Parity games are 2-person, 0-sum, graph-based, and determined games that form an important foundational concept in formal methods (see e.g., [Zie98]), and their exact computational complexity has been an open problem for over twenty years now. In this thesis, we study algorithms that solve parity games in that they determine which nodes are won by which player, and where such decisions are supported with winning strategies. We modify and so improve a known algorithm but also propose new algorithmic approaches to solving parity games and to understanding their descriptive complexity. For all of our contributions, we write our own custom frameworks, in the Scala programming language, to perform tailored experiments and empirical studies to demonstrate and support our theoretical findings. First, we improve on one of the solver algorithms, based on small progress measures [Jur00], by use of concurrency. We show that, for many parity games, it is possible to deliver extra performance using this technique in a multi-core environment. Second, we design algorithms to reduce the computational complexity of parity games, and create implementations to observe and evaluate the behaviours of these reductions in our experimental settings. The measure Rabin index, arising from the design of the said algorithm, is shown to be a new descriptive complexity for parity games. Finally, we define a new family of attractors and derive new parity game 3 solvers from them. Although these new solvers are "partial", in that they do not solve all parity games completely, our experiments show that they do solve a set of benchmark games (i.e., games with known structures) designed to stress test solvers from PGSolver toolkit [FL10] completely, and some of these partial solvers deliver favourable performance against a known high performance solver in many circumstances. 4 Acknowledgement I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Professor Michael Huth, and my external supervisor Dr Nir Piterman. Without Professor Huth's advice and guidance, and Dr Piterman's ability to make sense of the intricate details of this research, the making of this thesis would not have been possible, and I would have su ered a significantly greater deal of hardship in trying. In addition, their patience and willingness in answering my numerous (in the order of thousands) and quite often fundamental emails/questions, have helped me tremendously in the progress of this work. I would also like to thank my good colleagues in Huxley Room 502, Dr Luke Dickens, Dr Jiefei Ma, Dr Ryan Wishart, Dr Dalal Alrajeh, Dr Robert Craven, and Graham Deane. The knowledge and experience they shared with me have eased my transition, from industrial, into academic life, and their friendships have made my stay in the o ce very fun and enjoyable. Finally, I thank my adopted country the United Kingdom, for making it possible for me to pursue a research career at this stage of my life. 5 This thesis is dedicated to my dear wife Priya, who has stood by me for the duration of the PhD, and endured numerous rehearsals of my talks. 6


"Present and Past": With this issue of Acadiensis , we present to readers a new occasional series entitled "Present and Past." An outgrowth from the journal's "Forum" series (which will continue to exist, focusing on debates and complementary perspectives offered by groups of scholars), "Present and Past" will provide regional historians and scholars in related disciplines with the opportunity to reflect on current issues in historical perspective. The principle that scholarly insight can deepen our understanding of contemporary affairs is nothing new in the pages of Acadiensis , as exemplified by the work of many of the journal's authors. The new series will seek to make this connection more explicit.


Abstract This paper reports on findings from a group of ten teachers who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used design-based learning to explore the integration of making and the engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. Using convergent mixed methods, this study examines how the course impacted teachers' familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, as viewed through their pre- and post-semester engineering design self-efficacy scores and their weekly reflective journal entries. These measures are important factors for developing teacher experience and confidence in integrating engineering and design-based learning strategies within K-12 educational contexts. Statistically significant results include increased confidence in design and decreased anxiety toward design. Findings illustrate how participants acknowledged increased familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, including their increased ability to make connections to the engineering design process, maker tools, and techniques. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed. Abstract This paper reports on findings from a group of ten teachers who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used design-based learning to explore the integration of making and the engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. Using convergent mixed methods, this study examines how the course impacted teachers' familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, as viewed through their pre- and post-semester engineering design self-efficacy scores and their weekly reflective journal entries. These measures are important factors for developing teacher experience and confidence in integrating engineering and design-based learning strategies within K-12 educational contexts. Statistically significant results include increased confidence in design and decreased anxiety toward design. Findings illustrate how participants acknowledged increased familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, including their increased ability to make connections to the engineering design process, maker tools, and techniques. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed. This study will explore the ways that engagement in a making-focused course impacts participants' engineering design self-efficacy as well as familiarity with and confidence to teach the engineering design process. This paper reports on the experiences of ten teacher participants who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used DBL to explore the integration of making and engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. The course spanned 15 weeks and included 45 contact hours. A convergent mixed-methods design was used, which included quantitative and qualitative data that were collected separately, analyzed separately, reported separately, and ultimately converged for triangulation, comparison, contrasting, and interpretation (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). Data collected included the Engineering Design Self-Efficacy (EDSE) survey instrument (Carberry et al., 2010) and text entries from weekly reflective journal entries.


AbstractThe MgO granulated ground blast-furnace slag (GGBS) binder, as a novel binder, has gained increasing attention in recent decades in stabilization/solidification (S/S) to treat contaminated ...


The cis-doubly N-confused porphyrin (cis-N2CP, 1) and its Cu(III) and Ag(III) complexes (1–Cu, 1–Ag) form 1-D zigzag infinite chains through hydrogen-bonding interactions between the peripheral core nitrogens (N and NH) in the solid state. Each columnar structure consists of porphyrin rings with the same chirality.


In high-resolution scanning probe microscopy, it is becoming increasingly common to simultaneously record multiple channels representing different tip–sample interactions to collect complementary information about the sample surface. A popular choice involves simultaneous scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) measurements, which are thought to reflect the chemical and electronic properties of the sample surface. With surface-oxidized Cu(100) as an example, we investigate whether atomic-scale information on chemical interactions can be reliably extracted from frequency shift maps obtained while using the tunneling current as the feedback parameter. Ab initio calculations of interaction forces between specific tip apexes and the surface are utilized to compare experiments with theoretical expectations. The examination reveals that constant-current operation may induce a noticeable influence of topography-feedback-induced cross-talk on the frequency shift data, r...


Introduction Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the children's most common solid tumors, accounting for approximately 8% of pediatric malignancies and 15% of childhood cancer deaths. Somatic mutations in several genes, such as ALK, have been associated with NB progression and can facilitate the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies. However, the differential expression of mutated and wild-type alleles on the transcriptome level is poorly studied. Methods This study analyzed 219 whole-exome sequencing datasets with somatic mutations detected by MuTect from paired normal and tumor samples. Results We prioritized mutations in 8 candidate genes (RIMS4, RUSC2, ALK, MYCN, PTPN11, ALOX12B, ZNF44, and CNGB1) as potential driver mutations. We further confirmed the presence of allele-specific expression of the somatic mutations in NB with integrated analysis of 127 RNA-seq samples (of which 85 also had DNA-seq data available), including MYCN, ALK, and PTPN11. The allele-specific expression of mutations suggests that the same somatic mutation may have different effects on the clinical outcomes of tumors. Conclusion Our study suggests 2 novel variants of ZNF44 as a novel candidate driver gene for NB.


Corynebacterium ulcerans have been increasingly isolated from zoonotic diphtheria, as well as other human and companion animal infections by diphtheria toxin (TD) and non-diphtheria-producing samples. In addition to TD, C. ulcerans produces phospholipase D, exotoxin known as its main virulence factor and involved in the establishment of infectious processes. Previous studies showed the occurrence of others putative virulence factors coding genes in C. ulcerans genome. In Brazil, a case of diphtheria by TD-negative C. ulcerans strain and infectious mononucleosis co-infection was recently reported. The clinical sample isolated (2590) was analyzed by several phenotypic methods and, since there was no species identification, genotypic methods were carried out. Although the 2590 sample possessed the pld gene, it did not express PLD in a phenotypic test. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic and genotypic aspects of interaction mechanisms with biotic and abiotic surfaces, cytotoxicity and phospholipase activity of C. ulcerans samples, including 2590, in the colonization and establishment processes of infection in the host. API Coryne phenotyping system and the MALDI TOF method were not able to identify all the samples, but genotypic methods (mPCR and sequencing) were able to identify Corynebacterium species as well as the presence of the tox and pld genes. The CAMP test was efficient to observe PLD expression. Molecular assays demonstrated C. ulcerans pld gene heterogeneity and suggested rearrangements in the bacterial genome, but pld gene mutant construction was not performed. Independent of PLD production, C. ulcerans strains showed resistance to penicillin and clindamycin. Similarly, PLD expression also did not interfere with the ability to remain viable in biofilm formed on abiotic surfaces and on the ability to adhere, invade and survive within macrophages. Inversely, results suggested that PLD production by C. ulcerans strains can affect adherence and ability to invade HeLA cells, the affinity to human fibrinogen (Fbg), fibronectin (Fn) and type I collagen and in survival of Caernohabditis elegans nematodes and Galleria mellonella larvae. PLD and TD expression had influence in murine hematological profiles and induced skin lesions in mice, but TD production enhanced effects. The iron concentration had no effects in PLD expression evaluated by CAMP test. In conclusion, C. ulcerans strains can be found in human and animal populations in rural and urban areas, showing pathogenic potential of multifactorial nature. The results suggest that although PLD expression is crucial, it must be interconnected with other virulence factors for establishment of infectious processes.


