We present a complementary study of the space charge layer formation and band bending determination of caesium adsorption on InSb(110), by means of photoemission and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. At extremely low Cs coverage (below 0.01 monolayer), the Fermi level gets pinned into the InSb conduction band and an accumulation layer is formed. The quasi-two-dimensional (2D) behaviour of the accumulated carriers is experimentally deduced from the dispersion of the free-carrier plasmon. Eventually, further Cs deposition causes a reversed Fermi level pinning, with the formation of a depletion layer at saturation coverage.


We explore the relevance of adopting a bistochastic nonparametric estimator. This estimator has two main implications. First, the estimator reduces variability according to the robust criterion of second-order stochastic (and Lorenz) dominance. This is a universally criterion in risk and welfare economics, which expands the applicability of nonparametric estimation in economics, for instance to the measurement of economic discrimination. Second, the bistochastic estimator produces smaller errors than do positive-weights nonparametric estimators, in terms of the bias-variance trade-off. This result is verified in a general simulation exercise. This improvement is due to a significant reduction in boundary bias, which makes the estimator itself useful in empirical applications. Finally, consistency, preservation of the mean value, and multidimensional extension are some other useful properties of this estimator.


The practice of name giving differs from language to language. A
name can be given to a person, place or thing. Therefore, there are
person names, place names, thing names. The fact, however, a person
may be named after a place or even an animal name. The phenomenon
discussed in this article shows another practice of name giving not to a
person, place or thing, but to a car. That is a car is named after its owner.
It is the implication beyond the name giving that this article intends to
uncover.


We prove Feynman-Kac formulas for solutions to elliptic and parabolic boundary value and obstacle problems associated with a general Markov diffusion process. Our diffusion model covers several popular stochastic volatility models, such as the Heston model, the CEV model and the SABR model, which are widely used as asset pricing models in mathematical finance. The generator of this Markov process with killing is a second-order, degenerate, elliptic partial differential operator, where the degeneracy in the operator symbol is proportional to the $2\alpha$-power of the distance to the boundary of the half-plane, with $\alpha\in(0,1]$. Our stochastic representation formulas provide the unique solutions to the elliptic boundary value and obstacle problems, when we seek solutions which are suitably smooth up to the boundary portion $\Gamma_{0}$ contained in the boundary of the upper half-plane. In the case when the full Dirichlet condition is given, our stochastic representation formulas provide the unique solutions which are not guaranteed to be any more than continuous up to the boundary portion $\Gamma_{0}$.


Among the current biomaterial applications, the use of biopolymers as cell scaffolds could aid the development of stem cell-based therapies aimed at replacing tissue loss due to injuries or diseases, such as during myocardial infarction. Embryonic stem cells (ESC) provide a great therapeutic potential for cardiac tissue. In this study, the interaction of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) with poly L-co-D, L lactic acidco-trimethylene carbonate (PLDLA-co-TMC) was assessed. The characterization of this material was made by means of SEM, DSC, TGA, GPC, Tensile Test, Viability Assay, and stem cells behavior by qPCR and Immunofluorescence techniques. From the obtained results, we conclude that the TMC elements added to PLDLA influenced the material proprieties, providing greater flexibility to the biopolymer and showed weight loss throughout the hydrolytic degradation process. mEScell growth and differentiation on PLDLA-co-TMC membrane, demonstrated the cyto compatibility of this polymer, and provided evidence of minimal to no toxicity on the cells, allowing adhesion and cell proliferation, as well as differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Overall, these results present the polymer as a potential scaffold to be exploited in cardiac tissue regeneration.


An exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing bacterium TD18, isolated from the culture broth of green alga Scenedesmus obliquus, was identified as Gordonia terrae based on the 100% identity of 16S rRNA sequences and designated Gordonia terrae TD18. The results of compositional and structural analyses and physiochemical tests show that (1) the exopolysaccharide produced by G. terrae TD18 (TD18-EPS) is an acidic hetero-polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 23 kDa, consisting of glucose, mannose, galactose and glucuronic acid, and (2) TD18-EPS is of high thermal stability with a degradation temperature of 308 °C, the solution of which is non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluid exhibiting good emulsifying properties over a wide range of temperatures, pH and NaCl concentrations. Hence, Gordonia terrae TD18 is the first alga-symbiotic Gordonia strain identified thus far, while TD18-EPS is unique in terms of composition and structure, different from the known Gordonia EPS, with excellent physiochemical properties and thus has potential applications in industry.


DNA data has been widely used in animal phylogenetic studies over the past 15 years. Here we review how these studies have used advances in knowledge of molecular evolutionary processes to create more realistic models of evolution, evaluate the information content of data, test phylogenetic hypotheses, attach time to phylogenies, and understand the relative usefulness of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. We also provide a new compilation of conserved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for mitochondrial genes that complements our earlier compilation.


Summary 1. Three hypotheses have been proposed to account for the maintenance of aggregation behaviour in caterpillars. While the benefits of aggregation for defence and for the elevation of growth rates have been investigated in some species, both of these hypotheses have been criticized, and in many cases the alternative hypothesis regarding the benefits of physiological regulation has not been investigated. 2. In this paper the field thermal biology and water relations of solitary caterpillars (instars IV‐V) and aggregations of caterpillars (instars I‐III) are examined in Imbrasia belina (Westwood) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), a species where an instar-related change in aggregation behaviour is obligatory (instars I‐III always aggregate, instars IV‐V are always solitary), and where the benefits of defence and of overwhelming inducible host plant defences are unlikely to be significant. 3. Aggregations of instars II‐III maintain body temperatures equivalent to those of larger solitary individuals of instars IV and V, but significantly higher than those of operative models of single caterpillars of instars II‐III. In addition, behavioural thermoregulation is not used to elevate body temperatures, although hanging behaviour takes place when upper lethal temperature limits are approached. Nonetheless, solar radiation has a marked influence on the temperature of aggregations because of the accumulation of higher heat loads by the larger masses of large aggregations. 4. Instars IV‐V can survive higher temperatures than instars I‐III, and this may be because of their accumulation of very high heat loads in the field. Instars I and III can avoid these high heat loads by partial dispersal from the aggregation. In contrast, instars I‐III have significantly lower critical thermal minima than the later instars, which may allow larvae to regain aggregations if they are separated from them. 5. Water loss rates of real aggregations, of a given size, within a particular instar are lower than the sum of the rates of the same number of individual caterpillars of the same instar. In addition, survival of water loss tends to be higher in individuals from aggregations than in single individuals. 6. Using this evidence in conjunction with studies that demonstrate significant predation in all instars, aggregation in the early instars irrespective of whether outbreaks take place or not, and the absence of inducible defences in the major host (Colophospermum mopane) of I. belina, it is concluded that physiological regulation, of temperature and water balance, is the most likely explanation for the maintenance of aggregation behaviour in this species.


Summary We investigated (a) whether authoritarianism leads to religiosity or religiosity leads to authoritarianism, and (b) the relationship among Israelis between degree of religiosity and authoritarianism. The sample consisted of 176 Israeli high school and 125 college students. Four groups were isolated: religious sons of religious parents, religious sons of nonreligious parents, nonreligious sons of religious parents, nonreligious sons of nonreligious parents. The findings showed that the religious son of a religious family was more authoritarian than a nonreligious son of a religious family but not significantly more authoritarian than the religious son of a nonreligious family. These findings are interpreted as supporting the position that authoritarian individuals are attracted to an orthodox doctrine. The findings also disclosed for the Israel sample a high association between religiosity and authoritarianism.


The conversion of the frequency modulated pulse induced from frequency modulation (FM) to amplitude modulation (AM) by the polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is theoretically and experimentally investigated. When there is no polarizer at the output end of a fiber system, the amplitude modulation depth is stable by 8%. Random amplitude modulation is observed when a polarizer is placed at the output end of the fiber system. The observed minimum and maximum modulation depths in our experiment are 5% and 80%, respectively. Simulation results show that the amplitude modulation is stable by 4% induced mainly by group velocity dispersion (GVD) when there is no polarizer, and the amplitude modulation depth displays the random variation character induced by the GVD and PMD. Lastly, a new fiber system scheme is proposed and little amplitude modulation is observed at the top of the output pulse.


Today, Ukraine and the world face important issues related to solving the problems of the energy sector, including electricity. In networks of different voltages of power systems the level of short-circuit currents is constantly growing, while the requirements for electrical devices, live parts, power transformers and switchgear designs are becoming more stringent. There is a problem of optimal coordination in the dynamics of electrical equipment parameters and power system requirements or coordination of electrical equipment parameters with existing short-circuits current levels. The growth of short-circuit currents in electrical networks of all voltage classes makes it important to develop new effective methods and devices designed to reduce them. The article considers the issues of comparing the current of single-phase and three-phase short-circuit, average regional power system, the integrated parameters of electrical networks of such a system. Limitations of currents of single-phase short-circuits are analyzed in detail in problem nodes where autotransformers are installed. The conducted researches allowed to recommend the improved methods of calculations of electric devices and current-carrying parts on electrodynamic and thermal stability at short-circuit, including at single-phase. Recommendations for creating a mathematical model for calculating a nonlinear system in the presence of flexible conductors are given, because most of the damage (in the form of short-circuit) on high-voltage overhead power lines and switchgear is accompanied by an electric arc with parameters that change over time. In addition, significant short-circuit currents cause mechanical displacements of flexible wires in space, which leads to changes in the phase distances and inductive resistances of overhead lines of forward and reverse sequences. All these listed factors have a mutual influence during s.c. In addition, when operating electrical installations, an important factor is the switching life of switches, which affects the reliability of the installation and its technical and economic performance. The criterion for decommissioning the circuit breaker may be the residual life of the circuit breaker at the level of one tripping of the full tripping current of the circuit breaker. The analysis showed that it is necessary ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ СЕРІЯ "НОВІ РІШЕННЯ В СУЧАСНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЯХ" ISSN 2079-5459 (print) ISSN 2413-4295 (online) 54 ВІСНИК НТУ "ХПІ" No 4 (6) © І. В. ПАНТЄЛЄЄВА, А. В. ГЛУШКО, 2020 to take into account when calculating the short-circuit currents additional thermal action of various energy sources and the power system as a whole, synchronous generators and compensators, synchronous and asynchronous motors.


