Objective To modify primary culture of rat adipose vascular endothelial cells (VECs) so as to establish a more simple and economical method of culturing VECs. Methods Digest SD rats testicular capsule adipose tissues were digested by collagenase,the vascular and fat tissue were retentioned and shortened the digestion time to obtain and culture the cells with the ordinary high glucose culture medium. Then cells morphology and growth were observed with microscopy,the cells were identified with flow cytometry analysis and immunofluorescence. Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect the proliferation rate before and after cryopreservation and compared the superiority of the traditional culture method. Results The primary VECs vitro observed with microscopy were partial round and irregular polygonal,and changed to cobble stone-like when cells became fusion. CD31 antigen was positive,CD29 and factor Ⅷ related antigen were weakly positive,factor Ⅷ related antigen showed fluorescent signs of positive staining. No difficulty of cell adherent and growth was found in the 20th generation of cells (average generation time was 5-7 days) and no significant changes were found in cell morphology and growth after 12 months of cryopreservation. Conclusions The modified culture method of rat adipose-derived VECs was much simpler than the traditional method. It was an ideal culture method which had the advantages of economical,shortening culturing time and long-term passage.


ABSTRACT In October 1924, Paul Scott Mowrer, a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Daily News based in Paris, convinced his employers that an interview with Abd-el-Krim, the leader of the Rifian uprising against the Spanish in northern Morocco, would provide original and interesting copy for American readers. This article deals with Mowrer's difficult trek from French Morocco into the Rifian heartland, his observations concerning the Rifian environment and Abd-el-Krim's movement and his two-hour interview with the Rifian leader. Further, it discusses his journey out of the Rif back into French Morocco, his observations concerning French policies in their Protectorate and his general reflections on the Rif War. This essay employs materials from Mowrer's personal papers, his autobiography, and the twenty-one articles he published in the Chicago Daily News from November 1924 to early January 1925.


Morphological descriptions are given of Eocene mammals from the locality Torn Ajgyr (NE-Kyrgyzstan) that were excavated in 1997 and 1998 in a cooperation between the Martin-Luther-University Halle (Germany), the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg (Russia) and the Seismological Institute in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). The species found belong mostly to perissodactyls, as Lophialetes sp., Teleolophus sp. and brontotheres. The primitive ungulate family Olseniidae is represented by a complete foot skeleton of cf. Olsenia sp. In addition, postcranial materials of Gobiatherium mirificum (Dinocerata) and of artiodactyls have been collected and are described herein. Based on mammals, the locality is part of the Asian Land Mammal Age Arshantan and is stratigraphically equivalent with the Bridgerian Land Mammal Age in North America and with the lower and middle Geiseltalian of the European Middle Eocene.


This paper examines the government revenue–expenditure nexus for the Free State Province in a multivariate vector error correction model (VECM) using real GDP and inflation as control variables over the period 2004Q2–2018Q1.Cointegration and intertemporal (causal) links among variables were established employing Johansen (1995) and Toda-Yamamoto (1995) non-Granger causality tests. The results of the cointegration analysis confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between variables. The results of the causal analyses show a bidirectional causality between government revenues and expenditures in both the long-run and short-run supporting the fiscal synchronization hypothesis. Real GDP and inflation individually Granger-causes government revenue, in both the long-run and short-run, stressing their importance on generating revenue. Based on these findings, an isolated fiscal measure to raise tax-revenues or cut expenditure will exacerbate fiscal imbalance. On the policy front, the Free State government should adhere to a planned budget process, devise innovative revenue-generating strategies to circumvent the burden of producing inflation revenue, as well as utilize its autonomy on fiscal instruments to maintain a sustainable fiscal policy path, and stimulate economic growth.


This paper presents a formulation of the reconstruction of displacementfield by carrier holography. We develop a method for determining the displacement field inside an object while it is loaded or heated based on the principle of continuity and the theory of backprojection. In the case of non-penetrating material the projection data of derivative of the displacement components are obtained from frank projections of entire deformable body. The reconstruction algorithm adopts the convolution and FFT techniques in Radon inversion formula. A cylindrical specimen which is subjected to a concentrated compression on the top is discussed as the test object. The reconstruction result i s compared with analytical solution. 1 .


Mineralized biological tissues can be regarded as composites where a fine reinforcement is laid down in a very controlled fashion within a tough polymeric matrix. Such materials include bone, antler, tooth enamel, mollusc shell, and crustacean shell. We have been exploring ways of forming similar structures by synthetic routes involving precipitation of reinforcing particles directly into a polymeric matrix. Part of this biomimetic approach requires polymer matrices which can exert a high degree of control over the mineralization process. Polymer gels have been formed from cross-linked methacrylates with various types of functionality within the gel. By incorporating calcium binding groups we have been producing gels which lead to preferential mineralization of the gel when it is incubated in a supersaturated solution of calcium oxalate or calcium carbonate. Similarly we have been incorporating silane groups within the gel in order to promote the deposition of silica in a gel body when it is immersed in a metastable solution of partly hydrolysed silicon alkoxides.


Background

For early prevention of chronic diseases (CD), it is important to know how well childhood risk factors (RF) predict adult risk profile and to indentify high-risk individuals who may benefit most from implementation of preventive measures. The aim of the study was to examine tracking and predictiveness of body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) for adult CD risk in Kaunas cohort.

Methods

In 1977, a random sample of Kaunas schoolchildren born in 1964 …


This report describes the deployment and demonstration of the first phase of the I/O infrastructure for Purple. The report and the references herein are intended to certify the completion of the following Level 2 Milestone from the ASC FY04-05 Implementation Plan, due at the end of Quarter 4 in FY05. The milestone is defined as follows: ''External networking infrastructure installation and performance analysis will be completed for the initial delivery of Purple. The external networking infrastructure includes incorporation of a new 10 Gigabit Ethernet fabric linking the platform to the LLNL High Performance Storage System (HPSS) and other center equipment. The LLNL archive will be upgraded to HPSS Release 5.1 to support the requirements of the machine and performance analysis will be completed using the newly deployed I/O infrastructure. Demonstrated throughput to the archive for this infrastructure will be a minimum of 1.5GB/s with a target of 3GB/s. Since Purple delivery is not scheduled until late Q3, demonstration of these performance goals will use parts of Purple and/or an aggregate of other existing resources.''


This exploratory case study identifies factors and relationships among factors facilitating and impeding the development of distance education courses at Syracuse University, a large, private traditional university located in Central New York State. During September and October 1990 Syracuse University's Center for Instructional Development used an author/editor course development model (Smith, 1980) to create eight print‐based, undergraduate courses for United States Marines stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield. Interviews with course developers and faculty authors produced six factors associated with the success of the course development process: course definition, faculty perception of student abilities, textbook selection, the extent of faculty/developer conflict, faculty flexibility, and faculty/developer working relationships. Course development success was indicated by timeliness, smoothness, and satisfaction with the course product.


This manuscript addresses questions of high relevance for atmospheric science, namely the issue of morphology of multicomponent aqueous/organic aerosol particles, and provides important molecular level insight into the structural properties of aqueous nanodroplets containing HULIS. I recommend its publication subject to minor changes and corrections as noted below. In my review, I will focus only on the molecular dynamics part of the work, as this is my area of expertise. I don't feel competent to comment on the aspects of the paper concerning the theory of nucleation/condensation.


Aims: COVID -19 had a devastating impact on patients with severe aortic stenosis. Like many cardiac procedures, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) services were suspended during the first wave of COVID-19. We took the opportunity to evaluate clinical outcomes and identify any delays at different stages of the TAVR pathway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods : Prospectively collected data on 210 consecutive TAVR patients between March 2019 and March 2021 was analysed. We compared clinical outcomes and 30-day mortality rates of TAVR cases pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. We also looked to identify any time-lags from initial referral to respective stages of the TAVR workup. Results : 134 patients underwent TAVR prior to the national lockdown (March 2019-March 2020) compared to 76 patients during COVID-19 (April 2020- April 2021). Success rates of TAVR were similar (99% prior to the pandemic and 97.4% during COVID-19). 30-day survival rates were 98.6% and 94.7% respectively. Median length of stay post TAVR was 2 days during COVID-19 and 2.5 days prior to the pandemic (p=0.064). Patients were seen quicker in clinic (median of 33 days) during COVID-19, compared to 51 days before COVID-19 (p=0.044). No significant difference in times from referral to discussion at TAVR multidisciplinary team meetings, CT Aortogram and TAVR implantation in both groups. Conclusions : Reconfiguring patient pathway during COVID-19 allowed TAVR to be perform safely, with similar success rate and no excess complications or increased 30-day mortality. There proved to be no delay in respective stages of patient TAVR workup during the pandemic.


3 Acknowledgements 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 5 Chapter 2: Expression and Purification of C-LsrR from Salmonella Typhimurium 13 Materials and Methods 14 Results 16 Discussion 20 Chapter 3: C-LsrR Binding Assays by DHAP Detection 23 Materials and Methods 24 Results 26 Discussion 28 Chapter 4: C-LsrR Binding Assays by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry 30 Materials and Methods 31 Results 32 Discussion 33 Chapter 5: Expression and Purification ofLsrR from Escherichia coli 36 Materials and Methods 37 Results 39 Discussion 41 Chapter 6: LsrR Binding Assays by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay 43 Materials and Methods 44 Results 46 Discussion 48 Chapter 7: Expression and Purification ofLsrB from Clostridium autoethanogenum 50 Materials and Methods 51 Results 55 Discussion 59 Chapter 8: Conclusions and Future Directions 61 Literature Cited 63 Appendix 1: Cloning and Expression ofLsrB from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius 70 Supporting Information 74


Introduction Impacts of COVID-19 mitigation measures on seasonal respiratory viruses is unknown in sub-tropical climates. Methods We compared weekly testing and test-positivity of respiratory infections in the 2019–2020 respiratory season to the 2012–2018 seasons in southern Puerto Rico using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results Compared to the average for the 2012–2018 seasons, test-positivity was significantly lower for Influenza A (p<0.001) & B (p<0.001), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (p<0.01), respiratory adenovirus (AdV) (p<0.05), and other respiratory viruses (p<0.001) following March 2020 COVID-19 stay at home orders. Conclusions Mitigation measures and behavioral social distancing choices may have reduced respiratory viral spread in southern Puerto Rico.