Library service is not a full stop work.Yixing Municipal Public Library has actively expanded its services,enhanced radio of services,enriched content of services,provided diversified and personalized services for the grassroots,and allowed more people to enjoy public cultural services.This paper has introduced the practice of expanding services oat the Yixing Mu-nicipal Public Library.


. This article is based on research conducted between 1987 and 1994. It argues that the Conservative government has increasingly used the Welsh language as an instrument of political accommodation within Wales which has served to highlight the complexity of the relationship between the aims of the language movement and the aspirations of nationalists. The comparative perspective explores the situation in Canada and the Republic of Ireland and considers the proposition that the 'depoliticisation' of language in the context of the politics of nationalism is beneficial to a minority language.


Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) or von Recklinghausen′s disease is the most common disease inherited by a single gene and is multisystemic in nature. Anesthesia is required for excision of neurofibromas, which may cause cosmetic disfigurement, pressure effects (obstructive uropathy, hydronephrosis, kyphoscoliosis, hydrocephalus, proptosis, and superior vena cava syndrome) and may undergo malignant change. We report here the anesthetic management of an NF-1 patient with a malignant change in a nasopharyngeal neurofibroma requiring left maxillectomy and split skin grafting.


A lipophilic oligopeptide is used as an organocatalyst for the acylative kinetic resolution of racemic cycloalkane-1,2-diols using various acyl donors.


The paper examines the features of analytical articles in the mass media, which appear due to the interaction of different discourses that form a specific genre of media analytics. Using the material of original analytical articles written in English and German, and their published translations, the authors investigate manifestations of such characteristics as hybridity, diffuseness, intertextuality, as well as translation problems that arise during translation. Based on the analysis of scientific works on the issues of genre hybridity and diffuseness in media discourse, the authors clarify the ambiguous interpretation of the concept of diffuseness and define its boundaries with the concept of hybridity. The research also reveals the following forms of intertextuality caused by the interaction of discourses within the genre of analytical article on legal issues: reference to another text in the form of a hyperlink, citation, allusion. The analysis of fragments from analytical articles of media discourse containing manifestations of hybridity, diffuseness, and intertextuality demonstrates that a translator who is dealing with a text with these characteristics should excellently know the terminology of the basic and projective discourse in the original and target language, be aware of the neologization processes in both discourses, master stylistic transformations, and take into account the pragmatic factors caused by the interaction of the discourses.


Background: The World Health Organization has estimated that 81% of adolescents worldwide are not
sufficiently physically active. This study aimed to determine the level of physical activity and its associated
factors among adolescents in secondary schools in northeast Peninsular Malaysia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that involved Form 1 and Form 2 students from six public
secondary schools. The study included a multistage stratified cluster sampling and used the Malay version of
the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children and Body Image Contour Drawing Rating Scale. Data were
analyzed by simple and multiple logistic regressions using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 22.
Results: The study involved a total of 603 students who had a response rate of 89.7%. About 53% of the
students were physically inactive. Being female [adjusted OR (95% CI): 5.07 (3.57, 7.20)] and allocating
time for studying [adjusted OR (95% CI): 0.86 (0.75, 0.98)] were associated with physical inactivity.
Conclusions: The majority of adolescents were physically inactive. To achieve a higher level of physical
activity, intervention programs must consider the sex of adolescents and the amount of time they allocate
for activities. Objective assessment of physical activity using pedometer or accelerometer is recommended.


IR data for vapour, liquid and matrix-isolated bis(chlorocarbonyl) disulphide and Raman data for the liquid were obtained. The observed features agree with the existence of one conformer with C 2 symmetryy in both the liquid and vapour phases. The 13 C NMR spectrum was measured and the results were compared with those for related molecules. Some stretching force constants were derived for this conformer from semi-empirical calculations


Because of the ever fast improvement in people's living standard and prosperity of city lives, how to effectively manage the MSW problems becomes the key for the sustainable development of China's cities. This work uses the STIRPAT model to identify the different roles of population, people's affluence, urbanization and prosperity of tertiary industry in contributing to the growth of MSW in China. The final results have shown that among all the factors, the prosperity of tertiary industry and increase in urbanization are identified as the most sensitive factors that contribute to the growth of MSW in China, and the urbanization is the only factor that negatively contribute to the growing MSW. By carefully analyzing the developing trends of population, people's affluence, urbanization and tertiary industry in the future, it has been found that the generation of MSW is anticipated to continue growing, and encourage on efficiently classifying MSW after it generated and reusing them is one of the most important way for reducing the negative environmental impacts of mass MSW generation in cities.


Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis(PLAM) and enhance under standing.Methods:A PLAM case was analyzed by HE and immuno histochemical staining,and the related literature reviewed.Results:PLAM was a rare diffuse interstitial plumonary disease and was almost restricted to females who were generally premenopausal.The main clinicalmanifestations included dysnpea,pneumothorax and chylothorax.Pathological hallmarks of LAM are diffuse infiltration of the pulmonary parenchyma with atypical smooth muscle cells,include bronchioles,lymphatics and blood vesssels.IHC showed that characteristic smooth muscle cells were positive for Desmin,SMA,Vimentin,HMB45,estrogen and progesterone receptor expression.Conclusions:PALM has characteristic manifestation of clinicopathology and radiology,IHC show positive of HMB-45.As a diffuse lesion,the prognosis is worse.Now the research about the diagnosis and treatment of PLAM has improved,but we must investigate it more deeply in the future.


Right © 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim; This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8(7), 1800983; 2019, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201800983. This article may be used for noncommercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. NAOSITE: Nagasaki University's Academic Output SITE


Crew pairing problem (CPP) deals with generating crew pairings due to law and restrictions and selecting a set of crew pairings with minimal cost that covers all the flight legs. In the literature, CPP can be formulated as set covering problem (SCP) which is an NP-hard problem. In this study, we present a hybrid approach (HA) that combines genetic based heuristic (GBH) and integer programming (IP). GBH generates a reduced search space including legal crew pairings with high quality. IP solver is then used to solve set covering problem which selects the minimal cost pairings among solutions in the reduced search space. The effectiveness of the proposed HA is comparatively investigated using a random search algorithm (RSA) and column generation technique (CG). Computational results show that HA is more effective than RSA and CG in terms of the computation cost of solution quality.


Significance Central to the theory of phase transitions is the fact that the free energy can be written in a scale-invariant form that captures scaling exponent relations. Our work shows that, for the jamming transition, the elastic energy is the relevant free energy and can be expressed in a scale-invariant form consistent with known exponent relations. This result places jamming in the context of the theory of critical phenomena, suggesting the potential for a theoretical description of jamming on par with that of Ising criticality. It also provides powerful support for the idea that the observed commonality in the mechanical and thermal responses of disordered solids can be understood as a manifestation of universality associated with the critical jamming transition. We propose a Widom-like scaling ansatz for the critical jamming transition. Our ansatz for the elastic energy shows that the scaling of the energy, compressive strain, shear strain, system size, pressure, shear stress, bulk modulus, and shear modulus are all related to each other via scaling relations, with only three independent scaling exponents. We extract the values of these exponents from already known numerical or theoretical results, and we numerically verify the resulting predictions of the scaling theory for the energy and residual shear stress. We also derive a scaling relation between pressure and residual shear stress that yields insight into why the shear and bulk moduli scale differently. Our theory shows that the jamming transition exhibits an emergent scale invariance, setting the stage for the potential development of a renormalization group theory for jamming.


China is slowly laying a solid foundation upon which democracy can one day be built. Democracy is not inevitable, but when scholars of the twenty-first century look back on the 1980s and 1990s, they may identify this period as a turning point in the process of China's democratization.


Neurooncology is a fascinating field that requires very different capacities: its first mission is to insure the management and diagnosis of primary central nervous system tumors as well as metastases of systemic cancers of the brain and spinal cord. The management of those tumors is highly complicated and requires the input and knowledge from experts of multiple medical specialties including neurology, oncology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, neuroradiology and neuropathology. Because of this, a truly multidisciplinary team that is able to consider all aspects of the management of the patient is essential. Every single one of these specialties has seen an important progress in recent years. This is nicely illustrated in the present issue with two specific topics. Leptomeningeal dissemination is a common but often poorly understood complication of systemic cancer. It deserves a complete review of the current state of the art of its management. Finally, 2016 has been marked by a series of key publications of randomized trials for low-grade gliomas. These findings and how they might change daily practice are summarized in this issue. On the other hand, the second mission of neurooncology is the identification and management of


The partial offloading technologies in the cooperative mobile edge computing (MEC) networks are considered as promising solutions to enable the emerging latency-sensitive and compute-intensive applications. In this paper, we characterize the performance model of an energy-aware MEC networks with multiple servers cooperatively computing a set of interdependent tasks. To minimize the total delay of the whole process of the set of tasks, an optimal offloading design is provided under given energy constraints. In particular, we provide an optimal solution to the offloading problem, which makes a 3-dimensional decision (matrix) representing at which time instant to offload which task to which server. Via simulation, we investigate the performance of the proposed design for the tasks with different interdependency structures. In particular, the impacts of the number of MEC servers, CPU frequencies and in the proposed algorithm on the system performance are studied. In addition, the tradeoff between the delay performance and computation complexity is addressed.


