Biological hydrolysis and acidgenesis of primary sludge to a carbon source which was used as in nitrogen-removal process to discuss the effect of denitrification and compare it with the effects of denitrification with other kinds of carbon sources. The experiment results showed that the denitrification rates with carbon from hydrolysis and acidogenesis process are three times and twelve times as much as denitrification rates when using wastewater and fresh sludge as the carbon source respectively. Moreover, the denitrification rate increased by 1/3, compared with the corresponding value with exogenous carbon source. As a result, it is safe to say that products from the primary sludge fermentation is the fast alternative carbon source for both denitrification and biological phosphorus removal.


With reference to Sheelagh Wickham's article 'Development of nurse specialists/advanced practitioners in Ireland' (BJN Vol 12(1): 28–33) we wish to clarify a number of points.


group, equality or inequality, but rather a defense of the Jewish people and an attack on the present German conception of them. The author's general statement is more the preoccupation of a poet who has used scientific conceptions to create an illusion of objectivity. True scientific formulae are integrated by beautiful writing into a larger poetic context which may or may not be true when judged by scientific criteria. What is wanted in this field of controversy is an objective understanding of the sociological significance of the emotional belief in racial superiority and inferiority. At present one school of thought declares that certain groups are superior or inferior, and other schools of thought insist that there are no racial differences which can be


Clinicians in pediatric palliative care enter the world of children living with life-threatening conditions and their families. These clinicians come face to face with the relentlessness of illness, the uncertainty of prognosis, and, at times, the inevitability of death. Through repeated cycles of attachment and loss, their core challenge is to learn how to preserve themselves while at the same time sustain the ability to be effective and empathic. This chapter examines relationship-centered care with a focus on the complex reciprocal influences among children, families, and clinicians. It describes the nature of clinicians' suffering, including the impact of a child's death. Building resilience and engaging in self-care are discussed as critical practices, both for the integration of clinicians' own experience and for the provision of optimal care of children and their families.


Objective To investigate the effect of naloxone on apoptosis of neuron after severe brain injury and its possible mechanism.Methods SIxty rabbits were randomly divided into control group,high dose group and small dose group;the animals in each group received intraperitoneal administration of N.S.,high dosage and low dosage of naloxone after brain trauma.Venous blood was drawn in 0h,6h,1d,3d,7d,11d and 15d,and the apoptosis of neuron and expression of Caspase-3 was detected by immunohistochemistry;the concentrations of SOD and LPO in erythrocytes were determined by spectrophotometry.Results The number of apoptotic nervous cells and Caspase-3 positive cells in high dose or low dose group was significantly less than those in control group in 15d(P0.05).There was no significant difference among three groups in the values of SOD and LPO at all time points(P0.05).Conclusion Naloxone may attenuate the apoptosis of neuron after brain injury through the inhibiting expression of caspase-3 but not involvement of free radical.


In this study, a new electronically tunable voltage-mode second-order universal filter as a new application for commercially available IC named LT1228 from Linear Technology Inc is presented. The proposed filter with three-inputs and single output voltage uses single LT1228, two resistors and two capacitors, which is well suited for off-the-shelf implementation. The proposed filter can provide high pass (HP), low pass (LP), band pass (BP), band reject (BR) and all pass (AP) responses with electronic control of the quality factor (Q) and the natural frequency (ω0). The control of quality factor can be done without affecting natural frequency. The selection of filter response can be done without any critical passive component matching conditions and double gain amplifier circuit. A number of simulations based on PSPICE program are achieved in order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed filter.


This work presents the design concept, EM-simulation and measurement results of a new calibration substrate developed to address probe-tip calibration challenges and to improve calibration accuracy at mm-wave frequency range.


Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a syndrome frequently diagnosed in children; however, it lacks optimal diagnostic methods. This study aimed to provide a clinical decision rule for predicting pediatric OSA using commonly available clinical information.


The geometries and relative energies of the nine lowest states of the ozone molecule have been determined in C2v symmetry from ab initio configuration interaction calculations in a [3s2p1d] contracted Gaussian basis. Calculations were carried out over a two‐dimensional grid of points in C2v symmetry to locate the optimum geometrical parameters R and ϑ for each state. For the ground 1A1 state the calculated properties (with experimental values in parentheses) are as follows: Re=1.299 A (1.271 A), ϑe=116.0° (116.8°), ω1=1235 cm−1 (1110 cm−1) and ω2=707 cm−1 (705 cm−1). Of the excited states only the lowest 3B2 state is found to have an adiabatic excitation energy (0.92 eV) less than the dissociation energy (De=1.13 eV) and hence to be a likely bound species. The 1B2 state responsible for the strong absorption in the Hartley band (4.7–5.8 eV) is stabilized by asymmetric distortions away from its equilibrium C2v geometry (Re=1.405 A, ϑe=108°) suggesting unequal bond lengths for this state or else purely disso...


