Parallel systems are traditionally evaluated considering only the performance. However, the importance of power consumption in these systems is increasing. Benchmarks are programs commonly used for evaluating the performance of parallel systems. In this paper, we use benchmarks LU, FT, CG and EP from NAS Parallel Benchmarks to present a performance analysis considering the power consumption in a multi-core parallel system. We vary the number of threads used to run this benchmarks and identify how much this variation implies in the power consumption.


This paper represents the online detecting recoding and analyzing system of substation communication information, shows the composition of the system including software and hardware, and addresses the implement and function of all parts in detail. Different interception technologies will be used in the system. Several key technologies to enhance system performance are discussed significantly. The storage management system and analysis system are designed subtly for the system. The system is able to record all the detailed communication information in substation according to user's need. The system realizes that information is managed strictly, enhances the operation level and the capability to handle with the accident, analyze and check the information.


A waypoint tracking algorithm(WTA) is designed for Unmanned Surface Vehicle(USV) in which water-jet system is installed for propulsion To control the heading of USV for waypoint tracking, the steering nozzle of water-jet need, to be controlled. Firstly, target heading is calculated by using the position information of waypoints input from the land control center. Secondly, the command for the steering nozzle of water-jet is calculated in real time by using the heading and the rate-of-turn( ROT) from magnetic compass, In this study, in order to consider the drift angle due to external disturbance such as wind and wave, the course of ground( COG) can be used instead of heading at higher speed than a certain value, To test the performance of newly-designed WTA, the tests were carried out in actual sea area near Gwang-an bridge of Busan. In this paper, the sea trial test results from WTA are analyzed and compared with those from manual control and those from commercial controller.


thione decrement ranged from 60-80%. NADPH (spectrophotometric, Nisselbaum & Green, 1969; fluorimetric, Bergmeyer, 1974) exhibited decreases equivalent to those for reduced glutathione. The diminutions were less for macrophage preparations. I I-'4ClGlucose oxidation in resting or activated granulocytes, or in the presence of nitrofurans exhibited progressive enhancement; the pentose phosphate shunt in macrophages was only moderately stimulated. High NADPH was thus present in the phagocytosing granulocyte, with further increments produced by nitrofurans. Nitrofurans (10, 50 and 1 0 0 . ~ 1 ~ ) increased both 0;(Baehner & Nathan, 1968; McCord & Fridovich. 1969) and H,O, (Root et al., 1975) production in granulocytes progressively as well as decreasing NADPH and oxidized glutathione. Under N, (anaerobiosis), a further conversion of NADPH occurred, i.e. 66 ( 5 1 in air) nmol of NADP formed/h per mg of cell protein. In contrast, alveolar macrophages showed only moderate 0,'and H 2 0 2 increments, and a minimal further response anaerobically. Nitroreduction (Wang et al., 1974) of lo-' M-nitrofurantoin by phagocytosing cells was not detected aerobically: 240560nmol were reduced/h per rrg of cell protein in N,. These results suggest a possible sequence of events. Control cells produced minimal 0,'and H,O,, which the triad of superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1. I), catalase (EC 1.1 1.1.6) and myeloperoxidase (EC 1.1 1.1.7) could dispose of adequately. Latex-activated cells produced additional 02'and H,O, that, in uiuo, could kill phagocytes and/or phagocytosed microorganisms. Nitrofurans in phagocytosing cells underwent no detectable nitroreduction aerobically, but consumed NADPH and produced considerable amounts of 0,'and H,O, consistent with redox cycling of nitrofuran and free radical formation. That could cause tissue damage in uiuo. e.g. in the oxygen-rich lung and could explain reported lung damage. Under anaerobiosis, nitrofurans did not enhance formation of activated oxygen species, but caused greater NADPH depletion and nitroreduction of nitrofurantoin. This finds support in studies that anaerobic nitroreduction of nitrofurantoin in microsomal and soluble fractions of rat liver and lung homogenates in the presence of NADPH leads to covalent binding of 1 ''Clnitrofurantion to tissue macromolecules (Boyd et al., 1979). That could explain hepatotoxicity reports, since hepatocytes in the peripheral zone of the liver lobule are relatively hypoxic. In man, about half a nitrofurantoin dose is excreted unchanged, and few metabolites have been identified (Hoener & Patterson, 198 1). Present studies suggest that, in uitro, nitroreduction of nitrofurans was much enhanced in phagocytosing granulocytes and alveolar macrophages in oxygen-deficient states: the metabolites formed could produce cell damage and toxicity.


Background We have previously described ATRC-101, a fully human, engineered IgG1 antibody binding a tumor-restricted ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex as its target. ATRC-101 is currently under evaluation in the clinic as a monotherapy for solid tumors. Following target engagement, ATRC-101 functions in an Fc-mediated fashion to deliver the target to the innate immune system, which modifies the tumor microenvironment and generates an adaptive immune response involving CD8+ T cells leading to anti-tumor activity in syngeneic mouse models. Binding of ATRC-101 appears restricted to malignant tissues in both mouse models and human, across a range of cancer histologic phenotypes, including carcinomas that are known candidates for anti-PD-1 treatment. In the EMT6 mouse model, representing a T cell-excluded phenotype in which anti-PD-1 agents display limited activity, ATRC-101 monotherapy was uniformly vigorous with persistent anti-tumor memory. When co-administered at a lower dose with anti-PD-1, the combination of therapy demonstrated a robust and heightened anti-tumor response relative to either agent dosed as monotherapy at similar concentrations. Methods To gain insight into the mechanisms that contribute to the anti-tumor effect with combination therapy, in vivo experiments in the EMT6 syngeneic mouse model were performed to determine temporal and spatial patterns of infiltrates and assessed tumors by using whole exome sequencing following administration of ATRC-101 vs. vehicle control. Within naive human tumor samples, coincident immunoreactivities of ATRC-101 and PD-L1 were also characterized. Results In mice treated with ATRC-101, analysis by immunofluorescence revealed a significant increase in the percentage of PD-1 reactive T cells within the tumor microenvironment. Elevated transcripts for PD-L1 also were detected in tumors from mice administered ATRC-101 vs baseline levels or vehicle control. When human tumor tissues were characterized for coincident expression of these targets, a high prevalence of ATRC-101 immunoreactivity was noted in both PD-L1 reactive and non-reactive tumor cores. Across multiple indications, ATRC-101 immunoreactivity was apparent in > 50% of PD-L1+ cores. Conclusions In situ studies suggest the target of ATRC-101 may co-locate with PD-L1, and in vivo studies indicate that ATRC-101 administration increases PD-L1 transcripts and PD-1-positive infiltrates in mouse tumor. Altogether, our data support studies to combine ATRC-101 with agents targeting PD-1 in the clinical treatment of solid tissue malignancies. Acknowledgements We acknowledge the significant effort and contributions of our colleagues from the clinical, in vivo pharmacology, translational sciences, in vitro pharmacology, and cell biology groups. This includes Mark Armanini, Erin Brosey, Chantia Carroll, Sean M. Carroll, Nicole Haaser, Benjamin Haugen, Dongkyoon Kim, Beatriz Millare, Yann Chong Tan, Danhui Zhang, and Patricia Zuno. Trial Registration NCT04244552 Ethics Approval The study was approved by WIRB (Western Institutional Review Board) on Jun 11, 2013. The WIRB study number is 20130121. Reference DeFalco J, Harbell M, Manning-Bog A, et al. Non-progressing cancer patients have persistent B cell responses expressing shared antibody paratopes that target public tumor antigens. Clinical Immunology 2018; 187:37–45.


The invention discloses a sampling device for mercury in atmosphere and relates to a leaking sampling device. The invention provides a sampling device for mercury in atmosphere, which can simultaneously gather gaseous total mercury, active gaseous mercury and particulate mercury in atmosphere. The sampling device has the advantages of convenience in detaching, simplicity in operation, high gathering efficiency and less deviation. The sampling device comprises a frame unit, a gaseous total mercury gathering unit, a particulate mercury gathering unit, an active gaseous mercury gathering unit, a gas transferring unit and a heating unit. The frame unit comprises a sampling box, a supporting frame and a control box. The sampling device has the advantages of convenience in assembly and disassembly, stability and reliability, convenience in operation and high gathering efficiency. The sampling device is particularly applicable to the simultaneous sampling of gaseous total mercury and particulate mercury in atmosphere.


Aimed at actuality existed shortage which using the tradition test method of software reliability to test the software since performance wrong gradually or even invalidation completely that would influence badly software reliability after long running, the problem on software characteristic, and software reliability assessment are analyzed and study fully with the traditional test method of software reliability. An idea of press test for software reliability based on operation profile is put forward, a test method of software reliability which operation profile and stress test spot combined or complemented each other is proposed, and a technical approach using new test method of software reliability is presented. These idea and method is a daring explore as well as a useful complement to the tradition test method of software reliability.


INITIAL CASE PRESENTATION Brittany, a 21-year-old woman with borderline personality disorder (BPD), was referred to our specialist personality disorder service, with a presentation distinguished by high-lethality suicidal behaviors including ingestion of toxic substances and dangerous objects. She frequently ran to train stations and bridges. Brittany also engaged in daily cutting. Due to her high level of risk, she was increasingly restricted within her family home. She was not allowed into the backyard for fear that she would elope and engage in high lethality behavior. Brittany is an only child, conceived via in vitro fertilization. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at age six, Brittany displayed early restricted interests, desire for routine, and sensory difficulties, accompanied by a high level of social interest. Multi-disciplinary assessments showed pragmatic language impairment and social difficulties that included inflexibility and egocentricity in her play. Brittany demonstrated difficulty with sharing, losing in games, and when not able to take first turn. High levels of emotional distress were reported when she did not get what she wanted. Brittany worked with a speech pathologist during this childhood period. She was subsequently diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety. Restricted eating and self-injurious behaviors began in her early teen years.


