This case study looks closely at one preservice special education teacher candidate's views on how her coursework, program requirements, and practical experiences influenced her knowledge of teaching. Her perspectives are examined through the research-based frameworks of Hanline (2010), Shulman (1986), and Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999). These three different frameworks outline the various types of knowledge needed for effective instruction. Further, this article provides insight into how preservice teachers' knowledge is constructed. This insight can influence program creation and implementation as well as help focus attention on teacher retention within special education in rural communities.


Alkoxyamine-functionalized silane functions as a chain transfer reagent in ethylene polymerization catalyzed by cationic palladium diimine complexes, without significant adverse effects in producti...


Due to the influence of in-situ stress and fracturing technology, the distribution of hydraulic fracture network in highly deviated wells is complex with different inclined directions, different distribution forms and different penetration degrees. In this paper, the fracture surface is discretized into several rectangular micro elements to realize the effective characterization of fracture morphology. The seepage process is divided into two stages: matrix flow to fracture and fracture flow to wellbore. The numerical solution of unsteady seepage in discrete fracture surface is constructed by using finite difference method, and the analytical solution of unsteady seepage in matrix is constructed by combining closed boundary source function and superposition principle. The solution of the unstable pressure of the 3D fracture network is obtained by coupling the numerical solution of flow in fracture and the analytical solution of flow in matrix. Based on the integral mean value theorem, a solution method of point source and special line source instead of surface source is proposed to solve the seepage in matrix. The feasibility and applicable conditions of this method are analyzed, which can ensure the accuracy of the model and improve the calculation efficiency. The research shows that the point source function area fraction method can accurately solve the bottom hole pressure dynamic of 3D pressure fracture network in the matrix, but the calculation is quite inefficient. The point source and special line source approximate surface source method based on the integral mean value theorem can greatly improve the calculation efficiency, and can achieve higher accuracy when the fracture micro element division is more precise (the dimensionless side length of micro element is less than 0.15). Based on this model, the flow regimes and related sensitivity analysis are analyzed. The results show that the fracture conductivity, fracture dip angle, fracture height and fracture interval have great influence on the typical well test curves of highly deviated wells. Fracture dip angle and fracture interval mainly affect the pressure and pressure derivative curve from linear flow to early radial flow, especially when the fracture height is small, the pressure derivative has backflow phenomenon.


High-pressure discharge lamp (10) including a member made of an insulating material discharge vessel (12) and a cathode (14) and an anode (16). A V-shaped gap (22) is provided between the anode (16) and a first region (18) of the vessel (12) directly adjacent to the point where the anode (16) from the inner surface of the vessel (12) projects. A Sekundarkatode (30) (18) is provided on the outer surface of the vessel (12) at the first region, said Sekundarkatode (30) is arranged such that the V-shaped gap (22) and the first region (18) extends between the Sekundarkatode (30) and the anode (16) are located. An electric field on the first region (18) produces a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), the photons in the range of ultraviolet (UV photons) and in the region of the vacuum violet (VUV photons) generated on the cathode (14) striking and cause breakdown between the cathode (14) and the anode (16).


Synopsis Stable directions of remanence in samples of the red facies of the Old Red Sandstone in the Caithness region correspond to a complex magnetisation mainly acquired in Carbo-Permian times. This indicates that haematite in these sediments formed or passed through a growth stage in late Palaeozoic Permian times that obscured most pre-existing magnetisation and was not seriously affected by any later chemical changes. The timing of this period of haematite growth illustrates the application of palaeomagnetic techniques to the dating of certain post depositional processes in sedimentary rocks and raises problems about the mechanism involved in such changes in the case of the Old Red Sandstones of northern Scotland.


The use of composite materials as an alternative to metallic materials in the field of engineering more widespread, not only as an interior daneksterior in the automotive field but also extended to other areas such as property and architecture is to reduce the incidence of fire one only to find a replacement for wood as a raw material of houses and buildings with other alternative materials are more fire resistant, the material need not be limited in mechanical strength, but also on the physical properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the absorption properties of water and fire index in the fiber-reinforced composite board pandanus leaves thorns and wood sawdust filler sengon with polyester resin as matriknya . Analysis of the absorption properties of the water carried by the ASTM D 5529 with a variation of the length of time of immersion (10, 20, and 30 days) and the fiber volume fraction (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%). Testing index of the flame using ASTM E1321 with long burning time of 10 minutes. To test the effect of soaking time and a fiber volume fraction of the weight gain, volume, and density on the board fiber composite pandanus thorns with 10% filler wood sawdust sengon diguanakn Two Ways Analysis Of Variance, and the effect of fiber volume fraction to index Flash Fire is used One Ways Analysis Of Variance. The results showed that the water absorption is affected by fiber volume fraction and longer soaking time. The largest percentage of water absorption occurs in the volume fraction of 30% with long soaking time of 30 days is 24.41%. Similarly, the highest percentage swelling occurs in composite board with a volume fraction of 30% with a 30-day long soaking time is 11:22% .Then the flame to the percentage of the index without fiber composite board has a greater percentage is 167.03%. By contrast the percentage of board composite index gained shortest of composite board with a fiber volume fraction of 30% ie 70.25% composite board with a fiber volume fraction of 30% also have a flame index is lower than the comparison is with wood composites sengon.


The morphometric studies on pathological changes observed in vertebral and basilar arteries are valuable in the diagnosis of many pathological disorders. The purpose of this study was to detect the morphometry and geometry of the intracranial part of vertebral and basilar arteries according to age, sex, and dominance parameters in huge series to contribute to the literature. In the study, the morphometric analysis was performed on 250 healthy patients (133 males, 117 females) by using Computed Tomography (CT) angiography. In 86 cases (34.4%) (47 males, 39 females), the basilar artery coursed straight to the right side. One hundred forty-five patients (58%) had left vertebral artery dominance. The diameters of the vessels were higher in males than in females, and there was no relationship between this finding and age. The diameter of the basilar artery at the vertebrobasilar junction was statistically significantly higher than its diameter in the terminal part of the pons. By the aid of vertical axis drawn from the formation point of basilar artery by the union of vertebral arteries, the angles of the right and left vertebral arteries were examined separately. These data will penlight future studies. This is the first study in measuring the angle of basilar artery along its course. The aim this study was to determine the changes that might occur in this angle due to the aging. To our knowledge there is no study examining the morphometry and geometry of the vertebral and basilar arteries together with these detailed parameters separately in the literature.


Ski jumping has continuously raised major public interest since the early 70s of the last century, mainly in Europe and Japan. The sport undergoes high-level analysis and development, among others, based on biodynamic measurements during the take-off and flight phase of the jumper. We report on a vision-based solution for such measurements that provides a full 3D trajectory of unique points on the jumper's shape. During the jump synchronized stereo images are taken by a calibrated camera system in video rate. Using methods stemming from video surveillance, the jumper is detected and localized in the individual stereo images, and learning-based deformable shape analysis identifies the jumper's silhouette. The 3D reconstruction of the trajectory takes place on standard stereo forward intersection of distinct shape points, such as helmet top or heel. In the reported study, the measurements are being verified by an independent GPS measurement mounted on top of the Jumper's helmet, synchronized to the timing of camera exposures. Preliminary estimations report an accuracy of +/-20 cm in 30 Hz imaging frequency within 40m trajectory. The system is ready for fully-automatic on-line application on ski-jumping sites that allow stereo camera views with an approximate base-distance ratio of 1:3 within the entire area of investigation.


An agitator comprising a melting furnace having a storing space for storing non-ferrous molten metal, and a magnetic field generating device for allowing an external magnetic flux to run inside the storing space in a certain direction through the melting furnace for storing the molten metal. At least one pair of electrode terminals are further provided that face each other at a specified distanceso as to cross the running direction of the magnetic flux at certain angles and can be connected with a power supply.


The solubility of hydrogen in (Mg0.93Fe0.07)O was studied from 5 to 25 GPa at 1200°C under oxidizing conditions, using FTIR spectroscopy on quenched single crystals. OH solubility increases with increasing pressure, concomitant with a decrease in ferric iron content. This result suggests that under lower mantle conditions, the charge neutrality condition could change from [FeMe·] = 2[V″Me] to [(OH)O·] = 2[V″Me], which would have important implications for the rheology of that region. The OH solubility data are well explained by incorporation of H as isolated hydroxyl groups via reduction of ferric iron. The amount of H incorporated at 25 GPa and 1200°C is ∼100 H/106 Me (Me = Mg, Fe), i.e. ∼20 ppm wt H2O, under water‐saturated conditions. When integrated over the entire mass of the lower mantle, these 20 ppm wt H2O amount to about 7.3 × 1018 kg H2O, a storage capacity of ∼0.5% of the ocean mass.


This is the speech of UTM's Vice-Chancellor in the 'Menganjak ke Persada Dunia' which was published to commemorate the FKKKSA's 25th Anniversary. It was launched by the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Tan Sri Professor. Dr. Mohd. Zulkifli bin Tan Sri Mohd. Ghazali, at the Grand Celebratory Dinner held at the Best Western Premier Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, on 12 April 2008. 'Menganjak ke Persada Dunia' which was written in Malay, also comprises mission and vision of UTM and FKKKSA, information on Department of Petroleum, Chemical, Polymer, Bioprocess, and Gas Engineering, etc.


Christian Wolff, who turned 70 in March this year, is the last remaining member of the so-called New York School of Composers. Very briefly he studied with John Cage, and was exchanging thoughts with Earle Brown, Morton Feldman and David Tudor from the age of 16 in 1950. Along with friends and colleagues Cornelius Cardew and Frederic Rzewski, he began in the 1970s to draw upon musical ideas that reflected his social and political concerns in a more direct manner. The following is an extract of a much longer interview which took place during the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in November 2002 where Christian Wolff was a featured composer. Wolff discusses his recent compositions, his attitude to writing for voice, and his approach to performance and to begin with, recording.


