Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine: (i) the prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) in Maori and European New Zealanders; and (ii) whether an association exists between hypermobility and FM.

Methods: The 1990 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria were used to determine the prevalence of FM (both criteria), widespread pain (WP) only, and a tender point score (TPS) ≥ 11 only, in subjects aged 12 years and older. Beighton's method was used to determine hypermobility.

Results: The prevalence of FM in Maori (1.1%) and European (1.5%) New Zealanders was similar (an overall prevalence of 1.3%); 1.7% Maori and 3.9% Europeans had WP only; and 1.7% Maori and 0.9% Europeans had a TPS of ≥ 11 only. In Maori, the prevalence of WP and a TPS ≥ 11 were the same and similar to the prevalence of FM. In Europeans, WP was 2.6-fold more common than FM. None of the subjects with FM, WP only or a TPS ≥ 11 only was hypermobile.

Conclusion: The prevalence of FM was similar in Maori and European New Zealanders, and similar to most other population studies. In Maori, WP and a TPS ≥ 11 were equally specific for FM whereas in Europeans, WP was more sensitive but less specific for FM than a TPS ≥ 11. There was no association between hypermobility and FM.


Heterologous influenza A vaccination–induced antibodies correlated with vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease. The (Mis)match Game Even the most beneficial things—like vaccines—sometimes have a downside. Learning what causes the downside is critical for avoiding it. In the case of viral vaccines, there have been some reports of rare vaccine-induced disease enhancement—for example, vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD) for influenza. Khurana et al. now report that mismatched strains of the same subtype of influenza may lead to VAERD in pigs. The authors vaccinated pigs with whole inactivated H1N2 influenza virus. These pigs had enhanced pneumonia and disease after infection with another strain—pH1N1. Looking more closely, the authors found that the immune sera from the H1N2-vaccinated pigs contained high titers of cross-reactive hemagglutinin antibodies. These antibodies actually enhanced pH1N1 infection in cell culture by promoting virus membrane fusion activity, and this enhanced fusion correlated with lung pathology. This mechanism of VAERD should be considered when devising strategies to devise a universal flu vaccine. Vaccine-induced disease enhancement has been described in connection with several viral vaccines in animal models and in humans. We investigated a swine model to evaluate mismatched influenza vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD) after pH1N1 infection. Vaccinating pigs with whole inactivated H1N2 (human-like) virus vaccine (WIV-H1N2) resulted in enhanced pneumonia and disease after pH1N1 infection. WIV-H1N2 immune sera contained high titers of cross-reactive anti-pH1N1 hemagglutinin (HA) antibodies that bound exclusively to the HA2 domain but not to the HA1 globular head. No hemagglutination inhibition titers against pH1N1 (challenge virus) were measured. Epitope mapping using phage display library identified the immunodominant epitope recognized by WIV-H1N2 immune sera as amino acids 32 to 77 of pH1N1-HA2 domain, close to the fusion peptide. These cross-reactive anti-HA2 antibodies enhanced pH1N1 infection of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells by promoting virus membrane fusion activity. The enhanced fusion activity correlated with lung pathology in pigs. This study suggests a role for fusion-enhancing anti-HA2 antibodies in VAERD, in the absence of receptor-blocking virus-neutralizing antibodies. These findings should be considered during the evaluation of universal influenza vaccines designed to elicit HA2 stem-targeting antibodies.


Bayesian methods are seldom seen in the context of plant pathology. However, they offer a number of possibilities in data analysis and decision theory. Most decision makers utilize a Bayes-like methodology to combine prior information with new information, and in this context the acceptance or failure of predictive systems can be itself dependent on prior information. In the context of complex systems, a Bayesian approach to data analysis using MCMC methods offers flexibility beyond that encountered in a frequentist approach. Frequency distributions of parameters become available, and the effect of the certainty of the prior distribution can also be determined


With the large numbers of trucks carrying heavy shipping containers entering and leaving Fremantle Port, it is important to manage their compliance with gross mass and axle mass limits. In 1997, a mass management system was installed on Port Beach Road, the only access route to the port. The system, commonly known as Fremantle WIM was intended to assist industry and regulators alike in managing the mass of vehicles using the port. A key role of the system was to closely monitor the vehicles fitted with E-tags, vehicles permitted higher axle mass limits to carry the heaviest containers. The WIM component of the system weighs in accordance with specification but the many other elements of the ambitious system have not lived up to expectations. In December 2001 an extensive visual survey was carried out, monitoring the heavy vehicle activity. The data obtained from the survey was compared with the corresponding data from the WIM system. This paper reports on the system, the survey of late 2001 and the direction being considered for the future of container mass management at Fremantle Port. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E208097.


ECONOMISTS WHO WRITE about advertising may be classified into three categories. There are those who argue that it is a wasteful activity leading to extra consumption of surplus products in an irrational economy. Then there are the business economists. They hold for little restraint on advertising and their points, such as good market information for consumers, are equally persuasive. The majority of academic economists are in the middle. They recognize the social benefits of advertising and the social problems it may generate, but they hedge their comments. It is important, however, to examine an institution like advertising since it is regarded as a legitimate cost of doing business. As such a cost, 48 per cent of advertising expenditure can be deducted from the firm's gross profits in calculating corporate income tax liability. The removal of this tax advantage would almost double the cost of advertising. This essay questions the desirability of the exemption and suggests another taxing alternative.


eMoflon is a model-based meta-CASE framework, which allows users to build their own solutions for modern MDE scenarios. Particularly, eMoflon supports meta-modeling and unidirectional as well as bidirectional model transformation. In this tutorial, those major functionalities of eMoflon are presented using a case study of object-oriented refactorings.


The complex tibial organs of the Ensiferan species Troglophilus neglectus (Raphidophoridae, Gryllacridoidea) do not differ significantly in their morphology in all six legs. They consist of a normal developed subgenual organ and an intermediate organ (when compared with the conditions in tettigoniids). Physiologically, the receptor cells of the complex tibial organs of the fore- and midlegs could be grouped into 11 functional types. Four of these types belong probably to the intermediate organ; the cells of these types respond to frequencies from 700 Hz to 2,000 Hz to both substrate- and airborne sound but are more sensitive to the former. The remaining seven types belong to the subgenual organ. Their receptors are tuned to stimuli within frequencies ranging from 200 Hz to 700 Hz. The classification into different functional types and their attribution to the two receptor organs were derived from a comparison with the physiological properties of the receptors of the complex tibial organs in the midlegs of tettigoniids. In the Troglophilinae the subgenual and intermediate organs are structurally very similar to those of the midleg receptor organs of tettigoniids; only the most distal part of the intermediate organ and the crista acoustica is missing. Consistent with the similarities in the proximal part of the receptor complex, the receptor cells of the subgenual and intermediate organs show similar physiological characteristics. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


A success Low-rate Distributed Denial of Service (LDDoS) attack is composed of many single sources of Low-rate Denial of Service (LDoS) attacks, which are well-organized in time synchronization to aggregate the attack flow at the end of target router. This paper addresses time synchronization and flow aggregation in LDDoS attacks for the purpose of exploring the attack performance. A cross-correlation algorithm is proposed to guarantee all network-wide distributed attack pulses aggregate at the victim end with a strict time limitation to form a powerful attack pulse. Experiments on the attack performance of LDoS and LDDoS attack are performed in NS-2 simulation platform. Experiment results show that the LDDoS attack effects can be improved significantly by using cross-correlation algorithm to coordinate attack pulses, which obtain better attack performance than many single dependent attack pulses.


F-wave is one of the late responses produced by antidromic activation of Motoneurons by supramaximal stimulation. They are variable in latency, amplitude, and configuration. Whenever we talk of nerve conduction studies, the importance of F wave are considered less.One should understand the characteristics and the physiology of F wave. This is important since F-waves are one of the most frequently used studies in clinical neurophysiology and much of the controversies surrounding the use of F-waves relates to a failure to adequately consider the requirements of Fwave analysis. These requirements include the number of F-waves that need to be recorded, the parameters that should be evaluated, and the muscle from which the F-waves are recorded. They are recorded over a muscle innervated by the stimulated nerve.F-waves are the only parameter in nerve conduction studies particularly useful for the diagnosis of proximal nerve lesions


The apparent rarity of white box (Eucalyptus albens) at high altitude has been explained by assuming an intolerance to low temperatures. These propositions were assessed by (a) a field survey of the occurrence of white box at high altitude on part of the NSW Central Tablelands and adjacent slopes and (b) a pot trial study of the response of seedlings of white box and yellow box (E. melliodora) to low temperatures during winter 1997. The field survey confirmed that, unlike yellow box, white box was absent from a large part of the Central Tablelands. However, it was recorded at altitudes up to 925 m a.s.l. near Orange but at lower altitudes further south. Aspect was not limiting at high altitude though low slopes appeared to be. Survival and growth of white and yellow box seedlings were low at the high altitude site but there was little difference between species regardless of whether frosted seedlings were subjected to early or delayed exposure to direct morning sunlight. Hence, alternative explanations for the local distribution pattern of white box on the Central Tablelands and adjacent slopes need to be examined.


