Social network services such as Facebook provide new data for social science research into, for example, the role of individual characteristics in friendship formation and the diffusion of tastes in social networks. This article assesses the potential of social network services for social science research in two ways. First, it is argued that social scientists conduct hyperlink analysis differently to applied physicists and researchers from the library and information sciences, and face constraints (relating to theory, methods and availability of appropriate tools) that are not encountered in the other disciplinary approaches. However, the constraints regarding theory and methods are less likely to be faced by researchers of online social networks, and for this reason, the rise of Facebook and other similar services is a potential boon for empirical social scientists interested in networks. The second part of the article focuses specifically on the availability of research tools, and it is argued that social network services may eventually serve as e-Research platforms for delivering social network analysis tools.


Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Part I. From Dynamics to Stability: 2. Economists on dynamics and stability in the 1930s 3. The foundations of Samuelson's dynamics 4. Liapunov theory and economic dynamics Part II. From history to Interpretation: 5. The brittleness of the orange equilibrium 6. Stabilizing dynamics 7. Surveying dynamics 8. Conclusion Notes References Index.


The Department for Transport in the UK manages a large number of research projects which are typically focused on short term problems and opportunities. However, they also fund a small number of blue-sky projects within the Horizons programme. The Horizons project described here sets out to explore the potential benefits, costs, and barriers to implementation of a cooperative traffic signal control system that would rely upon direct communications between the intersection signal control system and each vehicle approaching, traversing and leaving the junction. We identified the different ways the vehicles could interact with the junction controller; the consequences of giving the driver additional information, and how they might behave; the need to use enforcement; and the suitability of different communications and positioning technology as well as the requirements on the control systems processor. We have concluded that there should be significant benefits from gathering floating vehicle probe-data in order to optimise the sequences to take account of problems on roads near to the junction. In the long term there is potential to achieve greater safety and throughput by direct management of vehicle movements, however the interim situation creates problems, because of vehicles with inconsistent capabilities.


Some conducted research (Gillet et al., 2010; Lorimer, 2011) reveals that athletes' satisfaction and motivation have a large impact on their results. Hence, it is important to further explore how to create most beneficial conditions for the development of young athletes' sport performance in different branches of sport seeking for the attainment of the highest results and long-term goals. The sample of the current research included 211 athletes (15,28 ± 1,63 years) divided into 5 groups according to the types of sport. The questionnaire concerning motivation for sport was devised on the basis of the Sport Motivation Scale (Pelletier et al., 1995) that is applied in Lithuania (Grajauskas, 2008). The athletes were also asked to fill in the Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire compiled by Riemer and Chelladurai (1998). It was determined that athletes with high intrinsic motivation for doing sport activities that give them satisfaction and pleasure tend to evaluate their participation in sport more favourably. The athletes of martial arts were least satisfied with their participation in sport; therefore, their activity bore no sense for them. This shows the highest level of amotivation. It is assumed that there is a connection between motivation and satisfaction with the participation in sport. High motivation and satisfaction have influence on good psychological climate. Keywords: motivation, satisfaction, amotivation, teenagers, athletes.


Polymer blend of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and bentonite clay were prepared in the presence and absence of the cross linking agent glutaraldehyde. The synthesized compounds were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, TGA and DSC analysis. The percentage of yield obtained is higher for the polymer blend prepared with glutaraldehyde as cross liking agent. The result of FTIR studies showed the various peaks corresponding to the functional groups present in the two polymer, which clearly indicates the presence of strong cross linking between the polymer and cross linking agent. Similarly, thermal gravimetric analysis revealed that enhanced thermal stability for the polymer blends along with glutaraldehyde. X-ray diffraction studies prove that the polymer blends have higher crystallinity when blending with glutaraldehyde.


In this work we present a special-purpose encryption processor. This type of processors is to be used for IP-security applications. The implemented processor can be integrated in the system before the sender router and after the receiver router. In other words, the processor is to be located at the boundary between terminal equipment and the private network, or at the boundary between private equipment and the public network, which is known as virtual private network (VPN). To implement the design, we have employed Field Programmable Gate Array Technology (FPGA). The hardware description language VHDL, in conjunction with the schematic editor is used to conclude the realization. The instruction set architecture (ISA) is based on judiciously choosing a complete and efficient group of instructions by studying most of the available standard and conventional encryption algorithms. The processor consists of eight registers (R0-R7) including a shifter unit, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), control unit, memory unit, one multiplexer, one instruction decoder, one timing decoder, and one sequence counter. A pipelined multiprocessing unit is realized using a set of identical processing elements (PE) that are based on the micro-architecture discussed above. The number of PE's depends on the adopted encryption algorithm.


1) the abstract should be a little clearer; pathogenesis of PBC is clearly more than just autoimmunity, yet Genetic studies that are cross-sectional like this, provide data only on risk of developing the diagnostic features of disease (in this case ALP/AMA) as opposed to the clinically diverse outcomes 2) No HLA data is presentedperhaps the authors want to publish separately but from a reader's perspective they want as much useful data as possible; 3) Very unclear as to how SNPs for validation were actually chosen, including number of SNPs meeting criteria: can we have a table that specifies very clearly how and why SNPs were chosen, and the definitions used for replication, GWAS significance. Could give QC data. 4) A table comparing these findings with the Japanese and Caucasian studies would be very helpful. 5) Did the authors want to do any meta-analysis of loci based on published gene frequencies and P values from the Japanese and international meta-analyses that are published? 6) Did I miss the patient demographics? 7) The discussion is long and speculative 8) Is the CD28 association the same as for PSC? CTLA-4/CD28 locus is complex to analyse. 9) What is the overlap with other autoimmune diseaseswill a table help here as well?


Abstract : This procedure for potting and terminating the strength and electrical portions of the primary cable of the Remote Unmanned Work System (RUWS) are discussed. Also included are lists of tools and materials to be used in the process. (Author)


This article analyzes the problems of understanding strategic planning, the concept and essence of this category, different views of scientists about strategic planning. Analyzing the development of strategic planning in the scientific literature, the author notes that there are different views in the understanding of strategic planning, showing the great interest of the scientific community in this issue. If some scholars understand strategic planning as a complex phenomenon, considering it in such aspects as "strategy as a plan", "strategy as a principle of behavior", "strategy as a position", "strategy as a perspective", "strategy as a technique, while others consider strategy as a fundamental science, while noting that policy, strategy and tactics are three independent categories that are interrelated aspects of strategic leadership and management. It is noted that strategic planning acts as a factor of strategic stability in society and the state in the context of digitalization of all spheres of public life. The role and significance of strategic planning in the economic and social development of society and the state, the place of strategic planning in ensuring national security are considered. Also, stages, functions and principles, methodology of strategic planning are analyzed.


Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the relationships between autonomic nerve activity (i.e., heart rate variability and urinary catecholamines) and job stress. Methods: The study was conducted on 134 workers from a company producing consumer goods (i.e., diaper, paper towel) located in Cheonan, Korea. Job stress was assessed by Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Autonomic function was assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) and urinary catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine). Urine samplings, and measurings of HRV, were repeated three times for each shift. Information on demographic characteristics, previous job histories, past medical history, smoking and drinking were also collected. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed in any HRV and urinary catecholamines among the four groups, which were categorized by the Job Strain Model. When data were stratified by work duration, low field HRV was borderline significantly higher in the high strain group in individuals with a shorter work duration (<48.5 months, N=28, p-value of 0.92 by analysis of variance). Conclusions: Neither HRV nor urinary catecholamines are significantly associated with job stress, as assessed by the Karasek's JCQ. However, HRV seems to be a potential physiological indicator of job stress only in the workers with a shorter work duration.


Background: Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is the most frequent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease (GD). The effect of intravenous methylprednisolone on the signs and symptoms of GO has not been evaluated in the Bangladeshi population. Objective: To observe the effect of intravenous methylprednisolone in active Graves' ophthalmopathy. Materials/Methods: This prospective study conducted in a tertiary hospital of Bangladesh from May 2009 to November 2010 included 30 patients having moderate to severe ophthalmopathy. In addition to the clinical activity score (CAS), eye involvement was assessed by using the "NOSPECS" scoring system. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 38.1 ± 10.6 years and male-female ratio was 1.2:1. NOSPECS eye findings before treatment and during the final (3rd) visit of the patients were observed. It was found that lid retraction or lid lag was improved in 21 (70%) of the patients during the final visit. All of the patients had soft tissue swelling initially and all of them improved at the final visit. Bilateral proptosis was present in 19 patients before treatment and improved in 12 (62%) patients during the final visit. Right eye proptosis was present in 9 patients before treatment and improved in 5 (60%) patients during final visit. Extraocular muscle involvement (Diplopia) was present in 15 patients before treatment but improved in 13 (86.0%) patients during the final visit. A significant number of subjects showed significant improvement in all of the NOSPECS eye findings (except unilateral right eye proptosis) during the final visit; all had inactive GO (CAS < 2) at the end of the 3rd visit. Conclusion: Intravenous methylprednisolone appears to be an effective treatment option for active Graves' ophthalmopathy.


