The paper reviews the development of electric railway traction in France since 1900, and gives an account of the effect of the Government recommendations during the coal crisis following the First World War. The position of electrification at the outbreak of the Second World War is summarized, and this is followed by the technical reconstruction and re-equipment programme drawn up by the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais. Particulars are given as to the physical nature of the electrified lines and the classes of traffic operating over them, together with a description of the method of power generation and distribution and details as to the spacing of the substations and the equipment installed. Other Sections are devoted to details of the various classes of electric locomotive and rail-car in service and to the factors which have contributed to their development. The paper also describes experiments which are being made in the use of a single-phase 50-c/s supply, and the problems which it presents, and gives particulars of three experimental locomotives which are being built for operation on this system. Finally, some operational statistics and a description of the latest S.N.C.F. express electric locomotive No. 7001 are given in an appendix.


Childhood malignancies have a mostly unknown genetic origin. It is critical, therefore, to develop fresh ways for deciphering the range of pediatric cancer genes. Statistical network modeling approaches have emerged as effective methods for inferring gene-disease associations and have been used to adult malignancies but not to pediatric malignancies. We used co-expression network analysis to get a multi-layer knowledge of pan-cancer transcriptome data from the Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. Six modules were shown to be significantly correlated with pediatric tumor histotypes and to be functionally connected to developmental processes. Topological studies revealed that genes associated with childhood cancer propensity and prospective treatment targets were critical regulators of cancer-histotype-specific modules. A module with activities involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control was associated with several pediatric cancers. This canonical oncogenic module encapsulated the majority of the genes associated with pediatric cancer propensity and therapeutically actionable genes. The driver genes were co-expressed in a module associated with epigenetic and post-transcriptional processes in juvenile acute leukemias, indicating a key role for these pathways in the evolution of hematologic malignancies. This integrated pan-cancer analysis characterizes pediatric tumor-associated modules in detail and lays the groundwork for the investigation of new candidate genes implicated in juvenile carcinogenesis.


In this paper, we report the results of density functional theory calculations on CO oxidation on a model Au/ZrO2 catalyst, in which the support is a non‐reducible oxide (zirconia). Low‐temperature CO oxidation on supported gold nanoparticles occurs through direct interaction of an activated O2 molecule with adsorbed CO to form CO2. However, at room temperature or above the reaction follows another path as O2 desorbs from Au at 170 K. On a reducible oxide, such as TiO2, CO is directly oxidized by a lattice oxygen in a gold‐assisted Mars van Krevelen mechanism. The role of the oxide reducibility is thus essential, as the first step of the reaction is the formation of an oxygen vacancy. Contrary to what one would expect, the reaction can occur also on zirconia. We show that this is a result of the reduced oxygen vacancy formation energy at the gold/zirconia interface. The role of ambient oxygen is to reoxidize the support with a slightly activated process. The results point towards the importance of distinguishing between bulk reducibility and surface reducibility, as the latter can be strongly affected by phenomena such as deposition of metal nanoparticles or oxide nanostructuring.


Adjuvant-induced arthritic (AA) differentially affects norepinephrine concentrations in immune organs, and in vivo β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) agonist treatment distinctly regulates ex vivo cytokine profiles in different immune organs. We examined the contribution of altered β-AR functioning in AA to understand these disparate findings. Twenty-one or 28 days after disease induction, we examined β 2-AR expression in spleen and draining lymph nodes (DLNs) for the arthritic limbs using radioligand binding and western blots and splenocyte β-AR-stimulated cAMP production using enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA). During severe disease, β-AR agonists failed to induce splenocyte cAMP production, and β-AR affinity and density declined, indicating receptor desensitization and downregulation. Splenocyte β 2-AR phosphorylation (pβ 2-AR) by protein kinase A (pβ 2-ARPKA) decreased in severe disease, and pβ 2-AR by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (pβ 2-ARGRK) increased in chronic disease. Conversely, in DLN cells, pβ 2-ARPKA rose during severe disease, but fell during chronic disease, and pβ 2-ARGRK increased during both disease stages. A similar pβ 2-AR pattern in DLN cells with the mycobacterial cell wall component of complete Freund's adjuvant suggests that pattern recognition receptors (i.e., toll-like receptors) are important for DLN pβ 2-AR patterns. Collectively, our findings indicate lymphoid organ- and disease stage-specific sympathetic dysregulation, possibly explaining immune compartment-specific differences in β 2-AR-mediated regulation of cytokine production in AA and rheumatoid arthritis.


Breast milk acts as an essential natural source of good bacteria. Generally probiotics are considered as good bacteria which confer health benefits on host when administered at adequate levels. Probiotic micro flora of human breast milk renders gastro intestinal diseases, serum cholesterol. Probiotic microbiome provides resistance against pathogenic microorganisms by releasing antibacterial substances, regulates intestinal dysbiosis, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and anti-oxidant effects. Thus it determines several functions of the host immune system and metabolism. Probiotic microbiome keeps gut environment healthy. Native micro floras are used as potential probiotics because of its specific health benefits. Culturomics is an omics approach helps to characterize the potent native probiotic culture from human


Ultrasound speed and density of electrolytes CdCl 2 + KCI have been measured in DMSO and H 2 O mixtures at 2 MHz from 25 to 45°C. Various derived parameters such as acoustic impedance, adiabatic compressibility and solvation number have been calculated. The results have been discussed in terms of the nature of electrolyte and solvent mixtures. Solvation number throws light on the solute-solute and solute-solvent interactions.


This paper presents a review and comparison of approximate methods for rapid estimates of the friction factor for stabilized flow of purely viscous fluids in noncircular ducts. Results of the approximate procedures, for the particular case of a power-law fluid, are compared with data obtained by numerical integration. For cross-sectional geometries formed by singly connected regions without sharp corners, all available approximate procedures yield results with relative deviations from the numerical data not exceeding about 5%. However, for cross sections formed by doubly connected regions such as for flow in the gap between a square duct with an inner centered cylindrical core, or for an eccentric annulus, deviations may exceed much more than 15% and neither of the existing methods can be recommended.


Traditional taxi fleet operators world-over have been facing intense competitions from various ride-hailing services such as Uber and Grab (specific to the Southeast Asia region). Based on our studies on the taxi industry in Singapore, we see that the emergence of Uber and Grab in the ride-hailing market has greatly impacted the taxi industry: the average daily taxi ridership for the past two years has been falling continuously, by close to 20% in total. In this work, we discuss how efficient real-time data analytics and large-scale multi-agent optimization technology could potentially help taxi drivers compete against more technologically advanced service platforms. Our technology is based on an earlier theoretical work proven to work in a series of simulation studies. Our major contribution in this paper is the demonstration that the proposed design, when coupled with a real-time data feed of close to 20,000 taxis around Singapore, can indeed help drivers to improve their performances. To provide concrete real-world evidence that such technology can indeed benefit taxi drivers, we have tested the driver guidance system (DGS) operationally since September 2017. With 361 recruited drivers and 5 months of operational data, we have demonstrated that when drivers actively follow our guidance during their roaming (more than 60% of roaming time before acquiring a trip), their expected roaming times can be reduced by 22% when compared to the cases where guidances are not followed. By further breaking down the analysis by time periods, workdays, and areas, we point out the spatial-temporal combinations in which the DGS is most useful.


Lithium (Li) can be found in many minerals, including lepidolite. Lepidolite is found in pegmatite-related tin deposits in the Phang Nga area in southern Thailand. According to their field occurrence, petrography, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock geochemistry, the Li-bearing pegmatites and the granitic rocks in the study area can be linked to tin deposits in southern Thailand as part of the SE Asian tin belt. The Li-bearing pegmatites are characterized by an abundance of lepidolite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and quartz with some accessory minerals of fluorite, cassiterite, apatite, monazite, and beryl. The granitic rocks show various compositions, including porphyritic biotite–muscovite granite, biotite granite, and muscovite—tourmaline granite with different proportions of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, biotite, muscovite, and tourmaline. Whole-rock geochemistry indicates that both the Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks have a close relationship rooted in their peraluminous S-type granite affinity. The Li-bearing pegmatites evolved from highly fractionated S-type granitic rocks comparable with the Western Belt Granite of Thailand. The enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb and K) and the depletion of Ba, Nb, and Ti together with similar rare Earth element patterns reflect the collisional setting indicating the Sibumasu–West Burma and West Burma—Indo-Burma collisions during the Cretaceous to the Eocene. The crystallization pressure—temperature conditions of these rocks were 3.49–4.25 kbar and 622°C–675°C, respectively, with an emplacement depth of 13–15 km. The Li-bearing pegmatites had a relatively high average Li grade compared with those of other Li-bearing pegmatites in the world.


With the development of electricity market trading, building owners will possess the freedom to choose their preferred electricity retailers. This paper inspects the application of recommender system. Different from the traditional KNN (K-nearest neighbors)-based collaborative filtering method, we chooses the SNN (significant nearest neighbors)-based collaborative filtering method. The users with top relative similarity index values with respect to the target user are called SNN. This method effectively reduces the computational cost and improves the performance of the personalized recommendation system. By using weekly operation duration times of some typical electrical appliance data, the recommendation system will rate a large number of different plans, so that the homeowner can choose a more suitable electricity package. Different tests can evaluate the performance of the method. The instructions of the proposed method on electricity retailer helps to improve the competitive operation.


