Objectives: The overall objective as defined in the approved proposal was the development of a whole-cell sensor panel for the detection of endocrine disruption activities of agriculturally relevant chemicals. To achieve this goal several specific objectives were outlined: (a) The development of new genetically engineered wholecell sensor strains; (b) the combination of multiple strains into a single sensor panel to effect multiple response modes; (c) development of a computerized algorithm to analyze the panel responses; (d) laboratory testing and calibration; (e) field testing. In the course of the project, mostly due to the change in the US partner, three modifications were introduced to the original objectives: (a) the scope of the project was expanded to include pharmaceuticals (with a focus on antibiotics) in addition to endocrine disrupting chemicals, (b) the computerized algorithm was not fully developed and (c) the field test was not carried out. Background: Chemical agents, such as pesticides applied at inappropriate levels, may compromise water quality or contaminate soils and hence threaten human populations. In recent years, two classes of compounds have been increasingly implicated as emerging risks in agriculturally-related pollution: endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals. The latter group may reach the environment by the use of wastewater effluents, whereas many pesticides have been implicated as EDCs. Both groups pose a threat in proportion to their bioavailability, since that which is biounavailable or can be rendered so is a priori not a threat; bioavailability, in turn, is mediated by complex matrices such as soils. Genetically engineered biosensor bacteria hold great promise for sensing bioavailability because the sensor is a live soil- and water-compatible organism with biological response dynamics, and because its response can be genetically "tailored" to report on general toxicity, on bioavailability, and on the presence of specific classes of toxicants. In the present project we have developed a bacterial-based sensor panel incorporating multiple strains of genetically engineered biosensors for the purpose of detecting different types of biological effects. The overall objective as defined in the approved proposal was the development of a whole-cell sensor panel for the detection of endocrine disruption activities of agriculturally relevant chemicals. To achieve this goal several specific objectives were outlined: (a) The development of new genetically engineered wholecell sensor strains; (b) the combination of multiple strains into a single sensor panel to effect multiple response modes; (c) development of a computerized algorithm to analyze the panel responses; (d) laboratory testing and calibration; (e) field testing. In the course of the project, mostly due to the change in the US partner, three modifications were introduced to the original objectives: (a) the scope of the project was expanded to include pharmaceuticals (with a focus on antibiotics) in addition to endocrine disrupting chemicals, (b) the computerized algorithm was not fully developed and (c) the field test was not carried out.  Major achievements: (a) construction of innovative bacterial sensor strains for accurate and sensitive detection of agriculturally-relevant pollutants, with a focus on endocrine disrupting compounds (UK and HUJ) and antibiotics (HUJ); (b) optimization of methods for long-term preservation of the reporter bacteria, either by direct deposition on solid surfaces (HUJ) or by the construction of spore-forming Bacillus-based sensors (UK); (c) partial development of a computerized algorithm for the analysis of sensor panel responses.  Implications: The sensor panel developed in the course of the project was shown to be applicable for the detection of a broad range of antibiotics and EDCs. Following a suitable development phase, the panel will be ready for testing in an agricultural environment, as an innovative tool for assessing the environmental impacts of EDCs and pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, while the current study relates directly to issues of water quality and soil health, its implications are much broader, with potential uses is risk-based assessment related to the clinical, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries as well as to homeland security.


Objective To observe the clinical effe ct of balance intravenous anesthesia (IVA) with propofol, fentanyl and ketamine co mbined with epidural anesthesia (EA) in supra abdomen surgery.Methods Sixty ASA Ⅰ~Ⅱ pediatric patients undergoing elective supra abdominal surg ery were randomly divided into three groups: All the patients were undergoing EA combined with IVA. IVA was maintained with propofol in D group, propofol and fe ntanyl in DF group and propofol and fentanyl and ketamine in DFK group with a bo lus dosage of propofol (2 mg/kg~3 mg/kg).Results Variation of vita l signs,dosage per hour of propofol and times of movement during operation were lower in DFK group compared with that in D group (P0.05).Patie nts in D group felt pain more earlier than those in DF or DFK group (P 0.05).There was no significant difference in recovery time,nausea vomiti ng and delusion between the three groups (P0.05).Conclu sions Balance IVA with propofol,fentanyl and ketamine combined with EA in supra abdomen surgery is better than with propofol singly or propofol with fenta nyl, it has such advantages as stable vital signs during operation,low dosage a nd low expense.


The mass ejection events of corona in the form of loop transients were discovered with white light photographs of the solar corona from Skylab. In the region of Skylab coronagraph observations (-2 to 6R ) the motions of the loop transients are accelerated or remained approximately a constant velocity. These loops are as elongated structures with the loop's foot points at the solar surface. The magnetic energy density for the transient event was about 10 times the thermal energy density and some what larger than the kinetic energy density indicating that the plasma was magnetically controlled.Theoretical models of coronal transients have been of four types -- pure hydro-dynamical models, MHD numerical modeling models, MHD models and eruptive prominences and transients models. One problem with the first two types is that they evoke pure thermal or non-magnetic driving forces. Since the magnetic energy dominates in these loops, a nonmagnetic driving mechanism is difficult to justify.In this paper, we developed a magnetic fluxtube model, in which the coronal loop is the tube of the magnetic force lines. The forces driving the coronal loop are produced by nonhomogeneous distribution of longitudinal magnetic fields in the magnetic fluxtube. As the loop is a slender one, the condition of equilibrium in the direction of the minor radius of loop may be given asThen the condition of equilibrium in the direction of the major radius of coronal loop is analysed. The forces exerted on a section in the top of a coronal loop are :1. The component of plasma pressure in the outward direction2. The magnetic tension force in the inward direction3. The magnetic pressure in the outward direction4. The gravitational force in the inward direction F, = mg. So, the resultant forces areIf the distribution of longitudinal magnetic fields in the coronal loop may be given as Bz = B0rn, n = 1, 2, 3 ... where B0 is constant. Then the non-dimensional equation of motion for a section at the top of the coronal loop may be given as The numerical calculations were completed for different initial conditions. The calculated results compared favorably with those observed during the Skylab period from May 1973 to January 1974.


Passive solar heating is the direct use of sunlight for space heating. The concept is simple, but creating a successful installation may be complex. Passive solar heating is not a concept for casual experimentation, because failure is almost certain to leave a big mess. In general, the larger the fraction of the building's heating that is provided by passive solar, the more complex the design must be to avoid adverse effects. Passive heating should include daylighting wherever possible, since both involve the controlled intake of solar energy through glazing. However, combining the two is not easy. Passive solar heating is a broad concept. The following discussion presents the general principles. Use them as a basis for developing specific applications.


Submicron-sized monodisperse polystyrene (PS) particles were successfully prepared by dispersion polymerization of styrene in an ionic liquid, N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N-(2-methoxy-ethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([DEME][TFSI]) at 70 °C with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a stabilizer. At the optimum PVP and styrene concentrations with regard to preparation of stable polymer particles, the number-average diameter and coefficient of variation were 350 nm and 5.7%, respectively. The particle size increased with a decrease in the PVP concentration and an increase in the styrene concentration. Moreover, we succeeded in producing PS particles by thermal polymerization in the absence of a radical initiator at 130°C in [DEME][TFSI] using a conventional reactor (not autoclave) utilizing the advantages of non-volatility and thermal stability of the ionic liquid.


Topologies of electrodynamic thrust bearings (EDTB) and axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machines present a significant number of similarities. Starting from this observation, the present paper introduces a new machine topology combining both a bearing and motor behavior to obtain a self-bearing AFPM machine in a single winding. In addition, this paper presents a model describing the axial and rotational dynamics of such a machine. This model directly relates the axial displacement to the force developed by the EDTB and the rotational motion to the driving torque generated by the AFPM machine and the drag torque arising from the EDTB. The calculations required to determine the model parameters are also detailed. Furthermore, this work assesses the stability properties of the system under constant rotational speed, based on a root locus analysis. Finally, a practical case is considered to assess the performance of the system.


Abstract Both tryptophan oxygenase and tyrosine aminotransferase of rat liver show diurnal variations in the inducibility by quinolinic acid. The maxima of effectiveness of quinolinic acid precede the maxima of normal enzyme activity. In the case of tyrosine aminotransferase, the induction kinetics and the dose response curve were also greatly depending on the time of day. No rhythmicity could be detected in the activities of 3‐hydroxyanthranilate oxygenase and ornithine aminotransferase.


Let R be a ring with an endomorphism and a derivation . An ideal I of R is ()-ideal of R if and . An ideal P of R is a ()-prime ideal of R if P() is a ()-ideal and for ()-ideals I and J of R, implies that or . An ideal Q of R is ()-semiprime ideal of R if Q is a ()-ideal and for ()-ideal I of R, implies that . The ()-prime radical (resp. prime radical) is defined by the intersection of all ()-prime ideals (resp. prime ideals) of R and is denoted by (resp. P(R)). In this paper, the following results are obtained: (1) is the smallest ()-semiprime ideal of R; (2) For every extended endomorphism of , the -prime radical of an Ore extension is equal to .


The mechanism forming of snow-shaped speckles on the worked-face of the castings of Al-Si Alloys was investigated by analyzing ZL104 and ZL108 alloys etc. The snow-shaped speckles usually appear on the worked-face of the castings of Al-Si alloys whose macro-grain sizes are coarse. Microcosmically, the formation of snow-shaped speckles is related to large secondary dendrite arm spacings, which cause the uneven distribution of hard eutectic structure and soft a -Al dendrite. In terms of the factors that cause the snow-shaped speckles, it is practicable to preclude them by accelerating cooling rate or adding 2wt% Al5Ti1B to ZL104.


