Ключевые слова: вычислительная гидродинамика, метод контрольных объемов, форсунка, распылитель, поле скоростей, поле давлений, давление впрыска, цикловая подача топлива. The process of fuel injection through the diesel engine injector nozzle was numerically simulated under stationary and dynamic conditions taking into account the multi-phase environment. The simulation was performed using the ANSYS computational fluid dynamics simulation software. Even though the integral characteristics of the injection were nearly the same, the first and second case showed noticeable variations in the structure of the flow, and the correlation between the liquid and vapour phases of the fuel. The variations reflect the fact that the process develops over time and, therefore, there is a time delay in the injection pressure and rate. These findings should be taken into account when calculating and designing fuel supply systems for diesel engines in the future.


Aeromagnetic, airborne radiometric, and surface gravity data from the adularia-sericite epithermal province of the Hauraki goldfield have delineated distinct anomalies associated with pervasive hydrothermal alteration and gold-silver mineralization. Aeromagnetic derivative images, particularly the analytic signal, define the boundaries of several magnetic quiet zones that result from magnetite destruction in the volcanic host rocks. Six discrete zones, each of ≤10-km2 areal extent are evident and are comparable in size to modern-day geothermal systems in the Taupo volcanic zone. An extensive (>20-km2) zone in the Waitekauri Valley is likely to be the result of multiple overlapping systems, for which there are also analogues in the Taupo volcanic zone that form single large-scale alteration zones up to 100 km2. Low-pass filtering of the analytic signal data reveals still wider zones of relatively low magnetic intensity interpreted as areas of hydrothermally altered rock extending below younger, unaltered cover. Many of these magnetic quiet zones are aligned along a north-northeast–south-southwest structural corridor, indicating that regional-scale structures may have controlled the location of these geophysical features. Radiometric data delineate local high potassium anomalies that reflect up to 12/100 g potassium enrichment in the core of alteration zones in the form of adularia and illite. A broad K/Th anomaly correlates with the extent of the magnetic quiet zones and indicates widespread potassium enrichment in the Waitekauri-Maratoto area. Gravity data in the Waihi district define a unique, double-peaked, 50-gravity unit positive residual anomaly that correlates closely with the extent of the magnetic quiet zone and the locations of the Waihi and Favona deposits. Preliminary modeling indicates that the anomaly source body, beneath the near-surface, low-density altered andesite, has a volume of up to ~11 km3 and a minimum density of 2,900 kg m−3. The nature of this source body is enigmatic; possible causes include a dense intrusion, uplifted anomalously dense basement, dense sulfide mineralization, or some combination of these. In addition, the correlation of each of the two gravity peaks with a north-northeast–trending fault may indicate some structural focusing process active at the deposit scale. This integration of geophysical data provides an outstanding case study of the district- to regional-scale geophysical characteristics of a classic epithermal province and demonstrates the strengths of geophysical surveys in the exploration for epithermal mineral deposits.


LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. This technology enhances the data rate and capacity using a new radio interface and an optimized core network. This progress was done to satisfy standards defined for the fourth generation of cellular communications in ITU. LTE has two types of transmission: Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). Nowadays, LTE-TDD rapidly Grows and takes place of old fixed cellular communications, like WiMAX. Another upcoming technology in the communication industry is High Amplitude Platform Stations (HAPS). Studying the capability of HAPS as a base station for LTE-TDD is the main purpose of this paper. Simulations have done using HAPS channel and compared to Stanford University Interim (SUI) standard channels for different scenarios. Results were compared to achieve a conclusion on HAPS implementation for LTE-TDD based on BER and data throughput.


A qualitative study using photo-elicitation was conducted to investigate the experiences of family members attending a residential burn camp. Six families were provided with cameras and asked to take photographs of their time at camp. They were subsequently interviewed about their experiences of camp, using their photographs as prompts. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts identified three main themes: benefits for the family as a whole (new activities and experiences and lasting impacts), benefits for the child (having fun without feeling different), and benefits for the parent/carer (support from those who understand). This is the first study to specifically investigate the experience of the whole family at a burn camp and suggests that attendance may offer a number of benefits for parents/carers and children. Photo-elicitation was an effective method for encouraging participants to recall and discuss their time at camp, and should be considered in future burns research.


The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of Machiavellian and ethical disposition of wrongdoing to whistle-blowing intention. This study was conducted at SAMSAT (One Stop Roof Administration Unit) Pekanbaru City and Rokan Hulu Regency . The sampling method used in this study is purposive sampling. The sample used in this study is 81 respondents. The respondents of this study are all employees . The data is analyzed by using multiple regressions assisted with SPSS Version 20. The result of this study indicates that Machiavellian has an influence on whistle-blowing intention, and e thical disposition has an influence on whistle-blowing intention.


This paper aims at investigating the crucial role that the three pillars of the financial system – i.e. financial markets, products and institutions – are likely to play in order to speed up the process of modernization in agriculture, especially in agri-food chains. Four main areas of interest can be identified that consist of sustainable, inclusive, blended and rural finance, and that embody a set of strategic tools: their support to the agricultural sector ranges from its most traditional side to unprecedented forward steps, such as those pertaining to novel foods and to farming on Mars. While innovation allows for progress both in the financial industry and in agribusiness, glocal co-opetitive challenges surface from what can be found at the crossroads: a growing concern for sustainability issues is just an example, which leads to emphasize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the underlying generation pact. Focusing on finance, this is a qualitative research that draws upon empirical evidence and success stories; a framework for analysis is outlined, in an attempt at promoting rural finance as a specialized discipline from a theoretical point of view and a peculiar market segment for operating purposes, with relevant sub-sets such as agricultural finance, agricultural value chain finance and agricultural microfinance. Conclusions encompass recommendations that unveil academic implications; supporting arguments stem from – among others – the widely recognized need for upgrading financial education and literacy, especially in rural areas and even within the context of lifelong learning.


Improvements in discharge duration and peak current have been obtained on the Reversatron reversed-held pinch by the addition of auxiliary parallel-connected toroidal field coils. Parallel connection forces the toroidal flux in each coil to be equal. These coils were used without removing or disconnecting the normal series-connected coils. In discharges with the auxiliary coils, F and Theta are unchanged, the plasma resistance is reduced and there is less shot-to-shot variation in the discharges. Diagnostic coils show that field errors with poloidal mode number m=0, and toroidal mode numbers n=6 and n=12 arising from asymmetries in the vacuum vessel are reduced in the setting-up phase. In the sustainment phase, there is a significant reduction in the external kink modes with m=1 and n=3, 4, 5, and 6.


An estimated 25 million people in the US alone rely on implanted medical devices, ∼2.5 million implanted within the nervous system. Even though many devices perform adequately for years, the host response to medical devices often severely limits tissue integration and long-term performance. This host response is believed to be particularly limiting in the case of intracortical microelectrodes, where it has been shown that glial cell encapsulation and localized neuronal cell loss accompany intracortical microelectrode implantation. Since neuronal ensembles must be within ∼50 µm of the electrode to obtain neuronal spikes and local field potentials, developing a better understanding of the molecular and cellular environment at the device–tissue interface has been the subject of significant research. Unfortunately, immunohistochemical studies of scar maturation in correlation to device function have been inconclusive. Therefore, here we present a detailed quantitative study of the cellular events and the stability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) following intracortical microelectrode implantation and cortical stab injury in a chronic survival model. We found two distinctly inverse multiphasic profiles for neuronal survival in device-implanted tissue compared to stab-injured animals. For chronically implanted animals, we observed a biphasic paradigm between blood-derived/trauma-induced and CNS-derived inflammatory markers driving neurodegeneration at the interface. In contrast, stab injured animals demonstrated a CNS-mediated neurodegenerative environment. Collectively these data provide valuable insight to the possibility of multiple roles of chronic neuroinflammatory events on BBB disruption and localized neurodegeneration, while also suggesting the importance to consider multiphasic neuroinflammatory kinetics in the design of therapeutic strategies for stabilizing neural interfaces.