In the last two decades, Eurasia has emerged as an area of growing strategic importance for Turkey. Much media attention has been driven by Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East, with Turkey's rapprochement with Iran and Syria, its close ties to Hamas, and the growing strains in Ankara's relations with Israel prompting concerns in various Western capitals, including Washington, that Turkey is reorienting its ties away from the West and toward the East. Yet, Turkey has also pursued important foreign policy initiatives toward Central Asia and the Caucasus. Ankara's engagement in these regions represents an important departure in Turkish foreign policy. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, had consciously eschewed efforts to cultivate contacts with the Turkic and Muslim populations beyond Turkey's borders. The closed nature of the Soviet political regime and Moscow's sensitivity regarding its control over nonRussian nationalities also made any communication with Central Asia and the Caucasus difficult. As a result, after the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, Turkey had little contact with the people of those regions. The collapse of the Soviet Union, however, created new opportunities and new challenges for Turkish policy, as a previously closed ''Turkic world'' was opened up. Turkish politicians, especially former President Turgut Özal, saw Central Asia as a new field for expanding Turkish influence and enhancing Turkey's strategic importance to the West. Along with the expansion of ties to the Middle East, the opening to Central Asia and the Caucasus was seen as a way to offset Turkey's difficulties with Europe. Turkey's engagement in Eurasia has also involved a dramatic improvement in Ankara's relations with Moscow, especially in the economic field. Russia is today


Based on the Stacking framework to construct heterogeneous ensembles,this paper introduced manipulating training samples in the context of creating homogeneous ensembles as the mechanism to encourage diversity.It proposed a new algorithm SDE,which used DECORATE to generate level-1 ensembles by adding proportion of artificial data to level-1 training set so as to inject diversity for member classifiers in level-1.Experiment results indicate that the proposed method achieves better performance than classic Stacking.


1. The scratch reflex in the spinal dog. It was shown that the reflex can be elicited not only by mechanical stimuli applied to the skin of the appropriate receptive region, but that weak unipolar faradisation with the stigmatic pole at the receptive hairy skin also excites the reflex with great regularity and precision. Graphic records of the scratching movements were then demonstrated. These exhibited the following among other points. The scratching movement consisting of flexion at hip, knee and ankle is rhythmic with a frequence of about four per second. External conditions, e.g. rate of stimuli (break shocks, double shocks, etc.), intensity of stimulus, locus of stimulus, nature of stimulus (i.e. whether faradisation, break or make of constant current, mechanical rubbing or pricking), hardly appreciably affect the frequence of the rhythm. Intemal conditions, e.g. local fatigue, spinal shock, etc., often considerably modify the frequence of the rhythm, thus fatigue renders the rhythm slow. There is a tonic as well as a rhythmic contraction involved in the response of the muscles. The tonic element is more pronounced the nearer the locus of stimulus to the mid-dorsal line and the more it is posterior. The reflex arc concerned in the reflex appears to be disynaptic: the first synapse is in the same spinal segment as the locus of stimulation, the second lies in the spinal segment innervating the flexor muscle of the limb, i.e. of hip, or leg, or foot respectively. Fatigue can easily be induced by repeated stimulation of one receptive spot in receptive region, and is found to be of remarkably restricted local extent and


Abstract In this note irreducible, semilinear transformations on finite dimensional vector spaces are studied. We assume that the field automorphism associated with the operator has finite order and that the centralizer ring of the operator is a field. We characterize and classify these operators and describe them concretely. These results are applied to semilinear transformations on finite dimensional vector spaces over finite fields.


The factors which influence floating population's living inclination to in the urban are complicated.The paper first demonstrates the overall frames of the study,then applies the data from a sampling survey of the floating population at Minhang District of Shanghai in 2005 to further the study.It shows the most important variable is income level,and the urban magnetism,family and marriage status and individual characteristics also affect their living inclination obviously.Previous studies tends to ignore the complex interrelation and interaction of these influence variables,and this study shows most obvious interactions happen among education,registration system,occupation,income and social integration.


25 Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone which most likely became a functional hormone during the 26 evolution of charophyte green algae, prior to land colonization. From this ancient origin ethylene 27 evolved into an important growth regulator that is essential for a myriad of plant developmental 28 processes. In vegetative growth, ethylene appears to have a dual role, stimulating and inhibiting 29 growth, depending on the species, tissue and cell type, developmental stage, hormonal status, and 30 environmental conditions. Moreover, ethylene signaling and response are part of an intricate 31 network in crosstalk with internal and external cues. Besides being a crucial factor in growth control 32 of roots and shoot, ethylene can promote flowering, fruit ripening and abscission, as well as leaf and 33 petal senescence and abscission, and hence, plays a role in virtually every phase of plant life. Last but 34 not least, together with jasmonates, salicylate and abscisic acid, ethylene is important in steering 35 stress responses. This review provides an update on recent insights in the role of ethylene on 36 vegetative growth, both at the cellular and the whole plant level, with special attention to hormonal 37 crosstalk. Due to space restrictions, this update is mainly focused on Arabidopsis .


In this paper, we have proposed the method of Davidon-Fletcher-Powell (DFP) to solving the problem of multiuser detection (MUD). It can be shown that DFP significantly improves the performance of MUD by reducing the number of iterations and residual error. This technique also provides rapid convergence to the optimal value. The simulation shows that the DFP method can improve up to 30% of performance with 3-dB SNR.


The response surface optimization strategy was used to enhance the lipase production by Rhizopus arrhizus MTCC 2233 in submerged fermentation. Various vegetable oils were experimented as an inducer using the optimized medium to study the influence on lipase production, and corn oil was found to be the best inducer for lipase production by Rhizopus arrhizus. The optimization of fermentation conditions, temperature, initial pH and agitation speed was carried out using corn oil as the inducer. Statistical analysis of the experimental data showed that the temperature, agitation speed, quadratic effects of temperature, initial pH and agitation speed and interactive effects of temperature and agitation speed are significant parameters that affect lipase production. The optimum fermentation conditions were achieved at 32°C; pH 6.0 and agitation speed of 107 rpm with the maximum lipase activity of 4.32 U/mL. Artificial neural network model was used to predict the lipase activity and cell mass production under various fermentation conditions. Unstructured kinetic models, Logistic model, Luedeking-Piret model and modified Luedeking-Piret model were used to describe the cell biomass, lipase production and glucose utilization kinetics respectively.


approved: ______________________________________________________ Major Professor I – Soil Science ______________________________________________________ Major Professor IIArt ______________________________________________________ Major Professor III– Biochemistry and Biophysics There is a connection between science and art. This study is specifically looking at the connection between soil science, art, and biochemistry. The traditional display of research in the sciences is in a written form such as a manuscript or journal article. To challenge this traditional presentation of scientific knowledge I conveyed science information to the general public in the form of displayed artwork at my exhibition "Alive and Beneath You" at Oregon State University. An anonymous survey for show attendees was filled out as an evaluation of the exhibition. The survey results indicate that the communication of science as art was a success. More than half of the viewers learned something new about soil. Further, the respondents gave significant support to the finding of alternative methods of presenting scientific information to the general public.


The "Smart Home" can be defined as the idea of what a home could be that is not under the control of human beings over the electrical appliances all the time. In earlier days, home automation technology was considered to be extremely expensive but in the past few years the cost has been reduced and the demand has increased. The significant outcome is that there is danger in connecting anything to the internet, hence this results in lack of security in the automation system. Our approach is to meet the security issues in home automation by creating a smart home automation system where the data about the devices inside a home are collected and the collected data will be secured using privacy preserving algorithms that includes User behavior algorithm and blow fish algorithm. Therefore, the system can allow the appliances to get turned on or off automatically.


SummaryFifty patients with histologically confirmed cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN 2) or 3 (CIN 3) were treated by large loop excision of the transformation zone. The procedure was without complication in all cases, and 47/50 (94 per cent) were pain free. The large loop diathermy technique of treating cervical dysplasia offers the advantages of simplicity, speed of operation, improved quality of histological material and low equipment cost over the carbon dioxide laser. Moreover, in those patients requiring ablation only, a histological specimen is available allowing a confirmatory diagnosis to be made, unlike laser ablation where tissue is simply vaporised.


The isothermal galvanomagnetic behavior of an isotropic conductor in a magnetic field can be described by the vector equation E=ρ⊥j+n(j·n) (ρ∥−ρ⊥)+ρH(n×j), relating the electric field E to the current density j. The resistivities ρ∥ and ρ⊥ are those which result when the magnetic induction is parallel to j, and normal to j, respectively; ρH is the Hall resistivity. The vector n is a unit vector which has the direction of the induction. When j is directed along the x axis, and n is made to rotate in the x‐y plane with angular frequency ω, one obtains an electric field with ac components Ẽx=12jx(ρ∥−ρ⊥) cos2ωt,Ẽy=12jx(ρ∥−ρ⊥) sin2ωt. These equations describe the magnetoresistive effects in a rotating magnetic field. On the other hand, if n is allowed to rotate in the x‐z plane, the y component of the electric field becomes Ẽy=ρHjxsinωt. This equation describes the Hall effect in a rotating field. By measuring the ac components of E having frequencies ω and 2ω when jx is known, ρ∥−ρ⊥ and ρH can be determined.T...


We study by Monte Carlo methods the deconfinement transition for ${Z}_{3}$ gauge theory in two space dimensions. It is known to be of first order in three space dimensions; our calculations indicate that it becomes continuous for d=2. Since the three-state Potts model shows the same behavior, our result supports a universality relation between ${Z}_{N}$ spin and ${Z}_{N}$ gauge systems.


