Objective To assess the value of CT perfusion imaging in diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma(RCC).Methods 51 patients with renal tumors(39 renal cell carcinoma,12 benign renal tumors)were studied.Six seconds after 4.0 ml/s and 50 ml contrast agent(300 mg I/ml)bolus injection,the perfusion scanning of chosen section was performed using Siemens Bodyperfusion in all cases.The images of perfusion scanning were transformed to MV300 workstation,and managed with Siemens Perfusion CT/VA11A.Six pseudocolor perfusion images,including blood flow(BF),blood volume(BV),flow without vessels(FWV),peak enhancement(PE),time to start(TTS)and time to peak(TTP)were gained by region of interest(ROI)evaluation.Results The BF,BV,FWV and PE of RCC were higher than those of benign renal tumors,while the TTS was lower.The CT perfusion values of RCC and benign renal tumour were(1.52±0.68)and(0.65±0.32)ml·min-1·ml-1 respectively.Conclusion CT perfusion imaging can detect the hemodynamics of different renal tumors,which is helpful to evaluate the nature of renal tumors.


Trades play a critical leading role in higher vocational education,so higher vocational educa-tion needs them to take an active part in the whole teaching process of schools and they should also join the government and educational adminis trations in to draw up the developing projection and policy of vo-cational education.We should develop higher vocational education according to market law,lead teaching act in view of serving clients and realize"win-win"enterprises and schools by means of market opera-tion.


Fatigue tests were carried out on Redux and FM 123/5 bonded specimens at various stress levels, temperatures (RT to 65 C) and low and high test frequencies. Observations were made on the type of failure (bond line failure or sheet failure) and the significance of the adhesive squeezeout for crack nucleation. An analysis of the data and a comparison to data from the literature indicated that the fatigue notch effect of a thickness increase as a result of adhesive bonding of sheet material is very small, whereas the effect of secondary bending is more significant. If the bending effect is not excessive (depending on the design) the fatigue strength of a bonded lap joint is high. In flight-simulation tests (TWIST), bond line failures did not occur even under severe test conditions. The life in flight was highly superior to results for riveted lap joint and a single shear strap joint, while it was of the same order of magnitude found for riveted double-strap joints.


Does editorial competition boost newspaper circulation? If metropolitan daily newspapers constitute relevant product and geographic markets, then competition should foster improved quality and offer readers products that are differentiated in some dimensions and thus should result in higher circulation levels. Using 30 years of data on 67 of the 100 largest U.S. newspaper markets, we evaluate whether per household circulation for metropolitan daily newspapers is affected by competition from other metropolitan dailies published in the same MSA, from suburban dailies, from metropolitan dailies published in nearby metro markets, and from broadcast media. Our findings indicate that competition does substantially boost circulation, and that the boost varies by newspaper market structure: fully competitive markets get the largest boost, followed by editorially dependent markets, and then markets with newspaper joint operating agreements (i.e., with "editorial competition" only). In addition, we find that competition from suburban papers and metropolitan dailies from nearby markets have significant impacts on the circulations of metropolitan dailies, but that competition from radio broadcast and cable television is much weaker.


Abstract— Methionine enkephalin (met‐enk), an endogenous opioid, commonly occurs in sequences of lipotropins (LPH) and endorphins, implying a possible biosynthetic pathway for this pentapeptide. In search of the enzyme which generates met‐enk from human β‐endorphin [LPH(61‐91), β‐end], it was found that the soluble fraction of rat brain contained such activity. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation (50‐80% saturation), ion‐exchange chromatography on DEAE‐Sephadex A‐50, and affinity chromatography for which LPH(64‐67) functioned as affinity ligand and eluant. The final preparation was essentially free of other peptidases, such as kininase, met‐enk degrading and post‐proline cleaving activities. Studies on specificity revealed that the enzyme selectively cleaved the Met‐Thr bond in both LPH(64‐67) and β‐end. It is possible that this enzyme participates in the biosynthesis of met‐enk in vivo.


Background/Aim: The role of neutrophils and platelets in atherothrombotic disease is well established. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of HT and tibolone on the soluble markers of neutrophil and platelet activation, "a disentigrin and metalloproteinase domain" (ADAM-8) and CD40 ligand (CD40L) respectively, in healthy post-menopausal women. Subjects and methods: One hundred and six healthy post-menopausal women were randomly allocated to: estradiol plus drospirenone (E2/DSP), E2 hemihydrate 1 mg plus norethisterone acetate (E2/NETA) 0.5 mg, and tibolone 2.5 mg. Serum ADAM-8 and CD40L were measured at baseline and at 6 months. Results: Baseline values of ADAM-8 and CD40L were similar between groups. No significant correlation was revealed between ADAM-8 or CD40L and parameters related to cardiovascular risk factors in each group. No significant changes were observed between baseline values and values at 6 months (E2/DSP group: ADAM-8: 267.4±71.3 pg/ml vs 270.7±42.8 pg/ml, p=0.86, CD40L: 6.43±3.13 vs 6.79±2.70 ng/ml, p=0.67), (E2/NETA group: ADAM-8: 308.3±64.3 vs 294.7±57.7 pg/ml, p=0.40, CD40L: 9.68±2.81 vs 8.59±5.13 ng/ml, p=0.51), (tibolone group: ADAM-8: 307.5±87.5 vs 289±48.1 pg/ml, p=0.48, CD40L: 9.46±4.30 vs 9.26±4.60 ng/ml, p=0.99). Conclusions: Our study has not revealed an association between estrogen plus progestin treatment or tibolone on serum ADAM-8 and CD40L levels in healthy post-menopausal women. Larger prospective studies are needed to further investigate the effect of low-dose HT or tibolone on serum markers of neutrophil and platelet activation.


There are fewer technologies available that aid in player development, the usage of technologies to enhance athletic performance has expanded. The adoption of technology may aid in players' expansion. The current technology has been used in various fields, including health and wellness, psychosocial concerns, and transitional skills. The paper aids in study of technology influence players' capacity for athletic competition. Sports is the best methods to gauge someone's athletic prowess, but technology can still be useful. Where technology can flourish people may fall short in administering and officiating sports, technology can succeed. It is possible to determine a player's effectiveness and consistency over the course of the season by using this information. This can lead to predictive modelling, which gives analysts the ability to judge if a player is a one-season wonder or whether their performance is becoming better over time. Strategizing is a crucial part of any activity, team or individual sport included. Professional athletes and teams must employ these strategies in order to compete and out perform their rivals. Modern coaches use big data sets to create efficient procedures that will help both individual athletes and the team as a whole. Data science gives coaches the ability to create highly individualised athlete matches and other game plans for each game the team plays, especially for professional teams. In this way, the team's tactics will continue to be unpredictable effective. Bigdata is used effectively in sports and this technology integration is used to achieve more in this field.


This work focuses on the synthesis of nanocrystals with A2B2O7 composition (in this study, A = La, Er, or their mixture, B = Zr, Hf, or their mixture), their structural characterization, and luminescent property measurements. It was necessary to utilize a single-source complex precursor A(OH)3·BO(OH)2·nH2O to synthesize these A2B2O7 nanocrystals, by the synergistic interplay between the reduction of the transport distances of the reactive constituents to an atomic length scale and the enhanced diffusion of the reactants in the molten salt medium. This process is highly generalizable for the preparation of other complex oxide nanocrystals. Moreover, these nanocrystals possess outstanding luminescent properties, including strong photoluminescence in the infrared region, efficient pump-power dependence and excellent cathodoluminescence. These desirable properties make these nanocrystals promising for applications in display, bioanalysis, lighting, scintillating, and telecommunications.


It is often forgotten that Antonio Gramsci is, in fact, a political figure from the global South, We present here a Gramsci as union organiser who promoted a radically antieconomistic perspective on trade unionism and promoted an alliance between the industrial workers of the North and the rural migrants from the Mezzogiorno. This perspective allows us to illuminate the history of international migration in Ireland in the 1990s when the trade unions helped forge a hegemonic alliance against any xenophobic reaction and create a new «common sense» in Gramscian terms though which migrants became workers based on solidarity.


The significance of south-pearl tourism development was analyzed.The tourism resource was classified and evaluated based on field investigation.On the basis of this,the development localization was analyzed,as well as project design and characteristic building method.Several routines were put forward,and the feasible modes were summarized.


Purpose: This study identified the process of change, self efficacy, smoking temptation, decisional balance corresponding to the stage of change based on trans theoretical model in elderly. Method: For the selection of variables, the trans theoretical theory was used. A survey was conducted with 384 elderly smokers resident in one autonomous district. Descriptive analysis, ANOVA and Duncann's multiple comparison test were used. Result: The results of this study were follows : 1. This subjects were distributed in each stage of change : they were 165 subjects(43%) in the precontem-plation stage, 106(27.6%) subjects in contemplation stage, 21 subject(5.5%) in preparation stage, 36 subject(9.4%) in action stage, 56 subject(14.6%) in maintenance stage. 2. Analysis of variance show that the experiential process(F=13.09, P=.00), behavioral process(F=15.65, P=.00), nicotine dependency(F=12.51, P=.00), self-efficacy(F=18.76, P=.00), smoking temptation(F=27.59, P=.00), pros and cons of decisional balance(F=21.49, P=.00, F=18.15,P=.00) were significantly associated with the stage of change. Conclusion: This study can provide the basis of staged matching smoking cessation program using trans theoretical model for more effective and useful intervention in elderly.


The Book of Rites records 260 quotations of Confucius, the authenticity of which has not been verifi ed. This paper chooses 41 quotations different from The Analects of confucius and other resources, which are supposed to be of value for studying the development of Confucianism in late pre-Qin days.


