The biomass industry is growing due to the current search for greener and more sustainable alternatives to fossil energy sources. However, this industry, due to its singularity, presents several challenges and disadvantages related to the transportation of raw materials, with the large volumes that are usually involved. This project aimed to address this internal logistics situation in torrefied biomass pellets production with two different biomass storage parks, located in Portugal. The main park receives raw material coming directly from the source and stores it in large amounts as a backup and strategic storage park. The second park, with smaller dimensions, precedes the production unit and must be stocked daily. Therefore, a fleet of transport units with self-unloading cranes is required to help to unload the biomass at the main park and transport the raw material from this park to the one preceding the production unit. Thus, the main goal was to determine the dimensions of the fleet used in internal transportation operations to minimize the idle time of the transport units using a methodology already in use in the mining and quarrying industry. This methodology was analyzed and adapted to the situation presented here. The implementation of this study allows the elimination of unnecessary costs in an industry where the profit margins are low.


Sand is commonly referred to as the "gold standard" for bedding dairy cattle. Many newly constructed freestall barns are designed for sand stalls; however, it is uncommon to find it in tiestall barns. As producers in tiestall barns look for ways to improve cow comfort and health, sand is an option to consider. This paper describes how three Lewis County producers make sand work in their barns.


Network traffic exhibits strong correlations which make it suitable for prediction. Real-time forecasting of network traffic load accurately and in a computationally efficient manner is the key element of proactive network management and congestion control. This paper compares predictions produced by different types of neural networks (NN) with forecasts from statistical time series models (ARMA, ARAR, HW). The novelty of our approach is to predict aggregated Ethernet traffic with NNs employing multiresolution learning (MRL) which is based on wavelet decomposition. In addition, we introduce a new NN training paradigm, namely the combination of multi-task learning with MRL. The experimental results show that nonlinear prediction based on NNs is better suited for traffic prediction purposes than linear forecasting models. Moreover, MRL helps to exploit the correlation structures at lower resolutions of the traffic trace and improves the generalization capability of NNs.


Since numerous large-scale scientific applications executed on Grids are expressed as complex scientific workflows, workflow management has appeared as one of the most important service in Grid environment in past few years. However, most of the management systems do not fully hide the complexity of the underlying orchestration language. Meanwhile, Grid environment is dynamic when each scientist involves in different requirements to submit their computational jobs to heterogeneous executing environment. Therefore, in order to solve the issues of complexity, heterogeneity and dynamism, in this paper we developed Application- objected Workflow Management System based on Abstract Service. The Abstract Service is an abstract combination service for a group web service with similar function. And we presented Service Center, which contains a large number of abstract services to form a virtual uniform view to shield the diversity among various web services. We also developed a visual workflow designer, which allows scientists to orchestrate an abstract workflow by just dragging or dropping the graphical representations of abstract services to (or from) the canvas. Especially, the Requirement Description Document (RDD) was proposed to describe the special demands of individual computational jobs in XML grammar. And we implemented a Workflow Application Management System (WFAMS), which translates abstract workflow in well-defined order to concrete workflow, and manages, controls and decomposes the workflow, and then combines the scientist's relational data and submits workflow to job pool in Grid platform. Finally, the solutions to the key problems in the workflow management system are considered, including the definition of abstract workflow, the mechanism to support failure handling, the workflow template and the mechanism to isolate the control flow and data flow.


It has been suggested that pregnancy can be prevented by interfering with the function of the corpus luteum (CL) and that prostaglandins (PGs) may play a role in this approach because of its luteolytic effects in humans and infrahuman primates. The luteolytic action of PGs however has not been completely understood. It is not known to what extent the antifertility effect of PGs is attributed to the 'oxytocic' properties of the compound or to its ability to interfere with the function of the CL. 2 recent studies show that PGs suppress the steroidogenic potential of the ovary. The evaluation of animal experiments on the luteolytic effects of PGs is difficult because of the wide variations in blood progesterone levels during normal fertile cycles. It is possible that a decrease in blood progesterone levels is secondary to the impaired function of the chorionic tissue caused by uterine contractions. Some studies in humans suggest that the mechanism of the abortifacient action of prostaglandins in early pregnancy is related to the effect on the CL. The effects of PGs on the CL during the normal cycle are being investigated. The studies attempt to determine whether PGs will induce premature menstrual bleeding in the absence of pregnancy. Administration of PGE2 during the early postovulatory period does not prevent the continuous increase in blood progesterone levels typical for this time. PGE2 administration at the peak of the luteal phase does not substantially affect blood progesterone levels; similarly, at the end of the cycle, the physiological decline of corpus luteum function is not precipitated. The same reaction is observed with PGF2alpha during normal cycles as well as during a luteal phase artificially prolonged by exogenous human chorionic gonadotropin administration. A study of the local effect of PGF2alpha infused into the aorta of the rhesus monkey via a femoral catheter suggest that this in vivo preparation induces rapid and marked inhibition of luteal steroidogenesis. Studies on PG effects on the ovary contribute substantially to knowledge of ovarian physiology.


Given limited research on patient perspectives, we sought
 to assess craving and depression in dually diagnosed African
 Americans receiving Buprenorphine/Naloxone and group
 therapy. Nineteen subjects were recruited and 13
 completed the 12 month longitudinal study.
 Buprenorphine/Naloxone treatment and group therapy
 were provided weekly. Quarterly evaluations of craving,
 depression and patient perspectives of treatment were
 obtained. Craving, depression and reported opiate use
 significantly declined from baseline. Depression increased
 slightly at 12 months. Buprenorphine/Naloxone and group
 therapy resulted in a significant decrease in craving,
 depression severity, and reported opioid use with
 improvement in quality of life.


Purpose To develop a general method for NP fabrication from various proteins with maintenance of biological activity. Methods A novel general approach for producing protein nanoparticles (NP) by nanoprecipitation of the protein solutions in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol is described. Protein NP sizes and shapes were analyzed by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy (SEM and AFM). Chemical composition of the NP was confirmed using ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and circular dichroism (CD). Biological properties of the NP were analyzed in ELISA, immunofluorescent analysis and lysozyme activity assay. Results Water-insoluble NP were constructed from globular (bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme, immunoglobulins), fibrillar (fibrinogen) proteins and linear polylysines by means of nanoprecipitation of protein solutions in fluoroalcohols. AFM and SEM revealed NP sizes of 20–250 nm. The NP chemical structure was confirmed by UV spectroscopy, protease digestion and EDX spectroscopy. CD spectra revealed a stable secondary structure of proteins in NP. The UV spectra, microscopy and SDS-PAA gel electrophoresis (PAGE) proved the NP stability at +4°C for 7 months. Co-precipitation of proteins with fluorophores or nanoprecipitation of pre-labeled BSA resulted in fluorescent NP that retained antigenic structures as shown by their binding with specific antibodies. Moreover, NP from monoclonal antibodies could bind with the hepatitis B virus antigen S. Besides that, lysozyme NP could digest bacterial cellular walls. Conclusion Thus, the water-insoluble, stable protein NP were produced by nanoprecipitation without cross-linking and retained ligand-binding and enzymatic activities.


AbstractAugmented Reality (AR) refers to a display of a real-world environment whose elements are augmented by one or more layers of text, data, symbols, images, or other graphical display elements. AR technology is always associated with online games. Beyond online gaming, AR has become part of daily life and affects every aspect of how society interacts with technology. In retail and marketing, AR and other virtual technologies play a very important role in saving costs. AR is also used in the education and medical sector, also in preventing crime. AR is even further used for humanitarian activities to reach remote areas affected by natural disasters and save human lives. Considered a new technology, the commercialization of AR may bring incredible business opportunities as well as potential legal risks. In the context of Intellectual Property (IP), AR systems and services can embody a variety of forms of IP. Meanwhile, the operation of AR systems in virtual spaces is creating issues about how to deal with data breaches and privacy. By using doctrinal methods, this paper will explore the legal challenge of AR in the context of IP protection in the virtual space and investigate the potential liability caused by the failure of AR systems from the Indonesian legal perspective.Keywords: Augmented Reality; Intellectual Property; Legal; Virtual Space.


We construct a new compactification of the moduli scheme of Gieseker-stable vector bundles having fixed Hilbert polynomial on a smooth projective polarized surface defined over the field . Families of locally free sheaves on the surface are completed by locally free sheaves on surfaces that are certain modifications of . The new moduli space has a birational morphism onto the Gieseker-Maruyama moduli space. We consider the case when the Gieseker-Maruyama space is the coarse moduli space. Bibliography: 16 titles.


Nonstationary two-dimensional random fields with wide-sense stationary fractional increments are introduced using a fractional order for their increments in two directions of space. Some of their properties are studied and their value in modeling nonstationary, possibly anisotropic, fields is shown via examples. A separable wavelet packet analysis proves to be a useful tool in analyzing this kind of texture as it leads to stationary wavelet packet coefficients.


In the social sciences, civilization is one of the most oft-debated concepts. However, debates around civilization are still framed by Western assumptions and concerns as with the very idea of civilization itself. Nevertheless, civilization remains a central theme for non-Western theorists, especially in the Muslim world. Since its birth as a concept, civilization has been defined and brought into existence by an encounter with the other. Similarly, Muslim communities have also attempted, in various forms, to place themselves in relation to what they saw as civilization. This encounter with the concept and fact of civilization is comprised of a series of investigations that include multi-dimensional analyses of frameworks of evaluation, methods of interpretation and eventually attempts to go beyond the concept itself. All of these developments contribute to the very concept as understood from different points of view. The book will offer fifteen chapters in three parts: (i) defining and discussing civilization; (ii) debates on the civilization in the contemporary Muslim world; (iii) and modernization, globalization, and the future of civilization debate. The first part reviews, analyze, and discuss definitions of civilization and modernity, and criticizes Eurocentric understanding around these notions. The second part examines efforts at resistance to as well as reception by non-Western civilizations of Western perspectives on civilization. The third part focuses on the future of the debate in a broader context. The overall objective of this volume is to expose complex issues for further discussion pertaining to civilization, modernization, globalization, (de)colonization, and multiculturalism.


