1 - In mangrove lagoons, where natural conditions of high turbidity, detritus and microbiological activity combined with low light render traditional water quality indices unreliable, the planktonic community is proposed as a more appropriate and accurate index of eutrophication status.
2 - Over a 12 month period, monthly sampling was conducted at 9 stations representing different degrees of eutrophication.
3 - Phytoplankton size fractionated biomass, species composition and abundance as well as zooplankton total abundance, species composition and abundances of selected groups were examined along with depth, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, particulate organic matter, and reduction / oxidation potential (redox).
4 - Phytoplankton were collected using a horizontal niskin whole water sampler, zooplankton hauls (vertical/oblique) were taken using a modified Wildco net (158 &µ956;m mesh aperture 0.2 m hoop diameter) and a Hydrolab Surveyor IV Water Quality Data System was used to collect physic-chemical data in situ.
5 - While dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH demonstrated potential for use as water quality indicators, particulate organic matter, redox and temperature demonstrated inconclusive variations or insignificant differences between lagoons of known water quality.
6 - Phytoplankton biomass (Chlorophyll a) was among the most reliable planktonic indices distinguishing four groups of stations with different water qualities: oligotrophic (0.21-0.55 mg m -3 ) mesotrophic (0.57 – 2.55 mg m -3 ) eutrophic (3.00 to 6.55 mg m -3 ) and extremely eutrophic (>31.17 mg m -3 ).
7 - This was attributed to diatom and dinoflagellate cells of differing sizes being able to characterise eutrophication even after the source of eutrophication had dissipated and while physico-chemical parameters remained unchanged.
8 - Mean zooplankton abundances were also reliable, distinguishing pristine stations (789 - 3,111 animals m -3 ) and highly eutrophic stations (114,970 – 563,339 animals m -3 ).
9 - The group 'Larvae' and the copepod Dioithona occulata were major contributors to mean abundances, since as small herbivores they are able to take advantage of high phytoplankton concentrations.
10 - Other taxa like Acartia tonsa and harpacticoid copepods were ubiquitous and although never numerically dominant showed high numbers at the more eutrophic sites.
11 - This makes relative abundances of cosmopolitan species as reliable an index as presence absence of key species in mangrove lagoons.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of rilmenidine (an antihypertensive drug that lowers blood pressure by decreasing sympathetic outflow) in an animal model of hypertension associated with insulin resistance, i.e. rats fed on a high-fructose diet.

DESIGN
Wistar rats were fed for 4 weeks either on a standard diet (S group) or on a high-fructose diet (F group; 34.5% fructose). In half of the rats in the F group, rilmenidine (1 mg/kg per day) was added to the drinking water for the last 2 weeks of the diet (FR group).

RESULTS
Body weight gain was higher in the F than in the S rats (66+/-8g versus 45+/-8g, P< 0.05), but was prevented by rilmenidine treatment (32+/-2g). Arterial systolic blood pressure was increased in F rats (162+/-2 versus 155+/-2 mmHg, P< 0.05), rilmenidine reduced this value to normal (149+/-3 mmHg). Glucose tolerance, glucose turnover rate, and insulin secretion were not modified by the diet or by the drug. However, during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, glucose utilization was lower (10+/-1 versus 14+/-1.5 mg/min per kg; P< 0.05) and hepatic glucose production higher (1+/-0.01 versus 0 mg/min per kg, P< 0.01) in F than in S rats. These changes in insulin action were totally abolished by rilmenidine.

CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that rilmenidine can ameliorate the deleterious effects of a high-fructose diet, i.e. weight gain, hypertension, and resistance to the effects of insulin.


Giant cell tumours of immature skeleton have a very low incidence and epi-metaphyseal location. We are presenting giant cell tumour distal radius in a skeletally immature patient; an uncontained defect with a large soft tissue component which was managed by wide excision and reconstruction with an improvised technique.


Repeated observations have been made of certain differences in the frequency and microscopic structure of neoplasms of the ovary.* The purpose of this report is to analyze the pathologic data from 331 patients who had 336 ovarian tumors. The discrepancy is due to the fact that five patients had two histologically distinct synchronous tumors. MATERIAL, METHODS, AND CLASSIFICATIONS The material was selected from a total of 478 cases of ovarian neoplasms surgically treated at the Los Angeles County Hospital from Jan. 1, 1944, to Dec. 31, 1953. This study includes only histologically verified cases for which complete clinical records were available. A complete analysis of the clinical data from this study will be included in another paper. No attempt is made to give a historical review of ovarian tumors, review their histogenesis or discuss the embryogenesis of the ovary. Approximately 142 cases were excluded because of lack of microscopic sections,


Background. In acetabular fractures, the correct choice of the surgical approach is mandatory to achieve accurate reduction and to avoid complications. Anterior approaches include the ilioinguinal, the Stoppa, the iliofemoral and the pararectal exposures. The ilioinguinal and the Stoppa approaches are the most ones nowadays. The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy of modified Stoppa and ilioinguinal approach in the management of acetabular fractures in terms of quality of reduction achieved, complication rates, functional outcomes, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, view angle of the surgical wound, the applicability of the forceps. Materials and Methods. The study enrolled 53 adult patients. We evaluated 53 cases of treatment of patients underwent acetabular fractures osteosynthesis. The patients were divided into two groups. We used the Letournel approach in group 1 (n = 27), the Stoppa/iliac approach — in group 2 (n = 26). The group 2 was split into two subgroups: in subgroup 2A, osteotomy of the anterior superior spine was performed (n = 13), in subgroup 2B, we did not perform it (n = 13). The following parameters were compared: the quality of reposition of fragments, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, damage to neural structures, viewing angle, and ease of use of pelvic instruments for reduction. The functional outcome was assessed by the Majeed scale. Results. Comparison of the two approaches showed that the indices of reduction of fragments, total blood loss and operation time did not differ significantly and were not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, there were more neurological complications in group 1, but they did not affect the treatment outcome. The angle of the sector of view during the operation with osteotomy of the anterior superior spine of the pelvic wing is about 90°, which contributes to a more efficient use of repositioning instruments. The functional results of treatment were the same in both groups in 12 months after surgery. Conclusion. The Letournel and the Stoppa/iliac approach are equivalent in terms of the degree of reduction, operation time and blood loss during the operation. Application the Stoppa/iliac approach helps to avoid iatrogenic meralgia paresthetica unlike Letournel approach. The Stoppa/iliac approach and osteotomy of the anterior superior spine provides better visualization and provides a greater degree of freedom for the surgeon during manipulation tools for reposition.


Protozoa Acanthamoeba castellanii are single-celled, free-living, cosmopolitan amoebae that enter the body mainly through the mucous
membrane of the mouth, nasal cavity, cornea, respiratory system, damaged skin and intestinal mucosa. In addition, they can be vectors
for microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. In the life cycle A. castellanii may take the form of trophozoites and
cyst tenacity to environmental conditions. This amoeba is an etiologic agent of dangerous human diseases: Acanthamoeba keratitis
(AK), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), pneumonia or changes in other organs, such as the liver, kidneys and skin. The aim of
the article is to present current knowledge about laboratory diagnosis of Acanthamoeba spp. infection, which is based on the search for
trophozoites and cysts in the material collected from the patient. In the case of suspected GAE, it is also advisable to study cerebrospinal
fluid sediment and perform imaging tests such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. In the case of Acanthamoeba
keratitis, an amoeba culture (obtained from a biopsy or corneal scrapings) is established in vitro, and then identified by light microscopy.
The methods of molecular biology are also useful in detecting, identifying, and determining the potential pathogenic abilities
of the amoebas. After the detection of Acanthamoeba spp., it is important to differentiate pathogenic isolates from non-pathogenic
ones. From a clinical point of view, to diagnose Acanthamoeba spp. infection it is necessary only to identify the type of organism and
to determine the pathogenicity of the isolate.


AIM
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is one of the rate-limiting enzymes in metabolism of arachidonic acid, and COX-2 inhibitors demonstrate preventive effects on cancer, especially on colorectal cancer. The underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to illustrate the relationship between angiogenesis and COX-2 in carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer.

METHODS
One hundred and seventy patients with colorectal cancer were enrolled in our study from January 1993 to September 2001 in School of Oncology, Peking University. COX-2 and VEGF expression were detected with the immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique. IHC assays were carried out with the aid of tissue microarray (TMA) procedure. Specimens from 35 of these patients were examined with reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR).

RESULTS
COX-2 and VEGF expressions were stronger in colorectal cancer than those in the corresponding normal tissues, at both protein and mRNA levels. One hundred patients were eligible for analysis after IHC assay of COX-2 and VEGF. The positive rate of VEGF was much higher in COX-2 positive group (47/85) than in COX-2 negative group (chi (2) = 4.181, P = 0.041). The result was further verified by the result of RT-PCR (chi (2) = 8.517, P = 0.003). Correlation coefficient was 0.409 after Spearman correlation analysis (P = 0.015).

CONCLUSION
COX-2 may be involved in the course of tumor angiogenesis of colorectal cancer and acts through VEGF.


The rapid growth of usage of Digital technology leads to storage of all categories and types of data in digital media. As the technology is very fast in maintenance and also in data theft. We require providing security for the data stored in the digital media various data security techniques have introduced for the last 5 decades, but all those techniques are only key based techniques. All the key based techniques are old and data hackers can hack with various key hacking algorithms and maintenance of all the keys leads to escrow problem in networks. To overcome the problems based in existing technologies we propose a new solution called attribute based cipher text, Providing security to text using various policy based attribute encryption is an approach in which a user with a enigmatical key (containing attributes) is able to decrypt a message only if the attributes in the policy meet those defined in the secret key. The cipher policy attribute based encryption and decryption provides control and security to the outsourced data, it confronts two obstacles. In this paper we provide an applying encryption for data security using user revocation technique, the dynamic revocation of cipher policy attribute based encryption mechanism. The proposed system provides an Amplifying Security for Cipher Text Policy Attribute Based Data security eliminating escrow problems.