Study Design. Multivariate analysis of prospectively collected registry data. Objective. Using multivariate analysis to determine significant risk factors for medical complication after lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Several studies have examined the occurrence of medical complication after spine surgery. However, many of these studies have been done utilizing large national databases. Although these allow for analysis of thousands of patients, potentially influential covariates are not accounted for in these retrospective studies. Furthermore, the accuracy of these retrospective data collection in these databases has been called into question. Methods. The Spine End Results Registry (2003–2004) is a collection of prospectively collected data on all patients who underwent spine surgery at our two institutions. Extensive demographic and medical information were prospectively recorded as described previously by Mirza et al. Complications were defined in detail a priori and were prospectively recorded for at least 2 years after surgery. We analyzed risk factors for medical complication after lumbar spine surgery using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results. We analyzed data from 767 patients who met out inclusion criteria. The cumulative incidences of complication after lumbar spine surgery per organ system are as follows: cardiac, 13%; pulmonary, 7%; gastrointestinal, 6.7%; neurological, 8.2%; hematological, 17.5%; and urologic complications, 10.3%. The occurrence of cardiac or respiratory complication after lumbar spine surgery was significantly associated with death within 2 years (relative risk: 6.09 and 10.9, respectively). Several significant risk factors were identified for organ-specific complications. Among these, surgical invasiveness appeared to be the largest risk factor for cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and hematological complications. Conclusion. Risk factors identified in this study can be beneficial to clinicians and patients alike when considering surgical treatment of the lumbar spine. Future analyses and models that predict the occurrence of medical complication after lumbar spine surgery may be of further benefit for surgical decision making.


Proximal median mononeuropathies, unrelated to direct trauma or external compression, are unusual in neurophysiological practice; several syndromes have been more commonly described including the anterior interosseus syndrome, the pronator teres syndrome, and entrapments at the lacertus fibrosus or at the ligament of Struthers.1

We report the case of a 29 year old woman with an upper median mononeuropathy at an unusual lesional site. She started a new job consisting of repeatedly lifting heavy crates full of apples from the ground, carrying them for a while, and then putting them on a shelf. Fifteen days later, at the end of a working day, she began to complain of right hand weakness with numbness and tingling limited to the first, second, and third fingers; 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms neurological examination showed marked weakness of thumb abduction and opposition, forearm pronation, and flexion of the wrist and of the distal phalanges of the thumb and index finger; she had paraesthesias on the palmar side of the right thumb, index, and middle fingers without spontaneous pain, which could otherwise be strongly evoked by deep palpation of the median nerve trunk at the lower third of the right upper arm. The patient denied any kind of trauma or prolonged direct compression on that limb.

Electromyography showed fibrillation potentials and neurogenic motor units recruitment in all forearm right median innervated muscles, including the pronator teres; in thenar median innervated muscles abundant fasciculations and severely reduced recruitment patterns were the major findings, with …


. Three different topics regarding the ISM in the Magellanic Clouds are discussed. First, we examine how the Magellanic Stream can be used as a tracer of the ionizing radiation leaking out of Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. We show that the radiation reaching the Magellanic Stream is less than 1% of the ionizing radiation produced by Galactic 0 and B stars. Since about 14% of the ionizing radiation from these stars is required to ionize the Reynolds layer, which is within 1 kpc of the disk, most of this radiation must be absorbed before reaching the Stream. Second, we examine the reliability of using CO as a tracer of H 2 in regions of low or modest column densities (not giant molecular cloud complexes). For our Galaxy, the usual CO to H 2 conversion factor over-looks a considerable amount of H 2 and the evidence suggests that this may be true in the LMC as well. Finally, we present numerical hydrodynamical calculations of the interstellar medium in disk galaxies for a region of size 2 kpc along the plane and 15 kpc out of the plane. The simulations reveal a rich structure of low density hot regions separated by cold dense material, with the resulting position velocity diagrams being qualitatively similar to the recent HI studies of the LMC. A number of other aspects of these simulations are discussed also.


Background: The latest epidemiological research of adolescents asthma in Novosibirsk was carried out in 2002 due to Three Phase ISAAC.Then such studies in our city were not met. Aim: To study trends of asthma in children aged 13-14 in Novosibirsk. Methods: To estimate trends of asthma in adolescents during the period from 2002 to 2012 yrs it was examined 3025 children aged 13-14 yrs in 2012 by standardized questionnaire ISAAC. Among them were49,9% boys. These data were compared with those obtained in 2002. Results: This study was showed that the number of adolescents reported to have had asthma increased by 0,12% per year (from 3,8% to 6,6%, p 0,05). Severe wheeze limiting speech were also recorded a little less often – from 1,7% in 2002 to 1,2% in 2012 (p > 0,05). Conclusions: The study showed that significantly has improved diagnosis of asthma in adolescents in Novosibirsk. However, for other asthma symptoms positive trends are observed. Has remained stable percentage of children 13-14 years with persistent asthma and with severe asthma.


A technique is described for the long-term shell-less culture of turkey embryos. Cultured embryos demonstrated a similar rate of growth through 17 days of total incubation (4 days in ovo plus 13 days in culture) compared to embryos incubated in ovo. Thereafter, the cultured embryos grew at a reduced rate compared to their in ovo counterparts. Cultured embryos also exhibited elevated hematocrit values but reduced serum protein levels compared to the embryos incubated in ovo. Serum zinc, copper, and iron concentrations were similar for both groups of embryos, although each element reached a maximum concentration at a different point during incubation. Embryos incubated in ovo demonstrated a sustained elevation of serum calcium concentration from day 16 of incubation that was absent in the cultured embryos. The significance of eggshell calcium stores to embryo growth is discussed. Shell-less avian embryo culture represents a potentially useful technique for the study of trace element metabolism during avian embryonic growth and development.


Discipline sheets and curricula refers to competencies that are obtained from studying a discipline, but behind these there are different types of human intelligence that should be developed. The question should be why not to go to the root, so that in the discipline sheet and curricula, we should refer to intelligence that students and teachers need to develop during the education process and particularly in e-Learning. This paper presents the different theories of human intelligences and the new trend of the last type of intelligence called in Romania - Quantum intelligence and in USA - Spiritual Intelligence. The approach is that one of blended learning. Recently, in the United States we can find even ph d theses about this new type of intelligence. By developing Spiritual intelligence/ Quantum Intelligence for the graduates of higher education, it is provided a new quality of educational process and better adaptability for a graduate within the external environment, in particular, adaptability in the labor market, such as: the labor market in the EU, in the U.S.A or in Orient- Russia, China etc. For example, by developing spiritual intelligence of a negotiator, it can be designed new indicators which can improve the new quality assurance of the negotiation process, but in direct connection with the specificities of new quantum intelligence for a negotiator. The case study is specific to blended learning and presents redesigning by adaptation of a discipline, in this case, Negotiation, using Moodle, an online platform to highlight the role and importance of new spiritual intelligence in e-Learning.


This letter proposes an HMM-based Text-to-Speech (TTS) system using waveform interpolation (WI)-based speech analysis and synthesis. The synthesized speech quality of the proposed system is significantly improved due to adopting an enhanced excitation modeling technique. The decomposition of characteristic waveform (CW) into slowly evolving waveform (SEW) and rapidly evolving waveform (REW) is efficient not only for excitation modeling but also for training process of HMMs. Objective and subjective test results verify the superiority of the proposed approach to conventional ones.


ABSTRACT Fifty-four children aged between 3 and 6 were asked questions such as 'Which box is Xer than it is Z?,' where Xer was taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner and Z was tall or fat, in the context of five rectangles of varying dimensions. For most questions, the largest rectangle was chosen most often as an answer, regardless of the adjectives used. The older children often chose the Xest rectangle in the array, indicating interpretation of only the first clause of the question. After providing feedback on incorrect answers for the five-year-old children, a post-test showed a decrease in frequency of choices of the largest rectangle, no change in frequency of choices of the Xest rectangle, and, for some questions, an increase in the frequency of choices of the correct rectangle. The results are interpreted to mean that the linguistic strategy of attending to the first clause is more resistant to change than the more primitive non-linguistic preference for choosing the largest object without interpreting the sentence.


Copolymers obtained from radical copolymerization of α-methylstyrene (AMS) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) behave as macroinitiators, when heated in the presence of a second monomer, giving rise to block copolymers. The relevant degradation and initiation polymerization mechanism of the macroinitiators were studied. Thermal depropagation of the macroinitiators generated monomers, identified by 1H-NMR, photoionization mass spectroscopy and FT-IR. According to the results of structure analysis by GPC, ESR and NMR spectroscopy, the AMS-GMA (head-head) and AMS-AMS (head-head) bonds in the macroinitiators are easily scissored providing free radicals when the temperature is above 80°C. The radicals lead to subsequent polymerization of the second monomer, and thereby block copolymers are formed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


The study presented the situation of families displaced by armed conflicts in Midsayap, North Cotabato and determined the factors that contribute to the length of work of the child laborer. Majority of the child laborers are males. Most of these children experienced 1 to 2 conflicts. RIDO was the primary reason of the displacement. During conflicts, families are often resettled at Barangay Nes, Midsayap, North Cotabato. Displacement reduced income of the affected families and contributed to the supply of child labor. Children in the labor force complained of heavy physical work. Since very few wear protective devices, many of these children are exposed to extreme heat, minor cuts and slight wounds. Worst, none of them received medical services. Age, number of years in formal schooling, and, childhood experience as child laborer of the mother were the factors that affected the supply of child labor.


