We address a new adaptive beamforming algorithm with joint robustness against both covariance matrix uncertainty and steering vector (SV) mismatch, which needs neither the norm of the SV nor its error upper bound. Firstly, we propose a modified general linear combination (MGLC) algorithm to obtain a better estimation of covariance matrix. Then using the MGLC-based estimation, we formulate a quadratic convex optimization problem in view of the Capon power spectrum to obtain a refined SV. The proposed algorithm maximizes the beamformer output power under two constraints that the mismatch vector is orthogonal to the presumed SV and the refined SV does not converge to any interference SV. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed beamformer outperforms the beamformers which only have robustness against single one of these two kinds of array mismatches.


Traditional healers were almost always consulted during the episode of illness preceding death, often together with another care provider. Nearly a quarter of the women were cared for exclusively by a traditional birth attendant or a traditional healer. Nurses and midwives attended forty-five percent and doctors attended a quarter of all women who sought care. Fortythree percent of women consulted a doctor during their illness.


Background: Skin lesions are the most common clinical complaints in animals. Thus non-neoplastic skin lesions in horses are under diagnosed, especially when laboratory resources are needed in field. Nevertheless the eosinophilic granulomas in mules are poorly reported in the international literature, including laboratory analysis and diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment and the evolution of the case.

Case: A 17-year-old mule was brought to our veterinary hospital with hard skin nodular lesions, which were irregular in shape and diameter. Body temperature was normal, and no alopecia, itching, erythema or pains were observed. Cytological examination by fine needle aspiration was done and the treatment was based on systemic dexamethasone for nine days and intralesional triamcinolone.

Discussion: The cytological examination by fine needle aspiration revealed a high cellularity of eosinophils, and the histopathology analysis confirmed the diagnosis of eosinophilic granuloma. Complete regression of the lesions was achieved after one week of treatment. Although previously reported in horses, eosinophilic granuloma is still poorly documented in mules. The treatment with systemic dexamethasone and intralesional triamcinolone acetonide was effective and lead to total remission.


Acetic acid residue of samples of Silurian Chimney Hill Limestone from Oklahoma contain phosphatic brachiopods that are described as 2 new genera, Artiotreta and Acrotretella, and 2 new species, Artiotreta parva and Acrotretella siluriana. All of these are referable to the Order Neotremata. They may be referable to the family Acrotretidae, or they may represent a new family. Hundreds of perfectly preserved specimens of both valves of Artiotreta were examined, and all of them measured near 0.50 mm. in maximum diameter. All evidence indicates that they represent mature specimens and that they are not juvenile specimens. Only 24 Acrotretella were found. Specimens were collected in 3 localities 2 to 10 mi. apart. Both of the species discussed are unusual because of the complete preservation of valve interiors which generally are not seen, though casts and molds are common.


wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl (C1 to C6), alkyl (C7 to C12), fatty acid chain (C13 to C24), aryl, aralkyl, hydroxyl; the stereoisomers being in their resolved or racemic form; n and m=0,1,2 or 3; z=0,1 or 2; the cycloalkyl ring being replaced with the cycloalkenyl ring; and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts and derivatives thereof.


Background:  To enhance the spread of spinal anaesthesia, fentanyl may be administered intrathecally (i.t.) or intravenously (i.v.). The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the effects of fentanyl administered i.v., i.t. or concurrently by both i.v. and spinal routes on the spread of spinal anaesthesia.


The practices of quality management have proven to be very beneficial for providing a framework for corporate efforts to create sustainability—regardless of the size of the organization...


Objective] To probe an effective measure in preventing iron-deficiency anemia(IDA) of infant. [Methods] Subjects were randomly divided into prevention and control groups. In prevention group lactating mothers with normal Hb were given oral iron four months after parturition for 30 days. Infants of both groups were examined from the periferal blood for Hb, MCV, MCH and MCHC at six months old. [Results] The Hb content of infants examined showed difference which was significant (P0.001). There were none IDA in the prevention group while 53.13% of the control group had IDA. [Conclusion] Iron supplementation to lactating mother is an effective measure in preventing IDA of infants.


Abstract Objective: Previously, feasibility of laparoscopic heminephroureterectomy has been demonstrated for management of benign renal disease, but we report a unique case of laparoscopic radical ...


An investigation was carried out to assess the nutritive and organoleptic characteristics of guava leather packed in vegetable parchment paper, polyethylene sheet and aluminum foil stored at refrigerated temperature (6 + 1 oC) for 240 days. Allahabad Safeda variety was used for guava leather preparation. Physicochemical, microbiological characteristics and sensory evaluation of packed guava leather were done at 30 days intervals till 240 days. A gradual increase in total soluble solids (TSS), acidity and total sugar was observed during storage whereas moisture, brix/acid ratio, pH and ascorbic acid were decreased. The changes were more pronounced in samples packed in polyethylene sheet and least in aluminum foil. No detectable yeast and mold and negligible total viable count were observed in all packed leather samples during 240 days storage period. Sensory evaluation results revealed that aluminum foil packed samples were ranked highest and more acceptable than others. However, guava leather packed in all packing materials remained organoleptically acceptable after 240 days storage.


To improve the prenatal diagnosis of thanatophoric dysplasia by defining the change in fetal size across gestation and the frequency of sonographic features, and developing non‐invasive molecular genetic diagnosis based on cell‐free fetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma.


The domestic laws of numerous other States have such provisions.' In a similar fashion, the international community has accepted that in certain circumstances a State may lawfully expropriate the assets of foreign enterprises within its territory pursuant to a nationalisation scheme. The term 'nationalisation scheme' is used here to denote the fact that the standard of compensation will fall to be decided by the characterisation of the expropriation being characterised as either lawful or ~nlawful.~ For an expropriation to be lawful, it must satisfy two threshold requirements: (a) It must be for a public purpose. A nationalisation scheme easily satisfies this requirement as such schemes are implemented for the purpose of buttressing the State's economy. (b) The expropriation must not be due to the implementation of discriminatory policies. It has not been doubted since the Chorzow Factory case3 that where the expropriation fails to satisfy either of these requirements it will be considered


Atmospheric density profiles in the stratosphere and mesosphere are determined by means of low cost Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers on in situ rigid falling spheres released from a soundi ...


Background: Persons with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), is a vulnerable group with high morbidity and mortality above average. Despite this, little is known about these people's experiences and needs of palliative care.Aim: The aim of this paper was to highlight the caring of mentally ill patients with somatic illness in palliative phase.Method: This paper is a literature review. The method consisted of a literature search and analysis of relevant healhtcare scientific papers. Data collection was conducted through an initial and an actual literature search.Results: This section consists of three themes. The first theme, aspects of care, highlights the palliative care of mentally ill patients, symptoms of life-threatening disease, increase of psychotic symptoms, experiences of pain and palliative psychiatry. The second theme consider mentally ill patient's decision-making ability and self-determination. The third theme, trust and communication, discusses the relationship between the nurse and the mentally ill patient.Discussion: Human needs in palliative care is probably similar, but all patient groups do not get their needs fulfilled. Persons with SPMI as a group receive partly inadequate care. A better knowledge of these persons increased risk of death from somatic diseases and better knowledge of symptoms of serious somatic illness, could lead to preventive care and early detection of life-threatening disease.


Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is usually susceptible to a variety of non-beta-lactam drugs. These isolates commonly display SCCmecIV and are associated with community-acquired infections. More recently, CA-MRSA has been isolated from health-care-associated diseases. We categorize isolates resistant only to oxacillin or oxacillin plus no more than 3 non-beta-lactam antibiotics according to clinical and epidemiological characteristics, from a hospital in Porto Alegre, and performed a combination of molecular techniques including mecA, SCCmec, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) detection and Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A total of twenty-five patients with non-multidrug-resistant MRSA were studied. Nineteen (76%) came from skin and soft tissue infections. All isolates presented SCCmec type IV (being 19/25 IVc) whereas the PFGE profile most frequently found was OSCP-like (15/25). The presence of international clones USA400, USA300 was also verified. Comparing the results of clonal type with source, origin, type of SCCmec, presence the PVL gene and antimicrobial resistance we observed that OSCP-like PFGE profile was associated with skin and soft tissue infections (P=0.0012) and that this clonal group was strongly associated with the presence of PVL gene (P<0.001). This study shows a clonal diversity of CA-MRSA and strengths the concept that these isolates emerged globally from different backgrounds.


The authors conducted the ecological and geochemical study of Lake Loshamye and adjacent territories (national park "Smolensk Lakeland") to identify the distribution patterns of heavy metals and their associations (Hg, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Sr, etc.) in soils of the lake's catchment area. In 2008, the annual monitoring by the national park revealed abnormally high concentrations of mercury in the water of Lake Loshamye (20 MPC). In subsequent years, the mercury concentration decreased to the minimum natural level. A set of studies in the catchment area and in the lake itself established a probable technogenic source and determined the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the impact. Scientists studied the soil of the catchment area of the lake to verify the version of the pollutant intake from outside. The article presents the results of the study, a set of mathematical methods of information processing. Authors conducted a correlation, factor and cluster analysis to identify patterns of distribution of heavy metals in soils. Peculiarities of the distribution of most elements in the soil today indicate the presence of a low technogenic impact on the soils of the Lake Loshamye basin regarding the formation of low-contrast anomalies Cu, As, Mn, Pb and Cr, Hg. Patterns of the distribution of heavy metals including mercury in soils and their concentration have natural character. The gross mercury content in soils is significantly lower than the MPC (2100 μg/kg), the median of the sample is 42 μg/kg, which practically corresponds to the world Clark of mercury in soils (40 μg/kg). The research results show that the soils of the lake's catchment area do not bear traces of anthropogenic impact. This suggests that there are no sources of contamination with mercury and other heavy metals in the study area, and this area is not a transit hub for the movement of the pollutant from the outside, and in 2008 there was probably salvo-type pollution directly into the lake's water.


