— This research aims to investigate the contradictions of social media crowdsourcing in crisis management in war-torn societies incorporating five intrinsic paradoxes. These contradictions were derived from the literature and practices of social media crowdsourcing in Syria. It concluded that these contradictions represent profound influential factors on the value of social media crowdsourcing in such crises. The identification and analysis of such contradictions enhances the efforts of reinforcing the positive interactions and diminishing the negative practices to support the value of social media crowdsourcing in crisis management. Furthermore, the research presents technical and ethical solutions to enhance the participation value of social media crowdsourcing.


The analogues of electric and magnetic multipoles for electromagnetic waves in a Kerr geometry are derived and given an operator characterization.


This paper design a management information system. By analysing the disadvantages in the management of personnel and talents in china and combining the practical situation,this paper developed an effective scheme for the management of personnel and talents through the network. The designing part mainly introduces he design of system functions,database,and some main modules. The framewoek is not only friendly and easy to operate,but also strongly supports the work of personnel and talents and electronic government affairs.


The present invention relates to an electric discharge machining device which supplies a current pulse to a machining gap (9) while switching polarity. The electric discharge machining device includes: a first switch (41) provided between the positive pole of a power supply (30) and a work piece (4); a second switch (42) provided between the negative pole of the power supply and the work piece; a third switch (43) provided between the negative pole of the power supply and a tool electrode (2); a fourth switch (44) provided between the positive pole of the power supply and the tool electrode; and a pulse generating device (10). In order to supply a series of current pulses to the machining gap with a straight polarity, the pulse generating device repeatedly switches on and off either the first or third switch while the other switch is on. In order to supply a series of current pulses to the machining gap with a reverse polarity, the pulse generating device repeatedly switches on and off either the second or fourth switch while the other switch is on.


A huge part of the binding rules is not decided by the parliament, but by the government and the authorities. Therefore, this essay is about the regulations concerning legislative delegation in the 8th chapter in the instrument of government. Because it is said in the preparatory work that the principle of popular sovereignty should be important when taking decisions about binding rules, the regulations regarding delegation is investigated in the light of that principle. In the law, there are no restrictions on the possibility of delegation in areas where it is permitted. This has resulted in authorities with a huge ability to adopt binding rules through permissions in laws and regulations, despite the fact that it is not desirable due to the principle of people sovereignty. Also advices from the authorities is discussed, primary because they often seem to play an important role even if they are not bindning rules. According to the principle of people sovereignty this is really problematic on the ground that no permission in law is necessary before authorities make decisions about advices. In the essay, an example is also given on how the Supreme Court has restricted the use of a certain kind of delegations, on the ground that they were against the instrument of the government. I also bring up the possibilities of the parliament to control rules subjected to delegation. At the last, in the analysis I suggest some changes in law, for the purpose of increasing the role the principle of people sovereignty plays regarding legislative delegation.


Aflatoxins were produced on fresh beef (in which bacterial spoilage was delayed with antibiotics), ham, and bacon inoculated with toxinogenic fungi and stored at 15, 20 and 30 C. Meats stored at 10 C were spoiled by bacteria and yeast before de- tectable levels of aflatoxins were produced. High levels of aflatoxins were formed in meats stored at 20 C; one sample supported the production of 630 ug of aflatoxins per g of meat, the major portion (580 ,sg) of which was aflatoxin G1. Meats stored below 30 C developed higher levels of aflatoxin G1 than B1, but at 30 C Aspergillus flavus produced equal amounts of B, and GI, whereas A. parasiticus continued to produce more G1 than B1.


Considerable controversy exists among alternative approaches to the analysis of social interaction. Part of this controversy is due to the use of overly simple, inflexible, and imprecise models. Th...


We deal in this paper with the problem of automating the process of choosing an appropriate visualization and its parameters in the context of visual data mining (VDM). To solve this problem, we develop a user assistant that performs 2 steps: the system starts by suggesting to users different mappings between their data and possible visualizations. This is performed with a simple but generic heuristic that can be applied to any visualization. Then, the user selects a visualization among those proposed by our assistant, and he may further improve the parameters set that defines the mapping between the visual attributes and the data attributes. For this purpose, we use an interactive genetic algorithm (IGA), which allows users to visually evaluate and adjust the mappings. We present a user evaluation that confirms the interest of our system in two tasks.


In this paper, we propose a novel design of evolving fuzzy classifiers in case of multi-class classification problems. Therefore, we exploit the concept of all-pairs aka all-versus-all classification using binary classifiers for each pair of classes, which has some advantages over direct multi-class as well as one-versus-rest classification variants. Regressionbased as well as singleton class label fuzzy classifiers are used as architectures for the binary classifiers, which are evolved and incrementally trained based on the concepts included in the FLEXFIS family (a connection of eVQ and recursive fuzzily weighted least squares). The classification phase considers the preference levels of each pair of classes stored in a preference relation matrix and uses a weighted voting scheme of preference levels, including reliability aspects. The advantage of the new evolving fuzzy classifier concept over single model (using direct multi-class classification concept) and multi model (using one-versus-rest classification concept) architectures will be underlined by empirical evaluations and comparisons at the end of the paper based on high-dimensional real-world multi-class classification problems.


The present invention provides an independent power supply system for a tube well capable of providing a smooth electric energy use environment of a tube well or a tube well control device and a constructing method thereof. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the independent power supply system for a tube well comprises: an energy storage device storing electric energy to be supplied to a tube well or a tube well control device controlling the tube well; a power generation device generating the electric energy to be supplied to the energy storage device; an independent grid which is independent to be connected to the energy storage device and the power generation device and not to be connected to a substation; and a measuring device generating measured data on the electric energy which is supplied to the tube well or the tube well control device through the independent grid and remotely transmitting the measured data.


The literature on the topic of acquisitions and mergers has almost rivalled the level of acquisition activity itself [1]. However, despite the enormous literature on takeovers, relatively little of it has focused on acquisitions from a strategic viewpoint. Of the acquisitions literature that does deal with strategy, most of it focuses on specific aspects rather than on providing a strategic framework for the whole acquisition process. For example, Malernee and Kirkby address a number of factors including the use of portfolio and industry structure models, and risk return models in diversification [2]; Pekar proposes the use of the business attractiveness/competitive position matrix and describes a range of acquisition options used by Booz Allen and Hamilton [3]; Newton suggests the use of the Directional Policy Matrix as a tool for evaluating acquisitions [4]; and Guineven shows how the PIMS model can be used to evaluate strategic acquisitions [5]. Examination of the articles dealing more broadly with strategy and acquisitions, shows they tend to concentrate on specific steps in the process at the expense of a balanced discussion, are too general, or adopt a checklist or case study approach. Further, virtually all of this literature does not refer to, or attempt to build on, other writers' contributions in this area. As a result little attention has been directed towards combining the use of


To improve the graduate students to use English for professional learning,research and participation in international communications,this paper propose a new teaching method: academic lecture mode,under current investigation in learning and teaching status of graduate courses in specialized English of electrical engineering. The proposed method is designed to optimize teaching methods and changing the English learning concept existing in students' minds. So research interests can be stimulated to enhance students' ability to explore their area of research as well as English language skills.


s for 1907 to 1916 and for Auerbach's Geschichtsafeln der Physik from its beginning through 1900. The data were tabulated and plotted, from which Lotka developed a "general formula for the relation ... between the frequency "y" of persons making "x" contributions as "x"y = const.Finding the value of the constant when "n" = 2, he observed that:the number [of] persons making "2" contributions is about onefourth of those making one; the number making "3" contributions is about one-ninth, etc.; the number making "n" contributions is about 1/n 2 of those making one, and the proportion, of all contributors, that make a single contribution, is about 60 per cent. [Notice that Lotka's observation deals with the least number of productions]. 6 This law is formed as follows: R(n) = j log (nlt + 1) for the verbal formulation; R(n) = k log nls for the graphical formulation. The constants of these equations are not equal; i.e. j ≠ k and t ≠s. R(n) is the cumulative total of papers published by the first n journals; n is the rank of a set of journals contributing papers on a particular topic; j, t, k, &s are constants.


Flameless combustion is the latest development in the field of oxyfuel systems. This technology has already been in use for a number of years in heating furnaces and in ladle preheat systems. It is notable both for its more uniform heating pattern and its extremely low NOx emissions. The following article describes the advantages and potential applications of this technology.


Objective To observe the changes of caspase-3activity during apoptosis of HL-60cells induced by an iron deferoxamine(DFO).Methods Exponentially growing HL-60cells(1×106/mL)were used in this experiment from July 2003to December 2003.The study groups were divided as follows:DFO group,iron+DFO group and control group.The viability was detected by typanblue,apoptosis was assessed by morphological study and flow cy-tometry(FCM)assay,and the caspase-3activity was detected by melorimetry.The intracellular label iron pool(LIP) was measured with a fluorimetric assay using the metalsensitive probe calcein-AM.Results ①When HL-60cells were incubated with different concentrations of DFO,viability assay was lower than that in the control group at the 12th,24th and 48th hour(P0.05).②The cells incubated with different concentrations of DFO showed dose-time dependence and was much higher than that in the control group(P0.01).③The caspase-3activity was significantly higher in the apoptotic cells than that in the control cells.Conclusions The apoptosis of HL-60cells induced by DFO may be correlated with the decrease of cellular LIP and activity of caspase-3.