With the intensification and the expansion of collaboration modes between designers and engineers for better time and quality mastering, the communication efficiency between these two communities of practice have to be thought taking in to account both designers and engineer's representation systems. While designers participate to the concept research and deliver the product's scenario of use through images, sketches and renderings, the engineers participate to the physical definition and to the materialization of these concepts. There is a need for a common representation of the concepts and the product, i.e. explicit link between the subjective data coming from the designer and the objective data materializing the product. Nevertheless semantic product characterization have specific tools and methods usually found in 2D environments and 3D CAD systems do not answer to the needs of exchanges in a multi disciplinary design team. In this paper we introduce a virtual environment to integrate, capitalize and explore knowledge around the virtual mock up in order to facilitate subjective and objective product characterization for designers and engineers collaboration. This virtual environment (MATRICS) allows the user to post multi-media annotations on a virtual 3D mock up, to support intentions transferred from the designer to the engineer when communicating. Another aspect of this environment is to provide a shared visualization of knowledge connected to the model and users interaction with knowledge representation increasing the collaboration level while designing.


Contents: Introduction: introducing, intervening, and introspecting, Sanja Bahun and DuA!an RadunoviA Part I Revisiting: The politics of madness: Kierkegaarda (TM)s anthropology revisited, Leonardo F. Lisi Stylistic returns: Platoa (TM)s and Nietzschea (TM)s theories of language, Monina Wittfoth Ideology in light of the theory of meaning, David Gorman Rhetoric, agitation, and propaganda: reflections on the discourse of democracy (with some lessons from early Soviet Russia), Craig Brandist Hostility, politics, brotherhood: Abel and Cain as seen by Carl Schmitt and Jacques Derrida, Jean-Claud Monod Mimes and phantoms: Helen Keller writing the body, Elizabeth Parsons. Part II In the World, Prospecting: The fetish of verbal inflection: lusophonic fantasies and ideologies of linguistic and racial purity in postcolonial East Timor, Aurora Donzelli Variegated visions of humanity: the ambiguous legacy of the law of peoples, Drucilla Cornell Body, discourse, and the turn to matter, Jason Glynos Cosmopolitanism: legitimation, opposition, and domains of articulation, Galin Tihanov a "I insist on the Christian dimensiona (TM): on forgivenessa |and the outside of the human, Rey Chow Afterword: language, discourse, and rhetoric, Ernesto Laclau Index.


Synodontis denticulatus sp. nov. is an endemic from the middle Lufira Basin and its associated tributaries and lakes. The species shows close morphological resemblance to Synodontis greshoffi and Synodontis unicolor, which are widespread Congo |Basin and Bangweulu-Mweru endemic species, respectively. However, it differs from both S. greshoffi and S. unicolor by its non-villous skin (v. villous skin), strong and numerous serrations on the posterior margin of the dorsal spine (v. weak and fewer serrations), weak and few serrations on the posterior margin of the pectoral spine (v. strong and numerous serrations), relatively short maxillary barbels (v. long) and its small standard length (89.1 mm LS v. 148.0 and 190.7 mm LS respectively). A DNA barcoding study (coI, mtDNA) revealed that S. denticulatus forms a distinct genetic clade with a genetic distance of 2.18% with S. greshoffi and 0.84% with S. unicolor. Synodontis denticulatus is caught regularly and abundantly as a by-catch in the gillnet fisheries in the middle Lufira lakes. Owing to its small overall size and large bony head, the species has usually no real commercial value but is an important food fish for the fishermen's families. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


PURPOSE: A wafer dry method using a marangoni method and an apparatus for the same are provided to reduce a dry processing time for drying a wafer by using the marangoni method. CONSTITUTION: An input portion of a bubbling gas supply pipe(200) is branched into two input terminals(211,212). The input terminals(211,212) are connected with bubbling gas sources of different pressures. A plurality of mass flow controllers(231,232) and a plurality of switching valves(241,242) are installed on the input terminals(211,212), respectively. An end portion(250) of the bubbling gas supply pipe(200) is located at a lower end portion of the bubbling chamber(110). An IPA supply pipe(140) is connected with an upper end of the bubbling chamber(110). A plurality of level sensors(111,113) are installed at an upper end portion and a lower end portion of the bubbling chamber(110). A liquid bath(20) is formed in the inside of a dry chamber(10). A drain pipe(80) and a drain valve(85) are installed at a lower portion of the liquid bath(20). An organic liquid vapor supply pipe(50) is connected with the dry chamber(10). A carrier gas tube(130) is connected with the organic liquid vapor supply pipe(50).


A review will be given of the effects of non‐ additivity under impacts of clusters, observed only in a variety of electronic energy loss phenomena. They include electron emission, luminescence, projectile charge state formation, electron‐hole pairs generation causing the surface barrier detector response and the high‐energy part of the secondary ion emission under cluster impacts. The sublinear effects consist in decreasing the yields per one incident atom with increasing number of cluster constituents at the same velocity. The ratio of the yields R n = Y n/nY1, being the measure of the effect, is less than 1 and usually decreases with increasing projectile velocity, and the number of atoms in the cluster n. The reduction is caused by the mechanism of sweeping ‐ out ‐ electrons, that removes some electrons from the cluster trek in binary collisions between the front running cluster atoms and the target atoms, leaving fewer available for the tailing ones.


Indonesians commonly perform activities on the floor that require squatting postures. It has been identified that adopting squatting postures without any proper support would gradually cause postural stress. This study examines the influence of different squatting heights to the body kinematics and subjective discomfort rating. The subjects were divided into two different body types: overweight subjects with BMI > 24.9 and normal weight subjects with BMI 18-24.9. The subjects adopted a squatting posture at no-stool condition and at the stool height of 10, 15, and 20 cm. The task was to simulate the work close to the ground level with the hip joint deeply flexed. Body segmental angular flexion (SAF) and the visual analog scale (VAS) method were selected for parameter analyses. Significant differences were found in both parameters SAF (trunk, hip, knee, and ankle) and VAS. The interaction effect was found by squatting height and the body type for SAF of the trunk (p < 0.05). However, the increasing BMI index was also found significantly affected associated with the anthropometrical characteristics for buttock height and lower limbs depth. It is suggested that normal weight subjects sit comfortably at 15 cm stool height, whereas overweight subjects preferred 20 cm stool height as a better acceptability condition in terms of overall parameter analyses.


For almost three centuries, starting with the campaign of Peter the Great in 1721–1722, Russia has traditionally played a key role in the Caspian Sea. The situation changed dramatically with the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the emergence of three new regional players-Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. For Russia, this meant a significant reduction in influence in the region and the loss of control over most of the water area and the sea and its resources. In the historiography devoted to the region, the emphasis is placed on assessing the new round of geopolitical struggle, the position and interests of Western and regional powers. The author of this article provides a critical analysis of changes in Russian policy towards the Caspian Sea over the past 30 years and assesses the effectiveness of these changes. The difficult transition from the role of a dominant player in a region closed to external competitors to an open geopolitical confrontation over resources, their transportation routes, and political influence at the first stage was not in favor of Russia. Russia could not defend the principle of a condominium for joint development of hydrocarbon resources of the sea. With the active assistance of Western competitors, Russia lost its status as a monopoly transit country for oil and gas from the region. At the same time, thanks to diplomatic efforts and increased political dialogue with its neighbors in the region, Russia managed to resolve all territorial issues at sea by 2003, maintain the closed status of the sea for the military forces of third countries, and by 2018 complete work on the Convention on the international legal status of the sea, which established the principles of cooperation in the region that are important for the Russian Federation. Thus, official Moscow managed to achieve the strategic goals adapted after the collapse of the USSR by using the traditional strengths of its foreign policy and consolidate its status as the most influential player in the region. Keyword: Russia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, post-Soviet space, geopolitics For citation: Pritchin S.А. New Stage in the Geopolitical Struggle around the Caspian Sea after 1991. RUDN Journal of World History. 2021; 13(1):21–36. DOI: 10.22363/2312-8127-202113-1-21-36


Sometimes there is a necessity to be self-isolated during pandemic attack. In such scenario, the patients would probably forget to take right medicine at the right time. In times of COVID-19 pandemic, where we need to follow self-quarantine, there is a need to develop a pill dispenser with a preprogrammed feature, which will be used by the elderly or infected people. The proposed preprogrammed medicine dispenser is designed with alerting module using alarm and camera unit. The continuous monitoring can be provided. The patients are able to take medicine without close professional supervision. It prevents the problem of un-timing, over dosage etc. The overall operation is to facilitate the user to set the timings to dispense multiple pills at required timings. The Alarm system is designed to provide two types of indications – one by lighting an LED and the other by providing a beep sound. After taking the medicine from the dispensing tray the alarm can be reset. The second alarm is to indicate the optimal availability of the pills in the container to warn the user to refill the dispenser with the required quantity of pills. The camera is interfaced with the dispenser which is enable us to view whether the patient has taken medicine. It can be sent to mail using Wi-Fi module attached. The primary motive of this dispensing unit is to be cost effective and also reliable. The software code is compatible and it can be upgraded.


A previously developed bosonisation scheme is applied to the investigation of the zero-temperature critical behaviour of the XY model in a transverse field. It is shown how this method yields, in a simple and straightforward way, the results previously obtained using cumulants. The meaning of these results is briefly analysed.


To model the propagation of large water waves and associated loads applied to offshore structures, scientists and engineers have a need of fast and accurate models. A wide range of models have been developped in order to predict wave-fields and hydrodynamic loads at small scale, from the linear potential boundary element method to complete CFD codes, based on the Navier-Stokes equations. Although the latters are well adapted to solve the wave-structure interaction at small scale, their use is limited due to the computational cost of such models and numerical diffusion. Alternative approaches, capturing the nonlinear effects, are thus needed. Shao and Faltinsen [5] proposed an innovative technique, called " harmonic polynomial cell " (HPC) method to tackle this problem. This approach is implemented and tested in 2 dimensions (x, z), first on a standing wave problem and then to evaluate the nonlinear forces acting on a fixed submerged cylinder.