The utility model discloses a detachable scent bottle, a base is arranged under a bottle body, the base is sleeved on a liner with a seat, a part of the upper part of the liner that extends out of the bottle body is connected with a bottle lid through a screw thread, at least one puncture is arranged on the bottle lid, a gasket is arranged on the joint of the upper part of the bottle body and the lower part of the bottle lid, and the gasket is connected with the liner through a screw thread. Since the bottle body and the liner of the scent bottle are detachable, when the crystal-shelled scent bottle is used, the cementation between the scent bottle body and a bottle mouth is avoided, scent cannot contact gluewater, and the quality of the scent is ensured; in addition, people can change the shell of the scent bottle into one favorite style according to the own fondness, thereby the cost is saved, and different tastes are met as well, and the detachable scent bottle has distinct style, rational structure and delicate appearance.


CoB/Pd multilayer films with a PtB/Pd/MgO intermediate layer were deposited on a soft-magnetic underlayer or on seeded substrates. A TEM analysis revealed that the multilayer films have a well-separated columnar structure just above an MgO layer. This structure may be initiated by the difference in the wetting nature of nonmetallic MgO and metallic Pd, and may be enhanced by the PtB layer. These boundaries were found to act in reducing the exchange coupling, resulting in an improvement in recording performance.


During the current reporting period (January to December 2013) for the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF), several milestones were reached in program management. First, the Management Committee (MC) met twice, the Governing Council (GC) met once, and both made significant decisions, such as endorsing the results framework and the project concept for Secretariat for the BCCRF Project Phase II (Capacity Building Project Phase II). At the project level, two investment projects began regular disbursements in 2013. The first disbursement, under the Community Climate Change Project (CCCP), started in March 2013. As for the Climate Resilience Participatory Afforestation and Reforestation Project, regular disbursement started in August 2013. On December 30, 2013, the executive directors of the World Bank approved the Modern Food Storage Facilities Project. The grant agreement for the Solar Irrigation Project, which is co-financed by the International Development Association (IDA) Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development (RERED) Project II, was signed in September 2013. The project became effective on December 19, and disbursement is scheduled to start in March 2014. As of December 2013, several analytical and advisory activities (AAAs) were ongoing, for which stakeholder consultation was carried out intensively during 2013. One was planned to be finalized in early 2014. With regard to outreach activities, the BCCRF received media coverage through several national channels in 2013, which improved its visibility significantly. The Annual Report 2012 was widely circulated and was posted on the BCCRF website. The communications strategy was being developed during the second half of 2013, and three blog articles were posted.


Chamomile is a valued medicinal plant of high economic importance and there- fore agronomic practices in growing this plant are continually improved. One of methods to improve the quantitative and qualitative parameters of herbal raw material can be the application of foliar sprays (growth stimulators, foliar fertilizers, Effective Microorgan- isms). Row spacing, which has an effect on the use of fertilizers by the plant and natural habitat conditions, is of great importance in chamomile growing practices. During the pe- riod 2011-2013, a field experiment was conducted, the aim of which was to determine the effects of selected foliar-applied sprays and different row spacings on the yield and qual- ity of chamomile cv. 'Z· oty ‡ an' raw material. The study included three formulations: Asahi SL, Ekolist P, and EM Farming. Plots without the application of these foliar sprays were the control treatment. The other factor included in the experiment was row spacing, which was as follows: 25, 35, and 45 cm. Plant height and number of inflorescences per stem, total yield of raw material and the content of essential oil and flavonoids in raw ma- terial were determined. The growth stimulator Asahi SL was proven to positively affect the yield and quality of chamomile raw material. Ekolist P had a lower effect on the im- provement in the parameters analyzed. The reports of some authors that Effective Micro- organisms (EM Farming) had no effect whatsoever on plant productivity were confirmed in this study. It was shown that growing chamomile in rows 45 cm apart, or at a row spac- ing of 35 cm, was most beneficial for the yield and quality of chamomile raw material. A narrow row spacing (25 cm) contributed to a decrease in yield and deterioration in its quality.


General equations describing holographic fringe patterns have been derived in an earlier publication. In this paper an experimental investigation of the equations is described. The fringe patterns resulting from known surface displacements are observed from two positions and the measured fringe spacings are compared with those predicted theoretically. Two forms of displacement are considered: (i) rigid-body translations, (ii) linear displacement gradients. Results indicate that experimental observations are in close agreement with those predicted theoretically. The observation of plane strain is demonstrated in order to give a practical example of a problem involving a combination of the displacement classes (i) and (ii).


By examining the effects of experimentally induced achievement goal orientations (i.e., performance-approach, mastery-approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery-avoidance goals) on performance, motivation, self-efficacy, and enjoyment, this meta-analysis was able to shed light on the inconsistent previous findings regarding the relationship between state achievement goal orientations and the aforementioned outcomes. Ninety-three empirical studies, comprising 308 effect sizes and 14,984 participants were coded on several study and socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicated that mastery-approach goals were more beneficial for performance and self-efficacy than performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, and mastery-approach and performance-approach goals were more beneficial for motivation than performance-avoidance goals. In addition, several goal orientation-performance relationships differed significantly from each other as a function of goal standard, age, and gender. These findings demonstrate that state achievement goal orientations have robust effects on performance, motivation, self-efficacy, and enjoyment. Future research should explore the effects of masteryavoidance goals, as the research on mastery-avoidance goals is scarce.


Information-Centric Networking (ICN) is an alternative architecture for computer networks, where the communication is focused on the data being transferred instead of the communicating hosts. This paper describes a demo of an experience sharing application for mobile phones built on an ICN platform designed for devices with intermittent connectivity. In particular, we detail how this application will be showcased in an indoor exhibition where experience is shared with media content that is geo-tagged using Bluetooth beacons and spread opportunistically to other users.


In this paper, we investigate the problem of approximating solutions of the equations of Lipschitzian ψ-strongly accretive operators and fixed points of Lipschitzian ψ-hemicontractive operators by lshikawa type iterative sequences with errors. Our results unify, improve and extend the results obtained previously by several authors including Li and Liu (Acta Math. Sinica 41 (4)(1998), 845-850), and Osilike (Nonlinear Anal. TMA, 36(1)(1999), 1-9), and also answer completely the open problems mentioned by Chidume (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 151 (2)(1990), 453-461).


The bacteria of the genus Neorickettsia are strict intracellular bacteria of the Anaplasmataceae family. They are transmitted to their definitive host (humans and animals) by ingestion of raw fish, snails or aquatic insects that are parasitised by infected trematodes. Among them, three species (N. sennetsu, N. helminthoeca and N. risticii) are known to cause diseases in mammals (humans and animals) [1] but two have not yet been associated with the disease (SF agent, and Ehrlichia species trout isolate). About 50 million people in the world are infested by food-borne trematodes, predominantly in southeast Asia. Uncooked fish and shellfish consumption is the principal mode of transmission. Fish-borne trematodes in humans are increasing in endemic areas, and are emerging in Europe and America [2]. Globalisation, international travels and new cooking fashions such as eating raw fish 'Sushi' and 'Sashimi' are likely to lead to new emerging infections caused by Neorickettsia. We studied here the presence of Neorickettsia in fish and fish-based ingredients that are usually consumed uncooked in southeast Asia. A total of 126 fish and 19 ingredients made from uncooked fish were studied. Between January and February 2007, 57 frozen fish and seven ingredients imported from Thailand and Vietnam were bought in the Asian market in Marseille. In March 2007, 69 other fish preserved in 70% ethanol and 12 supplementary ingredients were collected in Cambodia. After dissection of defrosted fish, stomach and intestine were collected for direct examination for parasite by binocular microscope, and then processed for PCR analysis, culture and histology. Found worms were kept in the 70% ethanol for morphological and molecular identification of the 18S gene by using primers P6.F and 18sr2R [3]. Following DNA extraction of the fish digestive tract, DNA of Anaplasmataceae was detected by rrS PCR using primers: Ehr16SD and Ehr16SR [1]. We completed rrS sequences found by using specific primers (Ncs-614F: 5¢-TTG-GTG-TAG-GGG-TGAAAT-CC, Ncs-606R: 5¢-CCC-CTA-CAC-CAA-AAATTC-CA) and non-specific primers (NcsMA-14F: 5¢-GGC-AGA-CGG-GTG-CGT-AAC, Ncs-1321R: 5¢-GAC-GGG-CAG-TGT-GTA-CAA-GA) newly designed respectively by alignment of rrS sequences of three new Anaplasmataceae with Neorickettsia sequences available in GenBank and by alignment of rrS sequence of all Anaplasmataceae available in GenBank. DNA fragment of the citrate synthase gene (gltA) of Anaplasmataceae was identified by using F1 and R1b as previously described [1]. Negative controls consisted of DNA extracted from human colon, uninfected fish and sterile water. DNA of A. phagocytophilum was used as positive control of rrS PCR and N. sennetsu for gltA PCR. We designed new primers CG-442F (5¢-GGC-CCATAC-CCC-ARN-AAT-G) and CG-877R (5¢-GCDAGT-TTT-TGT-CAR-GTN-GA) to confirm the species of positive fishes. The sequence diversity of the rrS gene was used to define a new species when it was at least 3% between bacterial species. The new genus was definite when rrs gene sequence similarities were lower than 97% [4]. We identified 35 worms in six Channa striata imported into Marseille from Thailand. Sequence analysis of the 18S gene showed that all worms were belonging to Neoechinorhynchus pseudemydis species. Three new Anaplasmataceae were detected in three fish by rrS PCR by using Ehr16SD and Ehr16SR primers (Table 1). After completion of the rrS sequences, the Anaplasmataceae from the stomach of Channa striata fish imported from Thailand was identified as a new genus with a Corresponding author and reprint requests: P. Brouqui, URMITE CNRS ⁄ IRD UMR 6236, IFR 48, Universite de la Mediterranee, Faculte de Medecine, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


The structural, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of the cubic anti-perovskite RBRh 3 (R = Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb) compounds have been investigated using first principles full-potential augmented-plane wave plus local orbitals (FP-APW+lo) method with the generalized gradient approximation. The ground-state


The study assessed the effect of composted municipal sewage sludge on the wood yield of an experimental willow short rotation coppice (SRC) during the second harvest cycle. The mean values of BOD7, total N and total P met the legislative limits set to prevent groundwater pollution at the soil depth of 40 cm. We demonstrated that more productive plants of the first harvest cycle could lose that trait during the next. The second harvest cycle was more productive in terms of wood yield than the first for plants of both treatments. Sludge treated willows had significantly higher wood yield.