The position of the earth's magnetopause is controlled by the kinetic pressure of the solar wind and further influenced by the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field. On average the distance to the subsolar magnetopause is -10RE, but this distance varies with the solar wind pressure during the 11 year sunspot cycle. Maximum solar wind pressure occurs during the declining phase of the cycle and compresses the average subsolar magnetopause inside 10RE while minimum pressure occurs during solar maximum, allowing expansion of the magnetopause outward toward 11RE. The northsouth component of the IMF moves the subsolar magnetopause inward or outward approximately. 25RE for each 1nT unit of negative or positive field strength, with the magnetotail expanding or contracting to contain the flux transported into the tail. Other observations suggest that the distant tail (1) may be flattened into an elliptical cross section with major axis aligned with the YZ component of the IMF and (2) is probably twisted by the torque exerted by interplanetary field lines connected to the tail lobes. Recent evidence suggests that reorientations of the upstream foreshock may produce density enhancements of a few minutes duration that impinge on the magnetopause and compress the magnetosphere.


This paper presents NERSIL, the first Iban named entity recognition using ANNIE, an information extraction tool available within GATE. We proposed a method for building rules and gazetteers for Iban language. Rules were determined based on named entities that were not recognized by ANNIE. Then, the investigation of the contexts of these non-recognized Iban named entities allowed us to write the rules. NERSIL achieves 76.4% F-measure.


Limit the abstract to 250 words or fewer and concisely summarize the basic content of the paper without presenting extensive experimental details. Avoid abbreviations and references, and do not include diagrams. When it is essential to include a reference, use the same format as shown for the References section but omit the article title. Conclude the abstract with a summary statement. Because the abstract will be published separately by abstracting services, it must be complete and understandable without reference to the text. Introduction. The introduction should supply sufficient background information to allow the reader to understand and evaluate the results of the present study without referring to previous publications on the topic. The introduction should also provide the hypothesis that was addressed or the rationale for the study. References should be chosen carefully to provide the most salient background rather than an exhaustive review of the topic. Case Report. The Case Report section, placed after the introduction and before Materials and Methods, is optional and gives relevant clinical information about one or more patients. Materials and Methods. The Materials and Methods section should include sufficient technical information to allow the experiments to be repeated. When centrifugation conditions are critical, give enough information to enable another investigator to repeat the procedure: make of centrifuge, model of rotor, temperature, time at maximum speed, and centrifugal force ( g rather than revolutions per minute). For commonly used materials and methods (e.g., media and protein concentration determinations), a simple reference is sufficient. If several alternative methods are commonly used, it is helpful to identify the method briefly as well as to cite the reference. For example, it is preferable to state ''cells were broken by ultrasonic treatment as previously described (9)'' rather than ''cells were broken as previously described (9).'' The reader should be allowed to assess the method without constant reference to previous publications. Describe new methods completely, and give sources of unusual chemicals, equipment, or microbial strains. When large numbers of microbial strains or mutants are used in a study, include tables identifying the immediate sources (i.e., sources from whom the strains were obtained) and properties of the strains, mutants, bacteriophages, plasmids, etc. A method, strain, etc., used in only one of several experiments reported in the paper may be described in the Results section or very briefly (one or two sentences) in a table footnote or figure legend. It is expected that the sources from whom the strains were obtained will be identified. Results. In the Results section, include the rationale or design of the experiments as well as the results; reserve extensive interpretation of the results for the Discussion section. Present the results as concisely as possible in one of the following: text, table(s), or figure(s). Avoid extensive use of graphs to present data that might be more concisely or more quantitatively presented in the text or tables. Limit photographs (particularly photomicrographs and electron micrographs) to those that are absolutely necessary to show the experimental findings. Number figures and tables in the order in which they are cited in the text, and be sure that all figures and tables are cited. Discussion. The Discussion should provide an interpretation of the results in relation to previously published work and to the experimental system at hand and should not contain extensive repetition of the Results section or reiteration of the introduction. In short papers, the Results and Discussion sections may be combined. Acknowledgments. The source of any financial support received for the work being published must be indicated in the Acknowledgments section. (It will be assumed that the absence of such an acknowledgment is a statement by the authors that no support was received.) The usual format is as follows: ''This work was supported by Public Health Service grant CA-01234 from the National Cancer Institute.'' 8 2006 AAC INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS ANTIMICROB. AGENTS CHEMOTHER.


This commentary reviews some of the challenges described in Holt's article with emphasis on some important issues of balance that have to be addressed in the management of a national statistical system.


Osteogenesis imperfecta is main symptom in an autosomal recessive Jeune syndrome. Odontogenic infection by dentinogenesis imperfecta and poor oral hygiene is not known and Infective Endocarditis (IE) as a life threatening complication is the first report in Jeune syndrome. Case: A 13-year-old female patient presented with fever, disturbed consciousness, and convulsion. She had Jeune syndrome with mitral regurgitation and mental retardation. Cerebral hemorrhage, vegetation of mitral valve and poor oral hygiene demonstrated clinical definite diagnosis of IE by Duke Criteria. Bacterial aneurysm would cause to be cerebral hemorrhage that was no worsening by Computed Tomography. Vancomycin or Linezolid was treated after MRSA was detected in blood culture. Decayed teeth were removed as source of IE. Consciousness level and inflammation response were improved and no sign of infection was confirmed by frequent echocardiogram and blood culture. Outcome: Patient was discharged the hospital after she had no symptoms with appropriate treatment. Conclusion: Observation of oral hygiene and consideration of IE as the differential diagnosis are beneficial in a severe infectious disease of unknown origin with osteogenesis imperfecta, Jeune syndrome. Antibiotics therapy, oral hygiene and teeth extraction are effective for IE caused by decayed teeth with dentinogenesis imperfecta.


The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) — the first sale of private firms' stock to the public — is notorious for its swings from peaks to valleys. This paper argues that these swings reflect serious flaws in the IPO scheme, and that U.S. capital markets should move toward a more stable alternative. Specifically, this paper argues for a two-tier market system in which new stock issuers initially participate in a less-regulated private capital market of accredited investors and then, if they choose, they can move to a more regulated, broader public market. Likewise, firms currently participating in the public market can choose to move to the accredited investor market. Such a scheme would harness private markets to promote the public good while simultaneously eliminating the public bad of IPOs.


The current UK social housing stock accounts for approximately 20% of total UK housing. Maintaining this stock costs approximately £1.25 billion per annum (excludes improvement grant). However the effectiveness of this expenditure against the sustainability agenda is questionable. The theoretical models used for determining maintenance need (the stock condition survey) and
prioritising maintenance works (funding availability) are primarily economic based and do not generally address the wider sustainability issues associated with environmental and social impact. Also, they have proved largely ineffective in addressing changing demands placed on social
housing and have resulted in a significant quality backlog. Further, although the Decent Homes
Standard has attempted to address this quality backlog, its reliance upon existing theories has
resulted in very little improvement to the environmental performance of existing homes. Thus, a
new theoretical approach to built asset maintenance that considers the sustainability agenda is
urgently required. The extent to which routine maintenance (both planned and responsive) can be used as a vehicle to
improve the quality of social housing in a way that addresses the sustainability agenda
(environmental, social and economic impacts) is one focus of a 5 year research programme (EPSRC
– IDCOP) underway in the UK. This paper will present a critical review of the theory underpinning
built asset maintenance (based on a desk study and questionnaire survey of key industry figures)
and identify the weaknesses in the theory for addressing the sustainability agenda. In particular the
paper will: consider how the sustainability agenda impacts built asset maintenance strategies;identify the limitation of the current strategies; and outline a new theoretical basis for built asset management that integrates the sustainability principles into maintenance strategies (both responsive and planned)


Controlling reflection of electrons from an array of electrodes is a key feature of an electron lithography system currently under development. Here the authors describe a technique for characterizing this control. The apparatus is only 30mm long, features simple colinear electron optics and a photocathode that emits a well-directed, monochromatic beam. The overall energy resolution is better than 1eV.


The invention discloses a networking method and system. Physical servers are virtualized into a preset number of virtual machines, Network Attached Storage (NAS), Small Computer System Interface and Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) are arranged for a cloud computing network, and a unified TCP/IP protocol is set, thereby obtaining a fusion network. The physical servers are virtualized to obtain the plurality of virtual machines, each virtual machine is equivalent to a physical server in operation, numerous virtual machines form the cloud computing network, the fusion network can satisfy requirements of managing mass data and maintaining infrastructure of a local area network plus SAN, application of data storage of NAS, iSCSI and FCoE with different protocols and different structures in a network is guaranteed, and flexibility and expandability of cloud computing networking can be effectively realized.


Measurements of the magnetizition and thermal conductivity of a niobium monocrystal as a function of an external magnetic iield show the blocking of normal and superconductive regions by extended faults appearing especially during neutron irradiation. (tr-auth)


Duration of tamoxifen Tamoxifen use was truncated at 5 years based on the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B14 study. While this trial initially showed that 5 years of treatment was effective as compared to no-tamoxifen for hormone receptor positive, node negative breast cancer (mostly postmenopausal), a re-randomization of the treated cohort suggested that 10 years of therapy could be inferior to five.[9,10] This observation guided practice globally.


A general fuzzified cerebellar model articulation controller (GFCMAC) is proposed, in which the fuzzy membership functions are utilized as the receptive field functions. The mapping of receptive field functions, the selection law of membership with its parameters and the learning algorithm are presented. Reinforcement learning base on GFCMAC is applied to ship steering control, as provides an efficient way for the improvement of ship steering control performance. It removes the defect that the conventional intelligent algorithm learning must be provided with some sample data. The parameters of controller are on-line learned and adjusted. It can deal with the uncertainty of ship control in a way. Simulation results show that the ship course can be properly controlled in case of the disturbances of wave, wind, current and error in measure apparatus exist. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is a promising alternative to conventional autopilots.