This paper describes the fabrication, characterization, and analysis of a hybrid microcircuit to be used as a signal amplifier and conditioner for an IR tracking system. The entire circuit is integrated on a 1 X 2-in alumina substrate using thick-film resistors and conductors, some chip resistors in critical locations, chip capacitors, and monolithic integrated-circuit (IC) operational-amplifier (op-amp) chips. Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the entire circuit. The transfer functions of each of the stages is derived. The predicted gain. peak and the shape of the measured bandpass agree well with experimental results. The computer simulation using an opamp "macromodel" [1] gives results very closely resembling the measured bandpass, and underscores the utility of computer circuit simulations in IC development. Stability and hybrid layout considerations are discussed. The noise figure is measured as a function of frequency for the given system source impedance of 5 M \Omega and also for 0.5 M \Omega to indicate the dependence of the noise figure on source resistance. The dominant sources of noise in the amplitier/filter and low-noise design considerations are discussed.


The reference standard for the determination of CO in blood usually consists of whole blood or hemoglobin (Hb) solutions equilibrated with 100% CO. A new, simple method for injecting very small gas volumes with high accuracy and reproducibility makes possible a closer study of the CO extraction process from blood (e.g., into neutral ferricyanide). The present method for CO analysis is based on a "gas chromatographic" system with CO detection as methane by flame ionization. In preparing blood COHb standards, notice must be taken of physically dissolved CO and "COrefractory" hemoglobin (e.g., methemoglobin). Solutions to this problem are suggested. The validity of the factor 1.39 (ml) for maximal CO binding capacity of 1 g of Hb is discussed in comparison with the experimentally measured recovery, about 97% for a fully saturated Hb solution.


Abstract. The Last Interglacial deposits formerly exposed along Histon Road, Cambridge, have been cored and an attempt made to integrate the analyses of plants and mollusca. The beds cored are referred to zone g of the Last Interglacial and to zone h-i, a symbol used to indicate that, although there appears to be no unconformity, the Picea zone h is absent in this, the only known British section of this part of the Last Interglacial. No trace of zone f was found. In order to analyse the palaeoecology, the macroscopic plant remains and mollusca were recorded from 41 subdivisions, each representing on an average 15 cm of core. Some 3000 fruits and seeds and 16000 mollusca were recovered. These have been divided into environmental and climatic or distribution groups and the significance of variations of these groups discussed. The plant remains and the mollusca seem to present a consistent picture of conditions varying from riverside marsh to full stream conditions, such as might be expected from a shifting, aggrading river.


A literature search was performed using MEDLINE (PubMed) and other electronic basis from 1991 to 2014. Search included books and journals based on the systematic and critical reviews, in vitro and in vivo clinical studies on molecular basis of host microbial interactions. Clearly, an understanding of the host susceptibility factor in addition to microbial factors by elucidating the molecular basis offers opportunity for therapeutic manipulation of advancing periodontal destruction. One of the hallmarks of pathogenesis is the ability of pathogenic organisms to invade surrounding tissues and to evade the host defence. This paper focuses the general overview of molecular mechanisms involved in the microbiota and host response to bacterial inimical behavior in periodontics.


The submerged continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, preserves hardbottom limestone scarps with underlying clays as small isolated exposures in progressively deeper water seaward from the modern-day shoreline. These scarps formed as a result of wave- and current-driven erosion, transport, and redeposition of bottom sediments due to glacioeustactic sea level cyclicity and the migration of the ancestral shoreline since the Pliocene. Fossiliferous lag deposits containing an abundance of lamniform and carcharhiniform teeth, including those belonging to megatoothed sharks, occur adjacent to these scarps. These specimens include teeth from: Alopias grandis, Carcharhinus falciformis, Carcharhinus priscus, Carcharias cf. C. taurus, Carcharodon carcharias, Carcharodon hastalis, Galeocerdo aduncus, Galeocerdo cuvier, Hemipristis serra, Isurus oxyrinchus, Negaprion brevirostris, Otodus chubutensis, Otodus megalodon, Parotodus benedinii, Physogaleus contortus, and Rhizoprionodon sp. Comparison of biostratigraphically significant lamniform and carcharhiniform taxa from the submerged shelf with those from land-based assemblages along the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the USA indicates that the shallower shelf (≈25 m deep) exposes the Miocene Pungo River Formation and intermediate and deeper shelf (≈30–35 m deep) expose the Pliocene Yorktown Formation. Many of the Onslow Bay lamniforms and carcharhiniforms also occur in Miocene and Pliocene shallow marine assemblages around the world and reinforce the migratory abilities of these chondrichthyans in the late Cenozoic and the utility of lamniform and carcharhiniform teeth in biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic analyses.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the transnational entrepreneurial activities of Colombian emigrants to the USA in the context of the Colombian government's policies and initiatives aimed at encouraging and facilitating emigrants' transnational entrepreneurship. It examines the profile of Colombian emigrants, the entrepreneurial transnational activities they pursue and the actual and potential role of the government in instigating and shaping these activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes data obtained from focus groups with migrant families and interviews with governmental officials and an expert researcher. It also evaluates secondary data sources relevant to the subject of the paper.

Findings

The impact of transnational activities of Colombian migrants upon Colombian economy and society is much lower compared with the activities of migrants in other countries and with the potential these activities could have for contributing to the economic development of Colombia. Possible causes of this include: the specific characteristics of the Colombian emigrant and entrepreneur profile, the fragmentation of transnational networks of the migrants and the lack of governmental strategies to support the development of transnational activities of migrants.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the debates on emigrant–state relation through offering an analysis of migrant entrepreneurship, technology and knowledge transfer and investment activities of Colombian emigrants in the home country. It also provides recommendations for policy action and concrete government programs that might encourage greater involvement of Colombian migrants in high value-adding activities that could benefit the country's development.


In her thought-provoking and well-researched paper, Irene Jansen presents some of the main challenges within the facility-based long-term care (LTC) sector and advocates for three major policy changes and investments. But her aim in writing the paper is to start the conversation. I am happy to oblige Jansen's call to tackle other critical issues and thank the editors of Healthcare Papers for the opportunity to briefly express my views. I concur that the federal government is not adequately fulfilling its stewardship role in helping to ensure - along with the provinces and territories - that the facility-based LTC system has the ways and means to meet the legitimate needs of LTC residents and the people who care for them. A national dialogue should be convened with an emphasis on what quality looks like to the resident, not to LTC ministries or funding authorities. The resident is the nucleus around which all else revolves. The challenges in the areas of supply and demand, the patchwork of services and health human resources are huge. But additional staffing and more beds will not add real value to the system unless they are closely linked to the principles of culture change - the journey to improving living and working conditions in LTC across the Canadian landscape. And it is here where I make my prime contribution to the conversation.


Abstract

This research examines the short-run and long-run relationships between inflation and economic growth in Jordan during 1977-2021. A two-variable VAR model with three lags was conducted to systematically capture the dynamics in the two-time series, inflation, and economic growth. The dynamic properties of the VAR (3) were summarized using impulse response functions and variance decompositions. There was no long-run relationship between inflation and economic growth, instead, a potential positive short-run relationship exists. Our findings are aligned with the existing body of literature on the nexus between inflation and economic growth; the results of our study can be utilized formulate macroeconomic policies by promoting economic growth which in return provides a stable economic environment without causing inflationary pressures. It could also be utilized by other countries with similar economic structures. Therefore, it is suggested that the country should maintain a moderate inflation rate for short-run growth.

JEL classification numbers: E6, E31, O11.
Keywords: Inflation, Economic growth, Jordan, SDGs, Vector Autoregressive Model.


A 27 year old women revealed chronic relapsing, spontaneously developing hematomas without coagulopathy. The lesions were reproducible by intradermal injection of erythrocyte membranes as well as DNA. Positive test reactions could be elicited or suppressed by psychological influences on the patient. This case and similar reports in the literature raise the question whether Gardner-Diamond syndrome and the autosensitization to DNA are different entities.


 Abstract—Danish distribution systems are characterized by a significant penetration of small gas turbine generators (GTGs) and fixed speed wind turbine generators (WTGs). Island operation of these distribution systems are becoming a viable option for economical and technical reasons. However, stabilizing frequency in an islanded system is one of the major challenges. This paper presents three different gas turbine governors for possible operation of distribution systems in an islanding mode. Simulation results are presented to show the performance of these governors in grid connected and islanding mode.


A legal bubble is a notion that applies to the making of the legal foundations of innovative services. There is a legal bubble when economic agents plan their economic actions with respect to a new resource, in the light of property rights solutions provisionally backed by courts, in the belief they are stable. That gives rise to a period of accumulation of expectations about the possibility to secure robust property rights over the newly discovered resource, which in turn fuel further investments. In fact, courts' backing is only temporary and economic agents' expectations turn to be wrong, because early property rights have been supplied by courts out of haste and ignorance as to the implications of the new activities in terms of hierarchically superior rights – e.g. fundamental rights. Once courts learn about the actual implications of the newly emerged activity they start revising the balance between commodification claims and competing hierarchically superior rights. The burst of legal bubbles comes as a result of courts' hindsight attempt to re-adapt the legal foundations to the actual legal implications that previously were ignored. The economic fallout of the revision of early property rights solutions can generate investment debasement and economic disarray in ways similar to speculative bubbles. In fact, entrepreneurs discover their investments have been made in the light of still in-adapted property rights solutions doomed to be – often retroactively – reversed with potential demise of an whole industry.


