We demonstrate the benefit of using a low work-function metal (Yb) to lower the barrier height and hence, the contact resistivity (ρc) in unpinned metal-interfacial layer-semiconductor (MIS) contacts on n-type Ge and Si. Metal/doped TiO2-x/n-Ge and n-Si MIS diodes fabricated with varying TiO2-x thickness (1-5 nm) exhibit higher (upto 100X) current densities and lower contact barrier heights (upto 30%) for Yb versus Ti metallization. A combination of low work-function Yb, doped TiO2-x with low conduction band offsets w.r.t Si and Ge, and high substrate doping( n+-Si:2×1020 cm-3 and n+-Ge:2.5×1019 cm-3) is shown to result in ultra-low ρc values of 2.1×10-8 Ω.cm2 (Si) and 1.4×10-8 Ω.cm2 (Ge) for Yb/TiO2-x contacts, significantly lower than Ti/TiO2-x control devices, and the best reported contact resistivity on n-Ge till date.


Absenteeism is one of the major issue in almost all the organisations. The study is undertaken to identify and analyze the employee's absenteeism level of the company and the study was conducted among the employees of Jawan Knit Garments in Tirupur. The scope of the study is to identify and analyze the reason for employees' absenteeism and also to know the employees working atmosphere of the company, overall satisfaction of the employees, and how it affects employees' absenteeism. The study tries to bring out the solution for reducing employees' absenteeism which in turn helps for the betterment of company's growth and development. Index Terms : Absenteeism, Productivity, Absence, Leave and Organisation. I.INTRODUCTION Absenteeism refers to employee's intentional or habitual absence from work. Excessive absences can equate to decreased productivity and can have a major effect on company finances, morale and other factors. Employees are absent from work and thus the work suffers. Absenteeism of employees from work leads to back logs, piling of work and thus the work delays. Absenteeism is a red flag that employees are not engaged in their work. Employees' Absenteeism typically results in inefficiency or minimal productivity, high turnover, increased costs in sick pay and replacement of employees and customer dissatisfaction. Further, high absenteeism is the prime indicators stating that the workplace environment is toxic. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Absenteeism has become a major problem in almost all the industrial sectors. Excessive absenteeism constitutes a considerable cost to the industry even when the absent employee receives no pay. Because of disorganization of work, work schedules are upset and delayed, resulting in the management failure to meet delivery dates. It is, therefore, desirable that measures are effectively implemented to minimize the cost of absenteeism as for as possible. In the light of various factors promoting excessive rate of absenteeism in the units concerned, measures will have to be taken by the management. So this study is undergone by the researcher to find the reasons for employee's absenteeism and suggest the ways to reduce absenteeism. III OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY  To identify the demographic factors and absenteeism details of the employees.  To know about the overall satisfaction level of employees working in the organization.  To ascertain the reasons for employees absence in their work.  To gather the workers opinion about the motivating factor that makes them regular in their work.  To find out the ways to reduce employees absenteeism and offer valuable suggestion to reduce absenteeism in the company. IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The validity of any research is based on the systematic method of data collection and analysis. The present study uses both primary as well as secondary data. The primary data is collected from 200 sample respondents. The respondents are the employees of Jawan Knit Garments, Tirupur to whom the well-structured questionnaire is circulated. Secondary data is collected from websites, books, journals and magazines. The convenience sampling method was used to collect the pertinent data from the respondents and the data is collected by using Schedule method. Research Design A research design is an arrangement of the condition for conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. Descriptive research studies which is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual or of group. The present study is one such descriptive research design as it describes the employees, absenteeism of Jawan Knit Garments. V TOOLS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS The data collected from the primary sources were arranged sequentially. The data which are collected through questionnaire were presented in a master table. From the master table, sub tables were prepared for analysis and interpretation of the data. Simple statistical tools like percentage analysis, chi-square test and weighted average rank scoring method were used. © 2019 IJRAR September 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, PISSN 2349-5138) IJRAR1ASP026 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 115 VI HYPOTHESIS TESTED 1. There is no significant relationship between gender of the employees and employees' satisfaction level on holidays provided by the company. 2. There is no significant relationship between the age and overall satisfaction level of employees working in the company. 3. There is no significant relationship between monthly salary and overall satisfaction level of employees in working in the company. 4. There is no significant relationship between experience and overall satisfaction level of employees in the company. VII LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY  The present study on the employees' absenteeism is confirmed to a single study unit. Hence the conclusions derived from the study may not be applicable to similar firms and to other areas.  The sample employees selected for the present study is limited to 200 workers, because of time constraints. Time factor was one of the main limitations of the study.  The process of filling up of questionnaire has taken up so much time as most of the workers were not aware of the concepts and terms. VIII DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Table No : 1 EMPLOYEES OPINION TO REDUCE THE ABSENTEEISM S.No Opinion to reduce absenteeism No. of. Respondents Percentage% 1 Increase in number of holidays 29 14.5 2 Better working conditions 23 11.5 3 Providing non monetary benefits 31 15.5 4 Better performance appraisal 39 19.5 5 Job rotation and job enrichment 33 16.5 6 Good employee relations 26 13 7 Co-ordination with co-workers 14 7 8 Efficient supervision 5 2.5 Total 200 100 INFERENCE Thus it is clear from the above analysis that 19.5% of respondents opined that better performance appraisal is the important factor that helps to reduce absenteeism followed by job enrichment and job roatation. Table No : 2 COMPANIES ACTION TOWARDS LONG ABSENCE S.No Action taken by the company No. of. Respondents Percentage% 1 Loss of pay 35 17.5 2 Compensating the work 55 27.5 3 Not providing incentives 48 24 4 Warning 42 21 5 Providing counselling 16 8 6 Others 4 2 Total 200 100 INFERENCE From the above table it is inferred that 17.5% of the respondents salary is deducted by means of loss of pay, 27.5% of the respondents were asked to compensate the work 24% of the respondents were not provided incentives 21% of the respondents were given warning 8% of the respondents were provided the counseling and 2% of the respondents were taken action like overtime work, etc., © 2019 IJRAR September 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, PISSN 2349-5138) IJRAR1ASP026 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 116 MONTHLY SALARY VS OVERALL SATISFACTION LEVEL OF EMPLOYEES IN WORKING WITH THE COMPANY HYPOTHESIS There is no significant relationship between the monthly salary and overall satisfaction level of employees in working in the company. With a view to find the degree of association between the monthly salary and overall satisfaction level of employees in working in the company, the two way table is prepared. Table No : 3 MONTHLY SALARY VS OVERALL SATISFACTION LEVEL OF EMPLOYEES IN WORKING WITH THE COMPANY (Two way table) Satisfaction Salary Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly dissatisfied Total Below Rs. 5000 4 (3.6) 6 (5.32) 2 (3.50) 1 (1.5) 2 (1.05) 15 Rs.5001-6000 3 (5.04) 8 (7.45) 4 (4.93) 4 (2.1) 2 (1.47) 21 Rs.6001-8000 18 (17.76) 22 (26.27) 22 (17.39) 6 (7.4) 6 (5.18) 74 Rs.8001-10000 18 (14.16) 17 (20.94) 16 (13.86) 6 (5.9) 2 (4.13) 59 Above Rs.10000 5 (7.44) 18 (11) 3 (7.28) 3 (3.1) 2 (2.17) 31 Total 48 71 47 20 14 200


Several periods in classical (Greco-Roman) antiquity provide an intriguing mix of being ' in the grip of the past ' and profoundly innovative in all societal domains at the same time. A new research agenda of the Dutch classicists investigates this combi-nation, under the hypothesis that the two are connected. Successful innovations must somehow be ' anchored ' for the relevant social group(s). This paper explores the new concept of ' anchoring ' , and some of the ways in which ' the new ' and ' the old ' are evaluated and used in classical antiquity and our own times. Its examples range from a piece of ancient theatrical equipment to the history of the revolving door, from an ornamental feature of Greek temples to the design of electric cars, and from the Delphic oracle to the role of the American constitution.


Assuming that the minimal cardinality of a dominating family in ω ω is equal to 2 ω , we construct a subset X of a real line R such that the space Cp(X) of continuous real-valued functions on X does not admit any continuous bijection onto a σ-compact space. This gives a consistent answer to a question of Arhangel'skii.


This paper describes a simple method for measuring the cubic anisotropy in garnet films. In (111)-oriented garnet films, the magnetization M is rotated from the film normal to the film plane by applying an in-plane field H//. The [111] component Mz of the magnetization M is measured magneto-optically. A plot of MzH// vs. Mz yields an approximately linear relation where the intercept of the line on the MzH// axis changes with the direction of H//, Thus, the cubic anisotropy K1 as well as the uniaxial anisotropy Ku can be estimated from the slope and the intercepts of the extrapolated straight lines for different directions of H//. This method is very simple and may be applied to films whose crystallographic axes in the film plane are unknown. With an adequate choice of the azimuth of the in-plane field, K1 has been estimated with an accuracy of 30%.


The problems of waste disposal at the present stage of development all over the world are the most important. Waste accumulation is an acute problem in all countries. Waste damages the soil, affects the quality of life of the population and damages the vital functions of all living organisms. The decomposition time of some types of garbage is more than 500 years. Rapid population growth increases waste. The problem of their utilization is a promising area of development for all countries. In the countries of the European Union a waste management system has been developed, which gives positive results. The article discusses the main aspects of waste management policy in the countries of the European Union. The data of the general European trend in the formation of household waste for the last two decades are presented. Hypotheses about what factors can influence the correctness of the waste management policy were tested using regression analysis. The recycling rate of waste, the circular material use rate, as well as trade in secondary raw materials were chosen as indicators of the level of development of waste management. The level of GDP, R&D costs, human resources in science and technology were selected as factors of the effectiveness of this policy. Indicators have been identified that have the greatest impact on the degree of waste disposal.