Abstract Following the growth of nature‐based tourism, "pristine" and remote areas, such as national parks, attract tourists in Scandinavia. Various international initiatives and certification programs, such as PAN Parks in Europe, have been introduced to promote sustainable nature‐based tourism. Often tourists are also given responsibility to prevent negative environmental impacts of their travel. This paper examines the role of nature tourists in developing sustainable tourism: what expectations do tourists have on nature and sustainability in national parks, how do they consider environmental aspects when travelling, and how do they respond to ecolabels and certifications? Thirty interviews of mainly Finnish tourists were conducted in Oulanka National Park, one of PAN Parks certified parks in Finland. The results show that these nature tourists do not form a homogenous group, yet they have various views on environmental issues, which differentiate them from other nature tourists and have an influence on their travelling behavior. Thus, four types of tourists were identified on the basis of their environmental concern and responsibility. The results emphasize the role of regulation, incentives and guidance in developing sustainability in tourist destinations and companies; tourists do not necessarily set high demands as long as negative impacts do not ruin their perception of pristine nature.


Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate mid-term clinical and echocardiographic outcomesof the Alfieri edge-to-edge repair performed on patients with moderate to severe mitralregurgitation (MR).Methods: Thirty patients (mean age, 61.2±11.2 years; 18 males) with moderate to severe MRof different etiologies and a pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) of >40 mmHg who underwent aAlfieri repair between 2005 and 2011 were included. All patients were selected and followed bythe same surgical team and cardiologist. The Alfieri edge-to-edge repair with ring annuloplastywas performed. The patients were postoperatively evaluated in terms of degree of MR, functionalcapacity according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, PAP, left atrialdiameter (LAD), atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction (EF), risk of functional mitral stenosis,etiological factors, and mortality.Results: Postoperative NYHA class, MR and LAD values of the study patients were significantlybetter as compared to the preoperative values (p<0.001). The rate of patients with increasedmean PAP in the preoperative period significantly reduced in the postoperative period (70% vs.30%, p<0.001). Functional mitral stenosis developed in only one patient. Mortality was foundhigher in the patients with ischemic MR with higher NYHA functional class than in those withdegenerative or rheumatic MR.Conclusion: Mid-term outcomes of the Alfieri edge-to-edge repair with ring annuloplasty,particularly in degenerative mitral valve pathologies, are promising. Regression in symptoms,improvements in functional capacity and examination findings, and decrease in the degree ofMR, and the improvements in the echocardiographic findings including decrease in PAP andLAD values, and the absence of atrial fibrillation and thromboembolism are important clinicaloutcomes


In order to provide a succinct demonstration of the usefulness of a new strategy for solubility improvement in protected peptide fragments included in α-helical regions of proteins, model oligo(Leu)s containing Aib or Ala residues were prepared by stepwise elongation and fragment condensation methods. The peptides prepared were the following: Boc–(Leu3–Aib)n–OBzl, Boc–(Leu4–Aib)n–OBzl, and Boc–(leu3–Ala)nOBzl (n=1–3). Carboxyl component peptides having Aib residues at the C-terminals smoothly reacted with amino component peptides in high yields with no care of racemization due to the absence of chiral centers in Aib residues. As expected, peptides containing Aib residues have high solubility in moderate- and high-polar organic solvents and are easily purified by recrystallization from aqueous ethanol. This is in remarkable contrast with the result that the octa- and dodecapeptides containing Ala residues are barely soluble or insoluble in these solvents. Conformational analyses by IR spectroscopies indica...


Processes at boundaries of the unsaturated soil water zone were investigated: At the upper boundary evaporation at the soil-atmosphere interface, and at the lower boundary the dynamic capillary fringe. For studying the upper boundary, an evaporation experiment at the representative elementary volume (REV) scale was considered and modelled numerically. A model with a diffusive boundary layer and a 1D Richards' description including vapour transport fitted well to experimental data. It showed a boundary layer dominated regime in the wet range and a regime where dynamics is controlled by soil hydraulic properties in the dry range. The model could successfully be used to determine soil hydraulic properties from the corresponding evaporation experiment by inverse modelling using a Monte-Carlo Levenberg-Marquardt approach. For the lower boundary, light transmission and NIR imaging spectroscopy methods were developed and employed to measure the micro- and macroscopic water distribution in response to transient boundary conditions in a semi-2D sand medium in a Hele-Shaw cell with high temporal and spacial resolution. The analysis showed that coupled multi-phase and dynamic non-equillibrium effects are essential to understand water movement in dynamic capillary fringes, and sub-REV processes play an important role in the dynamics.


This article is an overview of Many/370, an IBM System/370 parallel processor prototype built JOT I/Ointensive app1ication.s. The prototype consists of 8 processor nodes, 128 small disk drives, and a host c omputer. The nodes h ave a high performance disk I/O capability which distinguishes Many/37O from other multiprocessors. The eight nodes and the host are interconnected By a non-blocking switch, and they corn.tion set. Each node has a disk adaptcr attach,ed to it. The disk adapter has 4 separate SCSI buses and it controls 16 disk d rives. The disk adapter performs the functions a Systetn/370 c hannel and a control unit. municate using e xtensions ol the System/37O I ' r1 st TU c


Two natural chalcone glycosides,4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3',4-dimethoxychalcone and4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-4-hydroxy-3'-methoxychalcone,were synthesized by protection of phenolic hydroxyl group,aldol condensation,glycosylation under phase transfer catalytic condition and deprotection starting from acetovanillone,and the total yield were 17. 2% and 20. 8%. The structures were confirmed by1 H NMR,13 C NMR and HR-MS. A new method for removing MOM group with NH4 Cl was also provided.


For linear model Yi = xiβ+ei,i = 1,2,..., the error sequence {ei}i=1i.i.d., e1 has an unknown density f(x). In this paper, we estimate f(x) byand obtain the strong convergence rate, the strong uniform convergence rate, L1-norm consistency asymptotic normality, law of iterated logarithm.181


It is widely accepted that natural infection with many commensal or pathogenic microorganisms can have a deleterious effect on laboratory animal health and welfare, and can jeopardize the scientiŽ c validity of the experiments in which they are being used, even if the infection is subclinical. The effects of infection can range from subtle biochemical or immunological changes through clinical disease to death. Incidental infection is a particularly important issue with GM mice since they may be, to some degree, immunocompromised, either directly as a result of the genetic modiŽ cation itself, or indirectly through the random disruption of genomic sequences. For example, Pneumocystis carinii is of marginal pathogenicity in most mice but can cause pneumonia and death in immunocompromised GM mice (J. F. A. Carver, personal communication). In addition to compromising animal welfare, the presence of incidental infections may also modify or exacerbate an existing phenotype. Every effort should be taken to prevent or minimize the microbiological contamination of GM mice. This is best achieved by ensuring that the mice used in their generation are free from unwanted microorganisms (that is, speciŽ ed pathogen free (SPF) animals) and that the GM mice produced are subsequently maintained in appropriate husbandry systems. Various bioexclusion husbandry systems (such as Ž lter top cages and individually ventilated cage racks) can assist in achieving this objective. It is also important to remember that biological materials, such as cell lines, can be contaminated and that the inoculation of such materials can result in mice becoming infected. An informed assessment of the microbiological status of a colony of GM mice is only possible if a properly designed healthscreening programme is implemented. Such programmes range from the very extensive (e.g. Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Association 1996) to in-house customized schemes that concentrate on the pathogens of interest. Where mice are immunocompromised, careful thought should be given as to how health monitoring can be achieved. Possible strategies include the use of sentinel animals that are exposed to soiled bedding from experimental cages, or which are housed in the same cage as the mice under investigation. Genetically modiŽ ed mice from external sources may be infected and every effort should be made to prevent them from posing a threat to the existing colonies. Options range from isolation using bioexclusion husbandry systems (such as isolators) to rederivation of the GM line. Rederivation is discussed in Section 21.


The Japanese National Railways engineers developed and actually constructed a rigid foundation in which diaphragm walls are placed to form a box-shaped enclosure as an alternative to a caisson foundation. Two horizontal loading tests on the actual foundations were carried out. Pulling with pre-stressing strands between a pneumatic caisson and a new-type foundation of approximately the same size, the displacement of the former was four times that of the latter. It was confirmed that the displacement of the new-type foundation could be presumed approximately using a calculating model in which the resistance of skin friction around the foundation side walls was accounted for in addition to the normal reaction of the soil. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 287689. (Author/TRRL)


Changes in quality of limau madu (Citrus reticulate) treated with 1.0% and 1.5% Semperfresh wax were observed during storage at 25 °C with relative humidity 65–70% and at 10 °C with relative humidity 85– 90%. Untreated fruits were used as control. Fruits stored at 25 °C were evaluated on alternate days whereas fruits stored at 10 °C were evaluated at weekly intervals. Samples were analysed to determine changes in physical and chemical attributes, and sensory evaluation. Overall results indicated that fruits stored at 25 °C were still acceptable until day 8 with treated fruits having a better quality and shiny skin. Higher weight loss was observed in control fruits (2.5– 6.5%) as compared to the wax treated fruits (0.5–1.8%). However, no significant difference was shown between fruits treated with 1.0% and 1.5% wax treatment. Similar observation was noted in fruits stored at 10 °C for 4 weeks. Weight loss of wax treated fruits was lower (0.03–1.5%) as compared to the control fruits (0.5–2.5%). No significant difference in colour change as shown by the L and hue values between 1.0% and 1.5% wax treatment. Slight yellow colour formation was observed in the control fruits stored at 10 oC after 3 weeks of storage. However, no significant difference was observed in the the different wax treatment until the end of 4 weeks. The TSS values of the control fruits decreased significantly after 8 days of storage at 25 oC. However no significant difference was observed between 1.0% and 1.5% wax treatment. The TSS values of both treated and control fruits were quite stable (12.8–12.6%) during the 4 weeks of storage at 10 oC. Significantly lower pH values were observed in control fruits both during storage at 25 oC and 10 oC. Semperfresh treatment did not influence the taste, odour and overall acceptability of both fruits stored at 25 oC and 10 oC.


