Lysine acetylation is an important post-translational modification for metabolic regulation. This study focuses on the structural characterization of PatZ (formerly YfiQ), the only known acetyltransferase in Escherichia coli (E. coli). To this objective, several techniques have been employed, such as protein HPLC-MS/MS, western blot, GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography), DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering), AUC (Analytical Ultracentrifuge) and native electrophoresis. It has been confirmed that PatZ catalyses its own acetylation, being reverted by the deacetylase CobB. Besides, the acetylated PatZ lysines have been identified. With respect to PatZ structural characterization, the results showed that Patz is a stable tetramer which oligomerizes to an octameric form via tetramer acetylation. Finally, an in silico PatZ tetramerization model is proposed and validated by 3D hydrodynamic analysis. The results reveal, for the first time, the structural regulation of an acetyltransferase by autoacetylation in a prokaryotic organism. Introduction Proteins can undergo chemical modifications, known as post-translational modifications. There are a lot of different post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as methylation, phosphorylation, glycosylation or acetylation. Protein lysine acetylation is an important post-translational modification which interest in prokaryotes has increased greatly (Pisithkul, Patel, & Amador-Noguez, 2015). E. coli is the main microorganism employed in biotechnology and the study of its metabolism has a great interest. It is known that many metabolic enzymes are acetylated in E. coli (Weinert et al., 2013), although the physiological importance of this modification has not been studied in detail. Acetylation has been traditionally described as a reversible PTM catalysed by an acetyltransferase (KAT) with acetyl-CoA as acetyl donor. These enzymes catalyse the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to a primary amine (Dyda, Klein, & Hickman, 2000). Besides, the most of these reactions can be reverted by deacetylases. The only known deacetylase in E. coli is the sirtuin CobB. In E. coli, the N -acetyltransferase PatZ is the only enzyme known to be involved in post-translational acetylation of proteins. PatZ is a large acetyltransferase with 886 aminoacids (~98 kDa) belonging to the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases (GNAT) superfamily. Many members of the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases superfamily are oligomeric proteins (Burk, Ghuman, Wybenga-Groot, & Berghuis, 2003). I Jornadas Doctorales de la Universidad de Murcia CO‐QB‐17 The main objective of this study is to determine PatZ biochemical characteristics. This characterization will provide a deeper understanding of prokaryotic protein acetylation. Material and Methods Construction of PatZ overexpression plasmid. The 2658-bp patZ gene of E. coli BW25113 was PCR-amplified and cloned into the pRSETA plasmid (Invitrogen). CobB protein was overexpressed using the ASKA collection plasmid (Kitagawa, Ara, Arifuzzaman, & Ioka-nakamichi, 2005). Overproduction and purification of proteins. Strains were transformed by heat shock. Cultures were grown overnight at 30°C with orbital shaking (200 rpm). The culture medium used was Terrific Broth (TB). The expression was induced with isopropyl-β-Dthiogalactopyranoside (IPTG).Proteins purification was carried out as described CastañoCerezo et al. (2014) (Castaño-Cerezo et al., 2014). SDS-PAGE and native electrophoresis. Proteins were analysed by SDS/PAGE electrophoresis using a Mini-Protean cell (Biorad) or by native electrophoresis, employing NativePAGE Bis-Tris gels (Life Technologies). Detection of lysine acetylated proteins by western blot analysis. Lysine acetylated proteins were detected using a primary rabbit monoclonal anti-acetyl-lysine antibody (InmuneChem) and a goat anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology). Gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Gel permeation analysis was performed with an HPLC (Agilent Technologies) using a Supelco Discovery Bio GFC 300 column (Sigma Aldrich). The elution of proteins was monitored by absorbance at 280 nm. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay (LC-MS). Proteins were digested with 0.5-1 μg of Trypsin Gold Proteomics Grade (Promega). Tryptic peptides were separated and analysed by LC/MS system with an Agilent 1100 equipped with a Zorbax SB-C18 HPLC column and connected to an Agilent Ion Trap XCT Plus mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies). Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). Analytical ultracentrifugation experiments were performed in a Beckman Coulter Optima XL-I analytical ultracentrifuge (Beckman-Coulter), employing the UV–visible detection system. A wavelength of 280 nm was used in the absorbance optics. Sedimentation velocity (SV) was carried out at a rotor speed of 40000 rpm. Results and Discussion Reversible PatZ auto-acetylation. Recently, PatZ in vivo acetylation has been described (Castaño-Cerezo et al., 2014; Weinert et al., 2013). In this study, employing western blot, PatZ autoacetilation and deacetylation by CobB has been established (Fig. 1). Acetyltransferases auto-acetylation is a well-known phenomenon in eukaryotes, but PatZ autoacetylation is the first confirmed in prokaryotes. To know the acetylated lysines in PatZ, a mass spectrometry assay of PatZ incubated with a saturating acetyl-CoA concentration (1 mM) was conducted. Six acetylated lysines were identified, five of which lie on the surface of the protein core (146, 149, 391, 446, and 635) and one in the catalytic (GNAT) domain (819). I Jornadas Doctorales de la Universidad de Murcia CO‐QB‐17 Figure 1.Western blot of PatZ deacetylation by CobB at different time. PatZ octamerization by autoacetylation. With the purpose of knowing the changes induced in PatZ by acetylation, the molecular weight and sedimentation coefficient of the native protein was determined by analytical ultracentrifugation (Fig. 2A). The graph showed a main peak with M~446 kDa. The results also showed two other minor but significant peaks, one with M~800 kDa, and another with M~97 kDa. Tkese molecular weights corresponded with a PatZ tetramer, octamer and monomer, respectively. To test PatZ structure when it was acetylated, a gel permeation chromatography was used (Fig 2B). In the absence of acetyl-CoA, PatZ eluted mainly at 8.2 min with an apparent molecular weight of 410 kDa which corresponds with a tetrameric form. In contrast, at a saturating acetyl-CoA concentration (1.5 mM) the main peak eluted at 7.3 min, which corresponds with an octamer. Figure 2. A. AUC purified PatZ results. B. Gel permeation PatZ results in the absence of acetyl-CoA (—) and 1.5 mM acetyl-CoA (---). Interconversion between PatZ oligomeric forms was monitored by native PAGE at different acetyl-CoA concentrations. In the absence of acetyl-CoA the tetramer was mainly observed but, when the acetyl-CoA concentration was increased, an octameric structure was formed. A western blot with an anti-acetyl-Lys antibody revealed that only the octameric form was acetylated (Fig. 3). These results confirm that the formation of the octamer occurred via tetramer acetylation and not from the monomer. I Jornadas Doctorales de la Universidad de Murcia CO‐QB‐17 Figure 3. PatZ native western blot at different acetyl-CoA concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 mM). Three-dimensional PatZ tetramer model. In order to propose a tetramer PatZ model, Phyre 2 server (Kelley & Sternberg, 2009) was used to predict the PatZ monomer structure, and ClusPro 2.0 server (Comeau, Gatchell, Vajda, & Camacho, 2004) to generate dimeric and tetrameric structures. The final tetramer model is shown in Figure 4. The tetramer model was employed to calculate, with the HYDROPRO version 10 (Ortega, Amorós, & García de la Torre, 2011), the theoretical sedimentation coefficient and the hydrodynamic radius. The results matched greatly with the experimental data determined by analytical ultracentrifugation (data not shown). Figure 4. Proposed PatZ tetramer model. PatZ monomer is in dark. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time the structural regulation of an acetyltransferase by auto-acetylation in a prokaryotic organism, which represents a breakthrough in the prokaryotic protein modification studies. References Burk, D. L., Ghuman, N., Wybenga-Groot, L. E., & Berghuis, A. M. (2003). X-ray structure of the AAC(6')-Ii antibiotic resistance enzyme at 1.8 A resolution; examination of oligomeric arrangements in GNAT superfamily members. Protein Science : A Publication of the Protein Society, 12(3), 426–37. Castaño-Cerezo, S., Bernal, V., Post, H., Fuhrer, T., Cappadona, S., & Nerea, C. (2014). Protein acetylation affects acetate metabolism , motility and acid stress response in Escherichia coli. Molecular Systems Biology, 762(10), 1–15. Comeau, S. R., Gatchell, D. W., Vajda, S., & Camacho, C. J. (2004). ClusPro: an automated docking and discrimination method for the prediction of protein complexes. Bioinformatics (Oxford, England), 20(1), 45–50. Dyda, F., Klein, D. C., & Hickman, A. B. (2000). GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases: A Structural Overview. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct., 29, 81–103. I Jornadas Doctorales de la Universidad de Murcia CO‐QB‐17 Kelley, L. A., & Sternberg, M. J. E. (2009). Protein structure prediction on the Web: a case study using the Phyre server. Nature Protocols, 4(3), 363–71. Kitagawa, M., Ara, T., Arifuzzaman, M., & Ioka-nakamichi, T. (2005). Complete set of ORF clones of Escherichia coli ASKA library (A Complete S et of E . coli K -12 ORF A rchive): Unique Resources for Biological Research. DNA Research, 299(12), 291– 299. Ortega, A., Amorós, D., & García de la Torre, J. (2011). Prediction of hydrodynamic and other solution properties of rigid proteins from atomicand residue-level models. Biophysical Journal, 101(4), 892–8. Pisithkul, T., Patel, N. M., & Amador-noguez, D. (2015). Post-translatio


Many factors affect heat transfer during the cooling of modern electronic devices. Today, knowledge accrues from modeling, simu-lation, and experimentation. This allows predicting and calculating features of heat transfer phenomena, to some extent. Examples include the amount of heat generated and removed, the required physical properties of the working fluid, and the required material properties of the heat sink, among other parameters. This article describes some simulation results of using air with a given relative humidity (10 %, 50 % and 90 %). Its influence on the heat transfer process was also analyzed. Results show a measurable effect of using humidified air instead of dry air and copper as a bulk material. The heat transfer rate increased about 20 % when using air with 90 % relative humidity passing through a rectangular microchannel heat sink made of copper.


