Chaotic signal is non-stationary when chaos system is in chaotic state. Wigner distribution (WD) is one of time-frequently distribution methods. This paper analyzed the characters of chaos system and the energy of output signal. Simulation experiment indicated that chaos system is a narrowband system, because the frequency band of the output signal became narrower, which showed that it can fully suppress the signal outside inherent frequency. At the same time, the WD of chaos signal and random signal were analyzed respectively by time-frequently distribution. The problem, which the two signals are difficult to be distinguished by correlation method and spectrum method, now is deal with successfully. In this paper, the narrowband character of chaos system proposed offer a new way and method for detecting weak signal in strong noise


The allozyme and RAPD technologies in this paper were used to investigate ecologically genetic characteristics of natural population of Leynus chinensis, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Rhodiola sachalinensis in northeast of China. The populations of them separately displayed characteristics of steady, expansive and endangered. According to the theory of plant life cycle forms established by Zu, they belong to Vegetative growth form (V), Sexual reproduction form (S) and Clone reproduction form (C). The result of allozyme and RAPD analyses indicated that genetic diversity and genetic differentiation in population corresponded with classification by this theory. This will provide an alternative for us to understand and assess the ecologically genetic characteristics of different populations.


We detect HCN J=5-4 emission from the ultraluminous quasar APM08279+5255 at z=3.911 using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interfer-ometer. This object is strongly gravitationally lensed, yet still thought to be one of the most intrinsically luminous objects in the Universe. The new data imply a line luminosity L ′ HCN (J=5−4) = 4.0 ± 0.5 × 10 10 K km s −1 pc 2. The ∼ 440 km s −1 full width half maximum of the HCN J=5-4 line matches that of the previously observed high-J CO lines in this object and suggests that the emission from both species emerges from the same region: a warm, dense circumnuclear disk. Simple radiative transfer models suggest an enhanced abundance of HCN relative to CO in the nuclear region of APM08279+5255, perhaps due to increased ionization, or possibly the selective depletion of oxygen. The ratio of far-infrared luminosity to HCN luminosity is at the high end of the range found for nearby star forming galaxies, but comparable to that observed in the few high redshift objects detected in the HCN J=1-0 line. This is the first clear detection of high-J HCN emission redshifted into the 3-millimeter atmospheric window. Subject headings: – galaxies: active – galaxies: high-redshift – quasars: emission lines – quasars: individual (APM08279+5255) – galaxies: ISM 1 Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).


Increased knowledge into the physics and chemistrycontrolling emissions from flame-surface interactions shouldhelp in the design of combustion engines featuring improvedfuel economy and reduced emi ...


This research investigates the various RADARSAT-2 polarimetric SAR features for ur- ban land cover classification using object-based method combining with support vector machine (SVM) and ruled-based approach. Six-dates of RADARSAT-2 fine-beam polarimetric SAR data were acquired in the rural-urban fringe of Greater Toronto Area during June to September, 2008. The major landuse/land-cover classes were high-density built-up areas, low-density built-up areas, roads, forests, parks, golf courses, water and several types of agricultural crops. The polarimetric SAR features examined are the parameters from Pauli, Freeman and Cloude-Pottier decomposi- tions as well as the elements from coherence matrix and the intensities and their logarithm form of each channel. For urban land cover classification, SVM is combined with rule-based method for the object-based classification. The image objects containing the multitemporal polarimetric fea- tures were classified using the SVM classifier first. The SVM classification results were further refined using a rule-based approach. Rules were built to recognize specific classes defined by the shape features and the spatial relationships within the context. In terms of the effectiveness of dif- ferent SAR ploarimtric parameters, the results indicated that the processed Pauli feature set could produce best classification result while the use of all the polarimetric features did not produce the best classification result. The raw Pauli parameters could generate similar result as all T elements. The logarithm parameters such as log intensity and processed Pauli parameters perform better than the intensity and raw Pauli respectively. The proposed object-based classification using SVM and rule-based approach yielded higher classification accuracies than the object-based classifica- tion using nearest neighbor classifier.


CASE REPORT A 65-years-old housewife was admitted as an emergency to the Surgical Unit at Perth Royal Infirmary with a painful swelling in the right groin of 24-hours duration. Two years before she had been admitted with a similar complaint of 3 days duration and a diagnosis made of incarcerated femoral hernia. At operation on that occasion an abscess cavity was drained and, in the absence of any evidence of hernia, the diagnosis revised to suppurative inguinal adenitis of unknown aetiology. Culture of the pus gave a mixed growth of B. proteus and E coli. On the present admission there was an inflamed tender swelling in the right groin deep to the previous scar. The patient had no other symptoms of note and, on examination, no source of sepsis could be found in the inguinal gland drainage area. At operation, the abscess cavity was found to contain pus and an acutely inflamed appendix with a perforation near the base. The cavity was demonstrated to be a thick-walled femoral hernial sac. Appendicectomy was performed without invagination and, after acriflavine irrigation of the cavity, the appendix stump was reduced and the femoral ring repaired. The wound was closed with drainage. Culture of the pus gave a growth of E. coli. The post-operative course was uneventful and the patient discharged home on the seventh day after operation. The wound healed by first intention and, when seen at follow-up four weeks later, the patient had made a complete recovery. DISCUSSION It is unusual to find the appendix lying in a femoral hernial sac. Inflammation of the appendix in this site is even rarer, only 59 such cases having been reported. [2] In only 7 of these patients had abscess formation occurred.[3 7] Diagnosis before operation has seldom been correct, the only aid being the occasional presence of subcutaneous gas as an indication of intestinal leak. Along with normal bowel function, such a finding might suggest the appendix as a source of sepsis. The likely explanation for this syndrome would seem to be the spontaneous occurrence of appendicitis with the organ in its unusual site. It has been suggested that inflammation could be secondary to obstruction at the base of the appendix at the neck of the hernia. In the patient described, it seems reasonable to assume the same aetiology for each abscess, the causative factor not being identified on the first occasion.


This study reviewed educational, aesthetic, entertainment and deviant experiences which are elements of the metaverse experience set them as research variables   and presented the results of the study through a survey. First, it was found that the educational experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. In order to provide practical education, educational experiences must feel like reality and fun content must be easily delivered. Second, it was found that deviant experiences were statistically significant for   safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when the deviant experience service feels like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered. Third, it was found that the aesthetic experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when aesthetic experiences and services feel like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered. Fourth, it was found that the recreational experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when entertainment and deviant experience services feel like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered.


The article considers methodical approaches to implementation of monitoring of dynamics of sea shores and bottom at the stages of design, construction and operation of engineering structures. Brief information on results of monitoring of the coasts of the Kara and Black seas is presented as an example. The author points out that organization of observations of sea shore dynamics often remains prerogative of large companies and is performed only during the design and construction stages. He lays stress on the need for creation of permanent monitoring systems on key coastal areas and for appropriate legal and financial support.


Different conducting polymers – multiwall carbon nanotube composites have been prepared by in-situ chemical polymerization technique. Direct current electrical transport properties of different composites have been investigated in the temperature range 77 ≤ T ≤ 300K in presence and also in absence of magnetic field up to 1 T. The dc conductivity of the composites follows Mott's variable range hopping theory. The magnetoconductivity of the samples shows a transition from positive to negative value with increasing temperature which can be explained by the dominance of wave function shrinkage effect over quantum interference effect.


Vegetable oils contain natural antioxidants like sterols, phosphatides, tocopherols, tocotrienols etc. In the present study, the efficiency and stability of natural antioxidant in unrefined mustard oil, groundnut oil and sesame oil on heating is studied. The oils undergo five cycles of heating to a frying temperature (210°C) and their antioxidant activity is premeditated using radical scavenging assay. The inhibition concentration of unheated and heated mustard oil, groundnut oil and sesame oil (with solvent benzene) and the stability of natural antioxidant at different concentrations are evaluated using 2, 2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method. The result showed that the antioxidant activity in unheated oils are more compared to heated oils using ABTS radical scavenging activity (IC50 24.31, 25.26 and 24.42 for unheated and IC50 49.7, 54.55 and 46.39 for heated). The scavenging activity is also studied using DPPH analysis (IC50 26.22, 27.37 and 28.25 for unheated and IC50 53.3, 59.49 and 49.18 for heated). The ABTS method is highly correlated with DPPH and the correlation coefficient is computed (Pearson's correlation r <0.04; p<0.01).