ABSTRACT Nowadays renewable energy sources play an important role in partially meeting the global energy demand and protecting the environment. Wind energy technology among the renewable sources is developing rapidly around the World as it becomes a challenging renewable energy technology. One of the latest developed technologies that enable small size wind turbines to operate in the most efficient way is the diffuser augmented wind turbine (DAWT) system utilization. In this study, concentrators involving nozzle-diffuser-flange systems were aimed to be reviewed thoroughly by studying the variety of geometries that are mostly available in the literature. Also, the diffuser augmented wind turbine technologies, from the viewpoint of designs, their aerodynamic characteristics, performances, and efficiencies were reviewed extensively. The benefits obtained from cased wind turbines in terms of wind speed and power coefficient enhancements were analyzed considering a variety of different studies found in the literature.


This paper aims to explore the impact of ex-ante legal status of creator on ex-post open license choice. It first describes the emergents Creative Commons licenses in Open Cultural Contents production and distribution. It introduces the two open models of diffusion and production, followed by creators. It orders the licenses according with their degree of openness in production as well as in diffusion. Then the paper presents an empirical analysis of the impact of legal status of creators on open license choice using an original database of video under Creative Commons licenses, created from the Internet Archive. The results show the existence of two models, Open Diffusion model and Open Production, that the creator has to balance when he/she decides the license. The results also show that in order to obtain benefit from the community, the For-Profit actors are more likely to adopt a high degree of openness in license.


John Duns Scotus's famous doctrine of the formal distinction has a twofold justification: a theological one, stemming from the necessity to express coherently the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and a metaphysical one, according to which formal distinction is a necessary condition of the abstraction of universal (objective) concepts from individuals. This paper is a detailed analysis of this latter argument, presented by Scotus in Questions on Metaphysics VII, q. 19. Scotus apparently demolishes the alternative theory of intentional distinction proposed by Henry of Ghent, but not without first attempting to defend it in as refined and powerful form as possible. Given that Henry's notion of intentional distinction is substantially the same as later Thomits's "distinctio rationis ratiocinatae", this rises questions about the validity about the latter notion, both in the context of Scotism (such as in the thought of Bartolomeo Mastri) and in genereal.


In this study factor analysis was used to estimate the validity of the Rudie-McGaughran Essential-Reactive questionnaire. Answers of VA alcoholic men were tape-recorded and scored using the Rudie and McGaughran criteria. Only 2 factors, economic dependence and gastrointestinal symptoms, were validated using factor analysis. Five of the remaining six factors evaluated dimensions of dependence unique to the Essential alcoholic men.


ABSTRACT Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) may be at a greater risk of developing a severe course in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objectives To analyze the prognosis and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with MG and to determine factors associated with COVID-19 severity in patients with MG. Methods Information concerning COVID-19 occurrence in patients with MG was collected in this single-center observational study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with severe Covid-19. Results Two hundred seventy-five of the 386 records of MG were included in this study. Eighty-two (29.8%) patients had concurrent COVID-19 . The patients' mean age was 50.3 ± 1.6 years, and the mean duration of MG was 6.7 ± 5.4 years. MG was diagnosed after COVID-19 in five cases. Covid-19 was mild in 45 patients (54.9%), moderate in 23 (28.1%), and severe in 14 (17.07%), while mortality occurred in four of the severe cases (4.9%). Three of the exitus patients were receiving rituximab therapy. Pre-Covid MG Activity of Daily Living (MG-ADL) severity scores were significantly high in severe cases. A history of myasthenic crisis was also higher in severe cases. Similarly, univariate and multivariate analyses revealed an association between severe COVID-19 and myasthenic crisis history and high pre-Covid MG-ADL. The type of MG treatment had no independent effect on COVID-19 severity. Conclusion The vast majority of the MG patients made a good recovery from Covid-19. The risk of severe COVID-19 is high in patients with high MG-ADL severity scores and a history of myasthenic crisis.


The survey was conducted in Southwestern Ethiopia, to study the distribution and population dynamics of Coccinellidae predators associated with White Mango Scale (WMS). The identification of the predators was done by collecting infested mango leaves from the targeted fields. In all surveyed areas, three Chilocorus beetles spp. (Chilocorus spp. 1, 2, and 3) and one unknown beetle were identified feeding on all stages of WMS. The number of Chilocorus spp. 1 was higher compared with the other identified predators in all surveyed areas. Among the surveyed areas, East Wollega had the highest population of Chilocorus spp. 1. The peak population of the identified Coccinellidae predators and WMS varied from March to May depend on the species and areas. Overall, during the rainy and high temperature seasons, the number of both WMS and predators declined. The correlation study showed that the populations of the predators were positively correlated with weather factors and WMS, as prey factor.  Altogether, the current study suggests that identified Coccinellidae Chilocorus spp. 1 was considered as the potential predator to control WMS. Therefore, future studies need to be focus on predacious efficacy, mass rearing and field release mechanism and compatibility with other management options.


Load balancing in a cluster system has been investigated extensively, mainly focusing on the effective usage of global CPU and memory resources. However, if a significant portion of applications running in the system is I/O-intensive, traditional load balancing policies that focus on CPU and memory usage may cause the system performance to decrease substantially. To solve this problem, a new I/O-aware load-balancing scheme with preemptive job migration is presented to sustain the high performance of a cluster with a diverse set of workload conditions. The proposed scheme dynamically detects I/O load imbalance on nodes of a cluster, and determines whether to preempt some running jobs on overloaded nodes and migrate them to other less- or under-loaded nodes. Besides balancing I/O load, the scheme takes into account both CPU and memory load sharing in clusters, thereby maintaining the same level of performance as existing schemes when I/O load is low or well balanced. Results from a trace-driven simulation show that, compared to the existing approaches that only consider I/O with nonpreemptive job migrations, the proposed schemes achieve the improvement in mean slowdown by up to a factor of 10.


This paper aims at integrating heterogeneous documents used in pragmatic software develpoment methods to describe views with a formal refinement based software development process. Therefore we propose an integrated semantics of heterogeneous documents based on a common system model and a set of syntactic development steps with a welldefined semantics for document evolution. The use of the development steps is demonstrated in a small example.


Four patients with clinically and histologically diagnosed necrobiosis lipoidica had normal glucose tolerance tests. However, two of the patients had abnormal cortisone glucose tolerance tests, which suggests that necrobiosis lipoidica, even without other evidence of diabetes mellitus, may precede the development of actual clinical diabetes and thus may be analogous to diabetic nephropathy and diabetic neuritis which are both known to precede, at times, the development of actual clinical diabetes. It is thought that any patient with necrobiosis lipoidica with a normal glucose tolerance test should nevertheless be suspected as a potential diabetic and be reexamined periodically for further evidence of clinical diabetes. It is further believed that the cortisone glucose tolerance test should be carried out in all such patients.


Background: Current guidelines for BC surveillance in asymptomatic pts recommend annual mammography and periodical physical examination. These recommendations arise from two trials conducted in the 19809s: since then no other randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted on BC follow-up. However our knowledge on BC biology, diagnosis of metastases and treatment has improved. The aim of this prospective RCT is to verify if the serial measurement of CEA and CA15.3 (followed by 18-FDG PET) can anticipate the diagnosis of breast cancer recurrence compared to control arm. If this intermediate end-point will be met a subsequent extension trial will investigate the impact of the earlier diagnosis of distant metastases on survival. Methods: Pts diagnosed with stage I-III BC, who underwent adequate surgery are eligible. Special histologies and low-risk cases according to St. Gallen criteria are excluded. We will include pts at the beginning of the follow-up after the conclusion of primary treatment (cohort 1), and pts that have concluded without relapse the first 5 years of follow-up (cohort 2). Eligible pts will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to follow-up according to local practice (control arm) or to three-monthly serial dosing of CEA and CA15.3 and subsequent imaging studies (18-FDG PET) only in case of an increase of CEA and/or CA 15.3 greater than a critical difference (CEA +100% and/or CA15.3 +75%) compared to baseline (experimental arm). The following stratification factors will be used: node negative vs positive, HER2 negative vs positive, ER positive vs negative. Eight-hundred pts will be enrolled over 3 years. For such a calculation, we made the assumption of a 20% 5-year incidence of relapse. The target reduction of 3 months in restricted mean survival time (RMST) between the two arms implies a median time of diagnostic anticipation, conditional on having breast cancer recurrence, of 10 months. The follow-up will continue until 10 years from surgery. The first patient was enrolled on 23rd October 2014, up to now 434 pts have been enrolled. The present trial was approved by the Ethical Commitee of S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital and is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02261389). Citation Format: Zamagni C, Gion M, Mariani L, Stieber P, Quercia S, Rubino D, Bernardi A, Cacciari N, Fini A, Lenzi M, Minichillo S, Pizzirani C, Pagliaro M, Tomasini S, Barbieri E. Three-monthly dynamic evaluation of CEA and CA15-3 (followed by 18-FDG PET) vs usual practice in the follow-up of early breast cancer (BC) patients (pts): A prospective randomized trial (KRONOS-patient-oriented new surveillance study, Italy) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-05-01.