A novel measure for end-effector dexterity called stochastic manipulability is proposed. This index is based on a kinematic value that is invariable according to the degrees of freedom (DOFs) of manipulator mechanisms and those of task spaces. The harmonic mean manipulability index is improved by normalizing the measure through stochastic consideration of manipulator motion and by adopting the average of joint speeds in place of the sum. This measure can compare the dexterities of manipulators having various DOFs. Therefore, the measure is effective not only for trajectory planning but also for kinematic design by simulation comparisons. The application to 2-DOF and 3-DOF planar manipulators demonstrates the usefulness of the index.<<ETX>>


Good governance is a prerequisite for better management of common‐use resources. Awareness of institutions, inclusion of members in decision‐making processes, stakeholder engagement and transparency are needed for good governance, which enhances the sustainable use of communal water resources. This paper therefore considers perceptions of farmers on irrigation scheme governance in its various dimensions. The study uses household data of 341 farmers drawn from four irrigation schemes in KwaZulu‐Natal. The results show that farmers who are satisfied with the informal institutions, being the rules and norms set locally to govern the scheme farmers, value the involvement of the tribal authorities in scheme management, including their contribution to rule enforcement. Age, agricultural training, water adequacy, participation in scheme activities, psychological capital and land tenure have a positive effect on perceptions of governance constructs. Farmers are satisfied with the informal institutions governing the schemes and therefore the study recommends the inclusion of informal institutions in policy formulation. Farmers should be empowered through training and be made aware of formal institutions applicable to their irrigation scheme, and stakeholder engagement in the schemes should be strengthened.


Momentum dynamics affect the boiling water reactor (BWR) neutronic stability by coupling steam void perturbations and core-inlet coolant flow. Computer simulations have shown that proper modeling of the recirculation loop, which shares the upper and lower plena pressures with the reactor core, is essential for accurate stability calculations. The purpose of the present work is to show experimental evidence, obtained from a recent series of stability tests performed at the Browns Ferry-1 BWR, demonstrating the important role of momentum dynamics in BWR neutronic stability.


Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) have shown outstanding performances in electrochemical energy storage and many other applications. Delamination of MXene flakes in water produces colloidal solutions that are used to manufacture all kinds of products (thin films, coatings, and electrodes, etc.). However, the stability of MXene colloidal solutions, which is of critical importance to their application, remains largely unexplored. Here we report on the degradation of delaminated-Ti3C2Tx colloidal solutions (T represents the surface functionalities) and outline protocols to improve their stability. Ti3C2Tx MXene solutions in open vials degraded by 42%, 85%, and 100% after 5, 10, and 15 days, respectively, leading to the formation of cloudy-white colloidal solutionss containing primarily anatase (TiO2). On the other hand, the solution could be well-preserved when Ti3C2Tx MXene colloidal solutionss were stored in hermetic Ar-filled bottles at 5 °C, because dissolved oxygen, th...


During the seventeenth and eighteenth Cadiz becomes one of the main Spanish slave cores, and these slaves had to start a new life totally different from their places of origin. This paper intends to approach their life cycle, analyzing their behavior marriage, the incidence of illegitimate birth, and their birth.


The current trend in wind energy leads to closely packed wind farms. These short distances result in a higher turbulence and consequently higher loads. In this paper an approach is proposed to evaluate single turbine availability losses due to the wake effect by modeling material fatigue behavior of selected turbine components. First, a characteristic wake scenario is defined: While one turbine is exposed to a wind field conforming to wind class IIB, another turbine experiences higher turbulence intensities according to Frandsen's wake model. Using a dynamic multibody simulation, turbine loads are calculated which then are analyzed using the rainflow counting algorithm (giving load range and cycle counts) before being extrapolated to design lifetime of 20 years. Subsequently, artificial material curves are estimated representing the minimum load cycles to withstand during design lifetime. The slope of these curves is determined using the slope of a representative S-N-curve for each component. Position is then determined applying Miner's rule with unity damage at the end of design lifetime. Lastly, failure behavior is approached by using a lognormal probability distribution. As a result increased failure probabilities for the rotor hub unit (main bearing and rotor hub) are found in the wake case. First results for an annual time in wake fraction of 20 % show an increase in total failure probability from 2.30 % to up to 41.85 % at a distance between the two turbines of 3D. Applying a mean down time per failure from literature (based on modern EU wind farms) finally leads to an overall technical availability decrease due to hub unit failure of 0. 035 % in the wake case compared to the free stream case.


The invention relates to a switching valve (10; 10a) for controlling a fuel injector (1), in particular a fuel injector (1) in a common-rail injection system, having a valve piece (12), a stroke-movable valve closure member (30) in a closed position to the valve piece (12) forms a sealing seat (35), said valve closure member (30) is guided on the periphery of a pin-shaped guide member (25), wherein the valve piece (12) is formed a through hole (20) in (from the sealing seat 35 ) lifted off the valve-closing element (30) (36) and one at high pressure control chamber (16), forms a hydraulic connection between a low pressure region where (in the through hole (20) in a first bore portion 21) has a filter choke (22) is formed, and wherein adjoins the first bore portion (21) on the sealing seat (35) side facing a second bore portion (23; 23a) is connected. According to the invention it is provided that at least one of the through bore (20) is equipped facing end portion of the guide member (25) having a Kaviaitonsschutzeinrichtung (45).


The power law is most often applied to extrapolate the near‐surface wind speed to the wind turbine hub height. Due to variations of the meteorological conditions, the power law exponent varies over time. Usually, no long‐term wind speed measurements from multiple heights are available which would allow time‐dependent and spatially explicit power law exponent estimations. Instead, often the mean of the power law exponent or a constant value of 0.14 is assumed. The goal of this study was to quantify the error in wind potential assessments resulting from applying the mean of the power law exponent or a value of 0.14. The data base for this study are the hourly wind speed time series at 10 and 100 m above ground available for the period 2007 to 2018 from the ERA5 reanalysis project at a global 0.25° × 0.25° grid. The errors in the estimation of the wind power density and the capacity factor were calculated. It was found that, onshore, the global median of the absolute percentage error related to the wind power density using the mean of the power law exponent is 7.5%. Assuming a constant value of 0.14, the power law is less accurate (absolute percentage error: 37.1%). For the estimation of the capacity factor the absolute percentage errors are 5.5% and 36.9%. Based on the results of this study, the use of time‐dependent and spatially explicit power law exponents is suggested. In the absence of long‐term wind speed measurements from multiple heights, the results provide a comprehensive global overview of the errors to be expected from using the mean of the power law exponent or assuming a value of 0.14. In many regions where the wind resource is abundant, using the mean of the power law exponent only leads to minor errors in capacity factor estimation. There, the assessment of wind resources with small errors is possible, even in the absence of long‐term wind speed measurements at different heights.


The cosmological constant (term) is the simplest way, presently known, to illustrate the accelerating expansion of the universe. However, because of/despite its simple appearance, there is much confusion surrounding its essence. Theorists have been asking questions for years: Is there a mechanism to explain this term? Is it really a constant or a variable? Moreover, it seems that we have created a huge gulf separating the theories of inflation and accelerating expansion. Can we eliminate such an uncomfortable discontinuity?
Abstract In this paper, we will journey to see the growth of the universe from the very beginning of inflation. To simplify our discussion, we will briefly "turn off" the effects of real and dark matter and shall use inflaton (a classical scalar field) dynamics with a time-varying inflaton potential V(phi,t) as the screen to watch this process. Relying on these conditions, we propose a non-traditional method of obtaining the solution of scale factor R(t), which is only dependent on phi'(t)^2, and discover that the term R"(t)/R(t) will be a constant after kinetic inflaton phi'(t) is at rest. This result can be regarded as the effective cosmological constant phenomenally. Moreover, we will also "rebuild" V(phi,t), realize its evolutionary process and then, according to the relationship between V(phi,t) and phi'(t)^2, it will be possible to smoothly describe the whole evolution of the universe from the epoch of inflation. Therefore, the implications of our findings will mean that the gulf between theories will disappear. Lastly, we will also see how the formula could provide a framework for solving the old and new cosmological constant problems as well as much more besides.


Morgan, Keenan, and others have found that low dispersions (80-130 A mm -1 ) are ideal for obtaining spectral types and luminosity classes, especially for early-type stars. This is because at those dispersions certain blends are unresolved and remain useful, the hydrogen line wings are seen most clearly, and differences in rotational velocities are not so important. Such dispersions are also ideal or adequate for detecting some peculiarities, such as Am and Be spectra and some extreme Ap spectra, but they are inadequate for detecting abnormalities involving weak lines (as in Ap(Hg, Mn) stars) and line profiles (such as in shell spectra).


The crystal structure of the title compound comprises [Cu(C10H9N3)2(C3H5O2)]+ cations and [NO3]− anions. The cation structure is intermediate between a distorted square-based pyramidal five-coordinate geometry with an additional long bond and an asymmetric cis-distorted octahedral geometry, both giving a (4 + 1+1*) type coordination.