High resolution cameras have become inexpensive, compact and ubiquitously present in smart phones and surveillance systems. As a result huge volumes of images and video data are being generated daily. This availability of big video data has created challenges to video processing and analysis. Novel and scalable data management and processing frameworks are needed to meet the challenges posed by the big video data. This paper focuses on the first step in meeting this challenge that is to have high performance processing of big video data using GPUs. Parallel implementation of video object detection algorithm is presented along with fine grain optimization techniques and algorithm innovation. Experimental results show significant speedups of the algorithms resulting in real time processing of HD and beyond HD (like panoramic) resolution videos.


We performed a retrospective study of Covid-19 in people with HIV (PWH). PWH with Covid-19 demonstrated severe lymphopenia and decreased CD4+ T cell counts. Levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, D-dimer, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and TNF-alpha were commonly elevated. In all, 19/72 hospitalized individuals (26.4%) died and 53 (73.6%) recovered. PWH who died had higher levels of inflammatory markers and more severe lymphopenia than those who recovered. These findings suggest that PWH remain at risk for severe manifestations of Covid-19 despite ART and that those with increased markers of inflammation and immune dysregulation are at risk for worse outcomes.


ABSTRACT This study was designed to follow the time course of inflammatory activation in a rodent model of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)–induced colitis. We hypothesized that oral phosphatidylcholine (PC) pretreatment regimens may influence leukocyte-mediated microcirculatory reactions in this condition. In series I, Wistar rats were monitored 1 day after colitis induction (n = 24), and in series II (n = 24) on day 6 following a TNBS enema. The PC-pretreated animals received a 2% PC-enriched diet for 6 days before the TNBS enema (series I), or for 3 days before and 3 days after TNBS treatment (series II). The macrohemodynamics, serosal microcirculation (visualized by intravital videomicroscopy), colonic xanthine oxidoreductase, myeloperoxidase and nitric oxide end products, and changes in proinflammatory cytokine levels in plasma were measured. The mucosal structural injury was monitored in vivo by means of confocal laser scanning endomicroscopy. The TNBS enema induced a systemic hyperdynamic circulatory reaction with increased serosal capillary blood flow and significantly elevated colonic inflammatory enzyme activities, levels of nitric oxide production, and cytokine concentrations. Acute colitis caused disruption of the capillary network, whereas the morphologic damage was less severe in series II. The PC pretreatment protocols led to significant decreases in the serosal hyperemic reaction, the cytokine levels, and the inflammatory enzyme activities. The objective signs of tissue damage were reduced in both series, and the number of mucus-producing goblet cells in the resolving phase of colitis was increased. Dietary PC efficiently decreases the cytokine-mediated progression of inflammatory events and preserves the microvascular structure in the large intestine.


The advancements in systems and synthetic biology have been broadening the range of realizable systems with increasing complexity both in vitro and in vivo. Systems for digital logic operations, signal processing, analog computation, program flow control, as well as those composed of different functions — for example an on-site diagnostic system based on multiple biomarker measurements and signal processing – have been realized successfully. However, the efforts to date tend to tackle each design problem separately, relying on ad hoc strategies rather than providing more general solutions based on a unified and extensible architecture, resulting in long development cycle and rigid systems that require redesign even for small specification changes.

Inspired by well-tested techniques adopted in electronics design automation (EDA), this work aims to remedy current design methodology by establishing a standardized, complete flow for realizing biomolecular systems. Given a behavior specification, the flow streamlines all the steps from modeling, synthesis, simulation, to final technology mapping onto implementing chassis. The resulted biomolecular systems of our design flow are all built on top of an FPGA-like reconfigurable architecture with recurring modules. Each module is designed the function of each module depends on the concentrations of assigned auxiliary species acting as the "tuning knobs." Reconfigurability not only simplifies redesign for altered specification or post-simulation correction, but also makes post-manufacture fine-tuning — even after system deployment — possible. This flexibility is especially important in synthetic biology due to the unavoidable variations in both the deployed biological environment and the biomolecular reactions forming the designed system.

In fact, by combining the system's reconfigurability and neural network's self-adaptiveness through learning, we further demonstrate the high compatibility of neuromorphic computation to our proposed architecture — the first work to consciously embed neuromorphic computing capability into molecular computing paradigm. With each module implementing a neuron of selected model (ex. spike-based, threshold-gate-like, etc.), accompanied by an appropriate choice of reconfigurable properties (ex. threshold value, synaptic weight, etc.), simulation results verified that the systems built from our proposed flow can indeed perform desired neuromorphic functions.


The number and quality of publications to which a core facility contributes is often a key metric used to assess the impact that the facility has on the research it supports, and often determines whether the facility will receive support. Gathering this information often falls to core personnel who do not always have the correct tools or sufficient time. In this session we will discuss methods that can be used to enhance publication searches allowing core personnel to maximize the number of publications, and we will explore some commercial tools that can reduce the time it takes to manage publication data. The session will also include demos of publication tracking software from several commercial companies, some of which attempt to distribute the onus of publication acknowledgement and tracking to the people who are best able to determine facility contributions, the authors of the publications themselves.


NK cell activity is partially controlled through interactions between killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) on NK cells and their respective HLA class I ligands. Independent segregation of HLA and KIR genes, along with KIR specificity for particular HLA allotypes, raises the possibility that any given individual may express KIR molecules for which no ligand is present. Inhibitory receptor genes KIR2DL2/3 and KIR2DL1 were present in nearly all subjects sampled in this study, whereas their respective activating homologs, KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS1, are each present in about half of the subjects. In this work we report that subjects with activating KIR2DS1 and/or KIR2DS2 genes are susceptible to developing psoriatic arthritis, but only when HLA ligands for their homologous inhibitory receptors, KIR2DL1 and KIR2DL2/3, are missing. Absence of ligands for inhibitory KIRs could potentially lower the threshold for NK (and/or T) cell activation mediated through activating receptors, thereby contributing to pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis.


Abstract
Introduction. Foreign body ingestion is a common diagnosis that presents in emergency departments—coins as the oesophagal foreign body most commonly found in infants and children. Coins retained in the oesophagus require intervention to prevent complications. This study aimed to determine oesophagal coin foreign body patient's characteristic at Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital Palembang.
Method. This study design was retrospective descriptive. Samples were all patient diagnosed with oesophagal coin foreign bodies which underwent Extraction with esophagoscopy guidance that was performed at Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital Palembang during January 2013 – August 2017.
Result. Forty-three patients had diagnosed with oesophageal coin foreign bodies consist of 22 males and 21 females. The most frequent age was 4fouryears old. The most presenting symptoms are Globus sensation on the throat (79%) and odynophagia (51,1%). Radiologist confirmation was done in every patient with foreign coin bodies in oesophagus. All patients underwent oesophagoscopy. 65,1% of cases of foreign coin bodies were found in the second constriction of throat. Duration of stay in hospital was the range from 1- 4 days, with the most frequent, was two days. There was no complication found in all patients.
Conclusion. Oesophagal coin foreign body is most commonly ingested in children. The most presenting symptom is globus sensation on the throat. There is no complication found in this study.


ABSTRACT Clastic intrusions of biogenic calcarenite occur as simple or branching dykes, sheets, sills, and as net-vein complexes. They are mainly intruded from below into volcaniclastic sediments and the lower part of a thick basanite lava flow. Where they penetrate the lava they are metamorphosed. The source of the limestone intrusions lies in shell sand layers which became mobilized as a slurry along joints. It is believed that rapid loading by the basanite flow was responsible for the upward injection.


Telescopes capture images with a particular point spread function (PSF). Inferring what an image would have looked like with a much sharper PSF, a problem known as PSF deconvolution, is ill-posed because PSF convolution is not an invertible transformation. Deep generative models are appealing for PSF deconvolution because they can infer a posterior distribution over candidate images that, if convolved with the PSF, could have generated the observation. However, classical deep generative models such as VAEs and GANs often provide inadequate sample diversity. As an alternative, we propose a classifier-free conditional diffusion model for PSF deconvolution of galaxy images. We demonstrate that this diffusion model captures a greater diversity of possible deconvolutions compared to a conditional VAE.


This work is a comprehensive source of reference, giving useful and practical information on the most readily available commercial woods. The book gives advice on the characteristics, uses and workability of 21 softwoods and 56 hardwoods. Each wood is individually photographed to show both side and end grain. In addition, a sample of each wood is shown, actual size, before and after the application of a clear finish, revealing how the wood colour changes. Choosing the right wood for specific projects involves a lot more than knowing what it looks like. Solutions to many problems are offered in this handy book, including the option of man-made boards and veneers if solid wood is inappropriate for the job. In keeping with current concern on the environment, the book includes an important guide to endangered species. The authors have made many television appearances, and have presented two BBC series of their own on furniture making and renovation. They are the authors of the "Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual" and "Collins Complete DIY Manual".


The great applications of nuclear power for the most promising clean energy sources have been challenged by a large amount of radioactive wastewater generated, specifically the Cs+/Co2+ separation for nuclear waste storage, retreatment or recycling of radioactive wastewater, because of their wide difference in half-life and high heat release. In this work, graphene oxide membranes (GOMs) with interlayer spacing controlled by cations were used to separate mixed Cs+/Co2+ ions. The separation factors of Cs+/Co2+ for K+-controlled graphene oxide membranes (K-GOMs) was 2∼3 times higher than that of GOMs without treatment. In addition, the separation factors of Cs+/Co2+ for K-GOMs can be further enhanced with the increase of membranes thickness and change the initial ratios of the two ions. Typically, the separation factors of K-GOMs with a thickness of ∼300 nm reached up to 73.7 ± 3.9. Moreover, the K-GOM showed outstanding stability of the separation performance under long-term operation within 7 days. First-principles calculation revealed that the enhanced ionic selectivity of controlled GOM is induced by the difference of adsorption energies between the hydrated cations and aromatic rings, resulting in a significant increase in the mobility differences between Cs+ and Co2+ through a fixed narrow interlayer spacing. This study demonstrated excellent separation performances of GO-based membranes based on their size-exclusion effect rather than electrostatic repulsion effect, and we believe this work can enable potential efficient treatment technologies for radioactive wastewater needed urgently.