In the neoclassical model of the firm, value surplus of the firm is assumed to accrue to its owner. Contract model suggests a distribution of the surplus among various agents depending on the imperfections of the markets in which they transact with the firm. If the share of the surplus to an agent declines with the perfection of the market in which he transacts, shareholders should be expected to get only a small piece of the pie, violating the neoclassical assumption. The paper explores an extensive value concept and its measurement for firms. It also examines the implications of extensive value for what we do and do not know about the consequences of corporate mergers and acquisitions.


Background: The self-efficacy of individuals is influenced by experiences in the community, the workplace, and in broader civil society, all of which exert a collective influence on attitudes and behaviors. The low-income population is more likely to suffer from many chronic health problems and trauma. This study was done to assess the prevalence of chronic diseases and workplace physical trauma among low-income workers in Karachi, Pakistan . Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan. Trained interviewers used a structured questionnaire to interview 707 workers and collected information on socio-demographic characteristics, chronic health problems and physical trauma among them. The data were analysed using SPSS version 18. Results: Majority (72%) of the participants were aged between 15 and 35 years. More than one-third (35.1%) were educated up to secondary level only. Half of the participants (50.8%) had a household comprising 6-10 people, while 34.8% of the respondents were the only breadwinners in their family. Two fifths (39.5%) reported a household income between Rs11000 and Rs 20000 per month. A significant number (21%) of workers reported being diagnosed with a chronic disease including Diabetes Mellitus, Asthma, Hepatitis, Arthritis, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, Hypothyroidism, Epilepsy, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, whereas three fourths (75%) reported physical trauma history at their work place during the past year, while majority (95.2%) of them looked apparently healthy . Conclusions: These chronic health conditions not only affect their productivity but play a vicious role in poverty and poor health cycle. The findings of the present study cannot be generalized due to the limited sample. Still, the study supports the notion that factors such as low socioeconomic status may lead to the poor management of physical trauma and course of chronic diseases. Future research should direct attention toward workers' health and working conditions to improve the effectiveness of the interventions to reduce the disparities in provision of health services for the low-income workers.


Early morphological and biochemical alterations in proliferatively stimulated liver tissue obtained from 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine-treated rats were compared to those occurring in the liver remnant of 70% hepatectomized animals, and to controls. Subjecting photographic enlargements of histological slides prepared from these liver tissues to computer-assisted analyses, hepatocyte nuclear and nucleolar volumes were shown to be virtually identical in control and hormone-treated preparations through the first 24 hours after treatment, but significantly different from tissues obtained from partially hepatectomized animals, In vitro estimations of hepatic nuclear RNA polymerase activities early after treatment were also shown to be similar when comparing the hormone- and the saline-treated rats. Estimated by either 3H-orotic acid or 3H-leucine incorporation, the early accumulation of hepatic RNA and liver and serum proteins, significantly enhanced by 70% hepatectomy, were found similar in triiodothyronine-injected and control animals at least through the first 6 h after treatment; hormone administration appeared to cause slight enhancements in these parameters at later prereplicative times. While pharmacological doses (200 micrograms/100g) of the thyroid hormone induce a strong proliferative response in rat liver tissue, only minor prereplicative alterations appear to be elicited in the hepatocytes. This hepatic model offers an important potential tool to investigations aimed at understanding proliferative controls in mammalian liver cells.


The antipyretic activity of alpha-methyl--4-(2-thienylcarbonyl)benzeneacetic acid (suprofen) was studied in rats with comparable hyperthermia after s.c. injection of brewer's yeast. The lowest dose effectively reducing fever is 5 mg/kg and restoration of normal body temperature is obtained with 40 mg/kg. Hypothermia is not observed even after treatment with 160 mg/kg. The ED50 (with confidence limits), which reduces fever below 39 degrees C in 50% of the animals, at the time of peak hyperthermia is 10.0 (6.6--15.2) mg/kg. ED50's of simultaneously studied reference compounds are 5.7 (3.9--8.3) mg/kg for indometacin, 38 (24--61) mg/kg for tolmetin, 76 (47--121) mg/kg for phenylburazone and 113 (75--170) mg/kg for acetyl-salicylic acid. Two to four times higher doses of these compounds restore normal body temperature but further increase of the dose induces hypothermia, which is particularly pronounced for acetyl-salicylic acid and phenylbutazone. Suprofen is a potent antipyretic agent, devoid of hypothermic activity even at 32 times the lowest effective dose.


Due to numerous public information sources and services, many methods to combine heterogeneous data were proposed recently. However, general end-to-end solutions are still rare, especially systems taking into account different context dimensions. Therefore, the techniques often prove insufficient or are limited to a certain domain. In this paper we briefly review and rigorously evaluate a general framework for data matching and merging. The framework employs collective entity resolution and redundancy elimination using three dimensions of context types. In order to achieve domain independent results, data is enriched with semantics and trust. However, the main contribution of the paper is evaluation on five public domain-incompatible datasets. Furthermore, we introduce additional attribute, relationship, semantic and trust metrics, which allow complete framework management. Besides overall results improvement within the framework, metrics could be of independent interest.


Shape memory polymers commonly experience both finite deformations and arbitrary thermomechanical loading conditions in engineering applications. This motivates the development of 3D constitutive models within the finite deformation regime. In the present work, based on the principles of continuum thermodynamics with internal variables, a 3D finite deformation phenomenological constitutive model is proposed. In the constitutive model derivation, a multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into elastic and inelastic stored parts (in each phase) is adopted. Moreover, employing the mixture rule, the Green-Lagrange strain tensor is related to the rubbery and glassy parts. In the constitutive model, the evolution laws for internal variables are derived during both cooling and heating thermomechanical loadings. Further, we present the time-discrete form of the proposed constitutive model in the implicit form. Using the finite element method, we solve several boundary value problems i.e., shape memory effect in stents and 3D beams made of shape memory polymers and investigate the model capabilities as well as its numerical counterpart.


The modeling of casting processes has remained a topic of active interest for several decades, and the availability of numerous software packages on the market is a good indication of the interest that the casting industry has in this field. Most of the data used in these software packages are directly read or estimated from the binary or multi-component phase diagrams. Unfortunately, except for binary diagrams, many of ternary or higher order phase diagrams are still not accurate enough. Having in mind that most of the aluminum binary systems are very well established, it has been tried to transfer multi-component system into one well known Al-Xi pseudo binary system (in this case the Al-Si phase diagram was chosen as a reference system). The new Silicon Equivalency (SiEQ) algorithm expresses the amounts of major and minor alloying elements in the aluminum melts through an "equivalent" amount of silicon. Such a system could be used to calculate several thermo-physical and solidification characteristics of multi component as cast aluminum alloys. This provides to the model the capacity to predict the solidification characteristics of cast parts, where cooling rates are slow and the solidification process has to be known in great detail in order to avoid quality problems in the casting. This work demonstrates how the SiEQ algorithm can be used to calculate the characteristic solidification temperatures of the multicomponent Al-Si alloys as well as their latent heats and growth restriction factor. Statistical analysis of the results obtained for a wide range of alloy chemical compositions shows a very good correlation with the experimental data and the SiEQ calculations. The same mathematical approach might be applied for other metallic systems such as iron and magnesium, using carbon equivalency for ferrous systems and aluminum equivalency for magnesium multi-component alloys.


Of the 300 billion capillaries in the human lung, a small fraction meet normal oxygen requirements at rest, with the remainder forming a large reserve. The maximum oxygen demands of the acute stress response require that the reserve capillaries are rapidly recruited. To remain primed for emergencies, the normal cardiac output must be parceled throughout the capillary bed to maintain low opening pressures. The flow-distributing system requires complex switching. Because the pulmonary microcirculation contains contractile machinery, one hypothesis posits an active switching system. The opposing hypothesis is based on passive switching that requires no regulation. Both hypotheses were tested ex vivo in canine lung lobes. The lobes were perfused first with autologous blood, and capillary switching patterns were recorded by videomicroscopy. Next, the vasculature of the lobes was saline flushed, fixed by glutaraldehyde perfusion, flushed again, and then reperfused with the original, unfixed blood. Flow patterns through the same capillaries were recorded again. The 16-min-long videos were divided into 4-s increments. Each capillary segment was recorded as being perfused if at least one red blood cell crossed the entire segment. Otherwise it was recorded as unperfused. These binary measurements were made manually for each segment during every 4 s throughout the 16-min recordings of the fresh and fixed capillaries (>60,000 measurements). Unexpectedly, the switching patterns did not change after fixation. We conclude that the pulmonary capillaries can remain primed for emergencies without requiring regulation: no detectors, no feedback loops, and no effectors-a rare system in biology. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The fluctuating flow patterns of red blood cells within the pulmonary capillary networks have been assumed to be actively controlled within the pulmonary microcirculation. Here we show that the capillary flow switching patterns in the same network are the same whether the lungs are fresh or fixed. This unexpected observation can be successfully explained by a new model of pulmonary capillary flow based on chaos theory and fractal mathematics.


