The heavy metals in seawater,surface sediments and shellfishes were analyzed in tideland of Zhanjiang Harbor in August 2005.The results showed that the content of As in seawater was better than the first class Seawater Quality Standard,but the seawater was polluted by Hg,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd to different degrees.Pollution of Cu,Pb,Cd were so serious that they exceed the fourth class Seawater Quality Standard.The content of As in surface sediments was lower than the background values of the coastal zone in China,and the Hg,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd were all higher with their standard indices of 1.35,1.66,1.50,2.08,3.10 respectively,and Hg,Cu were little higher than the first class Marine Sediment Quality Standard,showing slight pollution.As,Zn,Pb were all lower than the first class Marine Sediment Quality Standard,showing no pollution.The environment was polluted by Cd,a little higher than the second class Marine Sediment Quality Standard.but the distribution of every element had no regulation in each station.The contents of the heavy metal in Ostrea and Ruditapes were lower than the values of the pollution evaluation standard for marine organisms and the healthy standard for human consumption,and the quality of the Ostrea and Ruditapes were very good.


Investigations on treatment of furfural wastewater using photocatalytic technology are few. Furfural wastewater was efficiently degraded under simulated sunlight irradiation by a series of N-doped ...


Increasingly alarmed by threats to their financial security posed by an escalating number of weather-related catastrophes, major insurance companaies, particularly those in Europe and Asia, are starting to support a variety of measures that would slowe the production of grenhouse gases worlwide. As the insurance and banking industries turn their attention to global warming, investments in solar energy take on growing appeal.


In order to minimize uncertainty of the inversed parameters to the largest extent by making full use of the limited information in remote sensing data, it is necessary to understand what the information flow in quantitative remote sensing model inversion is, thus control the information flow. Aiming at this, the paper takes the linear kernel-driven model inversion as an example. At first, the information flow in different inversion methods is calculated and analyzed, then the effect of information flow controlled by multi-stage inversion strategy is studied, finally, an information matrix based on USM is defined to control information flow in inversion. It shows that using Shannon entropy decrease of the inversed parameters can express information flow more properly. Changing the weight of a priori knowledge in inversion or fixing parameters and partitioning datasets in multi-stage inversion strategy can control information flow. In regularization inversion of remote sensing, information matrix based on USM may be a better tool for quantitatively controlling information flow.


Background Predicting the number of oocytes retrieved (NOR) following controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) is the only way to ensure effective and safe treatment in assisted reproductive technology (ART). To date, there have been limited studies about predicting specific NOR, which hinders the development of individualized treatment in ART. Objective To establish an online tool for predicting NOR. Materials and Methods In total, 621 prospective routine gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist COS cycles were studied. Independent variables included age, body mass index, antral follicle counts, basal FSH, basal and increment of anti-mullerian hormone, Luteinizing hormon, estradiol, testosterone, androstenedione, and inhibin B. The outcome variable was NOR. The independent variables underwent appropriate transformation to achieve a better fit for a linear relationship with NOR. Pruned forward selection with holdback validation was then used to establish predictive models. Corrected Akaike's information criterion, Schwarz–Bayesian information criterion, scaled –log[likelihood], and the generalized coefficient of determination (R 2) were used for model evaluation. Results A multiple negative binomial regression model was used for predicting NOR because it fitted a negative binomial distribution. We established Model 1, using basal ovarian reserve markers, and Model 2, using both basal and early dynamic markers for predicting NOR following COS. The generalized R 2 values were 0.54 and 0.51 for Model 1 and 0.64 and 0.62 for Model 2 in the training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusion Models 1 and 2 could be applied to different scenarios. For directing the starting dose of recombinant follicle stimulation hormone (rFSH), Model 1 using basic predictors could be used prior to COS. Model 2 could be used for directing the adjustment of rFSH dosages during COS. An online tool (http://126.96.36.199:8002/) based on these two models is also developed. We anticipate that the clinical application of this tool could help the ART clinics to reduce iatrogenic ovarian under- or over-responses, and could reduce costs during COS for ART.


This paper presents the modelling and formal specification of a telemedicine system for diabetes care. In such scenario, the multiagent technology supports the distributed autonomy of several Personal Assistants; the communications between them and the hospital s agents; the control of the system s access and multitask functionality; scalability; adaptability; robustness; and the provision to the physicians with the necessary automatic processing tools for the analysis of the large amounts of data generated by patients. We evaluated the AOIS meta-model and the CAMLE's modelling environment concluding that this methodology is adequate to represent a complex medical system like the one presented. The model and the formal specification provide a more complete view of the system and contain very useful information to cope with the future system evolution.


Abstract In cancer patients undergoing surgery, tumor biology and anticancer treatments can increase the risk of perioperative bleeding and blood transfusions. Notably, blood transfusions can be potentially associated with an increased risk of life-threatening immune responses, acute lung injury, postoperative infections, and thromboembolism. Moreover, the link between perioperative transfusion and increased risk of cancer recurrence cannot be excluded. On the other hand, cancer patients have an increased risk of thromboembolism due to cancer itself and antineoplastic systemic treatments including chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic drugs. In this complex scenario, effective and safe strategies aimed at the prevention of blood transfusions are warranted. This narrative review addresses the efficacy, and the safety of the synthetic antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid (TXA) when used perioperatively in cancer surgery. Although in not oncologic surgery the use of TXA has been extensively studied, in the setting of cancer patients requiring surgery, the evidence is scarce. An overview of the ongoing clinical research is also provided.


Summary

Palaeomagnetic results have been obtained from thirty sites in intrusive and extrusive rocks of Oligocene age from the San Juan Mountains, south-western Colorado. All specimens from each site were subjected to af demagnetization, and the reliability of each site determined. Twenty-three sites gave reliable results. Because five sites from the thick intracaldera part of the La Jara Canyon Member of the Treasure Mountain Tuff appear to have become magnetized during the same small interval of geological time, their results were combined and their mean pole and direction used in the final calculations. The eighteen remaining reliable sites yielded an average Oligocene palaeomagnetic pole at 85·6° N and 298·0° E (δp= 8°, δm= 11°, k= 24·1). A stratigraphic sequence is given for the major San Juan ash-flow sheets and selected additional units with their corresponding magnetic polarities and mean K-Ar ages.


Background: Gastric cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related death in the world. Aurora kinases are reported to be up-regulated in various cancers. In the present study, the human gastric cancer cells were interfered with Aurora A specific siRNAs. We explored the function of Aurora A and investigated the molecular mechanism in human gastric cancer cells. Methods: The levels of Aurora A were determined by Western blotting analysis. The expression of Aurora A was interfered with Aurora A specific siRNA in MKN-28 cells and BGC-823 cells. The proliferation of MKN-28 cells and BGC-823 cells was determined by MTT assay before and after Aurora A siRNAs transfection. Expression levels of LC3-I, LC3-II and p62 in BGC-823 cells were determined by Western blotting analysis before and after Aurora A siRNA or negative control siRNA transfection. Results: Aurora A was observed in human gastric cancer cell lines, including MKN-45 cells, BGC-823 cells and MKN-28 cells. The level of Aurora A was significantly higher in BGC-823 cells and MKN-28 cells than that in MKN-45 cells. The expression of Aurora A was significantly decreased in MKN-28 cells and BGC-823 cells by transfection with Aurora A siRNA. Knockdown the expression of Aurora A significantly suppressed the cell proliferation of MKN-28 and BGC-823 cells. Furthermore, the Western blotting analysis results demonstrated that knockdown Aurora A obviously promoted cell autophagy of human gastric cancer cells. Conclusion: All results demonstrated that knockdown Aurora A inhibited the cell proliferation of human gastric cancers, which was partly due to cell autophagy increased in Aurora A siRNA transfected gastric cancer cells.


SWGFS is an object-based file system with high availability and great capability,and has been adopted by many high performance cluster systems. With similarity to the other distributed storage systems SWGFS has difficulties in data management,such as lack of management tools and low management efficiency. The Information Lifecycle Management concept can solve all these problems. This paper prompts an object-based data management model,which introduces the management objects for SWGFS,and it manipulates file objects according the policies defined by users,so very good performance and accuracy can be achieved. The analysis of a prototype system proves the model which meets all the design goals.


In the course of a study designed to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in the Gouvernorat of Tunis, 1449 households chosen at random were examined at home between October 1976 and June 1977. The following parameters : weight, height, tricipital and subscapular skinfold thickness were determined for each subject 3 years old or more. From the data observed on 1 889 males and 1 940 females aged from 3 to 20 years, estimates by age and sex are proposed as references for growth among the tunisian population in urban area. Then an approach of the secular trend is derived from the distributions of height according to the year of birth in the adult population.


Results of simulating SOI/MOSFET (silicon-on-insulator/metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor) devices using the full two-dimensional numerical solution of the classical semiconductor equations are presented. Particular attention has been paid to the role of the floating region, and it is demonstrated that removal of this phenomenon is important for the improvement of the performance of SOI/MOSFET devices. Several methods, such as applying a back gate bias or using thinner (100-nm) films, are investigated as a means of controlling this undesirable feature. It is shown that the use of thin films has major advantages. It is concluded from a study of the effect of lifetime on device performance that improved film quality can have an adverse effect on the I/sub d/-V/sub d/ characteristics, giving an enhanced kink and earlier breakdown on 0.3- mu m silicon films. >


BACKGROUND
Recently, vesicles derived from plant cell membranes received attention for their potential use as active biomolecules and nanocarriers, and obtaining them from organic crops may be an interesting option, as different farming systems can affect production, plant secondary metabolism, and biochemistry of cell membranes. This study aims to determine how organic and conventional farming affect the mineral nutrition, gas exchange, CO2 fixation, and biochemical composition of lemon fruits, which could have an impact on the different fractions of cell membranes in pulp and juice.