Countries worldwide make substantial efforts to keep the condition of their road infrastructure at an acceptable level under budgetary constraints. One possible model that enables the delivery of road projects under limited budgets is a public–private partnership (PPP). Because of several technical, financial, legal, and economic issues that need to be addressed, PPP agreements are relatively complex. In addition, defining long-term rights and obligations between the public sector and the private concessionaire requires an in-depth risk analysis because of the considerable number of risks usually encountered in PPP projects, such as a toll road concession. The objective of this paper is to present a method for an ex ante assessment of the acceptable toll rate for different stakeholders based on a probabilistic analysis of construction costs, operations and maintenance costs, and traffic volumes. The financial constraints included in the analysis are the debt service coverage ratio and return on equity. The resulting toll rates are determined from the simulated probability distributions of the input parameters. Such rates are then compared with the socially acceptable toll rate. The application of the proposed method to a case study of a toll road concession in Greece for which publicly available data were obtained indicates that the method presented is able to capture some uncertainties and improve the project's risk quantification process. It is recommended that the proposed method be tested on other projects for further validation and eventual upgrading of the model for use as a tool in risk management in toll road concessions.


Purpose The aim of this work was to analyze the complete genome of probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum 8 RA 3, Lactobacillus fermentum 90 TC-4, Lactobacillus fermentum 39, Bifidobacterium bifidum 791, Bifidobacterium bifidum 1, and Bifidobacterium longum 379 and to test their activity against influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Methods To confirm the taxonomic affiliation of the bacterial strains, MALDI TOF mass spectrometry and biochemical test systems were used. Whole genome sequencing was performed on the Illumina Inc. MiSeq platform. To determine the antiviral activity, A/Lipetsk/1V/2018 (H1N1 pdm09) (EPI_ISL_332798) and A/common gull/Saratov/1676/2018 (H5N6) (EPI_ISL_336925) influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 virus strain Australia/VIC01/2020 (GenBank: MT007544.1) were used. Results All studied probiotic bacteria are nonpathogenic for humans and do not contain the determinants of transmission-type antibiotic resistance and integrated plasmids. Resistance to antibiotics of different classes is explained by the presence of molecular efflux pumps of the MatE and MFS families. Cultures of L. fermentum 90 TC 4, L. plantarum 8 RA 3, and B. bifidum 791 showed a pronounced activity against influenza A viruses in MDCK cells. Activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus was demonstrated only by the L. fermentum 90 TC 4 strain in VERO cells. Conclusions The studied probiotic bacteria are safe, have antiviral activity, and are of great importance for the prevention of diseases caused by respiratory viruses that can also infect the human intestine.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Oncolytic adenoviruses are being examined as potential therapeutic agents for malignant gliomas and other solid tumors. We have reported that autophagy is a key component of the lysis process in adenovirus-infected cells, influencing the adenoviral spread. We hypothesize that understanding the regulation of autophagy should result in the generation of more potent oncolytic adenoviruses. Our group showed that the function of adenoviral early E1B-proteins include regulation of autophagy. Thus, E1B19k, a Bcl2-like protein, interacts with Beclin 1 and activates autophagy in adenovirus-infected cells. (Piya et al., PLOS One 2011). In this work, we sought to examine the capability of the E1B55K to modulate the autophagic process. Using mutant viruses deficient for the expression of E1B55k, E4orf6 or E1B55k/E4orf6, we observed that viruses lacking the expression of E1B55k were attenuated for the induction of autophagy. Upon examining the sequence of E1B55k, we discovered the presence of an LC3-interacting motif, termed LIR. Co-immunoprecipation assays revealed that E1B55k heterodimerized with LC3. As expected, mutations in the LIR sequence of E1B55k abrogated the physical interaction with LC3. Importantly, we showed that disruption of E1B55k/LC3 complexes had functional repercussions resulting in attenuation of the adenovirus-mediated autophagy. Because the complex of E1B55k and E4orf6 functions as a sumo ligase, we examined whether E1B55k/E4orf6 complexes were involved in LC3 sumoylation. Using co-immunoprecipitation studies in HeLa-6X-his-Sumo-1 infected with wild type and mutant adenoviruses, we showed that LC3 was sumoylated during adenoviral infection and that E1B55k/LC3 interactions were required for this posttranslational modification. Importantly, inhibition of the sumoylation process drastically reduced adenovirus replication. This is the first report showing that adenovirus induced sumoylation of cellular proteins to regulate autophagy. Preliminary studies of cytoplasmic and nuclear contents of LC3 and sumoylated LC3 suggest that adenovirus-mediated sumoylation of LC3 prolongs the presence of LC3 in the cytoplasm by modifying subcellular localization and decreasing protein degradation. We conclude that adenoviral E1B proteins cooperate in the induction and maintenance of autophagy in host cells. Our data provide new insights about the regulation of autophagy and the intracellular environment generated in cells infected with adenoviruses. It is hoped that these findings will propel the development of more potent and selective oncolytic adenoviruses.

Citation Format: Sujan Piya, Hong Jiang, Sarah Klein, W.K.Alfred Yung, Raymond Sawaya, Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, Juan Fueyo. Oncolytic adenoviruses modulate autophagy in cancer cells via sumoylation of LC3. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 726. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-726


This article explores the symbolic construction of the house, linked to the creative process of writing and telling stories, in the novel The house on Mango Street (1983), by Chicana writer Sandra Cisneros. The main challenge for the protagonist, Esperanza Cordero, is to overcome her feelings of isolation and experience a sense of belonging, which is another way of saying that she needs to feel "at home". For Esperanza, it is important to have a home that she can be identified identify with, as a way of embracing a past that makes her feel proud and at the same time having a vision of a home in her future. It is through writing and storytelling that Esperanza manages to create a house of her own. The recreation of the house is closely linked to a process of empowerment and liberation by the protagonist, which is also manifested in the construction of a new identity. In a way, she is also the new house. Together with this process of emancipation, Esperanza finds in education a way to leave the marginal neighborhood of her childhood. Part of the conceptual framework used includes the theoretical notions of Chicano critics Tey Diana Rebolledo and Gloria Anzaldúa who study the ways in which Chicana writers explore subjectivity and identity in their writing.


Synthesis of Bi2S3 nanotubes from rolling of the quasi-two-dimensional (2-D) layered precursor represents new progress in the synthetic approach and adds new members to the present inorganic fullerene family. These nanotubes display multiwalled structures that resemble that of a multiwalled carbon nanotube. The successful synthesis of Bi2S3 nanotubes highlights the feasibility of inorganic fullerene-like structures from other chemicals that possess layered crystalline structures, not only the well-known 2-D family, but possibly also those quasi-2-D members.