In a probabilistic graph grammar, each production has a probability attached to it. This induces a probability assigned to each derivation tree, and to each derived graph. Conditions for this probability function to be a probabilistic measure are discussed. The statistical properties of the generated language are investigated. We show how to compute the average size of an inductive function, and the probability of an inductive graph predicate. A relationship can be established between production probabilities and some statistical information of the generated language. This way, probabilities can be assigned to productions so that the generated graphs satisfy some statistical condition.


Background: Though early stage malignancy of head and neck can be cured by surgery or radiotherapy, cure of patients with locally advanced disease continues to pose a therapeutic challenge. Loco regional failure is the major cause of death in head and neck cancer. As the cure of locally advance head and neck cancer is less than expectation, a combined modality approach is generally used in these type of patients. The combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can improve outcome in locally advance head and neck cancer. Methods: This observational study reviewed cancer patients reported in our hospital with the following inclusion criteria: primary head and neck cancer, treatment with radical surgery, and multiple nodal metastases. The prescribed dose of postoperative radiotherapy was 60–66 Gy. Patient characteristics, treatment parameters and clinical outcome were recorded. Results: The primary end point was overall survival, and the secondary endpoint was disease status. Conclusions: Concurrent postoperative administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is a way to intensify treatment for resectable high-risk head and neck tumors.


Detailed gross examinations of the reproductive tracts of three mature female nulliparous Asian elephants were conducted to develop artificial insemination (AI) techniques. Of primary concern was the determination of the length characteristics and the size and configuration of the foramina between segments of the tract. The elephants were 13, 28, and 40 years of age and had been maintained in captivity for most of their lives. One elephant died naturally and two were euthanized for health reasons. The reproductive tracts of two of the elephants were manually palpated in situ via the urogenital canal. A fibreoptoscope was used to visualize the internal structures of the terminal reproductive tract of one elephant and to deposit dye into the vagina. The reproductive organs were removed from the body cavity, dissected, measured, and photographed. The major anatomical obstacles to overcome for standard AI procedures (the passage of an AI pipette into the reproductive tract) were the length of the urogenital canal (85–97 cm), the constriction at the urogenital-vaginal junction, and the tight cervix. The reproductive anatomy was compared to that of previous dissections reported in the literature.


New mathematical courss reform has changed much from reason and contents to application. With the development of times,especially wide application of math,mathematical coures offered and application should look closely at basic knowledge and form new "double bases" with the demands of times. The basic content of sourse increases plane vector. Plane vector is one of the most important and basic mathematical concept in modern mathematics and it has rich practical background. Plane vector is a tool of dealing with geometric and physical problems.


After practicing law in Edinburgh for six years, Thomas Erskine (1788–1870) inherited the estate of Linlathen upon the death of his brother, James. Thereby freed to devote his time to theological reflection and writing, he wrote five books between 1820 and 1837 which stated opinions sharply at odds with the prevailing religious positions of early nineteenth-century British thinkers. In his first book, Remarks on the Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion, he maintained that the surest sign of Christianity's truth is not to be found in the traditional evidential sources–miracles, fulfilled prophecies, the veracity of the apostles, and so on–but in the intimate relation, or "fittingness," which inheres between the mode of being recommended in the Bible and the moral, physical, and mental constitution of human beings. This emphasis on the internal and subjective aspects of religious experience characterizes all of Erskine's works and places him, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, at the forefront of a new way of theologizing in Britain which was to come to fruition in the so-called "Broad Church." Erskine represents an indigenous British "turn to the subject" antedating the widespread appropriation of continental thought by English and Scottish theologians.


After observing real experiments of shallow water waves in Part 1 by Yeh, I now present a classication theorem for exact soliton solutions of the KP equation. The classication theorem is closely related to the theory of the totally non-negative Grassmann manifold, Gr + (N;M). Each of the exact solutions is then identied as a point of Gr + (N;M), and is parametrized by a unique chord diagram representing the derangement of the permutation group SM . The corresponding chord diagram also describes the asymptotic structure of the solution which consists of arbitrary numbers of line-solitons in both y ! 1 . We also propose a method based on the classication theorem to identify the exact solution from certain initial waves including the examples given in Part 1. With this method, we rst express the initial wave in an incomplete chord diagram, and then we make a minimal completion of this incomplete diagram. The minimality implies that among all possible completions, we choose the completed diagram which has the minimum total length of the chords and represents the minimum dimensional cell in Gr + (N;M). In Part 3, Kao will demonstrate the minimal completion by means of the direct numerical simulation of the KP equation.


ObjectivesTo search for optimal markers in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC), plasma and urine that would reflect the activity/severity of occupational asthma (OA) after the withdrawal from the exposure to the allergen.Material and MethodsMarkers of oxidative stress: 8-iso-prostaglandin {ie206-1} (8-isoprostane, 8-ISO), malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenale (HNE), cysteinyl leukotrienes (LT) and LTB4 were determined using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in 43 subjects with immunological OA (49.3±11.8 years), removed from the exposure to the sensitizing agent 10.5±6.5 years ago; and in 20 healthy subjects (49.0±14.9 years). EBC was harvested both before and after the methacholine challenge test. In parallel, identical markers were collected in plasma and urine. The results were analyzed together with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), blood eosinophils, immunoglobulin E (IgE) and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and statistically evaluated (Spearman rank correlation rS, two- or one-sample t tests and alternatively Kruskal Wallis or pair Wilcoxon tests).ResultsSeveral parameters of lung functions were lower in the patients (FEV1% predicted, MEF25% and MEF50%, Rtot%, p < 0.001). Shorter time interval since the removal from the allergen exposure correlated with higher ECP (rS = 0.375) and lower FEV1%, MEF25% and MEF50% after methacholine challenge (rS = −0.404, −0.425 and −0.532, respectively). In the patients, IgE (p < 0.001) and ECP (p = 0.009) was increased compared to controls. In EBC, 8-ISO and cysteinyl LTs were elevated in the asthmatics initially and after the challenge. Initial 8-ISO in plasma correlated negatively with FEV1 (rS = −0.409) and with methacholine PD20 (rS = −0.474). 8-ISO in plasma after the challenge correlated with IgE (rS = 0.396).ConclusionsThe improvement in OA is very slow and objective impairments persist years after removal from the exposure. Cysteinyl LTs and 8-ISO in EBC and 8-ISO in plasma might enrich the spectrum of useful objective tests for the follow-up of OA.


ABSTRACT
 Domestic work constitutes a large sector, with more than a million women working as domestic workers. In South Africa, it is a norm that whites employ black women as domestic servants, but with the demise of apartheid, there has been an increase in the employment of domestic workers in black families. However, hiring family members as domestic workers in black families is an under-researched area. Drawing from the authors dissertation, this article examines family domestic work – whereby family members hire their relatives as domestic workers – in rural Limpopo. The study mobilises a qualitative approach to comprehend the experiences of hiring kin as domestic workers. Findings illustrate that family domestic work is an act of reciprocal care amongst family members. Relatives hire their kin to help with domestic duties and enabling family members to provide for their families. The relationship between 'sister-maids' and 'sister-madams' is intertwined, which leads to the difficulty of balancing formal employment and family relations. Thus, family domestic work symbolises a capitalised reciprocal caring within black families in post-apartheid South Africa, as helping involves paying each other. The article does not generalise on family domestic work, but contributes to the body of knowledge about domestic work within black families.


Due to an extraordinary growth performance during the last two decades the Chilean neo-liberal model of development, based on the exploitation of the country's static comparative advantages, has turned into a benchmark for most developing countries. The aim of this paper is to discuss the long term sustainability of the Chilean neo-liberal model of development. We present new empirical results obtained by using CAN2000 as well as input-output analysis that describe the Chilean model of development during the period 1986-1998. On the basis of these stylised facts, a simple ricardian-evolutionary model is developed in order to offer an interpretative framework to discuss the conditions under which Chile could maintain the current catching-up process in the long run. The main conclusion is that, with the recent ceasing of the push effects of the neo-liberal policies, it is unlikely that an increase of the export volume, given its structural characteristics, will be sufficient to this end. Indeed, an increase of the country's sectoral industrial interdependence and an improvement of its international specialisation pattern towards goods with higher technological content and higher income elasticity of world demand are necessary conditions for maintaining the current catching-up process in the long run.


An important part of the project is the aquisition of new paleoclimatic sea-level indicators. New sea-level information are gathered from the UK, Bermuda, Sardinia and the Red Sea. The used archives are sediments from estuarine environments, corals and foraminifera gathered from marine sediment cores and speleotherms from cave depositions. Furthermore, it is the aim to collect and quality assure already published datasets from these fields. All of the data is used, to compile a global synthesis of sea-level indicators of the times of the last interglacials. The iGlass consortium brings together scientist from different fields to look at the past and future developments of global sea-level. Together with the academic and non-academic partners the projections for plausible future sea-level change should be improved and brought to the target community. The major aims are to quantify the sea-level variations in past interglacials and to investigate relationships between the global ice volumes and the climatological control processes. For this the consortium members use four main steps to reach these aims: 1. Acqusition of new relative sea-level data 2. Modelling of the isostatic effects 3. Synthesis of paleoclimatic data and modelling of interactions between climate and ice sheets 4. Synthesis and modelling of future sea level change


In this paper we present a process called color transfer which can borrow one image's color characteristics from another. Recently Reinhard and his colleagues reported a pioneering work of color transfer. Their technology can produce very believable results, but has to transform pixel values from RGB to lαβ. Inspired by their work, we advise an approach which can directly deal with the color transfer in any 3D space.From the view of statistics, we consider pixel's value as a three-dimension stochastic variable and an image as a set of samples, so the correlations between three components can be measured by covariance. Our method imports covariance between three components of pixel values while calculate the mean along each of the three axes. Then we decompose the covariance matrix using SVD algorithm and get a rotation matrix. Finally we can scale, rotate and shift pixel data of target image to fit data points' cluster of source image in the current color space and get resultant image which takes on source image's look and feel. Besides the global processing, a swatch-based method is introduced in order to manipulate images' color more elaborately. Experimental results confirm the validity and usefulness of our method.