The original production process in Yichun Tantalum-Niobium Mine,due to the existence of a large number of fractured rock mass and the delayed blast design method,the ore block was not ideal,boulder frequency and powder ore rate were high.This paper analyzed the impact of fractured rock mass blasting effect factors,optimized the blasting parameters,the charge structure and the initiation network through numerical simulation and industrial test.It made the boulder frequency from 6%~7% to 1.6%,powder ore rate from 4% down to 2%,achieved remarkable economic and social benefits.The research results can also used in other mines with similar condition.


Soluble polymers of bovine Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (EC 22.214.171.124) have been prepared using the homobifunctional cross-linking reagent, glutaraldehyde. A form of the enzyme, a tetramer, with a molecular weight of 64,000 has been purified by gel filtration. The functional properties of the tetramer have been investigated. Reconstitution with copper and zinc was required for full activity. After metal reconstitution, the specific activity of the tetramer was shown to be close to 90% that of the native dimeric enzyme. The serum half-life of the tetramer in rats was found to be increased by a factor of six when compared with native superoxide dismutase. The tissue distribution of the two forms was also found to be different with the tetramer accumulating predominantly in the liver.


Pathologists and clerks at St. John's Hospital, Oxnard, California, coded on punch cards results of a study of 1,315 patients with appendicitis. Some observations this approach yielded were: 70 percent of patients were 30 years old or younger; the diagnostic accuracy was 77 percent; 6.4 percent of patients had complications, with older patients having more than their share; and the incidence of appendicitis varied little from season to season.


The invention relates to a geometric method for evaluating capacity recession of a lithium ion battery. The geometric method for evaluating capacity recession of the lithium ion battery comprises the steps that (1) geometrical characteristic values under different working conditions are extracted, wherein the number of the geometrical characteristic values is four, and the four geometrical characteristic values are the duration of continuous charging during constant-voltage charging, the maximum curvature radius of a current characteristic curve at the constant-voltage charging stage, the area under the condition of the constant-voltage charging current characteristic curve, and the maximum gradient of a discharge voltage characteristic curve at the early stage; (2) an intrinsic manifold based on the Laplace characteristic mapping method is established, namely the four geometrical characteristic values obtained in the first step are used as input of the Laplace characteristic mapping method to construct a low-dimensional manifold, namely the intrinsic manifold, embedded into a high-dimensional space; (3) a geodesic line on the manifold is used for geometric evaluation of the capacity of the battery. The geometric method for evaluating capacity recession of the lithium ion battery has the advantages that essential recession or the health state of the battery can be determined effectively, studying of a complicated electrochemistry mechanism is not needed, a complicated electrochemistry model does not need to be established, and the method can be realized easily.


An algorithm to recognize distorted Machine and handwritten characters is proposed. It uses a feature point extraction-based recognition approach. A new verification scheme, which deals with this problem, is presented. A new feature extractor set is introduced. This research explores best sets of feature extraction techniques and studies the accuracy and speed of the suggested procedures. Finally, experimental results on one database are presented, their results showing the robustness of the algorithm using small database. فورحلا زييمتل ةعيرسو ةءوفك ةيمزراوخ نسح ريملاا دبع نادجو ق ،تابساحلا مولع مس دادغب ةعماج ،مولعلا ةيلك . دادغب قارعلا


This article discusses the status of the girl child in rural India. Rural children lack the advantages of modern amenities and facilities, such as transportation, electricity, media, hygiene, health care, and access to education. A young girl's status is related to her mother's status. Women are valued the most when a son is born. Girl children are considered an economic liability in child care costs, dowry costs, and marriage support. Since the 1970s, dowry demands have increased. Daughters must meet the demands of prospective in-law for education and dowry even after marriage. The attitudes of parents, families, and society encourage sex-selective abortion, infanticide, abuse in childhood, and domestic violence in adulthood. It was reported in 1994 that a woman is molested every 26 minutes and raped every 52 minutes. The government of India developed an action plan in 1992 for developing the girl child. Rural girl children spend their time cooking, cleaning, fetching wood and water, caring for children, and working in the fields sowing, transplanting, and weeding. Girl children contribute over 20% of total work at home. The only advantage a girl child has in rural areas is visibility. The greatest disadvantage is that her mother, who faced neglect herself, discriminates against her. Increasingly girl children contribute income to their household from Beedi making, gem polishing, embroidering, or paper bag making. Sometimes girls and boys work in hazardous occupations. Gender disparity is evident in school enrollment, drop out rates, literacy, and employment. In 1994, India passed a universal female education bill that offers parents incentives for access and punishment for keeping a girl out of school. Communities need to create a demand for rural girl children's education.


A female born near term weighing 2.7kg had blood phenylalanine level of 4-6mg/dl at the age of 3 days. Subsequently, blood phenylalanine level was >20mg/dl and 58.4mg/dl with blood tyro-sine 0.65mg/dl in the 3rd and 4th weeks of life. In the first week of life, the baby developed feeding problems, poor suck and poor muscle tone. Urinary neurotransmitters metabolites (VMA, HVA and 5HIAA) were found to be normal. The diagnosis of classical PKU was made and low phenylalanine diet was started. At the age of 6 months, in spite of good control of blood phenylalanine levels, the baby was found to be delayed, hypotonic, failed to gain weight and functioned at 2-3 months. She was also noted to be tremulous and had choreoform movement. An EEG and CT scan of the head were normal. Urinary pterins showed a profound deficiency of neopterin (N) and biopterin (B) (N=88.5ng/mg creatininine, B=36.6ng/mg creatinine; values which are 1% of the normal levels). However, the ratio of N/B was normal. The same deficiency was found in the plasma and CSF. The patient was placed on L-DOPA, Carbidopa and 5-hydroxytryptophan which caused clinical improvement. Since defects in the synthesis of biopterin cause very high levels of neopterin, the deficiency of neopterin in this child is the result of GTP-cyclohydrolase deficiency, a step required for the formation of dihydroneopterin triphosphate; similar to the case of Niederwieser et al (Eur J Peds 138:97, 1982). Normal N/B ratio is not sufficient to rule out defects in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin.


Information technologies in health care and its growing use and impact, is a subject of study and interest. This paper presents the work analysis, in progress, and real user needs. This study makes part of a research master's thesis in progress. The main goal is to understand users and employees behaviors, and how they interact using information systems and technologies to supply better patient services and sector efficiencies. The selected methodology to gather and analyze the data was Grounded Theory Method. The methods of data collection were interviews and observations. A case study was considered for data analysis and observation. The data analysis results, at this moment, provided information to start to define a set of principles to design a framework for clinical support to improve healthcare services. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Scientifi c Programme Committee of the 4th International Conference on Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2012)


The objective of this article is to analyze the relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge in accounting training based on the political-pedagogical foundations of higher education in the state of Paraiba. For that, we turn to the contributions of Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action in order to understand how the relationship is established between theoretical discourse and practical discourse, drawing on definitions of "instrumental reason" and "communicative reason". To develop this empirical classification study, with a quantitative and qualitative approach, we employed the exploratory typology through bibliographic and documentary research. For data collection we applied a questionnaire with closed questions to students/interns of the public institutions analyzed. The results of the questionnaire show that the courses have an eminently theoretical format. Full-time practices are not applied and their focus is on the "modus operandi". We note that in accounting training, practice cannot be dissociated from theory and vice versa.


The selection of a website as a reference for learning directly affects the quality of information for the person who accesses it. The objectives and expected results of the learning management system depend on the quality of the teaching process and its effectiveness in online access. This research is expected to support teachers who carry out the teaching and learning process virtually during the pandemic. The research method used is quantitative, with a descriptive approach for evaluating, ranking, and choosing the learning management system. Based on the research survey, the criteria for analysis of the LMS platforms in this paper are summarized in three categories: learning skills tools, communication within LMS tools, and ease of use tools. The main goal is to present a comparative analysis of 5 electronic learning management systems. From the teachers' view in this research, only one LMS supports all three categories. The critical criteria of LMS are supported by video conference, chat room for personal discussion, and simple to use.


It summarized the headway of the research on the mechanism of exercise-induced skeletal muscle micro-injury and induced it as the different hypotheses,such as the theory of mechanical injury,metabolic theory(including the theory of energic metabolism diorder,the theory of maladjustment of steady-state of calcium in cells,free radical theory etc.),inflammatory reaction theory etc.It considered that the mechanism of exercise-induced skeletal muscle micro-injury was still being explored and it's necessary to synthesize the hypotheses of mechnical injury,chemical injury etc.to explain the exercise-induced skeletal muscle micro-injury.


Today's wireless networks usually use a single-path routing protocol, derived from wired networks. Opportunistic routing makes use of the multicast nature of wireless networks. The goal of this thesis is to implement and evaluate an opportunistic routing protocol for wireless mesh networks. Since TCP is greatly important for a major fraction of the expected traffic, this work will also consider the question about the extent, to which TCP can be supported.