An analysis of switching and clustering in fluency tasks was conducted on data from 180 Hebrew speakers aged 8–29. On the phonemic task, total output, number of switches, and number of clusters differed significantly across age groups and increased with age, whereas mean cluster size did not. On the semantic task, all measures increased with age. No differences were found between adolescents and adults on the phonemic variables, but adults provided more switches on the semantic task than did adolescents. The results suggest that the development of word retrieval might be more dependent on maturation of executive search strategies than on lexical enrichment.


The efficacy of the nematicide-insecticides aldicarb, carbofuran, ethoprop and phenamiphos was studied in plantain using recommended and lower label rates, shorter application intervals and rotation. These compounds were effective in reducing Radopholus similis and Pratylenchus coffeae populations when lower than recommended rates were applied at the shortened interval of four months or when the chemicals were rotated. Except for ethoprop, these compounds were also effective in controlling the corm-weevil when applied at below recommended label rates and intervals. However, the insecticide efficacy of phenamiphos and the rotation of aldicarb, phenamiphos and carbofuran was particularly high when applied at planting time and every six months thereafter. Yield components were not significantly affected by the various nematicide-insecticide treatments in the plant crop.


Dispersed electrical generation connected into the U.S. utility grid is a promising way to increase energy production. However, to assure technical compatibility of the grid and potentially large numbers of these small generation sources, an engineering evaluation effort is required. Work is presented that is currently under way to test inverter power systems in a grid-connected environment. The technical details of the tests related to utility interface and of the special equipment required to conduct them are described. Results from testing grid-connected inverters for photovoltaic applications will be examined.


Using quantum transport theory in conjunction with a tight-binding description of the electron interactions with the lattice, we have mapped out the variations in the conductance in single-wall carbon nanotubes when the two vacancies in a well-separated vacancy pair assume all different relative positions. The investigations have been performed for armchair and metallic zigzag carbon nanotubes. It is found that only a very limited number of basically different conductance spectra exist, and that much of the results concerning how the conductance depends on the intervacancy separation can be interpreted in terms of a simple one-dimensional double-barrier scattering model. The total conductance is also analyzed in terms of its constituent eigenchannels to provide additional insight into the conduction mechanism. For instance, eigenchannels can be either totally unperturbed, contain double-barrier scattering resonances, Fano anti-resonances, or be completely blocking in a narrow energy interval, depending on the exact relative positions of the vacancies. Furthermore, and in accordance with experiments, it is found that the region bounded by the two vacancies in a separated vacancy pair can alternatively be regarded as a quantum dot similar to that defined by a semiconductor-metal-semiconductor heterojunction nanotube.


In the last two decades, incorrect posture has become significantly more widespread, particularly among school-aged children. According to various studies, scoliosis is one of the most prevalent incorrect postural types seen in school-aged children. The purpose of our study is to find out how common "Scoliosis" is among Albanian children. Methodology: About 308 kids aged 10 to 13 years (n = 151 girls, n = 157 boys) were randomly selected from Tirana public schools for this study. This group took part in a Posture Shape Examination (Anterior View), using Grid Chart Postural Analysis and the platform "Posture Screen Mobile®-PSM" (iPod). To provide exact information on their looks, children were photographed from the front (upright standing posture) wearing as little as possible. We analyzed the data statistically using "IBM SPSS Statistics 20," which included Descriptive and Frequency Analyze. Results: Our findings revealed that 34 individuals, or 11.03 % of the youngsters, had Scoliosis. This improper posture was more prevalent in 13-year-old youngsters (19.5%) than in children aged 10, 11, or 12. In comparison to females, boys were more impacted by scoliosis (12.7%) than girls (9.3%). The results reveal a minor difference in the degrees of postural displacement between boys (5.81850) and females (5.43610). Furthermore, postural displacement is greater in 13-year-old males (7.76500) and 12-year-old girls (6.14580). Conclusions and Recommendations: Based on the results of our study we conclude that incidents of anterior postural asymmetry occurred even in Albanian school-age children. Scoliosis, even why is detected more in boys, seems to be present in both genders. Based on these conclusions we recommend that parents, teachers, and children should be more informed about good posture and the problems that might arise from an incorrect posture. Further studies are important to be conducted in this field, in order to prevent the occurrence of these deviations and their aggravation in our young generation.


In order to develop a radioimmunoassay for rat C-peptide, rat insulinoma, which contains large quantities of insulin and was expected also to contain large quantities of C-peptide, was chosen as a starting material. However, the tissue was found not to contain extractable C-peptide. Instead, a novel peptide (rat insulinoma peptide, RIP) was isolated. Rat insulinoma peptide (RIP) which appears to be either a fragment of, or an altered rat C-peptide was isolated and purified by dialysis. The purity of this peptide was investigated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulphate, isoelectric focussing, and high performance liquid chromatography. RIP may contain two peptides similar to each other but differing in their isoelectric points. The molecular weight of RIP was found to be 1,982 daltons by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry giving a chain length of approximately 22 amino acid residues. From information obtained using radioimmunoaasay employing antiserum R901, RIP appears to share a common C-terminus with rat C-peptide. A radioimmunoassay for RIP was developed using the purified RIP as immunogen and for standards and tracers. An indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rat insulinoma peptide was developed using purified RIP for immunogen and semi-purified RIP as a standard. Rat C-peptide I and II were successfully synthesised using the technique of solid phase peptide synthesis. The crude synthetic peptides were purified by dialysis, and their purity was assessed by high performance liquid chromatography. The molecular weight of these synthetic peptides was determined by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry to be 3,183 daltons. These two synthetic peptides can be detected by rat C-peptide I radioimmunoassay employing antiserum R901. A radioimmunoassay for rat C-peptide I was developed using synthetic rat C-peptide I for immunogen, standard and tracer. The rat C-peptide I and II antisera were shown to produce positive staining of the islets of Langerhans of normal rat pancreas.


The water vapor contained in oral expired air was collected during rest and exercise in a subarctic environment in 26 experiments on three men. Heat loss via this route was about 9% of the total energy expenditure. Water vapor loss was directly proportional to ventilation volume. An average (s coefficient) of 32 mg of water was collected from each liter of expired air. Submitted on March 8, 1957


Calcium channel, voltage-dependent, alpha-2/delta subunit 1 (CACNA2D1) gene is considered to be an important noncytokine candidate gene influencing mastitis. Scanty of reports are available until today regarding the role play of CACNA2D1 gene on the susceptibility of bovine mastitis. We interrogated the CACNA2D1 G519663A [A > G] SNP by PCR-RFLP among two hundreds Frieswal (HF X Sahiwal) crossbred cattle of Indian origin. Genotypic frequency of AA (51.5, n = 101) was comparatively higher than AG (35, n = 70) and GG (14.5, n = 29). Association of Somatic cell score (SCS) with genotypes revealed that, GG genotypes showing lesser count (less susceptible to mastitis) compare to AA and AG. Relative expression of CACNA2D1 transcript (in milk samples) was significantly higher among GG than AG and AA. Further we have also isolated blood sample from the all groups and PBMCs were cultured from each blood sample as per the standard protocol. They were treated with Calcium channel blocker and the expression level of the CACNA2D1 gene was evaluated by Real Time PCR. Results show that expression level decline in each genotypic group after treatment and expression level of GG are again significantly higher than AA and AG. Thus, it may be concluded that GG genotypic animals are favorable for selecting disease resistant breeds.