This study aims to obtain empirical evidence on (I) causality between economic growth and human development, (2) the influence of population, investment and human development to economc growth, (3) the influence of economic growth, expenditure government spending on education and health sector as well as on the human development in regency/city of West Kalimantan province. This study is characterized by descriptive as well as quantitative research, namely research that aims to giving picture or a characteristic of a particular phenomenon by using the model of simultaneous equations method of Two Stage Least Square (TSLS) approach to fixed effect model (FEM). The secondary data as used in the research such as panel data (the data aliance of time series and cross section) from 9 regency/city of West Kalimantan province during the period 2001- 2008. The research finding indicate that (I) there are two ways causality relationship between economic growth and human development, (2) population, investment, and human development have a significant influence and positively to economic growth, (3) economic growth, expenditure government spending on education and health sector has a positive and significant influence on the human development in regency/city West Kalimantan province. Key words : economic growth, human development, investment, government spending and two-way relationship, two stage least square/TSLS


Liberalization and deregulation of electricity industry is being implemented in different countries all over the world. This paper explores the economic and technical issues of reactive power that must be considered for determining reactive power pricing in an open access environment. This paper also discusses the static and dynamic characteristics of reactive power demand and its importance in determining reactive power pricing. The present study reviews the existing reactive power tariffs. A reactive power pricing proposal is presented based on marginal cost price and the reactive energy consumption with the provision of incentives that encourages both the system operator and the customers


This manuscript describes 14 cases of thoracic spinal anaesthesia for patients with for certain cases such as laparoscopic surgeries and other upper abdominal surgeries. Although routinely not used, thoracic spinal anaesthesia has been demonstrated as a safe and effective method for various surgeries. The procedure has been shown as beneficial in maintaining hemodynamic stability for these patients and reducing side effects encountered with general anaesthesia. This study describes the procedure of thoracic segmental spinal anaesthesia and explains the role of the interprofessional team in managing patients who have undergone this procedure.


Health effects of acute exposure  ingestion of sodium hypochlorite may cause burns to the mouth and throat, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea  inhalation and ocular exposure to chlorine gas, produced when sodium hypochlorite is mixed with acidic or alkaline solutions, results in burning of throat and lungs, eye and nose irritation, chest tightness, coughing and sore throat  exposure to higher concentrations of chlorine may lead to tachypnoea, cyanosis, swelling of the airway and, in severe cases, pulmonary oedema and respiratory failure  sodium hypochlorite is corrosive and may irritate the skin or cause burning pain, inflammation and blisters  ocular exposure may cause irritation, pain, lacrimation, photophobia and retinitis


In order to study the mechanical properties of rubber concrete (RC) with different rubber particle sizes after dry–wet cycles in a sulfate environment, apparent morphology analysis, mass loss analysis, relative dynamic elastic modulus analysis, compressive strength loss analysis, internal microscopic characteristics and deterioration degree analysis of ordinary concrete (NC) and rubber concrete after dry–wet cycles were compared and analyzed. The results show that with the increase in the number of dry–wet cycles, the surface caves of rubber concrete increase, the internal microcracks develop and penetrate, and the macroscopic strength increases first and then decreases significantly. The high elasticity of rubber effectively improves the expansion force caused by sulfate attack and the dry–wet cycle. The deterioration degree of RC in each dry–wet cycle stage is obviously better than that of NC. When the rubber particle size is 0.85 mm, the performance of the sample is the best. After 120 days of dry–wet cycle, the compressive strength is reduced by 37.4%, and the compressive strength of concrete with a rubber particle size of 0.85 mm is reduced by 11.2%. After cyclic loading, the deterioration degree of concrete is 5.1% lower than that of ordinary concrete.


The molecular emission of heteroelements such as phosphorus and sulfur is the basis of the selective response of the flame photometric detector. The behavior of the FPD towards phosphorus compounds has been studied and design improvements sought with regard to burner configuration and temperature distribution. The possibility of differentiating between compounds containing phosphorus atoms and those containing both phosphorus and sulfur atoms has also been examined.

Detection limits and response characteristics have been reported for organophosphorus pesticide residues in samples of natural origin


Optical imaging remote sensing technology is an important technical means to obtain information of ground objects, but it is restricted by bad weather such as clouds, rain, and haze. In haze weather condition, optical images often have poor contrast and blurred details, which has a great impact on subsequent applications and interpretation. If the acquired images are processed, not only their quality can be improved, but also their visual effect and utilization value can be improved, so as to reduce the impact brought by haze. In general, the haze is removed from the view of image processing. In this paper, through in-depth analysis and study of existing algorithms and characteristics of optical remote sensing images, a new idea is proposed to solve this problem from the view of combination of image content and auxiliary information. Furthermore, a new haze removal algorithm is proposed based on the Retinex multi-scale model and the histogram characteristics of remote sensing images. Because the new method combines multi-scale model (MSM) and histogram characteristics (HC), it is referred to as MSMHC algorithm in this paper. The advantage of the new method is that the content and type of image are considered in the whole process, and then two processing schemes are set for haze removal. In the test experiments, one hundred groups of image data were used to carry out comparative experiments. At the same time, single-scale Retinex (SSR) algorithm, multi-scale Retinex (MSR) algorithm, dark channel priori (DCP) method, brightness preserving dynamic fuzzy histogram equalization (BPDFHE) algorithm, histogram equalization (HE) method, and homomorphic filter (HF) algorithm were used for comparative experiments with the MSMHC method. Five parameters, including standard deviation (SD), information entropy (IE), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM), and image contrast (IC), were used to quantitatively evaluate the test results. The experimental results and the parameter values showed that the MSMHC algorithm could not only effectively remove haze from remote sensing images, obtain high contrast and high definition images, but also have better generalization ability.


The Anti-hypoglycemic effect of kaempferol and quercetin on diabetic model mice were studied.Two groups of diabetic model mice induced by alloxan were fed respectively with 2 doses of kaempferol and quercetin for 18 d.A group of non-model mice and a group of model mice fed with the same volume water were taken as the controls,and a group of model mice fed with Xiao ke wan(a Chinese medicine for diabete) was taken as the positive control.Then levels of serum glucose,TG,TC,MDA,and SOD and GSH-Px activities were investigated.The results showed that by kaempferol and quercetin,levels of serum glucose,TG,TC and MDA were significantly reduced,and SOD and GSH-Px activities were apparently enhanced.Among 2 doses of kaempferol and quercetin,10 mg/kg bw.d was the modest one.


In 2008, a mass flowering of Shibataea chinensis Nakai, which is cultivated in the Fuji Bamboo Garden, Japan, was observed. On February 3, a majority of the culms bore young inflorescences on their nodes. On March 23, the inflorescences were in full bloom with green leaves. Flowering terminated around April 20. All the inflorescences withered although the anthers protruded from the apices of withered florets, and did not bear any fruits. Even after flowering, the flowered culms remained verdant with green foliage leaves and bore new leaf buds on the axils. The inflorescence of S. chinensis was an indeterminate compound pseudospikelet. It comprised six secondary pseudospikelets, three tertiary pseudospikelets, and three spikelets, where the former two each had one prophyllate bud. A hermaphrodite floret is composed of a lemma, a palea, 3 lodicules with unicellular long hairs and bior tri-cellular microhairs on the margin, 3 stamens with 10-mm-long anthers and an ovule with 3 papillose stigmas.


The capabilities of making of a laser guide star in the form of the crossed lines produced by laser beams into high atmosphere are considered. It is shown, that there is some optimum distance (APEQ 1 km) between a telescope and lasers, at which one the requirements of excitation of a star are optimum. The requirements to energy and time responses of lasers are determined. The estimation of additional opportunities given a two dimensional spatial configuration of a laser guide star for neutralization of distortions, which are produced by atmosphere turbulence, is made. These capabilities are bound with that distortions produced by turbulence on a ray path hill up and downwards have different character and the processing can separate them. The future processing logic of the information should isolate inphase motions of separate regions of a linear LGS describing oscillations of a laser beam at distribution hill up and to reduce to minimum reaction of system correction of a wavefront on these oscillations. The analysis of capabilities of neutralization of an atmospheric turbulence at usage of two- dimensional laser guide star in adaptive optical systems consisting of two telescopes is made.


when applied to broilers aged from 7 to 28 days. The conseqences of these restrictions on the metabolism and the rate of fat deposition are discussed. Finisher-feeds treated with chemical additives, when fed to broilers from 25 days of age, were also tested.


During the same period that the commemoration of the 100 years from the Medz Yeghern (literally: the 'Great Crime'), it is apt that the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered a milestone judgement on the topic (Perinçek v Switzerland App no 27510/08, 15 October 2015). The pronouncement is important, not only for what the Strasbourg judges expressly affirm, but also for what they implicitly uphold (for a more structured appraisal, see G Della Morte, 'Bilanciamento tra libertà di espressione e tutela della dignità del popolo armeno nella sentenza Perinçek c. Svizzera della Corte europea dei diritti umani' (2016) 99 Rivista di diritto internazionale 183 ff). In the Perinçek case, Dogu Perinçek, a doctor in law and the chairman of the Turkish worker's party, had been convicted by the Swiss judges because of his declaration at several public events that the 'Armenian genocide' was an invention established by the Imperialists against the Ottoman Empire. On this basis, Perinçek, who had already pleaded in two cases against Turkey before the European Court of Human Rights, had been accused of the crime of denial of genocide under the Swiss criminal code (which covers a wide range of conduct that could be considered criminal, see Article 261bis(4), that punishes 'any person who (...) denies, grossly trivialises or seeks to justify a genocide or other crimes against humanity').