Cervical spondylosis is a term that encompasses a wide range of progressive degenerative changes that affect all components of the cervical spine (i.e., intervertebral discs, facet joints, Luschka joints, flava ligaments, and laminae). It is a natural aging process and occurs in most people after the age of five. Most people with radiographic spondylotic changes in the cervical spine  remain asymptomatic, and 25% of those under  40, 50% of those over  40, and 85% of those over  60 show some evidence of degenerative changes , including changes in  the environment. Uncovertebral joints, facet joints, posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) and yellow ligament lead to  narrowing of the spinal canal and intervertebral foramina. As a result, the spinal cord, spinal vasculature, and nerve roots can become compressed, leading to the three clinical syndromes that occur with cervical spondylosis: axial neck pain, cervical myelopathy, and cervical radiculopathy. Cervical spondylosis is usually diagnosed for clinical reasons only, but imaging is also required. Treatment for cervical spondylosis can be medical or surgical, depending on whether the patient has symptoms of myelopathy, radicular pain, or neck pain.


A B S T R A C TRenal pruritus (RP) is a condition or symptom that is often found in end-stagechronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The etiology of RP ismultifactorial, one of it due to inflammation mediated by interleukin 2 (IL-2). Studyon the correlation between serum level of IL-2 and the severity of RP is still limited.This study will analyze the correlation between serum level of IL-2 in patientsundergoing HD and the severity of RP. Our method is cross sectional design atHemodialysis Installation of Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Hospital. Serum level of IL-2examined by ELISA, the severity of RP assessed by a 5 dimensional pruritus scale.Inclusion criteria in this study included HD patients with RP ≥ 9, age ≥ 18 years andwilling to sign informed consent. The results from 28 male (59.6%) and 19 female(40.4%) are the mean serum level of IL-2 (pg/ml) is 0.424 ± 0.077. The mean RPseverity score is 18.98 ± 2.74. A strong positive correlation between serum level ofIL-2 and the severity of RP (r = 0.750, p = 0,000). Our conclusion is the increase ofserum level IL-2 in line with severity of RP.


Based on the recent (2015–2021) literature data, the authors analyze the mutual dependence of crystallinity/amorphism and specific surface area and porosity in covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), taking into account thermodynamic and kinetic control in the synthesis of these 2D nanosheets. CTFs have now become a promising new class of high-performance porous organic materials. They can be recycled and reused easily, and thus have great potential as sustainable materials. For 2D CTFs, numerous examples are given to support the known rule that the structure and properties of any material with a given composition depend on the conditions of its synthesis. The review may be useful for elder students, postgraduate students, engineers and research fellows dealing with chemical synthesis and modern nanotechnologies based on 2D covalent triazine frameworks.


Two kinds of Ni–Fe–Si–B–Nb alloy coating were obtained using lateral synchronous feeding powder laser cladding process on mild carbon steel surface, the chemical compositions of two alloys are (Ni0.5Fe0.5)62Si18B18Nb2(x/%) and (Ni0.6Fe0.4)62Si18B18Nb2(x/%), respectively. The effect of Ni content on the phase composition, microstructure and micro–hardness is studied. For Ni: Fe in the ratio of 1:1, XRD pattern indicated the presence of an amorphous phase and SEM results showed equiaxial crystal and amorphous structure in the re–melted layer. But for Ni: Fe in the ratio of 3:2, no evidence of amorphous phase and only dendrite structure with low micro–hardnee is formed in the re–melted layer. The low micro–hardness is due to the large proportion of austenite phase and no Fe2B, amorphous phase formed.


We fitted species-specific state-space models for annual abundance data over the 1987-2008 period outside the IPM, and used the 1994-1999 error-filtered female abundance as input to the IPM (data presented here).


The influence of temperature on the photopolymerization kinetics of oligo(methylene) oxide and oligo(ethylene oxide) dimethacrylate series has been investigated by isothermal DSC. The DSC curves showed a rapid rise in rate due to the Trommsdorff effect, and then a slow decline. A shoulder, apparent on many of the DSC curves at low conversions, became more prominent when the cure temperature was lowered. The kinetics were relatively insensitive to the dimethacrylate structure in the early stages of the reaction, but became more dependent as the reaction proceeded


Data collection monitoring plays a key role in containing the total survey error and ensuring the data quality. Monitoring procedures based on a non-statistical approach include direct observation of the data collection process (especially in telephone surveys) and re-contacting respondents. However, the increasing use of computer-assisted survey instruments offers the opportunity to automatically record paradata and to apply monitoring procedures based on a statistical approach that allows for near real-time controls. To this end, a set of performance indicators can be defined and implemented to assess the adequacy and observance of the survey protocols and to uncover any problematic situations that need to be addressed quickly. A basic set of performance indicators generally includes outcome rates – calculated on the basis of survey dispositions (e.g., completed interviews, refusals, breakoffs, non-contacted units, ineligible units) – at regular time intervals during the field period. In addition to the basic set, ad-hoc indicators can be defined using other recorded paradata or response data to support the survey-specific monitoring goals and then assist in finding inefficiencies in data collection. Once indicators are defined, control charts can be used to display them. Control charts help balance cost and thoroughness of monitoring activities by using statistical principles to differentiate potentially problematic cases from those that vary naturally around a process average. In this way, survey managers are guided in making targeted interventions, without spending time exploring false alarms. The decision rules for when to intervene are based on empirical control limits that are derived from data on the process itself, rather than arbitrary specifications. The operational definition of each performance indicator and its level of measurement (e.g., categorical, continuous, or count) define the specific type of chart to be used. The strategy outlined above has several strengths, as it can be combined with non-statistical procedures to better optimize the selection of cases for direct observation or re-contact, making the monitoring more costefficient. Besides, this approach can uncover various forms of departure from the survey protocols (e.g., a glitch in the interviewing software, an intentional error in coding the answer to a question to avoid follow-up questions or other hard-to-identify falsifications), and thus compensate for the weaknesses of non-statistical monitoring procedures. This work focuses on the system of performance indicators and control charts developed for the EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey carried out in Italy. Some illustrative examples are given using data from the 2019 survey edition. The data were collected by an external company on behalf of the Italian National Statistical Institute in CAPI or CATI mode. The system of control charts for the EU-SILC survey is mainly aimed at understanding whether interviewers are working in compliance with the interviewing protocol or, if not, which actions have to be taken to improve their work. In defining the set of performance indicators, two kinds of aspects are considered: on one hand, the constraints dictated by both the collected information and the interview protocol, which were agreed upon with the external company; on the other hand, the effects of undesired sources of variability in the process data. The monitoring procedure is designed to be carried out at regular time intervals during the field period. Two sequential types of control charts allow the consistency of each performance indicator to be assessed: 1. among all interviewers; 2. at the interviewer level, for any interviewer with at least one point outside the control band in the previous step. Besides, particular emphasis is placed on monitoring the coding of textual variables, such as occupation, by developing an ad-hoc procedure to assess for each interviewer: the presence of possible concentrations of classification codes; the tendency to confirm previously assigned codes, with reference to the respondents involved in past editions of the survey. Finally, in addition to the charts, the monitoring procedure produces a tabular report listing the interviewers with at least an out-of-control event, along with the threshold values at which the outof-control event occurs. For the flagged interviewers, other information and statistics are also reported to help decide on the type of intervention to be implemented before the end of the field period (e.g., supplemental training for interviewers who systematically assign inappropriate codes). UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN


Based on 3D visualization technology it provides a method to build geological-mass model,implements visualization and management analyze of piles and designs a 3D visualization MIB to service for decision-making of the construction combining with engineering database.


This paper describes truncated squarers, which are specialized squarers with a portion of the squaring matrix eliminated. Rounding error and errors due to matrix reduction are quantified and analyzed. Constant and variable correction techniques are presented that minimize either the mean error or the maximum absolute error as required by the application. Area and delay estimates are presented for a number of designs, as well as error statistics obtained both analytically and numerically by exhaustive simulation. As an example, one design of a 16-bit truncated squarer using constant correction is 10.1% faster and requires 27.9% less area than a comparable standard squarer with true rounding. The range of error for this truncated squarer is -0.892 to +0.625 ulps, compared to +/-0.5 ulps for the standard squarer.


The City of Scottsdale, Arizona has begun planning its strategy for meeting its future needs by recognizing artificial recharge, subsurface storage, and recovery as an integral component of comprehensive master plan in concert with water distribution, wastewater collection and water reclamation. This paper presents an overview of the factors involved in planning and implementing an artificial recharge/recovery program.


Since open WiFi networks are widely used, it is important to secure such networks. In this research public wireless networks and their security are discussed. With the new Wireless Access Protocol, WPA3, the security of public networks has improved significantly. However, regarding evil twin attacks nothing is changed in WPA3, thus this kind of attacks is still one of the possibilities an adversary has. In this thesis we will first review the improvements in WPA3 with respect to WPA2 and introduce the new techniques and protocols in WPA3. After that, multiple approaches are presented to protect clients against evil twin attacks. Finally, the approach that is best regarding our criteria, i.e., the use of "trust on first use", is chosen and recommendations are made on how to use this.


High-level synthesis (HLS) offers the prospect of improving the productivity digital system design and the quality of the resulting implementations. Designing at higher levels of abstraction is a natural way for coping with system design complexity, for verifying earlier in the design process and for increasing design reuse. OSCI's synthesis working group (SWG) has led the effort of defining the synthesis subset for SystemC that is suitable for HLS. Draft version 1.3 of the document was released for public review in August 2009. While still in draft form, the released document provides guidance to both tool providers and users on the subset that is being proposed and the ability to provide feedback to the SWG on the draft. This tutorial will provide a brief introduction and three case studies on the use of HLS and the current SystemC synthesis subset draft for hardware design of digital systems.


This article, based on heretofore-unpublished documents, presents and studies the tapestry collection of Pedro de Toledo, V Marquis of Villafranca. This documentation situates him among the greatest collectors of his time, while permitting the current identification of tapestries that once belonged to him.