Background: Smoking and nicotine are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, so it is expected that they are associated with vascular changes in the organism, including the choroidal vasculature. Purpose: To evaluate the effects of nicotine on choroidal thickness in healthy patients by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Methods: Case-control study that measured choroidal thickness in healthy subjects after chewing a 4 mg nicotine gum compared to a control group that received nicotine-free chewing gum. For descriptive statistics frequencies, means and standard deviation were used. For inferential statistics, one-way analysis of variance was used for intergroup comparisons. Results: Sixty-four eyes were included. When comparing choroidal thickness in the control group at baseline, 1 hour and 2 hours, no significant difference was observed (p = 0.29, p = 0.13, respectively). Additionally, when we performed the comparison of the group with nicotine, we did not observe a statistical significance between baseline, 1-hour and 2-hour choroidal thickness (p = 0.57, p = 1.43, respectively). Conclusion: In our study, we did not observe that nicotine chewing gum induced transient changes in choroidal thickness; these changes could be related to chronic nicotine use and the subsequent damage generated by it.


Theophylline retard "Oranienburg" has been applied in mild and intermediate forms of bronchial asthma as monotherapy (n = 40), and in severe forms of the disease in combination with other antiasthmatics (n = 21). With a dose of 560 mg twice daily the drug showed effective antiasthmatic activity which was especially evident from the possible reduction of corticosteroid requirement. The relative high rate of side effects from the drug can be lowered by stepwise increase and individual adjustment of the dose. In general, treatment should start with 2 tablets per day, given with 12 hours interval. To preserve the slow-release action, tablets should not be cut in half. In individual cases, determination of serum level of the drug may be required. The narrow therapeutic margin and the influence of numerous factors upon the clearance of theophylline require a thorough dosage and observation of the patients. Thus, the favourable properties of the preparation (lasting serum levels, improved compliance by patients) can be fully used.


This text reflects on an artistic practice based on repeated visits to chosen trees, performing for camera with them in the context of the project 'Meetings with Remarkable and Unremarkable Trees'. The individual daily practice of becoming a tree, based on a yoga exercise, together with a variety of trees, is complemented with a collective online performance, the 'Be-coming Tree' event. The daily practice brought to the fore the tension between a heightened perceptual awareness of the bodymind while balancing and the awareness of the tree and the broader environment. Noticing the tension between an inward and an outward focus, the text proposes that sustaining this very tension is relevant for developing an ecologically informed consciousness of our co-dependency with other life forms, such as trees.


In the Online World, especially in the social media platform most of us write without much regard to correct spelling and grammar. The spelling mistakes are much larger in proportion when it comes to Bangla language. In our paper, we presented a method for error detection and correction in Bangla words' spellings. Our system could detect a misspelled Bangla word and provide two following services- suggesting correct spellings for the word and correcting the word. We had used Norvig's Algorithm for the purpose but instead of using probabilities of the words to prepare the suggestions and corrections, we had used Jaro-Winkler distance. The previous works done in this field for Bangla language are either very slow or offers less accuracy. Our system successfully achieved a 97% accuracy when evaluated with 1000 Bangla words.


The Gerstenhaber and Schack cohomology comparison theorem asserts that there is a cochain equivalence between the Hochschild complex of a certain algebra and the usual singular cochain complex of a space. We show that this comparison theorem preserves the brace algebra structures. This result gives a structural reason for the recent results establishing fine topological structures on the Hochschild cohomology, and a simple way to derive them from the corresponding properties of cochain complexes.


The goal of this study is the preparation of safer coated microneedles so that tips remaining after the initial use are less likely to be reinserted on a second use. Twelve groups of uncoated microneedles (u-MNs) were prepared from the combination of three different aspect ratios (height to base width) and four kinds of polymer (polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), nylon and polylactic acid (PLA)). After coating the u-MNs with polyvinyl alcohol formulation to make coated MNs (c-MNs), the force displacement of the u-MNs and the c-MNs was measured. The aspect ratio was reduced from 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0 with u-MNs to 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 with c-MNs, respectively, after the coating formulation was applied to the MNs. All PLA MNs had a puncture performance of more than 95%. However, the puncture performance of u-MNs made of PE and of PP with a 3.0 aspect ratio was only 8% and 53%, respectively, whereas the rates of c-MNs made of PE and of PP were 82% and 95%, respectively. In animal experiments with PP MNs with a 3.0 aspect ratio, the 59% rate of puncture performance with u-MNs increased to above 96% with c-MNs and fell to 13% for r-MNs. Safe c-MNs can overcome the disadvantages of standard c-MNs by reducing the probable contamination of remaining tips after use. Safe c-MNs have advantages over standard c-MNs in terms of humidity resistance, reasonable cost, sterilization process and short processing time through the separate process of u-MN preparation and simple dip-coating.


Exchanges in markets for technology (MfT) have grown rapidly in recent years. MfT involve transactions for the use, diffusion and creation of technology. In this article we conduct a systematic review of the emerging market for technology literature and examine one of its most important aspects, corporate technology licensing. Using thematic analysis, we systematically review 78 papers published in 29 journals over 30 years covering the academic disciplines of technology/knowledge management, strategic management, entrepreneurship, innovation management and industrial economics. Based on this analysis, we present an organizing framework for the most prominent determinants, causal connections and outcomes of technology licensing research to date, and identify a research agenda highlighting important avenues for future research in this domain


The 3-dimensional (3D) chip stacking technology is one of the leading technologies to realize a high density and high performance system in package (SIP). It could be found that it is the advanced process of through-hole via formation with the minimum damaged on the Si-wafer. Laser ablation is very effective method to penetrate through hole on the Si-wafer because it has the advantage that formed under 100㎛ diameter through-hole via without using a mask. In this paper, we studied the optimum method for a formation of through-hole via using femto-second laser heat sources. Furthermore, the processing parameters of the specimens were several conditions such as power of output, pulse repetition rate as well as irradiation method and time. And also the through-hole via form could be investigated and analyzed by microscope and analyzer.


This research aimed to obtain biocompatible and antimicrobial nanofibres based on concentrated collagen hydrolysate loaded with thyme or oregano essential oils as a natural alternative to synthesis products. The essential oils were successfully incorporated using electrospinning process into collagen resulting nanofibres with diameter from 471 nm to 580 nm and porous structure. The presence of essential oils in collagen nanofibre mats was confirmed by Attenuated Total Reflectance -Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS) and antimicrobial activity. Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analyses allowed evaluating the morphology and constituent elements of the nanofibre networks. Microbiological tests performed against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans showed that the presence of essential oils supplemented the new collagen nanofibres with antimicrobial properties. The biocompatibility of collagen and collagen with essential oils was assessed by in vitro cultivation with NCTC clone 929 of fibroblastic cells and cell viability measurement. The results showed that the collagen and thyme or oregano oil composites have no cytotoxicity up to concentrations of 1000 μg·mL−1 and 500 μg mL−1, respectively. Optimization of electrospinning parameters has led to the obtaining of new collagen electrospun nanofibre mats loaded with essential oils with potential use for wound dressings, tissue engineering or protective clothing.


INTRODUCTION
Airway management during anaesthesia has potential difficulties and risks. We aimed to investigate the utility of routine airway assessment for predicting difficult tracheal intubation, review the prevailing practice of videolaryngoscope use amongst anaesthetists in a teaching hospital and determine the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative airway-related complications.

METHODS
A prospective observational study of 1,654 patients undergoing general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation over a seven-month period was performed. Data regarding airway and anaesthetic management was collected and analysed.

RESULTS
Videolaryngoscopes were used as the first-choice equipment in 60.5% of the cohort. The incidence of difficult intubation was 2.1%, of which 45.7% of cases were unanticipated. The sensitivity of airway assessment was 54.3%, with a positive predictive value of 8.1%. When difficult intubation was anticipated, more videolaryngoscopes were used as the first equipment of choice compared to the Macintosh laryngoscope (p < 0.001). In the Macintosh group, more patients required a change of airway equipment (p = 0.015), but the number of intubation attempts was similar (p = 0.293). The incidence of intraoperative (p = 0.920) and postoperative complications (p = 0.380) were similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION
Using the current predictors of difficult intubation, half of the difficult airways we encountered were unanticipated. Videolaryngoscopes were preferred when difficulty was anticipated and were also used in routine tracheal intubation.


textabstractThis paper presents two different models and algorithms for integrated vehicle and crew scheduling in the multiple-depot case. The algorithms are both based on a combination of column generation and Lagrangian relaxation. Furthermore, we compare those integrated approaches with each other and with the traditional sequential one on random generated as well as real-world data instances for a suburban/extra-urban mass transit system. To simulate such a transit system, we propose a new way of generating randomly data instances such that their properties are the same as for our real-world instances.


In this study, the effect of control rods on TRR safety parameters was investigated in both cases of static and transient behavior. In this paper, the effect of the control rods movements (70%) on the power peaking was used in the form of the normalized function instead of the COS function in the TERMIC cod. The results of the new function were investigated on thermo-hydraulic parameters in the steady-state and transient conditions. In the steady-state with 5 MW thermal power, the results showed that the safety margin in new condition (70% insertion) decreased respect to the state that all control rods where out. Also, in the transient section, the axial function of the power distribution was applied in the input of the PARET cod. The direct influence of control rods on the power peaking was the production of nucleate boiling earlier than the COS shape function. This effect, reduced the power and temperatures due to the void coefficient feedback. In the last section, the effect of the control rods insertion on the reactivity feedback coefficient was considered in the transient scenario. Increment of the reactivity feedback coefficient due to control rods insertion along with the direct effect of control rods caused a significant decrease in all thermo-hydraulic safety parameters.


