In the present work, a new finite element was developed and implemented for the analysis of laminated composite plates, using an equivalent single-layer theory. This development is motivated by the increasing use of composite materials in the aeronautical industry, making it necessary to study models that better describe the behavior of these materials, in the sense of continuously improving the analyses and designs involving them. With this in mind, based on the finite element method, a model for an isotropic plate was first developed, using the desired third-order shear deformation theory, followed by the development of the model for laminated with orthotropic laminae. The computational implementation of the model was achieved through the finite element commercial program, Abaqus. This program allows the development of user-defined elements (UEL) subroutines, programmed in FORTRAN, where it is possible for the user to define a new finite element that better fits the intended analysis. In addition, the model was validated by comparing the results obtained with reference solutions. Specifically, it was used as reference an existing element in the Abaqus library, which was considered sufficiently similar for a reliable comparison of the results, and also an analytical solution available in the literature. Finally, it was possible to draw conclusions about the implemented model and the results obtained, as well as point out some proposals to further improve the developed element in the future.


Structural weakness or overloading, dynamic vibrations, settlements, and in-plane and out-ofplane deformations can cause failure of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures. URM buildings have features that, in case of overstressing, can threaten human lives. These include unbraced parapets, inadequate connections to the roof, floor and slabs, and the brittle nature of the URM elements. Organizations such as The Masonry Society (TMS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have determined that failures of URM walls result in more material damage and loss of human life during earthquakes than any other type of structural element. This was evident from the post-earthquake observations in Northridge, California (1994) and Izmit, Turkey (1999) (see Figure 1).


This is an electronic version of an article published as: Warsh, C.K. (1997). The historiography of Canadian health care: An update. Acadiensis, 26(2), 137-143.
Acadiensis is published by the Department of History of the University of New Brunswick and is available online at: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/acadiensis.
This article is available at: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/Acadiensis/article/view/12059/12903.


ANOTHER essay on Chaucer's Criseyde might seem as redundant as another essay on Hamlet, whose bibliographer discouragingly warns us to expect a new pronouncement every week or so. Perhaps Criseyde would be almost as popular a subject as Hamlet if readers of Chaucer were as numerous as readers of Shakespeare. But she is popular enough already. Even now there is not much hope of discovering anything in Chaucer's poem that has not been noted by someone in the long line of scholars to whom this essay is much indebted, though it may disagree with their conclusions. I believe, however, that the assembling of details and the resultant understanding of the infidelity here presented are not altogether derivative. If the argument is a poor thing, it is at least my own. I shall take for granted what I have attempted to demonstrate elsewhere, Criseyde's perfection in Books II and III,1 for I believe that most critics would now agree with C. S. Lewis when he says of Criseyde, "If we are determined to criticize her behavior in the first part of the poem from any standpoint save that of Christian chastity, it would be more rational to say that she is not wanton enough, not calculating enough.... "2 In other words, Chaucer has portrayed Criseyde as a "verray parfit" courtly heroine. This is not to say that she is a tragic heroine like Antigone or Juliet. The litel myn tragedye did not profess to tell, nor could it have told, stories like theirs: Criseyde's infidelity was a fixed element in the story which Chaucer had to tell she is one who, in love at least,


The paper intends to improve the traditional Nine-scale method with the Three-scale Method on the basis of the Analytic Hierarch Process(AHP) judging matrix to reasonably determine the weights influencing coal and gas outburst.The improved one has the following advantages: the AHP is to make certain the weights influencing coal and gas outburst;the single-factor fuzzy judging matrix is constructed by the degree of membership;the prediction models of coal and gas outburst is established by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation;the secondary fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is carried out.The improved Analytic Hierarch Process and secondary fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method are used to predict the degree of coal and gas outburst.Such working faces as the Fairy Slope Coal Mine′s are predicted and it turns out that the improved AHP and secondary fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method are reasonable and feasible to predict the coal and gas outburst of different degrees.


Whathappenswhen twenty-fiur Wisconsin institutwns of higher La.zrninggettogether andform a network? A working group of User Serdces people wlhzborate to write the documentation! Earlier this year, twenty-four Wisconsin colleges and universities establisheda network, called WhcNet, w"th this pu~ose in mind: "TO advance education, researchand public service by asskting in the exchangeof information among researchand educational institutions by mems of high-speed data communicatwn techniques,and to assist those institutions in gaining accessto scientific and educational resources." User Services stafi at all of thesecollegesand universities simultaneously faced thesameproblem: producing thedocumentation their end userswould needin order to lmrn about and use the network. However, instead of twenty-four User Services stafi producing similar documentation, a working group of User Servicespeoplerepresenting these schoolsmet three times to plan, draft, and finalize a WiscNet manual that could beusedby all the schools. Since the working group divided the task of writing thevarious parts of thedocumentation, they usedBitnet to senddraftsandrevisioncommentsto oneanother. Together, they worked out numbering and stylistic conventions. The result was a document that all the schoolscould usesimply by adding the information that applied to their indim"dual sites, for example, the domain names usedat thesite, where userscould get help, what the local mail processorwas and how to use it. Thb paper W-ll describethe projed of producing documentation collaboratively over the network. It w"ll explain theadvantagesand thep"tfalls and p"ve someinsights on what worked and what could be improved, Itwill also describeother collaborative projects that are underway for the sites using WiscNet.


We present results of our modeling the H-alpha line profile along the 2006 RS Oph outburst. At day 1.38 the very broad component of the H-alpha profile was possible to fit by a bipolar wind model. The model corresponds to a very fast acceleration of the wind particles, and the line luminosity of about 2900 (d/1.6 kpc)^2 solar luminosities to the mass-loss rate of around (1-2) x 10E-4 solar masses per year. During days 10-30 the broad component shrank to FWZI = 1800 km/s. It could be associated with expanding ring and its satellite components at about +/- 2430 km/s with bipolar jets. Later observations made at day 57 and 209 indicated a decrease in both the mass-loss rate (1xE-5 - 1xE-6 solar masses per year) and the wind acceleration. During the quiet phase, emission bumps observed sporadically in the line wings could reflect clumpy ejections by the central star.


Abstract : Contaminated sediments from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard were evaluated using solidification/ stabilization technologies to determine if the material could have beneficial uses. Varying ratios of four binders (Portland cement, kiln dust, lime/fly ash, and Portland cement/fly ash) were evaluated on the material to determine if soil-like properties could be obtained from the sediment. Physical, chemical, and contaminant leaching tests were performed on the untreated and treated material to evaluate the potential of the treated material for use as a daily landfill cover or other beneficial use. The major focus of the study was to determine if any of the binders could produce a material that had soil-like properties and that reduced the leaching of contaminants from the product so that regulatory guidelines could be met for the use of the material.


We present a timing and spectral analysis of the variable X-r ay source 3A 1954 +319. Our analysis is mainly based on an outburst serendipitously observed dur ing INTEGRAL Key Program observations of the Cygnus region in 2008 fall and on the Swift /BAT longterm light curve. Previous observations, though sparse, have identified the source to b one of only nine known symbiotic X-ray binaries, i.e., systems composed of an accreting neut ron s ar orbiting in a highly inhomogeneous medium around an M-giant companion. The spectrum of 3A 1954+319 above 20 keV can be best described by a broken power law model. The extremely l ong pulse period of ∼5.3 hours is clearly visible in theINTEGRAL /ISGRI light curve and confirmed through an epoch folding period search. Furthermore, the light curve allows us to determine a very strong spin up of −2×104 h/h during the outburst. This spin up is confirmed by the pulse per iod evolution calculated from Swift /BAT data. TheSwift /BAT data also show a long spin-down trend prior to the 2008 outburst, which is confirmed in archival INTEGRAL /ISGRI data. We discuss possible accretion models and geometries allowing for the transfer of such larg e mounts of angular momentum and investigate the harder spectrum of this outburst compared t o previously published results.


In plants, C-to-U RNA editing is mainly occurred in the plastids and mitochondria transcripts, which contributes to complex transcriptional regulatory network. More evidences reveal that RNA editing plays critical roles in plant growth and development. However, RNA editing sites accurately detected by transcriptome sequencing data alone are still challenging. In the present study, we developed PlantC2U, which is a convolutional neural network to predict plastid C-to-U RNA editing based on the genomic sequence. PlantC2U achieves over 95% sensitivity and 99% specificity, which outperforms random forest and support vector machine. PlantC2U not only further checks RNA editing sites from transcriptome data to reduce the possible false positives, but also assesses the effect of different mutations on C-to-U RNA editing status based on the flanking sequences. Moreover, we found the patterns of tissue-specific RNA editing in mangrove plant Kandelia obovata, and observed reduced C-to-U RNA editing rates in cold stress response of K. obovata, suggesting their potential regulatory roles in the plants stress adaption. In addition, we present RNAeditDB, available online at https://jasonxu.shinyapps.io/RNAeditDB/. Together, PlantC2U and RNAeditDB would help researchers explore the RNA editing events in plants and thus would be of broad utility for the plant research community. Highlight We develop a convolutional neural network based deep learning, PlantC2U program, which help researchers explore the plastids C-to-U RNA editing events in plants and thus would be of broad utility for the plant research community.


Summary The present paper aims to highlight the potential impact, as well as possible drawbacks, of the application of DNA marker technology to crop germplasm preservation. Some of the issues related to crop management and use, which can be addressed by using information derived from DNA markers, are discussed with reference to case-studies.


Breeding technology regulation of 6311S,a two-line sterile line in Guizhou,was introduced in various aspects of core seeds,original seeds,seed sowing seedling,transplantation,field management,production sites,production methods,segregations,harvest and so on to guide breeding projects of two-line sterile line and maximize the economic-benefits.