Differential privacy (DP) has arisen as the gold standard in protecting an individual's privacy in datasets by adding calibrated noise to each data sample. While the application to categorical data is straightforward, its usability in the context of images has been limited. Contrary to categorical data the meaning of an image is inherent in the spatial correlation of neighboring pixels making the simple application of noise infeasible. Invertible Neural Networks (INN) have shown excellent generative performance while still providing the ability to quantify the exact likelihood. Their principle is based on transforming a complicated distribution into a simple one e.g. an image into a spherical Gaussian. We hypothesize that adding noise to the latent space of an INN can enable differentially private image modification. Manipulation of the latent space leads to a modified image while preserving important details. Further, by conditioning the INN on meta-data provided with the dataset we aim at leaving dimensions important for downstream tasks like classification untouched while altering other parts that potentially contain identifying information. We term our method content-aware differential privacy (CADP). We conduct experiments on publicly available benchmarking datasets as well as dedicated medical ones. In addition, we show the generalizability of our method to categorical data. The source code is publicly available at https://github.com/Cardio-AI/CADP.


Background: Several studies showed that hyperglycaemia is associated with poorer prognosis in intracerebral haemorrhage. We explored the characteristics and outcomes of patients with hyperglycaemia in the Tranexamic acid in IntraCerebral Haemorrhage-2 (TICH-2) trial.
Methods: Of the 2325 patients recruited, 2028 with available baseline glucose levels were included for analysis. Baseline characteristics, radiological and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with admission glucose levels of <7.8 and ≥7.8 mmol/L (hyperglycaemia).
Results: 545 (26.9%) patients had hyperglycaemia and did not differ from normoglycaemic patients in age (69.3 years vs 68.7 years) and sex (female: 246, 45.1% vs 641, 43.2%). Hyperglycaemic patients were more likely to be diabetic (187, 34.3% vs 94, 6.3%), have worse NIHSS (13.8 ± 7.7 vs 12.1 ± 7.1), larger baseline haematoma (30.2 ± 31.5 mL vs 21.2 ± 24.3 mL) and perihaematomal oedema volumes (15.8 ± 18.1 mL vs 11.7 ± 14.1 mL). There were no significant differences in haematoma expansion and increase in oedema volume between the two groups (table). Hyperglycaemia did not increase the risk of death or worse modified Rankin Scale at day 90 after adjusting for covariates including baseline haematoma volume.
Discussion: Hyperglycaemia was associated with larger haematomas and more severe stroke on admission but did not result in worse outcomes after accounting for baseline haematoma volume.


The three papers presented in this special issue on multiplicity issues in clinical trials are based on a workshop that was held at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The workshop was organized to discuss new methods and emerging issues related to multiple testing procedures between industry statisticians, regulators and academia. Multiple testing problems arise in the context of clinical trials from a couple of different sources. Multiple treatment comparisons due to, e.g. different dosages or regimens, multiple endpoints, multiple interim looks, multiple populations or even combinations of these can cause an inflation of the familywise type 1 error. The consequence is an increased probability of wrong decisions in the contexts of drug approval and reimbursement if the analysis strategy does not account properly for multiplicity. In 2002, the EMA Points to Consider on Multiplicity Issues in Clinical Trials came into operation (EMEA CPMP, 2002). Since then, it has been proven to be useful for both, industry and regulators when planning and assessing confirmatory clinical trials. Meanwhile, however, methodological advances have been made in more complex multiplicity settings resulting in more powerful and flexible procedures in situations where several hypotheses are to be tested, eventually with different degrees of prominence attributed to the individual questions. In line with the development of these methods there is an increasing complexity of the primary and secondary hypothesis framework in confirmatory clinical trials. On the one hand, the applicant wishes to answer a number of questions within a single trial that potentially help to improve and accelerate clinical development. On the other hand, it may be in regulator's interest to ensure statistical evidence in different claims to be made with a clinical trial. Some powerful methods have recently been developed, e.g. the different gatekeeping and fallback procedure as well as elegant graphical solutions. The increasing complexity of hypothesis frameworks and methods, however, results in new issues and poses questions on general principles that have not been considered so far. These include consistency problems or the construction of simultaneous confidence intervals. While the consideration of multiplicity issues in confirmatory clinical trials represents an accepted international standard, there is a persisting discussion about the relevance of multiple comparison procedures in other areas of medical research such as epidemiology (Rothman, 1990; Bender and Lange, 2001). In systematic reviews and meta-analyses the general problem of multiplicity has been more or less neglected for decades. However, the recent work of the Statistical Methods Group of Cochrane Collaboration and the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care led to the inclusion of key recommendations regarding the multiplicity problem in the new version of the Cochrane Handbook (Higgins et al., 2008; Bender, 2009).


Abstract Twelve new complexes of oxovanadium(IV) sulphate with quadridentate Schiff base ligands have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, i.r., far i.r., electronic and e.s.r. spectra, magnetic susceptibility measurements and thermogravimetric analysis. The complexes have been found to have a composition (VOL)SO4.H2O. The lone water molecule is uncoordinated as proved by i.r. spectra as well as thermogravimetric analysis. The electronic spectra and e.s.r. spectra show a distorted octahedral nature of the complexes. From the electronic spectral bands, the values of radial parameters, normalized spherical harmonic Hamiltonian parameters and McClure parameters have been calculated. On the basis of these data, the degree of distortion or tetragonality was given and the comparative distribution of electron density in the x, y and z planes has been calculated. Finally, the parameters to denote the extent of σ and π bonding in axial and horizontal planes were calculated. It ...


Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system evokes the release of neurotransmitters and produces vasoconstriction that is primarily mediated by the binding of norepinephrine (NE) to alpha‐adrenergic receptors. However, NE may also bind to beta‐ adrenergic receptors and produce vasodilation that opposes vasoconstriction. Therefore, in the present study, we tested the hypothesis that beta‐adrenergic receptor blockade would augment sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness in resting and contracting skeletal muscle of sedentary and exercise trained female rats, demonstrating beta‐adrenergic receptor mediated opposition of vasoconstriction. We also hypothesized that the increase in sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness in the presence of beta‐adrenergic blockade would be larger in exercise‐trained rats, indicating that exercise training augments beta‐adrenergic receptor mediated opposition of vasoconstriction. Female Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomized to Sedentary (n=8, 265 ± 28 g) and Exercise Trained (n=9, 290 ± 27 g) groups. Exercise Trained rats completed a 4‐week treadmill training regimen (5 d/week, 15 min at 40 m/min, 5% gradient). Subsequently, rats were anaesthetized and instrumented for the measurement of femoral vascular conductance (FVC), stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain, and contraction of the triceps surae muscle group. The percentage change of femoral vascular conductance (Δ%FVC) in response to sympathetic chain stimulation delivered at 2 and 5 Hz was determined at rest and during triceps surae muscle contraction (60% maximal contractile force) before (Control) and after beta‐adrenergic blockade (Propranolol; 0.075 mg/kg body mass, I.V.). Sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness (Δ%FVC) was not different (P > 0.05) between Sedentary and Exercise Trained rats at rest or during contraction. At rest, beta‐adrenergic receptor blockade did not increase (P > 0.05) sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness in Sedentary (Control: 2Hz: −34 ± 9 %, 5Hz: −53 ± 8 %; Propranolol: 2Hz: −31 ± 10 %, 5Hz: −49 ± 8 %) or Exercise Trained (Control: 2Hz: −38 ± 9 %, 5Hz: −57 ± 8 %; Propranolol: 2Hz: −34 ± 7 %, 5Hz: −53 ± 8 %) rats. Similarly, beta‐adrenergic receptor blockade did not increase (P > 0.05) sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness during exercise in Sedentary (Control: 2Hz: −7 ± 4 %, 5Hz: −20 ± 11 %; Propranolol: 2Hz: −6 ± 5 %, 5Hz: −18 ± 10 %) or Exercise Trained (Control: 2Hz: −10 ± 8 %, 5Hz: −28 ± 8 %; Propranolol: 2Hz: −6 ± 5 %, 5Hz: −24 ± 12 %) rats. In conclusion, beta‐adrenergic receptor blockade did not augment sympathetic vasoconstrictor responsiveness in resting or contracting skeletal muscle of sedentary or exercise‐trained female rats, suggesting that beta‐adrenergic receptor mediated vasodilation did not oppose vasoconstriction, regardless of training status.


Al-Qaeda today is one of the most important contemporary examples of a transnational, networked threat to nations throughout the world. This thesis questions whether the relationships between individual groups in the al-Qaeda network resemble traditional alliances and if so, what are the implications for group behavior? Are terrorist organizations bound by the same constraints as states in formal alliances? Do they face similar risks and receive comparable benefits? Based on classical International Relations theory and traditional terrorism literature, an analytical framework for alliances between terrorist organizations is created. The framework is then tested on a case study of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), an al-Qaeda franchise currently active in North Africa. Based on the analysis, the thesis concludes that the relationship between AQIM and al-Qaeda's senior leadership can be classified as a traditional alliance, but that terrorist organizations are faced with a unique system of constraints, risks and benefits when allied.


The Cloud Profiling Radar, the primary science instrument of the CloudSat Mission, is a 94-GHz nadir-looking radar that measures the power backscattered by clouds as a function of distance from the radar.


Currently, the debate on sustainability issues permeates almost every corner of the social field. However, researches aiming at making the concept more ope...


The development of a high-power EUV light source is very important in EUV lithography to overcome the stochastic effects for higher throughput and higher numerical aperture (NA) in the future. We have designed and studied a high-power EUV free-electron laser (FEL) based on energy-recovery linac (ERL) for future lithography. We show that the EUV-FEL light source has many advantages, such as extremely high EUV power without tin debris, upgradability to a Beyond EUV (BEUV) FEL, polarization controllability for high-NA lithography, low electricity consumption, and low construction and running costs per scanner, as compared to the laser-produced plasma source used for the present EUV lithography exposure tool. Furthermore, the demonstration of proof of concept (PoC) of the EUV-FEL is in progress using the IR-FEL in the Compact ERL (cERL) at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. In this paper, we present the EUV-FEL light source for future lithography and progress in the PoC of the EUV-FEL.