Acknowledgments vii Chapter One: Introduction: The Transformation of Legitimacy 1 Explaining the Transformation International Political Culture Plan of the Book Chapter Two: International Political Culture and Systemic Change 15 The Cultural Dimensions of International Politics Interplay between Culture and Strategy Methodology Conclusion Chapter Three: Old Regime Political Culture 61 International Relations: Strategic Overview The Political Culture of Old Regime Europe Cultural Complementarities: Enlightenment and Monarchy Cultural Contradictions in the Old European Order Conclusion Chapter Four: The American Revolution 110 Republicanism Political Economy Cosmopolitanism versus Nationalism in American Foreign Policy Conclusion Chapter Five: The French Revolution 165 The Collapse of the Ancien Regime Revolution and War Conclusion Chapter Six: Conclusion: Fractured Hegemony and the Seeds of Change 211 Legacies Political Culture and Systemic Change Bibliography 235 Index 247


A high carbon steel sheet superior in quenching and tempering properties and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to improve quenching and mechanical properties without adding an alloy element. A manufacturing method of a high carbon steel sheet superior in quenching and tempering properties includes the steps of: manufacturing a high carbon steel sheet for QT(Quenching and tempering). The high carbon steel sheet consists of 0.25~0.55% of carbon, 0.5~1.2% of manganese, less than 0.4% of silicon, 0.5~1.5% of chrome, 0.01~0.1% of aluminum, less than 0.012% of sulfur, more than 48/14x [N] % of titanium, 0.0005~0.0050% of boron, 0.006% of nitrogen and impurities; hot rolling the high carbon steel sheet for QT after heating the high carbon steel sheet for QT under 1250°C; and winding the high carbon steel sheet which is hot rolled, in a temperature range of 640°C~700°C.


For millennia, we have known that loud noise can harm hearing. However, defining the specific hearing risk posed by a specific noise for a specific individual is still elusive. Many factors influence whether or not a given noise is harmful. Attempts to quantify this potential harm began in earnest after World War II, when many veterans returned to their civilian lives with service-connected hearing loss. Database analyses, laboratory studies of permanent and temporary threshold shifts in animals, and laboratory studies of temporary threshold shifts in humans led to the first recommended hearing damage-risk criteria and corresponding hearing conservation programs in the 1950s. Not unexpectedly, as our ability to measure and monitor both noise exposures and their effects on humans and animals has evolved, recommended hearing damage-risk criteria and hearing loss prevention practices also have evolved. Between the early 1970s and late 1990s, several regulations and national standards were promulgated, which have profoundly influenced policies and practices regarding noise exposure. These include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1974 recommendations for community and environmental noise exposures (EPA/ONAC 550/9-74-004), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration 1983 occupational noise exposure standard (29 CFR 1910.95), the International Organization for Standardization standard for estimation of noise-induced hearing loss (ISO 1999), and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety andHealth (NIOSH) 1972 and 1998 criteria documents on occupational noise exposure (NIOSH 73-11001 and 98-126). Because of the widespread use and acceptance of these guidelines, it has become "business as usual" for noise-exposed workers to be enrolled in occupational hearing conservation programs. Likewise, many community leaders and individuals engaged in noisy recreational activities have a heightened awareness of the harmful effects of loud noise, which has led to the establishment of community noise standards and use of personal hearing protection, respectively. However, it would be a very serious mistake to conclude that the hearing loss prevention profession now has all the technical tools and professional guidelines necessary to effectively prevent noise-induced hearing loss. In particular, existing noise exposure guidelines have addressed mainly continuous and steady state (Gaussian) noise. Intermittent exposures, impulsive noise, and combinations of noise exposures (termed "complex" or "non-Gaussian" noise) have received much less attention. However, recent advances in noise measurement instrumentation and methods, as well as the introduction of newmetrics to characterize complex, non-Gaussian noise, now enable study of the relationship between these noises andhearing damage risk. As a result, hearing conservationists can begin to work toward establishing guidelines for preventing hearing loss from time-varying, impulsive, or combined noise exposures. At the same time, new research has found that the physiological effects of noise may extend beyond the outer hair cells of the cochlea to the synapse between the hair cells and auditory neurons. This damage—known as synaptopathy—can create a "hidden" hearing loss not evident on the pure tone audiogram.


The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODH) assisted by CO2 to produce ethylene is inevitably accompanied by the side reaction of dry reforming (DRE) to produce carbon monoxide. However, the key factor determining the dehydrogenation selectivity is still ambiguous. In this paper, four different NiFe/CeO2 catalysts were synthesized via an impregnation method over four types of CeO2. The dehydrogenation selectivity of the four catalysts ranged from 40 % to 83 %. Temperature‐programmed surface reaction and transient response experiments reveal the existence of two types of oxygen species over NiFe/CeO2 catalysts. FeOx layers exist as an oxygen species supply buffer over CeO2 supports. Weakly electrophilic oxygen species supplied by FeOx overlayers could participate in producing C2H4 while strong electrophilic oxygen species supplied by CeO2 supports could participate in producing CO. The content of weakly electrophilic oxygen species is identified to be a rational descriptor of C2H4 selectivity.


A motion texture is an instantaneous motion map extracted from a dynamic texture. We observe that such motion maps exhibit values of two types: a discrete component at zero (absence of motion) and continuous motion values. We thus develop a mixed-state Markov random field model to represent motion textures. The core of our approach is to show that motion information is powerful enough to classify and segment dynamic textures if it is properly modeled regarding its specific nature and the local interactions involved. A parsimonious set of 11 parameters constitutes the descriptive feature of a motion texture. The motivation of the proposed formulation runs toward the analysis of dynamic video contents, and we tackle two related problems. First, we present a method for recognition and classification of motion textures, by means of the Kullback--Leibler distance between mixed-state statistical models. Second, we define a two-frame motion texture maximum a posteriori (MAP)-based segmentation method applicable ...


Bearings play a vital role in the operation of a two-axis system. Long-term bearing use inevitably produce bubbles and frictional damage. Therefore, the protection of bearings is critical for the stable operation of a two-axis system. In this study, a TiO₂ nanofilm is used to physically protect a bearing. The discretization method is used to analyse the cavitation process. Cavitation primarily occurs on the front surface of the pad during bearing operation. A finite element analysis of a bearing pad coated and not coated with TiO₂ nanofilms shows that TiO₂ nanofilms can effectively absorb the cavitation force exerted on pads, thereby reducing inflicted damage. Moreover, the TiO₂ nanofilm reduces the friction coefficient of the pad surface, promoting good bearing capacity of the bearing during rotation. The TiO₂ nanofilm serves as a protective layer that improves the anti-wear and bearing performance of a two-axis system.


ABSTRACT Through the research on the mechanism of iron ore sintering process, we used Fluent software to simulate the sintering process and establish a mathematical model of heat and mass transfer; moreover, we used the sintering cup experiment to verify the reliability of the model. The experimental results showed the following: when adding biomass fuel, the thickness of the material layer with the temperature higher than 1573 K decreased slightly; meanwhile, the thickness of the material layer with the temperature higher than 1723 K decreased drastically. Comparison of the emission content of SO2 in conventional sintering and sintering with biomass fuel showed that sintering with biomass fuel could reduce SO2 content in sintering flue gas. Considering sinter properties and SO2 emission reduction effect, sintering material that was added 30% biomass fuel to replace coke breeze could ensure the ore-forming process, and could realise the environment-friendly production.


Millimeter-wave systems require circuit innovations that enable high efficiency with complex waveforms. Injection locking circuit techniques are presented that enable low-power outphasing modulation and phase shifting for millimeter-wave radio transmitters integrated in highly-scaled Silicon CMOS and BiCMOS technologies. This paper reviews the efficiency penalties for operating arrays under back-off conditions to compare the advantages of transmit architectures at mm-wave bands. A microwave injection locking outphasing modulator is described to realize wideband, high-efficiency operation confronting these array architectures. An injection-locked outphasing modulator circuit is implemented in 45-nm SOI CMOS and exhibits 22.7% overall system efficiency with 64-QAM at 2.1% EVM. Injection locking techniques for phase shifters are demonstrated to offer high phase and low amplitude variation in a 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS 2 × 2 transmit/receiver phased array at 71-86 GHz.


As experience with endoscopic sinus surgery has grown, so have its extended applications. Endoscopic management of transnasal intracranial foreign bodies can be successfully performed in selected patients and yields an improved cosmetic outcome and a decreased risk in complications. The patient was a 21 year old male who was driving intoxicated and sustained a motor vehicle accident. Patient was ejected from his vehicle and launched toward a tree. Patient presented to our institution with a tree branch which had entered the left aspect of his oral cavity piercing through his gingival labial sulcus, traveling into his left nasal cavity, penetrating through the septum into the right nasal cavity, traveling intracranially and piercing white matter. There was no evidence of a CSF leak at time of presentation.