Roscoe F. Sanford died at his home in Pasadena on April 7, 1958, after a prolonged illness, and astronomy has lost another enthusiastic and meticulous observer, whose observations over fifty years have furnished data for many interesting and valuable researches by himself and others. Although he and I were reared only fourteen miles apart in Minnesota, by some strange quirk of fate we were to meet some 8000 miles away in Santiago, Chile, in 1913. During the following forty-five years he was a loyal friend, co-worker and faithful correspondent. Sanford was born in Faribault, Minnesota, on October 6, 1883. His parents were Frank W. and Alberta Nichols Sanford. He received his early education in the schools of his home town and his A.B. in 1905 from the University of Minnesota. After a year of high school teaching in Marshall, Minn., he was appointed a Carnegie Assistant at the Lick Observatory, where he spent the two years 1906-8 aiding Prof. R. H. Tucker in the reductions of his meridian-circle observations. During that period the Carnegie Institution of Washington had approved the plans of Prof. Lewis Boss for the establishment of a station in South America to determine new positions of the brighter stars of the southern hemisphere. When Tucker was selected to head the expedition to San Luis, Argentina, Sanford was chosen as one of his eight aides. The saga of that group has been told by Tucker in Vol. 24 of these Publications. The program was planned to cover three years but, inspired by the desire to return to their homeland, the nine men worked night and day to make the desired 87,000 observations in twenty-two months, 60,000 of them in one year, one of the greatest concentrated efforts in the history of astronomy. In this work Sanford did double duty as telescope man and circle reader. A few months of similar work at the Dudley Observatory, in Albany, N.Y., ended the first phase of his career. In 1911 he went back to South America, this time as assistant to J. H. Moore at the Lick Observatory Southern Station at Santiago, Chile, and his interest turned from astronomy of posi-


With each significant new trend in higher education, librarians immediately consider how to effectively update the delivery of outreach, services, and course instruction. For example, artificial intelligence and geographic information systems are exciting opportunities for librarians to embrace a fresh approach to connect learners and faculty with innovative services and support. But as librarians engage in trend-watching, do they need to concern themselves with fads? Are there warning signs that can be watched before committing to or while engaged with a trend? This practice article shares library level experiences with the trend on MOOCs at Penn State University and experiences at other institutions engaged with Makerspaces and Virtual and Augmented Reality to explore teaching and technology trends and to analyze their impact on the broad educational landscape.


A 79-year-old woman with lymph-node metastatic melanoma developed new metastases in the lungs after radical excision of the primary lesion, lymph-node dissection, and adjuvant chemotherapy with dacarbazine [5]. Since she had no BRAF gene mutations, she started treatment with nivolumab (anti-PD-1 antibody; 2 mg/kg every three weeks). Before the third administration of nivolumab, however, she developed mucosal bleeding and severe (Grade IV) thrombocytopenia (platelet count: 2×109/L). Based on the finding of positive anti-platelet antibodies and the absence of signs of infection and autoimmune disorders, we diagnosed the patient with ITP. Because of no response to the standard therapy for ITP (prednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulin, and platelet transfusion), she was administered the thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, romiplostim. One month later, the platelet count became satisfactory [5]. Prednisolone was tapered over four months without recurrence of thrombocytopenia. Computed tomography (CT) showed a complete response, 1.5 months after the last nivolumab injection, but six months later, follow-up CT revealed new metastases in the lungs (figure 1A). The patient had no symptoms of ITP and no remarkable blood test results, including platelet counts, over a six-month period. Due to the limited treatment options, she was administered ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 antibody; 3 mg/kg every three weeks), eight months after the last treatment with nivolumab. During the four courses of ipilimumab, she did not suffer from ITP recurrence or other irAEs. Following the full course, neither anti-platelet antibody nor plateletassociated immunoglobulin G were detected. Fourteen months have passed since she received the last administration of ipilimumab, and no tumour recurrence has been found (figure 1B). Traditional chemotherapy (such as dacarbazine) can be considered for the next treatment. Thrombocytopenia, including ITP, induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors, appears to be a relatively uncommon irAE that is usually mild and resolves spontaneously or with standard treatment regimens [4, 6]. Therefore, there is not much data available on severe ITP as an irAE. A single report showed that a melanoma patient who received anti-CTLA-4 monotherapy, after resolution of severe thrombocytopenia due to anti-PD-1 monotherapy, developed severe ITP with intracranial haemorrhage and was unable to continue treatment for melanoma [6]. Our patient is the first successful case of immune checkpoint inhibitor rechallenge with anti-CTLA-4 monotherapy after severe ITP induced by anti-PD-1 monotherapy. The difference between the former case and ours remains unclear. Further data are needed in order to identify the best treatment option for metastatic melanoma patients who develop severe irAEs.


Chemical graph theory has become a significant part of the research. Topological indices are numerical descriptors used to determine physico-chemical properties of chemical compounds. In this work, the generalized redefined Zagreb index is defined. This index is applied on several topological indices viz., redefined Zagreb indices (ReZG1(G), ReZG2(G), ReZG3(G)), sum-connectivity Zagreb index (SCI(G)), hyper Zagreb index (HM(G)), harmonic index (H(G)), arithmetic-geometric index (AGI(G)), SK index (SK(G)) and SK1 index (SK1(G)). The above said indices are calculated for aromatic compounds such as boron triangular sheet, borophene chain and melem chain nanostructures. The obtained results are useful in understanding the behaviour of compounds under the study.


A porous composite formed of hollow graphene spheres with opens in them and amorphous carbon containing nitrogen and oxygenated groups has been fabricated by annealing the mixture of nanodiamond and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Electrochemical tests on the electrode made of this material show that it may be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. The relatively high capacitance is mainly attributed to the small inner electrical resistance, the huge specific surface area and the remaining nitrogen and oxygenated groups from the PAN.


The present research focuses on performing the dynamic study of a cracked, internally damped, composite rotating shaft system with journal bearing end supports. A novel mathematical formulation is proposed to introduce a time-varying stiffness matrix for simulating the breathing behaviour of the crack. The random search algorithm is used as one of the metaheuristic processes to carry out the optimization and generate time-dependent geometric parameters of the cracked surface for one full rotation. The derived stiffness matrix is used in the composite shaft's higher order motion equation obtained through equivalent modulus theory, whose internal damping properties are incorporated using operator-based viscoelastic model. Eigenanalysis is carried out to perform a thorough study of dynamic characteristics of cracked shaft considering the crack depth and crack position as two important parameters. The effect of crack on stacking sequence as well as mode shapes of the heterogeneous laminated shaft is also studied.


Inrecent years, issues forsupply chain management (SCM)havebeendiscussed andresearched forsolving problems ofbusiness. Themajorreason in supply chainmanagement isnotonlya concept of management butalsoanewsolution andtechnique in increasing thecompetitive ofbusiness toenterprises However, mostofresearch issues focused onapplications ofinformation technology (IT) ofSCM,only afewstudies discussing how todevelop a modeltosuccessfully implement a SCM toanenterprise. A quick response system (QRsystem) canhelp anenterprise toreduce the timeofprocesses inbusiness tobusiness orbusiness to customer inasupply chain, thentheenterprise could also effectively, quickly tolinkupstream anddownstream of industries, andtofindandsolvetheproblems of customers inanytime andanywhere. Thisstudy tries to provide a frameworkto explain theprocesses of implementation inanenterprise.


Language is the result of the development of the society,which originates from society and at the same time reflects society.Sexism in the English language exists in everyday life,reflecting social tradition and culture.In this paper the phenomena of sexism in the English language and their causes are analyzed from the perspectives of morphology,semantics and pragmatics,and some countermeasures are put forward.


Campbell, C. P., Haley, J., Swanson, K. C. and Mandell, I. B. 2013. Packing plant differences in meat quality for grain-fed veal. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 93: 205–215. Packing plant differences in meat quality were investigated in grain-fed veal from three commercial packing plants and a university research facility. Postmortem chilling rates were investigated in three plants including facilities which encased carcass sides in a polyliner bag intended to reduce shrinkage during chilling. Packing plant differences (P ≤ 0.01) in chilling rates were not always accompanied by plant differences in sarcomere length for longissimus or semitendinosus muscles. Drip and cooking losses and shear force for longissimus varied (P≤0.04) across packing plant with lower (P≤0.02) values found in veal slaughtered at the university research facility vs. veal from commercial packing plants. A packing plant by postmortem ageing interaction (P<0.05) for shear force was due to differences in extent of postmortem tenderization with age...


As well as needing active power, consumers in power supply systems require lagging reactive power in order to establish their magnetic fields. Commutation in power converter installations also requires this type of reactive power. These devices are simultaneously sources of harmonics. Reactive power and harmonics lead to an increased apparent power. In turn, this places a load on the transmission elements and results in increased losses. The challenge is therefore to find a technically and commercially optimum compensation solution. This article describes the advantages of power capacitor compensation, starting with various possible measures. Different processes are compared with each other in this description. A study of economic efficiency shows the short time required for the investment in such an installation to repay itself. Finally, the paper reveals the effectiveness of a filter circuit installation for a large chemical company and that of a reactive power compensation installation for a national power utility.


Compared with RGB-D-based human action analysis, skeleton-based works reach higher robustness and better performance, which are widely applied in the real world. However, the diversity of action observation perspectives hinders the improvement of recognition accuracy. Most of the existing works solve this problem by increasing the amount of training data, which brings a huge computational cost and cannot improve the robustness of the models. This paper proposes an adaptive model to obtain high-performance representations to improve human action recognition accuracy. First, a skeleton representation transfer scheme is proposed to transform the input skeleton-based body model to the best perspective, in which all parameters can be adaptively learned. This is more robust and cost-effective than hand-crafted features. Next, a re-designed backbone is proposed to train the model with a small computational cost based on the 3D-CNN. In the training process, a data enhancement method is also introduced to enhance robustness. Finally, extensive experimental evaluations are conducted on two benchmarks. The results show that this deep model can effectively and adaptively obtain high-performance skeleton representation and its performance is better than other state-of-the-art methods.


In June 2011, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) adopted the Statute of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission. According to the OIC Secretary General, the Statute attempts 'to strike a delicate balance' between international human rights instruments and Islamic ones, i.e. the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam and the Covenant of the Rights of the Child in Islam. This note analyzes the provisions of the Statute while comparing its mandate and procedures to those of other international and regional human rights mechanisms. It explores the potential role of the Commission in the context-sensitive application of international human rights standards and the interpretation of sharia.