The metal-semiconductor interface in thin-film transistors (TFTs) is one of the bottlenecks on the development of these devices. Although this interface does not play an active role in the transistor operation, a low-quality interface can be responsible for a low performance operation. In a-Si TFTs, a doped film can be used to improve this interface, however, in other TFT technologies, there is no doped film to be used. In this chapter, some alternatives to improve this interface are analysed. Also, the influence of this interface on the electrical stability of these devices is presented.


Growth, acetylene reduction, and respiration rate were studied in batch and continuous cultures of Arthrobacter fluorescents at different oxygen partial pressures. The optimum pO2 values for growth and acetylene reduction were 0.05 and 0.025 atm, respectively, but microorganisms can tolerate higher pO2 values. The growth of cultures provided with combined nitrogen was dependent on oxygen availability, and strict anaerobic conditions did not support growth. Acetylene reduction of a population grown in continuous culture and adapted to low pO2 (0.02 atm) was much more sensitive to oxygenation than that of a population adapted to high pO2 (0.4 atm). Their maximum nitrogenase activity, at their optimal pO2 values, were quite different. The respiratory activity of nitrogen-fixing cultures increased with increasing oxygen tensions until a pO2 of 0.2 atm. At higher pO2 values, the respiration rate began to decrease.


The main purpose of this book is to discuss a number of questions which arise in connection with economic aid. Chapter II sets out the present situation: how much economic aid is provided, in what forms and through what channels, and who are the chief contributors and recipients. Chapter III discusses the view that underdeveloped countries need trade rather than aid. Chapter IV considers the part played by the flow of private capital. The final chapter considers various arguments for and against providing economic aid and draws some conclusions, suggesting that the amount provided should be substantially increased and made more effective.


This article reports on an ongoing sociological study of the first Tibetan refugee settlement established in India, Lukzung SamdruplingLugs zung bsam grub gling located in Bylakuppe near Mysore. Data from camp registers and the old files of the settlement office have been digitalized and subjected to an exploratory analysis that focuses on two interconnected issues: resource competition between the Tibetan refugees and the local Indian community, and high population growth during the first decade of the settlement's existence. The demographic analysis demonstrates that women in the settlement experienced a high fertility rate from 1962 to 1976. Population growth was further intensified by in-migration resulting from the creation of more camps, and from the in-migration of unregistered Tibetans including deserters from the army. The article discusses how these and other factors created friction between the camp's administrators and Indian government officials, conflicts between camp residents and the surrounding Indian communities, and may have countered some of the positive effects on local development resulting from the creation of the settlements. (Less)


In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) promoted the retention rate of grafts following fat transplantation through its angiogenic properties. However, the effect of SVF on inflammatory response subsequent to fat transplantation remains unclear. Fat from C57 mice were mixed with green fluorescent protein (GFP) SVF cells or phosphate-buffered saline and transplanted into C57BL/6 mice. The graft was harvested and immunofluorescent staining was performed on 1, 7, 14 and 30 days. The numbers of vessels and macrophages, as well as the inflammation level, in the two groups were evaluated. Although the GFP fluorescence indicated that most SVF cells were dead following transplantation, there was a higher graft retention rate in the SVF-assisted group compared with the control group. The SVF-assisted group also presented higher expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and lower levels of IL-10, as well as increased M2 macrophages in comparison with the control group. Therefore, the results indicated that SVF promoted the retention rate of grafts following fat transplantation through the well-known pro-angiogenic mechanism (paracrine function and involvement in the formation of new vessels), as well as through the anti-inflammatory property of SVF (expression and suppression of various cytokines and conversion of the macrophage phenotype).


The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the carbon monoxide (CO) donor on the Ca 2+ -activated potassium permeability of the erythrocyte membrane and platelet aggregation ability. Materials and methods. Healthy volunteers ( n = 27) and patients with chronic coronary heart disease (CHD) ( n = 32) of both sexes were examined. The material of the study was packed red blood cells and platelet-rich plasma obtained from patient's venous blood. The change of Ca 2+ -dependent potassium conductivity of the erythrocyte membrane was evaluated by potentiometric method, and the platelet aggregation was studied by turbidimetric method. Carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 ( CORM-2) was used as a CO donor. The amplitude of A23187- and redox-induced hyperpolarization response (HR) of erythrocytes, and the rate and degree of platelet aggregation were estimated. Results. It was shown that the addition of CORM-2 (10 and 100 μM) in the erythrocyte suspension caused a dose-dependent decrease in the amplitude of A23187- and redox-dependent HR in healthy donors, as well as in patients with chronic CHD. The maximum decrease was observed in the presence of 100 μM CORM-2. The effect of CORM-2 at concentrations of 10 and 100 μM on collagen-induced platelet aggregation led to a decrease in the degree and rate of aggregation in healthy donors. The maximum effect was shown at 100 μM of CO donor. However, such an unambiguous effect of CORM-2 on the aggregation parameters in patients with CHD was not observed. Conclusion . The results suggest that CO has a significant effect on the ion transport function of the erythrocyte membrane and platelet aggregation activity of both healthy donors and patients with CHD.


Author of the only full-length eyewitness account of the 1917 Revolution, Sukhanov was a key figure in the first revolutionary Government. His seven-volume book, first published in 1922, was suppressed under Stalin. This reissue of the abridged version is, as the editor's preface points out, one of the few things written about this most dramatic and momentous event, which actually has the smell of life, and gives us a feeling for the personalities, the emotions, and the play of ideas of the whole revolutionary period."Originally published in 1984.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


We examined age differences in self-perceptions of five dimensions of mastery motivation and also of competence in American, Chinese, and Hungarian children and teens. Participants included 200 Americans, 1,465 Chinese, and 8,175 Hungarians from 7 to 19 years of age. The Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire provides comparable data across these different cultures as indicated by very similar factor structures and reasonably good internal consistency reliabilities for the scales. Across all three cultures, there was the expected decline from primary to secondary school in total persistence and the four instrumental mastery motivation scales, except for social persistence with adults in the American sample. Mastery pleasure did not decline in the American and Chinese samples but declined in the Hungarian sample. Self-perceived competence did not decline significantly in the American sample or in the Hungarian sample from age 11 to 17; however, competence self-ratings declined in the Chinese sample. The three cultures were compared at 11 and 16. Although there were some significant differences, small effect sizes indicated that the level of motivation was similar for each culture at each age. The other literature provides clues about why the declines occur in all three cultures and why there are some differences among cultures.


Variable-precision logic was introduced by R.S. Michalski and P.H. Winston (Artif. Intell., vol.29, p.121-46, 1986) as a means for representing reasoning in the face of exceptions. Using the framework of belief structures, some of their ideas are extended. In particular, a general framework that easily allows the representation of different types of rules in a unified manner is provided. This approach also allows for a lack of specificity in the associated qualifying probabilities. >


Influence of tourism and traffic on the Eurasian lynx hunting activity and daily movements.— Human presence influences survival of large carnivores in several ways and even outdoor activities can be a source of disturbance. As ungulate prey provide the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) with food for several nights and the pattern of lynx activity is mainly shaped by searching for and consuming large prey, the need to move decreases strongly while the prey is eaten. However, during the day, human activity may drive lynx to move to safe shelters and habitat features such as dense vegetation may increase tolerance. In the Bohemian Forest (Czech Republic), we found 116 prey killed by five GPS–collared lynxes. We tested whether the kill sites were located farther from roads or tourist trails than a set of randomly generated locations and whether presence of roads or tourist trails and habitat structure influenced the distance 'kill site to daytime resting sites'. At night, with low human activity, lynxes did not avoid roads and even selected the surroundings of tourist trails. The distance 'kill site to daytime resting sites' correlated negatively with presence of habitat concealment and distance to tourist trails, suggesting that outdoor activities may have to be considered in lynx management plans.


The photodegradation of textile azo dyes in aqueous solution containing acetone (ACE) photosensitizer was investigated at 253.7 nm. In this study, a typical azo reactive dye (C I Reactive Red 2-RR2) is used as the probe compound. ACE is a powerful photosensitizer that possesses high triplet energy, and the presence of ACE significantly enhances the overall photodegradation reaction through simultaneous sensitization. In the UV/ACE system, at the optimum conditions, over 97% of RR2 can be successfully decomposed and decolored within 300 seconds of retention time. The photodegradation mechanisms of RR2 involve both photodechlorination and photoreduction, which follow pseudo first-order decay kinetics. The quantum yield of the photolysis system has been evaluated as a function of ACE concentration and the initial pH. RR2 contains the chlorotriazinyl group, which undergoes hydrolysis and results in the formation of hydrochloric acid, indicating that the photodechlorination process is the dominant reaction mechanism. The photo-product, H+, is likely to retard the quantum yield of dye decay, suggesting that the initial pH is a critical factor in changing the photodecolorization rates of dye. Generally, this system is more favorable at higher pH levels.


Road traffic incidents are eliciting growing public concerns due to their devastating social, economical, and environmental impacts. The severity of these random events is particularly alarming in developing countries, where the situation is just worsening. Recently, Incident Management Systems (IMSs) have been proposed as powerful tools to enhance the coordination and management of rescue operations during traffic accidents. However, most of the available commercial IMS solutions are designed for large metropolitan cities and within the contexts of developed nations. This paper explores the issues of appropriateness and customization of IMS solutions in developing countries through an exploratory inquiry consisting of a case study from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The paper also explores the important issues related to managing the organizational changes that an IMS introduces to the operations of the command and control room. This contribution calls for the development of more comprehensive theoretical frameworks that can guide towards the implementation of appropriate IMS solutions in developing countries. Our research highlights the need for developing countries to acquire appropriate IMS solutions that are tailored to the local organizational work context in which these systems will be used. The experience reported herein can also inspire other public safety agencies in developing countries to consider the option of developing customized IMS solutions that best suit their needs.