How we care for people with dementia should take into account research that shows humans' sense of self may be deeply tied to social interactions.It is estimated that 5.2 Americans have some form of dementia, and that number may arly triple to a projected 13.8 million by 2050, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow, or stop demen- tia-related disease (Alzheimer's Association, 2013). Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and is a progres- sive, degenerative disease of the brain that destroys brain cells, resulting in impaired cognitive function. Its symptoms include memory loss, language and function impair- ment, and behavioral disturbances.Most conditions associated with dementia gradually destroy brain cells over time and lead to progressive decline in cognitive function. But the rate of progression of dementia varies from person to person. For people with dementia, the time from onset until death ranges from three to twenty years, with the average duration being eight years (Alzheimer's Association, 2013). And although there are commonalities, the way in which dementia manifests itself also varies, perfectly lending it to individualized care. But it is still rare that individuals with AD receive such care.Stages May Be Useful as a Medical Framework, but Not for CareMany experts have developed frameworks of stages to describe the progression of AD, docu- menting patterns of symptom development that generally correspond to the degeneration of nerve cells. Stages may provide an understand- ing of how the disease may play out, but because the progression of the disease is individual, this way of understanding it does not work well in the caregiving realm. If stages are used as benchmarks for labeling a person with AD and imposing expectations of their behavior, this can limit or inhibit that individual's contributions and abilities. Such use of stages can create a culture that merely recognizes similarities rather than celebrating differences.Physicians, families, and care staff often believe stages are needed to identify a predict- able disease course and associated treatments. Stages typically focus on loss and decline, limiting the individual's unique character, portraying a solely dismal picture for families and professionals, and adversely affecting care and interactions. Families or professionals can anticipate certain impairments and prematurely assign them to the individual, or refer to a nor- mal behavior or action as a characteristic or symptom of a stage. This restrictive approach is not helpful for care providers interested in a strengths-based approach, or for interactions supporting person-centered care. Broad stages such as early, middle, and late, or mild, moder- ate, and severe may be more helpful.Moving Beyond the Medicalization of Alzheimer's DiseaseA strict medical model of care is no longer appropriate for much disease care, but especially for dementia or Alzheimer's. Such an approach fails to appreciate the disease from the person's point of view and fails to support the complete and lifelong self (Morris, 1996).Karen A. Lyman (1989) first described the view of dementia as an example of the "medi- calization of deviance," which she defined as treating the person and their social troubles as medical problems. She argued that the medical model includes many disease categories that limit the self-identity of the person with demen- tia and suggested a shift in how AD is perceived to include social factors and a recognition of the individual. Christine Harrison (1993) said that a medical focus, which looks only at problems, should also assess the individual's remaining strengths, positive functions, and characteris- tics. Harrison suggested that we examine what makes a person the same person over time, and reinforced the notion that personhood is more than just cognitive abilities, but includes many facets and contexts such as strengths and personal characteristics. …


This thesis is an ethnological study of the experience of participating in karaoke nights at a particular karaoke bar in a larger city in the south of Sweden. It aims to examine the experienced atmosphere as it is spoken of as a feeling of joy and of being welcomed inside the karaoke bar. From understanding the intentions of the singers, the directions bodies take while in the audience and the movement between being on stage and of stage, my aim is to understand if it is something in particular that is happening, which makes the karaoke participants speak so well of the atmosphere in this particular karaoke bar. Through theory of phenomenology by Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Sara Ahmed, as well as Bourdieus theory of the struggle within the field, this thesis is also an attempt to shed light on the spoken experience of joy within a group of bodies experiencing in a field that is said to be democratic and open for everyone to participate in, in relation to the discriminatory properties within the individual. (Less)


To investigate how urologists generally perform the follow‐up of adult spina bifida (SB) patients and to see to which extent recommendations from guidelines on neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction are followed.


This work is focused on comparison between Salmonella Enteritidis rfaC mutant and wild type and their infection's characteristics using an electron microscopy. The rfaC mutant is missing the lipopolysaccharides chains. Its lipopolysacharide contains only lipid A. This deficiency results to its inability to create a spacious endozome after the invading the cell, which is in opposition to the wild type form, which creates spacious endozome in the macrophage. It found out, that there weren't any significant differences of average amount of salmonella in the infected cell between rfaC mutant and wild type. The inability of rfaC mutant to create a vacuole is compensated by higher inclination to infect the cell.


The undersigned, appointed by the President as Commissioners to represent the Government of the United States at the Conference on Limitation of Armament, have the honor to submit the following report of the Proceedings of the Conference. On July 8, 1921, by direction of the President, the Department of State addressed an informal inquiry to the group of Powers known as the Principal Allied and Associated Powers—that is, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan—to ascertain whether it would be agreeable to them to take part in a conference on the subject of limitation of armament, to be held in Washington at a time to be mutually agreed upon. In making this inquiry, it was stated to be manifest that the question of Umitation of armament had a close relation to Pacific and Far Eastern problems, and the President suggested that the Powers especially interested in these problems should undertake in connection with the Conference the consideration of all matters bearing upon their solution with a view to reaching a common understanding with respect to principles and policies in the Far East.


A bacteriophage infective for the obligate psychrophile, Micrococcus cryophilus, was isolated from sewage. The host range is limited to this species. Phage and host DNA are similar in G–C content. ...


Neurocognitive and school performance outcomes of low birth weight infants were examined prospectively at the University of Rhode Island, and Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI.


This introductory chapter presents an overview of recent advances in webbased Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping services and applications, and identifies some of the issues and challenges faced by researchers and professionals in the field. Primarily driven by current advances in web technologies and the expressed needs from geospatial communities, the field has evolved rapidly over the last two decades. The uncertainty of future technology developments makes it difficult to predict what the future holds. Nevertheless, we identify some trends and potential directions for web-based mapping and services.


The blending effect of poly maleic anhydride-styrene-methyl methacrylate (MA-St-MMA) terpolymer on non-miscible PVC and Polystyrene was studied depending on their thermomechanical properties. Depending on the amount of the synthesized and used compatibilizer the tensile strength, modulus, and thermomechanical properties of the blends are enhanced. The unmodified and blends with small amounts of compatibilizer exhibit two-step degradation whereas those containing 6, 8 and 10 percent compatibilizer showed a single glass transition (Tg). All the results reveal that PS/PVC mixtures modified with MA-St-MMA have superior mechanical properties and phase adhesions than mixtures without terpolymer.


Objective To study the application of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy machine in the musculoskeletal disorders.Methods 46 case(s12 nonunion,16 periarthritis of shoulder,10 arthritis of knee joint,8 tennis elbow、periostitis、spur and sports injury)were treated by liquid-electric extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy machine.Results All cases obtained the good result.The efficiency of bone nonunion is 83.3%,periarthritis of shoulder is 81.2%,arthritis of knee joint is 80%,other efficient is 87.5%,total efficiency is 82.6%.Conclusions Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy machine has good curative effect at cure the musculoskeletal disorders and it is a good therapeutic method to be generalized.


Fixed Sunroof System (FSS), which consists of a large size heat-strengthened roof panel glass, locating components, encapsulation, etc., is replacing traditional metal roof panel on vehicle to achieve weight reduction as well as providing a broad vision above passengers. As a result of the roof panel glass surface area and curvature, FSS could not be self-fixed on vehicle bodyside outer by means of its locating components currently and a tooling fixture is needed when the fixed sunroof be assembled to vehicle. Meanwhile, varied status of the interferences between FSS and vehicle outer or inner sheet metal may introduce additional loading forces while assembling. That could involve perceived quality issues on its appearance. At the same time, safety performance of FSS also leads a critical role on replacing traditional metal roof panel. This paper is aimed to present a comprehensive design strategy for FSS to achieve self-fixed to vehicle sheet metal as well as robust and sufficient assembly process. For the part of self-location, the concepts are divided to two major directions: location pins' layout and pins' structure. A reasonable layout and a new-developed structure of the location clip are essential to make sure the operators could see the clips clearly when assembly, which also conducive to avoid over-positioning. In addition, the fixed sunroof cannot be a naked glass because of appearance reason and seal function requirement. The relationship between loading force and encapsulation's structure, material and interference volume distributed on the FSS should be established with the purpose of optimizing assembly process and improving interference performance.
 This study also develops into detail by experimental and finite element analysis method to figure out the contribution on loading force from encapsulation's structure, material and interference volume. Moreover, the strength of the FSS can be taken depends on is manufacture process and the shape of the glass. The key elements in manufacture process and the feasibility of further optimization can be identified by means of theoretical in the formation of glass stress. The effect of the fixed sunroof on entire vehicle can be estimated by FE analysis. This paper combines the traditional process with these new-optimized elements, which creates a new manufacture process to achieve a heat-strengthened roof panel glass with lager surface and high rigidity taking the reference of the production process in windshield and backlite. A detection method on glass strength and stiffness can also be figured out during the study in this new manufacture process.


A new, cost-efficient approach to teaching undergraduate-level sandstone petrography is being devised. The main goal of this multimedia tutorial is to provide a quantity of petrographic information sufficient to allow students to attain a high level of expertise in rock description. Development in digital format will permit effective delivery of the tutorial via CDs and the Internet. The tutorial is based on a collection of high-resolution digital petrographic images and utilizes a hierarchical menu and topics for navigation. The tutorial is composed of modules for sandstone types and other topics. Each module is further divided into sub-modules. Within a sub-module, forward and backward arrows, and other navigational choices allow the user to move around and explore the contents. The interface is dominated by the petrographic image with minimal screen space devoted to tutorial functions. The user is able to determine the presence of an interactive area within the image by moving the pointer across the screen until the pointer changes from an arrow to a hand. When an active area is clicked by mouse, relevant instructional information appears. An online glossary is provided. Each sub-module is designed to gradually add information so that the user fully absorbs the topic at the user's own pace. This interactive tutorial will contain up to 300 interactive photomicrographs and represents the first step towards a digital library of petrographic images that will serve as a reference work for use in reservoir description.