Title: Analytical performance of a novel next generation sequencing assay for myeloid cancers Nick Khazanov, Wally Zhang, Dinesh Cyanam, Scott P. Myrand, Denis Kaznadzey, Paul Williams, Vinay Mittal, Dan Mazur, Sihong Chen, Jason Wustman, Efren Ballesteros-Villagrana, Goutam Nistala, Jon Sherlock, Michael Hogan, Jim Veitch, John Bishop, Seth Sadis Introduction: Myeloid malignancies contain a diverse and heterogeneous set of genomic alterations that include recurrent somatic mutations in key driver genes as well as frequent and diagnostic chromosomal rearrangements that generate a wide array of gene fusion products. To support clinical and translational research into precision oncology strategies for myeloid cancers, a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay was generated to detect common and relevant somatic alterations. Methods: To define gene targets that were recurrently altered in myeloid cancers and relevant for clinical and translational research, an extensive survey of investigators at hematology oncology research labs was performed. The gene targets identified by researchers were complemented by a comprehensive survey of literature and genomic databases. Clinical guidelines for myeloid diseases in the US and in Europe were reviewed to ensure representation of relevant alterations. A targeted Ion AmpliSeq panel was generated to support the detection of recurrent single-nucleotide variants, insertions/deletions, and gene fusions from blood or bone marrow samples. The panel was developed for manual or automated library preparation and sequencing on the Ion Torrent PGM or Ion S5 instruments. Results: The Oncomine™ Myeloid Research Assay gene panel included 58 genes and generated an average read depth of >2,000 reads per targeted amplicon with an average uniformity of >95%. Important GC-rich targets such as CEBPA generated sufficient balanced read depth to support variant detection. A cohort of samples positive for FLT3 alterations was analyzed and successful detection of FLT3-internal tandem repeat variants was demonstrated. Several gene fusion transcripts common to myeloid cancers were detected. Comparable results were observed on Ion Torrent PGM and Ion S5 instruments. Conclusions: A novel myeloid specific NGS assay capable of detecting relevant DNA and RNA alterations from the same sample was developed. The assay is useful for characterizing relevant alterations in a range of myeloid diseases including acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative neoplasms, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. A review of the analytical studies will be presented. Citation Format: Nickolay Khazanov, Wally Zhang, Dinesh Cyanam, Scott P. Myrand, Denis Kaznadzey, Paul D. Williams, Vinay Mittal, Daniel J. Mazur, Sihong Chen, Jason Wustman, Efren Ballesteros-Villagrana, Goutam Nistala, Santhoshi Bandla, Jim Veitch, Jon Sherlock, John Bishop, Seth Sadis. Analytical performance of a novel next generation sequencing assay for myeloid cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3863.


Objective To study the molecular mechanism of Klebsiella pneumoniae(KP) resistant to imipenem.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by disk diffusion test(KB) method,the imipenem resistant strains of KP was selected and amplified using PCR method for detecting the resistant genes of TEM,SHV,PER,VEB,GES,CARB,VIM,IMP,GIM,SPM,DHA,OXA,aac(6′)-Ⅰ,aac(6′)-Ⅱ,ant(3″)-Ⅰ,ant(2″)-Ⅰ,qacE△1-sulⅠ,int-Ⅰ,CTX-M,acc(3′)-Ⅱ and KPC.Results Resistant genes of TEM,DHA,aac(6′)-Ⅰ,ant(3′)-Ⅰ qacE△1-sul Ⅰ were positive and the others were negative.Conclusion The strain of KP resistant to imipenem is not related with KPC,but mainly related with TEM,DHA beta-lactamases and other reasons.


4155 Background: 10-20% of patients (pts) with EC are older than 75 years. They are generally excluded from surgery, and there is no data on the feasibility nor on the efficacy of chemoradiation applied in a curative intent.

METHODS
Aim of study: Evaluating feasibility, efficacy and consequences on quality of life of chemoradiation in old patients. We report on the feasibility. Main inclusion criteria: age ≥ 75years WHO status 0-2; ambulatory condition; weight loss <15% from baseline; disease-stages II-III assessed by CT scan; squamous or denocarcinomas; written informed consent. Treatment scheme: Radiation: 50 Gy over 5 weeks; chemotherapy: Cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 22 of radiation. Treatment delivered in an out-patient basis.

RESULTS
Between 3/00 and 9/03, 17pts have been recruited: 13 males; 4 females; mean age 80 y (75-89 y); WHO status 1: 13 pts; 2: 4 pts; mean weight loss at entry: 6% (0-18%). Squamous: 14 pts; adeno: 3 pts; Stage II: 13 pts; Stage III: 4 pts. Twelve pts had one or more associated comorbidity. Compliance with radiation, doses and timing: 100%; with chemotherapy: 100%. ≥ Grade 2 acute toxicity: vomits: 4 pts; granulopenia: 5 pts; anemia: 2 pts; esophagitis: 3 pts. No grade 4 nor toxic death. Tumour response (15 pts evaluable): CR: 12 pts; local progression: 3 pts. By december 03, 10 pts are free of disease from 4, up to 44 months.

CONCLUSIONS
Selected old patients with EC are suitable for curative chemoradiation. The study is still recruiting to assess further efficacy and Quality Of Life. Supported by a grant from the French Research Ministry (PHRC 1999). No significant financial relationships to disclose.


We have presented a novel back-gate controlled UTSOI SRAM cell structure and associated design considerations. The proposed scheme offers improved stability compared with conventional 6T cell, and has less number of transistors than the conventional 10T cell. Due to over 3/spl times/ improvement in SNM even at low VDD and reduced area penalty compared with 10T cell, the proposed 8T cell could be aggressively scaled down. This scheme can also be applied to SRAM cells with asymmetrical DG devices.


The Ohic)River has liing been a political boundlry. For mcist {) 1 its length and for much of our history,it separated free ic,il fr·( 1111 slave. It has been : 1 unifying ft,rce As wella great inland highway frcim Pittsburgh ti) t|le Mississippiand its watershed cinstituted a "natural" section that in scime ways trumped the hicctionS created by the Cultural and cc(,nomic iii.sparities (, 1 North and South. In the carly i Hoos, the Ohio Valley meant " the West,"with Cincinnati serving as the chief city (, f the regicin.


This paper presents a scaling limit of Hamiltonians which describe interactions of N-nonrelativistic charged particles in a scalar potential and a quantized radiation field in the Coulomb gauge with the dipole approximation. The scaling limit defines effective potentials. In one-nonrelativistic particle case, the effective potentials have been known to be Gaussian transformations of the scalar potential [J. Math. Phys.34 (1993) 4478–4518]. However it is shown that the effective potentials in the case of N-nonrelativistic particles are not necessary to be Gaussian transformations of the scalar potential.


IIn computational geometry, the construction of essential primitives like convex hulls, Voronoi diagrams and Delaunay triangulations require the evaluation of the signs of determinants, which are sums of products. The same signs are needed for the exact solution of linear programming problems and systems of linear inequalities. Computing these signs exactly with inexact floating point arithmetic is challenging, and we present yet another algorithm for this task. Our algorithm is efficient and uses only of floating point arithmetic, which is much faster than exact arithmetic. We prove that the algorithm is correct and provide efficient and tested \texttt{C++} code for it.


This paper examines whether trade credit as a credible signal about firm fs creditworthiness to banks facilitates provision of bank credit to the firms receiving trade credit. Using data on Japanese manufacturing firms over the period 1990-1995, we find that firms receiving trade credit are provided short-term credit by less-informed banks. Consequently, in the firms that have arm fs-length relations with banks, trade credit plays an important role in mitigating asymmetric information problems between firms and banks, thereby facilitating extension of bank credit.


--------------------------------------------------------------***-------------------------------------------------------------Abstract: In this work we considered a parabolic system of two quasilinear reaction-diffusion equations for a biological population problem of the Kolmogorov-Fisher type describes the process of a biological population in a nonlinear two-component medium. We studied the qualitative properties of the solution to Cauchy problem based on self-similar analysis and its numerical solutions using the methods of modern computer technologies, to study the methods of linearization to the convergence of the iterative process with further visualization.


Foundation—a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that seeks to improve policing in America through research— surveyed a representative national sample of American police officers to explore their attitudes on the abuse of authority by police (see "Study Methodology"). The survey sought to determine whether officers view abuse of authority as an inevitable byproduct of increased efforts to control crime and disorder. It also asked what forms of abuse exist, how common abuse of authority is, and what strategies and tactics would be most effective in preventing police from abusing authority. The survey also considered how communityoriented policing has affected officers' attitudes on abuse of authority and the rule of law. In particular, it explored whether community policing has led police to show greater respect for the rights of citizens or, conversely, has increased the potential for police abuse and encouraged police officers to expand the boundaries of acceptable use of police authority.