This is the second installment of a two part series of papers studying free globularly generated double categories. We introduce the canonical double projection construction. The canonical double projection translates information from free globularly generated double categories to double categories defined through the same set of globular and vertical data. We use the canonical double projection to define compatible formal linear functorial extensions of the Haagerup standard form and the Connes fusion operation to possibly-infinite index morphisms between factors. We use the canonical double projection to prove that the free globularly generated double category construction is left adjoint to decorated horizontalization. We thus interpret free globularly generated double categories as formal decorated analogs of double categories of quintets and as generators for internalizations.


The design and experimental results of a wide-band monolithic reflection-type phase shifter are presented in this paper. The phase shifter fabricated on Ba/sub 0.6/Sr/sub 0.4/TiO/sub 3/ (BST)/sapphire consists of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) Lange coupler, a series resonated LC termination, and a bias network. The CPW Lange coupler results in a power split of 3.5 dB/spl plusmn/0.5 dB in the range of 1.6-3.2 GHz. The BST interdigital capacitor has a tunability (C/sub max//C/sub min/) of 3.1 with 140 V. Measured and simulated performance of a series resonated LC termination was described. The phase shifter has achieved a phase-shift range of over 90/spl deg/ with an insertion loss of better than 2.0 dB and a return loss of higher than 14 dB in the frequency range of 1.9-2.5 GHz over a bias voltage range from 0 to 160 V. A figure-of-merit of maximum 72/spl deg//dB at 2 GHz was obtained. The smaller phase shifter using the folded-type CPW Lange coupler, which maintains a smaller aspect ratio for easier packaging, has an insertion loss of better than 2.3 dB with a phase-shift range of over 130/spl deg/ at 2.5 GHz. Two-tone measurements of the phase shifter indicate an input IP/sub 3/ of 32 dBm with 0 V and 41.9 dBm with 60 V. Total size of the monolithic BST phase shifter is 11.2 mm /spl times/ 4.9 mm /spl times/ 0.43 mm for the straight coupler design and 5.4 mm /spl times/ 6.5 mm /spl times/ 0.43 mm for the folded-type design.


Author(s): Butler, Michelle Marie | Advisor(s): Ashmore, Wendy | Abstract: This dissertation is an examination of the entanglements between the people, objects, and practices that created an Early Classic (A.D. 250-500) communal mortuary space at Charco Redondo, in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. The purpose of this project is two-fold: to provide a comprehensive analysis of Early Classic mortuary practices at Charco Redondo and to explore the role of identity within a changing political landscape. Using a practice-based, comparative approach, I show how mortuary ritual continued the Formative Period tradition of communal burial but created distinct notions of identity within that space and altered how political authority was constituted. Individuals were discretely interred in a variety of positions, with a range of offerings and displayed kin-relatedness as determined through an intracemetery biodistance analysis. This is in contrast to Formative Period supradomestic internment practices, characterized by highly concentrated, disturbed burials and limited individual offerings. Changes in Early Classic burial practice are suggestive of a move towards indelibly marking one's individual identity and position in the social hierarchy. Nonetheless, inhabitants continued to reference preexisting understandings of the world through collective burial. During the Formative Period, political authority was constituted through communal ritual practices; practices that often entailed the muting of social inequalities. After the disintegration of the region's tenuously centralized polity at the end of the Terminal Formative (AD 100-250), I argue that coastal elites engaged in trade relations, particularly with Teotihuacan, which led to new opportunities to enhance social status and express that identity in death. I consider how objects acquired through elite networks increased certain individuals' authority, while at the same time, the reallocation of these objects in communal ritual and caches aided in normalizing new definitions of identity. I conclude that changes in mortuary practice reflect ideological transformations in regards to identity, and that religious practice no longer constrained the expression of identity as it did in the previous Formative Period. This research contributes to discourses that view religious practice as crucial to political dynamics rather than epiphenomenal, as ritual is often a site through which power and identity are negotiated and contested at all levels of society.


The organization of the collagen fibrils in the human umbilical cord at term is directly visualized by means of a scanning electron microscopy cell maceration method. This technique clearly reveals that there is a much more extensive collagen fibrillar architecture within the umbilical cord than that reported in the classical histological descriptions. The Wharton's jelly, in fact, appears as a spongy network of interlacing collagen fibres and small woven bundles apparently arranged at random and forming a continuous soft skeleton that encases the umbilical vessels. The collagen fibrillar network shows the presence of a wide system of interconnected cavities consisting of canalicular-like structures as well as cavernous and perivascular spaces. This system of cavities might play a mechanical role allowing the storing of the ground substance of the jelly and its diffusion during twisting or compression. Furthermore, it may have an important role facilitating the diffusion throughout the jelly of diffused materials (i.e. water and trophic metabolites) either from or to the umbilical vessels and the amniotic cavity, thus overcoming the lace of a proper vasculature with the jelly.


Amebiasis is cosmopolitan in its distribution both in developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Entamoeba hitolytica (E. histolytica) since 2007 to May 2017 at Mulu Assefa Hospital in Atsbi Wonberta Woreda, Eastern Tigray Ethiopia. This study showed that the prevalence rate of E. histolytica within ten years ranged from 15.08% to 72.60%. Out of these stools examined 6195(46.64%) were infected with E. histolytica with annual prevalence rate of 46.64%. Of these the prevalence rate of E. histolytica was 2913 (21.93%) for males and 3282 (24.71%) for females. The result showed that there was highest prevalence in spring 1983 (14.92%), followed by summer 1981 (14.91%), winter 1291 (9.71%) and least in autumn season 1184 (8.91%). The overall prevalence rate of the disease within the ten years, among different age groups in young (21-40 years) was highest 2175 (16.38%), followed by adult (≥ 41 years) 1863 (14.03%), moderate in child (0-11 years) 1250 (9.41%) and least in adolescence (12-19 years) 1043 (7.85%) out of 13283 total stool examined. The result of prospective laboratory assessment of five month (January to May 2017) on patient attended in the Hospital, showed that totally 685 patients were stools examined in the Hospital, out of these 226 were E. histolytica positive. There was higher prevalence in females than males. There was highest prevalence in young and least in adult and the overall prevalence was 32.99%. The prevalence of E. histolytica had association between sex, season and age groups at p<0.05. As the respondents answered 84% of them were have knowledge on the mode of transmission, prevention method and risk factors that contribute for transmission of the disease. However, 16% the people had less awareness toward the disease. Therefore, protection of water sources from contamination and health education are needed to improve sanitation, personal hygiene and a proper usage of toilet to reduce infections of E. histolytica.


infections, it can also cause highly invasive and potentially lethal infections, including necrotizing pneumonia, septic cavernous sinus thrombosis, and pyogenic brain abscess. The fulminant nature of these unusual cases has led many investigators to speculate that CA-MRSA may be more virulent than HA-MRSA. In fact, CA-MRSA strains have been shown to be more virulent than HA-MRSA in neutrophil survival and murine infection studies; however, the factors that may make CA-MRSA more virulent or transmissible have not yet been clearly defined. Herein, we present a case of surgical site infection after face-lift surgery caused by the epidemic strain of CAMRSA USA300. At least 1 of the cases of MRSA face-lift wound infection described by Zoumalan and Rosenberg was also likely caused by a CA-MRSA strain based on the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolate, but molecular analysis was not performed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of death attributable to an infection complicating face-lift surgery and the first fatal case of septic dural sinus thrombosis caused by CAMRSA. In the preantibiotic era, uncontrolled infections of the face were a common cause of septic dural sinus thromboses, and mortality rates of these now-rare conditions remain high in the modern era (30% for septic cavernous sinus thrombosis, 78% for septic sagittal sinus thrombosis). The emergence of MRSA as a CA pathogen will likely be an ongoing challenge in the care of ambulatory surgery patients. All MRSA wound infections should be treated aggressively with surgical drainage and appropriate antibiotic therapy. A recent study reporting a higher than 90% cure rate of uncomplicated CA-MRSA skin abscesses with incision and drainage combined with either a placebo or an antibiotic predicted to be ineffective (cephalexin) is yet another clear demonstration of the primacy of surgical drainage in the treatment of these infections. Less clear and in need of study are the optimal methods to identify, treat, and prevent disease in ambulatory patients at risk for MRSA surgical site infections. In conclusion, emergence of MRSA within the community represents a clear and present danger to individuals traditionally considered to be at low risk for MRSA infection, including those undergoing ambulatory surgical procedures.


The fast growing Diabetes health problem is at risk to about 422 million estimated people in world scenario. As the people suffering from diabetes since ages and no definite medicine could be able to control the disease safely except insulin as a hope for sustaining life. Several herbal drugs are in practice for limited preventive and curative aspect. Ayurveda emphasize on the preventive aspects and provides managerial approach through lifestyle intervention since inception. Herbal products have always played vital role in drug research in every sphere. Several medicinal plants are being used in different way either by traditional healers or by practitioners in India and Abroad on the basis of known anti-diabetic activities but, so many other plants are there which are either used by traditional physicians which are not tested in the clinical laboratory and sometimes several medicinal plants have been tested as Anti-diabetic in R&D study but not known/less known to practitioners. In this paper attempts have been made to identify those medicinal plants with R&D experimental study but are less known to practitioners. Moreover such medicinal plants were also verified in classical references for anti-diabetic effect if any. The present paper deals with the comparison of classical references with modern R&D as far as possible. Review was focused on such limited number of medicinal plants which are commonly not known is having hypoglycemic effect. Observation was also noted through several experimental studies done by the scientists earlier which signifies the merit of study. Such herbal study models are attributed here to provide newer initiatives in future and it can also focus for better solution in the field of diabetes control.