The flies included in the infra-order Muscomorpha have medical and veterinary importance, since they may produce myiasis and act in carrying pathogens to man and animals. They have been found to carry more than 100 species of disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, protozoa and helminthes. As a possibility to control these insects, the natural regulators can be used, such as parasitoids that are the responsible agents for the reduction of the insects pests populations. This paper report the first occurrence of parasitoid Hemencyrtus herbertii Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)   central region of Goias. The pupae were obtained by the flotation method. They were individually placed in gelatin capsules until the emergence of flies or their parasitoids. Between November 2013 and January 2014, six pupae were obtained from Sarcodexia lambens (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of which were collected two specimens H. herbertii in two pupae. The overall percentage of parasitism was observed in 33.3%. Parasitoids are responsible for reducing the populations of flies that proliferate on various substrates. Evaluation of these species for natural control over these insects is important for enabling studies that aim towards subsequent selection of species for use in biological control programs.


THIS paper is intended to present some of the problems encountered in determining unbalanced fault currents and unusual results that may be expected on systems with parallel lines on a common right of way. Correct results are required so that proper co-ordination and application of relays may be accomplished. Fault studies must be made and constantly revised, as a power system changes and expansions take place. Also, future conditions must be studied so that intelligent selection may be made of circuit breakers and current transformers. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss


This paper examines a change in the level of competition in the Japanese life insurance industry over the last 17 years. We estimate the first order condition for profit-maximizing insurance oligopolies to obtain the degree of non-competition and collusion. Estimation results suggest that: 1) not only stock companies, but also mutual companies maximize their own profits rather than pay out dividends to policyholders; 2) competition has become stronger since 1995; 3) revision of Insurance Industry Law and failures of insurance companies promoted the competition; and 4) the competition in the recent years is still more lax than the pre-war period.


3D multicore systems with stacked DRAM have the potential to boost system performance significantly; however, this performance increase may cause 3D systems to exceed the power budget or create thermal hot spots. This paper introduces a framework to model on-chip DRAM accesses and analyzes performance, power, and temperature tradeoffs of 3D systems. We propose a runtime optimization policy to maximize performance while maintaining power and thermal constraints. Our policy dynamically monitors workload behavior and selects among low-power and turbo operating modes accordingly. Experiments with multithreaded workloads demonstrate up to 49% energy efficiency improvements compared to existing thermal management policies.


Abstract We analyze shear waves from a 27 kiloton nuclear explosion at 597 m depth in salt at Azgir, Kazakhstan, and four subsequent small nuclear explosions in the water-filled cavity of the original explosion. We use local recordings on a common set of radial and vertical component instruments to identify the source of these shear waves. These small explosions caused minimal damage to the cavity walls and so are similar in some important ways to cavity decoupled explosions; however, the signal size is comparable to a tamped explosion. The shear wave amplitudes relative to P generated by the water-filled cavity explosions are comparable to each other and to the tamped explosion. Comparison of the water-filled cavity explosions' P spectra with a distinct bubble pulse peak and two distinct S phases, which lack that spectral peak, indicates that the S phases are not scattered from P . The initial S -waves' travel-time curve, impulsiveness, and compactness are consistent with generation at or very near the source and are inconsistent with significant scattering much outside the source volume. We estimate that the S waves are consistent with an S -wave source at the same depth and with the same moment as the spherical component of the explosion source. Nonlinear axisymmetric numerical modeling of the nonlinear deformation of the salt medium indicates that neither fracturing nor asphericity of the nonlinear region outside of the cavity, for a variety of source asymmetries, would produce the observed shear waves for any of the water-filled cavity explosions. Oscillations of the cavity itself due to variations in the amplitude and timing of the pressure around the cavity wall can, however, produce shear waves at the frequencies observed. Both offset of the source and asphericity of the cavity lead to such variations in pressure.


A full-duplex dual-frequency self-steering array using phase detection and phase shifting is presented. By RF decoupling the transmitter and receiver arrays, the proposed system promises greater system efficiency by ensuring a constant transmit power. This also allows for a separate low-frequency interrogating signal capable of various modulation schemes. A two-element prototype is demonstrated with interrogating and retrodirective frequencies of 1.425 and 2.85 GHz, respectively. Retrodirectivity is reported for angles of 0deg, -15deg, and +25deg. The power of the received signal is improved by up to 12 dB for -60deglesthetasles60deg when compared to a conventional two-element array


N-linked glycosylation is an important post-translational modification that is difficult to identify and quantify in traditional bottom-up proteomics experiments. Enzymatic deglycosylation of proteins by peptide:N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) prior to digestion and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis has been shown to improve coverage of various N-linked glycopeptides, but the inclusion of this step may add up to a day to an already lengthy sample preparation process. An efficient way to integrate deglycosylation with bottom-up proteomics would be a valuable contribution to the glycoproteomics field. Here, we demonstrate a proteomics workflow in which deglycosylation and proteolytic digestion of samples occur simultaneously using suspension trapping (S-Trap). This approach adds no time to standard digestion protocols. Applying this sample preparation strategy to a human serum sample, we demonstrate improved identification of potential N-glycosylated peptides in deglycosylated samples compared with non-deglycosylated samples, identifying 156 unique peptides that contain the N-glycosylation motif (asparagine-X-serine/threonine), the deamidation modification characteristic of PNGase F, and an increase in peptide intensity over a control sample. We expect that this rapid sample preparation strategy will assist in the identification and quantification of both known and potential glycoproteins. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD037921.


Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Florida Everglades controls a number of environmental processes important for ecosystem function including the absorption of light, mineral dissolution/precipitation, transport of hydrophobic compounds (e.g., pesticides), and the transport and reactivity of metals, such as mercury. Proposed attempts to return the Everglades to more natural flow conditions will result in changes to the present transport of DOM from the Everglades Agricultural Area and the northern conservation areas to Florida Bay. In part, the restoration plan calls for increasing water flow throughout the Everglades by removing some of the manmade barriers to flow in place today. The land- and water-use practices associated with the plan will likely result in changes in the quality, quantity, and reactivity of DOM throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem. The authors discuss the factors controlling DOM concentrations and chemistry, present distribution of DOM throughout the Everglades, the potential effects of DOM on key water-quality issues, and the potential utility of dissolved organic matter as an indicator of success of restoration efforts.


Based on the calculation of the quasiequilibrium statistical sum by means of the functional integration method, we obtained a nonequilibrium statistical operator for the electron subsystem of a semibounded metal in the framework of the generalizedjellium� model in the Gaussian and higher approximations with respect to the dynamic electron correlations. This approach allows one to go beyond the linear approximation with respect to the gradient of the electrochemical potential corresponding to weakly nonequilib- rium processes and to obtain generalized transport equations that describe nonlinear processes.


We develop a diffusive, bistable, tri-unstable cellular automata (CA) model to study the dynamics of H-mode pedestal with edge localized modes (ELMs) and their control by supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) and pellet injection (PI). It is shown that the new CA model can reproduce the key features of H-mode pedestals with various types of ELM, including Type-I ELM. SMBI and PI are modeled as additional grain injections into pedestal with varying degrees of injected materials and profiles. It is found that H-mode pedestal responds to SMBI differently depending on the baseline fueling. If the baseline fueling is large enough to allow Type-I ELM, SMBI enhances large transport avalanches caused by ballooning instabilities. These avalanches prevent the total pedestal current from reaching the boundary for peeling instability. On the other hand, if the baseline fueling is low to avoid Type-I ELM, SMBI enhances small scale avalanches, which prevent the pedestal from growing to profiles globally vulnerable to ballooning instabilities. These imply that SMBI can mitigate different types of ELM by converting them to more benign types. From CA modeling of pellet injection, it is shown that Type-I ELM can be triggered by pellet injection with sufficient strength and depth. Scanning the frequency of pellet injection, it is found that a maximum efficiency of pellet pacing is achieved when the injection frequency is approximately ten times the natural frequency of Type-I ELM.


