The developed world in generat and Europe in particular, is facing a dramatic demographic
transition. Total fertility ratios (TFR) in Europe 'are stable at levels well below that required to
maintain current levels of population, and in 2006 the median TFR was an unprecedented 1.3
children per woman (Kohler et al., 2006). From 2015 the death rate will exceed the birth rate, and
the European Union will be reliant on migration to maintain its population. Consequently, its
citizens are predicted to age significantly over the coming decades, and by 2050 half of its
population will be over 50. Ireland represents somewhat of an exception to the European trend,
with population expected to grow to 6.7 million by 2060. Despite this, Ireland will also face the
burdens of an ageing population. By 2021 the proportion of total population aged over 65 will
have grown by 59 per cent, and by 2061 a further 142 per cent. The ratio of people of working age
to people over the retirement age will decrease from 5.6 in 2006 to 1.8 in 2061 (Green Paper on
Pensions, 2007).


Malaria and Thalassaemia are the life threatening diseases and the analysis of blood is a powerful diagnostic tool for the detection of them. Manual detection by the light microscopy is the most widely used technique for determination of malaria and possible thalassaemia. But it is a labour intensive repetitive task with time consuming. The aim of this study is to develop an automated blood image analysis system for the rapid and accurate determination of malaria, possible thalassaemia, and other abnormal red cell disorders. Two back propagation Artificial Neural Network models (3 layers and 4 layers) have been employed together with image analysis techniques to evaluate the accuracy of the classification in the recognition of medical image patterns associated with morphological features of erythrocytes in the blood. The three layers Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture has the best performance with an error of 2.74545e-005 and 86.54% correct recognition rate. The trained three layer ANN act as a final detection classifier to determine the haematologic disease. A medical consultation system has been jointly used with this system to provide consultation power. A questioning and answering dialog on the basis of patient history, physical examination and routine diagnostic test has been conducted in the medical consultation system with image analyzing result made by the trained ANN.


In the previous essay , we obtained the score of itenls using the result of factor analysis . By means of these score , we classified the accidents into clusters by using cluster analysis in terms of the type and greatness of ship and the area where the accident occurred . The result was 5 clusters of ship types . They are ( i ) fishing vessel 、 ( i ) and tankers , ( 童 ) passenger ships and ferry boats , ( iv )towboats and push boats , and ( v )pleasure boats . It was found that the accidents can be classified into clusters of different greatness of and where the ship ' s accident occ − urred according to the greatest number of ship types included in each category . Next we assumed the causal relation between two factors where cDrrelation was recognized . We obtained the correlation frorn analysis using oblique geomax method . In order to make clear the structure of watchkeepe ゴ s drowsiness , we described the path diagra 皿 for causal relation be − tween


The main purpose of this paper is to propose a Maplet application of the solution methods, Neumann, Eigen function, Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM), and Simple Method for Linear Fredholm Integral Equations of Second kind. Furthermore, to make 2-D, 3-D graphing of solutions and how they can be used as effective educational tools for both students and instructors.


The C 1s X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) of poly(diallyl phthalate), poly(diallyl isophthalate), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have been recorded using transmission detection. The phthalate segments of these polymers are isomers with different patterns of substitution (ortho, meta, para) of the methyl carboxylate groups on the phenyl ring. The C 1s and O 1s electron energy loss spectra (EELS) of the corresponding isomeric monomers, dimethyl phthalate, dimethyl isophthalate, and dimethyl terephthalate, have also been recorded in the gas phase using inelastic electron scattering under conditions dominated by electric dipole transitions. Good agreement is found in overall shape and in the energies of the spectral features of the same isomer in monomeric (EELS) versus polymeric (XAS) form. Ab initio calculations are used to provide a detailed interpretation of the spectra, in particular the origin of the isomeric variations. The analytical potential for using inner shell excitation spectroscopy to ide...


Borderland education made great progress in Suiyuan Province in the period of Anti-Japan War due to the educational measures by the provincial government.However,there were not enough education funds and resources during wartime,and the education objects were lack of understanding about education.Furthermore,the borderland education policies promoted by the provincial government were seriously divorced from practice.As a result,the predicted education objectives were not achieved.


This paper considers acoustic inversion for a minimum‐structure geoacoustic model in a range‐dependent environment. The general survey configuration consists of recording acoustic fields at a vertical array of sensors due to a number of sources distributed in range along a track. The unknown model consists of the sound speeds and thicknesses of sub‐bottom layers, which vary with range in an arbitrary manner, and geometric parameters of the experiment. The goal is to determine a range‐dependent geoacoustic model with the least structure that is consistent with the resolving power of the data. An under‐parametrized approach is developed, which consists of solving the inverse problem a number of times, each time increasing the range variability allowed in the model. The optimal parametrization is subsequently obtained by examining the data mismatch and a norm of the model structure as a function of the number of parameters. The individual inversions are performed using an adaptive hybrid inversion algorithm ...


This study investigated the universal acceptance among black people of the habit of either arriving at or starting scheduled events late without being frowned at. In Africa, the habit is called African Time. Among African American, it is called Colored People's Time (CPT). In-depth interviews of selected college professors from eight countries in four continents, were used.


An empirical line-by-line model for the infrared solar transmittance spectrum is presented. The model can be incorporated into radiative transfer codes to allow fast calculation of all relevant emission and absorption features in the solar spectrum in the mid-infrared region from 700 to 5000 cm . The transmittance is modelled as a function of the diameter of the field-of-view centered on the solar disk: the line broadening due to solar rotation as well as center-to-limb variations in strength and width are taken into account for stronger lines. Applications of the model presented here are in the fields of terrestrial remote sensing in the mid-infrared spectral region when the sun is used as radiation source or scattered solar radiation contributes to the measured signal and in the fields of atmospheric radiative transfer algorithms which compute the propagation of infrared solar radiation in the terrestrial atmosphere. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


DYX1C1, the first dyslexia candidate gene, has been associated with developmental dyslexia in different populations, but its influence on reading abilities in the general population is less well known. Copy number variants (CNVs) have been implicated in neurodevelopmental and childhood-onset disorders involving cognitive development in previous studies. In this report, we investigated the extent to which genomic CNVs for the SNP previously linked to dyslexia, -3G/A (rs3743205) in the gene DYX1C1, contribute to Chinese and English literacy in the general population in a Chinese cohort, and whether these processes, in turn, are influenced by environmental factors, such as family income, parents' education, and IQ. Our findings suggest that the logR ratio (which is a way to detect CNVs) of a previously reported dyslexia-related SNP, -3G/A (rs3743205) is significantly associated with Chinese literacy in a cohort of Chinese children with normal reading abilities. 1.     Introduction Reading abilities could be affected in children with normal intellectual abilities. The reason behind developmental dyslexia has perplexed neuroscientists for decades. With the discovery of the first dyslexia candidate gene DYX1C1, it was hoped that this could help us better understand reading difficulties and serve as a bridge to enhance reading abilities in the general population [1], [2]. The original report implicating DYX1C1 (including SNP rs3743205) in the etiology of dyslexia was found in a study of Finnish dyslexia family with a child with dyslexia by breakpoint mapping [3] , with the gene located in a loci on chromosome 15q21.3 [4]. Another study confirmed that DYX1C1 influences reading and spelling ability with additional effects on short-term information storage or rehearsal, but rs3743205 was not associated with dyslexia as reported by Taipale et al; the reason could be that this SNP has a very low minor allele frequency in that sample (0.002) [5]. Since then, many more candidate genes have been reported and there are genes that seems to be affecting different populations, e.g. association of DYX1C1 with German [6], Chinese [7]–[9], Australian [5], [10], and Swiss children (in the NeuroDys Consortium including children from Austria, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Hungary, and the United Kingdom [11], while others are not so clearly universal [12]. DYX1C1 was shown to be one of the dyslexia candidate genes that was associated with white matter Proceedings of the 51 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2018 URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10125/50243 ISBN: 978-0-9981331-1-9 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Page 2804 volume in the left temporoparietal region which affects reading ability [13]. However this gene's effect on brain volume is unclear since the knockdown of Dyx1c1 (through RNA interference, RNAi, in rats) did not affect the cortical volume, hippocampal volume, or midsagittal area of the corpus callosum in rats, even though knockdown rats has long-term deficits in their visual attention abilities, in addition to rapid and complex auditory processing abilities [14]. The mechanism of DYX1C1 as a dyslexia susceptibility gene was postulated to be due to its role in neuronal migration mediated by its ciliary function as a dynein axonemal assembly factor [15]–[18], as well as its possible interactions with the U-box protein CHIP (carboxy terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein) which is involved in the degradation of estrogen receptors alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta). These protein interaction complexes have been demonstrated along the neurites of primary rat hippocampal neurons, and is thought to affect brain development and regulate cognitive functions [19]. Supporting this idea, neuroimaging results also revealed that there was both a main effect of the gene and a gene × age interaction, possibly not only reflecting the participation of DYX1C1 in early brain development but also in pathways that could affect later myelination at both time points of measurement, separated by 2 years [20]. The interaction of DYX1C1 with estrogen receptors (and thus implicating its role in the sex hormone signaling pathway) is also supported by the fact that two of the polymorphisms studied by Darki's group, rs3743204 and rs3743205, are part of a haplotype of three SNPs associated specifically with female dyslexic subjects in a sample of 366 German trios [6]. Although DYX1C1 has been shown to be associated with developmental dyslexia, the role of this gene in reading development in the general population without dyslexia is not clear. There was a study showing that in a group 248 children in Beijing, there was marginal association of certain SNPs of DYX1C1 (rs11629841) with children's orthographic judgements for children at age 7 and 8 but less so at age 6, and association of this SNP was found with Chinese character dictation at ages 9, 10 and 11 years, but no significant association with other SNPs of DYX1C1 they have studied (rs3743205 or rs57809907) [8]. The role of environmental factors in literacy skills has also been studied previously [21], [22]. 2.  Materials and Method


Real-Large land Scene visualization plays an important role in a lot of virtual simulation systems.To solve mutual restrictive problem between the fidelity and fluentness of large land scene,this paper introduces a real-large land scene design scheme based on Terra Vista for virtual simulation.In the paper,the selection and production flow of terrain data,texture data and model data are expatiated.The implement of methods are explicated for round earth marine visualization.Examples verify that the design method of real-large land scene simulation based on Terra Vista is effective.