This work is inserted in a research about the historical learning conceptionsdiff used in Brazil from 1917 until 2006, and it is part of the project "Learninghow to read, learning to write History". Th e aim of the present investigation is aboutthe learning conceptions that have been establishing the organization of the braziliancurricula proposals in a long time period, since the Francisco de Campos (1931)reform until the actual curricula proposals. Th e outline of this work includes theanalyses of curricula documents from the National History Curricula Parametersfor the elementary and high schools (1997; 1998). Th e methodology adopted wasthe qualitative investigations of case studies and the perspective of documentaland bibliographic investigation. Th e collection and treatment of the data was ruledon the analysis of the contents (Bardin, 2002). We took as reference some studiesthat were done on the curriculum´s perspective and the school subjects as a socialconstruction (Goodson, 1997). Moreover, the concept of the "disciplinary code"(Cuesta Fernandez, 1997;1998) allowed the understanding of the meaning of thecurriculum as a visible text of the History´s disciplinary code, from where we triedto understand the relationship among the contents and the form of History as aschool subject in a determined moment in brazilian's society. Partial results indicate the predominance of the conception of historical learning based upon the idea thatcompetences established on educational psychology, as a tendency in placing thelearning since the production method of historical knowledge, not revealing yetthe conception of historical learning established on the epistemology of the properscience of History (Lee 2003; 2006)


The article carries out space nonlinear analysis of concrete filled rectangular steel tubular column-steel beam joint installed with double T-type reinforced plate through finite element software ANSYS,studies the force mechanism of joint zone under monotonic loading and low cyclic loading,and points out that concrete filled rectangular steel tubular-steel beam joint has well ductility and energy dissipation and the installation of reinforced plate effectively reduce the stress concentration of joint zone.


A new theory for multiaxial fatigue is presented that is based on a physical interpretation of the mechanisms of fatigue crack growth. It may be represented graphically by contours of constant life, which are expressed mathematically bywhere e1, e2 and e3 are the principal strains, •e1 ≥ e2 ≥ e3.This equation underlines the importance of strain parameters in correlating fatigue data. It illustrates the effect of both the shear strain and the tensile strain normal to the plane of maximum shear.The theory is compared with several classical and recent theories, which are briefly reviewed. It is shown that classical theories of fatigue failure cannot correlate experimental data, and may be dangerous if used for design purposes.


Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive, chronic, irreversible and life-threatening disease. In our research, we aimed to investigate the effects of Saikosaponin D (SSD) on pulmonary fibrosis by using bleomycin induced PF mice and human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF). After successful preparation of BLM (5 mg/kg, intratracheal instillation) induced PF mice, SSD was administered to the BLM induced mice by intraperitoneal injection (2 mg/ kg/d, ip) for 28 days. Then, lung tissues were collected for histological examination with H&E, Masson's trichrome and TUNEL staining. In addition, reverse transcription PCR assay was performed to determine the mRNA expression of Caspase-3, and western blotting was carried out to determine the protein expressions of E-cadherin (E-cad), fibronectin (FN), Wnt and β-catenin. Furthermore, we also determined the anti-proliferative effects of SSD on HELF cells and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 expressions in HELF cells. Our results showed that SSD alleviated pulmonary alveolitis (P < 0.05), pulmonary fibrosis (P < 0.05) and cell apoptosis (P < 0.01) in BLM induced mice. Furthermore, SSD down-regulated Caspase-3 (P < 0.05), FN (P< 0.05), Wnt (P < 0.05) and β-catenin (P < 0.05) in both 14 and 28 days, whereas the E-cad obviously up-regulated (P < 0.05). Besides, SSD also inhibited cell proliferation of HELF and the TGF-β1 (P < 0.05) expression. In conclusion, our research suggested that SSD possess notable anti-fibrosis effect of on PF via suppressing alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and epithelium-mesenchymal transformation.


Synthesis of Various benzimidazole derivatives unde r micro-wave irradiation from simple and substituted ortho phenylenediamines (OPDA) and ison icotinic acid using SiO 2/H 2SO 4 as catalyst is described .The structure of the synthesized comp ounds have been established on the basis of spectral and analytical data.


Trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS) is a unique, rare clinical and histological dermatologic entity described mainly in setting of immunosuppression. It is caused by a novel human polymoavirus, trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSPyV). We report a biopsy-proven case of TS in a renal transplant patient presented to dermatology outpatient clinic in Montreal, Canada in 2015. Reduction of immunosuppression and/or anti-viral therapy is the main therapeutic strategies used to treat such cases. Our patient was managed with valgancyclovir with no obvious response. Subsequently, a trial of topical imiquimod was commenced. Awareness of TS can prompt early diagnosis and management to prevent possible complications.
Keywords: Trichodysplasia spinulosa, immunosuppression, organ-trasplant, human polyomavirus.


The dimensional structure of impression formed of a female figure in specific attire was identified and significant influence of skirt length and suit color on impression formed of figures in suits were researched in the part I of this study. In part II, the effect of identical elements of apparel design on impression formation of a female figure in dress and pantsblouse were studied. The experimental matirals consisted of two sets of stimuli and 7 point semantic differential response scale developed in part I. Each set of stimuli was composed of 20 drawings representing female figures in each attire. Three independent variables, which were the length of bottom, color of dress or pants and collar type of blouse, were manipulated in each stimulus. The experiment was arranged by 3 factorial design, and the data were analyzed by 3-way ANOVA and by Multiple Classification Analysis. To summarize, in impression formation of figure in dress, the most dominant design element was identified as bottom length and the second most dominant one was color of dress. In contrast, in perception of figure in pants-blouse, the most important design element was color of pants and secondly important one was bottom length. The collar type of top didn`t have critical effect on impression formation of figures in both type of attire.


Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an imaging modality which reconstructs the impedance distribution of a closed domain using the measured boundary voltage data when injecting current [1-6]. It has been applied to numerous industrial applications such as: process tomography [7], nondestructive testing [8], imaging biological cells [9], medical imaging equipment [4] etc. Among them, non-destructive testing (NDT) of a structures is one of the important issues to evaluate their safety level [10]. Specially, crack and delamination of the structure such as a pipe, concrete and system component must be detected and monitored in the nuclear power plant and high level radioactive waste repository site. Multi-frequency conductivity and permittivity information can provide the improved crack identification in the complex structure including many cracks and rebar. In this study, we introduced some simulation and experiment results for a phantom to check its feasibility of non-destructive crack detection.


---------------------------------------------------------------------***----------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract - In most of the digital signal processors, multiplier is used as a key component. So, the performance of the system depends on the throughput of the multiplier. Now a days, relia-bility is an important design concern in advanced technology nodes. Performance of the system is significantly affected by the aging of transistor and the system may fail due to delay problems in long term. The impact of aging getting higher with the scaling of transistor. One of the main cause for aging in transistor is Bias Temperature Instability (BTI). Due to this effect threshold voltage of the transistor increases over time and it reduces the multiplier speed. Over-design approaches can be used to reduce the aging effect, but these may cause power and area inefficiency. Fixed latency designs have high chance of timing violations. So, a multiplier with variable latency is used for reliable operation under BTI effects. An Adaptive Hold Logic (AHL) is used for the proper se- lection of cycle period and an Error Detection Correction Pulsed Latch (ECPL) is used for the detection of timing errors. In modular arithmetic computation, Montgomery multiplication algorithm is used to perform faster modular multiplication which was introduced by Peter L Montgomery In 1985. on the design of BTI-resilient circuits using variable latency (VLUs).


Noncontradiction (N): One is rationally required (if one believes at t that p, then not to believe at t that not-p). Closure (C): If q is a logical consequence of p, then one is rationally required (if one believes at t that p, then to believe at t that q). Means-End (ME): One is rationally required (if one believes at t that one will E only if one intends at t to M, and intends at t to E, then to intend at t to M).


Abstract The structure and the performance of a cascaded avalanche photodiode (APD) based on cascaded home-junctions are discussed. Similar to the hetero-structure superlattice APD, such a device has a lower excess noise and a higher gain at lower bias voltages than conventional APDs. In addition to the ionization ratio, several parameters also affect the device's performance.


The Satellite based imaging system which is based on a network of artificial satellites is more efficient for remote monitoring of our ecosystem. It provides geospatial positioning and high precision information regarding the local time which can be used in global positioning, air and sea traffic and so on. Effective monitoring of our ecosystem has been achieved through remote sensing which extracts even fine spatial details of the earth, thus producing an image with good resolution for better clarity to be analyzed. This paper discusses about two different variants of satellite imaging on spatial objects which varies with the spatial significance. These satellite imaging instruments are primarily stresses on the pixel count for ejecting an accurate and more specific image. Increase in spatial resolution produces an accurate and precise overview about the chosen spatial entity thereby supporting the data collection technology and offers effective data interpretation. This can bring out better discrimination among the various resolution strategies and their relevance to a specific need.


The results of differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurement as well as of measurements of the microhardness (H k ) on chalcogenide thin films and bulk samples from the systems As-S-T1 and Ge-S-T1 in wide range of concentrations are reported. The dependence of H k on composition shows an increase in the hardness with the rise of the As and Ge content for the first two systems and a very large decrease in it when the T1 content increases. It is also found that the glass-transition temperature of bulk samples as well as thin films decreases when Tl content increases. No influence of the vacuum deposition conditions of thin films on the microhardness has been observed. It was shown that a correlation exists between the mechanical and thermal properties of the studied chalcogenide systems.