We investigate the verification of the properties of infinite-step opacity and K-step opacity for partially-observed discrete event systems. A system is said to be infinite-step opaque (respectively, K-step opaque) if the intruder can never determine for sure that the system was in a secret state for any instant within infinite steps (respectively, K steps) prior to that particular instant. We derive a new separation principle for state estimates which characterizes the information dependence in this opacity verification problem. A new information structure called the two-way observer is proposed. Based on the two-way observer, we provide new algorithms for the verification of infinite-step opacity and the verification of K-step opacity, respectively. We show that the proposed verification algorithms have lower computational complexity than the known algorithms in the literature.


In a previous paper [J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 46, 99 (A) (1969)], the authors discussed the spectrum changes that result when the noise source is in motion relative to an observer and the effects of these changes on perceived noise level (PNL). In the present work, the analysis is extended with consideration of two sources, pure jet and turbofan aircraft, to include the influences of wind, angle of attack of the aircraft, and atmospheric absorption coefficients. The results are presented in terms of PNL, and the significance of the various parameters is discussed.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) die 10–20 years earlier than the general population; cancer is the second leading cause of death. Differences in cancer screening between SMI and the general population are not well understood. Objectives: To describe receipt of cancer screening among individuals with versus without SMI and to explore clinicians' perceptions around cancer screening for people with SMI. Methods: Mixed-methods study using 2010–2017 MarketScan commercial insurance administrative claims data and semi-structured clinician interviews. In the quantitative analyses, we used multivariate logistic regression analyses to calculate the likelihood of receiving cervical, breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer screening among people with versus without SMI, defined as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 primary care physicians and 15 psychiatrists. Interview transcripts were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive approach. Results: Relative to those without SMI, individuals with SMI were less likely to receive screening for cervical cancer [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80–0.81], breast cancer (aOR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.78–0.80), colorectal cancer (aOR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.89–0.91), and prostate cancer (aOR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.84–0.87). Clinicians identified 5 themes that may help explain the lower rates of cancer screening in persons with SMI: access to care, available support, prioritization of other issues, communication, and patient concerns. Conclusions: People with SMI were less likely to receive 4 common types of cancer screening. Improving cancer screening rates in the SMI population will likely require a multidisciplinary approach to overcome barriers to screening.


This study used a patient simulator to study the ease of use and efficacy of four currently available cricothyroidotomy sets. We assessed the success of insertion of each piece of equipment and measured the subsequent adequacy of oxygenation and ventilation. We also examined the complications encountered using each set. We found that there was a 100% success rate of achieving an adequate airway within acceptable time limits using the 'Quiktrach' and 'Melker' sets, with good airway patency and ease of ventilation. There was an unacceptably high failure rate in achieving a patent airway when using the 'Transtracheal airway catheter with ENK‐flow modulator' and 'Patil's airway'. The pre‐assembled and user‐friendly 'Quiktrach' set provided the fastest and most effective means of oxygenation in the simulated patient requiring an emergency surgical airway.


Introduction: Studies show that hematologic parameters can be used as biomarkers in systemic inflammatory skin diseases. Materials and methodology: A case–control study was performed between April 2018 and April 2019 on 55 newly diagnosed (age: 20–60 years), untreated, biopsy proven psoriasis patients and 55 healthy nonpsoriatic individuals with no family history of psoriasis as controls. Sociodemographic details and clinical features from the 55 patients with psoriasis were collected using a questionnaire. Severity of psoriasis was assessed by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score. Blood samples of 110 study subjects were analyzed for the following parameters: red blood cell indices, hemoglobin, platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV), white blood cell count, differential count, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Along with this, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were also analyzed for all the samples. Highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was analyzed. Student t test for independent samples was used to compare the data obtained from the patients and the controls. Patients were divided into two groups: one group having PASI < 10 and the other group PASI > 10. Results: Student t test performed on psoriasis patients showed that the two groups were significantly different (P < 0.05) in the levels of red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, neutrophils, lymphocytes, NLR, red-cell distribution width (RDW), MPV, ESR, fibrinogen, and D-dimer. Out of 55 cases, hs-CRP is reactive for 11 patients from PASI < 10 (n = 36) compared to 19 patients from PASI > 10 (n = 19; P = 0.010) and had a positive correlation with MPV, ESR. RDW, NLR and ESR, ESR can be used to assess the disease severity of psoriasis and assess the response to treatment. Along with clinical PASI score, these simple, less expensive biomarkers can be effectively employed in place of other biomarkers such as hs-CRP for management of the disease.


Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Acknowledgments Chapter 4 Essays: I Crossed the 38th Parallel on July 25, 1948 My Grandmother's Generation Wanderlust Connected Housing, Disconnected People Market Roosters The Last Dream Free Time In Search of My Bean-Field "You'd Better Get Married Soon" What Hope Chapter 5 Map of Korean Peninsula Chapter 6 Index


Exposure to DNA-damaging agents can elicit a variety of stress-related responses that may alter the expression of genes associated with numerous biological pathways. We used 19 k whole human genome chip to detect gene expression profiles and potential signature genes in human normal hepatocytes (THLE-3) by treatment of five direct acting mutagens, furylfuramide (AF-2), N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU), methylmethanesulfonate (MMS), 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) and 2-nitrofluorene (2NF) of the IC 20 concentration for 3 h. Fifty one up-regulated common genes and 45 down-regulated common genes above 1.5-fold by five direct-acting mutagens were identified by clustering analysis. Many of these changed genes have some association with apoptosis, control of cell cycle, regulation of transcription and signal transduction. Genes related to these functions, as TP73L, E2F5, MST016, SOX5, MAFB, LIF, SII3, TFIIS, EMR1, CYTL1, CX3CR1 and RHOH are up-regulated. Down-regulated genes are ALOX15B, xs155, IFITM1, BATF, VAV2, CD79A, DCDC2, TNFSF8 and KOX8. We suggest that gene expression profiling on mutagens by toxicogenomic analysis affords promising opportunities to reveal potential new mechanistic markers of genotoxicity.


This paper identifies the adoption of information systems (IS) in the form of generalized audit software (GAS) and digital analytics by Shariah auditors (SAR) in Islamic banks (IBs). To explore further, this paper identifies this practice among four types of banking groups, namely full-fledged Islamic banks (FFIB), Islamic banking subsidiaries (IBS), development financial institutions (DFI), and Islamic windows (IW). In attaining its objective, this study employs a qualitative method by utilizing semi-structured interviews with six (6) key individuals in Malaysian IBs. Our findings support the notion that most SARs adopt and use GAS in their audit execution. Interestingly, few of them use digital analytics in conducting their audit assignments. This digital analytics application will undoubtedly help SAR seek the Shariah non-compliance (SNC) cases effectively. The samples selected by GAS would be much bigger compared to manual audit exercise, which depends on few selected samples only. However, there is an argument that the audit software application is not enough since SAR must pay visit physically to their auditee's premises. Finally, this study suggests that there should be some training for the SARs, especially regarding the GAS application, to detect the SNCs thoroughly in IFIs operations. Eventually, GAS can assist SAR in mitigating SNC cases while strengthening the public confidence and achieving Maqasid As Shariah.


A small-scale nonnuclear integral test facility designed to simulate a pressurized water reactor (PWR) system was used to evaluate the effects of a small break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) on the system thermal-hydraulic response. The experiment approximated a 2.5% (11-cm diameter) communicative break in the cold leg of a PWR, and included initial conditions which were similar to conditions in a PWR operating at full power. The 2.5% break size ensured that the nominal break flow rate was greater than the high pressure injection system (HPIS) flow rate, thus providing the potential for a continuous system depressurization. The sequence of events was similar to that used in evaluation model analysis of small break loss-of-coolant accidents, and included simulated reactor scram and loss of offsite power. Comparisions of experimental data with computer code calculations are used to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of integral system calculations used to predict phenomena which can be important in the assessment of a small break LOCA in a PWR.


A case comment dealing with the South African High Court's approach to test the constitutionality of retroactive tax legislation. The retroactive tax legislation in question belonged to two genres: it sought to address a perceived loophole in tax legislation and at the same time altered the design of the tax legislation. The comment assess the High Court's decision on whether the use of retroactive tax legislation in the particular circumstances was precluded by the Rule of Law or amounted to an arbitrary and an unjustifiable deprivation of property protected under South Africa's Constitution, 1996.


We thank students in the University of Illinois Big Data and Environmental Economics and Policy (BDEEP) Group and the Duke Environmental Justice Lab for research assistance. We acknowledge generous support from the National Science Foundation Economics Program and the Russell Sage Foundation Social, Political and Economic Inequality Program. All errors are our own. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.