This work describes the design and application of a single-pot, reductive arene C-H silanolization of aromatic esters for synthesis of ortho-formyl arylsilanols. This strategy involves a sequence of two transition metal (Ir and Rh)-catalyzed reactions for reductive arene ortho-silylation directed by hydridosilyl acetals and hydrolysis.


The present research featured the trends of private trade in the Irkutsk province. The study was based on historical documents from the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region. The paper focuses on 1924–1926 as the period of active trade development. The authors analyzed the problems of private trade functioning and their impact on the socio-economic situation in the region. The article describes the market activity and product range, the role and importance of entrepreneurship in commodity deficit relief and re-establishing of market relations. The research revealed a rapid development of private trade at the initial stage and a further reduction of this segment of economy as a result of the policy aimed at expanding the public sector. Subsequently, small private business moved into rural areas, and the retail network reduced. The authors believe that the development of private trade in this period was contradictory and unstable. In the Irkutsk province, there was a significant gap between prices and incomes, as well as between the cost of industrial and agricultural goods. As a result, the state trade activities were inefficient, and the private entrepreneurship needed support. However, the centralization of economic policy and the rigidity of management positions did not allow these trends to develop, which negatively affected the economy of the region as a whole.


The Saqaliba—a term that in medieval Arabic literature denoted the Slavic populations of central and eastern Europe (and possibly some of their neighbors)—offer a particularly insightful case study of the mechanisms of the early Islamic slave trade and the nature of the Muslim demand for slaves. What makes them such an ideal case study is their high visibility in texts produced in the Islamic world between the early 9th and early 11th centuries. Arab geographers and diplomats investigated their origins, while archaeological material, primarily hundreds of thousands of dirhams found in Scandinavia and the Slavic lands, contains traces of the trade in them. By combining these strands of evidence, we can build an exceptionally detailed image of slave trade systems that supplied Saqaliba to the Islamic markets, which, in turn, can be used to illustrate more general mechanisms governing the trade in and demand for slaves in the medieval Islamic world.


We investigated the encapsulation of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in carbon nanotube (CNT) using molecular dynamics simulation. siRNAs can be used to silence specific genes effectively if they remain intact while they are delivered to their target cells. Along with the various drug delivery systems designed for this purpose, CNTs are a promising one. Based on their shape, siRNA can encapsulate inside CNTs and protect them from degradation. However, several factors can affect siRNA encapsulation inside CNTs including temperature and CNT diameter. Herein, we conducted a simulation study to evaluate the impact of these factors in the placement of siRNA. Our results can be considered in designing further experimental siRNA delivery systems using carbon nanotubes.


In order to assess the relationships of air pollution to ventilatory function and to the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, a French national survey was conducted from 1974 to 1976 in 28 areas located in 7 cities (Bordeaux, Lille, Lyons, Mantes, Marseilles, Rouen, Toulouse) and a newly industrialized region (Fos-Berre). The following pollutants were measured : SO2 (specific and acidimetric methods), suspended particulates (gravimetric method and smoke), NO2 and NO. Subjects were men and women, not manual workers, aged 25-59, and children aged 6-10. Ventilatory function was measured with a dry expirograph (Vitalograph) and respiratory symptoms were obtained from a standardized questionnaire. There were large variations between areas in the measured pollution concentrations. The extreme values were, for SO2 (specific) 22 and 85 microgram/m3, for SO2 (acidimetric) 13 and 127 microgram/m3, for suspended particles (gravimetric) 45 and 243 microgram/m3, for suspended particles (smoke) 21 and 152 microgram/m3, for NO2 12 and 61 microgram/m3 and for NO 7 and 140 microgram/m3. 19191 subjects were examined (7581 men, 9083 women, 1291 boys and 1236 girls). Besides the well known relationships of age and smoking to ventilatory function and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, less well established results appeared, in particular the importance of moderate work-related exposure. The influence of pollution will be the subject of the second part of this work.


It is well-known that nanomaterials are capable of entering living cells, often by utilizing the cells' endocytic mechanisms. Passive penetration of the lipid bilayer may, however, occur as an alternative process. Here we have focused on the passive transport of small nanoparticles across the plasma membranes of red blood cells, which are incapable of endocytosis. By using fluorescence microscopy, we have observed that zwitterionic quantum dots penetrate through the cell membranes so that they can be found inside the cells. The penetration-induced structural changes of the lipid bilayer were explored by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and electrochemistry studies of model membranes prepared on solid supports with lipid compositions identical to those of red blood cell membranes. A detailed analysis of the infrared spectra revealed a markedly enhanced flexibility of the lipid bilayers in the presence of nanoparticles. The electrochemistry data showed that the overall membrane structure remained intact; however, no persistent holes were formed in the bilayers.


Post-partum is the period during which the internal and external reproduction organs will gradually return to their pre-pregnancy state. Uterine involution or uterine contraction is a process in which the uterus returns to its pre-pregnancy state weighing about 60 grams. The process of uterine involution is influenced by uterine contractions which are stimulated by the oxytocin hormone, a process which can be facilitated by a combination of oxytocin and endorphin massage. With the release of endorphins, the mother will feel more comfortable and the oxytocin hormone can be stimulated, so that uterine contractions can work normally and increase the process of uterine involution. This study involves a literature review which aimed to summarize the results of studies which explain that the effect of oxytocin and endorphin massage to uterine involution in postpartum. The data was collected from Pubmed and Google Scholar databases with these keywords: combination of oxytocin and endorphine massage; uterine involution; and maternal postpartum. Only 3 journals had the required inclusion criteria. The results showed that the combination of oxytocin massage and endorphin massage was effective in reducing the height of uterine fun in post-partum mothers. The combination of oxytocin massage and endorphin massage can be developed for increasing uteri involution.


The study of many problems in quantum mechanics is based on finding the solution to the time-dependent Schrodinger equation which describes the dynamics of quantum-mechanical systems composed of a particle of mass m moving in a potential V. Based on the hydrodynamic interpretation of quantum mechanics by Bohm (1952), an unstructured grid approach, the quantum trajectory method (QTM) was developed by Lopreore and Wyatt (1999). Derivatives needed for updating the equations of motion are obtained using curve-fitting by a moving weighted least squares algorithm, and analytically differentiating the least squares curves. The calculations involve computationally-intensive parallel loops with nonuniform iterate execution times


This study involved giving the administration of Glucosamine hydrochloride to (Adult Male Rabbits) through the feeding tube .Was used in this experiment (21) Rabbit were distributed randomly into three groups . Group is control to each containing This study involved giving drug glucoseamine hydrochloride Secretary of the animals used in the experiment (rabbits adult males ) through the feeding tube as used in this experiment 21 animals were distributed randomly into 3 groups of 7 rabbits per group . Treated the first two sets glucoseamine hydrochloride doses of 70 and 9 mg / dl / day group first and second , respectively, for a period of 30 days, while the third group used Xatrh treated with saline Physiological was then assess the property on each of the antioxidants and the image of the fat and some liver enzymes in the blood , as well as liver tissue . The results showed that the significantly increased of the GPX morally P ≤ 0.05)) in the group G1 compared with C, either GSH significantly increased when the G2 compared to control , also showed MDA increased significantly for both groups compared with C, while showed peroxy nitrit have decreased significantly, with no significantly change in uric acid. The level of TG was significantly lower with C , while the cholesterol the same results when the G1 compared with C, either LDL-C and sessile density has increased significantly compared with C, HDL-C levels significantly elevated sera of G1 only, but in the G1 also , decreased the level of VLDL compared with C . The liver enzymes AST enzyme has shown a significant increase compared with C. with no significantly change in both ALT, ALP, total protein, albumin and Globulin any significant effect compared with the C group, also showed the results of the study tela affected liver tissue of the two groups , as results showed infiltration of the cells of the lymph cells Kuppffer cell around the central vein congested G1, with necrosis in a vein in the G2.


Recommendations on treatment of acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis of children, based mostly on retrospective analyses, comprise up to 6 weeks for antimicrobials and the possibility of switching to the oral route only when the clinical and biological situation are under control. Some prospective non comparative studies suggest a good efficacy of simplified regimen: treatment initiated intravenously but switched to oral administration within few days, using high dosage. However, this type of treatment should be considered only for oral drugs with good pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamic parameters as clindamycin of some first generation cephalosporins.


A reverse magnetic field usually exists for orienting electromagnets used to align particles in magnetic media. Disk disorientation caused by this reverse field, known as the "dorf effect", was found to be a strong function of coating rheology, actual process steps, and reverse field magnitude. Experiments were done on 8-inch and 14-inch rigid disks with coatings of different viscosity varying the most sensitive orientation process parameter, spin-off time. In addition, more controlled experiments were done using 1/2-inch-diameter hand-coated aluminum disks exposed in the gap of an electromagnet to an orienting field followed by varying magnitudes of disorienting fields. Finally, a modified orientation electromagnet with a reduced reverse field was constructed. Our conclusions are that reverse field magnitudes, required to produce significant disorientation are strong functions of coating viscosity, coating formulation, and spin-off times. A 100 Oe reverse field creates a disorienting problem only when using very short spin-off times for coatings of low viscosity, containing a significant portion of high boiling point solvents. Reverse fields larger than 200 Oe, resulting from either high orienting current or a particular electromagnet design, will cause serious disorientation for most magnetic coatings.