This paper will analyse the essential legal requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights which touch on the lives (and deaths) of people with mental disabilities. It will examine the procedural safeguards which must be followed when involuntarily detaining a person under mental health legislation; access to a court to test the lawfulness of detention; the requirement to be free from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence; and the right to life, including investigation after a death. The paper will discuss some of the factors which explain the relative scarcity of mental disability cases decided by the Strasbourg Court. In conclusion there will be an examination of the role of lawyers and other key players in mental disability, and how stakeholders can move forward to prompt much needed social reform.


Historically the U.S. transportation system has been continuously improved to adopt new policies and technologies. The transportation vehicle energy transition from fossil fuels to electricity is promoted by policymakers and major automakers with an expectation of enhancing sustainability aspects such as fossil fuel consumption reduction, carbon emissions reduction, and lower operations and maintenance costs. However, the electrification of the existing transportation infrastructure system requires substantial upgrades to overcome two major concerns from ordinary drivers and the public. One is the driver's range anxiety based on the current capability of the electric vehicle (EV) technologies. The other is the availability of EV charging stations near the planned route. To address these two issues, we introduce an agent-based simulation model to project the consequences of electrification in the Indiana state highway system. Specifically, the model is developed to monitor the status of long-distance EV trips between different regions. The multi-agent engine method guarantees the model can adapt to diverse scenarios and complex environments. The simulation experiment verifies that the proposed model can provide the expected outcomes, including the numerical data of electric energy demand and the geospatial information (as location coordinates) of failed trips. By performing a GIS-based analysis of the results, the derived geospatial data can help state transportation agencies determine where to deploy the charging facilities to satisfy the overall charging demand. The proposed simulation framework offers a novel and strategic way to resolve the challenges for EV charging-related research and projects.


An in situ nanoscopic investigation of the prototypical surface alloying system Ag/Pt(111) is reported. The morphology and the structure of the ultrathin Ag–Pt film is studied using low energy electron microscopy during growth at about 800 K. A very rich dynamic behavior is uncovered in which stress relief plays a governing role. Initial growth leads to surface alloying with prolonged and retarded nucleation of adislands. Beyond 50% coverage dealloying proceeds, joined by partial segregation of Pt toward the center of large islands in violent processes. Subsequently, the growing islands coalesce and consequently irregularly shaped vacancy clusters evolve. These clusters are progressively filled by segregating Pt and assume a compact shape (black spots). As a result, at around 85% coverage, the strain of the initially pseudomorphological film is almost completely relieved and Pt segregation is at its maximum. Further deposition of Ag leads to transient reentrant alloying and recovery of the pseudomorphological layer. The black spots persist even in/on several-layer-thick films. Ex situ atomic force microscopy data confirm that these are constituted by Pt(-rich) structures. The (sub)monolayer films are strongly heterogeneous.


The longitudinal and transverse relaxation times for a transition between hyperfine sublevels of the lower electronic states of the 4I15/2 and 4I9/2 multiplets of 167Er3+ ions in 7LiYF4 crystals have been determined for the first time using two-pulse and stimulated photon echo measurements in zero magnetic field at a temperature of 4 K. The decay of the photon echo signal has been shown to be modulated, which is tentatively attributed to the superhyperfine interaction of the 167Er3+ ions with their 19F− nearest neighbours. The contributions of various types of interaction to the ultranarrow linewidth (~24 MHz) of the transition in question are discussed. Our results demonstrate that this optical transition of the 167Er3+ ion in 7LiYF4 crystals is potentially attractive for use in Raman quantum memory schemes.


This study aims to investigate surface integrity in groove milling of Hastelloy-C276 using coated carbide end mills under the application of water-based fluid coolant using different cutting parameters. Surface integrity was assessed by measuring surface roughness, using focus variation microscope, and investigating surface defects, using scanning electron microscope. Micro-chips re-deposition and long grooves dominated the machined surface at low cutting speed (24–50 m/min). While cracked and fractured re-deposited materials, grooves, large debris, and plastic flow dominated the machined surface at high cutting speed (70–120 m/min), consequently surface roughness increased with cutting speed. Nucleated cavities appeared at all cutting speeds but with different densities. Shallow depth of cut at low cutting speed gave negative effect on surface roughness due to the effect of the hardened layer. Overall, the best surface finish, with average roughness below 50 nm and minimum surface abuse, was obtained in the speed range of 24–50 m/min at feed rate of 1 µm/tooth and depth of cut deeper than 0.1 mm.


Seizures occur extensively during sleep or on awakening in a substantial proportion of patients with epilepsy. Interictal epileptiform discharges are also influenced by sleep and sleep deprivation. Continuous spike-waves in slow-wave sleep are the hallmark of Landau-Kleffner syndrome and ESES (Electrical Status in Slow Sleep). Sleep deprivation is known to influence not only the occurrence but also the symptomatology of epileptic seizures. Sleep architecture and daytime alertness are influenced by seizures and antiepileptic medications. This review examines the clinical and basic science aspects of this relationship between sleep and epilepsy.


Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide an ideal platform for ion exchange due to their high porosity and structural designability; however, developing MOFs that have the essential characteristics for ion exchange remains a challenge. These crucial features include fast kinetics, selectivity, and stability. We present two anionic isomers, DGIST-2 (2D) and DGIST-3 (3D), comprising distinctly arranged 5-(1,8-naphthalimido)isophthalate ligands and In3+ cations. Interestingly, in protic solvents, DGIST-2 transforms into a hydrolytically stable crystalline phase, DGIST-2'. DGIST-2' and DGIST-3 exhibit rapid Cs+ adsorption kinetics, as well as high Cs+ affinity in the presence of competing cations. The mechanism for rapid and selective sorption is explored based on the results of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of Cs+-incorporated DGIST-3. In Cs+-containing solutions, the loosely incorporated dimethylammonium countercation of the anionic framework is replaced by Cs+, which is held in the hydrophobic cavity by supramolecular ion-ion and cation-π interactions.


Face recognition is one of the most popular research problems on various platforms. New research issues arise when it comes to resource constrained devices, such as smart glasses, due to the overwhelming computation and energy requirements of the accurate face recognition methods. In this paper, we propose a robust and efficient sensor-assisted face recognition system on smart glasses by exploring the power of multimodal sensors including the camera and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors. The system is based on a novel face recognition algorithm, namely Multi-view Sparse Representation Classification (MVSRC), by exploiting the prolific information among multi-view face images. To improve the efficiency of MVSRC on smart glasses, we propose a novel sampling optimization strategy using the less expensive inertial sensors. Our evaluations on public and private datasets show that the proposed method is up to 10% more accurate than the state-of-the-art multi-view face recognition methods while its computation cost is in the same order as an efficient benchmark method (e.g., Eigenfaces). Finally, extensive real-world experiments show that our proposed system improves recognition accuracy by up to 15% while achieving the same level of system overhead compared to the existing face recognition system (OpenCV algorithms) on smart glasses.


Background: Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) have strong plasticity and if reprogrammed, can clear tumor cells and regulate the adaptive immune system for cancer immunotherapy. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which can remove ubiquitin (Ub) from Ub-modified substrates, have been associated with oncogenic metabolism but are not well-known for regulating TAMs repolarization. Methods: The expression of DUB related genes in macrophages (MΦs) was detected by reverse transcription-PCR. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to detect the changes of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and spleen, including M1 (CD11b+F4/80+CD86+CD206-), and M2 (CD11b+F4/80+CD86-CD206+) MΦs, and IFN-γ+CD8+T cells. A proliferation assay was used to determine the effect of M2 MΦs treated with a USP7 inhibitor on T cell proliferation. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of USP7 and the activation of the MAPK pathway. The TGCA database was used to assess the role of USP7 in the immune microenvironment of human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Results: 51 DUB genes were screened and USP7 was identified as a highly expressed gene in M2 but not M1 MΦs. Specific silencing of USP7 using siRNA or USP7 inhibitors led to phenotypical and functional changes in M2 MΦs, favoring CD8+T cells proliferation in vitro. USP7 inhibitors delayed tumor growth in mice with Lewis lung carcinoma, and promoted tumor infiltration of M1 MΦs and IFN-γ+CD8+T cells. Depletion of TAMs attenuated these therapeutic effects. USP7 inhibition was shown to mediate MΦs reprogramming by activating the p38 MAPK pathway. Administration of USP7 inhibitors increased the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumors, while blocking programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) provided an effective anti-tumor response. Clinical databases suggest that high expression of USP7 in LUAD was negatively correlated with innate and adaptive immunity. Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide evidence to suggest that therapeutic approaches targeting USP7, in combination with immunotherapy, should be considered for lung cancer treatment.


Square root calculation is one of the most useful and vital operations in digital signal processing, the operation which in recent generations of processors is performed by the hardware. The hardware implementation of the square root operation can be achieved by different means, but it is very dependent on programmer's sense and ability to write efficient hardware designs. This paper offers universal and shortest verilog coding of modified non-restoring square root calculator. The main principle of the method is similar with conventional non-restoring algorithm, but it only uses subtract operation and append 01, while add operation and append 11 is not used. The strategy has been conducted to implement it successfully in FPGA hardware, and offer an efficient in hardware resource, and it is superior.