The study was carried out in order to assess the contribution of the agricultural sector to the gross domestic product and export earnings of Russia, the sufficiency of food production, which is an important condition for ensuring the economic security of the country. The share of the agricultural industry in the country's GDP exceeds 4%, in export earnings - 9%, in the structure of employment - 6.5% (2020). The level of production of basic types of food (bread, potatoes, meat, eggs) meets the safety requirements. The dependence of the domestic food market on imports of beef exceeds 28%, cheese - 30%, animal oil - 30%, vegetable oil - 14%. In order to cover domestic food demand in accordance with rational consumption standards, it is necessary to increase the production of beef by 1.4 times, milk by 1.5 times, cheese by 1.4 times, animal oil by 1.4 times, fish by 2.5 times, vegetables and gourds by 1.5 times, fruits and berries by 4 times. A threat to the sustainable development of agriculture, and hence the economic security of the state, may be the low standard of living in rural areas, which accelerates urbanization and weakens the labor potential of a strategically important industry. Many agricultural regions experience long-term migration outflow. Altai Territory bears the greatest losses (migration loss is 24 people per 10,000 people on average for 2010-2020), the Republic of Mordovia (14 people per 10 000 people), Tambov and Bryansk (20 people per 10 000 people), as well as the Penza (migration loss of 17 people per 10 000 people) regions. This disrupts the reproduction of labor potential and requires additional measures to stabilize the demographic situation in the regions that ensure the country's food security.


Hepatitis B and C are at risk of transmission resulting from occupational exposures in the area of health and beauty. Health biosafety actions are measures that minimize transmission risk. The main objective of the study is to evaluate among the scientific publications the existence of biosafety measures against viral hepatitis B and C, .the adopted behaviors and the profile of establishments and professionals. This is an integrative review of five publications in the Virtual Health Library database, on January 19, 2019. The results indicated that there is some knowledge about biosafety and a practice of adopting biosafety measures and behaviors that are far from ideal for prevention of transmission of infectious diseases.


Abstract Museum standards for preserving cultural material need to be interpreted sensitively if they are to ensure sustainable access to fragile historic house interiors, presented as homes still in occupation. High standards of preventive conservation can be achieved by adapting traditional housekeeping practices, recorded in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century manuals. Conservators have revived methods to protect collections from physical damage, biological infestations, pollution, light, and inappropriate levels of temperature and relative humidity. To ensure that vulnerable collections are properly maintained, conservators equip historic house managers with an understanding of preventive conservation and technical information to aid monitoring and documentation, staff training and management. In conclusion, the paper emphasizes the need to establish a sustainable balance between conservation and access.


*Corresponding author: Dr. Neerja Puri, MD, FICS, FIMSA, FCGP, Dermatology, Anesthesiology, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, G.G.S. Medical College & Hospital , Ludhiana, Punjab, India, Tel: 0091-98146-16427; E-mail: email@example.com Citation: Puri N, Talwar A (2015) Efficacy of Tattoo Removal with Dermabrasion versus Radiofrequency Ablation in a Resource Limited Setting Enliven: Clin Dermatol 1(2): 001.


Based on analysis of the situation in Bao14 block reservoir of Liaohe oilfield,advantages and disadvantages of transformation conditions of reservoir were summed up.Through indoor tests and field tests,the key technology in research of fracturing fluid for Bao14 block was put forward,a new type of low temperature fracturing fluid system was developed successfully.Indoor and field tests show that the technology can meet requirements of Bao14 block hydraulic fracturing,which can provide a certain guiding significance for improving the hydraulic fracturing effect of low temperature and low permeability reservoirs.


The air is full of voices expressing concern over what Americans do not know about their history. Both political right and left complain about the loss of "American memory," and historians' lack of influence in the wider culture. Some blame primarily the history professors, for overspecialization and the failure to make history intelligible to contemporary audiences or relevant to contemporary concerns. Others blame primarily the "historicidal" culture of modernity, which denies the relevance of the past for the future.' But for all the hue and cry, there has been little systematic research into the nature and evolution of history consciousness in America. What did Americans know about their history, and when did they forget it? What have been the principal historical images that have shaped Americans' perceptions of the past, and the relation of that past to the present and future? How have particular versions of history become the public history, and how has this public history, and the ways in which it has been created and disseminated, changed over time? Clearly we need a framework for understanding the changing content and organization of historical knowledge in society that can answer these questions, similar to the historiography that academic historians have constructed for the historical profession. Such a framework would trace, to borrow Michael Frisch's economics metaphor, changes in the demand for history as well as how it is supplied. It would critically examine the institutions through which history is communicated in public: museums, historical societies, archives, the historic preservation movement, universities and public schools, as well as the publishing industry. It would also strive to understand the relationship of public versions of history to the more private ways that ideas about the past are communicated, such as oral tradition, memory, and the way that families decorate their homes. And, following the example of Warren Susman a quarter-century ago, it would explore the mythic and ideological uses of history in American culture, especially in politics.2


Objective To evaluate the significance of various methods of cytomegalovirus (CMV) detection in clinical diagnosis of immunocompromised patients.Methods Clinical samples were gathered weekly.Traditional cell culture (CC) was used to isolate the virus.Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) was used to detect CMV early antigen.Dot-blot hybridization and PCR were used to detect CMV-DNA.ELISA was used to detect CMV-IgM and CMV-IgG.Results CC and IIF were the methods with the best sensitivity which of both were 100%.The following sensitive method was PCR with sensitivity of 75%.CC and IIF was the method with best specificity which were 73.3%.The following specific method was dot-blot hybridization with specificity of 66.7%.The negative predictive values of CC and IIF were 100%,and those of PCR and dot-blot hybridization were 84.4% and 83.3% respectively.During 3 months after transplantation CMV-IgM was negative in the bone marrow transplant recipients.There was no difference for the mean titers of CMV-IgG between CMV antigen-positive and negative group (P0.05).Conclusion All the CC,IIF,dot-blot hybridization and PCR could be used as CMV surveillance methods,and the latter three were less time-consuming.The patients with continuously negative results should be considered as low-risk group for CMV reactivation.CMV-IgM and CMV-IgG are unsuitable for detection of CMV reactivation in immunocompromised patients.


Objective To construct and identify a recombinant adenovirus with rat protein inhibitor of activated STAT1(PIAS1) gene.Methods Full-length PIAS1 gene was amplified from rat pancreatic acinar AR42J cell strain by RT-PCR and,after T-A cloning,subcloned into shuttle plasmid pDC316.Adenovirus skeleton plasmid Nad5/F35 and shuttle plasmid pDC316-PIAS1 were co-transfected to 293 cells by homologous recombination,and the obtained recombinant adenovirus plasmid Ad5/F35-PIAS1 was packaged and amplified to obtain recombinant adenovirus.The virus infection was observed by fluorescent microscopy,and the expressions of PIAS1 gene and protein by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively,based on which the titer of recombinant adenovirus was calculated.Results PIAS1 gene at a length of 1 956 bp was amplified from AR42J cell strain.Restriction analysis proved that recombinant adenovirus plasmid Ad5/F35-PIAS1 was constructed correctly.RT-PCR and Western blot showed that PIAS1 gene and protein were expressed in 293 cells.Fluorescent microscopy showed that the infection rate of recombinant adenovirus reached 90%,and the virus titer was 4.45 × 1010 PFU/ml.Conclusion The recombinant adenovirus with rat PIAS1 gene was successfully constructed,which laid a foundation of further study on the role of PIAS1 gene in the relevant diseases as well as its application in clinic.


The issues of small business enterprises (SME) are multifaceted. Issues such as competition, market saturation, government regulation, overhead costs and customer turnover have an effect on the profitability of SMEs. This is also the case with minority businesses enterprises (MBE), they have market behavioral characteristics that are unique to them. This paper examines the use of analytics to assess economic patterns with minority business enterprises. The study was conducted on 139 MBEs across 11 industries. The MBEs were categorized into four general industry/market sectors. The MBE owners completed a 32-item questionnaire based on key business analytics and metrics that affect profitability.
An exploratory factor analysis was used for the study. In addition, a factorial MANOVA was used to measure the analytics and firm economic behavior patterns. The results of the study indicated there were eight diverse analytic patterns critical to MBE profitability and market behavioral characteristics: (a) Government Regulation/Market; (b) Inflation/Globalization; (c) Business Security; (d) Competition/Market; (e) Capital/Social; (f) Business Intellectual Capital; (g) Profitability/Customer Activity; and (h) Business Climate/Labor Costs.


In this paper we investigate two factor rotation approaches, performed directly on the MSCI smart beta indices that are Value, Quality, Momentum, Low Volatility and Size, over US and European Markets. Both approaches use the same indicators built on a macroeconomic signal (PMI), a market sentiment signal based on (VIX, credit spreads), and a momentum signal (time-series, cross-sectional). While the first approach is rule-based and mostly inspired by already known factor rotation frameworks, our work explores those by using our own specifications and it also seeks to check whether a style rotation works at the indices level. Our results show that our framework outperforms a simple equal-weight factor exposure in spite of application of transaction costs. On a stand-alone basis the PMI based rotation fol- lowed by the time-series momentum exhibit the strongest returns. Then we explore if machine learning techniques (tree-based) outperform equal-weight and the rule based strategies particularily after counting for transaction costs.


We have investigated the domain structures and their dynamics induced by electric field along the c axis in ferroelectric Bi4Ti30 12 single crystals, taking into account the two spontaneous polarization (P,) components along the a (Ps(aJ) and c axes (Ps(cJ). Piezoresponse force microscope observations showed that 90° domain walls (composed of the Ps(aJ component) clamp the motion of Ps(cJ domain walls, leading to a lower remanent polarization along the c axis. Annealing the crystals under oxidation atmosphere led to not only a complete Ps(c) switching without clamped Ps(c) domains, but also a marked increase in the coercive field for the Ps(c) switching (Ec(cJ). The behavior of Ec(c), which cannot be explained by the domain wall pinning attributed to oxygen vacancies, was tentatively interpreted as a result of the interaction between the domain walls composed of Ps(c) and electron hole induced by the oxidation treatment.


