As part of an effort to develop nanoelectronic sensors for biological targets, we tested the potential to incorporate coiled coils as metallized, self‐assembling, site‐specific molecular linkers on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Based on a previously conceived modular anchor‐probe approach, a system was designed in which hydrophobic residues (valines and leucines) form the interface between the two helical peptide components. Charged residues (glutamates and arginines) on the borders of the hydrophobic interface increase peptide solubility, and provide stability and specificity for anchor‐probe assembly. Two histidine residues oriented on the exposed hydrophilic exterior of each peptide were included as chelating sites for metal ions such as cobalt. Cysteines were incorporated at the peptide termini for oriented, thiol‐mediated coupling to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor surfaces, gold nanoparticles or CNT substrates. The two peptides were produced by solid phase peptide synthesis using Fmoc chemistry: an acidic 42‐residue peptide E42C, and its counterpart in the heterodimer, a basic 39‐residue peptide R39C. The ability of E42C and R39C to bind cobalt was demonstrated by immobilized metal affinity chromatography and isothermal titration calorimetry. SPR biosensor kinetic analysis of dimer assembly revealed apparent sub‐nanomolar affinities in buffers with and without 1 mM CoCl2 using two different reference surfaces. For device‐oriented CNT immobilization, R39C was covalently anchored to CNT tips via a C‐terminal cysteine residue. Scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the assembly of probe peptide (E42C) N‐terminally labeled with 15 nm gold nanoparticles, when added to the R39C‐CNT surface. The results obtained open the way to develop CNT tip‐directed recognition surfaces, using recombinant and chemically synthesized chimeras containing binding epitopes fused to the E42C sequence domain. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We present a novel approach of modelling surface light scattering in the context of freeform optical design. The model relies on energy conservation and optimal transport theory. For isotropic scattering in cylindrically or rotationally symmetric systems with in-plane scattering, the scattered light distribution can be expressed as a convolution between a scattering function, which characterises the optical properties of the surface, and a specular light distribution. Deconvolving this expression allows for traditional specular reflector design procedures to be used, whilst accounting for scattering. ar X iv :2 10 6. 01 69 1v 1 [ ph ys ic s. op tic s] 3 J un 2 02 1


It is generally considered that local anesthetics act directly at the level of the plasma membrane (10, 23, 45). In addition to their anesthetic effects on excitable membranes (4, 45, 50), local anesthetics produce a variety of effects on membranes, including expansion (47), altered osmotic fragility (46), and inhibition of cell spreading (43), movement (13, 40), adhesion (31, 42), and fusion (36). Several studies have shown that local anesthetics interact with membrane lipids (4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 33, 35, 45), particularly acidic phospholipids (14, 33, 35, 45), and are also able to displace Ca 2+ from membranes (7, 33, 34, 48). Local anesthetics are considered to interact with membranes by both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions in close proximity with the anionic groups of acidic phos. pholipids (7, 14, 35). Local anesthetics are known to produce molecular disordering in lipid bilayers and to enhance the fluidity of phospholipids in membranes (20, 35). These effects occur only at very high anesthetic concentrations and are probably not related to anesthesia. At much lower concentrations, tertiary amine local anesthetics cause modifications in cell agglutinability (37 39) and mobilities of certain surface receptors (37-39, 47). Specifically, these receptors appear to be "uncoupled" from cytoplasmic controls (37-39), which appear to correspond to cytoskeletal elements associated with the plasma membrane (38, 39, 43, 47). We have


Plasma turbulence plays a key, governing role in determining the spatial-temporal evolution of plasmas in astrophysical, geophysical and laboratory contexts. In particular, turbulence on disparate spatial and temporal scales limits the level of confinement achievable in magnetic confinement fusion experiments and therefore limits the viability of sustainable fusion power 1 . The TDoTP project* (Turbulent Dynamics of Tokamak Plasmas) aims to advance understanding of plasma turbulence coupling across a wide range of scale sizes. As part of this effort, a mm-wave based scattering diagnostic is being designed for the MAST-U spherical tokamak, to measure binormal oriented high-k (electron scale) turbulence in the core plasma. We present the results of Gaussian wave optics and beam-tracing calculations 2 that demonstrate the predicted spatial and wavenumber resolution of the diagnostic, as well as estimates for the sensitivity of measurement. Current specifications for the diagnostic include an operating frequency of 260GHz, a turbulence wavenumber measurement range of k ⊥ ρ e = 0.1 -> 0.5 (where k ⊥ is the poloidal turbulence wavenumber and ρ e the electron gyroradius) and a minimum spatial localisation of ~3cm along the primary beam path.


The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the oral health behavior and self-efficacy of adolescents. The subjects in this study were 300 selected students in a girls`` high school located in the city of Iksan. A survey was conducted from November 2 to 5, 2014, with questionnaires that covered oral health behavior and self-efficacy, and the answer sheets from 298 respondents were analyzed by a statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0. The group that got regular dental checkups (3.26) excelled the other group that didn``t in self-efficacy (p< 0.05), and the group who made use of oral care products and who brushed their teeth four times or more had a better self-efficacy than the other group that didn``t. The students who considered themselves to be in better oral health scored higher in self-efficacy, and the groups who had no difficulties in pronunciation (3.66) and mastication (3.32) scored higher (p<0.01, <0.001). Masticatory dysfunction (r=-0.184) and pronunciation disorder (r=-0.200) were negatively correlated with self-efficacy, but oral health status (r=0.243) had a positive correlation with it. Self-efficacy was better when oral health status was better (p<0.001) and when there was no pronunciation disorder (p<0.01). The above-mentioned findings suggested that there was a close relationship between oral health behavior and self-efficacy. Therefore the kind of program that aims at changing youth oral health awareness and oral health behavior should be prepared to improve the self-efficacy of adolescents.


Abstract Aims: The dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) protein belongs to the NADPH oxidase (NOX) family. As H2O2 generator, it plays a key role in both thyroid hormone biosynthesis and innate immunity. DUOX2 forms with its maturation factor, DUOX activator 2 (DUOXA2), a stable complex at the cell surface that is crucial for the H2O2-generating activity, but the nature of their interaction is unknown. The contribution of some cysteine residues located in the N-terminal ectodomain of DUOX2 in a surface protein–protein interaction is suggested. We have investigated the involvement of different cysteine residues in the formation of covalent bonds that could be of critical importance for the function of the complex. Results: We report the identification and the characterization of an intramolecular disulfide bond between cys-124 of the N-terminal ectodomain and cys-1162 of an extracellular loop of DUOX2, which has important functional implications in both export and activity of DUOX2. This intramolecular bridge provides s...


The photo-oxidation and thermal initiation changes of commercial low density polyethylene (LDPE) films used in greenhouse covering, in the presence or absence of ultraviolet (UV) stabilizer, were monitored by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, by mechanical tests and by applying the grafting of acrylic acid onto the aged films. It was found that the resistance of PE films to UV irradiation and heat initiation as proved by tensile strength and elongation at break % was better for stabilized PE films compared with the unstabilized ones. A simple correlation was not observed between the fall in mechanical properties and the rate of film oxidation. On the other hand, an almost linear relation was obviously noticed between the degree of PE oxidation (CO) measured by IR spectroscopy and the grafting level. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 2365–2371, 2003


Layered structure LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2 composite compound is considered as a promising candidate of new-generation cathode materials to replace LiCoO2 for rechargeable lithium ion batteries due to its higher capacity,longer cycle life,lower cost and no harm to environment. The structure characteristics of LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2 and its electrochemistry properties were introduced. And then the synthesis methods this kind of cathode materials for lithium ion batteries were summarized. Anion ion doping,cation ion doping,complex ions and surface modification for cathode materials were discussed. Some problems in this cathode material research and development were presented,the and its future trend of lithium ion batteries cathode materials was forecasted.


Local employees in foreign business subsidiaries could learn new work values from the parent organizational culture through a process of organizational acculturation. As this is a new concept in academic research, it is important to explore organizational acculturation and its ramifications, especially since it may be used as a strategy of cultural control applied by the parent organization. Following a discussion of the theoretical foundation of this concept, the consequences of organizational acculturation are exemplified by an investigation of middle managers in Singapore. The study was undertaken in two stages. The first stage included a comparison of work values of Singaporean managers, employed by Swedish companies in Singapore, and those of a control group of Singaporean managers, not employed by Swedish companies. In the second stage, work values of managers in Singapore and Sweden were compared. Our results imply that some Swedish work values had been adopted, suggesting that the local managers had experienced organizational acculturation. Practical implications and possible further research are discussed.