It is our great pleasure to welcome researchers and scholars from all over the world to attend the 5th International Conference on Hydraulic and Civil Engineering (ICHCE 2019), which was hosted by Hohai University, co-organized by the Hydraulic Structures Committee of Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, Tsinghua University, the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and some other societies, universities and research institutes from May 10th to 12th, 2019 at Hohai University, Nanjing, China. The conference mainly focuses on the research fields of water conservancy and civil engineering, and is dedicated to provide the experts, scholars, engineers, etc. from different colleges and universities, research institutes, enterprises and institutions from home and abroad, with an academic platform for sharing of academic research findings, exploration of the cutting-edge engineering issues and discussion on the current opportunities and challenges, in a concerted effort to promote international cooperation and communication and the industrialization of scientific research results. We are glad to invite Houqun Chen, academician of China Engineering Academy, Chuhan Zhang, Tsinghua University, Dr. James E Lindell, Prof. HoKyung Kim, Seoul National University, etc. as our keynote speakers who made amazing speeches in the conference. In this conference, we have received more than xxx papers, each of which has gone through a strict reviewing process performed by our international reviewers. One paper is reviewed by at least two reviewers and the paper would be transmitted to the third reviewer assigned by the chairs, if two reviewers had conflicting opinions. Only after obtaining the approval from the reviewers, we would publish those papers. Finally, 418 papers with great quality will be published. List of Organizers, Co-organizers and Organizational Structure are available in this PDF.


Economic load dispatch should be given special care even when the primary responsibility of any demand response model is to provide a consistent supply to the load. Demand can be satisfied by the utility grid as well as self-sustaining user sources. If a user generates excess power after meeting demand, the user can pool it and transfer it to the grid or neighboring consumers. This is referred to as the prosumer model, in which the user serves as both a producer and a consumer. Furthermore, some of the surplus power may be stored in energy storage devices. A sophisticated mathematical model is required to estimate how much power should be generated, pooled, pulled from the grid, gathered from close users, supplied to nearby customers, and so on. This paper tries to present a smart economic load dispatch model for a demand response system that combines a multithreaded swarm model with a reward-based reinforcement system to assure optimal source selection and power flow management. To identify the optimum cost-effective power sharing model among a user, the grid, and neighboring users, the system uses particle swarm optimization (PSO) and artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization. Both models have benefits and drawbacks, and not all models work well with all data input. Using two models at the same time consumes a significant amount of time and computational power. As a consequence, for each data input, an upper bound confidante (UBC) model is used in parallel to select the best economical swarm model based on a semisupervised reinforcement model. A weighted Boruvka's algorithm based on transmission line cost and transmission loss is being used to construct an optimum economic power sharing model, which is backed by swarm models. The efficiency of each model is evaluated using the same data for both models, and error analysis is performed. It was discovered that each model performs differently for various data, and creating a reinforced multithreaded model helps to increase accuracy, reduce computing time, and improve efficiency.


Review of Rabbinic Judaism 10.2 Also available online – www.brill.nl 1 I summarize The Comparative Hermeneutics of Rabbinic Judaism. Volume Eight. Why This, Not That? Ways Not Taken in the Halakhic Category-Formations of the Mishnah-ToseftaYerushalmi-Bavli (Binghamton, 2000: Global Publications). THE HALAKHIC CATEGORY-FORMATIONS OF NORMATIVE JUDAISM: WHY THIS, NOT THAT IN THE MISHNAH-TOSEFTA-YERUSHALMI-BAVLI


The use of natural gas has continuously increased and reached 24.7% of the worldwide primary energy supply in 2020. The same trend applies to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which contributed to 52% of overall natural gas trades in the same year. In this context, the recovery of the cold energy available at LNG receiving terminals during the process of regasification is of a critical importance.
 This paper addresses the integration of the regasification process with an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in order to exploit the available LNG cold energy, by condensing the organic fluid. In addition, a gas turbine exploits differences between regasification and distribution pressures. The analysis covers different organic fluids and two ORC heating source configurations: a) a low-temperature one, using seawater, and b) a high-temperature one, using exhaust gas. In addition, the integration of a natural gas-fired topping gas turbine, which uses the LNG cold energy by compressor inlet air cooling, was simulated. The performance of a medium size regasification terminal (50 kg/s) was evaluated as a function of both the regasification and the natural gas distribution pressures.
 Dedicated models have been developed using Aspen Plus software to simulate the regasification process and the integrated topping cycles (Organic Rankine and Brayton), and their mutual energy integrations.
 The analysis shows that ORC power outputs from 2 MW up to 4.5 MW in case a) and from 6 MW up to 9 MW in case b) can be reached. The topping gas turbine benefits from the inlet air cooling and can add a power output of 35 MW to 40 MW. R125 was the best working fluid for a low-temperature ORC, while R600a showed the best performance for a high-temperature application.


4. Data on which these Beliefs were Founded.-The data. for these beliefs were: the history of breathlessness, the X ray findings and the electrocardiographic findings. The result of the urea concentration test indicated some slight renal degeneration. The right-sided fiaccidity and exaggeration of the knee jerk, together with the extensor response of the great toe, seemed to indicate an affection of the left pyramidal tract, probably a heemorrhage from its. rapid onset.


The selection of the pulse split and the interpulse delay of a two-pulse exoatmospheric midcourse stage for an exoatmospheric interceptor, which uses a kinetic kill vehicle (KKV) for a direct hit kill, is examined. Mission chart analysis is introduced along with system error trees and is used to select motor parameters that maximize the complete weapon system performance. In this analysis, the interceptor receives measured target updates from a weapon system consisting of a track sensor and a link to the interceptor. Location of the weapon system track sensor is not restricted by this analysis. The interceptor states may be measured by the interceptor, by the weapon system track sensor, or by some combination of these. For specific weapon system and interceptor errors, the mission charts indicate upper and lower limits on the second-pulse burnout time. Ignition of the second pulse anywhere between these bounds leads to a high probability of a successful intercept with the earliest ignition time generally producing the highest average speed. These bounds are a function of 1) the KKV divert capability, 2) the weapon system and interceptor errors, 3) the fraction of second-pulse impulse allotted for midcourse correction divert, and 4) the propellant split between the first and second pulse. As the total mission time to intercept increases, the difference between the upper and lower bounds decreases until the mission becomes infeasible. The system errors and the pulse split determine the maximum feasible mission time. For a specific set of errors, there is a pulse split that optimizes the maximum feasible mission time and intercept range when all system constraints are considered. The maximum feasible intercept range is extremely sensitive to the system errors.


This research has studied the effects of copper contents in the Sn-based solder (i.e. Sn-0.7Cu, Sn-1.0Cu, and Sn-3.0Cu) on the intermetallic phase formation and the growth during soldering. In the experiments, reflow soldering was performed at 350 °C with the Cu substrate by using three solders for various soldering times of 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, 240 and 480 s. XRD data have shown that the η-Cu6Sn5 and ε-Cu3Sn phases with hexagonal crystal structure were present between the solder and the substrate. The presence of ε-Cu3Sn phase was found only when the substrate was soldered for at least 240 s. The Cu content in solder had significant effects on the intermetallic growth with long term soldering time. In addition, the diffusion coefficient was correlated to the Cu content in the solder.


The defect of standard Newton iteration used for cubic-root calculation is analyzed.For common 32 bit fixed-point integer,an algorithm based on the combination of modified newton iteration and look-up table is proposed,software and hardware simulation of which is implemented.The simulation results show that errors of this algorithm never exceed 1,which satisfies the requirement of fixed-point cubic-root,and the resources occupied is resonable.Besides,time delay of this algorithm outperforms digit -recurrence algorithm used commonly for square-root calculation.Therefore,it's an effective algorithm for rapid cubic-root calculation.


Prospective memory is a key ability required for independent living and consistent with Einstein and McDaniel (1990), we hypothesized that social partners can serve as useful external memory aids, particularly in middle and late life when these abilities may wane. We employed the Virtual Week (Rendell & Craik, 2000) task in a novel way to investigate the contribution of social partners to the prospective memory process. We examined the collaborative interactions of 11 middle-aged (M = 52.15 years; n = 5) and older (M = 75.24 years; n = 6) married dyads. The dialogue of collaborating partners reflected important PM processes (e.g., encoding, monitoring, tutoring). Age group differences favored middle-aged adults, and preliminary evidence suggested a link between collaborative dialogue and PM performance. Further investigation can determine how social partners can be used strategically to improve prospective memory outcomes.


L-Asparaginase (L-asparagine amido hydrolase, E.C.18.104.22.168) is an important enzyme which has antitumor properties. This paper describes the production and optimization of L-asparaginase by Bacillus sp. KK2S4 utilization of ground corn cob waste as substrate to reduce and manage the waste in our environment. Thirty-nine (39) bacterial isolates were screened for their L-asparaginase productivity and protein content. Only Bacillus sp. KK2S4 was identified before and selected as the most potent isolate. Modified M9 (MM9) minimal complete medium (glucose free) was used as production media for enzyme production. The highest enzyme production was detected at pH 5.0 in presence of lactose and NaNO 3 as the best carbon and nitrogen sources with high activity increasing percentage of 1058.9, 377.3 and 566.7%, respectively.


