To deal with the undesirable factors in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a non-linear DEA model was previously developed for a paper production system, where the desirable outputs are increased and the undesirable outputs are decreased for efficiency improvement. To convert the proposed non-linear model into a linear one, a linear approximation to the non-linear constraint is used and an approximate efficiency score is obtained. In this paper, we propose a new method to solve the non-linear programming problem and calculate the efficiency scores accurately, in which a second-order cone programming (SOCP) is defined and applied to transfer the non-linear programming model into a linear one. We applied the proposed model to measure the environmental performance of 30 paper mills along the Huai River in China. It was found that the efficiency scores obtained by our model is obvious different with the ones by approximate models.


In the middle of the 16 century, the House of Hapsburg extended for a while its domination over Transylvania and the Banat. The diplomatic negotiations were the main way to occupy those territories, but sending of military effectives was the way to keep them under the Hapsburgs' control. Those, during 1551 and after also, more detachments of foreign mercenaries (Germans, Magyars, Spanish, Italians, Czechs, etc.), under General Givanni Batista Castaldo's guidance arrived in Transylvania. The Hapsburgs' army had to face lots of difficulties: a hard supply, lack of pays, difficult climatic conditions, and the local inhabitants' hostility. Nevertheless the Austrian army short presence in Transylvania facilitated the military technology and know-how transferring from the western part towards the eastern part of the continent. The military structuring of the Principality of Transylvania benefited of the military architects' work, who had been sent there by the House of Hapsburg, and of the armament (artillery and fire arms, especially) which the foreign mercenaries had brought there. The organizing of the first military permanent detachments that the Transylvanian princes would use the next decades was also considerable influenced by the Austrian army. ON THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIVE OF A NOBILIARY JUDGE IN THE COUNTY OF SEVERIN: LADISLAU LĂŢUG OF DELINEŞTI (1550-1600)


Abstract Zinc oxide as an optoelectronic device material was studied to utilize its wide band gap of 3.37 eV and high excitonbiding energy of 60 meV. Using anti-site nitrogen to generate p-type zinc oxide has shown a deep acceptor level and lowsolubility. To increase the nitrogen solubility in zinc oxide, group 13 elements (aluminum, gallium, and indium) was co-addedto nitrogen. The effect of aluminum on nitrogen solubility in a 3×3 ×2 zinc oxide super cell containing 72 atoms wasinvestigated using density functional theory with hybrid functionals of Heyd, Scuseria, and Ernzerhof (HSE). Aluminum andnitrogen were substituted for zinc and oxygen sites in the super cell, respectively. The band gap of the undoped super cell wascalculated to be 3.36 eV from the density of states, and was in good agreement with the experimentally obtained value.Formation energies of a nitrogen molecule and nitric oxide in the zinc oxide super cell in zinc-rich conditions were lower thanthose in oxygen-rich conditions. When the number of nitrogen molecules near the aluminum increased from one to four in thesuper cell, their formation energies decreased to approach the valence band maximum to some degree. However, the acceptorlevel of nitrogen in zinc oxide with the co-incorporation of aluminum was still deep.Key wordszinc oxide, p-type characteristic, Al and N co-doping, density functional theory


An X-ray method is presented to characterize thin films with unknown crystal structure with specific crystal orientations. The method maps large volumes of the reciprocal space by a series of pole-figure measurements using a standard texture goniometer. The data can be used for lattice indexing and texture evaluation and in subsequent steps for a complete structural thin-film characterization. The application of the method is demonstrated on an organic monodomain thin film consisting of uniaxially aligned crystallites.


BSIM4 model is not suitable for distortion analysis of circuits with bias point VDS=0, such as passive mixers and RF switches, due to discontinuities in higher order derivatives. Surface potential based PSP model has continuous derivatives to at least third-order, and is therefore suitable for intermodulation products simulation. This paper presents the case study of BSIM4 to PSP model conversion flow and comparison of active and passive mixers and SPDT RF switch simulation results. Simulation results show good agreement of original BSIM4 and converted PSP models' CV, IV, compression point, conversion loss and noise figure, which validates the conversion flow. The converted model has a correct third-order intermodulation products (IM3) slope of three, allowing the simulation of intermodulation products, which was not possible with the original BSIM4 model.


Not all disabled or elderly people are potential users of rehabilitation technology (RT) products and services. The Special Needs Research Unit has developed a prototype model of the disabled population of Europe and the USA (local and national) which takes account of demographic factors. The authors discuss the European rehabilitation technology industry. They conclude that the lack of application of a standard defining and describing the potential requirements of its disabled citizens is probably arresting the creation of a single market. >


Prolific author Justo Gonzalez takes us deeper into the idea that the Acts of the Apostles is really the Acts of the Holy Spirit. He inserts the text into its social context, discussing each verse in terms of its social, spiritual, and theological implications. This is a commentary ideally suited both to illuminating the book of Acts and to attuning readers to the on-going acts of the Spirit in our own time.


The political and social events that Muslims faced for the first time and the results of the civil wars as a result of these events gave rise to the movements of sectarianism. The first movement of sectarianism in the Islamic society occurred with the separation of the mass, which would later be called the Kharijites (Muhakkime-i Ula), from among the followers of Ali. The events that took place after these separations of the Kharijites left deep traces in the memory of the Muslims. The Kharijite movement soon split into factions among itself. One of these sects is İbadiyya. Ibadiyya is generally accepted as the only Kharijite sect that has survived to the present day. Ibadiyya is a sect that came into being with the schooling of the ideas of the community called kaade, which is inhabited in Basra. Again, another sectarian movement that took place as a result of the discussions that started among Muslims especially around the issues of "faith and kabira" is the Mu'tazila. Although the Mu'tazila, which was formed in the city of Basra and left deep traces on the mentality of the Islamic society, could not continue its existence as a sect, it influenced many people, schools and sects both in their own time and in later times with their ideas, discourses and methodological methods. Mu'tazila is a political and religious sect that emerged as a result of social events in the Islamic society and the discussions brought about by these events. Tawhid is the most basic principle of Islam. Tawhid is at the forefront of the principles on which all Islamic sects of faith emphasize. The phrase "la ilaha illallah", that is, there is no god but Allah, describes tawhid. All sects of Islamic belief agree that the principle of tawhid is the first basis of usûlü'd-dîn (the origins of religion). The subject that constitutes the essence of the principle of tawhid is the issue of adjectives. Halku'l-Qur'an and ru'yetullah are among the issues discussed within the framework of the ideas put forward about the subject of adjectives. The Ibadiyya and Mu'tazila sects, whose views we have examined comparatively on these issues, are of the same opinion with other sects in the fact that Allah is the Creator of all things and in his oneness. Both sects have put forward ideas that are quite different from the views of other Islamic sects and especially the Ahl al-Sunnah, which is under the roof of the majority of Muslims, on the subjects of 'attributes, folk-ul-Qur'an and ru'yetullah', which we can also express as the subtitles of the subject of tawhid. The first of the principles that Mu'tazila adopted as usûl-i hamsa is the principle of tawhid. This principle is also at the forefront of the method subjects of Ibadiyya. When the views of İbadiyye and Mu'tazila on this subject are examined, the existence of similar perspectives draws attention. In our article, we will comparatively discuss the ideas of Ibadiyya and Mu'tazila on the axis of the principle of tawhid, which is the first of the method subjects of the creed, and the attributes of Allah, which are accepted as sub-headings of this subject, ru'yetullah and people of the Qur'an. We will try to reveal the similarity of ideas between the two sects on issues related to the subject of tawhid. However, we will try to express the interaction and the direction of the interaction that we believe to exist between the İbadiyye and the Mu'tazila.


Abstract 1228 Due to a lack of standardized methodologies and reporting, results of BCR-ABL transcripts by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) are difficult to evaluate and compare between laboratories in molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL in CML. Although progress has been made in harmonization of reporting BCR-ABL quantification, such as the introduction of the International Scale, the standardization of each step in qPCR for BCR-ABL quantification is important. The majority of laboratories use an absolute approach with a standard curve to quantitate the transcript level of BCR-ABL. A number of sources are available for standards, such as RNA, cDNA, and plasmid. Among those, plasmid DNA is the most widely used. Since the standard is the most important factor in the absolute approach, in this study different preparations of plasmid DNA were investigated by qPCR with a TaqMan probe to evaluate their amplification rate. BCR-ABL b3a2 and ABL were individually cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector, and each plasmid DNA was isolated with Qiagen Plasmid Maxi kit. After quantification, DNA was diluted to obtain E6 copy number as templates for qPCR. For data comparison, a common threshhold was set in the middle of the exponential phase and Ct values were obtained. A small Ct value indicates a high amplification rate. Multiple preparations of purified completely linearized plasmid DNA for both b3a2 and ABL have the Ct values of 17.90 ± 0.19 and 17.94 ± 0.44 respectively. These values were very similar or equal to the Cts of purified b3a2 and ABL DNA fragments derived from RT-PCR. However, the non-linearized circular plasmid DNA only had 20.36 ± 0.08 for b3a2 and 20.31 ± 0.13 for ABL when the same number of templates was analyzed in the same qPCR indicating a 5.5 fold deficiency in amplification rate. Although the amplification efficiency obtained from both linearized and circular plasmids were very similar in the range of 3.3±0.3, a deficiency in the amplification rate from the circular plasmid indicates that the complicated super coiled structure in the circular plasmid DNA may interfere with the amplification. After plasmid DNA was completely linearized with three individual restriction enzymes, aliquots of known amounts of plasmid DNA were adjusted to E6 copy number and analyzed without further purification. Depending on the restriction enzyme the amplification rate of non-purified plasmid varied from 69 to almost 100% compared with purified linearized plasmid DNA. To mimic the purification procedure, Rnase A was added to the restriction digestion mixture to remove RNA contamination. Without purification, the addition of RNase A significantly inhibits the amplification rate. Furthermore, standards from Ipsogen were compared in the study. From multiple concentration points in comparison of the standards, Ipsogen standards had a Ct value of 1.43 more than the purified completely linearized plasmid DNA with 2.7 fold deficiency in amplification rate. Since the Ct value of the sample is the same, the standards with low amplification rate would over-estimate the copy number of the sample. In theory, the copy ratio of the fusion gene (b3a2) to the control gene (ABL) should be the same, independent on the amplification rate of the standards. However, in practical experiments with a high amplification rate of the standards, the copy ratio is more accurate and reproducible when the samples have a low copy number of BCR-ABL. The combination of incomplete linearization of plasmid DNA in restriction enzyme digestion, non-purification of the linearized plasmid and contamination of interfering substances may together decrease the amplification rate. The preparation of purified completely linearized plasmid provides a standard way to obtain standards for qPCR in molecular monitoring of the BCR-ABL transcript level in the management of CML patients as well as for qPCR in other usages. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A search was made at the Brookhaven alternating gradient synchrotron for magnetic monopoles produced either in collisions of 30-BeV protons with light nuclei, or produced by $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays secondary to these protons in the Coulomb field of protons or of carbon nuclei. In runs using 5.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{15}$ circulating protons, no monopolelike event was found. This implies an upper limit for production in proton-nucleon interactions of about 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}40}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. Experimental limits are also derived for the photoproduction of pole pairs.


