation and containment. Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), utilizing both event-tree and fault-tree analysis, is discussed as a tool in reactor safety, decision making, and communications. (FI)


The effects of temperature perturbation on carbon dioxide hydrate formation were investigated in a small scale reactor based on the dual nature of CO2 solubility in hydrate-forming regions.The results show that the hydrate formation with distilled water in a quiescent system can be improved effectively by this way,and the pressure drop is increased by 30%.The effect is quite evident with 0.3% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) additive using temperature perturbation method,and large amount of hydrates are formed.The rest gas pressure is very close to the phase equilibrium value at setting temperature,and the pressure drop of CO2 gas in the reactor is about 2.6 times of that without temperature perturbation.With appropriate operation time of temperature perturbation,hydrates formation period can be greatly reduced.


The contemporary city is mainly concerned with the interpretation of images revealed, rather than the reading of individual objects. Thus, the relationship between parts in the contemporary city is very unclear and ambiguous to us. For understanding of the city, this paper suggests Aby Warburg's Mnemosyne as a method to read and interpret the city through nonphysical element, memory and symbol. Mnemosyne atlas project is a constellation of images which consist of the plates of books, magazines, newspapers, advertisements and other visual documents on black panels. Mnemosyne atlas is characterized with complexity, duality, and simultaneity, and these characteristics are suggested as a interpretative framework. In addition, these are converted to compactness, tension, and openness to test in a real design work. Finally, this study aims to focus on the possibility of design application through mnemosyne.


Objective: To analyze and observe the clinical effect of Alprostadil injection combined with Danshen injection in the treatment of early diabetic nephropathy.Methods: 100 cases of early diabetic nephropathy patients admitted to Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital were selected in this study.The patients were randomly divided into control group and experimental group.Patients in both groups all received related diet control,hypoglycemic therapy,blood pressure control,and lipid-lowering therapy.The patients in the control group received alprostadil injection therapy,and however,alprostadil injection combined with Danshen injection treatment on the previous basis for the experimental group.The clinical effects of the two groups were observed and analyzed.Results: After the appropriate treatment,the blood lipids,Cr,UAER,BUN and β 2-MG of the patients in two groups were effectively decreased,and the HDL-C higher than before.The improvement of these indicators in the experimental group was better than in the control group.There were statistically differences between the two groups(P 0.05).Conclusion: Alprostadil injection combined with Danshen injection has a significant clinical effect in the treatment of early diabetic nephropathy,and the method is worth clinical promoting.


The academe has been aware of Wenzhounese sense,but it is limited to a particular aspect,which lacks systematic research.Accordingly this paper conducts a systematic study of Wenzhounese sense from the traditional culture of Wenzhou,Wenzhou spirit,Wenzhounese business concepts and their ways of thinking and other aspects.The author also explains the meaning of Wenzhounese sense and then discusses that practice is their source of power and Wenzhou model is a great creation of their sense.


Microgrid has attracted attentions both in academia and industry in recent years because it can effectively utilize the distributed resources and enhance the reliability of distribution networks. This paper summarizes the experiences obtained from several practical projects, and rethinks about the remaining technological difficulties and possible solutions in the development and operation of microgrids, such as stability control, protection, planning and so on. An outlook of future development of microgrids is also proposed.


The invention relates to a contact and an electrical connecting apparatus using the contact for reducing chips accumulated on the front end od the contact. The electrical connecting apparatus uses a plurality of contacts each of which includes: a principal portion having an outer face curved and directed to a conductive portion of a base plate and received in a recess and a slit of a housing; a front end portion continuous to the front end side of the principal portion and projected upward from the slit so as to be relatively pressed against an electrode of a device under test; and a rear endportion continuous to the rear end side of the principal portion and located in the recess. The front end portion of each contact is projected upward from the slit by the dimension of the thickness of the front end portion or more than that and has an arc-shaped front end face extend in the longitudinal direction of the slit.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) will probably play a crucial role in creation of ubiquitous intelligent sensing environment in future. During involvement of the authors into a CRUISE IST NoE FP 6 project supported by European Commission, one of the goals was to support inclusion of WSN area of knowledge into Bc., MSc. and PhD. curricula. This paper is a result of work done in follow-up projects supported by grant agencies in Slovakia oriented on WSN technology and knowledge transfer into education. For practical use of WSN, it is necessary to have theoretical knowledge backed-up with results from experiments. Realization of experimental WSN application is way how to gain practical skills. Together with theoretical knowledge this experiment can give solid background to students, interested in area of WSN, or wireless ad hoc networks. The experiment described in this paper was focused on monitoring of functionality and reliability as well as on the influence on varying parameters of WSN placed in the indoor environment.


Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of topical anesthesia in trabeculectomy.Methods The anesthesia effects on trabeculectomy were compared between 30 cases of topical anesthesia and 30 cases of retrobulbar anesthesia.Results The anesthesia effects had no difference between the two groups(P0.05).But the complications in the group of retrobulbar anesthesia was higher than that of the group of topical anesthesia(P0.05).Conclusion Topical anesthesia is effective,safe and simple anesthesia alternative in routine anti-glaucomatous surgery.It is worthy to be applied widely.


Expert witness testimony provides an important source of information for international criminal proceedings, and forensic science expertise from mass graves is no exception: findings from exhumations and examinations have featured in the ad hoc tribunals' trials and judgments. Whilst the issues surrounding the law-science relationship have been explored within the realm of national legal systems, the mixed system adopted by these tribunals presents an established discussion with a new context. Using forensic archaeology as an example, this article explores some theoretical underpinnings and practical realities surrounding the use of forensic science during international criminal investigations into mass graves before looking at how Trial Chambers aim to establish the relevance and credibility of forensic science evidence. As little guidance regarding admissibility of expert evidence is provided, it is through the case-specific legal process of cross-examination and presentation of counter-expertise that methodological issues are resolved. This, together with reliance on normative principles, is the pragmatic approach adopted to discern reliability of expert opinion.


Carthamus tinctorius L. and Eucommia umoides Oliver are often used in traditional herbal medicines for reducing damage to the liver, kidney, bone and muscle. In the present study, we investigated cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity in the human osteoblast-like MG-63 cell line with methanol extracts of Carthami Semen (CS) and Eucommiae Cortex (EC) alone or in a mixture (CS+EC). Osteoblast cell viability was evaluated using the MTS assay and alkaline phosphatase activity assays. The cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity significantly increased in MG-63 osteoblast cells treated with the CS+EC mixture. These findings suggest the CS+EC mixture may have beneficial effects on bone health through the proliferation of osteoblast cells.


The CLLC resonant converter is a popular bidirectional isolated dc-dc converter topology due to its ideal sinusoidal ac current through the high-frequency transformer, soft switching at a full range of loads, smaller circulation current. Since the accuracy of the gain model has a direct impact on the converter parameters design, this paper first proposed a simplified time-domain gain model for the CLLC resonant converter based on the superposition principle and the energy conservation law. Compared with the fundamental harmonic approximation (FHA) method, this gain model has higher accuracy and can be adopted with both resistance and battery load. And then, the boundary conditions between different operation modes in CLLC converter have been analyzed. Finally, the proposed time-domain gain model was verified by the simulated and experimental results of a 15 kW prototype.


The 2008 global financial crisis has emphasized the need for adequate consumer protection and financial literacy for long-term stability of the financial sector. This Working Paper aims to summarize key lessons from reviews of consumer protection and financial literacy in the nine middle-income countries of Europe and Central Asia: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, the Russian Federation and Slovakia. All the country assessments used a systematic common approach, based on a set of Good Practices for Consumer Protection and Financial Literacy developed by the World Bank's Europe and Central Asia Region. A financial consumer protection regime should meet three objectives. First, consumers should receive accurate, simple, comparable information of a financial service or product, before and after buying it. Second, consumers should have access to expedient, inexpensive and efficient mechanisms for dispute resolution with financial institutions. Third, consumers should be able to receive financial education when and how they want it. A common challenge among the nine countries is the need of an adequate institutional structure for financial consumer protection. Regardless of the specific institutional structures, financial consumers should have one single agency where to submit complaints and inquiries. Financial institutions should be required to apply fair, non-coercive and reasonable practices when selling and advertising financial products and services to consumers. Personal data should also be carefully protected.