RESULTS
The results showed that organic trees had higher intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) but conventional trees had higher stomatal conductance (gs) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUtE). Also, organic lemons had significantly higher levels of some micronutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, and Zn). Secondly, the main differences in the membrane vesicles showed that organic pulp vesicles had a higher antioxidant activity and more oleic acid, while both types of vesicles from conventional lemons had more linoleic acid.

CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, organic farming did not alter carbon fixation parameters but impacted nitrogen fixation and water uptake, and resulted in higher micronutrient levels in lemons. These mineral nutritional changes could be related to the higher production of membranes that showed suitable morphological traits and a high antioxidant activity, positively correlated with a high amount of oleic acid, which could have stronger cell protection characteristics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Vannevar Bush had much less to do with modern information science and technology than has been thought. The histories of the two machines that were the closest Bush came to turning his famed Memex ideas into hardware, the Comparator and the Rapid Selector, dictate a reevaluation of Bush's direct influence. His 1930s attempts to build a device for America's codebreakers and to create a machine for the library of the future were less than successful. The story of the difficulties of the decades‐long projects help to place Bush and Memex in an historical context. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The archaeological approach of Bangudae petroglyphs the bottom of the overlapping picture is a whale picture. When the whales were mainly hunted, it was possible to estimate the possibility that the Earthenware Bowl with Raised Pattern group produced whale paintings of petroglyphs. It was observed that Bangudae petroglyphs were artificially represented by lines (Section IIB), which was a long trace, similar to the cutting technique that began in the Neolithic era. The manufacturing technique appeared in various ways in one picture, and many facets were produced by pecking. The petroglyph manufacturing experiment is presumed to have had a drafting phase to draw a precise picture, and it was produced by different techniques (split and drawn) depending on the part. The manufacturing technique was usually a method similar to the indirect peeling of stone making.


"Thanks to a passage from Aulus Gellius's Noctes Atticae, we know about a certain M. Porcius Cato, a curule aedile and praetor, whose presence and eventual death in Gallia Narbonensis might indicate that he held these functions in this province of Gaul. However, this conclusion was been largely dismissed by historians, often based on E. Badian's point by point refutation of this possibility. Yet the argument needs to be qualified; the data on Cato's life in this passage appear totally compatible with existing testimonies on a Roman administration in Gaul in the years 95-81 and, therefore, with his controling the province after his appointment as praetor, in the year 87 or in 81. If, however, Cato did govern this province in 87, his death might be the cause of the subsequent transfer of G. Valerius Flaccus, proconsul of Hispania Citerior, to the Gallic province. "


Nanosize multiferroic La-doped YFeO3 powders are harvested via a low-temperature solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectra analysis reveal that with La addition, YFeO3 powders are successfully fabricated at a lower temperature with the size below 60 nm, and a refined structure is obtained. Magnetic hysteresis loop illustrates ferromagnetic behavior of YFeO3 nano particles can be enhanced with La addition. The maximum and remnant magnetization of the powders are about 4.03 and 1.22 emu/g, respectively. It is shown that the optical band gap is around 2.25 eV, proving that La doped YFeO3 nano particles can strongly absorb visible light. Both magnetic and optical properties are greatly enhanced with La addition, proving its potential application in magnetic and optical field.


The aim of this study was to determine if any of the factors recorded on a standard clinical history of a patient considered for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) would be associated with reduction or cessation of opioids following implantation.


Background:  Chronic venous disorders are conditions of increasing prevalence in the developing world, and venous ulceration is the terminal sequel. Currently there are only limited data on all aspects of this from Southeast Asia. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in the demography and outcome between varicose vein surgery (VVS) and the relatively new endovenous laser therapy (EVT) in patients from Penang, Malaysia.


Detail introduction is given to the latest technology of the latch section and the optimization of the latch.With the introduction of the advanced technology into the knitting industry,China knitting industry will make further progress.


I. The Psychology of the Self. Introduction: Historical Development. General Orientation: The Inner Life of Man. Basic Concepts of Self Psychology. Selfs and Selfobjects. Selfobject Relations Disorders: Disorders of the Self. Narcissistic Rage. II. Treatment. The Setting. Principles. The Therapeutic Process. Selfobject Transferences. Countertransference Issues. Analytic Reality. Termination. Appendices: I. Medications. II. Third-Party Relations. Glossary of Self Psychology Terms.


In this paper, we extend the random Melnikov method from stochastic systems with a continuous vector field to discontinuous systems driven by a random disordered periodic input under the assumption that the unperturbed system is a piecewise Hamiltonian system. By measuring the distance of the perturbed stable and unstable manifolds, the nonsmooth random Melnikov process can be derived in detail, and then the mean square criterion for the onset of chaos is established in the statistical sense. It is shown that the threshold for the onset of chaos depends on the stochastic force and a scalar function of hypersurface. Finally, an example is given to analyze the chaotic dynamics using this extended approach, and discuss the effects of noise intensity on the dynamical behaviors of the system. The results indicate that the increase of the noise intensity will result in a chaotic motion of the discontinuous stochastic system and the changes of possible chaotic degree in the phase space. At the same time, the effects of noise intensity on chaos are further investigated through the system response including time history and phase portraits, Poincaré maps and [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] test.


Herschel–Bulkley fluids are materials that behave as rigid solids when the local stress τ is lower than a finite yield stress τ0, and flow as nonlinearly viscous fluids for τ>τ0. The flow domain then is characterized by two distinct areas, τ τ0. The surface τ=τ0 is known as the yield surface. In this paper, by using analytic solutions for antiplane shear flow in a wedge between two rigid walls, we discuss the ability of regularized Herschel–Bulkley models such as the Papanastasiou, the bi-viscosity and the Bercovier and Engelman models in determining the topography of the yield surface. Results are shown for different flow parameters and compared to the exact solutions. It is concluded that regularized models with a proper choice of the regularizing parameters can be used to both predict the bulk flow and describe the unyielded zones. The Papanastasiou model predicts well the yield surface, while both the Papanastasiou and the bi-viscosity models predict well the stress field away from τ=τ0. The ...


This paper was presented to the Head Injuries Symposium, Sydney, on 26th and 27th April, 1979. Investigations of 136 fatally injured persons wearing seat belts showed head injuries to be the most common life threatening injury and most common single cause of death, particularly in side impacts. In frontal crashes, intruding truck trays accounted for many fatal head injuries. Two studies of crashes involving restrained children showed that head injuries accounted for most serious injuries and fatalities. A study of 134 fatally injured motorcyclists showed that one third died solely of head injuries and in one fifth, life threatening head injuries contributed to death. Laboratory studies employing a seat belted anthropomorphic adult dummy in simulated side impacts and roll-overs demonstrated that even in a large car, head contact with side structures or the roof could result. A guard fitted under the rear tray of trucks has been shown in impact tests to effectively prevent car under-ride and thus intrusion of the tray into car occupant head space. The paper concludes with a discussion of efforts to improve Australian design rules in spite of the imperfect state of knowledge of the tolerance of heads to impact injury and the difficulty all researchers have in correlating dummy head acceleration with real-life head injuries. (TRRL)


The influence of structure of MnOx/TiO2 catalysts and their catalytic oxidation of o-dichlorobenzene were examined in this study. MnOx/TiO2 catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) and FTIR for NH3 adsorption techniques. Experimental results indicated that the MnOx/TiO2 catalyst prepared from manganese nitrate possessed the highest catalytic activity with a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 14,500 h-1. This activity may be due to a large amount of surface Mn2O3 species, the strong Bronsted and Lewis acidity and the combined TiO2 phases. Additionally, a possible reaction model from o-dichlorobenzene oxidation over MnOx/TiO2 catalyst was suggested based on the analysis.


The Authors discuss the results of seismic reflection profiling, borings and geotechnical, hydrogeological and mineralogical tests carried out to set up a geologic-structural model of clayey sediments crossed by a hydraulic tunnel. An appropriate survey campaign was impelled by the research of useful parameters for the choice of a suitable method of the tunneling works (boring and first face lining methods). The survey results allow to define: a) the tectonic conditions of the clayey sediments; b) the nature and the percentage distribution of clay minerals; c) the swelling characters of clay minerals; d) the correlation between mineralogy and geotecnical parameters; e) the hydrogeologic model. Besides traditional processing, reflection tomography was applied using some good reflecting layers to study the distribution of tectonic unconformity and to detect week or faulted zones.


In order to acquire accurate motor parameters to obtain excellent performances of motor controlsystems,an offline parameter identification strategy based on recursive least squares(RLS)algorithm and DC injectionmethod was proposed for surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor′s(PMSM)stator resistance andsynchronous inductance.By injecting a step excitation into α-axis,the stator resistance was identified during the steady-state period and the synchronous inductance was identified during the transient period.The result of resistance wascorrected by compensating the voltage errors caused by the dead time and voltage loss on the IGBTs and freewheelingdiodes.And the influence of the above factors on the inductance identification result was eliminated by introducing abase voltage into α-axis.Finally,simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposedmethod.


This article examines the effect of the Korean pop culture phenomenon also known as "Hallyu" on the inbound tourism demand of Korea. "Hallyu" products are exported throughout Asia and have been growing over the past decade. Using a Bayesian autoregressive model, we empirically investigate the product placement effects of "Hallyu" explained by the parasocial theory of previous literature utilizing inbound tourist data and show that "Hallyu" effects are also present in the overall tourism industry of Korea. The study illustrates that product placement can be a powerful marketing strategy in the tourism industry and highlights its importance for policy makers in creating a comprehensive joint plan for the development of long-term tourism.


ABSTRACT A fractional matching of a graph G is a function f giving each edge a number in so that for each , where is the set of edges incident to v. The fractional matching number of G, written , is the maximum of over all fractional matchings. In this paper, we study the connections between the fractional matching number and the Laplacian spectral radius of a graph. We also give some sufficient spectral conditions for the existence of a fractional perfect matching.