The hydrogeology of the oceanic crust infl uences numerous global processes and properties, including the thermal evolution of oceanic lithosphere, crustal alteration and the chemistry of crustal fl uids, the nature and signifi cance of subseafl oor microbial ecosystems, tec-tonic and volcanic characteristics of active margins, and the creation of hy-drate and ore deposits on and below the seafl oor. Understanding these processes and properties has been a fundamental goal for scientifi c ocean drilling for over three decades, but progress has been limited in many cases by a vexing conundrum: drilling into the seafl oor often causes open exchange of formation fl uids and ocean bottom waters when coring penetrates through sediments and into permeable oceanic basement 1983). Such open exchange strongly perturbs in situ conditions and limits validity of borehole measurements to resolve the natural state. These perturbations have greatly limited our ability to quantify fundamental physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters that control and are controlled by fl uid fl ow within the oceanic crust. Motivated by this problem, long-term subseafl oor observatories were fi rst envisaged in the late 1980s as a means to utilize deep-sea boreholes for understanding in situ hydrogeological state and processes. The original CORK (Circulation Obviation Retrofi t Kit) was designed to seal a reentry hole, with basic sensors and samplers suspended within the sealed hole and ports for sample collection at the seafl oor (Davis et al., 1991). Long-term monitoring of temperature and pressure signals was originally intended to record the return to in situ conditions and capture signals associated with hydrogeological tran-sients resulting from the subseafl oor response to tidal forcing, barometric and oceanographic events, and strain events due to tectonic processes (e.g., Davis and Becker, 2004). Among the original primary goals of early CORK observa


Hepatic fibrosis,the formation of hepatic scars in chronic liver injury,results from complex interrelated changes in the extracellular matrix,cell populations and cytokines of the liver.Quiescent hepatic stellate cells(HSCs) transdifferentiate into activated-type HSCs,also termed myofibroblasts(MFBs) are regarded as the central event involved in the progression of hepatic fibrosis.But the activation of HSCs needs the internal cell signallings transduction.The current investigation shows that wnt signalling pathway is related to the activation of HSCs.In recent years,the involvement of wnt signalling pathways in hepatic fibrosis has drawn the attention of international medical circles and has been studied intensively.In this review,the interaction between wnt signalling pathways and hepatic fibrosis is summarized.It deserves further study on the components of the wnt pathway to provide valuable targets for potential anti-fibrotic therapeutic agents.


This paper uses a novel dataset on investments by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to quantify a (sizeable) trade‐off between the impact and financial objectives of a large lender. The unique feature of this dataset is ex ante records of impact. These are made at the early stages of work on each transaction alongside probability‐of‐default scores. Impact scores are further updated at the final approval stage with around 55 percent of transaction concepts translating into signed deals. We show that this approach delivers a simultaneous selection of debt investments on the quality of credit and impact with a sizable trade‐off between pursuing commercial and development objectives. For commercially riskier investments, impact characteristics have a greater bearing on the probability of an investment going ahead. We further use machine‐learning analysis to show that the impact of some investments is strengthened prior to project approval.


Under the particular cultural environment, the China documentary film has its own track of development and changes. As the pioneer, the TV show named life space almost led a campaign on the changing of documentary film's recording mode in 1990's, and it also aroused the reconsideration on the artistic principle to china s documentary films. It is more meaningful under the Chinese cultural environment.


A systematic study on the crossability pattern and the culture method to be adopted for crossing Populus ciliata was conducted. The results showed grafting to be the most suitable method for greenhouse crossing of P. ciliata . It was easily crossable with Tacamahacan poplar. The progeny of P. ciliata × maximowiczii could be successfully raised, and its hybrids have performed better than the parents in the initial growth trails within potential of being cultivated in the mid-West Himalayan zone.


To evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) on the cost and clinical variables after radical cystectomy (RC), as studies show that obesity might adversely affect the outcomes after RC.


In this note, the author proves that the inverse problem of submodular function on digraphs with l∞ objective function can be solved by strongly polynomial algorithm. The result shows that most inverse network optimization problems with l∞ objective function can be solved in the polynomial time.


Borderline ovarian tumor or low malignant ovarian tumor presents in 10-15% of all ovarian cancers, which usually affects younger women and have favorable prognosis even with conservative surgery, in which fertility can be preserved. Lack of reliable diagnostic tool to indicate the type of malignancy before or at the time of surgery makes the borderline ovarian tumor one of the most controversial topics in gynecology. This might lead to many overtreatment cases with radical surgery or undertreatment with conservative surgery with the higher rate of overtreatment compared to under treatment.In this review article, we extensively searched for all reported data regarding the accuracy of frozen section in borderline ovarian tumor. Reviewing the results of six studies, which specifically considered the accuracy of frozen section in borderline ovarian tumors, revealed an accuracy of 60% with an agreement between final pathology and frozen section results. Overall, 24.5% of under-diagnosed malignant cases interpreted to be benign and 4.9% overdiagnosed cases with benign tumor considered as a malignant. Frozen section is a reliable tool to exclude benign tumor from borderline and malignant but underdiagnosed percentage is higher. There are limitations in this review including the small number of enrolled cases, different time of diagnosis and different investigated countries and the discrepancies between the studied articles in this review.


Abstract Design is increasingly recognized as a competitive advantage for companies, but we know relatively little of the activities and perceptions of designers in different organizational contexts. Based on 69 semi-structured interviews with 34 in-house and 35 consultancy designers, this study investigates the type and framing of 291 reported meaningful moments. We found different dominant experience frames in the two organizational contexts with different connections to innate needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy. Most meaningful moments in both organizations were related to the social context and implications rather than the design activities themselves. The results highlight professional design being an inherently social and contextual activity, urging more research to take an organizationally situated perspective to design.


Background: Health-care workers form the strong linkage between the health-care system and the community they belong. The glaring maldistribution of dental workforce in rural areas with higher prevalence of oral cancer warrants the need for involving health-care workers for playing an active role in the prevention of oral cancer. Aim: The aim of this study is to study the perceptions and attitude of the health-care workers in creating the awareness on oral cancer and its associated risk factors to the community they serve. Settings and Design: Chikkaballapur District and Qualitative research. Subjects and Methods: Since the aim was to assess the perceptions and attitude, qualitative research method adopting ethnography strategy was conducted. The data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs). The FGDs were carried out on the informed schedules with health workers to know their perceptions and attitude. The tools used were semistructured interview/discussion guides. Statistical Analysis Used: The codes were extracted by the deductive approach, and data analysis was done using the Spradley's method (1979) for Ethnography. This includes domain analysis, componential analysis, and identifying themes. Results: A total of 44 key informants and health workers were involved and more than 250 codes emerged after inductive coding. Eleven domains and three themes were identified reflecting the participants' compassion to serve people. Three themes emerged from the FGDs are: (i) Perception that oral cancer can be prevented, (ii) Recognition of the myths and practices associated with the disease and its treatment, and (iii) Motivation to educate people in their villages. Conclusions: Health workers perceived oral cancer was preventable and showed positive attitude to help their rural community by educating about OC and its risk factors.


The switching-mode power supply (SMPS) has many advantages over linear regulators, such as high efficiency and relatively smaller size and light weight, but it operates at high switching frequencies, and the associated transient pulses are full of high frequency harmonics that cause the electromagnetic interference(EMI). The conducted and radiated interference may worsen its electromagnetic compatibility. Neither the field method nor the circuit method can predict the electromagnetic compatibility(EMC) of the SMPS completely when it is in the process of designing. So it is a reasonable way to unite the field and circuit methods by applying the 3D field and current simulation software. According to the field plot given by the 3D field simulation software, the circuit design can be improved.


Abstract A method is described for corrosion and electrochemical measurement in thin phase layers of electrolytes, as applicable to the problem of atmospheric corrosion of metals. Results obtained on the behaviour of stainless steels in acid sulphate solutions within the activepassive region of the anodic polarisation curve and on the passivation of the steels in thin layer and in bulk solutions are reported. Selfpassivation of the stainless steels is observed in thin layers of acid sulphate solutions. It is shown that the corrosion resistance of the steels in atmospheres polluted with sulphur dioxide may be predicted from the results of electrochemical measurements in thin phase layers of acid sulphate solutions.


A study was conducted to compare the specificity and sensitivity of parasitological methods (Giemsa and Fluorescent acridine orange staining) and PCR to detect the carrier status, subclinical and clinical babesiosis in cattle from endemic regions of Karnataka state in South India. Out of 148 cattle screened, 3 (2.03%), 7 (4.73%) and 16 (10.81%) were found positive for B. bigemina infection by Giemsa's staining, acridine orange staining and PCR, respectively. The conserved primers for B. bigemina derived from SpeI-AvaI restriction fragment were used in PCR which amplified a fragment of 278 bp in the positive cattle blood and was 83.26% sensitive and 91.16% specific for detection of babesiosis in cattle.


The Biochemical Society's Forty-Seventh Symposium, held in London in December 1981, assembled some of the leading workers in this area of biochemistry. The subjects for discussion were chosen for their timeliness and distinctiveness, and included accounts of ribosome and messenger RNA structure and function, initiation factors, caps and ribonucleoproteins, as well as consideration of the processes leading to the distribution of newly synthesized proteins within the cell. The papers presented are now published in this volume.


This paper looks into the role of gold as a safe haven or a hedge against stocks. We extend the existing literature in two ways. First, we consider crisis periods successively defined by recessions and bear markets. Second, we use a bivariate ARMA-GARCH-X model to estimate conditional covariances between gold and stocks returns. The regressions are run on monthly data for gold and several stock market indices (France, Germany, the UK, the US, the G7). We find that gold qualifies as a safe haven against all these stock indexes. This result holds for crises defined as recessions or bear markets, as the covariance between gold and stocks returns is found negative or null in all cases. Gold is also able to hedge against stock losses in most cases, although results are less clear-cut.


Study of various transportation indicators could be an appropriate criterion in evaluating the performance of the existing railways throughout the globe. This study was carried out to investigate the performance of rolling stock of Iranian railway using productivity analysis. In order to solve the problems, some solutions were provided by productivity management cycle steps. At the first step, it was tried to find how appropriate the rolling stock used in Iranian railway is. To evaluate productivity of rolling stock, data envelopment analysis method was used; besides railways specific indicators and partial indicators of rolling stock were measured. Consequently, during 1390-1394(2011-2015), the performance of rolling stocks was inefficient; however, rolling stocks were efficient in 1395(2016). At the next step, rolling stock productivity and its bottlenecks were analyzed according to railway performance, railway expert's opinions, and previous studies. Questionnaires were answered by 20 experts. Cronbach's alpha reliability with measured value of 0.899 was proven. Productivity improvement strategies are extracted from the results of these analyses and will be used to prioritize on the basis of comparing the importance and the current situation.