Availability, access and utilization of essential health services present challenges to community health services in Sub-Saharan Africa. HIV/AIDS infection has added yet another dimension to a continent already experiencing economic crises. A primary prevention approach is emphasized as a means of addressing sexual behaviors that decrease risk of transmission. Educating the sexually active to use condom and also HIV/AIDS testing and counseling can be effective in curbing transmission of the virus. Community forums such as the local schools and churches, together with the political leadership need to coordinate primary prevention efforts against HIV/AIDS transmission. The media can be powerful in raising awareness, community activism, and mobilization of the masses at grass-roots level by advocating behaviors that promote health. African leaders must indicate a strong political will by shaping policies that address HIV/AIDS. These leaders need resources (both internally and externally) to fund primary prevention programs that are community-based and outcome-oriented.


Aesthetics, among other criteria, can be statistically examined in terms of the complexity required for creating and decrypting a work of art. We propose three laws of aesthetic complexity. According to the first law of aesthetic complexity, too condensed encoding makes a decryption of a work of art impossible and is perceived as chaotic by the untrained mind, whereas too regular structures are perceived as monotonous, too orderly and not very stimulating. Thus a necessary condition for an artistic form or design to appear appealing is its complexity to lie within a bracket between monotony and chaos. According to the second law of aesthetic complexity, due to human predisposition, this bracket is invariably based on natural forms; with rather limited plasticity. The third law of aesthetic complexity states that aesthetic complexity trends are dominated by the available resources, and thus also by cost and scarcity.


Swallow is a many-core platform of interconnected embedded real time processors with time-deterministic execution and a cache-less memory subsystem. Its largest current configuration is 480 × 32-bit processors. It is open-source, designed from the ground up to allow the exploration of flexibility, scalability and energy efficiency in large systems of embedded processors. Further, it enables the behavior of various structures of parallel programs to be explored. It is a proof of concept and design example for other potential systems of this kind. We present the energy transparency features and proportional energy scaling of the system that allows it to be expanded beyond hundreds of cores. We discuss the design choices, construction and novel network implementation of Swallow. Currently, the system provides up to 240 GIPS, with each core consuming 71-193mW, dependent on workload. Its power per instruction is lower than almost all systems of comparable scale. We discuss the challenges associated with efficiently utilizing this system, particularly communication/computation ratios, and give recommendations for future systems and their software.


In this paper, a physically based approach for simulating Tongue of Fire is proposed. Realistic animation and real-time simulation are two objectivespursued in computer graphics applications. Traditional animation technique can obtain virtual movement, but it has difficulty for realistic movement. Compared with the traditional animation technique, physically based animation can represent realistic movement better. The inviscid and incompressible Euler equations are used in the model, and the operator splitting method is employed to split the model into external force term, advection term and projection term. Every step is stable, so the whole process is also stable. Thus, the big time step can be taken to ensure real-time simulation. Compared with the traditional technique, this method can be taken for realistic animation and real-time simulation of Tongue of Fire in computer graphics applications.


(S)-alpha-Fluoromethylhistidine (alpha-FMH) is a Kcat or "suicide-substrate" inhibitor of partially purified mammalian histidine decarboxylase; i.e. the agent is converted enzymatically to a more active form which effects a time-dependent, irreversible inhibition. Incubation of a alpha-FMH[4-3H] with enzyme and pyridoxal phosphate resulted in an apparently irreversible labeling of protein, with no demonstratable formation of free-amine product, suggesting a very low to non-existent turnover ratio. alpha-FMH was accumulated in isolated mastocytoma cells and effected a time-dependent inhibition of the conversion histidine[3H]----histamine[3H], the latter product having a markedly different distribution between cells and medium than the pre-existing histamine pool. Inhibition of whole-body histidine decarboxylase activity, as specifically measured by alpha-methylhistidine-14COOH----14CO2, was also time dependent. Concomitant reduction in histamine levels was seen only in the rapidly turning-over pools of stomach and brain. However, over the course of 13 weeks of chronic treatment, depletion of the relatively inert mast-cell histamine pool(s) was seen as well.


This paper evaluates out-of-sample exchange rate predictability of Taylor rule models, where the central bank sets the interest rate in response to inflation and either the output or the unemployment gap, for the euro/dollar exchange rate with real-time data before, during, and after the financial crisis of 2008-2009. While all Taylor rule specifications outperform the random walk with forecasts ending between 2007:Q1 and 2008:Q2, only the specification with both estimated coefficients and the unemployment gap consistently outperforms the random walk from 2007:Q1 through 2012:Q1. Several Taylor rule models that are augmented with credit spreads or financial condition indexes outperform the original Taylor rule models. The performance of the Taylor rule models is superior to the interest rate differentials, monetary, and purchasing power parity models.


We report a unique case of a biopsy-proven rectal cancer exhibiting spontaneous complete regression in an extremely short period of 3 months. An 80-year-old man visited our hospital because of a positive fecal occult blood test. Colonoscopy showed a sessile polyp, about 25 mm in diameter, in the middle part of the rectum. Instead of endoscopic resection, two endoscopic biopsies were taken for histological evaluation, as an invasive cancer was endoscopically suspected.Well-differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma was revealed, and thus surgical resection was planned. At the second colonoscopy for endoscopic tattooing before surgery, the polyp was found to have unexpectedly developed into a flat lesion. Furthermore, the surgically removed specimen showed that the flat lesion had transformed to a depressed lesion, and surprisingly, no cancerous tissue was detected histologically.


African rice gall midge (AfRGM), Orseolia oryzivora is one of the most damaging insect pests of lowland rice in Nigeria in the recent time, and could result in total crop failure in endemic areas. Of all the control measures adopted so far biological control is the most promising. Two parasitoids ( Platygaster diplosisae , Hym: Platygastridae and Aprostocetus procerae , Hym: Eulophidae) have been identified with the potential to suppressed AfRGM population. In the current study, we evaluated the effect of abiotic factors (rainfall, relative humidity and temperature) in two eco-sites for two years on the incidence of AfRGM, and on the efficiency of the two parasotioids in the management of AfRGM. The incidence of AfRGM was significantly influenced by abiotic factors (rainfall, relative humidity and temperature). The percentage infestation increased with increase in rainfall and relative humidity. The trend was similar at both locations with the highest infestation recorded in October, and decreased in November. At both locations, percentage tiller infestation was greater in the rainy season of 2006 with more frequent rains than in 2007, with highest infestation recorded at Edozhigi in both years. Percentage parasitisms by the two parasitoids were found to have significant correlation with the abiotic factors. Heavy rains and high humidity significantly reduced the efficiency of the two parasitoids. On the contrast, the population and efficiency of the parasitoids were observed to increase with reducing rainfall, RH, but increasing temperature thus increasing the efficiency of the parasitoids later in the season with up to 70% parasitism when combined, with P. diplosisae dominating the field. The results suggest that abiotic factors played significant role on the incidence of AfRGM and the efficiency of these parasitoids and should be considered in the adoption of these parasitoids as bio-control agents of AfRGM. Keywords: Orseolia oryzivora, Platygaster diplosisae, Aprostocetus procerae, abiotic factors


The Philippine peso appreciation has been creating serious problems for the economy because of the high degree of unemployment and poverty incidence in the country. More specifically, it threatens contraction of the export sector through loss of competitiveness. The paper tracks the exchange rate experience of the Philippines with four other East Asian neighbors and finds that the Philippine appreciation is most severe. The paper asserts that exchange rate policy is a matter of policy discretion even under the regime of market-based exchange rates. Options for monetary policy in curtailing domestic liquidity are discussed. Finally, the options for improved coordination of monetary and fiscal policy are suggested.


A high degree of morphological variability is expressed between the ornately sculptured siliceous scales formed by species in the chrysophycean genus, Synura. In this study, we aimed to uncover the general principles and trends underlying the evolution of scale morphology in this genus. We assessed the relationships among thirty extant Synura species using a robust molecular analysis that included six genes, coupled with morphological characterization of the species‐specific scales. The analysis was further enriched with addition of morphological information from fossil specimens and by including the unique modern species, Synura punctulosa. We inferred the phylogenetic position of the morphologically unique S. punctulosa, to be an ancient Synura lineage related to S. splendida in the section Curtispinae. Some morphological traits, including development of a keel or a labyrinth ribbing pattern on the scale, appeared once in evolution, whereas other structures, such as a hexagonal meshwork pattern, originated independently several times over geologic time. We further uncovered numerous construction principles governing scale morphology and evolution, as follows: (i) scale roundness and pore diameter decreased during evolution; (ii) elongated scales became strengthened by a higher number of struts or ribs; (iii) as a consequence of scale biogenesis, scales with spines possessed smaller basal holes than scales with a keel and; and (iv) the keel area was proportional to scale area, indicating its potential value in strengthening the scale against breakage.


Safety and efficacy of hepatic resection for large hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs 10 cm or greater in diameter) remain controversial. Surgical results of patients with HCCs 10 cm or greater (n = 24) who underwent hepatic resection over an 11-year period were compared with those of patients with HCCs less than 10 cm (n = 291). There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups (P > 0.99). Overall 5-year survival rate was 44.6 per cent among patients with HCCs 10 cm or greater and 70.5 per cent among those with HCCs less than 10 cm (P = 0.010); however, there was no significant difference in disease-free survival rate between the two groups (P = 0.16). Incidence of synchronous intra- and extrahepatic recurrence was higher in patients with HCCs 10 cm or greater than in those with HCCs less than 10 cm (P = 0.0012). Macrovascular invasion alone was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis (hazard ratio [HR],: 11.1) and recurrence (HR, 6.02) after hepatic resection for HCCs 10 cm or greater, which was correlated with synchronous intra- and extrahepatic recurrence. Hepatic resection for large HCCs is safe and efficacious. However, incidence of synchronous intra- and extrahepatic recurrence is high, especially in patients with macrovascular invasion.