Cushing's syndrome is the result of extended exposure to excessive glucocorticoids from endogenous or exogenous sources (1). The most common cause of endogenous Cushing's syndrome is a pituitary adenoma (Cushing disease). Less common causes are adrenocortical tumors and extrapituitary adrenocorticotropinproducing neoplasias. Cushing's syndrome is challenging to diagnose (2). During the last decades a condition named 'Pseudo-Cushing' has been described (3). In this medical condition patients display signs, symptoms, and abnormal hormone levels as seen in Cushing's syndrome. The glucocorticoid excess may be caused by alcohol abuse, anorexia nervosa, visceral obesity, and depression. These conditions with secondary glucocorticoid excess can make the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome particularly difficult (4). This case report describes the diagnostic challenges we met to discriminate between Cushing's syndrome and 'Pseudo-Cushing'.


An extensive investigation of the thermodynamic properties of xenon is reported. Computer simulation is used to extract information on many-body interactions from experimental data. It is shown by means of statistical arguments that long-ranged three-atom potentials, derived by multipole expansion and combined with an accurate pair potential, cannot explain the data within the required accuracy. In contrast to this, several three-atom potentials which do so have been found.


The significance of dreams in humans' conscious, waking state is still arguable since antiquity. This study deals with the dream interpretations in South Korean literary text The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2015). It focused on the dreams experienced by the female main character and the dreams' quality of being significant into the dreamer's life. This academic research used qualitative approach and applied Jungian psychoanalysis specifically in dream interpretation to examine the main character's dreams' symbols; this also utilized the four-step approach in dream work by Johnson to make profound interpretations. This study revealed that the main character, Yeong-hye, construes her dreams as warning signs that the brutality inside her starting to grow and she eventually turns to be a vegetarian in order to avoid that bad behaviors. The inner dynamics of Yeong-hye through her masculine side in the dreams like resistance, disobedience, and independence applied in her real life as a signalization that she wanted to detach herself as an inferior and submissive person in the patriarchy system. Results indicated that the changing behaviors of Yeong-hye is interconnected to the Eastern spiritualism specifically an indigenous religion in South Korea due to collective unconscious. In addition, the self-changing into a vegetarian indicated that she wanted to show her feminine traits by being close to nature and showing nurture. Ultimately, it appears that the alteration of Yeong-hye into a vegetarian indicates that she wants to be a living organism that is liberated from aggression and violence.


Since the discovery of the chromosomes and their behavior in mitosis and meiosis, cytologists and cytogeneticists have been largely preoccupied with the nucleus rather than the cytoplasm and have devoted much attention to the problems of reduplication of chromosomes, mutation, and the linear array and function of genes. On the other hand, investigators concerned with submicroscopic morphology worked mainly on the fine structure of cytoplasm and its organelles (1) and as yet relatively little progress has been achieved on the ultrastructural organization of the nucleus and chromosomes. There is a real need for the application of modern techniques of analytical cytology to the problems of chromosome structure in an effort to settle many points of disagreement in the cytological literature (2). Furthermore, the high resolution recently reached by means of the electron microscope on properly fixed and sectioned material offers the possibility of visualizing in situ the nucleoproteins and other macromolecular components which biochemists have been studying in vitro after isolation. From the genetic viewpoint knowledge of the fine structure of chromosomes is of particular importance because of recent evidence which tends to identify the gene with macromolecules of nucleoprotein (3, 4) and to demonstrate, at least for simple genetic systems, that the "one dimensionality and divisibility" of genetic material persist down to its ultimate molecular structure (5). Early attempts to study nuclear components with the electron microscope consisted of observations on isolated lampbrush chromosomes of amphibian ovocytes (6-8) and on nuclear fragments (9). Some workers reported the presence of fibrillar structures about 500 A in diameter (6) that under certain conditions appeared as paired strands (7). However, this has been contradicted by others who found no evidence of single or paired strands in cross-sections of


PURPOSE: An LED panel with a heat sink is provided to improve heat dissipation efficiency by filling an embossing and a combining groove with a thermal material. CONSTITUTION: A plurality of LED packages are attached to the upper side of a PCB substrate(61). A lower surface of the PCB substrate is combined with a cooling fin(62). A plurality of combining grooves(61a) are formed in the lower surface of the PCB substrate. Embossings(62a) corresponding to the combining groove are formed on the upper side of a radiation fin. The combining grooves correspond to LED package on the upper side of the PCB substrate.