This paper describes the design of a survey to measure variations in travel time and their possible causes and to develop cost effective travel time survey instruments. After describing the background and objectives of the study it reviews in turn the uses to which travel time data can be put and the resulting survey requirements, the factors which might cause variations in travel time, and the available survey methods. The survey strategy outlined in the final section is based on these reviews. It concentrates on inbound peak period travel times over five radial routes in Leeds, and uses number plate matching to measure inter-vehicle variation, and moving vehicle observer methods to measure inter-period variation. Two other methods are also employed. The surveyperiod is spread over 14 months to identify seasonal effects, but uses a Latin Square design to reduce the scale of the data collection task.


The combined treatment of tumours in which delivery of a chemotherapeutic agent is followed by high voltage electroporation pulses has been termed electrochemotherapy. The electrochemotherapy of tumours located relatively close to the heart muscle can lead to fibrillation of the heart, especially if electroporation pulses are delivered in the vulnerable period of the heart or in coincidence with heart arrhythmias. We built an electroporation pulse delivery algorithm that enables safer use of electrochemotherapy. The algorithm is designed to deliver pulses outside the vulnerable period and to prevent pulses from being generated in the presence of heart arrhythmias. We evaluated the algorithm's performance using records of the Long-Term ST Database, thus simulating real-world conditions. The results of the evaluation, a sensitivity of 91.751%, a positive predictivity of 100.000% and a delivery error rate of 8.268% for electroporation pulse delivery (medians), suggest that the algorithm is accurate and appropriate for application in electrochemotherapy of tumours regardless of tumour location.


The effect of seminal plasma (SP) on the motility, capacitation status, penetration through cervical mucus and fertility of frozen-thawed ram spermatozoa was examined. In the presence of SP, motility of frozen-thawed spermatozoa was better (P<0.001) and there were more uncapacitated and less acrosome-reacted cells in comparison with controls (P<0.001). Frozen thawed spermatozoa were also better able to penetrate cervical mucus after addition of SP. Addition of SP increased the percentage of ewes pregnant after insemination of frozen-thawed (39/94, 41.5% v. 51/92, 55.4%; P<0.05) but not fresh spermatozoa (34/55, 61.8% v. 42/58, 72.4% for 0 v. 30% SP in the resuspension medium). Moreover, SP improved pregnancy rates after cervical (14/50; 28% v. 25/49; 51%; P<0.05) but not intrauterine insemination (25/44; 56.8 v. 26/43; 60.5%) with frozen-thawed spermatozoa. In a second experiment, pregnancy rates were 30/45 (66.7%), 9/37 (24.3%) and 24/40 (60.0%) for ewes inseminated with frozen-thawed spermatozoa in the uterus (control), cervix without SP and cervix after supplementation with SP, respectively (P<0.01 for unsupplemented v. supplemented spermatozoa). These experiments demonstrate that impaired function of cryopreserved spermatozoa can be overcome by addition of SP, resulting in normal fertility after cervical AI.


Several methods have been revealed in the reference for detection and localization of power quality (PQ) transient disturbances utilizing S-transform, Fourier transforms, Gabor-Wigner, Gabor transform, Hilbert transform and families of the wavelet transform. However, this paper presents an alternative approach to detect and locate the power quality (PQ) transient disturbances based on singular spectrum analysis (SSA). SSA is a non-parametric technique, which does not require any supposition to generate the observed signal, and affords an effective way to recognize weak transient PQ signal. It has the capability to decompose the PQ transient disturbance signals into a sum of a small number of detectable oscillatory components, removing noise and reconstructing the original signal. Based on the proposed method, transient signals are decomposed into approximate and detail signal. The experiment is performed using PQ long-and-short duration transient disturbances such as high and low-frequency oscillations, impulsive transient and voltage sag. The results of the experiment are compared with multi-resolution db8 wavelet transform. As shown in the simulation experiment results, the proposed SSA technique can be used effectively to detect and locate the transient disturbance. The proposed technique is efficient and alternative technique comparatively wavelet transform and SSA works well even in noisy environment.


The present research examined the role of a fictional character's trustworthiness on narrative persuasion. The authors suggest that trustworthiness indicators within the story, rather than paratextual cues (fact–fiction labeling) affect persuasive outcomes. An experiment on fuel-efficient driving behavior (green driving) was conducted, with behavioral intentions and self-reported behavior (3 weeks postexposure) as dependent variables. A story with a trustworthy character who introduced green driving behavior led to stronger intentions to engage in fuel-efficient driving among car owners than a story with a less trustworthy character who provided the same information or a control story. Low character trustworthiness was particularly detrimental to story-consistent intentions and behavior for recipients who were not deeply immersed into the story world (low narrative presence).


This book is dedicated to the proposition that many attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of international organizations (IOs) are misguided because they are based on the assumption that, to be effective, IOs must acquire supranational authority. Robert Butterfield believes that IOs are more likely to exert a beneficial impact through a process of strategic moderation. That is, IOs can be effective just by providing opportunities for states to strengthen shared norms, perceptions, and habits of cooperation. Butterfield analyzes the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the League of Arab States, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of African Unity with the aid of a complex set of "operationally" defined concepts in order to determine the extent to which they have achieved strategic moderation. I say "operationally" because the coding procedures used in this project were not "designed by a genius so they can be applied by an idiot." Rather, panels of experts reviewed the 166 conflicts that Butterfield analyzes, and made decisions regarding their "seriousness" (i.e., "how great a threat it posed to international peace and security"), and the degree of impact that the IOs had on them. Inevitably, in such a process, the experts will make some decisions of debatable validity. For example, in their review of the cases involving the UN, the experts ranked the Soviet-backed coup in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet blockade of Berlin (both of which occurred in 1948) as among the least serious cases in the UN's history (p. 34). More serious in their eyes were, for example, the disputes between Rwanda and Burundi in 1963-64, and the Adeni-Yemeni border dispute in 1964-66 (p. 45). Butterfield and the panel of experts also have a disconcerting tendency to attribute effectiveness to IOs on the basis of widely disparate kinds of evidence. If the number of disputes with which an 10 must deal declines over time, Butterfield interprets that as a sign that the 10 has successfully managed conflict in its domain, which seems fair enough (p. 75). But if the number of disputes that an organization deals with increases over time, that too is interpreted by Butterfield as an indicator of effectiveness, because the organization "has been kept relevant to these problems" (p. 43). And if the UN fails to inscribe on its agenda the case of "Chinese aggression in Tibet," that is also interpreted as a sign of effectiveness, "because the act of noninscription itself was seen as a management effort" (p. 30). A skeptic might suggest that this combination of debatable coding decisions and determined optimism accounts for some rather surprising conclusions by Butterfield. He reports that the UN, the OAS, and the OAU (but not the Council of Europe and the League of Arab States) have been quite successful in their efforts to achieve strategic moderation. More intuitive analyses of these organizations have come to more pessimistic conclusions. That could be because, as Butterfield argues, previous analysts have been looking for the wrong things, or because Butterfield has found evidence that is not visible to those who rely, on less scientific procedures. Still, I suspect that some readers of this book will ask themselves: "Are these findings nonobvious, or obviously ridiculous?" The key question that Butterfield addresses here is: "What would have happened if these IOs, which did exist, had not existed?" That is a useful question, but any attempt to answer it will confront terribly complex epistemological and methodological problems. That Butterfield and his colleagues have not solved those problems is not surprising. They have made an intelligent and conscientious effort to deal with them. That they chose to do so in an "operational" manner leaves them wide open to pot shots like those in this review; an analysis of these IOs based on more invisible procedures would have been less vulnerable to criticism. I believe, however, that such an analysis would have been less valuable than Moderation from Management.