Nowadays, the powerful combinatorial methods found in graph theory can be used to prove significant and well-known results in a variety of areas in mathematics. In this book, we present a few selected applications of graph theory to various operation research problems. Here, we have considered four classes of problems: transportation problem, dynamic networks problem, game theory and linear programming problem. These problems can be expressed and solved elegantly as graph theory problem involving connected and weight digraphs. From a practical point of view, all of these problems are trivial if the network is small. Many real-life situations, however, consist of huge networks, and therefore, it is important to solve these network problems by taking help of computers. We have developed some important algorithms and significant models to solve these problems in a simplified manner. The wide scope of these models and other applications has been well-documented.


Here we show that twisted graphene trilayer made by misoriented stacking a graphene monolayer on top of a Bernal graphene bilayer can exhibit rich and tailored electronic properties. For the case that the graphene monolayer and bilayer are strongly coupled, both the massless Dirac fermions and massive chiral fermions coexist in the twisted trilayer, leading to unique in-plane chiral tunneling. For a weak coupling between the two graphene systems, the distinct chiralities and pseudospin textures of quasiparticles in monolayer and bilayer enable vertical valley-polarized quantum tunneling between them. Intriguingly, the polarity of the valley polarization can be inverted by controlling the rotational angles between the two systems. Our results indicate that layered van der Waals structures assembled from individual atomic planes can create materials that harbor unusual properties and new functionalities depending on how the crystalline layers are stacked.


they a mean diameter of 2.9 mm. showed this is the most accurate predictor of early haemo- dynamic significance and that preterm ducts 2 mm in diameter, with very few excep- tions, have a haemodynamic impact. In this haemodynamic milieu, LVO is actually a measure of pulmonary blood flow, and right ventricular output becomes the better meas- ure of SBF, 5 but even this can be confounded by the common finding of left to right atrial shunting. 3 this haemodynamic impact is often present from the very early postnatal period is emphasised in fig 1 which is of a 5 hour old infant of 26 weeks gestation, in whom we measured an LVO of 350 ml/min per kg but a right ventricular output (RVO) of 90 ml/min per kg. This baby had an unrestricted duct (2.6 mm) with a low veloc- ity (0.7 m/s) but high volume left to right shunt. In other words LVO was overestimat- ing SBF by a factor of over 300%. This is not an unusual finding. This that the changes in LVO in response to dopamine documented by et al 1 may have occurred in the systemic circulation but, equally, could have occurred in the pulmonary circulation. The same uncertainty applies to changes in calculated vascular resistance. In other LVO may have increased or decreased solely because dopamine has changed the volume of the ductal shunt back into the lungs. preterm ductal shunting be assumed to be inconsequential, of early postnatal measures of either or left ventricular preterm premedication was more commonly used for term neonates. This di V erence in practice may reflect the fact that larger babies are more likely to struggle when intubated, making the procedure more technically de-manding.Weagree with Whyte et al that there is a strong evidence based argument for premedication for tracheal intubation in neonates to be routine. Our work brings added clarity to the existing picture and confirms that there is little consensus as to the best combination of drugs to use. Further work to define best practice is urgently required.


Land-use change is a crucial element influencing the patterns of carbon sinks/sources in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Therefore, studying land-use carbon emissions (LUCE) in the YRB and the decoupling from economic development can help formulate emission reduction strategies. In order to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of LUCE in the YRB, we estimated the LUCE in 69 cities in the YRB using the downscale energy balance table estimation method and land-use remote sensing data for seven phases from 1990 to 2020. The spatial and temporal features of LUCE were researched from three different spatial scales: the whole spatial scale of the YRB, the sub-basin level, and the city level. Furthermore, the Tapio decoupling model was utilized to research the decoupling state between LUCE and economic development using a multi-scale approach. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model was employed to explore the influencing factors of LUCE in the YRB. These results showed the following: (1) The LUCE in the YRB went through two stages: "stable growth" (1990–2000) and "rapid growth" (2000–2020). The LUCE increased from 165 million tons in 1990 to 1.414 billion tons in 2020, and the average annual growth rate was 25.12%. The spatial pattern of LUCE in the YRB exhibited significant variations, with the LUCE showing a geographic differentiation of midstream > downstream > upstream. (2) Except for the expansive coupling state during 2000–2005 (e: 0.952) and the expansive negative decoupling state during 2015–2020 (e: 2.151), the YRB was in the weak decoupling state for the majority of the time periods. (3) Economic development was the major positive driving factor for the rise of LUCE in this basin, while energy consumption intensity was the primary inhibiting factor. Through a discussion of the features and influencing factors of LUCE, these results can be utilized to provide carbon emission reduction recommendations tailored to the characteristics of cities' resources and economic development, which will be helpful for achieving low-carbon and sustainable development in the YRB.