This is qualitative research that applied discourse analysis method. The objectives of this research are to clarify (1) the dominant praise used by the English teachers in the classroom interaction and (2) the function of praise given by the English teachers in the classroom interaction. The informants of this research were two students of English Education Study Program who took Pengenalan Lingkungan Persekolahan Program (PLP).The data were collected by using audio recording and note observation. The results of the research show that (1) the teachers dominantly use okay and good in giving Praise and (2) the functions of the praise are given by both of teachers as: to construct the good communication, to support positive learning behavior, to reward good students conduct and achievement and to express approval, admiration and delight during the teaching-learning process. The result also shows that both of teachers still have limited expression in giving praise.


Objectives: To assess glycaemic control, anthropometry and insulin regimens in a national sample of Australian children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.


The author proposes a universal classification of graduate profiles in terms of 'a graduate as an educated person' versus 'a graduate as a qualified person'. The difference between those two categories lies in motivation to obtain more knowledge than needed for a profession and in utilising such knowledge for purposes broader than one's career. This issue is described in the socio-economic context of modern-day Poland where, despite an increase in the number of educated people and the high individual value of education, the utility of education for individuals can sometimes be problematic. The article presents selected results from the Study of Human Capital in Poland which reveal certain deficiencies and gaps in the professional background of university graduates. Moreover, the article discusses trends in shaping the profile of a university graduate (with students, i.e. customers on the education market, having an increasing influence on such profile, especially in terms of professional qualifications, as they want to shape the teaching curricula in various fields of study). The author concludes that the graduate profile needs to contain elements from both types discussed in the paper, as this is necessitated by the subsequent stage of social development, e.g. the wisdom-based society.


Yersinia pestis toxin (fraction II by E. Baker) (YPT) inhibited the aggregation of human platelets as well as elevation of [Ca2+], induced by different agonists (ADP, PAF, Thrombin). Agonist-induced Ca2+ mobilization and Ca2+ influx were dose-dependently inhibited by the toxin. The effect was rapid, developing during the first minute of incubation with toxin. In contrast to murine lethal protein (MLP), the platelet-inhibiting activity was thermostable and was eliminated in the course of MLA purification from YPT. These data indicate that Yersinia pestis component, unlike MLP, could influence the Ca(2+)-dependent processes in human platelets.


The purchase of non-audit services from incumbent auditors has generated considerable attention. Surprisingly, limited empirical evidence exists on the association of non-audit services with firm value. Focusing on services related to financial information system (FIS), we find that the market value of equity is greater for firms that purchase FIS-related services from their incumbent auditors relative to firms that do not. The levels of FIS fees are also positively related to firm value after controlling for total other fees, or total other non-audit fees. Hence, despite the negative perception associated with non-audit services, investors regard FIS-related services as value-adding activities.


Let X be a topological space (no separation axioms are assumed) and let X be an arbitrary set of subsets of X. The aim of this paper is to show that if we introduce in X a notion of "convergence," having certain relatively weak properties in common with the notion of convergence in exp X studied by Mrovka [4] and Frollk [1], then the two notions must coincide. Doing this, we shall also study to some extent the duality becoming apparent in statements involving the (closed) topological lim inf and lim sup of a net of sets and exhibit some further properties of the class of nets converging in the sense of [4; 1]. The author gratefully acknowledges several inspiring discussions he had on this subject with Dr. Grimeisen who has a paper on related problems in the process of being published. In what follows we shall adhere to the terminology used in [5] and [1] except for some differences in notation that are stated explicitly. Let DC be the class of all nets in X. If 9 C DC, then we shall write 9'<9 for the statement: "9' is a subnet of W." Our results are based on the following two lemmas. The first lemma is taken from the proof of [1, Theorem 2.12]. A proof of the second one is contained implicitly in the proofs of [1, Theorem 2.7] and [2, Hilfssatz 9].


To evaluate and summarize the quality of emergency clinical teaching that includes contents,approaches and management of teaching for training the medical students' ability of clinical thought,technique of emergency treatment and ability to use multi-subjects synthetically.The reform can increase the students' interest of learning,enthusiasm of participation and the ability for analysis and treatment,and can greatly enhance the quality of teaching.


Motivated by the importance of diffusion equations in many physical situations in general and in plasma physics in particular, therefore, in this study, we try to find some novel solutions to fractional-order diffusion equations to explain many of the ambiguities about the phenomena in plasma physics and many other fields. In this article, we implement two well-known analytical methods for the solution of diffusion equations. We suggest the modified form of homotopy perturbation method and Adomian decomposition methods using Jafari-Yang transform. Furthermore, illustrative examples are introduced to show the accuracy of the proposed methods. It is observed that the proposed method solution has the desire rate of convergence toward the exact solution. The suggested method's main advantage is less number of calculations. The proposed methods give series form solution which converges quickly towards the exact solution. To show the reliability of the proposed method, we present some graphical representations of the exact and analytical results, which are in strong agreement with each other. The results we showed through graphs and tables for different fractional-order confirm that the results converge towards exact solution as the fractional-order tends towards integer-order. Moreover, it can solve physical problems having fractional order in different areas of applied sciences. Also, the proposed method helps many plasma physicists in modeling several nonlinear structures such as solitons, shocks, and rogue waves in different plasma systems.


Cap-and-trade has become a key climate policy strategy, in part due to concerns about the political feasibility of carbon taxes. However, federal cap-and-trade legislation remains elusive within North America, and it is increasingly likely that a global carbon market will be composed of a patchwork of regional bottom-up schemes. The challenges faced by the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), the most comprehensive GHG trading system currently being developed in North America, are examined. The WCI has had mixed success and several lessons concerning the political and technical requirements for bottom-up, regional GHG trading are offered. Although substantial administrative progress has been achieved, only two of its original eleven partners will be ready for trading in 2013. Creating a carbon market is more than a technical or political challenge – it is a social process. The WCI experience highlights the importance of the logic of collective action, the need for jurisdictions to see individual benefits, the role of evidence from other policy contexts, and the need for broad agreement about the purpose of policy. These factors can significantly shape the chances of survival for the carbon market even before actual trading begins. Policy relevance An analysis is provided of the political and administrative challenges facing the creation of the Western Climate Initiative, the largest multi-jurisdictional sub-national North American GHG cap and trade system initiated to date. Policy factors for both the coalescence and partial disintegration of the system are discussed for all 11 original partner jurisdictions. Key lessons are highlighted for policy and strategy that may be of use in other bottom-up initiatives of this type: acknowledging the multi-level governance aspects of climate policy (including the need for jurisdictions to see individual benefits), paying attention to the dynamics of collective action, the centrality of broader political and economic discourse in defining interpretations of the opportunities and costs of cap-and-trade, and the need for broad agreement about policy purpose.


In this work, we experimentally investigate the suspension behavior of droplets subjected to standing acoustic waves. We focus on the droplet sizes beyond the Rayleigh limit, i.e., when the droplet size is comparable to the wavelength of the acoustic wave. We show that an acoustic field can disrupt the uniform motion of aqueous droplets in oil and cause them to either suspend or settle, depending on the interplay between acoustic and gravity forces. Remarkably, in contrast to droplets within the Rayleigh limit, the critical acoustic power or minimum pressure amplitude required to suspend droplets beyond the Rayleigh limit is dependent on droplet size. As the droplet size increases, the critical acosutic power increases significantly. Building upon this understanding, a novel sorting method is proposed based on critical acoustic power.


A study is made of the amount of energy expended by an individual traveling by different ground transportation modes. Three typical trips are examined, namely: the Intraurban Commute, the Suburban/Urban Commute, and the Intercity Trip. The study begins with a look into the current and potential transportation energy resource situation, followed by a presentation of the transportation/energy efficiencies of a wide variety of ground transportation systems. Finally, a breakdown of the energy consumed by an individual making the three typical trips is presented. A variety of multimodal trips are compared with single modal trips from the basis of energy consumed. It is concluded that information of this type should be made available to the general public to illustrate an individual's impact upon our limited petroleum based energy resources.


X-band (9.5 GHz) time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectra of a 1,9-acyl−alkyl biradical were obtained at room temperature in benzene and in liquid (950 psi) carbon dioxide (CO2) solutions. The spin exchange interaction (J) in this biradical is negative and larger in magnitude than the hyperfine interaction (q). This leads to the observation, in both solvents, of spin-correlated radical pair (SCRP) spectra which are net emissive. Spectra obtained at later delay times (>1.5 μs) in CO2 exhibit alternating intensities of their SCRP transitions due to spin relaxation but do not show any significant change in line width. The same effect is observed in benzene, but on a slower time scale. Q-band (35 GHz) experiments in benzene showed that the phenomenon was found to be both field and temperature dependent. It is also chain-length dependent, being much stronger in short biradicals (<C10). A Redfield theory analysis of the spin-state populations is presented and discussed that includes J modul...


With the implementation of the Tort Liability Law,the forensic appraisal in medical disputes will play a more and more important role in medical injury identification.There exists a dual system of medical injury identification,which has its advantage and disadvantages.It is necessary to establish a uniform and independent system of medical injury identification.It's of positve significance for protecting the legitimate rights and interests of doctors and patients,settling medical injury cases fairly according to law and constructing a hamonious doctor and patient relationship.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an original plate for a heat mode-type lithographic printing plate which need not be developed and has abroad-the-printing machine development properties enabling the plate to be made up by directly mounting the plate on the printing machine and further, shows outstanding resistance to print scumming on the printing face and plate wear with the ability to record an image by a photothermal conversion action under laser beam scanning. SOLUTION: This original plate for the lithographic printing plate has an imaging layer which contains (A) a polymer including a constituent unit with an organic salt structure or a polymer having a hydrophilic graft group in the side chain and a surface hydrophilic fine particle which contains an infrared absorbing dye and turns lipophilic by heat and (B) a water-soluble polymer.