According to the fire characteristics of heavy-haul railway tunnel with high fire load,the frequent-occurrence,the serious consequences and combustion control mode of fire in heavy-haul railway tunnel are qualitatively analyzed.The result demonstrates that heavy transport volume,high density,high speed,and flammable goods are the key factors leading to frequently-occurring of tunnel fire.It also shows that high heat release rate in the tunnel would cause fire spread quickly and result in the severe damage of tunnel lining easily.Four methods are employed to determine the combustion mode of heavy-haul railway tunnel fire further,and the results show the fire are primarily controlled by ventilation.Based on the characteristics above,some suggestions about further research for heavy railway tunnel fire are proposed.


The phrase"life time education"is not a new concept.Especially,in this knowledge oriented economy,knowledge changes rapidly and the age span of knowledge becomes shorter,besides that,there are lots of new things for us to learn.All these put forward new requirements to life time education.In this article,the author analyses the necessity and possibility of life time education,sets up some principles of life time education,and then provides some ideas on the methods of how to carry out the life time education.


Monitoring of dredging works was performed using remote sensing together with in situ measurements of inherent optical properties (IOP). The IOPs measured with Wetlabs AC-spectra were used to characterize the type of particles in the water column. Measured scattering coefficients spectra were described with the exponential function. The obtained slope factors with the regression coefficient R were used for determining the composition of suspended particles in the water column. Remote sensing imagery from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) with spatial resolution of 250 m gave good general overview of turbidity on the surface water.


Abstract Myocardial infarction potentially alters mitral valve (MV) protein synthesis resulting in MV deterioration. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may decrease MV protein synthesis following infarction, thereby delaying surgical intervention and facilitating repair. To investigate this hypothesis Lewis rats were randomized into five groups: non-surgical (n=7), sham surgery (n=7), sham surgery ACE-inhibitor (n=7), infarct (n=10), and infarct ACE-inhibitor (n=10). For both infarct groups, the left anterior descending artery was ligated. Both ACE-inhibitor groups received Captopril. At sacrifice, the MVs were evaluated for heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70) and procollagen. MV HSP-70 levels were significantly increased in both infarct groups (p<0.05). Procollagen was increased in both infarct groups (p=0.07). Trends towards decreased HSP-70 and procollagen in the infarct group treated with ACE-inhibitors were observed. In summary, myocardial infarction increases MV HSP-70 (stress protein) and procollagen synthesis. Pharmocologic manipulation (ACE inhibition) may impact surgical management and prove beneficial in controlling the MV disease process following infarction.


ABSTRACT:Mystic and philosopher of religion Howard W. Thurman interrogates the meaning of religious experience throughout the 20th century. His book Deep River and the Negro Speaks of Life and Death (Thurman, 1975) reveals that to understand Black mystical experience is to consider the song tradition of the enslaved. In his research he finds, what I call, a Black mystical aesthetic. He extends this Black mystical aesthetic to understand and narrate his own experiences with mysticism. This essay explores more fully the roots of this mystical ethical orientation and its moral, aesthetic, and democratic tendencies. Thurman's Black mystical aesthetic was mediated out of ordinary experience to limn suffering in order to rehumanize it.


In this paper, a novel Ultra-Wideband and High-Frequency (UWHF) channel modeling is proposed for the next generation wireless communications e.g., 5G. The novel channel modeling is proposed based on the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) channel model and channel measurement results at high-frequency (28GHz and 73GHz) in real scenarios. In specific, the novel channel modeling method aims at accurately describing the characteristics of UWHF wireless channels, which can be exploited to realize high speed wireless communications. The simulation results are given to verify some important characteristics, such as time varying, selectivity in both time and frequency domain, correlation coefficient of transmitting antennas, etc. This new model is quite suitable for describing the channel in the new generation cellular system.


High quality fiber optic connectors are a critical element of any fiber optic network. Trapping the bare fiber within a cylindrical ferrule and polishing the end of the fiber-ferrule combination terminate most connectors. The performance of the connectors is determined by a combination of the factors including the fiber size and core centration, the ferrule size, centration and axiality, and the methods used in polishing the fiber during termination. Polishing process forms the end face angle. It is well known, that the polishing technology has influence on return loss. Back reflection or return loss is the amount of light reflected back towards the source relation to the forward signal. Reflection back into a laser cavity can cause result in output fluctuations, mode hopping and a damaged laser. This effect is especially detrimental in high speed and analog applications.


The purpose of this study is on analyzing the Problems of Urban Improvement Projects and improving the systems for urban regeneration. This study have come up with following six conclusions that are applicable to urban environment in Korea. First, reorganizing of urban improvement projects and legislative system. Second, assuring transparency of projects. Third, strengthening publicity and the role of public institution. Forth, conversing progressively to the form of inhabitants initiative by strengthening residents' ability. Fifth, pursuit of diversity. Sixth, emphasis of social welfare for urban regeneration.


for future unforeseen developments" (xvii). This book is an attempt to instigate new ways of thinking about theatre by studying how filmmakers have adapted dramatic texts for the film medium. In this way, Brietzke recalls Robert Edmond Jones's plea in The Dramatic Imagination: that theatre-makers must be conscious of film's capabilities, particularly with regard to photographic realism, and therefore work toward a theatre freed from the restraints of realism—a theatre of beauty and imagination. American Drama in the Age of Film is thus a part of a larger discourse about how theatre interfaces with the other arts and with the society that sustains it, and the author's contribution is to suggest that film and television versions of plays may provoke new forms of theatrical production for audiences acclimated to film culture.


In the past decade, significant shifts have occurred in the nature of the Internet and the conceptualization of classrooms. Such shifts have affected constructs of learning and instruction and paths for future research. In this article, the authors build on three ideas set forth in comments on their article "Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?" The authors believe that these comments, which extend ideas from their initial article, make important contributions to the vision for transformative scholarship and practice they outlined. Specifically, the authors discuss the professional development of teachers, considerations for building research capacity and social scholarship, and the importance of bridging divides to advance a common research agenda on learning and teaching with Web 2.0.


Abstract The impact of two bogussing schemes on tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts is compared. One scheme for bogussing TCs into the initial conditions of the nonhydrostatic version of the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) is proposed by NCAR and the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), and four-dimensional variational data assimilation technology is employed for the other bogus data assimilation (BDA) scheme. The initial vortex structure adjusted by the NCAR–AFWA (N–A) scheme is more physically realistic, while the BDA scheme produces an initial vortex structure that is more consistent with the model. The results from 41 forecasts of TCs occurring over the western North Pacific (WNP) in 2002 suggest that the adjustment of the initial structure in the BDA scheme produces a greater benefit to the subsequent track and intensity forecasts, and the improvements in the track and intensity forecasts are significant using the BDA sc...


In the present work the necessary steps to carry on the superplastic forming o f the Cd-17.4Zn alloy are defined. The use o f either atmospheric pressure or gas pressure as forming tools is analyzed. The optimum valúes o f the variables involved (temperature, máximum strain and sensitivity Índex) are determined while a methodfor the characterization o f future superplastic alloys is set forth. The experimental characterization ofthe superplastic forming is achieved with free bulging ofcircular membranes o f l2 , l 6, 24, 32 and 40 mm in diameter and with three different membrane thicknesses (0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mm).


There are three central interlinked areas of economic and social life of significance for Bambara farming households in Kala: annual millet production, returns from various investments – wells, plough-teams, breeding cattle - and longer term returns from child-rearing, marriage and household management. Success in each field reinforces success in the other two fields as, for example, when a good millet harvest can fund another marriage which will generate a replenishment of labour in the longer term. People face highly variable returns to farming and investment, and must continually react to changing climatic and economic circumstances, by altering patterns of crop production and investment. Some households do better than others, since their scale and strategy enable them to deal with uncertainty, and risks. Equally, mastery of a successful investment portfolio enables a household to re-invest surplus in marriage and expansion of the domestic group, ensuring greater resilience to future shocks, especially demographic. Nevertheless, there are certain forces operating at higher level - environmental trends, weak institutions, poor governance of land – which are difficult for Kala's farmers to address.


Determination of the water content in the winding insulation of aging transformers is an essential part of their condition assessment. Since this insulation cannot be accessed directly on a transformer in service, the moisture content has to be inferred from other available measurements. One method frequently applied is to measure the water content in the insulating oil and use a set of physical relationships to determine the water content in the winding insulation. This method is now being deployed on a larger scale as the availability of on-line monitoring devices grows. This paper reviews the limitations intrinsic to this method and assesses the overall accuracy that can be expected for a transformer in service under varying operating conditions. It is concluded that for most cases of interest the accuracy is about ±20% but, for very dry transformers, the uncertainty may rise above ±40%.


Seeds of Bixa orellana L. were collected from four different locations of Maharashtra (Dapoli, Kolad, Powai and Savle). The pigments were extracted from the seeds by direct extraction with oil, direct extraction with aqueous alkali and indirect extraction with organic solvents (chloroform, chloroform: ethanol, ethyl acetate) and were assayed using spectrophotometric method. Castor oil yielded comparatively smaller amount of bixin, which was maximum in Kolad samples. Aqueous alkali (pH13) extracted 0.4-1.25%, nor-bixin, maximum was in the sample collected at Savle. Chloroform could extract maximum bixin. Mixture of chloroform and ethanol was not very efficient in extracting bixin. Seeds from Dapoli had maximum bixin (chloroform extraction) and Kolad had maximum of minor carotenoids (ethyl acetate extraction).