The brick-concrete building is usually middle-low layer building and the proportion of its height with width is not big,and its bulk property is not god.According to the design feature of this building,the method of orient collapse with trapezoidal notch is used to the demolition of five brick-concrete residential buildings by controlled blasting.The selection of blasting plan and parameters,measures of protection and some experience in mainly introduced in this paper.


The reaction of Eu with a molten mixture of Li2Se and excess Se has produced a new rare earth dichalcogenide, EuSe2, with a type "a" antiferromagnetic structure. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I4/mcm forming into small single crystal rectangular blocks with their long axis along c. The high temperature magnetic susceptibility exhibits Curie–Weiss behavior with a ferromagnetic Θ=15±1 K and an effective moment μeff=7.9±0.1 Bohr magnetons consistent with the theoretical value of 7.94 for the Eu2+ free ion. There is a peak in χc at Tn=8.0±0.5 K which is attributed to an antiferromagnetic transition. At T=2.5 K with the magnetic field, H, applied along c, M(H) exhibits a sharp increase near 1.5 T attributed to a metamagnetic transition. With H along a the moments saturate at about 5 T. A simple mean field model in which the Eu ions in the ab plane are coupled into ferromagnetic sheets, with alternate sheets along c coupled antiferromagnetically to form a bulk antiferromagnet is used to...


ABSTRACT Kazakhstan–Siberian Network on Spring Wheat Improvement unites 18 spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) research and breeding programs and presents opportunities to study genotype × environment interactions. Trial data from six locations in Kazakhstan and Russia in 2017–18 were used for grain ionomics analysis to evaluate the relative contributions of environment and genotype to variation in elemental composition and to formulate a methodology to enhance concentrations of important minerals in grain. The effect of year was least important to variation. For several elements (P, S, Cu, Mn and Mo), the effect of site was 2–3 times higher than the effect of genotype. The effects of genotype and site were similar for Ca, Mg, Fe, Cd and Sr concentration. Average broad-sense heritability across six sites in both years was: (for macroelements) Mg 0.59 > Ca 0.50 > K 0.44 > P 0.30 > S 0.20; and (for microelements) Zn 0.44 > Mn 0.41 > Cu 0.40 > Fe 0.38. Biplot analysis grouped the traits into five clusters: (1) concentrations of Co, Cu, Mo and Sr; (2) concentrations of Mg, P and Zn; (3) concentrations of K and Ni; (4) protein content, concentrations of Cd, Fe, Mn and S; and (5) grain yield, concentrations of Ca and Rb. These associations reflect regional soil and environment variation independent of genotype. Protein content had positive and significant genotypic correlations with Mg (0.57), P (0.60), S (0.68), Fe (0.64), Cu (0.50), Mn (0.50) and Zn (0.53). A combination of high grain yield, relatively high protein content, and high concentrations of P, S, Mn, Cu and Zn (singly or combined) was identified in the genotypes Element-22 (check cultivar), Lutescens-3-04-21-11, and Silach. The study contributes to research and cultivar development to improve the nutritional profile of grain for consumers.


: The objective of this experiment was to study on optimum supplemental level of cassava residues for geese at 50 to 70 days of age. Two hundred 49-days-old healthy male geese with similar body weight were randomly allocated into 5 groups with 4 replicates and each replicate had 10 geese. The control group was fed a basal diet and experimental groups were fed experimental diets supplemented with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% cassava residues, respectively. The results showed as follows: 1) compared with the control group, dietary cassava residues significantly reduced the energy apparent utilization of geese at 10 weeks of age ( P <0.05); dietary supplemented with 10%, 15% and 20% cassava residue significantly improved the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of geese at 64 to 70 days of age and 50 to 70 days of age ( P <0.05); dietary supplemented with 15%, 20% cassava residue significantly improved the average daily gain (ADG) of geese at 50 to 56 days of age ( P <0.05); dietary supplemented with 20% cassava residue significantly reduced the percentage of abdominal fat and significantly improved ash content in muscle of geese ( P <0.05). 2) Dietary cassava residue had no significant effect on other slaughtering performance, nutrient apparent utilization, meat quality and conventional nutrients content of muscle ( P >0.05). 3) Otherwise, by the quadratic relationship of feed cost reduction percentage and economic benefit, we know when the adding amount of cassava residue was 21.4%, the fodder cost reduction percentage was maximum; when the adding amount of cassava residue was 20.9%, economic benefits was maximum. Therefore, the diets of adding appropriate cassava residues can promote the growth of geese, but no significant influence on slaughtering performance and nutrient apparent utilization, meat quality and conventional nutrients content of muscle. According to growth performance, slaughter performance, nutrient apparent utilization and economic benefit analysis, the feasible adding amount of cassava residue is 20%.


4. Those who criticize Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development are most likely to suggest that he: a. underestimated the impact of maturation on the development of formal operational thought. b. overestimated the number of individuals who routinely achieve formal operational reasoning. c. underestimated the age at which people first develop formal operational skills. d. overestimated the continuity of cognitive development.


Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. [1]. With the advent of irinotecan, oxaliplatin, anti-EGFR, and anti-VEGF treatments, patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer can expect to live for 2 years after diagnosis, with 20% of patients alive at 5 years [2]. Most patients initially receive chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin, and either oxaliplatin (FOLFOX regimen) or irinotecan (FOLFIRI regimen) [3]. FOLFOX and FOLFIRI have equivalent efficacy in the metastatic setting, provided that patients eventually receive the alternate regimen following disease progression [3, 4]. The addition of VEGF-targeting agents to either FOLFOX or FOLFIRI can improve overall survival (OS) [5–7], and patients with KRAS wild-type (wt) tumors benefit from the addition of anti-EGFR antibody therapy [8, 9]. More than 20% of patients have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, and more than one-third of patients with colorectal cancer eventually develop metastases [10]. The majority of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer cannot be cured and receive palliative treatments; however, 10%–20% of patients with metastatic disease (specifically those with metastases limited to the liver) may be candidates for potentially curative surgical resection either at presentation or after a favorable response to chemotherapy [11].

In an attempt to improve response rates, to convert patients into candidates for surgical resection, and to increase survival, Italian investigators compared the regimen of 5-FU, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) with FOLFIRI in patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer [12]. FOLFOXIRI consists of 5-FU administered as a 48-hour continuous infusion to a total dose of 3,200 mg/m2 without a bolus, leucovorin 200 mg/m2, irinotecan 165 mg/m2, and oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 (Table 1). Compared with FOLFIRI, FOLFOXIRI improved response rates (RRs), progression-free survival (PFS), and OS. Despite these results, FOLFOXIRI was not widely adopted because the field had turned its collective focus to targeted therapies and had already incorporated VEGF-targeted therapy into standard first-line treatment of patients with metastatic disease [5]. Consequently, the same Italian investigators recently compared FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab (the Treating Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer [TRIBE] trial) [13]. FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab, compared with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab, resulted in significantly higher RRs (65% vs. 53%) and PFS (median: 12.1 vs. 9.7 months). Initially, the survival advantage failed to meet statistical significance (median: 31.0 vs. 25.8 months), but updated results demonstrate a significant survival advantage (median: 29.8 vs. 25.8 months) for the TRIBE regimen [14]. Notably, secondary complete (R0) liver resection rates (15% vs. 12%) did not differ between treatment groups. Additionally, patients who received FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab experienced higher rates of neutropenia, diarrhea, stomatitis, and peripheral neuropathy. Given these findings, should physicians caring for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer adopt the FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab regimen as a standard first line therapy?

Table 1.

Dosing of FOLFOXIRI compared with FOLFIRINOX

When considering whether FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab is the optimal regimen for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the following concerns with the TRIBE trial merit discussion: (a) OS and PFS benefits in clinical trials of first line therapies are difficult to interpret, considering that other, unmeasured factors after the initial progression may influence OS; (b) the lack of genotyping and imbalance in right-sided colon cancers; and (c) the general applicability of the results to all patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Using PFS as the primary endpoint in metastatic colorectal cancer trials seemed to be appropriate in the first-line setting when this study was started, but it is becoming evident that the PFS endpoint is problematic. Longer PFS does not always correspond with improved survival or quality of life (QOL) [15]. Furthermore, PFS is an imprecise endpoint, subject to clinical judgment, monitoring frequency, and measurement bias. And most importantly, patients' underlying disease biology and the subsequent treatment they receive may ultimately determine their OS [16–18]. Multiple factors in the setting of metastatic colorectal cancer can influence survival after progression on first-line therapy, such as (a) continued use of bevacizumab or aflibercept in second line, (b) use of anti-EGFR antibodies in patients with KRAS wt disease, (c) the use of regorafenib, and (d) the toxicity of first-line therapy preventing the delivery of subsequent lines of therapy. As is often standard practice, the TRIBE trial investigators did not control for therapy after progression on first-line treatment. Additionally, they did not systematically collect data on patients' subsequent lines of therapy, and did not collect QOL data. All of these questions raise the possibility that even OS cannot be trusted as a reliable endpoint for determining the best first-line therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

A second concern is the lack of data regarding tumor mutational status, particularly in a study in which the arms were not well balanced regarding the site of primary tumor. Tumors with BRAF mutations are usually right-sided and can behave more aggressively than BRAF wt tumors. Notably, more patients in the experimental arm had right-sided tumors. In addition, the lack of knowledge regarding KRAS status draws into question whether subsequent anti-EGFR antibody therapy was used appropriately. The phase III FIRE-3 trial compared FOLFIRI plus cetuximab with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab as first-line treatment in patients with KRAS wt colorectal cancer [17]. Although RR and PFS did not differ between treatment groups, patients treated with FOLFIRI plus cetuximab experienced longer median OS (28.7 vs. 25.0 months). In contrast, results from the US Intergroup trial 80405 demonstrated no advantage for first-line cetuximab over bevacizumab when added to either FOLFOX or FOLFIRI (oncologist's choice) [18]. Nevertheless, both groups experienced median survival of more than 29 months and PFS of more than 10 months, demonstrating the importance of anti-EGFR antibody therapy in appropriately selected patients. Thus, knowledge of tumor mutational status and subsequent use of anti-EGFR antibody therapy is critically important when evaluating trials involving patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Finally, the TRIBE trial excluded patients over age 75 and only allowed patients over age 70 who did not have performance status limitations. These restrictions reflect concerns about the tolerability of this regimen because the investigators did not want to compromise the feasibility of using FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab. Elderly patients are commonly underrepresented in clinical trials [19], and by excluding these patients, investigators limit the generalizability of the data to a large proportion of colorectal cancer patients, given that the median age at diagnosis is 68 years [20].