Growing concerns about health insurance coverage for near elderly adults have recently prompted calls to lower the age of Medicare eligibility, while increases in the normal retirement age for Social Security and concerns about Medicare's financial health, particularly as the population ages, have led others to suggest delaying it. This report reviews the available evidence on how changes to the age of Medicare eligibility might affect government costs and rates of health insurance coverage and employment for near elderly adults (ages 55 to 64) and young elderly adults (ages 65 to 66).


To the Editor. —Allergies to drugs are usually caused by the active ingredient. However, inert excipients (coloring agents, preservatives, and sweeteners) may also sometimes cause allergic reactions. 1-4 The incidence of these may be increasing, because excipients are now usually chemically produced synthetics, not naturally derived substances. We report a patient with epilepsy who developed sensitivity to FD&C Red 40 in the Tegretol brand of carbamazepine. Report of a Case. —A 56-year-old woman had had frequent complex partial and rare secondarily generalized seizures for 5 years. Control was poor with therapeutic plasma levels of phenytoin, primidone, and phenobarbital. Treatment with the Tegretol brand of carbamazepine (Ciba-Geigy) was started, and other drugs were withdrawn. Four weeks later, she complained of rhinorrhea, tearing, and nasal stuffiness that consistently occurred within 20 minutes after ingesting a Tegretol tablet. Generic carbamazepine (a white tablet made by Bioline MAF) was substituted at the same dose,


This paper proposes a local path planning method that utilizes the distance-type fuzzy reasoning method for the navigation of mobile robots in unstructured and dynamic environments. By using a distance-based fuzzy reasoning method: (i) both non-sparse and sparse input fuzzy sets representing sensor readings can be properly processed; (ii) benefiting from the modus ponens, when the input exactly matches one of the rules in the fuzzy rule base, the reasoning result is guaranteed to be the same as the consequent of that rule. Furthermore, we propose a behavioral controller that adopts the reasoning results to achieve efficient and safe local path planning. The presented approach has been evaluated by extensive experiments with our newly developed material transportation robots in real construction sites.


Although radiographic testing determines the nature of disfigurement through image on film,however usually,it cannot identify parameter of vice correctly,such as height and depth,and it has certain effect for practical work.This essay afforded a method of measuring height and depth of defect through the character of image on film using geometry principle.At the same time,the paper revised appropriately horizontal position of imperfection according to the character of image.Eventually,it proved further applicability of the means through specific example.


John MacKenzie was a well-liked veterinary officer with a wry sense of humour, who could always be relied on to solve problems.


Exercise is widely recommended for people with Parkinson (PD). Boxing is a popular mode of training. However, including individuals with less favorable profiles may have a negative impact on participation. We performed a systematic review to study the patient characteristics that were included in boxing exercise programs research and reflect on the possible inclusion criteria that professionals can use for boxing exercise programs. Indications for the best profiles were limited due to the small number of studies. Boxing programs should include people with the diagnosis of PD in earlier stages, independently ambulatory, and without current severe musculoskeletal or cardiovascular conditions.


In view of the shortcoming of the general hyperbola regression two-parameter model, this paper introduces the third parameter establishes the hyperbola regression three-parameter model. The reliability of the modeling principle and rationality of the modeling method have been proven theoretically, and two kinds of methods to calculate each parameter are given. In the example of the observed data analysis of Luhun Dam settlement, the hyperbola regression three-parameter model, the general hyperbola regression model and other models have been established. The contrast analysis of the result shows that it is very effective in establishing such hyperbola regression three-parameter model.


liew :fembers. Dr. Hunter Barron, Medical Officer'' hrist's College, Finchley and Dr. R. P. Smith, Medical Officer, King Edwardd's School, andAssistant Medical Officer, ]hithlebem, were elected mnembers of the, Association. School Sanitatiom'.-A discussion on the construction and maintena oteof l hod-sahatoria was theu opened by Dr. SIraLLY, Medical Offiter 'of Haileybury. It was suggested that the term "Infirm-ar ;" shlould be used only to designate' the buildipg in which cases of non-infectious3s illness and'* acidents alone we're received for treatment, but which in the case of small schools possessing no other a'ccommodation 'for sickness, would include, on the top floor' at least two rdnis or rards3 (the "infectious," or'better, "isolation" wards) for the reception of infectious cases, while the word "ranatorium', should indicate the building reserved for the'reception of infectious cases onlly, and that these terms should not be used interchangeably. The advantages of separate sanatorium accommodation for small schools; the. proportion which, the sanatorium accommodation should bear to the `size of the school, the accommodation to be provided for nurses and for school servants, and several points in connection with the construction and maintenance of such buildinges, were' fully dis. cussed by the members present, Members who had not, yet received their copies of Mr. Paget's paper were requested to communicate with. Dr. Alder Smith, Christ's Hospital, to that effect. '


In an inventive process for the combustion of soot particles abgelegerten in a particulate filter of an exhaust device of a diesel engine for a catalyst to produce a NO¶2¶ from the exhaust gas is present in a known manner. Through this NO¶2¶ the ignition temperature of the soot is lowered so that it burns at normal exhaust gas temperature. Furthermore, an addition of fuel additive is provided by which is also a lowering of the ignition temperature of the soot possible. According to the invention, the sulfur content is determined in the fuel and, dependent on one of the two methods, either the generation of NO¶2¶ or the addition of additive applied. This is preferably done automatically. To determine the sulfur content of a sulfur sensor can be used for example in the tank.


ln order to test the qua/ity and the charaeteristics of north and south Saharian soils in the presence of Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana root system, microbia/ biomass, microbial respiration, several enzymatic aetivities, microbial physiological groups and their ammoniftcation-nitriftcation potential in the rhizosphere were compared with those in a distant zone of soil not in~uenced by the plant Almost al/ the chemica/, biochemical and microbi%gica/ parameters were in~uenced by the Acacia root system. This « rhizosphere effeet » can be affeeted by several variables. Thus, it depends on the distance from the base of the tree, the age of the planting and the local ecological conditions. Noticeab/e differences were found between the south and the north Greas: in these latter the microbial metabolic aetivities are higher. The bioindicators sensibility in these oligotrophic environments is a/so discussed.


The authors examine the competing pressures on the education community posed by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and its mandates, and the less specific, but visible demands that an increasingly global economy place upon education planners, policy makers and researchers. This conflict is examined from a national, regional and local perspective, with examples and citations from the recent literature and interview quotations from Idaho teachers. The authors also point to some specific issues regarding the research methods mandated by the NCLBA, and the problems these mandates may create in the education policy and research communities.


Our English classrooms are often only as vibrant as the literature that we teach. This book explores the writing of contemporary American author, Kurt Vonnegut, who offers readers and students engaging fiction and nonfiction works that confront the reader and the world. Here, teachers will find an introduction to the life and works of Vonnegut and an opportunity to explore how to bring his works into the classroom as a part of the reading and writing curriculum. This volume attempts to confront what we teach and how we teach as English teachers through the vivid texts Vonnegut offers his readers.


This paper investigates the problem of reasoning about imprecise spatial information. As a representation scheme we assume haze-points that are points surrounded by an area, the haze, denoting the imprecision that is associated with them. Haze-points are related by haze and precedence relations. Using these notions we can build higher dimension objects and relations Top94a]. This paper focuses on reasoning about spatial imprecision which is formalized as a constraint satisfaction problem over networks of constraints expressed in the language of haze-orders. The main contributions of this paper are (a) a set of preprocessing transformations that decrease the ambiguity which is introduced from unconditional transitivity over the haze relation, and (b) a graph-based data structure which is suitable for ee-cient inferencing of order relations. 1 Introduction It is generally accepted that neither human perception nor measurement instruments are precise in the information they provide. This is especially true for spatial knowledge. The position of objects in space and the spatial relations between objects are perceived in relation to the degree of detail with which the world is viewed. The ability to reason with knowledge that is imprecise or is speciied in various degrees of precision, is fundamental to human intelligence. Incorporating this ability into knowledge representation and reasoning models is a major issue for artiicial intelligence research. In this paper we investigate this problem focusing on spatial knowledge. The haze-space ontology introduced in Top94a] sets the formal framework for this work. In the haze-space ontology, space is viewed as a totality of spatial objects connected in terms of spatial relations. There are two types of objects: points and regions. In the proposed framework, a point is not a zero-sized object but has an associated haze area, anywhere inside which the point in question may be located. Consequently, points which are \very close" to each other are indistinguishable. The notion of haze can help


https://jkms.org Dupuytren's disease (DD, or Dupuytren's contracture) is a condition in which one or more fingers (usually ring or small fingers) become progressively bent in a flexed position due to a thick, abnormal fibrous nodule or cord formation in the palmar fascia of the hand (Fig. 1). The metacarpophalangeal joint is usually involved first and later the proximal interphalangeal joint. DD is usually painless and progresses insidiously. Patients with DD usually tolerate the contracture well and present for treatment when they start to poke themselves in the eye when washing their face. Sometimes patients are thankful to be reassured that they did not have cancer. While surgery can improve the contracture, recurrence of some degrees is quite often, about 30%–50% after 5 years. J Korean Med Sci. 2018 Jul 30;33(31):e206 https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e206 eISSN 1598-6357·pISSN 1011-8934


A preparative procedure including water extraction, membrane ultrafiltration, and reversed-phase HPLC separation to isolate bitter peptides in Cheddar cheese was developed. The most bitter fractions in cheese samples were in a molecular weight range of either between 500 and 3000 or >3000. When equal amounts of the lyophilized bitter fraction were incorporated back into cheese, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese samples had a more pronounced increase in bitterness intensity than full-fat cheese samples. Sensory evaluation on the eluants of preparative HPLC revealed that bitterness was found in various places along the separation, although eluants in the early region of chromatograms were generally more bitter. Most of the isolated bitter peptides contained a high level of hydrophilic amino acid residues such as glutamic acid/glutamine and serine. Hydrophobic amino acid residues, such as leucine, isoleucine, and proline, were high in some bitter peptide fractions, but phenylalanine and tyrosine were absent in all ...