Designing neural network architecture for embedded devices is practical but challenging because the models are expected to be not only accurate but also enough lightweight and robust. However, it is challenging to balance those trade-offs manually because of the large search space. To solve this problem, we propose an Effective, Efficient, and Robust Neural Architecture Search (E2RNAS) method to automatically search a neural network architecture that balances the performance, robustness, and resource consumption. Unlike previous studies, the objective function of the proposed E2RNAS method is formulated as a multi-objective bi-level optimization problem with the upper-level subproblem as a multi-objective optimization problem that considers the performance, robustness, and resource consumption. To solve the proposed objective function, we integrate the multiple-gradient descent algorithm, a widely studied gradient-based multi-objective optimization algorithm, with the bi-level optimization. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that the proposed E2RNAS method can find robust architecture with low resource consumption and comparable classification accuracy.


Given a set of low resolution camera images, it is possible to reconstruct high resolution luminance and depth information, specially if the relative displacements of the image frames are known. We propose iterative algorithms for recovering hash resolution albedo and depth maps that require no a priori knowledge of the scene, and therefore do not depend on other methods, as regards boundary and initial conditions. The problem of surface reconstruction has been formulated as one of expectation maximization (EM) and has been tackled in a probabilistic framework using Markov random fields (MRF). As for the depth map, our method directly recovers surface heights without refering to surface orientations, while increasing the resolution by camera jittering. Conventional statistical models have been coupled with geometrical techniques to construct a general model of the world and the imaging process.<<ETX>>


Abstract : While working on porting a C based project to use the GNU AutoTools for configuration and compilation we discovered that the guides available online were either outdated or not clear enough for someone unfamiliar with AutoTools. After successfully adding AutoTools to that project and many others, we thought other programmers may benefit from what we learned and the basic starter files that we created that make starting a new project from scratch or adding AutoTools to an existing project a snap. This report is not intended to be an in depth guide to all of the possible features and capabilities AutoTools provides. It is intended to provide the information and basic AutoTool configuration files needed for a typical project.


The restructuring of English social care services in the last three decades, as services are provided through a shifting collage of state, for-profit and non-profit organisations, exemplifies many of the themes of governance (Bevir, 2013). As well as institutional changes, there have been a new set of elite narratives about citizen behaviours and contributions, undergirded by modernist social science insights into the wellbeing benefits of 'self-management' (Mol, 2008). In this article, we particularly focus on the ways in which a narrative of personalisation has been deployed in older people's social care services. Personalisation is based on an espoused aspiration of empowerment and autonomy through universal implementation to all users of social care (encapsulated in the Making it Real campaign [Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP), no date)], which leaves unproblematised the ever increasing residualisation of older adult social care and the abjection of the frail (Higgs and Gilleard, 2015). In this narrative of universal personalisation, older people are paradoxically positioned as 'the unexceptional exception'; 'unexceptional' in the sense that, as the majority user group, they are rhetorically included in this promised transformation of adult social care; but 'the exception' in the sense that frail older adults are persistently placed beyond its reach. It is this paradoxical positioning of older adult social care users as the unexceptional exception and its ideological function that we seek to explain in this article.


This paper presents a fully integrated low-power 7th derivative Gaussian pulse generator for UWB applications designed in 180 nm CMOS technology. We propose a simple architecture based on parallel pulse generator blocks that produce Gaussian pulses, and a pulse shaping stage which adjusts each pulse amplitude individually. The whole circuit has been simulated and the results have demonstrated the circuit capability to operate like an impulse generator. The implemented circuit generates pulse envelopes of 944 ps width and maximum amplitude of 120 mVpp, an average power of 3.8 mW/pulse at 100 MHz PRF and about energy of 4.6 pJ/pulse. The circuit does not need any inductor leading to a very small area; therefore, the complete circuit occupies only 73×75 μm2 (without PADs). This pulse generator complies with FCC UWB spectral power mask.


LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 epitomizes the challenges imposed by high electrochemical potential reactivity on the durability of high energy density Li-ion batteries. Postsynthesis coatings have been explored as a solution to these challenges, but the fundamentals of their function have not been ascertained. To contribute to this understanding, the surface of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 microparticles was modified with Mg2+, a coating component of literature relevance, using two different heat treatment temperatures, 500 and 800 °C. A combination of characterization tools revealed that Mg2+ was introduced mainly as an inhomogeneous MgO coating in the sample treated at 500 °C, and into the spinel lattice at the subsurface of the particles at 800 °C. Comparing the properties of these two different materials with an unmodified baseline afforded the opportunity to evaluate the effect of varying surface chemistries. Coulometry in Li metal half cells was used as a macroscopic measure of side reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interfa...


The Internet of medical things (IoMT) is rapidly changing the healthcare sector. IoMT paired with enabling technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, wireless sensor networks can effectively monitor people's health continuously. In this chapter, the author provides a systematic review of the architectures of IoMT, applications, and trends in IoMT. IoMT applications to counter the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. IoMT and enabling technologies will improve the quality of human lives. This chapter addresses a few challenges while adopting IoMT in healthcare. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2022.


Ice rinks are large commercial buildings which facilitate various activities such as hockey, figure skating, curling, recreational skating, public arenas, auditoriums and coliseums. These have a complex energy system, in which an enormous sheet of ice is maintained at a low temperature while at the same time the spectator stands are heated to ensure comfortable conditions for the spectators. Since indoor ice rinks account for a significant share of the commercial sector and are in operation for more than 8 months a year, their contribution in the total demand cannot be ignored. Thus, there is significant scope for energy savings in indoor ice rinks through optimal operation of their climate control systems. In this work, a mathematical model of indoor ice rinks for the implementation of Energy Hub Management System (EHMS) is developed. The model incorporates weather forecast, electricity price information and end-user preferences as inputs, and the objective is to shift the operation of climate control devices to the low electricity price periods, satisfying their operational constraints while having minimum impact on spectator comfort. The inside temperature and humidity dynamics of the spectator area are modeled to reduce total electrical energy costs while capturing the effect of climate control systems including radiant heating systems, ventilation systems and dehumidification systems. Two different pricing schemes, Real Time Pricing (RTP) and Time-of-Use (TOU), are used to assess the model, applied to a realistic arena example and the resulting energy costs savings are compared. The expected energy cost savings are evaluated for a 8 month period of operation of the rink incorporating the uncertainties in electricity price, weather conditions and spectator schedules through Monte Carlo simulations. The results demonstrate that significant savings in the order of 40% can be achieved. The proposed work can be implemented as a supervisory control in existing climate controllers of indoor ice rinks, and could play a significant role in the customer energy management systems in the context of Smart Grids.


A new component pupillometric system is presented. This system utilizes a commercially available microcomputer digital analyzer to measure and record pupillary diameter from a videotape record. The principal advantages of this system over the conventional electronic pupillometer are its low cost, portability, and the nondedicated nature of its components. This provides the psychophysiological investigator with a much more flexible and adaptable pupillometric system than has heretofore been available.


In the actual context of economic globalization, tax havens represent a significant obstacle for global governments seeking to increase their fiscal incomes and a source of polarization of income and wealth. Statistics reports showed that tax havens hold at least $10 trillion in assets, money generally controlled and hidden by major players from the political and financial areas, as well as from criminal ones. The paper introduces the present situation of European tax havens, with the major poles of action. The conclusion finds the real efforts of international bodies such as OECD, to interdict opportunities to avoid taxation.


This study demonstrates a continuous high-resolution roll-to-roll (R2R) microcontact printing (μCP) process capable of printing inks on substrates with a wide range of surface energies. This process is based on rapid solidification of the fluoropolymer ink made up of a low boiling point solvent. The use of a hydrophobic siloxane polymer for the stamp allows film formation onto various substrates due to weak adhesion with the fluorinated polymer ink. To investigate its practical applicability the patterned layer printed by the R2R μCP was used as an etching resistant layer to pattern metallic and dielectric materials with 10 μm resolution. Moreover, the organic and oxide thin-film transistors with the patterned channels were combined to produce the hybrid complementary inverter circuits, having full swing transfer characteristics.


Objective: to understand interactions between mothers and health professionals from birth of preterm children until the first month after discharge. Method: this qualitative study was conducted in 2013 with Symbolic Interactionism and Interpretive Interactionism as its frame of reference. Data were collected by in-depth interviews of eight mothers living in a town in Sao Paulo State. Results: development of the relationship with the professional over time is portrayed by three categories: a trustful and obedient relationship; an insecure and questioning relationship; and a thoughtful and emancipatory relationship. Conclusion: it was concluded that professionals have adverse effects on mothers' autonomy in child care, and breaking emotionally with that dependence would increase


The cross sections for the process (a) nu + nucleus yields nu + gamma (virtual Coulomb) + nucleus yields nu + gamma + nucleus and the related process (b) gamma + nucleus yields gamma + gamma (virtual Coulomb) + nucleus yields nu + nu + nucleus are calculated to lowest order in the weak and electromagnetic interactions, assuming the existence of a direct electron-neutrino weak interaction. While the relevant Feynman amplitude is given by a formally divergent expression, a finite amplitude is obtained by imposing the condition of gauge invariance. The contribution of process (b) to the neutrino luminosity of stars is worked out and found to be somewhat smaller than that of the processes: e/sup -/ + e/sup +/ yields nu + nu , gamma + e/ sup plus or minus / yields e/sup plus or minus / + nu + nu . The present calculation is motivated by recent suggestions that stellar evolution may be significantly affected by energy lost by the star due to the emission of neutrinos. A very crude estimate is given for the contribution of the process (c) gamma + gamma yields nu + nu + gamma to the neutrino luminosity. It is pointedmore » out that a calculation of process (b) which exists in the literature is non-gauge-invariant. (auth)« less


In this study, effects of the different end shapes on the gain flatness of an Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (APVA) operating over 3.1–10.6 GHz are investigated. The antenna having an ending with parallel wires is proposed for gain flatness in this study. Numerical studies are performed for four different APVAs having endings in different shapes of elliptical, circular and partially square forms and parallel wires. The best gain flatness is obtained for the antenna having the ending of the parallel wires.