This study investigates the factors that encourage grassroots innovation that contributes to addressing natural resource management problems in Warungbanten Village. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach with a from the theoretical perspective of grassroots innovation. The primary data were obtained from observation during one-month field study and in-depth interviews with a number of key informants, such as village heads, traditional stakeholders, farmers, representatives of women's groups, and youth involved in the grassroots innovation process. The results showed that the growth of grassroots innovation in natural resource management in Warungbanten Village cannot be separated from three main factors, namely innovator aspect attached to the role of the village head as the initiator; socio-cultural and environmental aspect that allows the spirit of mutual cooperation and involvement of the parties; and market or benefit aspect attached to commercial and non-commercial values of the innovation carried out. Grassroots innovation that took place in Warungbanten Village also contributed to efforts to overcome challenges and problems in natural resource management, namely supporting the village sovereignty over natural resources, developing the sustainable livelihoods in rural areas, and removing administrative constraints in natural resource management caused by village boundary conflicts.
Keywords: grassroots innovation, village natural resource management, village development


Development of orientation-induced precursor structures (nuclei) prior to crystallization in isotactic polypropylene melt under shear flow was studied by in-situ synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheo-optical techniques. SAXS patterns at 165 °C immediately after shear (rate = 60 s -1 , t s = 5 s) showed emergence of equatorial streaks due to oriented structures (microfibrils or shish) parallel to the flow direction and of meridional maxima due to growth of the oriented layer-like structures (kebabs) perpendicular to the flow. SAXS patterns at later times (t = 60 min after shear) indicated that the induced oriented structures were stable above the nominal melting point of iPP. DSC thermograms of sheared iPP samples confirmed the presence of two populations of crystalline fractions; one at 164 °C (corresponding to the normal melting point) and the other at 179 °C (corresponding to melting of oriented crystalline structures). Time-resolved optical micrography of sheared iPP melt (rate = 10 s -1 , t s = 60 s, T = 148 °C) provided further information on orientation-induced morphology at the microscopic scale. The optical micrographs showed growth of highly elongated micron size fibril structures (threads) immediately after shear and additional spherulities nucleated on the fibrils at the later stages. Results from SAXS and rheo-optical studies suggest that a stable scaffold (network) of nuclei, consisting of shear-induced microfibrillar structures along the flow direction superimposed by layered structures perpendicular to the flow direction, form in polymer melt prior to the occurance of primary crystallization. The scaffold dictates the final morphological features in polymer.


This paper discuss recent advances in antenna diagnostics from measured field data. The method proposed is based on field representation using equivalent magnetic and electric sources on arbitrary shaped geometries enclosing the antenna under test. This paper briefly outlines the standard formulation and shows the need of enhancement for the general case of fully blind reconstruction. Subsequently, the novel and robust formulation is presented. The validation of the method is illustrated with synthetic and measured examples. The selected examples demonstrate the application of the technique to general antenna diagnostics, leakage detection, location and causes of antenna malfunctioning, identification and removal of unwanted interactions from measurements.


Based on the study of land afforestation techniques in coastal saline-alkali soil in Tanghai County,three saline-alkali soil afforestation techniques models for the coastal garden building were sumed up.The problems in the coastal saline soil afforestation were analyzed and,some initial solutions were put forward,finally land afforestation techniques of coastal saline-alkali soil were anticipated.


Metamaterials, in the form of perfect absorbers, have received attention for sensing and light harvesting applications. Reciprocal plasmonic metasurfaces allow frequency tuning in simple post-fabrication processes. Here we demonstrate this tuning using thin conformal dielectric coatings deposited using atomic layer deposition.


The standard API (API, 1991) codified pile design method is frequently used by foundation engineers in preliminary design and tender assessments for near shore structures. It is also frequently specified by Clients in the belief that it's widespread use in the past in offshore construction, will produce a robust design. This paper argues that the limited geographical spread of data on which the code is based, and the stardardised investigation methodology which goes with it, can produce a flawed design tool, which cannot be considered reliable on a world wide basis. The authors believe that substantial caution should be exercised when designing piled foundations in areas with limited recorded geotechnical precedent. The consequences are discussed in relation to highly over-consolidated clay soils, fused sands and sands with minerals other than quartz, drawing on examples from around the world.


A thermoplastic elastomer chip for artificial turf and a method for preparing the thermoplastic elastomer chip are provided to improve light resistance, to enhance environmental friendliness by using no heavy metal and no harmful material, and to allow the size of chips to be controlled freely. A thermoplastic elastomer chip is prepared by using a thermoplastic elastomer resin composition which comprises 100 parts by weight of a styrene-based block copolymer; 10-80 parts by weight of an olefin polymer; 30-500 parts by weight of a process oil comprising at least one selected from paraffin-based, naphthene-based and aromatic process oils; 80-600 parts by weight of a filler; and 1-20 parts by weight of a resin stabilizer and a pigment. The thermoplastic elastomer chip has a shore A hardness of 20-80 and a tensile strength of 10-100 kg/cm^2.


Child and adolescent mental health services operate at four tiers. An eating disorders service is a tier 3 function and in the usual absence of specific funding has to operate from within current resources. The operation of an eating disorders team within a wider child and adolescent mental health service has significant advantages. The operation of such a team is explained and the advantages discussed.


ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING EPISODES in Schelling's philosophical development is the transition from the System des transzendentalen Idealismus (1800) to the Darstellung meines Systems der Philosophie (1801), the starting point of the identity system. Looking back on that latter text, Schelling in 1805 declares that "then to me the light went on in philosophy." (1) This sounds as if the preceding years of philosophical investigation, including the System des transzendentalen Idealismus that was written one year earlier, had to be considered merely propaedeutic and that the Darstellung was his real entry into philosophy. Schelling maintained this view of his philosophical development and in the contemporary Schelling-Forschung scholars widely agree that the Darstellung, being the outset of the identity system, marks the birthplace of so-called absolute idealism--to which Hegel's system of philosophy probably still is the most spectacular and successful heir. But if this common interpretation is true--and I would not deny it in the generality in which it is stated--then the question inevitably arises: what happened in the transition from the System des transzendentalen Idealismus to the Darstellung, and above all, what made this transition possible? What, in other words, caused the constitution of absolute idealism? It is my conviction that this transition is the result of the transposition of the inner structure of the work of art, as it is conceived in the System des transzendentalen Idealismus, to the inner structure of absolute reason in the Darstellung. In the Darstellung, the features that until then privileged the work of art are now ascribed to absolute reason. This, I would like to argue below, is a major shift in Schelling's philosophical appreciation of the capacity of human reason to gain absolute self-knowledge. It documents the passage in the history of German idealism from what I would call romantic idealism to absolute idealism. The key texts at stake here are, on the one hand, the famous chapter on the work of art in the System des transzendentalen Idealismus, in which art and the meaning of the work of art are still conceived from the romantic point of view, and, on the other hand, the initial sections from the Darstellung meines Systems der Philosophie, in which Schelling defines the concept of absolute reason. Again, the essence of the whole argument is to point to the remarkable affinity between the romantic concept of the work of art and the concept of absolute reason as it is articulated in the Darstellung. Absolute reason is endowed with an aesthetic capacity that was restricted to art one year earlier, that is, to the artistic genius and its product, the work of art. I In the System des transzendentalen Idealismus the subject is striving after an adequate self-consciousness which is only reached, in the end, through aesthetic intuition, that is, through the intuition of a work of art. (2) This work of art is an external object that has the structure of an absolute identity of subjectivity and objectivity, that is, of nature and freedom, as Schelling would put it. (3) The adequate selfconsciousness aimed at is realized because the subject finally recognizes its own foundation and condition of possibility in the work of art. Put more precisely: in the subject-object identity of the work of art, the subject recognizes the revelation of its "primordial self." (4) This suggests that in order to realize adequate self-consciousness, the subject must rely on or is dependent on an aesthetic object outside itself. The features of that aesthetic object are: (1) it is an objective phenomenon, (2) that as such transcends the subject, (3) but in which the subject recognizes its own essence. (4) This essence transcends the subject not only because it appears in an external object but also because it represents precisely what the subject, by itself, is unable to bring to consciousness: the absolute identity of the "primordial self' (das Urselbst) as its most inner essence. …


Thispaperpresents amethodtodetermine leakage current andthermal losses onthepolluted insulators under lightning stress basedonequivalent electrical modelusing ATP software. Thickness ofpollution layerand theratioof pollution-covered length andalsosteepness oftheimpulse voltage cancausevariations oftheleakage current and thermal losses. Theresults demonstrate thatleakage currents were dramatically increased underdifferent pollution conditions. Theconsequential mathematical equations show thattherateofleakage current canbecontrolled bylimiting of thelength andthickness ofpollution layer. Alsothehumidity evaporated frominsulator's surface duetothermal losses can bedetermined.


Based on the author's teaching experience,this paper discusses the factors affecting reading comprehension ability in English acquisition of Chinese students and its strategies.It also offers suggestions on how to help the students improve their reading comprehension ability.


This paper proposes a strategy of Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) applied to the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) sensor-less system. Speed-loop controller and current-loop controller based on ADRC were used in the permanent magnet synchronous motor vector control system. The speed is estimated by extended state observer (ESO) of ADRC. In additional, since the controller has many parameters to be adjusted, the typical structure of active disturbance rejection controller was simplified and the setting parameters were reduced. The simulation results showed that the simplified ADRC controller has simpler structure. Compared with the PI controller, the simplified ADRC controller has smaller steady-state error and stronger anti-interference ability. Compared with the Model Reference Adaptive System (MRAS), the motor has better speed estimate effect in low speed and the dynamic performance of the system is improved.


In reality, complex scene plagues numerous scene graph generation models because realistic scene contains myriad of objects and complicated relationships. Most current methods suffer poor performance when encountering complex scenes. We find that there are two principal reasons for this phenomenon. First, the construction of graph loses sight of the hierarchy of objects. Second, there exists redundant information in feature optimization. To facilitate this issue, this paper proposes an innovative dual-hierarchy graph convolutional network (DH-GCN), which is a conceptually elegant and efficient top-down approach. In specific, DH-GCN leverages salient object detector to hierarchize objects and give gist nodes more accurate representation. Moreover, the dual-hierarchy message propagation is designed to refine the representation hierarchically and eliminate redundant information. Systematic experiments on Visual Genome dataset show the superiority of our method over strong baseline methods.