Cubical AlF3 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesised by immersing Ti3AlC2 powders in hydrofluoric acid-assisted solvothermal reaction. The as-prepared products are characterised by an X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the AlF3 nanoparticles have a cubical structure and the sizes of nanoparticles are about 100 nm in side length. The tribological properties of cubical AlF3 nanoparticles as a lubrication additive in 100SN base oil were investigated by a UMT-2 ball-on-disc friction and wear tester. The wear scars were measured by a common optical microscope. The results show that under determinate conditions, the friction coefficient of the base oil containing AlF3 nanoparticles is lower than that of pure base oil, and the base oil containing 1 wt% AlF3 samples presented good tribological performance under the load of 15 N. The formation of tribofilm on the rubbing surface could explain the good friction of AlF3 nanoparticles as additives.


ologies in cross-cultural management. These studies were part of a larger research project whose primary goal was to develop a model relating societal culture, organizational strategy, and organizational performance. Study 1 consisted of field research on nine international airlines representing five different types of societal culture. l The primary data-collection methods were unobtrusive observations and interviews with key personnel. Study 2 was essentially archival research, using the published statistics and performance records of a sample of 32 international airlines, 8 of which were also included in the field study.2 The overriding objectives in terms of building a model were to ensure that it was grounded in reality and that it was generally applicable across a variety of societies. The rationale for adopting a multimethod approach was to attempt to achieve convergence through a process of triangulation. In this way it would be


Borax is a harmful compound to human health but sometimes was used illegally as preservative in meatball. Curcumax reagent is a compound which developed from the previous borax detector base on tumeric extract. This reagen was developed as an easy kit to apply in the field. This study aims were to determine accuracy of sight obesrvation and spectrophotometer to detected borax in boiled meatballs which tested by Curcumax and to determine the effect of boiling on the borax presence in the meatballs. This study was using meatballs group as a control and another meatballs group preserve with borax 0.5%. Each treatment group was boiled in 0, 5, 10, and 15 minutes and each treatment unit had three replications which consist five meatballs each of them. Borax detection was done by mixing 1ml Curcumax reagent into 1 ml meatball extract. Qualitative examination of borax presence in the meatballs was known based on the color changing of tested meatball's extract from yellow became orange (direct sight with eyes). The Quantitaive analysis was done by measured using spectrophotometer base on wave-length (λ) at 570 nm. Data was analyzed with ANOVA and continued by Least Significant Difference (LSD) analysis. Borax detection using curcumax based on sight sense against color change giving an inconsistence result. Meanwhile quantitative measurement by spectrophotometer more accurate than one. Curcumax had been detected borax in meatball which boiled for 15 minutes.


A simple and efficient method for the preparation ofpyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles by a copper-catalyzed inter- and intramolecular C–N coupling cascade process was designed and carried out, and the products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields (up to 93 %).


VIRCHOW (1910), in his description of the micro-anatomy of the trabecular meshwork, mentioned the presence of some unfamiliar tissue-element in addition to the known structures. In the trabecular meshwork of the horse he observed fine threads originating and terminating in the endothelial cells, and running through the empty spaces of the meshwork. I have found no other description of this substance in the subsequent literature on the morphology of the trabecular system. In working on the problem of the innervation of the trabecular meshwork (Vrabec, 1954), I have very often noted a similar picture. As my sections were mainly cut on the freezing-mierotome, the conservation of the tissue components was better than in paraffin sections. In flat preparations of the trabecular meshwork, thin sheets of a perfectly transparent substance were very often seen. Their existence was indicated only by the presence of silver deposits. Even in frozen sections, however, it was not possible to explore this substance in detail, as it was not found in meridional sections. A systematic search for a better method of embedding was therefore made. Paraffin infiltration causes great deformation and celloidin was also found to be deleterious to this. delicate tissue component. Many other methods were tested with little success. At the instigation of Prof. J. Wolf of Prague, Celodal-embedding was then tried. This method was introduced by Hoepke (1939), and is described in the text-book of microscopical technique by Romeis (1943). It causes only minimal changes in the amorphous substance, but the main disadvantage of the method is that once it is polymerized Celodal cannot be removed from the sections by any solvent, and it takes up some colour.


We reply to Talukdar, Das, and Chattarji's comments on our work related to off-energy-shell generalization of the results in potential scattering.


In this letter, we introduce a novel computational technique for predicting thermal and structural sensitivities in metallo-dielectric photonic crystals (PCs). The computational scheme is based on a hybrid formalism of the scattering matrix technique combined with the adjoint network method. The proposed technique can predict with high accuracy the impact of temperature fluctuations or structural disorders, to the lightwave propagation in PCs, without additional computational effort. Numerical simulations show that PC circuits based on metallic-metamaterial platforms are significantly less sensitive to temperature variations in comparison to usual dielectric PCs.


In this paper, we propose a generic framework to learn context-aware latent representations for context-aware collaborative filtering. Contextual contents are combined via a function to produce the context influence factor, which is then combined with each latent factor to derive latent representations. We instantiate the generic framework using biased Matrix Factorization as the base model. A Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) based optimization procedure is developed to fit the model by jointly learning the weight of each context and latent factors. Experiments conducted over three real-world datasets demonstrate that our model significantly outperforms not only the base model but also the representative context-aware recommendation models.


comprising fraction Stable sapphire disc, which is a planar sapphire substrate (10) and at least one on at least one surface (11) of the substrate (10) over the entire surface arranged shock-absorbing layer (12), said layer (12) has a layer thickness of between 0.1% -10% of the thickness of the substrate (10) and said layer (12) selectively with the surface (11) of the substrate (10) is connected so that the connection between the substrate (10) and the layer (12) perpendicular to the plane of the substrate (10) a lower tensile strength than the substrate (10) and / or as the layer (12) itself has.


Heavily phosphorus-doped Czochralski (HP-CZ) silicon is an important substrate material for manufacturing power electronic devices. The high concentration of phosphorus impurities may be supersaturated during the crystal growth of HP-CZ silicon or device manufacturing. Thus, understanding phosphorus precipitation in HP-CZ silicon is of technological significance. Herein, a panoramic view of phosphorus precipitation in HP-CZ silicon is presented in terms of crystallography, thermodynamics, and kinetics. It is found that the orthorhombic SiP precipitates can form during the crystal growth of HP-CZ silicon and also during the post-anneals of HP-CZ silicon at 450–1050 °C. Along with increasing annealing temperature, the formed SiP precipitates tend to adopt the platelet, polyhedron, and sphere-like shapes. Moreover, the excess point defects, i.e., silicon self-interstitials and vacancies, are found to affect phosphorus precipitation occurring in the low and high temperature regimes in different ways. In light of the kinetics of phosphorus precipitation at different temperatures, it is deduced that phosphorus precipitation follows a growth law in compliant with Ham's theory to a large extent. As an important output of this work, the temperature-dependent phosphorus solubilities in the dislocation-free silicon, which have been hardly acquired previously, are derived on the basis of investigating phosphorus precipitation in a set of HP-CZ silicon wafers with different phosphorus concentrations. Moreover, the derived solvus line for the phosphorus impurities in silicon could be a beneficial supplement to the existing phase diagram of the Si–P binary system in the extremely silicon-rich corner.


.................................................................................................................. 2 List of Figures ............................................................................................................ 8 List of Tables ............................................................................................................ 11 List of Appendices ................................................................................................... 11 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................ 12 Statement of Originality ........................................................................................... 14 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................... 16


Elastomers have many industrial, medical and commercial applications, however, their huge demand raises an important question of how to dispose of the out‐of‐service elastomers. Ideal elastomers that are concurrently tough, recyclable, and degradable are in urgent need, but their preparation remains a rigorous challenge. Herein, a polycaprolactone (PCL) based polyurethane elastomer is designed and prepared to meet this demand. Owing to the presence of dynamic coordination bond and the occurrence of strain‐induced crystallization, the obtained elastomer exhibits a high toughness of ≈372 MJ m−3 and an unprecedented fracture energy of ≈646 kJ m−2, which is much higher than natural rubber (≈50 MJ m−3 for toughness and ≈10 kJ m−2 for fracture energy). In addition, the elastomer can be recycled at least three times using solvent without losing its mechanical properties and can be degraded by lipase in ≈2 months. Finally, biological experiments demonstrate that the elastomer possesses good biocompatibility and can facilitate wound healing in mice when used as sutures. It is believed that the obtained elastomer meets the requirements for next‐generation elastomers and is expected to be used in emerging fields such as biomedicine, flexible electronics, robotics and beyond.