PURPOSE: A method for preparing a group 2 metal sulfide fluorescent layer doped with a lanthanide ion is provided, to control the concentration distribution of lanthanides for controlling the brightness and chromaticity of a fluorescent substance and to improve the mobility of a lanthanide ion and the crystallinity of a thin film. CONSTITUTION: The method comprises the step of depositing a group 2 metal sulfide and a lanthanide sulfide repeatedly in the cycle ratio of N:M by atomic layer deposition to form a group 2 metal sulfide fluorescent layer doped with a lanthanide ion. Also the method comprises the step of depositing a group 2 metal sulfide doped with a lanthanide ion and a group 2 metal sulfide not doped with a lanthanide ion alternatively. Plasma is operated when or after H2S is injected as a reaction gas. Preferably plasma is operated only in the cycle depositing the group 2 metal sulfide or the lanthanide sulfide. Preferably the group 2 metal sulfide is selected from CaS, BaS, MgS and SrS; and the lanthanide ion is selected from Ce, Pr, Gd, Eu and Sm.


The results are reported of experimental research into the hypophyseal endorphins in 42 drug addicts killed by heroin overdose. All samples were found to contain endorphins in widely varied amounts: 21-239 ng/g, mean 81.8 +/- 45.8 ng/g.


Energy Bar Association Presentation - November 30, 2007 PANELISTS KERRY DUKES Chief Executive Officer Ardour Capital Investments ROGER FELDMAN Andrews Kurth ROBERT B. MCKINSTRY, JR. Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll MERRILL KRAMER President and CEO Alternegy LLC MODERATOR: I'm Mike Stosser. I'm with Ardour Capital Investments, an investment bank based in New York City. We specialize in sourcing capital for renewable, alternative, and clean tech companies. That's all we do and we are experts in it. I'm in the corporate finance group, and I am the company's General Counsel. Our panel today is going to focus on financing renewable and alternative energy projects. Financing these kinds of projects is unique. There are both private and public companies in this space, which can range from a guy in a garage with a brilliant idea to a full-fledged successful operating company. There are many challenges and opportunities in obtaining capital for these types of companies, and we're going to hear about them today. With us today is Kerry Dukes. He's my CEO. He's the CEO of Ardour Capital. Roger Feldman is with Andrews Kurth, a partner who is a finance lawyer who is working on these projects. Robert B. (Bobby) McKinstry, Jr., who is with Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll He's a partner who specializes in siting and environmental concerns relating to projects, and Merrill Kramer who many of you know as a brilliant project finance lawyer but is now an excellent President and CEO of a biodiesel company and is a developer. Our first speaker is Kerry Dukes. Kerry, as I said is the CEO and managing partner of Ardour Capital. He's the co-founder of Ardour and is the head of the investment banking group. Kerry has over twenty years of experience in the securities industry. He has served on the board of numerous public companies. He began his career at Shearson Lehman. He went on from there and became CFO and managing director of Commonwealth Associates and went on to become the founder of Bluestone Capital. He and Brian Greenstein formed Ardour Capital in 2002. Kerry is going to have to leave us because he has to catch a train to New York, so if you have any questions for him, you can contact him via email or phone and the information is listed on his presentation, which is in your book. He'll be glad to entertain any of your calls should you call or if he's not available, it will go into his voice mail and then he'll tell me to call you back. MR. DUKES: Good afternoon. I appreciate the opportunity to come down and speak to you folks. Give you a little bit more in depth background on Ardour Capital. Ardour Capital is a group of guys who got together when everybody in the investment banking industry was running one way, we decided to run the other towards investment in alternative energy. We publish extensive industry research both white papers and papers and direct research on companies that are public in the space. We have formed a group of indexes, one being the Ardour Global Indexes which is a family of pure play alternative energy indexes. There's a couple of reasons why we put that together, and I can get into later on in the presentation. We have an event that we sponsor annually which we have been sponsoring since 2001, which is about three years earlier than most other banks in the industry have followed. The biggest issue that we find in trying to obtain financing for companies is the legacy of the sector. In the late 1990s there was a big boom in the sector and companies were getting financed with absolutely absurd market caps and the expectations for both commercialization and market control were just completely off the charts. There was a point in time when a company by the name of Ballard Power up in Canada had a market cap in excess of what General Motors market cap was at that point in time, just to give you a little idea of what was going on back then. …


Tumor hypoxia occurs due to an increase in demand for oxygen by the rapidly growing tumor cells together with reduction in the supply of oxygen due to malformed and non-functional tumor vasculature. Tumor hypoxia offers resistance to radiotherapy (RT). Interestingly, a new paradigm has emerged suggesting that hypoxia may also suppress immunotherapy, however the mechanisms behind this observation remain undetermined. Our laboratory and others have shown that IFNγ conditions the tumor milieu and is important for the efficacy of RT. As a result, we hypothesized that hypoxia could inhibit IFNγ mediated anti-tumor responses resulting in decreased RT efficacy. Hypoxia could be modulating the production of intratumoral IFNγ, and/or reducing the ability of cells to respond to IFNγ. To test this we utilized Colon38, a murine tumor model, and measured intratumoral hypoxia using the hypoxia marker EF5 and demonstrated a time dependent increase of hypoxia within untreated tumors. Irradiation resulted in a decrease in total tumor hypoxia. We also detected various sub-populations of hypoxic immune cells in both the untreated and irradiated tumors, with macrophages being the majority population. Importantly, CD8+ T cells, which are an important source of IFNγ and mediate effector anti-tumor responses, were present in these tumors but were not co-localized with hypoxic regions. This deficiency of effector T cells in the hypoxic regions indicates that tumor cells in these areas may also escape from immunotherapy. To alleviate this, we are examining if local IL-12 delivery, which normalizes tumor vasculature, can decrease hypoxia thus increasing IFNγ levels and responsiveness and ultimately enhancing tumor control. Funded by NIH R01 CA28332.


Analysis chart of comprehensive information based on spatial data is established through SVG technology.The spatial data,which is providing decision support of production in oilfield,is extracted,translated and integrated.The architecture of assistant decision model is put forward for oil production,research organization form of spatial data,mainly analyze extraction mode and integration method of various data,also make use of XML technology to design and interpret the format of intermediate graphics files.Ultimately,the integration of oilfield spatial data is accomplished.


Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of sepsis is increasing and therefore it is a public health problem. AKI is often associated with critical illnesses such as sepsis, and is associated with prolonged hospital stay, need for intensive care, increased morbidity and mortality. Although the mechanism of sepsis-induced AKI is not fully understood, it is thought that it has a different pathogenesis and requires a different approach and therefore it has been the focus of the studies. The aim of this study was to compare the criteria of SIRS and qSOFA in patients with suspected infection to determine which is more valuable in predicting sepsis associated AKI.

 SIRS and qSOFA scores of 120 patients with sepsis who were admitted to the Emergency Department of Marmara University Hospital were calculated at the time of admission. Age, gender and chronic diseases were recorded. The laboratory values at the time of admission and follow-up were recorded and the factors associated with the development of AKI were investigated by statistical analysis.

 Of the patients evaluated in the study, 60.8% (n = 73) were male and 39.2% (n = 47) were female. The median age was 66 (18-89) years. About 96% (n = 116) of the patients met the SIRS criteria, 54.2% (n = 65) met the qSOFA criteria, and 51.7% (n = 62) met both the SIRS and qSOFA criteria. AKI was found in 62.5% (n = 75) of the patients. According to AKIN staging, 40 (53.3%) patients had stage 1, 19 (25.3%) patients had stage 2 and 16 (21.4%) patients had stage 3 AKI. There was no correlation between SIRS criteria and development of AKI. However, all patients who received 3 points from qSOFA criteria developed AKI. According to the results of multivariate analysis, age, abnormal mental status and procalcitonin were associated with development of AKI.

 Sepsis-associated AKI is related with deterioration in clinical outcomes, early diagnosis and treatment is important. According to our results, the risk of AKI is higher in patients with qSOFA score 3 but not SIRS criterias.


Abstract This article assesses the recent performance of the Turkish economy, questioning whether the currently observed unusual boom conditions will lead to a process of sustainable growth. The latest phase of Turkish neo-liberal transformation in the post-2001 era is placed in a broader historical and global context; at the same time, the performance of the economy in recent years is compared with that of other key emerging markets, based on selected macroeconomic indicators. Utilizing the East Asian experience as the principal benchmark for comparison, this paper examines whether Turkey is on its way to accomplishing tiger-like development performance. Given the current challenges to sustainable growth, we conclude that it is premature to suggest that the impressive performance of the recent years will lead to durable success and tiger-like performance. While the focus is on the Turkish experience, the paper also probes the very nature of tiger-like performance itself, highlighting the fact that in setting standards for exceptional economic performance we need to extend our horizons beyond high rates of economic growth sustained over time, to broader indicators of social, political and human development.


Mobile devices are able to build their own networks, which are referred to as mobile ad hoc networks. These networks do not require any kind of permanent wiring or other infrastructure (MANETs). The success of MANETs and their adaptability to a variety of tasks is, to a considerable extent, based on the routing protocols that they use. Using metrics such as routing overhead, end-to-end delay, and packet delivery ratio, we compare and contrast the various routing protocols that can be employed in MANETs, including proactive, reactive, and hybrid protocols. This comparison and contrast is carried out in this study. In addition to this, we discuss the simulation tools that are utilized to evaluate the efficacy of MANET routing algorithms and define the several performance indicators that may be utilizedin the course of this endeavor. This paper makes a contribution to an ongoing body of research into the analysis of routing protocols in MANETs by offering guidance to network engineers and researchers on how to select the most appropriate routing protocol and simulation tool for a particular MANET scenario. In doing so, the paper maximizes the potential for effective and efficient communication between mobile nodes, which is one of the main goals of the research.