The present invention discloses monoclonal antibodies 5C1 and related antibodies. The antibody binds to the 5C1 epitope of α-synuclein is located within 118 to 126 residues. Antibody of the present invention can be used, for example, the treatment and / or diagnosis of α-synuclein, particularly α-synuclein aggregation-related disorders. These disorders include Lewy body disease, e.g., Parkinson's disease, diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD), Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease (the LBV), integrated Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, simple autonomic failure and multiple system atrophy (MSA).


Strong correlation between index change and stress change in irradiated optical fibers is reported. The stress increases with fluence. Stress changes and hence index changes seem to be due to a compaction of the fiber core


Complex organizations are characterized by distributed decision making, and require a sharing of perspectives among distributed decision makers if they are to coordinate activity and adapt to changing circumstances. This paper explains the process of perspective taking and its roles in human communication, mutual trust, and organizational learning. SPIDER is a software environment for enriching communication among managers by improving their ability to represent and exchange understandings of the situations they face. Cognitive maps linked to underlying assumptions are used as a basis for sharing their perspectives and enabling coordination of distributed decision making.


Acute lung injury is among the most serious conditions that affect the lung which is characterized by an exacerbation of inflammatory response that can result from a severe lung infection. The enantiomers of carvone (L and D) are found in various plants species each with special pharmacological effects; where, the levo (L)-carvone is chiral monoterpenoid ketone present in the essential oils of dill, caraway, and spearmint and possess many pharmacological properties like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticonvulsant effects. In a previous study, L-carvone inhibited mucositis induced by irinotecan. This study is the first to evaluate the lung anti-inflammatory protective effects, and potential mechanism of action of L-carvone in acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide by measuring the gene expression level of inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, cyclooxygenase-2 and nuclear factor-kappa of activated B cells) by conducting real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction test.


A new route to d0 magnetism is established with the help of the first-principles methods. Non-magnetic elements in groups 13 and 14 of the periodic table are found to act as the magnetic centers upon embedding in polycrystalline α-PbO structure. Thus, the local magnetic moment is generated on the impurity site ( and for elements in groups 13 and 14, respectively) due to p orbitals partially filled with electrons whose on-site spin ordering is governed by the first Hund's rule. The magnetic interactions between impurities are controlled by occupation of the p orbitals so that antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering occurs between impurities of while ferromagnetic (FM) ordering occurs between impurities possessing . With respect to the strength of the magnetic interactions, the atomic radius of impurity is found to be a key element to tune the wave function tails of localized electrons: with the reduction of the atomic radius, the on-site stability of the spin-polarized state grows while losing in the long-range order interactions. However, it has been shown that a suppression of the long-range order interactions can be compensated by higher impurity concentration that is allowed by the shift of the solubility limit to higher magnitude.


Prof.Wang learns both warm and cold ways treating allergic urticaria in clinic effectively by expelling wind and regulating the spleen,regulating nutrient qi and defensive qi,The paper selected 3 cases for the readers' reference.


DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification,affecting chromatin structure and gene expression in plants.The research of DNA methylation is essential to plant development and evolution.This paper summarizes DNA methylation characteristics,related mechanism(RNA-dependent DNA methylation,RdDM),biological functions and detection methods in order to understand DNA methylation in plants.


The present research examined the role of a fiction al character's trustworthiness on narrative persuasion. The authors suggest that trus tworthiness indicators within the story, rather than paratextual cues (fact-fiction-labeling ) affect persuasive outcomes. An experiment on fuel-efficient driving behavior (gree n driving) was conducted, with behavioral intentions and self-reported behavior (t hree weeks post-exposure) as dependent variables. A story with a trustworthy character who introduced green driving behavior led to stronger intentions to engage in fuel-efficient driving among car owners than a story with a less trustworthy character who provided the same information or a control story. Low character trustworthiness was particularly detrimen tal to story-consistent intentions and behavior for recipients who were not deeply immerse d into the story world (low narrative presence).


Pensions played a key role in the Greek fiscal crisis of 2010. This paper analyses a specific failure of pension system governance: the possibility of manipulating the vague boundary between social policy and occupational pensions. The vagueness of the boundary arises from the dual nature of pensions — as instruments of social and corporate policy. Where first pillar pension provision is segmented, this boundary can be fudged, giving rise to the possibility of appropriating public subsidies for occupational pensions. Though the implications of this for equity were understood long ago, change was finally imposed by the obligation to account for pension promises under International Accounting Standards. The indirect effect of this was to force the demarcation of an upward boundary to social policy responsibility. This paper, after setting up the analytical issue, outlines its manifestation in Greece, and examines the solution given in 2005—6. This methodology has acquired wider significance by being employed by the European Commission as an instrument in the analysis of issues of state aid.


of Froman et al. was used for the isolation of phage. Samples of soil, weighing 100 g, fertilized with human or chicken feces were taken into sterilized bottles and kept at 37 C. Four to ten day cultures of several different strains of saprophytic acid-fast bacilli and M. avium were suspended in distilled water after washing and were inoculated twice weekly. After six to ten inoculations the supernatant fluid was filtered through a Berkefeld bacterial filter and a drop of each of the soil filtrates was spotted on a 3 per cent glycerol agar plate which had been inoculated previously with each of the microorganisms used in enrichments. Phage dilutions of 108 particles per ml were used to determine the susceptibility of the organism. As nine phage strains were obtained out of nine samples of soil, the efficiency of isolation was 100 per cent. The efficiency, however, was very low when unfertilized soil was used as a source. Most of the phage strains isolated had a lytic activity against certain strains of virulent tubercle bacilli. Four phage strains were active not only against saprophytic acid-fast bacilli but also against human, bovine, avian, murine and so-called cold-blooded types of tuberele bacilli. The phage strain which had the broadest host range was named Bi. The plaque type of Bi on host strain M. avium (Jucho) is shown in figure 1. Bi had a lytic activity against 8 out of 10 strains of human type, 1 out of 3 strains of bovine type, 3 out of 4 strains of avian type, 1 strain of murine type, 1 strain of so-called coldblooded type of tuberele bacilli and 37 out of 57 saprophytic strains. An electron micrograph of an air-dried specimen of Bi is shown in figure 2 The heads were about 70 to 75 m,u in diameter and the tails were about 170 to 200 mu in length.


In this paper, a controller for robot manipulators is proposed to guarantee the tracking error of the systems bounded by predefined decreasing boundary. In this control scheme, a multi-layer neural network is used to approximate the unknown non-linear items, and the robustifying control term is used to compensate the approximation errors. The adaptive laws of weights of the neural network and robustifying control term are derived based on the Lyapunov stability analysis, so that, under appropriate assumptions, the transient and steady-state error bounds can be guaranteed. Compared with the existing work, the adaptable parameters in the proposed method do not need an off-line training procedure for better approximation. Simulations performed on a two-link robot manipulator illustrate the developed controller and demonstrate its performance.


Long-chained alkylammonium salts (C12 and C16) obtained from chiral N-benzoyl-amino acids were tested against Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus, to evaluate their antibacterial efficacy. The bactericidal activity (MBC) determined by the membrane filtration technique and the bacteriostatic activity values suggested anionic group participation. The participation of the anion moiety, depended on nature and configuration of the amino acid. Stereoselective interactions appeared between bacteria and the cationic surfactants tested.


The Special Issue is aimed at exploring from the theoretical and empirical points of view the concept of border in contemporary cultural psychology. Borders is an innovative multidisciplinary theoretical construct that is raising interest in human and social sciences. Different psycho-social processes can be explored and understood focusing on what happens on the border. From the perspective of cultural psychology, borders are the outcome of culturally organized processes which are not fixed, but based on a continuous organization and reorganization of the I-Other-World relationships. Borders are not rigid and durable delimitations, but they are processes of semiotic configuration that make possible human actions in a given environment.


In areas where the annual low flow series is generated by more than one distinct hydrological process, a compounded Gumbel distribution can provide a satisfactory fit to the empirical data. The annual low flows of rivers in Northern Ontario are the result of storage depletion following either long periods of below freezing temperatures at the end of winter or early spring (spring low flows), or high evaporation in late summer and early fall (fall low flows). Use of the compounded Gumbel distribution adequately represents the return periods of low flows for the rivers studied. Parameters estimated for the distribution show noticeable spatial trends both in terms of the seasonal mean and the standard deviation of the low flows.


This paper addresses the robust stabilization of parametric uncertain switched linear systems with unstable subsystems and constrained switching with dwell time. First, sufficient conditions for asymptotic stabilization of the nominal switched linear systems via static state feedback gains and dwell time switching are proposed. Then, for the parametric uncertain switched linear systems, a theorem is given to design the collection of static state feedback gains, such that the closed loop switched system with dwell time is robustly asymptotically stable. Additionally, the proposed conditions will also be adopted to design the stabilizing state feedback gains for the cases with arbitrarily fast switching signals. The obtained results are based on the assumption that all the nominal subsystems are controllable. Numerical examples are also included to show the efficiency of the results.