There has been less difficulty with the incorporation of religion into the study of art, not because the critical problem is either different or easier but because the task is defined historically, in terms of what people actually have done in using art in their religious activities. Such studies, in fact, should constitute the bedrock of the discipline, if the study of religion and art has any hope of developing into a recognizable scholarly field. Even so, the theoretical problem is no better treated than in the attempts to relate art to religion. The solution to these difficulties is not so simple as finding some new and superior mode of criticism; the restless succession of critical theories and methods in literary criticism should be sufficient warning against that process as a way out. The solution, rather, lies deeper, in an examination of the paradoxes and the dilemmas of the modern mind. We have not yet learned how to live with, work with, what we have learned about the workings of the mind and of the human organism in general. The solution to our problem may be more open to us if we learn how to take seriously what we now know about the world of the human. Brief summaries are usually caricatures; they are often indispensable. I


Simple Summary The reputation of a zoo indicates the level of public consideration of this institution and is determined by the actions, values, and behaviors that it has conveyed over time. The reputation of zoos is a complex construct and highlighting the key factors that can negatively affect it can lead to identifying ways to promote their reputation. To address these critical issues, a zoo must not only promote higher operational and ethical standards and animal welfare but also be certain that the stakeholders perceive the importance of its mission. This will benefit the individual institution and zoological institutions as a whole as a positive reputation will enable zoos to thrive in the future as biodiversity conservation institutions and places of environmental education and entertainment publicly supported. In this work, we report the development and the first trial of the Zoo Ethical Reputation Survey (ZERS), a tool that, through a survey designed with ad hoc items, analyzes public opinion on features that can influence the reputation of a zoo, focusing on ethical aspects. During its first applications, ZERS proved to be a tool able to provide information on the visitors' opinions about several drivers that, according to the literature, influence corporate reputation. Abstract Nowadays, most zoos have taken prominent and active positions in endangered species conservation and educating visitors about the value of biodiversity. However, to be effective and trusted in their mission, they must act ethically and have a good reputation. Yet, the drivers that can influence their reputation are still little investigated, and there are still few studies focused on assessing the reputation of these institutions. In the present work, we report the development of a tool, the Zoo Ethical Reputation Survey (ZERS), and its pilot application to assess the opinions of the visitors of two zoos, one in Italy and one in Germany, on drivers that may influence the ethical reputation of zoos. Preliminary results based on the answers of 274 respondents show that visitors' opinions on zoos acting with ethical responsibility are correlated with emotional appeal and familiarity with these institutions. The application of ZERS can help zoos identify weaknesses in their reputation and develop new strategies to improve people's attitudes towards them, bringing many benefits to the individual zoo and zoological institutions in general.


A study of red re11 osmotic fragility measured by the techniques of gradual and drastic haemolysis shows a 'fragilisation' during the storage of blood drawn on ACD solution, kept at 4°C. The rheological incidences are outlined.


In this paper, a low area timing synchronization structure for the IEEE 802.11a OFDM MODEM SoC is proposed. The timing synchronization block of the IEEE 802.11a OFDM MODEM SoC requires large implementation area. In the proposed timing synchronization structure, it is shown that the number of multiplication can be reduced by using the transposed direct form filter. Furthermore, implementation area of the proposed structure can be more reduced using CSD(Canonic Signed Digit) and Common Sub-expression Sharing techniques. Through Verilog-HDL coding and synthesis, it is shown that the 22.7 % of implementation area can be reduced compared with the conventional one.


It has been ten years since the minimum living standard guarantee system was introduced in urban China.Among many discussions in this field,the question was still not favorably answered is what is the general profile of the families receiving minimum living standard guarantee(MLSG) What factors affect the development of these families? What are the potential risks for urban families? Using a quantitative method,this article applies vulnerability to families in urban China as an analytical framework,to examine the general poverty of urban families.The empirical findings show that the vulnerability of the MLSG families reflect in these aspects:disadvantage in labor market;survival vulnerability attributing to their low income and expenditure;developmental vulnerability on insufficient educational investment and children's malnutrition;potential risks facing minimum living standard assistant families';inter-generation transfer of income,employment,career and social capital.This article discusses the mechanism of long-term poverty of MLSG families as well and proposes the policy suggestions as follows:enhancing the categorical and case management of MLSG families,introducing both long-term and temporary assistance plan and providing comprehensive assistance service for MLSG families.


In the present investigation, it was proposed to carry out a comparative analysis of cheese made with the proteolytic enzyme ficin, which is derived from the latex of Ficus carica known as (fig). since its proteolytic activity is manifested by denaturing its substrate proteins by breaking the disulfide bonds generated by sulforated amino acids identified as cysteine since it belongs to the group of thiol proteases and is very similar to papain that is extracted from papaya latex, and commercial cheese, for which the T-student test was used, with a unit size of 4 liters with 5 repetitions where in the physical-chemical analysis similar values were obtained in% of humidity, Aw, pH except for protein since there is a difference of 8.86%; While the enzymatic activity presents values of 14.87 U / mg of protein with a time of 58 seconds corresponding to an effective enzymatic speed and clotting time. No presence of pathogenic microorganisms was reported in the microbiological analysis. In the sensory analysis, the paired preference test was used where 100% of tasters preferred commercial fresh cheese. Enzymatic purification is recommended to improve protein content.


After measuring contextual and prosodic vowel (V) length in native speakers, two groups of Italian students were compared to them, to see whether those exposed to naturalistic input fared better than traditionally taught ones. Naturalistic input implied residence abroad for one year (while a control group attended classes in a formal university setting). In native speech Vs were longer when followed by voiced consonants (Cs) and in monosyllabic words. The behaviour of L2 speakers showed some departure from the native model in that Foot-structure was not as influential and following C-voicing was only effective to a lesser degree; in all, the naturalistic input learners fared better. Therefore, mastering these V-lengthening mechanisms, albeit not too awkward for Italians, still needs naturalistic input.


This observation aims to determine the style of teaching sports and health physical education at SMP N 1 Sedayu. This type of observation is a type of quantitative descriptive observation. The subject of this research is a sports teacher at SMP N 1 Sedayu. Data collection techniques were carried out by interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that the teaching style used by the sports teacher at SMP N 1 Sedayu was a command and reciprocal teaching style. In conclusion, from these observations it shows that in the teaching and learning process the sports teacher at SMP N 1 Sedayu uses a command and reciprocal teaching style.


Abstract. A method is presented for evaluating selection strategies for a three-way cross in pigs. Multitrait selection is considered. The criteria of evaluation are the annual genetic gains in the breeding objeetive and its component traits, and the profit which is the net present value of return from investment in the scheme. Selection in the sire line (Pietrain) contributes higher returns than selection in the dam lines. Meat percentage is the dominant trait in the sire line and has the highest impact on the breeding objective. The sire line is characterised by a negligible economic weight for the reproduction trait and has higher weights than dam lines for growth and carcass traits. The higher discounted economic values of these traits for Pietrain compared to those for dam lines deviate considerably from the equal weighting often applied in practical breeding programmes.


Point extraction systems fully coupled with transverse or longitudinal ventilation systems are becoming a major smoke control method. However, several questions still remain for smoke extraction strategies in the ventilation design for safety management, such as, (1) the location (spacing) of exhaust ports for smoke extraction, (2) the control method for choosing the number and locations of exhaust port openings. Using CFD studies, the following issues are clarified for the case of air (smoke) extraction in tunnels with longitudinal ventilation systems: single, large extraction port with maximized extraction air volume gives more acceptable smoke concentration layers than multiple exhaust ports. The case of multiple exhaust ports, odd numbers of openings give better performance than even numbers of openings. (A)


Psychology is defined as a discipline involving the scientific study of human mental function and behaviour. Personality psychology looks at the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour that make a person unique. The Personality Factor Questionnaire is a multiple-choice personality questionnaire which was scientifically developed over several decades of research. The test is useful in predicting a wide variety of behaviours, such as creativity, academic success, cognitive style, empathy and interpersonal skills, leadership potential, conscientiousness, self-esteem, frustration tolerance, coping patterns, marital compatibility, and job performance. Automated psychology assessment through personality traits is a technique of automating the manual testing process currently in use.This requires a formalized "manual testing process", to currently exist in the company or organization. Automation is the use of strategies, tools and artefacts that augment or reduce the need of manual or human involvement or interaction in unskilled, repetitive or redundant tasks.


The invention discloses a method for manufacturing a high-strength bridge steel tube, which is realized through the following steps of: strip cutting: vertically cutting a steel plate; edge milling: milling both side edges of the steel plate for one time; prebending: eliminating straight edges at the end of the plate through prebending; bending: primarily bending the steel plate to be cylindrical; forming: forming the cylindrical steel plate into a steel tube; joint prewelding: jointing the connecting ends of the steel tube; internal welding: welding the internal parts of the connecting ends of the steel tube; external welding: welding the external parts of the connecting ends of the steel tube; tube end processing: processing the tube ends of the steel tube into flat heads; end trimming: trimming the ends of the steel tube to be smooth; final detection: detecting the steel tube; and warehousing: warehousing and storing the qualified steel tube after detection. In the invention, the measure of preventing longitudinal cracks of weld seams is to control prebending and bending roundness and to perform prefinishing in advance before internal welding.