Seven species of bathypelagic squids from the West Indian Ocean are described. Two species from the chiroteuthid lineage are recorded: Pianktoteuthis sp. and Chiroteuthis mega. The family Mastigoteuthidae is divided in two genera: Idioteuthis and Mastigoteuthis. As members of the former are Idioteuthis danae (=Echinoteuthis danae) and two species new to science, and for the latter Mastigoteuthis glaukopis and Mastigoteuthis grimaldii. The mastigoteuthid lineage is defined by: 1) short neck and brachial pillar; 2) whip-like tentacle; 3) ovate pseudoconus in cross section view, and 4) arm formula: IV>II>III≥I. The family Mastigoteuthidae as now defined consist of seventeen species.


We use state-of-the-art radiation-MHD simulations and three-dimensional (3D) non-LTE radiative transfer computations to investigate Hα line formation in the solar chromosphere and apply the results of this investigation to develop the potential of Hα as a diagnostic of the chromosphere. We show that one can accurately model Hα line formation assuming statistical equilibrium and complete frequency redistribution provided the computation of the model atmosphere included non-equilibrium ionization of hydrogen and the Lyα and Lyβ line profiles are described by Doppler profiles. We find that 3D radiative transfer is essential in modeling hydrogen lines due to the low photon destruction probability in Hα. The Hα opacity in the upper chromosphere is mainly sensitive to the mass density and only weakly sensitive to the temperature. We find that the Hα line-core intensity is correlated with the average formation height: The larger the average formation height is, the lower the intensity will be. The line-core width is a measure of the gas temperature in the line-forming region. The fibril-like dark structures seen in Hα line-core images computed from our model atmosphere are tracing magnetic field lines. These structures are caused by field-aligned ridges of enhanced chromospheric mass density that raise their average formation height, and therefore make them appear dark against their deeper-formed surroundings. We compare with observations, and find that the simulated line-core widths are very similar to the observed ones, without the need for additional microturbulence.


When heated in air, minnesotaite begins to oxidise to a ferric form aI 400°C. By the onset ofdehydroxylation at 600°C, oxidation is virtually complete without significant changes in the lattice parameters.


Nearly all companies will have to face more severe competition in the future. Companies that satisfy their customer's needs with high quality at an attractive price will here have the edge. This price, however, must be calculated with care. In particular small and medium sized companies cannot afford to engage in murderous price wars. On the other hand, the owners of such companies can markedly influence the cost side through proper corporate and personnel leadership. In this way, quality performance results in competitive prices, which helps safeguard long-term business success. For this, the four rules described in what follows need to be observed.


Visitors need something more than just a delicious meal with a good appearance to be satisfied. They need something they can easily remember when they deal with a gastronomic tourism in the city of Bandung. Something they remember is called experience. Unforgettable experience will produce an unforgettable memory, making the Visitors recall their past experience. Quality of experience can affect visitor satisfaction through the impression given by the gastronomic product attributes. But today, the quality of experience is considered to be unable to create satisfaction as sustainable strategy, because usually the gastronomic tourism managers prefer improving 'taste' to creating a good impression in the minds of Visitors. A good impression is able to lead the visitors to return, even invite others to come along to the city of Bandung. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the creation of visitor satisfaction through the quality of experience at a gastronomic tourism in Bandung. This study used a quantitative method. The data analysis techniques included regression analysis. The results showed that the quality of experience is able to create a visitor satisfaction by 60.1%. The highest score is given on the impression perceived during the visit to the gastronomic tourism area .


The ion source described in this contribution allows the production of considerable ion beam intensities of highly charged ions. The electron density is increased by an additional electron gun. The decrease-of the ratio of neighbouring charge states is similar to the decrease of the ratio of the ionization cross sections by electron impact from which one event ionization processes are assumed to be of major importance in the performance of this source.


The investigation was conducted at the Olericulture Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and the laboratory work was done at Vegetable Research Technology Section, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh during 2019-20 with ten types (Six- OP, four- Hybrid) of eggplant cultivar viz., BARI Begun-4, BARI Begun-6, BARI Begun- 8, BARI Begun-10, BARI Hybrid Begun-2, BARI Hybrid Begun-4, SM233, SM275, Hybrid 5x216 and Hybrid 21x11 to study the nutritional composition and its human health benefit. Eggplant is ranked amongst the most top ten vegetables that provide the healthiest food with low calories and also contain high phenolic contents that are helpful in radical absorbing capacity. Each vegetable contains a unique amount of various nutrients that are strongly linked with the protection of different health diseases. There were no significant differences among the six OP and four hybrid cultivars regarding yield. Fruit yield was more or less the same but the main differences were in fruit size and color as well as fruit shape. We got the moisture content (91.39-94.87%, crude fiber (1.01-2.48%), ash (0.37-0.62%), protein  (0.85-1.54%), fat  (0.02-0.4%), carbohydrate  (4.27-6.63%), energy (19.59-32.1Kcal), sugar (0.48-1.38%), ascorbic acid (6.57-17.21 mg 100g-1), anthocyanin (6.31-78.51 mgC3GE 100g-1). Significant amount of mineral were present in eggplant cultivars viz., K (122.38-162.27mg 100g-1), Na (4.06-8.51 mg 100g-1),  Ca (26.62-48.33 mg 100g-1), P (14.45-23.45 mg 100g-1), Mg (15.42-24.8 mg 100g-1), Fe (0.91-5.0mg 100g-1), Zn (0.22-0.57mg 100g-1), Mn (0.25-0.41mg 100g-1) and Cu (0.10-0.16mg 100g-1). These nutritional amounts will able to provide a significant amount of nutrition to the human body for the proper growth. These compounds were found helpful in the cure of various diseases like cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, anti-platelet hypo-lipidemic, and hypotensive, etc. Today most modern scientific techniques are available to cure different various health problems but still majority of the population across the globe depends upon the vegetables sources nutritious food.


Nanotechnology can help to address the existing efficiency hurdles and greatly increase the generation and storage of solar energy. A variety of physical processes have been established at the nanoscale that can improve the processing and transmission of solar energy. The application of nanotechnology in solar cells has opened the path to the development of a new generation of high-performance products. When competition for clean energy options is growing, a variety of potential approaches have been discussed in order to expand the prospects. New principles have been explored in the area of solar cell generation, multi-generation, spectrum modulation, thermo-photoelectric cells, hot carrier, the middle band, and many other techniques. Nanoparticles and nanostructures have been shown to enhance the absorption of light, increase the conversion of light to energy, and have improved thermal storage and transport.


We consider the Lorentzian pr-waves three-manifolds with recurrect curvature. We obtain a full classification of the Killing and homothetic vector fields of these spaces.


This paper presents a Instruction-level Fault Injection Method for Linux Kernel( IFIMK),which tests the reliability and robustness of a Linux operating system. The proposed method can inject fault to special kernel instruction and its running environment to collect the information and summarize the fault models w hich lead to the failure of a system,so as to test the reliability and robustness of a computer system,and the fault can be designed by the testers depending on the specific needs. Through the fault injection test for the Linux kernel of version 2. 6. 32,it proves that the IFIM K method can inject the fault into kernel efficiently. According to this method,the sensitivity statistics of the Linux system for different faults can be achieved.


Success in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) requires sophisticated, characterized targets. The increasing fidelity of three-dimensional (3D), radiation hydrodynamic computer codes has made it possible to design targets for ICF which can compensate for limitations in the existing single shot laser and Z pinch ICF drivers. Developments in ICF target fabrication technology allow more esoteric target designs to be fabricated. At present, requirements require new deterministic nano-material fabrication on micro scale.


Deep learning provides a wide range of neural networks (NNs) with varying accuracy and complexity, which can be mapped to a wide variety of specialized hardware accelerators. This results in a huge optimization space across energy, latency, area and task accuracy, complicating the assessment of which NNs, resp. which hardware architectures are most efficient as it strongly depends on the hardware platform, resp. suite of algorithms to support. The ultimate goal is to find hardware supporting a broad suite of NNs and to construct NNs which can be efficiently deployed on broad set of hardware platforms. This paper, therefore, brings 3 contributions: 1) an assessment methodology across a suite of networks and architectures; 2) deployment of this analysis for a set of architecture on popular networks for the ImageNet task; 3) derivation of insights from this study on characteristic of optimal architectures for modern NN models, and characteristic of optimal network topologies for modern processor architectures.


F IT WERE POSSIBLE TO MAKE a truly satisfying assessment of any ethnic architecture in the United States, at least four types of information would be required. We would need, first, a detailed, accurate description of the buildings, including form, construction, and use. We would need, next, information about the building tradition of the land from which the immigrants came and as it was at the time they came. We would need, third, information about the building tradition of those who had come earlier to the section of the United States being studied so we could recognize the building tradition with which the immigrants came into contact. Finally, we would need to know the nature of the relationships between the inhabitants who had arrived earlier and the


The angular momentum quantization of chiral gapless modes confined to a circularly shaped interface between two different topological phases is investigated. By examining several different setups, we show analytically that the angular momentum of the topological modes exhibits a highly chiral behavior, and can be coupled to spin and/or valley degrees of freedom, reflecting the nature of the interface states. The energies and the magnetic moments corresponding to these states can be understood from a semiclassical picture. These loops can be viewed as building blocks for artificial magnets with tunable and highly diverse properties.