To determine attitudes and knowledge of AIDS, a survey was conducted among students at the Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Gondar, Ethiopia. One hundred sixty four new incoming students (115 males, 49 females) in all departments in 1990-91 academic year provided information. The results reveal that 40% of the students have experienced sexual intercourse. Their knowledge of AIDS was adequate and comparable with other college and high school students, but the majority of those who practice sex do not use condoms and a fifth have had a sexual contact with a high risk individual.


Background Researchers have investigated the performance of face mask removal tools for spine injury management in football but not the effects of football equipment design. Hypotheses Various styles or designs of football helmet equipment (helmets, face masks, loop straps) affect face mask removal efficiency. A cordless screwdriver performs more efficiently than do cutting tools. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Nineteen certified athletic trainers were randomly assigned to group 1 (cordless screwdriver and the FM Extractor) or group 2 (cordless screwdriver and the Trainer's Angel). Subjects randomly performed face mask removal for 6 conditions composed of helmet (3), face mask (3), and loop strap (5) combinations. Time, head movement, perceived difficulty, and success rates were measured. Results Multiple significant differences were found in time, movement, and perceived difficulty between the 6 helmet equipment conditions. The Shockblocker loop strap was consistently superior in all variables regardless of the tool used or the helmet it was attached to. The cordless screwdriver created less movement (mean range from any one plane, 2.8°-13.3°), was faster (mean range, 42.1-68.8 seconds), and was less difficult (mean rating of perceived exertion range, 1.4-2.9) compared to cutting tools (ranges, 4.4°-18.4° in any one plane, 71-174 seconds, rating of perceived exertion, 2.8-7.7). Trial failure was more common with cutting tools than with the screwdriver. Conclusion Differences in football helmet equipment affect face mask removal. The cordless screwdriver is more efficient than the FM Extractor and Trainer's Angel. Clinical Relevance Professionals responsible for the care of football athletes must be knowledgeable in the types of equipment used and the best option available for effective airway access.


Changing environment makes enterpreneurs think differently, work closer with all stakeholders and respond quickly to customer needs, including those which are family-run. These are often focused on building their value in the long term and forget about increasing flexibility. Question how to combine the traditional style of management which is faithful to tradition and family values with a very clear challenge of maintaining business agility becomes one of the most important questions of every manager and business owner. Adding existing specific0 interrelationship between the business and the founding family, makes the management process in a family business very emotional and even more difficult. This process is most clearly evident where the values of the owner, founder and family merge. The founder's values, which interweave with the values of the family system he / she belongs to, determine the choice of corporate mission and strategy, as well as the way in which company employees communicate with all external stakeholders (customers, contractors, suppliers and other business partners). It is the owners who create the organisational culture of their businesses based on their own, more or less conscious, value systems. Key-words: family business, agility, value management.


The standard architecture of neocortex is a network with excitation and inhibition in closely maintained balance. These networks respond fast and with high precision to their inputs and they allow selective amplification of patterned signals. The stability of such networks is known to depend on balancing the strengths of positive and negative feedback. We here show that a second condition is required for stability which depends on the relative strengths and time courses of fast (AMPA) and slow (NMDA) currents in the excitatory projections. This condition also determines the response time of the network. We show that networks which respond quickly to an input are necessarily close to an oscillatory instability which resonates in the delta range. This instability explains the existence of neocortical delta oscillations and the emergence of absence epilepsy. Although cortical delta oscillations are a network-level phenomenon, we show that in non-pathological networks, individual neurons receive sufficient information to keep the network in the fast-response regime without sliding into the instability.


The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a representative collection of jazz standards with improvised solos fashioned after the types of resources available for traditional jazz instruments, yet transcribed and adapted specifically for horn, hence, expressly designed to assist horn players in achieving greater success in jazz performance. By providing transcriptions and adaptations of significant performances from jazz history, horn players will have a resource with which they can better understand jazz performance practice. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Curtis Fuller, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Turk, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, J. J. Johnson, Stan Getz, and Milt Jackson. Song titles and albums are as follows: "Autumn Leaves," Somethin' Else (1958), "Blue Train," Blue Train (1957), "How High the Moon," Ella in Berlin (1960), "Lester Leaps In," Jazz at the Philharmonic (1949), "Lover Man," The Magnificent Charlie Parker (1951), "Moritat," Saxophone Colossus (1956), "Naima," Giant Steps (1959), "On Green Dolphin Street," Kind of Blue (1959), "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960), "Satin Doll," The Trombone Master (1957), "Stella by Starlight," Stan Getz Plays (1952), "Straight, No Chaser," Genius of Modern Music 2 (1951).


Weight loss interventions are delivered through various mediums including, increasingly, mobile phones. This systematic review and meta‐analysis assesses whether interventions delivered via mobile phones reduce body weight and which intervention characteristics are associated with efficacy. The study included randomised controlled trials assessing the efficacy of weight loss interventions delivered via mobile phones. A meta‐analysis to test intervention efficacy was performed, and subgroup analyses were conducted to determine whether interventions' delivery mode(s), inclusion of personal contact, duration and interaction frequency improve efficacy. Pooled body weight reduction (d = −0.23; 95% confidence interval = −0.38, −0.08) was significant. Interventions delivered via other modes in addition to the mobile phone were associated with weight reduction. Personal contact and more frequent interactions in interventions were also associated with greater weight reduction. In conclusion, the current body of evidence shows that interventions delivered via mobile phones produce a modest reduction in body weight when combined with other delivery modes. Delivering interventions with frequent and personal interactions may in particular benefit weight loss results.


This work is concerned with ion beam dynamics and compares the emittance to aberration ratios of two-and three-electrode extraction systems. The study is conducted with the aid of Version 7 of SIMION 3D ray-tracing software. The beam dependence on various parameters of the extraction systems is studied and the numerical results lead to qualitative conclusions. Ion beam characteristics using diode and triode extraction systems are investigated with the aid of the computer code SIMION 3 D, Version 7.0. The diode (two electrode extraction system) and triode (three-electrode extraction, acceleration-deceleration system) extraction systems are designed and optimized with different geometric parameters of the electrode system, voltage applied to the extraction electrode, and plasma parameters inside the ion source chamber, as well as by the ion beam space charge. This work attempts to describe the importance of the acceleration-deceleration extraction system. It shows that besides an increase of the beam energy, the ion beam has lower emittance than the two-electrode extraction system. Ion beams of the highest quality are extracted whenever the half-angular divergence is minimum for which the perveance current intensity and the extraction gap have optimum value. Knowing the electron temperature of the plasma is necessary to determine plasma potential and the exact beam energy.


