Introduction. Spontaneous BOLD signal fluctuations, in the absence of specific cognitive tasks, are increasingly being used to identify spatial regions of functional connectivity [1]. This approach is especially promising in clinical scenarios where inadequate patient compliance prevents the administration of many tasks or stimuli. However, limited quantitative evidence is available on how spontaneous activity is modulated by behavioral state [2,3]. It was recently shown that in visual cortex (VC), both coherence and amplitude of spontaneous signal exhibited an inverse correlation with wakefulness [3]. Here, we examine the dependence of spontaneous BOLD signal on behavioral state in another highly studied brain region, the motor cortex (MC), by performing BOLD for varying degrees of wakefulness and motor performance. Data were acquired at 7.0T and high spatial resolution. The findings demonstrate how MC spontaneous activity is dependent on behavioral state, with implications for both spontaneous and evoked BOLD experiments discussed. Methods. All volunteers (n=7; age=25.6±4.2 yrs) provided informed consent and we scanned at 7.0T (Philips). Experiment. Four separate behavioral states were studied for each volunteer, during which cardiac and respiratory rate were recorded: (1) awake with eyes closed (EC), (2) eyes open resting (EO), (3) eyes open with constant right hand fist clench (EO-F), and (4) eyes open 6s/6s off/on (frequency=0.083 Hz) right-handed finger tapping (EO-T). For each condition, a BOLD scan was performed with RF volume coil transmit and 16-channel head coil receive; scan parameters: gradient echo EPI, FOV=216x192 mm, slices=33, SENSE=3.0, TR/TE=3000/25 ms, spatial resolution=1.6x1.6x1.6 mm, time points=100. Prior to the BOLD scans, a whole brain B0 map was acquired which was used for 3rd order Image Based Shimming after brain extraction using BET [4]. Pre-processing. All images were corrected for motion, baseline drift and were coregistered using FSL routines [5]; retrospective correction for cardiac and respiratory motion was applied [6]. No spatial smoothing was applied. Processing. First, to characterize evoked responses, BOLD finger tapping data were high-pass filtered (removing<0.083 Hz) and evoked activation maps (z>5.0) and corresponding timecourses recorded. Second, all data were variance-normalized and a 50component and 30-component ICA decomposition was performed [7]. The 50-component decomposition was used for assessing MC sub-network detectability at 7.0T and the 30-component analysis for MC mask generation. Specifically, a mask was generated for voxels showing coherence in primary MC for all behavioral states. The choice of the appropriate independent component was guided by the Juelich Histological Atlas of the MC. The evoked mask was subtracted from this MC mask and a new 'other' mask was generated which corresponded to regions of MC that were not involved in evoked activity. Third, all data were low-pass filtered at 0.067 Hz to remove contributions from the 0.083 Hz evoked activity in EO-T condition and to allow for uniform preprocessing in all data. Fourth, coherence, (measured as Pearson correlation coefficient, r) and amplitude (measured as std over time) of the spontaneous signal were calculated by comparing low-pass filtered timecourses from the evoked mask to those from the 'other' mask for each behavioral state. The same evoked mask and other mask was used for all behavioral states for each subject. Results. Fig. 1 shows four motor sub-networks (green, blue, purple, red) from the 50-component ICA decomposition for a single subject. MC is clearly visible and sub-networks within the MC can be discerned on an individual subject basis. Such robust detectability is likely due to a combination of higher SNR and higher physiological noise to thermal noise ratio at 7.0T, relative to 1.5T-3.0T. Fig. 2a shows two slices, from a representative subject, containing the evoked mask (red) and other mask (blue) which were used for the correlation and amplitude analysis. Fig. 2b (signal vs. time) shows the EO-T timecourse (black); high frequency finger tapping, which was subsequently removed by low-pass filtering (red) is clearly visible. Fig. 2c-f shows representative evoked mask (red) and other mask (blue) timecourses (signal vs. time) for a representative subject for each behavioral condition. The EC task contains the highest coherence, with the other three behavioral states showing reductions in coherence. Fig. 3 shows group results (* denotes P<0.05 compared with EC). During EC, coherence is highest; coherence is lower, but not significantly reduced for EO (P=0.15), whereas coherence is significantly reduced relative to EC for both EO-F (P=0.04) and EO-T (P=0.01). A similar, yet less robust trend, is found for the amplitude analysis (Fig. 3b). For the amplitude comparison, only EO-T is significantly different (P=0.01) from EC amplitude. Discussion. Reduction in coherence of eyes open tasks, and the reduction in amplitude of EO-T, relative to the eyes closed condition, supports the proposition that spontaneous activity in MC is influenced by behavioral state. Similar findings have been observed in VC using BOLD [3] as well as EEG [8] and reveals that spontaneous fluctuations are suppressed during task performance, relative to EC. We find only a small reduction in amplitude during the eyes open conditions, suggesting that coherence in MC may be more sensitive to behavioral state than amplitude. Evoked fMRI analyses may benefit by incorporating adjustments in spontaneous activity between task and baseline; methods for accounting for such effects have been proposed [9]. Finally, we investigated different approaches for generating the MC mask, which included atlasguided ROIs and masks derived from different z-score thresholds. We found similar results regardless of MC mask choice, however observed dissimilar trends when masks from different functional networks were compared (e.g. coherence between MC and VC for different behavioral states). Understanding how internetwork coherences are influenced by behavioral state may therefore be of interest. In conclusion, (1) we exploit the high SNR available at 7.0T to demonstrate that cortical sub-networks can be identified in MC on an individual subject basis and (2) spontaneous activity in MC, as quantified by coherence and amplitude, is dependent on the behavioral state. References. [1] Fox MD et al. Nat Rev Neurosci (2007);8. [2] Hampson M et al. Hum. Brain Mapp (2002);15. [3] Bianciardi M et al. Neuroimage (2009);45. [4] Smith SM. HBM (2002);17. [5] Jenkinson M et al. Neuroimage (2002);17. [6] Glover GH et al. MRM (2000);44 [7] Beckmann CF and Smith SM. IEEE (2004);23. [8] Buzsaki G and Draguhn A. Science (2004);304. [9] de Zwart et al. MRM (2008);59. Funding. Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Dunhill Medical Trust, Netherlands Society for Scientific Research.


Abstract The method of classifying and enumerating close-packed clusters of vacancies or substitutional solutes in crystals by using representation matrices has been extended to include clusters with more than one type of point defect. Examples are provided for a few simple cases in order to clarify the notation adopted. Results are then presented for clusters of up to four point defects in all single-lattice and selected double-lattice structures. All possible cases are included, from pure clusters with just one type of solute to mixed clusters in which each solute is different. In each case the number of distinct configurations and the total number of variants is recorded. For example, in h.c.p. structures there are 1043 configurations of clusters with four points, each occupied by a different solute, and these have a total of 22 800 variants. In all there are 106 possible decorated topologies for the configurations and these are illustrated. Relationships between the results for different structures ar...


A basic function of a computational grid such as the NASA Information Power Grid (IPG) is to allow users to execute applications on remote computer systems. The Globus Resource Allocation Manager (GRAM) provides this functionality in the IPG and many other grids at this time. While the functionality provided by GRAM clients is adequate, GRAM does not support useful features such as staging several sets of files, running more than one executable in a single job submission, and maintaining historical information about execution operations. This specification is intended to provide the environmental and software functional requirements for the IPG Job Manager V2.0 being developed by AMTI for NASA.


In the past decades, multiculturalism as a policy in Western Europe and in the United States of America was taken for granted as a kind of 'success story' for a 'New World' to replace the 'Old World' connotated with conservativism, racism and facism. But nowadays, new debates arise on the contestation between multiculturalism policy and terror attacts by certain radical groups on behalf of Islam. Muslims now are seen as potential threats for Western hegemony, and are considered not compatible with Western democracy values. Judging this, a question arises: is multiculturalism policy still need to be sustained? Is this an end or the failure of the multiculturalism ideology following the development of Islamophobia? This paper analyzes sources of the many success and failure factors in the practice of multiculturalism in the Western countries.


A rare case of early stage eosinophilic heart disease was diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy findings, despite the relatively low peripheral eosinophil blood count (640/mm3).


Humans sustain a reproductive loss of approximately two of every three fertilizations; prenatally, much of this death is associated with malformations that are mainly due to chromosome abnormalities. Up to half of all pre- and postimplantation ova in man may have chromosome defects that are more than 98% lethal. The earlier the stage of development at the time of the spontaneous abortion the greater is the number of malformations and chromosome defects; nearly 80% of embryos that reach a 2-week stage of development have a chromosome defect, as do more than 60% of those developing to 12 weeks, approximately 6% of stillborn infants, and 0.6% of all live-born infants. Even nonchromosomally caused single congenital defects have a high prenatal death rate. Besides chromosome defects, multifactorial traits and single gene (mendelian) mutations are the next most common class of congenital defects. Prior fetal wastage with or without prematurity of previous live-born infants increases the risk of subsequent fetal loss; the greater the number of preceding spontaneous abortions the smaller is the chance of a subsequent live-born child.
 One fourth of all stillborn fetuses have one or more than one malformation or a syndrome, in many cases associated with a substantial risk of recurrence. After "certain diseases of early infancy" (mostly prematurity and hyaline membrane disease) congenital malformations remain the most important cause of infant mortality (60% of which occurs by the seventh day of life).
 It is important for pediatricians to take much greater cognizance of the amount of genetic disease involved in fetal wastage and infant death, to collaborate more effectively with obstetricians, pathologists, anatomists, and geneticists in determining diagnosis and risk of recurrence, and to counsel more accurately those who have lost a fetus or infant. Such fetuses and infants deserve the same meticulous examination, evaluation, and documentation as an older malformed child being brought in for diagnostic, prognostic, and genetic counseling. A fetal loss may cause as much sorrow as an infant death; this grief must be addressed explicitly but gently and sympathetically before any other considerations are put before the parents as they decide on whether or not to create a new life.