Since the phytopathological and chemical elucidation of lignification surrounding Japanese radish root tissue infected by Peronospora parasitical~A) it has been commonly accepted that the induced lignification of infected plant tissue participates in the formation of a physical barrier against the further development of fungal pathogens. Many reports on the relationship between the induced lignification of rice leaf tissue and the resistant characteristics of the rice plant, have suggested that lignification participates in the resistant characteristics of rice leaf tissue.5'6' However, the dynamic behavior of


The Parent Support Adviser (PSA) role, piloted in 2006-2008 in 20 Local Authorities (LAs) in England, offered preventative and early intervention support to families where there were concerns about children"s school attendance or behaviour. Overall, this was a highly successful initiative in terms of supporting parental engagement with their children"s schools. However, this article presents evidence drawn from 162 interviews (with PSAs, their line managers and coordinators in 12 case study LAs) showing that there was one key area in the PSA pilot that was less successful – the engagement of fathers. The article examines views about how to engage fathers and of the barriers explaining the overall absence of fathers from the PSA project. It highlights the dissonance between policy and practitioner guidance on the one hand and practice on the other with regard to the relative failure to engage fathers with this important initiative.


With rapid social and economic development and the frequent flow of talented personnel , the system of prohibition of business strife has become more and more important in the market economy.Stipulations regarding prohibition of business strife play a decisive role in the labor contract as regards employer-employee relations.However , owing to certain defects in the legal system , the relevant rights balance has not been supported effectively and as a result , business cost increases.This article presents an analysis on prohibition of business strife in Chinese labor regulations and relevant suggestions.


Local entropy generation in a turbulent nonpremixed jet flame (Sandia Flame D) is predicted using large eddy simulation (LES) with inclusion of entropy transport. The filtered form of entropy transport equation contains several unclosed source terms which represent irreversibilities due to viscous dissipation, heat conduction, mass diffusion, and chemical reaction. The subgrid scale (SGS) closure is accounted for by the entropy filtered density function (En-FDF) methodology to include complete statistical information about SGS variation of scalars and entropy. The En-FDF provides closed forms for the chemical reaction effects. The methodology is applied for LES of Sandia Flame D and predictions are validated against experimental data. Entropy statistics are shown to compare favorably with the data. All individual irreversible processes in this flame are predicted and analyzed. It is shown that heat conduction and chemical reaction are the main sources of entropy generation in this flame.


Philosophical counselling is investigated as a way to do philosophy, precisely as the practice in which diagnosis, prognosis, and the appropriate therapies are applied to the human spirit. This philosophical practice never becomes a technique, but is close to what Aristotle referred to as  praxis , and that the rehabilitation of practical philosophy during the last century has emphasized. Handling astonished wonder has certainly been one of the stated purposes of Greek philosophy, using knowledge itself as an antidote, but always going back to reconsidering it through our sense of wonder itself. The coming of  thauma cannot be calmed by a process of explanations like those offered by science; it is a disorienting event confusing the coordinates which guide us in the world and determine the conception we hace of ourselves with respect to the other. Philosophical counselling is considered a break with past practices because it faces the diseases of the contemporary spirit, the main one being indifference.


This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of counseling to favorably change self-concept; the effectiveness of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) in measuring self-concept change; and whether the TSCS is consistent with other self-concept instruments in measuring self-concept change when used in the same research study. The meta-analysis inclusion criteria were: one or more psychotherapy or counseling treatments administered to the subjects; comparison of two groups, including an alternate treatment or control condition; investigated self-concept change; pre-post-test measurements of self-concept dependent variable were reported; sample was randomized and/or matched for equivalence; and sufficient information was reported to calculate or reconstruct an effect size.


In this paper, we propose a thermal gel actuated probe which uses the volume change of the thermal gel as an actuator. The thermal gel actuated probe can be used for single cell analysis, especially single cell manipulation. The phase change from sol to gel causes an increase in volume, while the change from gel to sol causes a decrease in volume. The thermal gel actuated probe can spout and suck solution by these volume changes. This thermal gel actuated probe can be used as a disposable device. The thermal gel actuated probe also realize easy to use because it is needed only to switch the heater turning on and off for spout and suction of solution. The volume change of the thermal gel was evaluated. It is also evaluated that the volume of spouted solution by the thermal gel actuated probe. Finally, the target single microbead suction and spout were demonstrated by the thermal gel actuated probe. It is considered that the thermal gel actuated probe can realize the target cell manipulation, and can contribute to the single cell analysis.


The seeds of the federally-listed noxious weed and parasitic plant small broomrape (Orobanche minor Smith) are extremely small, averaging 200 to 300 μm in size. Because of its miniscule seed size, contamination of fields and seed lots by small broomrape seeds is difficult to detect and confirm via conventional methods. Complementary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers based upon unique sequences in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) of small broomrape were developed. The PCR amplified small broomrape DNA and did not amplify DNA from other Orobanche species with similar host ranges found in Oregon. The primers also did not amplify the DNA of red and white clover (Trifolium pratense L. and T. repens L., respectively), two agricultural hosts for this parasite. The PCR-based assay was sensitive enough to detect a single small broomrape seed. In 1998, small broomrape, a parasitic plant, was reported for the first time infesting a red clover field in Oregon's Willamette Valley (Fig. 1) (3). Previously, this parasite had been reported in the southeastern United States infesting weedy broadleaf hosts (7). Small broomrape is a federally listed noxious weed and is of regulatory significance to several other countries (11,12). This weed is a parasite on the agricultural crops alfalfa and red and white clover, as well as on other members of the Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Apiaceae (6). Federal and international regulations require clover seed from all infested areas be free of small broomrape contamination prior to export. Despite an eradication effort, small broomrape has since spread to 22 fields (269.7 ha) in seven counties in Oregon (Fig. 2) (T. Butler and R. Worth, Oregon Department of Agriculture, unpublished data). Although the costs of testing have been temporarily offset by an emergency grant from the USDA, soon clover seed growers will have to absorb both the costs of testing and any additional seed cleaning required to prepare their product for export (J. McCulley, Oregon Clover Commission, personal communication). Fig. 1. Small broomrape (courtesy of T. Butler). Plant Health Progress 11 November 2002 Small broomrape has several characteristics that create problems for both growers and seed certification and regulatory officials. Its miniscule seed size (200 to 300 μm) makes it very difficult to detect in harvested clover seed and in soil (Fig. 3) (4,10). Because small broomrape germinates and grows only in the presence of a susceptible host (8,14), field surveys must take place after planting and host germination. Also, small broomrape seeds can survive for up to 10 years in the soil (7). This combination of factors makes a rapid and reliable test for the presence of small broomrape a necessity. Thus, our goal was to develop a PCR-based assay specific for small broomrape DNA and sensitive enough to detect a single small broomrape seed. Designing Specific PCR Primers Spin column chromatography was used to extract DNA from small broomrape plants collected from the original infested field in Clackamas County, Oregon (DNeasy Plant Mini Kit, Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA). The ITS region of the nrDNA was amplified with the universal primers ITS5 and ITS4 as described (13). Primers ITS5 and ITS4 amplify the internal spacer regions and the 5.8S subunit of the nrDNA of numerous plants and fungi (Fig. 4) (13). Amplification was performed in a MJ Research DNA Thermal Cycler programmed for 5 min at 94°C, followed by 30 cycles of 1 min at 94°C, 1 min at 52°C, and 3 min at 72°C, with a final extension step of 7 min at 72°C. After amplification, PCR products were purified (QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit, Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA) and submitted to the Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology Central Services Laboratory, Oregon State University, for sequencing using the ABI 377 automated fluorescence sequencer. Fig. 2. Distribution of small broomrape in red clover production fields in Oregon (data courtesy of T. Butler and R. Worth, Oregon Department of Agriculture). Infested (red dots) and noninfested (blue dots) fields are shown. Fig. 3. Seeds of small broomrape (small specks), red clover (RC) and white clover (WC). Plant Health Progress 11 November 2002 A search of the GenBank database (1) using the complete 601 base pair (bp) ITS sequence of small broomrape (GenBank Accession No. AF437315) verified the ITS sequence was from a member of the Orobanchaceae. Comparison with known red(GenBank Accession No. AF053172) and white clover (GenBank Accession Nos. AF154620 and AF154396) ITS sequences revealed significant differences between the three species in this DNA region. Forward (OM1, 5' GAA CTG TGG CGA TCA CGT C) and reverse (OM2, 5' AAA CAC GCC CCG TAA GAA G) primers were designed to specifically amplify the ITS region of small broomrape's nrDNA using the Primer3 Program available online from the MIT Center for Genome Research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. The primers were designed to amplify a 377 bp PCR amplicon (Fig. 4). Testing Primer Specificity Small broomrape plants were collected from a total of 13 infested fields in Clackamas, Columbia, Linn, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties. DNA was extracted from the plant tissues of the samples as previously described and the multiplex PCR reaction performed. The PCR reaction was performed in 15-μL multiplex reactions using the newly designed OM1 and OM2 primers and the universal internal control primers NS1 (5' GTA GTC ATA TGC TTG TCT C) and NS2 (5' GGC TGC TGG CAC CAG ACT TGC) (13). NS1 and NS2 amplify a region of the Small Subunit nrDNA from a wide variety of plants, fungi, and protists (Fig. 4) (13). These universal internal control primers were added to eliminate any "false negatives" that would be caused by a failed PCR reaction. NS1 and NS2 amplify a 555 bp PCR product, significantly larger than the 377 bp PCR product produced by OM1 and OM2. Each reaction tube contained 1× enzyme buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 9.0, 50 mM KCl, 0.1% Triton®X-100), 1.5 mM MgCl2, 200 μM dNTPs, 0.4 μM of the O. minor primers (OM1 and OM2), 0.1 μM of the universal internal control primers (NS1 and NS2), 1.0 U Taq DNA polymerase, and 1 μl template (DNA). Amplification parameters were adjusted to 5 min at 94°C, followed by 35 cycles of 1 min at 94°C, 1 min at 52°C, and 1 min at 72°C, with a final extension step of 7 min at 72°C. Previous research showed more amplification cycles were necessary for unambiguous amplification results, particularly from single Orobanche seeds (10). Amplification products were resolved on 1% (w/v) agarose gels in Tris-Borate-EDTA buffer (pH 8.3) and visualized with ethidium bromide under UV light. The primers OM1 and OM2 successfully amplified the 377 bp PCR product from the plant tissues of all of the samples collected, including a plant from Multnomah County with a "canary yellow" phenotype (Fig. 5). The primer pair did not amplify DNA from O. californica Cham. & Schldl. and O. fasciculata Nutt., two other Orobanche spp. found in Oregon that have similar host ranges (Fig. 5). Also, primers OM1 and OM2 did not amplify red and white clover DNA (Figs. 6 and 7). However, the expected 555 bp amplicon from the universal primers NS1 and NS2 was present for O. californica, O. fasciculata, red clover, and white clover, indicating amplification did occur in these samples. Fig. 4. Approximate locations on Orobanche minor's nuclear ribosomal DNA of the universal primers ITS5, ITS4, NS1, and NS2, and of the O. minor-specific primers OM1 and OM2. Nuclear ribosomal genes are in blue and internal transcribed spacer regions in white. Plant Health Progress 11 November 2002 With the O. minor samples, the universal band was often faint to nonexistent on the gels because of primer-limited competition for the DNA template in the multiplex PCR reaction. Nonetheless, the presence of the 377 bp amplicon demonstrated amplification was successful. Detecting Single Seeds of Orobanche minor The small broomrape plant samples were dried and their seeds collected. The seeds were macerated either with a sterile drill bit (4) or using a MiniBeadbeaterTM (BioSpec Products, Bartlesville, OK) prior to DNA extraction. DNA was extracted as described above from 1, 5, 10, and 20 small broomrape seeds from a heavily seeded plant collected in Yamhill County. When the optimized multiplex PCR amplification reaction was performed, OM1 and OM2 successfully and consistently amplified the 377 bp PCR product from single and multiple seeds (unpublished data). The DNA extracted from single and multiple seeds was then added to DNA extracted from 10 red clover seeds (1:1 ratio, v:v) and the optimized multiplex PCR reaction performed. OM1 and OM2 successfully and consistently amplified the 377 bp amplicon from single and multiple O. minor seeds in the presence of the red clover DNA (Fig. 6). Finally, DNA was extracted from single seeds from the remaining plant samples and the multiplex PCR reaction performed. Again, the primers consistently amplified the 377 bp amplicon from the single seeds of the plant samples collected (Fig. 7). Conclusions The multiplex PCR reaction described above allows for the rapid and reliable identification of single seeds of small broomrape. This PCR-based assay detected DNA from all small broomrape samples collected in this study, including a sample with a distinct phenotype. The primers did not amplify DNA from other Orobanche species with similar host ranges found in Oregon. The primers also did not anneal to the DNA of redand white clover, two hosts for small Fig. 5. Multiplex PCR demonstrating the specificity of the small broomrape-specific primers (377 bp band) and the amplification of the internal control primers (555 bp band). Orobanche minor from Multnomah (lanes 1 and 2), Clackamas (lane 4), and Columbia (lane 5) counties; O. californica (lane 3); O. fasciculata (lane 6); water control (lane 7); and 100 bp D