Abstract : Optically based sensing provides advantages over electronic sensing because optical spectra can uniquely fingerprint a chemical compound, significantly reducing false alarms and simplifying the detection process. In addition, light can easily be directed over long distances, enabling remote sensing. One of the most promising optical sensing techniques is surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In Raman scattering (RS) of light from a chemical of interest, the vibrational modes in the chemical redshift the frequency of the scattered light, producing a spectrum characteristic of that molecule. Ordinary Raman scattering cross-sections are very small, resulting in low sensitivity (1E-8 of the intensity of the exciting laser); this is not a problem for most solids and liquids, because of the large numbers of molecules or atoms exposed to the laser light, but in the case of trace amounts of molecules in gases or liquids, detection through ordinary Raman scattering is virtually impossible. However, SERS enhances the Raman signal by many orders of magnitude by the use of a substrate of metal nanoparticles. The SERS enhancement of molecules adsorbed on the roughened metal surface is caused by local electromagnetic fields that are created by the laser excitation of surface plasmons at the metal surface. Even larger SERS effects can be produced by local "hot spots" in the electric fields, produced by interactions of localized plasmons on adjacent or neighboring nanoparticles. Although the SERS effect has been recognized for a long time, a full understanding of the phenomenon has not yet been achieved. This lack of understanding limits its application potential, as it is difficult to produce highly sensitive, inexpensive, and repeatable SERS substrates. To address these issues, we have developed a new SERS substrate material consisting of dielectric/Ag metal shell nanowires that exhibit high SERS sensitivity due to their plasmonic coupling.


Greater expansion of distributed power and process systems based on thermodynamic cycles with single to hundred kW scale power output is limited mainly there are not available cost-effective expanders.
 Turboexpanders have a perspective of high efficiency and flexibility concerning operating parameters even for the micro applications. However, they suffer from a high manufacturing cost and lead time in the development of traditional technologies (such as casting and machining processes).
 Additive manufacturing provides a possibility to overcome some of the issues. Manufacturing parts with complicated shapes by this technology, combining multiple components into a single part or rapid production by 3D printing for development purposes are among the prospective features with this potential. On the other hand, the 3D printing processes come with certain limitations which need to be overcome.
 This paper shows a design and manufacturing process of a 3 kW axial impulse air turbine working with isenthalpic drop 30 kJ/kg. Several samples to verify printing options and the turbine itself has been manufactured from stainless steel by the DMLS additive manufacturing method. Manufactured are two turbine variations regarding blade size and 3D printer settings while maintaining their specific dimensions. The turboexpanders testing method and rig is outlined. As the surface quality is an issue, several methods of post-processing of 3D printed stator and rotor blading to modify surface quality are suggested. Detailed experimental investigation is however subject of future work.


This paper presents a partition-based retiming approach to reduce dynamic power in CMOS circuits. More precisely, the algorithm first partitions the original circuit into some subcircuits, effectively reducing the computation complexity. It then applies retiming technique among these subcircuits, while precomputing some subcircuits with enough size and single output. We experiment the low-power technique with ten MCNC benchmarks, and the average reduction of power can be 43%, 4% higher than previous methods


Erosion takes the main place in modern relief-forming processes. Agricultural activity has now reached the border beyond which the degradation of agricultural landscapes can become irreversible. Significant changes are associated with agro-industrial production, which is accompanied by a violation of the natural cycles of matter and energy, a change in the structure and basic properties of agricultural landscapes, a violation of the processes of reproduction of renewable resources.


The prevalence of corruption in Latin America has been identified as a cause for a number of problems, including low economic development, lack of governance, and lack of trust in institutions. Taking into account that democracy needs the unconditional support of its citizens to survive, corruption constitutes an obstacle to develop a democratic culture in the population and this is reflected in their political participation...


UV absorption spectra of the hydrazides containing the CONHNH2 group and their hydrochlorides were obtained. Most of hydrazides studied, in water, show one band with the maximum at about 53 kK. On this band the solvent effects and the substitution effects were examined.


The study was carried out to determine the effects of lye-peel addition to the processing-plant wastewater on the characteristics of wastewater, the performance of each unit of the treatment system, and waste haulage. This study was also expected to provide useful data for the design of the secondary treatment required.


In order to provide cost effective solutions for different applications in optical interconnection, different approaches are needed. Cost and reliability are important considerations. The wavelength region between 900 nm and 1000 nm is very attractive since cheap Si-detectors can be used, the GaAs substrate is transparent and the fabricated Qw laserdiodes and LEDs have high performances and high reliability. Parallel optical interconnects require high performance (low threshold, high yield), densely packed laser arrays using fiber ribbon. For long distance communication, more emphasis is laid on the power budget and coupling efficiencies. If in parallel optical interconnect the very high modulation speed of laserdiodes is not really needed, InAlGaAs LED-arrays may be used, because of their stability, robustness and the possibility to integrate diffractive lenses on the backside of the component, which makes the component suitable for free-space optical interconnect. The better performances of microcavity LEDs will enhance this option even more.


FIELD: mineral dressing. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to processing rare and precious metals. Continuous-flow line contains apparatus for disintegrating starting material made in the form of hydraulic buddle with hydraulic monitor, conical hydraulic cribble, arrangement to catch concentrate particles made in the form of gravity sludge line - tilted pipeline with discharge branch pipe installed in its lower part at predetermined distance from the inlet end, magnetic separator for isolation of strongly magnetic fractions in liquid medium, dehydrating sizing screen, drying apparatus, magnetic separator for dry isolation of slightly magnetic fractions, and arrangement for isolation of nonmagnetic fractions in the form of ferrohydrostatic or electrodynamic separator. Continuous-flow line may also have a unit for recleaning of products of drainage from dehydrating sizing screen containing sump, additional pump to pump over sludge, concentrator in the form of, for example, a set of hydrocyclones, dehydrating vibration screen, and additionally built- in magnetic separator for dry isolation of slightly magnetic fractions connected with vibration screen directly or through built- in additional drying apparatus, and also arrangement for isolation of nonmagnetic fractions in the form of ferrohydrostatic or electrodynamic separator. EFFECT: improved process flowsheet. 13 cl, 5 dwg


The test sensitivity of classic sniffer test method s is limited by the helium concentration in the air w th 5.2 ppm, but by reducing the atmospheric helium concentratio n of the sniffer method B3 from the DIN EN 1779 the est sensitivity can be significantly improved by the se n itivity factor 500,000. In contrast to conventional vacuum leak test methods, the UST-Method reduces the heliu m partial pressure in a chamber with a helium free gas. This brings the helium partial pressure down to 1x10 -08 mbar (10 ppt), so the gas tightness of components can be easily and reliably determined with a sensitivity of 10-11 mbar*l/sec. During the construction of the fusion experiment Wendelstein 7-X (W7X), it was firstly shown that leaks at normal pressur e (1013 mbar and 20°C) up to 10-09 mbar*l/sec are easily detectable. This means that, with the UST-Method, leaks with a theoretical loss f gas of 5 cm3 in 30 years are well within the detectable range.


Submitted for the HAW09 Meeting of The American Physical Society Neutron Detection Efficiency of The Crystal Ball and TAPS BERHAN DEMISSIE, George Washington University, A2 AT MAMI COLLABORATION — Photodisintegration of the deuteron d(γ, p)n and π0 production off the deuteron d(γ, p, π0)n channels are investigated to measure the neutron detection efficiency of the combined Crystal Ball and Two Arm Photon Spectroscopy,TAPS, detector system currently employed by the A2 collaboration in the Tagged Photon hall at MAMI accelerator in Mainz,Germany. For this purpose, liquid Deuterium target data with 885 and 1557 MeV beam energy will be compared.Preliminary neutron efficiency results are produced.The resulting efficiencies will be compared to results obtained from a Geant 4 simulation of the complete detector setup in order to validate the neutron response provided therein.The ultimate conclusion of this project will be vital for cross section measurement of channels such as double π0 and π0η production on the neutron. Berhan Demissie George Washington University Date submitted: 29 Jun 2009 Electronic form version 1.4


keeping in view the tough competitive market, customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors for the survival of any service provisioning organization. Research community has been contributing enough literature with special focus on the analysis of the important predictors that has significant impact on customer satisfaction. Most of the empirical research studies are conducted to understand customer satisfaction related to products as compared to services. Additionally, very few studies have been conducted in context of telecommunication service quality. Therefore, this research is aimed to explore the customer satisfaction of broadband telecommunication services provided by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). To identify the most significant factors that affect customers' satisfaction of broadband services provided by (PTCL) in Pakistan, a comprehensive framework is proposed. The results of research study will provide potential guidelines to (PTCL) management in formulating appropriate strategies as a mean to improve their efficiency and gain competitive advantage to attract more customers and retain existing customers.


As is known to us, Naive Bayes algorithm is a simple and efficient categorization algorithm. However, the assumption of conditional independence in this algorithm does not conform to objective reality which affects its categorization performance to some extent. In order to improve the categorization performance of Naive Bayes algorithm in text categorization, a Naive Bayes text categorization algorithm based on TF-IDF attribute weighting is proposed in this paper. We use the χ2 statistic to extract text features before the algorithm starts, and then assign the different weights to the different feature word sets according to the TF-IDF method. Finally, the improved Naive Bayes algorithm, TFIDFMNB, is used for text categorization of test text sets. The experimental comparison and analysis results show that the TFIDFMNB algorithm can be used for text categorization well.