Interestingly, FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab did not benefit patients who received prior adjuvant treatments or those seeking a surgical resection. While the TRIBE trial was not specifically designed to answer the question of whether more patients with metastatic disease could be brought to a potentially curative resection, it remains the most compelling indication for this more aggressive regimen. Without an improvement in R0 liver resection rates, the results of the TRIBE trial do not support the use of FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab as a means of converting patients to resection candidates. Additionally, FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab did not benefit patients who received prior adjuvant chemotherapy, perhaps related to the development of chemoresistance [23, 24].

The TRIBE trial demonstrates several emerging principles in clinical trial design for initial treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. First, the challenge of interpreting PFS and OS benefits with first-line therapy makes drug approval and the establishment of a "standard" in the first-line setting increasingly difficult. Second, mutational analysis is critical for understanding efficacy results in colorectal cancer clinical trials and this should be incorporated into all future clinical trials. Lastly, our ability to influence surgical resectability is limited and may have more to do with the underlying biology of the cancer and the presence of multi-organ metastases than any response to a specific therapy. FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab is an acceptable therapeutic option, but whether it is the best choice for our patients is still a matter of debate.


Indoor positioning seems to be one of the most challenging positioning problems. Many techniques have been proposed for many years now, ranging from inertial sensors to light-based systems. So far, our approaches have been based on a very simple basis: since GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers are widely available on mobile terminals, why not use them. Thus, the main principles are based on so-called pseudolites (acronym for "pseudo satellites") which consist in deploying local transmitters. For the last few years, we successively proposed the "repeater" and the "repealite" concepts [9]. We now introduce a new system based on so-called "Grin-Locs". A Grin-Loc is characterized by its ability to carry out absolute positioning with carrier phase measurements. The main advantage of Grin-Locs is that there are no longer any synchronization constraints. Measurements from any two different Grin-Locs are completely independent: the induced simplification of the deployment aspects is huge. Each Grin-Loc is composed of two antennas located one wavelength apart from each other. The locally generated signals are using two different codes and the standard receiver carries out measurements of the difference of the carrier phases of the two above mentioned signals. In our implementation of the system, the calculations of the position are based on the intersection of quadrics. Note that with this approach, measurements are non-ambiguous. The present paper briefly describes the principle and the associated mathematics of the Grin-Loc based positioning in the specific case of a single transmitter composed of six double antennas. The mounting can be seen as a multi-radar system located at a single position. Of course, this setting is not optimal in terms of Dilution Of Precision (DOP), but gives an idea of the potential and limits of the proposed approach. In addition, the end of the paper shows achievable performances in the case of a deployment of several such mountings. As expected, positioning accuracy is very good with no noise and rapidly increases with it. Coverage maps are provided as output of the various simulations.


RAVIKUMAR AALINKEEL,1 MALATHI SRINIVASAN,1 SATISH C. KALHAN,2 SUZANNE G. LAYCHOCK,3 AND MULCHAND S. PATEL1 1Departments of Biochemistry and 3Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214; and 2Center for Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44109


The purpose of this study is to know the role of self-efficacy in mediate the influence of socio-economic condition of parents and school environment on the learning outcomes. The population of this study was all of XI IPS students in SMA Negeri 1 Godong in the academic year of 2016/2017 by 110 students. Methods of data collection using questionnaires and documentation. Methods of data analysis were descriptive analysis, path analysis, and sobel test. The results showed that there is positive and significant influence of socio-economic condition of the parents on the economic learning outcomes of the students. There is positive and significant impact of School Environment on the economic learning outcomes. There is positive and significant influence of Self Efficacy on the economic learning outcomes of the students. There is positive and significant influence of the socio-economic condition of the parents on the self-efficacy. There is positive and significant influence of school environment on self-efficacy of the students. There is indirect effect of the socio-economic condition of the parents on the economic learning outcomes through self-efficacy as an intervening variable. There is indirect effect of the school environment on economic learning outcomes through self-efficacy as an intervening variable.


We propose a factor-graph-based approach to joint channel-estimation-and-decoding (JCED) of bit-interleaved coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (BICMOFDM) over a Rayleigh Fading channel. A Basis Expansion model is applied to reduce inter-carrier interference (ICI) caused by channel variation over time. Guard interval structure is introduce to reduce inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by multi-path delay. In contrast to existing designs, our is capable of exploiting not only sparsity in sampled channel taps but also time variation in both the tap amplitudes and the tap support. In order to exploit these channel-tap structures, we adopt a twostate Gaussian mixture prior in conjunction with a Gauss-Markov model on the tap amplitude trajectories and a discrete Binary Markov model on the tap state trajectories. For loopy belief propagation, we exploit the Generalized Approximate Message Passing algorithm (GAMP) recently developed in the context of compressive sensing, and show that it can be successfully coupled with soft-input soft-output decoding, as well as Markov trajectory inference, through a sum-product framework. We try to find out the optimal scheme to utilize the most of channel capacity as well as getting effective bit error rate (BER).


Comprehensive Situational Awareness (SA) in mixed traffic environments (i.e., both autonomous and human-operated platforms) is a critical requirement in addressing some of the challenges that hinder the deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) systems onto roadways. In this paper, a novel framework that leverages machine learning techniques for utilizing Signals of Opportunity (SoO) for robust localization of all vehicles operating along a stretch of roadway is presented. By making use of ubiquitous wireless emissions from vehicles, the presented approach performs vehicle localization without any active participation/assistance from vehicles thus making it a suitable candidate for SA in mixed traffic environments. Our simulation results show that given the road shape and number of vehicles present, observed 2D localization estimates generated by an arbitrary algorithm whose error is described by a Gaussian bivariate distribution with 10 meters covariance yields unbiased vehicle centroid estimates with less than one meter mean squared error by eight Kalman Filter (KF) iterations. A set of KFs for each vehicle are used to leverage the filtering of multiple estimates per vehicle per filter step to reduce measurement noise by averaging, while a clustering algorithm performs the dual role of forming KF set priors and classifying location estimates to their correct vehicle.


INTRODUCTION
Species of Apiaceae are used in folk medicine as spices and in officinal medicinal preparations of drugs. They are an excellent source of phenolics exhibiting antioxidant activity, which are of great benefit to human health. Discrimination among Apiaceae medicinal herbs remains an intricate challenge due to their morphological similarity.

OBJECTIVE
In this study, a combined "untargeted" and "targeted" approach to investigate different Apiaceae plants species was proposed by using the merging of high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)-image analysis and pattern recognition methods which were used for fingerprinting and classification of 42 different Apiaceae samples collected from Egypt.

METHODOLOGY
Software for image processing was applied for fingerprinting and data acquisition. HPTLC fingerprint assisted by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)-heat maps resulted in a reliable untargeted approach for discrimination and classification of different samples. The "targeted" approach was performed by developing and validating an HPTLC method allowing the quantification of eight flavonoids.

RESULTS
The combination of quantitative data with PCA and HCA-heat-maps allowed the different samples to be discriminated from each other.

CONCLUSION
The use of chemometrics tools for evaluation of fingerprints reduced expense and analysis time. The proposed method can be adopted for routine discrimination and evaluation of the phytochemical variability in different Apiaceae species extracts.


Israel has a population of 8.5 million and a per capita GDP of roughly € 34,000. In 2016, the economy expanded by approximately 3 %. The country has built a reputation as a "startup nation". In 2015, Israeli high-tech exits (through M & A or IPO) exceeded US$ 9 billion, a 16 % increase from the year before. More than 320 multinational corporations are engaged in R & D activities in Israel, including a number of large German corporations, particularly in tech-driven industries. With 5,000-7,000 startups, Israel boasts the highest density of startups in the world, demonstrating its innovative capacity in a diversified "ecosystem" that consists of six key areas:


Abstract Lime treatment is extensively used to improve the properties of soft and weak soils. One of the most important reasons for using lime is to reduce the swelling behaviour of the clay soil. The reaction of quicklime (CaO) with water, forms hydrated (slaked) lime (Ca(OH)2) and therefore properties of clay are improved by the creation of extra bonds. Increasing the brittleness of lime stabilised clay is the major shortcoming of using lime. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of curing time on geotechnical properties of stabilised kaolinitic clay with lime and geogrids. At first, different percentages of lime (3, 5, 8%) were mixed with the soil to study unconfined compressive strength (UCS), secant modulus (E s ), failure strain (ε f ), deformability indexes (I D ), brittleness index (I B ), bulk modulus (K), shear modulus (G) and resilient modulus (M r ) of specimens using unconfined compression test after different curing times (i.e. 7 and 28 days). Moreover, to alleviate the brittleness, geogrid was added to the lime-stabilised-clay in four layers at constant intervals and the geotechnical properties were also observed after the curing times. Based on the results the geotechnical properties of clay were improved significantly by adding lime and geogrid, however, by increasing the percentages of lime, the brittleness index increased and the deformability index decreased. According to SEM test, the addition of lime reduced voids and therefore improved the geotechnical properties of the soil. A phenomenological model was used based on the test results to develop the equations for predicting the properties. The results showed that there was a good correlation between the estimated values given by the predicted equations and the measured values.