IEEE 802.11 based wireless mesh networks have recently attracted much attention as they provide a quick and inexpensive way to extend access to the existing wired networks. A significant problem of such networks is their limited capacity due to signal interference. A frequently proposed approach to increasing mesh network capacity is to equip each mesh node with multiple radios, which can work on multiple non-interfering channels simultaneously. In this paper, we characterize the relationship between the mesh network capacity and the number of non-interfering channels as well as the number of radios per node, assuming that each radio works on a statically assigned channel. Our main result is that, given k non-interfering channels and m radios on each node, the network capacity improvement is bound by O(min (k, m2/t)), where t is the average node degree per neighbor (i.e., the average number of common channels shared by a pair of neighboring nodes). The parameter t and the number of neighbors around each node determine the mesh network's average node degree, which affects the network connectivity. To validate our analysis, we use simulation results of two channel assignment algorithms and find that both can achieve a constant factor of the theoretical upper bound. Our work offers practical insights for designing and evaluating channel assignment algorithms and for deploying 802.11 wireless mesh networks.


Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), a chronic inflammation caused by the immune system attacking the pancreas, usually presents imaging and clinical features that overlap with those of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Serum biomarkers, substances that quantitatively change in sera during disease development, are a promising non-invasive tool with high utility for differentiating between these diseases. In this way, the presence of AIP is currently suspected when serum concentrations of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) antibody are elevated. However, this approach has some drawbacks. Notably, IgG4 antibody concentrations are also elevated in sera from some patients with PDAC. This review focuses on the most recent and relevant serum biomarkers proposed to differentiate between AIP and PDAC, evaluating the usefulness of immunoglobulins, autoantibodies, chemokines, and cytokines. The proposed serum biomarkers have proven useful, although most studies had a small sample size, did not examine their presence in patients with PDAC, or did not test them in humans. In addition, current evidence suggests that a single serum biomarker is unlikely to accurately differentiate these diseases and that a set of biomarkers will be needed to achieve adequate specificity and sensitivity, either alone or in combination with clinical data and/or radiological images.


Lake-wide zooplankton surveys are critical for documenting and understanding food web responses to ecosystem change. Surveys in 2003 and 2008 during the binational intensive field year in Lake Ontario found that offshore epilimnetic crustacean zooplankton declined by a factor of 12 (density) and factor of 5 (biomass) in the summer with smaller declines in the fall. These declines coincided with an increase in abundance of Bythotrephes and are likely the result of direct predation by, or behavioral responses to this invasive invertebrate predator. Whole water column zooplankton density also declined from 2003 to 2008 in the summer and fall (factor of 4), but biomass only declined in the fall (factor of 2). The decline in biomass was less than the decline in density because the average size of individual zooplankton increased. This was due to changes in the zooplankton community composition from a cyclopoid/bosminid dominated community in 2003 to a calanoid dominated community in 2008. The increase in calanoid copepods was primarily due to the larger species Limnocalanus macrurus and Leptodiaptomus sicilis. These cold water species were found in and below the thermocline associated with a deep chlorophyll layer. In 2008, most of the zooplankton biomass resided in or below the thermocline during the day. Increased importance of copepods in deeper, colder water may favor Cisco and Rainbow Smelt over Alewife because these species are better adapted to cold temperatures than Alewife.


First-year college students are at particular risk of dietary maladaptation during their transition to adulthood. A college environment that facilitates consistent access to nutritious food is critical to ensuring dietary adequacy among students. The objective of the study was to examine perceptions of the campus food environment and its influence on the eating choices of first-year students attending a minority-serving university located in a food desert. Focus group interviews with twenty-one first-year students were conducted from November 2016 to January 2017. Students participated in 1 of 5 focus groups. Most interviewees identified as being of Hispanic/Latino or Asian/Pacific Islander origin. A grounded theory approach was applied for inductive identification of relevant concepts and deductive interpretation of patterns and relationships among themes. Themes related to the perceived food environment included adequacy (i.e., variety and quality), acceptability (i.e., familiarity and preferences), affordability, and accessibility (i.e., convenience and accommodation). Subjective norms and processes of decisional balance and agency were themes characterizing interpersonal and personal factors affecting students' eating choices. The perceived environment appeared to closely interact with subjective norms to inform internal processes of decision-making and agency around the eating choices of first-year students attending a minority-serving university campus located in a food desert.


Inferring molecular interaction networks from genomics data is important for advancing our understanding of biological processes. Whereas considerable research effort has been placed on inferring such networks from gene expression data, network estimation from DNA methylation data has received very little attention due to the substantially higher dimensionality and complications with result interpretation for non-genic regions. To combat these challenges, we propose here an approach based on sparse latent Gaussian graphical model (SLGGM). The core idea is to perform network estimation on q latent variables as opposed to d CpG sites, with q<<d. To impose a correspondence between the latent variables and genes, we use the distance between CpG sites and transcription starting sites of the genes to generate a prior on the CpG sites' latent class membership. We evaluate this approach on synthetic data, and show on real data that the gene network estimated from DNA methylation data significantly explains gene expression patterns in unseen datasets.


Background: Alternative splicing (AS) is a pervasive and vital mechanism involved in the progression of various cancer. Studies confirm the importance of prognostic value of AS events in tumor patients, but systematic analysis of AS in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still lacking. Methods: Information from 115 TNBC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were extracted. And we performed a comprehensive analysis of whole-genome AS events with corresponding clinical information to evaluate the roles of seven AS patterns. Prognostic analyses were performed with predictive models and splicing network built for TNBC patients. Results: Among 28,744 mRNA AS events in 20,353 genes, we detected 1,428 AS in 138 important survival genes related to the overall survival of TNBC patients event. Through functional and pathway enrichment analysis, we found that these genes are involved in ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic pathways. At 1800 days overall survival, the area under the ROC curve for prognostic signatures was 0.8. It shows that this model is very effective in differentiating patient prognosis. The use of Spearman's test to establish a potential regulatory network between survival-related AS events and abnormal SF indicates a clear trend in the role of SF in TNBC. Conclusions: In summary, we established a reliable and powerful TNBC prognostic signature. A splicing network that could be its underlying mechanism was discovered. Keywords: Alternative splicing; Triple-negative breast cancer; Prognosis; Splicing factor


This article seeks to provide reflection and guidance to researchers of fraud in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This reflection explains two reasons why there is a dearth of historical research into fraud offences. These reasons are ontological and methodological. The definitions and laws of fraud are complex and difficult to identify, and one of the most accessible court archive, the Old Bailey Sessions Papers (the Proceedings), needs to be treated with caution by the researcher of fraud. This article uses the in-depth historiography surrounding the Proceedings and applies this to the research of fraud offences which, this article argues, require a particular methodological approach.


A surveillance of diarrhoeal diseases in children aged under five years was carried out from March 1986 to February 1987 in a rural area of Hebei Province, China. Using a cluster sampling method, 270 study children were selected from 30 villages to represent a population of 105,405. Parents noted episodes of diarrhoea in children on a calender using a given definition of diarrhoea. The findings were verified by trained village doctors and were recorded monthly in the county Health and Anti-epidemic Stations. Stools of diarrhoea-affected children were examined to detect causal agents of diarrhoea, once in each of four seasons of the year. Of the 270 children, 218 (80.74%) suffered from one or more than one attacks of diarrhoea with a 95% confidence interval between 75.94% and 85.54%. There was no death due to diarrhoea. The diarrhoeal incidence in children of 3-4-year age group was significantly less than that in the children of less than 3 years (p less than 0.05). In the children with diarrhoea, the number of mean episodes was 3.15 per child/year, and the total mean course of suffering was 14 days per child/year. The ratio of diarrhoeal episodes in spring, summer, autumn, and winter was about 2.5:5:2:1. July was the month of highest occurrence of diarrhoea (146; 21.28% of all episodes). The epidemiological parameters of the disease declined with the growing age of the children, and there was no gender-specific preponderance in the number of episodes. During the whole year, 21.7% of the diarrhoeal episodes were due to bacterial pathogens, 4% of the episodes were due to rotavirus, and 3.65% episodes were associated with the detection of Trichomonas hominis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Flavonoids, the most important of secondary metabolism products, occur in the plants. They have medicine and biological effects such as: Purifies blood, strengthens immune system, monitors cholesterol level, regulates blood pressure, suppresses acid secretion, prevents thrombus, suppresses cytophy, antibacterial, prevents cancer, promotes metabolism. In this study, the flavonoids of methanolic extract from Chrysanthemum parthenium (syn. Tanacetum parthenium) (Compositae Family) were separated and purified by column chromatography and TLC methods. Flavonol ، Kaempferol ، Fisetin and Naringenin are four flavonoid compounds were extracted, separated and detected by spectroscopy methods ( 1 HNMR, 13 C-NMR, Mass and IR.


Now at the end of my tenure as editor of Diabetes, I wish to offer some personal thoughts about our journal, the disease we oppose, and our Association. I am pleased, but not satisfied, with our journal. I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the disease remains recalcitrant. I am concerned, but optimistic, about our Association. The challenges are great, but so are the opportunities.


This article contains an analysis of the memorandum on foreign workers in the Federal Republic of Germany prepared by a leading Social Democrat, Heinz Kuhn. The memorandum suggested that social considerations, rather than economic considerations, should take priority in developing German policy with regard to immigrant workers. Particular attention is paid to the integration of the foreign population resident in Germany. The reaction to the memorandum and the consequent adoption of changes in policies regarding immigration and immigrants are discussed.


The emergence of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in India is an outcome of neo-liberal paradigm of development where poor take charge of their lives and fashion, a new improved future through self reliant and socially sustainable efforts. SHGs are fully democratic, autonomous and thrift based voluntary organizations. Increased availability of micro-credit to poor through SHGs will enable rural households to take up larger productive activities, empower poor women and decrease dependence on exploitative local money lenders and increase savings. Women SHGs are an effective strategy for poverty alleviation, women development and social empowerment. The joint liability of these groups enables the poor members to over come the problem of collateral security. This study has showed how women SHGs have enhanced the equality of status of women as participants, decision makers and beneficiaries in the cultural spheres of life in India. The views and conclusions covered in this book would be useful for social activists, academicians, researchers and policymakers.