To provide an historical overview of the economic and technological achievements of Chinese civilization before its puzzling stagnation and slowdown To show how China endured terrible hardship following partial colonization in the 19th century, which seriously retarded its prospects for economic growth To explore the emergence of the Maoist state-driven heavy industrialization strategy, and to note its successes, its failures, and its divergence from the Soviet model upon which it was based To describe the social organization of Chinese industry, especially the role that state-owned enterprises played in the construction of Chinese socialist society based on guaranteed lifetime employment for urban workers The deviation of the model, however, from the USSR was most important in that China was never able to fully replicate USSR-style modernization. Ultimately this set the course for China's abandonment of a planned economy and the move to market-led economic growth in the 1980s until today The chapter moves on to explore China's dramatic recent economic growth, pointing to both its strengths and prospects but also the often profound social costs and risks of marketization. In so doing, the chapter suggests that the Chinese 'variety of capitalism' is complex, distinct and significantly dissimilar to both Anglo-Saxon and CME models


school nurse. Aged 15 years: Five months ago, severe bronchitis with purulent sputum and marked dyspncea. Family history.-Father and mother well. 1 brother died of bronchopneumonia, aged 21 years. On examination.-Looks 9 to 10 years old. Ht. 4 ft. 4 in. Wt. 3 st. 10 lb. No signs of puberty (Fig. 1). Very cyanosed, and quite marked clubbing. Looks ill; markedly dyspnceic; and febrile. Chest, fixed, with Harrison's sulci. Harsh breath sounds with numerous added sounds throughout both lung fields (Fig. 2). C.V.S. N.A.D. Abdomen: Enlarged liver, 4 fingerbreadths below costal margin in mid-clavicular line, firm, not tender. No splenomegaly. Both testicles undescended. No pubic hair. Investigations.-Hb 100%; W.B.C. 16,000. E.S.R. 72. Serum bilirubin 1.1 mg./ 100 c.c. Plasma proteins 7.7 grammes %. Albumin 3-1 grammes %. Globulin 4-6 grammes%. Thymol turbidity 2*5 units. Colloidal gold 0. Blood calcium ll 1mg.% Serum phosphate 4*7 mg.%. Chest X-ray shows diffuse "snow-flake" mottling throughout both lung fields. Ossification centre for trochlea not yet present. No evidence of rickets. Sputum showed mixed bacterial flora, including Strep. viridans, Neisseria, diphtheroids. Mantoux negative 1 :100, old tuberculin. Duodenal intubation performed; juice showed absence of trypsin. Stools putty-like. On standard fat balance of 50 grammes intake daily for four days, fical fats (daily average) were 13X8 grammes. This shows 73% fat absorbed. On diet of 100 grammes protein daily, there were 2*2 grammes of nitrogen in the faces daily, and 5-4 grammes of nitrogen in the urine daily. This showed a protein absorption of 89% and utilization of 50% protein. Progress and treatment.-The severe pulmonary infection was controlled by 1,000,000 units of penicillin intramuscularly daily, and also inhalation penicillin. The diet was increased to a highly nutritious diet with added vitamins, with a resulting weight gain of 6 lb. in the first month, and his general condition immensely improved.


A 43-year-old British man, who had spent the last 18 months working on road building projects in rural Rwanda, presented to hospital in Kigali with a 2-day diarrheal illness, 1 month after swimming in the western shores of Lake Muhazi near Rwesero. Two days later he developed left-sided numbness and weakness and unsteadiness on his feet. HIV testing was negative and CSF examination was normal. No neuroimaging was performed. Dexamethasone, sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine, and broad-spectrum antibiotics were commenced. However, over the following 48 hours he developed worsening headache, diplopia, dysarthria, ataxia, and left hemiparesis. He was repatriated to the United Kingdom.

On arrival he was drowsy, orientated, and afebrile. He had profound cerebellar dysarthria. Pupils and fundi were normal. Eye movements were abnormal with a left VIth nerve palsy and multidirectional gaze-evoked nystagmus. There were also left Vth and lower motor neuron VIIth nerve palsies, moderate left hemiparesis, bilateral ataxia, left extensor plantar response, and left hemisensory impairment. Functionally he was able to stand but unable to walk. Examination was otherwise unremarkable. MRI brain demonstrated extensive signal change with marked swelling throughout the pons and lower midbrain (figure, A and B) and patchy enhancement (figure, C and D).

Figure MRI and histologic findings

(A) Axial FLAIR sequence and (B) …


A new series of rare earth-niobate, RE_3NbO_7 (RE=Y,Gd,Eu), buffer layers were developed for the growth of superconducting YBa_2Cu_3O_7-δ (YBCO) films on biaxially textured Ni–W (3 at.%) substrates. Using chemical solution deposition, smooth, crack-free, and epitaxial RE_3NbO_7 (RE = Y,Gd,Eu) films were grown on cube-textured Ni–W substrate. YBCO film with a critical current density of 1.1 × 106 A/cm^2 in self-field at 77 K was grown directly on a single Gd_3NbO_7-buffered Ni–W substrate using pulsed laser deposition.


Dobutamine stress echocardiography [pooled sensitivity 0.79, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.88, pooled specificity 0.89, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.94] and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy [pooled sensitivity 0.74, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.87, pooled specificity 0.70, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.84] had moderate sensitivity and specificity in detecting coronary artery disease. There was evidence that Dobutamine stress echocardiography had improved accuracy over myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (P = 0.02) when all studies were included in the analysis, but this was not significant when we excluded studies of poorer methodological quality, or which defined significant coronary disease using a higher threshold of 70% stenosis (P = 0.09).


Thermal reduction by enhancing heat-generation phonon scattering can improve thermoelectric performance. In this paper, the phonon transport subjected to internal heat generation in two-dimensional nanoscale thermoelectric phononic crystals is investigated by a novel Monte Carlo method based on the universal effective medium theory, called the MCBU method. The present approach is validated. Compared with the universal effective medium theory method, the MCBU method is easier to implement. More importantly, the deviation of the computation time between the two methods can be ignored. With almost the same time cost, the present method can accurately calculate the effective thermal conductivity of complex geometric structures that cannot be calculated by the effective medium theory. The influences of porosity, temperature, pore shape and material parameters on thermal conductivity are discussed in detail. This study offers useful methods and suggestions for fabricating these materials with heat isolation and reduction.


Homopolar inductor alternator (HIA) plays an important role in capacitor charging power supply (CCPS) system. Due to the 3-D-structure magnetic circuit and short-circuit working condition, the design method of HIA is different from that of conventional machines obviously. On the current research, the traditional design method is usually adopted, that is the alternator is designed depending on experience at first, and then, the charging performance is verified by system simulations. This method could cause HIA's performance to be much higher than the system's requirement, resulting in energy wasting, in addition, too big system is not suitable for some size-limited situations, such as on-board, ship-borne, and other mobile supply. In this article, a new optimization design method of HIA is proposed. An "optimal function" is derived first, which can find out the "optimal charging power point" under the charging requirements. Then, genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to investigate the HIA with smaller volume and lighter mass. Finally, in order to verify the optimization method, the characteristics of the optimal HIA are carried out by finite element method and system simulation. The results demonstrate that the designed HIA can well meet the charging requirements, and its performance is better than the HIA designed by the traditional method obviously. Meanwhile, the proposed design method has significant advantage to design smaller and lighter alternators, which is important to improve the output performance and mobility of HIA-CCPS.


Gustavison provides an extensive history of the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council (1967-1989), a federally appointed body, and its predecessor, The Canadian Eskimo Art Committee (1961-1967), listing its members and elaborating on its relationship to the production and marketing of Inuit art. Includes an introduction to, and notes on, the individual works in "Cape Dorset Revisited," an exhibition of 46 previous unreleased prints. Bibl. 2 p.


This paper describes the package CCAO that enables the graphical modelling, the visualization, and the computer assisted design of a building site. The design problem is to decide the location of the different objects needed for the construction with respect to a set of constraints. A hierarchical object oriented data base system is used which is well suited to the modelization of the different parts of a building site. A toolbox (written in C++) facilitates the creation of the hierarchy of classes.The visualization is made with the use of PHIGS+, and the graphical interface is developed in OSF/MOTIF with the use of the XfaceMaker2 interface generator.


One of the most prevalent diseases affecting sugar beet crops globally is damping-off disease, which is caused by fungi or soil-borne bacteria. The objective of the current study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of various concentrations of CuO-NPs against Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Pectobacterium carotovorum in a lab setting and how they influenced vegetative growth, physiological traits, antioxidant enzymes, disease incidence percentage, and mineral nutrients of sugar beet plants in a greenhouse experiment. Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris cv. Oscar poly) seeds were soaked in different concentrations (50, 100, and 150 µg L−1) of the tested NPs for two hours pre-sowing. According to in vitro studies, as compared to aqueous copper sulphate and control, CuO-NPs at 25, 35, and 100 µg mL−1 had the greatest inhibitory effect (100%) on the mycelial growth of M. phaseolina, F. oxysporum, and P. carotovorum, respectively. Results from the greenhouse experiment showed that the 150 µg mL−1 concentration produced the greatest reduction in disease incidence %, with efficacy values of 24.53, 13.25, and 23.59% for F. oxysporum, M. phaseolina, and P. carotovorum, respectively. In addition, as compared to untreated control plants, the same concentration of CuO-NPs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the vegetative development, physiological characteristics, antioxidant enzymes, and mineral nutrients of sugar beet plants. Therefore, the antimicrobial activity demonstrated by the biosynthesized CuO NPs indicates that they can resist plant pathogenic microorganisms of sugar beet plants.


fable is that everything in nature is beautiful, because everything in nature strives instinctively to exist, to become its unique self – including Marnie' (221). Rather than the embodiment of power mad machismo seeking to control a wild animal (as Marnie accuses him of being), Rothman allowed me to see Mark as solicitously taking on the responsibility of caring for her because he loves her. Mark's understanding of what that love means deepens as the film unfolds, and he becomes a more effective therapist (and a more complete person) in the process. Theirs is a tale of mutual awakening. Rothman concludes that


Shock wave-dominated systems are very sensitive to uncertainties in initial or boundary conditions as they often give rise to strong non-linear responses when subject to perturbations. As global numerical approximations are not well suited to capture local parametric front/shocks/gradients, several adaptive methods have been proposed in this stochastic context. In this paper, we review some of these non-intrusive methods by considering simple functional test cases and the more involved Woodward-Colella benchmark of a high-speed flow in a channel with a forward step that we expose to uncertainties in the upstream Mach number and the adiabatic coefficient of the fluid. This survey is not exhaustive but this preliminary work will help in understanding strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches in an effort to bridge the gap between them.