Synopsis Recent work on the microbiological activity, chemistry and safety of the antimicrobial agent Bronopol is reported. Methods for the estimation of Bronopol are described, and the nature of its decomposition products is discussed. Animal metabolism and toxicology results are reported, together with animal and human studies on irritancy and sensitisation. The performance of Bronopol in a number of experimental formulations is described.


The effect of antigenic stimulation on a bovine lymph node was studied using conventional histological and cytological techniques. The lesions observed in the bovine lymph node following immunological stimulation are similar to those described in other mammalian species. Histometrical studies showed an increase in the size of the nucleus of lymphoid cells in the stimulated lymph nodes. This probably reflects an activation of the lymphoid cell population. The number of the various cell types in the germinal centers appeared to be positively correlated with the stimulation intensity. The complete identification of the different sub-lines of lymphoid cells requires complementary immunocytochemical and electron-microscopic studies.


The apparent absence of learners from the spaces and times of the institution is usually seen as a negative element of distance learning, positioning distance learners as other to the 'norm' of the present, on‐campus, traditional student. This paper explores the narratives of a group of distance learners, highlighting that these learners primarily see being outside the spaces and times of the university as an opportunity. Rather than creating a sense of otherness, it is regarded as giving a sense of control, allowing space and time in which to take up their studies alongside demanding jobs and caring roles.


Data-driven decision-making is on the cutting edge of web development endeavors. Here we compare different approaches to the A/B test; a procedure to compare the success frequencies of two website versions. We demonstrate how Bayesian A/B tests allow practitioners to address various questions concerning the difference between two sample proportions. With the proposed analyses, practitioners can monitor and quantify their uncertainty as data accumulate. Additionally, the endorsed analysis approach allows to include prior knowledge on the plausibility of competing hypotheses and about the expected effect size. We describe the A/B test analysis making use of JASP with a data set that was collected on an online learning platform.


These studies tested whether ageism affects the future time perspective (FTP) of older adults. Ageism occurs when someone is classified as "old" and is judged or treated differently as a result. To mimic this, we recruited participants (aged 50+) from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. We made their age salient, exposed them to negative aging stereotypes, and asked them to complete Carstensen and Lang's (1996) FTP Scale. Across multiple studies, participants assigned to the ageism conditions rated their futures as having fewer opportunities. This effect was mediated by mood and did not occur for younger adult participants. In addition, as the personal experiences of older adults with ageism increased, their perception of futures opportunities decreased. Thus, ageism reduces the future opportunities older adults see for themselves.


The invention provides a double frequency filtering device, a processing method thereof and a semiconductor device. The double frequency filtering device comprises a low frequency filtering unit and a high frequency filtering unit. An output terminal of the low frequency filtering unit is connected to a common output terminal. An input terminal of the low frequency filtering unit is used for introducing low frequency power, and the low frequency filtering unit is used for separating high frequency power from the high frequency filtering unit to prevent the high frequency power from ground conduction. An output terminal of the high frequency filtering unit is connected to the common output terminal. An input terminal of the high frequency filtering unit is used for introducing the high frequency power, and the high frequency filtering unit is used for separating the low frequency power from the low frequency filtering unit to prevent the low frequency power from the ground conduction. According to the technical scheme of the invention, the double frequency filtering device can form an ideal low frequency channel and an ideal high frequency channel, so that the double frequency filtering device can introduce the low frequency power and the high frequency power into a bottom electrode more ideally.


Abstract The high rate of academic dishonesty reported among Chinese college students has created challenges for practitioners in both domestic and Western universities. Following two contrasting yet complementary scholarly approaches, this study explored the relative importance of predictors indicative of students' intention to cheat (moral attitude, subjective norm and penalty enforcement) and of their educational preparedness for academic integrity (integrity engagement) in explaining academic dishonesty, with an emphasis on gender differences. We administered a questionnaire survey to a sample of 2009 Chinese undergraduate students. The results indicated that moral attitude and integrity engagement were the major predictors, that subjective norm accounted for marginal variations of academic dishonesty, and that the influence of penalty enforcement was insignificant. Some gender differences on both the mean score and effect levels of the four predictors were revealed. The effects of grade, year and area of study on academic dishonesty (and particularly their joint effects with gender) were noteworthy. These findings are discussed relative to the results of prior studies and the Chinese context.


AB, NR, and PE are supported by an NWO Vidi Grant (PI: Rea). NR is also supported by grants AYA2015-71042-P and SGR 2014-1073. PE acknowledges funding in the framework of the project 'Understanding the X-ray Variable and Transient Sky' (ULTraS), ASI-INAF contract no. 2017-14-H.0. JAP acknowledges support by the Spanish MINECO/FEDER grant AYA2015-66899-C2-2-P, and the grant of Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEOII-2014-069. FCZ is supported by grants AYA2015-71042-P and SGR 2014-1073. DG acknowledges the financial support of the UnivEarthS Labex program at Sorbonne Paris Citee (ANR-10-LABX-0023 and ANR-11-IDEX-0005-02). We thank the referee for his comments and the COST Action PHAROS (CA16214) for partial support.


The improvementof accuracy of head-end strip thickness is required strongly these days. But generally speaking, it is very difficult to maintain accurately under the production of small-lot orders for manydifferent types of products. As one of the positive countermeasures to these difficulties, on-line adaptive methods has beendeveloped at Yawata's hot strip mill. Themain idea is basedon improvementof prediction accuracy of rolling forces, by meansof the forward slip measuring system, in order to estimate coefficient of friction and deformation resistance independently. And further correction methodhas been introduced employing with fuzzy theory which is a dynamicgap control by finding a certain relationship betweenpredicted rolling force and measuredone. Weobtained satisfactory results and believe these approach is applicable for a gaugecontrol methodunder increasingly diversified production style.