Horticulture industry in India is beginning to see the technological drive and that leads to the low production of greenhouse. In general equipment cost of drip irrigation, motors, solenoid valves etc. Which may cost upto Rs. 4 lakh, many not be affordable for greenhouse owners. Keep this in view, we propose an innovative implementation of software aspects of WSN (Wireless Sensor Networking) for monitoring greenhouses in Indian economical condition. Yuktix IOT hardware platform along with end sensor nodes and CDAU (Central data acquisition unit) together can be used to locally / remotely monitor internal conditions of greenhouse chambers using Yuktix cloud via Web-application and Android application as well as their internal environment can be controlled locally/remotely using Yuktix controller. Same data in the cloud can be downloaded from the archive further to do the in-depth analysis like analysing the shift/second order statistics in the mean temperature and humidity around the year and so.


Abstract Strategies for accelerating the ripening of cheese have traditionally included the use of enzymes like proteinases, peptidases, and lipases. These approaches have shown that the addition of free enzymes to milk or cheese led to uncontrolled biochemical reactions. Consequently, during recent years, new approaches have been attempted to accelerate the cheese ripening process. The addition of liposome-entrapped enzymes and physically or genetically modified lactic bacteria to cheese milk seem to provide some definite advantages. This article reviews the developments in the last 5 yr in this domain dealing with both traditional and untraditional approaches.


This research was conducted to find out how the marketing communication strategy was carried out by fashion company "X" during the Covid-19 pandemic. In its marketing communication strategy, fashion company "X" has the goal of increasing sales of the products sold by fashion company "X". In achieving this goal, the fashion company "X" uses the AIDA model (Action, Interest, Desire, Action) to classify a person's phases in knowing a brand and taking action and using the elements in integrated marketing communication (IMC) to analyze strategy marketing communications used by fashion company "X". This type of research is descriptive qualitative. And using the case study method as well as in collecting data using interview techniques. In delivering its marketing communication strategy, fashion company "X" uses several online media according to their target market. In addition, they also use live shopping techniques. and the latter uses the data of every customer who purchases at their company to offer the latest products from fashion company "X". The results of this study are used to determine marketing communication strategies at the fashion company "X" during the Covid-19 pandemic and the latter uses the data of every customer who purchases at their company to offer the latest products from fashion company "X". The results of this study are used to determine marketing communication strategies at the fashion company "X" during the Covid-19 pandemic and the latter uses the data of every customer who purchases at their company to offer the latest products from fashion company "X". The results of this study are used to determine marketing communication strategies at the fashion company "X" during the Covid-19 pandemic


A laboratory investigation was performed to study the effect of reclaimed asphalt with polymer modified bitumen on the properties describing asphalt performance. Three types of asphalts used for wearing courses in Europe (SMA 11, AC 11 and PA 8) were investigated. Five combinations of reclaimed asphalt, virgin aggregate, paving grade and polymer modified bitumen were tested for each type of asphalt. The results show the water sensitivity of mixtures containing reclaimed asphalt is expected to meet the requirements. Rutting resistance of the mixtures with reclaimed asphalt and virgin polymer modified bitumen was comparable to the mixture only with virgin polymer modified bitumen. Mixtures with reclaimed asphalt had a higher stiffness compared to the mixtures without reclaimed asphalt. It was also proved the penetration of the blended binder relates to indirect tensile strength and stiffness of mixtures and rutting resistance of asphalts is strongly related to softening point of blended binder. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group.


Many accidents and losses caused by the inappropriate using and controlling of the electrical equipments. Fire is one of the results of the lack of control by using of electrical equipment in a building household. The aims of this research are 1) create a software-based Smart phone control system for controlling Household electrical equipment, 2) make a prototyping tool based on Smartphone, using the software that has been made, 3) make an Interface and Application Smartphone-based control system for controlling Electrical equipment contained in a building / household that is safe from the danger of short-circuit. Based on Application Design and Electrical Installation Design Prototype tool showed that the application can control and secure the electrical equipment. The results showed that the prototype tool created to control all electrical equipment devices (MCB, KKB and lights), both from close range by using the buttons switch, or remotely by using the Smartphone has been functioning properly.


A method for measuring the complex dielectric p ermittivity of layered mediums is presented.By measuring complex reflection coef ficient several times and constructing the objective function properly,the compl ex dielectric permittivity of layered medium can be evaluated using Genetic Algo rithm.The experimental results show that the complex permittivity and the length s of the mediums can be evaluated simultaneously in the case of less layers.


ABSTRACT Community-based research (CBR) refers to an applied research methodology that is conducted in community settings in partnership between academic and nonacademic participants in research. This article reports on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with 11 Australian CBR researchers between 2008 and 2009. The interviews were designed to explore whether university-employed CBR researchers experience the particular phenomenon of "moral distress," or feelings of helplessness to act in accordance with one's moral values due to systemic or institutional constraints. Study results found that the CBR researchers experienced unavoidable moral distress at varying levels of intensity related to blurred boundaries between settings, participants, and stakeholders. Based on the outcomes of this study, further research and enhanced professional development and training practices are recommended.


Objective To know the current situation of the knowledge,attitude and practice(KAP) about preventing AIDS among the Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STD)patients.Methods 206 STD patients were administered for questionnaire survey,the correlation was analyzed from the investigation results by SPSS.Results The knowledge of AIDS among the STD patients was poor,and it was differ from education and occupation in statistics.There were positive correlations among the KAP about AIDS.Conclusion The extent and depth AIDS education should be magnified among STD patients with different education level and different occupation.


The invention provides a two-stage flue gas desulphurization and denitration system and a treating method. The system comprises a desulphurization reactor, a cross-flow contact denitration reaction system and a regeneration system. A flue gas outlet of the desulphurization reactor is connected with a flue gas inlet of the cross-flow contact denitration reaction system; a material outlet of the desulphurization reactor and the cross-flow contact denitration reaction system are both connected with a material inlet of the regeneration system; a material outlet of the regeneration system is connected with material inlets of the desulphurization reactor and the cross-flow contact denitration reaction system; and the cross-flow contact denitration reaction system comprises at least more than two cross-flow contact denitration reactors in tandem connection. Compared with a desulphurization reactor, the two-stage flue gas desulphurization and denitration system employing two-stage reactors changes the contact manner, contact time, reaction temperature and the like of flue gas and an adsorption catalyst in the denitration reactors; and the system has the characteristics of high desulphurization and denitration efficiency.


Our studies on the determination of the charge accumulation in finite ap~riodic clusters of amorphous pure and hydrogenated silicon by means of a semiempirical molecular orbital method is summarized. An empirical formula depending on angle distortions is presented for calculating their net atomic charges. Applying the formula the charge fluctuations is calculated which are comparable to the experimental data.


X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) was used to investigate two sets of graphite-like BCxN thin films with similar B:C:N ratios but different amounts of nitrogen vacancies, which become oxygen-filled in the surface-most region. The two sets of samples were grown on Si (100) at room temperature by ion beam assisted deposition using two different ion/atom ratios. Nitrogen vacancy defects were detected in the B1s XANES spectra due to an oxygen decoration mechanism taking place at the film surface, which is correctly described by a core-level shift model. Analysis of the O1s XANES spectra showed two different types of oxygen incorporation in the samples under study. The tribomechanical properties of the BCxN samples were tested by the pin-on-disk technique, revealing the substantial role played by both the carbon intake in the hexagonal BCN planes and the concentration of nitrogen vacancies generated during the growth.


Many Few-Shot Learning research works have two stages: pre-training base model and adapting to novel model. In this paper, we propose to use closed-form base learner, which constrains the adapting stage with pre-trained base model to get better generalized novel model. Following theoretical analysis proves its rationality as well as indication of how to train a well-generalized base model. We then conduct experiments on four benchmarks and achieve state-of-the-art performance in all cases. Notably, we achieve the accuracy of 87.75% on 5-shot miniImageNet which approximately outperforms existing methods by 10%.


This work aims to return scientific interest to the valuable biochemical components found in Phytotherapy in times of exponential growth of viral propagation in the world. The topic addressed will be specifically the Echinacea Purpúrea plant, a member of the Compositae or Asteraceae family, which has been researched all over the world , may open up new possibilities for the treatment of oral and systemic diseases , using its own biochemistry as a stimulating factor to increase immunity. Recent studies in humans have shown actions of interest in the immune response with its use, both in aerial part and roots.


Abstract : Armed with a general understanding of the concepts of Information Superiority and Network Centric Warfare, enterprising individuals and organizations are developing new ways of accomplishing their missions by leveraging the power of information and applying network centric concepts. Visions are being created and significant progress is being made. But to date we have been only scratching the surface of what is possible.


Abstract
 This chapter discusses the vision, structure and activities of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations (FEIF). The biggest and most visible event run in the name of FEIF is the biennial World Championships for Icelandic Horses.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the influence of the age of the patient and the nature of a polyneuropathy on the referral behaviour of general practitioners (GPs).

DESIGN
Written questionnaire sent to GPs regarding paper case records of polyneuropathy.