Since 1 May 2011 Brighton Integrated Care Service (BICS) has been running a Neurology Advice pilot scheme which provides referring GPs with the opportunity to access specialist consultant advice within 3 days of making a referral. The consultant triager (Dr Saha) is able to write an advice letter to the GP, organise a telephone consultations with patients and GPs, and order and review diagnostic tests. All 12 Brighton practices participated in the pilot; the pilot is still running with over 800 new patient referrals to date. The practices were divided equally into three groups. Group 1 practices sent all their referrals to the Neurology pilot, Group 2 practices had the option of using the service and Group 3 was the control group. The data shows that Group 1 and 2 practices have seen a significant drop in the number of referrals sent on to hospital outpatient clinic. Group 3 practices have seen a rise in the number of referrals sent on to a clinic. The reduction in onward referrals was higher for Group 1 practices than for Group 2 practices. 14% of referrals resulted in a telephone consultation. Investigations were ordered for 24% of referrals and of these 37% resulted in the patient being discharged. 85% of GPs felt that their patients had benefited from the Neurology pilot and 92% felt that the pilot should continue. The neurology advice service enables the improved management of patients in a primary care setting and is likely to account for the significant reduction in onward referrals seen from practices involved in the pilot.


In this note P shall be a partial linear space of order two, that is, a (not necessarily finite) set of points and a set of lines, each line consisting of three points in such a way that two lines meet in at most one point. Two points are collinear if they are different points of a line. Any subset of P, in particular P, has a graph structure given by collinearity. A plane in P is the subspace generated by two intersecting lines. Here we shall say that P is a dual affine partial linear space when P has only dual affine planes, or briefly, that P is a dual affine space. In other words P is a Fischer space in which all planes are dual affine. (In [1] we call these spaces symplectic type configurations.) In this situation P is connected if for any two points of P there is a third point in P collinear with both of them. The space P is reduced if for any two points there is a point collinear with one of them but not with the other. If q : V! F2 is a quadratic form on a vector space V over the field with two elements F2 and B : V V! F2 the associated bilinear form then the quadratic space OðqÞ defined by q is the partial linear space whose points


SHERLOC project is a European project framed within CleanSky research programme funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme. SHERLOC tries to respond the industrial needs regarding the structural health monitoring of real new generation aerospace structures. The project looks for the manufacturing of innovative aerostructures and structural health monitoring techniques which allow the detection of possible issues on the structures during in-service, such as impacts or strikes. A Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (CFRTP) window frame demonstrator was manufactured using woven CF/PEEK material supplied by Toho-Tenax. The selected manufacturing process was press-forming in a hot-press. Thermoplastic composites have been under the spotlight of the aerospace industry for decades due to the many advantages that may offer, such as recyclability, good mechanical performance and the opportunity of new out-of-autoclave manufacturing processes. To evaluate the quality of the thermoplastic window frame, some physical-chemical and mechanical testing were performed, including void content analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and plain-compression testing. In addition to that, ultrasonic non-destructive inspection (NDI) was performed to evaluate the quality of the manufacturing process. In addition of innovative thermoplastic structures, aerospace industry has been investing in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies for many years to come to an industrial solution. Thus, a strategy was defined to monitor damages on thermoplastic structures, by combining elastic waves propagated through the structure, using piezoelectric (PZT) sensors. SHERLOC project will assess piezoelectric (PZT), fiber optic (FO) and hybrid (PZT-FO) based techniques to perform the SHM of aeronautical structures. The scope of this paper is the evaluation of the piezoelectric based techniques when applied to the monitoring of the thermoplastic window frame.


The  Present  study  examined  that  the  Bengal  parents  , One  of   the  biggest  sources  of  pride  is  when  their  children  achieve  academic  success . Similarly  when  children  do  not  get success  in  what  their  parents  like, the  system  makes  them  believe  that  they     are not  capable . Then  parents  behaving  their  child  not  joyful . Parental  emotional  distance  and  suddenly  negligence   instead  lives  of  children  are  full  of  stress  , tension apprehension, anxiety  which  many a   times  leads  of  depression  facing  too  much  pressure  can  have  a  lasting  nagetive  impact  on  a child.


The further development of electric mobility requires major scientific efforts to obtain reliable data for vehicle and drive development. Practical experience has repeatedly shown that vehicle data sheets do not contain realistic consumption and range figures. Since the fear of low range is a significant obstacle to the acceptance of electric mobility, a reliable database can provide developers with additional insights and create confidence among vehicle users. This study presents a detailed, yet easy-to-implement and modular physical model for both passenger and commercial battery electric vehicles. The model takes consumption-relevant parameters, such as seasonal influences, terrain character, and driving behavior, into account. Without any a posteriori parameter adjustments, an excellent agreement with known field data and other experimental observations is achieved. This validation conveys much credibility to model predictions regarding the real-world impact on energy consumption and cruising range in standardized driving cycles. Some of the conclusions, almost impossible to obtain experimentally, are that winter conditions and a hilly terrain each reduce the range by 7–9%, and aggressive driving reduces the range by up to 20%. The quantitative results also reveal the important contributions of recuperation and rolling resistance towards the overall energy budget.


A systematic approach to the molecular and cellular basis of Bartonella henselae-triggered invasome formation

Invasion of host cells is an often employed strategy of pathogenic bacteria to enable replication, persistence and dissemination. Among these pathogens is the zoonotic alpha-proteobacterium Bartonella henselae (Bhe). Human infection by Bhe can result in a variety of clinical symptoms. In immuno-competent patients, the most frequent manifestation is cat-scratch disease, a self-limiting disease resulting in local swellings of lymph nodes and fever. Immuno-compromised patients frequently develop bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis, a clinical condition hallmarked by the formation of vaso-proliferative lesions. Many of the distinct cell biological outcomes of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) infection by Bhe depend on a functional VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion (T4S) system. This macromolecular machinery is known to transport seven effector proteins, BepA to BepG (Bartonella-translocated effector proteins), into infected ECs. These effector proteins trigger all so far described VirB/VirD4-dependent cellular phenotypes of ECs, that are: (i) protection from apoptosis, (ii) activation of the transcription factor NF-kB and stimulation of a pro-inflammatory response and (iii) cell invasion by a unique cellular structure termed the invasome. Invasome-mediated internalization is a multi-step process that occurs with slow kinetics and requires at least 16 h for completion in individual ECs. In contrast, Bhe can alternatively enter ECs within hours as individual bacteria by a VirB/VirD4-independent endocytosis-like route.

Started in November 2006, the aim of my thesis was to systematically identify and characterize host cell factors required for Bartonella henselae‐triggered invasome formation and to analyze how the Bartonella effector proteins (Beps) manipulate host cell signaling in order to provoke invasome assembly.

The work presented in this thesis is sub-categorized into four results chapters, presented as published, submitted or prepared manuscripts.

Research article I represents a reductionistic approach to define the minimal effector set required for Bhe-triggered invasome formation on endothelial cells (ECs). Further, the role of the Rho family of small GTPases was assessed. We identified the effector protein BepG to be sufficient to trigger the formation of invasomes that are morphologically indistinguishable from wild-type promoted structures. Investigation of the Rho GTPases Cdc42, Rac1 and their respective downstream interaction partners signified their importance for invasome establishment; in contrast, RhoA was shown to not contribute to invasome formation. Thus, our findings suggest a dominant role for Rho GTPases in regulating F-actin rearrangements leading to the composition of invasome structures.
In research article II, we identify a second, BepG-independent mechanism to promote invasome assembly. We show that the combination of BepC and BepF mediates the establishment of invasomes. Next, we outline similarities and differences in characteristics and signaling cascades promoting BepG- or BepC/BepF-dependent invasome formation. We demonstrate that BepC/BepF in combination interfere with endocytosis-like internalization of inert microspheres and show the requirement for Cdc42 and Rac1-mediated cytoskeletal rearrangements to enable BepC/BepF-promoted invasome establishment. We also demonstrate that cofilin1 is only essential for BepC/BepF but not BepG-triggered invasome formation. This implies the involvement of partially different signaling cascades behind the two functionally redundant mechanisms triggering invasome establishment.
Research article III focuses on the characterization of the effector protein BepF. We show that the individual Bid domains BidF1 and BidF2, but not BidF3, are sufficient to promote invasome establishment together with BepC. TEM-assessment of morphological changes induced by BepF or BidF1 indicated that they may hyper-activate Cdc42 and Rac1. In vitro guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) assays confirmed that BidF1 and BidF2 exhibit weak GEF activity against Cdc42. Thus, BepF was demonstrated to act as a Cdc42-GEF protein in host cells, thereby interfering with F-actin dynamics and regulation.
In research article IV, we focus on the host cell contribution to invasome formation. We identify five additional proteins essential for invasome formation and map their contribution to the different steps of invasome establishment. We demonstrate that the engagement of both outside-in signaling events via integrin β1, FAK and Src as well as inside-out signal transmission controlled by talin1 significantly contribute to invasome formation. This is the first study demonstrating active integrin outside-in signaling and parallel inside-out activation of these receptors during bacteria invasion of the host cells.