A sequence of fluvio-lacustrine and paludine deposits with thickness over 150 meters occurs in the Nihewan Basin, Hebei, China(Yuan et al.,1996;Min et al., 2006). A series of~30 m (="90 feet")thick red homogeneous clay exposured near the Sanggan River Gorge (=Shixia)was originally considered as the weathering matter of the base rocks(Barbour et al., 1926). Due to the absence of fossils, its age once was speculated to belong to the Pontian (Teilhard and Piveteau, 1930)or the Late Miocene Baodean(Black et al.,1933). However, a sequence of~30 m thick red gravel-beating clay at the bottom of the section of Dahonggou in Shixia was named as"Dahonggou Formation"by Chen(1988). At the same time, the~12m and~7 m thick red clays in the lower part of the Hongya Nangou and Pump Station,respec- tively, were also included into this Pliocene formation.A series of 20~30 m thick redish or yellow-redish alternating sandy clay and gravel beds are exposed in the Luanshigedagou near Hongya village.Yielding Hipparion and Chilotherium,this deposit was considered to belong to the"Hipparion Red Clay"with a Pliocene age (Huang et al., 1974). The sequence of~45 m thick red clay containing sandy gravel and lens of calcareous nodules in the Huabaogou near Xiyaozitou village was divided into the upper"Yuxian Formation"and the lower"Huliuhe For- mation"by the composition of large fossil mammals.These two formations were respectively cor- related to be equal in age to the Pliocene Jingle Formation and the Late Miocene Babe Forma- tion(Wang, 1982).In view of the illegibility of the boundary and the lack of significant differ- ences in the fossil faunas between these two formations, Zhang et al.(2003) incorporated them both in the Late Pliocene Yuxian Formation.A series of fluvio-lacustrine and paludine deposits exposed on the both sides of the Huliu River were named"Daodi Formation"and considered of Late Pliocene age (Du et al.,1988). The original sections used for erecting the"Daodi Fm."are located in the Laowogou near Daodi, the Nangou near Hongya, the Jiangjungou near Xiyaozitou, the Hougou near Qijiazhuang, the Yuanzigou near Yuanzi, the Xiaoshuigou near Qianjiashawa, the Lianjiegou near Beimajuan, the Niutoushan(="Pulu")near Pulu and the Danangou near Dongyaozitou. Zhang et al.(2003) figured that these short sections all belong to the"Yuxian Fm.",so they suggested that"Daodi Fm."should be abolished and attributed to the"Yuxian Fm.",whereas Cai et al.(2004) retained both"Daodi Fm."and"Yuxian Fm.".The red clay stratum from the first layer at the bottom of the Laowogou section is still unnamed due to the uniformity of the grain size, the absence of gravels and aquatic animal re- mains. Based on the limited fossil mammals,the age of this stratum was thought to be the late Middle or early Late Pliocene(Zhang et al., 2003; Cai et al., 2004). The Pliocene/Pleisto- cene boundaries, on the other hand, have already been established in the Laowogou, Donggou, Taiergou and Niutoushan sequences (Cai et al., 2004; Zheng et al., 2006; Min et al., 2006; Cai et al., 2007).


We studied the effect of ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists on the release of endogenous glutamate or of [3H]D‐aspartate from reaggregate cultures (retinospheroids) or from monolayer cultures of chick retinal cells, respectively. Kainate increased the fluorescence ratio of the Na+ indicator SBFI and stimulated a dose‐dependent release of glutamate in low (0.1 mM) Ca2+ medium, as measured using a fluorometric assay. Under the same experimental conditions, the release evoked by N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA; 400 μM) was about half of that evoked by the same kainate concentration; α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxasolepropionic acid (AMPA; 400 μM) did not trigger a significant response. In the presence of 1 mM CaCl2, all of the agonists increased the [Ca2+]i, as determined with the fluorescence dye Indo‐1, but the glutamate release evoked by NMDA and kainate was significantly lower than that measured in 0.1 mM CaCl2 medium. Inhibition by Ca2+ of the kainate‐stimulated release of glutamate was partially reversed by the phospholipase A2 inhibitor oleiloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (OPC), suggesting that the effect was mediated by the release of arachidonic acid, which inhibits the glutamate carrier. Accordingly, kainate, NMDA, and AMPA stimulated a Ca2+‐dependent release of [3H]arachidonic acid, and the direct addition of the exogenous fatty acid to the medium decreased the release of glutamate evoked by kainate in low (0.1 mM) CaCl2 medium. In monolayer cultures, we showed that NMDA, kainate, and AMPA also stimulated the release of [3H]D‐aspartate, but in this case release in the presence of 1 mM CaCl2 was significantly higher than that evoked in media with no added Ca2+. The ranking order of efficacy for stimulation of Ca2+‐dependent release of [3H]D‐aspartate was NMDA ≪ kainate < AMPA. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


A recent laser interferometry experiment [Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 88, 10401 (2002)] registered a non-detection of a frequency shift that amounts to a fractional change in the speed of light $\delta c/c \approx (4.8\pm5.3)\times10^{-12}$. We comment here on the theoretical significance of this experimental result.


The preparation of recently recovered fossil bones often consists of removing sediment by means of mechanical cleaning. A variety of tools are commonly employed in this process (hammers and chisels, air abrasion devices, pneumatic engraving pens, etc). Another tool, however, has received less attention in the literature: the ultrasonic scaler. An ultrasonic scaler is an ultrasonic device used by dentists to remove hard calculus deposits and stains from the teeth. In this article, we describe the preparation of the human mandible ATD6-112 from the Pleistocene site of Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Spain) with an ultrasonic scaler. This article aims to describe the advantages and drawbacks of this tool for use in some cleaning processes.


Analysis beyond the traditional design metrics such as spot size or wavefront variance is generally needed to address mission requirements for NASA. The Optics Toolkit is used with optical design software to complete these tasks.


Critics have contended variously that The Princess is about the issues of female education, women's rights, the relation between the sexes, social and cultural evolution, and the process and function of art.2 The "strange diagonal" which comprises the movement of the poem in its structure and style has been subjected to examination, as has the seriocomic tone which has bothered some critics by its earnest and flippant contraries and been praised by others.3 And all the while, as an undercurrent to the tone, runs the question of whether Tennyson was altogether serious in his support of Princess Ida's cause or whether he, like Gama, might not be a bit "put out" by all the ruckus.4 It is the argument of this paper that Tennyson's use of androgyny as the fundamental and controlling concept of the poem makes evident his serious support for the androgynous ideal. Androgyny is at work in each of the elements of the poem-theme, character, style, structure, tone-pulling them together and unifying them. Androgyny is an ideal, an ideal that Tennyson believed should be made manifest. It is the further contention of this paper that The Princess is about the process of


Experimental and numerical study of a thermally developing laminar pipe flow of a heterogeneous nanofluid was carried out. Effect of nanoparticle distribution on flow and heat transfer characteristics was investigated. With Iron-Oxide nanoparticle volume concentration of 0.009 in water, up to 15% heat transfer enhancement was predicted for the heterogeneous compared to the homogeneous nanofluid. Pressure drop was shown to decrease by 5%. Experimental results show a heat transfer enhancement up to 80% with the heterogeneous compared to homogeneous nanofluid. Key-Words: Heat transfer, heterogeneous, laminar, nanofluid, Nusselt number, pipe


To discuss the recent efficiency of esophageal cancer with radiotherapy and themotherapy Analyzed from August 1999 to February 2001, 41 patients with esophageal cancer were treated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the SAD was used combine two courses of chemotherapy. The total dose was 60~70Gy, average does is 68Gy. Arthor startied the hyperfractionated radiotherapy after DT40Gy, single dose was 1.25Gy,two times a day, with 6 hours intervial. With 10 months observation. The tumor disappeared 8(19.5%) deflated 19(46.3%), part-released 5(12.2%), non-changed 6(14.6%), unfinished 3(2.3%). The total efficiency rate was 65.85%, [Conclusions] The recent efficiency of esophageal cancer with radiotherapy and themotherapy is significant. The early reaction become bigger than single way. The recent efficiency should be further observe in future.


Background: Burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) throughout the world is increasing and likely to increase in the future with increasing burden of air pollutants and ageing of the population. It is not only associated with death but also affects quality of life. This study aimed to find the quality of life of patients suffering from COPD and its demographic and clinical correlates. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study conducted in two tertiary care centers. Basic demographic details were collected from the 250 participants. Each participant under went anthropometry, skin fold thickness, six minutes walk test, spirometry followed by spirometry with bronchodilator. This was followed by filling of St. George Respiratory Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC), COPD Assessment Test(CAT) questionnaires. BMI and BODE index was calculated. Results: Around 76% participants were male and 78% had normal BMI. 80% participants were smokers. Around 35% of participants belonged to MMRC grade 2. Mean CAT score was 25.5 with SD of 6.1. 42% participants belong to GOLD stage 2. On multivariate analysis, BODE index and GOLD stage 4 only were significantly associated with SGRQ score and its components. Conclusion: Health related quality of life (HRQL) as measured by SGRQ was found to be poor in COPD patients. BODE index was found to be a better predictor of HRQL in these patients.


Real-time embedded systems are time-critical systems that are hard to implement as compared to traditional commercial software, due to the large number of conflicting requirements. This paper describes undergraduate research into the use of advanced modeling techniques to improve the development of embedded systems. In particular, we have developed domain-specific models that describe the configuration and layout of a hazardous environment, which is symbolically represented as an area contaminated with hazardous materials (e.g., land mines), as well as objects to be rescued (e.g., babies). The motivation is to model a disaster site that is too dangerous for humans to search for survivors. From the visual model specifications, model interpreters will generate the embedded code that will control two LEGO Mindstorms robots. The mission of the robots is to traverse the hostile terrain and rescue the surviving babies. The modeling environment and generative techniques are described.


Let $s(n)$ denote the sum of the proper divisors of the natural number $n$. We show that the number of $n \leq x$ such that $s(n)$ is a sum of two squares has order of magnitude $x/\sqrt{\log x}$, which agrees with the count of $n \leq x$ which are a sum of two squares. Our result confirms a special case of a conjecture of Erd{\H o}s, Granville, Pomerance and Spiro, who in a 1990 paper asserted that if $\mathcal{A} \subset \mathbb{N}$ has asymptotic density zero (e.g. if $\mathcal{A}$ is the set of $n \leq x$ which are a sum of two squares), then $s^{-1}(\mathcal{A})$ also has asymptotic density zero.


The development of technology is perceived globally as a trigger for permanent changes in the business en- vironment. However, there is one overriding idea that appears immobile against this technological strength which implies that organizations that survive are those that provide more value to their customers. The role of the audit continues to provide assurance services to both internal and external customers. Since the use of technology impacts the way we do business, there must be effective and simple ways to carry out the evaluation of the controls that must exist to ensure that service. The main objective of the research is to determine which methodology should be used to achieve ade- quate control of information technology, risks and vulnerabilities for effective audit process. Our main hypothesis is: The COBIT developed by ISACA is a methodology that should be used to achie- ve adequate control of information technology, risks and vulnerabilities for effective audit process. From the review and research conducted, we conclude that the COBIT, auditors information technology will have a suitable tool that will allow them to meet the new needs of organizations.