The o b j e c t i v e of t h i s work i s to study the a p p l i c a b i l i t y of work sampling to a s h o r t c y c l e r e p e t i t i v e o p e r a t i o n and to compare the economics of work sampling technique with a c o n v e n t i o n a l time study. To make t h i s comparison, work sampling s t u d i e s were c a r r i e d out c o n c u r r e n t l y with ongoing time s t u d i e s done by personnel of the I n d u s t r i a l Engineering department i n a l o c a l lock f a c t o r y . The c r i t e r i a f o r the study were : 1. The base data would ensure that the p r e d i c t i o n s would be w i t h i n + f i v e percent of the true value with 95% c e r t a i n t y . These are standard confidence l i m i t s f o r most i n d u s t r i a l a p p l i c a t i o n s . 2. P r e p a r a t i o n time f o r work sampling and time study were assumed to be equal. Two o p e r a t i o n s were s t u d i e d , a l i n e assembly o p e r a t i o n and a bench assembly o p e r a t i o n . The f i r s t study r e p r e s e n t s the work of a team of four people as a u n i t . The workers o f t e n changed t h e i r a c t i v i t i e s to achieve a b e t t e r balance of the l i n e , s i n c e the nature of the o p e r a t i o n i s such that i t i s p r a c t i c a l l y i m p ossible to have the workers at f i x e d p o s i t i o n s performing the same a c t i v i t y a l l the time.


The purpose of this study was to explore a variety of information security risk and threat models as well as apply and develop the appropriate model of health care needs of the domain. Healthcare applications are in transition, which stands for moving towards mobile, web and cloud applications. Consequently, the security threats in the world have changed in health care sector with respect to harmful operators. For instance, the patient and personal data have become valuable assets on the local and international markets. In principle, the modern application development team have to be able to respond to current threats and therefore plan and develop safe applications for health care area; however, before the actual application development the new type of security risk and threat analysis model is needed in order to take into account constantly renewing security perspectives during the application lifecycle with sufficient accuracy. The health care application development has a general need for information security risk and threat models, and the purpose of the thesis was to apply the existing models of Tieto's health care development model. The research was successful, and it was implemented as case study research and the evaluation of the discovered models is based on literature analysis. Further evaluation was conducted after workshops with the Tieto staff members with a multiple choice questionnaire. The results of the research were two threat models STRIDE and CAPEC for Tieto's Healthcare and Industrial Internet units. Additional result was an experimental theoretical attack library model based on behavior sciences which utilized antecedents of a person or a group, behavior and consequences. Keywords/tags (subjects) risk, threat, risk model, threat model, cyber security, information security, data protection Miscellaneous Attachments include workshop's PowerPoint presentations, the questionnaire and answers.


Medicine Pneumatosis intestinalis is a rare condition characterized by the presence of gas within the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, and can be life threatening in some cases. The patient was a 72-year-old male who visited our clinic with a chief complaint of left cheek pain. He was diagnosed as left maxillary carcinoma and we performed surgical therapy. On the eleventh postoperative day, he developed diarrhea, acute renal failure and a marked inflammatory response. Abdominal CT revealed pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas, so conservative treatment was started. The treatment was successful and he became capable of oral ingestion 12 days after the initiation of treatment. The symptoms did not recur afterwards and he left our hospital 48 days after the operation. Although the prevalence of postoperative pneumatosis intestinalis is not high, it should be considered as a possible complication.


The popular QR algorithm for solving all eigenvalues of an unsymmetric matrix is reviewed. Among the basic components in the QR algorithm, it was concluded from this study, that the reduction of an unsymmetric matrix to a Hessenberg form (before applying the QR algorithm itself) can be done effectively by exploiting the vector speed and multiple processors offered by modern high-performance computers. Numerical examples of several test cases have indicated that the proposed parallel-vector algorithm for converting a given unsymmetric matrix to a Hessenberg form offers computational advantages over the existing algorithm. The time saving obtained by the proposed methods is increased as the problem size increased.


The invention discloses a pseudo base station positioning method, device, server and system. The method mainly includes the following steps: a pseudo base station positioning device receives a short message, the device being locked in a 2G mobile communication system state and only keeping a MO (Mobile Original) function; the pseudo base station positioning device adds a terminal identifier of the device itself to the short message to obtain a first short message; and the pseudo base station positioning device sends the first short message to a network side and orders the network side to locate a pseudo base station by means of the terminal identifier included in the first short message. The pseudo base station positioning device is locked in a 2G mobile communication state and only keeps a mobile original function, so the received short message is a short message sent by the pseudo base station. Then, a junk short message including the terminal identifier is sent. The network side can determine the location of the pseudo base station positioning device by utilizing a corresponding relation between the terminal identifier and the location of the pseudo base station positioning device to further determine the location of the pseudo base station. Signaling analysis is not needed, and the location of the pseudo base station is determined directly through the corresponding relation, so the location of the pseudo base station can be accurately determined within a short time.


Angiogenesis refers to the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature in previously avascular structures. Angiogenesis is an important component of numerous diseases (such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis etc), contributing in the pathogenesis of these conditions. In the western world, pathological ocular angiogenesis constitutes the major cause of irreversible vision loss. Consequently, this fact gives rise to the need for the development of new anti-angiogenic agents, characterized by successful intraocular delivery and effective inhibition of developing angiogenesis and regression of already established vessels.
Parstatin is a 41-amino acid peptide, released through proteolytic cleavage of the human PAR1 receptor N-terminal region upon activation by thrombin. Experimental studies have demonstrated that Parstatin suppresses ocular neovascularization and has a potential therapeutic role in the protection of myocardium by ischaemia and reperfusion injury. In addition, it has been shown that the Parstatin fragments, P1-26 and P24-41, have distinct effects in protecting myocardium and inhibiting ocular neovascularization, respectively. In fact, these effects are more potent than the native Parstatin. The aim of the present study was the in vivo evaluation of tissue-distribution of Parstatin and its peptide fragments (P1-26, P24-41) in rat eyes and kidneys.
To address this question, Parstatin and its peptide analogues (P1-26, P24-41) were conjugated with FITC. Pathogen-free male rats received subconjunctival or intravenous injections of the FITC-labeled peptides. Following euthanasia of rats at different time points after the injections were performed, the tissues (eyes, kidneys, hearts) were surgically excised from the respective animals. After treatment, the fresh-frozen tissues were sectioned sagittally into 10 μm thick slices and observed using fluorescence microscope.
When sections of eyes treated with FITC-Parstatin and those ones treated with FITC-P1-26 were examined, intensive FITC signal was detected at the sites of administration and at periocular tissues. FITC signal was not observed in internal ocular layers. Regarding FITC-Parstatin, the distribution of specific signal showed no variability during different time intervals which ranged from 30 minutes to 19 hours. As compared to the above results, the respective ocular sections with FITC-P24-41 revealed weak FITC signal at the injection sites and at periocular tissues, accompanied by no detection of intraocular localization. On the other hand, high autofluorescence present in kidney sections and heart sections did not allow the investigation of tissue-distribution of the peptide molecules.
In the present study, it appeared that subconjunctival administration of Parstatin and of its peptide fragments, P1-26 and P24-41, is not the appropriate route for the drug delivery into the internal ocular tissues.


Preface. Introduction. Physico-Chemical Interaction Between Magnesium and Rare-earth Metals. Decomposition of the Supersaturated Solid Solutions in Mg-RE Alloys. Peculiarities of the Plastic Deformation and Recrystallization in Mg-RE Alloys. Effect or Rare-earth Metals on Mechanical and Some Other Properties of Magnesium. Commercial Magnesium Alloys with Rare-earth Metals, Their Compositions and Properties. Conclusion. References. Subject. Index.


In today's environment the idea of establishing business without the use of internet is not possible. More and more users are shifted towards online systems. So companies are also converged toward the online business. Every company in their attempt to establish strong foots required some sort of mechanism which can promote their product. So recommender system comes into existence. The recommender system is the filtering system which will detect the preferences of the users. By looking at the preference of the users companies can decide which product to be launched in the market and which is not. So recommender system is the need of the hour. Recommender systems are used for wide variety of applications which includes movies, music, news, life insurance etc.


Correction: Due to an error in loading the metadata, the author Sahisnuta Basnet was omitted. Sahisnuta Basnet was therefore added to the metadata on 9th January 2017. The PDF was correct. Introduction: Reference hematological values in newborns are informative in evaluation of newborns to determine state of health or disease. For a given population, reference values may differ in accordance with various factors such as age, sex, race, diet, drug intake, altitude, socio-economic status and also the method employed for determination of the values. The aim of this study was to establish reference ranges of complete blood count using umbilical cord blood of normal, healthy, full term neonates born in Manipal Teaching Hospital (MTH), Pokhara, Nepal. Material and Method: The study was conducted in 210 full term, healthy newborns delivered in MTH between Jan 2014 to Feb 2015. Cord blood was collected and a complete blood count was obtained using an automated hematology analyzer. Result: Mean hemoglobin was 15.24 ± 1.96 gm/dl and mean red blood cell count was 4.30 ± 0.63 (range 3.05 – 6.36) X 10 12 /L. Mean white blood cell count was 14.93 ± 4.44 (range 6.10 ± 31.7) X 10 9 /L and platelet count was 226.88 ± 61.28 (range 105 ± 392) X 10 9 /L. There was no significant difference found in hemoglobin, red cell, white cell and platelet counts between males and females in this study. Conclusion: The values obtained from our study provide ranges for some hematological values in healthy newborns of Pokhara Nepal. However, the hematological reference values for Nepalese cord blood needs to be confirmed by larger numbers of samples from different centers of Nepal. J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2016;36(2):160-164.