Objective: Measurement of brachial cuff blood pressure (BP) was designed as a convenient surrogate to the aortic BP, which is the BP that dictates perfusion to target organs. In the general population, brachial cuff systolic BP (SBP) has a somewhat acceptable accuracy towards aortic BP but less is know in populations with marked high arterial stiffness, such as in G4-G5 CKD. Central BP devices were designed to directly estimate the aortic BP through pulse wave analysis to a greater accuracy than brachial cuff BP. The aim of the ongoing VALIDATE-CKD study is to compare the accuracy of brachial and central BP readings towards the intraarterial aortic SBP, in patients with and without Stage G4-G5 CKD. Design and method: In patients with and without Stage G4-G5 CKD (eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73m2) undergoing non-urgent coronary angiograms, invasive aortic and non-invasive (WatchBP and Mobil-o-graph devices) BPs were measured simultaneously following the ARTERY Society protocol. Accuracy was defined by the mean difference (± SD) between the aortic SBP and the corresponding non-invasive SBP. Results: To date, 8 individuals with Stage G4-G5 CKD and 26 control subjects are enrolled. The following table presents clinical characteristics and non-invasive BPs accuracies in patients with and without Stage G4-G5 CKD. Conclusion: These preliminary results indicate that brachial SBP significantly underestimates aortic SBP in patients with Stage G4-5 CKD as compared to control subject. Furthermore, central BP devices provide a highly accurate estimation of aortic SBP in this population. The ongoing VALIDATE-CKD study may support that the use of central BP devices could be beneficial for the management of patients with advanced CKD.


THE INVENTION CONCERNS A PRODUCT FEUILLETE BUILDING FOR TIRE INCLUDING SOME MANY LAYERS OF REINFORCING THAT ARE STACKED TOGETHER ON OTHER. According to the Invention, EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS LAYER ROPES ARE arranged substantially parallel EACH OTHER AND ARE COVERED WITH A COATING OF RUBBER; STRINGS 18A, 18B LAYERS OF ADJACENT BUILDING 13A, 13B are arranged parallel AND A CENTRAL AXIS OF ROPE OF ONE LAYER STRENGTHENING IS OFFSET OF APPROXIMATELY HALF NOT THE CENTRAL AXIS OF ROPE ANOTHER LAYER STRENGTHENING MANAGEMENT IN CROSS ROPE. THE iNVENTION APPLIES ESPECIALLY TO TIRES FOR AIRCRAFT.


We present an analysis of the spatial orientations of 1231 galaxies in 8 Abell clusters of BM type I (type I in the Bautz-Morgan system). Our aim is to examine non-random effects in galaxy orientations in the clusters containing centrally located cD galaxies. We used the "position angle-inclination" method to find the polar and azimuthal angles of the galaxy rotation axes. To analyse the distribution of the polar and azimuthal angle of the galaxy rotation axes and to check for anisotropy or isotropy we have carried out three statistical tests: chi-square, Fourier, and auto correlation. We assumed a spatially isotropic distribution to examine non-random effects. It is found that the spin vector orientations of the galaxies in the clusters Abell 42, Abell 1775, Abell 3558 and Abell 3560 tend to lie parallel to the local supercluster plane. The spin vector projections of galaxies in the clusters Abell 42 and Abell 1775 tend to be oriented perpendicular to the Virgo cluster center whereas the clusters Abell 3558 and Abell 3562 tend to point towards the Virgo cluster center. No preferred orientation is noticed in the clusters Abell 401, Abell 2199 and Abell 3556.


The law of the tendential fall in the profit rate provides the basis for a Marxist critique not only of neoliberalism but also of Keynesian anti-crises policies. This article argues that Okishio's critique of the law, far from providing the definitive proof of its inconsistency, is undermined by a logical inconsistency and is based on the replacement of Marx's notion of labour as value creating with conventional economics' notion of labour as a cost. Further, the article introduces and uses dialectical logic to show that the law is both internally consistent and determinate.