When dealing with safety‐critical applications that involve multiphase permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs), the current source inverter (CSI) is a superior choice compared with the voltage source inverter. The conventional technique of pulse width modulation (PWM) presents a challenge for CSI, particularly during faults. The fault‐tolerant control of multiphase PMSMs fed by CSIs has not been well investigated, particularly in situations involving double‐phase open‐circuit faults. Furthermore, fault‐tolerant control becomes more complex when the multiphase PMSM includes harmonic back electromotive forces (EMFs). To deal with these issues, an ampere‐second (AS) vector PWM technique is developed for a five‐phase PMSM powered by CSI11. The modulation ratio of the proposed PWM is identical to that of space vector PWM. The proposed method, however, is easier to implement. A fault‐tolerant control method using AS‐vector is proposed for single‐phase, adjacent double‐phase, and non‐adjacent double‐phase open‐circuit faults. Additionally, a method is developed to suppress the torque ripple that results from harmonic back‐EMFs during fault conditions. Compared without the torque ripple suppression method, during the speed rising, the proposed method can reduce torque ripple to 16.7%, 54.5%, and 37.5%, respectively. The experiments have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed PWM technique and fault‐tolerant control method.


Steganography is a process that hides secrete message or secrete hologram or secrete video or secrete image whose mere presence within the source data should be undetectable and use for transmitting secret information over public media. Visual cryptography is a cryptographic technique in which no cryptographic computation is needed at the decryption end and the decryption is performed by the human visual system (HVS). In this paper, both Steganography and visual cryptography have been selected to provide more secure data transmission over the public media with less hazard of computation. This technique generates shares with less space overhead as well as without increasing the computational complexity compared to existing techniques and may provide better security. It is also easy to implement like other techniques of visual cryptography. Finally, experimental results are given to establish the security criteria. Keywords— Steganography, Visual Cryptography, Secret Sharing.


Abstract.
 A new species of the Hypsiboas polytaenius clade is described from Itapecerica da Serra (23°43′S, 46°51′W, 906 m elevation; datum WGS84), State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. The new species is characterized by its medium snout-vent length (SVL) for the group (SVL 27.1–29.1 mm in males; 31.2 mm in female), head width 31.1–33.9% of SVL in males, 37.8% in female, snout rounded in dorsal and lateral views, calcar appendix and supra-cloacal crest absent, webbing poorly developed between fingers, moderately developed between toes, and dorsal color pattern composed of four wide pale brown stripes, intercalated by three brown stripes, arranged longitudinally. The four pale brown stripes join to form two stripes anterior to the eyes and then join again at the tip of snout. Within these pale brown stripes, narrow longitudinal brown lines, complete or broken, occur. The pale brown marginal stripes show, on the external border, a white line passing over the canthus rostralis, edge of the upper eyelid, and along the flank to the groin, contrasting with a broad dark brown lateral stripe. This dark brown stripe extends from the tip of snout to the eye and from the posterior border of the eye, passing on the tympanum, to the groin. The ventral half of the loreal region is pale brown with a dark brown longitudinal line, continuing as a white stripe below and contrasting to the dark brown lateral stripe, to the groin. The new species is distributed in the extreme south of the State of Rio de Janeiro and northeastern State of São Paulo, above 400 m altitude.


We report the case of a 32-year-old man who developed Wegener's granulomatosis complicated with refractory intestinal ulceration. In August 2001, he presented with a high fever, nasal bleeding, and bilateral leg numbness. These symptoms worsened, which prompted him to consult his home doctor on February 18, 2002. In spite of treatment with antibiotics, his symptoms did not improve. Furthermore, abdominal pain and melena occurred as additional symptoms in March 2002. He was admitted to our hospital on April 5, 2002. A deformed nose condition (the so-called saddle nose) was observed at this time. Laboratory data showed a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (103mm/h) and a high level of serum C-reactive protein (14.98mg/dl), and hematuria and proteinuria were also observed. The patient was positive for an antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody specific for proteinase-3 (PR3-ANCA). A chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple pulmonary nodules in the lung field. A biopsied-specimen from the nasal mucosa showed necrotizing granulomatosis with giant cells. Together with his symptoms and the laboratory and pathological findings, the patient was diagnosed as having Wegener's granulomatosis. A colon fiberscopy showed multiple ulcerations with bleeding from the terminal ileum to the ascending colon, and nodular lesions at the terminal ileum. We started a combination therapy of prednisolone (60mg/day) and cylophosphamide (100mg/day) orally. The patient's gastrointestinal symptoms disappeared and abnormal serological indicators improved. Although Wegener's granulomatosis complicated with refractory intestinal ulceration is rare, this case indicates that the gastrointestinal region is also a target organ of Wegener's granulomatosis.


This study entails the analysis of dynamic mechanical properties of hollow particle filled composites, called syntactic foams. A theoretical model is developed to predict the dynamic mechanical behavior of composite materials containing particle volume fraction up to the packing limit. The modeling approach is based on a differential scheme that extrapolates the properties of infinitely dilute dispersions of hollow particles (microballoons) to high inclusion volume fraction. The model is capable of predicting storage modulus and loss tangent in a wide frequency band of mechanical vibrations. Theoretical predictions are validated with experimental results on 16 compositions of vinyl ester—glass microballoon syntactic foams. Vibration methods are used to assess the dependence of dynamic mechanical properties of syntactic foams on microballoon wall thickness and volume fraction. Theoretical predictions are in close agreement with experimental findings over a wide range of vibration frequencies. Results show that loss tangent generally decreases as the inclusion volume fraction increases and is almost unaffected by microballoon wall thickness and that storage modulus increases with increasing microballoon wall thickness. Therefore, the loss tangent and the storage modulus can be tailored by means of microballoon volume fraction and wall thickness.


Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease in which cartilage degradation is the central pathological change. In this study, we investigated the anti-osteoarthritic effects of licochalcone A (Lico A) in rat chondrocytes. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)-5, ADAMTS-4, collagen II, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 and MMP-1 at both the gene and protein levels, respectively. In addition, the wnt/β-catenin and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways were also analyzed by Western blotting. Results: Lico A downregulated ADAMTS-5, ADAMTS-4,MMP-13 and MMP-1 expression, and diminished the IL-1β-induced inhibition of collagen II. In addition, the activation of β-catenin and phosphorylation of p65 and IKKα/β were suppressed by Lico A. Conclusions: Our results suggest that Lico A inhibits MMPs and ADAMTS partly via the NF-κB and wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways in rat chondrocytes. Thus, Lico A may have therapeutic effects in OA.


Indonesia have SME accounting standard that effective in 2018, but this standard adoption is not popular at that time. Hence recent fastest growing in financial technology adoption by food industries' SME creating the need for having financial reports in order to make an exact reconciliation for the payment. This research wants to know whether this financial technology usage will lead to SME's to make financial reports according to accounting standard. The model is designed to test the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (Extended-TAM). Population here is SME in food industry that on Grabfood list. 100 sample were drawn using purposive sampling for SME that uses OVO, a financial technology company that partnering with Grabfood. Data then analyzes using WarpPLS.This results is consistent with Extended TAM. The result also shows that adoption of FinTech will trigger SME to make better financial reports to make reconciliation process in billing easier.


Background: Uganda has an imbalanced distribution of the health workforce, which may be influenced by the specialty career preferences of medical students. In spite of this, there is inadequate literature concerning the factors influencing specialty career preferences. We aimed to determine the specialty career preferences and the factors influencing the preferences among fifth year medical students in the School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS). Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed methods study design with a descriptive cross-sectional study followed by a qualitative study was used. A total of 135 final year medical students in MakCHS were recruited using consecutive sampling. Self-administered questionnaires and three focus group discussions were conducted. Quantitative data was analysed in STATA version 13 (StataCorp, College Station, Tx, USA) using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regression. Qualitative data was analysed in NVIVO version 12 (QRS International, Cambridge, MA) using content analysis.Results: Of 135 students 91 (67.4%) were male and their median age was 24 years (IQR: 24, 26). As a first choice, the most preferred specialty career was obstetrics and gynecology (34/135, 25.2%), followed by surgery (27/135, 20.0%), pediatrics (18/135, 13.3%) and internal medicine (17/135, 12.6%). Non-established specialties such as anesthesia and Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) were not selected as a first choice by any student. Female students had 63% less odds of selecting surgical related specialties compared to males (aOR=0.37, 95%CI: 0.17-0.84). The focus group discussions highlighted controlled lifestyle, assurance of a good life through better financial remuneration and inspirational specialists as facilitators for specialty preference. Bad experience during the clinical rotations, lack of career guidance plus perceived poor and miserable specialists were highlighted as barriers to specialty preference.Conclusion. Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Pediatrics and Internal Medicine are well-established disciplines, which were dominantly preferred. Females were less likely to select surgical disciplines given the perceived effects on lifestyle by these disciplines for example interruption of family life. Therefore, a need to formulate career guidance and mentorship programs is required, to attract students to the neglected disciplines.


Periaxin is expressed in mammalian Schwann cells and lens fiber cells, and has been identified in a screen for cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Charcot-Marie-Tooth 4F is caused by losses or mutations of theperiaxingene. Theperiaxingene encodes two protein isoforms, namely, L-periaxin and S-periaxin.S-periaxin contains 147 amino acid residues and has an N-terminal PDZ domain. In this paper, S-periaxin was reported to be homodimerized through the formation of intermolecular disulfide bonds with its Cys88 and Cys139 residues under mild oxidation conditions. The covalent dimer of S-periaxin was also observed by western blot analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analyses. S-periaxin dimerization formation could be regulated by cellular redox fluctuations. These results offer a possible mechanism to the formation of periaxin complexes, improvement of complex stability, and establishment of a link between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton.