Fe-N clusters were prepared by a plasma-gas-condensation cluster deposition apparatus at various nitrogen gas flow rate R N2 , and their crystal structures wre investigat by transmission electron microscopy. For RN 2 > 2.2 × 10 -7 mol/s, fcc single-phase FeN clusters are obtained and their lattice parameter is a = 0.428 nm, being close to that (a = 0.433 nm) of ZnS-type FeN films. When R N2 ≥ 7.5 x 10 -7 mol/s, almost all clusters are of a tetrah n shape with cluster sizes of d = 8-25 nm. This reveals that the tetrahedron shape of FeN compound clusters is stable in such small sizes, implying a low (111) surface energy and/or high elastic strain energy and twin boundary energy compared with pure metal clusters with fcc structure.


Greek Catholic who was the defender of the interests of the Egyptian large landowners (specifically the cotton growers) during the period 1921-1942. Thomas Philipp concludes: "Doubly alienated in Egypt by religion and by origin, and increasingly drawn to the local foreign bourgeoisie for economic reasons, the Christian Syrians in Egypt in the 20th century underwent a process of complete de-Arabization. It was the cultural and social alienation much more than the material losses themselves which determined the reaction of the Syrians to the expropriation of their businesses in Egypt in 1961-1962 and led to their departure from Egypt" (p. 163). This conclusion, however, holds no water because the vast majority of the Syrians in Egypt were wellversed in the Arabic language and culture and had quickly adapted to the process of Egyptianization by acquiring Egyptian citizenship without losing their knowledge of foreign languages. In fact, the period between the Suez War and the nationalizations of 1961 had witnessed a brief heyday for the Syrians of Egypt that was cut short by Nasser's Socialist measures. What made the Shawam of Egypt leave was not cultural or social alienation but Nasser's undermining of free enterprise and freedom of the press. Despite these shortcomings, Philipp's work, which is based on a variety of primary sources including documents from French and British archives, and the archives of the various Christian Syrian communities in Egypt, is definitely a useful addition to the scarce literature on Syrians in Egypt.


On April 28, 2021, Vadim Timofeevich Paka, a well – known scientist in the field of oceanological instrumentation, Doctor of Physical and mathematical Sciences, professor, chief researcher of the Laboratory of Geoecology and former long-term director of the Atlantic Department of the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, turned 85.


Input uncertainty is a consequence of not knowing the true input distributions that drive a simulation model. It is often ignored when simulation outputs are reported. This paper argues that input uncertainty quantification should become a common practice in social science simulation, especially for models that will be used to support decision making.


Single 25 ps/16 W optical pulses were achieved by spectral filtering from a multiheterostructure gain-switched laser diode with its quasisteady-state modes suppressed by a factor of 103 as compared with the peak power. A significant transient spectrum broadening makes this possible provided that a very high dI/dt rate of the pumping current pulse is used. A simple numerical model is suggested which describes adequately both the spectral and transient features of the observed phenomenon. It follows from the model that single picosecond optical pulses can be obtained from any type of high power semiconductor laser.


35SJDiazobenzenesulfonate has been used to tag the surface-exposed polypeptides of isolated complex III. All nine different component polypeptides were labeled, indicating that each is at ]east partially exposed on the surface of the isolated, detergent-dispersed complex. Labeling studies were also conducted on the membrane-bound complex. Preparations of intact mitochondria and submitochondrial particles were separately labeled with [35S]diazobenzenesulfonate in order to determine the distribution of the polypeptides of complex III between the outer (cytoplasmic) and inner (matrix) surfaces of the mitochondrial inner membrane, respectively. Polypeptides II and III were the only components labeled in a significant amount in submitochondrial particles (i.e., from the matrix side) Polypeptides III, IV, and VI were heavily labeled in mitochondria (i.e., from the cytoplasmic side). Polypeptides I, II, V, and VII were also labeled in mitochondria but to a much lesser extent. Polypeptides VIII and IX were not significantly labeled from either side of the membrane. The labeling data and information obtained from previous crosslinking studies [Smith, R. J. & Capaldi, R. A. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 2629-26331 are used to derive a picture of the arrangement of complex III in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Complex III isolated from beef heart mitochondria by extraction with bile salts contains two cytochrome b hemes, a cytochrome c1 heme, and a nonheme iron center (for review, see ref. 1) in association with nine different polypeptides (2-4). Recently this complex has been isolated by hydroxylapatite chromatography after Triton X-100 solubilization of the mitochondrial inner membrane (5). This preparation contains cytochrome b and cl hemes but no nonheme iron, it is inactive in electron transfer from cytochrome b to cytochrome c, and it is missing the nonheme iron protein (Mr 25,000) and possibly other component polypeptides. A coenzyme Q (CoQ; ubiquinone)-cytochrome c reductase complex has also been isolated from yeast and Neurospora after Triton X-100 solubilization of the mitochondrial inner membrane (6, 7). Gellerfors and Nelson (8) have performed [a5S]diazobenzenesulfonate (DABS) and 125I plus lactoperoxidase labeling studies of beef heart complex III both in detergent dispersion and in membranes reconstituted with the purified complex and added lipid. They found that all of the component polypeptides except the smallest one on their gel systems were labeled in both the soluble and the membrane-bound complex III. Weiss and Ziganke (9) have used 125I plus lactoperoxidase in labeling experiments on complex III in Neurospora mitochondria and found that cytochrome b was almost inaccessible to this probe; they concluded that the hemoprotein is buried in the mitochondrial inner membrane. As a first approach to determining the arrangement of polypeptides in beef heart complex III, we used proteolytic enzymes to probe the exposure of components on the surface of the complex (3). Polypeptides V (the nonheme iron protein) and IX (a component of as yet unknown function) were found to be cleaved rapidly from the detergent-dispersed complex by low levels of trypsin, indicating the surface location of both components. The cleavage of polypeptide V coincided with loss of electron transfer activity, supporting the data cited already that this component is needed for functioning of the complex. As an extension of these proteolysis experiments we have performed labeling experiments using [3aSIDABS to determine the exposure of polypeptides at the surface of complex III both in detergent dispersion and in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Selective labeling of the cytoplasm-facing surface and matrix-facing surface has been achieved by treating with intact mitochondria and submitochondrial particles, respectively, with [a5SDABS. These data give information about the orientation of complex III in the mitochondrial inner membrane, and they are used along with the data from recent crosslinking experiments (10, 11) to derive a picture of the arrangement of components in the complex. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Membrane Preparations. Complex III was prepared by the method of Rieske (12). Small aliquots of the enzyme (20-50 mg/ml) were stored at -200C. Protein concentrations were determined by the method of Lowry et al. (13). Heme concentrations were measured as described by Williams (14). CoQ cytochrome c reductase activity was estimated by using the procedure of Leung and Hinkle (15) but without addition of exogenous phospholipid and by using a CoQ analogue with a 10-carbon side chain as substrate (kindly provided by Bernard Trumpower, Dartmouth Medical School). Heavy-layer mitochondria from bovine heart were prepared by the method of Smith (16) but in media containing 20 mM EDTA. Submitochondrial particles were made by a modification of the procedure of Crane et al. (17). Freshly prepared heavylayer mitochondria were diluted to 10 mg/ml in 0.25 M sucrose/I mM MgCI2/1 mM succinate/10 mM phosphate, pH 7.8 (SPMS buffer) and the suspension was sonicated on ice for three 10-sec bursts using an MSE ultrasonic sonicator on maximal setting. The suspension was then centrifuged at 10,000 X g for 10 min in a Sorvall SS 34 rotor. This pellet was discarded and the supernatant was centrifuged at 78,000 X g for 30 min Abbreviations: CoQ, coenzyme Q (ubiquinone); NaDodSO4, sodium dodecyl sulfate; DABS, diazobenzenesulfonate; SPMS buffer, 0.25 M sucrose/i mM MgCI2/1 mM succinate/10 mM phosphate, pH 7.8. * Present address: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110. t To whom reprint requests should be addressed. 741 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. D ow nl oa de d by g ue st o n N ov em be r 22 , 2 02 1 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76 (1979) to bring down submitochondrial particles. These were resuspended to 10 mg/ml in SPMS buffer for labeling experiments. Antibody Preparation. The cytochrome cl-rich fraction was obtained by cleaving complex III with 2 M guanidinium hydrochloride/30% (wt/vol) glycerol/2% 2-mercaptoethanol as described (2). It contained only two polypeptides (IV and VI) on sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO4)/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antisera against the cytochrome cl fraction were raised in rabbits by a procedure similar to that used by Hackenbrock and Hammon (18) to prepare cytochrome c oxidase antibodies. The antigen (2 mg) in Freund's complete adjuvant was injected subcutaneously into multiple sites on the back of the rabbit. Booster injections were administered intravenously in the ear at three weekly intervals, using 0.5 mg protein. Blood was collected from an ear vein, allowed to clot for 90 min at room temperature, and centrifuged at 10,000 X g for 15 min. The sera were freed of complement and then fractionated with ammonium sulfate (40% saturation). Pellets were suspended in 0.25 M sucrose/10mM sodium phosphate, pH 8.0, and stored frozen. Immunodiffusion analysis was carried out on plates prepared with 0.7% agarose (Sigma) containing 0.1 M KCI, 1.0% Triton X-100, and 100 mM sodium phosphate at pH 7.0. The plates were developed at room temperature for 1-3 days, washed with buffer containing Triton X-100 to remove unprecipitated protein, and then stained with Coomassie brilliant blue. The cytochrome cl antibody showed a single precipitin line against complex. III and submitochondrial particles but did not crossreact with complex II, F1 ATPase, or cytochrome c oxidase. [35S]Sulfanilic acid was purchased from New England Nuclear and Amersham/Searle. [35S]DABS was prepared as described by Tinberg et al. (19). Labeling Procedures. Purified complex III, soluble in the residual cholate from the isolation procedure, was diluted to 2 mg/ml in 100 mM sodium phosphate (pH 8.0) and treated with various concentrations of [%5S]DABS for different lengths of time. The reaction was stopped by adding 1 M Tris-HCI, the protein was precipitated with ammonium sulfate at 40% saturation, and the pellet was washed several times with 1 M TrisHC1 and then dissociated for NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Labeling of mitochondria or submitochondrial particles with [35S]DABS was done at 10 mg of protein per ml with 60 ,uM [5S]DABS [specific activity, 7-9 Ci/mmol (1 Ci = 3.7 X 1010 becquerels)] in 0.25 M sucrose/10 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.8, for mitochondria or in SPMS buffer for submitochondrial particles. The reaction was quenched by adding 5 ml of 100 mM Tris-HCl/5 mM histidine, pH 7.5. Labeled membranes were washed a minimum of five times in this quenching buffer and then twice in the same buffer with bovine serum albumin (50 mg/ml) added. For solubilization, membranes were suspended in 1% Triton X-100/1 M KCI/10mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.8. The small amount of insoluble material was centrifuged down at 100,000 X g for 15 min, and the various electron transfer complexes were immunoprecipitated from the solution for examinationby NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed by the general procedures of Weber and Osborn (20) or Swank and Munkres (21) or on Bio-Phore preformed gels as described (2). Gels containing labeled protein were stained with Coomassie brilliant blue (Sigma). Destaining was done according to Downer et al. (22) but in 15-ml test tubes with several changes of destaining solution. The gels were scanned at 560 nm with a Gilson linear attachment to a Beckman DU spectrometer in order to locate protein bands prior to slicing. Radioactivity associated with peptides in the gels was measured by liquid scintillation counting. The gels were sliced into 1mm-thick slices with a Mickle gel slicer (Mickle Laboratory Engineering Co., Gornshall, England). Each slice was treated with 1 ml of 15%