The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed true ocean. Recent Mediterranean circulation and sea level studies using
various observations and ocean general circulation models show good coherence and agreement. The satellite
altimetry and tide gauge observed and model predicted sea level show good coherent with correlation coefficient of
0.6. The barotropic pressure response accounts for about 66% of the Mediterranean sea level rise (1948-2001). The
estimated sea level trend (1.54 ± 0.75 mm/yr) using decadal altimetry (1985-2001) after correcting the
interannual/decadal signals reconstructed using tide gauge data, agrees well with the long term trend (1948-2001)
estimated using tide gauges (1.43 ± 0.09 mm/yr) in the Mediterranean Sea, and is in better agreement than before
with the global long-term sea level trend (1.7 - 1.8 mm/yr). Simulation studies indicate that the time-varying mass
variations of Mediterranean Sea likely are sensitive to GOCE at the few mEotvos level.
One of GOCE's primary high-level data products is the global gravity model with anticipated geoid accuracy of 1 cm
RMS and a spatial resolution of 130 km or longer.
Actually, the International Centre for Global Earth Models (ICGEM) distributes some GOCE's Global Gravity field
Models (GGMs) like GO_CONS_GCF_2_DIR (Bruinsma et al, 2010), GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM (Pail et al, 2010a),
GO_CONS_GCF_2_SPW (Migliaccio et al, 2010), GOCO01S (Pail et al, 2010b).
The work focuses on the comparison between these GOCE's GGMs, EGM2008 and EIGEN-51C, with sea gravity
anomalies and geoid undulations provided by existing local and regional geoids - like IBERGEO (Sevilla, 2008), IGG
(Corchete et al, 2005), etc. - in the Western Mediterranean Sea in order to find the GGM that best fits this area.
We also try to estimate how the GOCE geoid data, provided by ESA, works on the Western Mediterranean Sea in
order to prepare future geomatic issues.


The application of maximum likelihood estimation and prediction error methods on dynamical systems require that it is possible to compute the innovations of the systems model which more or less implies that it must be possible to invert the system model. For nonlinear stochastic models this can be very difficult. In this contribution it is shown how this can be done very efficiently for a very rich class of nonlinear models by way of exact linearization. The method is illustrated on two non-trivial examples.


This paper presents an overview of recent developments in reservoir construction and maintenance in the UK. It highlights the increasing importance of environmental issues to successful scheme promotion and provides advice on the key issues which need to be addressed. Research into dam safety is leading to further guidance for engineers in assessing existing structures. Comments are made on future capital expenditure on the existing stock of dams, and the status of dam safety legislation is reviewed.


Kinematic analysis is a powerful method for objective assessment of movement performance, and is increasingly employed as outcome measure after stroke. The number of studies investigating natural, goaloriented daily tasks is however small. Likewise, little is known how the actual movement performance measured with kinematics is related to the traditional clinical assessment scales. Furthermore, only few studies investigated longitudinal changes and evaluated what these changes mean in context of an individual's functioning after stroke. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop a method of threedimensional movement analysis for a purposeful upper extremity task "drinking from a glass" and to evaluate the cross-sectional and longitudinal validity of the kinematic measures in relation to impairments and activity limitations in people with motor deficits after stroke. Methods: The studies reported in the current thesis included 29 healthy individuals and 82 individuals with stroke. A standardized test protocol for the drinking task was developed and its consistency was examined. A five camera optoelectronic motion capture system with passive markers was used to measure both temporal and spatial kinematic characteristics of movement performance. The clinical outcomes used in the different studies were: Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity, Action Research Arm Test and ABILHAND questionnaire. The construct and concurrent validity was examined in subacute and chronic stages after stroke; the longitudinal change and responsiveness was evaluated during the first three months after stroke. Results: The test protocol of the drinking task demonstrated a good consistency in test-retest. The explorative analysis of kinematic data revealed that the drinking task can be described with two major factors in people with stroke. One of them included predominantly measures of temporal nature (movement time, smoothness, velocity) and the other comprised primarily spatial movement pattern measures (joint angles, trunk displacement). Four kinematic measures: movement time, movement smoothness, angular velocity of the elbow and compensatory trunk displacement; demonstrated to be most effective in discriminating among individuals with moderate and mild impairment after stroke and healthy persons. Subsequently, three kinematic measures: movement smoothness, movement time and trunk displacement demonstrated strongest associations with upper extremity activity capacity after stroke, measured with Action Research Arm Test. Finally, all three kinematic measures showed to be responsive for capturing improvements in upper extremity activity during the first three months after stroke. Conclusions and clinical implications: Three kinematic measures of the drinking task: movement smoothness, movement time and trunk displacement; demonstrated to be valid and responsive measures for characterizing the upper extremity function and to capture an improvement over time after stroke. It can be concluded, that the test protocol of the drinking task as described in this thesis is feasible for clinical studies and provides objective, valid and clinically interpretable data of an individual's actual movement performance during the drinking task. This knowledge facilitates both clinical and movement analysis research and can be valuable in the area of bioengineering when assessment methods for new technology based devices are developed.


Acoustic impulses produced through the mechanism of the laser-induced liquid breakdown in water have been investigated in the range from 0C to room temperature. In contradistinction from the acoustic impulses produced via thermal expansion, the polarity and amplitude of acoustic impulse produced via liquid breakdown mechanism are unchanged with water temperature. This indirectly proves that the production of acousic impulse is due to the expansion of the cavity itself which includes plasma A semiempirical description of this phenomenon is given in this paper.


We read with interest the paper by Kesseli et al.,(1) which uses a primate nontransplant model to assess markers of nonviability of donation after circulatory death (DCD) livers during normothermic machine perfusion (NMP). They use histological assessment of hepatocyte necrosis as the basis of determining whether a liver is nonviable and conclude that lactate clearance during NMP is not able to differentiate between viable and nonviable livers. We question this approach based on our clinical experience:


Since the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) instrument on the Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) was launched in 2002, CH4 measurements from the satellite at regional or global scales became available. However, many gaps of missing data exist on the maps of the retrieved atmospheric CH4 column concentrations from SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT. Moreover, the gridded CH4 map with 50 × 50 km is a bit coarse for local interpretation. In this study, two geostatistical methods of ordinary kriging (OK) and ordinary cokriging (OCK) associated with 5 km normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images were examined to fill in missing data and to downscale the spatial resolution of CH4 images. The 50 km CH4 images interpolated by the two methods presented similar spatial patterns to the original 50 km CH4 image and provided good results for the missing data. Taking into account the statistical results, the OCK method achieved better performance than OK in filling gaps of missing data. In further downscaling the CH4 image from 50 to 5 km, the OCK method achieved a significant amount of spatial detail, and the statistical results also showed that OCK performed better than OK.


"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it."(William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. Popular Lectures and Addresses, 1891–1894)


The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the provision of greater access to watering sites two weeks prior to lambing and at least one week after lambing impacts lamb survival and growth to weaning, using triplets as a model. Triplet-bearing ewes (n=206, 116-131 days gestation) were randomly allocated to either the control (one water trough/paddock) or treatment group (2-3 water troughs/paddock) balanced for ewe live weight, body condition score and stage of gestation, at a stocking density of 8.6-9.1 ewes/ha with three replicated paddocks/treatment. Lamb survival was determined via DNA parentage and lamb growth recorded at docking, weaning and at six months of age. Lamb survival (60 vs 62%, P=0.690) and lamb growth (P=0.452) did not differ between the treatment and control groups. The key finding of this study was that increasing the availability of a water supply to triplet-bearing ewes in late pregnancy and early lactation did not influence lamb survival or growth.


The present study was the first to develop total tree, stem and branches volume models for rainforests in south-eastern Africa based on destructive sampling. The number of sample trees was 60 and diameter at breast height (dbh) and total tree height (h) ranged from 6 to 117 cm and from 6.4 m to 50 m, respectively. Large parts of the total volume and stem volume variations were explained by the models (Pseudo-R2 ranged from 0.85 to 0.93) and they performed relatively well over different size classes. When considering the challenges in height measurements in rainforests, we in general recommend applying model 3 with dbh only as independent variable. For large trees we recommend model 2 (dbh and h as independent variables) because of the moderating effect h has on volume predictions. If accurate stem volumes are needed for forestry licensing or for calculating compensation of timber loss, we also recommend model 2. As long as the allometry of the trees obviously is not different from that of our study site, the developed models may also be applied for rainforests elsewhere in Tanzania, but further testing of the models is also recommended.


If one micromotor's accuracy can not reach the requirement,then double measurement system should be adopted.In the joint of the two parts,a complete axle-angle data must be corrected,and the drive joint method is introduced briefly.


The main aim of the paper is to analyse the influence of collective action participation defined as group participation on technical efficiency among smallholder banana producers in Kisii and Nyamira Counties, Kenya. Using stochastic frontier approach, the study evaluated how farmers in collective action differ from non-collective action participants in terms of technical efficiency levels of banana production as well as the factors responsible for inefficiencies among farmers. Logistic regression model is also used to determine the characteristics of group participation among the smallholder producers. The findings were based on cross-sectional data with a sample size of 260 smallholder banana producing households obtained through a multi-stage sampling technique. From the results obtained from logistic regression, salaried occupation had a significant adverse effect on group participation, while age, gender, education level, informal occupation, mobile phone ownership and access to extension advice had a significant positive impact. Besides, the stochastic production frontier model estimates showed that group members were more technically efficient than non-members at the 1% significance level. Field size, use of manure and inorganic fertilizer had a significant positive effect on productivity levels with high returns to scale exhibited among non-group members. Inefficiency levels were significantly affected by the age, gender and occupation of the household head. In conclusion, collective action helps farmers to address various production needs, thus making them more technically efficient.


Building upon earlier work by Golub, Meurant, Strakos, and Tichý, we derive new a posteriori error bounds for Krylov subspace approximations to $f(A)b$, the action of a function $f$ of a real symmetric or complex Hermitian matrix $A$ on a vector $b$. To this purpose we assume that a rational function in partial fraction expansion form is used to approximate $f$, and the Krylov subspace approximations are obtained as linear combinations of Galerkin approximations to the individual terms in the partial fraction expansion. Our error estimates come at very low computational cost. In certain important special situations they can be shown to actually be lower bounds of the error. Our numerical results include experiments with the matrix exponential, as used in exponential integrators, and with the matrix sign function, as used in lattice quantum chromodynamics simulations, and demonstrate the accuracy of the estimates. The use of our error estimates within acceleration procedures is also discussed.