Broadband/multiband phased array antennas with wide-scan and smart beam-steering are desirable to meet the capacity and security requirements of 5G and beyond. This paper discusses the characteristics of a new beam-steerable phased array design having broadband/multiband function for 5G and beyond communications. The discussion is focused on smartphones, due to their small size and complexity. The design procedure is straightforward and accomplished on a mainboard of future smart handheld devices. The introduced phased array design involves eight Yagi-dipole resonators with a $1\times 8$ linear form. The resonators have small sizes with discrete feedings. For -10 dB, the design represents dual broad bands including 22–33 GHz and 38–65 GHz covering multiple bands in the 5G and beyond spectrums.


Bearing is an important part of the induction motor, whose function is to help the rotor spin. It contributes the highest percentage of damage compared to other parts. When operated in this condition, it causes overheating, imbalance in the rotation of the rotor shaft, sparks, and noise pollution to the environment. A bearing monitoring system must be implemented and developed to avoid further damage. Furthermore, a non-invasive technique through sound signals was developed in this study. A sound signal is easy to overlap with the noise from other sources. Environmental noise is unavoidable during data collection, affecting health monitoring accuracy (HM). Therefore, this study aims to develop an HM method for sound-based induction motors based on measurement differences, load variation, frequency calculations, and statistics. The distance measured was used as an independent variable of the non-machine noise. The load variations were also applied as required, and the operation of the motor varies according to users' needs. In an effort to prevent negative environmental impacts, noise monitoring was carried out from the motor operation, and the results showed an HM of accuracy of 83.09%. The best distance for performing HM conditions is 100 cm and 83.59 dB(A). The noise value does not exceed the industrial worker threshold. Therefore, close surveillance of the motor's condition tends to be conducted with or without a load. It is because the load variation does not affect the accuracy of health monitoring.

http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/resources/files/Pertanika PAPERS/JST Vol. 31 (4) Jul. 2023/29 JST-3893-2022.pdf


Objective To investigate the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of acid-sensing currents in vagal primary afferent neurons innervating murine small intestine,and explore the ion channels inducing acid-sensing currents.Methods Vagal primary afferent neurons were labeled retrogradely through injection of active fluorescent dye(DiI) into the jejunal wall,whole-cell patch clamp technique was employed to record the acid-sensing currents induced by extracellular fluid with different pH,and the relationship between acid-sensing currents and pH was explored.Acid-sensing ion channel(ASIC) antagonists(30 μmol/L benzamil and 100 μmol/L amiloride) and transient receptor potential vanilloid1(TRPV1) antagonists(10 μmol/L capsazepine and 10 μmol/L ruthenium red) were added to extracellular fluid with pH 5(control),and the changes of induced acid-sensing currents were observed.Results Among a total of 52 DiI-labled neurons,inward currents consisting of three distinct types(fast-type current,slow-type current and sustained current) were recorded in 33 neurons.The amplitudes of acid-sensing currents increased with the decrease of pH.The transient component of fast-type current and amplitude of slow-type current significantly decreased by 30 μmol/L benzamil and 100 μmol/L amiloride(P 0.05 and P 0.01),and the amplitude of sustained current significantly decreased by 10 μmol/L capsazepine and 10 μmol/L ruthenium red(P 0.05).Conclusion Vagal primary afferent neurons of the small intestine express at least three types of acid-responsive ion channels,including TRPV1 and two subtypes of ASIC.


Abstract In the mid eleventh century AD, Cahokia emerged as a substantial Mississippian urban centre. To the east, a shrine-complex known as the Emerald Acropolis, marking the beginning of a processional route to the city, also flourished. Excavations and geophysical survey of the monumental landscape around this site suggest that lunar cycles were important in the orientation of structures and settlement layout. They further indicate that water played a significant role in the ritual activities associated with the closure and abandonment of individual structures. The contemporary development of these sites suggests an intrinsic connection between them, and provides early evidence of the importance that the moon and water came to assume in Mississippian culture.


Synthetic glycerophosphocholines with highly asymmetric chain lengths form interdigitated bilayers in the gel phase. In nature, phospholipids with one hydrocarbon chain approximately twice as long as the other can arise from the autooxidation of unsaturated linkages in the acyl chain, and thus the oxidation products would contain a carbonyl group at the chain terminus. In this study, we have investigated the thermotropic behavior of bilayers prepared from mixtures of the well-studied, mixedchain phospholipid, I-stearoyl-2capryl-srrglycero-3-phosphocholine (C18:ClO-PC, l ) , with synthetic l-stearoyl-2-acyl-s~glycerc~3-phosphocholines in which the srr2 chain is approximately one-half the length of the sn-1 chain and contains a C=O group near the w terminus. Phase diagrams of binary mixtures of 1 with a chain-terminal ketone-PC analog (2) or with a chain-terminal ester-PC analog (3) in excess water exhibited gel-phase immiscibility over a wide compositional range, but miscibility in the liquidciystalline phase. However, 1 was completely miscible with C18:ClO:IA"'-PC (compound 4), which bears a chain-terminal carbon-carbon double bond, in both the gel and liquid-crystalline phases . I The calorimetric data suggest that phosphatidylcholines (PC) with carbonyl-terminated chains, which can be produced by autooxidation of naturally abundant 1saturated-2-unsaturated phospholipids such as I-stearoyl-2oleoyl-PC, may not form the normal triplechain mixed interdigitated structure characteristic of hydrocarbon-terminated PCs in gel-phase bilayers.-Ali, S., and R. Bittman. Differential scanning calorimetry study of the influence of phosphe lipid analogs with a carbonyl-terminated srr2 chain on the interdigitated phases formed by I-stearoyL2caprylsqlycero-3phosphatidylcholine (C18:ClO-PC). J. Lipid Res. 1996. 37: 2305-2309. thermodynamic parameters of the phase transition of lipid bilayers has been investigated in detail (1-4). When one hydrocarbon chain is much longer than the other, the longer chain, having no packing counterpart in the shorter hydrocarbon chain of the bilayer gel phase, may extend beyond its own monolayer and protrude into the shorter chains of the opposing monolayer in order to maximize van der Waals contacts. A mixed interdigitated phase is formed below T, in which the longer chain spans the entire bilayer and the end of the shorter chain meets the end of the short chain of the opposing phosphatidylcholine (PC) in the center of the bilayer ( 5 , 6). It has been suggested that glycerophospholipids with one hydrocarbon chain approximately twice as long as the other can arise in nature from autooxidation of unsaturated linkages (7). However, the glycerophospholipids with highly asymmetric acyl chains that have been used in spontaneous and short-chain alcohol-induced interdigitation studies (810) all have saturated and monounsaturated hydrocarbon chains in the snl and sn-2 positions. Ketocontaining lipids have attracted attention as spectroscopic probes of micelle structure and depth of water penetration (11-13). The present report extends the applications of this type of lipid to calorimetric studies of the Supplementary keywords entia1 scanning calorimetry autooxidation thermotropic behavior of bilayers differAbbreviations: DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; PC, phosphatidylcholine; T,, gel to liquidcrystalline phase transition temperature. 'Present address: The Liposome Co., Inc., One Research Way, 'To whom correspondence should be addressed. The influence of inequivalence in the length of the two fatty acyl chains of saturated phospholipids on the NJ 08540. Journal of Lipid Research Volume 37, 1996 2305 by gest, on Jauary 8, 2018 w w w .j.org D ow nladed fom


The motility disturbances nd chemical factors which produces reflux oesophagitis and the findings which establish Barrett's oesophagus as a potential precancerous lesion are briefly reviewed. Controlled trials on the medical treatment of reflux oesophagitis are reported.


This dataset contains Twitter JSON data for several Twitter search queries that were collected around the #YesAllWomen Twitter "conversation" between May 25, 2014 and June 8, 2014 using the twarc (https://github.com/edsu/twarc) package that makes use of Twitter's search API. A total of 2,805,763 Tweets and 34,532 images make up the combined dataset.


The synthesis of p-tert-butylcatechol was investigated with methyl t-butylether (MTBE) and catechol catalyzed by acid-functionalized ionic liquid.The results indicated that the conversion of catechol and the selectivity of 4-TBC were 87.4%and 65.3%respectively,when the reaction temperature was 120℃,the reaction time was 2 h,and the molar radio of catechol to MTBE and the ionic liquid was 1:3:0.02.


Exploiting both spin and charge of the electron in electronic micordevices has lead to a tremendous progress in both basic condensed-matter research and microelectronic applications, resulting in the modern field of spintronics. Current spintronics relies primarily on ferromagnets while antiferromagnets (AFMs) have traditionally played only a supporting role. Recently, antiferromagnets have been revisited as potential candidates for the key active elements in spintronic devices. In this paper, we review approaches that have been employed for reading, writing, and storing information in AFMs.


Terrain classification of the legged robot is one of the most important objects which can determine robot's performance because surface of the fields is often extremely diverse. In the flat surface case, robot can move fast and smoothly. However, it cannot move fast in the rough terrain. Unless robot knows which terrain, robot will be falling down and slippery. Therefore, robot must know their terrain when they are walking. In this paper, we composed a 1-legged robot and terrain environment (flat, sand, and gravel) for terrain classification experiment. A load cell mounted on the 1-legged robot measures the ground reaction force and torque sensors located each of the 3-j oints measure torque. Then we present two methods for feature extraction using statistical method (Variance, Skewness, and Kurtosis) and principal component analysis (PCA) method. After that we present two methods for terrain classification such as back propagation neural network (BPNN) and support vector machine (SVM).


A series of measurements carried out with the point‐to‐plane symmetry has shown that positive corona confirms the Townsend relation while for the negative corona this happens only at large point‐to‐plane distances (greater than 1.5 cm). In this case, the ratio of the prefactors in Townsend relation, for the same geometry, approaches the expected constant (the ratio of the mobilities) at larger distances, around 6 cm. For distances below 1.5 cm, the square root of the current is linear with the voltage, with an intercept of ∼1.4 kV. The results are interpreted as giving evidence of an electronic component at small distances, as suggested by Sigmond. The characteristics change to Townsend at higher distances when the electronic component becomes small as compared with the ionic one.