The reform of foreign exchange managing system in 1994 not only has made some g reat progress,but also has had some shortcomings in its practice This p ap er firstly analyses the shortcomings of present foreign exchange managing system ,then points out the principles of the choice of exchange rate regime and the c hoice of our regime-crawling band,and last advises some subsidiary institution al arrangements


The aim of this study is to search for the way how the prototypical version appears in the North Korean historical novel 〈Jumong〉 by examining the representation methods with the text of the novel. The historical novels in North Korea have politically-strong implications as well as the proper functions as a historical novel. Accordingly, the time of publication becomes an issue on occasions. This study focused on the fact that in many parts it varied in interpretations after Kim Ho-sung's novel 〈Jumong〉 was republished in 1997 and 2005. 〈Jumong〉 was not only reborn as a hero from a mystical figure but also was reproduced as a hero with realistic and present senses after he became the novel character. The reason why the novel 〈Jumong〉 was discussed in 1997 was that it would be related to Commemoration and to herald the opening of Kim Jong-il era. On the other hand, since its rediscussion in 2005 was deeply associated with an orthodoxy issue of Kim Jong-il who had followed the teachings left by Kim Il-sung, this study could show that the prototypical version in this work had different meanings according to the ages and had various impacts.


Using an idea of Erdýos, Sierpinski proved that there exist infinitely many odd positive integers k such that k � 2 n + 1 is composite for all positive integers n. In this paper we give a brief discussion of Sierpinski's theorem and some variations that have been examined, including the work of Riesel, Brier, Chen, and most recently, Filaseta, Finch and Kozek. The majority of the paper is devoted to the presentation of some new results concerning our own variations of Sierpinski's original theorem.


Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is a term used to describe the broad spectrum of pathologies and disorders caused by alcohol exposure in uterus. Since alcohol is able to directly cross the placental barrier, alcohol intake during pregnancy causes a broad range of symptoms whose severity can greatly vary in degree. It is already well established that Ethanol exhibits teratogenic effects resulting in growth delays, physical and specific facial anomalies, neurological defects including intellectual disabilities and behavioral problems. Since it is not possible yet to establish a safe threshold of consumption, the only feasible recommendation is the total abstention from alcohol during pregnancy. This work firstly presents an overview on FASD and reviews specific methodologies to overcome difficulties related to the investigation of alcohol behavior in pregnant women. Subsequently, different protocols of intervention are proposed according to different styles of alcohol consumption. The final goal is to provide clinicians with a range of methods in order to prevent damage in the newborns.


One factor influencing the suitabilty of fabrics for clothing is resistance to the passage of water vapor. Measurement of the low resistances of woven fabrics requires a different technique from that for the high resistances of waterproofing and packaging materials, since the resistances are close to that of air itself, which may be used as a convenient comparison standard. The resistance of a woven fabric depends on the kind of fiber, the thickness, and its tightness of weaving. With glass and vinyon, the resistance increases rapidly with density, showing that the main pathway through these materials is the air spaces. With cotton, viscose rayon, and wool, the tightest weaving produces resistances only four to eight times that of air, whereas those of ordinary fabrics range from two to four times that of air. This indicates that significant amounts of water vapor travel through the substance of the fibers themselves, which is confirmed by ex periments on viscose film (cellophane). Nylon and cellulose acetate are intermediate. The effects of resistant fibers are seen when the fraction of the volume occupied by fiber exceeds 40 percent; below this level all fabrics are closely similar, since the low-resistance pathway through the air spaces is sufficiently available.


Since 1989, teacher aides have become a familiar part of our classrooms as they support students with special educational needs. International and New Zealand resear ch shows that despite many teacher aide practices that effectively support student learning in inclusive settings, there are some practices that work against the inclusion of some students and therefore, their academic and social learning needs are not being met. As part of a study that examined friendships and social relationships, four secondary school students with severe physical disabilities, teacher aides and teachers shared their stories. These stories complement other research studies and indicate that some schools are not addressing issues relating to the use of teacher aides. This study provides recent narrative data to inform policy and practice in relation to the use of teacher aides in inclusive settings.


Society is one of components that is very important in reaching the purpose of
socialization. Participation of society is regulated in general explanation of the
Law Number 12 in 1995 about Socialization. In fact, society does not yet fully
participate in convict founding shown in the forms of being apathetic and paying
less attention to the convict. The purpose of this research is to know participation
of society in realizing the purpose of socialization by using the empirical research
method taken from primary and secondary data. Result shows that society plays
role only through some institutions, either governmental or non governmental
ones, meanwhile, society's role as a social group being involved in the convicts
founding is not shown. The researcher proposes two suggestions. First, the
officers of correctional institution should invite the whole societies, not only those
from institutional but also from non institutional ones. Second, there should be a
concern from non instituional society to be willing to take part in the convict
founding, so that the purpose of socialization can be reached.


The aim of this paper is to propose a definition of the state of exception within the framework of the philosophy of law. The nature of the state of exception is both a legal and a political one. For this reason, it is a subject of inquiry in various disciplines. As a consequence of its hybrid character, state of exception is hard to define, which leads to definitional scepticism. As a criterial definition is impossible to reach, I believe that it should be replaced with a paradigmatic one. Such a definition should take into account the acquis of, among others, philosophy, history or political science, so that it may apply to different methodological approaches. In order to do so, I present the main definitional groups (state of exception as a normative fact, as a constitutional dictatorship, as a political fact, and as a legal void). Next, using the criteria that are common to all those definitions, I propose and analyse three constitutive elements of the state of emergency: a crisis, a suspension of ordinary laws, and a temporary character of this suspension. The definition I propose can help to assess whether a given state is a form of a state of exception. This is of a particular relevance as emergency laws are nowadays widely discussed in the context of terrorist threats.


Gordon Dunstan was a priest who made an outstanding contribution to the study of medical ethics and whose work was recognised by four of the medical royal colleges of which he was made Fellow.

He was the leading English moral theologian of his time, committed to the multidisciplinary discussion of issues raised by the practice of medicine. His non-partisan approach, his incisively analytical mind, and his attention to the facts, enabled him to collaborate with a wide cross-section of clinicians and research scientists: and his respect for their professionalism was fully reciprocated.

He argued persuasively that medical ethics must be shown to have an autonomy of its own and held that the concept of Natural Law was a necessary tool in discerning the moral consequences of advances in medicine.

Dunstan gained a First in History at the University of Leeds in 1938 and was awarded an MA with distinction in 1939. He trained for the priesthood at the Mirfield Fathers' College of the Resurrection and was ordained in 1941. After two curacies, he proceeded to his first academic appointment as Subwarden of St Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, a post he held until 1949, when he …


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Despite recent advances in medical therapy, the role of surgery for severe ulcerative colitis remains important and determining the timing and indications for colectomy are difficult for both gastroenterologists and surgeons. We compared the clinical characteristics and postoperative complications of emergency surgeries for ulcerative colitis to those of elective surgeries.

METHODOLOGY
We retrospectively examined 77 patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent colectomy without cancer or dysplasia in our institute in 1989-2012. Clinicopathological features, cytomegalovirus involvement, and postoperative complications were evaluated.

RESULTS
Twenty-seven patients underwent emergency surgeries and the other 50 underwent elective surgeries. Emergency surgeries were performed significantly earlier in the disease course than elective surgeries. Postoperative complications were more frequent in emergency surgeries than in elective surgeries. Those who underwent emergency surgeries with relative indications tended to develop postoperative complications more frequently when intensive long-term steroid therapy was introduced.

CONCLUSIONS
Emergency surgeries were associated with frequent postoperative complications. For refractory severe ulcerative colitis, cytomegalovirus involvement should be determined and prolonged steroid therapy is associated with postoperative complications; therefore, early treatment decisions are important.


We describe a research framework for studying social systems. The framework uses agent-based modeling and simulation as key components in the process of discovery and understanding. A collaborative social network composed of open source software (OSS) developers and projects is studied and used to demonstrate the research framework. By continuously collecting developer and project data for over two years from SourceForge, we are able to infer and model the structural and the dynamic mechanisms that govern the topology and evolution of this social network. We describe the use of these empirically derived agent-based models of the SourceForge OSS developer network to specify simulations implemented using Java/Swarm. Several network models and simulations of the evolution of SourceForge, and the verification and validation processes of the framework are described. The nature of social network processes hidden from view that could plausibly generate the observed system properties can be discover through an iterative modeling, simulation, and validation and verification process. Such a process, dynamic fitness based on project life cycle, was discovered.


the case of performance optimisation achievable by suitably allocating power and bandwidth onboard satellite is investigated. The results obtained by means of effective machine learning solutions outperform classical configurations taken from the existing literature. In the third paper ' Design of a 3D ray-tracing model based on digital elevation model for comprehension of large- and small-scale propagation phenomena over the Martian surface ' , the focus in on the channel modelling for in-situ Mars communications, by conducting a thorough evalua-tion of large scale propagation phenomena by suitably extending existing models from terrestrial communications literature. In particular, the main novelty is in the use of 3D ray-tracing approach to support an effective model of Mars communications. source-routing applied over large by implementing the proposed solution in a real DTN implementation, hence further confirming the value and the scalability of the proposed solution in real system deployments.