Answer-changing data were collected on 100 multiple choice test items from a course in statistics and research methods taken by a class of professional school students. After the course 92 of the students responded to an instrument assessing their reasons for revising answers and beliefs relative to the consequences of answer changing. A majority (86%) indicated that their response changes reflected decisions based upon reconsideration; however, the remaining subjects cited other motives. Most subjects incorrectly expected answer changing to result in a loss of test score points. Subjects' beliefs regarding the consequences of answer changing did not influence their behavior in test-taking.


Abstract A practical synthesis of (R)-2-benzyloxy-1-iodo-3-butene, a bifunctional chiral synthon from (R,R)-tartaric acid and its application to (R)-ν-caprolactone, a pheromone of Trogoderma species, is described.


The utility model provides a knob capable of bearing a padlock, and mainly solves the problem that the installation of an existing knob is relatively difficult and complex. The knob is characterized in that a base (1) is internally provided with an upper rotating ring (11), a lower rotating ring (12) and a baffle ring (13); two ends of the upper rotating ring (11) are respectively in fixed connection with and in synchronous rotation with the lower rotating ring (12) and a rotating handle (2); the baffle ring (13) is installed on the bottom part of the lower rotating ring (12); the baffle ring (13) is provided with a ring body (126), and a plurality of protruding blocks (125) are arranged in the radial direction of the ring body (126); the base (1) is provided with first through grooves (142) matched with the protruding blocks (125) to form clearance fits; and the ring body (126) and the base (1) are in a clearance fit. The knob has the advantages that the two ends of the upper rotating ring is provided with clamping sets, guiding grooves and the baffle ring in the clearance fit with the base, so that left, right, front and rear shifting is available, the installation is more convenient, and the efficiency is high.


The Centre for Research on Ageing (CRA) is an international and multidisciplinary research centre examining key issues in ageing and the lifecourse, informing policy and debate at the national and local level. Through high quality research and postgraduate training, the Centre contributes to a better understanding of the experience of ageing amongst different groups and societies, which will in turn place us in a better strategic position to improve the quality of life of older people. In addition to research, the Centre contributes to capacity building of future academics and professionals by teaching different postgraduate programmes in Gerontology. The Centre is directed by Prof Maria Evandrou. Athina Vlachantoni is a Lecturer in Gerontology within the Centre for Research on Ageing. Her research interests lie in the areas of pension provision, gender and social policy.


Few examples of modern painting provoke as many passionate discussions and disputes as Rembrandt's Lisowczyk, which is known under the title "The Polish Rider" and with such a label exhibited in the Frick Gallery in New York. In 1944 Julius S. Held, outstanding American art scholar published his treatise in Art Bulletin in which he admitted Rembrandt's authorship of the painting but refused to perceive the rider as Polish. He saw the rider as an allegorical figure of the Christian knight (Miles Christianus). Zdzislaw Żygulski, Jr., Cracow art historian contested this opinion. He carried out a detailed analysis of the costume,arms and riding style of the youth and came to the conclusion that Rembrandt could not base his work on any iconographic material, e.g. della Bella's etching, but around the year 1655 must have had a real Polish rider for a model. In the subsequent years there was published a number of different articles by Dutch, English, American, German and Polish scholars. They recognized the Polish character of the rider but reflected on his identity, pondering whether he was a portrait of a real or imaginary Pole or an allegorical figure. The critical moment came in 1984 when Joshua Bruyn, member of the Rembrandt Research Project, which was formed to redefine Rembrandt's oeuvre, called in question Rembrandt's authorship of the painting, suggesting that it should be ascribed to Willem Drost. His opinion was shocking and it sparked off a serious objection, most strongly expressed in Anthony Bailey's book "Responses to Rembrandt. Who painted the Polish Rider?" (New York, 1993). The painting was examined again. This time the RRP team was headed by Ernst van de Wetering, the Project's chairman. As a result of this research Rembrandt's authorship was confirmed and a suggestion was made that the painting bore traces of later additions painted by someone else's hand. The former identification of the rider as a Pole was recognized by the team. And so it was by Julius S. Held in the interview that Bailey had with him. The painting has always been a source of inspiration for Polish artists, e.g. Juliusz Kossak in the 19th c. and Jan Lebenstein in the 20th c.


: Vitiligo is a common form of localised depigmentation. It is a non-contagious acquired condition resulting from the progressive loss of melanocytes which is characterised by totally amelanotic, non scaly, chalky-white macule with distinct margins.To study the clinical and epidemiological profile of vitiligo patients.: In this observational cross-sectional study total 40 vitiligo patients were included in this study. Detail history and clinical examination of patients were done.: In this study majority of the vitiligo patient belonged to the age group of 21-40 years. The mean age of vitiligo cases in this study was 24 years. In the present study the male: female ratio was 1:1. Among 40 cases, about 26 cases were unstable and only 14 were stable. In the present study, the most common type of vitiligo found was vulgaris type and the mean duration of disease in vitiligo cases was around 9 years. In our study, 10 patients had positive family history of vitiligo. Our observations are essentially consistent with the literature, there was no difference in clinico-epidemiological features of vitiligo.


The data analysis of perinatal mortality according to the data of Municipal maternity hospital № 2 for the last five years has been submitted. Its structure, causes and factors leading to perinatal loss have been analysed. The decrease of the level of perinatal mortality at the hospital stage has been pointed out, it is mainly due to early neonatal mortality.


Atrial myxomas are the most common primary tumor of the heart and have a predilection for occurrence in the left atrium. Depending on their anatomic site, size, and ability to move, their presentations may vary from an asymptomatic patient to those with nonspecific constitutional manifestation such as fever and weight loss, leading to a delay in diagnosis. Common presenting symptoms due to intracardiac obstruction of flow include progressive dyspnea, orthopnea, fatigue, presyncope, syncope, and rarely sudden death. We report a case of left atrial mass producing "ball valve" or "Yo‐Yo Ball" effect on the mitral valve in a septuagenarian female, which ultimately culminated in the death of the patient.


The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is an organization which has provided both cooperation between the Gulf countries but also division and crisis. The latest of these crises started in June 2017 an ...


The latest research on developmental stage, according to the Model of Hierarchical Complexity (MHC), shows that there is only 1 domain, that stage develops as log2(age) and that the number of neurons of a species can predict the mean stage attained by that species. This can be interpreted as saying that biology controls stage. However, humans attain different stages and the biological mechanism that limits stage is still unknown. Based on these findings, we argue that cognitive neuroscience studies of human intelligence should shift from the general laws that govern development and brain maturation to focusing on interindividual differences across development, so as to complete the picture of human cognition beyond statistical norms. We here propose a study that looks for differences in patterns of the brain activation between subjects performing below and above formal stages. What differentiates this study from others that have been conducted in the field of developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience is that this will explain for the first time not how, but why, some individuals are hardwired to perform at higher stages than others. We intend to analyze the data across different hierarchical complexity tasks and extract a saturation index (SI) that informs about the processing load of problem solving. Second, we compare the SI across subjects who attained different stages. This knowledge will provide for understanding the biological basis of cognition, for improving the behavioral predictive MHC, and for developing a connectionist model of cognition that emulates development throughout life.


textabstractSEXOLOGY IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE.
When looking for a
suitable definition for ejaculation, different disciplines focus on different
aspects of ejaculation. Van de Velde, a Dutch gynaecologist early this
century and writer of the first Dutch book on sexology for lay people, Ret
Valkomelt RUlvelijk (1923, The ideal marriage), called it "het doel, de culmina tie en
het eigenlijke slot van de geslachtsgemeenschap" (the goal, the culmination, and
the actual conclusion of the sexual intercourse). The sexologists Masters and
Johnson (1966) stated: "it can be identified by a chain of specific physiologic
reactions and by correlated patterns of subjective progression." The urologist
Kedia (1983) called it "an expulsion of selninal fluid to the exterior of the
organism by the rhythnlic contractions of the perineal muscles. It constitutes an
essential link in the behavior chain leading to reproduction and perpetuation of
the species." De Beauvoir (1949), novelist and feminist wrote: "in ejaculation the
nlale rids himself of certain discomforting secretions; he obtains a complete relief,
following sex excitement, which is unfailingly accompanied with pleasure." The
cLinical psychologist Zilbergeld (1992) called it "a total body response, not just
something that happens in the crotch," Finally, in a textbook of physiology,
ejaculation is explained as "sympathetic impulses that leave the cord at L-l and
L-2 and pass to the genital organs through the hypogastric plexus to initiate
emission" (Guyton, 1986),


Proper anatomic restoration of fibular length, rotation, and anatomic reduction of the syndesmosis can be difficult during fixation of ankle fractures. This is particularly true when the fibula is highly comminuted, which does not allow for restoration of fibular alignment by direct fracture reduction (Figure 1). Anatomic reduction of the syndesmosis has been shown to be problematic with resultant associated morbidity with malreduction. Sagi et al recently published a 2-year follow-up of 68 patients with known syndesmotic malreduction after surgical fixation demonstrating statistically worse clinical outcomes. Several authors have shown problems with syndesmotic malreduction and the limitations of standard fluoroscopy for assessing anatomic reduction given the inability to assess rotation and translation and have advocated the use of postoperative or intraoperative CT imaging. A new method for intraoperative assessment of syndesmotic reduction was recently reported by Summers et al that suggests an alternative to intraoperative CT. They obtained mortise and lateral views of the contralateral uninjured ankle and carefully examined symmetry of the clear spaces and lateral bony overlap. Reduction and fixation of the injured extremity was performed under C-arm guidance referencing the contralateral ankle images as a template. This was immediately confirmed in the operating room with a CT scan. Seventeen out of 18 cases in their study showed anatomic reduction on CT scan. Only 1 case revealed syndesmotic malreduction, and revision open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of the fibular fracture was done resulting in anatomic reduction confirmed by a second CT scan. We describe a surgical technique utilizing a pointed reduction clamp placed on the distal fibula as a means to restore fibular length and rotation and ensure proper syndesmotic anatomic reduction using the radiographic technique as described by Summers et al.