The article is devoted to the book of poems, "On the margins of 'A Shropshire lad'" (2007) by Timur Kibirov. It is marginalia to the poetic cycle of Alfred Hausman "The Shropshire lad" (1896). The metatextual elements by which Kibirov indicates the connection of his texts with the poems of the English poet are considered. We identify such characteristics of the metatext as secondary to the main work and the expression of the author's will, aimed at demonstrating the creative process to the reader. Timur Kibirov marks his own words and forms a common intertextual field at the intersection of Hausman's work, his own poetry and literary tradition in general. Original poems and marginalia are compared. The emphasis is placed on the graphic level of the book of poems: headings, epigraphs, notes, the use of italics, as well as cases of changing the language code. In the development of his creative input – total intertextual interplay – Kibirov writes a commentary on each of the 63 Hausman poems. Thus, the reader sees the places of coincidence and divergence of the Russian and English texts. A conclusion is made about the originality of the markers of the dialogue between the poetic cycles of Hausman and Kibirov, and about the specificity of the secondary markers, which reinforce the author's beginning of the book of poems "On the margins of 'A Shropshire lad'".


Knowledge of the structure and morphology of common urban trees is scarce, particularly of the full life cycle of a tree. The present and future structural dimensions of urban tree species are of an increasing interest because tree growth is associated with its ecosystem services. The purpose of this study was to characterize the dimensions of two urban tree species (small-leaved lime, Tilia cordata Mill. and black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and to predict future structural dimensions based on the diameter at breast height and tree age. Regression equations were developed for tree height, crown diameter, crown height, crown volume, crown projection area, and open surface area of the tree pit. The data revealed strong relationships (r2 > 0.7) between crown diameter, crown volume, crown projection area, crown height, tree pit for both species, and tree height of T. cordata. Based on tree dimensions and the leaf area index (LAI), three ecosystem services (carbon storage, shading, and cooling effects) were estimated for rban trees the analyzed trees. The results indicated that urban trees considerably improved the climate in cities, with carbon storage, shading, and cooling of single trees showing a direct relationship with LAI and age. The associations of tree growth patterns identified in this study can be used as guidelines for tree planting in cities and their ecosystem services; they may improve the management and planning of urban green areas. © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.


Date of presentation Degree programme Author or authors Charles Ohangbon POBBA 08 Title of report Feasibility study of an African restaurant in Helsinki Number of pages and appendices 42 + 9 Teacher(s) or supervisor(s) Evariste Habiyakare & This bachelors thesis is a feasibility study of an African restaurant in Helsinki. The aim of this study was to ascertain the posibility of establishing a successful African restaurant in Helsinki. This aim of the study came to play as a result of the fact that many investors have tried in the past to open an African restaurant in Helsinki, but due to many factors including lack of experience and lack of the required skills, the business failed. A survey was carried out on 106 respondent inhabitants of Helsinki during the Months of June and July 2012 and also one week each in October and November, 2012. The data collection process had to be extended many times due to the rigorous process and challenges associated with data collection. The findings of the survey turned out to be a bite different from some of the researchers earlier expectations. However, the result of the study reveals the posibility of successfully operating African restaurant in Helsinki. Many of the respondents opinned that it is a good idea to have African restaurant in Helsinki but it should be of high quality and of good price. The type of food to be served was also refered to, on this, the respondents wants the food to be made out of natural ingredients and the served portions should be big. One main disperity between the researchers point of view before the research and the result of the study is; the researcher was of the view that it would be better to set up this propective African restaurant like the traditional Finnish restaurant, but the result reveald that many of the prospective customers are only willing to pay between 11€ and 15€ for a meal. Some respondents also want the price for drinks to be included in the price of the meal, and they would prefer the posibility of having to have as much drinks as they can for the same price. Many of the respondents also want a buffet type restaurant. On the whole, the result of the entire study was quite good, up to standard and met the researcher's overall expectations.