Investments in operating assets are expected to generate future profits. Hence, security prices should reflect changes in investors' expectations about the growth and profitability of such investments. Yet, the accounting literature focuses on the security return-earnings relation without paying much attention to investment. We develop a model formalizing our intuition about the value relevance of investment beyond earnings. We then derive empirical predictions that (1) unexpected investment jointly with the expected abnormal rate of profitability has value implications beyond unexpected earnings, and (2) investment drift jointly with the unexpected abnormal rate of profitability has value implications beyond unexpected earnings. We test the model using 11,403 firm-year observations spanning 19 years. The results provide strong support for the predictions. Further, the interactions between inventory investment and abnormal profitability have more significant value implications than those between plant investment and abnormal profitability.


In article questions of geoinformatsionno-cartographical support and mathematical modeling in researches of prerequisites of emergence of emergency situations of hydrometeorological character are considered.


A combustor 2 having an array of dilution ports 4, 6, is provided with at least one trim port 18 for injection a controlled volume of air into the combustor. The controlled volume mixes with fuel rich air near the combustor wall and improves the dilution of the combustion gases, and therefore reduces the formation of NOx. The trim port is provided upstream of one or more rows of dilution ports, and the dilution ports are circumferentially offset from the ports of an adjacent row. In use, the trim port may be sized to limit the degree of penetration of the trim cooling air into the hot combustion gasses, and thus facilitates control of local gas temperatures in the vicinity of the combustor wall.


This paper mainly discussed the advantages of general experimental method applied to the digestion of foodstuff after pretreatment by microwave digestion and then described the amount of samples,the method of the pretreatment of samples,the sort and amount of the solvents,predigestion and the choice of digestion.The national standard reference materials such as milk powder(GBW10017)and chicken(GBW10018)determined simultaneously by ICP-MS were applied in the process of sample analysis,and the determination values of the standard reference materials were within the certified values.The accuracy of the method was 94.2%~114%,and the RSD was 1.3%~4.8%.The recoveries of the spiked samples were 91.6%~109.02%.This method has the characteristics of simple operation,rapid analysis,high accuracy and reliability,and can be applied to the analysis of food samples.


In this paper we consider the efficient solving of the resulting algebraic systems for elliptic optimal control problems with mixed finite element approximations. We propose a block diagonal preconditioner for the symmetric and indefinite algebraic system solved with minimum residual method, which is proved to be robust with respect to both the mesh size and the regularization parameter. The block diagonal preconditioner is constructed based on an isomorphism between appropriately chosen solution space and its dual. Numerical experiments confirm the efficiency of our proposed preconditioner.


Health and social care organizations work within the context of limited resources. Different techniques to aid resource allocation and decision-making exist and are important as scarcity of resources in health and social care is inescapable. Healthcare systems, regardless of how they are organized, must decide what services to provide given the resources available. This is particularly clear in systems funded by taxation, which have limited budgets and other limited resources (staff, skills, facilities, etc.) and in which the claims on these resources outstrip supply.
 Healthcare spending in many countries is not expected to increase over the short or medium term. Therefore, frameworks to set priorities are increasingly required. Four disciplines provide perspectives on priority setting: economics, decision analysis, ethics, and law. Although there is overlap amongst these perspectives, they are underpinned by different principles and processes for priority setting. As the values and viewpoints of those involved in priority setting in health and social care will differ, it is important to consider how these could be included to inform a priority setting process. It is proposed that these perspectives and the consideration of values and viewpoints could be brought together in a combined priority setting framework for use within local health and social care organizations.


Distance functions corresponding to valuations, isotone and positive valuations on directed mu l t i la t t ices are characterized. As an application, there is proved that congruence relations on a directed modu lar multilattice of locally finite length form a Boolean algebra. By a valuation on a lattice L a real-valued function v defined on L satisfying v(a) + v(b) = v(a Ab) + v(a V b) is meant (see, e.g., [2]). A valuation is isotone if a < b = > v(a) < v(b), and positive if a < b = > v(a) < v(b). The distance function corresponding to a valuation v is defined by d(a, b) = v(a V b) v(a A b). The distance function corresponding to a positive (isotone) valuation is a metric (pseudometric). Therefore lattices with positive (isotone) valuations are called metric (pseudometric) lattices. In [5], the notion of a metric multilattice has been introduced. Applying this definition to the case of lattices, we obtain another definition of a metric lattice: Metric lattice is a lattice with a metric d satisfying: LI. a < b < c = > <i(a, c) = d(a, b) + d(b, c), L2. d(a,b) = d(a Ab ,a V b). A M S S u b j e c t C l a s s i f i c a t i o n (1991): Primary 06A99, 06B99. K e y w o r d s : directed multilattice, valuation, distance function, congruence relation .


A problem at three elementary schools in an Appalachian state was that some or all instructors were struggling to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom. Because differentiation is a research-based best practice, teachers should be consistently using this strategy to meet the varying needs found within the inclusive classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate perceptions of third- and fourth-grade teachers on their knowledge, implementation, and selfassessment of using differentiated instruction in classrooms in three elementary schools in one Appalachian state. The two research questions that guided this study asked how third- and fourth-grade teachers used differentiation to support all students and what perceived opportunities and struggles these teachers believed affected their ability to implement this strategy. Nine out of the 14 third- and fourth-grade inclusive teachers who volunteered were asked to participate in semistructured phone interviews and lesson plan analysis. Data were hand coded and analyzed using a spreadsheet to look for reoccurring categories and themes. Six themes emerged within the collected qualitative data to include ability grouping, technology, planning for differentiated instruction, professional supports, lack of training, and instructional support. With the findings, specific professional development was created to help the teacher more consistently use differentiation in the classroom. This study has positive social change implications because it might lead to a stronger administrator and teacher understanding of the perceived uses of differentiation as well as the perceived opportunities and struggles to fully implement the strategy.


We assessed weight management practices in 266 boys and 312 girls (mean age 15.6 ± 1.3 years) from two schools in Lisbon. Body image was assessed using the method of Stunkard and participants were classified as desiring to loose weight if the ideal image was thinner than the current. Other data collected included measured height and weight, current smoking status, participation in extracurricular sports, the number of meals consumed the day before and meal skipping. No difference in the prevalence of overweight/obesity were found between genders (22.1% in girls and 19.5% in boys, p > 0.05). Conversely, willingness to lose weight was significantly higher in girls (48% vs 23% in boys, p < 0.001) and similar findings were observed after stratifying for BMI categories. Girls willing to lose weight smoked and skipped meals more frequently, whereas no differences were found for extracurricular sport activities. Boys willing to loose weight skipped meals more frequently and reported lower extracurricular sport activities, whereas no differences were found for smoking. Participants wishing to lose weight also reported a lower number of meals the day before. The highest prevalence of willingness to loose weight among girls might be related to media pressure that perpetuates the ideal of thinness and a negative stigma associated with being overweight in girls 1 . Our results are also in agreement with a previous study suggesting that adolescents desiring to lose weight engage in several unhealthy behaviours such as meal skipping and smoking 2 . Actually, meal skipping does not lead to weight loss 3 , and the increased smoking prevalence might be related to the widespread perception that smoking contributes to weight loss 4


The performance of a resonant cavity enhanced Heterobipolar Phototransistor with Ge<inf>0.992</inf>Sn<inf>0.008</inf>/Si<inf>0.3</inf>Ge<inf>0.61</inf>Sn<inf>0.09</inf> Quantum Well under Quantum Confined Stark Effect has been presented here. Further the Quantum Wells are replaced by GeSn bulk absorption region to estimate the influence of Franz Keldysh Effect..


Management decisions to treat patients with acute acetaminophen (APAP) overdose are based on a single blood sample drawn 4 or more hours following ingestion.1 Levels obtained before this time cannot be interpreted accurately, since absorption may not be complete.2-4 Therefore, the literature suggests that therapy should be based on a sample obtained only 4 to 24 hours following ingestion. We describe 2 patients in whom decisions concerning therapy were based on 2 blood samples for each patient. If these decisions had been made on the basis of only 1 of the samples taken, a misdiagnosis could have occurred. Patient Reports


Abstract An accurate and reproducible procedure is described for the determination of testosterone from male plasma with the use of competitive protein binding. One milliliter of plasma is required to satisfactorily measure testosterone in plasma from normal orchiectomized men. The mean recovery of testosterone in approximately 300 samples was 60 ± 10 per cent (S.D.). The mean plasma testosterone level in 50 normal men was 5.6 ± 2.3 mμg per milliliter (S.D.). In 30 patients with carcinoma of the prostate, the mean was 7.9 ± 2.2 mμg per milliliter (S.D.) which decreased to 0.6 mμg per milliliter after orchiectomy.


The authors greatly appreciate the interest shown by Dr. Kang in his discussion on the paper describing an analytical solution for consolidation resulting from arched initial excess pore-water pressure distributions in a tall oedometer. The work carried out by the discusser using a large-sized floating-type oedometer appears to support the assumptions made by the writers—namely, that the vertical normal stresses were uniformly distributed at any depth and that the adhesion between the oedometer walls and the soil was equal to the cohesion of the soil.