Zoology laboratories at institutions of research and education have shown great demand for anatomical parts for practical lessons. However, although the bibliography is not necessarily scarce, analyses of the cost/benefit relations of such processes are rare, considering aspects such as preparation time, quality of the anatomical parts, and material and human resources. In addition to the common techniques already used, new low-cost products, not cited in literature and easily found in the market, were also tested. The main objective of this work was to elaborate and organize information on techniques of bone parts maceration for study collections, making comparative analyses on the cost/benefit relations of each technique. Twelve products were tested, evaluating experimental conditions such as: concentration and combination of reagents, temperature, pH and time of exposure of the parts to the reagents. The results indicated that the products recommended for the use in the maceration processes were: water, hydrogen peroxide and papaya juice ( Carica papaya ).


Abstract. A method is proposed for calculating the initial value of the periodic term of the short- circuit strength of a dual-circuit overhead transmission line using multiphase replacement circuits. The method takes into account the electromagnetic connections between the wires of the dual-circuit overhead line and the ground to transient modes. The calculation model will allow to take into account the influence of the internal properties of the dual-circuit overhead line when calculating the three-phase short-circuit currents at the design stage, which will significantly improve the accuracy of the choice of relay protection settings and line automation. The model was tested in Matlab Simulink.


A single-subject AB multiple-baseline design across participants was utilized to investigate the effectiveness of the Revised Tier Three Instructional Planning (T-TIP) tool on teacher lesson planning, with a focus on corrective and elaborative feedback within intensive literacy instructional settings in secondary schools. Findings revealed that the Revised T-TIP demonstrated promising social validity for teacher lesson planning in intensive settings, however, functional relation for the intervention was not markedly concluded from the visual analysis. The impact of the Revised T-TIP on the frequency and sustainability of evidence-based reading instruction and teaching behaviors are discussed along with recommendations for future research and practice in teacher education. Subscribe to LDMJ


We identify electromagnetic field variations from the Van Allen Probes which have the properties of Doppler shifted kinetic scale Alfvénic field line resonances. These variations are observed during injections of energetic plasmas into the inner magnetosphere. These waves have scale sizes perpendicular to the magnetic field which are determined to be of the order of an ion gyro‐radius (ρi) and less. Cross‐spectral analysis of the electric and magnetic fields reveals phase transitions at frequencies correlated with enhancements and depressions in the ratio of the electric and magnetic fields. Modeling shows that these observations are consistent with the excitation of field‐line resonances over a broad range of wave numbers perpendicular to the magnetic field (k⊥) extending to k⊥ρi ≫ 1. The amplitude of these waves is such that E/Bo ≳ Ωi/k⊥ (E, Bo, and Ωi are the wave amplitude, background field strength, and ion gyro‐frequency, respectively) leading to ion demagnetization and acceleration for multiple transitions through the wave potential.


In this paper, we pre-sent the multi-code minimum mean square error (MMSE) ordered successive interference canceller (OSIC) for downlink multiple input multiple output (MIMO) multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems and analyze its performance from the viewpoint of frame error rate (FER) and data throughput. It outperforms multiuser MMSE OSIC since it can cancel other antenna interference by using all known code information. We make performance comparisons between symbol interleaving before spreading and chip interleaving after spreading in the frequency domain for turbo encoded MIMO MC-CDMA systems. They demonstrate that the chip interleaving method is superior to the symbol interleaving method when the number of multipaths increases owing to the randomization effect of burst errors, and is inferior to the symbol interleaving method when the number of codes increases due to inter-code interference as SISO MC-CDMA systems. Besides, we can derive spatial diversity as well as frequency diversity from multiplexing turbo encoded data streams into transmitting antennas.


Recently, the development of motion-copying systems has enabled us to preserve and reproduce motion data including contact motion by humans. A system having multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) is necessary for precise preservation of human motion. However, the DOF of a permeating device might not be the same as the DOF of the device used at the time of motion saving. The motion data should be reproduced precisely even if the system has a lower DOF than the system of the motion-saved phase. To address this problem, a method to determine redundant motion data on the basis of analysis of human motion is proposed. Hierarchical clustering is used for the analysis of motion data having high similarity. Furthermore, redundant motion data are determined for the maximum eigenvalue and eigenvector obtained from the adjacency matrix in graph theory. Using graph theory, the redundant data can be determined in each motion. The saved motion is reproduced by a lower-DOF system. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by experiments in which grasping-motion data with four DOFs are reproduced by a 3-DOF device.


Dynamic characteristics of arterial pressure (AP) regulation are important components in our understanding of rapid AP restoration by the arterial baroreflex system. The present study examined the effects of an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine on baroreflex-mediated dynamic AP regulation. In anesthetized and vagotomized rats, carotid sinus pressure was externally perturbed using a Gaussian white noise signal, and the neural arc transfer function from pressure input to efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and the peripheral arc transfer function from SNA to AP were identified. The peripheral arc transfer function approximated a second-order low-pass filter with pure dead time. Intravenous administration of nifedipine significantly decreased the steady-state gain and increased the damping ratio of the peripheral arc without affecting the dynamic characteristics of the neural arc. When the step response of AP was calculated based on the peripheral arc transfer function alone, nifedipine prolonged 80% rise time by 26%. When the closed-loop AP response was simulated based on both the neural arc and peripheral arc transfer functions and the dynamic gain of the baroreflex total loop was assumed to be 2.0, nifedipine prolonged 80% recovery time by 107%. In conclusion, L-type Ca2+ channel blockade may compromise the baroreflex-mediated AP control not only in the magnitude but also in the speed of AP restoration.


Abstract:One of the elements that has marked China's rise in the international community is the emergence of its strategic partnerships. Strategic alignments have evolved in a dynamic international context, where cooperation has become more sophisticated and multidimensional. Deriving a conceptual definition is difficult as strategic relations have taken different forms. This research article attempts to complement the conceptual understanding by using a multinomial logistic model to analyse factors influencing China's choice of instrument with its strategic partners. At the level of strategic alignment, China uses three types of networks: strategic partnerships, trade strategic partnerships and comprehensive strategic partnerships. These orientations are not mutually exclusive, but each has its own logic that varies according to the levels of formality, linkage, scope and ideological proximity. Those economies with closer political orientation with China are likely to forge strategic partnerships. Trade strategic partnerships are significantly correlated with a regulatory quality index and are highly likely to be signed with countries within the Asia-Pacific region. Comprehensive strategic partnerships, on the other hand, are established with countries more highly integrated into the globalisation process. In this regard, China has built its strategic network by combining its Soviet legacy with notions of Western institutionalised cooperation.


In the home healthcare setting, clinicians are required to evaluate patient's medication therapy, including adherence. To facilitate this conversation, a pilot question list to help uncover potential medication nonadherence was created after completing a review of the literature and ascertaining the common themes as to why patients were nonadherent to their medication therapies. Pharmacy personnel who provide onsite consultations in a home healthcare setting used the question list to identify medication-related problems that could contribute to nonadherence and to document potential solutions. Through pharmacist–patient interactions, which occurred after admission to the home healthcare agency, pharmacy personnel found on average 2.3 issues per patient, which could affect medication adherence. Side effects were the most common problem identified. After this tool was tested with 65 patient interviews, the questions were analyzed and condensed into a shorter list more specific to the identification of medication-related problems for use by home care clinicians.


This study estimates Technical efficiency (TE) and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) through a stochastic frontier analysis and decomposes growth into technological progress, technical efficiency change, and scale for the Indonesian manufacturing sector. Global economic slowdown characterises the period of study (2007-2013), as well as peak and fall of commodity prices, massive global integration and development of a Master plan for Indonesia (MP3EI). This study looks at patterns of productivity as important sources of growth. Results are aggregated based on technological intensity, firm size, capital/output ratio, labour skills, and location. The findings show that companies perform differently as those factors vary, and while larger companies are more efficient, smaller ones have higher rates of TFP growth, mainly through technological progress and scale. The TFP had moved from initial negative levels to positive ones. Firms with low tech, low capital/ output ratio, and more skilful workers have the highest TFP.


Background High-dose remifentanil-based anesthesia is associated with opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) and postanesthetic shivering (PAS). These effects can be prevented by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists. This study aimed to investigate correlations between OIH and PAS caused by high-dose remifentanil and the effects of low-dose ketamine on OIH and PAS. Methods Seventy-five patients scheduled for single-port laparoscopic gynecologic surgery were randomly allocated into three groups, each of which received intraoperative remifentanil: group L at 0.1 µg/kg/min; group H at 0.3 µg/kg/min; and group HK at 0.3 µg/kg/min plus 0.25 mg/kg ketamine just before incision, followed by a continuous infusion of 5 µg/kg/min ketamine until skin closure. Results PAS, postoperative tactile pain threshold, and the extent of hyperalgesia in group H were significantly different (P < 0.05) than in the other two groups. PAS was significantly correlated with OIH, including mechanically evoked pain such as postoperative tactile pain threshold (r = -0.529, P = 0.01) (r = -0.458, P = 0.021) and the extent of hyperalgesia (r = 0.537, P = 0.002) (r = 0.384, P = 0.031), respectively, in group H and group HK. Notably, both groups were treated with high-dose remifentanil. Tympanic membrane temperature, time to first postoperative analgesic requirement, postoperative pain scores, analgesic consumption, and cumulative patient-controlled analgesia volume containing morphine were comparable in all three groups. Conclusions OIH, including the enhanced perception of pain, and PAS were both associated with high-dose remifentanil, were significantly correlated and were attenuated by a low dose of ketamine. This suggests that a common mechanism in part mediated through activation of the central glutamatergic system (e.g., NMDA receptors), underlies the two effects caused by high doses of remifentanil.