The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 4 different dry-aging conditions on sensory properties of bone-in loin and tritip muscles of Hanwoo beef. The sensory scores in tenderness, juiciness, flavor-likeness and overall likeness of dry-aged loin and tritip muscles increased as the aging period increased. Among four treatments, T2 (2°C, RH 65%, 20 d + 2°C, RH 75%, 20 d + 4°C, RH 85%, 50 d) and T3 (2°C, RH 75%, 20 d + 4°C, RH 85%, 40 d) had significantly higher sensory scores whereas T1 (2°C, 85%, 60 d) had significantly lower scores in tenderness, juiciness, flavor-likeness and overall likeness scores evaluated at 20, 40, 60 d for bone-in loin muscles (P < 0.05). T2 also had significantly higher scores than the other treatments at 20 d for tritip muscle (P < 0.05). Thus, gradual increases in temperature and humidity by stages at 2–4°C and an RH of 65–85% for 60–90 d significantly improved the sensory properties of dry-aged beef. However, the effects of treatment conditions can be different depending on the location of the beef cut.


Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (522 aa, ~59 kDa) is encoded by the human CGAS gene. This protein plays a role both cyclic dinucleotide synthesis and immune response activation.


This paper sets out to investigate into the development of English majors' productive vocabulary. The results indicated that the subjects expanded their productive vocabulary during their English learning at the university. This was evidenced by their consistent increase of word tokens, word types and lexical density?The index of lexical levels profile manifested its improvements on the first 1000 word level, the second 1000 word level and the beyond 3000 word level. Significant differences were found in the beyond 3000 word level, which is significant at the 0.05 levels. While the development tendency of the third 1000 word level was inconsistent. As for lexical variation, a very slight progress took place after a sliding back.


Currently, taking into consideration the high risk of outbreak of conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, what is connected with religious-ethnic tensions, nuclear power proliferation or superpowers' completion in order to establish its own influences, Qatar in its effective activities in conflict resolution appears as a regional phenomenon in the XXI century. Among the international community Qatar showed how to use its own economic and political potential to become regional political power. There are chosen four case studies of Qatari mediation in order to present means and effects of diplomatic conflict resolution: political crisis in Lebanon, war in Sudanese Darfur, conflict between rebels and government forces in Yemen and rarely exemplified in the context of Qatari mediation – Eritrea-Djibouti dispute. Mediation as a diplomatic means of conflict resolution is correlated with the strategy of foreign policy of Qatar. This strategy depends on making 'brand' of the state in the international relations, strengthen its own security and stability and expanding own sphere of influence.


2 Abstract: Prawn is a popular delicacy sold at high market price. In the present study the total lipid content of three tissues namely hepatopancreas, gills and muscles of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium malcomsonii were analysed in two different groups. Among them, one group of Juveniles and three groups of sub adults with different sizes were selected. The results of the present study showed the variation in total lipid concentration of the hepatopancreas, gills and muscles in different stages. Among the two different stages such as juveniles and three groups of sub adults, the maximum lipid concentration was noticed in juvenile prawn muscles (0.748±0.048mg/g) and minimum in the hepatopancreas (0.298±0.016mg/g). In three groups of sub adults, the maximum lipid concentration was noticed hepatopancreas (1.230±0.220mg/g) in group IV and minimum was noticed muscle (0.590±0.051mg/g) in group II. Whereas the percentage difference between the groups were noticed maximum in group I vs. group IV (105.5%) and minimum was in group 1 and 2 (4.67%). The total lipid content was found to be more in the hepatopancreas when compared to muscles and gills in both juveniles and three groups of sub adults.


In this paper, I discuss how I personally became involved with the Ban Chiang site and what we have learned from studies of the human skeletons from the American-Thai excavations in 1974 and 1975, skeletons that are currently curated at the University of Hawaii. The topics reviewed include the health, life span, diet, life style, and the biological relationships and possible origins of the ancient inhabitants of Ban Chiang. Special mention is made of one of the noteworthy burials from the 1974 excavation, BC Burial 23, which was dubbed, "Vulcan", by the excavators.


The utility model is to reproduce an image, which is intended by a person who captures the image, a director who directs the image capture or the like, more quickly and precisely at a scene of post-production. The developing apparatus comprises: an image pickup unit for performing an image pickup to generate RAW data; a first conversion unit for converting the generated RAW data to image data by means of interpolation; an acquisition unit for acquiring an exposure index value corresponding to the illumination of an image capture environment; a first correction unit for correcting the value of the image data on the basis of the exposure index value; and an output unit for outputting the RAW data and the acquired exposure index value in such a manner that the RAW data is associated with the acquired exposure index value.


Management of the battery of the pool is considered intelligent management changes over time in health status and of those of all of the battery of the pool. Management method determines the priority criterion comprises the step of charging (F2) the selected (F1) battery based on priority criteria. After the selected battery is charged, the electrical parameter indicative of the battery is measured (F3), then, is analyzed on the basis of the electrical parameters health status of the selected battery was measured (F4). Priority criteria are then updated based on the health condition of the battery (F5). Selection of the next battery to be charged is based on the updated priority criterion. Measurement parameters used to analyze the health state preferably represents an activating effect occurring during partial discharges a fully charged state battery.


Salt inducible kinases (SIKs) have a role in various biological process, including tumourigenesis in a tissue-dependent manner. However, their role in colorectal cancer (CRC) has yet to be established. We hypothesise that SIKs are differentially expressed in CRC, both promoting and preventing tumourigenesis.

 SIK mRNA expression was determined within the Cardiff CRC cohort using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and clinicopathological features were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were created. SIK protein expression in CRC tissue were analysed using immunohistochemistry. SIK knockdown (KD) models were created to investigate the role of SIKs on barrier function and migration in vitro.

 Low SIK levels within CRC tissue were associated with poorer clinicopathological features. At the protein level, SIKs were downregulated in CRC tissue. Reduced expression of SIK2 and SIK3 were linked to poorly differentiated tumours. SIK KD induced different effects on cell barrier function, depending on the cell type. SIK KD increased cell migration in HT115 cells but reduced it in HRT18 cells.

 Following translation, SIK expression was lower in CRC tumours than in normal tissue. Low SIK levels correlated to poorer clinicopathological characteristics, demonstrating their protective role in CRC. SIK loss contributed to cell-cell barrier dysregulation in vitro, revealing a possible mechanism of how SIKs regulate the metastatic potential of tumours. We demonstrate for the first time, the expression and role of all three SIKs in the tumourigenesis of CRC. This novel discovery has revealed possible therapeutic targets and biomarkers.


ABSTRACTReading two of Montaigne's essays - I, 21: "De la force de l'imagination", and III, 11: "Des boyteux" - this study argues that it is no longer urgent to construct Montaigne as a liberal free-thinker on witchcraft. Instead, it appears that he was deeply rooted in the conceptual turbulences of his own time. This rootedness, nevertheless, escapes the local and comes to its readers as general and powerful. How this happens, a wonder of reception history, involves moving his local witches onto a stage with its own historicity, a stage of the imagination itself.


The author's sketch of Nicephoros Blemmydes is misleading: Missing are the authoritative textual studies done in France by Michel Stavrou.This is equally true of the Greek scholarship published since the 1950s.Absent are the contributions by G. P.Theodoroudis, S. S. Mpilalis, N. Xexakis, Ch. N. Sabbatou, and N. Ioannidis. The editing is careless. Innumerable names are routinely given different spellings (startlingly,often in the same sentence), and phrases in sentences are repeated. Furthermore, there are odd errors in transliteration (homoousias, eisogesis, and so forth). Emperor John Cantacuzenos (1347) is correctly identified in one page and then several pages later is said to be present (as "Cantacuzene") at Florence (1439).


The present research discuss the main issues and approaches to multi-language design. Two
research directions are currently explored by the EDA community. The first is based on the
computation models underlying the languages while the second deals with the specification languages
themselves.


This article applies virtual reality technology with hardware-building courses in the Virtual Laboratory. Provides a new effective method to construct a experiment teaching environment integrating experiment teaching, the operation, the instruction, the result submission. Carried the exploration on the hardware class curriculum Virtual laboratory design concept, the Virtual laboratory construction pattern, the Virtual laboratory work flow, the Virtual laboratory work realizes the technology and so on. We have made some beneficial attempts on the facet of the reform tradition teaching method, the sharing educational resources, raising the teaching level and saving the investment.