The current global crisis leads to new theoretical concepts that will go beyond neoclassical economics. The behavioral approach helps to understand business choices, autonomy, subjectivity, efficiency, etc., and finally, it goes to define such categories as business personality, goals, values, rationality, ethics, and relations in environment. The inevitable conclusion is to replace "profit maximization" with the "business development" paradigm. This article explains fundamentals of this new positive behavioral economics paradigm.


In this study, corrosion potential (), corrosion rate, and polarization resistance were measured aimed at inorganic inhibitors (passive film type) and organic inhibitors (absorption type). The experiment was conducted using potentiostat for the variable molar ratio and chloride ion concentration of the components of inhibitors in an aqueous solution of saturated calcium hydroxide targeting corrosion. As a result, it was possible to ensure an anticorrosive performance of at least a 1.2 molar ratio of inorganic inhibitors. Also, the organic inhibitors ensured the prevention of the anticorrosive performance of at least about a 0.3 molar ratio. It also showed the tendency that between polarization resistance and corrosion rate, Ecorr and corrosion rate is inversely proportional to the linear. Conversely, the tendency between polarization resistance and Ecorr is proportional to the linear. Also, a distinct difference in organic and inorganic inhibitors` relationship to Ecorr, corrosion rate, and polarization resistance was not shown.


BARTONEK, J. C., AND C. W. DANE. 1964. Numbered nasal discs for waterfowl. J. Wildl. Manage. 28: 688-692. BISHOP, R. A., D. D. HUMBURG, AND R. D. ANDREWS. 1978. Survival and homing of female mallards. J. Wildl. Manage. 42:192-196. BLOHM, R. J. 1978. Migrational homing of male Gadwalls to breeding grounds. Auk 95:763-766. COULTER, M. W., AND W. R. MILLER. 1968. Nesting biology of black ducks and mallards in northern New England. Vermont Fish Game Dep. Bull. 682. p. 73. DWYER, T. J., S. R. DERRICKSON, AND D. S. GILMER. 1973. Migrational homing by a pair of Mallards. Auk 90:687. EVRARD, J. 0. 1990. Male philopatry in Mallards. Condor 92:247-248. GREENWOOD, P. S. 1980. Mating systems, philopatry and dispersal in birds and mammals. Anim. Behav. 28:1140-1167. LESSELS, C. M. 1985. Natal and breeding dispersal of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). Ibis 127:3141.


This study analyzes the personal identification process that takes place in the actual meeting of a job coach and a job seeker, with the purpose of making the job seeker employable. The empirical data consists of observations during nine job coach meetings, and interviews with four job coaches. The analysis is based on a social constructionist perspective. The findings point to contradictions in the construction of the employable individual through job coaching. The identification process follows a certain pattern, where several roles and identities are constructed along the way to employability. The coaches offer techniques that encourage the job seekers to examine their own identities - how they perceive themselves (internal identities), as well as how others perceive them (external identities). This knowledge constructs an identity - the right image of the self - that is presumably founded on facts and reliably results. However, this identity is not yet complete for the job seeking process. The next step in the identification process is to make this identity a sellable image of the self in order to match the job seeker's identity with the demands of the labour market. The external identity is given more significance than the internal identity in the constructing of the right image of the self as well as the sellable image of the self. Moreover, the job seekers are trained to communicate their sellable images in the right way. This skill is described as being able to market yourself. The job seekers are encouraged to practice and evaluate their communicative skills, which influences the way they present themselves in the future. Here, important factors are for the job seeker to shine with self-confidence and at the same time to be honest about his or her personal attributes. Nonetheless, ambiguities exist in how to be honest and still be sellable and marketable. It seems evident that job coaching is founded on an individualized perspective. Unemployment is an individual and personal problem. In other words, the unemployed person is without a job because he or she has the wrong image of self. Job seekers with the wrong image of self are assumed to give their internal identity too much importance. The internal image of the self is neither considered reliable nor sellable; consequently, not employable. In sum, job coaching aim to make the job seekers responsible for their own situations, while structural problems and obstacles of the labour market are given less significance.


The questions that frame C. Sarah Soh's bold monograph on the "wartime comfort women" (J. jūgun ianfu, K. chonggun wianbu) are fundamental: Who were these women? How did they end up laboring in a military comfort station? And, how are they to be remembered? Were they, as many South Korean (but not North Korean) groups assert, girls recruited for Japan's "Volunteer Corps" (J. teishintai, K. chǒngsindae) during the Pacifi c War years (1941–45)? Were they professional prostitutes who, as Japan's neonationalist groups insist, transferred their profession to the war front? Or were they innocent, young girls torn from their parents' arms to be sent to "rape centers" by the Japanese military, as progressive scholars and human rights activists claim? Soh argues that they were all of the above, and more. Limiting our focus to a single characterization provides a misleading, and often politicized, depiction of these women. To fully understand the phenomenon of comfort women, she explains,


10 Portraying spatiotemporal variations in landslide susceptibility patterns is crucial for 11 landslide prevention and management. In this study, we implement a space-time 12 modeling approach to predict the landslide susceptibility on a yearly basis across the 13 main island of Taiwan, from 2004 to 2018. We use a Bayesian version of a binomial 14 generalized additive model, which assumes that landslide occurrences follow a 15 Bernoulli distribution. We generate 46,074 slope units to partition the island of Taiwan 16 and divided the time domain into 14 annual units. The binary landslide label assigned 17 to each slope unit and their temporal replicates come from an available landslide 18 database, that contains an inventory for every year. We only consider new landslides or 19 reactivations of previous mass movements in the yearly inventories. This information 20 and its absence counterpart are regressed against a set of static and dynamic covariates. 21 Our modeling strategy features an initial explanatory model to test the goodness-of- 22 fit and interpret the effect of covariates. Then, five cross-validation (CV) schemes are 23 tested to provide a full spectrum of the predictive capacity of our model. Specifically, we implement a fully randomized 10-fold CV, a spatially constrained CV, two temporal 25 CV (a leave one year out and a sequential temporal aggregation), together with a spatio- 26 temporal CV. We summarize the performance in each of these tests, through their pure 27 numerical expression as well as their residual representation in space and time. 28 Overall, our space-time model produces excellent and interpretable results. We 29 consider this type of dynamic prediction the new direction to take to finally move away 30 from the static view provided by traditional susceptibility models. And, we consider 31 such analyses just a stepping stone for further improvements, the most natural of which 32 would lead to statistical simulations for future scenarios. 33


A network with dynamic weights implies a set of vertices interconnected by a set of edges, each of which bears a weight that changes with time. One example of such networks is a traffic network, wherein, the structure of the graph remains constant but the weight on the edges, signifying the amount of traffic (traffic density) changes over time. We have dealt with scenarios where flow algorithm needs to run repeatedly to establish flows in a network with timely changing capacities and we have sought to obtain some form of computational intelligence on that subject. We have aligned our work to the context of traffic networks in order to explore practical inspection of the same. However, this study applies equally for any generic network with continuously changing capacities which requires flow re-setting time and again.


The main aim of the paper is to offer a solution compatible with Graham Priest's Noneism and Amie Thomasson's Artifactual theory which stresses the epistemic features of the notion of individuality in fiction in a framework where individuals are conceived of as functions (the framework is known as the world-lines-semantics of Hintikka). According to our view, it is the endorsement of a reader's perspective that extends the range of the values of the functions (individuals) and that offers an alternative solution to cases of identity inside and outside the scope of a fictionality (or representation) operator. More technically, this proposal can be seen as both extending the notion of individuality of the Artifactual theory and furnishing an epistemic twist to Priest's principle of freedom.


To determine risk of osteoporosis and fractures associated with chemotherapy among elderly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients, a cohort of 13 570 patients aged ≥65 years with incident NHL was identified from SEER-Medicare data with up to 11 years of follow-up. One year prior to the diagnosis, significantly fewer patients had fracture and osteoporosis claims in the chemotherapy group versus no chemotherapy group. However, after NHL diagnosis, patients who received chemotherapy had significantly higher rates of fracture (31% versus 19%, P < 0.001) and osteoporosis (10% versus 8%, P < 0.001), compared with those who did not. The risk of having fracture (odds ratio = 2.24, 95% CI = 2.04 – 2.45) and osteoporosis (odds ratio = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.12 – 1.45) was significantly higher in patients receiving chemotherapy compared with those who did not, after controlling for demographic and tumor factors. In conclusion, use of chemotherapy was significantly associated with increased risk of fracture and osteoporosis in elderly patients with NHL.


In-flight tools for monitoring sensor data and subsystem status on aircraft provide warning for crews when the electronic signal falls outside of an established norm. The data is presently translated by trained personnel via on-screen algorithms to enable trouble shooting at the site of the discrepancy. Through the process of animated representation of data flowing through the bus systems, visual representation the effects of the failure and the prediction of the probable failed component or subsystem are available without the present interaction required to navigate through these algorithms. Data is additionally stored, mined, and used as a prognostic for future component or subsystem failures. The result is a tool that is easier to monitor and that is increasingly accurate in the prediction of failure prior to actual occurrence. Using this application, less training is required for personnel to interpret data from the sensors, both in-flight and during maintenance cycles. The paper addresses the creation process for this application, examining software tools that were considered and rejected as well as the processes that are being used to build the application. It examines both failures and successes in structuring the software and will examine the process of data mining for prognostic software. As every driver or aircraft pilot crosschecks his panel of instruments he looks at two types of instruments, those that indicate real-time information like the speedometer or airspeed indicator, and those that indicate out-of-bounds information usually seen as red lights or fuel low warning lights. Whether analog or digital, information is presented in such a way that the viewer may quickly know when something has gone wrong. It would be more useful for the driver or pilot to know when something is in the process of going wrong, and to be able to correct problems before they actually occur.