SUMMARY The objective of this study was to demonstrate the presence of leptospires in equine urine, as evidence for a potential role of horses in transmission of this organism. Thoroughbred horses (aged 2–5 years, n = 276) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were studied. After a severe storm, the premises of the animals remained flooded for 72 h. Blood samples for serology were collected on days 20 and 35 (day of storm = day 0). On day 20, 132 (47·8%) horses were seroreactive (titre ⩾200) and, of these, 23 (31·0%) had increased antibody titres on day 35. Furthermore, 34 urine samples (for PCR and culture) were collected from seroreactive horses on day 35. Copenhageni was the most frequent serovar (88·8% of reactive titres). Although none of the urine samples were culture positive, 12 (35·2%) were PCR positive. This is apparently the first report of evidence of leptospires in urban horses. Furthermore, we suggest that these animals can play a role in the transmission of leptospirosis in urban areas.


Introduction Family caregivers play a key role in providing ongoing long-term care and assistance to their loved ones during cancer treatment. However, family caregivers of patients with lung cancer are frequently unprepared for their roles and they may undergo psychological distress, thus reducing their own quality of life while affecting patients' health outcomes. Interventions that specifically target this population are lacking. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a perioperative support programme on family caregivers of patients with early-stage lung cancer. Methods and analysis This study is guided by the Stress-Coping Model. Family caregivers of patients diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer and those who are scheduled for lung resection treatment will be invited to participate. Participants will be randomised to groups that either receive the perioperative support programme or usual care. The intervention consists of four face-to-face intervention sessions during the hospital stay and two weekly telephone follow-up sessions after discharge. Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 4 and 12 weeks after the intervention. Primary outcomes will include psychological distress and secondary outcomes will include caregiving burden, quality of life, coping style and social support. Generalised estimation equation model will be used to analyse the intervention effects. Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (LYG2022003). The authors will disseminate the study's findings by publishing them in international scientific journals. Trial registration number ChiCTR2200058280.


The rheological behaviors of nylon610 and nylon610/montmorillonite nanocomposites had been studied by means of HAAKE-Ⅱrheometer. The results showed that nylon610 and nylon610/montmorillonite composites were pseudoplastic fluid. The non-Newtonian indexes, which were in the range of 0.49~0.82 at differern temperatures, decreased with the addition of montmorillonite. What is more, the apparent viscous activation energy decreased, which showed the effect of temperature on apparent viscosity of the nanocomposites was weaker than that of pure nylon610, apparent viscosity increased with the increase of montmorillonite, especially at the lower shear rate.


Greece is in the midst of a devastating economic and financial crisis that the European Union has been trying ardently to resolve since the default of Lehman Brothers in 2008. A significant number of other European Union (EU) Member States are also in crisis due to various state-level economic and monetary causes. Meanwhile, the European Union has consistently used the existing treaty articles and legislation within its competence to impose traditional and homogenized austerity measures on highly indebted Member States, most notably Greece. In sum, the European Union has zealously advocated for fiscal conservatism driven by the German "über-fear" of inflation, which the European Union firmly believes is not only an indicator of economic instability, but also an ineffective debt reduction policy. The discord sown by such a policy at the EU level is evident even without detailed economic analysis: inflation, wages, unemployment, debt, and other economic indicators are affected, and often controlled, by a wide variety of factors, both global and domestic. This Note will deal chiefly with the economic and monetary causes of the crisis in Greece, and it will briefly discuss the crisis in Spain. While an understanding that each crisis is different would induce a reasonable expectation that each of those countries—as well as any other Member State in need of assistance—would have been prescribed a tailored solution to the extent that is practicable, this Note will explain that this has not been the case.


Research into student dropout rates has attempted to identify factors that influence a student's chances of dropping out. Student engagement has emerged as an important aspect of academic success. It would seem that the development of friendship networks, based on socializing, could also be important, however, there has been little research in this area. This study looks at whether students who participated in online tutorial discussions, in addition to face-to-face tutorial meetings, made more friends through the class than students who did not. Using a quasi-experimental research design, students in Introductory Sociology were divided into two experimental groups with additional online tutorial activities and a control group without. I found that students in both experimental groups were more likely to make friends through their tutorial than control group students, who were more likely to make friends through the lecture. I also found that older students who were in the experimental groups reported making greater numbers of friends than those who were not.


In earthquake geotechnical engineering, physical model experiments have proven to be significant and valuable in understanding the complex physics and engineering behaviors of prototype undrained soils in fields. An executed literature review indicated that large-scale physical model testing, such as shaking table (ST) and centrifuge devices, have associated advantages and limitations. The current paper presents the design, fabrication, and calibration of a 600N-capacity, small-scale, one-directional (1-D) laboratory ST device that enables quick and valuable assessment of soil liquefaction mechanisms. The dynamically induced porewater pressure (PWP) generation characteristics of sand soil mixed with different percentage weights of clay were evaluated and illustrated as a case study for testing the ST device's performance. The east coast sand (ECS) of New Zealand's North Island was mixed with different percentages of kaolinite clay to produce five variants of ECS (00, 05, 10, 20, 25, and 30). Three input sine wave ground motions of a constant frequency of 10 Hz and amplitudes of 2, 3, and 4 were applied and classified in the current study as low, intermediate, and moderate ground motions, respectively, to evaluate the evolution of the dynamic excess pore pressures in the soil samples. The results indicated that the clean ECS and mixed samples with lower clay content (ECS00, ECS05, ECS10, and ECS15) produced the highest excess PWP throughout the three shaking cycles, with higher tendencies of contraction and liquefaction properties. On the other hand, soil samples with a higher percentage of clay (ECS20 and ECS20) yielded the lowest PWP, with softening and dilative properties.


Background: It is unclear why primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) patients often have dyslipidemia. Recent studies have shown that angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is an important regulator of lipid metabolism. In this study, we explored how ANGPTL3 impacts dyslipidemia in PNS development. Methods: We measured the serum levels of ANGPTL3 in PNS patients. Furthermore, the degree of proteinuria and lipid metabolism were examined in angptl3-overexpressing transgenic (angptl3-tg) mice at different weeks of age. Moreover, this study used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system to create angptl3-knockout (angptl3-/-) mice to observe lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nephrotic mice. Results: There was a significant correlation between the serum level of ANGPTL3 and the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein in PNS patients. With increasing age, angptl3-tg mice exhibited increasingly severe hypertriglyceridemia and proteinuria. The pathological features included rich lipid droplet deposition in hepatocytes and diffuse podocyte effacement in angptl3-tg mice. Compared to wild-type mice, angptl3-/- mice showed significantly lower degrees of lipid dysfunction and proteinuria after stimulation with LPS. The effects of ANGPTL3 on nephrotic dyslipidemia were confirmed in cultured hepatocytes with angptl3 knockdown or overexpression. Finally, significant alterations in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were observed in liver tissues from Angptl3-/- and wild-type mice stimulated with LPS. Conclusion: ANGPTL3 could be involved in the development of dyslipidemia, as well as proteinuria, in PNS pathogenesis. Inhibiting LPL expression may be why ANGPTL3 induces hyperlipidemia in PNS.