The purpose of this study is to clarify the image of the public health nurseCPHN) and the motive fbr selecting the profession that Beginner public health nurses, who will be engaged in work in the administratiye organization, have at time of employment, Semistructured interviews ancl observations were conducted on 14 Beginner PHNs by four lntervlewers. As a result of content analysis, 3 categories were found for PHN's image, which were ; one, focusing on details of the activities of the PHN, two, focusing on the reEationship to resiclents, and three, conceming secial image, Concenning Conviction level of PHN's image, Begirmer PHNs eloquently stated text-bookishly but scarcely referred to specific episodes or own thoughts, and had no confidence in own expressions. In addition, there were 2 Career choice motives, Beginner PHNs had some interest in the cherished praise, and they came to some vague reasons. It will be important o approach Beginner PHNs by presenting effective moclel of the PHN, and by having them go through actual experiences. KEY WOanS PHN's image, Career choice motive, Professional identity, Beginner PHNs INTRODUCTION Moreover, tlirough changes in the social climate surThrough the integration of the cuniculum 'fbr genrounding the PHN, such as the enactment of the eral nurses and public health nurses (PHNs). caused Community Health Law and the Health Promotion by a rapjd increase in Nursing Universities, the tirne Law, and the implementation of a nursing-care insurfor practical training was relatively reduced, and the anee system, the social ethics of administrative orlevel achieved at the tirne of graduation could not be ganization employees who engage in the evaluated as adequate enough to perfbrrn work as a administrative organization are rigorously questioned, public health nurse (PHN) in the communityi'. with an emphasis on accountability and privacy pro Scheol of Healtli Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa University * Scheel of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University ef the Ryt]kyus ** Schoel of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University *** Minami-Kaga Public Health Center, Ishikawa Prefectural Goveniment ****Ishikawa Centrai Public Health Center. Ishikawa Prefectural Govemment


Conditions for two gas bubbles in a liquid to rise steadily in a vertical line are derived theoretically with these assumptions: large Reynolds number, no surface contamination, spherical shape, negligible gas density and viscosity. Drag coefficients are found, and are lower than for single bubbles. The bubbles have equilibrium distances apart, which are calculated to a first approximation. The equilibrium is shown to be stable to small vertical disturbances but unstable to horizontal ones. Similar results exist for lines of more than two bubbles, but are not calculated in detail.


The moving table technique for total body irradiation (MTT TBI) has some advantages in regard to dose homogeneity, patient positioning and comfort. However, divergence of the radiation field coupled with patient motion necessitates corresponding motion of the shielding blocks and verification film so that penumbra is minimized. MTT TBI system is presented, together with dose calculations, incorporating moving trays for shields and film to ensure dose delivery with minimal penumbra of the blocked field. q 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


regression. Twenty-nine consecutive patients (16 women and 13 men) aged 62+10 yr underwent lobectomy, chest wall resection, and lung decortication with a mean length of surgery of 141+86 min and 94+56 min of one-lung ventilation (OLV). In total, 941 data points were collected, each point corresponding to an upper and a lower hemisphere value. Forty-three values were excluded where no or unstable signal was detected in one of the two hemispheres, and 898 data points were included in the final analysis. The observations were distributed as follows: 22% of data were before, 59% during, and 9% after OLV. SctO2 of the upper hemisphere was significantly higher in 56% of patients, equal in 18% and lower than the lower hemisphere in 26% (P,0.0001 vs symmetrical distribution) (Fig. 1). On average, SctO2 in the upper hemisphere was 1.3% higher than the lower hemisphere (95% CI of the mean 1.06–1.49, P,0.0001). The inter-hemispheric SctO2–difference increased by 0.038+0.017% for each 1% increase in SctO2 (P,0.03). In lateral position, the upper hemisphere shows significantly higher SctO2 values; the difference in the values of the lower hemisphere increases further with increasing SctO2 values. Although this significant difference might not have a clinical impact in the majority of the patients and settings, it is interesting to note that there are differences in the lateral position, which are possibly because of changes in venous pressure or deoxygenation. Further studies might be needed to find out what happens in these situations.


Drawing from interviews of teachers and directors at three international medical training programs, and guided by a conceptual framework of themes in the literature, Brouwer et al. describe three areas of ethical concern in international medical education. First, faculty may believe international medical education is commodified when the goal of financial profitability leads to lower admission or training standards.


Cross sound cable(CSC) project is an underwater cable link between Connecticut and Long Island,New York,with the environmentally friendly HVDC light technology from ABB.CSC project was designed for a ±150 kV and 330 MW HVDC transmission system,which had the largest capacity and highest voltage level in all commissioning HVDC light projects.CSC had put into work in 2002 and was also designed to promote competition in the New York and New England electricity markets by enabling electricity to be traded among power generators and customers in both regions.VSC-based HVDC technology was adopted in this project,which could provide flexible operation for the project.Another key feature of the HVDC technology in CSC was the ability to precisely control power transfers.In this paper,characteristics,system design,operation and maintenances of CSC project were introduced.


Since the 1970s, people in Melanesian countries have been beguiled by the prospect of economic development that would enable them to participate in a world market economic system and so allow them to progress, to improve their standards of living and to take their places as independent nations in a modern world. The forms of participation available to them and those encouraged by international capital entailed the extraction of natural resources – minerals, timber and fish. In these enterprises, the 'developers' provided the capital and the Melanesians provided the resources and sometimes the cheap labor. These projects were also viewed as ways of supporting emergent independent national governments through equity agreements, taxes and royalties. 'Development' referred to both the economic and the political processes facilitated by resource extraction by multinational corporations. Globalization, like 'development,' is a loose term that describes or theorizes the processes whereby economic activities in these small islands are constituted within a broad financial and political landscape that is shaped by the distant, 'developed' nations and their linked corporations. It encompasses the financial, economic and political policies and practices of this imagined entity – the 'global economy' – and incorporates the communication made possible through electronic media. But 'globalization' also includes the emergence of 'global culture' and the dissemination of knowledge, ideas and desires. As with the economic imperatives, the cultural forces originate predominantly in


Background: Inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are known to impair skeletal muscle (SM) function. Furthermore, TNF-α induces the expression of atrogin-like muscle specific ubiquitin E3-ligases, presumed to mediate muscle atrophy. The relative contributions of respective ubiquitin ligases, like MuRF1 for the TNF-α induced reduction in muscle function are not known. Methods: TNF-α or saline was injected either into C57Bl6 or MuRF1 −/− mice. After 16 –24h the expression of MuRF1 in the SM was quantified by qRT-PCR and western blot. Muscle function was measured in an organ bath. To obtain a broader overview on potential alterations, 2D-gel electrophoresis was performed. Results: WT animals injected with TNF-α had higher MuRF1 mRNA (saline: 56.6±12.1 vs. TNF-α: 133.6±30.3 arb. Units; p −/− mice. Furthermore, TNF- α reduced force development at 150Hz by 25% in C57Bl6 animals (saline: 2412±120 vs. TNF-α: 1799±114 g/cm2; p −/− mice (saline: 2424±198 vs. TNF-α: 2431±180 g/cm2; p=NS). The proteome analysis revealed a significant down-regulation of fast skeletal muscle troponin T (TNNT3) in WT animals treated with TNF- α as compared to MuRF1 −/− mice receiving TNF-α . In addition, TNF-α injection into C57Bl6 animals resulted in a down-regulation of eEF1γ ( WT: 0.60±0.02 vs. WT+TNF-α: 0.39±0.05 arb. Units; p −/− mice receiving TNF- α (KO: 0.59±0.03 vs. KO+TNF-α: 0.68±0.01 arb. Units; p Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate for the first time, that the TNF- α induced reduction in SM force development depends on the induction of the atrophy related E3-ubiquitin ligase MuRF1. A link for the reduction in muscle force may be the TNF-α-MuRF1-mediated down-regulation of TNNT3 and the elongation factor eEF1γ.


When I first saw this book, I was slightly taken aback by the title. This personal reaction caused me to reflect a little on how residential care is represented in the wider world. I reached the conclusion that both the media and certain policy documents paint such a poor picture of residential care that we become shocked if anyone says a good word about our profession. Yet in my own experience, I know that a huge amount of excellent work happens. I would say that the majority of young people with whom my colleagues have worked would admit to being better off for having experienced true caring relationships from residential child care practitioners. This book is an affirmation of my personal experience and that of my colleagues.


One elementary teacher's planning decisions were studied during five months of classroom instruction. Both ethnographic anc information-processing approaches were used to describe distinctive features of the teacher's planning "technology" and to develop two models of teacher,planning. The structural model identifies five levels of planning used by this teacher and describes the goals, cues, form, and effectiveness criteria used at each level. The process model represents decision processes ,differing from the goals-alternatives-choice sequence of the linear planning model. Problem finding, problem formulation, and a design process involving cycles of plan elaboration and mental "trying out" are presented as major planning prbcesses.


Abstract Coupled multielectrode array sensors (CMAS) have been used as online and real-time monitors for localized corrosion in both laboratory and field systems. In a CMAS probe, multiple miniature electrodes made of materials identical to the engineering component are used as sensing electrodes. The application of CMAS at high temperatures, up to 150°C in corrosive environments, however, is limited by degradation of the insulating mounting material, such as epoxy. Degradation of the mounting material can lead to crevice corrosion and causes an increase in the exposed surface area of the electrodes. In this study, the effectiveness of a diamond-like carbon film to protect the Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) electrodes in an acidic sodium chloride-sodium nitrate-potassium nitrate (NaCl-NaNO3-KNO3) salt mixture was demonstrated at 150°C. The average localized corrosion rate measured from the probe with coated electrodes in the NaCl-NaNO3-KNO3 salt mixture at 150°C was approximately 0.43 μm/y. In contrast, the averag...