A peer-managed self-control program to teach responsible drinking was tested with 30 American Indian teenagers at high risk for problem drinking. Students were randomly assigned to three groups incorporating combinations of self-monitoring, peer-assisted self-control training, and alcohol education. Significant decreases were observed in quantity and frequency of drinking and in peak blood alcohol levels. These improvements were maintained at follow-ups of 4, 9, and 12 months posttreatment. Self-report data were corroborated by breath tests and official records. No group differences were found, indicating that minimal and full program interventions had comparable effects.


Momordica sahyadrica is a rare endemic species found mainly in the Western Ghats of India. Its medicinal property is not defined but in ancient time it was used as a folk medicine mainly by the tribal communities comprising M.charantia var.muricata, M.charantia var.charantia, M.dioica and M. sahyadrica. Traditional uses of these species comprising food, medicinal and cosmetic, culinary preparations, vernacular names in local dialects and taboos and religious beliefs relating to their domestication and folk taxonomy. Formerly, material of it was placed under Momordica dioica, but it appeared distinct from that species in various morphological and ecological features. Literature review suggests that Momordica species seems to have some anti-diabetic activity. Hence, the present study is under taken to explore anti diabetic activity of hydro-alcoholic extract of Momordica sahyadrica tuber on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Male Wistar albino rats of weighing 150-250 g were procured and diabetes was induced in overnight fasted male albino wistar rats by Streptozotocin (45 mg/ kg, i.p), hydro alcoholic extract of Momordica sahyadrica (200 and 400 mg/ kg, p.o) and Glibenclamide (5 mg/ kg b.w., p.o.) treatment was given twice a day to diabetic rats for 21 days and blood glucose levels were estimated at different time intervals. On 21 day, all the animals were sacrificed; blood samples and livers of each animal were collected and biochemical parameters such as blood glucose level, Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, SOD, CAT, MDA, Glucose-6Phosphatase and Glucose 6Phosphate Dehydrogenase activity were estimated.For performing Pancreatic β-cell protective study the animals were treated with hydro alcoholic extract of Momordica sahyadrica (200 and 400 mg/ kg, p.o) twice a day for 14 days and diabetes was induced in overnight fasted male albino wistar rats by Streptozotocin (45 mg/kg, i.p) on the 15 day. Blood Glucose level was estimated continuously till 7 days. There was significant increase in the antioxidant levels like SOD and CAT, decrease in MDA, Cholesterol, Triglyceride, blood glucose level compared to the control group. Also there was a significant increase in the Glucose oxidation enzyme Glucose-6Phosphate Dehydrogenase and decrease in the gluconeogenic enzyme Glucose-6Phosphatase. Histopathological studies showed that treatment with MS Extract causes increase in β-cells, Langerhans were restored to normalization and hepatocytes with less amount of inflammatory cells indicating its function on the protection of and pancreatic liver tissue compared to diabetic group.


When evaluating the service quality satisfaction of higher education,more subjective tendency and qualitative research can cause university to make wrong decision-making.Based on extension theory which combine with qualitative and quantitative analysis,the paper constructs the matter-element model of higher education's service quality satisfaction,and calculates the correlation coefficient of evaluation index relative to evaluation level;moreover,considering the entropy weight method has objectivity and accuracy in determining the weights,integrate the entropy weight method into modeling to confirm the weight coefficient of evaluation index for service quality in colleges and universities.Combined with the two mathematics methods,the paper constructs an evaluation model of evaluating the service quality satisfaction of college education.Finally,the empirical analysis shows that the evaluation model is objective and rational.


Stephany Griffith-Jones is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University in England. She was previously associated with the Central Bank of Chile and has also served as senior consultant to such international agencies as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the UN Commission for Trade ad Development (UNCTAD). She is a contributor to, and co-editor (with Ricardo Ffrench-Davis) of, COPING WITH CAPITAL SURGES: LATIN AMERICA IN THE 1990s (Lynne Rienner, 1994). Barbara Stallings is Director of the Economic Development Division of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago de Chile. She is both contributor to, and editor of, COMMON VISIONS, DIFFERENT PATHS: THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD (Overseas Development Council, 1993), as well as of GLOBAL CHANGE, REGIONAL RESPONSE: THE NEW INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENT (Cambridge University Press, 1995).


Machine Translation evaluation by human annotators is a slow and rigorous task. The common automatic MT evaluation techniques depend on one or more reference translations to evaluate the output of MT systems. Quality estimation removes this dependence on human-generated reference translations by estimating the quality translation pair given just the source and translated text. In this paper, we present an extensive analysis of the quality estimation task. We establish the background necessary to understand quality estimation as a task and where it fits into the machine translation pipeline. We explore the different approaches to quality estimation, architectures used in QE systems and some of the challenges to quality estimation. This paper explores the various complexities in quality estimation and provides a valuable starting point for any researcher looking to advance the field of quality estimation.


[Objective] The aim was to establish the activity assay system of uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose(UDPG):ginsenoside Rh2 glucosyltransferase(UGRh2GT) of Panax ginseng cells.[Method] With UDPG as the glucose donor,ginsenoside Rh2 was catalyzed into Rg3 by certain enzyme which was extracted from P.ginseng suspension cells at appropriate temperature and pH.The generated ginsenoside Rg3 was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).The analytical column was C18 (150 mm×4.6 mm).Mobile phases were acetonitrile and water with gradient elution.[Result] In the activity assay system of UGRh2GT of ginseng cells,the optimum pH value was 9.3,the optimal temperature was 34.1℃.[Conclusion] The method of activity assay can determine the activity of UGRh2GT more easily.


eral Christian attitude and demand by the middle of the 2nd century. The final change was attained when under the influx of great numbers ot pagan converts and the influence of Mithraism's sun worship the "Lord's Day" became "Sunday," in which name its supreme position over the other days of the week (dedicated to the various planetary deities) was established. This position was reached and fortified exegetically and doctrinally from the last half of the second century onward. Finally, Sunday was legalized by Constantine the Great (non-Jewish influence) as the rest-day of his empire, and with this act even the Jewish character of Sunday was definitely lost, for pagan ideas of observing a sacred day formed the basis of this law and, henceforth, practice.


The search for competitive advantages creates the need for organizations to absorb techniques that increase the technical economic viability of their processes and products to a greater profitability . One approach that has been applied to reduce variability and costs involved in processes is the Six Sigma , which is supported by quality management techniques with statistical approach . This study aimed to analyze the application of the Six Sigma Program in a descriptive and detailed way, since there are few studies in this application field. Therefore, this is an applied research with exploratory goal which used the case study method and the semi-structured interview as the data collection instrument. The case study was conducted in a sector of the automotive industry , in which it has been developed a Six Sigma project that involved a replacement of the raw material used in the manufacture of windshield wiper components . Through the result analysis, it was possible to verify a reduction of spending on raw materials, an improvement in process reliability and customer satisfaction increase. Thus, Blucher Engineering Proceedings Agosto de 2014, Numero 2, Volume 1


There exist, appended to a collection of the Histories of Orosius and a subsequently copied letter ofSulpicius Severns (c.360-c.420), three letters of which the authorship is uncertain. One of these is addressed to an otherwise unknown Salvius, once trained and practising as a lawyer in Rome at the same time as the author of the letter, and afterwards landowner in Africa. Dealing mainly with the recall of fugitive farmers, it is of interest to legal historians. Recently the eminent ancient historian C. Lepelley has bestowed an ample and erudite study upon these letters. However, as regards the legal-historical aspects, his study, in spite of his flat rejection of my former legal analysis, 2 shows grave shortcomings which justify this contribution.


Engineering is the foundation of the infrastructure, resources, products, systems and services that serve our community. As technology advances there is high demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills to keep up with the requirements of every industry. However, the statistics and research imply that supply will not meet demand in the very near future, and, in Australia less than 15% of STEM graduates are female. Taking into consideration the industry in which we operate and Clough's strategic priorities and ESG (environmental, social and governance) framework, we recognised the need to support STEM and to spark curiosity in these subjects during high school years when students are making the key decision about what profession they will pursue. Clough also recognised that it required collaboration between schools, universities and industry. In 2021, Clough developed a program that included: a pipeline of touch points to ensure STEM careers and industry opportunities were presented as early as Year 7; a partnership with a local university to work with girls in Year 11, targeting senior secondary students studying prerequisite mathematics to offer them exposure to engineering activities, role models and career opportunities; a partnership with Engineers Australia; Open Days at our offices for school students in Years 10–12 to provide them with an opportunity to experience engineering as a career; a revamp of Clough's Scholarship program to support students during their first years of university; and an internship program for STEM-related functions from the first year of university.


We propose a novel feedback control scheme in order to adjust the surface roughness during epitaxial growth processes. By means of stochastic differential equations we investigate control of the early phase of growth in situ. It is shown that the effective growth exponents β, and thus the temporal evolution of the rms (root mean square) surface roughness, can be adjusted by time delayed feedback control.