The article analyzes the circumstances of autonomy management about the Anonymous Youth,a student league,believing that he enhancement of the exposition of the self-dependent sense of students and student leagues is the main inter cause of autonomy management.The modern ideological and political education should treat the inter cause dialectically and innovate ways of ideological and political education energetically.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1,640 medium on chilled storage of eggs and spermatozoa of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). After 3 days of storage, eggs in RPMI 1,640 media (pH 8.2, 9 and 10), Cortland medium and coelomic fluid were inseminated with fresh spermatozoa (Experiment 1). Eggs in RPMI 1,640 medium at pH 8.2 shown the lowest thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS, 0.053 ± 0.003 nmol/ml) and pH changes (from 8.20 ± 0.01 to 8.18 ± 0.01), the highest fertilization rate (82 ± 3%). Undiluted and diluted spermatozoa at ratios of 1:2 and 1:9 with RPMI 1,640 media (pH 8.2, 9 and 10) and Cortland medium were inseminated with fresh eggs (Experiment 2). Spermatozoa in RPMI 1,640 medium at pH 9 (1:9) caused the lowest TBARS content (0.037 ± 0.002 nmol/ml) and pH changes (from 9.00 ± 0.01 to 8.98 ± 0.01), the highest fertilization rate (77 ± 2%) and motility parameters. Based on Experiments 1 and 2, eggs and spermatozoa were stored for another 3 days in RPMI 1,640 medium at pH 8.2 and 9 (1:9) respectively (Experiment 3). Fertilization rate of storage eggs and spermatozoa in Experiment 3 was 79 ± 5%, showing successfully storage of rainbow trout gametes with the same medium.


Biological soil crusts are widely distributed in the desert as an important biological factor to stabilize the sand dunes and promote restoration of sandy ecosystem.Landsat remote sensing images of Mu Us Desert in 1989,2002and 2006were used to extract spatial distribution of biological soil crusts and land desertification based on the biological soil crust index and NDVI threshold.Furthermore,the relationship between biological soil crusts and land desertification was discussed.The results show that the areas covered by biological crusts accounted for 54.77%,55.72%and 64.29% of the total area in the three study years,respectively,indicating biological soil crusts in the study area increased continuously.In addition,the connectivity among crust patches was enhanced,and the crust stability was further strengthened.In contrast,the degree of land desertification was gradually weakened during the study period,as the composite index of land desertification dropped to 2.65in 2006from 3.24in 1989.Biological soil crusts distributed most widely(over 70%)in the lands experienced moderate and severe desertification.However,the area of biological soil crusts continued to decline in extremely severely desertified lands,accounting for 19.40%,5.76% and 2.80% of the total area of the extremely severely desertified land in the three study years,respectively.The number of biological soil crusts was increasing in extremely severe desertification land,indicated by the ratio of 19.40%,33.18%and 45.21%in the three study years,respectively.


provoking. The book's greatest strength is its success in synthesizing a vast amount of relevant literature, research findings, and theories from such diverse fields as economics, medicine, polit ical science, public health, public policy, and so ciology. For example, in its various discussions of reforming Medicare, the book skillfully brings together the areas of diffusion of innovation, health outcome measures, medical report cards, small geographic area analysis, and quality of life measures. On the other hand, the book's greatest weak ness is clearly its failure to discuss the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Moderniza tion Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173). This new landmark law, which provides outpatient pre scription drug benefits to Medicare beneficiaries, is the largest expansion of the program since its in ception. Some believe that the cost of the new drug benefit, conservatively estimated to be $534 billion over the next decade, will bankrupt Medicare and ultimately lead to the program's de mise. Although the author was presumably aware of the well-publicized contentious and lengthy na tional debate concerning the proposed benefit, he surprisingly does not mention it in the book. To the author's defense, however, it should be noted that the new law was not enacted until December 2003, one month after the book was published. Despite this important omission, Redesigning the Medicare Contract is still a major contribu tion. 1 strongly recommend it to anyone inter ested in learning more about the Medicare program, its history, its problems, and its need for reform. The book also would be a particularly valuable addition to graduate courses in health administration, public health, and public policy.


Abstract This paper examines the theoretical underpinning of contemporary trade policies through a social economics lens. The paper offers a social economic critique of the theory of comparative advantage and the recently developed theory of comparative institutional advantage. Subsequently, the paper develops a more comprehensive and general theory of comparative institutional advantage consistent with the principles and methodology of social economics. Furthermore, it suggests ways in which this social economic–geographic version of the theory of comparative institutional advantage can be used in the construction of trade policies which are more likely to have a beneficial impact on the welfare of communities and to foster the fulfilling of human needs and potential. This version of the theory serves to reorient the focus of economic policy to the welfare of the community and the income-generating possibilities of trade. And it serves as a superior guide to policymaking because it is better able to define the root causes of regional success than standard trade theories.


To solve the problem of low efficiency and accuracy which exist at the data input of the large scale GIS system,the large scale digital mapping for GIS is used.This paper introduces several digital mapping methods,such as total station digital mapping,photogrammetry digital mapping,airborne laser scanner surveying system,mobile surveying system,and summarizes the problems in data collection and data processing stages which should be noted to meet the GIS data,in order to meet the requirements of the large scale digital mapping system for GIS to the accuracy and the real-timing of data.


The electrical resistivity p and the thermoelectric power S of Mn3–xCoxGaC(x≤0.12) are studied to investigate the mechanism of the magnetic order-order transition. The ρ-T curves for samples with 0<x≤0.06 show the appearence of an intermediate magnetic phase. The experimental results suggest that the magnetic phase transitions of Mn3−xCoxGaC should be discussed in terms of itinerant electron magnetism.


The signs pointed to the left for white and to the right for colored. It seems everything in Georgia must be so labeled. Yet here in the Drivers License Bureau were two men, one white, one colored, standing together attempting to fill out the application for a license. The white man was doing the writing, but it was necessary for the Negro to spell each word for him. This was an odd combination indeed. The one with a basic skill, the other, no skill, but it was necessary for the Negro to spell each word for him. This was an odd combination indeed. The one with a basic skill, the other, no skill, but a phenomenal memory and obvious intelligence. This scene might be duplicated in many cities across the South. There are 8?2 million functional illiterates in the United States. Many of these are southern Negroes. This fact is tragic, because there are often persons with a great deal of natural intelligence who have ben deprived of the basic opportunity of public school education. Often in the course of travels through small towns and underprivileged communities, one is astonished to find "Ph.D. minds" who have had opportunity for only a few years of formal training. Until 1954, there was little attempt to provide adequate education for Negro citizens. The school year was broken up by the cotton crop, the tobacco crop, and any other crop which needed harvest or care. Thanks to the Supreme Court, Negro


Commonly used flag poles are divided into two classes according to using methods, namely a lifting flag pole of which the upper end is provided with a fixed pulley and on which a flag is usually lifted by using a rope, and a fixed flag pole on which the flag is not easy to replace after the flag is directly hung on the flag pole. The invention discloses the lifting flag pole. The invention relates to the technical field of flag poles which do not wind the flags in any wind direction. Moreover, after the flag is lifted, the rope for lifting the flag cannot be seen from the outside. The technical background comprises that in most current lifting flag poles, the fixed pulley is placed at the tail end of the flag pole, and the flag is lifted and suspended through the rope hung on the fixed pulley. The invention solves the problem that the flag pole is unaesthetic and undignified because the flag is wound and the lifting rope is naked outside the flag pole due to the change of the wind direction. The total design comprises that a fixed pulley is arranged in a spherical crown body at the top end of the flag pole, and the spherical crown body opposite to the lower part of a pulley groove is provided with a rope passage so that one end of the rope can pass to get the outside of the flag pole. A flag anti-winding device is linked under the rope. The upper and lower end parts of the anti-winding device are provided with two special-shaped bearings which are sleeved outside the flag pole (inner sleeves of the bearings are slightly thicker than the flag pole, and have certain clearance so that the device slides on the flag pole). Outer shaft sleeves of the two bearings are connected by two symmetrical connecting plates, and the outer shaft sleeves and the connecting plates can rotate freely and horizontally. The problem that the flag is wound on the flag pole is solved by using tension of wind and free rotation.


Caramel colors, the most common food additives in the world, are divided into four classes (IIV),
marked with the symbols E150 a-d, respectively. Individual classes of caramel colors differ
from each other in physico-chemical properties and the method of preparation, which affects
the formation of various compounds that are important for the assessment of food safety A number of studies on all caramel classes of have been performed, including toxicokinetic,
genotoxic, carcinogenic and reproductive and developmental toxicity studies, which have
not shown harmful effects of these additives at doses not exceeding ADI. However, there is
an increasing number of scientific reports of the possible toxic effects present in caramels of
low-molecular compounds. Currently, three compounds are considered to be toxicologically
important and resulting from the possible concentration in the final product: 5-HMF (present
in all classes), 4(5)-MeI (present in caramel classes III and IV) or THI (present in caramel
class III). 4(5)-MeI has a neurotoxic effect and was considered in 2011 as a possible human
carcinogen (class 2B, according to IARC). In the case of THI, studies have confirmed its lymphopenic
activity, probably secondary to its immunosuppressive effect. Consequently, in the
1980s, JECFA set acceptable levels 4(5)-MeI and THI, for the caramel classes in which these
compounds may be present. The toxicity of 5-HMF has not been confirmed unequivocally,
but studies have shown that this compound is not neutral to living organisms.
Currently, most international organizations and scientific institutes recognize these additives
as safe for consumers, but at the same time scientists emphasize the need for further
research.