Inhaled medications for cystic fibrosis (CF) are effective but Background: adherence is low. Clinicians find it difficult to estimate how much treatment people with CF (PWCF) take, whilst objective adherence measurement demonstrates that patients are poorly calibrated with a tendency to over-estimate actual adherence. The diagnostic approach to a PWCF with deteriorating clinical status and very low adherence is likely to be different to the approach to a deteriorating patient with optimal adherence. Access to objective adherence data in routine consultations could help to overcome diagnostic challenges for clinicians and people with CF. Attitudes of clinicians to the use and importance of routinely available adherence data is unknown. We conducted an online questionnaire survey with UK CF Methods: centres. We asked five questions relating to the current use and perception of objective measurements of adherence in routine care. A total of eight CF centres completed the questionnaire. Few of Results: the responding centres have adherence data readily available in routine clinics (13% of centres use medicines possession ratio; of centres with access to I-nebs® it was estimated that 17% of patients had I-neb data regularly available in clinics). All centres considered the availability of objectively measured adherence data to be important. Respondents identified that systems developed to provide adherence data in clinical practice must provide data to both clinicians and patients that is readily understood and easy to use. Centres perceived the availability of adherence data in Conclusions: routine care to be important but objective measures of adherence is rarely available at present.


This study includes the preparation of some heterocyclic compounds compact of the Pyrazole, work is done in three steps. First step, treatment of acetophenone derivatives with DMF-DMA for the preparation of the first compound (2E)-1-( R phenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)prop-2-en-1-one , (R) is one of the derivatives used for acetophenone (R = Br, NH 2 ). The second step, treatment of benzaldehyde derivatives with hydrazine to prepare the second compound in the series (1E) - (R benzylidene) hydrazine, where (R) is one of the derivatives used for benzaldehyde to get the Shiff bases. And the third step, treatment of the first step products with the products of the second step. Each product from the first step gives us a series of Pyrazole compounds with its reaction with products of the second step interaction after the other. Thus, we can bring a number of compounds, the sum of the first step products multiplied by the products of the second step. The third-step reaction is a ring-blocking reaction to form a combined heterogeneous ring of Pyrazole. Finally, characterization these compounds with infrared spectra, NMR spectrum and mass spectrometry.


Ataxia-telangiectasia is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease characterized by ataxia, radiosensitivity, telangiectases, and increased risk for hematologic malignancies. We present a case of a female individual diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia at 13 years and subsequently with αβ subtype of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) at 20 years. During her diagnostic work up for HSTCL, paired tumor-germline sequencing identified a diagnosis of ataxia-telangiectasia. We also describe a very refractory clinical course of her αβ HSTCL, including only a brief response to multiagent chemotherapy and an allogenic bone marrow transplant.


Fluorescence and Raman spectra of two representative bridged [14]annulenes, i.e., 1,6:8,13-ethanediylidene[14]annulene and 1,6:8,13-propanediylidene[14]annulene (1 and 2 in Figure 1, respectively) have been measured. The fluorescence spectra show a resolved Franck−Condon structure assigned to low-frequency totally symmetric modes and their overtones/combinations. The Raman spectra have been measured using several excitation wavelengths in pre- and/or near-resonance conditions with respect to the La and Ba states. A1 and a2 vibrational modes are resonantly enhanced in both cases. Excited-state equilibrium geometries and energies of 1 and 2 have been calculated by means of the MCSCF/CAS ab initio procedure. Franck−Condon factors have been determined coupling structural data with normal mode displacements. On this basis fluorescence and Raman excitation profiles are reasonably well fitted to the experiment. It is concluded that the Lb, La, and Ba states of 1 and 2 have equilibrium structures accurately descr...


A new neural network was developed to identify reservoir fluid types based on gravity capturing instead of distance. The resultant force competition mechanism was introduced to determine the diagnostic radii of reservoir fluid. The new neural network has no need to respond to every input data in classification application. The former algorithm for distance calculation was improved to avoid miss judgment due to the magnitude jump of a single parameter. A field case of reservoir identification using the new neural network combined with geophysical well logs was presented. The application demonstrated the advantages and the efficiency of the new neural network.


Border detection between the two monochromatic stimuli (we called them, test and reference) was investigated for a wide range of reference luminance in various surround luminance conditions. Luminance contrast for the border detection shows U shaped curve for each level of surround luminance when plotted against the luminance of reference stimulus. As the surround luminance increases, the U shaped curve shifts toward higher luminance direction, and the lowest contrast value decreases indicating the increase of sensitivity for border detection. Results are discussed in relation to the physiological property of human visual system.


Background In our institution patients with fifth metacarpal neck fractures used to be referred to fracture clinic. The first audit aimed to assess if the referral changes management. This resulted in implementation of new practice, followed by the re-audit and follow up. Methods We looked at 6 months data retrospectively, followed by prospective data collection for 6 months after initiation of new practice and electronic monitoring of re-referrals. Local systems were used for data extraction. Fracture assessment included angulation, rotational deformity and whether it was an open injury. The financial department assessed the cost of each fracture clinic. Results Thirty-six patients included in the first audit compared to 27 in the re-audit, referral rate is 97% and 78%, respectively. All injuries were closed and there was no rotational deformity. Two patients had volar angulation more than 50° in the second sample but none in the first one. All patients were treated with neighbour strapping for one to two weeks and subsequent mobilisation. There were no instances of change of management with attendance at fracture clinic. Sixty percent got discharged in first appointment, compared to 50% after re-auditing. Re-referral rate is 0%. Each fracture clinic costs just over £700. Conclusions Patients with fifth metacarpal neck fractures should be managed in the ED through an agreed pathway, unless they have rotational deformity, are open or angled beyond 50° in which case they should be referred to the fracture clinic or on call orthopaedic team as appropriate. This will not only avoid an unnecessary attendance at fracture clinic, but also provide cost saving.


The corrosion inhibition behavior of Ketosulfone for zinc is investigated by polarization and AC-impedance techniques at 303-333K. The Tafel plots indicates that the Ketosulfone is a mixed type inhibitor. The interaction between metal and inhibitor is explained by Langmuir adsorption isotherm.  DG 0 ads andDH 0 ads value indicates the electrostatic interactions between metal and inhibitor. Calculated activation parameters explains the corrosion process. SEM images show the difference between inhibited solutions and blank solution.


Recent decades have seen remarkable finds of metal objects from Irish soil – and equally remarkable consequences when some of those objects have surfaced on the open antiquities market.


Introduction Diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa, based on blood analyses, are hampered by infrastructural and cultural reasons. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of glycated nail proteins for diabetes mellitus. The second aim was to compare the course of short- and long-term glycemic biomarkers after 6 months of antidiabetic treatment. These objectives should support our hypothesis that glycated nail proteins could be used as an alternative glycemic biomarker. Materials and methods This case-control study consisted of 163 black diabetics and 67 non-diabetics of the South Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo). Diagnostic accuracy of glycated nail proteins was evaluated using ROC curve analysis. At the start of the study, glycated nail protein concentrations were compared between diabetics and non-diabetics, using a nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) colorimetric method. In a subgroup of 30 diabetics, concentrations of glycated nail proteins, fasting glucose (Accu-Chek® Aviva), serum fructosamine (NBT) and HbA1c (DCA-2000+®) were measured at start and after 6 months. Results ROC analysis yielded an AUC of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-0.76) and a cut-off point of 3.83 μmol/g nail. Concentration of glycated nail proteins was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in diabetics in comparison with non-diabetics. After 6 months of antidiabetic treatment, a significant drop in the fasting glucose concentration (P = 0.017) and concentration of glycated nail proteins (P = 0.008) was observed in contrast to serum fructosamine and HbA1c. Conclusions Measurement of glycated nail proteins could be used to diagnose and monitor diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa.


Substituted phthalimides [l-(3-chlorophthalimido)-cyclohexanecarboximide (AC 94,377) and a related tetrahydrophthalimide (AC 99,524)] and gibberellic acid (GA3) were applied to shoots of Chrysanthemum Xmorifolium Ramat. 'Starburst' on the fourth week of short daylength. Phthalimide rates of 250-1000 mg/liter caused elongated peduncles, higher peduncle dry weights, and greater internodal elongation than on untreated plants. These results with phthalimides compared favorably with GA3 at rates of 10-50 mg/liter. Phthalimide AC 94,377 produced greater peduncle dry weights than did GA3 on the first 4, most-terminal peduncles.


Herein we report biorecognition studies of protein IgG using biocomapatible gold nanorods as molecular probes. Surface modification of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-stabilized gold nanorods was carried out by using poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) to reduce the toxicity of as-synthesized gold nanorods caused by free CTAB. ζ potential analysis confirmed charge reversal on the surface of gold nanorods caused by the PSS coating. Surface plasmon resonance exhibited by gold nanorods has been employed as a tool for analyzing the binding events for biomolecules. TEM results, showing the aggregation of gold nanorods, in addition to the shift in surface plasmon resonance peak in UV−vis absorption measurements, upon the interaction of biomolecules with gold nanorods, confirmed molecular binding. Morphological changes caused by the cellular uptake of gold nanorods before and after PSS modification have been observed. Cell viability studies using gold nanorods were performed to study the cytotoxic effects of thes...


A simple and sensitive flow-injection (FI) method is reported for the determination of thiram and aminocarb pesticides in natural water samples based on the strong enhancing effects of these pesticides on the tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-diperiodatoargentate(III) (Ru(bipy)_3^2+-DPA) chemiluminescence (CL) system. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the CL intensity was linear over the range of 1.0 – 1000 and 1.0 – 10000 ng mL^−1 ( R ^2 = 0.9998 ( n = 7) and 0.9994 ( n = 11)) for thiram and aminocarb, respectively, with relative standard deviations (RSDs; n = 3) in the range 1.0 – 2.6%. The limits of detection ( S/N = 3) were 0.1 ng mL^−1 for both pesticides with injection throughputs of 150 h^−1. The key chemical and physical variables (reagent concentrations, flow rates, sample volume, PMT voltage) were optimized and potential interferences investigated. The method was successfully applied to natural water samples and the results obtained were not significantly different (95% confidence interval) from results obtained by the previously reported FI–CL and HPLC methods. Thiram could be determined in the presence of aminocarb using Triton X-100. The possible CL reaction mechanism is also discussed briefly.