In order to solve the problem of selection of optimum switching reference points of a high speed railway fixed-point switching algorithm, the invention provides an optimum switching reference point selecting method. The method comprises the steps of firstly utilizing the RSRP and the BLER calculated by the RSRP for conducting initial selection of switching reference points, then, according to the switching reference point recording obtained by a large number of measurements, establishing a probability statistics model, and analyzing and obtaining the optimum switching reference points. According to the algorithm, the rapid switching problem under the high-speed mobile environment can be solved, the times of dropped calls of the communication can be reduced, the switching success rate is improved, the service quality of the high-speed broadband mobile service can be enhanced, conducting of multimedia broadband mobile internet services in high-speed trains is promoted, and the increasingly-growing requirements of passengers for mobile communication services are met.


A medical cutting device (100) comprising: an outer tube assembly (103) straight outer tube (102), comprising a straight inner tube (110) disposed within the outer tube of the inner tube assembly (104), and an outer the at least one interference member on the tube assembly and inner tube assembly to at least one interference member. Inner and outer tubes configured relative rotation to each other, so that the distal end of the inner tube and the outer tube cut tissue. Interference member configured without causing the medical device can not be used where the force applied to the inner tube along the longitudinal axis of the tube and the outer tube preventing separation. The medical cutting device may comprise a drill or tapered cutting surface comprises a first cut on the second surface of the inner tube and the outer tube on the inner tube. Exemplary interference member may be a groove, a pin, various combinations of rings, ridges, engaging means, step feature, and the like.


Summary HLA-A, B, C, and DR antigens were investigated in a total group of76 leprosy patients, classified according to the system of Ridley and Jopling in 30 IT and 46 LL individuals. A group of 1 00 healthy subjects were included for comparison. Patients and controls were all Mexican Mestizos born and inhabitants of Mexico. Typing of blood group systems was also performed. All IT patients showed a positive lepromin skin test, while all LL patients were negative to the specific antigen. The distribution of red-ceIl antigens was similar in both groups. The results of HLA typing demonstrated a significant association of DR3 with the tuberculoid type (X2= 1 1·85; p =0'0007; pc=0·04). The RR value for DR3 carriers was 4·93 and the EF was 0·24. It is concluded that a Class 11-linked susceptibility gene plays an important role in the expression of tuberculoid leprosy. This gene is closely linked to DR3 in the Mexican population.


The tensile characteristics of polyolefin/ glass composites using waste of polyolefin fibers as a matrix material were investigated. The waste of polypropylene non-woven fabrics and polyethylene fishing net was reused as matrix materials of composites. A simple molding method, in which waste of polyolefin and glass fiber was fed into the injection machine together with the spun maleic anhydride grafted PP, was used for the molding of the composites. The results suggest that the injection molding method described herein shows promise in contributing toward the material recycling of waste products of polyolefin resin.


The fundamental constraim for biodiversity conservation is the poor knowledge of existing biodiversity (one cannot effectively protect what is not known). This is a question particularly important in the tropics since these areas possess the highest estimated biodiversity (hotspots) and, at the same time, the most poorly assessed. The classic use of species number as the diversity unit is another serious constraim for conservation purposes, particularly in the tropics where there is a general shortage of experts able to idemify taxa to species level and because the tropics have the highest number of species there are ca. 1.4 million known species (PARKER 1982), a figure which could grow to ca. 30 million (ERWIN 1983). Furthermore, other categories may also be useful in determining biological diversity (e.g. functional groups). A more practical approach was suggested by BARBOSA & GALDEAN (1997) as a way to allow joim efforts between taxonomists and ecologists to overcome this barrier. The creation of parks and natural reserves has been the major adopted action to avoid mass species extinction, and presendy only ca. So/o of the Earth's surface is under protection, in approximately 5,000 areas worldwide. However, the effectiveness of this practice is arguable how big must these areas be to be effective (SOULÉ & SANJAYAN 1998) and huge species extinction outside these areas will occur due to presem deforestation rates and habitat destruction (SOULÉ 1991, SoULÉ & SANJAYAN 1998, PIMM & LAwroN 1998). According to these authors, the majority of extant species are living in tropical rain forests, most of which are under severe threat. Deforestation alone should be responsible for the eliminatian of most of the surrounding areas not under protection by the year 2100 o r before (HOUGHTON 1990 apud SoULÉ 1991). Funhermore, according to SIMBERLOFF (1986), and SoULÉ & SANJAYAN (1998) up to 50% of the world's species are likely to disappear in the 21st cemury or sooner. The loss of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems has been receiving much less attention despite the wide knowledge of their physical, chemical, and biological degradation, clearly demonstrated through the increase in water borne diseases (particularly in the tropics), decreasing fishery production, and diminishing water quality for supply, irrigation systems, and recreation. However, aquatic systems maintain a considerable biodiversity which is being lost mainly as a consequence of habitat deterioration. The introduction of the watershed as the uni t for studies (RIGLER & PETERS 1995) was of paramoum importance in the demonstration that the implementation of conservation practices for terrestrial environments does not automatically include adequate protection of aquatic habitats, as pointed out previously QUNK 1983, BARBOSA 1994). The proposed areas for conservation in the Brazilian Amazon provide an example of the major constraints of this approach (see RYLANos 1990). Despite it being unclear if the best conservation option is to consider the protection of total diversity of an area or the highest possible number of rare species (see PIMM & LAwroN 1998) it is important to consider diversity in a dynamic context, including not only the preservation of the biotic elements but also the basic processes responsible for their maimenance (NoRTON & ULANOWICZ 1992). Furthermore, as suggested by TUNDISI & BARBOSA (1995), for conservation purposes the adoption of the watershed as the conservation unit is fundamental. This unit integrates the multiple uses of natural resources and their surrounding social, economic, and cultural factors.


Preventive and restorative care are of utmost importance in the management of cases of dentinogenesis imperfecta in order to restore function, esthetics and also prevent further damage of the remaining dental tissues. The multidisciplinary approach would help to provide the optimal treatment outcome. This case report is about management of a case of dentinogenesis imperfecta with endodontic, periodontic, and prosthodontic intervention for a full mouth rehabilitation so as to improve the psychologic well-being of the patient in addition to all the other requirements.


We consider a network of periodically running railway lines. Investments are possible to increase the speed and to improve the synchronisation of trains. The model also includes random delays of trains and the propagation of delays across the network. We derive a cost-benefit analysis of investments, where the benefit is measured in reduced waiting time for passengers changing lines. We also estimate the actual mean waiting time simulating the train delays. This allows us to analyse the impact that an increasing synchronisation of the timetable has on its stability. Simulation is based on an analytical model obtained from queueing theory. We use sophisticated adaptive evolutionary algorithms, which send off avant-garde solutions from time to time to speed up the optimisation process. As there is a high correlation between scheduled and estimated waiting times for badly synchronised timetables, we are even able to include the time consuming simulation into our optimisation runs.


The production of three isotopes critical to astronomical γ‐ray spectroscopy, 44Ti, 56Co, and 57Co, is briefly reviewed along with the information each contains. Emphasis is placed on SN 1987A, the only Type II supernova likely to be seen in γ‐lines for decases to come. The 847 keV line from 56Co decay in this supernova should peak approximately 400 days after its explosion with a flux of about 1×10−3 cm−2 s−1. For comparison, the second best candidate, a Type Ia in the Virgo cluster (20 Mpc) gives a peak flux 100 times smaller than this 100 days after the explosion. 57Co decay in SN 1987A will also present a potentially detectable signal ∼1×10−4 cm−2 s−1 in 1989 through 1991. 44Ti, chiefly from Type I supernovae, is a wild card, but may be responsible for the diffuse pair background.


This special issue of IEEE Micro explores exciting, new ideas in the vast design space of approximate computing. We present articles that range from programming languages to circuits and cover important application domains such as machine learning and the Internet of Things.