With the increase of installed capacity of wind power and the increasing proportion of wind power in the power grid, all kinds of wind turbines will have more and more prominent influence on the safety and stability of power system. Different types of wind turbines with different capacity have different effects on the stability of power grid. In this paper, PSD simulation software is used to build a power grid with wind farms in a certain area. The influence of large-scale wind turbines connected to the grid on the transient stability of the power grid is studied according to different types, different capacities of the same type and different manufacturers of the same type of wind turbines.


Writing is one of important aspects in English that should be mastered by the students. Teachers' technique in teaching writing is very important to improve the students' ability in writing. One of the techniques that can be used by the teacher is daily journal which can motivate the students in learning writing. Therefore, the writer conducts a study about "Students' Writing Competence In Writing Daily Journal (An Experimental Research at the Second Year Students of Senior High School of Darul Ulum Banda Aceh)". The purposes of this study are to find out the effectiveness use of daily journal improves the students' writing competence and to find out students' response toward the use of daily journal in writing. The sample of this study was the second year students of MAS Darul Ulum. Pre experimental design was used to collect the data, in which test and questionnaire were the main data collection techniques. Pre test was given in the first meeting before the students are taught by using daily journal, meanwhile post test was given in the last meeting after the students were taught by using daily journal. Then, the data was analyzed by using statistical calculation. As the result, this study showed that using daily journal could improve students' ability in writing. It was proven by the difference of mean score between pre-test (M=46) and post-test (M=92.6) which indicates that the students' writing competence have improved after the treatment was given. Moreover, according to the questionnaire analysis, most of the students (73.3%) gave positive responses toward the use of daily journal. Finally, the writer concludes that daily journal is one of techniques which can be used in order to improve the students' competence in writing.


The utility model relates to a ratcheting screw driver handle with a lamp, which comprises a ratcheting screw driver, a handle portion and an illuminating lamp.The bulb of the illuminating lamp arranged inside the front cavity of the handle portion surrounds the ratcheting screw driver.A battery is arranged inside the rear cavity of the handle portion.The central section of the handle portion is equipped with a reversing button of the ratcheting screw driver and the tail section thereof is equipped with a switch button of the illuminating lamp.The ratcheting screw driver handle with a lamp is formed by integrating the existing ratcheting screw driver handle with a pocket torch, thereby solving the problems of single form and single usage mode in the prior art.


The research problem concentrated on lack of effectiveness learning for high serve skill of squash players. Plenty of technical mistakes in skill performing, lack of use of feedback and not specifying the appropriate time by the coach commensurate with stages of skill learning. Therefore, the researchers sought to emerged the ongoing feedback through the unites to learning the high serve skill of squash to increase the effectiveness of learning and accelerate it, and the continuous correction of mistakes in order to the learner can master the skill with the least numbers of mistakes. However, the aims of the research were to identify the effect of continuous feedback on learning the high serve skill of squash junior players and to identifying the superiority of the differences between the effects of continuous feedback in learning the two skills of high serve among squash junior players. However, the researchers used the experimental approach (Equal groups design) with pre and post-tests. The research population involved (22) squash junior players in the Babylon university. The researchers have been equalization a number of variables in the experimental and control groups which may impact on the results later. Nevertheless, the research results showed A positive effect of the using of continuous feedback units on learning and developing skillful performance for the high serve skill of squash junior players. In addition, the experimental group has improved as a result of the use effect of continuous feedback in learning the two skills of high serve among squash junior players comparing to the control group. Keywords: Continuous feedback, High serves wrist joint, Modeling and squash.


Control and synchronization of fractional-order chaotic systems have attracted wide attention due to their numerous potential applications. To get suitable control method and parameters for fractional-order chaotic systems, the stability analysis of time-varying fractional-order systems should be discussed in the first place. Therefore, this paper analyzes the stability of the time-varying fractional-order systems and presents a stability theorem for the system with the order 0<α<1. This theorem is a sufficient condition which can discriminate the stability of time-varying systems conveniently. Feedback controllers are designed for control and synchronization of the fractional-order Lü chaotic system. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed theorem.


This article began as an Appendix to Robin Campbell's 'Charge of Temporalitie of Kirk Landis and the parish of Lesmahagow' (see this volume), the intention being to identify the lands in that document, to put their names in the context of other early forms, and to offer a brief comment on their derivation. While that remains at the core of this article, it has 'grown legs' to become what will be, I hope, the beginnings of a full toponymic survey of this large and welldocumented parish. I remain much indebted to Robin Campbell for providing the immediate impetus for this study, as well as for supplying many of the early modern forms of the place-names surveyed below, along with editorial and tenurial details, and for help in locating names no longer in use. The bulk of the medieval forms, along with the analysis, originated in work I did, in conjunction with the late Ruth Richens, for a paper entitled 'Pont and the place-names of Lesmahagow', delivered at New Lanark on 1 April 2000, at the conference 'A Pont Miscellany', organised by Project Pont, Map Library, National Library of Scotland. My work on the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Project 'The expansion and contraction of Gaelic in Medieval Scotland: the evidence of names', based at the Department of Celtic, University of Glasgow (2006–10), has also allowed me to examine in more depth several early charters in Kel. Lib. relating to Lesmahagow which contain what must be one of the most detailed sets of late 12th and early 13th-century boundary descriptions from any part of Scotland. It is, however, to Ruth Richens that I owe the greatest debt, for first alerting me to the rich medieval heritage of Lesmahagow, and for sharing with me her extensive knowledge of the parish with which she had such strong familial and emotional ties, as well as for laying the foundations of our understanding of Lesmahagow's medieval geography and land-holding patterns. It is to her memory that I would like to dedicate this article.1 While the place-names of Lesmahagow still await a comprehensive survey and analysis, there are several preliminary points which can be usefully made. The most important is that three languages have contributed to the bulk of the place-nomenclature. These are, in roughly chronological order, British (also sometimes referred to as Cumbric), Scottish Gaelic and Scots. The sequence of languages, however, is not straightforward: see, for example, Auchtyfardle, 0 10 20 40 60 M


Submitted for the MAR08 Meeting of The American Physical Society Heat Treatments In Situ and Noise Reduction in Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) ALEXANDER KANE, PHILIP COLLINS, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4576 — As fabricated, small diameter metallic SWCNTs have anomalously high contact resistances and noise amplitudes. High temperature treatments have been found to decrease both the resistance and noise through undetermined mechanisms. This work investigates this high temperature processing through in situ measurements in a UHV environment, focusing on small metallic SWCNTs contacted by Ti, Pt, or Pd electrodes. The role of the contact resistance and contaminants in the device fluctuations or noise is studied. The two mechanisms affect device noise differently, with the net effect that room temperature noise decreases can be more than proportional to resistance decreases. Annealing temperatures for improving device performance are determined for all three contact metals. Alexander Kane Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4576 Date submitted: 03 Jan 2008 Electronic form version 1.4


A survey of the ichthyologic fauna of the Ibicui Mirim River, RS, Brazil, was carried out at four different spots resulting in the collection of 3.388 fish specimens that were classified in eight orders, twenty four families, fifty nine genera and eighty one species.


The article aims to present a fruitful reflection on recognition, identification and acquisition of singleword and multiword terms encountered when teaching language for specific purposes and specialized translation with emphasis on French. More specifically, the study will focus on: a) the analysis of the causes which constitute a real difficulty for students to identify terms and particularly the complex ones in specialized texts, b) the theoretical framework through literature review of new teaching / learning strategies of these terms through the use of web visualization and representation tools of information and knowledge aiming at their pedagogical utilization. ΕΛΕΤΟ – 10 Συνέδριο «Ελληνική Γλώσσα και Ορολογία» Αθήνα, 12-14 Νοεμβρίου 2015


The effect of precursors vapour stoichiometry on the morphological, structural and electrical properties of nominally undoped ZnTe grown on (100)GaAs by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy is reported. The epilayers were grown at 350 °C using dimethylzinc (Me2Zn) and di‐isopropyltelluride, varying their molar flow rate ratios (MFRs) between 0.17 and 3.10. Growth in nearly stoichiometric (MFR = 1.03) conditions results in best surface morphology, while samples grown in Te‐rich conditions (MFR > 1.7) showed micron‐size hollow defects (with surface densities up to ∼106 cm–2) elongated in one of the 〈011〉 in‐plane directions. The defects are associated to a local structural disorder of the material, ascribed to the formation of a Ga2Te3 extrinsic phase at the ZnTe/GaAs interface. Ohmic contacts to p ‐ZnTe epilayers were prepared by tungsten evaporation and annealing at 350 °C. The RT hole concentration in the epilayers varies almost linearly with Me2Zn molar flow between 2 × 1015 cm–3 and 5 × 1016 cm–3. Temperature‐dependent Hall measurements performed on samples grown at MFR ≤ 1.03 demonstrate that the material p‐type conductivity originates from a single acceptor centre with an ionisation energy between 94.7 meV and 118 meV, its concentration being in the 1016 cm–3 range and slowly increasing with Me2Zn flow. We ascribe this acceptor to a complex formed by a substitutional carbon atom on a Te site and a donor on a nearest neighbor site (CTe‐DZn), the donor impurity being further identified as Ga diffusing from the substrate. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The political and economic transformation of former Soviet Bloc Europe has been far-reaching in the last 30 years. Although most former socialist countries in Central and Eastern Europe abandoned t...