The Subaru Deep Field (SDF) project is a program of Subaru Observatory to carry out a deep galaxy survey over a blank field as large as 34'x27'. The program consists of very deep multi-band optical imaging, near infrared imaging for smaller portions of the field and follow-up optical spectroscopy. Major scientific goals of the project are to construct large samples of Lyman-break galaxies at z~4-5 and Lyman alpha emitters at z~5.7 and 6.6, and to make detailed studies these very high-redshift galaxy populations. In this paper, we describe the optical imaging observations and data reduction, presenting mosaicked images and object catalogs in seven bandpasses.The optical imaging was made through five broad-band filters, B, V, R, i', z', and two narrow-band filters, NB816 (lambda_c=8150A) and NB921 (lambda_c=9196A) with almost 10 hours long integrations for each band. The limiting magnitudes measured at 3-sigma on a 2" aperture are B=28.45, V=27.74, R=27.80, i'=27.43, z'=26.62, NB816=26.63, and NB921=26.54 in the AB system. The object catalog constructed for each of the seven bands contains more than 10^5 objects. The galaxy number counts corrected for detection incompleteness and star count contribution are found to be consistent with previous results in the literature. The mosaicked images and catalogs of all the bands have been made open to the public on Oct. 1, 2004 on the SDF project website at this http URL.


see this as a problem within a single police force rather than a nationwide issue. In chapter four Passavant discusses control technologies and communicative capitalism. The latter of these two is cleverly positioned. He highlights how through communicative capitalism there is a disintegration of the image, the subject, and the social; images of protest policing merely appear. The previous chapter used images of violent protest policing, and the reader can find themselves going back to those images with a fresh understanding of the impact communicative capitalism has on them. It could be argued that we are disintegrated from the very pictures Passavant has chosen to demonstrate violent protesting diminishing the impact of the violence from the police. The fifth chapter highlights how we cannot bring grievances regarding climate change, inequality, poverty, or social reproduction through the forms of protests unless we are willing to take on the problem of police abuse of force. This is because, as Passavant demonstrates throughout the book, there is a recurring, common thread: the security model of policing protest is underpinned by the eroding of citizens' First Amendment rights leading to post-democratic, post-Fordist neoliberal authoritarianism. Why has this shift led to the more violent and aggressive security model of policing protest? Passavant answers this question by arguing over the course of this book but stresses in this fifth chapter that neoliberal authoritarianism is "haunted by the spectral figure of black insurrection" (237), producing and exhibiting insecurity that no longer wants to negotiate with protestors who do not wish to conform to neoliberal authoritarianism.


In hyperspectral data analysis, hyperspectral data is often treated as a linear mixture problem with imposing two physical constraints, abundance sum-to-one constraint (ASC) and abundance non-negativity constraint (ANC). Thus, the constrained linear mixing model can be further understood via a geometric object, simplex, and results into a well-known N-finder algorithm (NFINDR). A new endmember finding methodology, piecewise geometric NFINDR (PG-NFINDR), with endmembers found by a modified NFINDR called geometric NFINDR with simplex volume computed via its geometric structure is proposed. PG-NFINDR is a divide-and-conquer algorithm which can be broke into two parts. The first part is to partition the original image into convex regions and to find endmember candidates within each region. The second part of PG-NFINDR determines the final set of endmembers among all endmember candidates. PG-NFINDR is effective at handling highly mixed hyperspectral images where all of the pixels in the scene consisted of multiple endmembers. A comparison of variants of NFINDR is conducted. The result demonstrates that the proposed algorithm is an efficient and effective method to finding endmembers.


Nonlinear acoustic propagation of sonic booms in the atmospheric boundary layer is considered in the context of a one-way solution to a third order wave equation. A split-step approach is utilized to compute different physical effects efficiently. Unlike previous approaches, the diffraction effects are computed exactly in the forward direction with no restriction on the angle of propagation. This results in more accurate modelling of sonic boom near the carpet edge. Heterogenous flow effects are incorporated with a wide-angle parabolic approximation. Nonlinear propagation is computed with a Burgers-Hayes method. Turbulence in the medium is constructed by the method of random Fourier modes. The turbulence spectra are constructed using an altitude dependent 3-dimensional von Karman spectrum. The turbulence field is considered frozen, as the eddy turnover time in the atmospheric boundary layer is generally much larger than the propagation time of the acoustic wave. Comparisons with benchmark predictions from the PCBoom software are conducted. The benchmark cases provide insight into the accuracy of the current prediction code for non-turbulent atmospheres. Future work is discussed regarding the prediction of shaped booms, boundary conditions, and predictions near the lateral extent of the boom carpet where previous approaches fail to capture the diffraction effects.


An accurate, automatic method for the measurement of the propagation constant of an arbitrary transmission medium is presented. An error analysis of the procedure is given, indicating how to maximize the accuracy of the results.


Objects & background

The epidemy of AIDS is a global phenomenon containing social, economical and political problems which affect legislating in each society. AIDS is one of the most pernicious, infectious disease has been known as the 4th cause of death in the world being a main snag for development of societies.
Due to inexistence of proper vaccine and care for this disease it is important to be prevented by educational and behavioral changes which would promote public awareness about disease nature, transmissive and preventive ways in its epidemic management .In this study we are trying to determine East –Azarbaijan connoisseurs and authorities attitude about AIDS preventive policies.

Methods:
This research was applied in Tabriz University and Tabriz University Of Medical Sciences .Statistical society was faculty members of these universities & sample size was 180 .Information collected based on questionnaire which its reliability and validity was confirmed after distributing 20 of them between connoisseurs and authorities whom had not been incorporated in our samples. For data analysis SPSS software was used.

Results :
In this study 70% of persons were disagree to perform AIDS preventive policies in elementary school ,61.7% were agree to do it in guide school ,88.9% were agree to do it in school ,88.9% were agreeto do it in high school & 86.1% were agree to do it in university ,82.8% were agree to do it by Health centers and finally 75.6% were agree to implement AIDS preventive policies by multimedia .

Conclusion :
With regard to the findings of this study and comparing with similar studies ,it showed that teaching aspects of AIDS problems particularly sexual prospects related to it during guide school & codifying educational comprehensive programs to increase public awareness especially for young population about this purpose , using suitable social –cultural preparedness to improve these programs is essential for all organizations in Iran


This survey research project investigated the existence of Web portfolios on academic Web sites in New York State. The goal of this project was to promote Web portfolios and the main objective was to provide interpretation of the current level of student Web portfolio usage and activity within all New York colleges and universities. Major findings were that there is a low quantity of Web portfolios in relation to overall student enrollment, thus providing impetus to study a new phenomenon, lack of Web portfolios. The study yielded data providing a breakdown of where and how many Web portfolios were found. This study provides a basis for further research by scholars into Web portfolios within academic settings.


Existential threat, which terror-management theory suggests is associated with greater psychological distance from nature and increased concern for the self, may erode human motivation to protect the natural environment. Environmentally relevant motivations and concerns include desires to protect humans (anthropocentric motivation and egoistic concern) and nature (biocentric motivation and biospheric concern). Experimentally induced mortality salience decreased biocentric but not anthropocentric motivation to protect the environment (Studies 1 and 2) as well as biospheric but not egoistic environmental concern (Study 2). However, moderator effects also suggest how environmentally protective motivations can be sustained despite existential threat. If people conceive of proenvironmental action as serving humans or if it relates to people's identities, the malicious effects of existential threat on proenvironmental motivation can be eliminated.


The production of (e + , e - ) pairs is calculated in a nonperturbative approach for the model situation of a one-dimensional square well with a depth varying with time. Detailed energy distributions for the average particle number of electrons and positrons are obtained. In contrast to other (almost) exactly solvable models for pair-creation bound-state effects can be included. Situations with both undercritical and overcritical potentials are considered


In South Korea, the evaluation criteria for installing shading devices are defined by regulations, but the standards of design methods are not clearly established. The installation of shading devices has become mandatory for some public buildings due to revised regulations. Therefore, a design of horizontal shading device is required, and indoor environmental problems which may occur due to their installation should also be taken into consideration. This research aimed to propose a design which takes into account the energy consumption which may occur if the horizontal shading device is installed and suggests an improved design method of horizontal shading devices when they are installed. Consequently, it was confirmed that as the protrusion of the horizontal shading device becomes longer, the incoming daylight is reduced and the indoor intensity of illumination becomes lower, and thus more lighting energy may be consumed in a room where the shading device is installed than in the one where it is not. Therefore, annual energy consumption was calculated by applying the lighting control and it was found that the total energy consumption decreased by the reduction of air-conditioning and fans and lighting energy consumption.


We propose a monocular SLAM based on semi-direct method, which combines the advantages of direct method and indirect (feature-based) method. On the basis of extracting the salient feature points of the image, the pose of the camera is estimated by the direct method. The key-frame descriptors are represented by image description model based on learning. The key-frame descriptors are combined with the effective retrieval strategy to get rough closed-loop detection, and the descriptors are combined with direct matching to verify closed-loop candidate. Compared with popular open source algorithms, our method is tested on the publicly available datasets. Compared with state-of-the-art direct-based method and indirect-based method slam, our experimental results improve the overall performance of the system.