This article aims to show the importance of cooperation between religion teachers and police psychologists in preventing domestic violence. The method of analysis of the literature and state documents (e.g. the law of education) is used. The conclusions were presented in a synthetic way. It has been noted that the cooperation of religion teachers with police psychologists serves to eliminate risk factors that can lead to domestic violence. The parties must therefore remain open towards one another, be ready to engage in dialogue and share knowledge and experience in the area of the prevention of domestic violence.


Objective To observe the impact of biofeedback training on the rehabilitation indicator function of ankle motor in hemiparetic stroke patients with foot drop.Methods A total of 20 hemiparetic stroke patients with foot drop voluntarily were enrolled,male 13,female 7;aged 63-67 years old.All of them were randomly divided into 2 groups(n = 10),A was exercise rehabilitation group,and B was biofeedback training group.The anterior tibias muscle strength was assessed by manual muscle test(MMT) grading standards Kendall percentage,the ankle activities was measured by universal protractor,and modified Ashworth scale(MAS) was used to evaluate cramps of gastrocnemius,the ME 6000 was used to collect surface EMG of anterior tibia gastronomius muscle and gastrocnemius electromyogram change.Results After 3-month rehabilitation therapy,compared with pretreatment,group B had significant enhanced in anterior tibial muscle strength and root mean square(RMS),ankle activity(P 0.01).Compared with group A,after 1-month treatment,the ability of anterior tibial muscle strength,ankle activity were enhanced(P 0.05) in group B,and significantly enhanced in RMS of anterior tibial muscle(P 0.01).After 3-month treatment,all indicators enhanced abilities markedly(P 0.01).After 3-month treatment,group B were significantly better than group A in all of above(P 0.01),group B were better in cramps of gastrocnemiu and RMS.Conclusion It is demonstrated that after 3-month biofeedback training,the function of ankle motor of the hemiparetic stroke patients with foot drop improved to some extent,and the rehabilitation process of patient is promote in combining with more traditional exercise rehabilitation training.


The principle and method of calculation for the coupled torsional-axial vibration based on Rayleigh differential method of crankshaft for a high speed diesel engine are presented. The internal combustion engine crankshaft is simplified to a continuous stepped shaft model and the kinetic formulas of shafts and masses are constructed. By means of the Lagrange formulation, the motion equation of torsional vibration and axial vibration are deduced. According to coupling principle and excited force of shafting system, a model of coupled tor-sional-axial forced vibration can be constructed. Using a vector matrix, a single order or a whole system vibration can be analyzed. With a newly designed testing set-up, the axial and torsional vibrations of the crankshaft at the free-end of a 4-cylinder diesel engine are measured. Compared with the practical measurement results, the calculated results are to be in agreement in main order.


Unmanned aircraft have decreased the cost required to collect remote sensing imagery, which has enabled researchers to collect high-spatial resolution data from multiple sensor modalities more frequently and easily. The increase in data will push the need for semantic segmentation frameworks that are able to classify non-RGB imagery, but this type of algorithmic development requires an increase in publicly available benchmark datasets with class labels. In this paper, we introduce a high-resolution multispectral dataset with image labels. This new benchmark dataset has been pre-split into training/testing folds in order to standardize evaluation and continue to push state-of-the-art classification frameworks for non-RGB imagery.


The invention discloses a powder pump structure used for a powder spraying production line. The powder pump structure comprises a hopper used for storing sprayed powder, one side wall of the bottom of the hopper is provided with an air nozzle connected with an external air inlet pipe, and the other side wall of the bottom of the hopper opposite to the air nozzle is provided with a powder outlet pipe used with the air nozzle. When different colors of powder are replaced, air can enter from the upper portion of the hopper to blow off powder accumulated in the hopper, and air can blow from the air nozzle to the powder outlet pipe so as to clean powder of the air nozzle and the powder outlet pipe. The integral powder cleaning process is simple, quick and convenient and is good in cleaning effect, and different colors of powder can be quickly realized. Meanwhile, color mixing can be avoided to the greatest extent, and social competitive powder of enterprises is greatly enhanced.


This study aims to describe: (1) gender inequalities experienced by Javanese women in the novel The Chronicle OF Kartini; (2) the emancipation of Javanese women in the novel The Chronicle OF Kartini; (3) the value of character education contained in the novel The Chronicle OF Kartini. The research was conducted in October 2017 until March 2018. This research is a qualitative research using feminism approach. The source of this research data is a novel entitled The Chronicle OF Kartini by Wiwid Prasetyo totaling 415 pages. Sampling technique using purposive sampling. Data collection techniques used are document analysis. Data validation techniques use triangulation theory. Data analysis technique used is interactive analysis model, including data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results of this study indicate that: (1) gender inequalities experienced by Javanese women in the form of maginalization, subordination, stereotype, and violence; (2) the emancipation of women contained in the novel The Chronicle OF Kartini in the form of freedom of choice for women, the struggle and resistance of women, and the independence and ferocity of women: (3) in the novel The Chronicle Of Kartini contains 18 types of representation of the value of character education.


The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted life globally. The lockdown-imposed restrictions have negatively impacted a host of sectors, specifically with respect to India, but more so among marginalized communities of children with special needs (CSN) and their primary caregivers whose struggles have been left unnoticed. This article attempts to elucidate the numerous challenges that primary caregivers of this overlooked section of society have endured and its repercussions on their mental and emotional well-being. We further propound the experiences from the pandemic necessitates novel guidelines and make recommendations to support CSN and their caregivers in the advent of another massive crisis.


The notion of polynomial hulls of compact subsets of complex Euclidean space plays a crucial role for approximation of holomorphic functions by polynomials - a topic which has many applications. De ...


The evaluation of any baby with respiratory distress must involve an assessment of nasal patency to exclude choanal atresia. Many methods have been described with varying degrees of complexity and invasiveness. We described a simple method using a nursing stethoscope. A nursing stethoscope is taken and the chestpiece easily removed (Fig. 1). Listening with the earpieces, the opening of the rubber tubing is presented to each nostril in turn (Fig. 2). Airflow will be clearly heard if there is nasal patency. The chestpiece must be removed in order to evaluate each nostril individually. The chestpiece is easily replaced on the tubing. Choanal atresia is a cause of upper airway obstruction occurring in between 1 per 5000 to 1 per 7000 live births (1). Bilateral choanal atresia requires immediate intervention for respiratory distress because neonates are said to be obligate nasal breathers. Although it is suggested that unilateral choanal atresia does not cause significant symptoms in the neonate (1,2), it has been shown that the majority


: Relative yields of water, sediment, and salt (as indexed by electrical conductivity) were determined using simulated rainfall plots on three soil landform units on Mancos shale in the Price River Basin, Utah. Final infiltration rates on residual shale derived soils were between 0.13 and 0.50 cm/hr. No runoff was generated on cracked soils derived from aeolian deposits. Suspended sediment concentrations and elehcal conductivities were 180 and 68 times greater, respectively, for a steep dissected Mancos shale upland than for a low relief shale pediment and recent alluvial surface. Riling accounted for approximately 80 percent of the sediment produced on the steep, dissected shale surface. Channel scow and soil creep also produced measurable mounts of sediment. A survey of sediment basins in steep, dissected shale up lands indicated that an average of 1.25 Mg/ha/year of sediment is produced by that landform unit Carefully designed and located basin plugs can be used effectively to trap sediment, water, and salt from dissected shale uplands.


Al2O3/Al-Si alloy composite was manufactured by squeeze casting. The morphology of the eutectic silicon in the composite was observed by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and the modified mechanism of eutectic silicon in the composite was approached. The alumina fiber in the composite can trigger twin during the growth of Al-Si eutectic and lead to the modification of eutectic silicon near the fiber.


A scanning electron microscopic (SEM) study of dextrin prepared in the range of 120°C to 210°C revealed cracks on the surface of some granules and burst granules indicating a gush of hot inner gas and the heat expansion on the surface. And, fused granules appeared in the dextrin prepared at higher temperature (230°C). Furthermore, the damaged granules in the dextrin were determined by rapid differential-staining method with Safranine OK 70: 100 and Direct Sky Blue 5B. The staining affinities of the granules have no relation to cracks, cavities, pin-holes and other physical appearances observed by SEM.


A sensitive liquid-level sensor based on energy leakage of anti-resonant reflecting guidance in a hollow core fiber is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. It is constructed by splicing a 15mm-long hollow core fiber with a cladding thickness of 40 μm to single mode fibers. Since the leakage of resonance energy is sensitive to surrounding liquids, liquid level is measured by pushing sensor transversely against the liquid surface to efficiently change the proportion of fiber circumference in liquid. Based on the variation of transmission power at resonant wavelengths, liquid-level measurement was achieved with sensitivity up to 7.64 dB/mm, which is several times higher than that of normal sensors immersed vertically into the liquid.


Books are a key channel in the scientific communication processes for researchers in Social Sciences and Humanities. Although the best way of assessing the monographs would involve its individualized reading, this method is practically unfeasible both in terms of cost and time. An indicator which could be used is the prestige of the publisher of monographs and it is essential to take into account the academy's opinion to determine it. This article reports a survey launched to 11,647 lecturers and Spanish researchers, with a response rate of 26%, in which the respondents were asked to point those quality indicators they consider the most relevant for books as well as their opinion on the quality of publishers. As the main results, there are reported the top-rated publishers, as well as the characteristics which, according to the respondents' opinion, determine their quality; among these characteristics, stands out the fact of counting with an assessment system with external reviewers. Regarding the list of publishers, it is also explained the indicator which allows its ranking. It is also defended the use of the results in the form of categorization. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: firstname.lastname@example.com, Oxford University Press.