The demand of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is on the raise due to its potential applications. The data transmission occurs via a wireless link by the sensor node in network hence these nodes are vulnerable to several outside or inside attacks. A WSN may works in an unfriendly environment therefore it is a fundamental requirement of WSN to secure the sensing data. In this paper, we focus on highlighting the security issues in a multilayer WSN architecture and provide a secure communication solution (combination of various stateof-art protocols) for it by considering the WSN constraints. We propose a multi-level protocol distribution method to enhance the security of the WSN under consideration via targeting and providing resilience to specific attacks at each level. The simulation and results show that by implementing our proposed method, the overall security of the network has been enhanced.


The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary cereals such as corn, sorghum, wheat, hulled barley and naked barley on amino acid digestibility using fistulized chickens. Chickens were fistulized to either the distal end of the jejunum, the middle part of the ileum, the distal end of the ileum or the distal end of the rectum. The cereals were supplemented as the sole source of protein in each experimental diet. Intestinal digesta were collected from each site of the intestines, and the contents of amino acids were measured. There was no significant difference in the true digestibilities of all measured amino acids between the sites of chicken intestines. However, the true digestibilities of 13 amino acids (Asp, Thr, Ser, Gly, Ala, Val, Met, Ile, Leu, Tyr, Phe, His and Arg) in the hulled barley group, 10 amino acids (Asp, Thr, Ser, Gly, Ala, Val, Met, Ile, Leu and Tyr) in the naked barley group, nine amino acids (Asp, Thr, Gly, Ala, Met, Ile, Leu, Tyr and Arg) in the wheat group and five amino acids (Gly, Met, Lys, His and Arg) in the sorghum group were lower than those in the corn group. These results clearly demonstrate that corn shows the highest amino acid digestibility among cereals used in this study and that there is no significant effect of sampling site on the amino acid digestibility of the dietary cereals.


One of the most important invariants in singularity theory is the Hodge spectrum. Calculating the Hodge spectrum is a difficult task and formulas exist for only a few cases. In this article, the main result is the formula for reduced hyperplane arrangements in four variables.


Within modern psychology, computational and statistical models play an important role in describing a wide variety of human behavior. Model selection analyses are typically used to classify individuals according to the model(s) that best describe their behavior. These classifications are inherently probabilistic, which presents challenges for performing group-level analyses, such as quantifying the effect of an experimental manipulation. We answer this challenge by presenting a method for quantifying treatment effects in terms of distributional changes in model-based (i.e., probabilistic) classifications across treatment conditions. The method uses hierarchical Bayesian mixture modeling to incorporate classification uncertainty at the individual level into the test for a treatment effect at the group level. We illustrate the method with several worked examples, including a reanalysis of the data from Kellen et al. (2017), and analyze its performance more generally through simulation studies. Our simulations show that the method is both more powerful and less prone to type-1 errors than Fisher's exact test when classifications are uncertain. In the special case where classifications are deterministic, we find a near-perfect power-law relationship between the Bayes factor, derived from our method, and the p-value obtained from Fisher's exact test. We provide code in an online supplement that allows researchers to apply the method to their own data.


Abstract Our study aims to decompose phosphogypsum (PG), mainly composed of CaSO4.2H2O, by reduction in an acidic medium. We evaluated the decomposition of PG by various reaction mechanisms. Sulfate ions from the acid digestion of PG are reduced to sulfide by the hydrogen gas produced in the solution by hydrochloric attack of the metal iron. The solid residues obtained have been determined and monitored by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The microstructure of residues was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that hydrogen gas formed by hydrochloric acid attack of iron reduces the sulfur from S(VI) to S(-II). CaSO4.2H2O, insoluble in water, gives a residue containing CaS, which is only sparingly soluble in water. The residue also contains anhydrite, bassanite and ferrous chloride. The monitoring of the quantities of residue obtained under varying experimental conditions (temperature, attack time, mass of iron and PG and volume of acid on PG) and volume of HCl showed that the amounts of residue obtained are less than 32% of mass. When the volume of the HCl added increases, the obtained mass of the solid residue decreases sharply. The residue stabilizes at 10% of mass when the volume of HCl added is higher than that required to attack metal iron. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Abstract Background: The association between the platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGFD) gene and atherosclerosis has been widely proven, whereas the relationship between the PDGFD gene and ischaemic stroke remains unconfirmed. Aim: A case-control study was performed to further evaluate the association of the C → G mutation of rs7950273 in the PDGFD gene with ischaemic stroke (IS) in a Chinese Han population. Subjects and methods: This study recruited 3033 cases and 2807 controls from general hospitals in the southern, central and northern areas of China. The MGB probe and Taqman 7900HT Sequence Detection System were applied for genotyping. Results: Genotype was not significantly associated with ischaemic stroke in total. After adjustment for gender, age, BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking, the CG and GG genotypes were still not associated with ischaemic stroke (p = 0.892 and p = 0.582 for CG and GG, respectively). Conclusion: This study suggests that the polymorphism of rs7950273 in the PDGFD gene is not associated with ischaemic stroke in the Chinese Han population. Further studies on the gene–gene and gene–environment interactions for the PDGFD gene and ischaemic stroke are needed.


Many marketers believe that their brand can develop a unique 'personality' – like people have. The research reported here goes against that idea. The study shows personality traits that are attached to one brand by many of its customers are also attached to a competitor brand by many of that brand's customers. The results support the idea that brands do not possess unique personalities and that marketers should not try to build unique personalities for their brands.


About 1% of New Zealand farmland is managed organically. Nitrogen is the nutrient most likely to limit organic crop production. A potential solution is incorporation of compost to supply N. About 726,000 t of municipal garden and kitchen wastes are sent to landfills annually. Composting offers a means of reducing the impact of landfill wastes on the wider environment. Organically certified compost (N content typically 2% to 2.5%) is available from some municipal composting plants. To be effectively used on organic farms, the rate of N release (mineralization) must be known. Laboratory incubations were conducted to quantify mineralization of compost N under controlled (temperature and moisture) conditions. Nitrogen availability and crop yields from a one-off application of compost (25–100 t·ha−1) were also assessed in two field trials (using cereal and forage crops). The results suggested that a relatively small part (13%–23%) of compost N was used by the crops in 3–4 years. Much of this was mineral N present at the time of application. Mineralization rates in the laboratory and field studies were much lower than expected from published work or compost C:N ratio (considered an important indicator of N mineralization potential of composts).


The invention discloses a line loss analysis method based on a power distribution automation platform. The line loss analysis method based on the power distribution automation platform is characterized by comprising the following steps: getting basic data, integrating relative data with different types of a plurality of systems by means of an information interact bus carrier and an interface message and is unified, analyzed and shared to the power distribution automation platform so that the basic data can be provided for analysis and application of line losses, and automatically getting the interface data before two days everyday; getting operation mode data, the whole net operation modes are recorded by the power distribution automation platform everyday, when the daily line losses is calculated, times are adjusted according to an operation mode of a line each day and an operation mode section at a certain moment is selected to be used as a computational frame; calculating line losses, according to the gotten interface data and the operation mode data each day, the line losses before two days is calculated and analyzed so that accurate instantaneity of calculation and query of the line losses are ensured. The line loss analysis method based on the power distribution automation platform can achieve the accurate instantaneity of calculation and analysis of the net distribution line losses and ensure timeliness and accuracy of calculation.


Sir, I read with interest the paper by Chen et al., which showed that therapy with tacrolimus is as effective as azathioprine as maintenance immunosuppression in patients with lupus nephritis. Tacrolimus would be a good maintenance immunosuppression in lupus nephritis patients with bone marrow suppression due to azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil. Patients with intermediate or deficient TPMT (thiopurine methyltransferase) activity exposed to azathioprine show severe hematopoietic toxicity. At a certain stage it might as well become difficult to differentiate between drug-induced bone marrow suppression and relapse of lupus, especially in the absence of relevant activity markers. The study by Chen et al. has highlighted the low total white blood cell (WBC) count and neutrophil count in the azathioprine group compared with the tacrolimus arm (p< 0.05). However, there are certain concerns about using the tacrolimus as maintenance immunosuppression in lupus nephritis. In a review by Ortega et al. published in this journal, the authors investigated an extended period of maintenance immunosuppression for an undefined length in lupus patients at high risk of relapse. High risk included lupus patients with male sex, African lineage and Hispanic ethnicity, age <24 years, crescents in more than 50% of the glomeruli, high chronicity index, initial high serum creatinine which does not normalize with treatment, nephrotic syndrome which does not undergo remission with treatment, relapse, and serum antiphospholipid antibodies. Maintenance with tacrolimus-based therapy for indefinite period of time would be nephrotoxic. In a study carried out by Nankivell et al. on renal transplant recipient followed for period of 10 years with protocol biopsies concluded that 76% of patients had morphological evidence of calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) nephrotoxicity at end of 1 year of therapy with CNIs (mainly cyclosporine) and 93.5% had evidence of nephrotoxicity at the end of 5 years. Although most of the patients in the above study were on cyclosporine, tacrolimus can also cause significant nephrotoxicity. In a study carried out by Töz et al. compared nephrotoxicity of tacrolimus and cyclosporine concluded patients receiving tacrolimus therapy had less acute lesion score than those on cyclosporine but there was no statistically significant difference between the two CNIs in the chronic lesion score. The chronic damage caused by the CNIs was not reversed by mild–moderate reduction in the dose of the drugs. Even close monitoring of CNIs have not prevented chronic CNI nephrotoxicity, as the local levels in the kidney graft are not directly related to systemic levels. Both cyclosporine and tacrolimus have demonstrated higher levels in the renal tissue than the blood levels. Taking the above facts into consideration along with the cost of the drug and lack of clear-cut superiority in preventing relapse (although there was a short duration of followup), tacrolimus will not be an ideal upfront immunosuppressive agent for maintenance regimen in lupus nephritis. To conclude, the study by Chen et al. gives us a good alternate drug to azathioprine for maintenance immunosuppression in patients with lupus nephritis at high risk/those who have developed side effects to azathioprine/ mycophenolate.