MOT+ is a next-generation online Intelligent Transportation Systems application designed to facilitate the multi-jurisdictional communication and planning processes between the construction and traffic management disciplines. The benefits of MOT+ to the ITS and roadway construction industries, community events venues and planners, and commercial vehicle operators and the motoring public include: »Improved maintenance of traffic on roadway, railway and utility construction and maintenance projects; Keeping people and goods moving to enhance our economy and improve safety; Enabling traffic management operators and incident management teams manage traffic safely; Alerting the traveling public and the news media of upcoming congestion related to workzones and Planned Special Events.


Human mental condition Detection from EEG signals by using neural signals is a promising field of research. The main purpose of this work is to detect human emotion through Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal and to find information about the internal changes of the human brain which varies upon the environment and the surrounding effects. This paper represents several human mental states in some specific situations using EEG signals. Sometimes human can't express actual feelings by words which come directly from the mind. The main motive of this paper is trying to take these different signals from the brain by EEG and detect the exact feelings. By this procedure, five emotion states including Happy, Sad, Anger, Surprise, and Fear have been detected. The methodology described in the paper can detect any individual psychological state by determining the best domain between time and frequency. By the relative comparison and Statistical Analysis using CNN shows that the usage of time domain or frequency domain individually gives the worst result where applying CNN gives a much better result. Comparing the performance and regression scenario with the collected Standard Deviation values from the EEG signal can determine the exact mental condition of any human being precise with noticeably less error and more accuracy.


Science course provision in foundation education reform calls for high quality science teachers,and single model of training physics, chemistry and biology teachers in normal universities must be changed.There are two ways for normal universities to train science teachers,one is setting up natural science specialty,the other is that physics,chemistry and biology schools provide different courses,and inquire their students in each school to choose sufficient courses they need in other two schools to learn.The thesis discusses the way and the direction of normal universities' curriculum reform from four aspects: series,hierarchy,mode and course design of training science teachers in normal universities.


Construction of a mapping between educational content and skills is an important part of development of adaptive ed- ucational systems. This task is difficult, requires a domain expert, and any mistakes in the mapping may hinder the po- tential of an educational system. In this work we study tech- niques for improving a problem-skill mapping constructed by a domain expert using student data, particularly prob- lem solving times. We describe and compare different tech- niques for the task – a multidimensional model of problem solving times and supervised classification techniques. In the evaluation we focus on surveying situations where the combination of expert opinion with student data is most useful.


The article reveals the content and orientation of the main trends of the development of markets in the field of retail trade and their socio-economic consequences. The dynamics of market development for 2000-2016 has been presented. The structural changes in product specialization of markets have been shown. The nature and content of pressing problems and the ways of their addressing have been shown.


As an interventionalist who has authored guideline documents, appropriate use criteria (AUC), and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) specialty examination questions, I strongly support the use of high quality evidence-based data (generated from several randomized controlled trials [RCT] or meta-analyses of RCTs) to guide clinical recommendations. However, the relative paucity of high quality clinical evidence, limits the majority of information guiding my daily decision-making to "expert opinion" which is vulnerable to individual interpretation and bias, leading to inconsistencies (variation) in my clinical practice resulting in "over or under-utilization" of interventions. A core tenet of value-based healthcare is to do "the right thing, for the right patient, at the right time". Optimal patient outcomes are every clinicians' over-arching goal. But it is difficult to ignore the fact that compensation based upon relative value units (RVUs) rewards "over-utilization", while capitation based compensation, such as the inpatient care of Medicare patients, rewards cost control by avoiding nonessential testing or therapeutics, potentially erring on the side of "under-utilization". Physicians seeking to practice value-based healthcare must navigate the Scylla and Charybdis of over and under-utilization. In my experience, interventionalists, by the very nature of our work, prefer "sins of commission", believing that "open arteries are better than closed arteries", to "sins of omission", denying a patient a potentially beneficial procedure. Our bias toward action is facilitated by "expert opinion", whereas to "not do things", we insist upon high quality clinical evidence to counter our bias toward intervening. In order to balance "under-use" and "over-use", we need to understand the gaps in the evidence base. Renal stenting provides an example of the tension between preferring medical therapy alone (potential under-use) and actively opening diseased arteries (potential over-use). The efficacy of renal artery stenting has been intensively debated, but poorly studied. The publication of three RCTs, including STAR (STent placement and blood pressure and lipid-lowering for the prevention of progression of renal dysfunction caused by Atherosclerotic ostial stenosis of the Renal artery), ASTRAL (Angioplasty and STenting for Renal Artery Lesions), and CORAL (Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions), provided "evidence" that renal stenting was not superior to medical therapy alone in patients with renal artery stenosis for the reduction of (1) blood pressure, (2) death from cardiovascular or renal causes, (3) myocardial infarction, (4) stroke, (5) hospitalization for congestive heart failure, (6) progressive renal insufficiency, and (7) the need for renal replacement therapy. This "evidence" is not consistent with my positive experience using renal stents to successfully treat patients with severe renal artery stenosis and uncontrolled blood pressure on maximally tolerated medicines, worsening renal function, and acutely decompensated heart failure (flash pulmonary edema). How did we get to a place where a potentially very effective treatment, renal stenting, is believed to be no better than medical therapy alone? A recently published, tongue in cheek, RCT "proved" that parachutes, compared to empty backpacks, were not effective in preventing death and/or major trauma when jumping from aircraft. The article humorously illustrates the limitations of RCTs. In this study, the authors were able to ethically randomize two treatments, parachutes versus empty backpacks when jumping from aircraft, because the study cohort only jumped from the wing of a parked aircraft, about 2 ft above the ground. Due to little risk of harm from a fall at this height, the investigators believed there was equipoise for the two treatments (parachutes vs. empty backpacks). Had the trial been conducted from an aircraft flying at 10,000 ft above the ground, there clearly would have been no equipoise, and the authors' bias would have prevented enrollment into the "empty backpack" cohort. The conclusion, that there was no difference in outcomes between parachutes and empty backpacks, only applied to the conditions tested, that is, a very small distance to fall. The authors did not test the hypothesis that parachutes were superior to empty backpacks from 10,000 ft above the ground, and therefore there is no "evidence" that parachutes are superior to empty backpacks from 10,000 ft above ground, other than compelling observational data. How is this similar to the use of renal stents for renal stenting? The three RCTs mentioned above all tested patients with mild to moderate renal artery stenosis, in whom the benefit of renal stents was uncertain, and with equipoise allowing the investigators to enroll "low risk" patients to justify the option of medical therapy alone. They did not study patients with severe renal artery stenosis, in whom observational data would justify renal stenting, and who investigators would be unwilling to randomize to medical therapy alone. The population tested in the three RCTs, similar to the parachute trial, was at low risk for adverse events with mild to moderate renal artery stenosis, and therefore it was "safe" to withhold renal stenting. Unfortunately, in reporting the results of the three trials, the reported study outcome, that renal stenting was not more effective than medical therapy alone, was not limited to the population of mild to moderate renal artery stenosis patients tested, thus generally implying there was little, if any, role for renal stenting in any renal artery stenosis patient. Received: 26 January 2019 Accepted: 29 January 2019


The invention discloses a channel tuning method and a channel tuning device. The method comprises the following steps: firstly, a modulation mode searching sequence list including a plurality of modulation modes is preserved, then the modulation mode searching sequence list is periodically re-sequenced according to the modulation mode applied by the latest tuning channel with specific number, finally, the modulation modes in the modulation mode searching sequence list are selected in sequence, and the unknown channels for the modulation modes are tuned until the corresponding modulation modes of the channels are determined. By adopting the technical proposal, the time for the channel initial tuning for the electronic device is reduced, and the better use experience is provided for users.


A method for displaying menus on the basis of usage records in a mobile terminal is provided to allow a user to access a desired item more easily and rapidly by selectively displaying frequently used items or recently used items. In an idle screen state, a menu display control module confirms whether key input for menu access is generated from a key input part(S71). If menu access key input is generated, the menu display control module checks a usage record DB, confirms which item has been used finally and what an uppermost menu to which the finally used item belongs is, and selects the uppermost menu of the finally used item(S72). The menu display control module controls a usage record control module and extracts the usage records of the lowest items of the selected uppermost menu from the usage record DB(S73). Based on the extracted usage records, the menu display control module displays menus(S74). Then the menu display control module determines whether a right or left direction key is inputted(S75). In case the input of a right or left direction key is generated, the menu display control module selects another uppermost menu, which is on the right or left of the selected uppermost menu, according to the inputted key(S76).


ABSTRACT The present research aims to explore the influence of site effects on the seismic vulnerability of the historical centre of Baranello, a little town in the Molise Region of Italy. Structural and typological classification of the investigated urban area has been done according to the EMS-98 scale. The vulnerability assessment of the inspected historical buildings has been carried out through an appropriate survey form to identify the buildings most susceptible to seismic damage. Consequently, using the Post-Earthquake Damage and Safety Assessment (AeDES) form implemented by the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC), the typological vulnerability curves of the built-up area have been derived based on the damages recorded after the 2002 Molise earthquake. Finally, a local amplification factor, which increases the severity of the seismic damage to the structures, has been taken into account based on the time-domain method. Results reveal that the local amplification effects significantly increase the expected damage, which should lead to the collapse of almost all the investigated buildings for epicentre distance of 5.0 km and magnitude of 6.0. This means that the proposed simplified approach can represent a useful tool to more appropriately foresee the seismic risk of urban centres.