The digital excitation control system (DECS) used for brushless synchronous generators has recently become popular owing to its ease of operation and flexibility to manage the operating parameters to achieve good maintenance of the output terminal voltage at the rated value. The latest industrial digital automatic voltage regulator (AVR) is used in the forward path of DECS. This paper addresses the issues of the DECS that are responsible for deviating the terminal voltage from the rated value and consequently making the power system unstable. A solution to the issue is provided using a new method of tuning the PID controller that eases the impact of discretization on the terminal voltage and keeps the DECS compatible with industrial standards. The controller designed in this way will be useful to maintain the terminal voltage of the synchronous generator to enhance the stability of the power system to which many renewable energy sources are interconnected. The proposed method improves the performance of the excitation control system by reducing the overshoot from 75% to 16%. The simulation results are presented using an industrial standard model of the excitation control system to demonstrate and compare the performance of the existing with the new digital excitation system. The newly designed controller was tested and validated using the "hardware in the loop" (HITL) technique.


With the deepening of teaching reform in higher vocational colleges, project-based teaching has been widely used in basic English in higher vocational colleges. This paper first summarizes the concept of project-based English teaching, then analyzes the current situation of basic English teaching in higher vocational colleges, and finally discusses the application path of project-based teaching in basic English in higher vocational colleges.


Sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) is a widely used computational kernel. The most commonly used format for a sparse matrix is CSR (Compressed Sparse Row), but a number of other representations have recently been developed that achieve higher SpMV performance. However, the alternative representations typically impose a significant preprocessing overhead. While a high preprocessing overhead can be amortized for applications requiring many iterative invocations of SpMV that use the same matrix, it is not always feasible -- for instance when analyzing large dynamically evolving graphs. This paper presents ACSR, an adaptive SpMV algorithm that uses the standard CSR format but reduces thread divergence by combining rows into groups (bins) which have a similar number of non-zero elements. Further, for rows in bins that span a wide range of non zero counts, dynamic parallelism is leveraged. A significant benefit of ACSR over other proposed SpMV approaches is that it works directly with the standard CSR format, and thus avoids significant preprocessing overheads. A CUDA implementation of ACSR is shown to outperform SpMV implementations in the NVIDIA CUSP and cuSPARSE libraries on a set of sparse matrices representing power-law graphs. We also demonstrate the use of ACSR for the analysis of dynamic graphs, where the improvement over extant approaches is even higher.


The laser photochemistry and photosensitization of DNA bases were carried out by using a nanosecond kinetic spectroscopy. A novel triplet state of thymine and its OH adduct were observed in N_2 and N_2O saturated aqueous solution respectively. The transient absorption spectra of triplet cytosine, cytidine and deoxycytidine monophosphoric acid were observed for the first time. Triplet guanosine was confirmed and its pK, value, 8.7, was obtained. Kinetic studies of the growth-decay of the above transient species were performed and their reaction mechanisms were elucidated in detail.


Semantic metadata enables contextual
and relevant data to be identified for a particular
entity and ensures trust can be attained in search
functionality. The use of ontologies creates a bridging
mechanism, whereby semantic metadata can be
referenced and validated to ensure that relevant and useful information is collected. The paper explores the foundations of the research for the design of an Information Gathering tool based on the Intelligence Domain; The IGUSMON project. The aim of the project is to effectively present next to real-time knowledgeable answers to runtime user generated queries, from disparate sources and requires the implementation of semantics to safeguard the future of knowledge discovery and reuse.


Because of many advantages of reluctance synchronous motors (RSM) over other motors, their usage in AC drives have been gaining importance for many industry applications. The performance of RSM is greatly dependent on the effective air-gap lengths of the machine along its d and q axes. In this paper, an attempt has been made to obtain the effective air-gap lengths of the machine from the experimental values of direct and quadrature axis reactances by considering the higher permeance and winding space harmonics of a RSM. These reactances are then compared with the coefficients of the magnetizing inductances of the stator windings, obtained by using winding function approach (WFA), to determine the air-gaps. A comparative study has been carried out with different permeance and winding space harmonics. The q-axis air-gap length seems to be much more sensitive to the operating point and the leakage inductance compared to the d-axis air-gap length. Experimental values near no-load have been considered to minimize flux barrier effects, as WFA cannot simulate these effects without changing the length of the pole arc. The effective air-gaps of another salient pole synchronous machine with damper bars have also been determined and compared with various permeance and winding space harmonics, when run as a RSM (without field excitation). This machine did not have flux barriers and hence the results seem to be more accurate.