This early XXI century presented three major challenges to Mexico: (i) economic dependence on United States, in parallel with the US economic decline; ii) the AsiaPacific growth as the largest dynamic center; and iii) its alienation from the main Latin America integration initiatives. Based on this scenario, this article aims to analyze the contemporary insertion of Mexico in Latin America, taking as analysis object the governments of Vicente Fox (2000-2006), Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and Henrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018). In order to do so, first the conceptual parameters of the Mexican insertion in Latin America are evaluated. Then, the general foreign policy characteristics of these governments are described. Finally, Mexico-Latin America relation is construed, with a separated analysis of Pacific Alliance


Target material identification is playing an important role in our everyday life. Traditional camera and video-based methods bring in severe privacy concerns. In the last few years, while RF signals have been exploited for indoor localization, gesture recognition and motion tracking, very little attention has been paid in material identification. This paper introduces WiMi, a device-free target material identification system, implemented on ubiquitous and cheap commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Wi-Fi devices. The intuition is that different materials produce different amounts of phase and amplitude changes when a target appears on the line-of-sight (LoS) of a radio frequency (RF) link. However, due to multipath and hardware imperfection, the measured phase and amplitude of the channel state information (CSI) are very noisy. We thus present novel CSI pre-processing schemes to address the multipath and hardware noise issues before they can be used for accurate material sensing. We also design a new material feature which is only related to the material type and is independent of the target size. Comprehensive real-life experiments demonstrate that WiMi can achieve fine-grained material identification with cheap commodity Wi-Fi devices. WiMi can identify 10 commonly seen liquids at an overall accuracy higher than 95% with strong multipath indoors. Even for very similar items such as Pepsi and Coke, WiMi can still differentiate them at a high accuracy.


This paper introduced the classification of the profiled steel plate and commonly used types in the home market,where it presented how to select profiled steel plate from different point of view,and provided reference for selection of profiled steel plate for cladding system of steel structure so that the project can be more economic,reasonable and beautiful.


This article presents the results of an exploratory study of community college faculty development activities. The purpose of the study was to determine if community colleges evaluate faculty development efforts and use the results to shape a coherent faculty development plan that supports the mission of the institution. The community colleges in this study clearly relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation, preferring to rely on untested assumptions and past practices. Their efforts tend to be unfocused, with little or no attempt to deliberately connect activites to the institutional strategic plan. With increasing calls for accountability coupled with shrinking resources, it becomes imperative that community colleges demonstrate that they wisely use their resources to impact the mission of the institutions. This means that community colleges must develop focused faculty development programs that have clear and distinct goals that are intended to improve classroom learning and teaching.


We buy and sell new and used wedge course pulling machines (wedge course pulling machine. (new, used, wanted, buy, sell) (wedge, slot, splines, pull, broaching tool, broaching tools, conventionally, hydraulically, numerical control, CNC) (SIG)


The present invention relates to a method for transmitting a channel signal CR in the RACH signal transmission. The invention can reduce the delay by allowing to start a new RACH procedure by, it indicates this collision occurs, it is possible to detect whether the E-NB is a conflict occurs if sent with the CR channel signal when LTE CONNECTION REQUEST from the RACH signal is transmitted. RACH, CR-channel, delay, E-NB


Water works for Weymouth completed 2017-02-20 A scheme in Weymouth to renew water mains that were prone to bursting has been completed ahead of schedule. Approximately £400,000 has been invested to modernise ageing water mains to reduce the likelihood of any future bursts and possible interruptions


Summary and Conclusions Mice and rats which are normally resistant to histamine become more susceptible to its lethal action after an injection of H. pertussis. This so-called sensitization to histamine is not an anaphylactic phenomenon. It is due to the action of a component of H. pertussis, the histamine-sensitizing factor (HSF), which in some unknown way overcomes the physiological mechanism in rats and mice that makes them more resistant than other species to histamine. Guinea-pigs which appear not to possess this mechanism and are about 200-fold more susceptible, weight for weight, than rats and mice, were not made more sensitive by H. pertussis. After a stated dose of vaccine, sensitization was detectable in 48 hr., reached a maximum in 3–4 days, remained at this level for about 2 weeks and gradually disappeared. The effects of dosage, route of injection, and weight and sex of mice have been examined. The HSF was found in strains of H. pertussis; it was not found in H. parapertussis, H. bronchisepticus or H. influenzae. It was only slightly affected by heating at 70° C. for 1 hr. but was destroyed at 80° C. in ½ hr. It was destroyed when bacteria were disintegrated by shaking with glass beads, or by grinding after being freeze-dried. It was found in the supernatant fluid of a partially autolysed vaccine. HSF was antigenic. Antisera were prepared in rabbits. Anti-HSF combined with HSF and neutralized its histamine-sensitizing activity. Bacteria treated with antiserum in vitro absorbed anti-HSF and did not thereafter sensitize mice. Antiserum protected mice passively against the sensitizing action of vaccine, presumably by combining with HSF. After sensitization had developed the sensitive state was not affected by antiserum. Although HSF is an antigen there was no indication that histamine-sensitization was due to its antigenicity. The HSF was differentiated from heat-labile and heat-stable toxin, haemagglutinin, capsular material and agglutinogen. The preparation V 17, which is a small fraction of the disintegrated bacteria, adsorbed on red cell stromata (Pillemer et al. 1954) had a high histamine-sensitizing value. Compared with whole bacterial vaccine it caused little production of agglutinin in mice; in rabbits it caused a slower and smaller production of agglutinin and a faster and greater production of anti-HSF. For this reason immune rabbit sera may have a high agglutinin titre and a low anti-HSF value or vice versa. Anti-HSF rabbit serum protected mice against sensitization by V 17. Vaccines could be graded according to their histamine-sensitizing activity. This did not always correspond to their grading by agglutinin production in mice. The relation of HSF to the immunizing antigen of H. pertussis and the use of histamine-sensitization to indicate the immunizing potency of pertussis vaccines are discussed. We wish to thank Glaxo Laboratories Ltd. for the supply of reference vaccine, and the Whooping Cough Immunization Committee of the Medical Research Council for vaccines and sera.


This study is focused on detecting vegetation stress in natural and seminatural riparian wetland ecosystems. Wetland ecosystems play an important role at the local and global scale. They provide various ecosystem services as long as they are in good condition. The global climate change influences a local environment, in which wetlands health become an indicator of drought conditions. Persisting adverse conditions might lead to irreversible changes in these precious ecosystems. Hence, modern methods for the monitoring of these ecosystems are required to be developed. In the scope of this study, based on basic meteorological elements (air temperature and humidity) and canopy temperature from two different platforms (meteorological tower and Landsat-8 satellite), crop water stress index (CWSI) was proposed for riparian wetland habitats and wet meadows monitoring. The study was conducted in the Upper Biebrza Basin (NE, Poland). As a first step, CWSI was calculated based on meteorological measurements and compared with CWSI calculated for surrounding Landsat-8 pixels covered by the same land-use type as one being in the tower sensor field of view. CWSI from both sensors were in significant agreement. In the second step of the analysis, CWSI and selected optical indices were calculated for a longer period based on satellite data. Those indices were compared with test if they indicate the same conditions, or if their indications are inconsistent. Results show that CWSI and optical indices indicate different plant stress factors. Hence, for proper wetlands condition assessment, still more research is required to properly assess their conditions and its causes.


The martensitic transformation and magnetic property of Co41Ni32Al27 and Co41Ni32Al24Sb3 alloys were investigated by optical microscopy(OM), scanning electric microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter analysis(DSC) and vibration sample magnetometer(VSM) methods. The results show that martensitic crystal structure of Co41Ni32Al24Sb3 alloy is still L10 type. Both martensitic transformation temperature Tm and Curie point Tc are in linear relation to quenching temperature. Tm increases by 9 K and Tc increases by 7.5 K for every 10 K increasing in quenched temperature. Quenched from same temperature, Tm of Co41Ni32Al24Sb3 alloy is higher than that of Co41Ni32Al27 alloy by 76 K, meanwhile Tc is higher by 18 K. The melting point of Co-Ni-Al alloy is decreased by the Sb addition, eutectic structure appears in Co41Ni32Al24Sb3 alloy annealed at 1 573 K, which indicates that the alloy is partially melted, whereas Co41Ni32Al27 alloy can be annealed at 1 623 K without melted. The martensitic transformation temperature range of Co41Ni32Al24Sb3 alloy is 22?29 K, only half that of Co41Ni32Al27 alloy. This is a very important result to benefit the achievement of large magnetic field induced strain on Co-Ni-Al based alloy. The results of Tm and Tc were explained by total average s+d electron concentration and magnetic valence number Zm respectively.


The year 2000 will mark the 44th anniversary of the space program that began with the launch of the first Sputnik on October 4, 1956. Tremendous progress has been made in the exploration of space since the late 50s. Thanks to the flexibility and capability of batteries and fuel cells, NASA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) have been able to accomplish a wide range of challenging space missions.


The effect of the presence of Ir3+ ions on the formation of iron oxides in a highly alkaline precipitation system was investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), 57Fe Mössbauer and FT-IR spectroscopies, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Monodispersed lath-like -FeOOH (goethite) particles precipitated by hydrothermal treatment in a highly alkaline medium with the addition of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) were used as reference material. The presence of Ir3+ ions in the precipitation system strongly influenced the phase composition, magnetic, structural and morphological properties of obtained samples. The formation of -Fe2O3 (hematite) along with -FeOOH in the first stage of hydrothermal treatment and the transformation


The article describes the historical background to the creation of the present-day Republic of Moldova and its National Library. The development of the major public libraries in Chisinau, Moldova's capital city, from their origins in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is considered, and the effects of the sovietization of Moldovan libraries following the establishment of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic are discussed. The article examines the current role of the National Library of Moldova, its responsibilities, collections, users and staff. In spite of the scarcity of resources, the Library is making efforts to change from a Soviet to a Western model of operation, helped by support from various agencies abroad.