Raman scattering has been used to investigate the phonon spectrum of monoclinic K3Fe(CN)6 (KFC) and its isostructural analogue K3Co(CN)6 (KCoC), in the 12 to 295K temperature range, with the intention of understanding the nature of the (possibly) electronically induced phase transition at 130K, which occurs only in KFC. The quasi-soft mode behaviour of the energy and integrated intensity of the approximately 53 cm-1 rotational phonon of largely Bg symmetry, suggests a re-orientational transition in both KFC and KCoC at about 120 and 60K respectively. In KFC, however, the anomalously temperature dependent intensity and linewidth associated with the Fe-CN asymmetric stretching and bending modes, which grow in intensity below 200K, are suggestive of a (possibly coupled) distortional process involving the Fe(CN)63- octahedra. A Jahn-Teller mechanism which goes from a static to a dynamic regime in the characteristic time of the Raman experiment, at around 130K, has been tentatively invoked and shown to be essentially consistent with the Raman data and other known facts about the system. The Raman data clearly do not indicate a distortional process in KCoC, consistent with its quasi-molecular non-degenerate groundstate.


Prostate cancer increases its incidence with age after men in their fifth decade as the ratio of estrogen to androgen rises. Epidemiological studies indicated that high levels of estrogens are associated with the high-risk ethnic groups for prostate cancer. Therefore estrogens may be involved in prostatic carcinogenesis. It is widely believed that the actions of estrogens are mediated by estrogen receptors. However, expression of estrogen receptor in normal prostate and lesions of the gland was controversial. With the recent discovery of second estrogen receptor (ER-P), this issue became more complicated and it needs to readdressed. In addition, the biological involvement of ER-p in human prostate remains to be investigated. In this study, we demonstrated that human normal prostate epithelial cells express ER-p but not ER-a, suggesting that estrogens act directly on these epithelial cells via ER-p. Using RT-PCR analysis , the transcripts of ER-p were detected in our primary human prostatic epithelial cell cultures that were derived from the ultrasound-guided peripheral zone biopsies and the cells express two estrogen-regulated genes such as progesterone receptor (PR) and pS2. Moreover, we had developed an ER-p antibody with fully characterizations and used it for immunohistochemistry. Results indicated that ER-p protein is expressed in the basal compartment of prostatic epithelium of the gland. Our findings lead to a new hypothesis that estrogens directly act on human prostatic epithelial cells to modulate its biological functions. To investigate expression ofERs in prostate cancer, RT-PCR analysis was used. We found that all three human prostate metastatic cancer cell lines, DU145 , PC-3 and LNCaP express ER-p transcripts while ER-a mRNA expression only in PC-3 cells. Expressions of PR and pS2 in these cell lines are various. LNCaP cells express both PR and pS2 mRNAs but DU145 cells with only PR and PC-3 cells with only pS2. Our immunohistochemical results on prostatic lesions revealed down-regulation of ER-p expression in high-grade of dysplasia and carcinoma of peripheral zone of the prostate compared to their low-grade lesions. This down-regulatiqn in high-grade carcinoma was verified in transcriptional level by RT-PCR analysis on micro dissected normal epithelium and lesion samples of the gland. In the metastasis, ER-p was found to be reactivated as we observed ER-p mRA expression in prostate cancer cell lines. Recent evidence suggests that ER-p may be antiproliferative factor for a protective effect against the mitogenic activity of estrogens in breast and androgens in prostate. Activation of the receptor may exhibit cell growth inhibition. We demonstrated that antiestrogens (ICI182 780 (ICI) and 4-hydroxytamoxifenJ, raloxifene and phytoestrogen (resveratrol), but not estrogens (17p-estradiol and diethylstilbestrol), inhibit growth of DU145 cells which express only ER-p while PC-3 cells with both ERs showed growth inhibition in response to estrogen and antiestrogen treatments. In DU145 cells, the ICIinduced cell growth inhibition was prevented by blockade of ER-p expression using antisense oligonucleotide. It indicated that the inhibition is mediated via ER-p associated pathway. Using flow cytometry, we found that ICI-treatment could induce accumulation of cells at GOphase of cell cycle. Similarly, this Gocell accumulation was also induced by raloxifene in DU145 cells. For resveratrol, the treatment exhibited dual effects on cell cycle distribution in DU145 cells. In the early treatment, resveratrol induced cell cycle arrests at GOphase. The prolonged treatment leads to S-phase cell cycle arrest. To study the molecular mechanism of this ER-p associated cell growth inhibition real-time RT-PCR analysis was used to semi-quantitate the transcript levels of tentative ER-p regulated genes such as telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), survivin and thymidylate synthase (TS) in the treated cells compared to those in control. Results demonstrated that the treatment of ICI could down-regulate TERT and survivin mRNA expressions with dosedependent fashion. As the ICI-treatment, resveratrol downregulated expression levels of TERT, survivin and TS in DU145 cells. Down-regulation of TS may be related to the Sphase cell cycle arrest observed in the prolonged treatment of resveratrol. Taken together, our findings support the concept that ER-p participates in cell cycle regulation in normal and malignant prostatic epithelial cells. Presence of ER-p in basal cells of the prostate acini indicates that the direct actions of estrogens may be involved in the normal physiology of the gland. Loss of this receptor in primary prostate cancer and its reexpression in metastasis suggests the roles of ER-p in the cancer progression. Activation the receptor by antiestrogen and phytoestrogen induced cell growth inhibition in prostate cancer cells. The mechanism may be mediated by reduction of cell survival factors and eventually decrease in cell viability and induction of cell cycle arests.


Background. Ionizing radiation (IR) is a double-edge sword for immunotherapy as it may cause both immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory effects. The interactions of IR with the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a key factor for this balance. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is expressed on the surface of CAFs in many cancer types and its presence is associated with poor immune response to immune checkpoint blockade in patients. We hypothesize that IR increases FAP expression in CAFs, therefore the combination of IR with targeted immunomodulators such as an agonistic FAP-41BBL bispecific antibody-like fusion protein could enhance the immune-mediated antitumoral effect of these treatments given in combination.
 Methods: Murine transplantable tumor cells lines (TSA and MC38) were used to investigate increases in FAP expression on CAFs in tumors under irradiation using IHQ and qPCR. Established orthotopic transplanted models were used. We treated bilateral tumor-bearing mice in which only one of the lesions was locally irradiated (2×6Gy) given alone or in combination with a systemic administration of the FAP-41BBL agonistic bispecific construct. Tumor sizes were followed over time and in the cellular composition microenvironment (TME) was assessed by immunochemistry and multiplex tissue immunofluorescence. Selective depletions of immune cell populations were used to delineate the immune system requirements for efficacy.We measured the changes in FAP expression following radiotherapy in engrafted syngeneic TSA and MC38 models using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qPCR. TSA cells and CAFs were coinjected orthotopically creating bilateral tumor-bearing models, which were irradiated (2x6Gy) only inone of the lesions, either as a single treatment intervention or in combination with systemic administrations of FAP-41BBL. Treatment efficacy was evaluated measuring tumor volume and changes in the TME. Anti -D8 and a neutralizing anti-type-I IFN mAbs were used to define requirements for the efficacy of the radioimmunotherapy combination.
 Results. Irradiation of TSA-breast cancer tumors showed clear increases of FAP expression levels after local irradiation. The suboptimal radiotherapy regimen chosen failed to control TSA-derived tumors in in which TSA-breast cancer cells had been co-engrafted with CAF. The combination of irradiation and FAP-41BBL resulted in more prominent increases of FAP expression after local irradiation and, importantly, induced durable complete responses in more than 50% of the mice treated with the combination. A role in the therapeutic effect for CD8+ T cells and type-I IFN was uncovered. Robust immune memory was observed in re-challenge experiments.
 Conclusion. Our data provides a proof-of-concept and mechanistic insights pertaining the therapeutic efficacy of the bispecific FAP-41BBL fusion protein combined with local radiotherapy.
 Citation Format: Eneko Garate-Soraluze, Irantzu Serrano-Mendioroz, Carlos E de Andrea, Toni Rullan, Christina Claus, Pablo Umana, Christian klein, Ignacio Melero, Maria E. Rodriguez-Ruiz. 4-1BBL agonist targeted to fibroblast activation protein α synergizes with radiotherapy in murine breast tumor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1100.


The study aims to determine the type of technique used in dyeing old Arab paper (ca. 8th century A.D.) by examining a number of colored historical manuscripts and comparing them with modern samples by using a microscopic examination. Studying these historical references not only adds a new strategy to the identification of dyes and materials used in dyeing paper manuscripts under study, but also can help to preserve the colors by providing a better understanding of their composition, manufacture and use. SEM microscopy of archaeological dyed papers in different shades were evaluated and compared with the morphological structure of known dyed samples were dyed in different techniques. The type of dyeing used in dyed papers was determined according to the results of surface morphology investigation. SEM images confirmed that there are dramatic differences between dyed paper by beating and dyed by dipping, whereas, the dye molecules linked on the outer surface of the fiber in the dipping method. On the other hand, in the beating method, fibers were affected dramatically and were destructive. This work proved that dipping was the method used in the dyeing of Arabic manuscripts.