Hydropower producers must submit bids to electricity market auctions where they state their willingness to produce power. These bids may be determined using a mixed-integer linear stochastic program. However, for large interconnected river systems, this program may be too complex to be solved within the time limits set by current market rules. This paper investigates whether a linear approximation to start-ups can be used to reduce the computational burden without significantly degrading the solution quality. In order to investigate the trade-off of time versus solution quality, linear approximation is compared to a formulation that uses binary variables in a case study that simulates the operation of a reservoir system over time.


textabstractThe origin of the studies, described in this thesis, dates back
to 1979. In that year my colleague, R.P. Verhoeven, studied the
responsiveness of hyperthyroid patients to beta adrenoceptor
activation [1]. In his experiments he made the serendipitous
observation that the plasma levels of the sympathetic
transmitter, noradrenaline, increased during infusion of the beta
adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline. At the time most of us felt
that this could be explained by reflex increase in sympathetic
nervous activity, due to the vasodilatation caused by
isoprenaline, my promotor, Prof. Schalekamp, took a different
view. He suggested that the increase in noradrenaline during
infusion of isoprenaline could be mediated by presynaptic beta
adrenoceptors, which would serve to facilitate the release of
noradrenaline [2,3,4]. He gave the impetus to the studies that
followed.


An adult Algerian patient with homozygous beta thalassemia was found to have a unique beta thalassemia gene. Cloning and sequencing revealed that the only abnormality present in this beta gene is a transversion in the polypyrimidine stretch at the 3' end of the large intervening sequence (IVS 2) six bases 5' to the consensus AG dinucleotide sequence (CCGCCCACAG instead of CCTCCCACAG). In addition, digestion of the cloned fragment by the enzyme Mnl I demonstrates the disappearance of a restriction site as expected. This is the first example of a defect in the consensus sequence at the 3' end of an IVS leading to a thalassemia phenotype presumably due to decreased splicing.


Widespread insecurity about health care coverage in the U.S. population was the major impetus for recent attempts to craft a national health care system reform policy (Bureau of National Affairs, 1993). The Clinton administration and Congress have conceptualized the U.S. health security problem in two related dimensions: limited coverage and rising costs. Part of the policy solution proposed by Congress and the president is managed health care. Data that support the need for reform forecast that by 1998, 63 million Americans will be unable to maintain their existing health care coverage (Bureau of National Affairs, 1993). Up to 37 million Americans reportedly lacked insurance coverage in 1993, and nearly 22 million Americans had coverage considered insufficient to meet their needs in an emergency (Bureau of National Affairs, 1993). Almost 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) is now being spent on health care. Unless strict policy measures are enacted to contain costs, approximately 22 percent of GDP will be spent on health care by the year 2010 (Bureau of National Affairs, 1993). In a cash-based economy, health care has become just another commodity, subject to the same market forces as other products and services. Individuals who lack sufficient insurance, income, status, or transfer payments cannot obtain health care services at a level they need to sustain their health or the health of their family members. In this fiscally driven environment, individuals or groups who lack access to quality medical care are more likely to have undiagnosed illnesses, untreated diseases, and higher rates of mortality at younger ages. In the ongoing debate over the direction of national health care policy and how to pay for it, politicians and policymakers should note that one of the most medically insecure populations is people with severe mental illnesses. This population often lacks basic health insurance coverage. People with severe mental illness have limited employment opportunities and thus lack the insurance protection that insulates them from having to personally bear escalating medical costs. Although the need for psychiatric care generally has been part of the national debate over health care reform, the extensive health care needs of people with severe mental illness raise a number of very complicated legal, ethical, organization, fiscal, medical, and regulatory issues that have been minimally addressed at the national, state, or local levels. Given the multiple health and mental health problems of this population and the national efforts to reduce health care costs, the future health status of this population seems at great risk. STUDIES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ILLNESS Since the 1930s there has been an increased interest in understanding the relationship between physical disease and mental illness. This interest has taken two directions: Some research has sought to identify the extent to which a relationship exists between mental illness and excessive mortality rates (Allebeck & Wistedt, 1986; Eastwood, Stiasny, & Meier, 1982; Kendler, 1986; Malzberg, 1934), and other research has taken a similar approach to the presumed relationship between mental illness and excessive rates of disease (Herridge, 1960; Koranyi, 1979; Maguire & Granville-Grossman, 1968; Marshall, 1949). At least 13 studies completed during the past 60 years have confirmed that individuals with various forms of mental illness have rates of physical illness far in excess of the expected frequency of such illnesses in the general population (for example, Davies, 1965; Koran, 1989; McCarrick & Manderscheid, 1986). In 1936, Comroe conducted one of the earliest studies and noted that in a sample of 100 individuals diagnosed with neurosis, 24 percent developed a significant physical illness over the eight months of the study. Koranyi's (1979) work was among the first to use large samples of patients. …