M t j ANY federal executives are concerned with the public relations of their agencies. They want to do a good job and to have this recognized by the public; but often they find themselves in the position of feeling damned if they do and damned if they don't. Where this is the case it seems as though some sturdy public viewpoints are at work, leading to the thought that it might be useful to study elements in the public image of government agencies, to analyze what complex of goals and feelings characterizes the American attitude. This paper discusses a small tentative exploration of this problem. The assumption is that beyond the stances of political divisions or formal social philosophies, and putting aside for the moment the peripheral (even if not unimportant) views held by extreme groups in this country, there is a general and typical public outlook that sees American government agencies as having certain purposes, to which they may relate in certain ways. To formulate a hypothesis on this topic, a small group of people were interviewed about their attitudes toward government agencies. They were asked to recall the names of government agencies, to define their purpose, to evaluate the kind of job they do. They discussed specific contacts with government agencies, telling what occurred, how it came about, their treatment and feelings, the outcome, their reactions, etc. Then they commented more generally on the kinds of people who work in government agencies. The interviews were focused, open-ended conversations; the people interviewed talked


Abstract EXTENSIVE data have been reported by Robertson (1931) indicating that mean body weight of pullets during their first laying year is positively correlated with their annual egg record. This relation has been established for most of the common breeds in North America, including Rhode Island Reds. Since the onset of sexual maturity in the pullet is definitely recognizable by the production of eggs as well as by certain physical characters, it is important to know if body weight at this time is a criterion of future production. A study was made on 2091 Rhode Island Red pullets in the flock of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. These birds represent successive generations from 1916 to 1924 inclusive with the exception of the generation hatched in 1919. Each pullet was weighed on the day she laid her first egg in the trapnest and her annual egg record began on this date and . . .


Abstract : An intra-oral fluoroscope with peripheral equipment is being designed, prototyped and evaluated. The device utilizes a small number of short x-ray pulses, which form an image inside the mouth on a phosphor covering the end of a rigid coherent fiber optic bundle. The fiber optic bundle is curved and carries the low light level image out of the mouth to a small electronic image intensifier, which amplifies the image to a point above visual threshold. A closed circuit television system further amplifies the image and presents it on a monitor. A video disc recorder is used to freeze the image and lengthen it in time sufficiently for analysis without further x-ray exposure. Keywords: U/A Reports, Medical equipment, Military field systems, Visualization, Intra-oral fluoroscopic images, Low level x-ray exposure, Bone fracture detection. (jg)


A multidisciplinary education program is an attractive approach for improving the quality of care of pre-dialysis patients. However, it is not known whether this kind of program can reduce the need for urgent dialysis and/or hospitalizations in patients who subsequently receive continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In October 1995. we began a multidisciplinary pre-dialysis education program for patients with plasma creatinine levels >500 μmol/L or creatinine clearances <15 ml/min. The program involved a single-session. intensive, educational presentation and discussion pertaining to the initiation of dialysis. modality selection, and access creation. From October 1995 to December 1997, 145 patients were enrolled in the CAPD program at our center, 67 of whom that had attended this pre-dialysis counseling program were included in this study (PDP group). Their short-term morbidity was compared to 58 CAPD patients who were referred late to a nephrologist during the same period (LR group). They were also compared to 51 CAPD patients enrolled from January 1993 to September 1995 who received standard outpatient nephrology care prior to dialysis (SC group). All three groups of patients were comparable with regard to age, sex, underlying renal disease, and comorbid conditions. The LR group showed a higher incidence of requiring urgent dialysis (86.2% vs 50.7% and 60.8% for the PDP and SC groups, respectively, p<0.001). The LR group also required more hospitalizations during the first 6 months of dialysis (median = 25 days, vs. 16 and 15 days for the PDP and SC groups, respectively, p<0.001). There was no difference with regard to the need for urgent dialysis or hospitalizations between patients in the PDP and SC groups. There were no differences among the three groups with regard to the rate of peritonitis, exit site infections, or hemoglobin, albumin, phosphate, and parathyroid hormone levels. We conclude that in a referral hospital setting, a single-session, intensive, pre-dialysis counseling program offers no additional advantage in short-term patient outcome over standard outpatient nephrology care. Repeated explanation and follow-up education are necessary. Since a significant proportion of pre-dialysis patients is referred late to a nephrologist, education programs targeted to primary care physicians and other medical specialists are important.


A Jumbogram is an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet that makes use of the 32 bit Jumbo Payload Length field that has been introduced in the optional IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Options extension header. By making use of this IPv6 Jumbo Payload option, it becomes theoretically possible to attach a payload of 4 GiB of data to a single, unfragmented IPv6 packet. In our research, we examine the possibility of practically implementing the use of Jumbograms on a network that consists of IPv6 nodes that understand and support a path Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) greater than 65,575 bytes (that is, 65,535 bytes + 40 bytes for the IPv6 header). We examine if it is possible to practically implement Jumbograms on Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs), and what kind of modifications are needed to the lower and higher layers to support network traffic with jumbo sized payloads.


On the basis of results from modeling and experimental studies it has been hypothesized that myocytes adapt their orientation to achieve a preferred mechanical load. In a previous computational model study in which fiber reorientation was considered as a local response to local fiber cross-fiber shear strain, we have shown that predicted left ventricular (LV) myofiber orientations agreed well with experimental data. In this study, we investigated in the latter model the effect of initial and boundary conditions on predicted yocardial structure inite-element model ardiac mechanics ardiac deformation fiber orientations on the long term. After adaptation, predicted fiber orientation and deformation became more realistic, irrespective of initial and boundary conditions. As adaptation proceeded, the effect of initial conditions was found to disappear, suggesting that one single optimal fiber orientation field exists for the heart. In contrast, the effect of the boundary conditions persisted, indicating that modeling of in particular the interaction between myocardium and valvular annulus is relevant for predicting LV myofiber reorientation.


A new preparation of 1-arylpyrazolidinones, not involving the prior preparation of arylhydrazines , is reported. The reaction of 3-arylaminopropiono hydroxamic acids with chloroformates gives the title compounds. This transformation is discussed in terms of the intermediacy of the corresponding l,4,2-dioxazol-5-one ring system. These intermediates undergo mild nitrogen-atom induced decomposition with simultaneous N-N bond formation. The effects of chloroformates and aryl substitution is discussed.


with different needs, to create convenient conditions for disabled and elderly users. This can be achieved through the right functional zoning of the area, reconstruction of abandoned green spaces and restore their values, the new use of abandoned buildings. New landscaping for the alley includes enrichment means with a program of activities for year-round use for townspeople and guests.


For historic reasons, different solutions have been developed for power systems and telecom management environment. Nevertheless, current trends in power systems network equipment, such as intelligent RTUs and wrapped cable, hint some convergence between them. This convergence leads us to suggest the application of well-established telecom standards in the currently nonstandardised power systems management area.


We report on hard X-ray spectroscopy of solar microflares observed by the Wide-band All-sky Monitor (WAM), on board the Suzaku satellite, and by RHESSI. WAM transient data provide wide energy band (50 keV–5 MeV) spectra over a large field of view (∼2π sr) with a time resolution of 1 s. WAM is attractive as a hard X-ray solar flare monitor due to its large effective area (∼800 cm2 at 100 keV, ∼13 times larger than that of RHESSI). In particular, this makes it possible to search for high energy emission in microflares that is well below the RHESSI background. The WAM solar flare list contains six GOES B-class microflares that were simultaneously observed by RHESSI between the launch of Suzaku in 2005 July and 2010 March. At 100 keV, the detected WAM fluxes are more than ∼20 times below the typical RHESSI instrumental background count rates. The RHESSI and WAM non-thermal spectra are in good agreement with a single power law with photon spectral indices between 3.3 and 4.5. In a second step, we also searched the RHESSI microflare list for events that should be detectable by WAM, assuming that the non-thermal power-law emission seen by RHESSI extends to >50 keV. From the 12 detectable events between 2005 July and 2007 February, 11 were indeed seen by WAM. This shows that microflares, similar to regular flares, can accelerate electrons to energies up to at least 100 keV.


In search of traces of communal planning in insula V1 certain features have been targeted for scrutiny, such as the boundary walls of the insula, separation walls between properties, and the water ...


Potassium germanate glass with molar ratio [GeO2]/[K2O] = 1.2 and Nb2O5 content of 34 mol% have been synthesized by a melt-quenching method. The crystallization behavior under non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization conditions was investigated. The results showed that this glass exposed complex primary crystallization. In the temperature range < 800 °C primary phase is K3.8Nb5Ge3O20.4, while K6Nb6Ge4O26 appeared as primary phase at temperatures > 800 °C. K10Nb22Ge4O68 and metastable KNbO3 and K4Nb6O17 were formed as secondary phases. The crystallization commenced at T > 640 °C with high homogeneous nucleation rate and spherulite crystal growth morphology. DTA curves recorded for powder samples particle size < 0.1 mm revealed three exothermic peaks and three endothermic peaks within temperature range of T = 640-940 °C, while the DTA curves recorded for powder samples particle size > 0.1 mm showed two exothermic peaks and two endothermic peaks within temperature range of T = 640-1020 °C. The analysis of the dominant crystallization mechanism of powder glass sample and kinetics of crystallization is presented.


The heterogeneity of students studying mechanical engineering at the University of Kassel causes some difficulties in mathematical education. More precisely, students start with very different levels of knowledge and practice in basic and advanced calculation methods and concepts. Due to this effect the classical mathematical education, consisting of main lecture, lecture hall instructions and exercises, has been extended by additional courses during the last couple of years. In the present paper we give an overview of these courses and other supporting arrangements. We explain their structure and interaction and discuss first positive effects.


In the field of painting and photography, composition rules are widely used under various circumstances in order to arouse humans' aesthetic evaluation. In this paper, we propose a method to evaluate the aesthetic values of a scene according to some certain composition rules, such as Rule of Third, Diagonal Composition and Triangle Composition. We propose an evaluation function with three factors for each kind of compositions, which is reasonable to describe properties of compositions as the result showed in our questionnaire. We develop an observation position searching method by estimating relationships between targets from different viewpoints of the monitoring robot. Then a score will be obtained for each viewpoint using our evaluation function. By these scores, the best observation position can be determined within a reachable field. With path planning and moving control, the monitoring robot arrives at the best observation position. We suppose our research can provide any hint about common understanding between human beings and robots.