consist of episodes – gradation of lyrics, the mean of uniting into integrity are: at the conceptual and imaginative level – meditative-reflection arches, at the compositional and structural level – adherence to the 3-part form with a contrasting middle and reduced reprise, at the textural level – textural "algorithms", the repetition of which forms at the drama level associations wits the "romantic circle" – a return to the origins of the dramatic process. Signs of authentic sources in the work are the significance of images of nature, allusive reproduction of folk songs and instrumental traditions (allusions of lullaby intonations, frictional oscillations, emphatic accents, indefinite pitch, dance motifs, onomatopoetic effects). The components of the cultural polylogue in the cycle are the signs: baroque (meaningful meaning of semantics of tonalities, terrace-like dynamics); opera (features of an aria, vocal monologue); romanticism (allusion to the romantic cycle, incomplete lyrical process, features of romance, closeness of melody to the traditions of home music); chromatization of musical аfabric, "open" structures, allusion to jazz techniques). It is emphasized that the combination of different musical space and times in synchrony and diachrony in the vocal cycle "Girl, hop…." by I. Haydenko captures the potentially endless variability of synthesizing their sings in the field of modern Ukrainian chamber-vocal music.


Background: Many studies have shown that poor posture may lead to myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) of the trunk. Forward head posture is one of the most common forms of poor posture, and is related to neck pain. Hence, the aim of this study was to estimate the influence of body posture on MPDS of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Methods: Twenty-six otherwise healthy adults with MPDS of the TMJ were enrolled in this study. Clinical examination was performed at three time-points: prior to the treatment, at the 2-week follow-up, and at the 4-week follow-up. The subjects received a muscle relaxant drug and adjustment of body posture. Variables such as visual analogue scale (VAS) score, shoulder angle (SA), cervical spine angle-coronal (CSA-c), and cervical spine angle-sagittal (CSA-s) were evaluated at each stage. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to control for non-independence among observations. Results: There were significant improvements in VAS score (p < 0.001), SA (p < 0.001), CSA-c (p < 0.001), and CSA-s (p < 0.001) after treatment compared to the corresponding values obtained before treatment. Conclusions: Correcting body posture in conjunction with use of a muscle relaxant had an extremely therapeutic effect on patients with MPDS of TMJ. The improvement of the angle of sagittal cervical spine may have reduced the pain score, and we speculate that it is important to correct forward head posture when treating patients with MPDS of TMJ.


Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO) by interferon-γ (IFN-γ)- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophages (RAW 264.7 and J774.2). Macrophages pre-treated with IL-4 and then stimulated with IFN-γ or LPS showed significant inhibition in their ability to produce NO as measured by nitrite production. Simultaneous treatment of IL-4 pre-incubated cells with IFN-γ and LPS together augmented nitrite accumulation. On the other hand, similar exposures of the macrophages to IL-10 followed by IFN-γ or LPS treatments resulted in significantly increased NO production. Thus IL-10 failed to suppress IFN-γ or LPS-induced NO production and showed opposite effects in these experiments to IL-4. We conclude that the two lymphokines have differing roles in the control of production of NO and might act to control the secretion of nitric oxide in vivo.


This essay examines Luis Vélez de Guevara's El diablo cojuelo through the lens of a scene that other scholars have neglected, in which the title character jumps into a writer's yawning mouth and is regurgitated. I extend previous approaches to the novel that focus on satire and perspectivism to theorize that Cojuelo's body and language exemplify and enact anamorphosis, the hidden perspective. This representational tool challenges readers to readjust their spatial, sensory, and cognitive engagement with the text and, by extension, the extrafictional world. Applying this procedure, Vélez also draws on and reorients baroque Spain's obsession with scrutiny, including experiences familiar to him such as converso heritage, court patronage, and literary academies. Using theories of vision, perspective, and demonic influence contemporary to Vélez, as well as Federico García Lorca's "Juego y teoría del duende," I posit a connection between Cojuelo and duende to investigate the role of supernatural inspiration in the creative process. Through anamorphosis, the text creates an image of Spain that is fragmented socially (in the civitas) and spatially, and the writer's ingestion and expulsion of Cojuelo is an enactment of Lorca's duende in liberating the creative force as it purges the demons haunting Vélez and the nation.


Background/Objectives: The article describes preclinical trials of a new apparatus for normothermic machine perfusion of the donor liver that was designed and developed in the Central Research Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics (Saint-Petersburg, Russia). Methods: An experimental study of a new apparatus for isolated perfusion of donor liver was performed on the isolated pig liver. Microcirculation parameters were controlled using computerized dopplerography ultrasound for blood flow studies MM-E-K. Findings: The device consists of the following components - two pumps for pumping fluids in two hydraulic circuits; container, wherein the sealed package is a liver transplant; pump control system; touch screen for setting input and output; uninterruptible power supply to provide mobile functions. Porcine liver was isolated, explanted and after 30 minutes of warm ischemia time it was placed into the apparatus from the pig after induced cardiac death. Liver was perfused with a perfusate of an original composition maintaining its viability. The developed apparatus maintained separate peristaltic blood flow in portal vein at 1.5 l/min and in common hepatic artery at 0.3 l/min, which corresponds to the physiological parameters. Perfusion using the developed apparatus for machine perfusion allowed restoring and preserving the functional state of the liver after 30 minutes of warm ischemia time, as evidenced by spontaneous recovery of the bile outflow, color and texture of the liver graft. Biochemical data values stabilize at physiological levels within 40 minutes after the start of perfusion. Applications/Improvements: The perfusion device is designed to restore and maintain the viability of the donor organ (liver) using extracorporeal flow normothermic perfusion of donor organs.


Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetically heterogenous rare autosomal recessive disorder. Mutations in FANCA gene are the most frequent among FA patients accounting for 60-65%. FA is characterised by congenital malformations, progressive bone marrow failure (BMF) and increased risk of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The risk of developing hematological abnormalities in FA patients is around 98% by 40 years of age. The risk of clonal cytogenetic abnormalities during BMF is around 67% by 30 years of age and risk of developing MDS or AML is 52% by 40 years of age. The frequent chromosomal abnormalities are 1q+, monosomy 7 and gains of 3q. Partial duplications/triplications of chromosome 1q are known to represent a nonrandom chromosomal anomaly in myeloid disorders.


BACKGROUND The most common method for diagnosing TB worldwide remains sputum smear microscopy. Sputum smears do not reveal acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in all patients. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) can provide alternative respiratory specimens for diagnosis. A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted. Patients having cough with expectoration for more than two weeks with clinical and radiological evidence of PTB along with sputum smear for AFB, tested negative between October 2014 and July 2016 were taken for study. FOB will be performed in all those individuals and the collected specimens will be examined for AFB under the microscope. Statistical analysis was performed by using Microsoft Excel-2007 and IBM SPSS software version 20.0. Bronchoscopy was performed on 51 cases of clinical and radiological suspects of PTB. Most of the study participants were males (67%). Mean age group was 47.3 ± 18.01. In between 21 and 60 years age, 38 patients were present. Cough was the most common presenting symptom with 93.5% of the patients followed by breathlessness, fever, chest pain and haemoptysis. 17 patients had positive post bronchoscopy AFB among 51; 3 patients were diagnosed as PTB based on their clinical and radiological features. Bronchoscopy-guided biopsy confirmed 4 malignancies and 1 benign polyp. Bronchial washings cytology diagnosed 1 adenocarcinoma. CT-guided FNAC/ biopsy confirmed diagnosis in 6 patients, 5 malignancies and 1 lung abscess. CONCLUSION Bronchoscopy is a useful tool in early diagnosis of smear negative PTB. It will help in preventing under-diagnosis as well as over-diagnosis of the disease.


Cardiac alternans are observed as action potential duration (APD) alternans and/or Ca2+ transient (CaT) alternans. This study aims to investigate the mechanism underlying the genesis of the two types of alternans, their difference and correlation. Two human ventricle models were used for generating cardiac alternans. APD restitution and CaT-SR content curves were constructed to investigate possible different mechanisms. Results showed that alternans produced by the ORd model sustained with significant CaT but no obvious APD alternans, whereas alternans generated by the TP model manifested as obvious APD but insignificant CaT alternans. CaT alternans in the ORd model was correlated with a much steeper CaT-SR content curve, while the APD alternans in the TP model was correlated with a steeper APD restitution curve. Furthermore, ICaL clamp simulations showed the magnitude of ICaL was crucial for generating the CaT alternans as a large ICaL could change its alternating status. Our results suggest that each of the APD or the CaT alternans has its own primary mechanism, and sustained CaT alternans is not necessarily related to APD alternans.