The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025729X 6/20 December 2010 193 11/12 709-710 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2010 www.mja.com.au True Stories and well equipped, but lacking a full-time gastroen an impulse, I offered my services for 3 months, and accepted. I applied for a 3-month sabbatical — my f — from my post of 18 years as a gastroenterologis Victoria Hospital, Belfast, and a senior lecturer at Qu sity Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. I must confess that I wasn't entirely naïve about lif n 8 gis en O June 2009, I started work as a locum gastroenterolot on the other side of the world and in a very different vironment to the one I was used to. The inspiration for my visit came from an article in the careers supplement to the BMJ. A specialist trainee in infectious diseases wrote of his experiences working in Royal Darwin Hospital in the "Top End" of Australia's Northern Territory. He described the hospital as modern terologist. On my offer was irst sabbatical t at the Royal een's Univer-


This research aims to know the percentage of living coral cover in the village of Sepagar. The benefits of this research are as input for the parties involved in the efforts of the management and conservation of coral reefs in the waters of the village Sepagar. The results of the observation and calculation of the coral reefs is done using the method of Point Intercept Trancek (PIT) shows that the community of coral reefs in the waters of the Sepagar included in the types of coral reefs of the sandbar (patch reef). Generally burnt coral reefs grow and develop in the relatively shallow waters with depths ranging from 1-5 meters. The results showed on the three stations found 7 of the 10 components of the reef that is. Acropora (AC), Non-Acropora (NA), Dead Coral with Algae (DCA), Dead Coral (DC), Soft Coral Sand (SC) (S), and the Rubble (R). Component not found is Fleshy Seawed (FS), Rock (RK) and Silt (SL). At station 1, the total percentage of living coral closure (living cover) by 51.4%, In station 2 of 55,3 % , and in station 3 of 51.3 % .The percentage the coral lived in waters sepagar in good not far different the percentage the coral live in every station.


Aim: To evaluate Sirtuin 3, a protein-coding gene regulator that is contemporary in research and has gained importance rapidly in the recent years, and to correlate its expression in normal tissues, smokers without lesion (SWL), oral leukoplakia (OL), and oral cancer. Materials and Methods: The prospective study of sample size of 52 tissues was divided into 4 groups such as normal (n = 13), SWL (n = 13), OL (n = 13), and oral cancer (n = 13) based on simple randomization. The tissue samples of OL and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were subjected to histologic examination. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was carried out in 52 samples to evaluate the expression of Sirtuin 3. The Shapiro–Wilk test was used for normality testing. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used for intergroup comparison of cycle threshold, followed by Dunn's post hoc analysis. Results: The post hoc analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference between normal group and other study groups (smokers, leukoplakia, and OSCC) (P < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was also observed between leukoplakia and oral cancer for the concentration of Sirtuin (P = 0.0004). Intergroup comparison for cycle threshold revealed no statistically significant difference between the study groups. Conclusion: Sirtuin 3 was well expressed in oral cancer and OL tissues, suggesting that it could be added to the oncogenic profile. The expression of Sirtuin 3 increases with an increase in grades of dysplasia and could aid in understanding its role in the pathogenesis of potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer and can also be an ideal evaluator of prognosis.


Isotactic polypropylene has been reactively blended with an ethylene-octene copolymer so as to improve mechanical and rheological properties. Free radical polymerization of styrene and a multifunctional acrylate during melt extrusion has resulted in the formation of unique features in both amorphous and crystalline phases. Transmission electron microscopy images show that the elastomer domains are less than 200 nm in diameter, whereas grafting leads to the appearance of clusters of polymeric particles, ranging in size from several nanometers up to 200 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) shows that grafting creates lamellar crystals that melt at much lower temperatures and recrystallize at much higher temperatures than binary blends. From wide angle X-ray diffraction and DSC, grafting has been shown to limit the maximum crystal size and perfection, as well as broaden the size distribution of the crystals. Grafting causes significant changes in the α crystalline phase of polypropylene and promotes the formation of the β phase. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a unique cross-hatch structure of small crystals in the reactive blend, with tangential and radial lamellae appearing as crosslinked material of about the same aspect ratio. Polarized light microscopy gives evidence that grafting and branching within this blend causes a gelation-like recrystallization. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers


In the current literature, although it has been known that hookah smoking increases the heart rate and predisposes to arrhythmia, no case report has been published regarding hookah smoking and the development of arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation (AF). In this case report, we presented an adult patient without known cardiovascular disease who experienced AF after a heavy hookah smoking session. Following IV amiodarone infusion, normal sinus rhythm was achieved. The patient was advised to stop hookah smoking and discharged with a beta-blocker therapy and an oral anticoagulant treatment for 3 weeks. The patient's rhythm was normal at one-month outpatient visit. This case emphasizes that hookah smoking could not be considered as a less harmful alternative to cigarette smoking because of its' apparent side effects to the cardiovascular system.


This paper starts with the design and implement of 1:2000 DEM and DOM,and expound the process and method of the DEM and DOM's design and implement systemically, The result's precision is compared with the field by Total Station, which meets the precision demand of mapping, so concludes that this production can apply to the production of surveying.


Browse tree foliages (leaves, twigs and fruits) represent available feed resources that could be used for improved livestock productivity in the tropics due to their high contents of protein, although their utilisation could be limited by their high contents of anti-nutritional factors such as phenolics and tannins. Browse tree leaves from seven species including three Acacias (A. nilotica, A. polyacantha and A. tortilis), Dichrostachys cinerea, Flueggea virosa, Harrisonia abyssinica and Piliostigma thorningii were screened to quantify levels of extractable total phenolics (TEP), extractable tannin (TET) and condensed tannin (CT). The CT in the leaf samples was assayed for soluble, protein-bound and fibre-bound CT using a modified butanol/HCl technique through improved extraction of tannin in leaf samples with aqueous sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-βmercaptoethanol solution. The species had variable levels of TEP, TET and TCT ranging 104-281, 93-256 and 52.8-98.3 g kg -1 DM, respectively. Most of CT was bound to protein (22.2 to 50.5 g kg -1 DM). Soluble and fibre-bound CT fractions varied (P<0.05) among the species from 14.5 to 22.9 g kg -1 DM and from 13.0 to 28.6 g kg -1 DM, respectively. The species had detectable and variable (P<0.05) levels of delphinidins, cyanidins and pelargonidins. Structural elucidation of the assayed proanthocyanidins revealed flavan-3-ols, flavan-3,4-diols or a mixture of the two flavonoids. Presence of different flavonoids denotes variable proanthocyanins' stereochemistry that implies variation in tannin activity and thus reactivity that could be attributed to variable feed anti-nutritive activity. High levels of phenolics and tannins in these species could limit utilisation of browse foliages in ruminants through impaired feed digestibility and nutrient utilisation. There is a need to establish both safety levels of inclusion in the diets of ruminants and tannin structure-activity relationship in vivo.


A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of organic mineral mixture, probiotics, enzymes, emulsifier and liver supplements on serum protein profile and serum biochemical profile. For this purpose, a total of 396 day-old commercial broiler chicks (Cobb) were used and randomly allocated into 11 groups with three replicates of 12 chicks each. The results revealed that at 42 day, all the supplemented groups were significantly (P<0.05) higher in total protein than T0 group. All the supplemented groups were significantly (P<0.05) higher in albumin than T0 group. All the supplemented groups were significantly (P<0.05) higher in globulin than T0 group. All the supplemented groups were significantly (P<0.05) higher in albumin/ globulin ratio than T0 group. Glucose values in T4, T9 and T10 groups were significantly (P<0.05) lower than T0 (control) group. Total cholesterol values in T2, T3, T4, T5, T9 and T10 groups showed significant (P<0.05) decrease compared to the T0 (control). HDLcholesterol values in T3, T4, T5, T9 and T10 showed significant (P<0.05) increase compared to the T0 (control). All the supplemented groups showed significant (P<0.05) decrease in LDLcholestertol values compared to the T0 (control) except T6, T7, and T8. All the supplemented groups showed significant (P<0.05) decrease in triglycerides values compared to the T0 (control) except T6 and T7. All the supplemented groups showed significant (P<0.05) decrease in AST values compared to the T0 (control) except T1, T6, T7 and T8. All the supplemented groups showed significant (P<0.05) decrease in ALT values compared to the T0 (control) except T4 and T9.


This study aims at proposing a model for developing professional development programs of the educational supervisors in the Jordanian Ministry of Education. To achieve this aim, a questionnaire is formed to measure the degree of effectiveness of professional development programs of the educational supervisors from their perspective. The study tool consists of 62 items distributed into seven domains. Considering its liability and validity, the tool is applied on the study sample which is (279) male and female supervisors, who were selected randomly. The study results revealed that the effectiveness degree of programs in general and from educational supervisors' perspective is medium in all domains and in most items. Considering these results, the researcher recommends that the Jordanian Ministry of Education must adopt the model of developing professional development programs of educational supervisors proposed by the study provided that it is tested and adapted in compliance with the Ministry needs.