With the help of large storage capacities of current computer systems, datasets of companies has expanded dramatically in recent years. Rapid growth of Companies databases has raised the need of faster data mining algorithms, as time is very critica lissue. Present study emphasizes the implementation and efficiency of K-means clustering algorithm and also explains how it can be used to mine the data. Data mining is an evolving technology which is a direct result of the increasing use of computer databases in order to store and retrieve information effectively. It enables data analysis and data visualization of big databases at a higher level of abstraction. This paper presents a data mining approach to explore patterns of vehicular collision as well as the implementation of K-means algorithm. With the use of data mining technique we will analyze and observe the large database having different records of road crashes in Uttarakhand state.


Herbert Hoover, 31 President of the United States, was a successful mining engineer and author prior to becoming president. Part of his mining engineering career was spent in the goldfields of Western Australia, where he has become part of the local folklore. Hoover allegedly had an eye for the ladies and fell in love with a barmaid to whom he wrote a love poem. INTRODUCTION In this issue of The Compass, Merriam (2012) presents a brief history of Geology and the American Presidency. The article concludes with a discussion of Herbert Hoover, the only U.S. President with a science degree and that degree was in geology! Before becoming President of the United States, Herbert Hoover did make a significant contribution to mining geology, but there is an interesting side note to Hoover's time in Western Australia, which has become part of the 'folklore' of the Western Australia gold mining district. KALGOORLIE-BOULDER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Although most of Hoover's Western Australian mining experience took place in Leonora, he did spend time in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder gold mining region located 235 km south of Leonora. Today, Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the home of Western Australia's superpit (fig. 1), an open-pit mine that is so large it can be seen from space. Other than the fact that the streets are paved with bitimum (asphalt) and it is a bit easier to get a glass of water (water is brought to Kalgoorlie via a 530 km pipeline from the Mundaring Weir near Perth), Kalgoorlie seems to have changed very little from when Hoover spent time there. Prostitution is legal, as it was in Hoover's day and it's still the same rough and tumble mining town. Over 100 years later, the legacy of Hoover's time in Kalgoorlie still persists and he is still part of the local lore. Unlike the rigid and dour personality attributed to the Depression Era Herbert Hoover (McElvaine, 1984), it seems that Hoover had lighter side and alledgedly had an eye for the ladies. Figure 1. View of the Kalgoorlie super pit from approximately 1000 metres. Photo by Larry Davis (2010).


Within the framework of a study on the functional longevity of dairy ewe, bacteriological analysis of clinical mastitis milk and, besides, two exhaustive clinical examinations of the mammary gland were realized, in order to clarify the etiology of mastitis and to follow the clinical evolution of chronic mastitis. The results of the bacteriological analysis are presented according to the stage of lactation, the number of lactation and, additionally, the pond of production. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequent isolated germ. After a study of the reproductibility of the method of mammary clinical examination, a description of the results is presented by distinguishing the evaluation of the mammary lymphatics nodes, the lacteous cysts, the abscesses, the mammary imbalances and the diffuse hardenings of the parenchyma. The various results as well as the interest of mammary clinical examinations in mastitis control plans in dairy ovine breeding are then discussed.


Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disorder which manifests itself primarily as a chronic, inflammatory polyarthropathy. The disease is six times more common in the sixth decade than in the second, and women are affected approximately 2.5 times more commonly than men. It follows, therefore, that the majority of patients with RA are periand postmenopausal women. The precise aetiology of RA is unknown, but hormonal influences almost certainly play a part for example, the disease often remits during pregnancy only to return post-partum. However, there is no evidence that the use of HRT affects the risk of developing RA in menopausal women.1


In the 110th Congress, 16% of United State Senators are women. In contrast, the role of President of the United States of America has always been occupied by a man. As such, being a man is the one common attribute to all successful presidential candidates, rendering "male" a necessary qualification for the role. The gender-incongruency hypothesis predicts that gender bias is less likely in domains such as the Senate where women are relatively more prevalent. However, in the case of the presidency, the potential exists for gender bias against women presidential candidates. Using an experimental, single-candidate, design we tested the hypotheses that young voters would similarly evaluate a man and woman candidate for Senate (Study 1) but negatively evaluate a presidential candidate's resume ascribed to a woman, compared to the same resume ascribed to a man (Study 2). Results confirmed the gender-incongruency hypothesis and suggest that although bias may be less evident in evaluations of some Senate candidates, gender bias remains a significant obstacle for women presidential candidates.


Effect of seedling-raising method on yield and quality of rice was studied using japonica variety of Nongda 3.The results showed that the suitable seedling-raising method was the dry-raised and scattered plastic-plate seedling(3 grains/spot)and thin sowing on upland field seedling(150g/m2).If the two methods were used in the cool area,the yield,panicles of hole,mix 1 000-grain weight,full grain percentage,brown rice rate,milled rice rate,head milled rice rate,length-width ratio,gel consistency,taste increased obviously than routine upland field seedling(250g/m2)and the chalky grain rate,chalkiness degree,amylose content decreased obviously than routine upland field seedling.


Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ(0.0≦x≦0.2) proton-conducting oxides had been successfully prepared using a solid state reaction method. In this study, the effect of indium contents on the microstructures, chemical stability, electrical conductivity, and sintering ability of these Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ oxides were systemically studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and two point probe conductivity analysis. The XRD results showed that no second phase could be resolved from the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ oxides sintered at 1450 °C for 4 hr. Meanwhile, the SEM observation shows a dense surface morphology for these oxides after sintering at 1450 °C for 4 hr. The optimum conductivity can reach to 0.011 S/cm at 800 °C occurs at the oxide composition of Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3-δ. In addition, the chemical stability to resist CO2 at 600 °C can be effectively improved by doping more than 0.1 at% indium. Therefore, the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3-δ ceramic is suggested to be a potential electrolyte material for P-SOFC applications. In addition, the anodesupported half-cell was prepared by spray coating the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3- δ electrolyte slurry on the anode pellet , and sintered at 1450 °C for 4 hour. Then the sintered half-cell was coated with Pt paste as cathode for I-V curve testing. Keywords: SOFC, sinterability, conductivity, chemical stability, electrolyte, IndiumBa0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ(0.0≦x≦0.2) proton-conducting oxides had been successfully prepared using a solid state reaction method. In this study, the effect of indium contents on the microstructures, chemical stability, electrical conductivity, and sintering ability of these Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ oxides were systemically studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and two point probe conductivity analysis. The XRD results showed that no second phase could be resolved from the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.6Zr0.2InxY0.2-xO3-δ oxides sintered at 1450 °C for 4 hr. Meanwhile, the SEM observation shows a dense surface morphology for these oxides after sintering at 1450 °C for 4 hr. The optimum conductivity can reach to 0.011 S/cm at 800 °C occurs at the oxide composition of Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3-δ. In addition, the chemical stability to resist CO2 at 600 °C can be effectively improved by doping more than 0.1 at% indium. Therefore, the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3-δ ceramic is suggested to be a potential electrolyte material for P-SOFC applications. In addition, the anodesupported half-cell was prepared by spray coating the Ba0.8Sr0.2Ce0.75In0.05Y0.2O3- δ electrolyte slurry on the anode pellet , and sintered at 1450 °C for 4 hour. Then the sintered half-cell was coated with Pt paste as cathode for I-V curve testing. Keywords: SOFC, sinterability, conductivity, chemical stability, electrolyte, Indium


This study examines emotional intelligence (EI) as an additional moderator in the interactive effect of customer-related social stressors (CSS) (demands) and job autonomy (control) on emotional exhaustion by constructing a three-way interaction (EI × CSS × Autonomy) for the regression model of emotional exhaustion. Employees from hotels and restaurants in one metropolitan city in the United States participated in this study. The interactive effect of CSS and autonomy on exhaustion is shown among employees low in EI rather than high. Low EI employees experience greater exhaustion when they perceive low autonomy (stress exacerbating effect). When CSS is high, job autonomy is low, and EI is low, employees experience the highest level of emotional exhaustion. The findings support the proposition that individual characteristics, such as EI, add significant explanatory power to the job demands–control model (JDC) to understand occupational stress. Managerial and theoretical implications are provided based on the results.


A low-power plasma treatment has been adapted to work on a pilot plant scale to continuously treat a tow of carbon fibres. This treatment successfully increases fibre-resin adhesion to levels comparable it not higher than those obtained by commercial electrochemical treatments. One advantage is that the plasma treatment does not appear to affect the tensile properties of the fibre, unlike the electrochemical oxidation. We have also shown that the chemical groups introduced during air plasma treatment play a significant role in fibre-resin adhesion whereas those introduced by electrochemical oxidation do not. A possible explanation for this is that plasma treatments introduce chemical groups onto the immediate surface of the fibres that have the potential to react with the resin, whereas electrochemical oxidation occurs predominantly at the edge sites and proceeds into the sublayers of the fibre. The vast majority of the functional groups are therefore inaccessible to the resin. This type of plasma treatment, however, is unlikely to remove all of the weakly bound layers as in the case of electrochemical treatment because the sputtering capability of the plasma is very low. The tact that these conclusions can be drawn from both the single-fibre fragmentation test and the short-beam shear test is encouraging and goes to prove that both these tests are suitable for looking at trends in fibre-resin adhesion


Occurrence of nanometer to submicron thick microplaty hematite in the iron ore of eastern India is reported for the first time. High grade soft laminated ore and biscuity ore contain randomly oriented microplaty hematite along porous lamellae and pseudo-foliation planes. These microplaty hematites have a thickness of 70 nm to 500 nm or more. The thicker ones also show cleavage planes within, indicating the possibility of generating nanometer thick flakes. These microplaty hematites bridge the lamellae/laminae and interlamellar zones providing strength to the ore. On gentle tapping or by scrubbing with water, the ore breaks to fragments and fines of free microplaty hematite. On washing, the microplaty hematite grains get liberated and washed out to fine fraction of -150 m. It results in the fines of higher grade and low alumina in comparison to the associated lumps. It carries importance in the washing circuits using such ore types as feed.