We propose a probabilistic modeling framework for learning the dynamic patterns in the collective behaviors of social agents and developing profiles for different behavioral groups, using data collected from multiple information sources. The proposed model is based on a hierarchical Bayesian process, in which each observation is a finite mixture of an set of latent groups and the mixture proportions (i.e., group probabilities) are drawn randomly. Each group is associated with some distributions over a finite set of outcomes. Moreover, as time evolves, the structure of these groups also changes; we model the change in the group structure by a hidden Markov model (HMM) with a fixed transition probability. We present an efficient inference method based on tensor decompositions and the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for parameter estimation.


OAM functions are essential to ensure that the desired service level
of traffic engineered connections are met. In certain technologies OAM
entities are inherently established once the connection is set up.
However other technologies, especially OAM for packet switched
networks, require an extra configuration step after connection
establishment to setup OAM entities. This document specifies
extensions to RSVP-TE to support the establishment and configuration
of OAM entities along with LSP signalling.


[Objective]To understand the risk factors to infants in centralized preventive inoculation,in order to provide basis for injury prevention.[Methods]In August,2003 and January,2004,surveys were made at inoculation clinics in country and town respectively.[Results]The existence rates of risk factor for 528 cases from country clinics and 480 cases from town clinics were 52.08% and 56.25% repectively in summer,while those for both of them in winter were 46.67% and 73.96%(P0.01) repectively.[Conclusion]Many risk factors were existed for infants in centralized preventive inoculation.


The purpose of this paper is to present data on the blood plasma levels of oxytetracycline which resulted when cattle were injected intramuscularly (IM) once a week with a strengthened and improved formulation of oxytetracycline containing 200 mg/ml of base drug. One injection of this formulation has been reported to have an inhibitory effect on the parasitemia in acute anaplasmosis equivalent to three daily injections of oxytetracycline containing 50 mg/ml (2). Also, the former formulation has been recently reported to effect the elimination of the carrier state of bovine anaplasmosis when administered IM at seven-day intervals (3).
The use of tetracycline drugs at relatively high dosage levels for varying periods of time has been an accepted procedure for eliminating A. marginale infection. Either prolonged feeding of chlortetracycline or daily injection of oxytetracycline have been used for this purpose in a number of earlier studies. The present study suggests that the use of a long-acting oxytetracycline will effectively eliminate the carrier state of sensitive strains of A. marginale. Also, the present study shows that in a limited ·number of cattle, detectable blood levels were present in 10 of 12 cattle seven days after one treatment with the long-acting formulation of oxytetracycline. It will be necessary to further evaluate the use of this treatment regimen to determine if similar results can be achieved under field conditions.


PURPOSE: An LED module is provided to improve heat dissipation efficiency by forming a PCB made of metal or heat dissipation materials entirely or partially. CONSTITUTION: An LED module(10) comprises one or more LEDs, a PCB(12) and a magnet(17). The LED is mounted on the front of the PCB. The PCB is attached to a lighting device base with the magnet. The entire or rear of PCB is made of metal or heat dissipation materials. The magnet is mounted on the PCB with the magnetic force. One or more heat dissipation grooves are formed on the rear of the PCB.


Dielectric-resonator-based nanophotonic devices show promise owing to their low intrinsic losses, support of multipolar resonances, and efficient operation in both reflection and transmission configurations. A key challenge is to make such devices dynamically switchable, such that optical behavior can be instantaneously reconfigured. In this work we experimentally demonstrate large, broadband, and continuous electrical tuning of reflection resonances in hybrid dielectric–VO2 devices. Our calculations, in strong agreement with experimental reflectance measurements, also indicate the presence of large transmission and absorption modulation. We additionally demonstrate independent modulation of both reflection amplitude and phase at Fabry–Perot anti-nodes and nodes, respectively, a key requirement for metasurface design. We conclude with a temporal characterization, in which we achieve rapid electronic modulation rates of approximately 3 kHz, substantially faster than other recent approaches. These findings ...


In a recent article, Bernier et al reported the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer among individuals aged <19 years in the United States, and concluded that such an increase is unlikely to be explained entirely by increases in medical surveillance. Based on recent data concerning the natural history of thyroid cancer, I herein express my concern regarding overdiagnosis. Cancer cells are believed to be generated from benign tumor cells, and it has been recognized that when cancer cells are left untreated, they become more and more aggressive. However, data from some recent studies have suggested that the natural history of juvenile thyroid cancer is different from what we have believed for many years. Data from the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) demonstrated that with ultrasonography, small thyroid cancers can be detected at a high prevalence even in children, and the majority of these cancers are likely to stop proliferation after some decades. Another study supports this assumption. During observation, most papillary microcarcinomas stop their growth, and some even shrink. Because to my knowledge no effects of radiation on health have been reported in Fukushima, most of the cases found in the FHMS are likely to be overdiagnosed. Therefore, the majority of patients will demonstrate no symptoms due to thyroid cancer throughout their life. It is interesting to note that even though nearly all cases showed a small tumor size because they were diagnosed with ultrasonography, >80% demonstrated extrathyroidal extension of cancer cells at the time of surgery. These data suggest that, in patients with juvenile thyroid cancer, even cases diagnosed with metastasis can be a cause of overdiagnosis because cancer cells are likely to stop proliferation after metastasis. When reading the study by Bernier et al, one should take into account this self-limiting characteristics of juvenile thyroid cancer. In the FHMS, >100 children among 300,000 were diagnosed with thyroid cancer after ultrasonography screening, and the estimated age-standardized incidence was approximately 70 times greater than that in the United States before 2000. It is clear that there is a large reservoir of clinically silent thyroid cancers in the pediatric population. Furthermore, 3 children with distant metastasis were identified incidentally on ultrasonography screening. Although the number was extremely small, the roughly estimated age-standardized incidence was approximately 10 cases per 1 million, and was approximately 50 times greater than that in the United States before 2000. It is important to realize that these cases were detected incidentally on ultrasonography screening, and therefore we cannot exclude the possibility that even some of these cases were overdiagnosed. The authors should assess data regarding the number of thyroid ultrasounds for children administered during the same period and in the same area because, as was the case in Korea, this number is likely to be positively correlated with the number of overdiagnosed cases. When an increasing incidence of juvenile thyroid cancer is observed, priority should be given to the prevention of overdiagnosis over the search for the reason for the true increase. Children diagnosed with thyroid cancer are likely to experience the disease not only physiologically but also psychologically, socially, and economically. Therefore, the harm of overdiagnosing thyroid cancer in the young is more serious and complicated compared with in adults, and it is not only a health problem but also an issue of human rights. The early detection of thyroid cancer in children is not likely to be beneficial because its prognosis is extremely favorable. I hope that physicians in the United States will carefully consider the increase in both the incidence of juvenile thyroid cancer and the number of thyroid ultrasonography tests to prevent the expansion of overdiagnosis.


We have seen rapid development of autonomous driving systems (ADSs) in recent years. These systems place high requirements on safety and reliability for their mass adoption, and ADS testing is one of the crucial approaches to ensure the success of ADSs. To this end, this paper presents RLTester, a novel ADS testing approach, which adopts reinforcement learning (RL) to learn critical environment configurations (i.e., test scenarios) of the operating environment of ADSs that could reveal their unsafe behaviors. To generate diverse and critical test scenarios, we defined 142 environment configuration actions, and adopted the Time- To-Collision metric to construct the reward function. Our evaluation shows that RLTester discovered a total of 256 collisions, of which 192 are unique collisions, and took on average 11.59 seconds for each collision. Further, RLTester is effective in generating more diverse test scenarios compared to a state-of-the art approach, DeepCollision.


We review a status of the research on conversion of solar energy into electricity by using the systems that split the solar spectrum with a set of luminescent concentrators. Influence of the luminophore choice (rare-earth elements, dyes, or semiconductor quantum dots) and their characteristics as well as the luminescence quantum losses, when the light quanta travel inside the optical waveguide formed by the luminescent concentrator, were analyzed. The methods to minimize these losses, including optimal converter design, were discussed. The choice of design with stacked luminescent concentrators was demonstrated. The design of the stacked luminescent concentrators with optimized parameters of the transparent matrix and semiconductor quantum dots was investigated.


This paper will discuss the Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) with a focus on the design of its facility class Adaptive Optics (AO) Real Time Controller (RTC). The GIRMOS Adaptive Optics Real-Time Controller (GIRMOS RTC) will be developed using the Herzberg Extensible Adaptive Real-time Toolkit (HEART), a C/C++ software framework for constructing RTCs that targets general-purpose CPUs and standard networking hardware. The GIRMOS RTC just finished a successful pre-build phase where the custom parts of GIRMOS were designed and it was shown how the design incorporated HEART's software modules. The GIRMOS RTC as a Multi-Object implementation of HEART will leverage a decade of design, modelling, and prototyping effort aimed to support the performance and configurability requirements of AO systems, with support for multiple client science instruments. This paper will discuss how HEART can be customized for a Multi-Object AO (MOAO) system.