Recent papers on the North American Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica, make it of interest to compare some phases of behavior of two of its relatives in Brazil that have also taken to nesting in chimneys and inside buildings. The Ashy-tailed or Andr6's Swift, Chaetura andrei, has an extensive South American range; the nominate race is known only from Venezuela, but the larger C. a. meridionalis breeds south of the Equator in eastern and central Brazil, northern Argentina and Paraguay, with records, presumably of migrants, in northern Colombia and Panama (Peters• 1940: 240). In size and sooty color of head and back, C. andrei resembles the Chimney Swift, but has the throat, rump, upper and under tail-coverts and most of the very short tail a pale ash gray, while the breast and abdomen are dark gray. The Gray-rumped Swift, C. cinereiventris, ranges (with many subspecies) in tropical lowlands from Nicaragua to the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Peters, 1940: 238). The race I have studied, the southernmost, C. c. cinereiventris, is about an inch smaller than C. andrei meridionalis, has glossy black upperparts (except for sooty gray rump and upper tail-coverts), and mainly dark sooty gray underparts. These species are sympatric in parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro. The breeding season of both in southeastern Brazil usually begins in September or October and ends in February or March. Elsewhere I have described nests of these species, as well as certain aspects of their biology (Sick, 1948, 1950, 1955, 1958).


This study aims to develop a methodology for the justification of medical diagnostic decisions based on the clustering of large volumes of statistical information stored in decision support systems. This aim is relevant since the analyzed medical data are often incomplete and inaccurate, negatively affecting the correctness of medical diagnosis and the subsequent choice of the most effective treatment actions. Clustering is an effective mathematical tool for selecting useful information under conditions of initial data uncertainty. The analysis showed that the most appropriate algorithm to solve the problem is based on fuzzy clustering and fuzzy equivalence relation. The methods of the present study are based on the use of this algorithm forming the technique of analyzing large volumes of medical data due to prepare a rationale for making medical diagnostic decisions. The proposed methodology involves the sequential implementation of the following procedures: preliminary data preparation, selecting the purpose of cluster data analysis, determining the form of results presentation, data normalization, selection of criteria for assessing the quality of the solution, application of fuzzy data clustering, evaluation of the sample, results and their use in further work. Fuzzy clustering quality evaluation criteria include partition coefficient, entropy separation criterion, separation efficiency ratio, and cluster power criterion. The novelty of the results of this article is related to the fact that the proposed methodology makes it possible to work with clusters of arbitrary shape and missing centers, which is impossible when using universal algorithms. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01305 Full Text: PDF


Background: Leprosy is known to man since ancient times. Leprosy bacillus was discovered by
Gerhard Henrick Armauer Hansen in 1873. Ridley-Jopling classification takes into consideration clinical,
bacteriological, histopathological and immunological factor. The present study was done to correlate
clinical and histopathological diagnosis.
Materials and Methods : Fifty newly diagnosed cases of leprosy were included in the study during the
period from August 2011 to August 2013. H and E stained sections were observed for histopathological
features and classified according to Ridley & Jopling classification and a clinicopathological correlation
was made.
Result: Maximum numbers of cases diagnosed histopathologically belonged to borderline tuberculoid
18(36%) cases. Hundred percent correlation was seen between clinical diagnosis and histopathological
diagnosis in tuberculoid leprosy. The overall clinico-histopathological correlation in our study was 62%.
Conclusion: Histopathological classification is accurate as it considers immunologic response of the tissue,
whereas clinical classification considers only gross appearances of the lesions. Borderline leprosy cases are
in a continuous changing immunological spectrum and histopathologic classification identifies any recent
shift of a case in the spectrum.

Keywords: Histopathology, Leprosy, Ridley-Jopling's classification.


We demonstrate here the possibility of tuning the field emission properties of carbon nanotube film emitters. Patterned nanotube films were realized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) combined with soft lithography, which allows one to vary the density of nanotubes on the films. We show that the geometrical arrangement has a determining influence on the field emission properties, and has important consequences for the realization of nanotube field emission devices such as displays. In particular, medium density films with nanotubes protruding over the substrate showed the lowest emission fields and reached current densities of 10 mA cm below 4 V/lm. A decrease or increase of the nanotube density resulted in degraded emission properties. The necessity to display information is central to much of modern science and technology, and displays have nowadays become indispensable. Diverse types of flat panel displays are currently in use but are not always satisfying the requirements of demanding applications. Different solutions are under consideration with major concerns on production costs, long-term stability, and scale up. Field emission has been recognized early as an attractive alternative to liquid crystal displays (LCDs). In such a device, electrons are extracted from an emitter or emitter array and bombard a phosphor layer deposited on the counter electrode to produce light. Commercial field emission displays based on Mo tips provide a superior picture quality and higher luminosity than LCDs but show high fabrication costs and extreme sensitivity to contamination by adsorbates. Every effort has been made to develop field emitters based on carbon-containing materials (e.g., diamond, diamond-like carbon, and tetrahedral-amorphous carbon) to circumvent those problems. The high expectations and promises held by these materials, however, have not yet been matched by their performances. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently emerged as one of the most promising electron field emitters. The power of CNTs as electron sources for displays and lighting devices was amply demonstrated in the last few years. Lighting elements based on CNT cathodes have been presented in 1998 and are commercially available with lifetimes in excess of 8000 h. Samsung developed last year a sealed full-color 92 display. CNT cathodes have been incorporated in gas discharge tubes for overvoltage protections and in microwave tubes. The Samsung CNT displays represent an impressive feat and an important milestone towards a fully functional device. They work up to now in diode configuration, which implies that the brightness of a pixel is controlled by varying the potential between emitter and phosphor screen, which is on the order of several kilovolts. Conversely, a triode configuration incorporates a control electrode located near the emitter, and the brightness of the pixel is then controlled by adjusting the potential between cathode and control electrode. For both diode and triode configuration patterns of CNTs have to be defined on the substrate. This has been demonstrated using different techniques: offset printing, standard lithography, soft lithography, and self-assembly. We use here microcontact printing (lCP) to pattern Si substrates with catalyst and subsequently grow CNTs by CVD of acetylene. The advantage of lCP is that the catalyst is applied in liquid form to an elastomeric stamp prior to the transfer to the substrate. Varying the concentration of catalyst in the solution (also called ainko) influences directly the density of CNTs on the patterned film. We demonstrate here that this approach allows one in turn to tune the electron emission properties of the films. We consider ten patterned (samples A±J) and one continuous (sample K) CNT films obtained with different ink concentrations as summarized in Table 1. Figure 1 displays the effect of ink concentration for five different films and provides an overview of the different samples. Diluted inks (1 mM, sample B) yielded films of low density with very short and thick


Web-based Learning needs social interaction,whose characteristics differs from face-to-face interaction in thinking and language. Research on comparing interactive process in Web-based Learning and face-to-face interaction is the main trait of social interactive research in web-based learning in some foreign countries.


Energy consumption survey is conducted in a university campus with co-generation system used for 22 years. According to the hourly data in a complete year, the performance of the whole system including the electricity generation, waste heat recovery, and gas consumption, the operating conditions and the overall energy efficiency is analyzed. The overall energy efficiency reaches 43% to 69%, which shows this energy system still maintains good performance. Then it is pointed out that the correlation coefficient between the energy consumption for cooling and the natural logarithm of outside air temperature exceeds 0.9 in this article. And the load curves for multi-unit control are also illustrated, which can be used to evaluate the performance of the whole system. Furthermore, the authors propose the optimization of the number of operating gas turbines, which improves 2% the overall energy efficiency in summer.


The quality of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery depends on the quality of the musculoskeletal manuscripts we receive, and for that we rely on a dedicated community of researcher-authors. With increasing pressure on authors from governments, funders, and institutions to demonstrate the impact of their work, JBJS continues to seek ways to …


If the draft of the legislation was aimed at misleading the voters, as one of the drafters appears to have admitted, such conduct could constitute gross negligence.


Electrical characteristics of HfO2/SiO2 interface are comprehensively studied to clarify the intrinsic origin of flatband voltage (VFB) shift in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device with high-k/metal gate structure. A methodology for quantitative extraction of the interface dipole and chargers at high-k/SiO2 interface is proposed. The dipole and charges at HfO2/SiO2 interface are extracted to be about −0.38 V and −1.15×1013 cm−2, respectively. This result shows that the high density of negative charges at HfO2/SiO2 interface rather than the interface dipole are the dominant cause of the positive VFB shift in the MOS device with HfO2/SiO2 stack.


This paper focuses on finding and testing the selected constructs that influence the fashion consciousness of women consumers belonging to Islamic religion in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study chose pertinent constructs such as cultural, social, personal and media variables and intended to find the impact of the same over target respondents, i.e., women consumers (UAE nationals) from Islamic religion. The results revealed that: 1) all the selected variables were found to have significant impact over fashion consciousness of women consumers; 2) media variables were found to have higher influence over fashion consciousness of women consumers belonging to Islamic religion, followed by cultural and social variables. The implications of the outcomes were discussed.


In order to research the temperature susceptibility of SBS modified asphalt,six types of modified asphalt binders were prepared with Zhenhai neat asphalt,radial SBS4303 and SBS401,linear SBS1192 and SBS503.The penetration,viscosity,penetration index(PI) and viscosity temperature susceptibility(VTS) of all the asphalt binders were obtained through the penetration and dynamic shear rheology(DSR) tests.The influence of modifier types and dosages on the PI and VTS were investigated.The experiment results show that the VTS can reflect the temperature sensitivity of the SBS modified asphalts more objectively than the PI.It is appropriate to use VTS,which is obtained by the regression equation,as the temperature sensitivity index of the SBS modified asphalts.