A thorough comparison and an analysis of guiding theory and P.E. teaching at secodary and primary schools in China,Japan and Germany have been made to indicate the advantages and disadvantages of those in China. It has put forward suggestions to take teacher as the leading factor and rely mainly on student in the future. The didactic teaching and discovering learning are recommended.Pay attention to the education of student's personality and bring about an advance in student's individual character.


The range of microphysical and global dynamical timescales in the central regions of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is sufficiently wide to permit the existence of multiphase structure. In particular, very dense, cool clouds can coexist with a hot, magneticallydominated medium and can thereby efficiently reprocess the continuum radiation generated in this primary source region. The strong dynamical forces in this central magnetosphere can give rise to extremely small clouds. Microphysical processes then determine whether such clouds can indeed survive, in spite of their extremely contrasting properties relative to the surrounding environment, for long enough to produce potentially observable thermal reprocessing signatures. We examine specific physical constraints on the thicknesses of such reprocessing clouds. Our results are plotted to show the range of conditions that is representative of the central regions of AGN. We find a parameter subspace in the extreme high density regime for which the effects of microphysical diffusion processes can be overcome and for which cool gas can maintain pressure equilibrium with the ambient magnetosphere.


This paper is devoted to the development of digital technologies in construction. Peculiar "evolution" of the design process in construction is described. Contemporary achievements of mathematical and computer modelling of loads and impacts, contemporary achievements and problems of mathematical (numerical) modelling of the stress-strain state, dynamics and stability at the basic and special combinations of loads and impacts at significant stages of life cycle of construction object are specified.


Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) refers to atrophy or hypoplasia of one cerebral hemisphere (hemiatrophy), which is usually due to an insult to the developing brain in fetal or early childhood period. The clinical features are variable and depend on the extent of brain injury. More commonly they present with recurrent seizures, facial asymmetry, contralateral hemiplegia, mental retardation or learning disability and speech and language disorders. The classical radiological findings are cerebral hemiatrophy, calvarial thickening, and hyperpneumatiztion of the frontal sinuses [1].


Rocks containing preexisting fissures in underground engineering are likely to be subjected to static pre-stress and dynamic loads simultaneously. Understanding the deformation and failure mechanism of fissured rocks under coupled static and dynamic strain rates is beneficial for the stability assessment of rock engineering structures. This study experimentally investigates the mechanical behaviors of fissured specimens under coupled static and dynamic loads with different loading parameters. Our experiments reveal that the coupled static-dynamic strain rates significantly affect the strength, deformation, energy characteristics and failure mode of fissured specimens. For each dynamic strain rate, the strength and elastic modulus of specimens feature an increase first as the static pre-stress increases up to half of the uniaxial compression strength, and then a decrease. However, for each static pre-stress of coupled loads, the strength and elastic modulus obviously increase with increasing dynamic strain...


In this paper we propose a spin detector based on the exchange interaction between the conduction electrons and a nearby spin array. The device structure is very close to a spin-valve device in an anti-parallel (AP) configuration. We show that in such a structure, the spin information can be obtained from the second derivative of the current. Our calculations based on realistic device parameters show that as small as a single spin should be detectable with a very high spatial resolution. Ideal half-metallic contacts would give the optimum performance for the proposed detector. However, when spin-injection efficiency is limited, we show that using an appropriate de-embedding scheme, the spin information can still be retained.


A 37-channel DC SQUID magnetometer system has been built for biomagnetic studies. The SQUID loop of each magnetometer serves as the active sensing element, thereby eliminating the need for flux coupling circuits. The magnetometers are located approximately=3 cm above the outer dewar bottom. The SQUIDs are directly coupled to a highly simplified readout electronics using only five wires per channel; no helium temperature impedance matching circuits are required. Each channel can be independently inserted into or removed from the dewar. Using a novel compensation technique, the system white and 1-Hz flux density noise values are typically 5 fT/ square root Hz and 10 fT/ square root Hz, respectively, including the noise contribution of the in-house fabricated dewar (about 2 fT/ square root Hz at 100 Hz) and the magnetically shielded room (about 1 fT/ square root Hz at 100 Hz). In addition, it is shown that due to the large dynamic range and high slew rate of the sensors it is possible to electronically form a gradiometric configuration that can be exploited in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.