A vegetation canopy is a dielectric mixture consisting of discrete dielectric inclusions (leaves, stalks and fruits) distributed in a host material (air). The scattering and emission behaviour of vegetation canopy made up of neem-I ike trees has been studied. The estimation of emissivity, brightness temperature and scattering coefficient has been made using the measured values of dielectric constant. The measurement of dielectric constant of neem leaves has been carried out using waveguide cell method in the frequency range of X-band (8.2 GHz 1 2.4 GHz) at 9.035 GHz. The estimations of emissivity, brightness temperature and scattering coefficient are made for incidence angles varying from 0° to 80° for both horizontal and vertical polarization. The results of emissivity and scattering coefficient so obtained have been presented.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This article introduces the Critical Response Protocol (CRP), an arts-based technique that engages students in equitable critical discourse and aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards vision for providing students opportunities for language learning while advancing science learning (NGSS Lead States 2013). Discourse in science classrooms helps students make sense of learning activities and makes student thinking visible to teachers so they can adapt instruction (Windschitl et al. 2012). "[CRP] provides ... a framework of questions meant to scaffold and prompt students in critical thinking ... while honoring personal associations and affective or aesthetic experience" (Petkau 2013, p. 2). Attention to personal associations and experiences is foundational to equitable teaching and learning in diverse classrooms. However, the ways in which teachers can connect science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to student experiences are not always obvious. CRP is an easy-to-use tool for eliciting student ideas, applies to a wide range of content, and helps teachers scaffold critical discourse. CRP helps teachers align their instruction to the NGSS's vision of "science for all" by providing a flexible instructional strategy. Classroom conversation becomes more equitable because students can build on the ideas of others, creating natural reciprocity; students are expected to participate and are accountable to the group. When the goal of the conversation is not just the correct answer but also a discourse of ideas, the conversation shifts toward critical analysis for developing scientific understanding. Anecdotal evidence from this study (as well as prior classroom use of CRP) suggests the shift requires students to focus on what they know rather than what they don't know. By forcing a delay of judgment, CRP allows students to realize that their collective wonderings take shape as possible meaning is developed. CRP in practice This article illustrates how CRP works by describing a three-day lesson for a ninth-grade physical science class. The activity introduced scientific technical writing about nanotechnology and its use to address social problems. Students were introduced to the NGSS crosscutting concept of Scale, Proportion, and Quantity at the microscopic level through an interactive animation (see "On the web"). CRP was used to engage students in critical analysis of an article from the Journal of the American Chemical Society that describes a breakthrough in cancer treatment that involves nanotechnology (Gibson, Khanal, and Zubarev 2007; payment required to access article). Students also read an article that reported on the original research (see "On the web"). The lesson scaffolded students' learning as they read authentic research on nanotechnology related to cancer treatment, a subject that had personal relevance to students and addressed social issues. CRP consists of five prompts introduced sequentially and discussed one at a time (Figure 1). CRP is intended to be used with complex visuals or data that can provide important insights. Because all students are required to participate in the discussion, the image selected must be rich enough for every student to make a contribution. Prompt 1: What do you notice? The prompt and Figure 2 were displayed on the interactive whiteboard: "Describe what you notice without judgment or inference." The class shared observations as the teacher recorded their responses on poster paper placed in visible locations around the room. For CRP to successfully engage all students, the facilitator must be clear about the subtle distinction between observation (Prompt 1: Notice; Figure 1) and inference (Prompt 5: Infer), which students do not always understand. Asking students to infer scientific concepts or ideas often inhibits scientific literacy skills. For this reason, students should not make inferences until the last part of the classroom discussion; otherwise, only the students who know the "rules" of scientific discourse can fully participate. …


A B S T R A C T : A 56-year-old man presented with gait disturbance, personality change, and behavioral disturbances. He subsequently developed falls, postural instability, and axial rigidity. The cognitive problems progressed and he developed aphasia and later eye movement abnormalities. He died after 9 years of disease. Experts discuss the syndromal diagnosis and predict the underlying pathology. The pathological diagnosis is given and clinical learning points are considered. This 56-year-old man initially presented to his local doctor with gait disturbance and a tendency to stoop forward. He had no significant past medical history. His father died with cancer at 63 years of age and his 84-year-old mother and sister were well. He had an aunt who developed Alzheimer's disease in her late 70s and died in her early 80s. No diagnosis was made and no treatment was initiated after the first visit. His family encouraged him to return to the local doctor around 8 months later because of slight deterioration in his walking and a change in his personality. He had become more aggressive and was prone to impulsive shopping and alcohol binges. He had previously not regularly consumed alcohol and was a conservative but social member of his local community. Over the next few months, the personality changes progressed, and he started to gain weight from over eating, with a particular predilection for sweet foods. He also had some word finding difficulties and was referred to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist noted some dysphasia and no affective disorder. He had mild symmetrical bradyki-nesia in the limbs but no rigidity or tremor. Although he reported balance disturbance, he did not have pos-tural instability on pull testing and had not fallen. No treatment was started and over the next 3 years, his balance worsened and although his symptoms remained slowly progressive, he continued working. He eventually stopped working as a clerk because of reduced mobility and work performance because of cognitive decline. By the age of 61, 5 years after disease onset, he started falling. At that stage, he had axial rigidity, but no limb rigidity, no tremor, and still only mild bradykinesia. His postural reflexes were impaired and he walked with a flexed posture.


The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of coarse recycled concrete aggregate, on the properties of self compacting concrete. The effects of such incorporation on fresh, mechanical and permeability properties were investigated and are discussed. Two different series of concrete mixes (i.e. 30 Mpa and 40 Mpa) were prepared to test these properties. In each series, six concrete mixes with replacement ratios of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of natural coarse aggregate by recycled concrete aggregates were adopted. Results obtained show that self compacting concrete with recycled concrete aggregate exhibits adequate performance. However with increasing replacement of NCA the performance of concrete decreased but at higher strengths it shows improvement in all properties.


Abstract : Due to the overwhelming success of the MCCRESSA system throughout the Marine Corps as a means of measuring the combat readiness of units associated with combat readiness exercises, it became apparent that intermediate action must be taken to handle the increased computational workload associated with these formal evaluations. In coordination with the equipment that was installed, it was necessary to take the prototype software and modify it so that it would be in more of an operational mode and more readily usable by untrained personnel. This modification was made and the associated software was distributed to each of the five sites that were equipped with the IBM 5110's. The software that was distributed included the basic MCCRESSA program as well as data files for the associated volumes that are included in the MCCRESSA documentation.


© 2016 National Agricultural and Food Centre (Slovakia) 303 Diet customs of people have been changed significantly in recent years with the growing demand for functional foods. Resistant starch (RS) of grains including buckwheat, highland barley and oats has become very attractive for researchers due to its functional properties [1]. RS is a minor fraction of starch that escapes digestion in the human small intestine and may be fermented in the colon with production of metabolically active short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) [2]. RS has been classified into five general subtypes called RS1– RS5. The five distinct classes of RS in foods are: RS1 – physically inaccessible starch; RS2 – types of raw starch granules as in raw banana and potato; RS3 – retrograded or crystalline non-granular starch, an indigestible starch fraction found in cooled or cooked starchy foods, thermal stability of which enables its existence after most normal cooking operations and use in a wide variety of foods; RS4 – chemically modified starch and RS5 – amylose-lipid complex [3–6]. The functional properties of RS that positively influence the digestive tract include enhanced fermentation and laxation, increased uptake of minerals such as calcium, as well as increase in probiotics [7]. From a nutritional point of view, RS is important for human health to maintain the level of blood glucose and assists in the control of diabetes [8, 9]. Our recent in vivo study indicated that sorghum RS helps the body to prevent and treat obesity through mechanisms including synthesis and secretion of leptin and adiponectin, and improvement in intestinal flora [10]. RS from different ingredients are now commercially available in the European market to be incorporated in food formulations to increase RS or fibre content [11]. Many investigators studied cereal starches and found that buckwheat, highland barley and oats starches have higher contents of slowly digested starch as well as lower glycaemic index (GI) compared with rice and wheat starch [12–14]. The Preparation, structural characteristics and digestibility of resistant starches from highland barley, oats and buckwheat starches


Introduces the measuring precess of relative oxygen absorption rate of industrial wastewater and compare with other method.That appraise biodegradation of wastewater.The method proved highly effective.


Good or bad performances of the shift schedule directly influenced vehicle's power and other performances.Considering the changes of an vehicle's mass parameters,modeling and analysis of shift schedule based on a certain type of an vehicle.The best shift schedule of power performance based on the three dynamic parameters were simulated in shift process by using matlab/simulinksoftware.


The invention relates to an acquisition chain of at least one analog signal, the acquisition chain comprising: - a processing module (20) of at least one analog signal, the at least one analog signal being adapted to be transmitted by said processing module (20), a converter (40) analog / digital adapted to transform the at least one analog signal into at least one digital signal; - a switching module (30) cut with a cutoff frequency fc, the module being adapted to switch the value of the cutoff frequency fc between a first frequency fc1 and a second frequency fc2, the first frequency fc1 is greater at the second frequency fc2, the switching module (30) of cutoff frequency having an input connected to an output of the processing module (20).