Police, gendarme, and security forces have co-evolved with states since the origin of the Westphalian system. Their governance structures and functions therefore reflect the history of each polity we might examine. Some security organizations have also evolved transnational aspects, such as colonial police, INTERPOL cooperation and international peacekeeping and policing. This evolution reflects both dominant interests within states (Brodeur's high policing) and those of communities at large (low policing). Both domestic and transnational aspects of governance and division of security functions are partially transferred when the international community attempts to reconstruct or reform the security sector of a post-conflict or weak state. Such target states are also affected by a global political economy, which includes informal and illegal sectors thriving on disorder. Diversity creates three specific problems for the security sector: identity-based economies linked to crime; identity-based conflicts linked to domestic and transnational violence; and identity-based tensions that manifest within security organizations, making it difficult to deal with the other two. The good news is that many countries have passed through these problems to develop stable and effective security sectors. I attempt to generalize about the elements of successful adaptation to diversity.


This paper discusses many aspects of wear testing relevant to ceramic materials. It starts with a description of those properties of ceramics that are of particular importance for tribological performance, and then discusses the rationale that underlies wear testing. Some results of the wear of ceramics are discussed, with a particular emphasis on the importance of tribochemical behaviour and on the effect of test machine dynamics. After also discussing surface examination techniques and the pre-standardization work that has been carried out in the friction and wear testing area, the paper concludes with a discussion of future priorities in tribological testing.


Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of high serum p53 antibody (p53Ab) levels in relation to curative resection of colorectal cancer. Patients and Methods: Between 2007 and 2010, 24 patients with colorectal cancer with higher-than-normal preoperative serum p53Ab, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were enrolled in this study. After curative resection, their serum p53Ab and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were measured at one, six, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery. The relationship between clinicopathological features and the presence of serum p53Ab was evaluated. Results: None of the patients developed recurrence up to 24 months after the surgery. The positive rate for CEA was 33.3% before surgery, 16.7% at one month after surgery, and 0% at six months and more, while the rate for p53Ab was 75% at six months, 70.8% at 12 months, 58.3% at 18 months, and 54.2% at 24 months after surgery. The positive rate for serum p53Ab at 24 months after the surgery correlated with the one before and that at one month after the surgery. Conclusion: For patients with colorectal cancer and high preoperative serum p53Ab levels, serum p53Ab does not seem to be a useful marker of recurrence after curative resection, since normalization of serum p53Ab levels requires years after surgery. The expression of the p53 protein has been reported in a number of human tumor types, including those of breast, lung, esophagus, stomach, and colorectum (1-6). p53 protein is detectable by immunohistochemical staining, and the overexpression of mutant p53 protein has been found to induce serum p53 antibody (serum p53Ab) in 30-48% of patients with esophageal carcinomas (7-12). Serum p53Ab as a serological marker of cancer has been recently gaining attention. In patients with esophageal carcinoma, the presence of p53Ab in the serum has been reported to be assosiated with poor prognosis, low histological grade, and high incidence of lymph node metastasis (13-15). On the other hand, in patients with colorectal carcinomas, little is known about the correlation between serum p53Ab and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer. This study was undertaken to evaluate the significance of high p53Ab levels in serum, in relation to curative resection of colorectal cancer. Patients and Methods Patients. Twenty-four patients with colorectal cancer who underwent selective colorectal resection between January 2007 and December 2010 at the Department of Surgery, Kashiwa Hospital, Jikei University School of Medicine, with higher-than-normal preoperative serum p53Ab by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were enrolled in this study. After curative resection, their serum p53Ab and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured at one, six, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery. The relationship between clinicopathological features, serum CEA and presence of 53Ab in serum were evaluated. The tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) classification (16) was established based on pathological examinations of the resected specimens. Serum samples were obtained before surgery and at one, six, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery, and stored at –80 ̊C until assayed. To examine postoperative recurrence, computed tomography was performed every six months after surgery. Enzyme immunoassay for p53Ab in the serum. p53Ab in the serum was assessed by ELISA with the MESACUP anti-p53 Test (MBL, Nagoya, Japan). In brief, serum samples were added to the wells of a microtiter plate coated with wild-type human p53 or a control protein and incubated for one hour. A conjugated second antibody was added, the samples were incubated for another hour, and then the substrate solution was added. After addition of the stop solution, the color reaction was measured immediately by the absorption at 450 nm using a photospectrometer. The cut-off value was determined as 1.30 U/ml. 2221 Correspondence to: Hidejiro Kawahara, MD, Ph.D., Department of Surgery, Kashiwa Hospital, Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwashita, Kashiwashi, Chiba 277-8567, Japan. Tel: +81 471641111 Ext. 3421, Fax: +81 471633488, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


With observation from synoptic chart, meteorological autostation, FY-2C satellite and Xian WSR-88D radar, the cause and mesosacale characteristics of the heavy rainfall in Shaanxi province on 20 September 2005 have been analyzed. The result showed that cold front triggered unstable energy release and under the advantageous configuration between the upper jet stream and low-level jet stream the MCS lasting more than 8h resulted in the heavy rainfall, meanwhile, coupling between intensive disvergence and vorticity provided dynamical mechanism to MCS evolution. Heavy rainstorm location had high correlation with mesosacale energy of "Ω" form and wind shear distribution. Heavy rainfall areas corresponded to radar echoes bigger than 40 dBz and rain tensity had positive correlationship to echo intensity and developing height.


The design and measurement of a monolithically integrated optoelectronic chip consisting of two different receivers are presented. A high-speed receiver for communication including a highly sensitive, large-area avalanche photodiode builds one receiver. A data rate of 1 Gbit/s with a BER <;10-9 is received with a sensitivity of -31.8 dBm. The second receiver consists of two pn-photodiodes connected to a highly sensitive differential transimpedance amplifier with a nonlinear feedback. This circuit is capable of detecting light power differences down to -90 dBm and is implemented two times. Its purpose is the detection of the light spot's position on the receiver. The complete chip is fabricated in a standard high-voltage 0.35 μm CMOS technology. The performance in a wireless communication scenario with strong background irradiance is explored, and a comparison with published optoelectronic integrated receivers is given.


Transfer learning is an emerging topic that may drive the success of machine learning in research and industry. The lack of data on specific tasks is one of the main reasons to use it, since collecting and labeling data can be very expensive and can take time, and recent concerns with privacy make difficult to use real data from users. The use of transfer learning helps to fast prototype new machine learning models using pre-trained models from a source task since training on millions of images can take time and requires expensive GPUs. In this survey, we review the concepts and definitions related to transfer learning and we list the different terms used in the literature. We bring the point of view from different authors of prior surveys, adding some more recent findings in order to give a clear vision of directions for future work in this field of research.


While annotating normalized times in food security documents, we found that the semantically compositional annotation for time normalization (SCATE) scheme required several near-duplicate annotations to get the correct semantics for expressions like Nov. 7th to 11th 2021. To reduce this problem, we explored replacing SCATE's Sub-Interval property with a Super-Interval property, that is, making the smallest units (e.g., 7th and 11th) rather than the largest units (e.g., 2021) the heads of the intersection chains. To ensure that the semantics of annotated time intervals remained unaltered despite our changes to the syntax of the annotation scheme, we applied several different techniques to validate our changes. These validation techniques detected and allowed us to resolve several important bugs in our automated translation from Sub-Interval to Super-Interval syntax.


Aim:To study the effect of lactacystin on dopamine ltransporter(DAT)and vesicular monoamine transporter(VMAT2)protein expressions in rats striatum.Methods:By stereotaxic unilateral injection of different doses of lactacystin,a selective proteasome inhibitor,into the substantia nigral pars compacta of rats,the spontaneous and apomorphine-induced contralateral behaviors of rats were observed,expressions of alpha-synuclein in nigral cells and DAT and VMAT2 in striatum were investigated by immunohistochemistry.Results:There was no difference between 0.2 μg group and the control.Animals treated with 2 μg and 8 μg lactacystin developed progressively bradykinetic and displayed contralateral head tilting and tremor;apomorphine-induced contralateral behavior was notably observed in rats of 8μg group,with the dose of lactacystin increasing,contents of α-synuclein were increased by 57%(P0.01)and 122%(P0.001),contents of DAT and VMAT2 were decreased by 40%(P0.01),85%(P0.001)and 50%(P 0.01),88%(P0.001).Conclusion:Lactacystin may cause negral cells degeneration and Parkinson's disease by decreasing DAT and VMAT2 protein expressions.


Crime in the streets in Indonesia is a very serious problem and has become a great concern for the Government. Evert year the crime rate is increasing. One of the method to reduce it is by increase community awareness and increase response time of crime detection. The research objective is to develop an android-based application to monitor the safety of its user while traveling. With this application, user's inner circle can monitor their trip location and status therefore increasing the cautiousness. In addition, user can also find crime spots that will be passed while doing trips and share information to other users about crime spots. The methodology used in this application is data collection method, literature studies, and through questionnaires. The method used to develop the program is Scrum. The result of the development is an android-based application. The conclusions of this development are the application is expected to increase community awareness and to reduce the crime rate in Indonesia.


A method for determining time-dependent Dephasierungsfaktoren (c (t)) of at least one spectral component of at least two spectral components in an examination region in an object under examination (U), comprising the steps of: - receiving measurement data (MD) of the examination region in a temporal course of a test measurement by means (101), - determining the contribution (MD ') at least one of the at least two spectral components in the recorded measurement data (MD), - determining Dephasierungsfaktoren (c (t)) of the at least one spectral component based on the for that particular document (MD ') in the captured measurement data (MD) over time.