The paper aims at investigating the impact of the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards on the value relevance of consolidated financial reporting of banks in the emerging capital market of Poland. The investigation covers a sample of all domestically-based commercial banks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange over the period 1997–2013 that prepared consolidated financial statements both before and after 2005, when IFRS became mandatory. The research methods employed involved multiple linear regression analysis and the Chow test for structural break. The empirical evidence indicates that observed increase in the value relevance of consolidated book values of equity and net earnings of banks after adoption of IFRS is statistically insignificant. Moreover, the descriptive power of the aforementioned accounting variables appears to have in fact diminished in the period succeeding the adoption. The obtained results are therefore consistent with the findings of previous studies regarding both banking and non-financial enterprises sector in the Polish capital market.


The Antagonist Principle: John Henry Newman and the Paradox of Personality. By Lawrence Poston. [Victorian Literature and Culture.] (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. 2014. Pp. xvi, 281. $45.00. ISBN 978-0-8139-3633-8.)It is hard to perceive any real point to this book. We are told rather vaguely in the preface that it is a study of the "idea of Personality in the Christian tradition, and its reverberations, beyond the more narrowly theological, to explain something of Newman's recurring efforts to organize his thoughts around that idea" and that its "principal concern is to re-situate Newman as one of the most combative of the Victorian seekers" (pp. x-xi). But it is hardly a case of "re-situating" when it is already very well-known that Blessed John Henry Newman was one of the great Victorian controversialists.The nearest, effectively, that we get to a thesis is Poston's assumption that Newman studies are dominated by a dash between so-called hagiographers and iconodasts and that he sees himself as standing in via media. Truth, however, is not always to be found in the via media, as Newman himsdf came so painfully to believe. Poston, for example, thinks that the truth must lie between the arch-iconodast Frank T urner's revisionist attack on Newman (2002) and his allegedly hagiographical critics (although, to be fair, he recognizes the problematic nature of such an assumption). But the question of whether T urner's accusation that Newman lied in his Apologia pro Vita sua is true or not is not to be dedded by attempting to compromise between the iconodast and the hagiographers. Rather, the truth is to be discovered by looking at the actual historical evidence. This shows plainly that the Oxford Movement was launched in reaction to the threat posed by the reforming Whig government, which was to pass the great Reform Act a year later in 1834. The fear was that the state would interfere in the affairs of the Church of England, with the support of liberal Anglicans like Thomas Arnold who advocated a more comprehensive national Church that would embrace Dissenters. The liberal government, after all, had already intervened in Ireland, even suppressing several sees of the established Church there, a flagrant state interference that provoked John Keble's famous Assize Sermon in the university church in Oxford, an event that Newman always considered the beginning of the Oxford Movement. In any case, Turner's thesis that Newman's role in the movement was dictated by hatred of the Evangelicals and not by opposition to the liberals does not make any historical sense: for why should such a movement suddenly begin in 1833 when the Evangelical party was long established in the Church of England and posed no such threat as did the liberal party allied to the Whig government? …


Determinations of minor constituents and isotopic compositions of strontium reported by analysts throughout Japan are presented for the new series of standard samples issued from the Geological Survey of Japan. Two rock standard samples are still available.


Abstract This paper examines the common assumptions that a Local Education Authority's failure to reorganise rural schools in the 1920s and 1930s necessarily meant it was negligent, parsimonious and without conviction or direction, and that schools themselves ridiculously outmoded in buildings, curriculum and teaching methods. It uses Hertfordshire as a case study and in challenging the assumptions identifies this LEA's not‐so‐hidden agenda – the more than tacit alliance of education and agriculture to ensure the former supported the latter at a time of falling prices and rural depopulation. It argues that, as a result, largely traditional attitudes and highly vocational policies were paramount after 1918, but camouflaged by the promotion of modern teaching methods and by the fashionable aesthetic movement dedicated to the study, enjoyment and regeneration of the countryside. Absolute economy in public expenditure was not the LEA's main priority, but rather the preservation of village schools, the promoti...


Overall this paper is well written, the methods are scientifically sound, and the work provides a substantial contribution to the current body of knowledge. The sensitivity analysis to provide local variable importance is highly useful and I am not aware of any other studies that provide such a map. This paper is suitable for publication in HESS. I have several comments, detailed below, that relate mainly to the methods descriptions that the authors can address mostly by providing more clarity or discussion related to the specific concerns.


Although edema of the lids is a trivial incident in the course of many diseases, those extreme instances that attain disfiguring proportions with no obvious origin constitute a major problem in diagnosis. I am submitting herewith the report of two such cases, curiously similar in appearance, but otherwise unrelated. When I first saw the patients, both showed trifling increase in temperature and malaise, with no local evidence of inflammation and no albuminuria. Yet they turned out to be diametrically opposite in origin. The first was a by-product of systemic infection; the second, a local disorder. REPORT OF CASES Case 1. —A woman, aged 22, was referred to my clinic at the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary, Sept. 22, 1923, complaining of swelling in the lids and cheeks of a few days' duration, usually greater on the right side, and subsiding slightly during the day. There had been no pain or


Many theories have attempted to explain the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy and to suggest preventive approaches to the problem. The present article reviews these approaches, groups them into three categories, and suggests an alternative theory that combines various approaches.


Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of high frequency jet ventilation(HFJV)in the patients with acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning(AOPP)accompanied with intermediate syndrome(IMS). Methods 115 cases of AOPP accompanied with IMS were randomly divided into A and B group. The group A(58 cases) was treated with HFJV, and the group B(57 cases) was done with IPPV and IMV. Compared the theraputic effect of the two groups before and after treatment. Results The arterial blood and vigour in the group A were improved after treatment. The death rate (3.4%),the incidence of hypotension(1.7%) and the incidence of pulmonary infection(1.7%) of group A were lower significantly than those in group B (P0.01). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of HFJV is better than IPPV in the patients with AOPP accompanied with IMS.


The mid-infrared spectral region is interesting for bio-chemical sensing, environmental monitoring, free space communications, or military applications. Silicon is relatively low-loss from 1.2 to 8 μm and from 24 to 100 μm, and therefore silicon photonic circuits can be used in mid- and far- infrared wavelength ranges. In this paper we investigate several silicon based waveguide structures for mid-infrared wavelength region.


It is bittersweet to pen my final editorial as (now past) TOSEM editor-in-chief. I've had a wonderful six years in the position (and, after all, it's all about me!). At the very least, I hope I haven't damaged TOSEM in any way, maintaining the quality of TOSEM as created by my predecessors—Rick Adrion, Axel van Lamsweerde, and Carlo Ghezzi—and passing it on in good shape to my successor—David Rosenblum. You are all amazing, and I'm privileged to be part of your cohort. (By the way, David's appointment also establishes beyond question TOSEM's international reach: David has served in research/academic positions in three continents: North America, Europe, and now Asia.) Before I get to the core of the editorial—thanking all the people who did the real work—let me make just a few quick comments about publishing software engineering research. I care about publication of results, as can be gleaned not only by my work on TOSEM but also as program chair at major software engineering conferences. There is a massive amount of important discussion going on about journals, conferences, who should own the publications, who should pay for the publications, and more, much more. Please pay attention to this as it is highly material to our field. But I want to say something that (I hope) transcends those discussions. Specifically, I'd like very much for each and every reader, contributor, reviewer, and editor to remember that the publications aren't primarily for promotions, or for citation counts, or such. Rather, the intent is to make the engineering of software more effective so that society can benefit even more from the amazing potential of software. It is sometimes hard to see this on a day-today basis given the many external pressures that we all face. But if we never see this, what we do has little value to society. If we care about influence, as I hope we do, then adding value to society is the real measure we should pursue. Of course, this isn't easy to quantify (as are many important things in life, such as romance), and it's rarely something a single individual can achieve even in a lifetime. But BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are themselves of value, and we should never let them fade far from our minds and actions. Whew, I'd better come off my podium. I am a bit scared of thanking all of the associate editors, …


Discloses oral care compositions comprising a particulate active material and a physiologically acceptable carrier. The active particles comprising a calcium source and an antimicrobial metal cation. At least 0.05% of the total weight of the antimicrobial metal cations in situ particulate active material is soluble.


Covid have confirmed as pandemic global by the World Health Organization (WHO), because spread that very fast among humans. As a result of the Covid-19 virus, many infected patients died, including from all countries on the Asian continent. Like the case that occurred in one of the Asian countries, namely India, which is one of the countries that experienced a spike in Covid-19 cases, the transmission of thevirus Covid-19 in India penetrated more than 400,000 cases in 1 day. The number is the highest daily record set by India during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it was found that the problem of the spread of Covid-19 tends to increase, this is the country with the second largest population in the world. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country has reached 21 million or second only to the United States. The vastness of India's territory allows the need for grouping the parts by region in India. This grouping produces the center points for the spread of Covid-19 cases. The purpose of grouping Covid-19 cases based on clusters is to find out the weight/percentage value generated from each of these clusters using the K-Means Clustering method. This method is used to map the spread of the Covid-19 virus from various regions in India based on confirmed cases, dead, recovered and active/new clusters. The benefits obtained for the government in overcoming Covid-19 cases are to create strategies to prevent the spread of Covid-19 based on information from the results of regional clustering in India The results obtained from research conducted in 38 regions in India using 4 clusters resulted in Confirmed cases (C0) 199 items, Died (C1) 779 items, Recovered (C2) 21 items, and Active/new cluster (C3) 231 items with a totalcluster of 1230items.