In this study, multifunctional nanoparticles were fabricated for tumor diagnosis and therapy. The gold nanoparticles, which were prepared from HAuCl4 and aspartate via in situ UV irradiation, were coated with polydopamine (PDA) by self-polymerization of dopamine. Subsequently, the Au@PDA nanoparticles were coated with the BSA–dextran conjugate (BD). The photothermal transduction efficiency of the Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles was 17.0%. During 808 nm laser irradiation, the temperature rise and photothermal cytotoxicity of the Au@PDA@BD nanoparticle solution depended on the polydopamine concentration. Because of the Au core, the Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles improved the brightness and resolution of tumor CT imaging after intratumoral injection of the nanoparticles into H22 tumor-bearing mice. Due to the dextran brush surface, Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles could prolong the circulation time in blood and accumulate at the tumor site after intravenous injection, and thus NIR laser irradiation could cause the tumor temperature to rise to ablate the tumor completely. Only once treatment by intravenous injection of Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles into the tumor-bearing mice followed by 808 nm laser irradiation for 10 min could completely cure the tumors even if the original tumor volume was about 250 mm3. At the same conditions, Au@PDA nanoparticles without the dextran brush surface had no treatment efficacy. Furthermore, Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles plus the laser irradiation had no histological toxicity on the main organs of the treated mice. The Au@PDA@BD nanoparticles show a great potential for highly efficient photothermal therapy of tumors.


Nigeria is a multi-cultural society, but the visual image of women can be said to be the same among these various cultures. In Africa, women are not seen as they are in the Western world. Globalisation has however brought the modern Nigerian woman closer to Western ideologies and exposed her to a new perception of gender and gender role and image. While Nollywood films still battle to find a balance between representing the Nigerian woman in the cultural image and the Westernized Nigerian, people's mentality has yet accepted the full impact of these intercultural interactions. Using some Nollywood films as primary data, I intend to examine the image representation of the traditional and Western Nigerian in Nollywood. This paper intends to find out to what extent intercultural interactions can "transform" the Nigerian woman and still leave her "acceptable" in the light of the cultures and traditions. Is rewarding the cultural minded Nigerian, as highlighted in Nollywood films, a way of advising the women to stick to the traditional values? If so, what is the essence of intercultural interactions, which cannot be prevented, and which the modern Nigerian man loves to see in a modern Nigerian woman? Data would be polled from respondents over the Internet. This paper intends to address these and also proffer a solution to the dilemma, cultural representations and intercultural interaction, as seen in Nollywood films, is creating for the Nigerian woman and among the members of the society in general.


Today, XML is a standard for message exchange inside and among IT infrastructures. For the exchange to work an XML format must be negotiated between the communicating parties. The format is often expressed as an XML schema. In our previous work, we introduced a conceptual model for XML, which utilizes modeling, evolution and maintenance of a set of XML schemas and allows exporting modeled formats into grammar-based XML schema languages like DTD and XML Schema. However, there is another type of XML schema languages called rule-based languages with Schematron as their representative. Expressing XML schemas in Schematron has advantages over grammar-based languages and in this paper, we identify the advantages and we propose a method for easier creation and maintenance of Schematron schemas using our conceptual model. Also, we discuss the possibilities and limitations of translation from our grammar-based conceptual model to the rule-based Schematron.


Marangoni convection caused by a photochemical reaction of the type A⇌hνB in a thin liquid film with deformable interface is studied. A system of two coupled nonlinear evolution equations for the film thickness and the reactant concentration is derived in the long-wave approximation. Linear stability analysis is performed and the conditions for Marangoni convection to occur are obtained. It is shown that the type of instability depends on the ratio of diffusivities of the reactant and the product of the photochemical reaction: If the diffusivities are equal, the instability is always monotonic, while when they are significantly different the instability can be oscillatory. Numerical simulations of the derived system of equations are performed. It is shown that in the case of the monotonic instability, the system develops a spotty pattern that ultimately leads to the film rupture. In the case of oscillatory instability, it is shown that photo-Marangoni convection can result in sustained wavy patterns with ...


Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder, but the current treatments are still unsatisfactory. Fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda [L.] Mansf.; BR) is used as a traditional medicine for dyspepsia despite a lack of proven evidence. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BR extract in the treatment of patients with FD. Methods: In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 160 patients with FD based on Rome IV criteria were to be recruited and randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to receive BR (350 mg extract powder) or placebo 3 times daily for 4 weeks. Primary end point was change in the summed total score of Short-Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire. Secondary end points were the rate of symptom relief, the reduction of blood inflammatory markers and the improvement in gastric histology according to the Updated Sydney System. Results: One hundred sixty patients (62 [38.8%] men, aged 56.9 ± 14.8 years) were randomized to the BR group (n = 80) and placebo group (n = 80), and 138 patients completed this study. Overall symptom improvement was significantly greater in the BR group than in the placebo group (−7.1 ± 2.0 vs. −3.7 ± 0.8, repeated measures ANOVA, p < 0.05). Total symptom scores significantly improved with decrease in blood inflammatory markers in the BR group compared with the placebo group (p < 0.05). Proportion of responders was higher in the BR group (58%) than in the placebo group (34.6%) according to the intention-to-treat analysis (p < 0.05) with the number needed to treat calculated as 4.3. No difference in gastric histology was observed in both groups. BR extract was well tolerated with few adverse events. These effects were associated with acute phase reactants reduction. Conclusions: BR extract represents an effective and safe alternative to manage dyspepsia symptoms in FD patients.


Sir, We read with interest a recent article by Koller and co-workers (1) which described the successful use of forced hot air rewarming in 5 patients with severe accidental hypothermia. We have used forced hot air rewarming in 9 patients with accidental hypothermia (all with a body core temperature 530°C) and forced hot air rewarming was effective and without major complications in our experience as well (2). However, we want to question the authors' recommendation to use forced hot air also in hypothermic patients with cardiac arrest. Such a recommendation should not be based on the cases presented as both patients had a perfusing rhythm when forced hot air rewarming was started (case 2 also had palpable pulses!). Furthermore, successful rewarming and resuscitation of patients with cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation or asystole using forced hot air has not been reported in the literature. In contrast, methods of external rewarming are known to be slow and ineffective in rewarming the core of the body in patients with cardiac arrest. Therefore, active internal rewarming (venovenous hemofiltration, gastric, peritoneal or thoracic lavage) during ongoing CPR is considered the method of choice to rewarm and resuscitate hypothermic arrest victims in hospitals without access to extracorporeal circulation (3, 4). In their algorithm for the treatment of severe accidental hypothermia, Koller and co-workers pronounce dead all hypothermic arrest victims with a plasma potassium concentration exceeding 10 mmol/L (1). Severe hyperkalemia after avalanche accidents (immediate death from asphyxia and slow cooling therafter) is obviously caused by post mortem cell autolysis, and severe hyperkalemia is an accepted marker of irreversible cardiocirculatory arrest in avalanche victims (5, 6). However, severe hyperkalemia is no reason to terminate resuscitation efforts in hypothermic arrest victims after prolonged exposure to cold (3, 5, 7, 8). Hyperkalemia in these patients can also be caused by local freezing injuries and therefore does not necessarily indicate post mortem cell autolysis (3). Segesser et al. (7) and Dobson and Burgess (8) have successfully resuscitated hypothermic arrest victims after prolonged exposure to cold despite plasma potassium concentrations of 9.5 and 11.8 mmol/L. We therefore want to point out that a plasma potassium concentration exceeding 10 mmol/L justifies the termination of resuscitation efforts only in hypothermic arrest victims after avalanche accidents (3, 5). l? Mair E . Kornberger


Abstract : A contrarotating (CR) propeller design with a tractor pod for a high speed patrol boat is addressed. In the current arrangement, a CR propeller is placed at the forward end of a pod which is aligned with the local inflow. The powering and cavitation experiments show the performance prediction agree well with measurements. Compared to the existing controllable pitch propeller with shaft and strut configuration, the pod-mounted CR propeller show a 28% reduction in power consumption at design speed with a 7 knot improvement in cavitation inception speed. At full power, a larger pod is required, which will reduce the gain in power consumption.


Despite a growing interest into values education in Turkey there is no comprehensive approach to character that direct studies with a focus on a strength-based approach. The systematic classification of character strengths and virtues has been a very popular term in the researches of strengths-based positive psychology over the past 10 years and is seen as an important factor for positive youth development. Character strengths have important implications for promoting the positive experiences such as well-being and are also related to reduced negative experiences of youth. It also plays a central role in applying strengths-building practices at schools. The present literature review aims to explain the construct of character strengths and virtues, define related constructs and summarize the most current research findings. Firstly, the meaning of character strengths within the context of psychological counseling and guidance were examined. Then conceptual overlap between character strengths and character/values/virtues educations was discussed. Current research review included demographics effect, potential benefits of strengths, and research types. Measurement of character strengths was also presented. The present study suggests that cultivating students' character strengths through character/values/virtues educations is required for positive youth development and school counseling services with a focus on a strength-based approach.


We report a detailed study of the magnetic properties of the site-random solid solution Fe/sub 1-x/Co/sub x/Cl/sub 2/. Fe/sub 1-x/Co/sub x/Cl/sub 2/ represents an archetypal example of a system with competing orthogonal spin anisotropies; the easy axis of the Fe spin is orthogonal to the easy plane of the Co spin. The magnetic behavior of single-crystal samples was characterized with the use, as probes, of both dc magnetic susceptibility and elastic neutron diffraction. We find behavior that is in fundamental disagreement with the theoretical predictions for random anisotropy magnets. In particular the transition in one spin component is drastically altered by the existence of long-range order in the other component. We argue that this is due to random off-diagonal terms in the Hamiltonian which generate site-random molecular fields.