For almost a century it has been well appreciated that in humans, dietary potassium intake correlates inversely with blood pressure. Yet, it is unclear how potassium restriction leads to hypertension, and how potassium excess causes a natriuresis despite elevated aldosterone levels. Our goal was to study the effects of dietary potassium in a wild‐type SV129 mouse model to determine the role of K+ in blood pressure, volume regulation, acid/base balance, and ion transport. Mice were fed 4 different diets: low K+ (0.003% K+), normal K+ (0.93% K+), high K+ alkali (5% K+), and high KCl (5% K+) diet for 10 days. Results were obtained using radiotelemetry probes, metabolic cages, and western blots. We found that simply restricting K+ intake had no effect on blood pressure, whereas potassium loading resulted in a progressive ~10 mmHg increase in blood pressure over the 10d feeding period (p ≤ 0.02). To determine whether these effects were dependent on NaCl intake, we challenged mice with 1% saline, added to their drinking water. The K+ restricted mice developed a brisk NaCl‐induced increase in blood pressure (~8 mmHg), whereas potassium loaded mice exhibited no significant change in blood pressure with saline supplementation. Notably, even a limited K+ restricted period of 10d was associated with the development of mild nephrogenic DI in this model, evidenced by polyuria and a decrease in AQP2 expression. This was associated with a specific increase in the expression of sodium transporters in the proximal tubule and distal convoluted tubule, likely the cause of salt sensitivity. The elevated blood pressure on the K+ supplemented diet was consistent with an effect on transport in the aldosterone‐sensitive distal nephron, and correlated with elevated aldosterone levels, increased activation‐associated cleavage of ENaC, and was amiloride‐sensitive. During K+ loading, despite no differences of dietary anionic content on blood pressure, the expression of NHE3 in proximal tubule and pendrin in intercalated cells were differentially regulated by basic and chloride‐rich diets. Collectively, these findings suggest that in our mouse model, the effect of dietary K+ on blood pressure is linked to NaCl intake, due to differential effects of K+ loading and restriction on sodium transport pathways along the entire length of the nephron. In conclusion, standard mouse diets that simply modulate K+ content do not recapitulate the previously reported effects of dietary potassium on blood pressure in humans. Rather, the dietary sodium:potassium ratio as well as the accompanying anionic content should be taken into consideration when modeling the physiologic effect of K+ intake on tubular salt transport and blood pressure.


Objective This study focused on the relationship between achievement motivation and college students' general self-efficacy, and aimed to explore the mechanism of action between achievement motivation and general self-efficacy. Methods Through convenience sampling, 1,076 college students were investigated from Anhui Province in China. Achievement motivation, general self-efficacy, perceived social support, and sports participation were evaluated using standard scales. For data analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis, structural equation model test, and bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap method were carried out. Results Common method biases can be accepted in this study. (1) Achievement motivation can directly affect general self-efficacy and make a positive prediction; (2) Perceived social support plays a mediating role between achievement motivation and general self-efficacy, that is, achievement motivation can indirectly affect general self-efficacy through perceived social support; (3) Sports participation plays a moderating role in the first half of the mediating path of "achievement motivation → perceived social support → general self-efficacy." The interaction between achievement motivation and sports participation affects perceived social support, and then indirectly affects general self-efficacy. In this moderated mediation model, The predictive effect of achievement motivation on perceived social support is significantly different among individuals with different levels of sports participation. Conclusion Perceived social support plays a part of mediating role between achievement motivation and college students' general self-efficacy, which is moderated by sports participation.


Abstract : Protective clothing can readily convert a tolerable long-term working condition into a situation in which exposure time is limited by rapidly accumulating heat strain (Kraning and Gonzalez, 1991). It is a challenge to produce simple and universal exposure guidelines for those administrating activities of personnel because effects of different clothing types, workloads and environmental conditions on the expected physiological responses are complex. To reduce uncertainties in estimating safe exposure times, computerized biophysical models of temperature regulation are used to forecast physiological responses under different working and environmental conditions and with different clothing ensembles. Extant models emphasize prediction of body core temperature; expected heat casualty rates are assigned to specific levels of body temperature and then the models are used to forecast the time to reach these specific levels.