At present many metropolitan cities in the country, including Mumbai, face the problem of addressing severe pavement distresses in the old flexible (bituminous) pavements after each monsoon, incurring huge expenditure. Though cement concrete pavements, because of their long life and superior performance, greatly reduce the maintenance expenditure, often due to initial investment constraints, this option is not chosen. There is need for development of new and innovative pavement repair and strengthening strategies, which are cost effective and less maintenance intensive. One such innovative pavement strengthening strategy is to provide Thin or Ultra-Thin white topping overlay. Ultra-Thin White topping is a rehabilitation technique in which a 50 to 100 mm thick layer of high strength, fiber-reinforced, cement concrete is place on a milled surface of rutted and/or cracked bituminous concrete pavement. Thin and UTWT overlays have been successfully utilized as pavements for roads with low to medium traffic. This study provides the details of investigation, structural design, mix design, construction, and instrumentation carried out for an actual thin white topping (TWT) pavement overlay constructed over an existing flexible pavement for a road in Greater Mumbai. Through thermocouples installed in the pavement, the temperature differential between the top and bottom of the TWT have been measured and interpreted. With the use of a specifically designed high early strength concrete if it was possible to open the rehabilitated road within a week's time. Through the analysis of temperature data, it was found that the temperature differential between top and bottom of the TWT layer is much less than the one specified in Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines (IRC: 58-2011).


Through an empirical analysis that offers teachers with experience in education for sustainable development a voice, this study supplements the conversation on theoretically developed competence models (ESD). Their knowledge and experience are added to the academic conversation. Our three initial contributions are as follows: (1) We find support for elements of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which share a similar perspective of the value of competencies in teaching, as well as for the significance of acting on an institutional level. (2) Using an example from ESD in Germany, we explain these competencies. (3) We add to the discussion of ESD by including (a) the teachers' point of view, (b) the motivations for and obstacles to ESD as stated by the teachers who were the subject of the investigation, and (c) a determination of the structural competencies of ESD teachers in terms of their awareness of structures and hierarchies and the communication patterns used therein. We conducted interviews with 12 ESD teachers working in German elementary schools and separated them into two categories. Through their ESD initiatives, both types seek to influence societal change; yet, the instructors exhibit various skill sets when it comes to incorporating ESD into the classroom.


Based on Cohn's methods in the 2-dimensional 2nd Siegel domain and Lie group theory,the Haar measure's explicit formula of the Iwasawa decomposition on the 2nd Siegel domain Dn={(w,u1,…un-1)∈Cn|2Imw-uu—T0} is obtained.The langlands decomposition of a minimal parabolic subgroup of the automorphism group on Dn is also obtained.


In the world of feminist and women's rights organising in the Global South, activists have an uneasy relationship to funding and funder organisations. Calls to "fund our own movements" are often articulated in conference and meeting spaces, and some feminists refuse to seek formal funding for their work, suggesting that they remain more radical and honest as fund-free activists. However, globally there is ongoing reliance on external philanthropy to sustain social justice movements, especially in nation-spaces where government funding for these movements is precarious at best, nonexistent or antagonistic at worst. In the last several decades, feminist funds have garnered support from various sectors foundations, progressive individuals, billionaire capitalists, large multi-national nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), etc. and focus on redirecting monies to medium, small, and emergent grassroots groups. However, in many Global South contexts, marked lines between feminist funders, feminist NGO professionals and grassroots organising feminists are murky, and can easily shift in several years, even months, of an activist's life. More generally, many Southern feminists work for social justice in various contexts and spaces and have intensely personal and political commitments to their communities.


Purpose

Most of the literature on the design of accelerated life test (ALT) plan focus on a single system (subsystem) totally disregarding its internal configuration. Many a times it is not possible to identify the components that cause the system failure or that the cause can only be identified by a subset of its components resulting in a masked observation. The purpose of this paper is to deal with the planning of ramp-stress accelerated life testing for a high-reliability parallel system comprising two dependent components using masked failure data. Such a testing may prove to be useful in a twin-engine aircraft. A ramp-stress results when stress applied on the system increases linearly with time.

Design/methodology/approach

A parallel system with two dependent components is taken with dependency modeled by Gumbel-Hougaard copula. The stress-life relationship is modeled using inverse power law, and cumulative exposure model is assumed to model the effect of changing stress. The method of maximum likelihood is used for estimating design parameters. The optimal plan consists in finding optimal stress rate using D-optimality criterion.

Findings

The optimal plan consists in finding optimal stress rate using D-optimality criterion by minimizing the reciprocal of the determinant of Fisher information matrix. The proposed plan has been explained using a numerical example and carrying out a sensitivity analysis.

Originality/value

The model formulated can help reliability engineers obtain reliability estimates quickly of high-reliability products that are likely to last for several years.


Radiation damage in SiN and SiC films prepared by low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) is reported. A pattern placement error of 0.05 μm at the edge of the x‐ray radiation area was introduced for SiN membranes by a radiation dose of 12 kJ/cm2. The electron spin resonance (ESR) signals with a g value of 2.004, which was attributed to the Si–N dangling bond, were observed. Both the error and the spin density increased with increasing radiation dose up to 12 kJ/cm2 and remained constant thereafter. The error was explained as the result of Si–N bond scission caused by x‐ray radiation, leading to tensile stress relaxation in the radiated area. In the case of SiC films, a pattern placement error was less than a detection limit of 0.03 μm for a radiation dose of 10 kJ/cm2. ESR signals with a g value of 2.003, being attributed to the Si–C dangling bond, were observed. However, the spin density in this case did not change by radiation up to 20 kJ/cm2. It is inferred that the LPCVD SiC membrane is damage ...


(0, are two arbitrary angles such as _<t) r_< zl _<r (r, r,. are two arbitrary real numbers such as 0_<r_< r). We consider also as special case the figure obtained by putting r,.-in the above expression. Theorem. Consider a function f(z)=a-+g(z) defined in a certain Z convex domain A, where g(z) is regular in the domain A and a is an arbitrary constant. Let p be a positive integer. Suppose that (1) g)(z) (zeA) is contained in a convex domain I, (2) there exist a fan.shaped domain B such that the image of B transformed by the function w= (-1)+P!a is disjoint from Zia+l 2. =0. Then f(z) is a$ most p-valent in the common part of A and B" A.B. Remark. Evidently, the domain is also fan-shaped and can be easily constructed from B. Lemma. P. Montel has proved the following lemma" Be g(z) a function which is regular in a certain convex domain A. Let Zl, z, ..., z, z+ be p/ 1 arbitrary points of A. Consider the following expressions


CD1 proteins present mammalian and microbial lipid and glycolipid antigens to different subsets of T cells. Few such antigens have been identified and the binding of these to CD1 molecules has mainly been studied by using responding T cells in cellular assays or recombinant solid‐phase CD1 proteins. In the present study we use four different glycolipids, some of which contain tumor‐associated carbohydrate antigens, to develop a procedure to easily detect binding of glycolipids to CD1 proteins on viable cells. Two of these glycolipids are novel glycoconjugates containing α‐D‐N‐acetylgalactosamine (α‐GalNAc) that were prepared by a combined solution and solid‐phase approach. The key step, a Fischer glycosylation of 9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonylaminoethanol with GalNAc, furnished the α‐glycoside 4 in 34 % yield. Cells were incubated with glycolipids and stained with monoclonal antibodies specific for the carbohydrate part. The level of glycolipid bound to cells was then determined by flow cytometry with a secondary antibody labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. All four glycolipids were found to bind to CD1d but with different selectivity. The loading was dose dependent and could be inhibited by an established CD1d ligand, α‐galactosylceramide. Through use of this procedure, glycolipids were selectively loaded onto CD1d expressed on professional antigen‐presenting cells for future use as cellular vaccines. Moreover, the glycolipids described in this study represent novel CD1d‐binding ligands that will be useful derivatives in the study of CD1d‐dependent immune responses, for example, against tumors.


Toxicology is a modern science. Because of the rapid development of industry and agriculture, the amount of chemicals increases explosively. There has been more than 26,000,000 chemicals registered in the world and over 2000 new chemicals are produced every year. Therefore the traditional methods of toxicological evaluation cannot meet the requirements in the modern society, let alone the precise toxicological study for various chemicals. It is needed to make innovation in theory, so as to shorten the period, reduce the expenditure and input in the research, which may make the applications of chemicals safer. Meanwhile, as animal welfare is putting on the public agenda, less animals will be permitted to be used largely in the toxicological research. All of these promote the development of theoretical toxicology.


Numerical modelling calculation results for the acceleration process in an isochronous cyclotron and its influence on longitudinal size of the beam are presented. Two possible modes of beam bunching in a circular isochronous cyclotron with a double accelerating system are discussed. Two dee systems operate at frequencies differing by an integer and with dee voltage amplitudes approximately equal, In the first case the accelerated beam phase is shifted from the minimum at the curve ¿E(¿) to the maximum value in the non-isochronous acceleration region. In this case effective bunching is observed. In the other version bunching effects are produced at the ion bunch input into the additional dee which is connected to the main one. Ultra-short accelerated particle bunches obtained by this method can be successfully used in time-of-flight experiments.


Given the characteristics of the artificial plantations (10 samples) Fraxinus excelsior L. in the forest-steppe zone of the Voronezh region (Educational-experimental forestry VGLTA) and island groves (Оstrogosk range) and one sample controls net culture Quvercus robur L.. The influence of the methods of preparing the soil (furrows, solid) on the growth of plants in height, diameter, composition, age, бонитету, completeness, types of forest conditions, stock per 1 ha. In the early years (10-15 years) differences in growth in height regardless of the method of preparation of the soil in the cultures were found. In the future, can be traced more intensive growth in arable land. This is due to the formation of root systems and the depletion of agricultural land use. The growth analysis of the height shows the advantage of English oak, ash, takes second place, followed by their companions linden and maple platanoides. It is established, that the most effective way to increase productivity, sustainability and productivity of the forests is the creation of cultures of Fraxinus excelsior L. partial soil preparation the furrows.