Like many films of the Czech New Wave, The Shop on Main Street blends comic and tragic elements in a disarming fashion. The film begins as a leisurely paced, gently ironic observation of a henpecked carpenter, Tono Britko, who is appointed "Aryan Controller" of a small button shop owned by an elderly Jewish widow, Mrs. Lautmann. As the film proceeds, however, it becomes an increasingly urgent analysis of an ordinary man caught up by forces he has little understanding of. Much of the film's disturbing power is a result of dramatic irony. In 1965, when Jan Kadar made The Shop on Main Street, the shock of the Holocaust was beginning to register on the world's consciousness. Taking for granted the viewers' awareness of what lies just outside the film frame, Kadar can afford to be suggestive and understated. We know, as the characters within the world of the film do not, that the Aryanization program in this quaint village will lead to Auschwitz and Treblinka. But if it is the force of history that will doom Tono Britko, it is also the choices necessitated by history that will grant him a measure of freedom. Although its focus is a particular moment in time. The Shop on Main Street clarifies a timeless human crisis: within the prison of our immediate circumstances, we have the potential to choose our actions freely and thus to define who we are. This paradox is central to tragedy. In its sense of fatality, its portrayal of suffering and guilt, and especially its emphasis on moral responsibility. The Shop on Main Street evokes a tragic sense of life. Though Tono Britko is no Lear, he too achieves a painful self-knowledge which is his salvation. As Tono's false identity as "Aryan Controller" is stripped away, his true identity as "Jew" is made plain. The narrative forces this awareness upon him, forces him to declare a self. Tono Britko is an appealing character from the very start. His long-nosed, melancholy face gives him a saintly, yet somehow comical expression. And his ungainly mutt, Brandy, is equally sad-faced. On the soundtrack, Tone's rambles through town are accompanied by a slightly off-key melody for strings. Henpecked, not particularly bright, a bit of a drinker, Tono is like some Slovakian Rip Van Winkle: harmless, likeable, out of touch. As the film proceeds, however, Kadar will not allow such a complacent reading of the character. There are no innocents in the world of the film: simplicity itself has its price. The creation of a puppet state in Slovakia has forced ordinary citizens to declare themselves as either "patriots" (that is, collaborators) or as "white Jews" (Gentiles who protect, assist, or befriend Jews). At the outset of the film, Tono has refused to participate in the Guard's project of building a great tower in the city square, their monument to Fascist rule. His motives are not political: he holds a grudge against his brother-in-law, Marcus, the head of the local militia, who cheated Tono out of his wife's inheritance. In his unwillingness to salute the Fascist regime, Tono is already something of an outcast. In effect, he is a "Jew" though he doesn't realize it. In the remainder of the film, he will be forced to embrace rather than evade the identity which he has chosen. Despite his reluctance to join the Fascists, Tono is vulnerable to his wife's desires for status and respectability. In a crucial scene early on, Marcus and his wife make an unexpected visit to Tono's home. Ready to make amends, Marcus comes laden with gifts: a string of fat sausages, a pearl necklace for Tono's wife, a gold cigarette case for Tono and, most importantly, the official notice of Tono's new position as "Aryan Controller" of Mrs. Lautmann's shop, a position which his wife assumes holds the promise of great wealth (Mrs. Lautmann, as a Jew, must have a treasure hidden away somewhere). Soothing his conscience with alcohol, Tono accepts the gifts, telling Marcus, "You're calling the tune now. …


Introduction : the availability and use of antiretroviral treatment (ART) has made great progress in reducing the burden of HIV across the world. In view of this, countries have adopted strategies that will increase enrollment and retention of HIV positive individuals on ART. However, a good number of HIV positive patients drop out of treatment along the continuum of care which adversely affects national goals of reducing the disease burden. This study aimed at determining predictors of attrition in patients after initiating ART. Methods : a retrospective cohort analysis of patients enrolled in ART between 2003 and 2015 across all ART centers in Ghana was conducted. Data was extracted from a nationwide Health Information Management Database and analyzed using STATA 13. Cox proportional hazards regression identified baseline factors associated with attrition. The probabilities of ART attrition after ART initiation were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results : of the 78,816 clients registered in the database, attrition was among 32, 974 (42%) at the end of August 2015. Attrition rate was significantly lower among females compared to males [HR=1.20 (1.17-1.23)]. Attrition was however higher among patients with junior secondary education [HR=1.07(1.04-1.11)], who used medical insurance [HR=1.08(1.05-1.10)], who attended clinic at health centers [HR=1.51(1.32-1.73)] who were initiated into care at WHO clinical stage 4 [HR=1.35(1.29-1.41)] and patients who self-reported of missing 5 pills and above [HR=2.04(1.99-2.09)]. However, patients who had no formal education, funded their medical bills out of own pocket, attended clinic at Teaching/Regional hospitals, initiated into care at WHO stage 1 were patients who adhered to their ARVs. Additionally, attrition was low among those who had disclosed their status to their partners compared to those who did not [HR=1.07 (1.04-1.10)]. Similarly, patients attending Faith-based health facilities had a higher attrition rate [HR=1.07 (1.01-1.13)] compared to patients who used government owned, quasi-government and private owned facilities. Conclusion : socio-demographic factors, clinical staging, patient adherence, source of funding, and disclosure were key predictors of attritions among patients on ART in Ghana. These findings provide a baseline guide to ART clinicians and programme managers to recognize key factors that may influence continuity in care for ART.


For the reasons of safety and economy,it is desirable to be able to makeon-line predictions of the catalyst deactivation curve in RDS reactor system.Sinceon-line prediction methods are based on models,it becomes neccssary to determine themodel parameters for the real system.In order to facilitate this estimation of parameters,an RDS model,which was obtained from detail mass and energy balances,isparameterized and simplified.The coking effect of catalyst deactivation in our model isdescribed by a simple function,in which the number of parameters involved can be re-duced,from the model's original fifteen,to ten.A method for determining the values of theparameters in the simplified model by the nonlinear programming method is proposed,and finally leading to an on-line deactivation curve forecast.


Voluntary institutional accreditation in public schools and higher education is unique to the United States. An institution granted accreditation has demonstrated that appropriate standards and criteria have been met, thus assuring the public as well as various governmental agencies of its quality and integrity. While it is often euphemistically referred to as voluntary, accreditation by various agencies is essential for institutional survival. A nonaccredited or disaccredited institution potentially experiences either a short life or a quick death (Stinnett, 1971). Accreditation by both the regional and professional associations has been under intense scrutiny during the past decades. Of particular note is the accreditation of teacher education programs by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). From its stormy beginnings in 1952, NCATE has been subjected to a continuous stream of criticism regarding its effectiveness in insuring quality of accredited programs and the products of those programs. There was a brief period of relative calm following NCATE's recognition by the National Commission on Accrediting (NCA), but it was short-lived.


Over the past few decades, the trends of globalization and the markets expansion have been fundamental in the Russian and world economies. Such economic structure requires a large volume and range of transportation, the storage systems presence, the transported objects distribution. Logistics centers become an integral part of the economic development both for the regions and the country as a whole. Logistics centers, in turn, need specialized equipment that allows the most efficient use of existing storage areas. Reach truck is one of the most commonly used equipment in large A and A + warehouses. The article presents the estimating market restrictions method when the equipment cost determining taking into account the characteristics of the designed facility and the main competitors represented on the market. The method peculiarity is taking into account the technical and consumer characteristics of the investigated object, their comparison with the competitors' parameters. Based on this comparison, the possible product price is determined. The proposed technique allows to optimize equipment configuration and price depending on the consumers' needs. The proposed evaluation algorithm was tested on complex technical equipment (reach truck), but it should be noted that the proposed methodology is universal and can be applied to any technical object.


Thermodynamic equivalence between classical many-body system and some auxiliary nonlinear auxiliary field is proved. Connection between Hamiltonians of the many-body system and the auxiliary field is derived.


Intelligent girls are likely to have later menopauses than their less brainy counterparts, according to results from a major study.


Lake surface temperature (LST) is a significant indicator of lake physical states and energy fluxes. This paper integrates multi-dates Landsat 8 thermal data with extensive in situ measurements to retrieve LST of Alaska lakes, and analyses temperature patterns across spatial scales, intra and inter-lakes. Our analysis shows that inside a lake, LST is relatively homogeneous and largely isothermal under strong wind, while larger temperature difference may exist during calm days. Warmer or cooler temperature gradients along wind direction are found for both coastal and inland lakes. At regional scale, small, deep lakes and lakes in inland and/or southern latitude are more likely to have higher mean temperatures across western ACP during summer season.


This chapter reflects on Contributors' experiences and major themes discussed in the book. It highlights the need for sex worker control over sex industries and the hypocrisy in how we treat people who trade sex. No other contemporary population of marginalised, poor (mostly women) in the UK context are prevented from defining harm and speaking their situations in order to influence policies. Blocking sex workers from the chance to educate the community, politicians, police and the policymakers about what it will take to expand choice and increase safety and security for their populations is unethical. This chapter presents the argument that active sex workers must be meaningfully involved in interventions that are meant to improve their lives and that in fact, we do not treat sex workers as we do other victims. Many choose to cleave to notions of sex workers as sinners and deviant fallen women without explicitly admitting to this. As a consequence, sex workers receive conditional social and legal protections if they declare sex work as inherently violent and accept rescue. The chapter appeals to the better angels of our nature, in a call to transcend polarising ideologies and exclusionary practices, to respect the self-definitions, analyses, priorities of adults in sex industries, and work together with them to end exploitation and violence against sex workers


When the Common Core first appeared, circa 2009, I spent a great deal of time fretting about it. I didn't like the top-down approach taken by the expert panels assembled to craft the standards in English language arts and mathematics. I didn't like their secrecy, and I didn't like the absence of teachers or scholars with expertise in early childhood education on their expert panels. Most important, I believed that many of the standards for grades K-2 might be developmentally inappropriate for young children. By 2012, I'd stopped fretting. At the time, the Common Core State Standards had been adopted by 44 states, and public school teachers in those states were required to teach to them --whether they liked them or not. As a teacher educator in California, my job was to engage teaching credential candidates in conversations about how to interpret and implement those standards, not to raise concerns about them. As it turned out, my concerns went away all on their own. Over time, I found myself embracing the standards as it became clear that they made positive contributions to my work as a teacher educator. Three essential elements I've found that in order to teach the Common Core effectively, educators must create academic experiences that weave together three key elements: the needs of the given students, the particular standards to be learned, and attention to developmentally appropriate practices. All three are equally critical. 1. The specific students in your class(es). 2. The Common Core State Standards for your grade level(s) 3. Developmentally appropriate practices #1. Focus on your students first. An effective lesson or curriculum unit should begin with thoughtful consideration of the needs of the specific students in your class. The standards in the Common Core do not require a particular pedagogy. Each one can be taught in many different ways, which means that teachers have a lot of leeway to choose classroom experiences and activities that tap the interests, skills, or curiosities of the specific students in the class, turning a solid lesson into something much more engaging and memorable. #2. Pick only the most important standards. Teachers are expert at shoehorning a variety of standards into a single lesson, covering as much content as possible. This may seem reasonable, given the specter of high-stakes tests looming in everyone's minds. …


In this paper some self-opinions on the principle, content, method, theoretical calculation and calculation tools of building structure design are proposed. And from conception design, structure analysis, cost, new type materials and other aspects the primary prediction for the development direction of building structure design is made, which has direction actions for renovating conception.