SETTING
University Hospital Utrecht, the Netherlands.

METHODS
1590 GPs were asked about their differential diagnosis regarding a paper case record of a patient with polyneuropathy. There were six case records, differing in age (53, 64 and 73 years) and nature of the disease (sensory or sensorimotor polyneuropathy). The GPs were divided into six groups with similar demographic characteristics and type of practice. To avoid focus on polyneuropathy, all GPs also received questions about three other neurological cases (amaurosis fugax, radicular syndrome and vasovagal collapse).

RESULTS
The mean response of the questionnaire was 54% (n = 844). Most GPs diagnosed the polyneuropathy (analysis of variance; p < 0.0001). The age of the patient did not influence the diagnosis nor the referral behaviour. At least 73% of the patients with a sensory and 81% of the patients with a sensorimotor polyneuropathy were referred to neurologists for further investigations (chi(2)-test; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
At least 73% of the GPs referred a patient with polyneuropathy to a neurologist; patients with muscle weakness were referred more often than patients with only sensory disturbances. Referral was not influenced by the age of the patient.


B!OCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE aba2 AND aba3 MUTANTS IN ARABIDOPSIS THALlANA. STEVEN H. SCHWARTZ', Jan A. D. Zeevaart', Karen M. LéonKloosterziel', & Maarten Koornneef' 'MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824; 'Dept. of Genetics, AgriculturaI University, 6703 HA Wageningen, The Netherlands lntensive screening of Arabidapsis thaliana for abscisic acid (ABA) deficient mutants has resulted in the identification of fourteen mutants a1lelic to abal. However, two new mutants, aba2 and aba3, have recently been identified. Unlike abal, there is no variation in the carotenoid composition of aba2 and aba3. Thus, suggesting both mutants are impaired in the later steps of ABA biosynthesis. CeIl-free extracts from the two mutants were assayed for their ability to convert the ABA precursors, xanthoxin and ABA-a1dehyde, to ABA. Cell-free extracts of aba2 and aba3 were unable to convert xanlhoxin to ABA. Extracts from aba2 were able to oxidize ABA-a1dehyde to ABA as efficiently as wild type extracts, indicating that this mutant is blocked in the conversion of xanthoxin to ABA-a1dehyde. The aba3 mutant was unable to oxidize ABA-a1dehyde to ABA. Lesions at this step may result from a defect in the a1dehyde oxidase apoprotein or a molybdenum cofactor (MoCo), which the aldehyde oxidase requires. The mutant aba3 a1so Iacked severa! additional enzyme activities, which require a MoCo, such as xanthine dehydrogenase. This research was supported, in part, by National Science Foundation grant No. IBN 9 Il8377, and U.S. Department of Energy grant DE-FG02-9 I ER2002 1


In this work, we investigate the transmission properties of tunable resonant cavities inside photonic crystal waveguides. We present an optical and a mechanical way of perturbing the optical environment near the resonant cavity enabling tuning and modulation of the in-plane transmission. We have discussed different ways that change the transmission properties of cavities in photonic crystals. Optical switching and wavelength tuning is obtainable by means of induced thermo and electro optical effects. These results indicate the feasibility of high-speed optical integrated circuits based on silicon photonic crystal structures. In addition, simulations have shown that an AFM tip can be used for tuning and damping. These results suggest a stand-alone MEMS solution to create a chip-based on-off switch or tunable filter. Furthermore, one could attempt to integrate more than one silicon tip to combine filter and tuning functionalities on one device. By separately controlling the position of the different tips a programmable integrated optical circuit with higher integration density and functionality could be achieved


The smart grid system. How the electric system has been changing in the last decade. Electric vehicles system. EVS integration into electric grid. Smart grid in Europe's environment and the Italian energy market. European orientation about smart grid. The key role of the Enel Group and its projects in Italy. The effor of LUISS to redefine its shape.


Peer-to-Peer VoIP (voice over IP) networks, exemplified by Skype, are becoming increasingly popular due to their significant cost advantage and richer call forwarding features than traditional public switched telephone networks. One of the most important features of a VoIP network is privacy (for VoIP clients). Unfortunately, most peer-to-peer VoIP networks neither provide personalization nor guarantee a quantifiable privacy level. In this project a novel flow analysis attacks to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of peer-to-peer VoIP networks and a method to overcome these attacks have been proposed. There are two important challenges in the design privacyaware VoIP networks: Can provide personalized privacy guarantees for VoIP clients that allow them to select privacy requirements on a per-call basis and how to design VoIP protocols to support customizable privacy guaranteed This project can propose a practical solutions to address these challenges using a quantifiable k-anonymity metric and a privacy-aware of VoIP route setup and to route maintenance protocols. A detailed experimental evaluation that demonstrates the performance and scalability of the proposed has been implemented in this paper.


OBJECTIVE
In recent years, increasing evidence suggests an association between low Magnesium levels and type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has also been reported that the use of proton pump inhibitors may induce hypomagnesemia. Although some case reports have described patients with Proton Pump Inhibitor-induced hypomagnesemia, the impact of Proton Pump Inhibitor use on hypomagnesemia has not been fully clarified in comparative studies. The objective of the study was to determine the Magnesium levels in patients with diabetes who are taking proton pump inhibitors and also to correlate the Magnesium levels in diabetic patients who take proton pump inhibitors with those not taking proton pump inhibitors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out in the study population comprising adult patients attending internal medicine clinics in King Khalid Hospital, Majmaah, KSA. A total of 200 patients who gave informed consent were recruited into the study over one year.

RESULTS
Overall prevalence of hypomagnesemia was observed among 128 patients out of 200 (64%) diabetic patients. Relatively more patients with hypomagnesemia were found in group 2 (without PPI use) (38.5%) compared to group 1 (with PPI use) (25.5%). A statistically significant difference was not observed in group 1 using proton pump inhibitors and group 2 not using proton pump inhibitors (p-value = 0.473).

CONCLUSIONS
Hypomagnesemia is seen in diabetic patients and patients who take proton pump inhibitors. There was no statistically significant difference in Magnesium levels in diabetic patients, irrespective of proton pump inhibitor use.


The suggested link between fibropapillomatosis (FP) in Hawai'ian marine turtles and non-native macroalgae is indeed very interesting. As mentioned in the Introduction to the present article, FP became a problem for Hawai'ian green turtles only in the 1980s, incidentally when the same problem emerged among marine turtles in Florida. I always wondered how an epidemic could start-off simultaneously at two geographic locations as far apart as Hawai'i and Florida. But then, I stumbled over some statements of Celia M. Smith, Professor of Botany at the University of Hawai'i, who testified on April 15, 2005, regarding the impact of marine invasive algae before the US House of Representatives. Among others, she mentioned that in the 1970s various species of exotic algae were introduced from the Philippines and the Caribbean to Hawai'ian waters. There were both legal and illegal introductions. Most often, the algae were placed in pens on the reef adjacent to the Hawai'ian Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe Bay. Citation: "… Water motion in that region was sufficient for parts of the plants to break and be carried off the reef, eventually allowing for the escape of these algae to other regions of Kaneohe Bay. …". Moreover, she mentioned that the red alga Hypnea musciformis, which is specifically mentioned in the present article, readily spread from there to other Hawai'ian islands and posed a particular problem for Maui. (Kaneohe Bay and Maui mentioned in the present article as most highly infested with FP-cases.) Potential link between fibropapillomatosis in Hawai'ian marine turtles and non-native algae The suggested link between fibropapillomatosis (FP) in Hawai'ian marine turtles and non-native macroalgae is indeed very interesting. As mentioned in the Introduction to the present article, FP became a problem for Hawai'ian green turtles only in the 1980s, incidentally when the same problem emerged among marine turtles in Florida. I always wondered how an epidemic could start-off simultaneously at two geographic locations as far apart as Hawai'i and Florida. But then, I stumbled over some statements of Celia M. Smith, Professor of Botany at the University of Hawai'i, who testified on April 15, 2005, regarding the impact of marine invasive algae before the US House of Representatives. Among others, she mentioned that in the 1970s various species of exotic algae were introduced from the Philippines and the Caribbean to Hawai'ian waters. There were both legal and illegal introductions. Most often, the algae were placed in pens on the reef adjacent to the Hawai'ian Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe Bay. Citation: "… Water motion in that region was sufficient for parts of the plants to break and be carried off the reef, eventually allowing for the escape of these algae to other regions of Kaneohe Bay. …". Moreover, she mentioned that the red alga Hypnea musciformis, which is specifically mentioned in the present article, readily spread from there to other Hawai'ian islands and posed a particular problem for Maui. (Kaneohe Bay and Maui mentioned in the present article as most highly infested with FP-cases.) The authors of the article speculate that elevated arginine (Arg) levels, passed to turtles as they forage on the red algae, may be a factor promoting the FP-tumors. They argue that high Arg may help the FP-associated herpesvirus (Chelonid herpesvirus 5, ChHV5) to replicate and somehow overcome the turtle's immune defenses. I do not have arguments against the views of


A previous paper has shown an interesting structure for the optimum array‐processing system using long observation time to detect weak stationary Gaussian signal in stationary Gaussian noise fields. For dominant amplifier and system noise (Case I discussed by Middleton and Groginsky), this structure is "factored." The previous result is generalized to linear nonidentical hydrophones. A valid procedure for finding causal optimum filters is presented. The results are extended to the case or known signal; the optimum filters are not matched to the signal, but to a waveform dependent on signal, noise, and array structure.