By making use of circularly polarized light and electrostatic gating, monolayer molybdenum disulfide (ML-MoS$_2$) can form a platform supporting multiple types of charge carriers. They can be discriminated by their spin, valley index or whether they're electrons or holes. We investigate the collective properties of those charge carriers and are able to identify new distinct plasmon modes. We analyze the corresponding dispersion relation, lifetime and oscillator strength, and calculate the phase relation between the oscillations in the different components of the plasmon modes. All platforms in ML-MoS$_2$ support a long-wavelength $\sqrt{q}$ plasmon branch at zero Kelvin. In addition to this, for an $n$-component system, $n-1$ distinct plasmon modes appear as acoustic modes with linear dispersion in the long-wavelength limit. These modes correspond to out-of-phase oscillations in the different Fermion liquids and have, although being damped, a relatively long lifetime. Additionally, we also find new distinct modes at large wave vector that are stronger damped by intra-band processes.


This paper develops the motivation for collaborative discovery learning online and explains its application in a master's course in information systems assurance. In discovery learning, participants learn to recognize a problem, characterize what a solution would look like, search for relevant information, develop a solution strategy, and execute the chosen strategy. In collaborative discovery learning, participants, immersed in a community of practice, solve problems together. In collaborative discovery learning online, participants seek the knowledge they need and solve problems together in a virtual environment. For this purpose, virtual environments are characterized by web‐based access to resource materials and participants' work and web‐based discussions occurring in real time (synchronously). This approach to learning prepares students for work environments in which new problems are the norm and professionals work collaboratively to solve them in virtual spaces. The paper makes a case for the cours...


The hydrothermal reactions of lanthanide salts with substituted imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acids in the presence of aliphatic carboxylates afforded a new family of lanthanide metal–organic frameworks formulated as {Y3[(Heimda)4(μ2-HCOO)·3H2O]·H2O}n (1Y), {[Gd3(Heimda)4(μ2-HCOO)·4H2O]·2H2O}n (2Gd), {[Tb3(Heimda)4(μ2-HCOO)·4H2O]·2H2O}n (3Tb) and {[Nd3(Hpimda)2(μ2-HCOO) (μ2 -C2O4)2·6H2O]·4H2O}n (4Nd), (H3eimda = 2-ethyl-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid, while H3pimda = 2-propyl-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid). The structural diversity and photophysical and magnetic properties have been investigated. The polymer 3 triggers intense characteristic lanthanide-centered green luminescence under UV excitation, and it exhibits gradually increasing luminescence intensities when dispersed in water, ethanol, and DMSO as suspensions. After water molecules are liberated from the condensed frameworks of 4, the evacuated product (4a) exhibits nitrogen sorption properties at 77 K with a hysteresis, as well as strong c...


Purpose: To determine the optimal method of generating plasmin in vitreous using recombinant lysine-plasminogen and recombinant urokinase and to determine its efficacy in inducing posterior vitreous detachment when combined with sulfur hexafluoride. Methods: Plasmin concentration of the rabbit vitreous after separate and combined intravitreal administrations of recombinant lysine-plasminogen and recombinant urokinase was tested in 78 rabbits to determine the optimal method of administration. The safety and efficacy of these agents and sulfur hexafluoride in inducing complete posterior vitreous detachment (total separation of the vitreous apart from vitreous base) were also evaluated. Results: The highest plasmin concentration in vitreous was measured 10 minutes after injection. Intravitreal administration of recombinant lysine-plasminogen and recombinant urokinase did not cause any toxicity findings up to concentrations of 100 μg and 200 IU, respectively, on funduscopy, electroretinography, and histopathologic studies. When combined with sulfur hexafluoride injection, separate intravitreal administrations of 75 μg/0.1 mL of recombinant lysine-plasminogen and 15 IU/0.1 mL of recombinant urokinase induced complete posterior vitreous detachment in 75% of the eyes compared with 13% in eyes that received sulfur hexafluoride injection combined with balanced salt solution, recombinant lysine-plasminogen, or recombinant urokinase. Conclusions: Plasmin was effectively generated in the vitreous after separate intravitreal administrations of recombinant lysine-plasminogen and recombinant urokinase. When combined with intravitreal gas injection, this method of plasmin production induced complete posterior vitreous detachment in 75% of the eyes.


Cross-platform mobile application development is the pressing priority in today's world and generation. Developers are enforced to either construct the same application numerous times for various OS (operating systems) or accept a low-quality similar solution that trades native speed and accuracy for portability. Flutter is an open-source SDK for developing high-performance and more reliable mobile applications for operating systems like iOS, Android and even windows [1]. Flutter is Google's UI toolkit for building beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Student Service App is an automation which will provide duplicate degree, duplicate marksheet, migration, transcript, provisional degree and document verification services to all registered the Universities. It will provide University services related to academics to its registered students via mobile devices on their finger tips for which they have to be present physically at respective places. It has Service oriented architecture so that it will be integrated to the existing ERP (Web Portal) of the different universities.


The stability constants of the open-chain 5-thia-2,8-diazanonane-N,N′-diacetic acid with Mg(II), Ca(II), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) have been determined in aqueous solution (25°C, ionic strength 0.1 mol dm−3 KNO3) by pH potentiometry. The complexation enthalpy change with Cu(II) has been determined by adiabatic calorimetry. The electronic absorption spectra of the Cu(II) and the Ni(II) complexes were recorded. The complexation properties of the ligand are compared with those of the macrocyclic homologue 1-thia-4,7-diazacyclononane-N,N′-diacetic acid. The influence of N-acetic acid substitution on the parent linear diamine 5-thia-2,8-diazanonane is discussed.


Metastasis to the brain is a clinical problem in patients with breast cancer (1-3). We mined published microarray data (4, 5) to compare primary and metastatic tumor transcriptomes for the discovery of genes associated with brain metastasis in humans with metastatic breast cancer. We found that the S1 subunit of the V-type proton ATPase, encoded by ATP6AP1, was among the genes whose expression was most different in the brain and lymph node metastases of patients with metastatic breast cancer. ATP6AP1 mRNA was present at increased quantities in brain metastatic tissues as compared to primary tumors of the breast. Importantly, expression of ATP6AP1 in primary tumors was significantly correlated with patient recurrence-free survival in patients with breast cancer. Modulation of ATP6AP1 expression may be relevant to the biology by which tumor cells metastasize from the breast to the brain while evading immune clearance in the lymph nodes in humans with metastatic breast cancer.


The insects were investigated from March 2004 to November 2004 at Zhifanggou watershed in hilly area of loess plateau..The result showed that the insect species varied spatially in the following order:the natural bush forests,the mixed forests,and the simple forests.The number of the insect individuals in Caragana korshinskii were the highest,followed by mixed forests and Hippaphae rhamnoides,and the number of the insect individuals in the natural bush forests were the smallest.The season changes of number of the insect species and individuals in various vegetations can be described by a function y=ax3+bx2+cx+d.The order of diversity value of the insect community in various vegetations from May to September were the natural bush forests,the mixed forests and the simple forests.The evenness value's change range of the simple forests and mixed forests are higher,and the natural bush forests are smaller.Contrary trend are assumed in the dominance values and the evenness values in time course.The principal component analysis were used for studying main factors and the temporal patterns of the insect communities in different time,and the insect commuonty in the natural bush forests had a more complicated composition,less fluctuation,more obvious mian factors and temporal patterns.However,in the mixed forests and the simple forests,the composition of the insect commuonty were simple and fluctuated greatly,their mian factors and temporal patterns were not obvious.


This study aims to determine the influence of the determining component of Competitive Advantage Tourism in increasing tourist destinations based E Tourism. This research was conducted in Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province. The population in this study was (1) Village Government or Local Government (2) Hotel and lodging Managers (3) Restaurant and Restaurant Managers (4) Travel Agency Managers (5) Managers at Attractions (6) Tourism Services Support (7) Local People in tourism destination obtained a total sample of 120 respondents. The data used in this study were primary data through interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis in this study uses a structural equation model with the analysis tool used is to use AMOS. The results of the study obtained a large coefficient of determination of the influence of Competitive Advantage Tourism which can be explained by the variables Built Environment, Operating Sectors, Natural Resources Environment, and Spirit of Hospitality Cultural and E Tourism of 81.4%. While the coefficient of determination of the Tourism Destination equation is 1.004 or the Tourism Destination variable which can be explained by the variability of Tourism Destination and E Tourism is 100%


The first half of the 21th century will be an important period for the development of urbanization in China. In more than 20 years since the Shuozhou city was built,urbanization has been rapid development,urban aggregation effect is greatly enhanced and urban infrastructure is constantly improved. The relationship between the urbanization and the economy are explained by the quantitative and qualitative methods. However,due to the late establishment of city,the weak natural environment and economic base,many restrictive factors for the development still exist. Aiming at the effects of urbanization for regional economic environment,the measures of sustainable development are put forward in this paper.


The 1981-1982 National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration Project data revealed that the mean annual cost per capita for home and institutional care for cognitively impaired persons was +18,500. The equivalent figure for cognitively intact persons was +16,650. Cognitively impaired persons used nursing homes at twice the rate of cognitively intact persons. Use differences for other health services were slight. A pre- and post-nursing home admission analysis indicated that for the cognitively impaired the annual cost of community care was +11,700, whereas the cost of nursing home care was +22,300.


Obesity can lead to a series of changes to human physiology and thus lower people's working abilities. Sports are scientific and effective ways in weight losing that can make people consume more internal fat.


Two properties must be available in order to construct a fractal set. The first is the selfsimilarity of the elements. The second is the real fraction number dimension. In this paper,condensation principle is introduced to construct fractal sets. Condensation idea is represented in threetypes. The first is deduced from rotation –reflection linear transformation. The second is dealt withgroup action. The third is represented by graph function.