This paper presents a first attempt in designing and development of Unicode based Sindhi Typing System for the Sindhi speaking community. The Sindhi Typing project is developed in order to improve the typing speed of Sindhi computing professionals as no such system currently exists. It is Platform independent application requiring no third party plugin or any regional languages support. No Sindhi language support or fonts are necessary. Multiple Sindhi exercises are incorporated to improve the Sindhi Typing. Exercises were built according to the language typing preferences and placed within the system conferring to the error trends and patterns of Sindhi. The application follows an easy to adapt user interface with on-screen Sindhi keyboard. A key listener mechanism has been incorporated to read the key press events and map the English characters to Sindhi characters based on their Unicode's. Hence the requirement of installing regional language support and additional keyboard is removed.


INTRODUCTION
Some patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) do not respond to cyclophosphamide plus steroids treatment, and we define them as non-responsive iMN. The combined regimen of rituximab (RTX) and tacrolimus (TAC) has an excellent effect on this kind of non-responsive iMN patients; however, the optimal dose is still unclear. In this retrospective study, we comapred the efficacy and safety of ultra-low dose RTX plus low-dose TAC therapy versus standard TAC monotherapy in patients with non-responsive iMN.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sixty-seven Chinese non-responsive iMN patients were included. There were 41 patients received standard tacrolimus monotherapy (TAC) and 26 patients received ultra-low dose rituximab plus low dose tacrolimus (RTX/TAC) combination therapy. All patients were observed for 12 months.

RESULTS
18 patients (18/26, 69.2%) in the RTX/TAC group and 17 patients (17/41, 41.5%) in the TAC group achieved clinical response after 12-month follow-up (P=0.044). The median time for achieving response in the two groups was 3.0 months. As indicated by Kaplan-Meier curve, the response rate in the RTX/TAC group was higher than that in the TAC group (P=0.015). 24-hour proteinuria, serum albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum creatinine in the two groups were comparable at baseline; howerver, after 12-month follow up, they were significantly improved in the RTX/TAC group compared with the TAC group (P<0.05). B-cell depletion was achieved in all patients in the RTX/TAC group during the whole follow-up period. Pneumonia, urinary tract infections and glucose intolerance were the major side effects observed in this study. All adverse events were mild, and the cumulative incidence was lower in the RTX/TAC group compared with that in the TAC group (9 (34.6%) vs 27 (65.9%), P=0.023).

CONCLUSION
The combination of ultra-low dose rituximab and low dose tacrolimus is more effective in inducing proteinuria response, improving eGFR and serum albumin in non-responsive iMN patients than standard tacrolimus monotherapy. The combined treatment also has higher safty.


Measures of scapulothoracic motion are dependent on accurate imaging of the scapula and thorax. Advanced radiographic techniques can provide accurate measures of scapular motion, but the limited 3D imaging volume of these techniques often precludes measurement of thorax motion. To overcome this, a thorax coordinate system was defined based on the position of rib pairs and then compared to a conventional sternum/spine-based thorax coordinate system. Alignment of the rib-based coordinate system was dependent on the rib pairs used, with the rib3:rib4 pairing aligned to within 4.4 ± 2.1 deg of the conventional thorax coordinate system.


Cis-to-trans transition of azobenzene compounds usually occurs under appropriate light irradiation or slow thermal relaxation, and one can hardly obtain complete cis-to-trans transition of azos due to the overlap of the n-π* transition of the trans and the cis isomers. We show that by viewing the photostationary state as a chemical equilibrium between the cis and trans isomers, triggered self-assembly of the trans isomers can promote the cis-to-trans transition, and trans azos with spectrum-grade purity can even be achieved using an elegantly designed coordinating azo. This work establishes a new paradigm for manipulating the cis-to-trans transition of azo compounds, which may inspire designs for various azo-based advanced materials.


Abstract Explaining why restraint of violence becomes a strategy for armed groups has recently attracted the attention of researchers, especially political scientists. The emergent literature generally argues by way of macro-level statistical correlation, in which a single factor, such as the desire of armed groups to adhere to international norms about human rights or the existence of high levels of political education among fighters, is believed to explain the presence of restraint. Missing in this approach are close analyses of actual historical episodes of restraint. We thus lack comprehension of how those with ideas about restraining violence translate their thoughts into actions, especially in contexts such as civil wars. This article addresses this weakness by examining the history of a Balkan community wracked by intercommunal violence during 1941 to explain the puzzling practice of restraint in the midst of waves of retaliatory violence. Rather than identify a single factor, this micro-comparative case study reveals that a cluster of mostly endogenous factors, shaped significantly by ongoing violence, explains the successful practice of restraint. Methodologically, this article stresses the need for researchers of restraint to employ microhistorical and comparative methods. They hold the greatest potential to illuminate what remains insufficiently explained in the extant political science literature: the contingent local processes whereby a desire for restraint or escalation of violence—the existence of which may be conditioned by longer-term historical developments—becomes a reality in certain moments.


Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive neoplasm; metastases are detected in two-thirds of patients at diagnosis with use of conventional staging, which includes bilateral bone marrow biopsy, bone scintigraphy, and computed tomography (CT) of the head and abdomen. In 25 patients, small cell lung cancer was staged prospectively with both conventional staging and a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol that included 1.5-T MR imaging of the pelvis, abdomen, spine, and brain. According to conventional staging, 14 patients had extensive disease and 11 patients had limited disease; according to staging with MR, 19 patients had extensive disease and six had limited disease. All metastatic disease sites seen with conventional staging were identified on MR images. MR images showed additional metastatic involvement in bone (four patients) and liver (three patients) not detected at conventional staging. A low-attenuation hepatic lesion on a CT scan was identified as a hemangioma on MR images. These preliminary data suggest that small cell lung cancer may be accurately staged with use of a single MR imaging study.


Arginine vasopressin (AVP) plays as important role in control of circulation and may be involved in pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Recently a novel oral V1-receptor antagonist, OPC-21268, has been produced for possible human therapeutic use (Y. Yamamure et al. Science Wash. DC 252: 572-574, 1991). OPC-21268 is a nonpeptide antagonist and inhibits AVP-induced vasoconstriction in rats and humans. In this study, we examined the influence of OPC-21268 on the sympathoinhibitory and bradycardic effects of AVP in conscious rabbits. Before OPC-21268, AVP at doses of 1, 3, 10, and 30 mU/kg decreased renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) by 24 +/- 5, 40 +/- 5, 65 +/- 6 and 86 +/- 5%, respectively, and decreased heart rate from 243 +/- 10 beats/min at control to 232 +/- 11, 221 +/- 10, 197 +/- 9, and 166 +/- 6 beats/min, respectively (n = 12). Oral OPC-21268 at 30 mg/kg (n = 12) and 90 mg/kg (n = 5) did not alter the baseline values of arterial pressure, heart rate, and RSNA. After oral OPC-21268 the decreases in RSNA and heart rate evoked with AVP at graded doses were partially but significantly attenuated (P < 0.01). The attenuation of the AVP-induced decreases in RSNA and heart rate was similar between the two doses of OPC-21268. In another group of rabbits (n = 6), intravenous OPC-21268 at 30 mg/kg almost completely abolished AVP-induced decreases in heart rate and RSNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We report three cases of 54, 58 and 65-year-old patients presenting annular lesions with centrifugal migratory extension. They occur exclusively on sun-exposed areas. In two cases, the lesions were multiple. In the third case, the lesion was single and mimicked an erythema annulare centrifugum. The past history ranged from 18 months to 8 years. Microscopic examination of the central part showed a disappearance of elastic fibers in upper reticular dermis. Examination of the ring showed in upper reticular dermis an histiocytic granulomatous infiltration with many giant cells, lymphocytes and patterns of elastic fibers phagocytosis. Similar features were found by electronmicroscopy. These three cases illustrate the typical features of O'Brien's actinic granuloma. Relationship between this actinic granuloma and granuloma annulare occurring on sun-exposed areas on one side, and necrobiosis lipoidica, Miescher's granuloma and granuloma multiforme on the other side, are discussed. On the basis of some clinical and histological patterns, the autonomy of O'Brien's actinic granuloma appears to be established.


The study and understanding of molecular interactions is fundamentally important in today's field of life sciences and there is a demand for well designed surfaces for biosensor applications. The biosensor has to be able to detect specific molecular interactions, while non-specific binding of other substances to the sensor surface should be kept to a minimum. The objective of this master ́s thesis was to design sensor surfaces based on selfassembled monolayers (SAMs) and evaluate their structural characteristics as well as their performance in Biacore systems. By mixing different oligo (ethylene glycol) terminated thiol compounds in the SAMs, the density of functional groups for biomolecular attachment could be controlled. Structural characteristics of the SAMs were studied using Ellipsometry, Contact Angle Goniometry, IRAS and XPS. Surfaces showing promising results were examined further with Surface Plasmon Resonance in Biacore instruments. Mixed SAM surfaces with a tailored degree of functional COOH groups could be prepared. The surfaces showed promising characteristics in terms of stability, immobilization capacity of biomolecules, non-specific binding and kinetic assay performance, while further work needs to be dedicated to the improvement of their storage stability. In conclusion, the SAM based sensor surfaces studied in this thesis are interesting candidates for Biacore applications. Acronyms and abbreviations SAM Self-Assembled Monolayer ELISA Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay SPR Surface Plasmon Resonance IFC Integrated microFluidic Cartridge


The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) currently holds 36 separate accessions of the 'Yichang' clone of Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehd. The Yichang' clone originally entered the United States in 1908 as seed collected for the Arnold Arboretum by E.H. Wilson near Yichang, Hubei Province, China. The original description of M. hupehensis omits fruit characters, and botanists frequently augment these omissions with descriptions of the 'Yichang' clone. Apomixis occurs in Malus, including M. hupehensis, and is strongly associated with elevated ploidy levels. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used to characterize 65 accessions of M. hupehensis. To check for polyploidy, a set of M. hupehensis accessions was evaluated with flow cytometry. The simple sequence repeat phenotypes and ploidy information revealed the 'Yichang' clone under various accession names in arboreta. It was neither known nor suspected that the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System held many duplicate accessions of the 'Yichang' clone prior to their molecular characterization. Germplasm conservation decisions for Malus species can benefit from an increased knowledge of the genetic variation or lack thereof in naturalized populations and ex situ collections.