The goal of this work is to derive a consistent framework for the treatment of contact problems within the Finite Element Method using the Node-to-Segment discretization. Three main components of the computational contact have been considered: geometry, detection and resolution techniques. For the sake of completeness, the mechanical aspects of contact as well as numerous numerical algorithms and methods have been discussed. A new mathematical formalism called "s-structures" has been employed through the entire dissertation. It results in a comprehensive coordinate-free notations and provides an elegant apparatus, available for other mechanical and physical applications. Several original ideas and extensions of standard techniques have been proposed and implemented in the finite element software ZeBuLoN (ZSeT). Numerical case studies, presented in the dissertation, demonstrate the performance and robustness of the employed detection and resolution schemes.


Understanding of the key species coenopopulations structure of late-successional forest communities serve as a model of the forest ecosystems state and stability in the organization of sustainable forest management and conservation of biological diversity. The ontogenetic and age structures of cenopopulations of the key species, Pinus sibirica DuTour and Abies sibirica Ledeb., were studied in a climax S Siberian pine forest with Vaccinium myrtillus L. and green hypnum mosses (the most common forest type among taiga forests of the East Sayan mountains). The permanent sample plot (50×50 m) was located in the northeastern part of the Idarskoe Belogorye ridge of the East Sayan in the middle part of a westerly slope with a steepness of 2 degrees, at an elevation of 1000 m a.s.l. (54°44'N, 96°07'E). The forest stand had low productivity (quality class V), high closeness of crowns (about 1.0) and mixed composition with predominance of P. sibirica, which are characteristic of the mountain-taiga cedar forests of the Eastern Sayan (See Table.). We performed general geobotanical description, measurement of size and age, assessment of ontogenetic and sanitary states of each tree, as well as assessment of reforestation on the sample plot. P. sibirica coenopopopulation had a wide age amplitude (from 1 to 200 years) and absolutely uneven-aged structure, mass reforestation (more than 3000 ind./ha), large sizes of mature individuals (maximum diameter - 58 cm, height - 21.3 m), predominance of the number (70% of the total density of the forest stand) and timber stock (95%). The ontogenetic structure of P. sibirica cenopopulation was characterized by a normal state (See Fig. 1 and 2) with a sharp peak of the distribution and distinct left-handed skewness (coefficient of asymmetry - 2.0; kurtosis - 4.1). This corresponds with the concept of consistent self-reproduction and stability of forest ecosystems. A. sibirica was inferior in terms of the reforestation number (1575 ind./ha), life expectancy (up to 110 years) and the size of mature trees (maximum diameter - 22.7 cm, height - 16 m). The ontogenetic structure of A. sibirica cenopopulation (See Fig. 1 and 3) is characterized by a complete spectrum and more distinct left-handed skewness. Thus, P. sibirica had a clearly expressed competitive population strategy. A. sibirica showed indications of phytocenotic tolerance. It is obvious that sustainable forest ecosystems in the absence of anthropogenic pressure in the mountain-taiga forest belt conditions is formed in the process of continuous change of P. sibirica age generations.


Crystallographic nets are defined. It is shown how these nets can be generated from finite graphs which are called the quotient graphs of the nets. The procedure yields the topology of the nets, their crystallographic point groups and their lattice types. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


This paper introduces the realization of a personnel management system based on campus network and gives its system construction and main realizing technology.


Measures of innovation can be used to better understand how innovation relates to educational outcomes. The extent of innovation may be associated with various types of educational outcome, including learning outcomes, equality and equity. It may also be related to expenditure trends. A positive association between innovation and specific outcomes might occur if the innovation led to some improvements at the classroom or school level. This could also be implied through a positive association with innovation and changes in outcomes across time. Innovation may also be positively associated with equity, particularly if innovation occurs to tackle previous inequalities or to drive improvements across the whole school. Conversely, certain outcomes my lead to more innovation at classroom or school level, either because they increase the freedom or the pressure to innovate. If no association between innovation and outcomes is observed, it may be that innovations are expected to have an impact over the longer term or that other confounding factors have prevented an improvement in outcomes. Indeed, it is possible that innovation was necessary in order to arrest a potential fall in outcomes caused by issues such as budget cuts or staff shortages. Alternatively, it is possible that these innovations were not intended to target the outcomes analysed. This chapter explores some of the complex relationships between innovation and outcomes in education and considers plausible explanations for the patterns found. More regular assessment would help to build on this knowledge to better understand the driving factors behind relationships observed.


The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of a niacin supplementation to three diets with different forage-to-concentrate ratios on blood and milk parameters. Seven midlactation (102 ± 18 days in milk) and three dry cows of the Holstein-Friesian breed, equipped with cannulas in the dorsal sac of the rumen and proximal duodenum, were used. On a dry matter basis the rations applied consisted of either ⅓ concentrate and ⅔ forage (LC), ½ concentrate and ½ forage (MC), or ⅔ concentrate and ⅓ forage (HC). They were fed for one period without and in the following with a supplementation of 6 g niacin (nicotinic acid) per cow per day. The basal niacin content was 35.0 mg/kg for LC, 34.6 mg/kg for MC and 34.4 mg/kg for the HC diets on a dry matter basis. Blood was sampled before, then three and six hours after first morning feeding from the vena jugularis externa. Milk samples were obtained on two days. Niacin feeding enhanced concentrations of glucose and urea in serum (p < 0.05). No effect of supplemental niacin was seen on serum non-esterified fatty acids or ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations. Increasing the proportion of concentrate and niacin supplementation enhanced serum nicotinamide concentration (p < 0.01). Nicotinamide concentrations or amounts excreted via milk were influenced by forage-to-concentrate ratio (p < 0.05), but not by niacin supplementation. Milk fat composition showed an effect of additional niacin, as the proportion of oleic acid increased in milk of niacin supplemented cows (p = 0.04). For all parameters analysed, no significant interaction between forage-to-concentrate ratio and niacin supplementation was found.


Recently we showed that in healthy men hesperidin is causally linked to the effect of orange juice in lowering diastolic blood pressure when regularly consumed and also in improving the endothelial function postprandially.


SUMMARY Feed ingredient price has influenced nutritionists to improve diet nutrient availability through the use of exogenous enzyme cocktails (EEC). If EEC are to be added at the mixer before pelleting, then pelleting variables that increase the heat and pressure of feed may denature EEC components, decreasing EEC efficacy. Three experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of a commercially available EEC postpelleting. The primary pelleting variable manipulated was steam conditioning temperature (71 to 93°C). However, additional variables were modified in subsequent experiments to lessen the potential for high heat and pressure effects on the feed. Dietary treatments consisted of a positive control, a negative control that was reduced in ME and available phosphorus, and a negative control + EEC. Experiment 1 used conditioning temperatures of 82, 88, and 93°C. This experiment indicated no benefit from the EEC on 4- to 21-d broiler chick performance. Experiment 2 used increased mixer-added fat and similar conditioning temperatures relative to experiment 1. Again, no benefit from the EEC was demonstrated on 4- to 21-d chick performance. Experiment 3 used similar diet formulations as experiment 2, a thinner pellet die, conditioning temperatures of 71, 77, and 82°C, and the inclusion of an unconditioned mash treatment. Benefits from the EEC were demonstrated for BW gain and FCR for the unconditioned mash treatment. Trends (P = 0.07) for improved FCR were observed for the EEC pelleted at 82°C. Performance observations in experiment 3 were supported by AMEn data. Overall, on the basis of these studies, future evaluations of EEC efficacy postpelleting should consider several manufacturing variables.


The reaction of phosphorus trichloride with aldehydes has been reinvestigated, and the formation of bis-1-chloroalkyl ethers and 1,1-dichloroalkanes at moderate temperatures is described. The gem-dichlorides are direct precursors of the thermal reaction products, α-chloroalkylphosphonic dichlorides. A reaction scheme is presented in which phosphorus trichloride is depicted as a typical electrophilic halide in the initial stages of the reaction. The results of several previous studies of these reactions may now be rationalised.


The technique of optical–optical double-resonance (OODR) spectroscopy has been used to study the collisional dynamics of the ƒ(0+g) state of I2 in the presence of Xe. Using the B(3Π0+u) state as an intermediate we have succeeded in selectively populating specific rovibronic levels of the ƒ(0+g) state from v′= 0 up to v′= 107. Dispersed fluorescence has been observed from a number of single rovibronic levels in this range. The energetic threshold for the chemiluminescent reaction I2(ƒ 0+g, v′=n)+ Xe → XeI(B2Σ1/2)+ I(2P3/2) has been determined as 52 460 ± 400 cm–1, which corresponds to v′= 52–57. The reaction was monitored by observing fluorescence from XeI(B2Σ1/2) at 253 nm.


The study of detection of 35S?NOS?Bt in 5 transgenic and 3 non-transgenic cotton seeds was carried out with DNA extraction by means of modified CTAB method and modified kit method respectively.The detection limit for Bt gene was also set.


UNLABELLED
Lithium effectiveness in manic depressive illness is still controversial. Recent naturalistic trials on lithium effectiveness as a mood stabilizer offer poorer results than previous controlled studies. These previous studies have methodological deficiencies.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of lithium treatment as a mood stabilizer under real clinical conditions.

METHODOLOGY
An intervention study in a case series of all patients treated at least for two years at two Affective Disorders ambulatory Units was conducted to evaluate the incidence of episodes by year, before and during lithium therapy.