This interview with the former editor of Rethinking Marxism discusses David F. Ruccio's long-running, highly successful, and humbly titled blog, Occasional Links & Commentary on Economics, Culture and Society. With thousands of posts and well over a million views, the blog has become a one-person digital magazine of impressively wide reach and sweeping scope. In the conversation, David F. Ruccio reflects on his motivations for initiating and continuing the blog since its move to WordPress in 2009; the role of social media in popularizing Marxian analyses; the (dis)similarities of blogging versus teaching; and many other topics with his trademark erudition and frankness.


Introduction: While the prognostic value of immune system biomarkers has been well explored, role of cancer associated macrophages in bladder cancer(BC) is unclear due to lack of consistent results, coupled with tissue nonspecific transcriptomic signature.
 Methodology: Data acquisition from 3,936 patients of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) in addition to Gene Expression Omninus (GEO) data sets GSE13507, GSE16945, GSE48277, GSE32894, GSE149582, as well as European Genotype Phenotype EGAS000001004507 was obtained. Tumor associated macrophages M1 and M2 were defined utilizing 188 and 159 gene expression profiles via xCell computational algorithm. To obtain bladder tissue residence macrophage signatures, scRNA seq was performed on tissue collected from surgical resection of 5 HG bladder cancer patients and 2 healthy controls. CellRanger software package with default parameters was utilized giving a total of 8,068 cells. FindAllMarkers was utilized for integration of DEG genes (cancer vs control) among the cluster and identification of BC macrophage specific markers. Endpoint of OS were measured in months from the time of cystectomy to follow up.
 Results: Surprisingly, presence of M1 infiltration was found to be associated with improved OS in two out of eight cohorts only (GSE32894, GSE70691, p<0.001), while the remainder detected no significant difference. Similarly, no association with OS was detected among all 8 cohorts with M2 infiltration. To improve our understanding of tissue specific markers of macrophage population in bladder, we then analyzed macrophage clusters detected within scRNAseq of BC patients compared to healthy. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of functions within tumor specific macrophages demonstrated an exaggerated expression of mTORC1 signaling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, TGF beta and EGF receptor pathways compared to non-cancer controls. Reanalysis of 22 tissue specific markers for M1/M2 infiltration showed no difference in any of the 8 cohorts with M1 high vs low infiltration. Similarly, addition of M2 infiltration as predictive marker yielded no further associations with OS in all but one cohort (GSE32894, p=0.00041), where high M2 tumor presence was associated with improved OS.
 Conclusion: Our study represents the largest TAMs evaluation of BC across 8 cohorts with additional scRNA seq exploration of tissue specific signatures, demonstrating no association with OS in bladder cancer.
 Citation Format: Laura Bukavina, Spencer Bell, Daniel Geynisman, Ilaha Isali, Daniel Ranti, John Sfakianos, Henkel Valentine, Adam Calaway, Alexander Kutikov, Andres Correa, Robert Uzzo, Lee Ponsky, Philip Abbosh. Macrophage transcriptomic signature validation in scRNA seq and overall survival differences in urothelial carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5141.


Simulations with General Circulation Models have indicated that global warming will be enhanced at high latitudes. Regions in the high Arctic are highly sensitive to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, with an amplified theoretical rise of 8--14 C predicted to take place in winter and a negligible rise of 2 C in summer. Wetter conditions in these regions are quite plausible with global warming due to warmer sea surface temperatures, melting of sea ice and a greater moisture holding capacity of the atmosphere. Recent observations show a marked increase in precipitation in the high Arctic regions during the past decades, particularly in the winters. The notion of whether the increased melting of snow due to global warming would be offset by increased snowfall is investigated in this study. To make reliable predictions of the response of high Arctic glaciers to global warming and hence their contribution to sea-level rise, a numerical model has been developed to investigate the interactions of the glaciers with climate change induced by global warming. The model is a one-dimensional numerical ice-flow model coupled with a surface balance model. Accumulation and ablation at the glacier surface are determined by the surface balance model using an energymore » balance approach.« less


The representation method of field knowledge for electrical apparatus designing was proposed by combining rule, frame, pro-cedure and semantic network together. Aiming at an innovation design, the frame mode which is to organize and manage the object knowledge for electrical apparatus designing was presented and integrated knowledge representation methods into the modeling of de-sign object knowledge.


This work presents a study over a torque-generated speed control of free wheel attached to a DC motor, for use on traction of mobile vehicles. Also, it presents the discrete state space model of a DC model and the Kalman filter ' s equations and applications. This work presents a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system for design of a torque controller noticed that this process produces a faster design, coding, and parameter optimization of any embedded systems. The hardware used for the implementation of the system is discussed as the hardware-in-the-loop environment which makes possible the fast tuning and design of the system. In the absence of a torque sensor, this work uses the Kalman filter ' s estimated states torque and speed as feedbacks of the system.


The traditional Request-To-Send/Clear-To-Send (RTS/CTS) handshaking has been widely adopted in wireless ad hoc networks to reduce the hidden terminal problem. Nevertheless, the RTS/CTS handshaking potentially incur the false blocking problem where nodes blindly defer when they overhear the RTS packets. To mitigate the false blocking problem, the Ready-To-Send and Blocking Notification (RSBN) scheme was proposed previously. In the RSBN scheme, the exposed and hidden receivers should transmit the BN packets to inform adjacent nodes of their deferring status to reduce the unnecessary RTS packet transmissions from potential senders. However, implementing the RS and BN control packets in conjunction with the RTS/CTS handshaking can potentially exacerbate the problems of transmission overhead and energy efficiency degradation. In this paper, we propose an improved scheme that is able to switch adaptively between the RSBN scheme and the basic scheme. In some situations where there are only a few hidden terminals with low loads, it is not beneficial to employ the RSBN scheme. Simulation results show that the proposed adaptive scheme can provide significant energy savings with an average reduction of 30% when compared to the default case, where the RSBN scheme is employed at all times.


Water transported by slabs into the mantle at subduction zones plays key roles in tectonics, magmatism, fluid and volatiles fluxes, and most likely in the chemical evolution of the Earth's oceans and mantle. Yet, incorporation of water into oceanic plates before subduction is a poorly understood process. Several studies suggest that plates may acquire most water at subduction trenches because the ocean crust and uppermost mantle there are intensely faulted caused by bending and/or slab pull, and display anomalously low seismic velocities. The low velocities are interpreted to arise from a combination of fluid‐filled fractures associated to normal faulting and mineral transformation by hydration. Mantle hydration by transformation of nominally dry peridotite to water‐rich serpentinite could potentially create the largest fluid reservoir in slabs and is therefore the most relevant for the transport of water in the deep mantle. The depth of fracturing by normal‐fault earthquakes is usually not well constrained, but could potentially create deep percolation paths for water that might hydrate up to tens of kilometers into the mantle, restrained only by serpentine stability. Yet, interpretation of deep intraplate mineral alteration remains speculative because active‐source seismic experiments have sampled only the uppermost few kilometers of mantle, leaving the depth‐extent of anomalous velocities and their relation to faulting unconstrained. Here we use a joint inversion of active‐source seismic data, and both local and regional earthquakes to map the three dimensional distribution of anomalous velocities under a seismic network deployed at the trench seafloor. We found that anomalous velocities are restrained to the depth of normal‐fault micro‐earthquake activity recorded in the network, and are considerably shallower than either the rupture depth of teleseismic, normal‐fault earthquakes, or the limit of serpentine stability. Extensional micro‐earthquakes indicate that each fault in the region slips every 2–3 months which may facilitate regular water percolation. Deeper, teleseismic earthquakes are comparatively infrequent, and possibly do not cause significant fracturing that remains open long enough to promote alteration detectable with our seismic study. Our results show that the stability field of serpentine does not constrain the depth of potential mantle hydration.


Epilepsy and drugs used in its treatment can have significant impact on the patient' s life. Because of its unique mechanism of action, Lamictal does not impair development of cognitive function and causes less central nervous system side effects. The aim of this multicentre prospective follow-up study was to assess the effect of 4-month Lamictal therapy on the quality of life modification in epileptic patients. The secondary aim of the study was to assess the patient' s satisfaction with the treatment. The study included 63 patients of both sexes (30 men) older than 18 years, with the diagnosis of epilepsy, who had not been treated with Lamictal and had experienced at least one episode of epileptic seizure during the preceding year. Quality of life was evaluated by a standardized questionnaire for quality of life assessment in epileptics, QOLIE 31, distributed on the first visit when Lamictal was introduced, and 4 months after its introduction. Statistical analysis was done by use of t-test for dependent samples to compare the quality of life before and 4 months of therapy introduction, and analysis of variance for independent variables. At 4 months of Lamictal therapy, considerable improvement in the quality of life was recorded on the basis of total score(SD) (60.4[17.0]:50.3[19.7] ; p<0.001) and other QOLIE 31 questionnaire subscales, except for the subscale of medication effects. Changes in the emotional subscale(r = 2.28, p<0.05) showed significant dose dependence (50-500 mg), and high dosage had a more significant effect on the results of subscales on concern for seizures, general quality of life, and cognitive functions (p<0.05 ; analysis of variance). Nineteen patients appraised the treatment as very satisfactory, 39 as satisfactory, and 4 as unsatisfactory. It is concluded that Lamictal used in a broad spectrum of doses during a 4-month period significantly improved the quality of life in epileptic patients.