We demonstrate the possibility of a new class of positronic ions, formed by attaching a positron to the induced dipole of a metallic cluster. It is shown that such a system is made stable by the inclusion of the polarization potential. Ground state and some excited state energies are given, both for the positronic and for the corresponding electronic ion of and clusters. We also give total cross sections for capture in both cases as a function of projectile energy up to 3 eV, and compare the results for both species of ions.


Aquifer vulnerability is frequently estimated through methodologies that do not consider the main physical and chemical soil parameters. Soil characteristics were determined at a semiurban region with mixed activities at the surroundings of Buenos Aires city. A soil attenuation index (AI) was proposed to estimate groundwater chemical pollution risk, that takes into account organic carbon content, pH, cation exchange capacity, clay content, phreatic depth and landscape position. Escobar soils were Mollisols and Entisols with a high variation in soil properties. Phosphorus, Mn and Zn concentrations in groundwater samples taken from selected places were used to validate the proposed index. Clay content was a very important property for adsorption, as clay increased, the soil P retention capacity increased simultaneously. A relationship was found between CEC, Cox and extractable P and chemical water properties with AI.


The annual instantaneous natural mortality as well as the total mortality rates and the potential yield of Wallago attu (Bloch and Schneider) were estimated from the 'Dhir beel' ecosystem of the Brahmaputra basin, Assam, India. The instantaneous natural mortality (M) as estimated by different methods was found to be 0.83 (Pauly) and 1.15 (Cushing). However, the realistic value of M for W. attu in the 'Dhir beel' was found to be 1.55 (assumed value). The average instantaneous total mortality (Z) values calculated by various methods were 3.44 (Jackson), 3.50 (Jones and Van Zalinge) and 3.70 (Beverton and Holt). The annual Z for the period 1980-'90 ranged from 1.45 (1988-'89) to 5.14 (1986-'87) for M = 0.83; 1.69 (1988-'89) to 4.95 (1986-'87) for M = 1.15 and 2.0 (1988-'89) to 4.67 (1986-'87) for M = 1.55. The potential yield per recruit (Y1) for W. attu in the 'Dhir beel' was estimated to be 440.0 g corresponding to a length (1) of 70.80 cm and age (t) of 1.16 year as per the analytical model of Beverton and Holt. However, it was 427.78 g for 1 = 73.55 cm and t =1.22 year as per the Kutty and Qasim model. The biomass per recruit attained a peak at 1 = 62.63 cm and t = 0.98 year as per Jones' length cohort analysis. The potential yield per recruit was estimated for three different values of natural mortality, M(=0.83, 1.15 and 1.55) as a function of exploitation ratio (E) for the observed age at first capture, t = 0.36 year corresponding to l c = 30.0 cm and also for the age at first recruitment, t = 0.21 year corresponding to lr = 17.5 cm. In view of the highly predatory habit, the length a-; first capture, lc = 30.0 cm can be considered to be the optimum size at first exploitation of W. attu in 'Dhir beel'. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for W. attu has been estimated to be 10,458 kg for the optimum effort at MSY (fmgy) of 182 men/day as per Schaefer and the MSY of 8,646 kg at fms of 182 men/day as per Fox. The fms of 182 men/day could be more economical for the W. attu fishery in the 'Dhir beel'.


Abstract The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) includes a comprehensive pre-site survey on the inland ice plateau of Dronning Maud Land. This paper focuses on the investigation of the 18O content of shallow firn and ice cores. These cores were dated by profiles derived from dielectric-profiling and continuous flow analysis measurements. the individual records were stacked in order to obtain composite chronologies of 18O contents and accumulation rates with enhanced signal-to-noise variance ratios. These chronologies document variations in the last 200 and 1000 years. The18O contents and accumulation rates decreased in the 19th century and increased during the 20th century. Using the empirical relationships between stable isotopes, accumulation rates and the 10 m firn temperature, the variation of both parameters can be explained by the same temperature history. But other causes for these variations, such as the build-up of the snow cover, cannot be excluded. A marked feature of the 1000 year chronology occurs during the period AD 1180–1530 when the 18Ocontents remains below the long-term mean. Cross-correlation analyses between five cores from the Weddell Sea region and Dronning Maud Land show that 18O records can in some periods be positively correlated and in others negatively correlated, indicating a complex climatic history in time and space.


The propagation kinetics of isoprene radical polymerizations in bulk and in solution are investigated via pulsed laser initiated polymerizations and subsequent polymer analyses via size-exclusion chromatography, the PLP-SEC method. Because of low polymerization rate and high volatility of isoprene, the polymerizations are carried out at elevated pressure ranging from 134 to 1320 bar. The temperatures are varied between 55 and 105 °C. PLP-SEC yields activation parameters of kp (Arrhenius parameters and activation volume) over a wide temperature and pressure range that allow for the calculation of kp at technically relevant ambient pressure conditions. The kp values determined are very low, e.g., 99 L mol−1 s−1 at 50 °C, which is even lower than the corresponding value for styrene polymerizations. The presence of a polar solvent results in a slight increase of kp compared to the bulk system. The kp values reported are important for determining rate coefficients of other elemental reactions from coupled parameters as well as for modeling isoprene free-radical polymerizations and reversible deactivation radical polymerization with respect to tailored polymer properties and optimizing the polymerization processes.


Increased attention to professionalism and realism in translation classes at university has resulted in the development of a wide range of approaches to foster future translators' construction of knowledge and identity pertaining to their upcoming professional career and community. This paper centres on a professionalizing seminar that shared these aims. Employing corpus, stance and discourse analysis, it examines the retrospective reports written by the future translators who participated in the seminar to unveil beliefs on their experience of the seminar, their university training, their perceived competence, and their present and future identities as translators. The results of the study suggest, on the one hand, that participants perceived that the seminar fostered awareness of the professional domain of translators, heightened cognizance of their skills, and gave them authentic practice as translators and, on the other, participants perceived lacunae in their training and gaps in their competences, with potential implications on their (perceived) employability.


Optical networks is considered as the main backbone networks that handled the Internet traffic worldwide. Currently, the Internet traffic has had huge annual growth due to the increment in connected devices. At this rate, it is believed that the current technology in optical network will not able to handle this growth in the near future. Till recently, multiplexing techniques in the optical communication rely on modulation techniques
where polarization, amplitude and frequency of the signal are used as the main data carrier. In these techniques, light modes are considered as an undesired effect causing modal dispersion. In contrast, mode division multiplexing (MDM) was introduced as a multiplexing approach which relies on the utilization of the light modes for the benefit of increasing the capacity-distance product of the optical network. As per any new technology, it is still facing a lot of problems preventing it from being commercially standardized and used. One of the main MDM issues is the mode coupling,
which is an inventible phenomena occurs when the energy of one mode transfers to another mode during their propagation throughout the optical fibre causes inter-symbol interference (ISI), increasing the bit error rate (BER) and reducing the overall system performance. Different equalization schemes have been proposed so far attempting to mitigate the effect of mode coupling on the MDM optical signal. However, they suffer from high computational complexity and rely on training signals in estimating the optical channel which increases the overhead payload. These technique mainly rely on Least Mean Squared (LMS) and Recursive Least Squared (RLS) algorithms. The purpose of this study is to introduce a Zero Forcing LU-based equalization scheme for MDM.
Previous research in the radio domain on multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) demonstrated that zero forcing schemes have low computational complexity compared to current schemes as they
equalize the signal without training signals, thus reducing the overhead payload. All of the previous points motivate the work of this study to adapt this approach in optical communications. The study adopts the four stages of the Design Research Methodology (DRM). The initial data was collected from the optical simulator, processed and used to derive the transfer function (H) of the system. Then it was used to develop the equalization scheme in MATLAB. The experimentation on Zero Forcing LU based equalization scheme shows O(N) complexity which is lower than RLS which has O(N2) and faster than LMS, in fact, LMS needs an average of 0.0126 seconds to process the signal while ZF LU-based needs 0.0029 seconds only. On the other hand, the proposed equalization reduces the time delay
spread of the channel, resulting three times increment in the capacity of the MDM channel
and even lower computational complexity. The main contribution of this study is the reduction of the computational complexity of the previous equalization schemes in MDM. Applying this scheme in real MDM systems can produce more cost effective and smaller digital signal processing (DSP) parts for MDM equipment and can accelerate the work
on the standardization of MDM for being commercially used as a multiplexing technique
for optical communication networks.


Summary: The aim of this study is to compare macular retinal layers and choroidal thicknesses of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) with those of patients without other known ophthalmological pathology, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Fifty eyes of 50 patients (mean age 73.10; SD = 5.36 years) with a diagnosis of mild AD and 152 eyes of 152 patients without AD (mean age 71.03; SD = 4.62 years) were included. There was a thinning in the peripheral ring of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in the AD group (S6 p < 0.001; T6 and N6 p = 0.001). In the superior sectors of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), differences between the two groups also remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (S3 p = 0.001 and S6 p < 0.001). Patients with AD showed a significant reduction in retinal layers and choroidal thickness. The thinnest macular measurements were found mostly in the inner layers, GCL and IPL, at superior pericentral and peripheral rings. This thinning may represent a possible retinal biomarker of AD, related with both primary retinal lesion and transsynaptic retrograde degeneration and the choroidal thinning probably reflects the importance of vascular factors in the pathogenesis of this disease.