Let $\mathcal{A}^2$ be a class of analytic functions $f$ represented by power series of the from $$ f(z)=f(z_1,z_2)=\sum^{+\infty}_{n+m=0}a_{nm}z_1^nz^m_2$$ with the domain of convergence $\mathbb{T}=\{ z\in \mathbb{C}^2 \colon |z_1|<1, |z_2|<+\infty \} $  such that $\frac{\partial}{\partial z_2}f(z_1,z_2)\not\equiv0$ in $\mathbb{T}$ and there exists $r_0=(r^0_1, r^0_2)\in [0,1)\times[0,+\infty)$ such that for all $r\in(r^0_1,1)\times(r^0_2,+\infty)$ we have $ r_1\frac{\partial}{\partial r_1}\ln M_f(r)+\ln r_1>1, \ $ where $M_f(r)=\sum_{n+m=0}^{+\infty}|a_{nm}|r_1^nr_2^m.$ Let $K(f,\theta)=\{f(z,t)=\sum_{n+m=0}^{+\infty}a_{nm}e^{2\pi it(\theta_n+\theta_m)}:t\in \mathbb{R}\}$ be class of analytic functions, where $(\theta_{nm})$ is a sequence of positive integer such that its arrangement $(\theta^*_k)$  by increasing  satisfies the condition $$ \theta^*_{k+1}/\theta^*_{k}\geq q>1, k>0.  $$ For analytic functions from the class $\mathcal{K}(f,\theta)$ Wiman's inequality is improved.


This thesis entitled "The need to give effect to the constitutional right of participation by electing a representative to the National Assembly for the nationalities of Ecuador", is the product of the analysis and search for equity, equality and recognition of rights and principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador; concepts that generate importance for Ecuadorian indigenous nationalities, who for years have been disadvantaged by the effective recognition of their rights as primary duties of the State. This propensity has always been the voice of protest by the indigenous sectors in the country; since there is no representative in the National Assembly for the indigenous nationalities legally recognized in the country, they cannot participate directly in the creation of legal proposals and are only consulted on information through a commission, and therefore do not comply with Article 3, paragraph 3, of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, which refers to one of the primary duties of the State, which is to strengthen national unity in diversity.
The issuance of the 2008 Constitution, was intended to redress the discrimination and constant violations of which indigenous nationalities have been victims in the face of political and social norms prior to 2008. With that Constitution, however, the Ecuadorian State not only called itself a State of rights and justice, including the right to participation, but also recognized itself as a plurinational and intercultural State, but this has not been sufficient to ensure that the right of participation of indigenous nationalities is effectively fulfilled and in the manner in which it should be. In this way, it has not been
5
possible to provide credible solutions to the present problem that the indigenous nationalities of Ecuador have always experienced.
The approach of this research work would be for the indigenous nationalities of Ecuador to elect a representative to the National Assembly, who would work on the proposal of laws in accordance with their culture and customs.
The theoretical, legal and doctrinal collection, as well as the application of surveys and interviews, made it possible to carry out this research successfully and to conduct a broad discussion on the subject, resulting in clear and precise foundations on the need to make the right of participation effective, electing a representative to the National Assembly for the nationalities of Ecuador. For this reason, I express that, within the present topic analyzed, a real and feasible solution is proposed.


preparing a formalized vaccine from local strain combined with montanide oil adjuvant. The prepared vaccine was tested on two group of local balady bread sheep.


The photoacoustic (PA) field calculation using a Green's function approach for nonspherical axisymmetric fluid particles is discussed. The PA fields have been computed for spheroidal droplets, Chebyshev particles and normal and pathological red blood cells (RBCs) over a large frequency band (10–1000 MHz). Theoretically constructed RBC contours have been fitted using the Legendre polynomial expansion for parametrization of cell shapes. It is shown that first minimum of the PA spectrum appears at a lower frequency as the width of the particle along the direction of measurement increases. The spectra for higher order (n = 6, 8) Chebyshev particles resembled that of an equivalent sphere up to first minimum. The first minimum for a stomatocyte appeared (420 MHz) much earlier compared to that (640 MHz) of normal RBC when measured along the direction of the symmetry axis; whereas the locations were 310 and 240 MHz, respectively from a perpendicular direction. The evaluation of cellular morphology might be feasible by analyzing the single particle PA spectrum.


A dam foundation structure is usually strengthened by grouting, which begins with grout hole drilling.  This paper aims to examine a comparison between conventional rotary and rotary-percussion drilling techniques in a drilling case study of the Tugu Dam Project, from the perspective of time, cost, and quality comprehensively. Primary data was obtained from the field investigation and interviews. Secondary data was gathered from available project documents of the PT Wijaya Karya-APTA KSO Project Contractor. The findings have highlighted that the implementation of the rotary-percussion technique for grout hole drilling is better than conventional rotary drilling. There are 16 days of time-saving and 3.84% cost-savings for the rotary-percussion technique, as a result of faster rate of penetration. The quality of grouting work using the rotary-percussion drilling technique tends to be of better quality, although there is a shortcoming due to the limited drilling depth of only 5m particularly.


Nm-order FeAlSi epitaxial films with a partially D03-ordered structure were grown on MgO substrates, and ideal soft magnetic properties were obtained. We found that the sign of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K1 changes with increasing annealing temperature for certain FeAlSi compositions. This is caused by a change in the volume balance of the ordered phases with the annealing process and the point at which K1 ∼ 0 shifts to the Al-rich concentration as the degree of D03-ordering decreases. K1 was precisely measured by ferromagnetic resonance under the optimal condition, and the value of 1.6 × 102 (erg/cc) was obtained, which is comparable to that of bulk. The uniaxial component of the magnetic anisotropy due to magnetostriction was small, and a fourfold symmetric component due to magnetocrystalline anisotropy was dominant.


An extended enterprise is both a system of systems (SoS) and a complex dynamical system. We characterize government-run joint and interagency efforts as "government extended enterprises" (GEEs) comprising sets of effectively autonomous organizations that must cooperate voluntarily to achieve desired GEE-level outcomes. Our research investigates the proposition that decision makers can leverage four "canonical forces" to raise the levels of both internal GEE cooperation and SoS-level operational effectiveness, changing the GEE's status as indicated by the "SoS differentiating characteristics" detailed by Boardman and Sauser. Two prior papers described the concepts involved, postulated the relationships among them, and discussed the n-player, iterated "Stag Hunt" methodology applied to execute a real proof-of-concept case (the U.S. Counterterrorism Enterprise's response to the Christmas Day Bomber) in an agent-based model. This paper presents preliminary conclusions from data analysis conducted as a result of ongoing testing of


PURPOSE: To extremely reduce the volume of an intermediate and to carry out the subject treatment efficiently and inexpensively by immersing a waste foamed polystyrene in a petroleum-based organic solvent and softening the polystyrene to form a rice cake-like intermediate product. CONSTITUTION: A waste foamed polystyrene is immersed in a petroleum-based organic solvent consisting essentially of a liquid hydrocarbon in the vicinity of a spot of its production and softened. A rice cake-like intermediate product is physically separated from the solvent and transported to a regenerating and treating plant. A polystyrene contained in the intermediate product is regenerated in the regenerating and treating plant as a place where the intermediate product is received. A solvent consisting essentially of a mixture of (A) an aromatic hydrocarbon and (B) an aliphatic hydrocarbon in the weight ratio of the component A of 20-60%. is preferably used as the solvent. COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO


In this paper, an improved hard-decision scheme is proposed to facilitate a faster decoding of the binary (41, 21, 9) quadratic residue (QR) code. Based on eliminating the unknown syndromes in Newton's identities, the proposed algorithm can directly calculate the coefficients of the error-Iocator polynomials when there are 2, 3 or 4 errors in the received word. Additionally, compared to the conventional works, the simplification of the occurrence conditions for 1, 2 or 3 errors in the received word is also presented in our proposed algorithm, which can further reduce the decoding time. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a significant reduction in computational complexity in comparison with the conventional algebraic decoding algorithms (ADAs) like Lin's algorithm in [8], while maintaining the good error performance.


There are few contributions on the morphology of the reproductive organs of the parasitic Hymenoptera as most of them are small and some times microscopic. Besides, except in few cases, it is rather difficult to obtain them in large numbers for these studies. The morphology of Ilabrobracon juglandis Ashm. has been studied in detail by G e n i e y s (1925) and B e n d e r (1943). F u l t o n (1933) has described the mechanism of oviposition in the chalcid parasite Hcibrocytus cerealellae Ashm. The important accessory organs in addition to the pair of ovaries are, the spermatheca, the spermathecal glands, the lubricating glands, and the poison glands. The organs are of the same type throughout the Hymen optera but their structure and function differ to some extent in the sub divisions of the Order. It is hoped that these studies will help in under standing the more complicated mechanism of oviposition in certain groups of Hymenopterous parasites.


A number of symmetrical, unsymmetrical, and dissociative charge transfer reactions have been studied as a function of translational energy (up to 2000 eV) using a modified time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The bombarding ion was either He+, Ar+, Ne+, Kr+, N+2, CO+, or H+2, with Ar, N2, or CH4 as the target molecule. The energeties of the reactions are discussed, and in some cases energy states of the components are proposed. For the methane systems, parallel reaction paths and their translational energy thresholds are examined.