2 The research was carried out to study emotional intelligence and conflict management styles using employees in the Human Resources Division at XYZ University in Malaysia. Specifically, it aims to examine the correlation of supervisors' emotional intelligence assessed by themselves and by their subordinates. Second, this study explored if there is a relationship between emotional intelligence possessed by the supervisors and styles of handling conflict as reported by their subordinates. Three sets of surveys were used to measure the results: Emotional Quotient Index (EQI) (Self-rating), Emotional Quotient Index (EQI) (Observer) and Rahim Organisational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II) Form A surveys. Results from these surveys showed that supervisors had the highest ratings on empathy but the lowest on selfregulation. Subordinates used more integrating and compromising styles when handling conflicts with their supervisors, while dominating styles were the least used. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that there were significant relationships between emotional


1.1 Distribution and environmental gradients of lenga forests Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. et Endl.) Krasser) is a native tree species widely distributed in the Andean forests of Patagonia. In Argentina, lenga forests cover almost the entire length of the sub-Antarctic forests on the eastern slopes of Andean Cordillera, from the 35 o 35 'S latitude parallel in the province of Neuquen to the 55 o S in the province of Tierra del Fuego (Figure 1). This species usually occupies the upper portion of the altitudinal limit of woody vegetation (up to 2000 masl) in its northern distribution area, while it grows near sea level in its southern distribution area in Tierra del Fuego (Donoso Z., 1995, Tortorelli, 2009, Veblen et al., 1977). Lenga is adapted to grow under a great variety of soils, environmental conditions, and disturbance regimes (Schlatter, 1994). In fact, this species could be found in areas in which average annual precipitation may reach 500 mm year-1 (under a Mediterranean type of climate), to others reaching 3,000 mm year-1 (under either iso-hygro or Mediterranean type of climates). Lenga is also capable of supporting extreme temperatures, from mean annuals of 3.5 to 4 C in upper altitudinal areas (Schlatter, 1994) to 7 to 9 C in milder areas at lower altitudes or also near sea level. In the northern part of its distribution, lenga grows under a typical Mediterranean climate, with precipitation concentrated during winter and early spring as either rain or snow, followed by a dry and mild period during summer and early fall. Going south, this regime gradually changes to more iso-hydric conditions, being precipitation more evenly distributed along the year. In the northern part of its distribution and up to the 52 o S, however, the amount of annual precipitation is greatly influenced by the barrier that imposes the Andean Cordillera, which creates one of the most spectacular precipitation gradients of the world. There, the western humid winds coming from the South Pacific Ocean discharge most of the precipitation as they go upward to the upper parts of the Andes, passing to the eastern slopes as more dry air masses that rapidly lose their humidity content. This makes that upper mountain ranges near the border with Chile may receive 5000 mm of precipitation per year, while in less than 50 to 80 km toward the Patagonian


This work is dedicated to the astrophysics of rotating black holes. The main topic concerns accretion physics in the regime of General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD). The behavior of non-radiative accretion flows and outflows on the Kerr space-time is analyzed. Basic equations of conservative GRMHD and aspects of numerical schemes are presented. Relativistic codes and astrophysical simulations validate numerical schemes. A synopsis gives requirements for a robuste GRMHD code. Further developments in GRMHD research are investigated. Another part deals with radiation from accretion disks. Relativistically broadened emission lines from active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries are calculated by relativistic ray tracing. A new model - based on truncated standard disks - is presented that considers radial drift in accretion flows. Emission lines serve as diagnostic tools to compare parameter studies. Thereby, a classification scheme by line morphology was found: A line profile is triangular, double-horned, bumpy, shoulder-like or double-peaked. Both parts of the work can be connected in further research: results from GRMHD simulations e.g. the velocity field of the flow serve as an input for Kerr ray tracing. Then, realistic spectra are feasible that originate from the vicinity of black holes.


Molecular architecture plays a key role in determining the physical properties and emergent functional properties of polymeric materials. Despite recent progress in the synthesis of structurally defined polymers, we still lack a complete understanding of how the emergent properties of topologically complex polymers arise from molecular-scale phenomena. In this work, we study the nonequilibrium dynamics of DNA-based comb polymers in extensional flow using a combination of single molecule fluorescence microscopy and Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations. In this way, we directly observe the stretching dynamics of single DNA comb polymers in planar extensional flow. Transient stretching dynamics of isolated comb polymers is studied as a function of branch density and location, branch molecular weight, and flow strength. High-fidelity BD simulations are used to provide a direct complement to single molecule experiments, providing key insights into the molecular stretching mechanisms for single combs in flow. Our...


*Corresponding author: Peter J. Taub, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 5 East 98th Street, Box 1259, New York, New York 10029. Tel: (212) 241-5873; E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Citation: Taub PJ, Chavanon V, Taub JS (2017) Poland Syndrome: Case Report and Discussion. J Surg 2017. JSUR-134. DOI: 10.29011/JSUR-134.000034 Received Date: 13 April, 2017; Accepted Date: 10 May, 2017; Published Date:17 May, 2017


The impact of positive and negative edge biasing on the interchange plasma turbulence in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) regions of a tokamak is assessed by comparing numerical simulation results with and without any biasing. The concomitant modifications in the radial transport and power spectra are also analyzed. It is found that a positive bias shifts the peak of the ky-spectra toward a lower ky value in the edge region, but no such shift takes place in the SOL region. A negative bias produces a negligible shift. The heat and particle fluxes in the edge region are seen to increase with the radial electric field shear in the region where a flow reversal takes place. Elsewhere, the fluxes decrease with an increase in the shear. The heat and particle loads per unit time on the limiter/divertor material plates decrease with the biasing voltages in comparison to those w/o biasing, but the load intensities increase. It is found that the blob fraction decreases with the radial electric field shear, but at lower radial positions around the biasing region, it increases from −16 to +64 V.


This thesis presents results on COSDIC ray dally variation obtained froa detailed analysis of ground based cosodc ray data recorded by global net-vioiic of neutron nonltors. It Is well evident that even though the comsle ray Intensity outside the solar system Is largely Isotropic, tbe solar wind and the associated Interplanetary aagnetlc field nodulate these partlclei vlth In the Interplanetary aedlun to a considerable extent and results Into a significant anisotropic spatial variations along wltb other cosolc ray isotropic tine variations. Tbe anisotropic spatial variations and isotropic tlae variations have been studied in the past considerably. The low counting rate a M consequently tbe poor statistics have prevented a better understanding, particularly of short term changes of the anisotrooic spatial variations* Sucb type of short-tem changes have been studied to a good extent by tbe author using ^ e data recorded by a nuaber of high counting rate neutron nonltors <t̂ M*6)f) operating on tbe earth. Ba<^ gr<Mand based nonitor which looks only Into a saall region of the sky at any given tlae, scans a narrow belt of the sky during the course of a day as tbe earth ST)lns on its axis. Mitb geographically well distributed set of neutron sionitors it is now possible to keep a continuous watch of tbe interplanetary aediua by studying the observed cosndc ray intensity variations. Although a nunber of neutron nonltors are in operation In longitudinal zones corresponding to Europe, Canada and U«S«A., the Asian zone bas becotae ooosolouous


Recent progress in the production of photon beams delivered by undulators allowed us to obtain new low- and high-resolution results in photoionization of atoms and ions. Using the 2nd generation Super ACO storage ring, we have measured cross sections for higher-order correlation satellites in lithium and single and double photoionization of multiply-charged ions. With the 3rd generation Advanced Light Source storage ring, we performed highly-resolved angle-integrated and angle-resolved experiments, including the study of correlation satellites and hollow states in alkali-atoms.


Transmission line capabilities are limited because of voltage, stability, and thermal limitations. FACTS solutions are generally applicable for the first two limitations and are economical for high capacity EHV lines. Real time thermal monitoring systems complement FACTS technologies by allowing a much lower cost solution for thermally limiting circuits, especially at HV levels. There is a broad range of applications for which real time thermal ratings are ideally suited.


We present a detailed systematic investigation of the transient uniaxial extensional response of a series of well-characterized, anionically synthesized comb polystyrenes and polyisoprenes. The comb architecture consists of a linear chain backbone with multiple branches of equal molar mass, and represents an excellent model branched polymer. The linear viscoelastic response has been studied already in great detail. Our results indicate that the strain hardening becomes more important as the Hencky strain rate is increased. In general, the larger the number of entanglements of the segments between branches and/or of the branches, the stronger the strain hardening and the smaller the characteristic rate for its onset. The key molecular parameter appears to be the number of entanglements per branch. By varying it, one can tailor the amount and onset of strain hardening. This can be rationalized by accounting for the combined effect of backbone tube dilation and extra friction, brought about by the branches. ...