Although the issue in this volume isn't complicated, it is quite challenging. The free society is supposed to be governed with an eye to securing the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The reason is that human beings are creative, innovative agents, with free will to choose between right and wrong. So they require a community in which their capacity to make this choice, their human dignity, in other words, is respected and protected from intrusive others, including governments. So what a free society rests on is the fact, if it is one, that human beings at all times, in all places, are individuals, first and foremost, with the capacity for sovereignty, self-rule, self-directedness. This is one of their defining attributes, not something merely specific to certain cultures, as some critics of classical liberalism would have it. An adult human being is able and requires to, in the main, figure out how to live, how to flourish in life and any community worthy of being considered a human one, must accommodate this fact about us. Yes, we are also social beings but not any kind of community will do us justice. The novelty of the Western classical liberal political vision, however ill or well realized it has been in history, is to affirm the sovereignty of individuals and to establish a legal order in which this sovereignty is to be secured, protected and maintained. The problem is that there can be cataclysmic events natural calamities, disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tidal waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons and the like that would appear to warrant expanding governmental authority beyond what a free society would sanction. We know from numerous cases in history that government step in with all sorts of measures where disasters strike. Flood control measures are usually deemed to its business. In the USA the Army was called out recently to battle hurricane Andrew in Florida, and many would


This paper presents a measurement-domain intra prediction coding framework that is compatible with compressive sensing (CS) based image sensors. In this framework, we propose a low-complexity intra prediction algorithm that can be directly applied to the measurements captured by the image sensor. Moreover, we propose a structural random 0/1 measurement matrix, embedding the block boundary information that can be extracted from the measurements for intra prediction. Experiment results show that our proposed framework can compress the measurements and increase coding efficiency, with 30% BD-rate reduction compared to the direct output of CS based sensors. This can significantly save both the energy consumption and the bandwidth in communication of wireless camera systems to be massively deployed in the era of IoT.


To address the problem of dynamic logging data exchange under oil-gas wells,the researchers in SINOPEC Jianghan Institute of Oil Production Techniques had developed a piece of new wireless device for data exchange after years of experiment Different to its predecessors which not only required complex techniques and huge costs but worked within a limited distance with slow updating and low exchanging capacity,this new product could work long time under high temperature,pressure and hypersalinity without affecting oil productioa


This book explores the often controversial international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) in education and offers research-based accounts of international testing as a social practice. Assessment ex ...


Objectives: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is characterized by an initial compensatory, but subsequently deleterious, activation of both the renin-angiotensin (RAS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Incomplete suppression of the SNS may contribute to the residual mortality during optimal ACE inhibitor therapy in CHF. Carvedilol, a mixed a and bblocker with antioxidant properties, and other pure b-adrenoceptor blockers reduce morbidity and mortality in Caucasians with CHF. However, b-blocker monotherapy is of poor efficacy in Blacks with essential hypertension or in the treatment of glaucoma. The efficacy of b-blockers in the treatment of African Americans with congestive heart failure is a controversial issue with conflicting findings. The aims of the present study were to examine and compare the cardiovascular, autonomic, and clinical effects of additional a-1 or b-1 blockade in ACE-inhibitor treated Black patients with moderate to severe CHF.


Subtraction of astrophysical foreground contamination from "dirty" sky maps produced by simulated measurements of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) has been performed by fitting a third-order polynomial along the spectral dimension of each pixel in the data cubes. The simulations are the first to include the unavoidable instrumental effects of the frequency-dependent primary antenna beams and synthesized array beams. They recover the one-dimensional spherically binned input redshifted 21 cm power spectrum within ∼1% over the scales probed most sensitively by the MWA (0.01 ≲ k ≲ 1 Mpc−1) and demonstrate that realistic instrumental effects will not mask the epoch of reionization signal. We find that the weighting function used to produce the dirty sky maps from the gridded visibility measurements is important to the success of the technique. Uniform weighting of the visibility measurements produces the best results, whereas natural weighting significantly worsens the foreground subtraction by coupling structure in the density of the visibility measurements to spectral structure in the dirty sky map data cube. The extremely dense uv-coverage of the MWA was found to be advantageous for this technique and produced very good results on scales corresponding to |u| ≲ 500λ in the uv-plane without any selective editing of the uv-coverage.


Association between Western education and the brewing spirit of nationalism is well documented in many of the characters in Child of All Nations, most notably Minke, Kommer, and Jean Marais. It would not be too farfetched to claim that without Western education, Minke and his comrades would not have been able to discard the sense of respect and admiration that they hold for their colonisers – a consequence of extended exposure to the Dutch's self-propaganda of their eminence. Indeed, the fight for Indonesia's independence would have been a slow and sluggish, perhaps even a failed one. However, before delving into how Western education was able to sow the seed of nationalism in the characters in the book, it is only prudent to first examine the education system that was offered in Indonesia during the Dutch colonialism era. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2676


In the field of operations research and combinatorial optimization, many real-world problems can be modeled using semidefinite programming. Semidefinite programming is a type of convex optimization in which we aim to optimize a linear function, in this case, the trace of the product of a matrix and the variable matrix X, while subject to nonlinear constraints. In linear programming, each decision variable xi is subject to nonnegativity constraints, while in semidefinite programming, the decision matrix X is required to be positive semidefinite. Semidefinite programming is best known for its contribution to the Max-Cut problem, which is NP-complete. In 1994, Goemans and Williamson's relaxation of this integer quadratic program into a semidefinite program was able to produce an approximate solution within 0.878 of the exact solution, the best known-polynomial time approximation for this problem to date. This breakthrough brought newfound attention to semidefinite programming and its ability to approximate hard, combinatorial optimization problems. In this report, we examine an interior point method developed by Helmberg, Rendl, Vanderbei, and Wolkowicz. We develop the theory behind it, bringing together concepts from Linear Programming, Mathematical Optimization, Discrete Optimization, and Numerical Methods. We then discuss the algorithm's limitations in practice and expansions for its generalization. We then explore the application of semidefinite programming to the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP), another NP-hard problem. The Quadratic Assignment Problem was first introduced in 1957 by Koopmans and Beckmann as a model for assigning economic activities to a set of locations. The problem is most typically described as assigning n facilities to n locations, minimizing the quadratic objective function that arises from the product of both the distance between these locations and the flow between these facilities. This model has many applications such as optimizing travel time between hospital buildings, the amount of wiring between computer components, or the placement of keys on a typewriter. Finally, we discuss a relaxation of the QAP formulation into a semidefinite program by Zhao, Karisch, Rendl, and Wolkowicz. We solve these relaxations using the NEOS solver, a web service for numerical optimization problems hosted by the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the University of Wisconsin in Madison, which uses an optimized version of the interior point method described above. We provide a comprehensive explanation of the NEOS formulation of these problems and the interpretation of their solutions in order to solve these semidefinite programs and be able to use these results in practice.


To explore the role of modernized management mode of clinical departments in promoting the development of discipline construction. In order to deeply analyze the connotation of modernized management of colorectal surgery in cancer hospital and its impact in promoting the discipline development. Modernized management of clinical departments benefits the high efficiency and quality of medical work, as well as the promotion of scientific research and teaching resource sharing. Modernized management of clinical departments is an important means to achieve standardized, real-time and refined management, and to promote discipline development.

Key words:
Colon; Colorectal neoplasms; Clinical departments; Modernized management; Discipline development


Penicillin, terramycin and erythromycin fungus residues with different water contents were gasified in a circulating fluidized bed and the results were compared with that of wheat straw.When the excess air coefficient varied from 1.0 to1.1, these residues showed good gasification performance. The gas calorific values of the three samples were all over 5360 k J ? m ? 3, and erythromycin residue had a gas calorific value of 5690 k J?m-3.A certain amount of tar was produced during gasification. When the excess air coefficient was 1.02, the tar contents were all below 1000 mg ? m ? 3, which decreased with the increase of feedstock water content and excess air coefficients. Biochar was also produced during gasification,with that value of penicillin residues less than 30%. This study indicates that these three fungus residues have good gasification performance, which may provide a new method to treat hazardous fungus residues.


Beginning July 1, 1994, rain was collected from a site in Carrollton, Georgia, and a site in Cedartown, Georgia, and measured for nitrate and pH. In conjunction with the rainwater analysis, water samples were collected from five sites in the Piedmont Province along the Little Tallapoosa River near Villa Rica, Georgia. Water samples were also taken from twelve sites along Cedar Creek, near Cedartown, Georgia, Cedar Creek flows across limestone, dolostones, and shales of the Valley and Ridge Province. These samples were also measured for nitrate and pH. The average pH of the rainfall in Carrollton and Cedartown was 4.1 and 4.7 respectively. The Little Tallapoosa River, near Villa Rica, had a higher average NO{sub 3}-N level at 1.5 ppm compared to an NO{sub 3}-N level average of 1.0 ppm for Cedar Creek. The rainfall of both areas averages a relatively low NO{sub 3}-N of 0.3 ppm.


The invention provides a sealed air valve of a tyre in which the surfaces of the piston liner, air cap and metallic tyre liner are coated with a kind of non-drying seal gum. The said viscous seal fluid can fill up all the gaps on the contact surface of the air valve, thereby the air valve can be sealed for a long period of time.


This chapter shows how both the content and the structure of The Crow illustrate the notion that the monster is an embodiment of affect and representative of ruptures with logic and chaos. The Crow reflects the disruption that is part of both monstrosity and Romanticism.
The chapter begins by unpacking the fragmented structure of the comic, which incorporates literary and visual references to Romanticism as well as diverse, mostly romantic, poems and post-punk, gothic rock lyrics in those fragments. Being fragments, these elements are also gothic in their intertextual cravings. The role of emotions in the story is then examined followed by a concluding section on the theatrical aspects of intense emotionality and its central role in the protagonist's quest. Spectacularity is complemented by the Crow's self-stylization as a painted figure with a permanent smile, immortal on one hand, but still deeply traumatized, for although he quickly heals from the shots directed at him, he still bleeds. The final section also discusses the coexisting ghostliness and spectactularity of the Crow's revenge while also elaborating on the unfulfilled nature of his vengeful quest.