The accurate identification of areas of ecosystem degradation and an objective evaluation of the effects of ecological restoration projects is necessary for ecological management and planning at the landscape scale.Ecological degradation and ecological restoration are dynamic equilibrium processes,while degradation must be considered relative to the pristine state of the ecosystem,and need to be analyzed from a time series perspective.Satellite remote sensing is widely used in ecological monitoring and assessment,as it provides extensive coverage,good spatial and temporal continuity and a long time-series dataset.This paper proposes a method for the identification of areas of ecosystem degradation and ecosystem recovery using long time-series satellite remote sensing and precipitation data,which are integrated into trend analyses of the precipitation use efficiency(PUE) and a normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI).The PUE is calculated as the ratio of cumulative NDVI to precipitation.Significantly reduced PUE and NDVI values indicate that ecological degradation is occurring,while increasing PUE and NDVI values indicate ecological recovery.This method was applied to the headwater catchment of the Yellow River basin in China using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer NDVI data from 1982 to 2006 and meteorological data from the same time period.The annual PUE value was calculated using the cumulative NDVI and precipitation in the growing season for each pixel.A comparative analysis of the trends in PUE and NDVI was undertaken to detect areas of ecosystem degradation and restoration.The results show that:(i) The average PUE and NDVI values across the region increased slightly,and the area undergoing ecosystem rehabilitation during 1982—2006 comprised more than 80% of the study area.(ii) The degraded area,with significantly negative trends in the PUE and NDVI values,mainly occurred in the region surrounding Maduo County,Zaling and Eling lakes and Longyangxia Reservoir.Significant ecosystem recovery was found in southeast part of the study area,where strong positive trends were identified in the PUE and NDVI values.(iii) The areas with ecosystem degradation and restoration detected in this study were consistent with the current grassland degradation situation in the headwater catchment of the Yellow River basin,indicating that this method is reliable and could be applied to the evaluation of the regional ecosystem.(iv) The PUE value is partially dependent on changes in the precipitation,so false ecosystem degradation or ecosystem recovery trends may be identified caused by rapid increases and decreases,respectively,in the precipitation rate.For example,a decrease PUE in Xining City was partly caused by increased precipitation.Evaluating the trends in both PUE and NDVI may avoid the errors caused by using PUE as the only factor when evaluating ecosystem degradation and recovery.This method is simple,feasible,usable and practical,and the required data are easily accessible.This method allows ecosystem changes to be studied at the landscape scale,and can be used for a preliminary investigation prior to a large scale survey of ecological degradation or restoration.The results of this study suggest that evaluating the temporal change in PUE and NDVI may provide a useful large-scale indicator of landscape degradation or recovery at decadal time intervals.We recommend the broad-scale application of this method,using temporal trends in the PUE and NDVI.This study provides a scientific basis for the planning and regulation of ecological reconstruction in the headwater catchment of the Yellow River basin,China.


A mutant (DNA GC 70%) of Pseudomonas testosteroni (DNA GC 60%) has been shown to produce new strains of P. testosteroni having the same GC content as the parent strain 78 (60 moles %). Analyses of the protein and analogous enzymes by electrophoresis reveal an acidic alteration in the charge of all soluble proteins. Evaluation of the organisms in the Bacillus and Paracolon systems clearly demonstrates that total protein charge alterations from acidic to basic or basic to acidic are common features associated with alterations of DNA base compositions. The reported DNA content changes of mutants appears to follow a rule of single or multiple 25% substitution of parental adenine-thymine content to guanine-cytosine content in the mutant produced. The accuracy of this prediction of such a percentage change in mutant DNA content is presented.

The common features of extent of GC alteration and protein charge changes observed in the Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Paracolon systems suggest the possibility of a single mutational event producing an organism which is classified in a genus other then the parent.


In this book, energy consumption in the household sector is examined. Barriers to and enablers of energy efficiency in households in relation to governmental policy formulation, the implementation ...


Now that the Department of Health's website has now been rebooted-with virtually its entire history of policy pronouncements, forward plans and press releases shoved off to the National Archives-and a new Year Zero established, it can be hard to put current events in their historical context. Hard, but not impossible.


This study reports students' perceptions of the classroom management techniques utilized in fourteen classrooms at eight junior high schools in one province in Vietnam. It examines data from 498 students in fifteen high schools in one district in Vietnam in grades 10 to 12 to identify how teachers' use of various management techniques, and the extent to which these relate to outcome variables - student misbehavior, responsibility and distraction from schoolwork. The results indicate that Vietnamese teachers use least punishment and aggression, and most discussion, recognition, and hinting. The results obtained from multiple regression analyses also show that techniques of the classroom management as predictors of student misbehavior, responsibility and distraction from schoolwork. Of the five classroom management techniques investigated, students' perceptions of teachers' use of punishment, aggression, discussion, and recognition had the most powerful effect on outcome variables. Among school management techniques, punishment and aggression negatively related to student responsibility, while discussion, recognition, and hinting positively related to student misbehavior and distraction from schoolwork. Implications of these findings are discussed.


The article considers a case from expert practice, the example of which shows the difficulties that a forensic medical expert may face when determining the cause of death. A diaphragm rupture was not recognized in the victim in a traffic accident during her lifetime, which was a random finding during the examination of the corpse. With a seemingly undoubted effect on the onset of death, the detected damage was not the cause, but only accelerated its onset in a victim with initially severe diseases of the cardiovascular system


Crop wild relative (CWR) conservation planning has started in many European countries with some of them having developed national CWR conservation strategies. The development of the European PGRFA In Situ Conservation Network has been implemented through the H2020 "Farmer's Pride" project but it did not have sufficient funds to include all European countries. Funding is required to ensure those countries currently uninvolved are able to identify populations and sites, and prepare applications to join the European in situ PGRFA conservation network. The project "Inclusion of CWR sites in European in situ network" was approved for financing under ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme (Phase X) First Call for proposals. The aim is to improve national capacities for in situ PGRFA management in Lithuania, Cyprus, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania, Croatia and Serbia. The joint effort from the ECPGR Working Group "Wild Species Conservation in Genetic Reserves" and the "Farmer's Pride" Project contributed to the development of European strategy for CWR conservation, National and European MAWP selection and thus biodiversity conservation. Mountain Fruška gora has been proposed for inclusion as the MAWP site, while wild garlic - Allium ursinum and a sunflower CWR - Helianthus tuberosus have been proposed as the MAWP populations from Serbia for the European CWR in situ Network.


Abstract Based on principles of mechanics, it is found that the direction in which Shockley partial dislocations are bent in the process of forming a stacking-fault tetrahedron from a triangular dissociated Frank loop, should point to the base edges of the Frank loop. This is in the opposite direction to that previously presented. The angles concerned are calculated and discussed.


The Falcon Basin developed during the late Eocene as a result of dextral strike slip movement along the Caribbean-South American plate boundary. During the Oligocene and early Miocene as much as 16,000 ft. of sediment, predominantly sandstones and shales, accumulated within the east-west trending pull-apart basin. Localized carbonate buildups were also developing in association with the Paraguana and Dabajuro Platforms. During the middle to late Miocene, uplift of the now emergent Central Falcon Basin Anticlinorium resulted in the northward progradation of delta systems. Sandstones associated with these deltas now make up the producing reservoirs within the basin. The complex present day structural configuration is the result of continued movement along the Caribbean-South American plate boundary. Landsat imagery and field mapping indicate a basin dominated by northeast trending folds and thrust faults and fracture patterns commonly associated with dextral strike-slip movement. Commercial production is currently limited to the Tiguaje and Cumarebo areas. The former occurs as four small fields ([plus minus]52 MMBO) related to structures developed by dextral movement along the Oca fault. The latter Cumarebo Field ([plus minus]60 MMBO) is a thrusted anticline on the northern flank of the Falcon foldbelt. The tectonic complexity and sandstone-dominated nature of the onshoremore » Falcon Basin severely limit potential field size. Significant, yet currently undeveloped, reserves have also been discovered offshore in the Gulf of La Vela. Fractured granite, carbonates and sandstones associated with tilted fault block structures have tested hydrocarbons in several wells.« less


n this work, we are interested in the development of a Discontinous Galerkin Method (DGM) for sound absorbing materials. These materials are commonly used for noise and vibration control. The objective of this method is to discretize the structure and to represent in each element the field as a superposition of local solutions such as plane waves. This type of methods have shown their efficiency by requiring much smaller numbers of degrees of freedom compared to standard polynomial interpolations (i.e. FEM) especially when the frequency is increased. For poroelastic materials, the solutions are expressed in terms of Biot waves (two of them associated to compression waves and one corresponding to shear waves). The poroelastic problem is expressed as a first order model and the formulation of numerical flux at interfaces between elements is derived and implemented. Compared to classical DG methods for standard acoustics, this method is applied here to a dissipative medium and to a two-displacement field inv...


The cast Pb-Mg-Al-B shielding materials were prepared by using of vertical high-frequency induction furnace,and their microstructures,mechanical and shielding properties were investigated.The results showed that the AlB2 particles in the alloys increased with the addition of B.The room temperature tensile strength and Brinell hardness were up to 105MPa and 160,respectively.The shielding rates of Pb-Mg-Al-2%B(mass percentage) shielding materials in thickness of 20mm were 90.29%,99.22% and 97.9% for X-ray with energies of 250,118 and 65keV;49.75%(137Cs source) and 34.21%(60Co source) for γ-ray;and 92.7% for neutron.It indicated that the shielding material possessed higher strength,excellent X(γ)-ray and neutron shielding properties,and had the features of the integration of structure-function(shield).