Objective To observe the effect of Rivanol combined with mifepristone on mid-term induction.Methods Patients(120 cases) who accepted mid-term induction in Second Affiliated Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical College from June 2011 to June 2012 were randomly divided into control group and observation group,and 60 cases in each group.The patients in the control group were iv administered with 100 mg Rivanol from amniotic cavity directly.The patients in the observation group were po administered with mifepristone,and the first dosage was 50 mg.Then the patients took orally 25 mg every 12 h,and the total dosage was 150 mg.Results The time of uterine contraction,placenta expulsion maternal,and total production process in the observation group were shorter than that in the control group(P 0.05).At the same time,the amount of bleeding and pain scores were significantly lower than those in the control group(P 0.05).The incidences of the complications in the observation and control groups were 6.67% and 30.00% with significant difference(P 0.05).Conclusion Rivanol combined with mifepristone on the mid-term induction has a better effect with fewer complications.It could not only shorten the production process of induction,but also reduce pain of patients,which is worth the clinical promotion.


An Ising model-based solver has shown efficiency in obtaining suboptimal solutions for combinatorial optimization problems. As an NP-hard problem, the traveling salesman problem (TSP) plays an important role in various routing and scheduling applications. However, the execution speed and solution quality significantly deteriorate using a solver with simulated annealing (SA) due to the quadratically increasing number of spins and strong constraints placed on the spins. The ballistic simulated bifurcation (bSB) algorithm utilizes the signs of Kerr-nonlinear parametric oscillators' positions as the spins' states. It can update the states in parallel to alleviate the time explosion problem. In this paper, we propose an efficient method for solving TSPs by using the Ising model with bSB. Firstly, the TSP is mapped to an Ising model without external magnetic fields by introducing a redundant spin. Secondly, various evolution strategies for the introduced position and different dynamic configurations of the time step are considered to improve the efficiency in solving TSPs. The effectiveness is specifically discussed and evaluated by comparing the solution quality to SA. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that the proposed bSB-based TSP solvers offer superior performance in solution quality and achieve a significant speed up in runtime than recent SA-based ones.


The present invention relates to a packaging article comprising i) a housing defining at least one cavity, the shell comprising water-soluble or liposoluble fibers ii) at least one anhydrous coloring composition containing at least one oxidation dye; and iii) optionally at least one anhydrous oxidizing agent, preferably in powder form; provided that the dye composition ii) and the chemical oxidizing agent when present iii) is (are) in one of the cavities of the casing i). Another object of the invention is the use of the packaging article for dyeing keratin fibers, and a process for dyeing keratin fibers implementing said article. The use of the packaging article provides dyeing compositions having good dyeing properties, easy to apply and enable a powerful coloring hair.


Myeloid Sarcoma (MS), an extra-medullary tumor of immature myeloid cells, is a rare finding in patients with other hematopoietic diseases such as AML, CML, and MDS. It can also be found in isolation, termed non-leukemic MS, but often portends the arrival of AML at a later date. MS tends to present in skin, bones, lymph nodes, and other locations associated with specific genetic abnormalities, such as ocular or testicular presentations. GI presentations are particularly rare, though they have been reported in the literature. Our patient is a 66-year-old male with a past medical history of AML, and MDS treated with Vidaza and eventually bone marrow transplant. Despite achieving complete remission, he presented on follow up with loose stools and abdominal pain, which on endoscopy and biopsy was revealed to be gastric MS. He was placed on Vidaza once again: He continues treatment at this time. Literature review reveals no ideal method for treatment of MS localized to the GI system. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant along with systemic chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of treatment, with the added benefit of excision surgery or radiotherapy being unclear at this time.


Current regulation of the investment industry and securities trading primarily focuses on protecting investors and maintaining the soundness of the investment and securities market. While financial institutions and other intermediaries are usually also bound to perform customer due diligence and anti-money laundering procedures to prevent illicit financial flows, the secrecy underpinning the investment industry and securities trading significantly undermines measures to address tax evasion, corruption and money laundering. The main secrecy problem in the investment industry and securities trading is that no single party has access to a full picture of individual chains of ownership, meaning nobody fully knows who owns what. At best, some parties have access to partial information.

Two recent transparency advancements improved the investment industry's situation, but only marginally. Many countries, especially in the EU, have started to establish beneficial ownership registries, where companies, trusts, partnerships and other legal vehicles have to disclose their "beneficial owners", the individuals who ultimately own, control or benefit from a legal vehicle. However, investment entities (as well as companies listed on a stock exchange, whose shares may be held by investment entities as underlying financial assets) are in many cases being excluded from the scope of these new beneficial ownership registries, either by law or in practice.

The other transparency breakthrough is the OECD's Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic exchange of information. However, many loopholes and exemptions prevent the new standard from being truly effective at solving the secrecy problem of the investment industry and securities trading. Notwithstanding the many loopholes and exemptions, when the CRS does apply to the investment industry, it only covers information about the value and income from investment entities. It does not collect information on the underlying securities held by investors through investment entities. This makes it impossible for authorities to detect misreporting or underreporting.

To address these secrecy problems, the most comprehensive solution to the secrecy underpinning the investment industry and securities trading could be to disclose every individual that directly or indirectly holds: (i) any interest in an investment fund, (ii) any interest in an underlying financial asset (eg a share in a company listed on a stock exchange), and (iii) how the individual holds these underlying securities, including all intermediaries involved. Given the current trend of super-fast trading where securities may be held for just a few seconds, ownership could be reported regarding the situation at the end of the business day (identifying only the last end-investors who held each interest in the investment fund and in the underlying security at the end of each business day). In addition, this comprehensive identification of the end-investor and its beneficial owner (the individual end-investor) should involve replacing omnibus accounts (that pool together money from many different investors) and employ segregated accounts at the end-investor beneficial ownership level. To be comprehensive in its scope, beneficial ownership thresholds for legal persons (currently at "more than 25%" of ownership) should be lowered so as to require any individual holding any interest in an investment fund or in a financial asset (eg holding one share in Apple) to be registered as a beneficial owner. By identifying every individual holding at least one share or unit of interest it would be possible to account for every underlying financial asset, and every interest in an investment fund in the world (or at least in a given market). This granular ownership detail about every existing investment fund and every underlying financial asset would ensure that there is no case of underreporting or double reporting of financial assets (to prevent evading income tax, capital gains tax, or trying to obtain illegal tax refunds).


War Crimes — Superior Orders — Execution of Prisoners of War — Execution Ordered by Police Authorities of Detaining Country — Absence of Judicial Proceedings Preceding such Order — Whether Person Carrying Out Execution Guilty of Criminal Offence — The Law of Germany.


The dependency of long-range order parameter on the ordered structure of solid solutions has been investigated by means of computer simulations of high-resolution lattice images. The computer image simulations were performed by the multislice method in a wide range of sample thicknesses, defocusing values, and long-range order parameters. It was found that the lattice images of the ordered structures were predominantly dependent on the long-range order parameter, The lattice images in a complete ordered structure showed a pseudo-hexagonal pattern. As the order parameter decreases, the simulated images changed slowly from a pseudo-hexagonal pattern to a rectangular pattern. The lattice images in a complete disordered structure showed a rectangular pattern. Also, the simulated images of the with different Mg:Nb ratios obtained at a given long-range order parameter were basically the same patterns, irrespective of Mg and Nb compositions.


Spontaneous spinal cord syndromes often remain etiologically ambiguous despite extensive diagnostic efforts.1 Acute onset is typical for arterial ischemic events, although progressive evolution has also been reported.2 Diagnosing an arterial spinal cord ischemia is even more difficult if the resulting symptomatology differs from the well-known syndromes. MRI showing vertebral body infarction can confirm an ischemic lesion in such cases.1–7⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓ We report a patient with a thoracolumbar spinal cord ischemia and infarction of the degenerated T11/T12 intervertebral disk and a T10 vertebral body infarction.

A 68-year-old obese man developed sudden pain in the left lumbar region. Hours later he experienced numbness and weakness of the left and later of the right lower extremity, as well as urinary retention and perianal hypesthesia. From his medical history, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism were known.

The patient could not walk or stand unaided. Muscle strength and deep tendon reflexes were normal in upper extremities. Muscle strength of the left lower extremity …


Across the Pacific Northwest (PNW), both public and private agents are working to improve riverine habitat for a variety of reasons, including improving conditions for threatened and endangered salmon. These projects are moving forward with little or no knowledge of specific linkages between restoration actions and the responses of target species. Targeted effectiveness monitoring of these actions is required to redress this lack of mechanistic understanding, but such monitoring depends on detailed restoration information—that is, implementation monitoring. This article describes the process of assembling a database of restoration projects intended to improve stream and river habitat throughout the PNW. We designed the database specifically to address the needs of regional monitoring programs that evaluate the effectiveness of restoration actions. The database currently contains spatially referenced, project‐level data on over 23,000 restoration actions initiated at over 35,000 locations in the last 15 years (98% of projects report start or end dates between 1991 and 2005) in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Data sources included federal, state, local, nongovernmental organization, and tribal contributors. The process of database production identified difficulties in the design of regional project tracking systems. The technical design issues range from low‐level information such as what defines a project or a location to high‐level issues that include data validation and legalities of interagency data sharing. The completed database will inform efficient monitoring design, effectiveness assessments, and restoration project planning.