In a relatively short time the Netherlands has developed into a multiethnic society with consequences for all sectors of the Dutch society, including politics. An important part of the ethnic minorities does not have the Dutch nationality and are consequently excluded from the franchise. However, Dutch laws have been changed in such a way that non-Dutch residents will get the municipal vote soon. The immigrants with Dutch nationality already make use of the right to vote and to be elected at all political levels, albeit to a lesser extent than the Dutch themselves (although there are some interesting local exceptions). The inferior socioeconomic positions and specific cultural backgrounds of the ethnic minorities interfere with their participation in Dutch politics, and besides, the Dutch political parties are not very aware of their responsibilities to this 'new' electorate. This article illustrates the present state of affairs regarding the political participation of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands.


The digital era very grows up with the increasing using of smartphone and many organization or companies was implemented of a system to support their business. That is who will increase the volume of usage and dissemination of data, neither through open nor closed internet networks. Because there is the need to process large data and how to get it from different store resource, so requirement strategy to process the data according to the rule of good, effective and efficient in activity data cleansing until the data set can be use as mature and very useful information for their business purpose. By using the R languaged who can process large data and has data complexity for the data loaded from different storage resource can be done as well as. To using R languaged maximally, so we have to a basic skill that needed to process the data set which will be used to be data scient for organizations or companies by good data cleansing techniques. In this research on Data Cleansing Strategies on data set owned by organizations,will describe the correct step by step to obtaining data that very useful to be uses as data science for organization so by the data that generated after the data cleansing process is very meaningful and useful for making decisions, other than that this research give basic overview and guide to the beginner all data scientists by doing data cleansing in the way stages and also provides a way to analyze from the result of execution some functions used.


The study aims at using a newly developed process-based model, WEPP(95.7), to estimate sediment loads in an agricultural reservoir in a semi arid area using easily available data, and to identify conservation strategies that could be used to reduce the rate of reservoir sedimentation from the catchment. The study was carried out at Ndaragwiti Reservoir and its catchment in the semi arid area of Laikipia District. The catchment is located in the Sipili location of N g'arua Division. The catchment covers an area of approximately 2.7 km2 and is about 1.0 km north-west of Sipili township. The area has a mean annual rainfall of 699 mm, a maximum temperature ranging between 24°C and 27°C and a minimum temperature ranging between 7°C and 10°C. The whole catchment was under cultivation. The reservoir had a surface area of about 1.9 ha with a mean depth of 1.2 m, and the full capacity of the reservoir was 34,000 m3. In accordance to the WEPP(95.7) model requirements, the catchment was divided into five main blocks, and subdivided into twenty two plots, or hillslopes. The WEPP(95.7) model was run under two categories Hillslope WEPP(95.7) model and Watershed WEPP(95.7) model. Some soil physical and chemical characteristics, slope characteristics, climate characteristics and plant/management characteristics were determined for each hillslope thus being necessary to run the Hillslope WEPP(95.7) model for the purpose of estimating soil loss from each hillslope. The output o f the Hillslope WEPP(95.7) model for each hillslope together with the channel characteristics in terms of soil, slope, climate and plant/management were determined as well as the impoundment characteristics to run the Watershed WEPP(95.7) model. Under the existing conditions of available data, the WEPP(95.7) model estimated the annual total sediment yield of about 1892 tonnes. This gave an average sedimentation rate o f 700 t/km2/yr. The WEPP(95.7) estimate was compared to the measurement made from geodetic survey on the reservoir and gave a relative difference of about 40 percent less. Even though, the WEPP(95.7) model underestimated the sediment yield by about 40 percent, it was considered to give a fair estimation because the sediment contributed by wind,the roads on the catchment and the unconsolidated embankment of the reservoir and


T-splines are a generalization of NURBS surfaces. They retain all the properties of NURBS, but are increasingly considered as a better alternative. While the control points in NURBS lie in a rectangular grid of rows and columns, the control points in the T-splines may be incomplete. Moreover, T-splines allow for local insertion of new control points. The possibility of adding control points locally has many advantages. For the same geometric representation, T-splines require a much smaller number of control points than NURBS. Moreover, T-splines naturally eliminate the formation of gaps when connecting adjacent surfaces, which is a disadvantage of NURBS. Due to these advantages, T-splines have received increasing research attention in recent years. In the present study, we will use T-splines in combination with the Parametric Integral Equation System (PIES) to solve 3D linear elasticity problems. PIES is a computational method for finding solutions to 2D and 3D boundary value problems and is based on the formal separation of the approximation of the boundary geometry from the boundary functions. The PIES formulation is independent from the physical representation of the boundary and, for any shape, it is always defined in the parametric domain and not on the physical boundary as in the traditional Boundary Integral Equations (BIE). As a result, the boundary can be described analytically in the form of mathematical functions directly included in the mathematical formula of PIES. In the previous studies, the 2D boundary could be defined by parametric curves such as Bézier, B-spline and Hermitte, whereas in the 3D case, we can apply parametric surfaces. These were flat Coons as well as smooth Bézier surfaces. The latter have particularly positive properties with respect to their flexibility and simplicity of implementation. This correlates with the fact that parametric curves and surfaces are widespread in CAD systems, e.g. NURBS. They have been intensively studied and modified into more effective variants such as hierarchical B-splines, PB-splines (Point based splines), T-splines, LR-splines (Locally refined splines) and PHT-splines (Polynomial splines over hierarchical T-meshes). The aim of the paper is to extend the application of PIES to objects with boundaries represented by T-splines. In order to simplify the problem, we use a Bézier extraction mechanism for automatic conversion of T-splines surfaces into standard Bézier surfaces, previously used in PIES. The Bézier extraction transforms the T-splines basis functions into linear combination of standard Bernstein basis functions. Therefore, if we can transform the T-splines basis functions into Bernstein polynomials, this allows the T-spline surface to be replaced by a set of Bézier patches with the traditional parametric domain for each Bézier patch. The reliability of the proposed approach is evaluated through numerical tests based on linear elastic problems. We show how to represent the boundary by T-splines and compare the accuracy of the results with known analytical solutions. We use a commercial T-spline plugin for Rhino from Autodesk to model and manipulate T-spline surfaces. The plugin also includes the Bézier extraction module that directly converts T-spline models to the appropriate ones constructed with Bézier surfaces. The presented examples confirm the applicability of the approach with high accuracy of the solutions.


Background: Breathing pattern compasses the chest wall motion and its time and volume components. Aims: The primary objective of this study was to establish reference values for breathing pattern measured by optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) of healthy individuals during quiet breathing in seated position. The secondary aim was to evaluate the influence of gender on breathing pattern parameters. Methods: 168 individuals (61 males, 52±21 years old, with normal lung function) were assessed by OEP during quiet breathing. Data were presented as mean and standard deviation.The comparisons between genders were performed by Student t test for independent samples, and Mann-Whitney, according to the characteristic and/or variable distribution. The study was approved by Ethics Committees. Results: Table 1 shows the reference values for five main variables among others parameters evaluated in seated position.
 Conclusions: Reference values for breathing pattern using OEP during quiet breathing were created through a multicenter study. In addition, the effect of gender was also evaluated, and showed that women had a more thoracic pattern of breathing and lower tidal volume compared with men. Sponsor: CAPES Brazil


Moreover, with the newer member-economies poised to enter "Euroland", there would be further vibrancy, although fears of original members being "swamped" by cheap Central and Eastern European labour still persist. In fact, the original members of the Eurozone are also probably experiencing a spurt of competitiveness from this potential "injection" of new members into the zone, as indicated by their bullish stock markets. But as the UK's growth slows (thanks to the British economic cycle being more closely tied to that of the US), German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian growths all appear to be steaming ahead, propelling the Eurozone towards one of its best economic performances in recent years. It has thus emerged that the second quarter of 2006 had indeed been the Eurozone's best economic achievement, whilst European job prospects hold up well. This upside potential puts the EU well-ahead of the world's largest and second largest economies in terms of economic growth -- the first time in the past six years. In the last quarter, the Eurozone managed a 1% growth, outperforming the US, Britain and Japan, and is now forecast to grow by at least 2.5% this year, up from 1.3% in 2005.


Recently, businesses using the Internet have proliferated, and a demand has emerged for technology that offers stable service quality regardless of unexpected load or disturbances, by assigning resources to services on demand has emerged. In a traditional study of resource allocation, improvement of an existing method has been performed (Hashimoto et al., 2006), but sufficient study has not been done to date from the perspective of adding value to the supplied services. In this paper, the objectives and challenges of service operators are investigated and a method is proposed that is the allocation of highly available resources for on demand data center services.