The invention relates to a projection system comprising a projector (10) and a deflection mirror (11), in which the projected image, after following a direction of projection along a principal axis of projection (5), strikes the deflection mirror (11) which is mounted such that it can be moved in two spatial directions.he mirror surface of said mirror deflects a projected light bundle (22) at an elevation angle and an azimuth angle onto a projection surface (9) positioned on the ground (4). The image is projected from the direction of a zenith (2) at an angle beta which is less than 60 DEG in relation to a vertical starting from said zenith (2). The deflection mirror (11) is positioned on the ground (4). The projected light bundle (22) can be deflected towards the projection surface (9) such that an image (6) can be created on said projection surface (9) and displaced on same.


"Bargaining with the Devil: Commentary on the Ostroms''Quest for Meaning in Public Choice'" provides a commentary on Elinor Ostrom and Vincent Ostrom's paper, "The Quest for Meaning in Public Choice." This discussion focuses on the challenging tension that exists between social scientific knowledge and social practices. It suggests that historical agents may have solved the dilemma of cooperation prior to rational choice theorists' invention of the public goods problem. Copyright 2004 American Journal of Economics and Sociology.


This chapter traces the formation of a "sports awakening" in the Middle East during the late nineteenth century until the interwar period. This sports awakening consisted of government and private schools, fashionable sports clubs, a bustling multilingual sports press, and popular football matches and gymnastics exhibitions. The institutional and discursive trajectory of sports was not confined to a specific nation state; rather, it was a regional phenomenon. Educators, sports club administrators, students, club members, editors, columnists, and government officials helped turn sports into a regular fixture of the urban landscape of cities across the Middle East. These developments reveal the profound intellectual and ethnoreligious diversity of the individuals and institutions that shaped the defining contours of sports throughout the Middle East.


The multi-trip vehicle routing problem with time windows and release dates is a variant of the multi-trip vehicle routing problem where a time window and a release date are associated with each customer. The release date represents the date when the merchandise requested by a customer becomes available at the depot. The interest for this problem comes from the field of city logistics and the study of delivery systems involving City Distribution Centers (CDC). In these systems, goods are first delivered to a CDC before being transferred to eco-friendly vehicles for final delivery. We propose to address the problem through a population-based algorithm, with a giant tour representation for individuals. An efficient labeling procedure allows turning giant tours into solutions. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.


We successfully synthesize single crystals of the verdazyl radical $\alpha$-2,3,5-Cl$_3$-V. $Ab$ $initio$ molecular orbital calculations indicate that the two dominant antiferromagnetic interactions, $J_{\rm{1}}$ and $J_{\rm{2}}$ ($\alpha =J_{\rm{2}}/J_{\rm{1}}\simeq 0.56$), form an $S$ = 1/2 distorted square lattice. We explain the magnetic properties based on the $S$ = 1/2 square lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet using the quantum Monte Carlo method, and examine the effects of the lattice distortion and the interplane interaction contribution. In the low-temperature regions below 6.4 K, we observe anisotropic magnetic behavior accompanied by a phase transition to a magnetically ordered state. The electron spin resonance signals exhibit anisotropic behavior in the temperature dependence of the resonance field and the linewidth. We explain the frequency dependence of the resonance fields in the ordered phase using a mean-field approximation with out-of-plane easy-axis anisotropy, which causes a spin-flop phase transition at approximately 0.4 T for the field perpendicular to the plane. Furthermore, the anisotropic dipole field provides supporting information regarding the presence of the easy-axis anisotropy. These results demonstrate that the lattice distortion, anisotropy, and interplane interaction of this model are sufficiently small that they do not affect the intrinsic behavior of the $S$ = 1 / 2 square lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet.