This paper proposes a model of group culture, fault lines, and outcomes to explain how group faultlines can help solidify a group culture of cre ativity and influence performance in diverse workgroups. The hypotheses are tested using an arc hiv l field methodology and qualitative and quantitative data from 74 workgroups in a Fortune 5 00 company. The results reveal that the moderating role of actual culture in the positive i mpact that desired culture has on group performance is significant for the groups exhibitin g strong information faultline strength. The implications of these findings for diversity traini ng, HR programs, etc are discussed with an emphasis on information diversity.


The effect of antiferromagnetic (AF) layer thickness on exchange bias was studied in a series of NiFe(50 nm)/FeMn(t) bilayers through both irreversible and reversible experiments at room temperature. The exchange bias was evaluated in the sample plane both through measurement of the major hysteresis loops and probing the reversible susceptibility. The critical curve was constructed to map the angular dependence of the magnetization switching and exchange bias, which is found to evolve as a function of AF layer thickness. Ferromagnetic resonance absorption was measured at several frequencies and angles, and angular-dependent absorption curves were plotted. A comparison is made between the recorded exchange bias using the three methods. The measurements reported are supported by simulations under a generalized Stoner–Wohlfarth model, and general limitations of the experiment are discussed.


It was recognized in Europe, between the two World Wars, that the standard of living of an appreciable percentage of the population was shockingly low and radically different from that of the rest of the population round them (Querido, 1946; Savage, 1946; Stallybrass, 1946; Burn, 1947; Stevenson, 1950). They had : (i) Untidy homes. When a window pane was broken it was left as such or replaced by a bit of paper. When a piece of furniture collapsed it.


This study is the second part of a project on motivation for short in-class extensive reading (ER) and examined factors affecting the motivations using self-determination theory (SDT). Japanese university learners of English as a foreign language (N = 133) responded to a questionnaire designed to measure four hypothesized predictors of ER motivation (i.e., positive peer influences, perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in the middle of an academic year, and five subtypes of SDT motivation for short in-class ER (i.e., intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation) at the end of the academic year. The results of a recursive path analysis showed that: 1) perceived autonomy had a positive impact on motivation, leading to higher intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, and lower amotivation, introjected regulation, and external regulation; 2) positive peer influences had a positive impact on more self-determined types of motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation and identified regulation); 3) perceived competence was neither associated with amotivation nor more self-determined types of motivation; and 4) perceived relatedness held no relevance for any of the five subtypes of motivation. These findings indicate the importance of perceiving autonomy and peer engagement in ER in enhancing motivation for short in-class ER.


A 73-year-old male patient underwent stent implanting of left iliac artery and recanalization of left superficial femoral artery due to atherosclerotic obliterans of artery of lower extremity and received IV push of 4 000 U unfractionated heparin(UFH)during the operation.On the operation day, the patient was transferred into Intensive Care Unit due to acute renal insufficiency caused by left perirenal hematoma and acute cardiac insufficiency.Laboratory examination showed the following values:hemoglobin 147 g/L, platelet count 113×109/L, serum creatinine 247μmol/L, blood urea nitrogen 10.6 mmol/L.On day 2 postoperation, he received non-heparin continuous renal replacement therapy on bed(the tubes were rinsed with UFH before hemodiafiltration and deep venous catheters were sealed with UFH during the hemodiafiltration). On day 3 postoperation, the patient's PLT dropped to 73×109/L. On day 5 postoperation, the temperature of his left foot decreased and the pulse of dorsal artery of his left foot disappeared.UFH was given intravenously at the rate of 500-625 U per hour.On day 7 postoperation, the patient's PLT suddenly dropped to 16×109/L, he developed skin cyanosis on his left lower limb and cyanoderma on his plantar. Vascular ultrasonography examination showed that thrombosis occurred on his left femoral vein and right internal jugular vein, occlusion appeared on his left superficial femoral artery. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia with thrombosis was considered. UFH was stopped immediately and intravenous argatroban was given and tube rinsing and sealing with UFH was replaced with saline in continuous renal replacement therapy.On day 12 postoperation, the PLT count increased to 121×109/L. However, the patient died of multiple organ failure at last.

Key words:
Heparin; Thrombocytopenia; Thrombosis


OBJECTIVE Fruit body of Ganoderma lucidum,what were cultivated with grass(FB-GR)and wood log(FB-WL)and antler-shaped fruit body(FB-AS),were studied on morpholgy,active polysaccharides content,extraction rate and infrared spectrum to reveal their difference.METHODS The internal structure of the fruit bodies was observed with stereomicroscope by slice technique.The content of polysaccharides and polysaccharide peptides were determined by anthrone-sulfuric acid method and Lowry's method respectively.RESULTS The appearance of FB-GR and FB-WL fruit body were normal.Antler-shaped fruit body could be produced by controlled cultivation environment.The stipe apex of FB-AS did not hymenium differentiation,the tube and basidia and basidia spore were absent.The extraction rate of high-molecular polysaccharides fraction of FB-GR,FB-AS and FB-WL were 0.94%,0.55%and 0.78% respectively.FB-GR has the highest level of polysaccharides,while FB-WL has the highest level of polysaccharide peptides.CONCLUSION The cultivation environment could effect on appearance and construction of fruit body,but it could not work on infrared spectra of active component.


Taller adult height is associated with lower risks of ischaemic heart disease in both conventional and Mendelian randomisation studies, providing support for a causal association, but the associations of height with ischaemic stroke and ischaemic stroke subtypes are uncertain.

 To examine the causal relevance of height for ischaemic stroke and ischaemic stroke subtypes.

 Two-sample Mendelian randomisation analyses were used to examine the associations of height with: (i) ischaemic stroke and ischaemic stroke subtypes in MEGASTROKE (using summary data from 34 217 ischaemic stroke cases), and with (ii) established cardiovascular and other risk factors using individual data from 336 433 participants in UK Biobank and 57 785 in the China Kadoorie Biobank. Instruments for Mendelian randomisation were constructed from up to 3280 height-associated genetic variants, previously identified as having genome-wide significant effects on height.

 Genetically-determined taller height was inversely associated with ischaemic stroke (3% [95% CI: 1–6] lower risk per 1 standard deviation taller height) in MEGASTROKE but this masked much stronger opposing associations on risks of different ischaemic stroke subtypes: 15% (95% CI: 9–21) higher risk of cardioembolic stroke, 10% (4–15) lower risk of large-artery atherosclerotic stroke, and 15% (10–20) lower risk of small-vessel stroke (Figure). Genetically-determined taller height was strongly associated with atrial fibrillation and higher lean body mass and lung function but more weakly associated with lower levels of LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.

 The findings support a causal association between taller adult height and risk of atrial fibrillation and cardioembolic stroke. The opposing associations of height with other ischaemic stroke subtypes provide further support for considering ischaemic stroke subtypes as distinct diseases in both research and clinical practice.

 Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation


Abstract The article focuses on the research. Development and prototyping of the "Intelligent Modular Service Mobile Robot Controllable via Internet" using open-source meta-operating system/platform ROS. The robot can be controlled either locally via an immediate console or remotely (via Internet) using a remote terminal. The immediate control is implemented by means of a computer terminal. The remote connection can be made over any TCP/IP enabled network such as the Internet. Software architecture of the remotely controlled robot consists of two major parts – ROS part and remote interface. The Remote control consists of two parts – Server and Client. The Client accepts user input and transmits the corresponding commands remotely to the Server via TCP/IP connection over a network (i.e. the Internet). The Server listens for Client connections and accepts commands from the connected Client. Such kind of mobile service robots can be used for servicing of elderly and/or disabled people, in a semiautonomous of fully autonomous mode of control from a distance via Internet As they are a great number of such applications it increases the social stability of the society.


With Participatory rural appraisal method(PRA),this paper used AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation based on questionnaires and the meeting data analyzed the infrastructure construction,residents of the development production,living environment and the management mechanism of Minle county modern agricultural demonstration garden. The result shows that index of planning and development comprehensive evaluation is 69.45,which belonged to the "normal"level. There is a certain gap from the modern agricultural demonstration garden construction standards in the environmental landscape construction and cultural aspects of implantation,specifically in the lower standard of secondary roads,the weaker technology service system,water-saving irrigation facilities is not completed and the single culture. With the development of the planning and socio-economic,when stakeholders' demands are to be continued changing,the garden planning should be adjusted. The farmers demands should be paid attention in the planning according to the demand of adjust planning,in order to improved the rationality and sustainability.


Nonlinear evolution of one-dimensional planar perturbations in an optically thin, radiatively cooling medium in the long-wavelength limit is studied numerically. The accepted cooling function generates, in thermal equilibrium, a bistable equation of state P(ρ). The unperturbed state is taken close to the upper (low-density) unstable state with infinite compressibility (dP/dρ=0). The evolution is shown to proceed in three different stages. At the first stage, pressure and density set in the equilibrium equation of state, and velocity profile steepens gradually, as in the case of pressure-free flows. At the second stage, those regions of the flow where anomalous pressure (i.e., with negative compressibility) holds create a velocity profile sharper than in the pressure-free case, which in turn results in formation of a very narrow (short-wavelength) region where gas separates the equilibrium equation of state and pressure equilibrium sets in rapidly. At this stage, the variation in pressure between the narro...