Evolution has long provided a foundation for population genetics, but many major advances in evolutionary biology from the 20th century are only now being applied in molecular medicine. They include the distinction between proximate and evolutionary explanations, kin selection, evolutionary models for cooperation, and new strategies for tracing phylogenies and identifying signals of selection. Recent advances in genomics are further transforming evolutionary biology and creating yet more opportunities for progress at the interface of evolution with genetics, medicine, and public health. This article reviews 15 evolutionary principles and their applications in molecular medicine in hopes that readers will use them and others to speed the development of evolutionary molecular medicine.


EFFECT OF STREAKS ON SHOT SELECTION 2 Objectives: Most researchers examining the hot hand, i.e. streaky performance of an individual, have neglected the effect of changes in task difficulty on performance although these changes can provide valuable insights into behavioral consequences arising from the hot-hand belief. In the current work, three proxies linked to shot difficulty in basketball, namely shot distance, shot type and shot angle, were identified and the effect of players' streakiness on these variables was measured. Design: Changes of the variables were analyzed for various streak lengths – including cold streaks – in order to obtain a better understanding of how shooting behavior is altered. Method: The play-by-play data of 1,216 games from the 2009-2010 NBA regular season was analyzed using conditional probabilities and correlational associations. Results: The analysis revealed that all three variables significantly influenced shooting accuracy. Furthermore, the outcome of previous shots had a significant effect on the players' shot selection: The more consecutive shots players made, the more difficult shots became along the three dimensions and risk-taking propensity increased, while the opposite trend was observed for consecutive misses. Conclusions: Several findings throughout this work implicitly underline that changes in shooting accuracy occur due to defensive pressure. The results also imply that most players' performance seemed to improve during hot streaks because they attempted more difficult shots while no significant decrease in shooting accuracy could simultaneously be observed. This might at least partially explain why convincing empirical evidence in favor of the hothand belief has been difficult to find when considering in-game field goal shooting. In the context of organizational behavior, the results indicate that task difficulty should be considered when assessing an agent's performance and that certain investment managers may indeed outperform their peers.


This paper presents the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of modular, variable stiffness inflatable components for pneumatically actuated supernumerary robotic (SR) grasp-assist devices. The proposed SR grasp-assist devices are comprised of soft rigidizable finger phalanges and variable stiffness pneumatic bending actuators that are manufactured using soft lithography fabrication methods. The mechanical and kinematic properties of these modular, inflatable components are characterized experimentally under various loading conditions and over a range of geometric design parameters. The resulting data-driven properties are then used to predict the grasp strengths and motion patterns of SR grasp-assist device configurations designed to accommodate the manipulation of daily living objects. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to program grasp synergies into SR fingers by strategic inflation of the bending actuator antagonist chambers (varying mechanical stiffness), without the need for complicated, high-power mechanisms or precise, low-level motion control. The results also demonstrate the underactuated grasp adaptations enabled by modular inflatable components and the ability to predict mechanical grasping capabilities of wearable pneumatic SR grasp-assist devices using insights from empirical data.


A combined approach of boundary element method (BEM) and precise integration method (PIM) is presented for solving transient heat conduction problems with variable thermal conductivity. The boundary integral equation is derived by means of the Green's function for the Laplace equation. As a result, three domain integrals are involved in the integral equation. The radial integration method is used to transform the domain integrals into the boundary integrals. After discretization the solved domain by the BEM, a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) can be obtained. Adaptive PIM can solve efficiently ODEs and improve greatly the computational efficiency. Numerical examples show that the present approach can obtain satisfactory performance even for very large time step size. In addition, the results are independent of the time step size when the integral of free term can be analytically integrated, here, the free term is formed by boundary conditions and heat sources.


It is unclear whether soil fungal diversity correlates with the diversity and productivity of plant communities. Previous studies have revealed inconsistent correlations between fungal diversity and plant diversity from local to global scales, and there is a lack of information about the diversity-diversity and productivity-diversity relationships for fungi in alpine regions. We investigated the relationships between soil fungal diversity, plant diversity and productivity across 60 grassland sites on the Tibetan Plateau, using metagenetics for fungal identification. Fungal alpha and beta diversities were best explained by plant alpha and beta diversities, respectively, when accounting for environmental drivers and geographic distance. Our study points to a predominant effect of plant diversity, along with other factors such as carbon : nitrogen (C : N) ratio, soil phosphorus and dissolved organic carbon, on soil fungal richness.


The Council, being of opinion that the Fellows should have a full knowledge of the conditions under which the Society is carrying on its work at the present time, has authorized the following statement. The first concern has been for the safety of the Society's possessions. Thirteen thousand five hundred books, weighing about thirty-four tons, have been removed from Burlington House to twenty-five country repositories in Wales, south-west England, the northwest Midlands, the Chilterns, and elsewhere. The remaining books at Burlington House have been stacked and protected as far as is possible against fire. Those selected for evacuation were valuable manuscripts and rare books, topographical works, periodicals (English and foreign), with special reference to their usefulness and the difficulty of replacing them. The Library Index of about 500,000 cards, the Indexes of Lantern Slides and of Prints and Drawings, as well as a selection of the Society's stock of early publications, have also been removed.


Since I had the honour of communicating to the Royal Society in June last *, the results of my investigations on the frequent presence of indigo in human urine, I have continued to follow up the subject, and this, I trust, with some interesting and important results.


Based on the generalized gradient approximation(GGA),the overlap populations,DOS and the band structure of perfect and the OⅡ vacancy PbTiO3 crystals were calculated by using of ultrasoft pseudopotentials(USP) plane wave method.The results showed that,compared with the perfect crystal,the band structure of OⅡ crystals moved to low energy,and there was an obviously orbital hybridization of 2p orbit of O atom and 3d orbit of Ti atom around the Fermi surface,this is the reason of PbTiO3 keeping the ferroelectric.And,O vacancy made distortion of the octahedral in OⅠ [1],but OⅡ crystal's structure didn't change,this indicates that OⅡ crystal is more stable.


Analysis of wave propagation in a periodic metal wire array has long been of interest because of the structure's unique electromagnetic characteristics. In the 1960s, Rotman first examined wave propagation in a periodic array consisting of infinitely-long metal wires using a transmission-line approach (W. Rotman, IRE Trans. AP, 10, 82-95, 1962). More recently, the effective medium description of a metal wire array is introduced and strong spatial dispersion effect is shown intrinsic to the structure (P. Belov et al., Phys. Rev. B, 67, 113103, 2003). Based on the effective medium description, wave propagation inside a finite-length metal wire array is investigated by solving a scattering problem with plane-wave incidence (M. Silveirinha et al., IEEE Trans. AP., 56, 405-415, 2008) or by finding a source-free eigensolution (A. Yakovlev et al., IEEE Trans. MTT., 57, 2700-2714, 2009).


Abstract : A ship-cost computer tool has been developed to estimate U.S. Naval Surface Ship construction for both shop and field Engineered Uniform Method and Standards and current Naval shipbuilding practices. This procedure has been incorporated into the Ship Structural Cost Program (SSCP) to provide a means of rapidly estimating structural cost for ship structures. In this form SSCP provides a three-phase cost analysis where the shop erection and field installation procedures are included in Phases 2 and 3 and the panel/grillage shop assembly procedures are included in Phase 1. The overall aim of our cost program is to develop a cost/weight tradeoff tool that has the capability of performing weight/cost optimization tradeoff studies. This information will become useful for Navy research and design communities in assessing high cost areas in the new ship construction, identification of optimum plate-beam combinations with respect to cost and/or weight, and the identification of materials and design details which tend to reduce cost.


The Kumatori Accelerator-driven Reactor Test project (KART) was undertaken at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI) as of fiscal year 2002, with the aim to demonstrate the basic feasibility of ADS and to develop a 150-MeV proton Fixed-field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerator complex as a neutron production driver. This FFAG complex will be connected with the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA) for basic ADS experiments by the end of March 2006.


Abstract The present study investigates word formation processes and strategies in monolingual and bilingual children by age 7 to 8. Using an elicitation task in form of naming of low frequent complex objects, it is analyzed whether bilingual children use other word formation
 strategies than monolinguals do. Therefore, N=9 monolinguals and N=9 bilinguals were tested. N=268 elicited reactions were analyzed. Results show bilinguals to use the same word formation strategies to the same extent as monolinguals do. Compounding overweighs derivation
 in each child. However, a more in-depth qualitative analysis shows that the complex compounds formed by bilingual children disregard the German composition rule of right-hand heads to a significantly higher extent than the monolingual children do. Since this acquisition process has been reported
 for German monolingual 2-year old children, this result is interpreted as a delayed acquisition process rather than a transfer from the respective first language.


A feasibility study which demonstrates the applicability of the GAM-2 pyramid computer to the real-time simulation of dynamic systems is described. The architecture of the computer and the manner in which data are exchanged between processing elements are discussed. The author describes how the differential equations and the various computational units of the integration algorithm are partitioned among the processing elements at the different levels in the pyramid. Methods of exchanging data between the processing elements during and after a given integration cycle are explained, and the time required for computations and data exchange is also discussed. The required computation time of an integration cycle is evaluated, and conclusions are drawn concerning the efficiency of using the GAM-2 pyramid structures for digital simulation of dynamic systems.<<ETX>>


A polymer waveguide platform, applicable to a wide range of biophotonic applications, which rely on evanescent-wave sensing or excitation in aqueous solutions, is presented. The platform offers a high level of integration and functionality.