A project was developed to start building the collection for the new Early Childhood Education program, by the Australian Catholic University, which is a multi-campus institution comprising of six campus libraries, five of which house collections for the Faculty of Education. Establishment of important new partnerships with academic staff to facilitate collaborative collection development is the key outcome of the project.


Governmental human resource agency is the principle part of employment introduction and employmentservice, but the role of the government in confusion and the discrepancy between governmental departments restrict thedevelopment of the human resource agency market. This article analyzes the problems, then puts forward some suggestionsand solutions to promote the development of the governmental human resource agency.


Soil salinity is a major concern in southwestern part of Bangladesh because almost 30% cultivable lands are currently lying under risk of salinity where 30-50% yields loss is happening. Organic amendments have found to be effective in the amelioration of saline soil by improving soil physical and chemical properties as well as crop selection is another criteria for sustaining viability of crops in saline soil. For ensuring sustainable saline soil management, a comparative pot study was carried out during kharif 1 season in 2015 to observe the effect of organic amendments (solid waste, vermicompost and cow dung) on soil salinity and its influence on the growth of maize. Composite soil was collected at a depth of 0-15 cm from Gozalmari village of Jalma Union in Batiaghata Upazila under Khulna district, Bangladesh that was saline (10.6 dS/m) in nature and the irrigation water sample was collected from beside Kazibacha river (4.28 dS/m) that was also moderately saline. The maize cultivar "Shuvra" was used for cultivation in the study. The experiment comprised of four treatments viz. T0: Control (No organic manure); T1: Solid waste (36g); T2: Vemicompost (72g); T3: Cow dung (33g). Five seeds were sown in each pot. Seeds were treated with Agrosan GN to protect them from seed and soil borne pathogens. Chemical fertilizers were not used in the experiment. Irrigation was done two times before harvesting: at 20 days after sowing (DAS) and at 40 DAS with river water and rain water was irrigated naturally during the season. Findings were that the organic amendments significantly influence the physico-chemical properties of the saline soil. All organic treated soils significantly reduce the soil EC (from 10.6 dS/m to 3.4 dS/m) and pH (from 7.63 to 7.38) compared to control soil (p?0.05). In case of survival parameters (e.g %gemination, rate of survival at 50 DAS) of maize, the treatments were found insignificant (p?0.05). But in terms of growth parameter (plant height and root length), significant differences were found between control and organic amendments treated soil (p?0.05). It may be concluded that organic amendments treated soils showed better results than that of control soil. If proper management can be implemented, this positive results will bring hope to the local poor farmers at least can introduce a new crop in fallow agricultural land during the kharif 1 season.


Image scrambling is a method in which an original image turns into a visually degraded image. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm of hierarchical scrambling method for palette-based images using bitwise operation. The target pixels for scrambling were chosen randomly using a pseudo-random number generator and were transformed into their corresponding binary bits. Then, bitwise operation was applied to concatenate the target pixels and the corresponding random numbers to scramble the palette-based images. The images in the proposed method are more distorted than those in the conventional methods. We also introduce a hierarchical key assignment scheme for more secure and efficient communication. We carried out performance tests using standard images. This demonstrates that our method is superior to the conventional methods.


Abstract Background Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a threat to TB elimination strategies worldwide. From 1998 to 2016, six cases of MDR-TB were reported in Arkansas. In 2017 alone, three cases were detected. We sought to describe the characteristics of these cases to inform our MDR-TB prevention strategy in AR. Methods The surveillance database identified three MDR-TB cases in 2017. A detailed review was done to define the demographics, clinical presentation, and laboratory reports relating to drug susceptibility testing (DST), including molecular detection of drug resistance (MDDR). A search was done in the Genotyping database for genotype patterns of the patient isolates. Results All three cases were born outside the United States and developed active disease after arrival in AR. Case 1, age 52, was born in the Marshall Islands, arrived in 2016, and had a history of Type 2 diabetes. He developed MDR-TB in February 2017. Case 2, age 42, was born in Mexico, arrived over 20 years ago, and was HIV positive. He developed TB in July 2016 with a pan-sensitive organism and completed an intermittent treatment regimen. A second TB episode with matching genotype but different drug sensitivities occurred in April 2017, less than 4 months after treatment completion, and was considered treatment failure. Case 3, age 56, was born in the Philippines, arrived in 1990, and was reportedly treated for latent TB infection in 1993 with 6 months of isoniazid. She visited the Philippines April–May 2017 and developed MDR-TB in October 2017. Her isolate was in cluster with a case in Oklahoma who came from Mexico in 2006 and was admitted in an AR hospital with a pan-sensitive organism. There are no epidemiological links between the two cases; only one isolate in each case. Because both isolates were identified in AR State TB laboratory, a complex contamination has been considered with no definite resolution at this time. Conclusion MDR-TB, due to both primary and secondary drug resistance, remains a threat in AR. Cooperation and communication between all levels of healthcare are crucial to avoid delayed diagnosis of MDR-TB. Timely DST via technologies like GeneXpert and MDDR service at CDC is critical. Consultation from Centers of Excellence is vital in the treatment of MDR-TB complicated by diabetes and HIV. Whole-genome sequencing could provide clarity in the cluster with discordant DST patterns. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Analysis of the rules for calculation of the reduction factor for plate buckling of internal and outstand elements defined by Eq. (4.2) and Eq. (4.3) given in Annex E of EN 1993-1-5. Proposals for improvements of the rules, which were already accepted in Working Groups WG EN 1993-1-3 and WG EN 1993-1-5 for the next generation of Eurocodes.


Abstract This paper examines the impact on covenants in the debt contracts of companies of the impending change to international accounting standards (IAS). The primary focus of the paper is the UK debt market, but comparisons are drawn with other EU countries that will also be affected by the adoption of IAS. Existing evidence of the nature of debt covenants and the impact of accounting regulation change on such covenants is briefly reviewed. It is argued that the adoption of IAS will have a significant impact both on reported earnings and on balance sheet values. Moreover, it is argued that the adoption of IAS will increase the volatility of earnings. It is further argued that, as a consequence of these effects, there will be a significant impact on debt covenants given the widespread use of rolling GAAP. A number of cases and hypothetical examples are provided to illustrate the impact of the adoption of IAS.


Learning and memory are important physiological functions of brain and the frontier in modern life science studies.This article describe the research progress of Learning and memory,brain area,neuron mechanism,the research of electrophysiology,the mechanism neurophysiology and neuron bio-chemistry about Learning and memory.


Osler–Weber–Rendu syndrome, also known as hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), is an autosomal dominant disorder of abnormal blood vessel formation manifesting as telangiectasias and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The criteria for the diagnosis of HHT are epistaxis, multiple telangiectasias at mucocutaneous surfaces, AVMs in larger organ systems, and a family history of HHT.1–3 Recurrent epistaxis is the most common presenting complaint.

Cerebral AVMs occur in about 10–20% of patients with HHT, and are associated with high mortality and morbidity due to stroke or brain abscess. MRI is currently the best way to detect these vascular malformations. Gastrointestinal telangiectasia, including angiodysplasia, is a common manifestation of HHT. Recurrent upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding occurs in approximately 20% of patients with HHT and …


There are similarities and differences between open public space soundscape evaluation in different countries, mainly due to the influence of cultural background. This paper systematically compares the effect of social-cultural context on soundscape of urban public open spaces in China and Croatia. Eleven well-known and typical squares were selected. A series of questionnaire surveys within the soundscape framework were carried out during the summer season, and gathered data were analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in two principal components, eventfulness and pleasantness, as notable soundscape factors. However, eventfulness is the major factor in China, and pleasantness is the major factor in Croatia. In terms of environmental satisfaction, natural condition is the major factor based on PCA. Urban condition is the second factor in China, however, it is the third factor in Croatia. It is interesting to note that the physical environment is the most important factor in Croatian inland and coastal places, which is different compared to Chinese places. Visit purpose is the dominant factor associated with sound and environmental satisfaction. Natural sound and children have mainly positive correlations to sound and environmental satisfaction in China, whereas sounds of human activities have mainly negative correlations to sound and environmental satisfaction in Croatia.


For many decades, novel devices demonstrating step‐wise current–voltage characteristic at room temperature have been pursued to realize multi‐valued logic computing that has significant advantages such as extremely low power consumption and high‐density information‐processing capability. Recently, a novel ternary logic transistor has been constructed using an ultrathin ZnO/Al2O3‐AlDMP/ZnO channel exhibiting a mobility edge‐quantized conduction for the intermediate current level. This study investigates the operation principle of the ternary device using ZnO/Al2O3‐AlDMP/ZnO stack and concludes that the first ZnO layer controls the level of the intermediate current, while the second ZnO layer controls the threshold voltage of the ternary device. These controllable electrical properties of the intermediate state of the ternary device have been applied to an n‐type resistive‐load standard ternary inverter, demonstrating the feasibility to achieve a ternary logic circuit consuming extremely low power with an optimal noise margin.


Molecular phylogenetic results had shown that Tephroseris, a genus differentiated from its closest relatives by its pinnately veined leaves, also contains species with palmate leaf venation. This had led to the conclusion that leaf venation is a homoplasious character in the lineage containing Tephroseris. We here take a closer look at leaf venation in Tephroseris and other species of Asteraceae–Senecioneae. We found that leaf venation in Tephroseris is distinct from leaf venation in Jacobaea vulgaris and Senecio vulgaris, which both have pinnately veined leaves as typical for most species of their respective genera, and that description of the leaves of Tephroseris as pinnately veined is incorrect. Instead, leaf venation in Tephroseris is very similar to that of upper cauline leaves of Ligularia stenocephala, a species with clearly palmately veined basal and lower cauline leaves. Both L. stenocephala and Tephroseris are part of the Ligularia–Cremanthodium–Parasenecio (L–C–P) complex. We conclude that leaf venation in Tephroseris is best regarded as derived from palmate leaf venation found in the large majority of species in the L–C–P complex, and presents no morphological obstacle to the circumscription of the genus.Citation: Kadereit J. W. & Bohley K. 2020: A note on leaf venation and the circumscription of Tephroseris (Asteraceae–Senecioneae). – Willdenowia 50: 113–117. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.50.50111Version of record first published online on 23 March 2020 ahead of inclusion in April 2020 issue.