The youth constitute the highest number of Kenya's population and due to their enormous number the society expects them to play a vital role in its future development. However, this expectation may not be tenable due to their deviant behaviour such as marked increase in the number of secondary school unrests and strikes in the Schools. This study sought to find out the role of guidance and counselling in curbing students' strikes in secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. It adopted descriptive research design. The target population in this study consisted of all principals and deputy principals in all public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Stratified random sampling method was used in selecting the sample schools, principals and deputy principals. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. The quantitative data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The findings of the study established that guidance and counselling units in learning institutions were not effective. Most of the guidance and counselling teachers provided guidance and counselling services irregularly or at crisis times since they devoted most of their time to completing the syllabus and therefore did not have time to detect the students' problems early enough. Unless these units were strengthened, they served little purpose in curbing student strikes. The study recommends that frequency of offering guidance and counselling services in schools should be increased and guidance and counselling departments in schools should be strengthened. The study also recommends that guidance and counselling programmes should be extended to the parents. This means that parents should be educated in order to take a more active role in the guidance and counselling of their children so that these services are provided both at home and in school. Keywords: Role, Guidance and Counselling, Student Strikes


We investigate a two-parameter family of relative normals that contains Manhart's oneparameter family and the centroaffine normal. The invariance group of each of these normals is classified, and variational problems are studied. The results are Euler-Lagrange equations for the hypersurfaces that are critical with respect to the area functionals of the induced and semi-Riemannian volume forms and a classification of the critical hyperovaloids in the two-parameter family.


Most of the wireless standards utilize OFDM technique to enhance the transmission rate which is the vital requirement that is to be met today. The increases in the throughput of FFT block in OFDM system which in turn improves the transmission rate of the system. This paper presents high throughput FFT processor based on Multi-path delay feedback architecture for OFDM systems. Mixed Radix2/2 2 /2 3 /2 4 DIF FFT algorithm is used. A comparison is done for different pipeline architecture such as MDF, MDC and SDF using the same algorithm with respect to throughput. The design is fully coded in VHDL, simulated in Xilinx ISE 13.2 and is implemented on Virtex-5 FPGA. Keywords— OFDM, FFT, FPGA


This study aims to determine the effect of brand trust, country of origin and product design on purschase intention in Mitsubishi Xpander. Respondents in this study were people who had never bought a Mitsubishi Xpander, but already knew about the product. The population in this study is not clearly known. The sampling technique used is the Hair et al technique where the indicator is multiplied by 5 to 10. The number of samples in this study was 119 samples. The data analysis method used is PLS (Partial Least Square) technique through the SmartPLS statistical software, with the research instrument being a questionnaire. The results showed that Brand Trust, Country Of Origin, and Product Design had a positive and significant effect on Purchase Intention in Mitsubishi Xpander.


The acclimatized fish were categorized into three groups; group 1: control, group 2: exposed to 1/10 LC (96 hrs) of furadan 3G while group 3: exposed to 1/10 LC (96 hrs) of furadan 3G along with 10 ppm concentration of extract. The discrepancy in micronuclei induction frequencies and liver enzyme activities were compared between groups at constant interval of 24 hrs up to 96 hrs ., the end of exposure period.


In this short note we shall first introduce for convex domains of constant width a measure of asymmetry and then show that the most symmetric domains of constant width are circular discs and the most asymmetric domains of constant width are Reuleaux triangles.


Relational Dynamics and the Music Festivals at the Coastal Tourist Destinations. The Case of the Alt Emporda (Spain). The knowledge of the actors of the cult...


It is presented the idea of establishing a visual platform for optimum structural design called visualization of optimum structural design. The overall framework, the detailed process, the component modules and the key techniques of the implementation of the platform are introduced. The optimum design of the antenna back frame is discussed as an example.


The researchers compared students' approaches and strategies to learning in two African countries viz.; Nigeria and Uganda. Using a descriptive survey, fifty students, who were enrolled in the year 2012/2013 in guidance and counselling and computer science respectively, were sampled from the population. The students offered an ICT course separately in 200 level in the different institutions. The instrument used was the Approaches to study skills inventory (ASSIST) and the three hypotheses were postulated and tested. The results of the t-test analysis show that the null hypothesis was not statistically significant when using the strategic approach (t = 1.037, 1.056); p > .05 and the deep approach to learning of students in Nigeria and Uganda (t = -0.278, -0.279); p > .05. The second hypotheses revealed a no statistically significant difference in the Nigerian and Ugandan preferences for different types of courses in teaching and learning while the third hypothesis shows a significant correlation between a deep approach to learning and learning that supports understanding (r=.407; p <.001). It is recommended that lecturers need to accommodate their students' individual differences in the teaching and learning process considering that most of the classes in higher institutions of learning are large for the prevalent part. Additionally, discussions on possible implications for counselling are discussed in the paper.


Abstract : The aim of this project is to record the neural activity of serotonin (5HT) and dopamine (DA) neurons in rats during the performance of a reinforcement learning task. We are interested in how neural activity within these ascending modulatory systems is temporally related to events during learning and decision making. This work will provide a window onto the function of the DA and 5HT systems that is complementary to the rich to existing knowledge from pharmacological and biochemical assays. As there are no studies characterizing the behavior of 5HT neurons during the performance of a behavioral task in any species, a major goal of the work is to identify phasic behavioral correlates of 5HT neural activity. Over the last year, we have overcome many of the technical hurdles associated with recording from 5HT cells in awake behaving animals and in the process have made significant strides towards our goal of characterizing neural activity within the serotonin and dopamine systems during goal directed behavior.


Hello, こんにちは Kon'nichiwa, Here you will find resources to explore, learn about, and gain an understanding of Japanese culture, attitudes, values and arts.


Purpose: It has been argued that social security disability assessments should directly assess claimants ' work capacity, rather than relying on proxies such as on functioning. However, there is little academic dis- cussion of how such assessments could be conducted. Method: The article presents an account of different models of direct disability assessments based on case studies of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, utilising over 150 documents and 40 expert interviews. Results: Three models of direct work disability assessments can be observed: (i) structured assessment , which measures the functional demands of jobs across the national economy and compares these to claimants ' functional capacities; (ii) demonstrated assessment, which looks at claimants ' actual experiences in the labour market and infers a lack of work capacity from the failure of a concerned rehabilitation attempt; and (iii) expert assessment , based on the judgement of skilled professionals. Conclusions: Direct disability assessment within social security is not just theoretically desirable, but can be implemented in practice. We have shown that there are three distinct ways that this can be done, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Further research is needed to clarify the costs, validity/legit- imacy, and consequences of these different models. While it is possible to implement a direct assessment of work capacity for social security benefits, further research is necessary to understand how best to maximise validity, legitimacy, and cost-effectiveness.


Application requirements on operating system services and resources can vary widely. Moreover, such variability is often experienced at runtime, especially with complex distributed applications like multi-media systems and groupware systems. This suggests that middleware and underlying operating system services may derive significant performance improvements from the ability to adapt at runtime to their current execution environment. Similarly, for high performance parallel programs, flexibility in their design and an ability to be configured at runtime has almost become a requirement in the sense that levels of parallelism and the behaviors of scheduling and synchronization mechanisms may have to be varied to accommodate variations in program behavior or in the availability of computing and storage resources.
This thesis demonstrates that the use of configurable objects in multiprocessor environments can lead to substantive performance gains. The Configuration Toolkit (CTK) is a library for constructing object-based abstractions ranging from multiprocessor operating system services to user-level objects in parallel programs. CTK is unique in its exploration of configuration issues: (1) it provides the developer with a programming model to express and explore configuration; (2) it offers runtime support for achieving on- and off-line adaptation to a program's execution environment; and (3) it explicitly separates performance, reliability, and machine dependent properties from type-dependent object functionality.
Using insights derived from experimentation with programs constructed with the CTK toolkit for multiprocessor systems, the thesis next presents a framework for building configurable parallel and distributed programs with modern object technologies. This framework supports a programming model where dealing with configuration issues is a central part of the design. A prototype for a distributed work-station platform demonstrates the framework's feasibility.


We have proposed and developed a new quadruped walking robot with a spherical shell, called "QRoSS". QRoSS is a transformable robot that can store its legs in the spherical shell. The shell not only absorbs external forces from all directions, but also improves mobile performance because of its round shape. In rescue operations at a disaster site, carrying robots into a site is dangerous for operators because doing so may result in a second accident. If QRoSS is used, instead of carrying robots in, they are thrown in, making the operation safe and easy. We developed QRoSS-I and conducted basic experiments to verify performance which includes landing, rising and walking through a series of movements. This paper reports details of a mechanical design to perform a rotational locomotion using spherical shell and development of the prototype model of QRoSS-II. We discuss the rising motion and the rotational locomotion from the results of Basic experiments.


What do children go through when a parent deploys? Here to address this issue is a developmental and behavioral pediatrician (podcast).


Certainty generally is illusion, Holmes once said, and repose is not the destiny of man. Mr Coper vividly illustrates this in relation to the High Court's exposition of the meaning of "duty of excise" under section 90 of the Constitution, and argues that the Court's failure to achieve certainty in this area has not been due to a Barwick-led departure from a so-called settled formula, as alleged by some critics, but has rather been the consequence of the inherent limitations of any legalistic approach. Mr Coper then looks to the purposes of section 90 for guidance, but finds a surprising degree of ambiguity surrounding them. The High Court has also referred to the purposes of section 90, but in attempting to achieve certainty without entirely losing sight of those perceived purposes, it has, Mr Coper argues, compromised both objectives. The author concludes by considering how the Court might escape from the present impasse.


Electrorheological (ER) and magnetorheological (MR) fluids show similar field-dependent rheological characteristics from a bulk fluid perspective. However, the implementation of ER and MR fluids in devices may require different strategies because of the inherent properties of ER and MR fluids such as density, viscosity and the strength of the yield stress. Therefore, in this study, we explore the dynamic performance ranges and time response characteristics of ER and MR fluid-based systems in order to comprehensively understand each system. So far, quasi-steady fluid flow model has been widely used in the performance evaluation of ER and MR fluid-based systems. However, the quasi-steady fluid flow model can predict the dynamic performance range of the system, but does not give any information about time response characteristics of the system. Moreover, research on comparative analysis between ER and MR fluid-based systems is considerably rare. Therefore, in this study, comparative analysis for the characteristics of ER and MR fluid-based systems is undertaken based on considering the time response phenomena. For doing so, a set of nondimensional analysis based on parallel plate geometry to characterize the field-dependent properties of ER and MR fluid-based systems is developed and experimental test for ER and MR dampers are done in order to evaluate the validity of the analysis.