Biosurfactant-producing microorganisms improve the efficacy of hydrocarbon biodegradation as the biosurfactant is essential in making hydrocarbons available for breakdown. The present study reports the isolation of biosurfactant-producing bacteria that can be used for crude oil remediation and to characterize the biosurfactant generated during the breakdown of crude oil. This study also reports evaluating the synergism and potentiality of biosurfactant-producing bacteria for simultaneous hydrocarbon biodegradation and power generation. Two bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis strain B1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain B2) were isolated from petroleum-contaminated soils, which are found effective in producing biosurfactants and degrading crude oil as the sole carbon source. B. subtilis B1 exhibited a higher potential for biosurfactant production and crude oil degradation than P. aeruginosa B2. The FTIR and GC-MS analysis were conducted for further characterization of the biosurfactant, which revealed that the surfactant produced by strain B1 and B2 was surfactin and rhamnolipid, respectively. The application of the B1 and B2 co-culture in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) showed synergism among them and resulted in a maximum power density production of 6.3 W/m3 with an open circuit voltage of 970 mV while degrading 2.5% v/v crude oil containing anolyte. The findings indicate that the co-culture of isolated crude oil-degrading strains has great potential for enhanced power generation and the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated environments. Moreover, the synergism of isolated strains in MFCs suggested their potent applicability in environmental, energy, and industrial sectors as an economical and feasible alternative to the existing technologies.


The Late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence in the Upper Benue Trough consists of seven formations. Outcrop samples from the type localities of these units were analysed by X-ray diffraction for their day mineral content. The composition and distribution of the clay minerals are influenced by tectonics, relief and water depth. Three main depositional phases are recognizable on the basis of clay mineral assemblages, two of which are associated with tectonic movements. The first phase, characterized by the presence of chlorite, illite, kaolinite and mixed-layer clays is common to Albian-Cenomanian sediments. This phase is succeeded by mixed-layer clays and smectite-rich, Turonian-Early Santonian sediments.

The re-occurrence of chlorite and illite in association with kaolinite and mixed-layer clays in the Post-Santonian sediments constitutes the third depositional phase.

These clay mineral assemblages are indicative of two periods of tectonism (Albian and Late Santonian) and an intervening Turonian-Early Santonian period of quiescence in the Upper Benue Trough.


Ash solutions derived from vegetation have been known for their good mordanting action. They are used as finishing agents because they are able to promote dye uptake. It is expected that the types of ash solutions may have been different worker by worker since the workers have employed easy-to-get plants, when we reviewed old literature. However, the ash solutions are being used without clear distinctions between their characteristics. In this study, camellia ash solution and rice straw ash solution were prepared according to traditional methods. Using these solutions as mordanting agents, natural dyeing experiments with Caesdpinia Sappan were peformed. Following the dyeing procedure, the effect of the type of ash solution on the color of the dyed fabric was evaluated. The results showed that the ash solution mordanting effect us not dependent upon the components of the ash solution. It was also demonstrated that the mordanting effect was not based on the action of the metallic ions in the ash solution. The pH values of the ash solutions were adjusted in order to investigate the effect of changes in ash solution alkalinity on the dyeing process. The pH values ranged from neutral or weak acidity to the alkaline range in order to evaluate the characteristics of the mordanting tv the ash solutions.


The invention discloses a method and a device for generating power by using liquefied natural gas cold energy and solar energy as a power source. The device comprises a liquefied natural gas pump, a control valve, a condenser, an evaporator, turbines, a water pump, a solar heat collector and the like, wherein a liquefied natural gas pipeline is connected to the liquefied natural gas pump and is respectively connected to the control valve and the condenser; a water bath gasifier is communicated with an inlet and outlet pipeline of chilled water, is connected to a second turbine and is connected to an air temperature gasifier; a natural gas export pipe network is arranged at the other end of the air temperature gasifier; a working medium pump is connected to a first turbine and is connected with the condenser; two ends of the evaporator are connected with the water pump, a valve and the solar heat collector and are connected to a water tank; the valve is connected to a standby electric heater. By adopting the method and the device, the utilization rate of energy is improved, fuel used for gasifying liquefied natural gas is saved, pollution gas released by fuel combustion is reduced, and the problem of energy shortage is solved.


The hole burning phenomenon is investigated in a five-level atomic configuration at the interface of cesium and gold in the presence of Doppler broadening. The group index and refractive index of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) becomes equal in the hole burning region, which display that the phase and group velocities of SPPs are matched. The propagation length during absorption of SPPs decreases with the decrease of absorption, while there are increases with amplification of SPPs. This study could have significant applications in optical storage devices, telecommunication, imaging, and enhancement of plasmonster memory.


An overview is given of research carried out in the autumn and winter of 1992-1993 to determine the characteristic features of the road network in Lithuania as well as the main factors influencing the development of a network of low-volume roads. Estimates were used to calculate the relationship between the number of unpaved roads and the number of inhabitants in rural areas and to propose the coefficient road loss in topographical maps. The average length of all Lithuanian roads was defined for the first time. The paper is structured on a chronological as well as a geographical basis because of the way in which the analysis was organized. According to a specially prepared methodology, aerial photographs on a scale of 1/10,000 made on average in 1952 and topographical maps on a scale of 1/10,000 made on average in 1982 were analyzed and compared. Seventeen territories were selected randomly, each territory having an average size of 1,830 hectares (4,522 acres) and belonging to different geographical regions. Approximately 0.05% of the territory of Lithuania was thoroughly analyzed.


Block-by-block method is a stable and high-precision numerical method for solving fractional ordinary differential equation with initial conditions.Block-by-block method is extended to the solution of the fractional order partial differential equations.Specifically,a new numerical method will be constructed by using block-by-block method and classic second-order central difference approximation to discretize its temporal direction and spatial direction,respectively.The overall improvement demonstrates this new scheme can effectively solve a class of time fractional diffusion equations with initial boundary value conditions.


Abstract The paper deals with the problem of decreasing level of knowledge of university students due to the changes of the school system in Slovakia. As the commonly repeated words connected with education in 21st.century are key competencies, we tried to look at the problems and challenges in teaching physics from this point of view. The role of classical experiments in our computerized world is also discussed.


The algorithm of transformation of a system states is established on the basis of applying the methods of mathematical modelling and theoretical mechanics, providing preservation of a stationary property of the system.The form and the sizes of dangerous zones for a moving exosystem (a person in a medical exoskeleton) are determined as well.This will allow to producethe maximum allowable velocity,avoiding both lateral overturning of the exosystem, and collision with obstaclesduring its movement.


The patent application relates to a TV receiving section having a controllable input filter (FI) for suppressing interference power caused by transmission spectra of terrestrial received radio services in an input circuit (I According to the task, the input filter FI included in TV tuner must be adapted to a regionally-related current reception situation. The TV receiver unit includes a controller (CTRL) and the input filters (FI) for the frequency-selective suppression of transmission power from the transmission spectra in a frequency sub-band. The TV tuner uses analysis routines, which have the following features: The control means executes the tuning unit (TUN) transmitter scans in the frequency subband for the detection of transmission spectra. Recognition means for recognition of service determine the frequency band the current reception situation in the receiving region on the basis of a used for selected transmission spectra transmission standards. The control means controls the input filter depending on the current reception situation, alternatively, in setting states which comprise a conducting state or a frequency-selective blocking state.


In order to improve the ability of overcharge protection, 4BA was added as a novel electropolymerizable additive to the electrolyte of lithium-ion batteries. Proved by overcharge of batteries, cyclic voltammetry, infrared spectra, AC impedance tests, and discharge capacity measurements in this research, the overcharge protection ability of this novel additive was confirmed. When the external potential was 4.4 V, 4BA (5% by mass) in the system of electrolyte 1 mol•L LiPF6/EC+DEC+DMC (1/1/1, m/m/m) started to electrochemically polymerize and produced a layer of polymer film, which increased the internal resistance and prevented the voltage from dramatically rising up. Therefore, the lithium-ion batteries can be much safer. During the normal charge-discharge processes of the battery system, the addition of the proper weight percentage of 4BA does not have negative effect on the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, and the mechanism of overcharge protection is an interdiction mechanism.


Diseases such as stroke can cause very serious impairment to the function of the patient's hands, which seriously affects their ability to carry out normally activities in daily life. In view of the disadvantages of traditional hand rehabilitation training methods, such as low efficiency, The lacking of precise control and boring training process, the research of hand rehabilitation robots has gradually received widespread attention. This paper classifies hand rehabilitation robots according to three criteria: drive mode, power source and control method, analyses the advantages and shortcomings of various hand rehabilitation devices that have emerged in recent years, and provides an outlook on their future development direction.


ABSTRACT This paper explores the online channel strategies adopted by Chinese manufacturers with regard to the Belt and Road. It also investigates the effect of offline channel power structures and maritime transportation costs on online channel mode selection and pricing strategies. The offline channel power structures are classified into three types, namely, Chinese manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) structure, vertical Nash (VN) structure, and foreign retailer Stackelberg (RS) structure. Furthermore, a game model is developed among the Chinese manufacturer, foreign retailer, and cross-border e-tailer to investigate the interactions among offline channel power structures, maritime transportation costs, and Chinese manufacturers' online channel mode selection. The results show that Chinese manufacturers' preferences for the online agency selling mode increases correspondingly with the decrease in their market position and bargaining power. Moreover, foreign retailers can obtain higher profits in the online agency selling mode under the VN structure. However, the level of profit for foreign retailers depends on the intensity of their competition with cross-border e-tailers under the MS and RS structures. Finally, consumers in countries along the Belt and Road can obtain a higher surplus in the online agency selling mode under all of the structures.