Digital tabletops are gaining increasing interest within commercial sectors both for home and office applications. These devices, with their multi-touch surfaces, can support collaborative activities while maintaining natural face-to-face communication. However, still one of the major problems is related to their portability and the space they require. We have conducted a study to explore how to design a novel architecture for surfaces that could operate in any environment without space limitations based on multiple tabletops. This paper presents an architecture based on the relative position of the tablets is proposed including an efficient data transmission system in order to obtain real time synchronisation and positioning of multiple tablets using a star topology. (4 pages)


Background: Evaluation of management practices and adherence to treatment guidelines are essential components of improved health-care delivery. Despite the improvement in the implementation of guidelines, the medical management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains suboptimal worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine medication use patterns, recent trends, and prescription predictors of adherence to guideline-based therapies for non-ST-elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) in the Middle East. Methods: We evaluated the use of a quadruple evidence-based medication (EBM) combination consisting of the concurrent use of dual antiplatelet therapy, β-blockers, and lipid-lowering agents at discharge among patients (n = 2782) with NSTE-ACS in four Middle Eastern countries. Results: A total of 56% (n = 1626) of the patients received all four guideline-recommended medications at hospital discharge. An adjusted model demonstrated that male sex, diabetes, dyslipidemia, prior percutaneous coronary intervention, prior myocardial infarction, prior coronary artery bypass graft, admission to a catheterization-equipped hospital, and smoking were positively correlated with EBM prescription on discharge. Conversely, cardiogenic shock, heart failure, renal impairment, higher GRACE risk score, and bleeding negatively correlated with concurrent use of the quadruple EBM combination. Conclusion: Nearly half of NSTE-ACS patients in the Middle East do not receive the quadruple EBM combination. Efforts are needed to bridge this gap between practice and guidelines.


Blood coagulation factor XIII (also called fibrinplasma as a tetramer (A 2 B 2 ).12 All A-subunit molecules in plasma are in complex with the B-subunit (carrier stabilizing factor1) plays an important role in clot stabilization by crosslinking fibrin chains.2 Factor XIII protein) at a concentration of approximately 21 mg/ml, whereas the B-subunit is present in both free and (FXIII) was discovered over 70 years ago by Barkan et al., who observed the insolubility of fibrin clots complexed form.13 The total B concentration is around 21 mg/ml, about half of which circulates free in plasma in the presence of calcium.3 Most studies on FXIII have been carried out in patients with FXIII deficiency (10 mg/ml).14 In circulation, more than 90% of FXIII is bound to fibrinogen by a binding site on fibrinogen which results in a serious bleeding diathesis, defective wound healing and a high risk of miscarriage in for the B-subunit. Through this interaction, fibrinogen serves as a carrier for the plasma zymogen.15 the deficient female.4,5 Most of these subjects show no plasma FXIII activity because of a complete Activation of FXIII results in FXIIIA∞ through release of an activation peptide consisting of 37 amino acids.16 absence of the A-subunit in plasma, platelets and monocytes.6 Little is known about the role of FXIII Dissociation of the A∞ 2 B 2 tetramer is promoted in the presence of calcium. Both steps (release of activation in vascular diseases. Although Kloczko et al. showed increased levels of FXIII A-subunit antigen in patients peptide and dissociation of the subunits) are essential for the complete activation of the FXIII zymogen.17 with obliterative atherosclerosis of the lower limbs and in patients with diabetic angiopathy, small The dissociation of the tetramer is also enhanced in the presence of fibrinogen, and the release of the patient numbers make the interpretation of these data difficult.7,8 However, increased plasma concenactivation peptide from the A-subunit is promoted by the proteolytic products of fibrinogen (polymerized tration of cross-linked fibrin polymers in acute myocardial infarction has been described, assuming des-A, des-A,B fibrinogen).18–20 This promoting effect on the release of the activation peptide is lost when the presence of increased plasma FXIII plasma activity in patients with coronary artery disease.9 Results FXIII-catalysed cross-linked fibrin starts to form.21 Activated factor XIII catalyses the covalent crosslinking from our laboratory add further support in the involvement of FXIII in cardiovascular diseases.10,11 of the c and a chains of fibrin, increasing the mechanical strength of fibrin, and cross-linking of Here we discuss some new insights regarding the role of FXIII in vascular disease, with emphasis on antiplasmin increases its resistance to fibrinolysis.22 Additionally, a number of proteins are substrates for a common polymorphism in the A-subunit gene of FXIII (FXIIIVal34Leu) and its association with factor XIII, such as a 2 -antiplasmin, von Willebrand factor, factor FVII, collagen, fibronectin, thrombosponmyocardial infarction, stroke and venous thromboembolism. din and vitronectin.23–26


The ground-air ultra-short wave voice communication network(GUWVCN) is an important infrastructure for implementing air traffic control and air command communication,and handoff is an important part of GUWVCN for keeping ground-air communication successive.First,the structure and handoff process of GUWVCN are introduced,and the differences of handoff between GUWVCN and land mobile communication system,data link system are compared and analyzed.Second,the key technologies of handoff of GUWVCN are put forward and detailedly described.Finally,the development trends of handoff of GUWVCN are pointed out.


Marketing students in business schools are aware of the accelerating use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in major companies. Software use by sales and marketing professionals has predominately been applications such as sales force automation, customer service management, and customer relationship management. Often, these applications are integrated with ERP systems, connecting directly with internal business processes. The effectiveness of internal processes affects the capabilities of marketers to know and serve their customers. Marketing students need to be cognizant of these business processes to understand their potential impact on successful marketing and sales efforts. This manuscript defines ERP systems, describes why marketing students need exposure to ERP, as well as suggesting marketing courses appropriate for ERP content and potential learning outcomes. It also describes an ERP University Alliance program and discusses the challenges and experiences of using an ERP system in the classroom.


The spectrum
 of spontaneous diseases was retrospectively analysed in 71 captive ratites
 including ostriches, emus, and rheas kept in zoos or farms in northwestern
 Germany. Reports and histological slides of the animals necropsied between
 1968 and 2014 were reviewed, additional histo- and immunohistochemical
 stainings were performed and findings were interpreted with respect to
 virological, microbiological and parasitological results.
 In many
 animals more than one morphologic diagnosis attributable to different disease
 processes was found. In adult ratites, the most commonly altered organ
 systems were the musculoskeletal, the digestive, and the cardiovascular
 systems affected by traumatic lesions, inflammation and degenerative changes,
 respectively. The high frequency of traumatic lesions underlines the
 susceptibility of ratites to mechanical injuries. In one ostrich an
 intraosseus fibrosarcoma, that has not been described in ratites so far,
 represented a predisposing lesion for a pathological leg fracture. Lesions
 observed in the nervous system included spongy degeneration; however,
 immunohistochemistry and western blotting failed to detect pathologic prion
 protein. A similar disorder is not known in wild ratites, and hereditary or
 toxic causes have to be considered. Lawsonia intracellularis was recognized
 as cause of proliferative enteritis for the first time in a rhea. Severe
 necrotizing inflammation of the respiratory tract in a rhea was caused by the
 low pathogenic avian influenza virus A H7N7, a subtype that has not been
 reported in ratites so far. In juvenile
 animals, the digestive system and the musculoskeletal system were predominantly
 affected by inflammatory and traumatic lesions. Bacterial infections of the
 alimentary tract were an important cause of disease in the present study.
 Whereas alimentary disorders are very rare in wild ratites, they are often
 reported in captive birds, even in their natural habitat. In eggs and
 neonates the major cause of death was the fading ostrich syndrome that is a
 worldwide disease occurring exclusively in farm husbandry. Among various
 factors particularly inadequate management practices such as improper
 incubation conditions for eggs contribute to this disorder.
 The
 retrospective analysis of diseases in various ratite species revealed many
 disorders that were associated with housing or management conditions in farms
 and zoos. Some disorders were found that were never or rarely described in
 these flightless birds.


The conversion of ethanol at 100-280 degreesC was used in order to characterise the redox and acid centres present in Na-15{05[Mo152O457H14(H2O)(68)] .0.5[Mo154O462H14 (H2O)(70)]}.ca. 400 H2O (1). It is concluded that Mo-V/Mo-VI pairs at the external surface of the rings, of which the structure of 1 is composed, are the redox centres active in ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde. Simultaneous ethanol dehydration to diethyl ether or ethylene is a typical reaction occurring on acid centres. It is suggested that OH groups situated in (mu (3) -O)(2)O-2 tetrahedrons inside the ring structure play such role. The formation of ethane predominating at highest temperatures is attributed to secondary reactions of primary ethylene.


A technique is described for reproducibly depositing single layer PbF 2 antireflection coatings for CdSe that have a damage threshold of about 50 MW/cm 2 for 2.87 μm laser radiation. This is an 8-fold increase in damage resistance over coatings made by other methods. These same coatings applied to Ge have a damage threshold of about 22 MW/cm 2 . The coated Ge value is less probably due to the index mismatch between the PbF 2 and the Ge.


National verification regulation for luminance meter, JJG 211-2005 was published and implemented. This regulation was used to verify either luminance meter or color one, and calibration of illuminant chromaticity was required. During color luminance meter calibrating, its standard reflection shade guide was the same as that for colorimeter calibration, and these standard values A/2,0/45 according to certificate of standard reflection shade guide were used. It is proved that method of this new verification regulation is correct, standard reflection shade guide for colorimeter calibration could be used in color luminance meter calibration, and its calibration results is very well according to experimental data of illuminant chromaticity parameters for color luminance meter and measurement uncertainty.


Cooperative communication has been proposed as a means to increase the capacity of a wireless link by mitigating the path-loss, fading and shadowing effects of radio propagation. In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of cooperative communication in large scale wireless networks under interference from simultaneous transmissions. Specifically, we consider tunable spatial reuse time division multiplexing and half-duplex decode-and-forward cooperative relaying on a hop-by-hop basis. We show that hop-by-hop cooperation improves the reliability of the transmissions particularly in the low-SINR or in the low-coding rate regimes. Moreover, hop-by-hop cooperative relaying gains 15 - 20% more throughput compared to simple multihopping in the interference-limited regime, if the relay location and the reuse distance are jointly optimized.