Objective To explore curative effects and clinical study on drug resistance of local slowreleasing medical compound preparation on periodontal diseases.Methods Established in rats artificially infected with periodontitis model,the rats were divided into group A(experimental group),Which is used the slow-releasing pocket-delivery compound medicine and group B(control group).The study selected two antibiotics: methylene blue and minocycline,and discussed the way of inhibit the proliferation of related pathogens in periodontal pockets and understood the effect of treatment of periodontal disease by detecting the total number of bacteria and observed histological changes.Results Test results of the experimental group found that the total number of bacteria continued to decline.There are significant difference(P 0.01)in the statistic,the total number of the periodontal pockets pathogens significantly reduced,compared with the control group;Histological observation indicates that the compound preparation can produce significant bactericidal effect and effectively eliminate inflammation phenomenon.Conclusion The compound medicine methylene blue and minocycline has bactericidal effect over the periodontal diseases.


Objective:To explore the hemorrhagic reason and therapic methods in patients with caesarean section. Methods:The introoperative hemorrhagic reason and therapic methods of 82 patients with caesarean section from January 2008 to January 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Results:The weak womb contraction and the placenta factor were the main hemorrhagic reason, the rate were 48.78% and 25.61% respectivly, uterotonics and uterine plugging were the most frequently using therapic methods for hemorrhage. Conclusion:The weak womb contraction and the placenta factor are the nain risk factors, we can improve the survival rate of the pregnant women by controlling the risk factors.


If we ignore all political risks, the key problem in the modern Russian economy is dear money. The transition from the phase of depression to one of economic growth today requires that the market rate for ordinary commercial credit must become lower than the profit norm for projects realized in the most important sectors of the economy. But such relative devaluation of capital can cause an upsurge only if it is the spontaneous result of numerous decisions of investors and recipients (in other words, a systemic effect) and is not the consequence of "pumping" unsecured money into the economy.


It emphasizes reality and l1ife very much today.Dewey's "education is life" and Tao Xingzhi's "life is education" have the great inspiration.The author analysis their similarity and difference by comparision for the reform development as a means of the model in our time.


The study examined the prevalence and nature of bull ying behaviour among secondary school students in Nigeria. It also investigated the factors associ ated with bullying and its psychological consequenc es. The study adopted a survey design. A sample of 750 secondary school students was selected through stratified ran om sampling technique using sex, age and class level a s str ta from five randomly selected secondary scho ols in IleIfe, Osun State, Nigeria. Information was collected from the students through the administration of an instrument titled "Bullying Behaviour Questionnaire" (BBQ). Re sults showed that the prevalence of bullying among the students was 67.2%. From this, 88.1% had been bulli ed and 33.1% were bullies. Many students (64.7%) ha d been involved in relational bullying. Watching violent f ilms (57.5%) and retaliation for being bullied in t he past (51.2%) were some of the factors associated with bu llying. The bullied students exhibited fear (63.6%) and depression (58.1%).


Martin Scorsese and his films have been analyzed extensively since he began making films over four decades ago. Much of this scholarship has focused on formal analysis of the films themselves. Contextual analysis has been either concentrated on his religious and ethnic background or on the historical context of New Hollywood cinema from which he emerged. Scholarship has ignored Scorsese's broader activities in the culture, thus neglecting the ways in which these position his feature films. To fully comprehend Scorsese as a cultural figure, a more radical contextualizing is required. The purpose of this dissertation is to use historical and sociological approaches, particularly those of Pierre Bourdieu, to offer a corrective to the prevailing scholarship, not so much in terms of what has been written, but rather what has not been written. Each chapter focuses on an area of Scorsese's career from a different perspective than has dominated thus far. Chapter One deals with Scorsese's early career before he moves to Hollywood. Instead of analyzing these films in relation to the rest of Scorsese's oeuvre, this chapter places a greater emphasis on the university environment in which Scorsese was immersed. Chapter Two explores the critical environment around the films Scorsese made during his first decade in Hollywood. The chapter eschews formal analysis and/or critical interpretation in order to consider the contingencies involved in the gaining of cultural esteem. Chapter Three offers the most thorough revision of previous Scorsese scholarship. Instead of briefly skimming over the films made during the 1980s, this chapter argues that this decade was critically important to Scorsese's eventual canonization. This is not because of the films themselves, but because of Scorsese's other


In a recent article in this journal, Henry Krips [2] claims that he has resolved the Einstein-Podolski-Rosen (EPR) paradox [1]. As is well-known, EPR demonstrated a situation in which performing different measurements on one system (system I) would result in assigning to another system (system II), which has interacted with system I at an earlier time, one or the other of two eigenfunctions associated respectively with two noncommuting operators P and Q. According to EPR, this demonstrates that for system lI the two physical quantities corresponding to the noncommuting operators P and Q have simultaneous physical reality. EPR's conclusion is that since quantum mechanics does not include this simultaneous physical reality, the quantum-mechanical description of reality is incomplete. Krips states in his paper that EPR claim "that one can simultaneously assign, on a particular occasion, eigenvectors of momentum and position to the same system" ([2], p. 150). Krips continues "This conclusion involves a contradiction with Q.M. according to E.R.P., and hence one has a paradox" ([2], p. 150). Now, there is a difference between what "EPR said" and what Krips says they said. EPR did not say that system II could be simultaneously assigned eigenvectors of momentum and position. They said that they had demonstrated the physical reality of a simultaneous position and momentum in system IL. They are not claiming, as Krips seems to think, that they have shown a contradiction with quantum mechanics; they are claiming that they have shown an incompleteness in quantum mechanics. The "paradox" in the EPR paradox is not a claimed contradiction with quantum mechanics, it is a claimed demonstration of the existence of a physical state which cannot be represented in the state representation scheme of quantum mechanics. Krips attempts to show that one can simultaneously assign eigenvectors of momentum and position to the same system on a given occasion. If this were indeed the case then EPR's argument for the incompleteness of quantum mechanics would fall apart. We shall try to show why we think Krips is wrong on this point, and then comment briefly on what we see as the status of the EPR paradox vis-ad-vis the question of the completeness of quantum mechanics. We address ourselves to what Krips calls the second argument against assigning simultaneous eigenvectors of momentum and position to the same system on a given occasion. Krips says:


Metallic SmS thin films with 100–2000 nm in thickness were prepared by rf magnetron sputtering. The metallic- to semiconductor-phase transition was induced by a regeneratively amplified mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. The shifts of the (200) peak due to the phase transition were observed by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXD) analysis. This phase transition was accompanied by the significant reflectance change of the thin films up to 45% in the near-infrared region. The depth of the phase transition layer from the surface of the film irradiated by a femtosecond laser pulse was estimated ∼200 nm from the depth profile of GIXD.


We have previously reported a flow rate calibration method for the determination of absolute CD4+ T‐lymphocyte counts that removes the need for the addition of latex beads to each sample. However, a limitation with this approach is that a calibration factor (CF) needs to be applied to adjust for differences in viscosity between latex bead suspensions and biological specimens. We have also demonstrated the value of using stabilized whole blood samples in external quality assessment (EQA) studies; such samples have a stable absolute lymphocyte count for over 1 year, at 4°C. It was successfully demonstrated that this material can be used as a flow rate biocalibration (FRB) material for use as a flow cytometric control to provide a sample with a known CD4+ T‐lymphocyte count. Such material has advantages over latex bead technology as it can act as a full process control as well as having the same matrix and viscosity characteristics as the test material, thus removing the need for a CF.


Breadfruit pieces were subjected to two different pre-treatments, microwave radiation (2450 Hz) for 40 seconds and steeping in sodium acetate buffer solution pH 3 for 30 minutes, during the production of breadfruit flour as means of stabilizing breadfruit flour quality during storage. The two flour samples with untreated sample (control) were subjected to chemical and functional analyses; the three flour samples were packaged in high density polyethylene and stored for 14 weeks with the following analysis carried out fortnightly; sugar content, swelling power, moisture content, water and oil absorption capacities. Pasting analysis was carried out at six week interval. The results indicated that the treatments did not have any significant effect (p≤0.05) on the chemical composition of the flour; the control breadfruit sample contained 6.01% moisture, 5.21% protein, 1.92% fat, 2.67% ash, 5.95% fibre and 4.10% sugar. The treatment had significant effect on the functional properties of breadfruit flour (p≤0.05). The swelling power and water absorption capacity of the control sample, microwave treated sample and sodium acetate buffer pH 3 treated sample were 5.13 g/g and 4.60 ml/g; 5.96 g/g and 4.50 ml/g; 4.84 g/g and 4.20 ml/g respectively. The two treatments especially microwave radiation caused minimal reduction (i.e. had lower percentage reduction) in the swelling power, water absorption capacity and pasting profile of breadfruit flour during storage when compared with control sample; this is desirable in food applications. Treatment with microwave radiation was able to preserve the quality integrity of breadfruit flour during storage better than the treatment with sodium acetate buffer pH 3.