Nanoindentation size effect was investigated under very low loads on type 316 stainless steel. Nanoindentation measurements were carried out on the samples surfaces with a Berkovich pyramidal diamond indenter applying loads in the range of 25-1000μN. Simultaneously, AFM images of the sample surface were recorded before and after indentation process .For type 316 stainless steel, the indentation size effect was found. The results were discussed in the terms of the model of geometrically necessary dislocations proposed to interpret the indentation size effect.It can be seen that the square of the nanohardness, H 2, vs the inverse of indentation depth, 1/h, is linearly dependent on the indented depth in the range of 25-150nm,which is a good qualitative agreement with the predictions of the model. However, for shallow indents, the slope of the line severely changes.Some possible mechanisms for this change were proposed.


Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of photocoagulation with 523nm frequency-doubled laser on diabetic retinopathy. Methods A total of 42 consecutive cases(73 eyes) of Non proliferation stage of diabetic retinopathy(NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy had been photocoagulated with 532nm frequency-doubled laser. The vision, fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA) and optical coherence tomography(OCT) had been compared before and after laser therapy. Results After laser photocoagulation, vision improved in 12 eyes(16%),remained unchanged in 47 eyes(64%) and worsened in 14 eyes(19%). Fundus fluorescence angiography showed that macular edema had resolved completely in 6 eyes, partly in 29 eyes and was unchanged in 12 eyes. The therapeutic effect of regional macular edema was better than diffuse macular edema and cystoid macular edema. Photocoagulation with 523nm frequency-doubled laser on diabetic retinopathy was a effective therapies to prevent and suspend the development of diabetic ratinopathy. Conclusion The key to prevent and suspend the development of diabetic ratinopathy was that we should grasp treatment opportunity and choose rational photocoagulation therapies with effective and sufficient therapy.


Abstract The possibilities and problems of using calculated spectra from model atmospheres when analysing stellar populations in galaxies are reviewed. Various types of consistency tests for stellar models are discussed, as well as comparisons with observational data. It is argued that major improvements in the model spectra are possible and worthwhile.


At Grant Park, before an ecstatic crowd and protected by two giant bullet proof glass walls, Barack Obama declared victory shortly after midnight, Eastern Time, last night, and delivered his first presidential speech emphasizing unity and sacrifice. Last night's election victory for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama was a breakthrough in American History, marking the end of an era of discontent and the rebirth of the American dream. With three states still too close to call, Obama has so far won 349 electoral votes (he needed 270 to win). Americans turned out to vote in unprecedented numbers (about 65%) and Obama won in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio and Virginia, all of which had voted for Bush in the previous presidential election. He is only the third Democratic candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win the White House with more than 50% of the popular vote. It represents a national political realignment and a shift in the electoral map, with Republicans seeing their base reduced to the Deep South, the rural Mid-west and the sparsely populated Rocky Mountains. What this victory tells us about America is that the majority of voters are ready to embark in a new era of hope without looking back, exhausted by years of war, division and despair that have hurt US leadership abroad and bankrupted its economy. It represents an America that is ready to reap its promises of democracy and liberty by recognizing the fact that those ideals can only crystallize when there is also equality and yes, redistribution. After all, Barack and Michelle Obama are the embodiment of what happens when all citizens, regardless of race, gender or class, are given the opportunity to succeed. As Ariana Hufffington puts it on her Post: "Obama's victory holds up a mirror, reflecting the country we are…a young... optimistic… forward-looking country, a country not afraid to take risks or to dream big." Last night at Grant Park, where he addressed 200,000 Americans that had gathered to celebrate his victory, Obama gave his first presidential speech. Without losing his optimism, he adopted a more sober tone and addressed all Americans, even those who did not vote for him. He will govern for all, bridge the divides and become the post-ideological, pragmatic president the country and the world need. His debt to Independent and even Republican voters was apparent in Ohio, where he won a crucial victory with the white blue-collar workers (men and women) that McCain had so intensely sought out during his campaign. According to the New York Times, eight out of ten voters who voted for Bush in 2004 voted for Obama in this election, as well as two-thirds of those who didn't vote that year and 70% of those who had backed other (independent) candidates. Now comes the transition period which will be crucial for Obama to consolidate the movement behind him, and reach across the aisle to Republicans. The challenges ahead are of gargantuan proportions, from prosecuting two wars to putting the economy back together and defending the nation from terrorist threats. He has enough political capital to take bold stands and move ahead with confidence, so he will most likely be able to make decisions that involve sacrifice and pain right away. He also has a larger majority of his own party in Congress, which is a great advantage for a president seeking urgent reforms, but could also result in his yielding to demands by his own party to advance its ideological platform. Such overreach could quickly undermine his arduously earned political capital. Last night's victory gathering in Chicago's Grant Park was imbued of poetic symbolism: this is where the 1968 violent riots during the Democratic National Convention took place, and where Illinois police and National Guard confronted the anti-Vietnam war protesters with clubs and rubber bullets. In contrast, this time it was filled with a rapturous crowd of Americans of all races and ages, some crying, most smiling broadly, all conscious of the historical moment, celebrating with glee the triumph of the first African American President in the history of the United States, who won the election by defeating a Vietnam War hero. For many, this may very well signal the end of the culture wars that for 40 years dominated American politics. Time will only tell if this exuberant optimism is justified. Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Geography Director, ODU Model United Nations Program Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia


Venomous snake byte accidents produce more than 50 thousand deaths each year, particularly in the tropics where these accidents have become a public health problem. Ophidic accidents produce, amongst other symptoms, hemorrhages (SVMPs), myonecrosis (PLAs) and pain, and conventional serotherapies are only partially effective and can produce immune adverse effects. Hence natural antivenom proteins from mammals are being investigated [DM43 (antihemorrhagin) and DM64 (antimyotoxic) from opossum serum (Maruspialia: Didelphis)] which have demonstrated to be more effective. Additionally, venomous PLAs and SVMPs have their normal non-venomous endogenous counterparts (MMPs and PLAs), and when the balance between the latter and their inhibitors is broken, the following pathologies can occur: arthritis, arteriosclerosis, asthma, diabetes, septic shocks, neoplasias, inflammations, psoriasis, etc. It's because of all these reasons, that an approximation to the 3D structure of DM64 was made here, with in silico homology methods, using the Swiss Model-Deep View system. Besides obtaining a similar model to that previously published by another group for DM43, the work presented here allowed the standardization of the SM-DV modeling technique as a very useful tool in our countries, given its efficency and low costs (SM-DV is freely available).


Objective: To investigate the coexpression of Frat1 and TCF4 in NSCLC.Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed on 95 cases of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).The correlation between expressions of Frat1 and TCF4 was analyzed.Results: Immunohistochemistry results showed that Frat1 was related to tumor differentiation,TNM stage,and lymph node metastasis(P0.05);TCF4 was related to tumor TNM stage,and lymph node metastasis(P0.05);Frat1 and TCF4 were coexpressed in lung cancer tissues(P0.05).Conclusion: Frat1 and TCF4 expression are associated with malignant phenotype of lung cancer;Frat1 and TCF4 are coexpressed in lung cancer tissues.


Through different pathways, sea level rise will cause certain impacts on paddy soil salinization process in Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province. In which, irrigation water pathway is found to be a major factor increasing the salinization process there. Mike 11 is applied to predict the irrigation water salinity of Tien Hai district due to seawater intrusion in Red river under sea level rise impacts. From 2060, the irrigation water salinity will exceed 0.75ppt - the safety level for soil salinization risk. Proceeding with the salinity, it is the application of Saltmod for the paddy soil salinity trend prediction under sea level rise impacts through the irrigation pathway. The general salinity trend is predicted to increase from 2007 to 2100. In particular, the salinity of root zone and transition zone increases from 0.33% (2007) to 0.56% (2100) and from 0.36% (2007) to 0.84% (2100), respectively, while the aquifer salinity is nearly stable at 0.35%. Finally, the research shows that it is possible to apply Mike and Saltmod for the prediction of the soil salinization process of agricultural land in estuary areas under the sea level rise impacts of climate change in Vietnam.


BACKGROUND: Biochar, a by‐product of the pyrolysis of biomass, was used to investigate activation of persulfate in the presence of zero‐valent iron, Fe(0), for the purposes of phenol degradation. Relevant factors of pH, persulfate concentration, and type of black carbon (biochar, activated carbon, and graphite) were examined. RESULTS: Maximal removal of phenol was obtained at an initial pH of 2 in Fe(0)–biochar–persulfate systems. At a pH of 7, 89% of the phenol was degraded, with 2.60 mmol L⁻¹ of persulfate, 300 mg of Fe(0), and 100 mg of biochar. Under optimal conditions, more than 95% of phenol degraded after 330 min. Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis showed that sulfate radical (SO₄⁻·) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were involved in phenol degradation. A graphitic structure arising from a sp² covalent carbon network and oxygen‐containing functional groups on biochar were responsible for enhancement of phenol degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that biochar‐mediated oxidation by persulfate with Fe(0) may be an effective treatment technology for removal of phenol from natural and engineered aquatic systems. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry


For any undirected connected graph G(V, E), if there exists a surjection f: V(G) ∪ E(G) → {1, 2, ⋯ , k}, where k is a positive integer and the maximum is the number of points plus the number of edges such that the set of colors of all vertices of the same degree in the graph is the same, then the mapping relation f is called Vertex Reducible Total Coloring (VRTC) of the graph G, and the vertex reducible total chromatic number of the graph G is the maximum value k obtained. Aiming at the realistic problems that can be solved by the vertex reducible total coloring model, a new VRTC algorithm is designed with the traditional intelligent algorithm idea. The algorithm searches for the vertex reducible total chromatic number of random graphs within a finite number of points by means of continuous function, balance function, and adjustment function in an iterative, merit-seeking manner. By analyzing the result set and summarizing the coloring laws, several theorems are obtained.