Our objective is to improve patient care by developing a noninvasive, optoacoustic diagnostic platform for accurate and continuous monitoring of important physiological parameters including total hemoglobin concentration, venous oxyhemoglobin saturation (both cerebral and mixed), cardiac output, circulating blood volume, cardiac index, systemic oxygen delivery, and hepatic function. Currently, invasive measurements of these parameters are routinely used in the care of large populations of patients. We built optoacoustic systems for monitoring of these parameters and tested them in animal and clinical studies. The systems include portable, light‐weight, inexpensive, pulsed laser diodes, or tunable OPOs operating in the near infrared spectral range. We developed patient interfaces with highly sensitive, wide‐band optoacoustic probes designed and built in our laboratory for these diagnostic applications. In some studies, ultrasound imaging systems were used for accurate optoacoustic probing of specific blood...


The importance of two‐level inverters is well known in EV applications; it contains significant unwanted harmonics in generated voltage. One of the most efficient way to increase power quality is to replace a two‐level inverter with a multilevel inverter (MLI). The MLI's essence considerably reduces total harmonic distortion. Eventually, the size of the filter requirement also will minimize. Because of the increased device count and capacitor voltage balance issues, these converters have a slew of reliability concerns. To mitigate these drawbacks, a novel switched‐capacitor based nine‐level inverter (SC‐NLI) structure with a new optimal control switching technique for electric vehicle (EV) applications is proposed in this paper. The proposed SC‐NLI structure comprises 10 switches, one diode, and two capacitors. The proposed structure's circuit description, modes of operation, proper component selection, and a new optimal switching scheme are presented. A discussion about the comparative analysis of suggested topology with currently developed MLI structures is presented. In addition, to the simulation results, experimental tests are conducted under various load conditions to evaluate the proposed SC‐NLI structure.


Electric vehicles (EVs) are quickly gaining widespread interest as attractive alternatives to conventional petrol driven vehicles. If EVs derive some or all of their power from renewable sources, then they can help reduce global dependence on fossil fuels for transportation. Inductive power transfer (IPT) is a method that can transfer power to EVs over an air gap without physical contact. If IPT systems are incorporated into highways, then EVs can be charged dynamically as they travel. This will dramatically increase the range, convenience and safety of EV charging as well as reduce range anxiety and battery bank capacities. One of the major difficulties involves detecting an EV as it travels along the highway. By detecting the approaching EV, the primary power supply can energize the primary IPT coupler buried in the roadway to enable contactless power transfer to the EV. A three coil detection system, which focuses on these sensor coils and which is independent of the specific IPT coupler used, is presented to allow the power supply to detect the approaching EV mounted secondary IPT coupler. The proposed detection method was tested on a laboratory scale prototype and can detect EVs approaching at different speeds, ground clearances, and horizontal misalignments.


Felix Omoikhoje Aizobeoje Ohiwerei was born in Edo State, Nigeria, in 1937. He attended St. David's School (Avbiosi New Site), Government School (Owerri), Government Secondary School (Owerri), the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology (Ibadan), and University College, Ibadan (now, the University of Ibadan). After graduating from University College, Felix started life as a teacher, with the clear intention of moving on to the private sector of the economy as soon as possible. Nine months later, in


We study the behavior of random walks along the edges of the stable marriage lattice for various restricted families of allowable preference sets. In the "k-attribute model," each man is valued in each of k attributes, and each woman's ranking of the men is determined by a linear function, representing her relative ranking of those attributes; men's rankings of the women are determined similarly. We show that sampling with a random walk on the marriage lattice can take exponential time, even when k = 2. Moreover, we show that the marriage lattices arising in the k-attribute model are more restrictive than in the general setting; previously such a restriction had only been shown for the sets of preference lists. The second model we consider is the "k-range model," where each person lies in a position in [i, i + k - 1], for some i, on every preference list of the opposite sex. When k = 1 there is a unique stable marriage. When k = 2 there already can be an exponential number of stable marriages, but we show that a random walk on the stable marriage lattice always converges quickly to equilibrium. However, when k ≥ 5, there are preference sets such that the random walk on the lattice will require exponential time to converge. Lastly, we show that in the extreme case where each gender's rankings of the other are restricted to one of just a constant k possible preference lists, there are still instances for which the Markov chain mixes exponentially slowly, even when k = 4. This oversimplification of the general model helps elucidate why Markov chains based on spouse-swapping are not good approaches to sampling, even in specialized scenarios.


Abstract Microwave-oven-assisted acid hydrolysis of albumin in 7.5 M HCl was carried out in only 12 min in a pressurized Teflon reactor using a power of 390 W. The effect of experimental conditions on the hydrolysis of albumin were evaluated and the results obtained were compared with those found by conventional hydrolysis, using in both cases the ninhydrin reaction for the spectrophotometric determination of free amino acids. A chromatographic study showed that microwave oven heating did not change the nature of the amino acids obtained from the hydrolysis of the protein.


We continue to investigate index transforms which are associated with general Kontorovich–Lebedev kernels (GKL kernels). The case of the so-called extended Watson kernels is considered. An inversion theorem is proved. Examples of integral transformations by the index of Whittaker's functions and Meijer's G-functions are demonstrated. As applications, a general index integral involving a product of Meijer's G-functions is calculated.


Preparation methods for promoting repair of bone defects biodegradable three-dimensional fibrous scaffold relates to a method for preparing a nanofiber scaffold based electrospinning technology. It is a biodegradable, non-immunogenic, but can not induce osteogenic biomaterial polyhydroxy valeric acid copolyester (of PHBV), good water solubility, promotes polyoxyethylene (PEO) and stent faster degradation osteoconductive capability but it requires a certain nano-sized hydroxyapatite carrier (of nHA) combined by means of electrostatic spinning, electro-spinning to obtain fibers having a diameter of nanoscale thin film, the finally obtained by cutting and folding a multilayer biodegradable coryneform three-dimensional scaffold. Animal experiments demonstrated good biocompatibility of the stent, suitable for the degradation rate can achieve a large-sized bone defect repair.


4 K.A.I. Nekaris 1, , S. Poindexter , K. D. Reinhardt , M. Sigaud, F. Cabana, W. Wirdateti , V. 5 Nijman 1, 2 6 1. Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom 7 2. Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom 8 3. Zoological Division, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Cibinong, Indonesia 9 10 For International Journal of Primatology 11 Total word count 8022 12


This thesis was submitted to the Centre for Communication, Media and Society University of KwaZulu-Natal In fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).


The spinel nano-LiMn_2O_4 are synthesized by sol-gel process by using LiNO_3 and Mn(Ac)_2 as raw materials.Their structures and chemical perfoumances are studied by using X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and granularity analysis.It has shown that the nano-LiMn_2O_4 could be prepared under 600℃ with the size about 30nm. The particles are fine, narrowly distributed and well crystallized.


In holographic interferometry, interference fringes of equal inclination are produced from a double exposure hologram recorded before and after the movement of a diffuse object. These fringes, however, can also be obtained by the movement of a photographic plate on which the hologram is to be recorded and this movement is useful when the movement of the object is not possible. This paper discusses a method for detecting the degree of deformation from the decrease of the visibility of these fringes and for measuring the area of deformation by using the subtraction processing. An application to the electrochemical polishing is proposed.


Coreopsis tinctoria, the plant of Coreopsis L., Compositae, was first distributed in North America, and was described in Kunlun Mountain regions, Xinjiang, China, and has been used as herbal tea for more than ten years. The main chemical constituents separated from C. tinctoria mainly consist of flavonoids, saponins, organic acids, tannins, saccharides, essential oils, and phenolic compounds. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that C. tinctoria has hypoglycemic, anti-oxidative, hypotensive, hypolipidemic activities, etc., and these results indicate potential medicinal value of this material. The recent research progress on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of C. tinctoria are reviewed in this paper, which could provide references for the further utilization of the plant.


Objective:To investigate the possible mechanisms of signal transduction pathways of heme oxygenase(HO)-1 expression induced by lipoxin A4(LXA4) in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.Methods:H9c2 cells were exposed to hypoxia followed by reoxygenation with or without pretreatment of LXA4,nuclear factor-E2 related factor 2(Nrf2) inhibitor(ATRA),p38MAPK inhibitor(SB203580),LXA4 combined with ATRA,and LXA4 combined with SB203580.The mRNA transcription and protein expression of HO-1,Nrf2 and p38MAPK was examined by RT-PCR,Western blot and immunofluorescence staining.Results:Compared with hypoxia/reoxygenation group,the mRNA transcription and protein expression of HO-1 in H9c2 cardiomyocytes pretreated with LXA4 increased significantly(P 0.05).The expression of HO-1 in H9c2 cardiomyocytes decreased(P 0.05) after treated with ATRA or SB203580.ATRA blocked the nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 and decreased HO-1 protein expression induced by LXA4 pretreatment(P 0.05).SB203580 inhibited the phosphorylation level of p38MAPK and decreased HO-1 protein expression induced by LXA4 pretreatment(P 0.05).Conclusion:LXA4 can induce HO-1 over-expression which has protective effect on H9c2 cardiomyocytes of hypoxia/reoxygenation injury.Its mechanism is related to p38MAPK/Nrf2 signal transduction pathways.