This paper presents a multiple model Kalman filter method for stochastic systems. The method utilizes a group of linear models, for instance N models, to represent a nonlinear stochastic system. Kalman filters associated with the group of models are used so that an N estimated states are obtained. Then the N state-estimates, each of which is weighted by its possibility that is also calculated online, are combined to form an optimal estimate. Simulation tests were conducted for both a second-order system and a ship-control system, and it is demonstrated that the method is effective for systems with sharply changing parameters. Simulation results also demonstrate that the method is applicable to a number of engineering problems for state estimate and parameter identification for nonlinear stochastic systems.


Multiple biological sequences alignment like protein sequences or DNA/RNA in order to discover the functions, structures and evolutionary relationships among species and also discovering drugs is a fundamental study in bioinformatics. Unfortunately the multiple sequence alignment is a NP-complete problem and the reliability of the existing algorithms is not so high. The objective of our study was to improve multiple sequence alignment using biological features such as secondary structure of the sequences available in knowledge databases like SWISSPROT to achieve a more reliable alignment. We also provide a new method for grouping the similar sequences using biological features. The results of our tests on these databases indicate that the accuracy of the provided FCB MSA algorithm is much more than the existing alignment tools such as T-COFFEE and MAFFT.


Electromagnetic flow meters are widely used in multiphase flow measurements in recent years. In this paper, a simulation model is established to study the Effects of virtual current distribution in an Electromagnetic Flow Meter which exist a spherical non-conductive body in the Fluid by using ANSYS. Furthermore, the characteristics of virtual current distribution and the flow meter errors by changes the size of bubble are discussed. For application, the results provide a possible way to estimate errors of the flow meter caused by multiphase flow.


Method gives results approximating those of classical continuous-irradiation method but in less time. Method also makes it possible to measure chemical shifts and spin-lattice relaxation times with improved sensitivity. Equipment can be used for adiabatic demagnetization experiments, measurements of rotating-frame spin/lattice relaxation times, and accurate measurements of exact resonance points. When measuring relaxation times, pulse technique can be very effective since pulses may be limited in amplitude and length to prevent spin system from being driven into saturation.


Natural clinoptilolite is activated with palladium and tested for hydrogen adsorption capability at room temperatures. Simple method is developed to measure hydrogen storage capability in solid materials with a commercial thermogravimeter. This method consists of two stages: material cleaning stage in inert gas (argon, nitrogen) flow, and hydrogen sorption stage where measured sample is cooled down from elevated to room temperature at hydrogen atmosphere. It is found that samples of finely grounded zeolite showed higher hydrogen adsorption capacity – up to 7 wt%. Slightly lower adsorption capability is observed for finely and course grounded zeolite samples that was activated with Pd. Hypothesis that the heating of zeolite in argon atmosphere activates the pore structure in zeolite material, where hydrogen encapsulation (trapping) can occur when cooling down to room temperature is proposed. An effect of catalyst (Pt) on hydrogen sorption capability is explained by spillover phenomena were less-porous fractions of natural clinoptilolite sample (quartz and muscovite) are involved in hydrogen transport.


We have considered the effect of the bulk energy density on the formation of a high-current discharge plasma in Ar (P = 2280 Torr) in the presence of preionization and the application of longitudinal magnetic field. The formation of the initial stages of a high-current discharge changes with increasing bulk density of energy, switching from a continuous form to the brightness pulsation. We have detected that the external critical magnetic field accelerates the process of formation of all stages of the discharge with a simultaneous increase in the maximum of the bulk density of energy, concentration, and temperature. It should be specially noted that the appearance of new spectral lines at the stage of the spark channel formation in an external longitudinal magnetic field.


The two masters of French art song, Gabriel Faure and Claude Debussy, exerted considerable influence on the succeeding generation in melodie composition and consolidated a distinguished path away from the German form. Their distinct styles and attraction to the works of Paul Verlaine, a French symbolist poet, have stimulated scholars' interest in comparing their individual techniques of setting poetry to music and interpretations of the same poetic verses. While acknowledging the distinguished styles of the two composers, these comparative studies almost exclusively conclude that Debussy takes a literary approach to the text, whereas Faure attempts to create an atmosphere that captures the overall sentiment of the poem. In his remarks on Debussy's setting of Verlaine's "En sourdine," for instance, Pierre Bernac contends: "As usual Debussy, in setting these beautiful love poems, follows much more closely than Faure the meaning of each line and even of each word."1 Similarly, Gerald Moore's preference for Debussy's version of this poem is influenced by the composer's literary approach and "magical setting of the words."2 And after examining settings of Verlaine's "II pleure dans mon coeur," "Green," and "C'est I'extase" by Faure and Debussy, Laurence Porter concludes that "Faure, in short, is a musician; Debussy is part musician, part poet... [Debussy] once said that his dream was a perfect union of music with the text. Faure had no such ambition."3This article aims to demonstrate that Faure employs unique technique to unify music and words in Verlaine's "En sourdine"-and indeed stays as close to the text as Debussy. Overflowing with imagery, "En sourdine" inspires both composers to approach the images from different angles and to use the piano to portray imagery, suggesting emotions that contrast despite being derived from the same lines of text. As I will illustrate through musical analyses and an exploration of the compositional background below, the piano in Faure's setting depicts the visual images from the poem and highlights the motion it describes, projecting a hopeful mood. Debussy, on the other hand, dwells on the aural aspect of the imagery, creating an atmosphere that is both melancholy and still. My analytic focus will be on harmony, melody, figuration, and texture, rather than on word setting. I also will provide performance guides for pianists based on the findings from the musical analyses.IMAGERY IN "EN SOURDINE"Faure composed "En sourdine" in 1891. Debussy set the poem twice, first in 1882 and again in 1892. The version we are examining is the latter one, which demonstrates his more mature songwriting. Before analyzing these two musical settings, we should first review the poem in order to understand the story (Table 1).The poem immerses readers in twilight and profound silence; the wind gently rustles the grass while everything else is hushed and still. In this quiet landscape, the poet reveals the privacy shared by two lovers through his use of personal language-"our love," "our souls," "our hearts and our ecstatic senses," and toward the end of the piece, "our despair."4 The fusion of the lovers' hearts with nature weaves through the poem. The words depict the natural images vividly, almost as if the reader were viewing an exquisite painting portraying the tall branches dimming the afternoon sun, the drowsy trees, the soothing breath of the wind at the lovers' feet, the night falling from the black oaks, and the nightingale singing a despairing song. The poem gradually transitions from muted daylight and hopeful love in the first stanza to gloomy evening and despair in the last.5Aural imagery, which is immediately suggested by the title "En sourdine" (Muted), permeates Debussy's version. To capture the deep silence, Debussy evokes stillness through the use of long held chords, static lines, and repeated notes in pianissimo. Debussy's emphasis on the sonic component of the scenery is further manifested by his introduction of the nightingale's melody (which does not come to the scene until the last stanza of the poem) in the very beginning of the piece (Example 1). …


A vanadyl ion bound to a cucurbituril (CB) host was reported to oxidize pentane to 2-pentanol in the presence of an oxidizer. DFT calculations suggest that the catalyst selectively reacts with stronger C-H bonds in pentane over weaker C-H bonds in cyclohexane due to size exclusion by the CB host. The active catalyst is an unprecedented vanadium superoxo species bound to the host, and the selectivity toward secondary over the primary C-H bond is the result of a higher degree of charge transfer from the secondary compared to the primary position.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous disease on its clinic and evolution, on which the myelin sheath of the axons is attacked by the own immune system. The origin of MS is still unknown; however, genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors seem to be implicated in its development. In the last years, much effort has been made to describe the gut microbiota dysbiosis of MS patients. Nevertheless, differences in geographical location, diets and lifestyles have made this goal difficult to achieve; therefore, the role of the bacterial dysbiosis in the MS is unclear. The microbiota produces thousands of biologically active substances among which are notable the Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) excretion. These metabolites are the main mediators of the interaction with the immune and neuroendocrine systems; in consequence, their analysis in the MS could be of great interest. The aim of this study is to determine the microbial dysbiosis and its SCFAs production in a Spanish cohort of MS patients. The gut microbiota of the Spanish cohort of MS patients is characterized by an increment in members of the phylum Proteobacteria, especially marked on those patients that are not receiving any disease modifying treatment. Regarding SCFAs production, a lack in total SCFAs excretion and an altered profile of SCFAs in MS patients, (characterized by a decrease of butyric acid production) could be observed. This alteration is more evident when patients with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score higher than 1 were considered, also presenting a significative reduction of caproic acid and an increase of acetic acid excretion. The abundance of Proteobacteria and acetate and the low excretion of total SCFAs, especially butyrate, are common characteristics of MS patients and, besides, both are associated with a worse prognosis of the disease.

Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Spanish Network of Multiple Sclerosis (REEM) under the grant (BIOD19- 021).

Declaration of Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval Statement: The local ethical committee approved this trial with the reference 09/157.