The invention discloses a data transmission device. The data transmission device comprises a sending end, a system clock module, a phase-locked loop frequency doubling module, an information coding module, a clock information multiplexing module, a receiving end, a phase-locked loop module, an information recovery module and an information decoding module, wherein the system clock module is used for generating system clock signals, the phase-locked loop frequency doubling module is used for generating frequency doubling clock signals according to the system clock signals, the information coding module is used for generating discrete digital coding signals to be jointly transmitted to the clock information multiplexing module, the clock information multiplexing module is used for generating coding clock signals to be transmitted to a backplane according to the digital coding signals, the phase-locked loop module is used for generating recovery clock signals according to the received coding clock signals, the information recovery module is used for sampling the coding clock signals according to the recovery clock signals and restoring the coding clock signals to obtain the digital coding signals, and the information decoding module is used for decoding the digital coding signals to obtain digital information. In this way, transmission of the clock signals and the information signals can be achieved only through one bus, and backplane buses are saved. The invention further provides a data transmission method.


Due to the long half-life of commonly used therapeutic proteins (TPs) such as mAbs and the difficulty in many cases to recruit patients for trial enrollment, the conduct of well-designed clinical interaction studies is generally costly and difficult. Therefore, there is astrong desire to develop in vitro approaches allowing predictions of whether significantinteractions between TPs and small molecules are likely. This chapter providesan overview of the current literature on the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genes in vitro and provides a perspective on the current challenges and future opportunities to establish improved in vitro systems.

Keywords:

therapeutic proteins;
drug-drug interactions;
cytochrome P450 enzymes;
tumor necrosis factor;
interleukins;
oncostatin M


Given the resolution of the guidance for intercepting highly maneuvering targets, a novel fi nite-time convergent guidance law is proposed, which takes the following conditions into consideration, including the impact angle constraint, the guidance command input saturation constraint, and the autopilot second-order dynamic characteristics. Firstly, based on the nonsingular terminal sliding mode control theory, a fi nite-time convergent nonsingular terminal sliding mode surface is designed. On the back of the backstepping control method, the virtual control law appears. A nonlinear fi rst-order fi lter is constructed so as to address the " di ff erential expansion " problem in traditional backstepping control. By designing an adaptive auxiliary system, the guidance command input saturation problem is dealt with. The RBF neural network disturbance observer is used for estimating the unknown boundary external disturbances of the guidance system caused by the target acceleration. The parameters of the RBF neural network are adjusted online in real time, for the purpose of improving the estimation accuracy of the RBF neural network disturbance observer and accelerating its convergence characteristics. At the same time, an adaptive law is designed to compensate the estimation error of the RBF neural network disturbance observer. Then, the Lyapunov stability theory is used to prove the fi nite-time stability of the guidance law. Finally, numerical simulations verify the e ff ectiveness and superiority of the proposed guidance law.


Thank you very much for downloading victorian table glass and ornaments. As you may know, people have search hundreds times for their chosen novels like this victorian table glass and ornaments, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some malicious bugs inside their computer. victorian table glass and ornaments is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our digital library spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the victorian table glass and ornaments is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Research into the design aspect of games has proliferated since the early 1970s. Currently, early historical overviews appear and categorical divisions within the field become more pronounced. It i ...


A MODEL FOR GROUP MARITAL PREPARATION IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING Terry W. Swan March 1987 83 pages Directed by: Emmett L. Burkeen, Dwight H. Cline, and Thomas L. Updike; Department of Department of Educational Leadership, Western Kentucky University. The author created an experimental model workshop for group marital preparation in a university setting. Eight couples attended the April 16-17, 1984, workshop, and nine couples attended the March 25-27, 1985, workshop. All persons, with the exception of two couples, were university students. Each couple was contacted by a form letter which contained questions about their expectations and invited them to take a temperament test. A participant evaluation was done after the


In the experiment with marbled crayfishProcambarusvirginalis(Lyko, 2017), chronic effects of various concentrations of heavy metal ions on the physiological state and enzyme activity were investigated. The obtained results showed that among the investigated heavy metals nickel ions influenced the weight indexes and mortality of crustaceans the most negatively. According to the results of the research, significant changes were noted in the individual biochemical parameters of marbled crayfish under the influence of manganese, lead and nickel ions. The most significant changes in the activity of lactate dehydrogenase were detected in muscle tissues affected by manganese and nickel ions. A significant decrease in the activity of succinate dehydrogenase in muscle of marbled crayfish was determined after the action of heavy metal ions. Investigation of changes in the activity of alkaline phosphatase under the influence of the ions of manganese, lead and nickel has its own characteristics, which indicates certain violations in the tissues of cell membranes. Changes in the activity of enzymes were also reflected in the overall protein content. Changes in these parameters may indicate a rapid biochemical response of crustaceans to the toxic effects of heavy metals.


Purpose: Problem-based learning (PBL) has been used in medical schools due to its educational effectiveness in terms of critical thinking, problem-solving skills, integration of theory and practice, and enculturation of the community of practice. In the digital age, however, ICT (information and communication technology)-based PBL, especially, webbased PBL seems more appropriate to meet socio-educational needs when the features of web, such as multimedia based rich information, multichannel links and navigation, connectivity (interaction and collaboration), and conservation of messages posted on the online board are considered. In this context, this case study attempted to apply 'blended learning' mode that combined both on-site and on-line classrooms, and to maximize the educational purposes of PBL. This case study examined students' perception about web-based PBL to provide basic information and data for further development and implementation of the web-based PBL Method: As a pilot test of the web-based PBL mode, we developed a pre-case module on the web was to provide the students with a chance to experience web-based PBL before it was fully applied to the whole class. The content of the pre-case was 'panperitonits due to gastric perforation', what a primary physician should know about. This project included two collaborative teams: 1) The development team from the graduate school of education which was in charge of the web-based PBL module development and the evaluation of the pilot test, and 2) the case development team from the Emergency Department of the school of Medicine, which dealt with the simulation (patient and doctor interaction) development, the preparation of the learning resources, and the tutor sheet. Results: The participating students were mostly quite satisfied with the web-based PBL class, particularly pointing out the effectiveness of integrating theory and practice, the authentic learning tasks, and the student-directed learning environments. Conclusion: The highly positive responses from the students indicate that further practices using web-based PBL for classes should be more seriously considered for a more proper medical-school educational environment in the 21st Century.


Cell-surface carbohydrates—or glycans—influence growth, differentiation, and immune response mechanisms. Alterations to the glycome can be markers for diseases including diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Fucosyltransferases catalyze the addition of a fucose sugar residue to specific cell-surface glycans, which are involved in intercellular cell rolling/adhesion interactions such as white blood cells homing to inflammation sites and sperm-egg binding in fertilization. Fucosylated glycans are also implicated in inflammatory disease and cancers. In viral and microbial infections, fucosyltransferases can play a role in the adhesion and colonization of the host organism, as in the case of Helicobacter pylori α(1,3)-fucosyltransferase (FucT).
To better our understanding of glycome alterations and improve medical diagnostics and treatments, screens for glycosyltransferase activity and inhibition are needed. Efficient screens for specific glycosylations tend toward costly materials, instrumentation, and specialized skillsets- here, we present a novel inhibition assay for FucT using the fluorogenically labeled disaccharide, MU-β-LacNAc. The assay shows good potential for high throughput (Z'=0.78 in 384-well plate), though such an application is not shown here. It was also implemented on a digital microfluidic (DMF) platform, where inhibition curves of FucT by GDP, a product of the glycosyltransferase reaction that exhibits an inhibitory feed-back loop, were generated on-device. Results of the assay on DMF (IC50 = 0.093 mM ± 0.037) were shown to be comparable to results in a 384-well plate (IC50 = 0.114 mM ± 0.086), achieving a 87.5% reduction in reaction volume and setting the groundwork for future fully automated screens for potential inhibitors of glycosyltransferases.


Electronic medical records form a major source of information regarding a patient's health history. Governments in the present take necessary steps to gather the patient's health history to carry out research and be prepared for any disease outbreaks at large to the citizens. Research has shown that the disease outbreaks are due to the lifestyle, the living conditions and the treatment undergone during the past. Medical literature states that many drugs whose complete safety profile unknown have been approved. Some drugs have shown serious adverse events (SAE), and subsequently withdrawn. There may be some drugs which still show adverse effects on the patients. This work makes an attempt to extract details regarding the drug administration from the electronic medical records (EMR) and employ the Bayesian classifier to find any SAE. It also analyses the various data mining techniques to find adverse events. The main advantage in using EMR is that they can be enhanced with powerful classification algorithms that can deal with images also.


Background and Aims: The use of newer supraglottic devices has been extended to laparoscopic procedures. We conducted this study to compare and evaluate the efficacy of these two devices in pediatric laparoscopic surgeries. Material and Methods: Eighty children, 2–8 years of age, scheduled for elective short laparoscopic procedures were randomly allocated to the I-gel or endotracheal tube (ETT) group. Standard anesthesia protocol was followed for inhalational induction. I-gel or ETT was inserted according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Ventilation was set with tidal volume 10 ml/kg and a respiratory rate of 16/min. Carboperitoneum was achieved up to an intra-abdominal pressure of 12 mmHg. Statistical Analysis: The primary outcome variable was adequacy of ventilation (peak airway pressure, end-tidal CO2, minute ventilation, and SPO2). These variables were recorded after securing airway, after carboperitoneum and desufflation of the peritoneal cavity. The oropharyngeal leak pressures were also noted. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: No significant difference was observed in the heart rate or mean arterial pressure. There was a significant increase in the PECO2 and peak airway pressure after creation of carboperitoneum. There was significant increase in minute ventilation in both groups after creation of carboperitoneum. Conclusion: To conclude, I-gel is comparable to endotracheal intubation in terms of adequacy of ventilation. The increase in peak airway pressures is less with I-gel. In addition, postoperative complications are fewer with I-gel.