The utility model relates to a portable refrigeration and heat insulation bag The utility model is composed of a cold accumulating plate and an encrusting compound, wherein, the cold accumulating plate is the refrigeration source of eutectic liquid, and the refrigeration source of eutectic liquid is arranged in a plastic housing; the encrusting compound is made from space cotton, foam plastic, and aluminum foil which are used as heat insulating material; an inner lining is made of a transparent plastic film, and a nylon zipper is used for sealing. The utility model which has the advantages of low cost, good heat insulation, and portability can be used for buying frozen food for keeping fresh in summer, carrying and refrigerating beverage, food, etc. for keeping fresh at the time of fishing and tour, etc.


Records of nearly 5,000 landslides around the world show that human activities like construction, illegal mining, and hill cutting are increasingly responsible for fatal slides, particularly in Asia.


Thank you very much for reading conservation of library materials a manual and bibliography on the care repair and restoration of library materials. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their chosen novels like this conservation of library materials a manual and bibliography on the care repair and restoration of library materials, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious bugs inside their computer.


In this document the design of a wide band conformal array antenna with eight stacked patches at 3.5GHz is presented. Also, several feeding networks are presented to verify the versatility of the antenna in its H-Plane. To achieve this, an equal power divider with no phase difference between each of its ports. This feeding network has been integrated with the antenna obtaining a maximum ripple of 4.7 dB in the worst case. Subsequently, a switched feeding network has been designed and manufactured by which the antenna has been divided into four sectors of two elements each. Once it has been manufactured, it has been integrated with the antenna, obtaining satisfactory radiation diagrams with a clear sectorization in four aiming directions which are very stable in the frequency band. Also, including an amplifier increases the gain of the antenna, reaching a 17 dB level. Finally, a feeding network with PIN diodes is presented, uniting both of the previous feeding networks and achieving the maximum possible versatility. Using the circuit model of the PIN diode for the simulation different diagrams are obtained, proving the great versatility of this antenna. Lastly, a PIN diode has been measured showing a very similar behavior in both transmission and reflection compared to the circuit model. Therefore, this feeding network is feasible.


Cloud services have become a cheap and popular means of computing. They allow users to synchronize data between devices and relieve low-powered devices from heavy computations. In response to the surge of smartphones and mobile devices, several cloud-based Web browsers have become commercially available. These "cloud browsers" assemble and render Web pages within the cloud, executing JavaScript code for the mobile client. This paper explores how the computational abilities of cloud browsers may be exploited through a Browser MapReduce (BMR) architecture for executing large, parallel tasks. We explore the computation and memory limits of four cloud browsers, and demonstrate the viability of BMR by implementing a client based on a reverse engineering of the Puffin cloud browser. We implement and test three canonical MapReduce applications (word count, distributed grep, and distributed sort). While we perform experiments on relatively small amounts of data (100 MB) for ethical considerations, our results strongly suggest that current cloud browsers are a viable source of arbitrary free computing at large scale.


We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to study the 2D heavy fermion superconductor, Ce₂RhIn₈. The Fermi surface is rather complicated and consists of several hole and electron pockets with one of the sheets displaying strong nesting properties with a q-vector of (0.32, 0.32) π/a. We do not observe kz dispersion of the Fermi sheets, which is consistent with the expected 2D character of the electronic structure. Comparison of the ARPES data to band structure calculations suggests that a localized picture of the f-electrons works best. While there is some agreement in the overall band dispersion and location of the Fermi sheets, the model does not reproduce all observed bands and is not completely accurate for those it does. As a result, our data paves the way for improving the band structure calculations and the general understanding of the transport and thermodynamical properties of this material.


While conventional wisdom holds that domestic political connections are generally beneficial for internationalization, recent studies suggest that such connections may have negative effects. To add...


Objective: To explore the variation of Glycemia HbA1c and C-P in Type 2 diabetic patients treated by Gliclazide Modified Release Tablet. Methods: To divide inpatients and outpatients in my hospital from February 2005 to December 2006 into two groups at random and to observe their effect. One group including 48 patients were treated by Gliclazide Modified Release Tablet,another group include 30 patients were treated by Glibenclamide. Results: After treatment of twelve weeks, FBG, 2hBG, HbA1c, FC-P and 2hC-P had no marked difference in two groups (P0.05), but the incidence of hypoglycemia was 4.17% in one group treated by Gliclazide Modified Release Tablet and that was 40.00% in another group treated by Glibenclamide (P0.01). Conclusion: The effect of Gliclazide Modified Release Tablet is similar to that of Glibenclamide,but Gliclazide Modified Release Tablet is more reliability.


The present invention discloses a method and a display system having a photographic function of the spectrum, the method comprising: collecting image data and sample spectral data measuring means, said measuring means comprises a sample measurement sample; spectral data display control apparatus and a sample measurement the image data; recording sample measuring device according to the control command to the sample measuring device taking or recording image data, the image data including picture data photographed generated sample measuring device for recording video data recorded to generate the sample measurement means; and image data associated with the experimental spectrum in FIG stored into the rear window, its view, edit, or other comparison operation; or it may be stored as a record file as needed; may load a saved file for viewing records, contrast or editing and other operations.


Up to the beginning of this century, forest research in Sweden was mostly of the trial and error type from which came some step by step improvements in forestry practices but no really sustained progress as they know it today. Modern forest research in Sweden had its modest beginning about 50 years ago. Solidly based on the natural sciences and more recently pushing ahead toward modern machine age developments, Sweden's forest research program is now moving ahead on a broad front and with the strong and eager backing of the forest industries and their organizations, as well as of the Government and the public. Professor Streyffert traces and describes these developments, not only in the more well known fields of silviculture, stand management, forest regeneration, utilization, soil science, etc., but also in the new and fascinating field of forest genetics and forest tree improvement work. Through it all runs a thread of practical reasoning and sound grass roots economics working toward maximum rewards fr...


This paper provides a brief overview of attachment theory in order to describe the genesis of attachment disorganization. All infants develop an attachment style as an adaptive response to their caregiver's behaviour, and the overall pattern may be secure or insecure. However, the coherence of any of these infant attachment patterns can break down resulting in attachment disorganization. This paper describes the characteristic behaviour of the disorganized infant and discusses the validity of the concept in terms of the ability of the disorganized classification to predict future infant behaviour. We explain how parental state of mind may lead to infant disorganization and describe the parental behaviours that are thought to be associated with this adverse infant development. Finally, we discuss the observable developmental phenomena of attachment disorganization in terms of psychoanalytic theory.


Summary The first lactation records of 684 Sahiwal, 157 Brown Swiss × Sahiwal (BS × S) and 255 Friesian × Sahiwal (F × S) constituted the data for this study. The 300-day yield was estimated from part lactation yields of 13, 17, 21, 26 and 30 weeks post partum by four methods, namely, regression, ratio, gamma and inverse polynomial functions. The duration of the part record and the method of estimation were evaluated for their reliability in estimating the 300-day yield and sire evaluation. The correlations between part records and 300-day yield ranged from 0·76 to 0·95, thecorrelations being higher in F × S. The error, absolute error and standard deviation of error weresmaller for ratio and regression methods than for the gamma and inverse polynomial functions. The part records of 30 weeks or more were found to be necessary to estimate 300-day yield within 15% of the actual yield with regression or ratio methods. The rank correlations and product moment correlations between sire indices calculated with part records and 300-day yield were found to be highly significant. The part records of 17 weeks or more extended by ratio or regression could be used to evaluate sires as accurately as with 300-day yield by increasing the progeny group size by 7–10% in Sahiwal and by about 20% in F × S. Theloss of efficiency in sire evaluation amounted to about 10–15% with part records of 17 weeks or more compared with 300-day yield.


The rapid technological evolution of the last years has motivated students to develop capabilities that will prepare them for an unknown future in the 21st century. In this context, many teachers intend to optimise the learning process, making it more dynamic and exciting through the introduction of gamification. Thus, this article focuses on a data-driven assessment of geometry competencies, which are essential for developing problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills. Our main goal is to adapt, evaluate and compare Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (BKT), Performance Factor Analysis (PFA), Elo, and Deep Knowledge Tracing (DKT) algorithms applied to the data of a geometry game named Shadowspect, in order to predict students' performance by means of several classifier metrics. We analysed two algorithmic configurations, with and without prioritisation of Knowledge Components (KCs) – the skills needed to complete a puzzle successfully, and we found Elo to be the algorithm with the best prediction power with the ability to model the real knowledge of students. However, the best results are achieved without KCs because it is a challenging task to differentiate between KCs effectively in game environments. Our results prove that the above-mentioned algorithms can be applied in formal education to improve teaching, learning, and organisational efficiency.