Background This study presents a concept for training general practitioners (GPs) in taking a spiritual history. In the same workshop, medical assistants (MAs) were trained in counselling elderly, chronically ill patients on social activities and home remedies. After the training, GPs and MAs will apply the acquired skills in their practices within the scope of the HoPES3 intervention study, which aims at raising patients' self-efficacy. Methods Sixteen GPs and 18 MAs were trained in a 5-hour workshop and completed an evaluation questionnaire. Results All participants reported great satisfaction. In particular, 85% of GPs (n=11) affirmed increased capacity to address patients' spiritual needs. About 88% (n=15) of MAs were satisfied with the training, yet expressed difficulties in integrating theoretical knowledge into daily professional routine. Discussion While the evaluation of the workshop is promising, the results of the randomized-controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the complete HoPES3 intervention have to be awaited. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first interdisciplinary, holistic care training in primary care in Germany. It fosters GPs' and MAs' competency in providing a proactive support in spirituality, social activities, and home remedies to their patients. If the concept proves to be effective, it could be integrated into existing care models and curriculums and provide clear guidance on how to consider elderly patients' spiritual needs and strengthen their self-efficacy in primary care settings.


The textual accounts of the legendary leaders of the pre-Christian past in Scandinavia have extensive references to the mythic or divine heritage of the ruling elite, and their importance in the performance of ritual activity during this pre-historic period. This thesis discusses the perceptions of sacral kingship in pre-Christian Scandinavian society along with a selection of the ritual themes found in both medieval and contemporary textual sources that are connected to these Scandinavian rulers. The ritual themes primarily considered: ritual feasting and drinking, sacrifice, prophecy, and sanctuary guardianship. The texts I will be considering are the foreign contemporary observations of Tacitus in Germania, Strabo's Geographica, and Vita Anskarii by Rimbertalongside the skaldic poems 'Ynglingatal,' 'Háleygjatal,' and 'Hákonarmál.' Also considered are the later medieval texts Ynglinga saga and Hákonar saga góða attributed to Snorri Sturluson. These textual themes are then carefully compared to archaeological material found at select sites in southern Sweden and Denmark, in an attempt to locate correlations between them that would support elite ritual control. The limitations of both categories of material without strong speculation encourages further investigation of the subject. Despite this, these comparisons resulted a number of correlations between the archaeological evidence and these elite ritual motifs in the literature, reflecting those found elsewhere in Scandinavia.


Information visualizations often make permanent changes to the user interface with the aim of supporting specific tasks. However, a permanent visualization cannot support the variety of tasks found in realistic work settings equally well. We explore interaction techniques that transiently visualize information near the user's focus of attention. Transient visualizations support specific contexts of use without permanently changing the user interface, and aim to seamlessly integrate with existing tools and to decrease distraction. Examples of transient visualizations for document search, map zoom-outs, fisheye views of source code, and thesaurus access are presented. We provide an initial validation of transient visualizations by comparing a transient overview for maps to a permanent visualization. Among 20 users of these visualizations, all but four preferred the transient visualization. However, differences in time and error rates were insignificant. On this background, we discuss the potential of transient visualizations and future directions.


A method of analysis of repeated measurements is proposed. When a drug is administered orally or by intramuscular injection, the concentration of the drug in the blood-time curve can often be modeled using a one-compartment model assuming first-order absorption in the field of pharmacokinetics. As to incorporation of individual variation, which is important statistically in modeling of repeated measurements, variations within an individual are taken into account in the model by a Wiener process and variations between individuals are expressed as differences in parameters. Accordingly, in this study, repeated measurements are modeled by a continuous time series statistically which was obtained from a one-compartment model assuming first-order absorption representing the dynamics affecting the data. The proposed model is not a random or mixed effect model but a fixed effect model; however, the covariance matrix includes values which differ between individuals. This is a new type of statistical modeling for repeated measurements. with flexibility, due to use of the link between statistics and dynamics. On the basis of the above, hypotheses of equality of treatment effects and equality of parameters between individuals are tested.


This week, Hillary Clinton announced a new agenda for mental health if she wins the White House
in November, which would increase funding and would create parity of mental health services within
the US healthcare system. Elizabeth Cotton writes that while Clinton's new policy has promise, it
does not address how mental health services are delivered, and by who. Not only is the agenda
over reliant on short term behavioral interventions, but the precariousness of work in the US,
combined with the private healthcare system, raises questions for those who might seek treatment
and provide it under it.


Response to letter to the editor on "Incidence and prevalence of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis" Critical Care Medicine. 2018;46(11): e1074-e1081. See 'Related work' link below for details of original article.


The specification of generic Problem-Solving Methods has been a fertile research area. A lot of work has been devoted to developing languages for describing PSMs, identifying PSMs, and using their specifications for requirements capture, design and development of knowledge based systems. In our work, we have been investigating another potential use for PSMs, namely, supporting the redesign of systems that fail to exhibit the behaviours desired of them, that is, behaviours similar to, but slightly different from, the ones they were originally designed to exhibit. To this end, we have defined a PSM modeling language and a failure-driven redesign process based on this language, both of which were implemented in the A UTOGNOSTIC system. In this paper, we report on a sequence of experiments performed with A UTOGNOSTIC. Some of them were exploratory and their goal was to enable the precise characterization of issues relating to the problem of system redesign, while others were designed to evaluate the PSM language and the redesign process implemented in A UTOGNOSTIC.


"Many researchers apparently believe that some institutional investors prefer dividend-paying stocks because they are subject to the "prudent man" (PM) standard of fiduciary responsibility, under which dividend payments provide prima facie evidence that an investment is prudent. Although this was once accurate for many institutions, during the 1990s most states replaced the PM standard with the less-stringent "prudent investor" (PI) rule, which evaluates the appropriateness of each investment in a portfolio context. Controlling for the general decline in dividend-paying stocks, we find that institutions reduced their holdings of dividend-paying stocks by 2% to 3% as the PI standard spread during the 1990s. Studies of asset pricing and corporate governance should no longer consider dividend payments when evaluating the actions of institutional investors." Copyright (c) 2008 Financial Management Association International..


Ground tracks from SEASAT were used in an effort to develop qualititative relationships between the gravity field and MAGSAT magnetic anomalies in the eastern Indian Ocean. Investigation of data quality led to analyses of the average value (over 80 vector data points, or approximately 36 km intervals) and of the standard deviation of this average, as a mean of identifying noisy portions of the data. It was discovered that the plots of the average value minus the individual (measured) point value are most useful for identifying noisy areas and data spikes. Spectrum analysis using edited (spikes removed) data show that the noise floor is less than 1 nT and the slope of the spectrum in the region of wavelengths between 1200 km and 250 km is approximately -3. Consequently the estimated resolution limit improved from approximately 360 km to approximately 250 km.


As part of a training programme for younger doctors, two commercially available, emergency cricothyroidotomy sets were evaluated. Prior to the surgical procedure, half of the doctors in each group received an audiovisual lesson. In a simulated hut realistic emergency situation, involving autopsy material, cricothyroidotomy was performed utilizing either the "Nutrake" or the "Gentofte" system. The audiovisual lesson increased the speed and the success rate of the doctors performing this procedure as well as strengthening their confidence. Both systems allowed positive pressure ventilation. The participating doctors achieved a higher success rate at a faster speed with the "Nutrake" set.


Response to Schoones JW. Redundancy of terms is not an error but plays a positive role in composing search strategies [letter to the editor]. J Med Libr Assoc. 2020 Jan;108(1):118–9. DOI: 10.5195/jmla.2020.780. Comment on Salvador-Oliván JA, Marco-Cuenca G, Arquero-Avilés R. Errors in search strategies used in systematic reviews and their effects on information retrieval. J Med Libr Assoc. 2019 Apr;107(2):210–21. DOI: 10.5195/jmla.2019.567. and Salvador-Oliván JA, Marco-Cuenca G, Arquero-Avilés R. Response to "Redundancy of terms is not an error but plays a positive role in composing search strategies" [letter to the editor]. J Med Libr Assoc. 2020 Jan;108(1):118–9. DOI: 10.5195/jmla.2020.832.


The invention process and apparatus for treatment of biomass, and for example from biomass provides a biofuel, e.g., process and apparatus for producing bioethanol. Comprising: more specifically, a process according to the invention, (a) at least a first portion of the composition comprising the biomass and the working fluid, to flow into the induction passage of the fluid processing device; (B) injecting into the composition through a nozzle in communication with the passage of the fluid processing apparatus for high-speed transport of fluid, thereby being Chemistry carrier fluid is added to a shear force to the composition work fluid is sprayed steam and liquid forms (flow regime) of the droplets the method comprising to form downstream of the nozzle; (C) the step of condensing the vapor and flow the form of droplets; (D) step of transporting a composition to the first holding vessel; And a second step of maintaining in a first holding vessel (e) composition at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined first time of the first, is added to the composition during the liquefaction enzyme is carried out or before carrying out the above process. Thereafter, the composition can be processed further to form a bio-fuel, such as bioethanol.