OBJECTIVE:The pharmacokinetics of Xiaoer Reganning injection was determined in rabbits METHODS:The concentrations of puerarin in Xiaoer Reganning injection in plasma were determined by HPLC The analytical column was No _va-pak C18 (4μm,150mm×3 9mm ID) The mobile phase consisted of methol-water(20∶80) The detecting wavelength was 250nm The 3p87 program was used to calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters RESULTS:The in vivo pharmacokinetic course of puerarin in Xiaoer Reganning injection could be described as an open two-compartment model Its main pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows:T1/2(α)=5 25min,T1/2(β)=36 04min,K10=0 042min,K12=0 063min,K21=0 093min,AUC=2 561 49μg/(ml·min),CL=4 6ml/(min·kg) CONCLUSION:This study will provide a scientific basis for clinical use of Xiaoer Reganning injection


One of the mandates of Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. World Health Organization suggest that out of 99 percent of deaths occurred in developing country, India alone contributed about a quarter of maternal deaths. Therefore, at present time focus should be given on the individual status as reflected by their education and income/occupation, which has been acted as the fundamental determinant of utilization of basic services. Using the cross-sectional data of the third round of 'District Level Household Survey' (2007-08) and multilevel logistic regression analysis this study has examined the relative effect of human resources (mother's education) and economic resources (household wealth) on the utilization of maternal health care services (Full antenatal care services, skilled birth attendant and postnatal checkups) in India. The result of the second order predictive quasi-likelihood model shows the significant amount of variation in utilization of maternal health care services across communities and districts ofIndia. Comparison between estimates of education adjusted and economic adjusted model have also been done. The study found that adjustment of education reduces the effect of household wealth for each quintile, which results in flattening of the effect of household wealth on the likelihood of the maternal health care services. This accumulated research has led to the firm conclusion that the level of mother's education has been found more pronounced relative to the economic status of the utilization of maternal healthcare services in India.


Neurons are known to encode information not just by how frequently they fire, but also at what times they fire. However, characterizations of temporal encoding in sensory cortices under conditions of health and injury are limited. Here we characterized and compared the stimulus‐evoked activity of 1210 online‐sorted units in layers II and IV of rat barrel cortex under healthy and diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI) (caused by a weight‐drop model) conditions across three timepoints post‐injury: four days, two weeks, and eight weeks. Temporal activity patterns in the first 50 ms post‐stimulus recording showed four categories of responses: no response or 1, 2, or 3 temporally‐distinct response components, that is, periods of high unit activity separated by silence. The relative proportions of unit response categories were similar between layers II and IV in healthy conditions but not in early post‐TBI conditions. For units with multiple response components, inter‐component timings were reliable in healthy and late post‐TBI conditions but disrupted by injury. Response component times typically shifted earlier with increasing stimulus intensity and this was more pronounced in layer IV than layer II. Surprisingly, injury caused a reversal of this trend and in the late post‐TBI condition no stimulus intensity‐dependence differences were observed between layers II and IV. We speculate this indicates a potential compensatory mechanism in response to injury. These results demonstrate how temporal encoding features maladapt or functionally recover differently in sensory cortex after TBI. Such maladaptation or functional recovery is layer‐dependent, perhaps due to differences in thalamic input or local inhibitory neuronal makeup.


Objective To investigate the effect of NYGGF4(PID1) gene over-expression on fatty acid synthase(FASN) in adipocytes.Methods 3T3-L1 preadipocytes transfected with NYGGF4 expression vector or empty vector[pcDNA3.1(+)/myc-His B,group C] were differentiated into adipocytes induced by MIX,dexamethasone and insulin.The expressions of FASN mRNA and protein were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot,respectively.Results Compared with group C,the expression levels of FASN mRNA and protein in adipocytes were significantly increased in group A(P0.05).Conclusion NYGGF4(PID1) gene over-expression may play an important role in the synthesis of fatty acid in adipocytes.


A ski lock adapted to be mounted on one of a pair of skis and being normally in the unlocked position and adapted to be altered to a locked condition whereby the pair of skis is affixed to a support. Retractable means are mounted in a housing and are adapted to be partially extended through an opening in the housing. A two-piece fastener is provided with one part of the fastener on the exterior of the housing and the other part of the fastener connected to the retractable means. There are means in the housing to facilitate the extension and retraction of the retractable means which is attachable to the support and the other ski with the two-part fastener in locked engagement thereby locking the skis to the support to minimize the danger of the skis being stolen until it is desirable to utilize the skis whereupon the parts of the fastener are unlocked and disengaged.


Education, North York, Ontario. ■ Secondary school teachers in North York, a large suburb of Toronto, (and elsewhere, very likely) choose textbooks primarily on the basis of content, availability and administrative approval. Often, teachers consider readability but it is in relation to their own reading ability reinforced by expertise in their subject. Consequently, this greater ability makes it difficult for teachers to gauge students' capacities to read content material. How does the ability of students to read subject textbooks compare with that of teachers? The following study, carried out at Northview Heights Secondary School, was designed to find out. Every fifth word in typical selections from twelve eleventh grade textbooks was deleted according to cloze procedure. This test was administered to


ABSTRACT Political reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and settler nations is among the major ethical issues of the twenty-first century for millions of Indigenous peoples globally. Political reconciliation refers to the aspiration to transform violent and harmful relationships into respectful relationships. This essay discusses how efforts to achieve reconciliation are not feasible when settler nations and some of their citizens believe Indigenous peoples to be clamoring for undeserved privileges. Settler colonialism often includes the illusion that historic and contemporary settler populations have moral grounds for their mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. This illusion masks historical and ongoing practices of settler colonialism that thwart effective practices of reconciliation.


This paper addresses the problem of target tracking when only bearing information is available from the sensor. The authors describe a hidden Markov model formulation of this problem and present simulation results.<<ETX>>


PART I: FROM STANDARD OIL TO BIG OIL 1. Big Oil and the Love-Hate Relationship 2. The Oil Refining Era: 1863 - 1869 3. The Standard Oil Empire Reigns Supreme: 1870 - 1900 4. The End of One Oil Empire and the Beginning of Another:1905 - 1911 5. The Arrogant and Aloof Oil Company PART II: MANAGING THE BRAND CRISIS 6. How BP Destroyed a Corporate Brand 7. The Exxon Valdez: A Failure in Brand Crisis Leadership 8. Shell versus Greenpeace and Brent Spar 9. The Tarnished BP Brand: From Texas City to Price Fixing 10. Chevron vs. Ecuador: How a Strong Brand Defends Itself 11. A 'Shell' Game for Investors PART III: MARKETING STRATEGIES AND BRAND BUILDING 12. Marketing and Advertising Innovation at Mobil Oil 13. The Brand Disconnect Between BP and 'Beyond Petroleum' 14. Chevron and the Evolution of Human Energy 15. Brand Building at Shell Oil PART IV: BIG OIL AND THE ERA OF CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT 16. Building Loyalty: Improving the Retail Fueling Experience 17. Communicating With the Masses: Big Oil and Social Media PART V: CONCLUDING REMARKS


Swine diseases could be caused by unrecognized or minor pathogens. In this study, two unknown cytopathogenic agents were isolated from swine, through cell culture. In order to identify these two cytopathogenic agent (designated CP129 and #2045-7), a particle associated nucleic acids PCR (PANPCR) from previous paper was used with simple modification. The cloning procedure was more specified in this study by adding cell control system. According to the modified PAN-PCR, two and four agentsspecific DNA sequences were obtained from CP129 and #2045-7, respectively, and they were identified as Mycoplasma (M.) hyorhinis and Mammalian orthoreovirus by nucleotide BLAST. Since M. hyorhinis (CP129) was filterable and non-visible by microscope, this unusual virus-like nature of M. hyorhinis (CP129) was discussed. Especially, the reovirus (#2045-7) was a serotype 3 and a triple reassortant among three serotypes of reoviruses. It was grouped with recently reported reoviruses from disease cases (swine, human and feline), based on the genetic analysis of L1 and S1 partial sequences. In conclusion, two unknown cytopathogenic agents were successfully identified using modified PAN-PCR with cell control system and they were characterized in this study.


We construct several new families of orthogonal designs related to one of the weighing matrix conjectures. We also construct some new complementary quadruples (A; B; C; D) of {0, ± 1}-sequences of length n and total weight w, denoted as CTQ(n, w). The word complementary refers to the fact that the sum of nonperiodic autocorrelation functions of these four sequences is a delta function. We propose a conjectural formula for n(w), the smallest positive integer n such that CTQ(n, w) exist, and survey the known results for all w ≤ 100. We also exhibit the first example of base sequences BS(32, 31). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to determine whether cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia exhibit age-related cognitive declines similar to those of patients with schizophrenia who do not have substantial cognitive impairment.

METHOD
Correlation coefficients were computed between age and the Average Impairment Rating, a summary index of cognitive ability, in a group of 77 patients with schizophrenia. These patients were clustered into two groups: one with near-normal cognitive function (N=51) and one with severely impaired cognitive function (N=26). A group of patients with senile dementia (N=21) and another comparison group of nonschizophrenic patients (N=299) were used as reference groups.

RESULTS
There were significant correlations between age and the Average Impairment Rating in all groups except the cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia, in which a zero-order correlation was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with schizophrenia who have substantial cognitive impairment do not have the significant correlation between age and cognitive function found in patients with schizophrenia who have mildly impaired or normal cognitive abilities, suggesting earlier onset of cognitive deficit in the cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia.


In Reply. —Dr Beck has raised an important issue that many gloves have small holes prior to being used. The majority of glove perforations in our study were not small holes, but were large tears visible with the naked eye noted by the surgical staff at the conclusion of the procedure. As Beck suggests, a thimble or other form of protection on the palmar side of the distal phalanx of the nondominant hand might prevent many sharp injuries. However, only 25% to 50%1,2 of sharp injuries occur at this site and thus other strategies for prevention will be required.


There is currently a clear clinical need in the area of stenting for paediatric patients, whereby currently commercially available adult stents are often required to be used off-label for paediatric patients resulting in less than optimal outcomes. The increasingly widespread use of CT and/or MR imaging for pre-surgical assessment, and the emergence of additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing, could enable bespoke devices to be produced efficiently and cost-effectively. However, 3D printed metallic stents need to be self-supporting leading to limitations in the design of stents available through additive manufacturing. In this study we investigate the use of etching to overcome these design constraints and improve stent surface finish. Furthermore, using a combination of experimental bench testing and finite element methods we investigate how etching influences stent performance and using an inverse finite element approach the material properties of the printed and etched stents were calibrated and compared. Finally, using patient-specific finite element models the stent performance was tested to assess patient outcomes. Within this study, etching is confirmed as a means to create open-cell stent designs whilst conforming to additive manufacturing 'rules' and concomitantly improving stent surface finish. Additionally, the feasibility of using an in-vivo imaging to product development pipeline is demonstrated that enables patient-specific stents to be produced for varying anatomies to achieve optimum device performance. Figure 1. Graphical abstract.