The present invention discloses a benzimidazole-linked indole compound acting as a novel divalent IAP antagonist, specifically disclosing the compound shown in formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.


In this article, the objective is to introduce an algorithm to produce the quaternary m-point (for any integer m>1) approximating subdivision schemes, which have smaller support and higher smoothness, comparing to binary and ternary schemes. The proposed algorithm has been derived from uniform B-spline basis function using the Cox-de Boor recursion formula. In order to determine the convergence and smoothness of the proposed schemes, the Laurent polynomial method has been used.


This research compares the efficacy of novelty versus objective based search for producing evolvable populations in the maze solving task. Populations of maze solving simulated robot controllers were evolved to solve a variety of different, relatively easy, mazes. This evolution took place using either novelty or objective-based search. Once a solution was found, the simulation environment was changed to one of a variety of more complex mazes. Here the population was evolved to find a solution to the new maze, once again with either novelty or objective based search. It was found that, regardless of whether the search in the second maze was directed by novelty or fitness, populations that had been evolved under a fitness paradigm in the first maze were more likely to find a solution to the second. These results suggest that populations of controllers adapted under novelty search are less evolvable compared to objective based search in the maze solving task.


This paper presents the experimental results on a small multiclone-type unit cyclone with a dia. of 30 mm, which is connected to the suction side of high speed motor fan, in order to investigate the characteristics of small cyclone separator using to measure the dust content of flow-gas. From the test results, we assumed that, the entering stream in the annular space above the bottom of the exit pipe flows down forming a forced voltex flow, and below the bottom of the exit pipe, its flow changes to a double eddy type flow consisting of an outer downward free voltex and an inner upward combined voltex such as Rankine's flow. The tangential velocity distribution of gas flow above and below the bottom of the exit pipe may be given by the following expression. vi=c/rn The value of n determined in the present experiment is 0.5∼-1. The test cyclone has shown that the separating eff. exceeds 99% for nealy all kinds of industrial dust particles with a dia. of between 0.7∼1.0 micron, and slightly more increases than with no an enlarged dust hopper. We compared the partial separating capacity at various points in cyclone with the total separating eff. by injecting known quantities of dust at these points and determined the equal partial eff. distribution curve.


It is necessary to harmonize the needs of society in terms of agricultural production and land protection from various forms of degradation throughout sustainable land management. Assessing the justification of investment in sustainable management of land resources is an important step in this process. Consequently, an analysis of soil erosion risk was carried out in the suburban area of the morphological unit of the Barička river watershed, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) method, with the existing and projected structure of agricultural production according to the Future Agricultural Production Structure Model from the Aspect of Preserving Land Resources for Mountain Catchment Areas of Serbia (FAPSMS). The value of the existing and projected production structure from an economic aspect was also examined using dynamic economic methods. In order to assess the risk and uncertainty of investments, a sensitive analysis of dynamic methods was carried out. The results show that soil erosion losses are already below tolerance values with the existing production structure and that they could be reduced even more by applying the designed structure. Economic indicators show that the investment is justified and that it is more sensitive to changes in income.


Background: Increase in life expectancy of Indians will require revamping the health-care infrastructure for the elderly. In India, either there are not too many specialized geriatric mental health services available across the country or those that are available have problems of resources and quality. With this perspective, the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, developed the Geriatric Mental Health Clinic (GMHC) for the elderly residing in and around Chandigarh. The aim of the study was to study the initial 1-year cohort and assess their satisfaction levels as well as to see whether their functioning improves with the intervention so provided. Materials and Methods: Using the "service evaluation framework," the patients and caregivers who attended the GMHC over a period of 1 year were evaluated using tools such as Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE), Everyday Abilities Scale for India (EASI), Global Assessment of Function (GAF) scale, World Health Organization quality of life-BREF (WHO-QoL-BREF)-Hindi version, and Patient Satisfaction Scale (PAT-SAT). In addition, sociodemographic and clinical profile data of the service users were compiled. Results: A total of 105 cases formed the cohort under study, wherein 70% had functional psychiatric illness and almost more than half of the cases had comorbid physical illness, hypertension being the most common. GAF score of 45.42 and WHO-QoL-BREF score of 78.7 at the time of follow-up suggested that there was "slight impairment in socio-occupational functioning" and "poor QoL," respectively. However, GAF and HMSE scores were significantly decreased in those with organicity. Overall service users reported good service-cum-clinician satisfaction scores on PAT-SAT; there was also significant reduction of EASI score from that of baseline, suggesting improvement in functioning. Conclusions: Findings show that the newly started GMHC, even though in its incipient stage, is attracting patients of all diagnostic categories, from expected catchment areas, is being able to deliver interventions which are bringing about clinical and functional improvement, and service users are not reporting dissatisfaction.


Presented is a single-cell analyser to measure cytoplasmic components in large cell populations. This technology, flow-lysometry, uses a flow-cell that performs three functions (cell detection, cell lysis and component sensing) in a continuous microfluidic channel. This flow-cell can be coupled and synchronised with classical flowcytometry, thus offering high-throughput measurements of various cytoplasmic compounds in combination with cell-surface markers. The measurement of cytoplasmic markers in the cytosol of red blood cells was shown to verify population analysis of individual cells in mixed-cell populations. This work presents an approach to characterise complex cell populations to extend measurements in cell biology.


GP commissioners in England are receiving tens of thousands of pounds from drug companies without declaring the funding in their public registers, an investigation by The BMJ has found.1

The BMJ worked with researchers from the University of Bath and Sweden's Lund University to examine payments from private companies and charities to clinical commissioning groups in 2015 and 2016. Using data collected through requests made under freedom of information legislation, they found more than a thousand payments that were not included in the CCGs' online registers …


Comprehensive catalogue of drill‐hole data in spreadsheet, shapefile, and Geosoft database formats. Includes XYZ locations of well heads, year drilled, type of well, operator, total depths, well path data (deviations), lithology logs, and temperature data. Plus, 13 cross‐sections in Adobe Illustrator format.


Abstract A single-strain outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) vanB occurred in Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) from 23 July to 28 December 2001. One hundred and seventy two patients were colonised, four with infections, but no deaths were attributable to VREF. One hundred and eighteen patient carriers were detected by screening in hospital. Twenty three wards or units in the hospital and one outpatient unit (Satellite Dialysis) were involved. Fifty four patient carriers were detected by screening after discharge or on representation to RPH or other hospitals. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid analysis of the isolates demonstrated a single-strain outbreak. Factors which contributed to the spread of VREF in RPH included insufficient surveillance prior to the outbreak and not screening patients on transfer out of ICU to other wards, inadequate facilities (lack of sufficient single rooms, isolation facilities and washer-sanitisers for reusable equipment), poor compliance with hand hygiene, inadequate cleaning of wards (environmental contamination was demonstrated on many of the wards where transmission to patients was detected), inadequate cleaning of commodes between patient use, shortage of nurses, patient management practices (accommodation of patients with diarrhoea, colostomy or faecal incontinence on open wards with shared room and toilet facilities, multiple transfers of patients within and between wards, sharing of equipment between adjacent wards on the same floor), length of time for the laboratory to isolate VREF from rectal screening swabs, and the use of third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinones. The outbreak was terminated by a wide range of infection control and administrative measures.


Disclosed is a goods fork height indicating device of a fork-lift truck, which is characterized in that: a displacement transducer is arranged between an outer gantry and an inner gantry for measuring the displacement of the inner gantry and the outer gantry, the displacement transducer is connected to a display device which displays the numerical value of displacement, the displacement transducer is used to detect the shift position of the inner gantry and transmit the detected signals to an electronic device for processing, and the numerical value is displayed on the display device, and the utility model has the advantages that: the design of the goods fork height positioning of the fork-lift truck is convenient, the goods fork height indication of the fork-lift truck can be well realized, operators can locate the goods fork conveniently, and the operators can conveniently know the height of the goods fork, the stacking operation process is simplified, and the operators can adjust the goods fork to a plurality of fixed positions by only reading the data displayed on the display device instead of raising the head to observe the position of the goods fork, and the stacking operation is convenient, thereby reducing the working strength of operators and improving the work efficiency.


In reporting this case it is not my object to go into a full description of the condition which existed up to the time of the puncture of the ventricle, but a few words will give a clearer insight into the condition which existed before the operation. History. —The patient, J. J. C., aged 16, was admitted, on Oct. 4, 1910, to St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, where I was then house surgeon, and a day or two later developed a typical case of cerebrospinal meningitis with classical symptoms. Examination of the spinal fluid corroborated the diagnosis. On admission the temperature was 105 F., pulse 90, respirations 26. Delirium developed in a few hours and continued up to the time of the operation, with short intermissions. The temperature fluctuated between 101 and 104 F. until October 20, when I opened the skull. From the date of admission, October 4, to


The acute end of a winterfat [Ewotio lanata (Pursh) Moq.; Ceru~oidcs 2. (Pursh) J.T. Howell] seed is formed by the apex of the radicle and of the cotyledons. It is postulated that this shape makes the embryo root cap especially susceptible to damage during threshing and that such damage is the cause of a high percentage of threshed germinated seed (germhunt) lacking positive geotropism. This study consisted of examMng germtition behavior and post germination anatomy of the root apex of germmts with and without positive geotropism. The ndicle apex was found to be damaged in 25% of the threshed seed. Eighty-flve percent of the germinants from undamaged seed had positive geotropism as compared to 53% from the damaged seed. The latter had a range of anatomical aberrations in which the root up was missing or seriously abnormal. It is concluded that the standard method of hammer mill threshing of winterfat fruits results in 25% of the seed sustaining damage to the radicle apex. This damage causes a loss of root cap functions, particularly the sensing of gravity. It is recommended that plantings be made by broadcasting whole fruits, rather than by drilling threshed seed.