The purpose of this research was to study the mediation effects of sense of happiness as variable in the variables of social support and creativity • personality. Firstly, this research examined the recognition of social support, sense of happiness, and creativitypersonality by preliminary infant teachers and the results showed that the recognition on emotional support among social supports was the highest. Secondly, there is significant positive correlations among social support, sense of happiness, and creativitypersonality. Thirdly, as the result of mediation effect of sense of happiness in the relations between social support and creativitypersonality, the sense of happiness has mediation effect in the relationship between social support and creativitypersonality of preliminary infant teachers.


This article examines the deployment of masculine affect in the poetics of Francisco de Quevedo and Jorge Luis Borges. Perpetuating the association between good speech and manly prowess endemic in classical political culture, Quevedo conceives of poetry as an exhibition of virile forcefulness. While the mainstream poetic theories of his time celebrate the stylistic sophistication achieved by Spanish verse through its integration of courtly Italian currents and reconcile aesthetic ornament with civic virtue, Quevedo categorizes all artifice as a mark of degenerate effeminacy. His conception of poetry thus adheres in the strictest sense to the logic of executive political rhetoric, grounded in a self-consciously masculine corporeal imaginary. While Borges writes in an epoch in which textual transmission has assumedly been liberated from oratorical models predicated on corporeal contact with the audience, his poetic theory and practice are palpably conditioned by normative body politics. In the early essays of his so-called criollista years, Borges appropriates the gender politics of Quevedo's antigongorist diatribes in his attacks on modernistas, denouncing their florid compositions as at once inefficacious and emasculated. The traditional connection between agile expression and virile energeia endures in Borges's later poems which continue to identify the pen with the sword.


The present study for qualification is a feasibility analysis of the creation of an event hall of great impact and credibility in all the services it will offer, which has the trade name LA LOMA, located in the center of the city of GUARANDA...


Within the Random-Phase Approximation the method of self-consistent determination of the isoscalar and isovector effective separable interactions restoring a broken symmetry of the deformed mean-field is given. The method allows to treat more rigorously without free parameters the properties of the scissors mode and is used to develop the rotational invariant microscopic model of the states with Kπ=1+. The spurious state separates out and has zero energy. An important consequence of this separation is the fragmentation of the scissors mode and the collectivization of the low-lying 1+ states. In addition to the isoscalar restoring interactions the consideration of the isovector restoring forces in calculations causes the splitting of the states with large B(M1) strength at low energy. The model contains a single parameter of isovector spin-spin interactions and it allows one to describe satisfactorily the fragmentation of the scissors mode and the dependence of the summed B(M1) strength on δ2 and A in deformed nuclei.


While believed hyper-rational free-market solutions to wealth management, the field of hedge funds is actually rooted in a highly institutionalized environment; its very development depended on significant institutional innovation by knowledgeable actors (institutional entrepreneurs) long before the first organizational form appeared. This study sheds light on issues of field emergence.


TH1-5 from antimicrobial peptides of marine organisms, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) hepcidin. The results indicated that TH1-5, a synthetic 22-mer antimicrobial peptide, specifically inhibited human fibrosarcoma cell (HT1080 cell line) and human cervical epithelioid carcinoma cells (HeLa cell line) proliferation and migration. The way in which TH1-5 inhibited HT1080 and HeLa cell growth was then studied.TH1-5 inhibited HT1080 cell and HeLa cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner according to an MTT analysis, which was confirmed by a soft-agar assay and AO/EtBr staining. Scanning electron microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscope revealed that TH1-5 caused lethal membrane disruption in HT1080 cancer cells and HeLa cells, and a wound healing assay supported that TH1-5 decreased the migration of HT1080 cells and HeLa cells. A flow cytometric analysis, showed that the TH1-5 induced apoptosis. In addition, Bcl-xL,JNK, IL-6,IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, CAPN5, CTSG and INF-γ mRNA expression was upregulated after treatment with TH 1-5 in HeLa cell to compared the untreated group. And in HT1080 cell, IL-2, IL-8, CTSG and INF-γ mRNA expression was upregulated. These findings suggest a mechanism of cytotoxic action of TH1-5 and indicate that TH1-5 may be a promising chemotherapeutic agent against human fibrosarcoma cells and human cervical epithelioid carcinoma cells.


This paper aims to analyze and explain the effectiveness of the implementation of the Raids of Kenderaan carried out by the Asahan resort police for the legal awareness of the Asahan community in making a SIM (Driving License) and Vehicle Tax. This paper uses an empirical normative method with a social legal research approach, the data used in this paper are data from the Kiaaan Raid conducted by the asahan resort police since 2017-2019, data on SIM issuance and management of the Kenderaan Tax, data collection is done through interviews and documentation, then the data is analyzed so that conclusions are born. The Assault Raid conducted by Asahan Regional Police showed that there was a significant influence on the number of people who made SIMs and administered the Vehicle Tax, so that the conclusion was drawn that the Assault Raid was very effective in increasing public legal awareness in curbing the vehicle documents.


Are located and identified as numerous early medieval castles and some medieval towns, towers and rabitas by transcribing and collating the sixteenth century boundaries documents. A vision of West Malaga in Nasrid period, its territorial division and its geographical limits, starting from a short documentary corpus with boundaries corresponding to the terms of Monda, Casarabonela, Guaro and Ojen, which intersect and complement each other published by J. E. Lopez de Coca.


"Marine Painting"is a painting of China's modern history of the most important and most influential school of art,occupies an important position in the history of painting.In this paper,to be cut from a comparative perspective.Ren Bonian of the life and artistic style for a more detailed analysis,As to find a bear,he smoked,Ren Bonian common style and Ren Bonian and"second-term"(Ren Xiong,Ren Xun) difference,that is,Ren Bonian for any bear,any of the inheritance and development of Kaoru.


The purpose of this research is to analyze the completeness of accounting records kept by SMEs as a source of information for economic decision making Accounting plays an important role in the success or failure of a business institution. Type of this paper is qualitative methods. The result of this paper explained the accounting system is responsible for recording, analyzing, monitoring and evaluating the company's financial condition, preparation of documents required for tax purposes, providing information support for many other organizational functions. Accounting information is important because it can help companies manage their short-term problems in critical areas such as costing, spending, and cash flow, by providing information to support monitoring and control. Small companies are often founded from family businesses. For the most part, in family businesses, management is between family members. However, the workforce can come from non-family members. Therefore, the business environment differs according to the management style as well as the culture passed down from generation to generation Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) It has been recognized that proper accounting information is essential for the successful management of any business entity, whether large or small, the types of accounting records kept and maintained by SMEs.


Game theory is alternative framework to model confliction between independence players,which can be used to solve the problem.However,classic game theory couldn't be applied to network directly.Game theory based routing approach MPS,which can "encourage merit and punish evil",is presented.It rewards congestion avoiding users and punishes misbehaving users.A Nash Equilibrium could be reached when players are rational.


Oracle's log files all the record operations on the database. The log files are composed of Oracle s Redo log files and Oracle's archive log files. Redo log files can be used to examples restoration. Archive log files have to be used when data files damaged or lost. The experiments for simulating the situation of database damaged were carried out when archive log files or noarchive log files were corrupted and recovery methods under different circumstances were discussed.


This paper presents the design of dc to dc Interleaved Boost Converter (IBC) which is controlled using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The output voltage can be controlled by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) switching technique which is implemented on the Altera DE2-70 Board. An eight bit Analog to Digital Converter circuit is used to monitor the output current. The simulation is carried out using Matlab Simulink software and simulation on the designed waveform is conducted using Quartus II software tools. The frequency of the PWM output voltage is set to 40 kHz. Various detailed analysis has been done to investigate the benefits of IBC compared to conventional boost converter. Meanwhile, theoretical analysis and hardware prototype has been done to validate the result.


Across two experimental university studies, we examined how small changes in language embedded in advising communications influence student outcomes (e.g., support, persistence) and explored the utility of advising micromessages congruent with growth mindset and appreciative advising for diverse student populations. We found that micromessages embedded within hypothetical advisor emails increased anticipated positive student outcomes, including feelings of support and persistence. In line with our hypotheses and attribution-based intervention research with nontraditional and/or marginalized students, the positive effect of micromessaging appears greater for first-generation students and students of color. This research highlights opportunities to shape consequential student outcomes through small, strategic language changes. Empowering advisors with thoughtfully crafted language improves students' sense of support and persistence and may reduce achievement gaps.


Combinatorial maps and pyramids have been studied in great detail in the past, and it has been shown that this concept is advantageous for many applications in the field of image processing and pattern recognition by providing means to store information of the topological relations of the represented data. In the course of these studies, the properties of combinatorial maps have been investigated using different sets of permutations, different operations and different algorithms. In each case new software had to be created in order to conduct experiments, as the existing programs were designed to work only for a specific model. Due to the complexity of combinatorial maps, the implementation of such a software is a time and resource intensive task. Thus these programming efforts were often responsible for delaying the presentation of new results in the past. This paper presents COMA a C++ framework for combinatorial maps that has been created during recent studies of combinatorial maps, motivated by this problem. Using an object oriented approach, COMA was specifically designed to allow an efficient and quick integration of changes to the model of combinatorial maps used, as well as the implementation of new algorithms. As a consequence COMA significantly reduces the amount of time needed to set up new experiments.