Postoperative hypertension is a significant complication that can occur following various types of surgeries and may have significant adverse sequelae.1 Patients with postoperative hypertension have an increased incidence of neurologic deficits and operative mortality.2 Postoperative hypertension has an arbitrary definition but can be defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) 190 mmHG or diastolic BP 100 mmHg on two consecutive readings following surgery that requires pharmacologic control.3,4 WHO'S AT RISK? More than half (60%) of those who exhibit postoperative hypertension have some form of hypertension prior to surgery.1,4 Preoperative hypertension is the single most important determinate in the development of postoperative hypertension, increasing the incidence by 20%.2 Patients can also have a variety of responses following surgery, as data from 100 consecutive endarterectomies demonstrated three different postoperative blood pressure responses including a hypotensive (28), hypertensive (19), and normotensive response (53).5 Although each patient can present differently, it remains well-established that the hypertensive patient is at greater risk of postoperative hypertension, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.2 This highlights the importance of restarting home medications in all patients, especially in those taking blood pressure lowering medications as they are at increased risk for postoperative hypertensive complications.


In the paper, the distributed voltage and current on the transmission lines are calculated first by the maxwell's equations combining with HFSS. Then the distributed capacitances and inductances are extracted by substituting the distributed voltage and current into traditional transmission line equations. Finally, the differences of voltage, current and circuit parameters of the three kinds of chamfered bent lines are analyzed by electromagnetic theory.


Abstract Long term divergent selection lines for resistance and susceptibility to two diseases of sheep were utilized to look for disease resistance QTL. The diseases were facial eczema, which is caused by a saprophytic fungus of pasture which produces toxic spores, and gastro‐intestinal parasitic nematodes. Sires derived from reciprocal crosses of the lines were mated with unrelated dams to generate large half‐sib pedigrees, which were then measured for traits known to be related to the disease of interest. Subsequently, animals from the tails of the distribution for the primary disease trait have been genotyped and the inheritance of the sires alleles examined for evidence of segregation. We have also used the same pedigrees and the original divergent selection lines to examine the segregation of candidate genes to determine their possible involvement in disease resistance. Preliminary results suggest that both experiments have been successful, but via alternative methodologies.


AIM: To study the clinical efficacy and safety of venlafaxine in the treatment of depression. METHODS: One hundred and thirty one patients with depression were randomly divided into 3 groups: venlafaxine group of 43 patients (M23, F20; age 39 a± s 12 a) was treated with venlafaxine, 25-100 mg, po, bid for 6 wk; imipramine group of 43 patients (M 21, F 22; age 38 a±11 a) was treated with imipramine, 25-75 mg, po, bid for 6 wk; sertraline group of 45 patients (M 25, F 20; age 40 a±12 a) was treated with sertraline, 50-100 mg, po, qd for 6 wk. RESULTS: The total clinical effective retes were 88% for venlafaxine group, 91% for imipramine group and 89% for sertraline group ( P 0.05). The adverse reactions in venlafaxine group were lower than that in imipramine group, but were higher than that in sertraline group. CONCLUSION: Venlafaxine is a safe and effective drug for treatment of depression.


Digital literacy is critical in the current era of digitalization. Therefore, students are required to be digitally literate. This study aims to improve students' digital literacy using an android-based e-module in chemical bonding. This study used a quasi-experimental method with a pre-experimental design that included a pretest and posttest for one group. For this study, 70 preservice teachers (10 males and 60 females) from the Department of Chemistry Education at a private university in Indonesia were recruited. The Digital Literacy Questionnaire (DLQ) was used to measure students' digital literacy. To analyze the data, we used paired t-tests and N-gain. The results indicated a significant increase in digital literacy scores before and after treatment. Thus, it can be concluded that using an android-based e-module significantly enhances students' digital literacy on chemical bonds. Due to its effectiveness, we recommend teachers use this e-module to elevate students' academic performance, in general, in chemistry.


A drain electrode (17) includes (i) a lower drain electrode (17a) stacked on a semiconductor layer (14) so as to partially cover an upper surface of the semiconductor layer (14) and (ii) an upper drain electrode (17b). The semiconductor layer (14), the lower drain electrode (17a), and the upper drain electrode (17b) form steps. In a step part where the steps are formed, a distance between a periphery of the lower drain electrode (17a) and a periphery of the upper drain electrode (17b) is more than 0.4 µm but less than 1.5 µm.


The present invention discloses a humidifier apparatus for operating at atmospheric pressure, and it is for respiratory therapy breathing apparatus for use with, wherein the respiratory therapy to a patient in need of breathing apparatus supplying high concentrations of liquid vapor and pressure of breathable gas. The apparatus comprises a humidification amount of the liquid through the conduit in fluid communication with the humidifier cartridge. In response to the liquid supplied to the humidifier cartridge, the conduit so that air can flow in between, in order to balance the air pressure between the humidifier cartridge and a certain amount of liquid.


The publication of a competent book about Lacan in German is a significant event. Although two volumes of his writings (from the Ecrits) have already been translated into German,' the name of Jacques Lacan is hardly more than a rumor in the German-speaking countries. Anecdotes about the eccentric behavior and discourse of this French psychoanalyst are more widespread than his writings. Yet the beginnings of serious interest do exist. Without this a translating and publishing achievement such as the Schriften (Writings), now to be followed by the Seminar Volumes, would not be possible. There are other indications of intensive interest as well. From April 6-9, 1978, the first Lacan Symposium took place in West Berlin.2 In connection with this Symposium, the Sigmund-Freud-Schule analogous to the Ecole Freudienne in Paris was founded. In the summer of that year, the first issue of a periodical for psychoanalysis oriented towards Lacan, Der Wunderblock (The Magic Writing Pad) appeared. This is all due primarily to a small circle of Lacan translators and publishers, but the resonance is spreading outside Berlin and beyond psychoanalysis. One Suhrkamp volume, Urszenen (Primal Scenes),"I shows the first attempts in Germany to


Abstract A learning stage of scheduling tends to produce knowledge about a benchmark of priority dispatching rules which allows a scheduler to improve the solution quality for a set of similar job-shop problems. Once trained on the sample job-shop problems (usually with small sizes), the adaptive algorithm solves a similar job-shop problem (with a moderate size or a large size) better than heuristics used as a benchmark at the learning stage of scheduling. Our adaptive algorithm does not guarantee to perform as an exact algorithm or better than a more sophisticated heuristic algorithm (like e.g. the shifting bottleneck one) which need a large running time. For an adaptive algorithm with a learning stage, the job-shop scheduling problem is modeled via a weighted mixed (disjunctive) graph with the conflict resolution strategy used for finding an appropriate schedule.


This paper comes from a collaboration between the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova and the Italian Transmission System Operator (Terna S.p.A.). The purpose of this cooperation is demonstrating the strength of an original algorithm developed in Padova in 2001 [1] for computing the power flow solution of the Italian transmission network in real operative scenarios. Therefore, results, analyses and extensive comparisons with the benchmark software DIgSILENT PowerFactory are shown.


Due to the growing population and consequent pressure of use, agricultural soils must maintain adequate levels of quantity and quality to produce food, fiber, and energy, without falling victim to a negative impact on their balance of nutrients, health, or their ability to function [...]


In view of problems of separation of drawing and calculation,setting calculation lagging behind change of field power system existed in traditional power supply design system of mining area,the paper proposed a design scheme of power supply design system of mining area based on AutoCAD.The system uses embedded VBA of AutoCAD platform to make secondary development,and compiles program to extend functions of AutoCAD to realize integration of drawing,calculation and file management of power supply design by one software.The actual application showed that the system has characteristics of good interaction,convenient operation and high reliability.


Procedural improvements of the luminescence method for determination of adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in submilligram samples, e.g., fresh-frozen microtome sections of tissue or l0-µl volumes of homogenate, were developed for technical simplification, time-saving and increased analytical precision and then applied to determination of the quantitative histologic distribution of cAMP in the body of the glandular stomach of the fed and fasted rat. In fasted rats, a sharp peak in cAMP concentration (0.12 pmole/µg protein-nitrogen, approximately ≈ 3.3 pmoles/mg wet weight) was observed in the parietal mucous neck cell zone and the values fell off rapidly to about one-half peak value in the chief cell region and remained in this range into the muscle layer. When fed, additional second and third peaks appeared in the chief cell and muscle zones, each about l0% less than the first peak. The histologic position and the height of the first peak did not change significantly from that in the fasted state. For comparison, homogenates of glandular stomach of fed rats were found to have cAMP values in the range, 1.9-2.4 pmoles/mg wet weight. The findings are discussed in relation to quantitative distribution and function of histamine and histidine decarboxylase and to acid secretion.


Background and objectives: The genus Nepeta is used in traditional medicine for the antiseptic and astringent properties in cutaneous eruptions and snake bites. Nepeta racemosa was investigated here due to the rich source of phytochemical compounds in the Nepeta genus and the lack of any phytochemical studies. Methods: The aerial parts were extracted successively using n-hexane, chloroform, and methanol (MeOH) by maceration method, respectively. The MeOH extract was exposed to C18 Sep-Pak fractionation by a step gradient of MeOH-H2O. Further purification of the fractions by preparative reversed-phase HPLC yielded three compounds. The chemical ingredients of essential oil were determined by GC-MS. Free-radical scavenging activity of the extracts, fractions, as well as their total flavonoid and phenolics contents, were assessed using the DPPH method, AlCl3, and Folin-Ciocalteu reagents, respectively. Results: Phytochemical study of 20% and 40% solid phase extraction fractions of MeOH extract yielded one iridoid (8,9-epi-7-deoxy-loganic acid) and two phenylethanoids (forsythoside B and verbascoside), correspondingly. The 4aα,7α,7aα-nepetalactone (31.70 %), germacrene D (7.39 %), n-hexadecanoic acid (6.47 %), were the main compounds of essentials oil. The MeOH extract demonstrated high activity in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolics content along with total flavonoids content (0.09 ± 0.01 mg/mL, 1581.80 ± 10.28 mg/100g and 33.01 ± 0.02 mg/100g) as well as 40% SPE fraction (0.01 ± 0.00 mg/mL, 659.20 ± 40.32 mg/100g and 22.5 ± 0.37 mg/100g), respectively.  Conclusion: The presence of phenylethanoid derivatives as phenolic compounds appears to be an important antioxidant compound in Nepeta racemosa.