Profundulus adani, new species, is described from the upper reaches of the Papaloapan River in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The uniqueness of this new species is supported by morphological and molecular evidence. A combination of color patterns and counts separate P. adani, new species, from its congeners. Profundulus adani, new species, is distinguished from all congeners by the absence of a humeral spot in individuals larger than 45 mm SL. It can further be distinguished from P. balsanus, P. chimalapensis, P. kreiseri, P. oaxacae, P. parentiae, and P. punctatus based on the absence of series of dark dots on the sides of the body. Profundulus adani, new species, shows a faded dark band that extends from the tip of the operculum to the end of the caudal peduncle; this band is absent in P. balsanus and P. parentiae. The new species is described using specimens collected in the upper reaches of the Papaloapan River in the Mexican state of Oaxaca; geographically this represents a significant range expansion and extends the Atlantic slope northernmost limit of the Profundulidae.


differ between these two groups, with more unfavorable outcome in the idiopathic ductus closure group despite Doppler indices of a milder degree of constriction at diagnosis3. This could be explained by removal of the underlying cause, thereby limiting or permitting reversal of cardiac compromise. Ductal constriction secondary to maternal NSAID use is dependent upon dose levels, duration of exposure and gestational age; it usually resolves within 24 h of stopping the drug4. In this setting, there is no ongoing cardiac insult and the compromised right ventricular performance is usually short lived. Pharmacological studies of camomile tea (Camellia sinensis) root extract have shown it to possess antiinflammatory activity at 1/10th of its median lethal dose in rodents. Camomile tea root extract inhibited arachidonic acid-induced paw edema in rats by inhibiting both the cyclo-oxygenase and lipo-oxygenase pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism5. Ductal constriction associated with consumption of camomile tea is likely to be produced by a similar pharmacological mechanism to that observed with NSAIDs. Repeated and prolonged exposure may outweigh its relatively low anti-inflammatory effect in comparison to NSAIDs. A study of human responses to camomile tea ingestion has shown raised urinary levels of hippurate and glycine for up to 2 weeks after exposure6, suggesting that camomile tea consumption has long-lasting metabolic effects. Identification of tea as a possible etiological factor in fetal ductal constriction is of practical importance as it may allow the removal of a precipitant in a particular case. We would advocate caution in regular consumption of camomile tea during pregnancy, particularly if other prostaglandin antagonists are used concomitantly.


Condusive school culture is an improntant precondition in increasing shool performance, and also highly motivated school personnel. Both will support the achievement of work satisfaction. Working integratedly and effectively, the three variables (school culture,need for achievement, and work satisfaction) will efficiently increase school productivity, especially the high quality of graduates. Key words : school culture, need for achievement, work satisfaction, work productivity


A field experiment was conducted during rabi seasons of 2008–2009 and 2009–10 to study the effect of potassium and cobalt application on growth, yield and nutrient uptake in lentil. The results revealed that the plant height, branches/plant, dry matter accumulation, pods per plant, test weight, grain and straw yield of lentil and protein content increased significantly up to 90 kg K2O ha−1. However, yields at tributes and yield at 60 and 90 kg K2O ha−1 were statistically on par. On the other hand, growth and yield attributes and yield (grain and straw) increased up to 4 kg Co ha−1 and thereafter, declined at 8 kg Co ha−1. The protein content in lentil grain improved appreciably when crop was fertilized with 90 kg K2O and 8 kg Co ha−1 over respective controls. The uptake of K and Co in lentil grain and straw increased significantly with increasing levels of K and Co. The uptake of N and P by lentil grain and straw increased with graded levels of cobalt up to 4 kg ha−1. On the other hand, there wasa gradual decrease in S uptake with cobalt levels. Potassium application tended to increase the uptake of N, P and S by the crop significantly over control.


Housing in Europe counts for 27% of the European energy consumptions which makes sustainable transformation of existing housing a relevant topic, especially in the view of the energy targets set for 2020. The energy efficiency as well as the architectural value of the post-war residential buildings is particularly poor, but since in the coming years this part of the stock will be renovated, there is a chance to improve the present performances of such blocks. To deal with energy efficiency, decay and livability problems improvements of building facades seem to be indicated. However, in order to deal with especially livability problems, it is not only relevant to consider technical aspects of faAades but also involve residentsi preferences for architectural aesthetics. Important questions addressed in this study are to what extent are tenants willing to pay higher rent, and whether their willingness to pay higher rent depends on selected characteristics of facades that have a combined effect on the energy efficiency and the aesthetics value of buildings. In this paper it is reported the preparation of a visual experiment on the described issue and in particular the development of a questionnaire to asses preferences of tenants. For the development of the questionnaire it is adopted the Discrete Choice Method which is applied with the purpose of evaluating tenantsi preferences in innovative faAade directed renovation approaches.


Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can have a negative effect on family functioning, which is associated with deterioration in metabolic control. Therefore, a valid tool for assessing family functioning is clinically relevant. We assessed the quality and validity of the Danish general functioning (GF) subscale of the family assessment device (FAD). Additionally, we investigated GF scores among adolescents with T1D and their parents and the relationship between family functioning and background variables, including metabolic control.


The invention discloses a technological method for preparing single optically pure L-tertiary leucine by using leucine dehydrogenase as a biocatalyst, specifically comprising the following steps of: adding substrates trimethylpyruvic acid, ammonium formate and leucine dehydrogenase as well as a hydrogenlyase-mediated coenzyme cyclic regeneration system into a reaction solution, oscillating or stirring, heating the reaction system after the reaction, filtering or centrifuging to remove denatured protein, removing a solvent, filtering to obtain the product L-tertiary leucine and a filtrate containing a small amount of L-tertiary leucine, and recycling the filtrate for the next round of reaction, wherein the reaction temperature is 15-50 DEG C. By the use of leucine dehydrogenase and with the cooperation of the coenzyme cyclic regeneration system, L-tertiary leucine is prepared by a recycling technology. The concentration of the substrate reaches up to 2.0 M. The required coenzyme NAD+ or NADH has low concentration and can be recycled for many times so as to ignore the cost of the coenzyme. The method provided by the invention has an important application value.


Introduction. Inflation targeting is a tool for ensuring price stability in the economy and therefore requires harmonious coordination and communication among government institutions. At the same time, the central bank must adhere to a certain policy instrument, the established legal rules, which are fixed in its mandate, or act at its discretion. Nowadays, the most common rule of monetary policy is inflation targeting.
Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to explain the expediency of using the inflation targeting regime to keep inflation at a certain target level, which is determined by the central bank taking into account the current state of the economy.
Results. The theoretical model of Taylor is considered, which is based on inflation assessment in the form of a simple interest rate rule based on monetary policy instruments that ensure convergence of the inflation forecast to the target value in the medium term. The obtained results reflect the volatility of the indicators of the objective function in the data range of 2015 Q3–2021 Q2 and confirm the weight of the gap of variable values that are estimated to be insignificant (95%). Using the GMM method, the relationship between the indicators of the objective function and their impact on the inflation rate through the use of the inflation targeting regime was verified. In particular, the volatility of variables such as the inflation gap, short-term interest rate, output gap, and exchange rate gap and their impact on the target inflation rate was revealed on the time horizon of monetary policy. Smoothing out gaps in variables is one of the goals of the central bank's reaction function under the inflation targeting regime. The use of the GMM method confirms the validity of the application of Taylor's rule regarding the feasibility of choosing an objective function with predetermined variable parameters at different sampling intervals.
Conclusions. The increase in the volatility of variable parameters in the objective function of central banks under the inflation targeting regime is explained by global crises and the sensitivity of macroeconomic indicators to fluctuations in the economic situation. This is the main reason why central banks strictly follow the rules of monetary policy, which allow the timely smoothing of exogenous shocks in the economy.


BACKGROUND
Nanog and CD133 are biomarkers of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that regulate cancer progression. The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is a tumor suppressor protein that can inhibit tumor cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of Nanog, CD133, and WWOX in infiltrating breast cancer (IBC).

METHODS
Expressions of Nanog, CD133, and WWOX in 204 IBC specimens and their corresponding control specimens were detected by immunohistochemistry. Patients' clinicopathologic and follow-up data were also collected.

RESULTS
The rates of positive expression of Nanog and CD133 were significantly higher in IBC specimens than in control specimens, and their expression was positively associated with tumor size, grade, and tumor stages, lymph node metastasis (LNM), and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. The rate of positive expression of WWOX was significantly lower in IBC specimens than in control specimens, and its expression was inversely associated with tumor size, grade, and tumor stages, LNM, and TNM stage. Patients whose specimens expressed Nanog, CD133, or HER2 had a reduced overall survival (OS) when compared with patients not expressing these proteins. However, patients whose specimens expressed WWOX, ER, or PR had an increased OS when compared with patients who did not show expression. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that expression of Nanog, CD133, WWOX, ER, and HER2, and the TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for IBC patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, Nanog, CD133, and WWOX should be considered as promising prognostic factors and therapeutic targets in IBC.


The present invention includes a preparation, preservation and storage of organs for transplant (e.g., pancreatic islet cells) compositions and methods, by which storage organ, the organ of the suspension in the reservoir for maintaining the viability of the solution, and cooling the organ or cell in the cooling unit throughout the storage period, wherein the average temperature within the apparatus from the set temperature does not exceed 2 ℃.


The main reasons why the minor's committ ng sex-crimes appear upward tendency are as follows-their sexual precocity; incomplete sexual education; the sexual enticement of me .dia; being imprudent in their making friends with others; the defects of their family education; the educational idea of valuing intellectual education and desp sing moral education in primary middle schools and their poor law consciousness. Hence, something must be done to prevent the minors from committing sex-crimes by reinforcing their sex-education, transferring their interest,repress ing the dissemination of media-sex to them, enhancing their concepts of legal system,providing them more family care and so on.


The location and design of snowsheds for avalanche defense must be based on careful studies of terrain, the frequency of avalanche occurrence, and the size of the avalanche. Preliminary observation at sites of planned avalanche defense work is outlined. Factors that must be taken into consideration in the structural design of snowsheds are: Loads by moving avalanches and by deposited snow, length of the shed, lighting, drainage, and maintenance. The length of sheds can be reduced by dams and walls built parallel to the direction of the avalanches. These factors are described with reference to the design and performance of the snowsheds for the Trans-Canada Highway at Rogers Pass, British Columbia. Long, continuous snowsheds covering more than one avalanche track were found to be more advantageous than a number of short sheds with short, open spaces between.