The invention relates to a carrier assembly for receiving a peg-shaped element (12) in motor vehicles, with a carrier element (8) in which a passage opening (10) is provided, in which the peg-shaped element (12) is arranged, wherein the pin-shaped element (12 ) comprises a collar member (22), a first cone section (30) and a support portion (34), said first tapered portion (30) (with a corresponding second bevel portion 32) of the through opening (10) and the support portion (34) having a support receiving (36) the passage opening (10) are in operative connection, wherein the collar member (22) comprises at least a limiting element (24) for support on the carrier element (8). Furthermore, the invention relates to a guide structure with such a carrier assembly.


Wordsworth denounces those who reduce human worth to utility and teaches us that the goodness of being is absolute. We must learn to love those incomparably useless and precious beings, the child, the elderly, the unborn, and the dying, because they and we are one.


Various subsystems of the Earth system may undergo critical transitions by passing a socalled tipping point, under sustained changes to forcing. For example, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is of particular importance for North Atlantic heat transport and is thought to be potentially at risk of tipping. Given a model of such a subsystem that accurately includes the relevant physical processes, whether tipping occurs or not, will depend on model parameters that typically are uncertain. Reducing this parametric uncertainty is important to understand the likelihood of tipping behavior being present in the system and possible tipping locations. In this letter, we develop improved estimates for the parametric uncertainty by inferring probability distributions for the model parameters based on physical constraints and by using a Bayesian inversion technique. To visualize the impact of parametric uncertainty, we extend classical tipping diagrams by visualizing probabilistic bifurcation curves according to the inferred distribution of the model parameter. Furthermore, we highlight the uncertain locations of tipping points along the probabilistic bifurcation curves. We showcase our probabilistic visualizations of the tipping behavior using a simple box-model of the AMOC, the Stommel-Cessi model [5].


In this paper, the solution of limit problems, which is an important subject of high school and university mathematics is presented by using JavaCC code generation tool and symbolic computation methods. Although JavaCC is generally used for generating programming language interpreters, in a similar way it can also be used in the evaluation of mathematical expressions. In this work, first the general grammar rules of limit expressions is extracted. Then parser code for the limit expressions is generated with JavaCC according to the grammar rules. Using the list of the tokens into which a limit expression is parsed with this code, an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) is constructed. Finally, the solution is obtained by interpreting the AST with a class of Visitor Design Pattern. The study can be regarded as a promising contribution to computer assisted education.


In this series of stimulating reflective essays, prominent scholars of emotion and its history address the challenges and rewards of interdisciplinarity, recent work in the field, and the many conceptions of "emotion"-a polyvocality that presents limitations as well as opportunities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).


To quantitatively investigate the radiation doses for aquatic organisms exposed to radioactive liquid effluents from nuclear power plants,a radiation dose model of aquatic organisms in the sea area around Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant,China,was established.The Monte Carlo Neutron and Photon Transport Code was used to calculate the radiation doses of artificial radionuclides for 11 radiation reference species in Daya Bay.Two ellipsoid models were used to represent the whole body and organs.Nine radionuclides with the largest influence on aquatic organisms were chosen as radiation sources and calculated.Using 137Cs,90Sr,and 110mAg as an example,dose rates absorbed by organisms were calculated according to the activity of radionuclides in seawater.The study showed that aquatic organisms in Daya Bay were safe within normal operating conditions.Among the organisms investigated,Pampus chinensis received the maximum dose of 1.85 μGy/a,and that internal exposure of concentrated nuclides inside an organism contributed to more than 98% of radiation doses.In abnormal operating conditions,although a greater quantity of radionuclides were present in seawater,the doses that aquatic organisms received(a maximum dose of approximately 3.420 mGy/a) were still safe provided the activity concentration of radionuclides was within the limits of seawater quality standards.These calculated values can be used for evaluating the impact of nuclear power plants on marine environments,and for the protection of aquatic organisms from excessive radiation doses.


We report herein that the preparation of two novel discrete organoplatinum(II) metallacycles by means of coordination-driven self-assembly of a 90° organoplatinum(II) acceptor, cis-(PEt 3 ) 2 Pt(OTf) 2 , with two donors, a pyridyl donor, 9,10-di(4-pyridylvinyl)anthracene (DPA), and one of two dicarboxylate ligands. The obtained two metallacycles display aggregation-induced emission (AIE) as well as solvatochromism. More interestingly, both metallacycles exhibit near-infrared fluorescent emission in the solid state, greatly different from the free ligand DPA. Furthermore, ammonia detection has been achieved by the observation of simple optical changes of the metallacycles' thin films either in color or in fluorescence, thereby representing a promising platform for convenient biochemical analysis.


Express logistics problem is a typical optimization problem. Considering the macro-allocation optimization problem and the micro routing scheduling problem, a bi-level CARP-based optimization modeling which the objective is to determine a set of feasible vehicle trips of minimum total cost has been constructed to describe the express logistics problem. Furthermore, an optimization method has been proposed based on the ant colony algorithm (ACA). Case studies shows effectiveness of methods.

 Key words: Express logistics, bi-level carp, optimization, ant colony algorithm.


Mass transfer is frequently the rate-limiting step in electrochemical processes. In addition to increasing electrolyte flow rate, transport limitations in electrochemical flow cells can be mitigated by inducing turbulence in...


The changes occurring in enterprises' environments exert a substantial influence on their functioning. The ever growing dominance of the financial sphere vis-a-vis the real one has increased the scale of potential threats. The last crisis, which, in the opinion of many people, has already ceased, has only partly exposed them. Intervention of states to an earlier unprecedented scale has removed for some time problems, contributing to their growth and accumulation. The main source of development of the global economy in the last 25 years has been the demand financed mainly by the quickly growing debt, what has caused that the world has been fallen in the debt trap and consumerism. From the economic point of view, it is proper to state that changes were introduced after the outbreak of the last crisis was apparent, which may have yielded, if at all, only short-term effects and not system effects mending the improper functioning of the market and state. The world is more and more heavily indebted and unstable, which is now the main problem (threat). There have not been resolved essential problems, there have been fixed negative mechanisms. Those who have been undertaking an excessive risk have received the signal: "Go ahead; if problems occur, then the state (taxpayers) will help you". The state by its short-term measures affects the reduction of the investment horizon of enterprises and investors and is not responsible for the decisions being made. They have not carried out any system changes and in many situations, manipulating the society, the states have withdrawn the necessary reforms. It was so, for instance, in the case of the pension systems in Hungary and in Poland, where the OFE (the Open Pension Fund) and citizens' money has been expropriated. Time and a further opportunity to improve the situation have been lost. Old problems have been multiplied by new.


explained by differential organization of the embryonic epithelium within the sequestratedportion. Less acceptable is the supposition that ascribes this type of lesion to an unusually placed Meckel's diverticulum, partly because it is difficult to reconcile the intramesenteric position of this type of lesion with a persisting portion of the vitello-intestinalduct which is on the antimesenteric border of the bowel, and partly becausesimilar duplications have been describedfurther proximally, such as in the stomach, the oesophaguaand the base of the tongue, well removed from the site of the vitello-intestinal duct.


Single muscle fibers from lobster walking legs are effectively im- permeable to Na, but are permeable to K. They shrink in hyperosmotic NaCl; they swell in lo w NaCl media which are hyposmotic or which are made isosmotic with the addition of KC1. In conformity, the membrane potential is relatively insensitive to changes in external Na, while it responds according to the Nernst relation for changes in external K. When the medium is made isosmotic or hyperosmotic with RbC1 the volume and membrane potential changes are of essentially the same magnitudes as those in media enriched with KCI. The time courses for attaining equilibrium are slower, indicating that Rb is less per- meant than K. Substitution of CsC1 for NaC1 (isosmotic condition) produces no change in volume of the muscle fiber. Addition of CsCl (hyperosmotic condi- tion) causes a shrinkage which attains a steady state, as is the case in hyperos- motic NaC1. Osmotically, therefore, Cs appears to be no more permeant than is Na. However, the membrane depolarizes slowly in Ca-enriched media and eventually comes to behave as an ideal Ca electrode. Thus, the electrode prop- erties of the lobster muscle fiber membrane may not depend upon the diffu- sional relations of the membrane and ions, and the osmotic permeability of the membrane for a given cation may not correspond with the electrophysi- ologically deduced permeability. Comparative data on the effects of Nt-14 and Li are also included and indicate several other degrees of complexity in the cell membrane.


A common tool to solve dynamical problems, in particular in biomechanic investigations, is MATLAB/Simulink. Many integration methods, as used for example in MATLAB/Simulink, rely on standard discretisations of the continuous equations of motion. These methods often lead to time stepping schemes, that show numerical dissipation in energy and momentum. In contrast to that, we use a discrete variational principle to derive a time-stepping scheme. This method yields discrete analogues to the EulerLagrange equations and Noether's theorem, which ensures that the structure of the underlying continuous dynamical system is preserved. Using this method, the simulation results are symplectic momentum consistent and exhibit a good energy behaviour. We implement a typical nonlinear Hill-type muscle model in the structure preserving simulation framework and investigate the differences to standard simulation of muscle actuated movements with MATLAB/Simulink, especially concerning the correct representation of energy and angular momentum. A numerical example shows that the MATLAB/Simulink integrators artificially loose or gain energy and angular momentum, whereas all results of the symplectic momentum method are structure preserving. With this structure preserving simulation framework including actuation by muscle models, we investigate the trajectory of fingers during grasping movements. Since human movements are controlled by the central nervous system (CNS), we formulate finger movements as optimal control problems for constrained forced motion with a physiologically motivated objective function as described in [1]. For the solution of the optimal control problem, we use DMOCC (Discrete Mechanics and Optimal Control for Constrained Systems, introduced in [2]), which can be distinguished from other direct transcription methods by its structure preserving formulation. This is a key feature of the method, since numerical dissipation could lead to overor underestimation of the joint torques or muscle forces.