Abstract Increased neopterin concentrations are observed in many diseases in which cellular immunity is stimulated. Gastroenteritis is still a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Over 75% of all cases are caused by viral infections. Therefore a non-specific, quick, sensitive, cheap and easy-to-perform marker of viral infection, such as neopterin concentration in serum, would be a cost-effective method of identifying patients with gastroenteritis into probable viral etiology and therefore it would optimize treatment and reduce inappropriate antibiotic treatment. This study evaluated whether serum neopterin concentration can be a reliable marker of viral etiology of gastroenteritis in children. The study group consisted of 67 children: 29 girls and 38 boys, aged from 0.1 to 16.1 years with symptoms of gastroenterits and with confirmed rotavirus or adenovirus infection; the control group consisted of 105 healthy children. Clinical examinations and laboratory test including whole blood count, serum C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and creatinine concentration were conducted. The serum neopterin level was analyzed by Elisa. Serum neopterin concentration in the study group varied from 6.03 to 171 nmol/L (median 23.7 nmol/L) and it was significantly higher than in the control group (from 2.88 to 14.8 nmol/L; median 4.73 nmol/L) (P <0.001). Neopterin concentration was above the normal value (>11 nmol/L) in 58 children from the study group and only in 6 from the control group (86.6% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity). Serum neopterin concentration did not differ significantly between children with rotavirus and adenovirus infection (P = 0.47). The correlation between serum neopterin and C-reactive protein concentrations was of borderline significance (rs = 0.23, p = 0.06); and there was no correlation between serum concentrations of neopterin and procalcitonin, white blood count, lymphocytes count, monocytes count or the body temperature. Serum neopterin concentration is highly increased in children suffering from viral gastroenteritis, regardless of the virus type. When a cut-off of 11.0 nmol/L neopterin was applied, comparison yields 86.6% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity for the diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis in pediatric patients. Further studies are necessary for other etiological agents of gastroenteritis.


The magnitude scales, including M(subscript L), M(subscript D), M(subscript S)(GR), m B, M(subscript S), m B, M(subscript H), M(subscript J) and M(subscript I), applied to quantify earghquakes in the Taiwan region since 1900 are reviewed. Their relations studied by several authors are also discussed.


allograft patients is safe and efficacious. Close monitoring is though necessary with additional patient visits in order to optimise medication dose. REFERENCES: 1. Liu JY, You RX, Guo M, Zeng L, Zhou P, Zhu L, Xu G, Li J, Liu D (2016) Tacrolimus vs. Cyclosporine as Primary Immunosuppressant After Renal Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis and Economics Evaluation. American journal of therapeutics 23:e810–824. 2. Webster AC, Taylor RRS, Chapman JR, Craig JC (2005) Tacrolimus vs. cyclosporin as primary immunosuppression for kidney transplant recipients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 3. Takahara S, Miki T, Hatori M, Kokado Y, Wang J, Okuyama A (1998) A comparative study of FK506 granules and capsules in renal transplant recipients. Transplant international: official journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation 11:181–185.


Emission characteristics of diesel fuel blends containing 5, 20, 30 wt %, respectively, of rapeseed oil methyl esters (RME) or rapeseed oil ethyl esters (REE) were examined. Turbocharged DI diesel engine was used fur emission measurements. Exhaust emissions of CO, CH, NOx, particulate matter (PH), aromatics (benzene and toluene), aldehydes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were measured during the ECE 49 standard test procedure. Positive effects of RME or REE contents in diesel fuel blends on emissions of PM and CO were observed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E122175.


The determination in selecting this project is to reduce the effects by the attributes of the nature on the plants. The proposed project we will help the user to check and maintain all the essential things like temperature, moisture in air, water content in soil and salinity in the soil required for an optimal growth of a plant. The Plant House maintenance by the user in a dynamical process is the goal of our project. In the existing system there should be a person in-charge in the room where the trees are planted and grown, to check the temperature and the other attributes which are to be maintained. To reduce the human presence in the process, in the existing system we construct a Greenhouse application which will respond to the changes in the attributes of the environment. The optimal growing environment of the different plants are stored in to the database. The application consists of a main home page where we can see the different room, if the user need to add a room he can add it. The user is recommended to enter required values for the Temperature, Humidity, Water, Fertilizer, Plant Bed, and Lightning, which are the essential needs for a plant growth. Sensors are maintained by the user, values which should match with the optimal values of the plant given by the user in the database. The fields can also be updated and also the room can also be deleted. Table of Content 1 Project Description 1 1.1 Competitive Information 1 1.2 Relationship to Other Applications/Projects 1 1.3 Assumptions and Dependencies 1 1.4 Future Enhancements 1 1.5 Definitions and Acronyms 1 2 Project Technical Description 2 3 System Requirements. 2 3.1 Application Architecture 2 3.2 Application Information flows 4 3.3 Interactions with other Applications 4 3.4 Capabilities 4 3.5 Risk Assessment and Management 4 4 Project Requirements 4 4.1 Identification of Requirements 4 4.2 Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning (OAM&P) 8 4.3 Security and Fraud Prevention 8 4.4 Release and Transition Plan 8 5 Project Design Description 8 6 Stored Procedures. 10 7 Hibernate 12 8 Design Units Impacts 16 8.1 Functional Area A/Design Unit A 18 8.1.1 Functional Overview 18 8.1.2 Impacts 18 8.1.3 Requirements 18 9 Screen Shots 19 10 Acknowledgements 24 11 References 24 List of Figures Figure 1 Application Architecture 2 Figure 2 Information flow 3 Figure 3 Base Design 8 Figure 4 Database Design 16


Plotting conversion stories is my sacred hobby. Lauren Winner's best-selling memoir of her conversion from Reform Judaism to Orthodox Judaism and then on to evangelical Christianity is one of the best reads of the last decade, and her story illustrates one type of conversion by Jews to the Christian faith. Her aesthetically-prompted and liturgically-shaped conversion story is as difficult to plot as it is joyous to read—she tells us about things that do not matter to conversion theory while she does not tell us about things that do matter. In her defense, she did not write her story so the theoretically-inclined could analyze her conversion. Here is a defining moment in her conversion story:


1.1.1 The var ious concepts explored this year in the operat ion and enhancement of the PAL have proven to be effective, with users from almost 6,400 organizations world-wide employing the PAL as a part of their information distribution, software acquisition, and reuse activities since the PAL started operation. This figure includes the 4,300 organizations that used the PAL dunng its first and second years of funded operation (see the second annual report).


The detection of toxic gases, such as NH3 and CO, in the environment is of high interest in chemical, electronic, and automotive industry as even small amounts can display a health risk for workers. Sensors for the real‐time monitoring of these gases should be simple, robust, reversible, highly sensitive, inexpensive and show a fast response. The indicator supraparticles presented herein can fulfill all of these requirements. They consist of silica nanoparticles, which are assembled to supraparticles upon spray‐drying. Sensing molecules such as Reichardt's dye and a binuclear rhodium complex are loaded onto the microparticles to target NH3 and CO detection, respectively. The spray‐drying technique affords high flexibility in primary nanoparticle size selection and thus, easy adjustment of the porosity and specific surface area of the obtained micrometer‐sized supraparticles. This ultimately enables the fine‐tuning of the sensor sensitivity and response. For the application of the indicator supraparticles in a gas detection device, they can be immobilized on a coating. Due to their microscale size, they are large enough to poke out of thin coating layers, thus guaranteeing their gas accessibility, while being small enough to be applicable to flexible substrates.


In the past, researchers and model developers were restricted by their theoretical knowledge about the city and how it might be simulated as well as constrained by technological limitations. Nevertheless, the simulation environment is now appropriate for the infusion of new ideas into urban modelling. Urban simulation is a relatively unique modelling problem. The urban systems commonly represented in urban models considering different factors (economic, social, environmental .... etc.) and are notoriously difficult to simulate. It is proposed that agents are more flexible than cellular automata at modelling the city, and in turn that vector-based agents are more suitable than cell-based agents at doing the same. Therefore, this paper is intended to review the limitations raised by using cell-based models with an agent simulation system, and introduce a new paradigm for integrating vector-based spatial model with agent system.