In the summer of 2013 IVAM did an interim evaluation of the FEIGHT project among the project partners and among teachers involved. In this report the results of the evaluation are described. But first we start with a short description of the method we used. The extensive version of the methodology as defined in the evaluation plan can be found in Annex A. 1 Method and response IVAM developed two questionnaires, using structured questions and open answer questions. One questionnaire (QP) was aimed at the project partners; the other (QS) was aimed at the participating school teams or teachers. All five project partners filled in the questionnaire on their own expectations and experiences (QP: see Annex B). In total they evaluated fourteen groups of students or learners. For the other associate or external partners involved (Adastra Cymru Ltd, Effective Webdesign and IVAM UvA BV) this evaluation of expectations was not applicable. Furthermore, two of the five project partners (DIMEM and Shalom) and associate partner Adastra Cymru Ltd organized interviews with members of the school teams involved using the other version of the questionnaire (QS: see Annex C). As an adult education provider organizing courses at European level Quarter Mediation does not come into contact with school teachers from the Netherlands and therefore they did no interviews with Dutch teachers. For the Netherlands this task was appointed to the partner IVN. The partners IVN and NIMEM did not interview teachers because of time or planning issues. In total four people were interviewed, with whom six classes could be evaluated. This was less than the expected minimum of 11 interviews. Three teachers and a manager of an organization aimed at preventing offending by children and young people (Swansea Youth Offending Service) were interviewed.


Abstract: Real-time weather monitoring systems are essential for collecting and analyzing weather data, providing critical information for a range of applications, including agriculture, transportation, and disaster management. This research paper presents a weather monitoring system using the NodeMCU platform, which enables real-time data collection and transmission over the internet. The system includes various sensors to measure temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed, and direction, with the data collected transmitted to a cloud-based platform for storage and analysis. The NodeMCU's WiFi connectivity allows for remote monitoring and control of the system, providing real-time access to weather data from anywhere in the world. The system's performance is evaluated through experiments conducted in real-world weather conditions, demonstrating its reliability and accuracy. The cost-effectiveness and scalability of the system are also evaluated, demonstrating its affordability and reliability as a solution for weather monitoring. The paper concludes with recommendations for future improvements and applications to the system.


In February, 1935, a letter was sent on behalf of six members of the honorary medical staff of the Bermondsey Medical Mission Hospital to the Hospital Cotnmittee concerning the confirmation of an appointment to the resident medical staff. The Hospital Committee disapproved of this method of approach and did not accept the recommendation. After prolonged discussion and correspondence between members of the honorary medical staff and the hospital authorities, the former concluded that the position at the hospital was unsatisfactory in that there was no provision in the administration for a medical committee of the members of the active medical staff, and in that appointments to the medical staff and decisions on medical matters were often made without consultation with the honorary medical staff. During the course of these discussions it was indicated to the six members of the staff that the Medical Director of the hospital proposed to solve the problem by closing those departments of the hospital for wh,ich the six members of the honorary medical staff were responsible. Members of the honorary medical staff then asked that the administration of the hospital should include a Medical Committee formed of the medical director and the active members of the honorary medical staff for the purpose of advising on medical matters, including appointments to the medical staff. It was intimated on behalf of the hospital authorities that this suggestion was unacceptable. The six members finally resigned from the hospital staff in October, 1935, because they considered the existence and recognition of a medical committee consisting of members of the active honorary staff and acting as an advisory body on medical matters, including appointments, to be essential in the interests of the hospital and its patients. The six members were supported by other members of the staff. PAGE


Aim: The aim of the survey study was to analyze published studies assessing the needs of children with cancer. Design: Literature review. Methods: Freely available and licensed databases (MEDLINE, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus, EBSCO, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Wiley and CINAHL) were searched for necessary data. Results: The literature analysis revealed that needs assessment of children with cancer was described by several authors. Specifically, eight studies were found that were published between 1993 and 2011. The needs of children with cancer diagnosis were evaluated by both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Individual areas of bio-psycho-socio-spiritual needs of the study were investigated separately by the authors. None of the studies evaluated children's needs comprehensively in all the areas. Conclusion: The issue of assessing the needs of children with cancer is often discussed and examined. Studies cover different needs, from biological to spiritual needs. The greatest emphasis should be placed on biological needs due to many side effects of cancer treatment. In the future, it would be appropriate to develop and validate an evaluation tool that would map biological needs of children with cancer. The most effective way would be an assessment tool which would map the needs of children in a comprehensive way.


Environmental statutes frequently include criminal provisions as a means of enforcing their regulations. However, these provisions often include little if no mens rea requirement. As with any form of criminal liability that approaches strict liability, courts must therefore somehow insure that convictions satisfy constitutional due process concerns. During the last century, and accompanying the rise of regulatory statutes, the court developed the public welfare doctrine as a method of justifying the lack of a mens rea requirement for certain types of crimes. These crimes, known as public welfare offenses, involve regulations so potentially dangerous to public health and safety that the court was willing to presume that the allegedly criminal actor had knowledge of his wrong doing, thus satisfying due process. United States v. Apollo Energies, Inc.'s, interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, demonstrates another justification for a lack of a mens rea requirement. However, for a criminal offense that did not fall under the coverage of the public welfare doctrine: an offense that does not affect the public health, and which features a causation element. To satisfy due process, the Tenth Circuit borrows several elements embedded in the public welfare doctrine: foreseeability of regulation and foreseeability of harm. The use of these elements, and the Tenth Circuit's willingness to apply them outside of the public welfare setting, illuminates when courts might find liability for future environmental regulatory crimes.


The Companies Act 2016 is
expected to transform the business
regulatory landscape in Malaysia,
facilitating business and investment
and reinvigorating growth and
prosperity. As partners and advisors
to business, government and society,
all accountants are encouraged to
attend this technical session which
introduces the new bills and explains
their impact on business models
and processes and future economic
growth.


Introduction/Background Various biomarkers have been investigated to identify patients likely to respond to PARP inhibition. PARP inhibitor olaparib plus bevacizumab is approved by the US FDA as maintenance therapy for homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)–positive advanced ovarian cancer; the FDA contemporaneously approved a commercial assay as a companion diagnostic for HRD assessment that includes a genomic instability biomarker. Other genomic platforms measuring HRD are available or in development, including single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping arrays designed to measure tumour-related copy number changes. We evaluated the performance of OncoScan™ (ThermoFisher) and Infinium CytoSNP-850K (CytoSNP; Illumina) for assessing HRD genomic instability. Methodology DNA extracted from pretreatment archival tumour samples (N=126 across 20 indications) was evaluated with Oncoscan™, CytoSNP and an FDA-approved HRD test. ASCAT (v2.5.1), using log R ratio and B-allele frequency of autosomal markers with GC wave correction, was used to evaluate copy number variation (CNV) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH). The genomic metrics were further generated with default parameters using previously reported algorithms1 for LOH,2 number of telomeric-allelic imbalance (NTAI)3 and large-scale state transition (LST)4; the aggregate HRD metric was the sum of the three components. The association between genomic metrics (with BRCA deleterious alterations) and an FDA-approved HRD test metric (dichotomised at clinical cutoff) was calculated using AUROC. Correlations among continuous metrics were assessed using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Results CNV segmentation and genomic metrics were successfully calculated for 120 (Oncoscan™), 106 (CytoSNP) and 126 (FDA-approved test) samples. Assessed by SNP genotyping arrays, the genomic metric as a continuous variable demonstrated good association with deleterious BRCA alterations (AUROC of HRD: Oncoscan™, 0.87; CytoSNP, 0.75) (table 1) and the FDA-approved test at cutoff 42 (AUROC of HRD: Oncoscan™, 0.92; CytoSNP, 0.91) (table 2). The genomic metric as a continuous variable showed good correlation with the FDA-approved HRD test metric (Spearman correlation of HRD: Oncoscan™, 0.82; CytoSNP, 0.81). The Spearman correlation of genomic metrics with the FDA-approved HRD test metric was 0.68 (LOH), 0.76 (TAI), 0.78 (LST) and 0.82 (HRD) for Oncoscan™ and 0.59 (LOH), 0.77 (TAI), 0.82 (LST) and 0.81 (HRD) for CytoSNP. Conclusion HRD as a continuous variable assessed by SNP genotyping arrays showed good correlation with an FDA-approved HRD test metric; SNP assays may potentially be able to identify most HRD-positive tumours if appropriate clinically relevant cutoffs can be determined. Disclosures This study was sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Razvan Cristescu is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, and has stock ownership interests in Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Xiao Qiao Liu is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Gladys Arreaza is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, and has stock ownership interests in Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Cai Chen is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Andrew Albright is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, and has stock ownership interests in Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Ping Qiu is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, and has stock ownership interests in Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Matthew Marton is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, and has stock ownership interests in Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.


Training of applied talents has the great significance to the concept of college education and the educational model reform,especially to innovative thinking ability of the students.The article carries on the discussion of the operating system curriculum's teaching,analyzes the features of current operating system curriculum teaching,such as extensive contents,too many concepts,abstract theory,hard for the students,few experiments,proposes some plans and suggestions about teaching reform of operating system curriculum,and gives some useful practical examples.


To describe inter‐lead (cross‐talk) stimulation between a trigeminal nerve lead and a cervical epidural lead for the treatment of facial pain in a 69‐year‐old patient with empty nose syndrome.