To accurately unwrap the high-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) for multiplexed vortex beams is a challenge. In this work, over ±160 order OAM topological charges have been unwrapped in multiplexed optical links. Optical imaging based discrepancy identification enables the multiplexed OAM modes separating in physics, and the intelligent pattern recognition further promotes its unwrapping in numerical domain. Particularly, the combination of annular phase grating and auxiliary beams features compound spiral stripes, which paves the way for optical intensity recognition with low-complexity and high-commonality. Moreover, the spiral direction characterizes the symbol of the OAM states, which dramatically broadens the amount of multiplexed links. Here, optical separating means assisted by intelligent pattern recognition opens up a new route to high-speed and large-capacity optical communication, which may shed new light on 6G application.


In this paper, we present the design and implementation of ATLAS, a novel tool for automatically labeling network packets with the process responsible for them. Our tool is able to label all kinds of outbound packets based on Windows events and TCP stream information with ground-truth accuracy. Additionally, it is able to label DNS packets with the correct process name instead of just the DNS resolver. Using ATLAS, it is possible to create large datasets, e.g., to create software fingerprints or train machine learning classifiers. Another use-case is to inspect the network traffic of a machine to determine which application is communicating with whom. We evaluate the performance considering different load scenarios to demonstrate the real-time capacity of ATLAS. Additionally, we analyze the communication endpoints of a Windows 10 host and compare the results before and after disabling all privacy related settings.


By the number of people aged 60 or over and people with disabilities growing, homecare mobile robot draws increasing attention. However, there are challenges of autonomous navigation for homecare robot such as frequent changes of environment, obstacles and goal position. In this paper, we focus on verifying potential of neural network-based autonomous navigation for homecare mobile. And we compare recurrent neural network with multilayer perceptron in the navigation of an autonomous mobile robot. The result suggested that the recurrent neural network can do better robot navigation because of its capability to handle the temporal dependency of a data sequence. Also, it shows that neural network-based navigation can be a good alternative since it has decent generalization ability for new environment, obstacles and goals.


Climate‐resilient and highly water‐use efficient crops are needed to meet the future food, feed, fiber, and fuel demands of a growing human population. Cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) are highly productive yet have crop water demands that are approximately 20% that of traditional crops due to their ability to perform crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). In the first long‐term field trial of Opuntia for bioenergy in the United States, the aboveground biomass (cladode and fruit) productivity and response to different water inputs of O. cochenillifera, O. ficus‐indica, and O. streptacantha were evaluated at a planting density of 1418 plants ha−1 under three irrigation levels over a 5‐year period to investigate their response to different water inputs. Mean cladode fresh weight, cladode dry weight, cladode count, fruit fresh weight, and fruit dry weight increased linearly by 1.26‐, 1.88‐, 1.53‐, 1.89‐, and 2.13‐fold, respectively, with increasing irrigation from 300 to 716 mm year−1. Significant differences in irrigation response appeared in years 4 and 5 as the cactus trees grew larger. However, no significant differences were observed among the three Opuntia spp. for all parameters measured. Biomass productivity increased over 5 years by 140.8‐ and 132.5‐fold for cladode fresh and dry weight, respectively. Mean annual total aboveground biomass at 300, 407, and 716 mm year−1 water input resulted in 8.25, 11.16, and 15.52 Mg dry mass ha−1 year−1, respectively, at the sparse planting density used here to separate irrigation blocks, which could have been easily quadrupled. O. ficus‐indica performed better than O. cochenillifera and O. streptacantha in terms of cladode biomass and fruit count and quality. Biomass productivity was consistent with previous studies for Opuntia spp. demonstrating that cactus pear displays very high biomass and food/forage potential using substantially lower rates of supplemental irrigation than conventional crops grown in semi‐arid and arid regions.


Two human colorectal cancer cell lines with different degrees of radiosensitivity,LOVO and SW480,were received a succession of 0,2,4,and 6 Gy X-ray radiation.Then,in 24 h after radiation,the protein spectra of each cell line were measured by SELDI-TOF protein chip so that we could get the differentiated protein expressions of each cell line after different radiation doses.And the differentially-expressed protein peaks showing gradient change in a dose-dependent manner of the two cell lines were detected.Finally,GADD45B,Thioredoxin and Metallothionein 1(MT1) were screened out through Swiss-Prot database as proteins highly related with radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer.The result shows that radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer can be predicted at protein level and SELDI-TOF protein chip can be used to predict radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer at protein level,thus providing ample choices for individualized radiotherapy.