Abstract. The objective of this paper is to develop default priors when the parameter of interest is the autocorrelation coefficient in normal regression models with first‐order autoregressive residuals. Jeffreys' prior as well as reference priors are found. These priors are compared in the light of how accurately the coverage probabilities of Bayesian credible intervals match the corresponding frequentist coverage probabilities. It is found that the reference priors have a definite edge over Jeffreys' prior in this respect. Also, the credible intervals based on these reference priors seem superior to similar intervals based on certain divergence measures.


OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of perioperative glycemic control and their impact on postoperative infections in various general surgical procedures in patients with diabetes mellitus.
BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes are more likely to undergo various surgical procedures than non-diabetics. Perioperative glycaemic control in diabetics is challenging and leads to lesser postoperative infectious complications. This study helps to establish the significance of strict glycaemic control in these patients.
METHODS: A prospective study of 50 diabetic patients undergoing various surgical procedures was done for the association of perioperative glycaemic control and the incidence of postoperative infections for a 30-day period during the period, from 1.1.2014 to 30.06.2014 in Thanjavur Medical College. The stastical significance and the overall incidence of postoperative infections were analysed with the amount of glycaemic control achieved.
RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, 28 were males and 22 females. The mean age of the study is 54 years. 35 patients of elective surgery and 15 patients of emergency surgery were included. Mean plasma glucose concentration in the
perioperative period calculated and patients were divided into four quartiles (I-120-180 mg/dl; II-181 to 220 mg/dl; III-221 to 260 mg/dl; IV-261 to 350 mg/dl) accordingly. The incidence of SSIs in each quartile (I-IV) was 16.7%, 54.5%, 66.7% & 100% respectively. 13.3%, 18.2% 33.3% & 66.7% incidence of pneumonia and 6.7%, 9.1%, 16.7% & 33.3% incidence of UTI occurred in quartile I to quartile IV respectively. Similarly the rate of occurrence of sepsis
is 18.2% in II, 33.3% in III and 66.7% in IV quartile with no sepsis in I quartile patients. The overall incidence of postoperative infectious complications in each quartile from I to IV is 36.7%, 72.7%, 83.3% and 100% respectively. SSI
accounted for the most common and sepsis for the least common complication in these patients. Insulin therapy proved to be a better way to achieve glycaemic control in these patients. The optimal glycaemic range desired is
between 120 to 180 mg/dl.
CONCLUSION: Good perioperative glycaemic control is associated with a decrease in postoperative infectious complications in diabetic patients undergoing various surgical procedures.


Male circumcision was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2007 to help reduce the spread of HIV in Africa. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Interface Ltd


Marine controlled-source electromagnetic MCSEM surveys have become an important part of offshore petroleum exploration. However, due to enormous computational difficulties with full 3D inversion, practical interpretation of MCSEM data is still a very challenging problem. We present a new approach to 3D inversion of MCSEM data based on rigorous integral-equation IE forward modeling and a new IE representation of the sensitivity Fréchet derivative matrix of observed data to variations in sea-bottom conductivity. We develop a new form of the quasi-analytical approximation for models with variable background conductivity QAVB and apply this form for more efficient Fréchet derivative calculations. This approach requires just one forward modeling on every iteration of the regularized gradient-type inversion algorithm, which speeds up the computations significantly. We also use a regularized focusing inversion method, which provides a sharp boundary image of the petroleum reservoir. The methodology is tested on a 3D inversion of the synthetic EM data representing a typical MCSEM survey conducted for offshore petroleum exploration.


Ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet absorption detection is shown to be a rapid and sensitive method for analysis of some common anions in water. Sensitivity of measurement is approximately 50 ppb for NO-2 , NO-3 , Br- , I- , and SCN- while Cl- has a detection limit in the one to ten ppm range. Chromatograms require 8 to 13 minutes to complete. Analyses are performed on either of two stationary phases (Whatman SAX 10 μm or Brownlee anion exchange) depending on the anions of interest in the analysis and their interferences.


A continuous basin is present offshore, with a maximum thickness varying with latitude from less than 2 km to more than 10 km. The age of the sediments is unknown, but they probably range from Tertiary down to at least Jurassic, and there is some evidence for Palaeozoic ages. The offshore basin is separated by a basement ridge from the onshore basin, and the offshore extension of the Tertiary vo1canics is smaller than previously thought. Petroleum potential of the area is good, but limited by a scarcity of structural traps and by severe ice conditions.


We present a finite-difference based immersed interface method for the high-order discretization of 3D advection-diffusion problems on regular Cartesian grids. Our approach efficiently handles convex and non-convex geometries using a weighted least squares polynomial reconstruction algorithm. We analyze the stability of the approach for 2D and 3D parabolic and hyperbolic problems and demonstrate stable convergence results at third-order for advection and at fourth and sixth order for diffusion problems. Our immersed interface approach naturally handles one-sided Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions as well as two-sided jump boundary conditions within the same framework, opening the door to high-order treatment of 3D interface-coupled multiphysics problems. We demonstrate the capability of our approach using a 3D conjugate heat transfer problem resolved with third-order accuracy on a multi-resolution adaptive grid.


Background: Complex nonunions are difcult to manage due to the presence of infection, deformities, shortening, and multiple surgeries in the past. Ilizarov xation has traditionally been used to manage complex nonunions. The disadvantages of Ilizarov include poor patient compliance, frame inconvenience, and difcult frame construction. We studied ten long bone infective nonunions treated with the limb reconstruction system (LRS). Materials and methods : Between September 2020 and December 2022, we treated 10 cases of infective nonunion of long bone with the LRS. Patients were routinely followed up for 12 to 18 months and assessed both clinically and radiologically. Out of 10 cases we were able to achieve Results : : union in all cases. And eradication of infection in 90% of cases with no limb length discrepancy in any case. Bone results are excellent in 80% of cases and good in 20% of cases. Functional results are excellent in 80% of cases and good in 10% of cases, fair in 10% of cases. LRS is an alternati Conclusion : ve to the Ilizarov xation in their management of complex nonunion of long bones. It is less cumbersome to the patient and more surgeon and patient friendly.


Fissure-in-ano is a frequently encountered condition in surgical practice, in which the exact aetiology is not clearly known. A tight anal sphincter and hard faeces may be the contributing factors. Nitroglycerine"' and calcium channel blockers are currently used as the first -line agents, while adjuvant stool softeners and local anaesthetic ointments provide pain relief. If all conservative measures fail, the patient may be offered a chemical or surgical lateral internal sphincterotomy.'2' Botulinum toxin injection is usually administered in chemical sphincterotomy. Surgical sphincterotomy may lead to sphincter relaxation and carries a risk of faecal incontinence. We report a novel use of povidone iodine in three patients whose acute fissure-in-ano was cured.


Computers and archaeological culture change, Jeremy Huggett archaeological computing and disciplinary theory, Jayne Gidlow mathematics and computers, Hannah Forsyth constructs, simulations and hyperreal worlds - the role of virtual reality (VR) in archaeological research, Glyn Goodrick and Mark Gillings from museum store to data warehouse - archaeological archives for the 21st century, Francis Grew intellectual excavation and dynamic information management systems, Anthony Beck English sites and monuments records - information, communication and technology, Ben Robinson a view from above - can computers help aerial survey?, Rog Palmer is there such a thing as "computer archaeology"?, Andre Tschan and Patrick Daly.


The objective of this study is to identify some quantitative measurements estimating environmental damages and consequently disclosing it through financial reports. This issue has escalating magnitude over the past years as accidents and damages to the environment has amplified and caused great irreplaceable cost to the environment and the limited natural resources. Eventually, this matter is even of paramount importance for countries depending heavily on desalinated water from the sea such as the Arabian Gulf countries. The paper is divided into four sections. Beginning with an introductory part followed by a literature section, while the third section relates to some suggested measures estimating environmental damages and the cost to natural resources. The fourth and last section is devoted to alternatives financial disclosure of environmental damages that are in compliance with accepted and recognized accounting principles. Finally, the study concludes with specific conclusion calling for more accounting bodies' consideration of this issue leading to professional enforcement and preferably regulations or standards pertinent to the disclosure of environmental damages within financial reports.


The creatinine‐method to estimate muscle mass is frequently used in clinical studies, although the validity of this approach is uncertain in patients with cirrhosis. In this study 102 patients with cirrhosis differing in cause, clinical state, liver, and renal function were investigated to determine whether reduced liver or renal function may explain in part the low levels of urinary creatinine excretion frequently observed in these patients. Muscle mass assessed by 24‐hour urinary creatinine excretion was compared with anthropometrically obtained muscle mass calculated from arm muscle area (AMA), and with body cell mass (BCM) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and total body potassium counting. In cirrhosis, the 24‐hour urinary creatinine excretion was 10.4% and AMA was 19% lower than predicted values. The differences between the results obtained by different methods did not show any relation to parameters of liver function (ICG‐ t½, caffeine‐t½, MEGX‐test, cholinesterase) or the severity of liver disease (i.e., Child‐Pugh score). In contrast, renal function was strongly correlated with the differences between creatinine‐ and anthropometric‐muscle mass (r = .64, P < .001). At the same time, patients with normal renal function (62% of the whole population) had significantly higher creatinine (29.1 ± 8.5 vs. 15.8 ± 6 kg, P < .001) and anthropometric‐muscle mass (22.4 ± 6 vs. 17.9 ± 5.3 kg; P < .01) than patients with reduced renal function (38% of the patients). In addition, significantly higher differences between measured and predicted values of urinary creatinine excretion (‐0.389 ± 0.33 vs. 0.06 ± 0.31 g/24 h; P < .001) and of AMA (13.2 ± 12 vs. 7.2 ± 12 cm2; P < .03) were found in the subgroup with impaired renal function. In conclusion, renal dysfunction but not reduced liver function systematically affects the urinary creatinine method for the estimation of skeletal muscle mass in cirrhosis.