Web applications provide immeasurable large facilities to the users. The usability and popularity of web applications have expanded. This has caused various types of attacks over them. SQL injection and XSS (Cross Site Scripting) attacks are very famous to exploit the web applications. To sneak into the web application database, one can use SQL injection attack that may cause database alteration or imparting vital details while XSS is one more threat in which malicious user tricks the input data given that may steer to the modification in webpage viewing or redirection of user to attacker's working space. The proposed Intrusion Detection System is a container based approach that is based on a mapping model. In this, a request to query mapping is applied to recognise and prevent such class of attacks. The container based approach to identify two different client requests have been used. The impact measurement of this container based approach on the web server is calculated using http_load and autobench tool. The web application performance measurement based on various parameters such as average page time, pages per second, memory and processing time for container based approach has been carried out and compared with the existing approach.


A new adaptive coherent model algorithm for removal of power-line interference in biomedical signals is presented in this paper. Because most biomedical signals are extremely weak, interference from the environment, especially power-line interference, is often much stronger than the signal to be measured. Therefore, how to eliminate or reduce the effect of 50/60 Hz interference has been one of the most important problems in biomedical signal measurement. The primary idea presented in this paper is: based on signal coherent quality, to establish an adaptive interference model using the original signal itself; then to subtract the interference model from the original signal so as to eliminate power-line interference. This adaptive coherent model method has been proven with on-line as well as off-line experiments, and has satisfactory effect for removal of power-line interference in physiological signal measurement. The algorithm is simple, saves time, and can be used in a microprocessor-based instrument.


4144 Background: Pelareorep is an intravenously delivered oncolytic reovirus that can induce a T-cell-inflamed phenotype in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In prior studies, tumor tissue analysis from patients treated with pelareorep shows pelareorep replication, increased T cell infiltration, and upregulation of PD-L1. We hypothesized that pelareorep in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with PDAC would lead to improved responses and anti-tumor immunological changes within peripheral blood and tumor biopsies in responding patients. Methods: PDAC patients who progressed after first-line treatment received pelareorep at a dose of 4.5x1010 TCID50 IV on Days 1, 2, 3 & 8 of Cycle (C) 1, and Days 1 & 8 with C2 onwards. Pembrolizumab was administered on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle at 200 mg IV. The primary objective was overall response rate by RECIST v 1.1 criteria. Secondary objectives included evaluating immunological changes within tumor tissue and peripheral blood, performed by multi-plex immunohistochemistry and spectral flow cytometry (Cytek), respectively. Results: Thirteen patients were enrolled. Disease control was achieved in 33% of the 12 efficacy-evaluable patients. One patient achieved a partial response (PR). Three additional patients achieved stable disease (SD). On-treatment tumor biopsies, collected during C1, showed pelareorep replication, increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells and PD-L1+ cells, and decreased expression of VDAC1, a mitochondrial gatekeeper for tumor promotion, relative to archival tissue. Reduced infiltration of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) was observed in patients showing tumor response. Peripheral blood was collected at day 1 of each cycle and on C1 day 8. Relative to pretreatment samples, the number of CD8+ effector memory T cells and B cells tend to increase while the number of Treg cells declined in C2 onwards in patients with tumor response. Furthermore, these patients had increased expression of the mitochondrial protein TOMM20 in CD8+ T cells and decreased expression of PD-1 and the H3K27me3 epigenetic mark in Treg. Treatment was well tolerated with most treatment-related adverse events, including flu-like symptoms, being grade 1 or 2. Conclusions: The combination of pelareorep and pembrolizumab showed a manageable safety profile and modest efficacy in an unselected PDAC population. Additional correlation analyses between treatment efficacy and immunological changes will be presented. The anti-tumor activity of pelareorep and checkpoint blockade therapy is being evaluated further in additional ongoing studies. Clinical trial information: NCT03723915.


Domestic violence is still not sufficiently described phenomenon but it has been considered as one of the most important problems of public health. The aim of the paper is to review available literature about violence against pregnant women. Violence during pregnancy fluctuates between 1-19 %, it may be caused by differences in method of the individual study. One point is clear that most women experiencing violence during pregnancy were being abused before pregnancy too. Violence during pregnancy is a little less common event in comparison to the period before pregnancy for example but it shouldn't be treated as a protective period. Generally the perpetrators of violence are intimate partners of pregnant women. There are some additional risk factors connected with violence which are similar to factors in other periods of life like lower education, poor economic status, younger age, taking drugs. Questions about being abused during pregnancy must be used as a standard procedure during prenatal care mostly because of dangerous consequences of violence for mother and child. The actions like occupational courses, family planning or improvement in public awareness should be the next step to prevent accidents of violence during pregnancy.