Summary Temperature represents a very important variable in ADP-induced platelet aggregation. When low doses of ADP ( < 1 (μM) are used to induce platelet aggregation, the length of the incubation period of PRP in the cuvette holder of the aggregometer, thermostatted at 37° C, is very critical. Samples of the same PRP previously kept at room temperature, were incubated for increasing periods of time in the cuvette of the aggregometer before adding ADP, and a significant decrease of aggregation, proportional to the length of incubation, was observed. Stirring of the PRP during the incubation period made these changes more evident. To measure the exact temperature of the PRP during incubation in the aggre- gometer, a thermocouple device was used. While the temperature of the cuvette holder was stable at 37° C, the PRP temperature itself increased exponentially, taking about ten minutes from the beginning of the incubation to reach the value of 37° C. The above results have a practical significance in the reproducibility of the platelet aggregation test in vitro and acquire particular value when the effect of inhibitors of ADP induced platelet aggregation is studied. Experiments carried out with three anti-aggregating agents (acetyl salicyclic acid, dipyridamole and metergoline) have shown that the incubation conditions which influence both the effect of the drugs on platelets and the ADP breakdown in plasma must be strictly controlled.


V ascular dysfunction is typically associated with hypertension and contributes to the progression of cardiovascular disease. Altered vascular tone that constitutes an exaggerated vasoconstrictor response or an attenuated ability for vasorelaxation may potentially lead to a chronic increase in vascular resistance and an elevation in blood pressure. A key component regulating vascular tone is the nitric oxide (NO) system whereby activation of NO synthase (NOS) generates NO; the most prominent NOS isoform in the vasculature is endothelial NOS (eNOS or NOS type III) [1,2]. A well characterized signaling pathway for NOS activation and NO release is the PI3 kinase–Akt kinase axis that results in phosphorylation of the Ser residue of eNOS for assembly and activation [2]. Subsequent release of endothelial NO activates soluble cGMP cyclase in the smooth muscle to form cGMP, an essential cofactor for protein kinase G (PKG). The activation of PKG leads to the phosphorylation of multiple substrates that facilitates vasorelaxation [3,4]. The importance of the NO system in blood pressure regulation reflects in part, the sustained hypertensive response to administration of NOS inhibitors such as LNAME or the targeted deletion of eNOS, as well as the loss of NO tone in various forms of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases [1,5]. In a very extensive study comprising both hypertensive patients and a preclinical model of renovascular hypertension, Xia et al. [6] sought to establish the contribution of another gas molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to vascular tone. They report that the H2S system resides upstream of NOS/NO and identify the signaling pathways for H2S in the endothelium [6]. The authors assessed two cohorts with established hypertension and normal blood pressure with respect to circulating H2S levels and the vascular response to H2S in isolated renal arteries from both groups. Additional studies determined the influence of exogenous H2S on blood pressure and vascular reactivity in the Goldblatt model (two-kidney, one-clip) of renovascular hypertension. The study established that both clinical and


Characterizes the performance of two important classes of radiometers-the wideband radiometer and the channelized radiometer (also known as a filter bank combiner)-using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Both classes of radiometers are evaluated against direct sequence (DS) and frequency hopped (FH) spread spectrum signals. Simulations for the wideband radiometer are performed with and without perfect message synchronization by varying the message arrival time uncertainty. The channelized radiometer is modeled with a wideband radiometer in each channel and an O Red binary moving window detector (OR/BMWD) in its alarm circuitry. A simulation is run against a frequency hopping transmission to measure the effect of the BMWD integration threshold on input S/N/sub 0/. Initially the wideband radiometer is evaluated against a DS signal, and the channelized radiometer is evaluated against a FH waveform. Finally both radiometers are compared against using the Block Oriented System Simulator. System simulation block diagrams and results of the simulations are presented.<<ETX>>


Indian sugar industry plays a dominant role in accelerating industrialization processes and has been influential in bringing socio-economic changes in rural India. The sugar industry is a part of the agro – based industries in India and contributes a significant portion of the gross domestic product of the country. Over 50 million sugarcane farmers and their dependents and large mass of agricultural labourers are involved in sugarcane cultivation, harvesting and ancillary activities. It is worth mentioning that the industry employs over one lakh skilled and unskilled workers mainly from the rural area. Thus over 7.5 percent of the rural population of India is directly or indirectly dependent on the sugar industry. The sugarcane and sugar production has greatly increased over the years. The present study covers the profile of sugarcane growers with reference to farmers of selected sugar factories in South Gujarat. This present study has made an attempt to study the cane growers' attitude towards some aspects like occupational distribution, sources of irrigation, having soil health card and Kisan Credit Card.


Constellation autonomous navigation techniques can effectively enhance autonomous navigation performance of navigation constellation and ephemeris,and improve system survivability.In the paper,constellation autonomous navigation method based on inter-satellite ranges is analyzed,decoupling model and condition for position and time from inter-satellite are achieved;resolution process that position updating and time updating are sequentially executed is available.According to features of state equations and measurement equations,distributed kalman algorithm suitable for navigation constellation autonomous navigation is derived.Key simulation techniques are presented.Simulation indicates that navigation constellation autonomous positioning and inter-satellite time synchronization are achieved based on inter-satellite ranges.


If two closed oriented manifolds with smooth semifree group actions satisfy a condition called the Gap Hypothesis are equivariantly homotopy equivalent, then the equivalence between them can always be deformed to an isovariant homotopy equivalence. This paper gives and analog for compact bounded manifolds and equivariant homotopy equivalences that are isovariant on the boundary, showing that there are deformations to isovariant equivalences that are fixed on the boundary. The proof is homotopy theoretic like the author's approach to the existence result, but it also requires some additional machinery. A uniqueness theorem for isovariant deformations follows directly from the main result. As indicated in our previous paper [Sc9], there are two basic notions of homotopy equivalence for spaces with group actions; namely, equivariant homotopy equivalences and the stronger concept of isovariant homotopy equivalence. In particular, the classifications of certain kinds of group actions on manifolds up to both types of equivalence have been extensively studied, and the main result of [Sc9] shows that these coincide if the manifolds in question satisfy a condition called the Gap Hypothesis. There is a fairly extensive discussion of such matters in [Sc9], so we shall only summarize points that are important for our purposes. First, we shall restrict attention to group actions on manifolds that are smooth and semifree (the group acts freely off the fixed point set — note that this holds for all actions of a cyclic group Zp of prime order p). Second, we shall assume the Gap Hypothesis condition, which implies that the dimensions of the ambient manifold X and the fixed point set F satisfy the inequality dim F + 1 ≤ 1 2 dim X . The main results of [Sc9] (see Theorem 1.1) state that if M and N are closed (compact, unbounded, connected) smooth manifolds with semifree actions of a finite group G which satisfy the Gap Hypothesis, and f : M → N is a G-equivariant homotopy equivalence, then f is equivariantly homotopy to a G-isovariant homotopy equivalence. The main result of this paper is a relative analog of Theorem 1.1 in [Sc9] for manifolds with boundary. The author was partially supported by National Science Foundation Grants DMS 86-02543, 89-02622 and 91-02711, and also by the Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in Bonn. 1


We study the existence of solutions for the second-order Neumann boundary value problem − u �� + u = f (x,u) , u � (a )= u � (b )= 0 , x ∈ [a,b] under suitable assumptions on the function f . Our approach is based on the Green's function method and on well known fixed point theorems.


One of the most important design parameters for hazardous waste sites is the amount of precipitation that is predicted to fall on the unit throughout the duration of its life, usually decades to centuries. However, this design factor is complicated by strong evidence that climate change, whether from anthropogenic or natural causes, has increased the frequency and duration of strong storms throughout the world. This increase in precipitation can have serious consequences for the integrity of hazardous waste disposal facilities. Since the amount of precipitation falling on these units can accelerate the leaching of contaminants to the subsurface, any increase could cause premature failure. Historical records of rainfall are often used as a prediction of future precipitation in the design of hazardous waste management units. However, measurements made since the 1800s indicate that large-scale changes in precipitation have occurred over the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the siting of hazardous waste disposal facilities should include an analysis of the effects of this possible increase in precipitation. Hazardous waste disposal facilities (especially landfills) also have the potential for failure due to design limitations. Increased precipitation can breach the cover system and cause either subsidence or leaching of contaminants into the subsurface. Little actual research exists that quantifies the effects of increased precipitation on the operation of abandoned or closed hazardous waste sites, so these effects need to be reviewed.


The power allocation of the base station is a very important issue in the wireless communication system, which directly determines the network coverage, capacity and even the types of services that can be used. The power of the equipment sharing the network needs to be allocated to the networks of both operators at the same time, which may cause insufficient downlink power. Reasonable power configuration plays an important role in improving network service quality, reducing energy consumption, and effectively using limited network resources. Based on the networking scenario of two operators, 5G NSA Sharing network and certain load applied to the entire network, the influence of power configuration on uplink and downlink air interface performance is studied separately. In this paper, the experiments on air interface performance of RSRP and throughput were carried out under the co-construction and sharing network. The research on the impact of uplink power configuration on coverage was mainly conducted in the case of 30% loading, the 100W/150W outdoor DT and indoor CQT were carried out. The study on the influence of downlink power configuration on coverage was mainly conducted in the case of 30% and 50% loading, the 100W/150W/200W outdoor DT and indoor CQT were carried out separately.