The terms "fighting power" and "combat power" are directly related to the ability to employ military force. They express the capabilities and possibilities of action capacity of the military force, the scope of which is defined by the mission of the military units. The similarity of the definitions of both terms in the military doctrinal framework creates a condition for confusing the understanding of their different meanings, which causes inefficient use of the offered possibilities of fighting power and combat power and the ability to create their joint synergy to achieve the success. The correct understanding of their differences, but also of their interdependence, could be a key aspect of achieving success in military operations.


FM radio plays a large part in many peoples' lives. A digital stream of information known as the Radio Data System (RDS) can be transmitted alongside the audio signal in an FM radio broadcast. This digital signal may contain information such as the current song, traffic alerts, and emergency notices. Using MATLAB, a method is presented by which the RDS data may be digitally extracted from multiple FM broadcasts simultaneously. This method's parallel nature makes Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an ideal platform for implementation.


In Botswana, it is common to hear the lament that there is no culture of reading. We aim to contribute to the development of more specific understanding of a culture of reading by reporting on information gathered from teachers who attended workshops we offered titled "Teachers as Readers AND Readers as Teachers: Creating Young Readers and Writers." Eighty-six teachers answered questions about their reading habits, attitudes, and perceptions of students' reading. We learned that teachers differed with regard to what they read and how often they choose reading over other activities. We propose what culture of reading was found among the teachers and what needs to be done to learn more about reading in Botswana.


Positron annihilation lifetime and Doppler-broadened spectra have been obtained for thermally quenched KCl. It is found that internal consistency between the results of the two techniques is achieved when lifetime spectra are decomposed into four components. Using a simple statistical model for the annihilation of positrons it is deduced that the formation energy of Schottky defects is 2.1 +- 0.2 eV and further, that positrons trapped at vacancies have a lifetime of about 0.34 nsec. The two longest-lived components with lifetimes 0.77 +- 0.05 and 4.4 +- 0.02 nsec are shown to arise from annihilation of positronium. The positronium yield increases from about 16% at T 250 degreeK, the temperature region investigated being 90--296 degreeK. From Doppler-broadened spectra it is deduced that positronium is confined within a space of diameter 2 A. (AIP)


In a submontane subatlantic beech forest on limestone two experiments were carried out to reveal the influence of zoophagous species on earthworm populations: (1) Macro-predators (birds, shrews, rodents, carabids) were fenced out from an experimental plot for 7,5 months (October to May). (...) (2) Juvenile earthworms were exposed to the chilopod Strigamia acuminata in microcosms under field conditions for about two months


Because of a limit about cities and towns plan in environment protecting,there is a serious of environment problems in cities and towns developing.According to an analysis about city and town environment situation at present,a main content about environment protecting plan was be discussed in this article,and a serious of standards about environment protecting in the cities and towns building was be made also.Based on aims of air,water,solid wasting and noise standards of the cities and towns environment plan,a method about environment protecting plan was made.


BLMQ is an identity based signature scheme named with the initial letters of the surnames of its proposers, Paulo S.L.M. Barreto, Benoit Libert, Noel McCullagh, and Jean-Jacques Quisquater. It can be used in various applications and systems. However when applied in an end device without dedicated cryptographic hardware, such as a mobile phone, the identity based private key is stored in the permanent storage and used in the volatile memory, which suffers from potential key leakage. When applied in a resource constrained end device, such as an industrial sensor or actuator, the end device cannot afford to perform the complicated signature computation of the BLMQ scheme. To address these issues, this paper proposes a number of secret sharing based BLMQ signature generation schemes, with which an end device shares the secret of a private key with the dedicated cryptographic devices or systems with strong security protection. The end device and the dedicated cryptographic devices or systems collaborate to generate the signature with their respective shares when signing a message. The leakage of the secret share in the end device does not lead to the compromise of the whole private key. Further with the proposed schemes, a resource constrained or limited end device can leverage the dedicated cryptographic devices or systems to perform complex signature computations. The proposed schemes have a promising application prospect.


PREFATORY NOTE. To the Members of the British Medical Association. GENTLEMIEN,-The following series of papers is based on a paper of which I had given notice to the Cambridge meeting, entitled "' The Physical Pathology of the Blood". Owing to the pressure of business at the meeting, the paper was only given in very brief abstract; but as many of my Fellow A ssociates have done me the honour to express a wisLL to see it in extenso, I have undertaken to send it to press in the columns of the JOURNAL, and have added some additional matter, which may, I truist, prove of interest. The object of the communication is to show the relationship that exists between physiology, in its more advanced form, and daily practice; and specially to simplify the structure of scientific medicine by indicating that disease, in however many types it may appear, is but one departure from a natural condition; that, in brief, as I expressed ten years ago: "Disease is an unity with a variety of phenomena; and the causes of disease are reducible to a few elementary formis."* I shall encdeavour to illustrate this more definitely than I have yet done; I shall try to showthat life in its physical aspect-for I have nothing to do with metaphysics-is force developed through matter, and from that I shall strive to explain some of those changes-symptoms-diseases, if we must call them so-which follow when the expression of that force is disturbed, byreason of anychange in the nutrition of the body or in the mechanism of the body. I shall thus embrace, and I think properly, under the head "physics", every physiological act, whether that be the contraction of the heart, th e circulation of blood, the oxygenation of the blood and tissues, secretion, or any other act which we are accustomed to connect with the thought of life. Such is the outline of my plan; but ere it is opened let me crave the indulgence of the large, the critical and learned, audience to which the plan is submitted. The ground to be traversed is so new, the appearances it presents are so different to those that are eft behind, and the course of description is so difficult, that every consideration must be asked with all due earnestness and confidence. I stand forth but as an explorer with one pair of eyes; and pretend not that my descriptions and inferences shall remain correct when the same objects as those upon which I have looked with the wonder of a little child who sees a new scene, shall have been investi-,ated, dis-


: The invention comprises of conserving the energy by means of the simple yet, ingenious circuit .The power wasted in the transmission of the FM signals is not judiciously used and is hence, wasted. And so, with the help of this circuit electricity can be gener-ated from the signal radiations present in the atmosphere. In addition to that, the areas hit by the ill effects of the signal radiations can be protected by minimizing the radiations using array of such circuits!


Introduction: The global prevalence of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) use is estimated to be 4.72%, concentrated in South East Asia. Despite declining smoking rates, SLT usage remains high, resulting in 2.5 million DALYs and 90,791 deaths in 2017 due to cancers and heart diseases, with India contributing 70% of DALYs. This study examines risk factors for SLT use in Indian males and females aged 15–49 using 2019–2021 demographic and health survey data, also exploring gender differences. Methods: The study analyzed a substantial sample of 724,115 females and 93,267 males utilizing data from a nationally representative cross-sectional demographic and health survey conducted between 2019 and 2021. Gender-specific multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors influencing SLT use. Results: The findings reveal gender-specific variations in SLT use risk factors. Among males, older age groups (35–49) were less likely to use SLT compared to those aged 30–34. In contrast, among females, SLT use increased with age, with the highest rates in the 40–44 and 45–49 age groups. Marital status played a significant role, with widowed, divorced, and separated females having higher odds of SLT use compared to currently married females. Tribe ethnicity was associated with increased odds of SLT use in females but not in males. Christian females had higher odds of SLT use than Hindu females, while Christian males had lower odds compared to Hindu males. Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and public health advocates in developing targeted interventions to combat SLT use in South-East Asia. By addressing gender-specific risk factors and tailoring strategies to different populations, progress can be made in reducing the burden of SLT use and improving public health outcomes in the region.


Abstract This paper investigates stationary axisymmetric balanced flow of a stably stratified dry non-Boussinesq atmosphere on the f plane. The circulation is forced in the troposphere through thermal relaxation toward a specified equilibrium temperature and is damped through Rayleigh friction in the interior of the domain. Surface friction is sufficiently strong to ensure weak surface winds. As in the analogous zonally symmetric problem studied by Plumb and Hou there is threshold behavior in the frictionless limit with a thermal equilibrium solution for subcritical forcing and a highly nonlinear so-called angular momentum conserving (AMC) solution for supercritical forcing. The latter is characterized by a sharp outward edge of the vortex circulation and a nonvanishing secondary cross-vortex circulation. In the frictionless limit, the secondary circulation does not reach above the region of the thermal forcing. Noticeable differences of the current problem with respect to the zonally symmetric problem ar...


Abstract A first attempt to sequentially assimilate European Space Agency (ESA) Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) estimations of surface soil moisture in the production scheme of a lumped rainfall–runoff model has been conducted. The methodology developed is based on the use of an extended Kalman filter to assimilate the SAR retrievals in a land surface scheme (a two-layer hydrological model). This study was performed in the Orgeval agricultural river basin (104 km2), a subcatchment of the Marne River, 70 km east of Paris, France. Assimilation was tested over a 2-yr period (1996 and 1997), corresponding to 25 SAR measurements. The improvements observed in simulating flood events demonstrate the potential of sequential assimilation techniques for monitoring surface functioning models with remote sensing data. It was demonstrated that the method could correct for some errors or uncertainties in the input data (precipitation and evapotranspiration), provided that these errors are ...