Agent-based technologies answer to several challenges posed by additional information processing requirements in today's computing environments. In particular, (1) users desire interaction with computing devices in a mode which is similar to that used between people, (2) the efficiency and successful completion of information processing tasks often require a high-level of expertise in complex and multiple domains, (3) information processing tasks often require handling of large volumes of data and, therefore, continuous and endless processing activities. The concept of an agent is an attempt to address these new challenges by introducing information processing environments in which (1) users can communicate with a system in a natural way, (2) an agent is a specialist and a self-learner and, therefore, it qualifies to be trusted to perform tasks independent of the human user, and (3) an agent is an entity that is continuously active performing tasks that are either delegated to it or self-imposed. The work described in this paper focuses on the development of an interface agent for users of a complex information processing environment (IPE). This activity is part of an on-going effort to build a model for developing agent-based information systems. Such systems will be highly applicable to environments which require a high degree of automation, such as, flight control operations and/or processing of large volumes of data in complex domains, such as the EOSDIS environment and other multidisciplinary, scientific data systems. The concept of an agent as an information processing entity is fully described with emphasis on characteristics of special interest to the User-System Interface Agent (USIA). Issues such as agent 'existence' and 'qualification' are discussed in this paper. Based on a definition of an agent and its main characteristics, we propose an architecture for the development of interface agents for users of an IPE that is agent-oriented and whose resources are likely to be distributed and heterogeneous in nature. The architecture of USIA is outlined in two main components: (1) the user interface which is concerned with issues as user dialog and interaction, user modeling, and adaptation to user profile, and (2) the system interface part which deals with identification of IPE capabilities, task understanding and feasibility assessment, and task delegation and coordination of assistant agents.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the prognosis of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

METHODS
The peripheral blood of 52 DLBCL patients and 30 healthy volunteers was collected. The CD14+HLA-DRlow/- was used as the immune marker for MDSC. The role of MDSC in the prognosis of DLBCL patients was analyzed by combination with the related clinicopathological data.

RESULTS
The proportion of MDSC in peripheral blood of newly diagnosed DLBCL patients increased significantly (P<0.01). The expression of MDSC in DLBCL patients was related with clinical staging, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level and IPI score (P<0.01). There was no significant correlation with sex, age, and B symptoms. Univariate analysis showed that the clinical stage, serum LDH level, IPI score and MDSC level were the adverse factors affecting the overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis showed that IPI score and MDSC level were independent risk factors for OS in DLBCL patients.

CONCLUSION
MDSC can be used as an important index to evaluate the prognosis of DLBCL patients, contributing to evaluate the immune and tumor microenvironment of DLBCL patients.


The Consortium of Santiago's recent restoration of the chapter house, which opened to the public at the start of 2012, provided an opportunity to study new aspects of the site and the building, which boasts the finest Baroque screen facade in Santiago de Compostela. The most important findings of the study can be found in this paper, a text illustrated with the author's proposals with regard to the floor plans and elevations of the houses that occupied the site prior to the building, and with a drawing indicating which walls are new and which have been reused.


The thesis is focused on the possible approaches, which increase the road transport safety. There are statistics of the national and foreign accident rate in 2008 elaborated. Furthermore, there are analysis of the approaches, remedies and patterns, which are applied to enhance the road transport safety. In the last unit, those possible approaches are further examined, and the suggested remedies are assessed from the point of view of impacts and risks.


ABSTRACT This paper examines an adapted action learning approach to develop four social learning leaders. The Alberta Women in Sport Leadership Impact Program is a social learning intervention with the goals of supporting women in developing their leadership capabilities and increasing gender equity across sport. To support the facilitation of this initiative, four social learning leaders engaged in action learning to develop their leadership capabilities and facilitation skills. Considering facilitators' development experiences have not been extensively explored in the context of action learning and social learning working in combination, examining the implications of an action learning approach for women social learning leaders' development was warranted. We used an interpretive qualitative methodology to interview and observe the four social learning leaders to gain insight into their experiences building their facilitator capabilities and the implications of coupling an action learning and social learning approach for development. The participants discussed the importance of developing self-awareness, engaging with and embracing uncertainty, and building trusting relationships. The findings from this action learning focused initiative highlight the importance of social learning opportunities for women to create networks and spaces where they can safely feel vulnerable and subsequently develop their leadership capabilities.


This research conducted a comparative analysis of propeller dimensions for the conceptual design of a piston aircraft. The method used is statistical linear regression by comparing some variables related to propellers from 27 piston aircraft data. Based on comparison results obtained 6 strong relationships, namely aircraft speed and engine power, aircraft weight and engine power, aircraft weight and propeller weight, aircraft weight and the number of propellers blades, engine power and propeller weight, and propeller weight and the number of propellers blades so that it can be used for conceptual design reference. The propeller diameter and engine speed variables do not have a strong relationship in regression but form a cluster so that it can be used as a conceptual design reference. The conceptual design simulation with an aircraft weight of 3500 lb produces a propeller with a diameter of 80 inches, the engine power of 325.51 hp, propeller weight of 86.13 pounds, engine speed of 2500 rpm, and 3 blade propellers with a thrust of 1340.05 lbf.


Over recent years, Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the laws of England have been receiving increasing attention. Perhaps this is as Professor Milsom has suggested partly the result of growing interest in Blackstone's critic Bentham, and partly because ' the time always comes for having a go at a classic'. One of the most recent contributions to the expanding corpus of Blackstone studies is a complex article in this Journal by Professor Willman of Mississippi State University dealing with Blackstone's view that, in the reign of Charles II, the constitution of England achieved, in law, a theoretical perfection. Willman demonstrates that Blackstone believed this to be so because that reign saw, by statute, first, the virtual abolition of feudal tenures (12 Car. II, c. 24),* second, the introduction of habeas corpus* and third, the abolition of the writ de haeretico comburendo. From this point of view, the events of 1688 did not constitute a major constitutional change but, rather, only resulted in the confirmation of the free constitution and liberties of the English people. Blackstone, according to Willman, saw these three statutes as restoring the ancient constitution. Drawing on Professor Pocock's The ancient constitution and the feudal law, Willman points out that the existence of an ancient constitution was a myth, articulated above all by Sir Edward Coke, from which it was argued that the liberties and laws of England dated from time immemorial. From our perspective, what is important in the notion of the ancient constitution was that its upholders denied, first, that the accession of William of Normandy to the English throne was as a result of conquest, as a conquest was considered to invalidate prior


The present invention is a platinum group metal, silver, gold or mixtures thereof; And in the manufacture of a catalyst, and a hydrogen peroxide solution including a carrier containing a precipitate layer of zirconium oxide on the other oxides and other oxides, and zirconium oxides other than zirconium oxide and the use of the catalyst. The invention also relates to a process for producing hydrogen peroxide comprising the step of reacting in the presence of a catalyst according to the present invention, hydrogen and oxygen in the reactor, and a method of manufacturing a catalyst according to the invention.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical significance of EBV-DNA in patients with infectious mononucleosis(IM)so as to guide the evaluation of the condition.METHODS In the hospital from Jun 2011 to Aug 2012,totally 66 IM patients were collected.After the admission for 2d and 7d,the fluorescence quantitative PCR was employed to detect the EB virus DNA expression two days and seven days after the admission.RESULTS The positive rate of EBV-DNA was 89.4% 2 days after the admission and 92.4% 7 days after the admission,the difference between the two was not statistically significant.The hepatosplenomegaly extent had a significant difference among different EBV-DNA copy number in children with IM(P0.05).The clinical thermal process in 1×103-1×105,1×105-1×107,and 1×107 group were(6.12±3.22) days,(7.43±4.65) days,and(9.16±5.24) days,respectively.There was significant difference among the different groups(P0.05).The ALT,AST,CK,and CK-MB also had a significant difference among different EBV-DNA copy number in the children with IM(P0.05).CONCLUSION Quantitative PCR detection of EBV-DNA can be used for the early diagnosis of IM as well as for the assessment of process of the disease.


The article deals with the problems of peat and peat fields arrangements. The system of measures aimed at fire safety guarantee taking into account peat lands classification is offered in this article.


This chapter presents four applications of data mining in social security. The first is an application of decision tree and association rules to find the demographic patterns of customers. Sequence mining is used in the second application to find activity sequence patterns related to debt occurrence. In the third application, combined association rules are mined from heterogeneous data sources to discover patterns of slow payers and quick payers. In the last application, clustering and analysis of variance are employed to check the effectiveness of a new policy.


Calorie restriction limits the intake of amino acids. Various food regimens can restrict the intake of essential amino acids or all amino acids. To contain pandemics, multiple episodes of 1 to 3 days of simultaneous fasting with modest boiled rice water or fruit juice can be employed, separated by pure starch-based diet or rice starch-based diet with moderate fruit juice intake.


This work considers a network with K transmitters and receivers, where the transmit-receive association is not predetermined. It is thus an interference network where the pairing between transmitters and receivers can be optimized to improve performance. This model is designed to represent a cellular system where each transmitter (mobile) is attempting to determine the best receiver (base-station) to connect to so as to maximize throughput. It is shown that in the two transmit-receive case, it is always better for a user to communicate with the "stronger" base station, for a network with K ≫ 2 transmitters and receivers, there exists a range of channel realizations for which connecting mobiles with a "weaker" base station results in a higher network throughput than connecting to the base-station with the "stronger" signal.