Vehicle ad hoc network provides the seamless communication in road transportation system and it is based on movement of vehicles which provides exchange of information from one vehicle to another vehicle. The existing opportunistic neighbour selection and vehicle localization (ONS&VL) routing logic suffers from more energy drain on finding the neighbours based on position, distance and direction that result in higher routing overhead. To overcome these drawbacks, fuzzy optimization routing logic is proposed. Energy and link acceptance are the factors that are considered to influence vehicular communication. A fuzzy based decision making system is used to decide upon fluctuating factors of energy and data acceptance rate to ensure reliable routing and relevant neighbor selection. It provides high throughput and less energy consumption when compared to existing routing logic. Simulation results demonstrate that proposed fuzzy optimization routing outperforms the existing ONS&VL protocol in terms of throughput, packet delivery ratio, energy consumption and routing overhead.


Introduction: Analysis of whole blood samples in human studies is a little-invasive method that provides direct information about the regulation of cell signaling avoiding the need for repeated tissue biopsies. However, the time interval and manipulations needed to eliminate erythrocytes from blood samples have the potential to introduce artifacts because phospho-epitopes respond to the environment and turn over rapidly. Our aim was to validate a procedure of quick fixation of whole blood samples suitable for subsequent analysis of phospho-epitopes of key signaling proteins. Methods: The first sample set included unfixed white blood cells treated with 1µM PMA for 10 min or sham-treated with medium. The second set included whole blood samples which were first PMA treated and then fixed and lysed by various protocols. We tested some available fix/lysis buffers or 4% formaldehyde solution combined with a range of red blood cell (RBC) lysis buffers (ice-cold water, ammonium chloride solution, Triton X-100 solution etc.). Finally, we compared protein concentrations in obtained samples and the phosphorylation of key signaling proteins using Western blotting, PathScan technology (Intracellular Signaling Array Kit, Cell Signaling) and Luminex technology (MILLIPLEX MAP Multi-pathway assays, Merck Millipore). Results: The final protocol employed the brief blood fixation with 4% formaldehyde, RBC lysis with 0.15% Triton X-100 and sample collection with protein lysis buffer containing 2% SDS. We found no significant differences in phosphorylation levels of key signaling proteins between samples unfixed or fixed by established method. In particular, an activation of MAPK, Akt, and mTOR signaling was successfully detected in PMA treated samples using PathScan and Luminex technology. Conclusion: We established a procedure of rapid fixation and isolation of peripheral blood cells for studying posttranslational modifications of intracellular signal proteins in human studies.


In order to determine whether or not oxidation of polymer influences water treeing, more than 200 vented and bow-tie trees from 31 field-aged cables were investigated. Micro-IR spectroscopy analysis has not shown any consistent excess of carbonyl content in water trees as compared with the adjacent non-treed regions of the insulation. Although the levels of carbonyl content of the bulk of the polymer within the treed regions are similar to those in untreed regions of the polymer, vented trees are more susceptible to oxidation if subjected to high temperatures in the presence of oxygen. It was observed that vented trees initiate at similar rates in XLPE in either a nitrogen or air atmosphere. This indicates that tree initiation is rather independent of the presence of oxygen. However, the tree growth rate is slower in nitrogen than in air, the actual difference being affected by the type of ionic solution used. This further suggests that some, not yet known, chemical reactions between oxygen, XLPE and ions play an important role during water tree propagation. The IR absorption band at (1585 cm/sup -1/), typical of carboxylates, was detected in some water trees. It should be noted that the large absorption band of water at (1640 cm/sup -1/) often masks the smaller carboxylate band. Under laboratory conditions carboxylate groups were detected on oxidized nontreed XLPE surfaces. These results do not imply that carboxylates are responsible for tree propagation but confirm only that carboxylate groups are formed during XLPE oxidation. Thermal pre-oxidation of XLPE, to the levels measured in typical field-aged cables, has little or no effect on the initiation and growth of vented water trees. Very high levels of pre-oxidation (as determined by the carbonyl content), at least 80/spl times/ the average oxidation level measured in typical field-aged cable, retard the growth of vented water trees. However, these high levels of oxidation negatively affect the dielectric properties of the insulation.


The authors maintain that,since entered into the WTO,there are many shopping malls,super markets,convenience stores,exclusive shops existed in China.So,the enterprises should construct more rational value creation mode according to evolution of international and domestic value creation theory and practices.They should,first,strengthen value chain management mode;second,establish the supply chain management system based on means of information;and third,improve value net management based on value sharing.


Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare type of interstitial lung disease characterised by diffuse involvement and filling of distal air spaces by the amorphous, periodic-acid-schiff positive lipoproteinaceous material. Whole lung lavage is presently the standard mode of management of such cases. A 33-year-old male presented to our centre with cough and breathlessness on exertion. On evaluation he was found to have PAP. He underwent whole lung lavage (WLL) under general anaesthesia using one lung ventilation. We describe the anaesthetic consideration and the challenges faced in such a procedure.


(72) Inventors: Brian Bingham, Denver, CO (US); (57) ABSTRACT Tristan Fletcher, Pleasant Hill, CA (US) Techniques promote monitoring of hypervisor Systems by (73) Assignee: Splunk Inc., San Francisco, CA (US) presenting dynamic representations of hypervisor architec tures that include performance indicators. A reviewer can (21) Appl. No.: 13/874,423 interact with the representation to progressively view select (22) Filed: Apr. 30, 2013 lower-level performance indicators. Higher level perfor mance indicators can be determined based on tower level state Publication Classification assessments. A reviewer can also view historical performance metrics and indicators, which can aid in understanding which (51) Int. Cl. configuration changes or system usages may have led to Sub G06F 9/455 (2006.01) optimal performance.


5 2.3.4 Localization of PilT in the absence of other type IV pili components............................. 70 2.3.5 Localization of non-functional YFP-PilT mutant ...................................................... 73 2.4 Regulation of the type IV pili oscillations .....................................................73 2.4.1 Small Ras-like GTPase MglA is required for PilT dynamics during reversal ................. 73 2.5 Characterization of a new S-motility component .........................................76 2.5.1 Bioinformatics analyses of SofG (S-motility function GTPase)...................................... 76 2.5.2 SofG is required for Smotility and development .......................................................... 78 2.5.3 ΔsofG mutant assembles type IV pili at both poles........................................................ 81 2.5.4 Production ot exopolysaccharides in ΔsofG mutant ...................................................... 82 2.5.5 Generation of YFP-SofG fusion proteins ....................................................................... 83 2.5.6 SofG has an unusual localization pattern ...................................................................... 85 2.5.7 Accumulation of type IV pili components is independent of SofG ................................. 89 2.5.8 Localization of PilC in the absence of SofG................................................................... 90 2.5.9 Localization of PilB ATPase in the absence of SofG ..................................................... 91 2.5.10 Localization of PilT ATPase in the absence of SofG ................................................. 91 3 Discussion ........................................................................................... 95 3.1 Mechanism underlying type IV pili pole-to-pole oscillations during reversal ........................................................................................................................95 3.1.1 Stationary type IV pili components................................................................................. 95 3.1.2 Dynamic type IV pili components ................................................................................... 96 3.1.3 Model of the type IV pili polarity switching during reversal ............................................ 97 3.2 Mechanism regulating temporal separation of type IV pili extension and retraction .....................................................................................................................98 3.3 Polar targeting and polar retention of type IV pili components................100 3.4 Regulation of type IV pili localization and oscillations by Ras-like GTPase MglA and its paralog SofG .......................................................................................102 3.4.1 MglA regulates correct PilT polarity and oscillations during reversal........................... 103 3.4.2 SofG establishes correct polarity of two type IV pili motors and regulates their dynamic localization................................................................................................................................. 103 3.5 Conclusions...................................................................................................107 4 Materials and Methods...................................................................... 109 4.1 Chemicals and equipment............................................................................109 4.2 Media ..............................................................................................................110 4.3 Microbiological methods..............................................................................112 4.3.1 E. coli strains ................................................................................................................ 112 4.3.2 M. xanthus strains ........................................................................................................ 112 4.3.3 Cultivation of bacteria................................................................................................... 114 4.3.4 Storage of transformed E. coli and M. xanthus strains ................................................ 114


The purpose of the study was to study the dynamics of foci of epileptic activity, which were reproduced in the cerebral cortex of kindled rats using the sodium salt of benzylpenicillin, under the conditions of individual and combined use of pioglitazone and thioperamid. Under conditions of acute observation in rats kindled with pentylenetetrazole repeated administration (30-35 mg/kg, i.p.), the influence of thioperamid (2,5 and 15,0 mg/kg, i.p.) and pioglitazone(50,0 and 200,0 mg/kg, i.p.) administrations upon penicillin-induced foci in the frontal cortex have been investigated. The data obtained showed that pioglitazone use in a previously ineffective dose (50.0 mg/kg, i.p.) but against the background of the administration of thioperamid (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) was accompanied by the development of an anticonvulsant effect, which was expressed as inhibition of the amplitude and frequency of epileptic seizures potentials, as well as in reducing the life span of epileptic foci. A similar result indicates the possibility of restoration of sensitivity to the anticonvulsant effects of the studied drugs when they are used together in kindling provoked resistance to the action of antiepileptic drugs. Thus, the development of the antiseizure effect of thioperamid and pioglitazone, which were used in initially not effective dosages (2,5 and 50,0 mg/kg correspondently), have been described. This fact favors the synergy of the antiepileptic action of investigated compounds.