A three-year field experiment was conducted under conditions of Luvic Chernozem soil. Diversified nitrogen fertilization with 0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha -1 , and microbial preparations improving soil properties were applied to potatoes, cv. 'Satina', cultivation. N–NO3 concentration in the soil profile (0–0.9 m) in autumn after potato harvesting fluctuated from 28 kg N ha -1 in the N 0 treatment to 70 kg N ha -1 in the N 180 treatment, whereas N–NH 4 content varied from 22 to 48 kg N ha -1 , respectively. The level of nitrogen fertilization also had a significant effect on the change in soil N–NO 3 content during the autumn-winter period. The decrease in N–NO 3 content in the N 0 treatments was 7% compared to 24% in the N 180 treatments. Application of microbial preparations to potato cultivation caused an increase in N min content in soil after crop harvesting. However, after the autumn-winter period, a lower amount of N–NO 3, compared to the control treatment, was found in the treatments where microbial preparations had been used.


A method for simultaneous determination of 15 pesticides in cereals by HPLC with UV and FL detection was developed. The pesticides were extracted by SFE, defatted with Extrelut®+Sep-Pak® C18 and cleaned up with a Sep-Pak® Florisil cartridge. Pesticides were eluted from the cartridge with mixtures of 15 and 50% ether-n-hexane and 50% acetone-n-hexane.Extrelut® 3 was directly connected to the exhaust port of SFE to charge the extract. The amount of lipid extracted by SFE was smaller than that in the case of solvent extraction with acetone or acetonitrile. The large amount of lipid in the case of corn was further decreased by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) after Extrelut® 3. Separation of the Sep-Pak® Florisil eluate into three fractions was effective in providing a clue to the kinds of pesticide contained in the sample.


We theoretically model the near-field (NF) absorption for a multilayer micro-cavity (MMC) structure and investigate the contribution of the NF absorption to the dipole radiation power in top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The NF absorption occurs due to the interaction between an evanescent wave with a large in-plane wave vector and a planar metal layer in the vicinity of the dipole radiation. The analytical expressions of the NF absorption in the MMC structure are derived from the plane wave expansions of the electric field amplitude, which includes the two-beam and multi-beam interference terms. The transverse magnetic polarization light emitted by both horizontally and vertically oriented dipole emitters is considered in the NF absorption while the contribution of the transverse electric polarization light is neglected. Based on the total spectral power density calculated in a top-emitting OLED, the respective spectral response functions of surface plasmon (SP) modes and NF absorption are compared, where the summation of the Lorentzian line shape functions is used to represent spectral responses of SP modes. At large values of in-plane wave vectors, the spectral response caused by the NF absorption becomes significant and approaches the total spectral power density. In addition, the relative optical powers from various dipole dissipation mechanisms are calculated with respect to the dipole emitter position in the emission layer (EML), which shows the optical power coupled to the NF absorption is predominant over other mechanisms when the distance between the dipole emitter and the EML/Ag interface is less than 10 nm in the top-emitting OLED.


One of the successful strategies in business com- petition is effectiveness of logistic management, especially when agriculture products, which have a short life-cycle, are concerned. This means that time management directly affect freshness of products. This study was based on Lean and RFID technology to reduce the amount of time in non-value-added germinated brown rice (GBR) logistic operations in a rice mill. In this study, it began with analysis of the GBR logistic operations in rice mill after that there was an investigation of 8 operation management. Finally, Value Stream Mapping in current state was drawn to show the GBR logistic operations, while Value Stream Mapping in future state was used to draw current maps integrated with Lean and RFID. The result of design using Lean and RFID showed that the GBR logistic operations significantly reduce time 617 from 3,731.5 minutes accounting for 16.53%. Moreover, according to evaluation analysis, break event point (BEP) is 3 years and the return on investment (ROI) is to be in the following the 28.77%.


During the 7 semester of the Integrated Master Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) at University of Minho Portugal, teams of students develop projects in interaction with industry. The project lasts the whole semester and each team works in a different company. This type of projects is formally included in the IEM curricular structure through the course unit (CU) PIEGI2 (Integrated Project in IEM 2) and in fact involves all the remaining five CU of the semester as PSU (Project Supporting Courses). This paper is associated to the work carried out by a team of students in an electrical wiring company (supplier of the automotive industry) and, using qualitative analysis, aims to show the importance of the integration of the contents addressed by the PSUs. Thus, the main goals of this empirical paper are: (i) describe the design process of a new workstation (required due to a problem identified by a customer) and (ii) show how the multidisciplinary integration was important in this project. To design the new workstation, various concepts/tools from the several PSUs were used, namely: (i) anthropometry and illuminance (PSU Ergonomic Workplace Analysis), (ii) Business Process and Modelling Notation – BPMN (PSU Integrated Production Management), (iii) Generic Product Data Management – GenPDM (PSU Production Information Systems), (iv) Value Stream Mapping – VSM and Key Performance Indicators KPI (PSU Production Systems Organization II) and (v) SIMIO (PSU Simulation). By combining contents of all the PSUs of PIEGI2, the students' team was able to develop an integrated solution encompassing not only the physical installation but also managerial aspects (e.g. product data management). Although the new workstation was not yet implemented, the work developed by the students was highly appreciated by the company engineer's and by all the teachers involved.


The nanoscale intergranular films that form in the sintering of ceramics often occur as adherent glassy phases separating the crystalline grains in the ceramic. Consequently, the properties of these films are often equal in importance to those of the constituent grains in determining the ceramic's properties. The measured characteristics of the silica-rich phase separating the crystalline grains in Si 3 N 4 and many other ceramics are so reproducible that SiO 2 has become a model system for studies of intergranular films (IGF's). Recently, the influence of fluorine and chlorine dopants in SiO 2 -rich IGF's in silicon nitride was precisely documented by experiment. Along with the expected similarities between the halogens, some dramatically contrasting effects were found. But the atomic-scale mechanisms distinguishing the effects F and Cl on IGF behavior have not been well understood. First-principles density functional calculations reported here provide a quantum-level description of how these dopant-host interactions affect the properties of IGF's, with specific modeling of F and Cl in the silica-rich IGF in silicon nitride. Calculations were carried out for the energetics, structural changes, and forces on the atoms making up a model cluster fragment of an SiO 2 intergranular film segment in silicon nitride with and without dopants. Results show that both anions participate in the breaking of bonds within the IGF, directly reducing the viscosity of the SiO 2 -rich film and promoting decohesion. Observed differences in the way fluorine and chlorine affect IGF behavior become understandable in terms of the relative stabilities of the halogens as they interact with Si atoms that have lost one if their oxygen bridges.


In [7] a characterization of transitive permutation groups having a non-self-paired suborbit of length 2 (with respect to which the corresponding orbital graph is connected) was obtained in terms of their point stabilizers. As a consequence, elementary abelian groups were proved to be the only possible abelian point stabilizers arising from such actions, and D8 was shown to be the only nonabelian group of order 8 with the same property. Constructions of such group actions with point stabilizers isomorphic to D8 or to Z h2 , h 1, were also given there. These results are extended here to include a more in depth analysis of the structure of point stabilizers of such group actions, resulting in a set of necessary conditions allowing us to obtain a restricted list of 19 possible candidates for point stabilizers of such group actions when the point stabilizers have order 2h, h 8. (For h 5, this list gives a complete classi cation of such point stabilizers.) Furthermore, a construction of a transitive permutation group action with a non-self-paired suborbit of length 2 and point stabilizer isomorphic to D8 Z h 3 2 is given for each h 3. 1991 MSC: 05C25, 20B25.


The main purpose of the present work is to present and discuss a model for a decision maker who is using feedback information and is subjected to goal uncertainty. The decision maker is allowed to choose one of a finite number of courses of action and observe one of a finite number of possible outcomes resulting from his choice. Two alternatives are available to 'learn' the best course of action. One is to assign a subjective score to each course of action, outcome pair and follow the courses of action that lead to the highest current estimates of the expected score. This approach quickly establishes a dominant course of action which under certain circumstances may not be optimal. The other alternative forces much more switching between courses of action and no dominant action arises. These alternatives are combined in a two-phase approach to zeroing in on the optimal course of action. In phase one the decision maker cycles until enough information has accu mulated. In phase two he follows the highest expected utilities. The algonthm is written out in detail in the appendix.


EDITOR,—P Patel and colleagues' study substantiates our observation of an association between infection with Helicobacter pylori and coronary heart disease.1 The first report from the group2 prompted our retrospective serological study among patients presenting to the emergency care unit of our hospital.3 Currently we are recruiting all patients admitted to the coronary unit of our hospital with …


Women's participation in the political process has evolved from their serving only as volunteers to their leveraging their financial philanthropy to influence the selection and election of candidates. Coordinated philanthropic efforts on behalf of women's political interests suggest a new avenue for women's power and influence.


In Fe-Mn-Al-Ni shape memory alloys, the stabilization of superelasticity would be affected by the undesired precipitation of B2 nano-particles during natural aging. In order to solve this problem, the effect of Mo alloying on the precipitation behavior of B2 nano-particles during the cooling and natural aging processes was performed by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Vickers microhardness test in two Fe-Mn-Al-Ni-Mo shape memory alloys. The results showed that the formation of γ phase was completely suppressed after 15 °C and 80 °C water quenching as well as air cooling. However, B2 nano-particles were still precipitated after the three cooling processes, and their sizes and misfits increased with decreasing the cooling rates. In addition, the Vickers hardness increased after natural aging for 338 days, which indicated that it is not viable to inhibit the precipitation of B2 nano-particles during natural aging by Mo alloying in the Fe-Mn-Al-Ni shape memory alloys.