Uranyl nitrate solution from 200-Area processing of spent SRP fuel tubes is now sent to Oak Ridge Y-12 for conversion of uranium metal. However, after implementation of the powder metallurgy (P/M) process, U{sub 3}O{sub 8} powder will be needed at SRP but not uranium metal. U{sub 3}O{sub 8} powder for fabrication and irradiation tests was produced during development of P/M at SRL by firing UO{sub 3}, obtained from Y-12, at 800{degrees}C for 6 hours in a low grade nitrogen atmosphere. The UO{sub 3} powder was produced by denitration of unsulfated uranyl nitrate solution. The stoichiometry, particle size distribution, surface area and density of the Y-12 and SRL powders were measured. A comparison was then made between SRL U{sub 3}O{sub 8} produced at 800{degrees}C in nitrogen and in air and U{sub 3}O{sub 8} produced at Y-12 at other heating temperatures.


The existing spectrophotometric method for the determination of total Cu with neocuproine (Nc) does not allow the differentiation of CuI and CuII. It is shown here that the use of a dilute (3.0 × 10–3 mol dm–3) Nc solution in weakly acidic or neutral media makes the determination of CuI feasible at the 1 × 10–5 mol dm–3 level in the presence of up to 0.1 mol dm–3 CuII. For the determination of trace amounts of CuI in the presence of 1 mol dm–3 CuII, the latter can be masked by NH3—NH4Cl buffer at pH 10, giving almost the same molar absorptivity for CuI, i.e., 7.5 × 103 dm3 mol–1 cm–1. The ability to measure the absorption due to CuI in the presence of an excess of CuII was exploited as the basis of an indirect method for the determination of trace amounts of reductants. Superior to the existing individual methods of determination, which are usually specific for a given reducing agent, the proposed system consists of treating the reductant with the CuII–Nc reagent in ammonium acetate buffered media, followed by measurement of the absorbance of the CuI–Nc chelate at 450 nm. The quantification of a given reductant in the concentration range 1 × 10–6–1 × 10–4 mol dm–3 usually takes 3 min with a mean relative standard deviation of 3%. The molar absorptivity of an n-electron reductant which has reacted stoichiometrically is approximately 7.5n× 103 dm3 mol–1 cm–1, i.e., n times that of CuI–Nc. Hence, hydrogen peroxide, ascorbic acid, cysteine, hydroxylamine, hydrazine, thiosulphate, dithionite, mitoxantrone, glutathione, iron(II) and thiourea were determined with theoretical molar absorptivities; carminic acid, sulphite, tin(II) chloride, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, sodium tetrahydroborate(III) and 2,3-dimercaptopropan-1-ol were determined with the aid of empirical linear absorbance–concentration plots. The proposed spectrophotometric method is rapid and allows the quantification of biologically important reducing agents.


The properties of pH‐responsive microgels are strongly influenced by the pH value during synthesis. In this work, based on a N‐n‐propylacrylamide (NNPAM) core with N‐3‐(dimethylamino)propylmethacrylamide (DAPMA) as a comonomer, a series of core‐shell microgels with shells from NNPAM and N‐(3‐aminopropyl)methacrylamide hydrochloride (APMH) were synthesized at different pH values. While the swelling behavior was studied with temperature‐ and angle‐dependent photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), the size and morphology were also investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and static light scattering (SLS). At acidic pH, rather monodisperse microgels with a very fuzzy shell are obtained. The microgels evolve particulate structures on their shell at intermediate pH until not only a core‐shell microgel but also a secondary microgel species is produced at basic pH. By altering the synthesis pH, it is possible to influence the morphology of core‐shell microgels to suit future applications like uptake and release of drugs or surface modification.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved


Consideration and summary on how to arouse the enthusiasm of the students' experimental ability, inspire the interest of going deep into research and cultivate the innovational spirit according to the characteristic of teaching of organic chemistry experiments. The relation of good teaching results of organic chemistry experimental teaching with innovation talent training was discussed as well.


In this paper, a hairpin tunable bandpass filter which has enhanced selectivity and tunability is proposed. The varactors loaded open stubs between quarter-wavelength resonators are introduced to exhibit transmission zeros near the passband and thus better selectivity in the tuning range. In addition, symmetrical filter shape can easily obtained by each of two open stubs which are useful to control notch frequencies. The optimal design of two-stage tunable bandpass filter of varactor loaded hairpin resonator with open stub which works as K- inverter makes possible to meet the wideband coupling relationships in overall frequency tuning range. The measurement results show the proposed hairpin tunable bandpass filter not only has the enhanced tuning range of 23.5%, but also has the symmetrical filter shape in overall tuning range in comparison with conventional hairpin tunable bandpass filter. The hairpin tunable bandpass filter is designed and tested at 1.7 GHz.


In this paper the new course establishmenet programme of mechanics is put forward to the physics speciality of teachers college.and new leaching meterial system is supplied.


The workforce in the United States has been divided into four distinct groups, which are identified as generations. Each generation has developed a set of values and attitudes that are different from one another. Leaders in various organizational settings should understand these generational differences in order to be more effective in leading a multigenerational labor force. In this study, the authors reviewed literature related to this topic and examined each generation's characteristics, lifestyles, values, and attitudes. The conclusion from this study is that generational differences are legitimate diversity issues that organizations need to recognize and understand.


A study looked at the students enrolled in the college remedial reading program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Subjects were 171 students who were placed in the program. The study examined the characteristics of students who exited the reading program in one semester, those who persisted for two semesters to complete the requirement, and those who dropped out of school during the first semester. The major differences between the three groups of students who were required to take reading were in test scores, racial make-up, sex, and age. The group of one-semester completers had the highest test scores and were predominantly white, whereas the two semester persisters and reading dropouts were predominantly black. The dropouts were disproportionately older than the other two groups. This information allows the administration and staff to adapt the reading program to better accomplish its goals. (Three tables of data are included.) (MG) ****************1****************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


With the growing demand for a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in clinical laboratories the development of appropriate and improved analytical methods to monitor drug concentrations and optimize patient care has become imperative. This dissertation contributes in this regard by developing sensitive, specific, and reliable GC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods to measure drug concentrations and validating them according to the FDA Guidance for Industry. The methods are performed based on the example of the critical dose drug phenytoin (PHT), which has characteristics – such as a small therapeutic range, nonlinear pharmacokinetics, interactions with other drugs, inter-individual genetic differences in the metabolism, and long-term therapy – that render it a highly suitable model substance and a reliable standard for the development and application of analytical methods to measure concentrations also of other medications.

Both methods allow the measurement of low drug concentrations in different body compartments (i.e., blood, saliva, and samples from brain tissue microdialysis with relatively small sample volumes) and therefore could be used to measure drug concentrations in the compartment of interest for various other drugs. By systematically comparing the two methods, the dissertation concludes that although GC-MS is a sensitive and suitable method (e.g., for the measurement of volatile and thermally stable substitutes in a sample), the LC-MS/MS method offers significant advantages (in terms of its sensitivity, LOD/LOQ, needed sample volume, sample preparation, analysis time, and costs), which make it highly suitable for larger sample numbers as in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies as well as for bedside and routine analyses. While these findings are based on the model substance PHT, other promising drugs for TDM are, for example, Midazolam, Ceftriaxon, Morphine, and Levatiracitam, which are often administered concomitantly in neurosurgery. In the future, the routinely used matrices (i.e., blood or urine) for TDM will be expanded with other sample sources like tissue biopsies, dried blood spots, and oral fluids. LC-MS/MS methods provide the advantage of drug quantification in such matrices which are easier to handle. Thus, the dissertation concludes that LC-MS/MS methods are the current gold standard for TDM.

Furthermore, in this dissertation also a theoretical estimation method to calculate free drug concentrations has been tested, which could be used in the absence of corresponding lab methods or data – not every hospital or institution is able to afford a LC-MS/MS or a GC-MS instrument. The dissertation tested the usefulness of the Sheiner-Tozer algorithm for the correct estimation of the free PHT concentrations in hypoalbuminemic patients and compared the estimated with the measured free PHT levels. There were no statistically significant differences between the two methods and the estimated values highly correlated with the measured free PHT values. The results support the usefulness of the Sheiner-Tozer formula to calculate free PHT concentrations from the total PHT and the serum albumin value of a patient. These findings are of interest for all drugs with a high albumin binding such as immunosuppressants, antibiotics, or anticancer drugs.


Background: The SIRT1 deacetylase contains a conserved catalytic core domain and variable flanking N- and C-terminal regions. Results: We show that the SIRT1 N- and C-terminal regions potentiate catalytic activity of the central core domain through formation of an intramolecular holoenzyme. Conclusion: These studies highlight the unique catalytic properties of SIRT1. Significance: These studies have implications for the development of SIRT1-specific modulators. SIRT1 is one of seven mammalian sirtuin (silent information regulator 2-related) proteins that harbor NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase activity and is implicated in multiple metabolic and age-associated pathways and disorders. The sirtuin proteins contain a central region of high sequence conservation that is required for catalytic activity, but more variable N- and C-terminal regions have been proposed to mediate protein specific activities. Here we show that the conserved catalytic core domain of SIRT1 has very low catalytic activity toward several known protein substrates, but that regions N- and C-terminal to the catalytic core potentiate catalytic efficiency by between 12- and 45-fold, with the N-terminal domain contributing predominantly to catalytic rate, relatively independent of the nature of the acetyl-lysine protein substrate, and the C-terminal domain contributing significantly to the Km for NAD+. We show that the N- and C-terminal regions stimulate SIRT1 deacetylase activity intramolecularly and that the C-terminal region stably associates with the catalytic core domain to form a SIRT1 holoenzyme. We also demonstrate that the C-terminal region of SIRT1 can influence the inhibitory activity of some sirtuin inhibitors that are known to function through the catalytic core domain. Together, these studies highlight the unique properties of the SIRT1 member of the sirtuin proteins and have implications for the development of SIRT1-specific regulatory molecules.