Receive antenna selection diversity inMIMO-OFDM trans- mission isattractive because itcanachieve better BERperformance dueto higher diversity gainobtained, keeping thecostandenergy consumption low.However, howtoselect asuitable setofreceive antenna elements isa keyissue, withlowcomputational andhardware complexity. Inthis paper, wepropose anreceive antenna directivity diversity method foraMIMO-OFDM system withRF-MEMSswitches. Wediscuss theBER performance oftheproposed methodaswellasconventional methods by computer simulations withthemeasured channel dataina5GHzfre- quencyband. 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,, ~ a W t_ sv s d~~~~


In this work, the results of a simple model aimed at explaining the overall distribution of conformational minima for a chain molecule are presented. The model assumes that the conformations can be described in terms of rotational isomers associated with each torsion, as done in polymer statistics. Under the model assumptions, the distribution of potential energy minima can be given a closed, though approximate, form. When compared to a thorough conformational search for aliphatic acids, carried out using molecular mechanics, the present approach is found to account for some of the essential, qualitative features of the distribution


Molecular genetics has had a major impact on neurology. The genes for many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders have been identified, and molecular diagnosis has replaced invasive and cumbersome diagnostic procedures. The hereditary ataxias may have benefited most from molecular studies. Genetic mapping and gene identification have classified these heterogeneous disorders, offered patients accurate diagnoses, and made genetic counseling feasible. In addition to these clinical benefits, exciting biological discoveries have been made possible by the molecular study of many neurologic diseases. For example, gene dosage of the peripheral myelin protein PMP22 is critical for peripheral nerve integrity and normal function1; dynamic trinucleotide repeat mutations are the cause of numerous neurologic diseases2; and genes essential for normal development in Drosophila play critical roles in mammalian nervous system development.3 Among these discoveries, the expansion of trinucleotide repeats as a mutational mechanism has been one of the most intriguing breakthroughs. These unstable repeats have been found in both coding and noncoding regions of genes. The mechanisms by which expanded repeats cause disease vary depending on the position of the repeat within the respective gene. In fragile X syndromes(FMR1 and FMR2), the repeat interferes with normal transcription and translation of the gene, leading to loss of function of the protein.2 In myotonic dystrophy, expansion of a CTG repeat in the 3′ untranslated region of the gene leads to disease most likely because of a dominant effect at the level of RNA.4 In Friedreich ataxia, the expansion of the GAA repeat in the first intron of the gene interferes with the transcription and translation of frataxin.2 A number of neurodegenerative diseases, notably the dominantly inherited spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), share a common mutational mechanism: the modest expansion of a translated CAG repeat predicted to encode a polyglutamine tract.5,6 …


Microbubbles are clinically used as an imaging agent for contrast-enhanced ultrasound image. Beyond the preformed microbubbles, nanoscale gas-generating chemical systems that are capable of stimulus-responsive inflation to microbubbles have recently been employed as a new echogenic strategy for ultrasound molecular imaging. Here, we report a peroxamide-based ultrasound contrast agent as a H2O2-responsive gas (CO2)-generating system for diagnostic ultrasound imaging of inflammatory diseases. A hydrolytic degradation-resistant peroxamide nanogel was constructed by nanoscopic cross-linking of polymeric aliphatic amines (branched polyethyleneimine) with oxalyl chloride, which intrinsically offers highly concentrated peroxamides as a reactive cross-linking point for H2O2-responsive CO2-generation by the peroxalate chemiluminescence reaction that is intrinsically catalyzed by the polyamine-derived intraparticle basic environment. It was experimentally revealed that the interior of the peroxamide-concentrated na...


We performed local density functional calculations for the electronic structure of short carbon nanobells. The calculated local density of states of the nanobells revealed field emission characteristics that agree with experimental observations. We also performed total energy calculations to study the structural stability and a related possible growth mechanism of the nanobells. In the nitrogen-doped carbon nanobells, nitrogen atoms that are attracted to the open-edge sites of the carbon nanobells appear to stop the growth of the nanostructures.


The Electromagnetic radiation is of increasing importance to study biological characteristic variation. The brain waves are measured before and after exposure of cell phone for one minute. Mobile phone is kept in talk mode for 5 minutes minimum. with the help of EEG we measure Brain Wave frequency before use of mobile phone and after use of cell phone. We also test vibraimage color spectrum after the use of cell phone, it show the increase of yellow and green area in this spectrum which shows this increase in frequency. Here we have also verified the effect of holding the mobile phone at different distances from the body due to which we have obtained optimized results. This analysis determines temperature variation in the tissue because if electromagnetic field. Here we analyse for the frequency range 2GHz to 10GHz. The increase in tissue surface temperature is 3°C for 10 GHz with 100 mw/ cm2. The increase in tissue surface temperature in is up to 1°C for 10 mw/ cm2 field. 10 mw/ cm2 field strength is health standard limit. Transient period is 5 to 7 second.


A decade ago, Gerhard Woeginger posed an open problem that became well-known as"Gerhard's Hiking Problem": Consider a group of $n$ people that want to go hiking; everyone expresses preferences over the size of their hiking group in the form of an interval between $1$ and $n$. Is it possible to efficiently assign the $n$ people to a set of hiking subgroups so that every person approves the size of their assigned subgroup? The problem is also known as efficiently deciding if an instance of an anonymous Hedonic Game with interval approval preferences admits a wonderful partition. We resolve the open problem in the affirmative by presenting an $O(n^5)$ time algorithm for Gerhard's Hiking Problem. Our solution is based on employing a dynamic programming approach for a specific rectangle stabbing problem from computational geometry. Moreover, we propose natural more demanding extensions of the problem, e.g., maximizing the number of satisfied people, and show that they are also efficiently solvable. Additionally, we precisely map the boundary of tractability for the wonderful partition problem by proving that finding such a partition becomes NP-hard if non-interval approval size sets of size two are allowed. This closes a gap in the complexity landscape, since hardness was only known for the case with non-interval approval size sets of size at most 3. Last but not least, we employ our solution to efficiently compute a partition that maximizes the egalitarian welfare for anonymous single-peaked Hedonic Games.


Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a main risk factor for the development of gastric cancer (Correa et al., 1990; Sipponen & Hyvarinen, 1993; International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC], 1994; Graham, 2000; Uemura et al., 2001). It has been postulated that H. pylori infection causes chronic gastritis, gastric atrophy, usually with gastric intestinal mataplasia (GIM) and dysplasia, and gastric cancer. The stepwise fashion of this infection, which usually continues over decades, has been defined as a sequence of histological events that confer an increasing risk of malignant transformation as described in Correa's hypothesis (Correa & Shiao, 1994). Although it is fairly well accepted that H. pylori infection plays a significant role in causing gastric cancer, the exact mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis remain obscure. In general, GIM is believed to be a preneoplastic lesion of the stomach (Correa, 1995), which increases the risk of gastric adenocarcinoma, especially intestinal type (Correa & Shiao, 1994; Correa, 1988). It remains unclear, however, as to whether or not GIM is a precancerous lesion or a marker for an increased risk of malignancy (Filipe et al., 1994; Miehlke et al., 1998). Although there are many reports regarding the histological changes including metaplasia and dysplasia following eradication of H. pylori, the results have been conflicting (Table 1).


Along with maize and rice, allohexaploid bread wheat and diploid barley are the most cultivated crops in the world (FAOSTAT database, http://www.fao.org/faostat, accessed on 22 June 2019)[...].


Currently, there is somewhat of a research lacuna with regard to sociological phenomenological research into the lived-experience of motor neurone disease (MND), a terminal, neurodegenerative disease where the motor neurons in the cortex, brainstem and spinal cord gradually diminish in number until lost entirely. Based on data from a three-year qualitative research project undertaken in the UK and Australia, involving interviews and email correspondence with 42 participants clinically diagnosed with MND, in this paper we explore from a sociological-phenomenological perspective our participants' in-depth accounts of their own lived-body experiences of this disease. Calls have been made for sociological researchers to examine and analyse more fully and deeply the sensory dimension of the lived-body, including within health and illness studies, and this paper contributes to this newly developing corpus. As sociology – and the social sciences in general - has been accused of a high degree of ocularcentrism, in this paper we explore the haptic dimension of the illness experience. Touch, and particularly the loss of key elements of the haptic, emerged clearly in participants' narratives. Here we focus on two key themes identified by participants as salient in their changed mode of being-in-the-world with MND: (i) losing touch: the loss of certain forms of touch within MND; and (ii) unwelcome touch by medical staff.


Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been considered an efficient dendritic cell (DC) therapy, used for treating both T cell malignancy, as well as T cell‐mediated diseases. During the ECP procedure leucocytes are exposed to photoactivable agent 8‐methoxypsolaren (8‐MOP) and ultraviolet (UV) A radiation (PUVA) prior to reinfusion. Despite its clinical efficacy the mechanism of action remains elusive. As it has been reported that ECP might promote the differentiation of monocytes into immature DCs, we investigated the effects of UVA light (2 J/cm2) and 8‐MOP (100 ng/ml) on in vitro monocyte‐to‐DC differentiation from normal donors. DCs were generated from human purified CD14+ cells. Because monocytes are killed by PUVA and taking into account that only 5–10% of circulating mononuclear cells are exposed to PUVA during the ECP procedure, we developed an assay in which 10% of PUVA‐treated monocytes were co‐cultured with untreated monocytes. We first demonstrate that the presence of 10% apoptotic cells and monocyte activation were not enough to induce monocyte differentiation into DCs. Adding cytokines to our culture system, we obtained immature DCs characterized by significantly higher phagocytic activity and human leucocyte antigen D‐related (HLA‐DR) expression. These DCs preserved the capacity to be activated by lipopolysaccharide, but showed a reduced capacity to induce allogeneic T cell proliferation when first co‐cultured with 10% of PUVA‐treated cells. Our experimental design provides a novel insight into the real action of 8‐MOP and UVA light on dendritic cell biology, suggesting an additional mechanism by which 8‐MOP and UVA light exposure may influence immune responses.