Abstract The effect of two titanium (IV) compounds, titanium ascorbate and titanium chloride, on some enzymatic activities, such as catalase, peroxidase, lipoxygenase and nitrate reductase in seeds, embryos, and seedlings and adult plants of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), was studied. A stimulatory effect of titanium was observed for every iron‐depending enzyme studied at all developing stages as well as for nitrate reductase but only for whole plants. This occurs because Ti+3/Ti+4 catalizes the activity of iron and enhances iron‐dependent enzymes.


sequence of a balance of input of chemical energy and output of mechanical work in the myofibrillar appara tus. Qualitatively, it is the expression of an adjust ment to the functional characteristics of the muscle, such as the ~uality and temporal pattern of energy expenditure (e.g. steady and continuous, steady and discontinuous or dicontinuous performance of work. The kinds of metabolic differentiation possible are based on the fact that muscle cells may draw energy from the oxidation of various fuels. The caloric values of the various fuels determine their different theoretical maximum energy-yields. The nature of the fuel also determines the type of its metabolism, especially with regard to an obligatory or nonobliga tory aerobic catabolism. Energy-output in cell meta bolism depends finally on the catabolic rate. Nature of the fuel, type of metabolism and catabolic rate thus represent fundamental elements in metabolic differentiation. Energy-supplying metabolism in muscles of diffe rent type or species is based on the function of homo logous enzymes. However, main principles of metabolic differentiation emerge from comparative analysis of enzyme activity patterns [1-4J. The activity of an enzyme determined under standardized conditions may be


A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the responses among 10 maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes under drought stress. Seeds were planted in washed sand in plastic pots. The research was established in a completely random design with ten treatments and three replicate pots. The plants were harvested four weeks after sowning, and leaf area per plant (LA), root volume (RV), longest root length (LRL), plant height (PH), fresh (RFW) and dry weight (ROW) of roots, shoot dry weight (SOW), RDW/SDW ratio, and total dry matter production (TDM) were determined. Significant varietal differences for all characters were found, except for LRL. The data obtained allowed to identify Cargill-163 as a poor genotype at low water supply. Danac-3006, FM-6, Sefloarca-91, Ceniap PB-8, and Tocoron-300 hybrids showed the best behaviour in terms of RDW/SDW ratio and root volume. On the other hand, root dry weight was identified as the best indicator and easiest characteristic to determine the drought-tolerance of maize plant.


Countries are creating strategies to defend themselves from cyberwar and cyberespionage in response to cyber attacks such as Stuxnet, Flame and the use of social media in national conflicts. Nations are grouping in blocs for these strategies along traditional international-relations lines. Combating cybercrime is becoming more difficult, and less important, as a result, since potential partners in crime-fighting must increasingly treat each other as cyber opponents. Canada should not abandon potential partnerships with China, Russia and their allies because of increased cyberwarfare concerns. Canada should strive for a middle ground that that will allow Canada to cooperate with every country as long as that cooperation advances the Canadian interest in a more secure cyberspace for Canadians.


Background: Chronic Fatigue is a major clinical unmet need among patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Current therapies are limited to non-pharmacological interventions, such as personalised exercise programmes (PEP) and cognitive behavioural approaches (CBA), however, still most patients continue to report severe fatigue. To inform more effective therapies, we conducted an MRI brain study of PEP and CBA, nested within a randomised controlled trial (RCT), to identify their neurobiological mechanisms of fatigue reduction in RA. Methods: A sub-group of RA subjects (n=90), participating in a RCT of PEP/CBA for fatigue, undertook a multi-modal MRI brain scan following randomisation to either usual care (UC) alone or in addition to PEP/CBA, and again after the intervention (6 months). Brain regional volumetric, functional, and structural connectivity indices were curated and then computed employing a causal analysis framework. The primary outcome was fatigue improvement (Chalder Fatigue Scale). Findings: Several structural and functional connections were identified as mediators of fatigue improvement in both PEP and CBA compared to UC. PEP had a more pronounced effect on functional connectivity than CBA, however, structural connectivity between the left isthmus cingulate cortex (L-ICC) and left paracentral lobule (L-PCL) was shared and the size of mediation effect ranked highly for both PEP/CBA (BAverage=-0.46, SD 0.61; BAverage=-0.32, SD 0.47, respectively). Interpretation: The structural connection between the L-ICC and L-PCL appears to be a dominant mechanism for how both PEP/CBA reduces fatigue among RA patients. This supports its potential as a substrate of fatigue neurobiology and a putative candidate for future targeting.


An experimental procedure for generating and trapping the products of ion–neutral reactions has been developed. The method has been applied to a neon matrix ESR study of the C2O+2 radical (X 2Bu) formed during deposition at 4 K by the reaction CO++CO. Six different isotopic combinations of C2O+2 were studied which allowed a complete characterization of the 13C and 17O nuclear hyperfine structure. The experimental A tensors were compared with the results of an extensive SCF and CI theoretical calculation. A full discussion of the theoretical procedure utilized is presented. The electronic ground state was determined by a CI calculation to be the planar trans configuration with a CCO bond angle of 141°. A description of the MO containing the unpaired electron is presented and compared with CO+ and the isoelectronic anion radical C2N−2. The effects of noncoincidence between the g and A tensors are considered in detail for this powder sample of C2O+2 which exhibited relatively narrow ESR lines in a neon matri...


To elucidate specific features of epidemiology of various forms of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in this country using the information about 561 patients accumulated for 19 years in the database of Federal state institution «Endocrinological Research Centre». The incidence of PHPT in Moscow estimated from the database of Endocrinological Research Centre for 2007 was 6.8 per 1 000 000 adult population and the prevalence as per 2009 was 3.1/100 000. These values are significantly lower than those reported by foreign authors. The men to women ratio among the patients with PHPT was 1:8. The disease largely affects subjects at the age from 50 to 60 years. By the year of 2004, the frequency of the mild form of PHPT did not exceed 20% of the total (based on 2002 Consensus criteria). It increased to 37% during the past 5 years. Conservative treatment of PHPT can be recommended to 14% of the patients presenting with sporadic disease and to 32% of those with MEN syndrome. The frequency of asymptotic PHPT and its normocalcemic forms is estimated at 5% and 9% respectively. The above results are the first data on epidemiology of PHPT in this country; however, they are insufficient to comprehensively evaluate the real significance of the problem. Large-scale epidemiological studies are needed to ensure adequate assessment of the situation.


Angiomyolipoma is a rare tumor in the oral region. This paper describes an angiomyolipoma arising in the palate of a 66-year-old male. Only three oral angiomyolipomas have been reported in Japan. Distinctions between angiomyolipomas and angiomyomas were discussed.


We prove some

$\ell $

 -independence results on local constancy of étale cohomology of rigid analytic varieties. As a result, we show that a closed subscheme of a proper scheme over an algebraically closed complete non-archimedean field has a small open neighbourhood in the analytic topology such that, for every prime number

$\ell $

 different from the residue characteristic, the closed subscheme and the open neighbourhood have the same étale cohomology with

${\mathbb Z}/\ell {\mathbb Z}$

 -coefficients. The existence of such an open neighbourhood for each

$\ell $

 was proved by Huber. A key ingredient in the proof is a uniform refinement of a theorem of Orgogozo on the compatibility of the nearby cycles over general bases with base change.


Fifty-nine Ralstonia solanacearum isolates from diverse crops and regions were collected and characterized to determine the distribution and diversity of this soilborne pathogen in Guatemala. Three distinct types were present: a phylotype I, sequevar 14 strain, probably originating from Asia, infecting tomatoes and aubergines at moderate elevations; a phylotype II, sequevar 6 strain of American origin causing Moko disease in lowland banana plantations; and a phylotype II, sequevar 1 (race 3 biovar 2) strain causing brown rot on potatoes, Southern wilt of Pelargonium spp. and bacterial wilt of greenhouse tomatoes at high elevations. These data on strain diversity will inform effective regional efforts to breed for wilt resistance. A sensitive enrichment method did not detect the pathogen in fruits from naturally infected commercial tomato plants in Guatemalan fields and greenhouses, although it was detected in 6% of fruits from a wilt-resistant hybrid. Low numbers of R. solanacearum cells were also infrequently detected in fruits from plants artificially inoculated in the growth chamber with either race 3 biovar 2 or a phylotype II tomato strain.


The dynamic mobility (μ d ) of double-stranded DNA (at 1 MHz) has been measured for the first time, by measurements of the electrokinetic sonic amplitude (ESA) and the hydrated density. Calfthymus DNA (average size 3000 base pairs) and herring sperm DNA (300 bp) have been used as models for a flexible polymer and a semirigid rod, respectively. In both cases the ESA is proportional to the DNA concentration at least up to 1.5 mg/mL, allowing μ d of noninteracting DNA molecules to be determined from the slopes. For calf thymus DNA μ d is very similar to literature values on the steady-state mobility, available between 50 and 4 mM NaCl. Unexpectedly, the dynamic mobility at 1 mM NaCl is lower than that at 4 mM, and thermal melting experiments rule out denaturation as a cause for this nonmonotonic dependence of μ d on ionic strength. Using the free-draining approximation valid in steady-state electrophoresis of DNA, we evaluate the charge fraction α from the dynamic mobility. Above 4 mM NaCl α is essentially constant at 0.60 ± 0.05, indicating that DNA can be viewed as a constant-charge cylinder also in the dynamic mobility, but at 1 mM the charge fraction drops to 0.2. The herring sperm DNA has a considerably lower dynamic mobility than calf thymus DNA, which is confirmed by measurements of the ultrasonic vibration potential. Part of the lower dynamic mobility of the herring sperm DNA can be ascribed to partial denaturation. The fact that the charge fraction is smaller than that calculated from steady-state mobilities of completely denatured DNA indicates, however, that the smaller size also contributes to the low mobility of the herring sperm DNA.


Abstract Using a method originally proposed for describing a continuum-space polymer fluid, a new expression for the Helmholtz energy of mixing is proposed for a binary lattice mixture. Molecular size asymmetry and nonrandomness due to segment–segment interactions are taken into account. An expression proposed by Yan, Liu and Hu for a binary lattice mixture of monomers, based on the Ising model, is used as a reference system. Calculated critical constants and liquid–liquid coexistence curves are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations for lattice mixtures with modest size asymmetry. Because lattice spacing rises with increasing temperature, comparison of calculated binary liquid–liquid equilibria with experiment requires that calculations take into account that the interchange energy falls as temperature rises. While the new expression for the Helmholtz energy of mixing provides much improvement over the Flory–Huggins equation, calculated liquid–liquid equilibria for three binary systems are similar to those from Guggenheim's quasi-chemical theory.