Based on the evacuation dynamics, Chinese and America national specifications in subway design about traffic safety evacuation were inductively researched. Then a computer simulation of passenger evacuation system was developed, which used the OGRE engine to design and implement the module to show the evacuation effect. By using a module that shows the evacuation effect, users could observe the evacuation effect of the finished subway station model. This module uses the method of color gradient to show the intensity of the passenger evacuation area, is good at designing and implementing the omni-directional space coordinate system module and the sub-scene coordinate transformation mechanism module of passenger evacuation system. These modules can help build a more humanized system and are quite crucial to modular collaboration in passenger evacuation.


Development and semiotic enclosure go together. In narratives of regional development, dreams and visions belong to an earlier historical phase. As the maps are filled in and the legal and administrative structures imposed, the room for imaginative manoeuvre is correspondingly contracted. The initial El Dorado romance progressively yields to narratives of heroic geographical conquest, imperial assimilation and subsequent Ersatz identifications of place. Ersatz because, despite the rhetoric of independence and autonomy, the measures of social, economic and environmental viability remain tied to the normative values of the nation-state and the global economy. In the myth of loosely flexible renegotiations of identity and habit, the frontier plays a symptomatically ambiguous role. On one hand, it suggests a hard-andfast line, while on the other it implies a wave moving forward. Solid and fluid states coexist. Northern Australia is presented as a land of opportunity; in reality, it produces extreme bureaucratic arteriosclerosis. Depending on one's social proclivities, sustainable development requires a new model of complexification, integration and their planning, one that retains the generative myth of place making (memorably inscribed in Darwin's name).


We show that gauge‐singlet real scalars added to the Standard Model can both soften the little hierarchy problem and offer a candidate for Dark Matter. Masses of the scalars are in the 1–3 TeV range, depending on the Higgs boson mass and the number of singlets present. If the scalars couple to the Majorana mass term for right‐handed neutrinos then one neutrino must be massless. The mixing angles are consistent with the tri‐bimaximal mixing.


Objective:To discuss the security and suitability of the anterior approach of spinal surgery with vedio assisted thoracoscopy.Method:Fourteen patients were treated with the anterior approach of spinal surgery with vedio assisted thoracoscopy,including eight cases of thoracic tuberculosis,three of spinal tumor,two of vertebral fracture and one case of hyphosis,under double cavity intratrachea incubation anesthesia.The length of the incision was only 5cm.Result:All these operation were successful and the mean bleeding was 460ml,the mean operative duration was 242 minutes and mean drainage volume 394ml,drainage time 3 3days and mean duration of pain after operation was 2 3 days.The radio evaluation was excellent except complication of two atelectasisand,one thoracic hydrops and one extremity numbness.Conclusion:Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery of enlarged manipulative incision for spinal surgery through anterior approach has the advantage of security less tauma and bleeding. Authors address\ Orthopedics of 2nd Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College,Wenzhou,Zhejiang,325027


Quality of formation of topology of a resistive layer thin-film the chip-resistor meandr-type, formed by methods of chemical and ionic etching is experimentally investigated.


The paper is concerned with the analysis of simulation research results of newly design Piast ferry entering to modernized Ystad Port. The ship simulation model is described. After execution of real time simulations the Monte Carlo method of underkeel clearance evaluation is applied to asses the probability of ferry touching the bottom. The results could be used in risk assessment of ships entering to the ports.


The use of new generation wires in the design of wide spans of overhead power lines over water barriers and large gorges can increase their transmission capacity and increase reliability. However, when large currents flow, load losses in line also increase. Thus, it is necessary to obtain a methodology for technical and economic comparison of design options for overhead power lines over large crossings, which enables to determine the most cost-effective version of the project with high mechanical reliability. For comparative analysis, five options for wide spans of overhead power lines over the river with new-generation wires of Russian production were compiled: Aluminium Alloy Conductor Steel Reinforced, Z-type (high conductivity), Thermal-Resistant Conductor, Aluminium Compozite Core Conductor, ASk2y. Option with Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced wire was taken as the source. For the first option, the crossing scheme E-A-A-E was selected, for the remaining options E-I-I-E scheme was considered. For the modes of maximum loads, minimum temperature and average annual conditions, the mechanical calculation of wires was carried out using the method of permissible stresses. The wire bending deflections were determined in accordance with the theory of the catenary curve. The method of integrated indicators was used to perform a technical and economic comparison of these options. The calculation results showed that among the proposed options, the most optimal is a crossing with the ACCC wire having minimum relative investment per 1 MW of transmitted electricity and minimal power loss. The transmission capacity of the line with this wire is increased by 1.8 times, and the cost of crossing is reduced by 16%. Due to the compact design of wire, the probability of ice formation on wire is reduced, and the reduced bending deflection reduces the probability of wire break due to natural environmental influences.


Reductive potentiometric stripping analysis (RPSA), with potassium ferrocyanide as the reducing agent on a glassy carbon electrode, is applied for the determination of lead over the range 2 × 10−8–5 × 10−6M. The relative standard deviation of 2 × 10−6M lead for ten consecutive measurements is 2.5%. This technique has been used to determine the minute amount of lead in a human hair sample solution.


Based on the distinct features of WSNs,this paper presents a QoS Metrics architecture with three layers.Then according to the different requirements of QoS we classify the various applications as four types,and a Cross-layer QoS Architecture Based on DiffServ for Wireless Sensor Networks(CQAW) is proposed.Finally,we design an implement framework for the CQAW.


Joubert syndrome is a rare hereditary ciliopathy classically characterized by a triad of clinical symptoms: irregular breathing, hypotonia, and developmental delay. Possible manifestations may also include polycystic kidney disease, congenital hepatic fibrosis, retinal dystrophy, and musculoskeletal anomalies such as polydactyly and skeletal dysplasia. The incidence of Joubert syndrome in childhood is 1:55,000–200,000. The presence of the "molar tooth sign" on brain MRI is a required diagnostic criterion. To date, about 40 genes have been identified, mutations in which explain more than 90% of Joubert syndrome cases. This article presents current multidisciplinary approaches to the diagnosis and management of patients with this pathology in order to initiate timely and proper correction and improve outcomes. Key words: Joubert syndrome, ciliopathy, molar tooth sign, cerebellar hypoplasia, facial dysmorphism, ataxia, motor disorders, retina, kidneys, liver


Flame retardant acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (FR-ABS) blends were prepared by blending tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBA) and antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) into the ABS resin. LICA 44 grafted styrene–maleic anhydride (SMA-g-L44) copolymers were used as high molecular weight (MW) coupling agents to modify the properties of the FR-ABS blends, and the copolymers with different LICA 44 grafting ratios were produced via the in vivo and the in situ reactions, respectively. The LICA 44 percentage and the MW of the SMA-g-L44 copolymers are important factors influencing the effects of the high MW coupling agent. The impact strength and the tensile yield stress of SMA-g-L44 modified FR-ABS blends increased obviously. The elongation at break and the limiting oxygen index of which also showed an increasing trend after the modification. The coupling effect of SMA-g-L44 became weaker at a higher grafting ratio. SEM observation showed that the interfacial boundary in the FR-ABS became fuzzy after using the SMA-g-L44 copolymers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 865–874, 1999


This paper will share the creation, implementation, and modification of an online college level general biology laboratory course offered for non-science majors as a part of a General Education Curriculum. The ability of professors to develop quality online laboratories will address a growing need in Higher Education as more institutions combine course sections and look for suitable alternative course delivery formats due to declining departmental budgets requiring reductions in staffing, equipment, and supplies. Also, there is an equal or greater need for more professors to develop the ability to create online laboratory experiences because many of the currently available online laboratory course packages from publishers do not always adequately parallel on-campus laboratory courses, or are not as aligned with the companion lecture sections. From a variety of scientific simulation and animation web sites, professors can easily identify material that closely fit the specific needs of their courses, instructional environment, and students that they serve. All too often, on-campus laboratory courses in the sciences provide what are termed confirmation experiences that do NOT allow students to experience science as would be carried out by scientists. Creatively developed online laboratory experiences can often provide the type of authentic investigative experiences that are not possible on-campus due to the time constraints of a typical two-hour, once-per-week-meeting laboratory course. In addition, online laboratory courses can address issues related to the need for students to more easily complete missing laboratory assignments, and to have opportunities to extend introductory exercises into more advanced undertakings where a greater sense of scientific discovery can be experienced. Professors are strongly encourages to begin creating online laboratory exercises for their courses, and to consider issues regarding assessment, copyrights, and Intellectual Property concerns.