2'-5'-linked triadenylates present the class of low molecular compounds, capable of regulating various cell functions. Their main function is the activation of ribonuclease L – the main enzyme of the innate immunity. Their dephosphorylation results in loss of this function, which, on the other hand grants them a handful of new, yet undiscovered abilities.
Aim: Study the concentration-dependend influence of dephosphorylated 2'-5'-linked tradenylates on the protein kinases activity.
Methods: Protein kinases were titrated with radioactively labeled ATP. After that the radioactivity value was determined with the use of scintillation counter.
Results: We have found out that 2'-5'-linked are capable of changing the biological activity of various protein kinases by altering the amount of ATP they can potentially cleave.
Conclusions: We suggest that this effect could occur to the specific changes in protein kinases structure.


Self-assembly process of a porphyrin derivative [5,10,15,20-tetra-(m-mercapto-p-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin; TMMPP], which was designed and synthesized to be flatly adsorbed on a gold substrate surface, on a Au(111) single crystal surface was investigated by ex situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and electrochemical reductive desorption measurements. A small number of TMMPP molecules were randomly but flatly adsorbed on the Au(111) surface when the deposition time was less than 1h as the initial stage of the self-assembly process. When the deposition time was more than 20h as the final stage of the self-assembly process, the densely-packed and flatly adsorbed TMMPP SAM formed on the Au(111) surface via a phase transition from a random to an ordered structure. These results indicated that we succeeded in the formation of the flatly adsorbed and well-defined porphyrin selfassembled monolayer (SAM) on the Au(111) surface. © The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.


A superscalar processor supporting speculative execution requires an instruction fetch mechanism that can provide instruction fetch addresses as nearly correct as possible and as soon as possible in order to reduce the likelihood of throwing away speculative work. In this paper we propose a comprehensive instruction fetch mechanism to satisfy that need. Implementation issues are identified, possible solutions and designs for resolving those issues are simulated, and the results of these simulations are presented. A metric for measuring the average penalty of executing a branch instruction is introduced and used to evaluate the performance of our instruction fetch mechanism. We achieve an average performance of 1.19 IPC on the original SPEC benchmarks in a machine which can execute five instructions ideally by using the proposed mechanism.


In this paper, we discuss the 2-harmonic spacelike submanifolds in a locally symmetric and conformally flat pseudo-riemannian manifold and get two sufficient conditions under which Mn turns into a maximal submanifold,and the results in [2] are improved.


Based on the professional characteristics and the practical needs of the students majoring in pharmacy,this article expounds the selection of text books,teaching contents and assessment models. The authors hold that the literature retrieval course should be taught stage by stage. In order to lay stress on the practicality and application of literature retrieval course,the teaching goals,teaching contents and doing retrieval work in a practical manner in each stage are also expounded in this article.


This paper described two kinds of artificial neural network: Back Propagation and Optimal Linear Associative Memory. Both of them were used to analyze the X ray fluorescence spectra of cement raw material sample, satisfactory results were obtained with the OLAM network and detail comparison of them was discussed.


Data of similar nature are disseminated across organizations and needs to be analyzed to discover patterns and obtain relevant conclusions. While mining distributed data, disclosure of the sensitive information is a limitation that needs to be handled. This paper focuses on the construction of one such privacy preserving clustering approach that clusters, scattered data using the k-means strategy securely. The proposed approach provides maximum security of the sensitive data while modeling and also generates accurate results in comparison to the past related approaches.


Inertia weight is a significant parameter of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Its controllers the search capabilities of PSO and provides a balance between exploration and exploitation. There are a plethora of studies on inertia weight variants of continuous PSO (CPSO). However, a few numbers of studies have been presented for binary PSO (BPSO). In existing BPSO variants, despite different positions of particles, every individual is treated equally by ignoring the dispersion of particles in the search space. To deal with each particle according to its fitness value, we have proposed a Rank-based Self-adaptive Inertia Weight to enhance the performance of the Novel BPSO (NBPSO). The proposed algorithm controls the movement of particles by defining the ranks of each particle based on their fitness. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on four benchmark test functions. The experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than the compared algorithms in terms of convergence speed.


Thank you for reading measuring judicial independence the political economy of judging in japan. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their favorite novels like this measuring judicial independence the political economy of judging in japan, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some infectious virus inside their computer.


A graphical approach to the analysis of linear dynamic systems is presented which complements the brevity of modern analytical methods with alternative illustrative techniques. A basis of theory for flow diagram manipulation is devised, and in application to a general class of linear systems portrays natural and synthetic structures involved in problem representation and solution assessments. The treatment makes liberal use of both classical and modern approaches to analysis.


This study investigates the effectiveness of using e-learning in teaching in tertiary institutions. In institutions of higher education, the issue of utilizing modern information and communication technologies for teaching and learning is very important. This study reviews literature and gives a scholarly background to the study by reviewing some contributions made by various researchers and institutions on the concept of e-learning, particularly its usage in teaching and learning in higher educational institutions. It unveils some views that people and institutions have shared globally on the adoption and integration of e-learning technologies in education through surveys and other observations. It looks at the meaning or definitions of e-learning as given by different researchers and the role that e-learning plays in higher educational institutions in relation to teaching and learning processes, and the advantages and disadvantages of its adoption and implemention.


Seasonal variations and sources of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were conducted at the county and rural sites in a mountain area of southeastern China. The results showed that the pattern of VOC concentrations was dominated by oxygenated VOCs (37.6%) and alkanes (25.8%), followed by halocarbons (16.8%), alkenes (11.9%), aromatics (6.87%), and alkynes (1.04%). Based on the OH radical loss rate (L OH ) and ozone formation potential (OFP) analysis, alkenes had the highest chemical activity, especially the contribution of isoprene in rural areas. Aromatics contributed the most to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formation in both county and rural areas. Source apportionment of VOCs were quantified by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, including industrial emissions and combustion burning (30.1% and 43.3% in the county and rural areas, respectively) and vehicle exhausts (30.3% and 10.8%), followed by solvent usage (17.1% and 5.2%), liquid petroleum gas (LPG) usage and fuel evaporation (14.2% and 10.0%), and biogenic source (8.3% and 30.6%). The backward air trajectories showed that air mass in spring was mainly originated from the intercity transmission, while the air clusters in autumn came from the northern areas through long-range transport. The study was helpful to understand the pollution characteristics in the mountainous area and provides a scientific basis for local O 3 and PM 2.5 pollution control.


The RTA is responsible for nearly 18,000 kilometres of State road pavements that have an estimated replacement value of A$18.2 billion (excluding land and formation). The long term stewardship of these assets in a constrained financial environment with increasing heavy traffic loading is a key challenge for the organisation. It is essential that the RTA moves to a more structured, systematic way of managing these assets to ensure that advice on the long-term pavement needs is soundly based and that available expenditure is used most effectively. This paper describes the needs and objectives that are now driving the development of a pavement management system (PMS) for the RTA and provides an overview of the proposed future direction with regard to its design, development and implementation.


To the Editor: Extensive eosinophilic infiltrates in the epidermis often suggest bullous diseases, such as bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus foliaceus, and pemphigus vulgaris. We observed epidermal cysts with extensive eosinophilic infiltrates on scrotal examinations, which may be related to scrotal calcinosis. A 48-year-old man presented with 4 dermal nodules, which existed since he was 2 years-old. These nodules were pruritic at times with no other clinical inflammatory manifestation. The patient had developed spontaneous pneumothorax at 20 years of age not related to any allergic disease. Clinical examination revealed 4 hard dermal nodules less than 10 mm in diameter on the left side of the scrotum (Fig. 1). Epidermal cysts or scrotal calcinosis were suspected on clinical examination. Laboratory findings showed that serum calcium and phosphate levels as well as eosinophil counts were within normal limits. All 4 nodules were resected and subjected to histopathological examination, which revealed epidermal cysts (Fig. 2A). On histopathological examination, extensive eosinophilic infiltrates were found in all cyst walls and interspersed with keratin inside the cysts (Fig. 2B). In addition, numerous eosinophils and lymphocytes were found at the periphery of the cyst. In one of the cysts, granular basophilic material was found interspersed with keratin, which was determined to be calcium on von Kossa staining (Figs. 2C, D). No microorganism was observed on periodic acid–Schiff, Ziehl–Neelsen, and Grocott staining. Many reports suggested that scrotal calcinosis develop in the setting of the epidermal cysts. Usually, this change is accompanied by a few inflammatory infiltrates. Based on these prior reports, extensive eosinophilic infiltration and calcium deposition in cysts may be coincidental. However, Novack et al highlighted the existence of some relationship between eosinophils and calcification by describing 2 cases with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) of prolonged course. A 35-year-old man with HES showed calcification of the femoral, iliac, radial, ulnar, common carotid, occipital, and posterior tibial vessels on x-ray examination. Histological examination of the surgically amputated toes showed perivascular eosinophilic cuffing with arteriolar thrombosis accompanying no arteriosclerotic changes. A 52-year-old man with HES showed diffuse arterial calcification of posterior tibial and digital vessels on x-ray examination. Although Novack et al stated that the cause of this calcification is unknown, they attributed it to injury and degenerative changes in peripheral arteries. Similarly, we speculate that eosinophilic infiltrates may cause calcification in cysts directly or indirectly via degenerative changes. Eosinophilic infiltrates in the epidermis are often found in early stages of bullous diseases. However, eosinophilic infiltration into the cornified layer through the epidermis is rare. Therefore, we first suspected the presence of some microorganism within the cysts; however, the special stains revealed nothing. The patient had no medical history of allergic diseases. In the present case, accumulation of extensive eosinophilic infiltrates in cysts is an enigma.