This is a decidedly unconventional contribution to the literature concerning the International Polar Years (2007–09). It is described as a new interdisciplinary polar archive, featuring essays by the editor and the late Denis Cosgrove, and over "30 'archives' by artists, scholars, scientists and thinkers" (from the back cover). I find this combination strange, perplexing and unsatisfactory. The disparate subjects are treated with little editorial uniformity, and vary from paragraphs on scientific subjects, written concisely, to more lengthy articles mainly representing the conceptions of artists. The use of language in many of the articles is highly metaphorical: indeed, this might be intentional to promote philosophical thought, but appears more to diminish any clarity of understanding. Rhetorical devices assert dubious interpretations, and then demolish them by processes described as decontextualization and deconstruction (perhaps analysis is meant?). Some writers extend sentences into paragraphs, where whatever meaning was intended becomes uncertain. I find it odd that in a note on the Antarctic Treaty system, no mention of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research appears, neither Edward Wilson nor George Marston are mentioned in passages on art history, and that the exploration of the Northwest Passage involved "bearded explorers with a passion for cannibalism" (p. 78). The book has many illustrations, the merits of which are more pictorial than informative; defects include lack of captions and dimensions, which imply that the reader should regard many as impressionistic. Solecisms such as "modular research modules" and "large megafauna" abound. The orthography is irregular (notably in Icelandic), which provides evidence of haste in the production. There are references for some papers, and short biographies of contributors, but no index.


Background and Aims Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can lead to neurological sequelae and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). To correlate clinical, auditory and neuroimaging findings in the neonatal period to long-term outcome in congenitally CMV-infected infants. Methods Congenitally CMV-infected infants born between 2001 and 2011 were clinically evaluated and underwent cranial Ultrasound (cUS), cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging (cMRI), fundoscopy examination and auditory brainstem response (BAER) in the neonatal period. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic infants were followed prospectively to assess physical growth, neurological, visual and audiological outcome. Results Forty-two infants were evaluated. Six of 42(14.2%) infants had symptoms/signs at birth: microcephaly (3), petechiae (4), thrombocytopenia (3), hepatosplenomegaly (3), jaundice (1), elevated serum transaminases (1). Two cases of chorioretinitis and 4 cases of abnormal BAER were found in the neonatal period. cUS demonstrated pathological findings in 6/42(14.2%) infants: ventriculomegaly (4), pseudocysts (3), calcifications (3), cerebellar hypoplasia (1). cMRI showed abnormalities in 10/42(23.8%) infants: pseudocysts (3), white-matter lesions (7), lissencephaly (1), ventriculomegaly (4), calcifications (2), cerebellar hypoplasia (2). At follow-up (mean duration 43±18 months) 8/42(19%) infants showed SNHL and 8/42(19%) showed impaired psychomotor development. The composite outcome (SNHL and/or neurodevelopmental sequelae) was poor in 9/42(21.4%) infants. Neonatal findings in infants with an adverse outcome were: clinical signs (5/9), abnormal BAER (2/9), abnormal cUS (5/9), abnormal cMRI (9/9). Symptomatic infants received antiviral treatment. Conclusions In our series 21.4% of congenital CMV infected infants had one or more sequelae at follow-up evaluations. A pathological neuroimaging at birth was the most sensitive predictor of long-term sequelae.


Abstract. The Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (southern Brazil) is composed of extensive marine and continental deposits related to at least four lagoon-barrier systems of Pleistocene–Holocene age. Part of these deposits is currently submerged and passing through erosion processes by waves. Vertebrate and invertebrate body and trace fossils are constantly exhumed from these deposits and redeposited on the modern beach face. Among them, a total of 253 fragments of crustacean burrows were collected for this study. Two ichnospecies of Ophiomorpha Lundgren, 1891 were recognized (O. nodosa Lundgren, 1891 and O. puerilis Gibert et al., 2006), but most of the materials can only be assigned to the 'SOT' group (Spongeliomorpha de Saporta, 1887, Ophiomorpha, and Thalassinoides Ehrenberg, 1944), mainly because of the lack of a pelleted lining. The absence of pellets and, as a consequence, the ichnotaxonomy of these specimens, is related to taphonomical processes (exhumation, reworking, and transportation) that acted during formation of the ex situ assemblage. The paleoenvironmental dynamics and a taphonomical model are presented to demonstrate how these processes affected the trace fossils since their construction, through exhumation until deposition. Neoichnological observations led us to infer larger producers in comparison to the extant ghost shrimp Sergio mirim (Rodrigues, 1971).


Representations of Spin groups and Clifford algebras derived from the structure of qubit trees are introduced in this work. For ternary trees the construction is more general and reduction to binary trees is formally defined by deletion of superfluous branches. The usual Jordan–Wigner construction also may be formally obtained in this approach by bringing the process up to trivial qubit chain (trunk). The methods can also be used for effective simulation of some quantum circuits corresponding to the binary tree structure. The modeling of more general qubit trees, as well as the relationship with the mapping used in the Bravyi–Kitaev transformation, are also briefly discussed.Quanta 2022; 11: 97–114.


This study utilizes hydrometeor sonde and radiometer sonde in situ observations to simultaneously evaluate ice cloud microphysics and radiative fluxes. In addition, the impact of nonsphericity and heterogeneous ice nucleation schemes on radiative fluxes are examined using a double‐moment bulk cloud microphysics scheme on a midlatitude frontal system. The distribution of simulated outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) is systematically reduced by assuming the presence of columnar ice crystals instead of planar ice crystals because of the difference in the effective radii (the projected area) between the two shapes. However, the choice of the heterogeneous ice nucleation schemes drastically changes the distribution of OLR by modifying the number concentration of the cloud ice (Ni) (more than tenfold). The observed shortwave fluxes are useful for evaluating the simulated number concentration of cloud ice when nonspherical single scattering properties are used instead of spherical single scattering properties. The dependence of the asymmetry factor on the effective radius is the key to quantitatively estimating the ice cloud radiative forcing and determining the aerosol indirect effect on ice clouds. Based on the comparison of shortwave fluxes, the cloud microphysics scheme was found to underestimate the Ni near the cloud base (a robust bias). A possible method of modifying the bias is discussed.


Vohwinkel's syndrome or keratoderma hereditaria mutilans is a diffuse, honeycombed, palmar, and plantar keratosis usually accompanied by pseudoainhum near the distal interphalangeal creases. The mutilating keratoderma associated with sensorineural hearing loss is thought to have an etiologic basis, resting on a mutation of the GJB2 gene, which encodes the gap junction protein connexin26 (Cx26). This specific mutation results in impaired epidermal differentiation as well as inner ear function. We describe a patient with Vohwinkel's syndrome accompanied by high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss whose mother and son were similarly affected.


We report the synthetic and physical procedures for obtaining the Lanthanum-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (BLT) ferroelectric films, Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12, with its polarisation axis (a) oriented perpendicular to the surface of the electrode by employing partially oriented (001) polycrystalline thin films of La2Ti2O7 (LTO) as a buffer onto Si-wafers. The LTO thin film was achieved by dip coating and annealing at high temperatures while the BLT film was deposited using RF magnetron sputtering and annealing at a temperature as low as 650°C. Furthermore, the dependence of the thickness, grain size and orientation of the LTO films on the withdrawal speed of the dip-coating and annealing temperature is reported.


The logic-programming paradigm is a prime example of how the integration of the declarative and the operational aspects of logical systems can be used to provide a uni ed framework for both speci cation and programming languages. In essence, programming in logic amounts to giving appropriate axiomatic formalizations of computable functions, which can then be executed by means of carefully designed goal-directed deduction rules. In this thesis, we examine common features of various conventional logicprogramming languages, ranging from the most traditional variant of the paradigm – de ned over Horn-clause logic – to rst-order and higher-order equational logic programming. Based on these, we propose an abstract model-theoretic framework that allows us to develop and conduct research into logic programming over an arbitrary logical system, without concrete models, sentences, satisfaction, or deduction, and thus to explore the logicprogramming paradigm for other, less conventional formalisms, like the logic of orchestration schemes used in the context of service-oriented computing. Our study is based on abstractions of notions such as logic program, clause, query, solution, and computed answer, which we develop over Goguen and Burstall's theory of institutions. These give rise to a series of concepts that formalize the interplay between the denotational and the operational semantics of logic programming. We investigate properties concerning the satisfaction of quanti ed sentences, discuss a variant of Herbrand's theorem that is not limited in scope to any logical formalism or construction of logic programs, and de ne a sound and conditionally complete procedure for computing solutions to queries. Within this setting, we further examine two of the most fundamental aspects of the modularization of logic programs – the preservation and the re ection of solutions along morphisms of programs – leading to results that can be applied not only to unstructured logic programs (plain sets of clauses), but also to elaborate module systems.