Web services are emerging technologies that are changing the way we develop and use computer systems and software. Current Web services testing techniques are unable to assure the desired level of trustworthiness, which presents a barrier to WS applications in mission and business critical environments. This paper presents a framework that assures the trustworthiness of Web services. New assurance techniques are developed within the framework, including specification verification via completeness and consistency checking, specification refinement, distributed Web services development, test case generation, and automated Web services testing. Traditional test case generation methods only generate positive test cases that verify the functionality of software. The Swiss cheese test case generation method proposed in this paper is designed to perform both positive and negative testing that also reveal the vulnerability of Web services. This integrated development process is implemented in a case study. The experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach. It also reveals that the Swiss cheese negative testing detects even more faults than positive testing and thus significantly reduces the vulnerability of Web services.


OBJECTIVE
Most physicians are unaware of the potential for complete remission from chronic musculoskeletal pain through a purely psychological approach. We report three cases in which various types of chronic musculoskeletal pain were successfully treated using a small-group psychological workshop combined with a single consultative session.

DESIGN
Case report.

SETTING AND PATIENTS
Hospital-based clinic; retrospectively selected cases among patients with at least a 4-year history of chronic musculoskeletal pain prior to intervention.

MEASURES
Structured interview.

RESULTS
Each of three patients discussed reported pain-free status at last follow-up, which was at least 6 months following the intervention.

CONCLUSION
Certain individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain may greatly benefit from a primarily psychodynamic approach to treatment, even when standard approaches to pain treatment have failed.


The development of high-resolution visualisation techniques, such as magnetic resonance (MR) and computer tomography (CT) opens the possibility for non-destructive studies of the inner structure of the objects of different nature and origin. The deterioration of the structure with time, deformations and loss of strength under the load and other processes lead to morphological and topological changes inside materials, which require both qualitative analysis and quantitative evaluation. Assessment and proper description of the topological and morphological characteristics of materials with porous and irregular architecture is of great importance for many scientific and engineering studies. The Scaling Index Method (SIM) is a novel numerical tool for characterising the local topology of an arbitrary structure. By evaluating the local dimensionality of each point, the SIM indicates topologically different substructures: unstructured background, onedimensional (rod-like) and two-dimensional (plate-like) elements. By changing the parameters of the SIM one can distinguish the outer surface from inner points of the structure, describe structures at different scales, and include anisotropic features of the tissue. This method can be applied to both binary and greyscale multidimensional images. To demonstrate the scientific performance of the method we apply numerical techniques based on the SIM to tree-dimensional μCT images of the bone tissue engineering scaffolds (as an example of designed porous structure) and to trabecular bone specimens taken from the human vertebrae in vitro (as an example of biological tissue with very irregular and complicated structure). A proper description of the global and local structural characteristics of the trabecular bone network, which carries and redistributes mechanical load inside the bone, helps to evaluate the deterioration of bone tissue caused by osteoporosis and to predict the most frequent complications of this disease, namely spine and hip fractures. Because of the porous and very irregular architecture of the trabecular bone tissue, a detailed assessment of such a structure requires the use of many texture measures derived from different morphological, biomechanical, topological, and statistical concepts. We show that the Scaling Index Method provides complementary information to the existing wellestablished techniques.


The pedagogy associated with using in-class Teamwork Learning Modules (TLMs) has been used to improve understanding of key concepts in Digital Systems. TLMs can be incorporated into current Digital Systems courses with minimal changes to existing curriculum. The process is based on students working with each other to solve digital systems problems while providing rapid feedback from the instructor needed to strengthen proper understanding. Results from the past 5 years will be presented to give a better understanding of how to appropriately use TLMs in Digital Systems and other similar courses.


The aim of this paper is to present part of a research work oriented to selection and usage of low-cost imaging devices for Telemedicine and e-Health. The results presented are oriented to increase the usability of digital photo cameras as a device for creating and/or digitalizing medical images. All activities are part of a DAPSEpro project "Medical data acquisition, processing and collection for e-Health solutions".


This article is based in part on work performed by the University of California, San Francisco–Stanford University Evidence-Based Practice Center under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Contract No. 290-97-0013). Dr. Saint is supported by a Career Development Award from the Health Services Research and Development Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Part of this work was also supported by NIH HL51856 from the NHLBI (M.A.M.).


Abstract Introduction: Manganese has a role in the membrane transport systems, synthesis of protein, vitamin C, and vitamins B, catalysis of hematopoiesis, regulation of the endocrine, immune system, blood sugar, reproduction, digestion, and blood coagulation. Furthermore, the level of manganese concentrations in human body appears to affect the occurrence of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to search for relationships between the manganese level and the onset of schizophrenia. Material and methods: A descriptive review was performed based on a literature search on Medline and Google scholar from 2003 to 2020, using keywords: schizophrenia, manganese, Mn. The included studies were meta-analyses, case-control studies, and cohort studies that examined differences in manganese concentrations in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Result: Eight studies were selected for the review, with one reporting elevated levels of manganese, two showing no significant differences, and the rest including two meta-analyses stating lower manganese concentrations in patients with schizophrenia in comparison with controls. Conclusion: In most of the researched studies, manganese concentrations in patients with schizophrenia were lower than in control groups, but not all of them reached the same conclusions. The relationship between manganese levels and schizophrenia must be further investigated.


Significance Helicobacter pylori, a gastric pathogen causing 800,000 deaths in the world annually, is encountered both in vitro and in patients as spiral-shaped bacteria and as round cells named coccoids. We discovered that the toxin from a chromosomal type I toxin−antitoxin system is targeting H. pylori membrane and acting as an effector of H. pylori morphological conversion to coccoids. We show that these round cells maintain their membrane integrity and metabolism, strongly suggesting that they are viable dormant bacteria. Oxidative stress is identified as a signal inducing toxin expression and coccoid formation. Our findings reveal insights into a form of dormancy of this bacterium that might be associated with H. pylori infections refractory to treatment. Toxin−antitoxin systems are found in many bacterial chromosomes and plasmids with roles ranging from plasmid stabilization to biofilm formation and persistence. In these systems, the expression/activity of the toxin is counteracted by an antitoxin, which, in type I systems, is an antisense RNA. While the regulatory mechanisms of these systems are mostly well defined, the toxins' biological activity and expression conditions are less understood. Here, these questions were investigated for a type I toxin−antitoxin system (AapA1−IsoA1) expressed from the chromosome of the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori. We show that expression of the AapA1 toxin in H. pylori causes growth arrest associated with rapid morphological transformation from spiral-shaped bacteria to round coccoid cells. Coccoids are observed in patients and during in vitro growth as a response to different stress conditions. The AapA1 toxin, first molecular effector of coccoids to be identified, targets H. pylori inner membrane without disrupting it, as visualized by cryoelectron microscopy. The peptidoglycan composition of coccoids is modified with respect to spiral bacteria. No major changes in membrane potential or adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) concentration result from AapA1 expression, suggesting coccoid viability. Single-cell live microscopy tracking the shape conversion suggests a possible association of this process with cell elongation/division interference. Oxidative stress induces coccoid formation and is associated with repression of the antitoxin promoter and enhanced processing of its transcript, leading to an imbalance in favor of AapA1 toxin expression. Our data support the hypothesis of viable coccoids with characteristics of dormant bacteria that might be important in H. pylori infections refractory to treatment.


LEC1 interacts with PIF4 to mediate postembryonic development through coregulating expression of hypocotyl elongation-related genes via direct binding to the G-box element in the dark. Plants undergo postembryonic growth during the developmental transition from germinating seeds to seedlings. Recent studies suggest LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), initially identified as a central regulator in embryogenesis and seed maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana, plays a distinct role in postembryonic development. However, the mechanism by which LEC1 regulates nonembryonic development still remains elusive. In this study, we observed etiolation-related phenotypes in early seedlings of lec1 mutants and inducible LEC1 overexpression transgenic lines. Consistent with this, LEC1 promotes the expression of hypocotyl elongation-related genes in a darkness-dependent manner in spite of the comparable LEC1 transcript levels in the light- and dark-grown seedlings. Furthermore, we show that LEC1 interacts with PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4), a major transcription modulator in postgermination development, to interdependently regulate hypocotyl elongation-related genes via direct binding to G-box element in the dark. Moreover, loss of LEC1 function suppresses the elongated hypocotyl phenotype of PIF-overaccumulating plants; conversely, inducible overexpression of LEC1 does not rescue the short hypocotyl in pif4 mutants. Our findings reveal that LEC1 acts as a coactivator of PIFs in transcriptional regulation during postembryonic growth, providing a possible mechanism by which plants fine-tune morphological development for their survival during the transition from the embryonic phase to seedling establishment.