In this study, a sputtering technique for a Bio-MEMS thin film piezoelectric actuator is developed, by employing a newly designed biocompatible piezoelectric material MgSiO3 that has a tetragonal perovskite lattice crystal structure. This crystal structure was designed by using numerical analyses, such as the HSAB rule, the geometrical compatibility assessment and the first principle based DFT calculation. In general, MgSiO3 has an orthorhombic perovskite structure in the nature. Therefore, we try to generate a tetragonal structure by employing 1) the helicon wave plasma sputtering (HWPS) method, which can produce large energy atoms under a low working pressure and easy to control the lattice constant for growing the tetragonal structure of MgSiO3 and 2) a bio-compatible substrate Ir/Ti/Si, to produce a thin film of MgSiO3 tetragonal perovskite. Ir/Ti/Si substrate has better compatibility with MgSiO3 (111) plane, because of its close lattice constant. An optimal condition of HWPS to generate MgSiO3 tetragonal perovskite structure was sought by using the experimental design method and the response surface method. We found that 1) the substrate temperature and 2) the target composition ratio are significant influent factors for MgSiO3 film generation. In this searching process, we evaluated the properties of MgSiO3 films by 1) the surface roughness measured by AFM, and 2) the chemical compositions measured by XPS, and 3) the crystal structure by XRD. Finally, MgSiO3 thin film was successfully fabricated and the piezoelectric and ferroelectrics properties were measured.


In the early 2010s, Tennessee adopted a new teacher evaluation system. Recent research finds Tennessee teacher effectiveness substantially and rapidly improved after this reform. However, there is little empirical research exploring which components of the reformed system might have contributed to this growth. Using longitudinal data, I apply a local regression discontinuity design to identify the effects of more frequent classroom observations, a cornerstone of Tennessee evaluation reform, on average student achievement scores. Much of the identifying variation is associated with an increase from one to two policy-assigned observations per year, potentially limiting the generalizability of results. However, most Tennessee teachers are assigned one or two observations by state policy, making this a margin of primary interest in the Tennessee context. Among teachers included in the research design, there is no evidence the receipt of an additional observation per year improved teacher effectiveness. Descriptive analyses suggest weak implementation of observational processes may explain the absence of positive effects. Implications are discussed.


Psychological contract has been one of the main ways of retaining talents for enterprises,and achieving the purpose of keeping people from the spirit by imposing corporate vision,values and other aspects of compensation on the staff psychologically.The arrival of knowledge economy has not only brought opportunities for human resource management but also challenges.This paper has proposed strategies of building psychological contract in the knowledge economy on the basis of analyzing concept and feature of psychological contract,also the challenges of the knowledge economy.


In this paper, a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) based self-triplexing antenna (STA) with non-linear replicated hybrid slot (NLR-HS) is presented. To the author's best knowledge, the concept of NLR is the first of its kind in the literature used for obtaining self-triplexed operation. Initially, the SIW cavity is loaded by a hexagonal slot merged with two rectangular transverse slots that together produce two distinct resonances around 5.23 and 7.50 GHz. The variation in resonant frequencies of both lower and upper frequency bands can be modelled by applying NLR on the hexagonal slot. To achieve the self-triplexing operation, a coaxial probe-fed parasitic hexagonal patch is placed concentrically inside the hexagonal slot. The third resonance is centered around 10.82 GHz and can be modelled with the help of the gap between the hexagonal slot and parasitic patch.To validate the proposed idea, the design is fabricated and experimentally tested. Moreover, the antenna shows a front-to-back ratio (FTBR) better than 25 dB, average isolation of 43 dB and measured gain (efficiency) values of 7.33 (97.39%), 6.66 (95.82%), and 6.28 (97.83%) dBi at three resonances. Good agreement between the simulated and measured results makes the proposed STA a good candidate for practical applications.


Horizontal gene transfer among microbial populations has been assumed to occur in the environment, yet direct observations of this phenomenon are rare or limited to observations where the mechanism(s) could not be explicitly determined. Here we demonstrate the transfer of exogenous plasmid DNA to members of indigenous marine bacterial populations by natural transformation, the first report of this process for any natural microbial community. Ten percent of marine bacterial isolates examined were transformed by plasmid DNA while 14% were transformed by chromosomal DNA. Transformation of mixed marine microbial assemblages was observed in 5 of 14 experiments. In every case, acquisition of the plasmid by members of the indigenous flora was accompanied by modification (probably from genetic rearrangement or methylation) that altered its restriction enzyme digestion pattern. Estimation of transformation rates in estuarine environments based upon the distribution of competency and transformation frequencies in isolates and mixed populations ranged from 5 × 10−4 to 1.5 transformants/1 day. Extrapolation of these rates to ecosystem scales suggests that natural transformation may be an important mechanism for plasmid transfer among marine bacterial communities.


In this paper, we study the potential security issues in data center networks (DCN). We focus on TCP, and propose a synchronized denial of service (SDoS) attack model. In SDoS, malicious tenants may employ multiple virtual machines (VM) as attackers and launch a low-rate synchronized DoS attack to VMs of the targeted victims. We give an analysis and our preliminary experiments confirm the feasibility of such SDoS attack.


This paper discusses the design, development and implementation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) for access management for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). The system was developed to facilitate better decision making for all groups within WisDOT in regards to access from parcels of land to state controlled highways. The paper is presented in the following chapters: (1) Loading County Information; (2) Using Display Options; (3) Locating Items; (4) Info; and (5) Tools.


Six isomers with C2v, D3h, C5v, D2d, Oh, and C4v symmetries of and two isomers with C3v and C2v symmetries of are investigated at the high ab initio level combined with the natural bond orbital and the atoms-in-molecules theorems. The hyperconjugative interaction and the electron topological analyses indicate that the multiple three-center two-electron (3c-2e) hyperbond is the common chemical-bonding basis for and species. In contrast to the planar 3c-2e (triangle structure) and planar four-center four-electron (4c-4e) hyperbonds in isomeric species, the 3c-2e hyperbond in (C4v) is linear while the 4c-4e hyperbonds in (C5v, D2d, Oh) are unplanar. (C2v) and (C3v) as the global minima have many resonance structures predicted by the natural bond resonance theory, indicating the high possibility of the hydrogen scrambling which is similar to the scenario of .


Two novel derivatives of 2-naphthalenemethyl benzimidazole were prepared from the reaction of ferrocenesulfonylchloride with the corresponding 2-naphthalenemethyl benzimidazole. The new compounds were characterized by means of elemental analysis, MS and  1H NMR. The crystal structure of compound 2a was determined by X-ray diffraction. The 2a crystals are triclinic with space group P1, and the unit cell parameters are a= 0.890 55(10) nm, b=0.970 34(10) nm, c=1.461 0(2) nm, α=101.542(2)°, β= 95.811(2)°, γ=109.780(10)°, V=1.144 3(2) nm 3, Z=2, F(000)=526, M_r =507.39, D_c= 1.473 Mg/m3, μ= 1.016 mm -1, R_ 1=0.038 6, wR_ 2 =0.097 9. The antimicrobial activities of the two novel compounds against five fungicides are superior to that of 50% carbendazim wet powder.


This paper presents the design and experimental results of a wide-band frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar for high-resolution object detection. The bandwidth of 1.5GHz with the starting frequency of 1GHz is employed. The low-cost radio frequency (RF) equipments are employed consisting of RF power divider, low-noise amplifiers, RF mixer, and intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier which is available in the market. The calculated object resolution of 10 cm is obtained. The experimental object resolution result of 10 cm is achieved.


BACKGROUND
Detection of peripheral nerve thickening and nerve function impairment is crucial in the diagnosis and the management of leprosy.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
(1) To document the cross-sectional area, echotexture and blood flow of peripheral nerves in healthy controls and leprosy cases using high-resolution ultrasound, (2) to compare the sensitivities of clinical examination and high-resolution ultrasound in detecting peripheral nerve thickening in leprosy.

METHODS
Peripheral nerves of 30 leprosy patients and 30 age- and sex-matched controls were evaluated clinically and by high-resolution ultrasound. When the cross-sectional area of a peripheral nerve on high-resolution ultrasound in a leprosy patient was more than the calculated upper bound of the 95% confidence interval for mean for that specific nerve in controls, that particular peripheral nerve was considered to be enlarged.

RESULTS
Cross-sectional areas more than 7.1 mm2 for the radial nerve, 8.17 mm2 for ulnar, 10.17 mm2 for median, 9.50 mm2 for lateral popliteal and 11.21mm2 for the posterior tibial nerve were considered as nerve thickening on high-resolution ultrasound. High-resolution ultrasound detected 141/300 (47%) nerves enlarged in contrast to the 60 (20%) diagnosed clinically by palpation (P < 0.001). Clinical examination identified thickening in 31/70 (44.3%) nerves in cases with impairment of nerve function and 29/230 (12.6%) in the absence of nerve function impairment. High-resolution ultrasound detected thickening in 50/70 (71.4%) nerves with impairment of function and in 91/230 (39.6%) nerves without any impairment of function.

LIMITATION
A single-centre study design was the major study limitation.

CONCLUSION
High-resolution ultrasound showed greater sensitivity than clinical examination in detecting peripheral nerve thickening in leprosy cases. High-resolution ultrasound, may therefore improve the sensitivity of the diagnostic criterion of peripheral nerve enlargement in the diagnosis and classification of leprosy.