Copy negative of a black and white photograph of five girls wearing their costumes at a Halloween costume party. There are two pairs of girls that are wearing matching costumes. The girls on the left, identified as Agnes Katherine Ingvardsen and Gudren Hansen, are dressed as ladybugs. The girls on the right, identified as Maren Gann and Johanna Bram, are dressed as dominoes. The girl in the center, Olga Andersen, is dressed like little red riding hood in a hooded cape and a dress; she is carrying a basket. According to accompanying information, Agnes and Maren are sisters; Agnes and Gudren are sisters in law. Behind them to the right is a horse-drawn wagon.


The ink spilled defining weeping as women's work in Beowulf far exceeds the volume of their tears. We have made too much of the summary line at the opening of the Finnsburh episode declaring Hildeburh a 'geomuru ides' (sad woman) (1075b) as 'meotodsceaft bemearn' (she mourned over the decree of fate) (1077a). At the funeral she directs for her son and brother, 'ides gnornode, / geomrode giddum' (the woman mourned with songs) (1117–18). Likewise, according to her editors, a Geatish meowle sings at Beowulf's funeral (3150b). What can be read of the manuscript here includes 'giomorgyd' (song of mourning) (3150a) and 'sorgcearig' (sorrowful) (3152a). Indeed, these women are sad, but they are also surrounded by sad men. Meanwhile, we have averted our tearless eyes from the mourning men who populate the poem. We may question how the Anglo-Saxons read this history of their continental ancestors, or why Christian scribes recorded it, but we do not question our own cathexis of the Anglo-Saxon hero with a stiff upper lip. Instead, we read the evidence through the lens of our own confirmation bias. As I argue in this chapter, we have made Beowulf a paragon of the heroic code without asking whose gender norms we expect him to uphold. We have done the same in our readings of the other poems we call heroic, such as The Wanderer. Early in the poem, the speaker claims:


Previous work on implicit personality theory and the college student culture suggests that thinking about college student types should include academic involvement and social involvement dimensions. Further, positive and negative social, positive academic, and oppositional clusters of types were predicted based on studies of high school crowds. Using 85 college student type labels as stimuli, a free-sorting method coupled with multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering analyses provided support for these hypotheses. Also, the results suggest convergence in the cognitive structure underlying perception of college student types across major demographic categories.


ABSTRACT During physical exercise, compression inside sports bras changes depending on material properties, leading to insufficient breast support. The purpose of this study was to explore how 3D body scanning can be used to capture females' breast area measurements change, when wearing compression sports bras before and after a running activity. A commercial seamless sports bra style in size medium and medium level compression, was tested before and after eleven subjects ran in place for five minutes. Seventeen slice measurements taken with [TC]2 NX-16 3D body scanner at 0.25 inchesintervals between underbust and armpit levels were collected and compared. Results showed a significant decrease of overall compression of 0.08 inches between before and after run conditions, and the distribution of the reduction was larger below maximum breast circumference level, confirming upwards shift of breast tissue. This study provides knowledge to be used for improving the design of sports bras as compression garments.


Detection of α‐synuclein aggregates by seed amplification is a promising Parkinson disease biomarker assay. Understanding intraindividual relationships of α‐synuclein measures could inform optimal biomarker development. The objectives were to test accuracy of α‐synuclein seed amplification assay in central (cerebrospinal fluid) and peripheral (submandibular gland) sources, compare to total α‐synuclein measures, and investigate within‐subject relationships.


The present study was designed to investigate polyphenolic and sulphur contents of the aerial parts of Capparis spinosa var. aegyptia (Lam.) Boiss., Capparaceae, wildly growing in Egypt. The chemical compositions of the water distilled essential oil were investigated by GC/MS analysis where the major constituent of the oil was methyl isothiocyanate (24.66%). Hydroethanolic extract was evaluated by LCHRESI-MS–MS in both positive and negative modes. Forty-two compounds were identified including quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin derivatives in addition to myricetin, eriodictyol, cirsimaritin and gallocatechin derivatives. Quercetin tetrahexoside dirhamnoside as well as kaempferol dihexoside dirhamnoside have not been identified before in genus Capparis. Phenolic acids, such as quinic acid, p-coumaroyl quinic acid and chlorogenic acid were also identified. Evaluation of cytotoxic activity of hydroethanolic extract against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7; breast adenocarcinoma cells, ytotoxicity Hep-G2; hepatocellular carcinoma cells and HCT-116; colon carcinoma) using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed significant effect with IC50 values 24.5, 24.4 and 11 g/ml, compared to Doxorubicin as a standard cytotoxic drug. C. spinosa revealed itself as a promising candidate for nutraceutical researches. rasil he CC © 2016 Sociedade B access article under t


Summary form only given. Human vision is composed of numerous functions at multiple levels and complex interactions among them. In this tutorial talk, I will introduce several perspectives to characterize human vision. In particular, distinctions and interactions are discussed between bottom-up versus top-down processes, between perception versus action, between conscious and unconscious processes, all of which lead to variety of "seeing". Through these examples, I would like to emphasize how the richness of our visual perception depends on many automatic, unconscious processes.


Purpose: To acquaint the medical physicist with a number of practical and regulatory issues that may be encountered when providing medical physics support to screen-film mammography (SFM) facilities. Method and Materials: Case studies will be presented that demonstrate potential issues (problems) that medical physicists have encountered during with mammography annual surveys, equipment evaluations, changes in screen-film systems, changes in facility personnel, and other real-world situations. The applicable regulatory background will be presented for each case, as well as potential pitfalls and possible solutions. Recent changes in FDA interpretation of SFM artifact testing, and efforts of professional organizations to address this issue are presented. Results: The applicable scientific, professional and regulatory background will be presented for each case. Potential pitfalls and possible practical solutions will be presented. Conclusion: This presentation should assist medical physicists as they provide service to mammography facilities.


Polyetherester elastomer composition comprising: (i) a polyetherester elastomer, which is based on a polytrimethylene ether ester soft segment and a hard segment Polyethylenester; and (ii) a nucleating agent selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth metal and mixtures thereof.


Objective: To evaluate the performance of the newest version of the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 score and compare it with the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 in a multicenter national cohort of children admitted to PICU. Design: Retrospective, prospective cohort study. Setting: Seventeen Italian PICUs. Patients: All children 0 to 15 years old admitted in PICU from January 2010 to October 2014. Interventions: None. Measurement and Main Results: Eleven thousand one hundred nine children were enrolled in the study. The mean Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 and 3 values of 4.9 and 3.9, respectively, differed significantly (p < 0.05). Overall mortality rate was 3.9%, and the standardized mortality ratio was 0.80 for Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 and 0.98 for Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 (p < 0.05). The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curves was similar for Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 and Pediatric Index of Mortality 3. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was not significant for Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 (p = 0.21) but was highly significant for Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (p < 0.001), which overestimated death mainly in high-risk categories. Conclusions: Mortality indices require validation in each country where it is used. The new Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 score performed well in an Italian population. Both calibration and discrimination were appropriate, and the score more accurately predicted the mortality risk than Pediatric Index of Mortality 2.


ABSTRACT Purpose: To define a clinically tailored therapeutic strategy for the treatment of viral anterior uveitis (VAU). Methods: A PubMed search spanning the past 5 years was conducted using the MesH-terms "viral anterior uveitis" and "therapy." Results: The herpes simplex virus (HSV), the varicella zoster virus (VZV), and the cytomegalovirus (CMV) are the predominant pathogens in VAU. Other viruses, including rubella, chikungunya, and zika, have been linked with distinct forms of the disease. Depending on the causative agent and the host immunocompetence, the mainstay treatment for suspected VAU is a combination of topical or systemic antivirals and topical corticosteroids, supplemented with cycloplegics and intraocular-pressure-lowering medication. Conclusions: Oral acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir are the mainstay of treatment for HSV- and VZV-induced infections. Brivudin serves as an alternative in insufficiently responsive cases. CMV-induced infections respond well to valganciclovir. A 3- to 12-month course of prophylactic treatment against recurrences is worth considering.


Educational policy and politics have been dominated by school improvement initiatives that locate educational problems and solutions in schools themselves, rather than in the systemic and structural roots of those problems: segregation, poverty, and histories of compounding inequality (Anyon, 2014; Reardon et al., 2019). Market-based policies, accountability, teacher quality initiatives, and educational standards – some of the most popular U.S. education reforms over the past few decades – are organized around the assumption that improving schools is a matter of improving what goes on in them (Nation et al., 2020). Yet, these policies tend to ignore or marginalize the evidence that what goes on in schools represents a fraction of the experiences and context that matter for school and student success (Berliner, 2006, 2013). Youth outcomes that we associate with schools (e.g., achievement, attendance, graduation) are the consequences of systemic structural and environmental factors that interact with the lived experiences of students in their communities and schools (Bishop & Noguera, 2019; Whipple et al., 2010). The purpose of this special issue is to catalyze a greater focus in educational policymaking, practice, and research on educational ecosystems – that is, understanding the ecological nature of educational problems and promoting a coordinated set of policy and practice solutions to address interrelated problems that manifest in school and student outcomes.


Abstract This note identifies a new portrait type of Faustina the Younger, which appears on medallions and on a single aureus. On medallions the type appears in a single, closely die-linked group, indicating a synchronous emission. I suggest that this emission should be placed in a prominent gap in the (dated) medallion issues of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, which in turn dates this newly identified portrait of Faustina to 153/4 CE.


The manufacturing process and the new structure of the potential-induced degradation (PID) resistive photovoltaic (PV) cells are described. PV cells are produced in the commonly used technological steps. The structure is modified by using the phosphorus silicate glass (PSG) layers after the diffusion process when the PV cell emitter is created. This modification is made directly at one of the produced sets in the serial production of 6-in PV cells. In the newly created PV cells, the basic parameters (fill factor, VOC, ISC, and PMAX) and the thickness of the PSG layer were measured. The values of the parameters were compared with those of the reference PV cells without the PSG layer. The results show that the effect of the PSG layer on the PV cell efficiency is negligible. Both groups of PV cells (the reference group and the new structures) were potential-induced degraded. The PV cells with the PSG layer have shown properties resistive against PID.