In this paper, we will try to think about an epistemology of Brazilian Philosophy, based on four central ideas: Brazilian philosophy as not philosophy; Brazilian philosophy as a history of philosophy; Brazilian philosophy as metaphilosophy; Brazilian philosophy as a presupposition. In the end, we will adopt the figure of Macunaima as a paradigm of Brazilian philosophy.


Background: Working capital management decision is one of the most fundamental decisions for any business and so, it needs delicate attention in dealing with, regardless of its nature, size, type or ownership. The effect of working capital management cannot be neglected during firm financing due to its influence on firm profitability and liquidity. Due to the fact that, current assets take a big part of the assets, working capital management becomes very crucial and so need to be considered with caution. This paper study the effects of working capital management on Tanzanian listed non financial firms' profitability while controlled by the firm size, debt ratio, and firms' liquidity. Material and Methods: We employed secondary data from Companies listed in Dar es salaam stock exchange, from the year 2005 to 2018. Panel data regressions and correlation were employed in the analysis. Results: The results found a negative effect of working capital management proxies for Inventory Turnover in Days, Average Receivables Collection Period, Average payables payment period, on firm's profitability measured by Return on Assets. However, the results found a positive effect of Cash Conversion Cycle to firms' profitability.


To make defi nitive impression of displaceable tissues with minimum displacement, using window impression technique to prevent progression of resorption. Flabby tissues are usually seen in the anterior edentulous maxilla opposing mandibular anterior natural teeth or in alveolar ridge. This technique uses two custom trays one over the other with a window over mobile tissues in one of the tray. It makes a mucostatic impression to reduce distortion of tissues. Later on modifi cation of acrylic teeth is done after try-in to cast metal occlusion. This technique maintains the contour and records the detail of the tissues without displacing the fl abby tissues. Furhermore, metal occlusion prevent further progression of hyperplastic tissue by providing stable posterior stop as the acrylic denture teeth wears off with due course of time. Improves the prognosis of denture.


The utility model discloses a multi-directional valve hydrocephalus shunting tube. The multi-directional valve hydrocephalus shunting tube comprises a silica gel flexible tube body; two tail ends of the tube body are closed; the side wall which is close to one tail end is provided with a plurality of small holes; and the side wall which is close to the other tail end is provided with a plurality of valve openings which are opened in an axial direction. The inner and outer walls of the tube body of the shunting tube are further provided with medicine carrying layers which are antibiosis permeation layers on the inner and outer walls of the tube body and/or anticoagulation grafting layers on the surfaces of the inner and outer walls of the tube body. The shunting tube is used for guiding hydrocephalus from a cranium into other cavities; due to the design of the antibiosis and anticoagulation layers, the complications of infection and vessel blockage in the hydrocephalus shunting operation can be effectively prevented; the design of a multi-directional valve design at the far end can prevent liquid from flowing back; and the multi-directional valve hydrocephalus shunting tube is the hydrocephalus shunting tube with complete functions.


With the spread of computers and the Internet, e-sports became a fast and dynamic growing sector with a significant market and economic potential. Its importance is demonstrated by the fact that its growth is now outstripping some traditional sports or other industries. E-sports users are sedentary in front of a computer during both competition and training, so their health is determined by the amount of physical activity they do when they are not in front of a computer. The primary aim of this research is to investigate the physical activity of e-sports users at different levels. In addition to this, I considered it important to investigate what games the players I interviewed compete in, how much time they spend playing and how they improve their skills. I conducted an online questionnaire survey in the University Electronic Games (UEG) online tournaments organised by the University of Debrecen. The participants in the survey fully met my criteria, as most of them were amateur or hobby e-sports players, so I obtained relevant data from their answers. Based on the participants' responses, it can generally be said that they engage in health-enhancing physical activity. However, it should be remembered that not only the rise in popularity of e-sports, but also the increasing digitalisation of society is contributing to the rise in sedentary lifestyles. In the future, it would be important to change the way gamers exercise, which until now has been predominantly to develop their digital International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences (IJEMS) Vol. 7. (2022). No. 1 DOI: 10.21791/IJEMS.2022.1.14. 173 video game skills. Physical activity and other health-related behaviours need to be integrated into the training routines of gamers e-sports players, so that playing sports could become a natural pastime alongside e-sports. Kulcsszavak: e-sport, gamer, fizikai aktivitás, videojáték aktivitás


It is demonstrated, that catecholato ligated borenium cations, generated in solution from CCB, react as electrophiles with activated arenes and hetarenes to give a variety of pinacol boronates after quenching with pinacol.


The effect of the spin-orbit scattering on the coexistence phase (CP) and on the upper critical field ${H}_{c2}$ in ferromagnetic superconductors is studied. It is shown that the spin-orbit scattering is ineffective in the suppression of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida exchange interaction in the CP of Er${\mathrm{Rh}}_{4}$${\mathrm{B}}_{4}$ and Ho${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$. This means that earlier conclusions concerning the dominance of the exchange interaction in the formation and destruction of the CP in Er${\mathrm{Rh}}_{4}$${\mathrm{B}}_{4}$ and Ho${\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}$${\mathrm{S}}_{8}$ are definitely proved.


Separation of the enamel organ and pulp of mice tooth germs by trypsin removed the basal lamina. Within 18 hours in cultivated reassociations of enamel organ and pulp, a new lamina was deposited. When the epithelial component was cultivated alone, no basal lamina formed.


The present invention is a road traffic smart BACKGROUND bayonet, particularly to a smart card port antiglare autodarkening flash device, comprising a vehicle distance detecting unit, a trigger unit, a drive unit and an electric light emission unit, the distance between vehicles detecting means detects the vehicle with the card the distance between the mouth, when the distance reaches the set value of the output control signal to the driving unit, the driving unit adjusts the output power of the light emitting unit such that light source luminance gradually increases from a low brightness; triggering unit outputs when the vehicle reaches the trigger position of the trigger unit signal to the driving unit, the driving unit after receiving the signal driving the light source unit emitting strobe light emitting electrical capture light and fill the strobe unit to restore the low-luminance illumination. By monitoring the distance the vehicle, the illumination of the electrical light emitting function unit, when the vehicle approaches gradually lightening function when the vehicle is running and when the strobe trigger position capture function, to prevent a sudden burst flash visual annoyance to passengers improve driving safety, and save energy.


This paper narrated that through redesign and reconstruction in China,the original Duewag bogie frames on Shanghai Rail Transit Line 1 2 vehicles have more strength.We estimate that the new one can overcome crack on frame.In this paper,bogie frame load determination,analysis and evaluation of FEM calculation result are also presented.Data affirm the new design′s advantage.


Precision farming, often known as smart agriculture, is a management strategy that makes use of IoT technologies to raise the caliber and output of agricultural goods. Agricultural productivity has been hampered by the climate, for example, creating difficulties. Soil moisture, changes, and a lack of resources. It has been researched to use wireless sensors to incorporate proper crop management and soil moisture monitoring in order to overcome these difficulties. Precision farming enables real-time data collection and analysis on elements including weather patterns, soil moisture, and crop health. With better efficiency, less waste, and higher crop yields as a result, farmers are able to make educated decisions about pest control, irrigation, and fertilization. IoT technology's promise is illustrated through the application of precision farming in agriculture.


Experts discuss the forces contributing to costs that are rising faster in the United States than in other countries, as well as what dermatologists can do now to help patients get access to more affordable medications.


Background Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy. Concurrent presence of cytomorphological benign thyroid goitre (BTG) and PTC lesion is often detected. Aberrant protein profiles were previously reported in patients with and without BTG cytomorphological background. This study aimed to evaluate gene mutation profiles to further understand the molecular mechanism underlying BTG, PTC without BTG background and PTC with BTG background. Methods Patients were grouped according to the histopathological examination results: (i) BTG patients (n = 9), (ii) PTC patients without BTG background (PTCa, n = 8), and (iii) PTC patients with BTG background (PTCb, n = 5). Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on genomic DNA extracted from thyroid tissue specimens. Nonsynonymous and splice-site variants with MAF of ≤ 1% in the 1000 Genomes Project were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). PTC-specific SNVs were filtered against OncoKB and COSMIC while novel SNVs were screened through dbSNP and COSMIC databases. Functional impacts of the SNVs were predicted using PolyPhen-2 and SIFT. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) enrichment of the tumour-related genes was analysed using Metascape and MCODE algorithm. Results PCA plots showed distinctive SNV profiles among the three groups. OncoKB and COSMIC database screening identified 36 tumour-related genes including BRCA2 and FANCD2 in all groups. BRAF and 19 additional genes were found only in PTCa and PTCb. "Pathways in cancer", "DNA repair" and "Fanconi anaemia pathway" were among the top networks shared by all groups. However, signalling pathways related to tyrosine kinases were the most significantly enriched in PTCa while "Jak-STAT signalling pathway" and "Notch signalling pathway" were the only significantly enriched in PTCb. Ten SNVs were PTC-specific of which two were novel; DCTN1 c.2786C>G (p.Ala929Gly) and TRRAP c.8735G>C (p.Ser2912Thr). Four out of the ten SNVs were unique to PTCa. Conclusion Distinctive gene mutation patterns detected in this study corroborated the previous protein profile findings. We hypothesised that the PTCa and PTCb subtypes differed in the underlying molecular mechanisms involving tyrosine kinase, Jak-STAT and Notch signalling pathways. The potential applications of the SNVs in differentiating the benign from the PTC subtypes requires further validation in a larger sample size.