The author has identified the following significant results. A comparison of snowmelt runoff models shows that the accuracy of the Tangborn model and regression models is greater if the test data falls within the range of calibration than if the test data lies outside the range of calibration data. The regression models are significantly more accurate for forecasts of 60 days or more than for shorter prediction periods. The Tangborn model is more accurate for forecasts of 90 days or more than for shorter prediction periods. The Martinec model is more accurate for forecasts of one or two days than for periods of 3,5,10, or 15 days. Accuracy of the long-term models seems to be independent of forecast data. The sufficiency of the calibration data base is a function not only of the number of years of record but also of the accuracy with which the calibration years represent the total population of data years. Twelve years appears to be a sufficient length of record for each of the models considered, as long as the twelve years are representative of the population.


The effect of preparatory conditions on the properties of vitrified bonded silicon carbide abrasive sintered specimens was studied. The conditions considered were bond fraction, molding pressure, firing temperature, time and atmosphere. The properties studied included apparent density, bending strength and Young's modulus. The effect of those conditions on properties and the effect of developed micro-structure during firing on the properties of abrasive article were discussed. Close correlations were found between apparent density, bending strength and Young's modulus. [Received October 20, 198 0 ]


In recent years, the Delphi method (DMt) has been widely used in scientific practice. It is based on an expert assessment of the object under study, which is formed on the basis of a survey of a group of experts in a particular field. The application of the Delphi method in various areas of ophthalmological practice has made it possible to develop practical recommendations for the diagnosis of visual stress, methods for diagnosing and treating keratoconus, to develop clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Sjögren's syndrome, to classify the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome in accordance with the main mechanism of its occurrence and etc. A survey ophthalmologist expert conducted during the study, performed in accordance with the Delphi method, aimed at developing a differential algorithm in the treatment of patients with one of the most common pathologies among diseases belonging to the category of "red eye syndrome" — conjunctivitis, allowed identify key symptoms for prescribing different groups of drugs. In accordance with the clinical guidelines developed by the Russian Association of Ophthalmologists, the following groups of drugs are recommended for use: antibacterial, antiseptic, antihistamine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiviral drugs. This article presents the results obtained in determining the indications for the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy in the treatment of conjunctivitis. These include: the presence of a history of systemic diseases, the duration of inflammation for more than 7 days, the absence or presence of mucous discharge, complaints of a feeling of pain, discomfort in the eyes, their redness, as well as biomicroscopic signs of inflammation, which manifest themselves as mild to moderate conjunctival hyperemia expressiveness. The result obtained is of fundamental practical importance for primary outpatient ophthalmologists for choosing rational drug therapy in the treatment of one of the most common pathologies encountered in ophthalmic practice — conjunctivitis. A differentiated approach in choosing the volume and type of drug therapy based on the severity of the inflammatory process will reduce the drug load on the ocular surface. In accordance to the data presented in the first part of this article, it will lead to a decrease the risk of developing signs of dry eye syndrome against the background of a stopped inflammatory process in the long-term period and improving the quality of life in patients.


Abstract The magnitude of the thermal hysteresis exhibited by cholesteric liquid crystals is mainly dependent upon the material composition of the system and the operating range.


This study aims to model Lee-Carter mortality with a Bayesian approach, where the parameters in the model are assumed to be random variables. The data used in this study is data on mortality rates by age group from the period 1950–2015. The sourced of data was from the UN website. Age groups are categorized by age 0 years, 1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years, ..., 86-90 years. The results of this study are from Bayes estimation obtained information that the average infant mortality rate (population aged less than one year) is high, then at the age of toddlers (1-4 years) average mortality rate decreases. Furthermore, the average mortality rate for children, adolescents, young and older people has increased again. Meanwhile, the relative speed of the pattern of changes in mortality at infant age (less than one year) is high enough. At the age of toddlers (1 – 4 years), the pattern of changes in mortality has increased. Then, in the population of the next age group until the older age group, the mortality continues to decrease. The pattern of changes in mortality is lowest in the elderly population.


The thermal stability of NASICON-type cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ high-temperature powder X-ray diffraction (HTPXRD) applied to the electrodes in a pristine or charged state. Na3V2(PO4)3 and Na4VMn(PO4)3 were analyzed for their peak temperatures and the exothermic effect values of their decomposition processes, as well as the phase transformations that took place upon heating. The obtained results indicate that Mn-substituted cathode material demonstrates much poorer thermal stability in the charged state, although pristine samples of both materials exhibit similar thermal behavior without any DSC peaks or temperature-induced phase transitions in the studied temperature range. The in situ HTPXRD revealed the amorphization of desodiated Na4VMn(PO4)3-based electrodes occurring at 150~250 °C.