Flavonoids are described to exert a large array of biological activities, which are mostly ascribed to their radical‐scavenging, metal chelating and enzyme modulation ability. Most of these evidences have been obtained by in vitro studies on individual compounds and at doses largely exceeding those dietary. Little is known about a possible relationship between rate and extent of the absorption and modifications of plasma antioxidants. To elucidate this aspect, human volunteers were supplemented with single doses of green tea catechins in free (Greense‐lect™) or phosphotipid complex form (Greenselect™ Phytosomer®) equivalent to 400 mg epigallocatechingallate (EGCg). EGCg was chosen as biomarker for green tea catechin absorption, and its time course plasma concentration was correlated to the subsequent percent variations of plasma ascorbate, total glutathione, α‐tocopherol, β‐carotene and Total Radical Antioxidant Parameter (TRAP). Green tea catechins were absorbed more extensively when administered as phospholipid complex rather than as free catechins. Single dose intake of both forms of catechins produced a transient decrease (10‐20%) of plasma ascorbate and total glutathione and an increase of plasma TRAP (16‐19%). These variations were consistent with the plasmatic levels of EGCg, ascorbate and total glutathione.


The reverse-salient permanent magnet synchronous motor (RSPMSM) is a competitive candidate for electric vehicles due to its high torque density and high efficiency. This paper proposes an optimized RSPMSM by adopting a segmented permanent magnet structure. First, the structure, electromagnetic torque, and current control laws of the RSPMSM are introduced in detail. Second, the optimization design method of the RSPMSM is proposed by taking the torque and constant-power speed range as optimized objectives, with the saliency ratio as a constraint. The optimized model of the RSPMSM is determined using the genetic algorithm (GA). Further performance analysis and comparisons are made between the initial motor and the optimized motor. Finally, a prototype is manufactured, and the performance of the RSPMSM is verified through the finite element method (FEM) and experiments.


on December 31st the number had risen to 5G3. The first admissions reached a total of 184, the readmissions 9, the recoveries 59, the relieved 62, and the deaths 48. The total number under treatment during the year was 735, and the average number resident was 561. Calculated on the admissions the recoveries stand at 43 70 per cent., and calculated on the average number resident the deaths stand at 8 56; the former being decidedly above the average and the latter a little under it. Of the year's deaths 18 were caused by cerebral and spinal diseases (general paralysis accounting for 11 of these), 6 by consumption, and there


The invention relates to a mobile radio network (10), a mobile radio terminal and a method for a mobile radio network (10), particularly on the basis of the GSM standard, for communication by mobile radio terminals (38). At least two base stations (12) with antennas for sending and/or receiving are proposed, with the coverage area of a base station (12) forming a radio cell (16). The radio network cell (16) is divided into a local area (26) and a remote area (28) which respectively contain different transmission resources (A, B, C, D) for the radio traffic within a radio cell (16). The frequency bands (A) of the remote area (28) of two adjacent radio cells (16) are provided such that they respectively match in this case.


In this modern industrial time we can see large construction activities happening everywhere, hence there will be a shortage of land space, so construction of tall structures has been initiated up to overcome this problem. There are numerous elements which are modified to make work faster and economical also like introducing flat slab and grid slab construction which reduces dead weight, and makes beams invisible, enhances floor area. The object of the present work is to compare the behaviour of multi-storey buildings having flat slab with that of having grid slab and to study the effect of base shear, storey drift and maximum displacement on it under seismic forces. For this purpose three cases of multi-storey buildings are considered with area 20 m x 20 m having 4 storey, 8 storey and 12 storey with 3.6 m storey height considered. All the three cases are considered having flat slab and grid slab, and also analyzed by using


Advanced Placement United States History is a challenging course designed to be the equivalent of a freshman college/sophomore survey course in United States History. The course is specifically designed to provide students with an in-depth study of United States History from 1607 through the modern day. Students should possess strong reading and writing skills and be willing to devote substantial time to study and the completion of class assignments. Emphasis is placed on analytical reading, essay writing skills, use of primary resources, and class discussion.


In this paper, the ''pairs'' in the s-d shell are defined by means of the folded-diagram perturbation theory. Based on these ''pairs,'' the model space of four valence nucleons outside the core of /sup 16/O is constructed, and the low-lying spectra of /sup 20/O and /sup 20/Ne are calculated. The results show that the simplified reduced model space (S.D.G. space) is large enough to reproduce the experimental spectra of /sup 20/O having four valence nucleons, but in the case of /sup 20/Ne having two kinds of valence-nucleons, the n-p ''pair'' may play an important role.


A multi-sensor algorithm is applied to MODIS and MERIS satellite data in order to quantify suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Yangtze River plume (East China Sea). Several atmospheric correction methods are tested; a simple but operational method is finally selected as appropriate for MODIS, MERIS and GOCI satellite data. As most of the methods for atmospheric corrections of satellite data fail over such highly turbid waters, an adaptation of the black pixel assumption is used to correct for the aerosol contribution. The retrieved seawater reflectance at red wavebands appears as the most sensitive to SPM concentrations but tends to saturate at concentrations beyond 100 mg.l-1. By opposition the near-infrared seawater reflectance does not saturate even at extremely high concentrations of 1000 mg.l-1. Overall, the most robust relationship between the SPM concentration and seawater reflectance is obtained considering a spectral ratio between the near-infrared (e.g., 850 nm) and visible (e.g. 550 nm). This relationship is applied to atmospherically corrected ocean color satellite data to retrieve SPM concentrations in the Yangtze River plume. Results show that ocean color satellite data can be used to study the seasonal dynamics of SPM and better understand the role played by the main physical processes involved (river discharge, tidal cycles, wind and regional circulation).


This paper presents an approximate integral method based on the use of structural influence functions (Green's functions) for static and dynamic analysis of beams. The differential equation governing the bending behaviour of a beam is written in integral form by using suitable Green's functions, depending on the boundary conditions. Generally, for a static analysis this approach gives a linear system and in the dynamic case leads to an eigenproblem. The case studied here deals with the rotating beam vibration analysis. The described formulation allows to obtain a relation for the calculation of the first natural frequency, similar with the Southwell's formula.


Chen Yunlian, a poetess from a distinguished family in Dao Xian Reign Periods of Qing Dynasty, was born gifted, and was good at writing. Through writing, Chen not only reflected on herself, recording her homeland and time but also defended gender rights, trying to overturn the distress and changing of her belonging era. Taking Chen Yulian as the study object, in this dissertation the writer probes into Chen's unique life experiences by analyzing her texts. Also, from the contents, topics, writing styles, preface and postscripts of her work Poetry Drafts from the Xinfang Pavilion, the writer deliberates on how Chen, as a female, entered the dominant male dialect system to construct a world of knowledge familiar to her, how she turned writing into an access to prestige and expanding the social circle, and even how she made writing the practice of power, reshaping herself and revealing her true colors.This dissertation comprises seven chapters—the preface, conclusion and five main chapters to discuss and analyze Chen Yunlian and her work Poetry Drafts from the Xinfang Pavilion. The second chapter tracks down Chen's family circle to construct her family background and network. Chapter three and four look into the contents of her work Poetry Drafts from the Xinfang Pavilion. The writer classifies Chen's works into several literary forms, and through the occurrence of certain subjects in her works, the writer observes how Chen manipulated creation and innovation in the traditional poetry and in the knowledge system of her familiar world. Chapter five reasons out how Chen molded herself with language and images and interprets the meaning of her works and her performance in terms of literary creation. Chapter six, from the preface and postscripts of her works, focuses on the shaping of her self-image and some related issues.The writer chooses the Qing Dynasty poetess Chen Yunlian as the study target, who has gradually received attention, yet out of whom relatively few studies has been made. It is hoped that the dissertation can provide some insight into how a poetess in the Dao Xian Reign Periods expressed herself and concern about her homeland.


CO2 sequestration in the deep oceans is a natural process and the Southern Ocean is the world's major atmospheric CO2 reservoir. Recently, small-scale open-ocean iron fertilisation experiments were conducted in selected high nutrient low chlorophyll-a (HNLC) areas to verify the 'iron hypothesis'.2 In the process, it was discovered that there might be a potentially beneficial dual application for iron fertilisation. The research found that fertilisation enhanced the natural sequestration process by promoting phytoplankton biomass - one critical component of the biological pump which intrinsically draws down atmospheric CO2 to the deep ocean during the photosynthetic process. In addition, it was thought that the resulting phytoplankton bloom might, under optimum circumstances, increase oceanic biological productivity by proving a richer food source throughout all trophic levels. However, the science should be treated with caution because it is new, complex and also to a certain degree contentious.3 Neither its efficacy nor its consequences regarding CO2 sequestration or enhanced productivity are well understood. This article reviews what little is known about the process so far and makes some observations about the likely legal and political aspects that would need to be addressed should the science evolve into commercial activity.


An interesting way to understand and eventually improve the well-being of captive animals is to compare different living and social conditions, in order to analyze the behavioral differences between animals living in very restrictive conditions and animals enjoying more permissive ones. In the present study we performed 10 observations of six wolf enclosures with quite different living and social conditions. The rest/activity balance, behavioral diversity, and use of available space were used as welfare criteria. Results show that the proportion of time resting was higher in large, comfortable enclosures. In each park, animals used only a part of the available space, the proportion being lower in large enclosures. The behavioral diversity was little affected by the size of the enclosure, but highly related to the composition of the pack. The results underline the importance of spatial choice and social group management. Zoo Biol 22:33–44, 2003 © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


In this paper, we describe the solution for a problem dealing with definite properties of binary sequences. This problem, proposed by Xavier Grandsart in the form of a mathematical contest, has been solved also by Maher Younan, Ph.D. student of Theoretical Physics at the University of Geneva, and Pierre Deligne, professor at Princeton and Field Medals, using different approaches with respect to the one presented in this work.