The rise of the new technological frontier, the Metaverse, has raised questions about how digital interactions will change. Especially, in the field of education. This research explores the impact that Metaverse can have on educational systems and pedagogy. Its goal is to investigate and understand the makeup of the Metaverse in addition to its implications and future. In that context, the study follows the key concepts and features of the Metaverse and finds significant benefits for the educational sector. Furthermore, it also notes the risks and impacts the technology can have on the users and the institutions. The research further looks into educational levels and fields of study that are currently inclined toward the Metaverse. Unsurprisingly, the STEM fields and Higher Education sector currently lead the research and development of the metaverse for education in tandem with corporations alike. Ultimately, the paper evaluates the impact of the metaverse and advocates for a safe, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure for education.


We have studied the formation of cuspidal pits during the growth of strained SixGe1−x alloy layers at relatively high supersaturations. The pit formation is directly linked to strain in the alloy layer, and we propose a heterogeneous formation mechanism in which the pits develop from stress‐driven surface diffusion associated with a localized initial perturbation of the buffer layer surface.


Observations of a monochromatic Pc 5 ULF pulsation event with the simultaneous occurrence of resonance at two latitudes are presented. The event indicates the presence of a large inward directed positive gradient in the equatorial cold plasma density. Model calculations are used to deduce the radial variation of the plasma density. The results support the idea that resonant Pc 5 pulsations are driven by an inward propagating wave, which may be generated at the magnetopause by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.


Quantum oscillation (QO), a physical phenomenon that reflects the characteristics of the Fermi surface and transport fermions, has been extensively observed in metals and semimetals through various approaches, like magnetostriction, magnetization, resistivity, and thermoelectric power. However, only some allowed oscillation frequencies can be revealed by each individual method, particularly in semimetals with intricate Fermi pockets and associated magnetic breakdown phenomena. In this paper, we present the application of an ac composite magnetoelectric (ME) technique to measure the QOs of a topological nodal-line semimetal, ZrSiS, which possesses six fundamental QO frequencies. By employing the ME technique with a maximum magnetic field of 13 T and a minimum temperature of 2 K, we are able to capture all the fundamental frequencies and most of the permissible magnetic breakdown frequencies. In comparison, some of the frequencies were missing in the aforementioned four methods under identical measurement conditions. Remarkably, a series of magnetic breakdown frequencies around 8000 T were revealed even in a magnetic field as low as 7.5 T. These findings highlight the ME technique as an ultrahigh-sensitive tool for studying Dirac Fermions and other topological semimetals with complex Fermi surfaces.


Davidenko's method is a reduction of Newton's method for the numerical solution of n-coupled nonlinear algebraic equations into n-coupled first-order differential equations in a dummy variable. This algorithm is useful for the solution of dispersion relations of electromagnetic waves propagating in lossy waveguiding structures, particularly layered geometries containing one or more gyrotropic layers. In this class of problems, Newton-based numerical techniques are not always satisfactory and Davidenko offers an altenative which is efficient and reliable and which relaxes the extent of the restriction placed on the initial guess to be sufficiently close to the solution. Presented are Davidenko's method, its application to lossy-waveguide dispersion relations, and an example where the algorithm was applied successfully.


In this paper the formation of in-situ Ti6Al4V-xCu alloy structures by DMLS are investigated. Ti6Al4V is a commonly used biomedical alloy because of it suitable mechanical and biocompatible properties. Copper is a proven anti-bacterial agent and in small amounts is not toxic to the human body. Ti6Al4V-xCu implants can be constructed to have a biocompatible structure with copper additions to reduce the risk of bacterial infection and implant failure. Infection at the bone–implant interface is the most probable reason for implant failure directly after implantation. Ti6Al4V (ELI) powder was mixed with Cu powder to form a master alloy. Optimal process parameters need to be established for in-situ alloying of Ti6Al4V-xCu so to form dense parts with suitable surface quality. The effect of laser scanning speeds and hatch distance on surface characteristics was investigated. The surface roughness, chemical composition and distribution of Cu near the surface and within the synthesized layer are considered. A rescanning strategy was investigated to improve alloy homogeneity and surface quality.


Abstract:The Mexican literary scene is in flux. A new generation of writers is responding to great political and social upheavals. Among these writers, the award-winning author and editor ´lvaro Enrigue is one of the most compelling and versatile. He is the author of four novels, two short-story collections, and a book of literary criticism; he has worked as an editor, doing much to promote the work of young indigenous Mexican authors writing in Mexican languages; and he is also a journalist and literary critic for a number of Latin American and Spanish publications. His first book to appear in English, Hypothermia, was published in 2013 by Dalkey Archive Press in a translation by Brendan Riley (reviewed on page 62).


A B S T R A C T Ice cream is a favorite food item commonly consumed during summer in all age groups. Due to its composition, it can harbor many potent pathogens. Most ice creams become contaminated with microbes during production, transit, and preservation. Such contaminated food product can be responsible for food borne infections in children, elderly people and immune-suppressed patients. Therefore, the study was conducted to evaluate the bacteriological quality of ice creams sold in different areas of Kolhapur city, Maharashtra. Randomly collected ice cream samples were analysed for Total Viable Count (cfu/g), Coli form count (per 100 ml), detection of E. coli, Shigella species, Salmonella species and Staphylococcus aureus. All samples showed positive growth of bacteria ranging from 1.2 x10 3 to 8.0 x 10 7 cfu/g. The study revealed that all the samples showed positive growth of coliform bacteria while 40% ice cream samples were contaminated by the E. coli, 33% samples showed positive growth of Salmonella, 40% showed growth of Staphylococcus aureus and 53% Shigella species. It indicates the lack of maintenance of hygienic conditions during preparation, preservation or serving of ice cream. Hence, the present study is undertaken to assess potential of health risk to public.


Starting from the current situation of social reading in China, this paper discuses the relation between the social function or mission of the library and the nationwide reading, and based on this, puts forward some supporting measures for promoting the nationwide reading activity from four aspects.


Finding genetic signatures of local adaptation is of great interest for many population genetic studies. Common approaches to sorting selective loci from their genomic background focus on the extreme values of the fixation index, FST, across loci. However, the computation of the fixation index becomes challenging when the population is genetically continuous, when predefining subpopulations is a difficult task, and in the presence of admixed individuals in the sample. In this thesis, we present a new method to identify loci under selection based on an extension of the FST statistic to samples with admixed individuals. Considering our goal of exploring statistical methods to identify local adaptation in admixed population, we included spatial data to compute ancestry coefficients and allele frequencies. To enrich our work, we investigated the effects of linkage disequilibrium and LD-pruning methods in genome scans for selection.


Synthetic results are reported, which show that simple poly(ethylene glycols) grafted to cross-linked polystyrene are remarkably active and stable triphase catalysts for the alkylation of nitriles, ketones, and alcohols. Resins were prepared from commercial chloromethylated polystyrene by using standard grafting procedures. For comparison of their efficacies for promoting alkylation, the conversion of phenylacetonitrile to 2-phenylhexane-nitrile was chosen as a standard reaction.


Computations of three-dimensional force-free magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria, del x B = lambdaB with lambda = lambda(sub 0), a constant are presented. These equilibria are determined by boundary conditions on a surface corresponding to the solar photosphere. The specific boundary conditions used correspond to looplike magnetic fields in the corona. It is found that as lambda(sub 0) is increased, the loops of flux become kinked, and for sufficiently large lambda(sub 0), develop knots. The relationship between the kinking and knotting properties of these equilibria and the presence of a kink instability and related loss of equilibrium is explored. Clearly, magnetic reconnection must be involved for an unknotted loop equilibrium to become knotted, and speculations are made about the creation of a closed hyperbolic field line (X-line) about which this reconnection creating knotted field lines is centered.


Abstract The UK Biobank is a large-scale health resource comprising genetic, environmental, and medical information on approximately 500,000 volunteer participants in the United Kingdom, recruited at ages 40–69 during the years 2006–2010. The project monitors the health and well-being of its participants. This work demonstrates how these data can be used to yield the building blocks for an interpretable risk-prediction model, in a semiparametric fashion, based on known genetic and environmental risk factors of various chronic diseases, such as colorectal cancer. An illness-death model is adopted, which inherently is a semi-competing risks model, since death can censor the disease, but not vice versa. Using a shared-frailty approach to account for the dependence between time to disease diagnosis and time to death, we provide a new illness-death model that assumes Cox models for the marginal hazard functions. The recruitment procedure used in this study introduces delayed entry to the data. An additional challenge arising from the recruitment procedure is that information coming from both prevalent and incident cases must be aggregated. Lastly, we do not observe any deaths prior to the minimal recruitment age, 40. In this work, we provide an estimation procedure for our new illness-death model that overcomes all the above challenges. Supplementary materials for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement.