Water relations, leaf morphology and the chemical composition of cell walls in irrigated and unirrigated plants of three durum wheat eultivars were measured at two growth stages (booting and flowering). Plant response to water stress differed at the two stages: cell wall elasticity increased at booting and osmotic potential values decreased at flowering; this may be due to the changes in stress history, leaf development and plant growth stage between the two harvests. Leaf tissue characteristics were modified by water stress only at flowering: accumulation of fibrous constituents and hemicellulose in the cell walls, reduction of acid detergent fiber (ADF) per unit of leaf area, increase in specific leaf weight (SLW), decrease in turgid weight/dry weight ratio (TW/DW) and alteration in mesophyll cell morphology (cell area / ceil perimeter ratio) were observed.

Generally, cv. Valforte (the less drought-resistant cultivar) had the greatest mesophyll cell area and perimeter and it had greater values of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) at the booting stage than cv. Appulo. Reactivity to water stress differed in the eultivars: Valforte showed the greatest increase in hemicellulose content and decrease in cell dimensions under drought at flowering.

No significant relationships between osmotic potential and mesophyll cell characters were observed; there were no correlations among cell wall elasticity, cell morphology and the chemical components of leaf tissue. The total fiber content and the hemicellulose per unit of leaf area were correlated with the TW/DW ratio at flowering. This parameter decreased more in plants subjected to water stress owing to accumulation of hemicellulose. Correlations between leaf structural constituents and $$ suggest that the absorptive capacity of the cell wall may significally affect the osmotic volume of the cell.


The present invention relates to the preparation method of PDE5 inhibitor tadanafil; with D tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride as initiation material; obtaining tadanafil crude product through reacting with piperonal cyclization, acylated, the amine solution cyclization of N etc., tadanafil crude product is recrystallized to give tadanafil finished product.What the present invention provided prepares tadanafil method, and reaction condition is gentle, and the response time is shorter, and yield is high, and product stability is good, it is simple to industrialized production.


This article analyses the role of collective agreements in institutionalising and legitimising the undervaluation of work conducted by women. The undervaluation of women's work has been identified as one of the main causes of the gender pay gap. Despite this, it continues to escape many of the policy measures on gender pay equity that focus on establishing wage discrimination. The Finnish local government sector provides an interesting case for research on undervaluation, as it has several collective agreements and several wage determination systems for different employee groups. However, a local authority is a single employer, and is obliged by law to treat all employees equally. Although the processes of wage determination vary across different national contexts, institutionalised undervaluation is very likely among highly feminised jobs and occupations worldwide. This article sees wages as social practices that reflect and are shaped by institutional, societal and historical contexts.


This paper presents the findings of the study for evaluating the correlation between the Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the presence of vegetation cover, identified by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Therefore, the researchers used images from LANDSAT 8 (L8) satelite, specifically, the spectral bands 4, 5 and 10 were used, whose capture dates the September 27th of 2016. These bands represent, respectively, the red band (0,64 – 0,67 μm), the near infrared band (0,85 – 0,88 μm) and the thermal infrared band (10,60 – 11,19 μm). The studied area encompasses the following counties of the main metropolitan area of the state of Espírito Santo: Vitória, Vila Velha and Serra, with a 10 km buffer surrounding it's political limits, including, thus, part of the neighboring counties and also a sea track. Regarding the importance of population ́s quality life, both terrestrial surface temperature and vegetation presence should be considered together, since the knowledge about the possible correlation between these two variables becomes preponderant for decision towards the well-being of the population. The analysis of the scatter plot between the TST and NDVI values showed that the behavior of the trendline was best represented by a degree 3 polynomial, whose R-Squared was 0.73, indicating a high correlation between the values of TST and NDVI. In relation to the values associated with the presence of dense vegetation (NDVI greater than 0.5), characterized by areas of preserved native vegetation, such as riparian forests, parks and natural reserves, it was verified that the TST decreases according as the NDVI increases and that represents a temperature reduction of approximately 4°C


Large-pore plasma membrane channels, including those formed by pannexins, connexins, LRRC8 and CALHM proteins, are found in many vertebrate cell types and are important for development and organ function. Unlike conventional ion channels, large-pore channels are permeable to both atomic ions and small molecules (usually less than 1 kDa). They also display ionic and molecular selectivity that might underlie their distinct physiological functions. In particular, pannexin channels are thought to be major conduits for ATP release in many cell types. Because ATP is critical for purinergic signalling transmission, pannexin channels have been associated with various physiological processes and pathologies, such as cell migration, inflammation and epilepsy. Nonetheless, how the permeability of pannexins to either atomic ions or molecules is altered during physiological or pathophysiological states remains a largely unexplored area of research. To study opening of large-pore channels, including pannexins, conventional electrophysiological techniques and dye uptake assays are commonly used for evaluating ionic currents and molecular permeability to fluorescent dyes, respectively. Although both approaches are accepted as measurements of channel activity, it is unclear whether permeability to fluorescent dyes can be extrapolated to atomic ion permeation and vice versa. Previous studies on Connexin 43 (Cx43) hemichannels have shown that the rate of uptake for ethidium bromide is proportional to its concentration, exposure time and, importantly, to the number of active channels at the cell surface. However, while high permeability rates for ethidium uptake are observed at negative membrane potentials, ionic current is not detected (Contreras et al. 2003; Hansen et al. 2014). This is not the case for Cx30 hemichannels, in which ionic current and ethidium permeability correlate positively (Hansen et al. 2014). Nevertheless, in this case, ionic current but not ethidium uptake mediated by Cx30 hemichannels was sensitive to flufenamic acid, a classic connexin blocker (Nielsen et al. 2019b). These properties support a model by which different mechanisms underlie ionic and molecular flux through Cx43 and Cx30 hemichannels. Whether these properties are unique to connexins or could be extended to other large-pore channels is still unknown, but such information is critical for assessing channel activation. In this issue of The Journal of Physiology, Nielsen et al. (2020) evaluate permeation of atomic ions and ethidium through pannexin 1 channels using different stimuli to gate these channels. Combining two different heterologous expression systems, Xenopus oocytes and HEK cells, they report basal pannexin 1-mediated ethidium permeability in the absence of detectable ionic currents at resting membrane potentials. They also demonstrate that at least four commonly used pharmacological blockers of pannexin 1, carbenoxolone, probenecid, panx and spironolactone, inhibit ionic currents but not ethidium permeability observed at resting membrane potentials. Based on this finding, the authors highlight that the efficiency of pannexin inhibitors cannot be extrapolated to ethidium transport. In addition, Nielsen et al. systematically and rigorously tested multiple activation stimuli to determine differences in ionic and ethidium permeation. They assessed gating by high extracellular potassium, pH (alkalization and acidification), truncation of the C-terminal region, and hypotonic/hypertonic-dependent mechanical stress. Notably, the authors found that for the latter three activation stimuli, pannexin 1-mediated ethidium permeation is not correlated with ionic current. As for high extracellular K+ ions, the authors did not observe ionic current or ethidium uptake. This finding is not a surprise, given that activation of pannexin 1 by extracellular K+ has been controversial, with differences attributed to species-specific isoforms. However, Nielsen et al. report lack of activation for both mouse and rat pannexin 1 channels, suggesting that the mechanism by which K+ activates pannexin 1 is probably a secondary effect of K+ ions on the channel. Nielsen et al. further enhance our understanding of the pannexin 1 permeability profile using ion substitution experiments, which confirm previous reports suggesting that pannexin 1 channels are highly permeable to chloride anions at positive membrane potentials. The authors also provide evidence indicating that pannexin 1 is not water permeable. Finally, they demonstrate that pannexin 1 channels are permeable to lactate and glutamate, but not glucose, using C-radiolabelled molecules. Importantly, the pannexin 1 inhibitor carbenoxolone does not block the transport of lactate or glutamate, which reinforces the notion of separate mechanisms of action for the blockade of ionic currents and molecule transport. The results presented by Nielsen et al. suggest that molecules and atomic ions can permeate using different mechanisms in pannexin channels, similar to that reported for connexins. Distinctive inhibition of ethidium uptake and ionic permeation by pannexin channel blockers warn us about the methodologies used to evaluate activity of these channels. The concept that an intrinsic wide pore confers a free diffusion pathway for ions and molecules is changing towards a more complex and fascinating scenario. Interestingly, high-resolution structures of large-pore channels (connexin, innexin, LRCC8) show striking pore similarities (Deneka et al. 2018) which, at face value, would suggest that ions and molecules use the same permeation pathways. It is time for biophysicists and physiologists to tackle the following questions: (1) what are the molecular mechanisms underlying the uncoupling between atomic ion and molecule permeation, and (2) are there physiological consequences for cellular or organ function for this activationdependent, selective permeability?


Recently,the complexity of college and university environments in Japan has been on the rise. In particular,the issue of how to support students who do not seek help from student counseling services,despite experiencing difficulties,has become a major concern for student affairs departments. This paper reviews contemporary knowledge about college students seeking help from student counseling services and offers suggestions for improving this knowledge and practice. A college student counseling model is proposed that integrates the process of help-seeking behavior with the theory of planned behavior and perspectives of school psychology for the purpose of linking research with practice. Further directions for research and practice in college student counseling are discussed from the perspective of help-seeking.