Abstract This paper explores the role of the 'hydrogen economy' as a guiding vision encompassing multiple contested technological futures, value judgements and problem framings. Hydrogen visions draw upon six overarching and competing narrative themes: power and independence; community empowerment and democratisation; ecotopia; hydrogen as technical fix; inevitability and technical progress; and 'staying in the race'. In other words the hydrogen economy possesses great interpretive flexibility. This, it is argued, is the key to hydrogen's rhetorical power, allowing it to become a space in which divergent interests and agendas are promoted. Turning to issues of scale and place, the case of London is used to document the dynamics of expectations: how the open flexible guiding vision of a hydrogen economy must inevitably be re-invented and grounded in local agendas and contexts if its promise is to become realised.


Objective To find out the infection of the Neisseria Gonorrheae and Ureaplasma Urerlyticum of the Urogenital System within the high-risk population in Hangzhou.Methods We have examined of the NG and UU test on 568 sexploitation female.Results The detection rate of the NG and UU are 10.74% and 55.63% respectively.The UU detection rate for the non-symptom group is 38.71%.Combinecl infection rate is 7.92%.Floating personals are occcupying 95.07%.Conclusion The detection rate of the NG and UU are higher than other domestic reports.UU is the main Venereal Disease pathogen in Hangzhou.


At present, the State has focused its efforts on improving service in companies and organizations that fulfill public functions, so it is of great importance that these are organized by processes and that they have an internal control area in their strategic structure. that is in charge of improving the customer service, satisfying their needs and improving the image of the public servant. The quality of service is defined as making things and people work well from the beginning, to open their minds to the idea that it is always possible to improve any task that is carried out.


Study must be taken as broad slab casting machine of soft-reduction technique at Xingang,the mathematical model of slab heat transmission is set up by process characteristics of casting machine.Meanwhile,the calculation software of engineering is developed.


The hydrodechlorination (HDCl) process of 2-chlorodiphenyl, 4-chlorodiphenyl, chlorobenzene, chloronaphthalene and chloroanthracene was studied over a sulphided carbon-supported Ni-Mo catalyst (15 wt% MoO3, 5 wt% NiO) in a stirred autoclave at 260oC and at a hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa. Activated carbons of different porosity characteristics were used as Ni-Mo catalyst support. A high chlorine removal for chloroorganic compounds was obtained in the presence of Ni-Mo/C catalysts, ranging from 73 to 99%. For monochlorodiphenyls, the HDCl degree is related to the position of the substituted chlorine atom. 4chlorodiphenyl was converted to diphenyl to a higher extent compared with 2-chlorodiphenyl. Chloronaphthalene and chloroanthracene were shown to be more susceptible to chlorine removal than chlorobenzene. For comparison, chlorocyclohexane was tested in the HDCl reaction. The dechlorination of chlorocyclohexane proceeded at a much lower temperature compared to chlorobenzene.


The study of economic energy policy is more relevant to International Relations today because of the increase in energy interdependence and its interaction with other issues on the international agenda, climate change in particular. This paper will analyze the progress made and the obstacles that lie ahead for energy policy in the European Union (EU). The objective is to identify the factors that have led the European Commission, especially after 2005, to unleash an remarkable degree of activism in the energy area, despite the lack of an official forum for the establishment of a common energy policy. This resulted in an innovative and ambitious European legislative program, which is examined in this paper and evaluated on the basis of official documents, the recent literature and qualitative interviews with around twenty policymakers and analysts, carried out in Brussels in September 2012. It was clear that the discussion of climate change changed the view of energy issues. The fact that the EU as a whole has a growing energy deficit increased the relevance of the issue of security and also stimulated the search for alternative sources, at the same time that it placed conditions on its external relations, especially with Russia. Important progress was made, in particular with regard to the establishment of strict mandatory standards for the countries that were members of the Energy-Climate Agreement, that justified the leadership role that the EU began to assume in international climate discussions. The search for community responses and convergence among the objectives related to climate change, energy security and economic competitive position suffered enormous pressure with the impact of the global crisis after September 2008. The crisis revealed an institutional framework that was still fragile and, in the context of a recession, ended up reinforcing centrifugal trends around national interests and strategies. At the same time, this made the realization of the investments necessary to move forward with the implementation of policies in the energy and climate area more complicated. On the other hand, there is an undeniable and strong interdependence among the economies in the block, and the European Commission has insisted on defending the gains that could be achieved with community actions.


The development of human audition. The study of auditory development shows that the activity of the auditory system may be split into several functions. Each one of these functions can be measured using different techniques. The use of several techniques produces different results when we seek to know when the child achieves a similar competence to an adult. We put forward the most relevant experimental results and conclusions of the study of human auditory development. The aim is to offer an updated exposition evidencing the need for new models that compose and connect the heterogeneous results. The paper is divided in four sections: prenatal audition, a psychophysiological view of auditory development, a psychoacoustic view (loudness, pitch perception and spatial audition), and auditory recognition.


Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an important mosquito-borne virus and transmission cycle of this virus involves mosquito vectors and infected vertebrate hosts. However, the study about vector competence for CHIKV in Thailand is limited. This study was conducted to examine the effects of CHIKV titers in blood meals on vector competence of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Five groups of Ae. albopictus were allowed to feed on different levels of CHIKV in the blood meals which were 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106 CID50/ml of CHIKV. Body, legs and wings, and saliva samples from blood-fed mosquitoes were assayed for the presence of CHIKV by using immunocytochemistry staining on day 14 post blood feeding. Percent virus infection, dissemination, and transmission is defined as percent of blood-fed mosquitoes with virus in their bodies, legs and wings, and saliva, respectively. The percent infections were 83.3, 90, 100, 100, and 100%, the percent disseminations were 70.8, 86.7, 100, 90, and 98%, and the percent transmissions were 41.6, 70, 100, 90, and 82.4% after having been fed on 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106 CID50/ml of CHIKV, respectively. However, there was no significant difference of the percent transmission after having been fed on 104 and 105 CID50/ml of CHIKV. This study suggested that Ae. albopictus are susceptible for CHIKV infection and efficient vectors for CHIKV transmission, and CHIKV titers in blood meals have effects on virus infection, dissemination, and transmission in Ae. albopictus or vector competence of this mosquito.


The present invention relates to a method of producing ALVAC virus in the avian embryonic stem cells, and compositions comprising the ALVAC virus was produced in accordance with such methods.


Two aspects of the recent international conference of the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council were particularly interesting for South African delegates. There were well-known speakers from all parts of the Commonwealth and the United States. Furthermore, Australia contains virtually all the possible methods of qualification for the legal profession within the boundaries of one country.


Purpose: This study aimed to examine the use of smart phones and their relationship with self-efficacy and academic achievement among students in 5th to 6th grade. Methods: 954 students in 5 th to 6 th grade were selected from three elementary schools in K City through purposive sampling. Data of 591 respondents were analyzed by x 2 test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis using the SPSS/WIN program. Results: First, 64% of the students possessed a smart phone and female students used their phone more than male students. 47.5% of the students said they first used a smartphone in their 5 th grade and 11.7% said in their 6th grade. Second, heavier use of smart phones was related to a lower level of self-efficacy (p<.001). Third, the more the students used a smart phone, the less they achieved in academic performance (Korean language: p<.001, mathematics: p<.01). Finally, the biggest factor influencing smart phone addiction was longer use of smart phones. In addition, lower self-efficacy and lower ability to adapt to difficult tasks were the factors influencing the increase in smart phone addiction. Less use of smart phones and higher self-efficacy resulted in higher achievement in academic performance. Conclusion: It is essential to decrease students' use of smart phones and improve their self-efficacy and academic performance. Intervention programs to reduce the use of smart phones should include a profound interest, a personality-oriented educational environment and sufficient dialogues with students at home, schools and the local society, beyond simple regulations to prevent adverse effects.


The invention discloses a grouping method and a grouping apparatus of contacts, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: acquiring communication information generated by communication between a user and a contact; comparing the communication information with preset group characteristics; and dividing the contacts with communication information accordant with the group characteristics into groups corresponding to the group characteristics according to the comparing result. According to the grouping method and the grouping apparatus of contacts, the grouping of the contacts is carried out according to the communication habits and the communication contents of the user and the contact, the contacts are unnecessary to be manually grouped by the user or a contact grouping tag is unnecessary to be filled by the user, so that the conveniences are provided to the grouping of the contacts.


The rule ontology is a generalized, condensed, and specifically rearranged version of the existing rules. Rule acquisition research is relatively unpopular while there are many works on ontology learning. We proposed an automatic rule acquisition procedure using ontology, named Rule To Onto, that includes information about the rule components and their structures. We started from the idea that it will be helpful to acquire rules from a site if we have similar rules acquired from other similar sites of the same domain. Rule To Onto is a generalized, condensed, and specifically rearranged version of the existing rules. The rule acquisition procedure consists of the rule component identification step and the rule composition step. We used stemming and semantic similarity in the former step and developed the A* algorithm[1] in the latter step. This paper focuses on using Rules Extraction to automatically augment web pages with semantic annotations, and find out whether and how ontology Rules Extractions could be used in the extraction


Since the end of the Second World War, many spectacular advances have been made in aeronautics, thanks chiefly to the development of more powerful and economical jet engines. As to the parasitic drag of manned aircraft, progress has been confined to reducing unfavourable compressibility effects (area rule, Whitcombe bodies); methods to suppress separation have been developed but no new methods to reduce the drag resulting from turbulent boundary layers developing over the exposed surfaces have as yet found practical application.