3D environments are being used more and more. However, there is no definitive methodology that supports the development process of these Virtual Environments. Some methodologies have been proposed, such as the methodology by [Fencott 1999] that focuses on Perceptual Opportunities. This paper aims to give a overview of some of these development methodologies, including using traditional animation techniques. Following on this a qualitative study of the Toontown environment is described, aimed at finding similarities between the traditional animation techniques and the animation techniques used in this virtual environment to define the importance of animation and relations to other processes.


In urban local settings, mismanagement of water is characterized by poor governance which includes faulty policies, conflicting interests among water users, weak decision-making structures with top-down approaches, lack of public participation, poor implementation, lack of funds, corruption and lack of accountability. This results in poor service delivery and inequitable distribution. Citizen's participation is increasingly recognized as an essential component of good governance practice. Accountability is a fundamental value for any political system. Citizens have the right to know what actions have been taken in their name, and they should have the means to force corrective actions when government acts in an illegal, immoral, or unjust manner. Two social accountability tools 'Citizen Report Card' and 'Urban Corruption Survey' have been used by the non-governmental organization Youth for Social Development to create public awareness, provide necessary skills to monitor and advocate for water policy and governance reform. Citizen groups were also helped to use the Indian Right to Information act (2005) to acquire and use information about their water and sanitation services and providers. This paper has been designed to serve three basic objectives concentrating on ensuring accountability among the WASH service providers. This includes:


Starting from the s-classified SU(3) Clebsch-Gordan coefficients introduced previously (Pluhar et al. 1985) the s-classified SU(3) 3j-, 6j- and 9j-symbols are constructed and examined. They satisfy simple symmetry relations similar to those valid for the SU(2) case.


Objective: The objective of the present study was to characterize the monoheaded trypsin inhibitors, Abelmoschus moschatus trypsin inhibitor-I (AMTI-I) and AMTI-II from the seeds of A. moschatus with respect to their specificity, mode of action, and active site residues.Methods: Standard methods were followed in determining inhibitory activities of monoheaded inhibitors. IC50 values and inhibitory constants (Ki) of AMTI-I and AMTI-II were determined. Studies on complex formation and chemical modification of inhibitors were performed.Results: AMTI-I and AMTI-II were found to be serpins, strongly active against trypsin, moderately active against porcine elastase, Staphylococcus aureus protease, and Aspergillus oryzae protease. AMTI-I and AMTI-II have shown non-competitive type of inhibition toward bovine trypsin with Ki values of inhibitors for trypsin found to be 0.25±0.02 nM and 0.22±0.06 nM, respectively. Complex studies revealed the formation of stable 1:1 complex of trypsin with both AMTI-I and AMTI-II. Chemical modification of the functional groups of the inhibitors by selective reagents indicated that arginine residues are essential for their trypsin inhibitory activities.Conclusion: Investigations on the specificity of protease inhibitors are important for understanding their physiological role, control mechanisms involved in the regulation of proteolysis in biological systems and mode of action.


On February 23, 1965, colleagues and students in Berkeley mourned the death of Tsi-an (T.A.) Hsia in his forty-eighth year. A profound sense of loss has since been shared and expressed in many other parts of the world by those who knew him and his work. Critic and literary editor for over a cataclysmic decade in China, as distinguished in creative writing as in historical research, he was first published in the West in the Partisan Review in 1955. "The Jesuit's Tale" (PR, XXII, 4)is an agonising story of a religious devotee who finally succumbs not only to the mental torture perfected by his Peking inquisitors, but ultimately to the torments of a modern dedicated individual caught in the clash of two cultures. Tsi-an's talent was to probe deeply into the human psyche, individual and collective, and to reveal dimensions of symbolism in the social, political and cultural confrontations in today's contradictory world. His fine sensibility for words and his ability to analyse propaganda jargon, folk-lore and traditional myths in cogent critiques of the Chinese socialist dream as wèll as reality, were evidenced in his Metaphor, Myth, Ritual and the People's Commune, and other brilliant monographs which he produced with us in Berkeley in our Project called Current Chinese Language: Studies in Communist Terminology.


A neural network model of the wear process of a carbide cutting tool is proposed. This model is considered influence of the cutting dynamics on the tool. The dependence of the wear rate on the processing modes and properties of the processed and tool material is shown.

Keywords
cutting tool; neural network model; dynamics of the cutting process; wear