Conception, pregnancy and delivery are recognized today as an immune phenomena. Both local and systemic immune responses in pregnant woman are downregulated during these physiological processes to tolerate the fetus as the fetus is displaying the characteristics of a semiallograft in the context of transplantation immunology. This tolerance and physiological development of the fetus is achieved by the complex changes of immune reactivity during pregnancy. These includethe switch from Th1 reactivity to Th2 reactivity. The number and activity of Treg T cells are increased. It is not surprising that physiological pregnancy in the majority of females suffering from MS induces remission of the disease as abnormal inflammation in MS patients is Th1 and Th17 T cell regulator subset driven together with a decrease in Treg T cells activity. The physiological delivery could be recognized as the physiological inflammatory reactivity terminating pregnancy which is followed by the subsequent switch to the preconception immune reactivity frequently associated with the exacerbation of MS. The profound changes in individual immune reactivity are accompanied by substantial changes in hormonal regulation. Breastfeeding is irreplaceable for optimal and proper development of the baby in the early period after birth. Only breast milk contains the whole spectrum of substances supporting all functions of the infant. Clinical studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding is beneficial for both the baby and the mother. The hormonal changes during breast feeding are positively modulating the inflammation in females with MS. Práce byla podpořena Univerzitou Karlovou, Lékařskou fakultou v Hradci Králové. Projekt č. PROGRES Q40/ 10 Autoři deklarují, že v souvislosti s předmětem studie nemají žádné komerční zájmy. The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. Redakční rada potvrzuje, že rukopis práce splnil ICMJE kritéria pro publikace zasílané do biomedicínských časopisů. The Editorial Board declares that the manu script met the ICMJE "uniform requirements" for


The energy mater is an application of energy tool,getting in the national economy each section extensively applied.Along with micro-electronics technical fast fierce development,the tiny controller and large scale integration calculate the application of the realm in the electric power,making the technique level and function of the electric power form get a substantial development.Aiming at the current condition of our country and requirement of electric energy meter system in intelligent residential district,this paper presents the design of Single Phase Energy Mater based on Power Line Carrier communication,which adopts microprocessor unit as a center and the low voltage line as the media of data communication,implements automatic meter data transmission.The multi-function low voltage power carrier remote meter-reading system,configured with the mater,data concentrator and background management system,will have the broad prospect in application.


Objectives: To determine the short-term outcomes, effectiveness and perception of the subchondroplasty (SCP) procedure in patients with radiographic evidence of bone marrow edema (BME) in the setting of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: A retrospective chart review in conjunction with a follow-up questionnaire was conducted on fifty patients with radiographic evidence of BME lesions who underwent the SCP procedure performed at a single academic medical institution. All patients failed prior conservative measures, including medications, injections, physical therapy, and bracing. The questionnaire focused on symptoms before and after the procedure, the perception of the procedure, any other interventions performed after the procedure, and willingness to undergo SCP again. Results: The average patient age was 55 years (range 36-82 years) and 53.2% of patients were male. The average follow-up period was 14.6 months (range 12.9-25.1 months). Preliminary data from 50 patients demonstrated an average 4.7 point improvement in pain on a 10 point visual analog scale (pre-SCP 8.3, post-SCP 3.6). Eighty-eight percent (44 of 50) of patients experienced improvement in their pain and 72% (36 of 50) experienced improvement in pain-free walking distance. Forty-eight percent (24 of 50) of patients required additional interventions: eighteen received cortisone or hyaluronic acid injections, two required serial aspirations, and four went on to total knee arthroplasty. The average satisfaction level was 7.8 on a 10 point scale. Seventy-eight percent (39 of 50) of patients stated they would undergo SCP again and 86% (43 of 50) would recommend the procedure to a friend or family member. Conclusion: SCP is an effective treatment modality in the management of patients with knee OA and BME lesions. The goal of the procedure is to provide enduring pain relief caused by BME, hopefully delaying the need for TKA in this select patient population. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the long-term outcomes of SCP.


During the last few years various analyses of spoken colloquial German have discussed the apparently growing tendency of the use of main clause constructions (i.e. verb-second position) in causal and concessive clauses, and the reinterpretion of 'subordinate conjunctions', such as WEIL, OBWOHL as 'coordinate conjunctions'.2 German, which has verb-second as its basic word order in independent sentences, requires final position of the finite verb in subordinate clauses. Thus, adverbial clauses introduced by'subordinate'conjunctions, such as WEIL ('because') and OBWOHL ('although') according to German grammar display verb-final ordering (e.9. ich geh jetzt nach Hau"se, weil ich mil"de bin 'l am going home now, because I am tired'; ich esse kein Fleisch, obwohl ich's eigentlich gem mag'I do not eat meat, although I actually like it'). German thus provides a clear signal for the grammatical incorporation of one clause into another.3 However, during the last ten to fifteen years, in spoken colloquial German as well as in certain written genres that reproduce colloquial language (e.g., interviews, dialogues in advertisement), speakers are tending more and more to use main clause order (and thus vejrbsecond-position)4 in final adverbial clauses introduced by WEIL and OBWOHL.S


The transient drift di usion model describing the charge transport in semiconductors is con sidered Poisson s equation which is usually used is replaced by Maxwell s equations The di usion and mobility coe cients and the dielectric and magnetic susceptibilities may depend on the space variables Global existence and convergence to the thermal equilibrium is shown


Press for pressing of body parts for automobiles, with a control means (140) for control of the system during a Einrichtvorganges comprising an exchange and alignment of tools of the plant, marked by an augmented reality AR system (180), which is connected to provide information data related to the set-up procedure for an operator during the Einrichtvorganges via a data connection (185) to the control device (140).


A surrogate modeling framework is implemented to analyze the performance of a Li-ion cell with respect to four input variables: cycling rate, particle size, diffusivity, and electrical conductivity. Five different cathode materials (LiMn2O4, LiFePO4 ,L iCoO2, LiV6O13 ,a nd LiTiS2) are modeled, and ranges for all material properties are selected based on reported data from the literature. The relative impact of the variables is quantified using global sensitivity analysis, and critical diffusivity and conductivity values are calculated. Two dimensionless parameters based on relative time and conductivity scales are defined and found to separate operating conditions into distinct regimes in which the cell performance is limited by diffusion or conduction. Combining the two dimensionless parameters into a single quantity and non-dimensionalizing the energy performance yields a Pareto-efficient set of solutions that are described well by the generalized logistic function, which can be considered a reduced-order model of battery performance with a global analytical solution.


Medium-and-small-sized businesses have an important role in the economic development of Shaoguan.However,the financial service system has not been able to meet the demands of the medium-and-small-sized business,and consequently,has limited their further development.Compared with Zhujiang Delta,these businesses of Shaoguan are quite undeveloped.In order to boost the medium-and-small-sized businesses, government in Shaoguan should speed up the development of the financial service system.


Water quality prediction is a fundamental task to mitigate water resource crisis and promote water ecological protection and restoration. The traditional LSTM water quality prediction model has the problems of weak generalization performance and low prediction accuracy. In this paper, we take the water quality parameters of Fairy Lake in Jiangxi Province as the research object and propose a hybrid CNN-LSTM-Attention water quality prediction model combining CNN, LSTM and attention mechanism. The model first extracts short-term abstract features of water quality data by CNN, then selects LSTM model to capture long-term dependencies between variables, and finally uses Attention mechanism to determine the importance of different temporal features and assign weights, output prediction results. After experimental validation, the CNN-LSTM-Attention water quality prediction hybrid model has smaller prediction error, and the RMSE and MAE evaluation indexes are better than LSTM prediction model and CNN-LSTM prediction mode.


Due to the extensive use of the marjoram plant in the treatment of some diseases, with a lack of its scientific research , there for the aim of this study was to identify the extent of safety when used and to study its protective effect against the toxicity of cadmium chloride on testicular tissue. Thirty male albino rats ( 60days) age divided into four groups, the first group ( control group ) , group II treated with cadmium chloride (2mg/kg), the third group treated with marjoram (2mg/kg), the fourth group treated with both cadmium(2mg/kg) and marjoram(2mg/kg). Cadmium treated group showed imbalance in both structure and physiology of the testis .Also, an obstruction of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis process appeared as degradation of spermatocytes, decrease in their number and distort their structure with low testosterone level . The third group treated with marjoram only showed similarity to the control structure with increased density of spermatocytes and sperm, also the testosterone level was comparable to the control group. Coadministration of cadmium and marjoram lessened most histopathological changes in tissue structure and balance the testosterone level . Thus it was recommend : Non-use of cadmium metal and try to find a replacement for it in industry because of its adverse effect on male fertility .Also ,we hope of using marjoram as protective agent for its safe on tissue and increases the rate of male fertility.


Structures of {111} and {310} plate-zones explaining the rod distributions of intensity weight in reciprocal space revealed in X-ray patterns from solid solutions of NaCl containing a few per cent of CaCl 2 (reported in Part I) is proposed. The plate-zones are considered to be composed of a number of smaller units, called platelets, which are disposed in anti-phase relation among themselves in a plate-zone. We proposed probable models of the structures of the two kinds of platelets making up the {111} plate-zone and the {310} plate-zone respectively by assuming that each platelet has crystal structure resembling that of CaCl 2 , retaining, however, coherency with the matrix. The qualitative agreement was found between observed and calculated intensities of rod distributions in reciprocal space. The proposed CaCl 2 -like structure of the {111} platelet, seems to be plausible one, since it was found that its orientation was followed by that of CaCl 2 particle which precipitated by a certain heat treatment. ...


pharmaceutical or food composition or supplement or medical device comprising or alternatively consisting of at least one bacterial strain belonging to one or more species selected from the group comprising or alternatively consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus is capable to produce bacteriocins and / or metabolites and / or hydrogen peroxide (peroxide) for use in the preventive and / or curative treatment of infections and / or diseases related pathogens belonging to the species E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus . sp, in which said bacteria strains are selected from the group consisting of: - L. rhamnosus DSM 16605 LR04 - L. plantarum LMG P-21021 LP01 - L. plantarum LMG P-21020 LP02.