The flow velocity fluctuation generated behind a circular cylinder which is placed in a unidirectional stream has been measured by means of laser velocimetry. The variance of the fluctuation is proportional to the square of the mean flow rate and is found to reduce with going down the stream.


Alum sludge contained a large portion amount of the aluminum derived from the coagulation process in secondary stage water treatment. Alum sludge is discharge to the landfill and it can affect on disposal management. This study investigates the treatment of wastewater using the low-cost adsorption material and also an innovation in green technology for the preservation of the environment. This finding attempts to determine the effectiveness of dewatered water treatment alum sludge as media to remove pollutant (phosphate) from wastewater. The continuous flow test approach with constant speed allocate is being used in this study. Alum sludge was prepared in 2.36 mm sieve size in dry condition and the initial synthetic water concentration (phosphate solution) was set in increasing order 2.6 mg/L to 30.5 mg/L. The test was monitored over 30 days with constant flow rate. The results indicated removal phosphate in beginning of contact time at 30% - 90%. The maximum percentage removal is 91% - 98% in various condition. The dewatered alum sludge from water treatment plant has great potential as phosphate removal.


The development of internal stress and stress relaxation induced by restrained autogenous shrinkage of self-compacting concrete (SCC) with different water to binder ratios and different amount of cementitious materials was investigated. Test results at more than 100 days showed that the free autogenous deformation expands within 1 day and then shrinks rapidly from 3 days to 7 days, after that, the autogenous shrinkage grows slowly and steadily. The induced stress in the restrained autogenous shrinkage also had the similar law; the stress relaxation of restrained autogenous shrinkage mainly developed in the early ages within 7 days, and then growth of the stress relaxation was almost stagnant. Stress relaxation rate of self-compacting concrete increased with the increase of cementitious content, and it increased significantly with the increase of water to binder ratio.


A wide range of potential dating methods may be applied to archaeological deposits found in caves and rockshelters, depending on the nature of the deposit and age range of the deposit. Organic sediments, including faunal and floral material, can be dated by radiocarbon (AMS and high‐sensitivity beta‐counting). Many karstic features contain speleothems which can be dated with high accuracy by U‐series. Wind‐blown detritus, where it is the dominant constituent of the cave deposits, can be dated by luminescence (TL, OSL, or IRSL), taking care to avoid material fallen into the deposits from the shelter/cave walls. Fireplaces contain burned rocks (including stone artifacts) which can be dated by TL. Enamel from the teeth of mammals is present in most sites, representing either animal residents of the shelter, or residues from food brought to the shelter by human residents. Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of enamel is applicable over a wide time range, with high accuracy and reasonable precision where uranium accumulation in teeth is low, but with lower precision where uranium content in teeth is high. In general, multiple dating methods applied to a site may resolve ambiguities arising from uncertain model assumptions in some dating methods. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


This paper looks at a particular feature of international business (IB) research on culture that seems to be, on reflection, a curious omission from existing reviews and analyses - its potential for interestingness. To tackle this issue, we ponder two interconnected issues that sociologists and management scholars have wrestled with for quite some time: namely, what exactly is interesting research and why does it matter? We promote the value of the notion of contextualisation, highlight the need for more research into language and advance the case for research into intracultural variation. Conducting research on these three topics involves a break with national value systems, on the one hand, and the embrace of non-cultural variables, on the other. The current shifts and changes in the world open up new vistas of truly interesting research, at which IB scholars can and indeed should be at the forefront.


The reaction of the xylan-type hemicellulose with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride and acrylamide in ethanol-water-alkali slurry yielded water-soluble, cationic etherified xylan-type hemicellulose derivatives. The degree of substitution (DS) value reaches up to 0.40 by adjusting the mass ratios (NaOH/hemicellulose, total etherifying agents/hemicellulose and 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride/acrylamide), the reaction temperature and the reaction time in a one-step synthesis. The etherified hemicellulose was characterized by infrared spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR), Zeta potential analysis, charge density analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It is found that Zeta potential is promoted from-30.50mv to +35.81mv and charge density is promoted from-0.50mmol/g to +0.88mmol/g during etherification under the conditions used. The thermal stability of the etherified hemicellulose is lower than that of the unmodified xylan-type hemicellulose polymers.


Lycium ruthenicum seedlings were chosen as test material,effect of different concentration of NaCl(0,200,400 mM)on seedling growth and physiological property of Lycium ruthenicum were studied.The results showed that the values of relative electrolyte leakage in roots increased significantly during the period of NaCl treatment;After NaCl treatment for 14 days,the contents of H2O2 and MDA did not change much as compared with the control;The content of soluble sugars decreased significantly in roots after 7 days of NaCl treatment,while the content of soluble protein declined after 14 days of NaCl exposure;Under different concentrations of NaCl treatment,POD activity in both leaves and stems declined dramatically after 7 and 14 days of treatment.According to the results obtained,the leaves and the stems posses relatively higher salt tolerance,while the root was relatively sensitive to salt stress.


Ovaries were collected from Dutch Landrace crossbred pigs ranging in age from 49 days postcoitum to 90 days after birth to quantify ovarian follicular development. Morphological changes in the ovary of the fetal and prepubertal pig indicated that egg nests were the earliest recognizable gamete cells. Primordial follicles were first observed in ovaries 68 days postcoitum, primary follicles about 75 days postcoitum and secondary follicles near the time of birth. Only a few tertiary follicles were present in ovaries from pigs 62-90 days after birth. Egg nests were the major gamete cell, accounting for 60-100% of the total from 50-68 days postcoitum. Starting 70 days postcoitum until 90 days after birth, primordial follicles accounted for about 80% of the total follicuiar population. There were no changes in the activity of 3�3-hydroxystcroid dehydrogenase or i7�3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase observed in ovaries from 49 days postcoitum to 90 days after birth. It appeared that ovarian follicular development continued in a linear manner unchanged by a perinatal surge in peripheral LI-I. Treatment with exogenous gonadotropins did not cause any recognizable change in ovaries from 5-week-old pigs. 1-lowever, 2 of 4 pigs treated at 9 weeks of age had 12 ovulations each.


Racial justice in the United States, and indeed throughout the Americas, can be achieved only by addressing and rectifying the wrongs done in the past to the descendants of African slaves. This is so because under conditions of free market competition, past inequalities and disparities in wealth and asset holding tend to be reproduced and even reinforced in the present. As the US economist Fred Hirsch has shown, under free market conditions, there is no catching up with those who entered competitive markets earlier or with more assets. The benefits of addressing past wrongs with policies of material reparations and symbolic recognition can be understood by comparing the United States to Germany, which has not only paid reparations to Holocaust survivors and the descendants of Jewish slave laborers but also outlawed any public display of any symbols glorifying the horrors enacted in the past.


Ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS) is a new 2-dimensional analysis technology which couples the advantages of ion mobility (IM) separation and mass spectrometry (MS). Ions can be distinguished by IMMS which depends on the conformation and sizes of ions whose collision cross sections(Ω) are different when they collide with the buffer gas as they fly through the drift tube. Great progress has been made with IM over 30 years and IMMS has equipped with the newest ionization methods and mass analyzers. Today, IMMS shows more and more particular merits in analyzing the proteins, peptides and complex isomers and is becoming a powerful analytical tool in life science.


. Spatial Relation identification is one of the integral parts of Spatial Information Retrieval. It deals with identifying the spatially related objects in view of their physical orientation or placement with respect to each other. The concept is widely used in many fields such as Robotics, Image Caption Generation and many more such areas. In this work the focus is to gather information from multiple modalities such as Image and its corresponding Text so as to strengthen the learning process for the identification of Spatial Relation pairs from a given text. Two different multimodal approaches are proposed in this work. In the first approach, information is explored as a sequential learning process where the individual Spatial Roles are identified as connected entities, which makes the Spatial Relation retrieval easy and efficient enough. To counter the small size of the dataset along with necessity to avoid overfitting, an efficient backward propagation based Neural Network was used to classify the candidate roles and the relations. The feature selection was different for all the classification tasks. Building on the selected feature from the first approach, the second approach uses a transfer learning method that utilizes an existing image caption generation model to retrieve the vital topic based information from image which is then used for the task. Thereby both approaches used information from two modalities which are further used to train the system in the respective approach. The model achieves state-of-the-art performance in terms of Precision for two of the Spatial Roles identification. This validates the advantage of using multimodal learning when compared with other partial-multimodal processes.


A refrigeration system having a container with at least two different temperatures of the cooling zone, said zone being separated spacers. Partition wall and spaced from one another with a partition plate. A partition plate having a heat transfer plate, a sheet having attached thereto with a heat transfer material. Refrigeration system can be a variable capacity compressor cooling system, the system having a compressor cooling mode and hot gas defrost mode. The defrost system through the gas circulating therethrough. A controller selectively engageable and operation of the compressor system.


A secure mobile communication approach is proposed in this paper. The security of our approach is guaranteed by certification authority and information hiding technique. During the communication, the identity of users will be validated first. The secure speech will be transferred hidden in the public speech. When the public speech arrives at the receiving side, the secure speech will be restored. This approach solves the problem of wiretapping attack, voice-imitating attack and denials after communicating during communication. The experimental results show that this approach is a good solution to mobile secure communication


Using interviews,documentation,investigation method and mathematical statistics method,the eastern area of Inner Mongolia sports rank the status quo,sports talents in the mode of cultivating a comprehensive are investigatied and studed,the results suggest that the current grass-roots sports area of eastern Inner Mongolia Coaches of the title structure,educational structure,age structure is not quite rational,scientific research and conveying athletes less reserve training model need to be adjusted to adapt to racing sports development of the situation needs.