The main goal of the present work is to establish the tools of the analysis and performance prediction of an axial pump stage under two-phase flow presence of liquid and gas. This knowledge is very important for different applications, for example in the oil industry. The transport of two-phase flow (oil and gas) that comes from the well implies the utilization of separation and treatment facilities before they are pumping. It means that a lot of economical resources are involved in this kind of industrial operation. Therefore, depending on the function optimization of this type of two-phase pumps, it would permit the substitution of the traditional expensive facilities in addition with energy cost savings. In order to predict the fluid dynamics characteristics of an axial pump stage under two-phase flow conditions and in view to improve its performance, the present research will describe a multi-fluid model in order to solve the momentum equations (Navier-Stokes) coupled with the continuity equation. Here, we will take into account the viscosity of the liquid phase and the compressibility of the gas phase, using the CFD simulator: CFX 4.0. Finally, an experimental facility was designed and built to test one axial pump of two stages. Therefore, experimental data is shown in order to validate the previous numerical results obtained.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


Significance Cholesterol regulates critical cell functions, including lysis, viral budding, and antibiotic resistance, by modifying the bending rigidity of cell membranes; i.e., the ability of membranes to bend or withstand mechanical stresses. A molecular-level understanding of these functions requires knowledge of how cholesterol modifies membrane mechanics over relevant length and time scales. Currently, it is widely accepted that cholesterol has no effect on the mechanical properties of unsaturated lipid membranes, implying that viruses, for example, can bud from regions enriched in (poly)unsaturated lipids. Our observations that cholesterol causes local stiffening in DOPC membranes indicate that a reassessment of existing concepts is necessary. These findings have far-reaching implications in understanding cholesterol's role in biology and its applications in bioengineering and drug design. Cholesterol is an integral component of eukaryotic cell membranes and a key molecule in controlling membrane fluidity, organization, and other physicochemical parameters. It also plays a regulatory function in antibiotic drug resistance and the immune response of cells against viruses, by stabilizing the membrane against structural damage. While it is well understood that, structurally, cholesterol exhibits a densification effect on fluid lipid membranes, its effects on membrane bending rigidity are assumed to be nonuniversal; i.e., cholesterol stiffens saturated lipid membranes, but has no stiffening effect on membranes populated by unsaturated lipids, such as 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC). This observation presents a clear challenge to structure–property relationships and to our understanding of cholesterol-mediated biological functions. Here, using a comprehensive approach—combining neutron spin-echo (NSE) spectroscopy, solid-state deuterium NMR (2H NMR) spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations—we report that cholesterol locally increases the bending rigidity of DOPC membranes, similar to saturated membranes, by increasing the bilayer's packing density. All three techniques, inherently sensitive to mesoscale bending fluctuations, show up to a threefold increase in effective bending rigidity with increasing cholesterol content approaching a mole fraction of 50%. Our observations are in good agreement with the known effects of cholesterol on the area-compressibility modulus and membrane structure, reaffirming membrane structure–property relationships. The current findings point to a scale-dependent manifestation of membrane properties, highlighting the need to reassess cholesterol's role in controlling membrane bending rigidity over mesoscopic length and time scales of important biological functions, such as viral budding and lipid–protein interactions.


The domestic stockbroking industry has been subject to unprecedented redefinition in the last five years, with further changes ahead. How firms respond to these changes will determine if there is a relevant domestic presence remaining in the Australian stockbroking industry.


Sketch is a compact data structure for network measurements. To achieve fast speed, it needs to be held in the on-chip memory (SRAM), which is very small. To enable the sketch fit into the on-chip memory, the product of counter size and number of counters must be below a certain limit. If we use small counters, e.g., 8 bits, some counters will overflow. If we use large counters, e.g., 16 bits per counter, the total number of counters will be small, each counter will be shared by more flows, leading to poor accuracy. To address this issue, we propose a generic technique: self-adaptive counters (SA Counter). When the value of the counter is small, it works as a normal counter. When the value of the counter is large, we increment it using a predefined probability, so as to represent a large value. Moreover, in SA Counter, the probability decreases when the value increases. This technique can significantly improve the accuracy of sketches. To verify the effectiveness of SA Counter, we apply SA Counter to three typical sketches, and conduct extensive experiments on one real dataset and one synthetic dataset. Experimental results show that, compared with the state-of-the-art, sketches using SA Counter improve the accuracy by up to 13.6 times.


In order to increase the autonomous navigation capability of a mobile robot, it is very crucial to develop a method for recognizing a priori known environmental characteristics. This paper proposes an ultrasonic sensor based real-time method for recognizing a priori known indoor environmental characteristics like a wall and corner. The ultrasonic sensor consists of an ultrasonic transmitter and two ultrasonic receivers placed symmetrically about the transmitter. Unlike previous methods the information obtained from the sensor is processed in real-time by extended Kalman filter to be able to correct the position and orientation of robot with respect to known environmental characteristics.


Background: The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) periodically issues technology assessments to guide physicians in managing breast cancer patients. Objective: To update ASCO guidelines based on advancements in technology reported since 2004. Design: Literature review and consensus development by expert panel. Design: This update was framed as the answers to 7 clinical questions. Question 1a: What adjuvant endocrine treatments should be offered to postmenopausal hormone receptor-positive women? An aromatase inhibitor (AI) should be offered to most women initially or after 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen therapy. The absolute reduction in relapse risk from AI therapy compared with tamoxifen alone is <5%. Question 1b: What is the appropriate duration of adjuvant therapy? AI treatment should not exceed 5 years, whether alone or after tamoxifen. Tamoxifen to round out a 5-year course is recommended for women initially on AIs who stop before 5 years. Question 1c: How long should first-line tamoxifen be used before switching to an AI? Switching from tamoxifen to an AI at 2 to 3 years is the panel's recommendation, although switching after 5 years is supported by published trial results. Question 2: Are there populations with differing degrees of benefit from AIs versus tamoxifen? No special populations have been identified that are more likely to benefit from AIs. Male breast cancer patients should be treated with tamoxifen. Concurrent use of tamoxifen and drugs that inhibit the CYP2D6 isoenzyme (bupropion, paroxetine, and fluoxetine) should be avoided. Question 3: What are the toxicities and risks of adjuvant endocrine therapy? Side effect profiles, comorbidities, and patient preferences should all be considered in the choice of a hormonal agent. Switching agents (AI to tamoxifen, vice versa, or AI to a different AI) is appropriate if side effects necessitate the change. Question 4: Are AIs effective for premenopausal women? Premenopausal and perimenopausal women (at time of breast cancer diagnosis) should receive tamoxifen for 5 years. Residual ovarian function is a contraindication to AI therapy. Amenorrhea for 1 year constitutes clinical menopause, but chemotherapy, tamoxifen treatment, surgery, and comorbidities may invalidate this definition in breast cancer patients. Question 5: Can third generation AIs be used interchangeably? AI treatment results suggest a "class effect" without apparent differences in effectiveness or side effects between available agents. The panel emphasized the importance of detailed physician discussion with patients regarding the benefits and risks of hormone therapy to optimize compliance. Unexpected side effects, musculoskeletal adverse effects of AIs, and financial constraints contribute to the 30% to 40% rate of treatment discontinuation by patients. Conclusions: Adjuvant AIs improve disease-free survival compared with tamoxifen alone. Reviewer's Comments: These guidelines provide an excellent framework for adjuvant hormonal therapy decision making for most breast cancer patients. The authors emphasize the importance of individualization of treatment. (Reviewer-Alan B. Grosbach, MD, FACP).


The effect of an Mg-deficient diet (200 mg of Mg/kg of feed) on the bioavailability of dietary Cu and the concentration of the cation in plasma, whole blood, skeletal muscle, kidney, heart, and liver of Wistar rats after 7, 35, 49, and 70 days was studied. The Mg-deficient diet significantly increased the amount of Cu absorbed during the 10th (final) week of the experiment. A direct linear correlation was found between Cu absorbed and Cu retention (balance) (pair-fed control r = 0.98, p < 0.001; Mg-deficient rats r = 0.64, p < 0.001). Mg deficiency significantly reduced Cu content in whole blood on all sampling days and increased liver Cu from day 35 until the end of the experiment. Plasma, muscle, and renal Cu levels were significantly increased only at the end of the study (day 70). However, there was a significant decrease on day 70 in Cu content in heart tissue. These findings show that chronic Mg deficiency increases Cu absorption and the concentrations of this mineral in plasma, muscle, kidney, and liver. Under the experimental conditions used in this study, absorption appears to play a significant role in the regulation of the tissue distribution of Cu.


In charge ordered materials such as the transition metal dichalcogenides, in which the lattice modes are strongly coupled to the charges, the critical fluctuations surrounding a quantum critical point will consist of slow charge modulations as well as soft phonons. The presence of both these types of fluctuations offers an excellent opportunity for novel phases and unconventional forms of supercondictivity to arise. One such material, TiSe2, has been found to superconduct upon intercalation of copper [Morosan et al., Nature Phys. 2, 544 (2006)], with a concomitant suppression of CDW order. The transition is driven by an imbalance of charge carriers, leading to conventional superconductivity. Very recently however, Kusmartseva et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 236401 (2009)] also discovered superconductivity in the pure system under pressure. This finding cannot be explained solely by the an imbalance of charge carriers and hints at the possibility of exciton‐mediated superconductivity made manifest in a clean experimental system. Here we analyze the electronic structure of TiSe2 using a tight binding model to fit its band structure. The resulting values found for the various overlap integrals in this material strongly suggest that TiSe2 is best viewed as a system of weakly linked one‐dimensional chains. We argue that in these chains excitons and Jahn–Teller phonons will strongly interact, and that it is therefore likely that both the charge density wave transition and the superconductivity which arises upon suppression of the CDW phase are driven by excitonic as well as phononic modes.