SECTION 1: GENES Chapter 1 Genetic Aspects of Aggression in Nonhuman Animals Chapter 2 Human Quantitative Genetics of Aggression Chapter 3 Crustacean Models of Aggression SECTION 2: NEUROTRANSMITTERS Chapter 4 Brain Serotonin and Aggressive Disposition in Humans and Nonhuman Primates Chapter 5 Monoamines, GABA, Glutamate, and Aggression Chapter 6 Nitric Oxide and Aggression Chapter 7 Neuroplasticity and Agression: An Interaction Between Vasopressin and Serotonin SECTION 3: HORMONES Chapter 8 Contexts and Ethology of Vertebrate Aggression: Implications for the Evolution of Hormone Behavior Interactions Chapter 9 Androgens and Aggression Chapter 10 The Role of Estrogen Receptors in the Regulation of Aggressive Behaviors Chapter 11 Maternal Aggression Chapter 12 Stress and Aggressive Behaviors STRESS 4: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 13 Conditioned Defeat Chapter 14 Development of Aggression Chapter 15 Neurobiology of Aggression in Children SECTION 5: PHARMACOLOGY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Chapter 16 Drugs of Abuse and Aggression Chapter 17 Psychopharmacology of Human Aggression: Laboratory and Clinical Studies Chapter 18 Psychophysiology of Human Antisocial Behavior


This Ph.D. project involved the development and evaluation of a prototype medical optical tomographysystem. The time-resolved 32-channel instrument is presented, and various instrumental aspects and performance issues are discussed. It has been designed primarily as a continuous bedside monitor for obtaining functional images of premature infants' brains that are at an increased risk of injury due to dysfunction in cerebral oxygenation or haemodynamics. The fully automated device employs 32 source fibers that sequentially deliver near infrared pulsed laser radiation of picosecond duration to the tissue. Transit time measurements of very high temporal resolution (∼100 ps FWHM) and stability (∼5 ps/h drift, and jitter of similar magnitude) are made between these sources and 32 detector optodes also located on the skin surface. Photons transmitted diffusely through the tissue and collected by the optodes are transmitted to four ultra-fast eight-anode Microchannel Plate Photomultiplier Tube detectors. Thirty-two fully simplex time-correlated single photon counting channels simultaneously record histograms of the photon flight times at rates of up to about 300,000 counts per second per channel. These so-called temporal point spread functions represent the raw data for the image reconstruction. Separate maps of the internal absorption and scattering properties can be reconstructed from purely temporal data without recourse to reference or baseline measurements. The effectiveness of this instrument has been demonstrated by successfully imaging various tissue-equivalent phantoms and an adult forearm. A preliminary post-mortem study suggested that a sufficient number of photons can be transmitted across the head of the neonate at safe exposure levels and durations to obtain an adequate signal.


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects dual-cure resin cements on nerve conduction. Methods: Panavia F, RelyX ARC, and Variolink II polymerized either by light-emitting diode (LED) or quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) were used in the study (n=10). The conductance of sciatic nerves of 50 rats were measured before and after contact with the specimens for 1 h. Results: The time-dependent change in nerve conductance and the comparison of LED versus QTH showed that differences between groups are significant (P<.05). For both polymerization techniques, pair-wise comparisons of resin cements showed that the nerve conductance between groups is different (P<.05). RelyX ARC elicited irreversible inhibition of compound action potentials (more than 50% change) and Panavia F and Variolink II polymerized by LED and QTH did not alter nerve conduction beyond physiologic limits. Conclusions: Resin cements may alter nerve conductance and even lead to neurotoxic effects.


We have measured the magnetic-field dependence, 0\ensuremath{\le}H\ensuremath{\le}8 T, of the resistive transitions R(T) of ultrathin granular superconducting Pb films with normal-state sheet resistances, ${\mathit{R}}_{\mathit{Q}}$\ensuremath{\le}${\mathit{R}}_{\mathit{N}}$\ensuremath{\le}100 k\ensuremath{\Omega}, where ${\mathit{R}}_{\mathit{Q}}$=h/4${\mathit{e}}^{2}$\ensuremath{\simeq}6.45 k\ensuremath{\Omega}. The data suggest that the magnetic-field-induced superconductor-to-insulator transition in these films occurs in a field regime where pair-breaking effects have significantly reduced the amplitude of the superconducting order parameter. We compare our results with those obtained on systems with uniform morphologies.


Flow experience is an enjoyable feeling highly linked to the learning experience. Identifying whether a student is in flow while using educational systems is critical to measure the quality of systems and the students' learning. Usually, this process is done through intrusive techniques or with a high cost and can not be applied with a large number of students at the same time. In this study, we propose a computational approach to provide automatic student's flow experience identification in educational systems using only the student's data logs from their interactions in the systems. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify the different possibilities currently used to identify student's flow experience in educational systems, as well as a theoretical study associating student's interaction data logs in educational systems with the flow experience dimensions. Our preliminary results indicate that it is possible to obtain the flow experience in an automatic and implicit way.


ABSTRACT The M & M mastodont is one of only a few described specimens of Mammut americanum in Arizona. This contrasts to the large number of sites reporting mammoth remains. The preserved remains of the mastodont indicate it was a large male, but not an aged adult. Radiocarbon dates associated with the mastodont reveal a late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) age for the mastodont. Previous pollen studies from the M & M mastodont show a transition from the Clovis-aged Drought to a more mesic environment.


This paper challenges existing theories of radicalization and secession that are presented as "natural" tendencies of minority nationalism. It demonstrates the affinity between the strategies of national minorities and those of social movements, claiming that excluded minorities seek to reframe and expand the meaning of their citizenship, as do social movements, by utilizing the structures of opportunities available to them through citizenship and by mobilizing whatever resources possible to improve their status. Minorities utilize the opportunities embedded in their citizenship, despite its shortcomings, before ever moving to alternative strategies that may jeopardize the valued incentives that were achieved so far as citizens. The paper demonstrates its theoretical hypothesis by examining the changes taking place in the strategy adopted by the Arab minority in Israel. This minority has chosen to abandon accommodative politics and is adopting a more active and challenging strategy vis-à-vis the state. In contrast with common claims that conceive Arab politics as a tendency towards strategies of radicalization and confrontation with the state, this paper demonstrates that recent changes in Arab politics seek to expand the meaning of citizenship beyond liberal limits and adapt it to new conditions in order to meet the minority's expectations of full and equal citizenship.


Based on a DCN with OCS, we propose a pattern-aware scheduling and fast convergence strategy for the distributed machine learning jobs. Experimental results show significant accelerations for completion time and convergence of the jobs.


The creation of the sixth generation is an empiricist one,which embodies the consciousness determined by the reality.While the spiritual traveling without subject and the identity of cultural difference determines their formula of creation,the reality decides the philosophical viewpoint and linguistic mode of their documental writing.After the discovery by the western and the identity by multi-nations,the popularity of films and the native culture of Chinese films make their return to the system in ideological and artistic views.And the system also displays an unprecedented forgiveness and tolerance.


Public policy execution is always embedded in specific institutional context.The execution of the process and result are not only affected by its standards and policy constraints,but also by broad system background.The embedded relationship between public policy and system background maybe adjustment between executive main body and the target groups,and then affect the execution of the process and results.Successful policy implementation relies on public policy and its implementation scheme which provides compatibility relation of the incentive structure and system background.Therefore,policy makers or lawmakers in formulating public policies and in the process of design the implementation of the solution,must consider such system background as cultures,traditions,customs,and the formal rules,and their different incentive structure to different policies subject.


Recent progress in the development of a compact, portable, explosively-driven high power microwave source is presented. The envelope to which the system must fit has a 15 cm diameter, which means each sub-system fits within this dimension, with an optimized overall length. The system includes an autonomous prime energy source, which provides the initial energy for a two-stage, flux-trapping helical flux compression generator (FCG). Typical output from the FCG is several kilojoules into a 3 μH inductor. The amplified energy from the generator, after pulse conditioning, is used to drive a virtual cathode oscillator (vircator). Recorded voltages at the vircator with this arrangement were greater than 200 kV in experiments, where radiated output powers of greater than 100 MW have been measured. Voltages of at least 300 kV, with an electrical output power of 4 GW or greater, were generated by the FCG driven pulsed power source into a water resistor load with an impedance similar to the operating impedance of the vircator. A description of each component of the compact microwave source will be given, along with waveforms from tests performed with the components independent of the rest of the system. Data from experiments with the fully integrated microwave system will be shown, and analysis will be offered to detail the performance of the system in its present state.


Abstract This article examines the discursive role and positioning of arts journalism at Die Burger during a period of radical transformation in South African society (1990–1999). This study investigates if and how the nature of cultural capital at Die Burger was affected by power shifts when competing elites jostled for dominance in a post-apartheid dispensation. A contextualised critical discourse analysis approach was used to identify strategies of distinction and classification used by arts journalists, and how the selection and presentation of arts journalism on news and arts pages were influenced by various factors, including the personal background and experiences of the journalists. The study found that arts journalists were at the intersection of different and often diverging and contradictory power points in post-apartheid discourses at the newspaper, with some defending the arts against political and economic 'interference' while others expressed skepticism about the so-called Africanisation of society and resultant attacks on Eurocentrism in the arts.


Aim To assess safety and feasibility of cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and left ventricular dysfunction. Methods and results We analysed 395 cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPXs) performed in 227 clinically stable patients with CHF [mean age 76 years, males 70%, mean New York Heart Association (NYHA) class 2.2 ± 0.5] and impaired left ventricular function (mean ejection fraction 43 ± 12%). Ninety-eight out of 395 CPXs (25%) were performed in patients older than 80 years. A standard bicycle exercise ramp protocol was used, with increments of 10 W/min. An expiratory exchange ratio (RER) ≥ 1.05 at the peak of CPX was considered as the index of maximal exercise. Average workload was 65 ± 23 W. No adverse reactions were observed, although one test was stopped for non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. The main reasons for stopping were exhaustion (50%), dyspnoea (30%), maximal predicted heart rate (17%), orthopaedic problems (2.5%) and significant ST segment depression (0.5%). In the overall cohort, 80% of patients achieved an RER ≥ 1.05 and, in 56% of them, the RER was ≥ 1.15. The anaerobic threshold (AT) was detectable in 80% of CPXs, and mean oxygen consumption (VO2) at AT was 9 ± 6 ml/kg per min, whereas mean peak VO2 was 11 ± 3 ml/kg per min. In the cohort of patients aged > 80 years, 71% reached an RER ≥ 1.05 and 47% reached an RER ≥ 1.15. In these older patients, AT was detectable in 68% of CPXs performed, and the mean peak VO2 was 10 ± 3 ml/kg per min. Conclusions In elderly patients with CHF, the CPX is safe, feasible and able to provide basic information for individual risk assessment. These findings potentially extend the indications of CPX, which is currently applied to selected middle-aged patients with CHF, to the elderly population.