Abstract A detailed analysis based on calcareous nannoflora and planktonic foraminifera has been carried out on the Lower Cretaceous Monte Soro Flysch (Sicily, Italy) in order to constrain better the age of this unit and to understand its palaeogeographic implications. This study is part of a biochronostratigraphic review of the mauretaniens Cretaceous flysch of the Betic-Maghrebian Chain which has been underway for some years. The Monte Soro Flysch is subdivided into two members: a clayeycalcareous lower member and a clayey arenaceous upper member. On the basis of the planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil content the age of the lower member has been precisely dated as late Hauterivian-early Aptian. Unfortunately, the upper member is barren of fossils. The lower member of the Monte Soro Flysch contains several black shale levels which can be correlated with the early Aptian globally recognized organic-rich layers. The results obtained from our study permit a much more detailed age assignment and confirm the marked bio-chronostratigraphic similarity of the Monte Soro Flysch with the other mauretaniens Cretaceous flysch of the Betic-Maghrebian Chain.


Effective operation of telecommunications and radio-electronic systems depends on several factors that must be taken into account at all stages of the equipment lifecycle. While using the equipment for its intended purpose, the function of efficiency maintaining is the main task of the operating system. To perform successfully this task, the operating system uses intelligent technologies of statistical data processing. The structure of the data processing is complex and includes procedures of model building, detection, evaluation, prediction, and others. The prediction procedures are very important, as it allows for determining the state of the equipment in the future, in particular, the possibility of failure. The failure risk assessment is usually based on the result of the equipment's defining parameters processing. This paper considers the synthesis of the prediction procedure based on the detection and estimation of changepoint parameters in the observed data trends. This procedure gives the possibility to assess the risk of failure using priori information about the characteristics of the maintenance process. Implementation of the proposed procedure will increase the reliability of telecommunications and radio-electronic systems.


Abstract The construction of subalgebras of the set of bilinear products of fermion operators which allow the formation of physically relevant solvable models is investigated. The subalgebras are assumed to be semisimple, hermitean closed and compatible with angular momentum. One obtains two classes of subalgebras, i) the wellknown set of spherical tensors of rank zero and ii) a new class of subalgebras which contain the angular momentum operators. The construction procedure for subalgebras of the second kind is presented in detail (hereby, one starts with the abstract type of the subalgebra and defines the physical model space by the carrier space of a representation) and a number of examples, which provide models not known from the literature, is given.


This paper is mainly concerned with the problems of tolerance specification for precast concrete construction. Some articles have reported that constructed tolerances are much larger than those commonly specified and that tolerances recommended in published standards were unrealistic. In order to confirm the aforementioned statements, an investigation was made by directly measuring the existing variation of bearing lengths in the connections of the beams and their supports at five precast parking structures in Austin, Texas. The results of the investigation illustrate the problem of tolerance specification. A realistic tolerance standard should be established. More effort should be dedicated to measuring the variations in existing satisfactory structures to obtain more realistic data for establishing tolerance standards.


In a temporal OODB, an OID index (OIDX) is needed to map from OID to the physical location of the object. In a transaction time temporal OODB, the OIDX should also index the object versions. In this case, the index entries, which we call object descriptors (OD), also include the commit timestamp of the transaction that created the object version. The OIDX in a non-temporal OODB only needs to be updated when an object is created, but in a temporal OODB, the OIDX has to be updated every time an object is updated. This has previously been shown to be a potential bottleneck, and in this paper, we present the Persistent Cache (PCache), a novel approach which reduces the index update and lookup costs in temporal OODBs. We develop a cost model for the PCache, and use this to show that the use of a PCache can reduce the average access cost to only a fraction of the cost when not using the PCache. Even though the primary context of this paper is OID indexing in a temporal OODB, the PCache can also be applied to general secondary indexing, and can be especially beneficial for applications where updates are non-clustered.


The experimental findings show that the injection of parental strain (A or L strain) whole blood, containing 15 x 10/sup 6/ nucleated cells, into sublethally x-irradiated (500 r) LAf/sub 1/ mice, results in delayed deaths, i.e., from 8 to 39 days post irradiation. The reneral appearance of these injected mice, thcir body weight loss, and the histological evidence as specific lymphoid tissue atrophy indicate that thc syndrome produced is entirely analogous to that observed previously following spleen cell injection. The effect is referable to the leukocytes and not to the erythrocytes or scrum. Since lymph node cells, as well as spleen cells elicit these delayed deaths, it is reasonable to postulate that the responsible cells are those of the lymphoid series. These results imply that peripheral blood contains immunologically competent cells. On this basis, it is suggested that the administration of whole blood or agranulocytic leukocytes from non-isologous donors to heavily irradiated recipients constitutes a potentially hazardous procedure. (auth)


According to customer-oriented theory, proceeding from hierarchy,established a three-level supply chain model that included distributors, manufacturers and vendors. Made up the research on supply chain modeling and multilevel programming.


This article studies the contributions to the theory of dynamic capabilities with emphasis on the adaptation capacity, contemplates the forms of learning and continuous adjustments to manage the complexity of the processes. Searching in scientific articles, the investigator carried out literature review through electronic databases, using the following descriptors: "dynamic capabilities", "adaptability", "international markets", and "competitiveness"; then, the systematization of the reading was made, and finally, the structuring of the sections. Main findings were the coincidence of the authors, stating that the ability of companies to adapt and improve knowledge acquired to be maintained over time and It is an inimitable feature of each organization. It was concluded that the capability of adaptation provides tools to the organization, in order to achieve changes in its business strategy, in agreement with changing market needs.


Uterine perforation is 1 of the least common but most serious complications associated with the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUD). This case of a 26-year old patient illustrates an unusual form of bowel complication encountered with a Lippes Loop. The young woman had the IUD fitted 3 years previously in the family planning clinic. Unfortunately she became pregnant 1 year after insertion. As the device was not found at delivery an ultrasound scan was performed which revealed that the coil was extrauterine but intra-pelvic. It was left in situ as the woman was asymptomatic and it was causing no problems. The patient presented to the hospital with the thread protruding from the anus. Pulling on the thread caused severe pain as the tip of the IUD was deeply embedded in the rectal mucosa. The loop had perforated the anteverted uterus and rectum. The IUD was removed under general anesthesia and the patients postoperative recovery was uneventful. Symptoms of perforation are usually nonspecific and variable and in most cases do not occur until 2 or 3 years after insertion. Perforation of the uterus is rare with an IUD and it remains a safe effective method of contraception for most multiparous women.


The Brazza mausoleum, the mystical embodiment of the Congolese state, is part of a profoundly sacrificial logic of vicissitudes of colonial and postcolonial sovereignty. Whites and blacks, Freemasons and Christians, intellectuals and ordinary people are convinced of the usefulness of this social and biopolitical nonsense. The whites who took an active part in its construction no doubt believe that their aims and interests are better served by it than by hospitals, dispensaries, medicine, water, and electricity, which the majority of Congolese people desperately need. Blacks see it as the place of their sacrifice to better serve the interests of whites and their black agents and auxiliaries. Intellectuals see it as a sign of "€˜Congolese madness," while Christians see in it the face of the devil and death in the service of Freemasonry. The sacred and the sacrifice therefore establish themselves as the foundation of a shared sentiment of the usefulness of death, its madness, and senselessness. In fact, this feeling of the usefulness of what is useless, of madness, and of death is the expression of the reality of biopolitics and the fetishism of the modern sovereign, "negative" power, or that of the Devil, that "spirit that God loves."


This study was undertaken to determine whether centrifugal elutriation would further enrich ovarian cancer cell suspensions previously separated by discontinuous Ficoll/Hypagque gradients. Twelve specimens obtained from five patients with untreated FIGO stage III ovarian cancer were separated by discontinuous Ficoll/Hypaque gradients following mechanical and enzymatic digestion. Disaggregated ovarian cancer suspensions were further fractionated according to cell volume into seven fractions using the Beckman JE-6 elutriation system, with a standard Beckman rotor and chamber. The rotor speed was set at 2600 rpm and flow rates utilized were 32.5, 45.7, 56.4, 68 and 82.6 ml min−1 for fractions 1 to 6, whilst the seventh fraction was obtained by stopping the rotor while maintaining the flow rate at 82.6 ml min−1. Monoclonal antibody CC49, a 'second generation' monoclonal antibody to B72.3 which reacts with pancarcinoma antigen TAG-72 was used to positively identify tumor cells on cytocentrifuge slides of each elutriated fraction as well as the pre-elutriated samples. Tumor cell enrichment occurred from a mean concentration of 44% in the pre-elutriated sample to 96% in fraction 7 of the elutriated samples, whilst cellular viability was assessed as being 78% and 94% in the pre-elutriated fraction and in fraction 7 respectively. Centrifugal elutriation therefore does provide a method to further enrich ovarian cancer cell suspensions obtained by more conventional means of tumor dissociation.


The importance of quaternions in a variety of fields, such as physics, engineering and computer science, renders the effective solution of the time-varying quaternion matrix linear equation (TV-QLME) an equally important and interesting task. Zeroing neural networks (ZNN) have seen great success in solving TV problems in the real and complex domains, while quaternions and matrices of quaternions may be readily represented as either a complex or a real matrix, of magnified size. On that account, three new ZNN models are developed and the TV-QLME is solved directly in the quaternion domain as well as indirectly in the complex and real domains for matrices of arbitrary dimension. The models perform admirably in four simulation experiments and two practical applications concerning color restoration of images.