The spatial and spatio-temporal phenomena that emerge in the transverse structure of the electromagnetic field have attracted a lot of attention in recent years1,2. We consider a cylindrically symmetrical laser with spherical mirrors, and describe the dynamics in terms of the competition among different Gauss-Laguerre modes of the cavity. In this presentation we focus on the case in which the mode competition leads the laser to approach a dynamical state which, according to the values of the control parameters, can be periodic or quasiperiodic.


True to the Johns Hopkins University Press's Witness to History series, to which this slim volume belongs, Selma's Bloody Sunday: Protest, Voting Rights, and the Struggle for Racial Equality by Robert A. Pratt gives readers a day-to-day chronology of the momentous events that culminated in the dramatic marches and harrowing violence that occurred in Selma, Alabama, in the spring of 1965. Pratt also provides historical context by tracing voting rights struggles from Reconstruction through attempts to subvert the Fifteenth Amendment and up to the current precarious status of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Pratt has provided readers with a compelling narrative that is a welcome addition to civil rights studies for both classrooms and a general audience. Pratt is an excellent guide for this quick journey through a violent century of voting rights battles. As he did in his indispensable study on school desegregation in Richmond, Virginia, Pratt focuses on not just one witness to these events but a range of actors on the national and local scene, from President Lyndon B. Johnson to Selma schoolgirl Sheyann Webb. His emphasis on the role of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. might raise objections from scholars who have emphasized the grassroots organizing by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) that began well before 1965. However, Pratt does give attention to interorganizational tensions and, in the latter part of the book, documents the emerging leadership of Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power movement. Pratt also provides a moving description of the murders of Jimmie Lee Jackson, James Reeb, Viola Gregg Liuzzo, and Jonathan Daniels and analyzes why their deaths came to embody some of the tensions growing within the movement. Perhaps because of the brevity of the volume, Pratt does not examine other aspects of the movement in general and Selma in particular that deserve more attention, including the role of gender. Amelia Boynton, who was a pioneer in registering black residents to vote and was beaten for doing so, gets considerable recognition, but Diane Nash of SNCC, who played a key role in identifying Selma as a voting rights battleground, is mostly left on the sidelines. Pratt also examines the controversy over King's decision to call off the second of the three Selma marches but perhaps underplays the anger it created among other activists, especially SNCC members. Although Pratt provides figures on increases in black voter registration, he offers less coverage of black elected officials in the decades after Selma. Instead, he focuses on George Wallace's pivot toward black voters after 1965. Pratt provides an excellent analysis of one of the most momentous political effects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: thousands of white southerners' exodus from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. He brings this discussion into the contemporary era by noting that since the 1980s, court decisions have weakened the Voting Rights Act in crucial ways, including by shifting the burden of proof so that "the Justice Department would now have to 517 BOOK REVIEWS


We proposed and realized an accurate method for measuring the refractive index and physical thickness of a transparent wafer by analyzing the Haidinger fringes. Simply, we took transmitted Haidinger fringes caused by multiple reflections at the back and rear surfaces of the wafer, which worked as a Fabry-Perot eatlon. The refractive index was determined by analyzing the interferogram obtained in terms of an incidence angle at a single-shot. Based on the proposed method, the absolute value of the refractive index of a LiNbO3 wafer was estimated with an overall uncertainty of 10-4.


Abstract: Solid-phase extraction has become a subject of increased interest for separation applications specific to radioisotopes of the nuclear fuel cycle. The objective of this chapter is to discuss recent advances in the technology with a focus on the separations of minor actinides and lanthanides from streams associated with nuclear fuel reprocessing. The discussion covers various techniques for making solid-phase extraction resins, recent applications, separation flow sheets, column modeling and the potential advantages and disadvantages of the technology.


Microservices is an architectural style inspired by service-oriented computing that has recently started gaining popularity. Jolie is a programming language based on the microservices paradigm: the main building block of Jolie systems are services, in contrast to, e.g., functions or objects. The primitives offered by the Jolie language elicit many of the recurring patterns found in microservices, like load balancers and structured processes. However, Jolie still lacks some useful constructs for dealing with message types and data manipulation that are present in service-oriented computing. In this paper, we focus on the possibility of expressing choices at the level of data types, a feature well represented in standards for Web Services, e.g., WSDL. We extend Jolie to support such type choices and show the impact of our implementation on some of the typical scenarios found in microservice systems. This shows how computation can move from a process-driven to a data-driven approach, and leads to the preliminary identification of recurring communication patterns that can be shaped as design patterns.


AbstractTo characterize refractory degradation and loss in commercial coal-gasifier combined cycle power systems, cup-type tests were conducted on high chromium-alumina, sinter-bonded refractories under laboratory conditions designed to simulate commercial operations of temperature, atmosphere, and slag interactions. These tests provided qualitative results from which the slag–refractory interactions can be characterized. These high chromium refractories were generally inert with respect to the coal slag components. However, in this study preliminary findings did show (1) iron ( oxide) in the slag reacted with chrome sesquioxide to produce a Cr–Fe spinel at the slag–refractory interface, and (2) chrome was soluble in the molten slag. Comparison of cup-type test results with data from operating commercial plants suggests that the principal loss of refractory material in a coal-gasifier combustion chamber is chrome dissolution into the slag. Tests are currently underway to determine if minor modifications t...


In his article in this issue, R. Tybout has some harsh words (38-39) for an article by S. Yerkes published in JRA 13. T.'s reaction seems to involve not so much a scholarly disagreement as a major misunderstanding of Yerkes' paper. I would like to offer a brief corrective to his comments. T. seems under the impression that the identification of Vitruvius' monstra is the main — or only — point of Yerkes' essay. This is probably because of the title. The paper is a radically reduced presentation of the argument of the author's master's thesis which was entitled "Neo-Attic motifs in Roman painting". And the identification of some of the sources for the monstra — as motifs in much earlier Roman marble furnishings — is actually the main thrust of her argument. Her original title for the article also included a reference to "neo-Attic motifs" but that was omitted by the editor after it was submitted to JRA. T. is dismayed that Yerkes fails to cite the chapter on Vitruvius 7.5.3 ff. in W. Ehrhardt's monograph Stilgeschichtliche Untersuchungen (T. 1, n.l). Now, Yerkes is well aware of this work and cites it in her thesis, together with another paper Ehrhardt published on "Vitruv und die zeitgenössische Wandmalerei" in KJb 1991. So she could — and perhaps should — have included Ehrhardt's work in her notes, as T. suggests; perhaps including fuller references to other past scholarship too. But T. goes on to make the extraordinary claim (38 n.30) that Ehrhardt's chapter renders Yerkes' observations "largely superfluous". I cannot follow T. here, for Ehrhardt's essay actually has a quite different aim and focus; and the differences are worth underlining.


The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of public capital stock on the level of production. Public capital stock is measured by public investments in infrastructure. Further, the paper studies the impact of public capital on the marginal product of private factors of production in the manufacturing sector of Ecuador, in the period 2000, 09.The approach involves estimating a panel data model of the production function trans logarithmic. Accordingly, the individual factors effects on the production of the manufacturing sector and the interactions between them were found through this function. The traditional factors of production (private capital and labor) were included and the public capital stock was incorporated through the perpetual inventory method estimation. The results show that the increase of public capital stock had a positive effect on manufacturing output. However, it decreases the marginal productivity of private capital, meaning that the public capital stock does not create incentives for the private sector to increase capital investment. Moreover, it was observed that increasing private capital, the productivity of labor decreases, while increasing the stock of public capital, the productivity of labor increases. Additionally, policy recommendations are given in order to aid the manufacturing sector. To conclude, comments on the effect of expansionary fiscal policy on the manufacturing sector of Ecuador are included.


Akt/PKB plays pivotal roles in many physiological responses such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Here we show that tyrosine phosphorylation of Akt/PKB is essential for the subsequent phosphorylation at Thr 308 . Tyrosine phosphorylation of Akt/PKB was induced by stimulation of COS-7 cells with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF) and its phosphorylation was significantly enhanced by constitutive targeting of Akt/PKB to the plasma membrane by myristoylation. Interestingly, incubation of affinity purified Myc-tagged Akt/PKB with purified EGF receptor resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation as well as Ser 473 phosphorylation of Akt/PKB. In addition, tyrosine-phosphorylated Akt/PKB could directly associate with activated EGF receptor in vitro. Finally, alanine mutation at putative tyrosine phosphorylation site (Tyr 326 ) abolished EGF induced Thr 308 phosphorylation of wild type as well as constitutively active form of Akt/PKB. Given these results we suggest here that direct tyrosine phosphorylation of Akt/PKB by EGF receptor could be another mechanism of EGF-induced control of many physiological responses.


A frequent problem encountered in gas-assisted injection molding(GAIM) is gas fingering,i.e.gas bubbles penetrating outside designed gas channels and forming finger-shaped branches.Severe gas fingering will result in reduction of part strength, failure of gas-assisted injection molding or cancellation of the advantages of GAIM.Gas fingering defects in GAIM parts are investigated with the methods of numerical simulation and orthogonal experiment.Six process parameters that have the most important influence on gas fingering defect are studied,i.e.shot size,gas delay time,gas injection pressure,mold temperature,melt temperature and gas injection time.The results show that the most important process parameters that influence gas fingering are gas delay time,melt temperature and gas injection pressure successively.Therefore,to choose reasonable gas delay time,melt temperature and gas injection pressure is particularly important.For reducing the degree of gas ring ering,it is suggested that at the same melt temperature the gas delay time should be appropriately prolonged.