RESULTS
152 patients were included. (91% were bipolar patients). Most of them were in monotherapy. The average time of illness before lithium treatment was 13 years, and cases were followed up a media of 8 years. Only 33% of the sample had no relapses during lithium therapy. An average of 1.38 (+/- 2.89) episodes/person year was estimated previous to lithium therapy and was decreased to 0.35 (+/- 0.47) phases/person year during lithium therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Although the total absence of relapses is not attained in most of the patients, our results support the lithium effectiveness to reduce the relapses in bipolar patients.


It is well known that compensation contracts can improve risk sharing by incorporating information about peer performance ex post, i.e., once the performance of a unit as well as its peers is observed. In this study, we examine whether peer performance is also used ex ante, i.e., when setting performance targets at the beginning of a period. We analyze data on 2008– 2010 performance targets from 354 units of a national agency responsible for reintegration of the long-term unemployed into the labor market. We find evidence that a target for a performance measure is strongly positively associated with past peer performance on the same measure as well as past peer performance on a different measure. Thus, performance targets are lower whenever past peer performance is weak on at least one of its dimensions. We also find that the relative weights on different measures of peer performance are proportional to their capacity to filter out common risks. We conclude that using information about past peer performance improves risk sharing and alleviates adverse incentive effects associated with setting targets based on a unit's own past performance.


AIM:To investigate the effect of rosuvastatin on coronary flow reserve(CFR) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP) in patients with slow coronary flow.METHODS:A total of 48 patients with slow coronary flow but normal coronary angiography were included in this study.Patients were divided into rosuvastatin group(20 mg/day for 6 months,n=26) and control group(non-statin,n=22) and blood cholesterol and hsCRP were measured.Doppler coronary flow velocity and Doppler reserve measurement of distal left anterior descending artery were recorded at rest and adenosine infusion-induced hyperemia state.CFR was calculated by the ratio of maximal hyperemia and baseline peak diastolic coronary flow velocity(hCFV and bCFV) before and after rosuvastatin treatment.RESULTS:After treatment for 6 months,total cholesterol(TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) levels in rosuvastatin group were significantly lower than those in control group [TC:(3.2±0.9) mmol/L vs.(5.4±1.2) mmol/L,P0.05;LDL-C:(2.1±0.7) mmol/L vs.(3.4±0.8) mmol/L,P0.05].hsCRP in rosuvastatin group was significantly lower than in control group [(2.1±1.4) mg/L vs.(3.7±2.1) mg/L,P0.05].Compared with those in control group and rosuvastatin group before treatment,treatment for 6 months with rosuvastatin reduced bCFV [(21±6)cm/sec vs.(26±5)cm/sec and(21±6)cm/sec vs.(25±7)cm/sec,P0.05],increased hCFV [(71±9) cm/sec vs.(56±8) cm/sec and(71±9) cm/sec vs.(56±10) cm/sec,P0.05],and increased CFR [(3.2±0.6) cm/sec vs.(2.1±0.5) cm/sec and(3.2±0.6) cm/sec vs.(2.2±0.4) cm/sec,P0.05].CONCLUSION:Rosuvastatin may effectively improve coronary flow reserve and reduce hsCRP in patients with slow coronary flow.


This paper deals with power allocation techniques for cooperative protocols where terminals are constrained by half-duplex assumption and average total network power. We propose a cooperation scheme based on the combination of hybrid cooperation strategies with an effective power allocation algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposal improves the outage performance while reducing the overall cooperation complexity.


We discussed the heat and mass transfer on MHD free convective rotating flow of a visco-elastic incompressible electrically conducting fluid past a vertical porous plate through a porous medium with suction and heat source. We analyze the effect of time dependant fluctuative suction on a visco-elastic fluid flow The coupled nonlinear partial differential equation are turned to ordinary by super imposing a solution with steady and time dependant transient part. Finally, the set of ordinary differential equations is solved with a perturbation scheme to meet the inadequacy of boundary condition. Elasticity of the fluid and the Lorentz force reduce the velocity and it is more pronounced in case of heavier species. Most interesting observation is the fluctuation of velocity appears near the plate due to the presence of sink and presence of elastic element as well as heat source reduces the skin friction.


another hazard to histories of these institutions. The social scientist, while accomplished in his field, may not have an appreciation of the history, theology, and ethos that constitute the soul and spirit of Catholicism. McNally avoids all of these pitfalls. While the title indicates a geographically limited field, the west coast of Florida, and a narrow concentration, parish life, it is neither insular nor "parochial." McNally investigates parish life in its regional culture and history and contextualizes it within Roman Catholicism and American Catholicism. He organizes each chapter into sections that discuss clergy; piety and spirituality; organization, size, and priorities; parochial education and the life of religious women; and ethnic expressions. This methodical approach allows the reader to focus on specific areas of interest while never losing a sense of the whole story. McNally deserves special praise for his description of the piety and spirituality of Catholic parisnioners and his story of the evolution of the external mission and interior life of religious sisters. It is only in recent years that these topics have received the attention they so richly deserve. This is not to the neglect of the parish and the diocese as institutions. The progression of the parish from an autonomous mission outpost to a division of an increasingly centralized diocese is presented with fascinating anecdotes of the personal clashes that illustrate the tensions of this change. These anecdotes do not ignore the human frailties of churchmen and -women and give flavor to the text while demonstrating the particular point that McNally wishes to emphasize. The ethnic diversity that creates a rich tapestry of Catholic practice in the United States also provokes many problems on the parish level. Here McNally gives us a useful analysis of medieval and Tridentine models of religious practice as a background to assist in understanding the conflicts that nave resulted from the social and ecclesiastical shifts of the last century. This detailed and well-narrated history is marked by a judicious use of statistics and tables that enhance rather than detract from the text. The illustrations are well chosen and the index is exhaustive. McNally's methodology should provide a template for future local, diocesan, and regional histories of the Catholic Church in the United States.


Comparison of Urine Diverting Systems to Conventional Wastewater Treatment and Assessment of the Feasibility of Replacing the Latter With the Former


Hackl, Koster-Hale and Varvoutis (2012) argue for the existence of QR on the basis of the processing of ACD. But they failed to include a crucial control, and once included, one can show that the effect they demonstrate has nothing to do with QR but comes instead from a pressure to insert word like also or same where the reported events are 'the same'. We further show that the asymmetry between every and the is due to the fact that use of every in the relevant cases makes it easier to establish a causal connection between the events, removing the pressure to insert also or same. Finally we show that - for their 'Large Ellipsis' condition in their Experiment 2 -  their hypothesis does not account for their reported data (at least not without additional assumptions), but ours does.


ABSTRACT The growing use of information technologies and telecommunications has brought about the possibility of the virtual library as a new model for library service. With the virtual library, users in any place and at any time will be able to access the world's information resources through telecommunications networks such as the Internet. After discussing the virtual library in developed countries, the author describes the great potential that the virtual library offers to developing countries to solve their problems through access to needed information and through increased cooperation. The lack of economic resources, technological dependence on the developed countries, and restrictions on information access are the main obstacles to achieving this goal.


Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of hysteroscopy combined with uterine artery embolization in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy. Methods: 80 cases of cesarean scar pregnancy in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2019 were selected as the research object, and they were divided into two groups according to the random number table method. 40 cases in the control group were treated with hysteroscopy; 40 cases in the observation group were treated with hysteroscopy combined with uterine artery embolization. The clinical indexes, surgical effects and complications were compared between the two groups. Result: The uterine recovery time and operation time in the control group were significantly longer than those in the observation group, and the intraoperative blood loss was significantly higher than that in the observation group (P < 0.05); after treatment, the lesion diameter and blood β hCG level of the two groups were decreased, and the lesion diameter of the observation group was smaller than that of the control group, and the blood β-HCG value of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05); the complications in the control group were significantly lower than those in the control group The incidence rate was higher than the observation group, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Hysteroscopy combined with uterine artery embolization in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy has significant curative effect, can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients, retain the fertility of patients, ensure the quality of life of patients after surgery, and fewer complications, high safety, worthy of clinical application.


The earth's surface continuously interacts with the overlying atmosphere through the exchange of mass, moisture and momentum, thereby altering the energy and water cycles. Through this, the earth's surface affects regional energetics, which via scale-interaction influences weather and climate systems. The land surface feedbacks are dominant over the Indian Monsoon Region (IMR) and exert impact on the atmospheric responses such as convection and precipitation through boundary layer coupling. As a result, the land surface processes associated with Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) need to be understood and realistically represented in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and regional/global climate models. The ISM is a multiscale system influenced by the boundary forcing from both the continent and tropical oceans, as well as from various boundary layer feedback mechanism. The ISM and associated rainfall is a complex system owing to non-linear interaction between large-scale fields and small-scale convective activities. The ISM is notably influenced by the local and regional scale land surface interactions. This paper reviews the recent developments related to land surface processes and their application to ISM process studies. The evolution of land surface models, state-of-art Land Data Assimilation Systems (LDAS) and their applications in NWP models are discussed.


Submitted for the MAR16 Meeting of The American Physical Society Au nanoparticles improve amorphous carbon to be gas sensors KENG-WEN LIU, JIAN-HENG LEE, HSIUNG CHOU, TZU-CHING LIN, SITING LIN, Dept. of Physics, NSYSU, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, SHIH-JYE SUN COLLABORATION1 — In order to make the amorphous carbon possess the gas sensing capability transferring some sp3 orbits to sp2 is necessary. It is proposed that the metallic materials having a large charge exchange with sp3 carbon orbits are being catalysts to transfer the carbon orbits. We found embedding gold nanoparticles to the amorphous carbon will induce many compact sp2 orbits around the nanoparticles, which make the amorphous carbon be the candidate material for the gas sensors. The orbits of amorphous carbon near the interface of Au nanoparticles can be changed from sp3 to compact sp2 to reduce the surface energy of Au nanoparticles. Meanwhile, our molecular dynamics simulation has confirmed the fact, when an Au nanoparticle is embedded in the amorphous carbon system the ratio of sp2 orbits increases dramatically. Similar results also have been confirmed from the Raman spectrum measurements. We controlled the carrier transport by changing the hopping barriers formed by amorphous carbon matrix between the Au nanoparticles to modify the resistance. These nanocomposites exhibit a superior sensitivity to NH3 at room temperature as well as good reproducibility and short response/recovery times, which could have potential applications in gas sensors. 1Dept. of Applied Physics,NUK, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Cheng-Da Tsai Dept. of Physics, NSYSU, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan Date submitted: 22 Jan 2016 Electronic form version 1.4


Context: The study evokes the institutionalization of Psychiatry in Sao Paulo, Brazil , in the early twentieth century. Objectives: To analyze the psychiatri...