Aphid establishes colony in the
selective plant parts like vine, leaf petiole, leaflet, inflorescence, and
tender fruit in Dolichos lablab Linn
but not the entire plant. In this study, the aphid colony establishment in vine
is focused to understand the differential resistance response between two
varieties. At the early stage of aphid infestation, the aphid colony
establishment was significantly different between two genotypes (p value =
0.00) and abbreviated as "resistant" variety that supported lower aphid
proliferation (mean value = 48.2 ± 2.2) and "susceptible" variety that
supported comparatively higher aphid proliferation (mean value = 215.5 ± 16.9).
The total aphid number was significantly different between the two varieties,
realized at the early infestation stage when both "antixenosis" and "antibiosis"
defense mechanisms were working on. Some plant specific factors like vine
diameter, wet/ dry weight ratio of vine, phloem sap pressure, the compactness
of the vine, wet/dry weight ratio of leaflet, length of leaf petiole, diameter
of leaflet vein were identified as modulating factors. The impact of resistant
variety on aphid was also investigated for better understanding of aphid
defense mechanism.


Stephan CPAP ventilator is dedicated neonatal ventilator.Compared it with normal ventilator,the device's operation,use and maintenance of the area are quite different.In order to better understand the health care workers,to familiarize themselves with this breathing machine,better to use it to saving lives,to play its greatest effect.This paper describes the characteristics,tips,precautions and maintenance of the ventilator.


Transonic and supersonic flutter characteristics of a delta wing configuration with external stores are simulated using the fluid/structure coupling method and the effect of the store aerodynamics is investigated. A delta wing with one and two external stores are considered in this study. The stores are located in the rearward of the wing simulating typical high speed aircraft configurations. The computational result shows that the flutter dynamic pressures over all the Mach numbers are reduced by adding external stores for both cases. In addition, the flutter dynamic pressures become much lower when the number of attached external stores is increased. In the case of the single external store, influence of the store aerodynamics can be divided into two regions according to the Mach number. It is found that neglecting the store aerodynamics leads to the overestimation of the flutter dynamic pressures in the supersonic region. In case of two external stores, the store aerodynamics influence on the flutter boundary only at M∞ =1 .22 unlike the case of the single external store. It is shown that the shock wave ahead of the external store influences on the pressure distributions on the lower surface and the location of the shock wave is important for the decision of the flutter boundary.


Objective
To evaluate the composite external fixation in the treatment of children with fracture of lower extremity metaphysis.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 42 children with fracture of lower extremity metaphysis who had been admitted to Zhengda Shaoyang Orthopaedic Hospital between September 2016 and September 2018. They were 24 boys and 18 girls, aged from 3 to 14 years (mean, 8.3 years). Open injury occurred in 10 cases, with type Ⅰ in 2, type Ⅱ in 7 and type Ⅲ in one according to the Gustilo-Anderson classification, and closed injury in the other 32 ones. The fracture happened at distal femur in 12, at proximal tibia in 9 and at distal tibia in 21 cases. All the patients were fixated with composite external brackets. Fracture healing, functional recovery of the knee and ankle joints, and complications were recorded.

Results
All the 42 patients were followed up for 12 to 18 months (mean, 15.8 months). All fractures healed well by the first intention with no malunion or no alignment change on the full length X-ray films of both lower limbs. Irritant growth within 1.5 cm was observed in 2 cases. No loosening occurred in the external fixation which was removed 3 to 5 months after surgery (mean, 3.8 months). Functional recovery of the knee and ankle joints was good at the last follow-up. For the patients with distal femoral metaphysis fracture, the knee function by the Merchan scoring was excellent in 3 cases, good in 7 cases, fair in one and poor in one; for the patients with proximal tibial metaphysis fracture, the knee function by the Merchan scoring was excellent in 3, good in 4 and fair in 2 cases; for the patients with distal tibial metaphysis fracture, the ankle function by the Kofoed scoring was excellent in 11, good in 7 and fair in 3 cases, giving an excellent and good rate of 83.3%. Of a total of 228 needle channels in the 42 patients, 58 were infected mildly or moderately, giving an infection rate of 25.4%. All the infections responded to active dressing change.

Conclusion
The composite external fixation brackets are a good choice for the treatment of children with fracture of lower extremity metaphysis, because they are easy in manipulation and stable in configuration, and can reduce the iatrogenic injury to the epiphyseal plate, spare cross-articular fixation and allow early functional exercise.

Key words:
Lower extremity; Fractures, bone; Fracture fixation; External fixator; Child


On the basis of experimental data the authors develop a mathematical model of generating the thermal condition of solar drying in relation to thermophysical factors, making it possible to predict the effect of individual parameters on the drying temperature of the product


This paper presents a methodology for determining the capacity of coherently detected continuous- phase frequency shift keying (CPFSK) modulation under the constraints of binary coding and an ergodic channel. Building upon the capacity results, the coded CPFSK parameters of code rate, alphabet size, and modulation index are jointly optimized by using capacity as a cost function. From this optimization, it is possible to determine the minimum epsivb/No required for bit-interleaved coded CPFSK to achieve an arbitrarily low error rate as a function of spectral efficiency. Results showing this minimum epsivb/No are presented for a range of spectral efficiencies and several alphabet sizes in an AWGN channel.


This article examines the translation of key terms about climate change from English into Inuktitut, considering not only their literal translation but also the broader context within which words make sense. We argue that notions of resilience, adaptation, and climate change itself mean something fundamentally different in Inuktitut than English and that this has implications for climate policy and politics. To the extent that climate change is translated into Inuktitut as a wholly environmental phenomenon over which humans have no control, both adaptation and resilience come to be seen as appropriate and distinctly Inuit modes of relating to shifting climatic conditions, calling on practices of patience, observation, creativity, forbearance, and discretion. If translated as a matter of unethical harm of sila, however, Inuit frameworks of justice, relationality, and healing would be activated. In the context of a broader global shift away from mitigation and toward enhancing the adaptive capacities and resilience of particular populations, current modes of translating climate change, we argue, are deeply political.


SUMMARY

In this paper, an ABA-deficient Pisum sativum mutant is physiologically characterized. A wilty pea line (wil) was backcrossed six times with a non-wilty line, and then selfed to obtain near-isogenic lines. These lines were used for further studies. The plants were grown hydroponically and at high relative humidity. The ABA-deficient mutant grew more slowly in mass and height and invested less dry matter in its roots. Mutant leaves wilted rapidly under drought conditions, and had a lower water content than wild-type leaves. ABA-deficient plants had fewer and smaller seeds than wild-type plants, but the weight ratio of reproductive to vegetative parts was similar in both lines. Seeds of mutant plants contained about five times less ABA than wild-type seeds. It is suggested that the lower growth rate of both vegetative and reproductive parts is not directly caused by the lower ABA content, but by disturbed water relations.


Outer surface protein A (OspA) is the most promising candidate for a component vaccine against Lyme disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Active cross‐protection using a whole‐cell vaccine prepared from strains belonging various OspA serotypes observed in Japan and worldwide was examined. No cross‐protection was obtained by heterologous OspA‐serotype vaccines. Since OspA is a highly variable protein expressed by Borrelia, this suggests that immunologically different OspA serotypes need to be combined for the development of an effective vaccine in Japan.


Free flow electrophoresis was used for the purification of human tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) produced by recombinant yeast cells. This method was employed for three principal reasons: (a) yeast t‐PA purified by immunoaffinity chromatography was not pure enough to carry out protein chemical characterization, (b) the amount of yeast t‐PA available for purification was extremely limited, (c) t‐PA has a strong tendency to adsorb to support material; a support‐free separation method therefore seemed to be a reasonable way to further purify the enzyme. Free flow electrophoresis was first performed using solutions containing the soluble proteins of yeast cell extract, and secondly, using t‐PA fractions prepared by immunoaffinity chromatography, Yeast t‐PA purified by immunoaffinity chromatography and then by free flow electrophoresis is more than 80% pure and suitable for characterization experiments such as glycosylation studies or N‐terminal sequence determination.


Agglomerated amino-modified silica nanoparticles were prepared from a novel Stober-like precursor system consisting of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), ethanol, and water where the molar ratio APTES/TEOS was 0, 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0, and the molar ratio H2O/-SiOC2H5 was about 20 to 60, or great excess amounts of H2O were employed. APTES catalyzed the hydrolysis and condensation of both silanes. 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra confirmed that the particles consisted of Qn species (Si(OSi)n(OH)4−n; n=2, 3, 4) and Tn species (NH2(CH2)3–Si(OSi)n(OH)3−n; n=2, 3). The APTES content in the precursor solutions controlled the agglomerating spherical particle size and morphology: 0.1 in the ratio APTES/TEOS led to almost independent spheres of 300–400 nm, while the larger ratios 1 and 2 led to ∼250 and ∼150 nm spheres, respectively, that were largely agglomerated and some were fused to look like peanut-shells. When soaked in Kokubo's simulated body fluid, those amino-modified particles deposited apatite. The mechanisms of particle formation and apatite deposition were discussed in terms of an intraparticle hydrated layer.


Abstract— Preparations of guinea pig brain nuclei, obtained by discontinuous gradient centrifugation in sucrose solutions of pH 6.7–6.8, containing 3 mM‐MgCl2 and phosphate exhibited steady and reproducible oxygen uptake. Oxygen uptake was stimulated 60–70 per cent by glucose, pyruvate, oxalacetate or α‐ketoglutarate and 267 per cent by succinate. This respiratory activity was unaffected by the relative sodium or potassium ion content of the medium and by variations in the concentration of inorganic phosphate. Agents known to inhibit citric acid cycle oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis diminished oxygen uptake, but antibiotics inhibiting nucleic acid or protein synthesis did not. Treatment of the nuclear preparation with DNase decreased respiratory capacity, which was partially restored by the addition of polyacrylic acid.