This paper presents a highly parallel motion estimation architecture for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoder. The proposed architecture has 16 processing units operating in parallel to calculate the sum of absolute difference values of all possible variable prediction block sizes. Hence, it calculates the bit cost regarding every partition in order to find the best matching candidate in terms of bit cost. The proposed unit processes block sizes from 4×4 up to 64×64. The proposed architecture was prototyped, simulated and synthesized using 65nm TSMC CMOS technology. At 720 MHz clock frequency, the proposed architecture processes 2K (1920×1080) resolution at 30 fps with ±27 (55×55) pixel search range using full search algorithm. Moreover, the proposed architecture is a flexible one and it can be used with different search algorithms to process higher resolutions such as 4K (3840×2160) resolution with 30 fps rate. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed architecture is one of the first ASIC motion estimation architectures in the literature for HEVC.


This article examines the effectiveness of indigenous techniques in conserving the natural forests in Makete district, Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Indigenous people established traditional practices, which regulated interaction between people and nature. Through a mixed research approach, the collection of primary data involved in-depth interview, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), field observation and household survey administered to heads of the households. Also, secondary data were collected to supplement primary data. The study composed of 242 respondents. Findings from the study revealed that indigenous cultural practices were effective in conserving the natural forests; however, modernization and death of custodians of traditional functions contributed to weaken the power of cultural practices employed to conserve the natural forests. Based on the findings, it is recommended that there is a need to integrate indigenous knowledge and modern technologies in conserving the natural forests, which were initially conserved traditionally.


This note reports on the use of ICTs by a small nonprofit organization that serves LGBT youth. Our work centers on a reflective evaluation of the use of online communities for LGBT community through qualitative interviews with the organization. Perceived issues around ICT use in the organization were shaped by the blurred lines between professional and personal interactions online, the small size of the community and ubiquity of social media use, and ambivalence of members toward online communication. The project models one way for researchers in ICT4D to work within communities to develop an understanding of self-identified issues in vulnerable populations.


ABSTRACT This article elucidates the effect of prosthetic foot on the residuum-socket interface (RSI) pressure and gait characteristics in a man with transtibial osteomyoplastic amputation (TOA). The study evaluates the effect of three prosthetic feet, including 1) Renegade Foot® from Freedom Innovations (Irvine, CA), 2) Venture Foot™ from College Park (Fraser, MI), and 3) Proprio Foot® from Össur (Reykjavik, Iceland) in six gait activities: walking forward at "normal" pace, walking forward at fast pace, ascending and descending a staircase, and ascending and descending a ramp. Force resistive sensors were placed at six locations, including distal anterior end-bearing, middle posterior, and four proximal points inside the prosthetic socket, to capture real-time RSI pressures. Whereas nominal values of pressure were observed in the proximal region, greater pressure was observed at the distal anterior end-bearing region of the socket, which confirmed one of the intended outcomes of the TOA procedure. Of 36 statistical tests (t-test, p < 0.05), 35 tests (97.2%) confirmed the hypothesis that when the same prosthetic foot was used in the same gait activity, peak and mean pressures are greater at the distal anterior end-bearing location than at other locations. Furthermore, 182 of 216 (84.2%) statistical tests (t-test, significance level of 0.05) supported the hypothesis that at the same measured location during the same gait activity, different prosthetic feet result in different peak (or mean) RSI pressures. Coefficients of variation of the mean sustained pressures showed that when the gait activity was changed, each prosthetic foot affected the sustained pressure differently, even at the same measured location. Each prosthetic foot also had a direct effect on temporal gait parameters such as stance phase and gait cycle durations. These results elucidate the importance for clinicians to understand the characteristics of different prosthetic foot designs to match with the specific needs of the client with amputation.


The web service composition is a graph search problem from the point of semantic input-output message structure matching, i.e., it do not take into consideration the nonfunctional properties (NFPs). The proposed graph search-based algorithm can be applied to the general service composition problems. Different from the previous methods, it can generate all the feasible solutions according to a user's request. This method is able to calculate, given a request, an extended service dependency graph which represents a suboptimal solution is dynamically generated for the request. Then the solution is improved using a backward heuristic search algorithm, based on the well-known A*algorithm, which finds all optimal solutions from the point of view of the number of services and execution path (runpath). Thus, it maximizes the parallel execution of services and minimizes the number of services. To define set of optimizations and to reduce the graph size, based on the redundancy analysis and service dominance. I include a method to reduce dynamically the possible paths to explore during the search by filtering equivalent compositions. . Moreover, in order to improve the scalability of our approach, a set of dynamic optimization techniques have been included.


Food has a high level of moisture so that it is damaged easily. Preservation is an effort to improve a food's shelf life. Salting has been one of the oldest known food preservation. The simple process usually leads to this preservation by the community naturally. It can be done conventionally and naturally. Salting preservation is by reducing the level of water so that bacteria cannot grow up and develop. The osmotic properties of high salt can break down the microbial cell membrane, and its hygroscopic properties can interfere with proteolytic enzyme activity and dissociated Cl ions. Salting is not a single curing process, so other treatments such as desiccation or boiling are usually followed. Salt also plays a vital role in developing specific tastes, textures, and aromas. The salting process is divided into a wet-dry and wet-dry combination, and a curing process is also carried out. The NaCl salt is in the form of a crystal or solution. In the curing process, nitrate and nitrite salts are used. This paper is intended to review the salt mechanism for the application of food preservation. It is widely used in food products such as salted cod, kimchi, sauerkraut, beef, milk, and cheese. In certain foods, the lactic acid bacteria fermentation phase begins with salt added. The effects on food are flavor, water-holding capacity, protein characteristics, and lipid oxidation.


An increasingly large number of dietary components have been found to alter immune system function and, therefore, may be considered to have a pharmacologic effect (pharmacologic nutrition). Those dietary factors which have already been shown to influence outcome by producing a pharmacologic effect rather than correcting or preventing a simple deficiency include proteins (both type and amount), arginine, glutamine, o-6 and o-3 fatty acids, short-chain fatty acids, the metals iron and zinc, and the vitamins E, C, and A. Therapeutic outcome has already been influenced by dietary therapy (pharmacologic nutrition) in patients after burn injury or who have vascular diseases, and in experimental animals for the prevention of gut origin sepsis, the prevention and treatment of infection, prevention and development of secondary lesions in autoimmune diseases, augmentation of immunosuppression in transplantation, and in the treatment of cancer. Nutritional therapy using disease-specific formulations or supplements is an old idea now undergoing rapid evolution to increasing importance for successful therapeutic outcome.


The present invention describes a catalyst for treating exhaust gas and catalyst stream article. In one or more embodiments, the catalyst system comprising a first reduction zone emissions of nitrogen oxides by selective catalytic, oxidation of ammonia and the second region oxidizing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in the third zone. The present invention also provides a method and system for treating the exhaust gas stream. The present invention also describes the preparation and use of such a method and catalyst article.


Today, innovation is needed more than ever. Productivity growth has been slowing in recent years. The 10-year growth rate of nonfarm business labor productivity is only 1.3 percent in 2015, compared to 3 percent as recently as 2005. A full one percentage point of that 1.7 percentage point decline, or more than half, is due to a slowdown in the growth rate of multifactor productivity, an indicator of innovation. In other words, the economic evidence suggests that this is an era of relatively weak innovation, outside of information technology.


Abstract : This paper describes and analyzes those conditions of and forces for change. After a brief description of production and export policy and practice and the growth of Petroleos Mexicanos, the effort looks to contributions to institutional change and to policy controversy directly tied to the petroleum industry. The discussion then evolves to other foci of policy disputation indirectly related to the new milieu created by anticipated petroleum earnings. Finally, in a more speculative vein, the paper gauges the significance of the new oil for political change by examining the profundity of the issues at controversy, the scope and intensity of the challenges to governmental authority, and the sectors and individuals involved in the several disputes and departures. (Author)


Abstract : A procedure is developed which returns a probability of kill of a hardened facility taking into account two types of uncertainties: weapon delivery accuracy and structural characteristics or intelligence uncertainties. The kill criteria are based on the structural response of the facility exceeding predetermined limits which represent the achievement of the attack objective. Analyst tasked to perform pre-attack weapons analysis and post-attack weapons effectiveness must be able to report to their superiors realistic probabilities of achieving the objective of an airborne strike on a target. A nonlinear, nondimensional, continuous hysteretic beam model is developed to represent a section of a hardened facility subjected to conventional weapons effects. The model returns response calculations across the height of the section as required to provide information for determining the kill state of a hardened target. The nondimensionalization allows for ease of parameter input and serves the stochastic analysis well where structural characteristics are continuously changed. Two Monte Carlo simulation programs are developed which take into account structural characteristics as random input variables in addition to the traditional weapon delivery accuracy. This work demonstrates that uncertainties in the structural characteristics of a target may significantly effect its response to conventional weapons and the determination of the resulting probability of kill given an attack.


With the development of mobile internet technology, GPS technology and social software have been widely used in people's lives. The problem of big data privacy protection related to location trajectory is becoming more and more serious. The traditional location trajectory privacy protection method requires certain background knowledge and it is difficult to adapt to massive mass. Privacy protection of data. differential privacy protection technology protects privacy by attacking data by randomly perturbing raw data. The method used in this paper is to first sample the position trajectory, form the irregular polygons of the high-frequency access points in the sampling points and position data, calculate the center of gravity of the polygon, and then use the differential privacy protection algorithm to add noise to the center of gravity of the polygon to form a new one. The center of gravity, and the new center of gravity are connected to form a new trajectory. The purpose of protecting the position trajectory is well achieved. It is proved that the differential privacy protection algorithm can effectively protect the position trajectory by adding noise.