SUMMARY Objective: To measure the optical density of reinforcement fibers (Connect, Ribbond, and Interlig), which were embedded in composite resin Filtek Z250, using the system DenOptix ® . Materials and methods: Ten reinforced-fiber composite resin blocks were fabricated with each type of fiber. Two other blocks were fabricated only with the composite resin (unreinforced control). The total of experimental specimens was 32. Three digital radiographs were obtained for each specimen on the DenOptix ® imaging plate, for both positions: (A) lateral face of the fiber exposed to the X-rays; (B) frontal face of the fiber exposed to the X-rays. On each radiograph image, three measurements of the grey levels of the specimen were performed in random sites and averaged. The mean values of the grey levels were analyzed by Student's t test, ANOVA, and Tukey's test at the 1% level of significance. Results and conclusions: In relation to the association of composite resin + fiber in (A), the highest mean of grey levels was found for the control group, followed by composite resin + Connect, composite resin + Interlig (which were not statistically different), and composite resin + Ribbond. In relation to the association of composite resin + fiber in (B), the control group showed the highest mean, followed by composite resin + Connect, composite resin + Interlig, and composite resin + Ribbond (the two latter were not statistically different). The results suggest that the grey levels varied as a function of the type of fiber and position in the X-rays.


In this paper, we report recent progress on an experimental 60-GHz wireless sensor network based on an virtual imaging approach. The results of indoor radio experiments, including the bit-error-rate (BER) and sensor range measurements, are discussed. Basic link tests of low-power CMOS sensors are also presented.


In Caenorhabditis elegans, the forkhead protein DAF‐16 transduces insulin‐like signals that regulate larval development and adult lifespan. To identify DAF‐16‐dependent transcriptional alterations that occur in a long‐lived C. elegans strain, we used cDNA microarrays and genomic analysis to identify putative direct and indirect DAF‐16 transcriptional target genes. Our analysis suggests that DAF‐16 action regulates a wide range of physiological responses by altering the expression of genes involved in metabolism, energy generation and cellular stress responses. Furthermore, we observed a large overlap between DAF‐16‐dependent transcription and genes normally expressed in the long‐lived dauer larval stage. Finally, we examined the in vivo role of 35 of these target genes by RNA‐mediated interference and identified one gene encoding a putative protease that is necessary for the daf‐2 Age phenotype.


Protein secondary structure prediction is belong to bioinformatics,and it's important in research area. In this paper, we propose a new prediction way of protein using bayes classifier and autoEncoder network. Our experiments show some algorithms including the construction of the model, the classification of parameters and so on. The data set is a typical CB513 data set for protein. In terms of accuracy, the method is the cross validation based on the 3-fold. Then we can get the Q3 accuracy. Paper results illustrate that the autoencoder network improved the prediction accuracy of protein secondary structure.


The effects of three different additives on the properties of Al-based composite were systematically investigated by measuring the specific heat capacity at constant pressure,thermal conductivity,thermal diffusivity,resistivity and differential thermal analysis(DTA).The results show that the addition of the additive b can obviously improve the properties of the Al-based composite and reduce its reaction temperature;the Al-based composite can react violently with water and emit a bright flame at room temperature,which improve the specific heat capacity,i.e.,within the range of-50 ℃ to 20 ℃,the specific heat capacity at constant pressure is increased from 0.65-0.75 J/(g·K) to 0.95-1.1 J/(g·K).The thermal conduction and electric conduction properties can also be improved,the thermal conductivity is increased from 3.938 1 W/(m·K) to 5.039 6 W/(m·K),while resistivity is decreased from 0.0136Ω·m to 0.0131 Ω·m.


The growing significance of telecommunications in the economy of a country encouraged many scholars to give more attention to this sector. It is believed that if customers connected to a particular network their extended relations with that network are more important for success of that company. According to recent research, television advertising is the most effective source for effective branding. The aim of this study is to examine impact of television advertisements on customer satisfaction and purchase intention in telecommunications sector of Pakistan. Data is collected using well-structured questionnaire distributed randomly among the telecommunication users and analyzed by SPSS 16 i.e. Multiple Regression model testing and Bootstrap Test for Multiple Mediation. In order to maximize the customer-base and to increase revenue of telecommunication companies in Pakistan, these companies should make investment to make attractive and rotated television advertisements with concurrent offers to stimulate customer's information about products they are using. Television advertisements not only enhance brand awareness, promote brand image and increase customer satisfaction but also induce customer intention to purchase by providing complete information about products displayed in advertisements. ________________________________


The fate and toxicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs) are influenced by their environmental behavior.The migration of PBDEs in ecological environment also determines their environmental effects.This is the basis on which the environmental and health risks of PBDEs are evaluated.This paper summarizes the current research progress of the environmental behavior and characteristics of PBDEs,comments on their environmental persistence and bio-accumulation,migration and distribution as well as environmental degradation,and explains the effects of PBDEs pollution on human health.The methods of PBDEs analysis,further study and prospects of PBDEs are discussed.


Synopsis On the western and eastern sides of the North Atlantic craton, rocks between about 1·7 b.y. and 1·2 b.y. old are represented by thick basinal assemblages. Thin platformal successions cover the intervening region. The clastic component of these rocks was largely derived from the southeast where the Elsonian orogen might have been an important source terrane. Widespread mafic igneous activity (about 1·2 b.y. ago) in the central platformal region preceded orogenic movements in the basinal areas (Racklan-Carolinidian-Grenville orogeny). The Grenville orogen may have contributed significant amounts of clastic debris for a second cycle of sedimentary accumulation(∼ 1·2 b.y.–∼ 0·8 b.y.). The upper part of this cycle typically contains red beds and evaporites and, in the North American Cordillera, shows evidence of contemporaneous block faulting and extensional tectonism. These movements culminated in the East Kootenay and Hayhook orogenies and ushered in a third period of deposition about 850 m.y. ago. The third sequence includes glaciogenic rocks in the Cordilleran and East Greenland geosynclines. The basic geotectonic elements (platforms and geosynclines) of the North Atlantic craton were established as much as 1·7 b.y. ago, but continental fragmentation on the borders of the craton may not have taken place until early Phanerozoic times.


We developed a bioorthogonal vibrational imaging platform, by coupling stimulated Raman scattering microscopy with small, vibrant and bioorthogonal tags (e.g. isotopes, C≡C), to probe dynamic metabolism in living organisms with superb sensitivity, specificity and biocompatibility.


Rapidly spreading and ravaging diseases were not a rarity in Old Poland. The medical knowledge of the era could not properly explain the nature of infectious diseases and the mechanism of their spreading, so there were many different attempts at explaining their causes. Some suspected their enemies and infidels of poisoning air and water; others attributed pestilence to God's wrath or to unfavourable configurations of heavenly bodies that were said to bring misfortune. The most devastating effects were attributed to comets; a comet's appearance was seen either as a sign or as a cause of impending disasters, which, apart from pestilent air, included earthquakes, deaths of kings, wars, and tumults. Astrological explanation of the plagues proved to be very persistent and became a stock motif in the literature devoted to the subject, which, however, does not mean that it was accepted without criticism.


Product quality is a key indicator of the positive outcome of pulp and paper production. Moisture content is one of the main paper quality characteristics. The moisture profile across the paper web width shows possible shortcomings of the process equipment which, if corrected, will improve the consumer properties of paper and enhance economic efficiency. The research aims to assess whether the moisture content measurement results meet the requirements of the process regulations in the steady-state and transient modes of paper machine operation as well as the uniformity of the moisture profile in the cross direction. Data from the scanning device at high and low resolution were processed using statistical methods in order to assess the quality of the automatic paper web moisture control system. It was determined that in the steady-state mode of paper machine operation the moisture content meets the requirements of the regulations with a confidence probability of 0.95; in the transient mode of operation it exceeds the upper limit by 6 %. It has been found that the automated moisture control system eliminates this fault in 340 s. The coefficient of variation was used as a criterion for evaluating the uniformity of the moisture profile across the paper web width. The hypothesis of a trend line in the moisture profile across the paper web width was confirmed and a trend line equation was obtained using regression analysis techniques. The moisture profile was modeled while eliminating the technological factor that systematically affects the uniformity. It is proven that the elimination of the fault will reduce the coefficient of variation and therefore improve the uniformity of the profile by 41.2 % in the steady-state mode of paper machine operation. In the transition mode of operation the moisture profile improves slightly. The proposed algorithm for studying the moisture profile of paper, its modeling after corrections of the control object can be used in systems for controlling the quality of paper in the transverse direction. For citation: Koryakovskaya N.V., Bederdinova O.I. Monitoring and Control of Paper Web Moisture. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2022, no. 1, pp. 188–204. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2022-1-188-204


Pregnancy, abortion and adolescence. a Psychoanalytical PersPective. The aim of this paper is to reflect psychoanalytically on the psychological meaning of pregnancy and, most particularly, of teenage pregnancy, focusing on the uses of sexuality and the relevance of abortion. It is concluded that teenage pregnancy is an acting out with the aim of restoring unity with the mother. This event will have serious consequences in the personal reality of the teenager and her family, and will jeopardize in one way or another her future. Hence, the importance of developing specific healthcare programs that focus on adolescent sexuality.


Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L) belongs to the Malvaceae family is a multipurpose plant with high economic importance and worldwide fame for its nutritional and therapeutic value, but unfortunately, it is underutilized in India. Their calyces are utilized as ethnic food and in traditional medicine to cure many degenerative diseases in different parts of the world and by the tribal of India. However, no evidence is available in the literature regarding the existent quality assessment of the roselle calyces in India. Therefore, the objective of the study was to characterize the calyces of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) from India. The calyces were grounded, sieved to 20 mesh sizes, and stored in the refrigerator for further analysis. The parameters analyzed included nutritional composition and the biologically effective component that is total phenols and the total anthocyanins. A procedure to measure the anthocyanins by pH-differential UV-visible spectrometry was followed. Total phenolic content was assessed by the Folin Ciocalteau method, and gallic acid was used as a standard. The individual anthocyanins present in Hibiscus were characterized by TLC. The results reveal that these indigenous powdered calyces are rich sources of macro and micronutrients, bioactive components like polyphenols and flavonoids, especially anthocyanins. Our study substantiates the health /nutritional claims and validates its applicability in functional food processing and therapeutic treatments.