Ageing is a potent risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease. Mutations in the LMNA gene, which encodes the nuclear intermediate filament proteins lamins A & C, lead to a number of premature ageing syndromes, e.g. Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), which can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Some of these mutations affect lamin A processing, resulting in the accumulation of the lamin A precursor, prelamin A. Importantly, recent studies have shown that the mechanisms of premature ageing observed in patients with lamin A mutations may also occur during normal ageing processes. This led us to postulate that accumulation of prelamin A in the heart may mimic 'age-related' cardiac dysfunction. To test this, we generated a novel line of targeted transgenic mice that accumulate prelamin A specifically in cardiomyocytes, by expressing a modified prelamin A gene driven by the myosin light chain 2 ventricular (MLC2v) promoter. These mice were born without any obvious phenotype but manifested retarded growth by 3 weeks of age and had a significantly attenuated lifespan (∼5 weeks) with the cause of death appearing to be heart failure. Their failure to thrive was also underscored by a muscular dystrophy like appearance. At 4 weeks age, echocardiography showed a marked dilatation of the cardiac chambers and a decline in cardiac function in vivo, e.g. ejection fraction (EF) was substantially depressed in transgenic mice (20.9±3.6%) compared with wildtype (56.7±11.2%, P=0.01), indicating DCM and heart failure. Cardiac histology showed marked cardiomyocyte disarray, profound fibrosis (Picro-sirius Red staining), and expression of senescence markers (senescence-associated beta-galactosidase). Analyses of molecular events indicated severe disruption of the LINC complex and perinuclear intermediate filament network as a number of components (SUN 2, Nesprin 2, Desmin) underwent significant expression changes and/or were mislocalised. Additionally, immunohistochemistry and western blot for CD45 and CD68 confirmed increased numbers of inflammatory cells in hearts overexpressing prelamin A. In conclusion, prelamin A accumulation in cardiomyocytes causes a pathogenic response leading to decline in cardiac function and, ultimately, death. Further investigation aims to establish the precise mechanisms underpinning the response of the heart to accumulation of prelamin A.


1. The cardiovascular activity of S-(+)-boldine, an aporphine alkaloid structurally related to papaverine, was determined. The work includes functional studies on guinea-pig isolated aorta contracted with noradrenaline, caffeine, KCl or Ca2+, and on guinea-pig trachea contracted with acetylcholine or histamine. 2. S-(+)-boldine inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner the contractile response evoked by noradrenaline (10 microM) in guinea-pig aorta (IC50 = 1.4 +/- 0.2 microM) while the KCl depolarizing solution (60 mM)- or the Ca2+ (1 mM)-induced contractions were only partially affected by boldine up to 300 microM. In contrast, papaverine relaxed noradrenaline (NA), KCl or Ca2+ induced contractions showing similar IC50 values in all cases. S-(+)-boldine had a greater potency on the contraction elicited by NA whereas papaverine acted in a non-selective manner. 3. S-(+)-boldine was found to be an alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocking agent in guinea-pig aorta as revealed by its competitive antagonism of noradrenaline-induced vasoconstriction (pA2 = 5.64 +/- 0.08), and its potency was compared with that of prazosin (pA2 = 8.56 +/- 0.24), a known potent alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist. In contrast, papaverine caused rightward shifts of the NA concentration-response curves with depression of maximal response indicating that it acts as a non-competitive antagonist. 4. Contraction of guinea-pig aorta induced by caffeine (60 mM) in a Ca(2+)-containing Krebs solution was not affected by a 60 min incubation period with different doses of S-(+)-boldine (1-300 microM). Papaverine inhibited partially this caffeine-induced contraction at the maximal dose used (100 microM). 5. Inositol phosphates formation induced by noradrenaline (10 microM) in guinea-pig thoracic aorta was inhibited by S-(+)-boldine (30 microM) but not by papaverine (10 microM). 6. Contractions of guinea-pig trachea caused by acetylcholine (100 microM) or histamine (10 microM) were not modified by S-(+)-boldine (0.1-100 microM). 7. These results provide evidence that S-(+)-boldine, an aporphine alkaloid, has interesting properties as an alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocker in vascular smooth muscle, and acts as a competitive antagonist of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor present in the guinea pig aorta.


Oil bodies (oleosomes) are sub-cellular droplets representing the main form of energy storage in oleaginous plant seeds. The release of intact oil bodies by wet milling oilseeds results in a natural emulsion (no need for additional emulsifiers) and is likely to have a lower environmental impact than conventional oilseed processing. During the aqueous recovery of oil bodies, other water-soluble seed material is solubilised and carried-over in the final product. The aims presented in this thesis were:

1. Recover intact oil bodies free from exogenous seed materials
2. Understand which the mechanisms of oil body instability during storage are
3. Stabilise the oil body material
4. Assess emulsion physicochemical stability during storage

The degree to which recovered oil bodies remained intact was established by exposing the recovered crude cream to urea (9M) and measuring any changes to droplet size; no change indicates a high degree of intact oil bodies. A lipase assay was used to monitor enzyme carry-over in oil body preparations and to measure thermal process effectiveness. Chemical (hydrolysis of lipids and integral proteins) and physical (particle size and zeta potential) stability were measured during oil body storage. The correlation between thermal treatment, lipase activity, and oil body stability was tested.

The use of alkaline pH solutions (>8.5) to soak and grind oilseed rapeseed were more effective against the contamination of oil body material with seed proteins/enzymes, compared with neutral pHs. Soaking and grinding seeds with a NaHCO3 solution (0.1 M, pH 9.5) yielded oil bodies with a similar composition to those prepared in urea (9 M); despite this 'clean up' by bicarbonate solutions, the physical stability over storage was compromised, due to the presence of hydrolytic enzymes. Heating a dispersion of oil bodies (milk or resuspended cream) for 6 minutes at 95°C significantly reduced lipolytic activity (>90% enzyme inactivation) and resulted in oil bodies that were stable physically and chemically.

Using the optimized recovery protocol and thermal treatment, oil bodies retained during storage (1 month, 20 °C) a particle size (D4,3) of about 1.4 μm; as the pH was increased from 3 to 10 the zeta potential changed from around +55 mV to -65 mV (pI of 6). In terms of chemical stability, thermally treated emulsions did not show signs of either proteolytic or lipolytic activity. The oxidative stability of oil bodies was significantly improved after thermal treatment.


This paper compares model test data for risers with partial strake coverage to predictions made with the Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) prediction program SHEAR7 Versions 4.5 and 4.6. It is shown that new features in Version 4.6 substantially enhance the capability for predicting the VIV response of risers with partial coverage. Experimental data is taken from two large L/D tests: the NDP 38 m long riser tests and the Deepstar-Miami, 500 foot long riser. New methods are described for modeling risers partially covered with helical strakes. Key SHEAR7 parameters are recommended, based on parametric investigations to calibrate the model against the available experimental data. Recommended modeling procedures are described so as to facilitate implementation by SHEAR7 users in their VIV modeling tasks.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) is a highly aggressive lymphoma with a poor response to chemotherapy, frequent relapses, low overall survival, and poor prognosis, and is the most common form of PTCL. For relapsed/refractory (R/R) PTCLs, the efficacy of traditional chemotherapy is even worse, so clinical trials and new drugs become their therapeutic hopes. Here, We report on a 43-year woman with refractory PTCL-NOS has a good response to PD-1 antibody combined with decitabine. Case presentation: A 43-year-old woman with refractory PTCL-NOS, who has a poor efficacy in the first-line and second-line treatments, even the disease progresses after treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors and proteasome inhibitors, however, has a good response to PD-1 antibody combined with decitabine. The patient got significant tumor regression and some of the masses even disappeared.Conclusions: The PD-1 monoclonal antibody combined with decitabine may be a good choice to improve prognosis when used early if conventional first- and second-line regimens, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and proteasome inhibitors are ineffective.


To begin with, I would like to state three convictions: first, the gospel is never confined to any one particular culture. It is concerned with the good of all people in time and space. Inasmuch as it is less a specific doctrine than the good news of salvation bound to the event of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is transcultural. Second, whatever its limitations and serious shortcomings, no human culture is a culture of death. Since the beginning of human existence, every culture has strained to transcend the immediacy of human needs and contained in itself transcendental values having to do with meaning and ethics. Third, throughout the history of the Christian church, inspite of failures and crises, there has been a mutual fertilization of Christianity and cultures. Cultures have helped Christianity to explicate its own riches and to universalize them. In return, Christianity has contributed towards the purification, development and transformation of the riches found in cultures. I will proceed in five steps: first, I will begin by venturing the search for a definition of culture. Second, in view of a retrospective vision of historical Christianities, I would like to emphasize the new conjuncture of Christianity facing a plurality of cultures at the dawn of the third millenium. Next, I will reflect on the theological foundations of any inculturation of the Christian faith. Fourth, I will try to delineate several enduring criteria for the encounter of Christianity and cultures, and finally, by way of conclusion, I will argue that the faith of all times is necessarily conditioned and coloured by the cultural experiences of a given era. The search for a definition of culture Culture tends to be of greater importance in modern societies. It has of necessity acquired political and social dimensions. Therefore, culture can no longer be restricted to being a reference to particular works of art. Culture signifies a certain system of values and elements that induce modes of life. If culture has been granted such a prestigious role, at least in western societies, it is because it has far-reaching social and anthropological functions, and because it partially assumes the educational role that used to be undertaken by religion and the school. There are hundreds of definitions of culture. From a descriptive point of view, culture may be defined as a combination of knowledge and technical, social, and ritual behaviour that characterizes a given human society. In a more detailed manner, the Second Vatican Council defined culture as follows: The word "culture" in its general sense indicates all those factors by which man refines and unfolds his manifold spiritual and bodily qualities. It means his effort to bring the world itself under his control by his knowledge and labour. It includes the fact that by improving customs and institutions he renders social life more human both within the family and in the civic community. Finally, it is a feature of culture that throughout the course of time man [sic] expresses, communicates and conserves in his works great spiritual experiences and desires, so that these may be of advantage to the progress of many, even of the whole human family."(1) On a more reflective level, it seems to me important to recall that every culture necessarily maintains a privileged relationship with life, history, ethics and religion. First, cultures are comparable to living beings, which grow and which, in order to survive, have to discard some elements while acquiring and developing others. It is the strong bond existing between culture and concrete human life that allows one to assert that the reducing of life by the success of fantastic scientific models may lead to a form of barbarism, namely, the destruction of culture.(2) The latter is nothing more than life in the process of self-transformation, and its essential components will certainly always be related to art, ethics and religion. …


Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are a common knee injury with a known but poorly understood association with secondary joint injuries and post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Female sex and age are known risk factors for ACL injury but these variables are rarely explored in mouse models of injury. This study aimed to further characterize a non‐surgical ACL injury model to determine its clinical relevance across a wider range of mouse specifications. Cadaveric and anesthetized C57BL/6 mice (9–52 weeks of age) underwent joint loading to investigate the effects of age, sex, and body mass on ACL injury mechanisms. The ACL injury load (whole joint load required to rupture the ACL) was measured from force‐displacement data, and mode of failure was assessed using micro‐dissection and histology. ACL injury load was found to increase with body mass and age (p < 0.001) but age was not significant when controlling for mass. Sex had no effect. In contrast, the mode of ACL failure varied with both age and sex groups. Avulsion fractures (complete or mixed with mid‐substance tears) were common in all age groups but the proportion of mixed and mid‐substance failures increased with age. Females were more likely than males to have a major avulsion relative to a mid‐substance tear (p < 0.01). This data compliments studies in human cadaveric knees, and provides a basis for determining the severity of joint injury relative to a major ACL tear in mice, and for selecting joint loading conditions in future experiments using this model. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1754–1763, 2017.


Multiple macronodular hepatic tuberculosis is difficult to be differentiated from hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic metastasis in clinical practice, especially when hepatitis B with or without liver cirrhosis coexists with it. Herein, we report a 30-year-old man with a 10-year history of hepatitis B and a family medical history of hepatocellular carcinoma related with hepatitis B that was finally diagnosed as multiple macronodular hepatic tuberculosis. Abdominal B-mode ultrasonography (US) and plain computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple unequal-sized nodules in the liver. CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the liver demonstrated a caseating granuloma with lymphocytes, multinucleate giant cells and epithelioid cells compatible with the diagnosis of tuberculosis and no hepatoma cells were detected. Thus, the diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis was confirmed and hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic metastasis was excluded.


The usual fitness tests available to assess maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), a key fitness component, are not particularly useful for epidemiological studies. Questionnaires to assess VO2max, however, are simple, easy to use, and inexpensive. In 1986, Huet developed such a French general questionnaire, which now also has an English version. Its simplicity is interesting as it could be used to survey large populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of this Huet questionnaire in a sample of healthy French volunteers. A total of 108 subjects were included in this study, 88 males and 20 females. The validity of the questionnaire was checked using correlation coefficients and a Bland-Altman plot between questionnaire estimations and measures of VO2max obtained with a stress test on a cycle ergometer. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was also calculated to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. Significant correlation was obtained with the Huet questionnaire and measured VO2max (r2 = 0.77, p = 0.0001, SEE = 5.97 ml x kg (-1 ) x min- (1), n = 108). The ICC showed very high reliability (ICC= 0.988, n = 21). The Huet questionnaire is an easy, rapidly administered tool that correlated highly with VO2 max in this sample population.


Recently the interest in chalcopyrite semiconductor nanostructures has increased because of their non-toxicity and their wide direct bandgap. Likewise, structures with non-trivial geometry are particularly interesting because of their electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. In the current article, the finite element method was used in conjunction with the effective mass approximation to theoretically investigate the properties of a chalcopyrite AgInSe2 nanotadpole in the presence of an hydrogen like shallow off-center impurity. The morphology of the nanotadpole gives it excellent hydrodynamic properties and is ideal for a wide range of applications. The probability densities for various impurity positions and energy levels were obtained. The results suggested a strong dependence of the behavior of the electron on the impurity positions and the orientation of the wave function. The investigation of the nanotadpole's energy spectra and their comparison with the cylindrical and spherical quantum dots suggest that the spectrum has degenerate states similar to the spherical case, however at some ranges, the levels behave similarly to the cylindrical case. The binding energy's dependence on the nanotadpole's size and the impurity position was obtained. The dependence of the diamagnetic susceptibility on the impurity position was calculated. An extensive investigation of the photoionization cross-section was carried out for the ground and the first two excited states as the initial states and the first twenty excited states as the final states.


We consider the
classical micro-economic foundation of discrete choice, additive random utility
models, with conditional utilities depending on expenditure on the numeraire.
We show that signs of own- and cross-price effects are identified on the basis
of the primal problem only, and Giffen behaviour is ruled out. For the translog
specification, we prove that the alternative with highest price behaves as
normal good, and the alternative with lowest price behaves as inferior good. We
establish conditions for equivalence between the primal and the dual problem.
We provide a discrete choice version of the Slutsky equation which, similarly to divisible goods, decomposes the own-price effect
into a substitution and an income effect.


Discerning how tectonic uplift rates, climate, soil production rates, erosion rates, and topography interact is essential for understanding the geomorphic evolution of mountain ranges. Perhaps the key independent variable in this interaction is the potential soil production rate, i.e., the upper limit at which bedrock can be converted into transportable material. In this paper I document the controls on potential soil production rates using the San Gabriel Mountains (SGM) of California as a case study. The prevailing conceptual model for the geomorphic evolution of the SGM is that tectonic uplift rates control topographic steepness, erosion rates, and potential soil production rates. I test the alternative hypothesis that bedrock damage and microclimate also exert first-order controls on landscape evolution in the SGM via their influence on potential soil production rates. I develop an empirical equation that relates potential soil production rates in the SGM to a bedrock damage index that depends on the local density of faults and a microclimatic index that relates to aspect-driven variations in vegetation cover and wildfire severity and frequency. Assuming a balance between soil production and erosion rates at the hillslope scale, I further show that observed trends in topographic steepness can be reproduced using the empirical equation for potential soil production rates. The results suggest that tectonic uplift rates, bedrock damage, and microclimate play co-equal and interacting roles in controlling landscape evolution in the SGM and perhaps other tectonically active mountain ranges.


Objective: Depressive symptomatology is more prevalent among sedentary than physically active individuals. The present prospective study examines whether withdrawal of regular aerobic activity provokes depressive mood symptoms and fatigue, and to what extent reductions in fitness levels contribute to the development of these symptoms. Methods: Forty participants (mean age of 31.3 ± 7.5 years, 55% women) who exercised regularly (≥30 minutes aerobic exercise ≥3 times/week) were randomized to aerobic exercise withdrawal (n = 20) or to continue regular exercise (n = 20) for 2 weeks. Protocol adherence was documented using ambulatory actigraphy. Negative mood was measured with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory–II (somatic and cognitive–affective components), and fatigue with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). Fitness levels were documented by cycle ergometry testing. Results: Fatigue and somatic depressive symptoms emerged after 1 week of exercise withdrawal (p = .05) and subsequently predicted the development of cognitive–affective depressive symptoms at 2 weeks (&bgr; = 0.62; p = .046). Exercise withdrawal also resulted in increased negative mood (POMS; p ≤ .01), and this increase was correlated with decreases in fitness level (r = −0.36, p = .03). Decreased fitness was related to increased POMS fatigue (p = .003) when statistically adjusting for baseline fitness levels and group condition. Conclusion: Depressed mood and fatigue are commonly observed in individuals deprived of usual exercise activities, and the increase in fatigue may be partially mediated by reduced fitness levels. These findings may explain mood changes in response to short-term exercise withdrawal such as injuries and recovery from medical procedures that do not require full bedrest. BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory–II; BMI = body mass index; HR = heart rate; MET = metabolic equivalent of task; MFI = Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory; POMS = Profile of Mood States; TMD = total mood disturbance; VO2max = maximum volume of oxygen that can be used per minute; index of maximal aerobic power.


Existing antivirus technology depends on extracting signatures. They are inefficient on detecting diverse forms of computer viruses, especially new variants and unknown viruses. Inspired by biological immune system, a virus detec- tion model based on artificial immune and key-signatures extraction is proposed. This model adopt TF-IDF Algorithm to extract virus ODNS from virus DNA parts on code level, and on gene level these virus ODNs are matched by slither win- dow to form virus candidate gene library and normal candidate gene library; then distinguish these gene through negative selection algorithm to generate a detecting virus gene library; Last on the testing procedure level, use a cosine similarity algorithm to estimate the testing procedure relevant to virus. To identify most of new variants and camouflage viruses, virus polymorphism is considered. Different unsteady length genes compose a virus, and a r-adjustable match rule based on RCB r-chunks is adopted to extract virus detecting library, which can mostly present virus signatures. In order to make full use of effective information and fully taking the advantages of relevance between virus genes, in procedure phase, suspicious programs are analyzed in contrast to the detecting gene matching technique, which leads to a fairly level false and positive rate.


Urban transportation system is usually interactive with land use planning. Therefore, urban characteristics should be taken account to facilitate bicycle use in an urban area. The former way of drawing out traffic density projection was considered to be inadequate since by force of habit, transportation planning and complex development did not impose simultaneously but in a particular sequence. This study aims to establish an activation plan for the Public bicycles use and draw out factors for bicycle station's selection of location through analyzing space correlation between urban characteristics and the usage of the Public bicycles. The analyzed result in the case of Changwon-si shows that there is a spatial autocorrelation between two factors. Moreover, it also arrived at the conclusion that Spatial Lagged Model and Spatial Error Model has 10% higher relevancy than Ordinary Least Square. The operation of Spatial Lagged Model arranges factors in order of correlation: main facility's total floor area, public transportation density, traffic accident rate, and population density.