A simple method of transforming micrometer-sized Al and Sb powders into a new nanocomposite modified with carbon by the alloying reaction of Al and Sb to form the AlSb phase and the dealloying reaction of the AlSb phase with carbon to synthesize the Sb/Al4C3/C nanocomposite was developed using a high-energy mechanical milling technique. The Sb/Al4C3/C nanocomposite was confirmed, using various analytical techniques, to be composed of a reduced crystalline Sb phase, amorphous Al4C3 phase, and amorphous carbon. This novel nanocomposite showed a highly reversible reaction with Li, a high capacity of 687 mAh g−1 with a good Coulombic efficiency of 85% for the first cycle, and a high capacity retention above 520 mAh g−1 over 200 cycles. Additionally, by controlling the voltage window, an excellent cyclability with a high rate capability also was achieved. These excellent electrochemical properties demonstrated by the Sb/Al4C3/C nanocomposite electrode confirm its potential as a new alternative anode material f...


Objective To observe the effect of fabricating tissue-engineering bone using biphasic seeding method. Methods Bone marrow was obtained from healthy adult volunteers, and then mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) were isolated using density gradient centrifugation and cultured in vitro. After induced with 50 mg/L ascorbic acid, 10 mmol/L sodium β-glycerophosphate and 10~(-8) mol/L dexamethasone for 5 d, MSCs were seeded to demineralyed bone matrix (DBM) using biphasic seeding as experimental group and using normal seeding as a control group. The adhersive rates were calculated respectively. At different time points, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was detected and the structures were observed by invert microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results MSCs-DBM complex fabricated with biphasic seeding had higher adhersive rates and ALP activity than the control group (P0.05). The ALP activity of the experimental group at day 5 after being fabricated was equal to that of the control group at day 14. Conclusion Biphasic seeding was an effective method in fabricating tissue-engineering bone.It could improve the efficiency of seeding and be benefitial to the MSCs-DBM complex maturation in vitro.


In this paper, bilateral control with two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) haptic spherical interface is proposed. There is much research about the mechanical structure of the haptic interface to realize large movable range. However, these are not suitable for the interface of the open environment. In addition, to achieve wide movable range, there are some problems that the robot gets large and the large inertia deteriorates the operationality according to the movable range. In this paper, by utilizing a sphere as a interface, the interface has the two degrees of freedom and the unlimited movable range. The interface is utilized as the master robot. Meanwhile, an X-Y stage is utilized as the slave robot. The number of the actuators, the actuator type, and the structures are different between master-slave robots. Hence, bilateral control considering the differences is proposed.


Results of the study the welds of the Forged A 508 shells are presented in this document. The low-carbon welds (WF67 and WF70) in the slab examined contained no abnormalities that would indicate fracture behavior different from that observed in bulk-material fracture tests. The A 508 material in the HAZ region, very close to the welds, contains small ({approximately}3 mm) regions adjacent to each layer of weld runs where grain coarsening and hardness elevation suggest reduction of cleavage initiation toughness. The degree of severity is largest where this local region coincides with a local elevation of carbide density in the A 508 material. The A 508 HAZ region adjacent to the topmost weld run may be the region most likely to assist cleavage-fracture initiation because of its location: close to a free surface, small cracks, and the HAZ region beneath the cladding. It was noted that the small cracks under the cladding have the appearance of prior austenite grain boundary separations that connect to austenite grain boundaries in the cladding. The extreme hardness of a narrow layer of cladding a the fusion boundary may be of interest in further studies of cladding toughness.


Previous studies have shown that the impact of interior aircraft noise on pilot performance was not unambiguous, neither there was any unanimous methodology used for measuring it. Furthermore, the cumulative character of noise was never taken into account. This research proposes a methodology that aims to determine the impact of accumulated general aviation aircraft interior noise on pilot performance in laboratory conditions. The assessment of the aircraft interior noise influence on Temporary Threshold Shift is integrated as well, enabling extended research of all aspects of the physiological noise impact on pilots. Methodology defines measurable noise and pilot performance parameters in general aviation, equipment requirements, necessary laboratory conditions and subject selection criteria. The analysis of the deviation from the specified flight parameters along with Temporary Threshold Shift values at different accumulated noise doses is carried out. Data is analyzed using descriptive statistics, visualization methods and linear mixed effects models with False Discovery Rate as the method for correction for multiple testing which allows the determination of the potential population effect.


Introduction: There is a significant degree of anatomical variation at the level of the sphenoid sinus and sella turcica and a wide range of these values have been reported in literature and ethnic variation has also been found to contribute to this. Thus preoperative imaging of the central skull base with a knowledge of the normal anatomy and measurements in a specific population is imperative to identify these variations and prevent avoidable intraoperative complications. Aim: To assess the normal intracranial measurements of the intercarotid distance, pituitary fossa width, optic chiasm height, optic chiasm width and the pituitary to optic chiasm distance in healthy subjects of the South Indian population aged between 10 to 80 years and establish normal reference ranges across the various age groups. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Radiology Department at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from July 2021 to December 2021. The study included normal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brains of 700 healthy subjects (378 males and 322 females) in the age range of 10 to 80 years. Subjects were divided into seven groups of 100 subjects for each decade. The variables that were measured included the intercarotid distance, pituitary fossa width, optic chiasm height, optic chiasm width and the pituitary to optic chiasm distance. RStudio version 1.2.1093 was used for statistical analysis and p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Association between age and outcome variables was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient and its 95% confidence interval. Results: The overall mean age was 45.4 years. The overall mean intercarotid distance was 16.2±3.7 mm, optic chiasm width was 13.1±1.6 mm, optic chiasm height was 2.18±2.7 mm, pituitary width was 12.1±2.3 mm, pituitary to optic chiasm distance was 5.7±1.84 mm. The overall pituitary fossa width and pituitary to optic chiasm distance was found to be higher in males (p-value <0.001; p-value=0.03 respectively) than females while there was no significant difference between genders in the rest of the parameters. A low and positive correlation was found between age and the pituitary width, age (r-value=0.175, p-value <0.001) and the pituitary to optic chiasm distance (r-value=0.342, p-value <0.001) and pituitary width and optic chiasm width (r-value=0.236, p-value <0.001). A strong and positive correlation was found between the pituitary width and the intercarotid distance (r-value=0.736, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Establishment of normal reference values across various age groups of the South Indian population may prove useful for future reference and improving diagnostic accuracy.


There are very complex circuits and various clock signals in a computer. Every component can radiate electromagnetic waves when it works. Some of these radiations may result in computer information leakage. The technology for recognising information leakage caused by video signal electromagnetic radiation is presented, and the primary word image is obtained. So as to get intact useful information from the video signal concealed in the electromagnetic leakage, a pattern recognition method based on an artificial neural network is proposed. Lastly, the primary word image, recovered from the electromagnetic leakage, is recognized and reconstructed. The recognizability of the information leakage from a computer is discussed.


The paper reports the development of a design software tool for wind turbine gearboxes. It facilitates the conceptual design of wind turbine gearboxes supporting designs with different combinations of epicyclic and parallel gear stages. Analyses of gear bending strength and pitting resistance are in accordance with the AGMA2001 standard. The calculations of the AGMA geometry factors and are verified in accordance with the AGMA 908 information sheets. A case study of a 2MW and three phase asynchronous generator with a nominal rotational speed around 1600 rpm has been tested to demonstrate the capabilities of the design software tool.


In ubiquitous computing environment, different kinds of system components including hardware elements, software components and network connections are required to cooperate with each other to provide services that fulfill user requirements. This paper proposes an agent-based middleware for ubiquitous environment that consists of computers and home electric appliances. The middleware, called AMUSE, can take QoS (quality of service) in ubiquitous environment into consideration by coping with not only user context but also resource context, using agent-based computing technology. In this paper we describe concept, design and initial implementation of AMUSE. Simulation results of experimental ubiquitous service using AMUSE has been shown to prove the effectiveness of our proposed scheme. Additionally, we show the initial implementation of multimedia communication application based on AMUSE to confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of our scheme.


The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the system used to assist blind person in the real time environment. This hand held device is used to assist blind person in detecting obstacles in his path, to give him information through voice signals, This system is a device that measures and announces temperature, detects obstacle and warns user by announcement, reads position and announce it, reads time and announce. The system has special feature of panic Switch. In case of any emergency or panic condition the person can press the button to send a message to concern person.


This paper explores the implications of European Union
(EU) legal regulations on approaches to tackling crisis situations in the
financial sector. It explains the role and mechanisms of EU institutions in the
process of monitoring and recovery of strategically important financial
entities inside banking union at the EU level as well as of central bank
members of the countries of the banking union. The purpose of the paper is to
examine the compliance of EU regulations with national legislation in order to
achieve preventive conditions of possible future crises and to protect national
economies and the economy of the entire EU in context of the spillover effect and risks arising from the
need of banks recovery due to realized losses of the same. The results evince
the implementation of EU directives in the national legislation
comprehensively, but practice demonstrated that the implementation of the same
ones resulted in additional problems that require further EU institutions
action and, in addition, different interpretations, i.e. evaluation of
directives such as so-called "public interest", results in discrepancy of
approaches in managing open crisis situations.


Abstract A convenient stereoselective synthesis of functional homoallylsilanes 2 has been developed by reaction of trimethylsilanylmethylmagnesium chloride on the Baylis–Hillman acetates 1, in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the presence of a catalytic amount of LiCuBr2.