For having a primary winding (M) and a starter motor (20) of the winding (S) of a motor starter device. Initiator having a PTC thermistor (30) connected in series with the start winding (S). A triac switching element (40) is connected between the PTC thermistor (30) and a power supply line. A control circuit (50) connected to the power supply line used to triac switching element (40) is a gate terminal (G) a voltage, and an overload relay (60) connected to the power supply (10) and between the motor (20). The control circuit (50) comprises a preferably for detecting an input current of the current detection circuit (52) and a voltage in response to a detected input current generates a voltage generating circuit (54). The electric motor (2) is started, the control circuit (50) to allow the triac switching element (4) by supplying a voltage to the gate terminal (G) to open the input current. The start winding S of the power consumption of the present invention, the electric motor (20) can start almost zero, thereby providing a low power consumption. In another embodiment of the PTC thermistor is not used in a current and a voltage detection circuit generating a first circuit for controlling a triac switching element (90) switching state, while the first three a second triac switching element (92) of the tRIAC element (90) and the control switch in series with the start winding state.


A wide viewing angle AMLCD has been made in which the pixels are divided into two oppositely twisted domains using photoalignment. This wide viewing angle display uses only one discotic compensation film. The system was optimised by 2×2 Jones matrix modelling. The optical properties are evaluated showing improved viewing angles properties, reduced grey scale inversion, a better colour performance and symmetric isocontrast contours.


(1.2) Let k be an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic. For a ring A, an A-module means a left A-module, unless otherwise specified. However, an ideal of A means a two-sided ideal, not a left ideal. Amod denotes the category of finitely generated A-modules. For a group G, a G-module means a kG-module, where kG is the group algebra of G over k. If V is a finite dimensional vector space, then giving a G-module structure to V is the same thing as giving a group homomorphism ρ : G→ GL(V ). A finite dimensional GLn(k)-module V ∼= k m is said to be a polynomial (resp. rational) representation if the corresponding group homomorphism ρ : GLn(k) → GL(V ) ∼= GLm(k) satisfies the following. For each (aij) ∈ GLn(k), when we write ρ(aij) = (ρst(aij)), then each ρst(aij) is a polynomial function (resp. rational function everywhere defined on GLn) in aij . We may also say that ρ is a polynomial (resp. rational) representation. Note that this condition is independent of the choice of the basis of V .


Crystallo-co-agglomeration is a particle design technique in which a drug is crystallized and agglomerated with an excipient or another drug, which may or may not be crystallized in same system. The various parameters optimized were type, amount and mode of addition of bridging liquid, temperature and agitation speed. They were characterized for micrometritic properties (particle size and shape, flowability, packability, bulk density, wettability and compressibility). The prepared spherical crystals with different polymers exhibited excellent physicochemical properties like flowability, pack ability and wettability compared with the pure drug. The process is simple and inexpensive enough for scaling upto a commercial level. It reduces time and cost by enabling faster operation, less machinery and fewer personnel. Keywords: Crystallo-co-agglomeration, flowability, compressibility, bioavailability.


Recent U.S. textile and apparel imports were examined at a detailed product level to assess factors explaining the level of non-tariff trade barriers (NTBs). Determinants of NTBs at the micro level were consistent with prior studies utilizing more aggregated data. Import penetration, per unit import cost, import quantity change, import value, and product type were significant variables in explaining the variability of import controls.


Solar thermal power plants are an alternative for the future energy context, allowing for a progressive decarbonisation of electricity production. One way to improve the performance of such plants is the use of supercritical CO2 power cycles. This article focuses on a solar thermal plant with a central solar receiver coupled to a partial cooling cycle, and it conducts a comparative study from both a thermal and economic perspective with the aim of optimising the configuration of the receiver. The design of the solar receiver is based on a radial configuration, with absorber panels converging on the tower axis; the absorber panels are compact structures through which a pressurised gas circulates. The different configurations analysed keep a constant thermal power provided by the receiver while varying the number of panels and their dimensions. The results demonstrate the existence of an optimal configuration that maximises the exergy efficiency of the solar subsystem, taking into account both the receiver exergy efficiency and the heliostat field optical efficiency. The evolution of electricity generation cost follows a similar trend to that of the exergy efficiency, exhibiting minimum values when this efficiency is at its maximum.


Abstract
 The aquaculture sector in Bangladesh has made an enormous and often under-recognized contribution to the well being of the nation; around 2 million t of food fish are produced for local consumption and export earnings. The sector is in transition from subsistence to a commercially oriented sector. Financing of aquaculture and other aquaculture-related activities has not yet attracted enough interest from banks and other money lending institutions in Bangladesh. To ensure the necessary credit flow to the aquaculture sector for dynamic growth, an annual programme-based credit monitoring support has been necessary. The rural aquaculture financial system is fragmented and does not meet the lending and saving needs of the rural poor. Commercial banks and other financial institutions have not responded significantly to the self-employment initiatives of the rural poor and to small-scale aquaculture farmers. The large numbers of micro-credit operating NGOs have played an important role in aquaculture with remarkable success. The disbursement and recovery of micro-credit support by NGOs in the self-employment sector is about twice as large as the disbursement of aquaculture credit by banks (BB, 2003).


Hydroxybenzoate oligoprenyl transferase from E. coli (ubiA-prenyl transferase) is a crucial enzyme for ubiquinone biosynthesis. It catalyzes the formation of 3-oligoprenyl-4-hydroxy- benzoates like geranyl hydroxybenzoate (GHB, 23) from geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP, 22). Several analogues and mimics of geranyl pyrophosphate have been prepared for an examination of their ability to inhibit the enzyme. 7,11-Dimethyl-3-oxododeca-6,10-dienoic acid (2), 3-hydroxy- 7,11-dimethyldodeca-6,10-dienoic acid (3), 2-hydroxy-4,8-dimethyl-3,7-nonadienylphosphonic acid (4), and tripotassium (((4E)-5,9-dimethyldeca-4,8-dienyl)phosphinato)(difluoro)methyl- phosphonate (5) were synthesized from geraniol. ω-2,ω-1-Dihydroxylated farnesyl diphosphate 6 was prepared from trans,trans-farnesol. All compounds were tested for enzyme inhibition in a competitive assay with natural substrate. The effect of these compounds on ubiA-prenyl- transferase activity varied substantially, ranging from almost full inhibition to, surprisingly, enhanced enzymatic activity at low concentrations by some compounds. A special, EDTA- modifyable magnesium effect is discussed as potential reason.


Objective
To construct and evaluate a nomogram for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients with locally adverse pathologic features (including seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), extracapsular extension (ECE), or positive surgical margins (PSM)) after radical prostatectomy.

Methods
This study included prostate cancer patients who were treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) at a single institution between 2003 and 2014, with locally adverse pathological features. The final study comprised of 172 men (median age, 70 years) with a median serum PSA level of 16.1 ng/ml. According to the modified Gleason grade system, the distribution of biopsy Gleason score was as follows: Gleason≤6 (59, 34.3%), Gleason 3+ 4 (51, 29.7%), Gleason 4+ 3 (42, 24.4%), Gleason 8 (18, 10.5%), and Gleason 9-10 (2, 1.2%). Most patients were preoperatively under-staged, with 91.3% of cases had a clinical stage less than T2c. Pathological examination of the species revealed ECE in 108 (62.8%) patients, SVI in 40 (23.3%) patients and PSM in 62 (36.0%) patients. Considering the modified Gleason grading system, the distribution of the patients was as follows: Gleason≤6 (35, 20.3%), Gleason 3+ 4 (54, 31.4%), Gleason 4+ 3 (42, 24.4%), Gleason 8 (23, 13.4%), and Gleason 9-10 (18, 10.5%). Overall, there were 79.1% of patients had early postoperative PSA <0.1 ng/ml. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis the value of factors in predicting the probability of BCR. Variables significantly associated with BCR were included to construct the nomogram. Concordance index and calibration curve were used for the internal validation of nomogram.

Results
The overall 3-year and 5-year BCR-free survival rate was 60.4% and 43.2% respectively for the entire cohort. In univariate Cox regression analysis, Preoperative PSA(HR=1.474, P<0.05), Early postoperative PSA(HR=3.488, P<0.05), SVI(HR=3.488, P<0.05), PSM(HR=1.795, P<0.05), biopsy Gleason grade(HR=1.795, P<0.05) and specimen Gleason grade(HR=1.898, P<0.05) were significantly associated with BCR. However, in multivariate analysis, only specimen Gleason grade(HR=1.809, P<0.05) and early postoperative PSA(HR=2.490, P<0.05) retained independent significance. The nomogram predicting the risk of BCR showed relative good concordance index (0.766) and good calibration.

Conclusions
The nomogram to predict the probability of BCR in patients with locally adverse pathologic features after radical prostatectomy showed good clinical applicability. This statistical tool may facilitate discussions at the point of treatment decision making.

Key words:
Prostatic neoplasms; Radical prostatectomy; Biochemical recurrence; Risk factors; Nomogram


Carbon nitride-based nanostructures have attracted special attention (from theory and experiments) due to their remarkable electromechanical properties. In this work we have investigated the mechanical properties of some graphene-like carbon nitride membranes through fully atomistic reactive molecular dynamics simulations. We have analyzed three different structures of these CN families, the so-called graphene-based g-CN, triazine-based g-C3N4 and heptazine-based g-C3N4. The stretching dynamics of these membranes was studied for deformations along their two main axes and at three different temperatures: 10K, 300K and 600K. We show that g-CN membranes have the lowest ultimate fracture strain value, followed by heptazine-based and triazine-based ones, respectively. This behavior can be explained in terms of their differences in terms of density values, topologies and types of chemical bonds. The dependency of the fracture patterns on the stretching directions is also discussed.