Size of micro-bubbles is widely distributed in the range of one to several hundreds micrometers and depends on generation methods, flow conditions and elapsed times after the bubble generation. Although a size distribution of micro-bubbles should be taken into account to improve accuracy in numerical simulations of flows with micro-bubbles, a variety of the size distribution makes it difficult to introduce the size distribution in the simulations. On the other hand, several models such as the Rosin-Rammler equation and the Nukiyama-Tanazawa equation have been proposed to represent the size distribution of particles or droplets. Applicability of these models to the size distribution of micro-bubbles has not been examined yet. In this study, we therefore measure size distribution of micro-bubbles generated by a pressurized dissolution method by using a phase Doppler anemometry (PDA), and investigate the applicability of the available models to the size distributions of micro-bubbles. Experimental apparatus consists of a pressurized tank in which air is dissolved in liquid under high pressure condition, a decompression nozzle in which micro-bubbles are generated due to pressure reduction, a rectangular duct and an upper tank. Experiments are conducted for several liquid volumetric fluxes in the decompression nozzle. Measurements are carried out at the downstream region of the decompression nozzle and in the upper tank. The experimental results indicate that (1) the Nukiyama-Tanasawa equation well represents the size distribution of micro-bubbles generated by the pressurized dissolution method, whereas the Rosin-Rammler equation fails in the representation, (2) the bubble size distribution of micro-bubbles can be evaluated by using the Nukiyama-Tanasawa equation without individual bubble diameters, when mean bubble diameter and skewness of the bubble distribution are given, and (3) an evaluation method of visibility based on the bubble size distribution and bubble number density is proposed, and the evaluated visibility agrees well with the visibility measured in the upper tank.


Azzopardi et al 1 report the experience of introducing total body cooling as a standard form of therapy for infants with moderate or severe perinatal asphyxia. It is notable that this publication includes only one level 2 neonatal intensive care unit of the 25 units providing data for the TOBY register (Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro). The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (also a level 2 unit) has since joined the TOBY register having participated in the TOBY trial. Part of the success in recruitment to the TOBY trial was because of the trial being rolled out to many more units in the second phase of the trial. The Peninsula Neonatal network level 3 …


Due to population growth, usages of plastic materials are increasing day by day, most of the plastic materials are dumped as landfill and they are not effectively reused in most of the applications. Numerous researches in most were carried out using waste rubber in pavement construction. So the aim of this project is to replace cement with waste plastic in paver block and to reduce the cost of paver block in compared to that of conventional concrete paver block at present nearly 56 lakhs tons of waste plastic is produced in India per year. The degradation rate of plastic waste is also very slow process. And in addition with waste plastic waste lime sludge from paper industry which replaces fine aggregate. In this project we have used waste plastic and lime sludge in different proportions with sand. The paver bocks were prepared and tested and the results were discussed elaborately.


The practitioner working with an alcoholic population is confronted with patients' denial of the disease, resistance to treatment, and dysfunctional patterns of thinking, feeling, and interacting. The article provides a theoretical framework of Gestalt therapy examining its application to the alcoholic's treatment. Practice interventions targeted toward problematic therapeutic issues are discussed. The importance of understanding the alcoholic's intrapsychic/interpersonal system prior to planning and implementing treatment is stressed.


The growth of the verticals depending on the reconfigurable computing has been very fast. S atellite systems, land rovers, rocket launchers and other heavy duty high performance systems are making use of reconfigurable processors. However, still these processors are not able to provide for the strict hard real time deadlines required. The reason behind is the flexibility of being reconfigured, the delay in the transfer of signals and the time required to reconfigure the part of FPGA based multiprocessors is slightly higher. Thus we are proposing a Multi FPGA based Novel Reconfigurable hybrid architecture which provides for a l esser delay, more reliability and a higher throughput. This system architecture has been developed with the intent of reducing the dynamic decision making so as to reduce the run time and also by minimising the number of context switching operations by providing more than one FPGA processors. So that the need for context switching in normal circumstances is reduced to zero and is only required in case a failure occurs in the system.


Attiéké, made from biofortified (yellow) cassava genotypes, requires a new cooking method to minimize carotenoid degradation during processing. Thus, this research is aimed at designing and building a more efficient steamer to produce high-quality attiéké from biofortified cassava roots. Using three improved biofortified cassava genotypes (IBA141092, IBA070593, and IBA011368) obtained from IITA research farms, attiéké samples were produced using traditional and developed steamers. The results show that the developed steamer outperformed the traditional steamer; it was 1.5 times faster, used less fuel (2.6 times less), and had higher true carotenoid retention. The developed steamer genotype IBA070593 had the highest true retention of 90.4 percent, while the traditional steamer genotype IBA0141092 had the lowest carotenoid retention of 61.9 percent and the highest in the developed steamer (62.4 percent). When compared to the traditional steamer, the developed steamer had better cooking performance and a more extraordinary ability to retain carotenoids. Thus, the developed steamer is recommended for attiéké processors due to its improved cooking performance, and using this steamer to produce attiéké from biofortified cassava will help to alleviate vitamin A deficiency among attiéké consumers.


This thesis uncovers how and to what extent the establishment and early organizing activities of Basement Workshop (1969-1972) influenced the construction of an Asian American identity in juxtaposition to members' identities that originated in their ethnic heritage. Through my research, I disrupt binary conceptions of the Asian diaspora as either a menace to white America or as bodies of docile complicity to white supremacy through an in-depth case study of Basement Workshop, the East Coast's first pan-Asian political and arts organization.
Using interviews with former members of Basement Workshop and historical discourse analysis of the organization's magazine publications, arts anthology, and organizational correspondences, I demonstrate how Basement Workshop developed an Asian American identity which encompassed ideas about anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and anti-sexism.


Disease in young calves – digestive and respiratory – are common, particularly in the first two months of life. According to the most recent (2014) USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) survey, preweaning mortality and morbidity in the United States were 5% and 34% of calves sampled in the NAHMS survey. I reviewed these statistics in Calf Note #203. The authors of the research report (Urie et al., 2018) reported that the primary factors associated with preweaning disease


The ability of certain materials to change its ground state due to laser excitation has arisen a lot of opportunities for light-control of material properties. The field of photo-induced phase transitions counts a rich variety of chemical and physical processes triggered by light-matter interactions involved during the phase transition process. Recently it was reported that elastically driven cooperativity leads to the amplification of spin state in molecular crystals and prolonged the lifetime of the transient state with an ultra-short laser pulse. The cooperative response appears during the propagation of non-linear coherent strain waves, in other words shock waves, coupled with the order parameter field. Shock waves can be seen as a new challenging pathway to achieve a permanently switched state with appropriate excitations.First, we introduce time-resolved single-shot imaging combined with the laser shock focusing technique that makes it possible to generate, acoustically focus, and directly visualize under a microscope shock waves propagating and focusing along the sample surface. The spatial separation of the laser-influenced and strain-influenced regions makes it possible to disentangle the material changes produced solely by the shock waves. Second, we present experimental results involving the shock-focusing technique to materials undergoing phase transitions linked with a macroscopic change of their volume (spin-crossover systems, Mott insulators). Post-mortem analyses of the samples confirm permanent phase transition under specific experimental conditions. These innovative results open doors for a generic elastically driven cooperativity.


This paper proposes a fast intra prediction algorithm for the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). HEVC has 35 modes, such as DC mode, Planar mode, and 33 angular modes for the intra-prediction. To reduce the complexity and to support fast decision for intra prediction, this paper proposes a hierarchical mode decision method (HMD). The proposed HMD mainly focuses on how to reduce the number of prediction modes. The experimental results show that the proposed HMD can reduce the encoding time about 39.17% with little BDBR loss. On average, the proposed HMD can achieve the encoding time saving e about 14.13 ~ 19.37% compared to that of the existing algorithms with slightly increasing 0.01 ~ 0.42% BDBR.