Humanoid robotic hand actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) represents a new emerging technology. SMA has a wide range of potential applications in many different fields, ranging from industrial assembly to biomedicine applications, due to the characteristic of high power-to-weight ratio, low driving voltages and noiselessness. However, nonlinearities of SMA and complex dynamic models of SMA-based robotic hands result in difficulties in controlling. In this paper, a humanoid SMA-based robotic hand composed of five fingers is presented with the ability of adaptive grasping. Reinforcement learning as a model-free control strategy can search for optimal control of systems with nonlinear and uncertainty. Therefore, an adaptive SA-Q-Learning (ASA-Q-learning) controller is proposed to control the humanoid robotic finger. The performance of ASA-Q-learning controller is compared with SA-Q-learning and PID controller through experimentation. Results have shown that ASA-Q-learning controller can control the humanoid SMA-based robotic hand effectively with faster convergence rate and higher control precision than SA-Q-learning and PID controller, and is feasible for implementation in a model-free system.


The past concepts of life and work in homes for older people in Slovenia are no longer adequate to meet the needs, wishes and requirements of their current users. One of the basic premises, relying on Goffman's concept of the total institution, is that the first and foremost characteristic of homes for older people is that they are institutions. The theoretical starting point, namely that Goffman's concept of the total institution is ideal-typical, was corroborated by an investigation of the presence of elements of the total institution in Slovenian homes for older people, proving that not all features of the total institution can be found in any chosen empirical selection of institutions, with the data showing that those characteristics which are present do not exist in the ideal, that is in the most pronounced form. The homes' users are given consideration, their personnel are adapting to their needs and requirements, even though this occurs within the functioning of an institution whose aims, i.e. to care for a large number of people living in one place, make life in such an institution subordinated to rules, along with the bureaucratisation and routinisation of services.


The creep characteristics of unreinforced and short glass fibre-reinforced samples prepared by compression moulding, injection moulding and extrusion were measured at temperatures from 20°C to 55 0 C over a range of stress from 136 x 105 NA12 to 11.0 x 106 N/1a 2 for 6 hours it a horizontal creep unit specially designed and fabricated for the purpose. A limited investigation was also made on drawn polymer sheet. The torsional modulus and logarithmic decrement were measured oil same samples from -40°C to +40°C on a free vibration pendulum which had been earlier fabricated for another research project on sini1ar material and modified to suit our requirements. The data obtained have been prepared and analysed in terms of existing models. The work has been presented in seven chapters and two appendices as follows. In the first chapter a few comments are first made about the background against which the present investigation was plannou. It then gives a. brief literature survey of the relevant work done in this area, and also some idea about the present state of art in this field, viz the creep of polymers. The second carter deals with experimental details of the methods used, the samples fabricated and the oouipinent and techniques used


Today's advanced steels are required to possess high strength and ductility. This can be accomplished by producing appropriate microstructures with a certain volume fraction of retained austenite. The resulting microstructure depends on material's heat treatment and alloying. High ultimate strengths and sufficient elongation levels can be obtained by various methods, including quenching and partitioning (Q&P process). The present paper introduces new procedures aimed at simplifying this process with the use of material-technological modelling. Three experimental steels have been made and cast for this investigation, whose main alloying additions were manganese, silicon, chromium, molybdenum and nickel. The purpose of manganese addition was to depress the Ms and Mf temperatures. The Q&P process was carried out in a thermomechanical simulator for better and easier control. The heat treatment parameters were varied between the sequences and their effect on microstructure evolution was evaluated. They included the cooling rate, partitioning temperature and time at partitioning temperature. Microstructures including martensite with strength levels of more than 2000 MPa and elongation of 10–15 % were obtained.


We present CCD images in the red and long-slit spectrograms of the young cometary nebula Parsamyan 21. The spectroscopic and far-infrared properties of its illuminating source are characteristic for an FU Orionis star. The spectrum is of type F5Iab with broad absorption lines and a broad, blueshifted P Cygni profile of Hα, reaching a velocity of −600 km s −1 at the blue edge of its absorption component. The star coincides with a cold IRAS source and is associated with a short bipolar Herbig-Haro outflow oriented along the axis of symmetry of the cometary nebula


Normalmyocardium canderive energy forcon- traction andrelaxation fromoxidative metabolism ofavariety ofsubstrates. Thisinvestigation examined theinfluence of substrate availability early during reperfusion onthesubstrate pattern ofoxidative metabolism andrecovery ofcontractile function. Forthis purpose, isovolumically beating isolated rat hearts, perfused retrogradely witherythrocyte-supplemented buffer containing 0.4mmol/Lpalmitate and11mmol/Lglu- cose, weresubjected to40minutes ofno-flow ischemia. Hearts werereperfused withmediumcontaining selected concentra- tions ofpalmitate andglucose. Thesubstrate pattern for oxidative metabolism wasdetermined onthebasis ofmyocar- dial release of'4CO2 after equilibration ofthehearts during theinitial 15minutes ofreperfusion witheither (1-'4C)palmi- tateor(U-14C)glucose. Incontinuously perfused control hearts, glucose oxidation waslargely inhibited bypalmitate. During postischemic reperfusion, oxidation ofglucose was increased by59%(P<.05) and467%(P<.01) inhearts reper- fused after theischemic period with11mmol/Lglucose plus 0.4or1.2mmol/Lpalmitate, respectively. Oxidation ofpalmi- tate wasconcomitantly reduced during reperfusion atlow(0.4


The article deals with joining of Russia to Bologna system, concept of competence and possession of skills and abilities, classification of competences. Determination of social, cultural and sociocultural competence is made. Methods of formation of sociocultural competences are considered.


Dialkoxyborylbis(bromozincio)methane was prepared from dialkoxyboryldibromomethane by the Pb-catalyzed reaction with zinc. The dialkoxyborylbis(bromozincio)methane afforded vinylboranes by TiCl4-mediated reaction with aldehydes or ketones. The reagent also coupled doubly with an equivalent organic halide under an influence of transition metal salts.


MYTHEN is a single photon counting hybrid strip X-ray detector that has found application in x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) experiments at synchrotrons worldwide. Originally designed to operate with hole collecting silicon sensors, MYTHEN is suited for detecting X-rays above 5 keV, however many PD beamlines have been designed for energies above 50 keV where silicon sensors have an efficiency of only few percent. In order to adapt MYTHEN to meet these energies the absorption efficiency of the sensor must be substantially increased. Cadmium-Telluride (CdTe) has an absorption efficiency approximately 30 times that of silicon at 50 keV, and is therefore a very promising replacement candidate for silicon. Furthermore, the large dynamic range of the pre-amplifier of MYTHEN and its double polarity capability has enabled the characterisation of an electron collecting Schottky type CdTe sensor. A CdTe MYTHEN system has undergone a series of characterisation experiments including stress test of bias and radiation induced polarizations. The performance of this system will be presented and discussed.


Worldwide there are plenty of aged Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings in need of thorough inspections. Cracks, delamination, stains, leakages, debonding and moisture ingressions are common defects found in RC structures. Such problems are typically diagnosed through qualitative assessment of visual and thermal photographs (data) by certified inspectors. However, qualitative inspections are very tedious, time-consuming and costly. This paper presents an alternative novel approach to drastically increase efficiency by decreasing the data collection and analysis time. Data collection for the inspection of facades is undertaken with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) either through an autonomous pre-programmed flight or through a human-piloted flight. Data analysis is performed by implementing up-to-date AI-powered algorithms to automatically detect defects on visual and thermal photographs. All the recognised defects and thermal anomalies are labelled on the building facade for comprehensive evaluation of the asset. This paper reports that the implementation of AIpowered inspections can save up to 67% of the time spent and 52% of the cost in comparison to the most commonly adopted practice in the industry with an average accuracy of 90.5% and 82% for detection of visual defects and thermal anomalies, respectively.


A probabilistic method-cellular automata method with square cells,von Neumann neighborhood configuration for microstructure simulation of magnesium alloys was developed.During the solidification process,nucleation was controlled by the Gaussian distribution model;the crystallographic orientation was taken randomly;the growth kinetics of dendrite tips were obtained by solving KGT model and the relationship between undercooling and growth rate of dendrite tips was established with a third order polynomial;corner growth algorithm was proposed and applied to determine the capture and state transition of the cell.By using this new method,the growth of a single grain and more grains was simulated.The good agreement between experiments and simulation results of more grains shows the efficiency of this method.


Three certified reference material soils and three industrial catalysts (mixed oxide, zeolite and chromium oxide) have been analysed by slurry nebulisation-ICP-MS and the results compared with those obtained by slurry nebulisation-ICP-AES and conventional procedures. The finely ground samples (particle size <3 µm) were dispersed in tetrasodium pyrophosphate solution and aspirated using a Babington-type nebuliser. Slurry concentrations of 0.05 g per 100 ml were used for the ICP-MS work and no cone blocking effects were observed. Calibration was with simple aqueous standards. Agreement between values obtained by slurry nebulisation and other techniques, or certificate values, was good for all elements (11) studied except Al. For Al, slurry nebulisation-ICP-MS results were ca. 10% low. The very high sensitivity of slurry nebulisation-ICP-MS was demonstrated by the semi-quantitative analysis of rare earth elements in soils. Clearly the method has considerable potential.


This paper presents an approach for rapid knowledge capture using subgroup-discovery techniques. The method enables the acquisition of scoring rules - a knowledge representation that is easy to understand and to maintain. Furthermore, the method features an incremental refinement step that can be applied for fine-tuning of the learned relations. We provide a case study demonstrating the applicability of the presented method using a knowledge base from the biological domain.