Cork taint, a musty off-odor in affected bottles, is among the most serious problems affecting wine sensory quality. And the main responsible factor for this organoleptic defect is attributable to 2,4,6-trichloroanisole(TCA). This paper mainly introduces methods for the extraction, concentration and detection of TCA from wine and wine corks. The application prospects of analytical methods for TCA are also predicted.


This paper reports on the synthesis and characterization of a heterodinuclear complex precursor for LaNiO 3 perovskite obtaining, prepared in La(CH 3 COO) 3 - Ni(CH 3 COO) 2 - AOH - DMF system (AOH = 2- [(diethylamino) methyl]-6-ethylphenol and DMF = dimethylformamide). According to the XRD pattern, LaNiO 3 obtained by calcination (700 °C, 10 minutes) of complex precursor is single phase with hexagonal perovskite-like structure. The relatively high values of specific surface area of LaNiO 3 samples obtained, sustain their posible catalytic activity.


It has been demonstrated that MnO2 abrasive can polish tungsten films without using an oxidizer solution. The polishing rate of MnO2 slurry is 1.5 times higher than that of commercially available Al2O3 slurry. A W plug is formed without etching holes (keyholes) during chemical mechanical polishing with MnO2 abrasive slurry. With MnO2 slurry, no key holes were formed even after overpolishing by an additional 0.6 µm. On the other hand, with conventional Al2O3 slurry, keyholes were formed after overlpolishing by an additional 0.4 µm. The residual MnO2 abrasive on the surface after chemical mechanical polishing was completely removed by the cleaning process because MnO2 abrasive easily dissolves in a cleaning solution of HCl, H2O2, and H2O. These results indicate that, since MnO2 is in itself a solid oxidizer, MnO2 abrasive can polish W films without using an oxidizer solution and does not etch the seam.


In marine storage and transportation, the sloshing of liquid oxygen disturbs the thermodynamic equilibrium and induces stress on tank walls. Numerous problems are associated with the sloshing mechanism and demand a detailed investigation. In this study, a numerical model is developed by coupling the Eulerian framework and the algebraic interface area density (AIAD) method while considering the interphase drag force to investigate the thermal behavior of sloshing liquid oxygen. The effect of the sloshing frequency on the evaporation performance of liquid oxygen is studied. Moreover, anti-sloshing is conducted by employing a T-shaped baffle. The results show that the sloshing induced a vapor explosion phenomenon due to the invalidation of the surface impedance and thermal destratification to enhance free convection, resulting in rapid depressurization and increased evaporation loss. In addition, maximum evaporation loss occurred under the vapor–liquid coupling excitation condition. The T-shaped baffle has an excellent anti-sloshing effect because of the generating tip vortices and the enhanced shearing effect of the walls, which are regarded as motion damping factors.


This paper presents two novel modifications to the conventional true single-phase clock (TSPC) divide-by-2 clock divider. In the first variation, the maximum frequency of operation is carefully increased beyond its normal frequency of operation. This limits the time certain nodes have to respond and causes an additional clock cycle to be skipped, resulting in division by three. Simulation results predict an increase in maximum frequency range of 2 to 3 GHz, and the robustness of this mode of operation is demonstrated in measured results. The second variation emulates this cycle skipping behavior at lower frequencies by the addition of a series switch in the discharge path of a node as well as the circuitry needed to control this switch. A total of eight additional transistors are added to turn the divide by two circuit into a variable 2/3-divider and is shown in simulation to consume up to 30% less power than a conventional variable divider.


Diagnostic technique applied for FEL ultrashort electron bunches is developed at JINR-DESY collaboration within the framework of the FLASH and XFEL projects. Photon diagnostics developed at JINR-DESY collaboration for ultrashort electron bunches are based on calorimetric measurements and detection of undulator radiation. The infrared undulator constructed at JINR and installed at FLASH is used for longitudinal bunch shape measurements and for two-color lasing provided by the FIR and VUV undulators. The pump probe experiments with VUV and FIR undulators provide the bunch profile measurements with resolution of several femtosecond. The MCP based radiation detectors are effectively used at FLASH for VUV pulse energy measurements. The new three MCP detectors operated in X-ray range are under development now in JINR for SASE1-SASE 3 XFEL. FLASH MCP-BASED PHOTON DETECTOR The free electron laser FLASH has been in operation at DESY since the year 2000. The maximal electron energy since 2007 up 2009 was equal 1 GeV, rms bunch length is 50 μm, the FWHM radiation pulse duration is about 30 fs, the normalized emittance is 2 π·mm·mrad, the bunch charge is 0.5 nC, the peak power is up to 1 GW, the peak brilliance is of 10 ph/s/mrad/mm/(0.1%bw). In 2010 FLASH was upgraded to maximum electron energy 1.25 GeV and third harmonic RF system was installed which provides by few times longer the VUV pulse radiation comparing with the previous FLASH operation. Successful operation of FLASH strongly depends on the quality of the radiation detectors. The key issues are: the wide wavelength range 4-100 nm, the wide dynamic range (from the spontaneous emission level to the saturation level), and the high relative accuracy of measurements which is crucial for detection of radiation amplification and characterization of statistical properties of the radiation. The key FLASH photon detector developed by the JINR-DESY collaboration is a micro-channel plate (MCP) detector intended for pulse energy measurements [1-4]. The MCP detector is used for measurement of statistical properties of the radiation allowing determination of the pulse length. Key element of the detector is a wide dynamic MCP which detects scattered radiation from a target. With four different targets and MCPs in combination with optical attenuators, the present FLASH detector covers an operating wavelength range 4 -100 nm, and a dynamic range of the radiation intensities, from the level of spontaneous emission up to the saturation level of SASE FEL. The gold target is perfect for the wavelength range above 10 nm, however its reflectivity falls dramatically for shorter wavelengths, and different targets and geometries of the detector are used. We added three more targets to gold mesh: two iron meshes, and one copper mesh. This helps us to operate the detector in a range below 10 nm. For tuning SASE at very short wavelengths we use movable MCPs directly facing photon beam. Light intensity variation by a factor of 50 is controlled by a mechanical attenuator of light located in the target unit. To have full control of light intensity in a wide range we installed a side MCP which detects radiation reflected by the iron mirror. The mirror serves for two purposes. One is to deflect the photon beam offthe axis, which allows placing the MCP in better background conditions. The FLASH bunch has non-Gaussian longitudinal distribution of electrons at operation in 2007-2009. The bunch edge or so named leading spike has a high peak current that is cable of driving the high intensity lasing process. Energy in radiation pulse and integrated spectral density fluctuate accordance with the gamma distribution with an energy width σw. Parameter M=1/σw 2 characterizes the number of modes in the radiation pulse. This parameters corresponds to a ratio of the electron bunch leading spike length σz to the coherence time τc at a saturation of the radiation in the SASE mode: M=σz/cτc. The measurements of the integrate spectra density in radiation pulse permit to define the VUV pulse duration. The r.m.s. VUV radiation pulse length was equal to τVUV= 8±1 fs at the end of the regime of exponential growth for wavelength radiation of 13.7 nm and bunch charge 0.5 nC at electron energy 1 GeV [1]. After 2010 upgrade the r.m.s. VUV pulse radiation time corresponds to τVUV= 41±8 fs at electron energy 1.25 GeV and bunch charge 0.5 nC [5]. DESIGN OF THE XFEL MCP DETECTOR An important task of the photon beam diagnostics at the European XFEL is providing reliable tools for measurements aiming at the search for and fine tuning of the FEL creating SASE process. The problem of finding SASE amplification is crucial for the XFEL because of a large synchrotron radiation background. This requires a detector with a wide dynamic range, controllable tuning to the required wavelength range, and suppression of the unwanted radiation background. The JINR-XFEL ___________________________________________ email@example.com WEPPD003 Proceedings of RUPAC2012, Saint|-|Petersburg, Russia ISBN 978-3-95450-125-0 572 C op yr ig ht c ○ 20 12 by th e re sp ec tiv e au th or s— cc C re at iv e C om m on sA tt ri bu tio n 3. 0 (C C B Y 3. 0) Synchrotron radiation sources and FELs collaboration proposes to design, manufacture, and install MCP-based photon detectors [6] as a primary tool for the search and fine tuning of the SASE process. Three MCP devices will be installed after each SASE undulator of the European XFEL (SASE1, SASE2, and SASE3). Three different tasks can be fulfilled with the XFEL MCP-based photon detectors [6]: study of the initial stage of the SASE regime; measurement of the photon pulse energy; and measurement of the photon beam image. The MCP detector will resolve each individual pulse at a repetition rate of 4.5 MHz. The following wavelength ranges are to be covered by three MCP stations: 0.05-0.4 nm for MCP1 and MCP2, 0.4-5 nm for MCP3. MCP detector for SASE1&SASE2 [6] consists of three MCPs equipped with the anode as a pulse energy monitor and one MCP detector for imaging the photon beam and silicon semiconductor photo detector (Fig.1). The first MCP detector port houses silicon photo detector and two F4655 Hamamatsu MCPs 18 mm in diameter, which are used for measuring the pulse energy and for searching for initial indication of SASE regime. The second detector port houses two MCPs: F4655 Hamamatsu for measurement of the pulse energies, and beam observation system (BOS) MCP (model BOS-40-IDA-CH/P-47) of 40 mm diameter with a phosphor screen. Figure 1: XFEL SASE1&SASE2 MCP detector. MCP detector for SASE3 will have an additional port with movable semitransparent mesh and wire targets for production of scattering FEL radiation similar to those used at FLASH [1-4]. JINR FAR INFRARED UNDULATOR AT FLASH The FLASH was equipped with an infrared electromagnetic undulator (Fig.2), tunable over a K– parameter range from 11 to 44, and producing radiation up to 200 μm at 500 MeV and up to 50 μm at 1 GeV [24, 6-7]. The purpose of the device is two-fold: firstly, it is used for longitudinal electron bunch measurements, secondly, it is a powerful source of intense infrared radiation naturally synchronized to the VUV FEL pulses, as both are generated by the same electron bunches and being therefore well suited for precision pump-probe experiments. The undulator was designed and constructed by JINR to the FLASH requirements [6]. The undulator period corresponds to 40 cm, the number of periods is 9, the magnetic field is varied in range of 0.1-1.1 T. Output undulator radiation has the following parameters: wavelength 5-200 μm, peak power 4 MW, micropulse energy 1 mJ, micropulse duration 0.5-6 ps. Figure 2: FLASH far infrared undulator constructed by JINR. The energy radiated by the FIR undulator is defined by the number of electrons per bunch N and a formfactor F(λ): [ ] 2 ) ( ) 1 ( λ ε ε F N N N e coh − + × = , where εe is energy radiated by single electron. The formfactor is equal to |F(λ)| = exp(-2πσ/λ) for Gaussian bunch with r.m.s. length σ. When the wavelength is longer than the bunch length, the coherent radiation dominates. Measuring the spectrum that regime one can extract the form-factor and thus the charge distribution and the bunch leading spike length. The Gaussian fit (Fig.3) corresponds to the r.m.s. leading spike length of σls= 12 μm. The r.m.s duration of FIR pulse radiation is equal to τFIR=σls/c=40 fs, it is few times larger than r.m.s. pulse duration of the VUV pulse radiation. After 2010 upgrade the detailed measurements of form-factor for FIR radiation were performed (Fig.4) [6]. The form-factor permits to reconstruct the time distribution of the electron current in the electron bunch (Fig.5) [6]. The reconstructed electron current pulse has complicated shape with two peaks at electron energy 1.25 GeV and bunch charge 0.5 nC. Figure 3: Dependence of the FIR undulator pulse radiation energy on the wavelength. Proceedings of RUPAC2012, Saint|-|Petersburg, Russia WEPPD003 Synchrotron radiation sources and FELs ISBN 978-3-95450-125-0 573 C op yr ig ht c ○ 20 12 by th e re sp ec tiv e au th or s— cc C re at iv e C om m on sA tt ri bu tio n 3. 0 (C C B Y 3. 0) Figure 4: Dependence of form-factor on FIR radiation wave length. Figure 5: Reconstructed from form-factor of FIR radiation the time distribution of electron current in single short electron bunch. PUMP PROBE EXPERIMENTS AT FLASH WITH JINR FIR UNDULATOR The pump-probe experiments are very promising application of FLASH VUV and FIR undulators. The VUV and FIR undulator radiations are truly synchronized and tunable in a board spectral range that opens new perspective for two–color pump probe experiments at FLASH. In first pump probe experiments performed in 2009 [9] both FIR and VUV undulator radiations at wavelengths of 91 μm and 13.5 nm, correspondingly, pass through a krypton gas chamber. The 4-p krypton electrons are ionized in the gas chamber by the VUV photon