The attitudes of local communities towards the development of dark tourism are still underexplored. This thorough analysis of the scientific knowledge available in renowned databases in the period from 2013 to 2019 aims at explaining the role of local communities in dark tourism, the advantages and disadvantages of its development, and the understanding of the conditions needed for its acceptance and support. The analysis has determined that every practice of dark tourism is conditioned by the context within which it was created, and that it has economic, socio-cultural and environmental advantages and disadvantages. The support of the local community for the development of dark tourism is crucial for its continuous existence, and it can depend on the management strategies and the benefits that dark tourism provides. The research results contribute to the corpus of literature, and may inform strategic guidelines for dark tourism management, as well as benefit the wider community through awareness of the necessity of prevention of tragic events. Further research on the topic should create management strategies of dark tourism that are acceptable to local communities.


Behavioral finance questions the traditional framework for analyzing financial markets. It highlights realities of human mind and behavior, such as biases and irrationalities, which are consistently recorded in market transactions. These behaviors are called irrational in comparison with (for instance) a CAPM world, where fully rational agents interact in completely transparent markets. But would the actual behavior of investors be justified, if an alternative reference replaces the familiar homoeconomicus? Below, we discuss some possibilities towards answering this question. WHAT IS THE QUESTION? Baker, Ruback, and Richards (2005) provide a comprehensive review of behavioral corporate finance. They present that the literature in this field takes one of two approaches in modeling market phenomena. Either the managers are acting irrationally in a rational market, or the investors behave irrationally when all else is completely consistent with rational rules. Models generated based on these approaches, would consider irrationality at one of the two sides depending on the kind of anomaly they aim to explain. For instance, if the issue is to make sense of agency problems the model will assume irrational managers acting in a rational set-up (i.e., working for rational investors.) In reality, however, the so-called irrationalities arise from all agents in the market. How can we come up with more realistic models of the actual behavior in the corporate world? It is widely acknowledged that investors make mistakes. These so called mistakes are the focus of managers who exploit them and cater to them. Also, there is no doubt that managers make mistakes. Regulators and boards are put in place to control and prevent these mistakes. The interesting question, here, is that of combining the two sides of irrationalities. That is, specifying corresponding criteria for different types of

 1 This piece presents primary notes and thoughts that the authors are currently researching for a large project.


Abnormalities in bone and mineral metabolism are the most popular complications seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines on bone metabolism and disease released in 2003 have definitely provided the target ranges of several clinical parameters for optimal management (1). Despite the title, the ultimate goal of the guidelines was the improvement of quality of life and life expectancy of dialysis patients, which can be achieved by the prevention of vascular calcification. Thus, the guidelines gave priority to the control of serum calcium and phosphate levels over the suppression of parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. Such a policy seems to be acceptable to the majority of Japanese physicians engaged in dialysis therapy, however, actual target ranges of parameters used by them had substantial discrepancies with the ideal target ranges. The discrepancy was most marked in the target ranges of serum calcium and phosphate levels as shown in Figure 1. Ever since the K/DOQI guidelines on bone metabolism and disease were published, there have been controversial discussions, especially on whether they can be applied to Japanese patients (2) who have different medical and social backgrounds from those in the USA. The differences are evident in the availability of drugs as well as in the mode of dialysis therapy, including the calcium concentration of dialysate. In addition, the longer dialysis vintage of Japanese patients, due to the very low numbers of kidney transplantation, certainly modifies the characteristics of bone and mineral metabolism. Japanese guidelines to be established should be reasonable and evidence-based enough that they are also acceptable to the global community of nephrology. Despite a massive accumulation of experience with Japanese patients, there have been surprisingly few papers published in English in major peerreviewed journals of this field. Thus, it is absolutely necessary to perform and publish high-quality clinical studies with Japanese CKD patients in the near future.


The advantages of vector hydrophone are presented and the detecting principal is analysed. The effect of piezoresistance is used in the designing of our vector hydrophone. The designing method regarding to structure, output characteristics and inherent frequency is given. The advantage of MEMS technology application in vector hydrophone is discussed.


We, peasants of the Provincial Nucleus of Peasants in Nampula, the Provincial Nucleus of Peasants in Zambezia, the Provincial Peasants Union of Niassa and the Provincial Union of Peasants of Cabo Delgado, and who are all members of the National Peasants' Union (UNAC), met on the 11th of October 2012, in the town of Nampula with the aim of discussing and analyzing the ProSavana Programme. The ProSavana Programme is a triangular project between the Republic of Mozambique, the Federal Republic (...)


The paper questions the common assumption that rational individuals believe all propositions which they know to be logical consequences of their other beliefs: although we must acknowledge the truth of a proposition which is a deductive consequence of our beliefs, we may not genuinely believe it. This conclusion is defended by arguing that some familiar counterexamples to the claim that knowledge is justified true belief fail because they involve propositions which are not really believed. Beliefs guide conduct or issue in assertion by answering questions which arise in the course of deliberation and conversation, but the troublesome cases present propositions which do not present the agent's answer to any question. The paper concludes by sketching the conditions under which the deductive consequences of our beliefs can be believed.1


Objectives: To describe factors associated with survival in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and analyze toxicities induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy and antiretroviral compounds. Design: Retrospective analyses of HIV-infected subjects with NSCLC enrolled in the Dat'Aids cohort. A toxicity substudy included subjects treated by at least one cycle of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Methods: Survival was analyzed using Cox models. In the toxicity substudy, factors associated with grade 4 hematological toxicity of each episode of combination of antiretroviral drugs and cytotoxic chemotherapy were analyzed using marginal logistic regression models. Results: Fifty-two subjects were included in the study: 42 were men, median age was 48 years, 98% were smokers, with a median of 30 pack years, median CD4 was 300 cells/&mgr;l, and median survival time was 12 months. CD4 levels ≥200 cells/&mgr;l at NSCLC diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.10–0.89]), performance status less than 2 (HR = 0.32, 95% CI [0.15–0.68]) and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HR = 0.26, 95% CI [0.09–0.74]) were significantly associated with increased survival in the multivariable model. Forty subjects were included in the toxicity substudy, and 14 among 68 different combinations were complicated by a grade 4 hematological toxicity. Protease inhibitor use (odds ratio = 5.22, 95% CI [1.07–25.38]) was significantly associated with grade 4 hematological toxicity in the multivariable analyses. Conclusions: In HIV-infected patients, CD4 levels at NSCLC diagnosis may be a predictive factor of survival. Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy during NSCLC chemotherapy is warranted, but protease inhibitors should be used with caution, as they may enhance severe hematological toxicities.


Renal inner medullary collecting duct cells (mIMCD3) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) were used for cytoscreening of thimerosal and mercury chloride (HgCl2). Thimerosal and HgCl2 acted in a concentration-dependent manner. In mIMCD3 cells the 24-h LC50 values for thimerosal, thiosalicylic acid, 2,2-dithiosalicylic acid, and 2-sulfobenzoic acid were 2.9, 2200, >1000, and >10,000 μM, respectively. The 24-h LC50 value for HgCl2 in mIMCD3 cells was 40 μM. In HEK293 cells, the 24-h LC50 value for thimerosal was 9.5 μM. These data demonstrate that the higher cytotoxicity produced by thimerosal on renal cells with respect to similar compounds without Hg may be related to this metal content. The present study also establishes mIMCD3 cells as a valuable model for evaluation of cytotoxicity of nephrotoxic compounds.


We develop a recursive numerical algorithm to compute the inverse dynamics of robot manipulators with an arbitrary number of joints, driven by variable stiffness actuation (VSA) of the antagonistic type. The algorithm is based on Newton-Euler dynamic equations, generalized up to the fourth differential order to account for the compliant transmissions, combined with the decentralized nonlinear dynamics of the variable stiffness actuators at each joint. A variant of the algorithm can be used also for implementing a feedback linearization control law for the accurate tracking of desired link and stiffness trajectories. As in its simpler versions, the algorithm does not require dynamic modeling in symbolic form, does not use numerical approximations, grows linearly in complexity with the number of joints, and is suitable for online feedforward and real-time feedback control. A Matlab/C code is made available.


Sugar is an essential commodity and an integral part of the food chain which is the cheapest source of energy. It plays a vital role in the development of taste, texture, colour and keeps baked goods soft and moist. Sugar beet ranks second as a sugar producing crop in the world. Weeds in beet crops reduce the yield in the field level as well as make the harvesting and processing difficult. The weed seeds in soil bank are detrimental as they germinate in subsequent crop cultivation. Weed control failure causes severe yield loss in sugar beet. However, several weed control measures along with herbicides provide a significant increase of average yield in sugar beet. It has become necessary to reduce the use of them in order to protect the human health as well as the other living organisms. For this reason, alternative ways of controlling weeds are being practiced all over the world. The efficient way of reducing the use of herbicides with the revaluation of agronomic techniques is replacing herbicide treatments. Thereby weed control combines herbicidal and nonherbicidal methods in an integrated manner. Basically, integrated weed control approach provides a potential reduction in weed population. However, this system is not efficient to manage weeds in larger-scale sugar beet production.