Optimized equilibrium geometries and rotational transition structures for CH3OCH XCH2 (X = H, F, CH3, NH2) and CH3OCF2CH2 radicals are obtained by using unrestructed Hartree‐Fock (UHF) and second‐order Møller‐Plesset perturbation (UMP2) theory; a standard 6‐31G* basis set is used for geometry optmizations; single‐point energies for all stable rotamers are obtained at the UMP4/6‐31 + G*//UMP2/6‐31G* level. By analysis of rotamers, it is apparent that an anomeric effect exists for X = F and to a lesser extent for X = NH2. Several isodesmic reactions have been studied for the purpose of obtaining theoretical heats of formation and stabilization energies (SE) of these β substituted radicals and their α isomers; the examination of computed SE shows that in the case of CH3OCHFCH2 and CH3OCF2CH2 radicals, a significant extra stabilization induced by the anomeric effect occurs. The question of nO → σ  CX* negative hyperconjugation in β‐substituted radicals was explored with the aid of natural bond orbital (NBO) energetic analysis; it appears that nO → σ  CF* delocalization plays a predominant role in the conformational preference and stabilization of β fluoro derivatives; on the other hand, the stabilization arising from the oxygen lone pair into the σ  CN(H2)* orbital does not appear to be the key factor in the conformational preference of the CH3OCHNH2CH2 radical. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Hemidesmus indicus root in the form of suspension in water (10 mg/ml) containing 15.5 mM NaCl, 3 mM KCl and 12 mM glucose, when injected into the ligated jejunal sac (1 ml/sac) of rat, increased the absorption of water, Na+ and K+ (but not glucose) from the sac. This bioactivity was present in the water extract (5 or 10 mg/sac) of the root and not in the hexane extract. In contrast, the ethanol extract decreased the absorption of water and electrolytes from the jejunal sac. The effect of water extract was not affected by heat at 100 °C for 30 min. Intraperitoneal administration of the water extract (50 to 200 mg/kg) was devoid of any significant effect on the jejunal absorption. Neither the root suspension nor the water extract (125–500 mg/kg) showed any significant anti‐ulcer and diuretic activities in rats. The intestinal motility was also not influenced by the root (water extract) when tested in mice. The present study indicates that H. indicus root powder or its water extract can be incorporated in oral rehydrating salt solution (ORS) for increasing its anti‐diarrhoeal efficacy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The diffusion of fluorine in KSn2F5 has been studied by T1 and T2 relaxation time measurements of 19F NMR (200-500 K) and pulsed magnetic Field gradient techniques (390-480 K). Near 423 K a sharp transition into the superionic state has been found, the fluorine diffusion increasing by a factor of 4 within a range of 3 K. Conductivity measurements only show a change in the activation energy.


Crystal structures have been determined for [W(CO)5(PPh3)], [M(CO)5(AsPh3)] and [M(CO)5-(SbPh3)](M = Mo or W) as part of a systematic study of a series of nine [M(CO)5(EPh3)] complexes (M = Cr, Mo or W; E = P, As or Sb). Trends in bond lengths and angles are rationalised in terms of steric and electronic interactions between the bonded M(CO)5 and EPh3 fragments. Comparison is made between the solid-state geometry of the free and co-ordinated EPh3. Torsion angles defining the disposition of the EPh3 groups in relation to M(CO)5 show little variation within the [M(CO)5(EPh3)] series. For all nine complexes the EPh3 groups have propeller geometry with small deviations from symmetric C3 structures. The studies were extended to include other related [M(CO)5L] complexes. Trends in the structural parameters of 29 such compounds are related to the steric behaviour and π-acceptor capacity of the ligands L. It is shown that M–P bond dimensions are not adequately explained by hybridisation changes of the phosphorus atom in the ligand L.


We show that every geometric morphism between realizability toposes satises the condition that its inverse image commutes with the 'constant object' func- tors, which was assumed by John Longley in his pioneering study of such morphisms. We also provide the answer to something which was stated as an open problem on Jaap van Oosten's book on realizability toposes: if a subtopos of a realizability topos is (co)complete, it must be either the topos of sets or the degenerate topos. And we present a new and simpler condition equivalent to the notion of computational density for applicative morphisms of Schonnkel algebras.


OBJECTIVES
In this study we aim to evaluate antenatal, perinatal and postnatal outcomes and complications of adolescent pregnancies, as well as to discuss the social and psychological consequences of these pregnancies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We compare a total of 243 pregnant women at age 14-18 years to a vast control group at age 19-36 who all delivered at Bursa Yüksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital between years 2005-2014.

RESULTS
Antenatal care (folic acid supplementation, pre-conception counseling) was significantly higher in adolescent pregnancy group. Unplanned pregnancy rate was significantly higher in in study group (p < 0.001). Preterm delivery (before 37th week) ratio was statistically higher in pregnancy complications.

CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent pregnancy is a social entity which should be regulated and prevented by legal measures. Planned pregnancies should be promoted and the public should be educated and informed about the Hazards of adolescent pregnancies. Press institutions, public broadcasting services support the efforts to decrease adolescent pregnancies.


The paper presents the effect of carbon plate-length on the deflection and ultimate moment of resistance of a prestressed flexural member. Numerical and experimental results are also included. Thre...


Pemphigus is an uncommon autoimmune blistering disorder characterized by the presence of IgG autoantibodies against desmosome adhesion molecules. Mortality rates are higher among Asians and those with more chronic conditions. There have been case reports and an uncontrolled study suggesting pemphigus to be associated with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease, respectively. The aim of this retrospective case–control study was, therefore, to investigate if pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are associated with preexisting neurological diseases, since the association between bullous pemphigoid, another autoimmune blistering disorder, and neurological diseases has been previously established. Our study population consisted of all inpatients referred to the dermatology service at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, between January 1, 2010, and February 28, 2016. Cases had a confirmed diagnosis of pemphigus, with two out of three of these criteria: (i) typical clinical features of flaccid skin and/or mucosal blisters and/or erosions, (ii) consistent findings on histology or direct immunofluorescence, (iii) presence of antidesmoglein 1 and/or anti-desmoglein 3 autoantibodies. Agematched controls in a 21 ratio were randomly selected from inpatients with other dermatological conditions within the same period. Patients who had other autoimmune bullous subtypes (e.g., bullous pemphigoid, paraneoplastic pemphigus) and autoimmune connective tissue diseases (e.g., cutaneous lupus, dermatomyositis) were excluded. Diagnoses of neurological diseases were based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic codes and were made by neurologists and/or geriatricians (for cases of dementia). Variables such as gender, race, activities of daily living, and extent of disease were included as confounding factors. A multivariate conditional logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between pemphigus and a history of neurological diseases, such as dementia, stroke, Parkinson disease, and epilepsy. Sensitivity analysis with different logistic regression analysis models yielded similar results. Among 3468 inpatients, 36 cases of PV/PF and 72 matchedcontrols were included (Table 1). Their mean age was 54.9 years, and there was a slight male predominance (64.8%). Chinese (61.1%) formed the largest majority. Our cohort comprises a higher percentage of Malays (31.8%) compared to Singapore's general population (13.3%). The majority of the patients were functionally independent (96.2%). These characteristics were not significantly different between cases and controls. Among the cases, four had a history of at least one neurological disease. After adjusting for the various Table 2 Univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression model of neurological diseases with agematched pemphigus cases and controls


The effects of stress (threat of shock) on GSR nonspecific responses were evaluated for Ss who differed in transitory anxiety as measured by the Affect Adjective Check List (AACL). 52 Ss were equally divided among 4 groups: Hi AACL Stress, Lo AACL Stress, Hi AACL Nonstress, and Lo AACL Nonstress. First, all Ss rested; then both Stress groups were threatened with shock, while both Nonstress groups continued resting; finally, all Ss rested again. During the 2nd period GSR nonspeciflcs increased for both stress groups; however, during the final period, after the cessation of stress, GSR nonspecifics decreased more for the Lo AACL Ss than for the Hi AACL Ss. It was concluded that the AACL may be related to "autonomic recovery rate."


The missile-launcher coupling and the dynamic response of missile system in bare missile vertical thermal launch process were mainly researched.Simplifying and equivalent modeling were discussed for track-based missile system.The process of missile taking off was theoretically analysed.A rigid-flexible coupling multi-body dynamics model was created based on dynamics and finite element software.The dynamics simulation and analysis were carried out for the process of missile launch.The results of the two kinds of models were compared.The numerical simulation results indicate that the coupling is obvious between the missile and launcher during missile taking off.The vibration of missile system has influence on the taking off attitude.Vibration damping characteristics of the launchers are suitable.The rigidflexible coupling model can reflect the dynamic performance of missile launch better than the rigid model.


In today's competitive environment, customer demand has become increasingly diversified and customised. In order to stay competitive, the manufacturing companies need to adopt models that are able to rapidly adapt to market changes. The reconfigurable manufacturing system emerges from the scientific literature as a relevant manufacturing paradigm to meet changes and uncertainties in a dynamic manufacturing environment. This research proposes a cellular manufacturing system (CMS) with reconfigurable machines to handle the turbulent market conditions. The approach proposed concerns three mathematical models to support the design, reconfiguration and scheduling of the manufacturing system. The three linked models are developed in LINGO® package. The main optimisation model concerns the design of the CMS, considering product demand not deterministic but described by several discrete probability scenarios. Then, an optimisation sub-model has been developed to manage the reconfiguration at fixed periods. An allocation model is used to allocate the jobs to the manufacturing cells. The proposed approach is compared to a model without reconfiguration activities. A further configuration of the models is the possibility of using remainder cells. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is a promising methodology to support the dynamic CMSs with reconfigurable machines.


The four-tank benchmark is a multivariate and nonlinear control problem which has been widely studied in the literature. Two pairs of tanks in series are supplied by two pumps. Under certain configurations, the Embedded Model Control approach provides a simple decoupled solution by separately controlling the two output tank levels and treating the input flow as a partly unknown disturbance. Neglected dynamics in a form of unknown delays both in sensors and actuator dynamics is considered. The core of the control unit is a discrete-time embedded model consisting of unknown disturbance dynamics and partly known nonlinear interactions. The embedded model is driven by the plant command and by a feedback vector which is retrieved from the model error. The feedback is capable of keeping updated the unknown disturbance prediction, ready to be cancelled by the control law. The control gains are tuned using two sets of closed-loop eigenvalues in order to trade-off between disturbance rejection and robust stability. Simulated runs under different tank interactions prove design effectiveness.


a research report submitted to Kampala international university in fulfillment of the a ward of bachelor's degree in supplies and procurement management.


In this study, Miki et al. performed a genome-wide investigation of RNA polymerase II transcription termination in XRN2-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans and observed two distinct modes of termination. Their findings indicate that different termination mechanisms may work with different configurations of Pol II complexes dictated by promoters.