In this paper we have analyzed a composite nanoparticle (ZnO/Ag) to find out either it is compatible or not to use it as a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based sensor. For this sensor we have considered the UV-Visible (UV-Vis) region. The surface plasmon resonance responses of the ZnO/Ag are found for sample-I at 363 nm and 453 nm and for sample-II at 355 nm and 455 nm. The surface plasmon resonance responses of other single nanoparticles are also discussed here for performance comparison in the UV-Vis region to distinguish a better SPR based sensor that works both in UV as well as in visible region.


Objective
To analyze the clinical manifestations,treatment and prognosis of adult medulloblastoma (MB).

Methods
A total of 163 cases of adult MB,confirmed by surgical and pathological diagnosis,were retrospectively analyzed about the clinical manifestations,imaging,treatment and prognosis.There are 108 males and 55 females in the group,whose average age was 28.6-year-old.

Results
The main clinical manifestations include headache,nausea,vomiting,dizziness,gait disturbance,hypopsia,diplopia,hearing loss and cerebellum crisis.Gross total resection was achieved in 90 cases,subtotal resection in 67 cases and biopsy in 6 cases.Survival time from surgery to progression or death or the last date of follow-up were measured and estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Among a total of 160 follow-up patients with MB,postoperative overall survival time was from 7 to 170 months,median survival time was (127±6) months (95% CI 115.3-138.68).The 5-year overall survival time of adult MB patients was 73.1% (120/163).The logrank test was used to compare the significance of the following prognostic variables.Among all clinical factors,patients undergoing the craniospinal irradiation had a significantly better survival rate than those without this treatment (44 months vs 34 months,χ2=8.712,P=0.003).

Conclusion
Good therapeutic effect of MB be achieved by adopting surgical resection with early enough craniospinal irradiation.Recurrence and metastasis are the two main factors for bad prognosis in adult MB.

Key words:
Medulloblastoma; Cerebellar neoplasms; Neurosurgical procedures; Radiotherapy; Prognosis; Adult


Simple Summary C. elegans dauer is a form of phenotypic and developmental plasticity that induces reversible developmental arrest upon adverse environmental cues. This is well conserved among nematodes, including in human-infective species that cause filariasis, which is a major neglected tropical disease with considerable morbidity throughout tropical countries. The infective larval stage of parasitic nematodes is equivalent to the dauer stage of free-living nematodes; thus, it is important to elucidate the unknown molecular mechanisms behind dauer development. In this sense, to understand the infective mechanism of human-infective nematodes, it is worthwhile to study the novel function of calumenin in C. elegans dauer formation. In this study, we first found that calumenin is strongly expressed in body-wall muscle and AIA interneurons at the dauer stage. In addition, the functional loss of calumenin led to failures in dauer formation induced by either single pheromone compounds or crude pheromone extracts, which are generally used to induce dauer formation in C. elegans. Based on the transcriptional and translational expression of calumenin at the dauer stage, our results suggest that calumenin may function in signaling pathways that regulate dauer formation by a yet unknown mechanism. Abstract Caenorhabditis elegans can adapt and survive in dynamically changing environments by the smart and delicate switching of molecular plasticity. C. elegans dauer diapause is a form of phenotypic and developmental plasticity that induces reversible developmental arrest upon environmental cues. An ER (endoplasmic reticulum)-resident Ca2+ binding protein, calumenin has been reported to function in a variety of malignant diseases in vertebrates and in the process of muscle contraction–relaxation. In C. elegans, CALU-1 is known to function in Ca2+-regulated behaviors (pharyngeal pumping and defecation) and cuticle formation. The cuticles of dauer larvae are morphologically distinct from those of larvae that develop in favorable conditions. The structure of the dauer cuticle is thicker and more highly reinforced than that of other larval stages to protect dauer larvae from various environmental insults. Since the calu-1(tm1783) mutant exhibited abnormal cuticle structures such as highly deformed annuli and alae, we investigated whether CALU-1 is involved in dauer formation or not. Ascaroside pheromone (ascr#2) and crude daumone were used under starvation conditions to analyze the rate of dauer formation in the calu-1(tm1783) mutant. Surprisingly, the dauer ratio of the calu-1(tm1783) mutant was extremely low compared to that of the wild type. In fact, the calu-1(tm1783) mutants were mostly unable to enter diapause. We also found that calu-1 is expressed in body-wall muscle and AIA interneurons at the dauer stage. Taken together, our results suggest that CALU-1 is required for normal entry into diapause in C. elegans.


Simple Summary Dinosaurs have been in scientific and popular culture since early fossil discoveries, but increased interest, particularly in their genomes, is expanding. Birds are reptiles, specifically theropod dinosaurs, meaning that if we compare the genomes of related reptile relations, we can get an idea of what the extinct dinosaur genomes looked like. In all animals/plants/fungi, we think of genome organization in terms of chromosomes. Genes sit on chromosomes and each cell of each individual of each species has its own unique organization. Every gene is in exactly the same spot on each chromosome, organized like continents and islands, with the genes as the cities/towns/villages. All reptiles apart from crocodilians have both big and small chromosomes in their genomes but birds particularly so, like the Philippines or Polynesia. Birds have ~80 chromosomes (far more than most organisms) and this is very consistent in most species. Recent studies suggest that this pattern was probably established ~255 million years ago as it is also mostly present in some turtles. In other words, most dinosaurs probably had chromosomes (genome organization) like chickens or emus. In this paper, we present ideas of how this may have contributed to dinosaurs being so diverse in appearance and function. Abstract Reptiles known as dinosaurs pervade scientific and popular culture, while interest in their genomics has increased since the 1990s. Birds (part of the crown group Reptilia) are living theropod dinosaurs. Chromosome-level genome assemblies cannot be made from long-extinct biological material, but dinosaur genome organization can be inferred through comparative genomics of related extant species. Most reptiles apart from crocodilians have both macro- and microchromosomes; comparative genomics involving molecular cytogenetics and bioinformatics has established chromosomal relationships between many species. The capacity of dinosaurs to survive multiple extinction events is now well established, and birds now have more species in comparison with any other terrestrial vertebrate. This may be due, in part, to their karyotypic features, including a distinctive karyotype of around n = 40 (~10 macro and 30 microchromosomes). Similarity in genome organization in distantly related species suggests that the common avian ancestor had a similar karyotype to e.g., the chicken/emu/zebra finch. The close karyotypic similarity to the soft-shelled turtle (n = 33) suggests that this basic pattern was mostly established before the Testudine–Archosaur divergence, ~255 MYA. That is, dinosaurs most likely had similar karyotypes and their extensive phenotypic variation may have been mediated by increased random chromosome segregation and genetic recombination, which is inherently higher in karyotypes with more and smaller chromosomes.


A theoretical analysis and experimental demonstration of an optical frequency comb generator based on an electro-optical modulating technique designed to achieve line amplitude equalization is presented. For that, a dual drive Mach-Zehnder modulator operating at its over-modulating region was used. After a theoretical analysis, an algorithm was developed to determine the most favorable conditions to obtain an equalized comb. These results were tested experimentally with a low half-wave voltage modulator to generate equalized combs with 18 GHz spacing between their lines and reasonable flatness.


An air-conditioner with new type mosquito killer includes a fan, a compressor and a directional valve arranged in the outdoor unit. A wind rotor, a heat exchanger and a control circuit board are arranged in the indoor unit. Air inlet and air outlet are in the upper end and lower end of the indoor unit panel respectively. A new type mosquito killer is arranged in the indoor unit. The air-conditioner with mosquito killer can adjust air and kill mosquitoes at the same time in confined space. The utility model has simple structure and good mosquito killing effects.