Background: Anthropology studies human biology and culture. This study aims to develop a novel image-processing algorithm which can be used to compute cephalometric measurements for face recognition of individuals of any ethnic group or tribe and to produce forensic facial database of Hausas. Materials and Methods: Three hundred Hausas of Kebbi State (150 males and 150 females, aged 18-36 years) were selected as subjects for the study with informed consents and when established as Hausas by parents and grandparents. Height, body weight, and cephalometric parameters (evaluated on three-dimensional facial photographs) were measured on subjects. The novel Akinlolu-Raji image-processing algorithm was developed using modified row method of computer programming. Facial width, total face height, short forehead height, long forehead height, upper face height, nasal bridge length, nose height, morphological face height, and lower face height computed from readings of Akinlolu-Raji image-processing algorithm were analyzed using z-test (P ? 0.05) of 2010 Microsoft Excel statistical software. Results: Biological examination of the anthropological history of Hausas proved that Hausas of Kebbi and Zamfara belong to the Hausa Bakwai States. Comparative statistical analyzes of facial measurements showed sexual dimorphism (P > 0.05) with nonsignificant higher averages in Hausa males compared to females. Hausa males have the leptoprosopic face type while Hausa females have the hyperleptoprosopic face type based on classifications of face types from facial indices. Conclusions: Hausas of Kebbi and Zamfara belong to the Hausa Bakwai States. The novel Akinlolu-Raji image-processing algorithm can be used to compute biometrics for face recognition. Furthermore, sexual dimorphism exists between Hausa males and females.


The central thesis of this article Is that several premises and strategies that guide research on psychopathology in children and adolescents greatly limit our understanding of the characteristics, onset, and course of functioning and adaptation. Specifically, the article questions the assumption of single pathways of dysfunction, the focus on main effects and linear relations, the preference for analyzing psychological dimensions rather than categories of individuals, lack of attention to "packages" or clusters of influences and outcomes and to their dynamic relations, and, finally, indifference to the sources of information for assessing major constructs. The strategies that will augment understanding include: more diverse sources of information, aggregation of risk factors, analyses within individuals as well as within groups, models based on changes during development, and, finally, inquiry Into the processes that mediate psychopathology.


New materials and methods are needed to better control the binding vs. release of nucleic acids for a wide range of applications that require the precise regulation of gene activity. In particular, novel stimuli-responsive materials with improved spatiotemporal control over gene expression would unlock translatable platforms in drug discovery and regenerative medicine technologies. Furthermore, an enhanced ability to control nucleic acid release from materials would enable the development of streamlined methods to predict nanocarrier efficacy a priori, leading to expedited screening of delivery vehicles. Herein, we present a protocol for predicting gene silencing efficiencies and achieving spatiotemporal control over gene expression through a modular photo-responsive nanocarrier system. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is complexed with mPEG-b-poly(5-(3-(amino)propoxy)-2-nitrobenzyl methacrylate) (mPEG-b-P(APNBMA)) polymers to form stable nanocarriers that can be controlled with light to facilitate tunable, on/off siRNA release. We outline two complementary assays employing fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and gel electrophoresis for the accurate quantification of siRNA release from solutions mimicking intracellular environments. Information gained from these assays was incorporated into a simple RNA interference (RNAi) kinetic model to predict the dynamic silencing responses to various photo-stimulus conditions. In turn, these optimized irradiation conditions allowed refinement of a new protocol for spatiotemporally controlling gene silencing. This method can generate cellular patterns in gene expression with cell-to-cell resolution and no detectable off-target effects. Taken together, our approach offers an easy-to-use method for predicting dynamic changes in gene expression and precisely controlling siRNA activity in space and time. This set of assays can be readily adapted to test a wide variety of other stimuli-responsive systems in order to address key challenges pertinent to a multitude of applications in biomedical research and medicine.


As the city and urbanization's accelerated pace has caused galloping population, the urban framework is extending with increasingly complex social problems. The urban management tends to become complicated and the governance seems more difficult to pursue. exploring the urban management's new model has attracted local governments' urgent attention. tcombines the guiding ideology and that management's practices based on ecological theory, explains the Smarter city Ecology Managementmodel's formation, makes modern urban management's comparative analysis and further defines the aforesaid management mode's conceptual model. Based on the smarter city system theory's ecological carrying capacity, the author uses mathematical model to prove the coordination relationship between the smarter city Ecology Managementmode's subsystems, demonstrates that it can improve the urban management's overall level, emphasizes smarter city management integrity, believing that urban system's optimization is based on each subsystem being optimized, attaching the importance to elements, structure, and balance between each subsystem and between internal elements. Through the establishment of the smarter city Ecology Managementmodel's conceptual model and theoretical argumentation, it provides a theoretical basis and technical guidance to that model's innovation.


The EEG of 38 patients suffering from primary generalized myoclonic astatic epilepsy since early childhood is studied in late stages of the disease. Spectral analysis shows that parietal 4-7 cps rhythms (theta rhythms) which are typical of the EEG in the early stages of the disorder can still exist in the EEG of the adult. The rhythms seem to be related to the course of the epilepsy. In the EEG of patients who still have seizures rhythms occur more often than in the EEG of patients who are free of seizures in the two years before the reexamination of their EEG. The functional anomaly producing a 4-7 cps rhythmization of the parietal EEG seems to be one pathogenetic factor in some epileptic disorders of early childhood, especially in primary generalized myoclonic-astatic epilepsy.


The synthesis of new conjugated aryleneethynylene derivatives of up to ca. 8 nm molecular length (compound 16) with terminal alkyne substituents and 9,9-dihexylfluorene units in the backbone is described. Key synthetic steps are Pd-mediated Sonogashira coupling methodology combined with regioselective removal from the terminal alkyne units of 2-hydroxy-2-propyl protecting groups in the presence of trimethylsilyl groups. The structural and electronic properties of 16 were obtained from DFT calculations: the intramolecular terminal C···C distance in its relaxed conformation was found to be 7.8 nm. The calculated distribution of HOMO and LUMO orbitals and the strong blue fluorescence observed for 16 (max = 420, 443 nm in CHCl3 solution) are consistent with a highly conjugated penta[(9,9-dihexyl-2,7-fluorenylene)ethynylene] structure. Molecule 16 possesses multifunctionality and is of interest for future molecular electronic device applications.


An efficient approach for calculating the far-field patterns of conformal array antennas mounted on arbitrarily shaped platforms is proposed in this paper. Starting from the superposition principle for arrays, an active-element-pattern technique, including element mutual coupling and platform effects, is used to illuminate the radiation characteristics of arrays. By dividing all element into different parts and neglecting the weak mutual coupling affected by far elements for each part, a large array problem can be divided into a superposition of various simplified subarray problems. Coordinate rotations are derived and applied to array elements for calculating total field radiation. Two numerical examples indicated that the proposed method is well validated. These results showed that the proposed method with the active-element-pattern technique has an advantage in calculating large array antennas, when other methods become incapable due to computer hardware limitations.


result in respiratory failure, especially in those with marked calorie depletion. However, in this case the changes in respiratory frequency have clearly been associated with the amino acid solutions. Weissman et al. have shown increases in ventilation and metabolic rate 4 hours after starting amino acid infusion in subjects who received 5% dextrose only for 7 days,* and postulate that these changes are as a result of an increase in the magnitude of the ventilatory response to arterial CO,. as well as a decrease in the response threshold to CO, stimulation. Animal studies have shown increases in minute volume of ventilation on injection of isotonic amino acids into the fourth ventricle. This is thought to be caused by competitive inhibition of the uptake of tryptophan (a precursor of serotonin) by branch chain amino acids. Serotonin has an inhibitory effect on the respiratory centre in the fourth v~nt r ic le .~ This case illustrates the need to consider amino acid


Subtotal parathyroidectomy or total parathyroidectomy (PTx) with autotransplantation are surgical procedures considered while the patient is included on the waiting list for renal transplantation. Total PTx alone is based in the possibility that a fragment of tissue (nodular hyperplasia in particular) left in the same pathophysiological environment of long term dialysis would show the same behavior and reproduce in time the same clinicopathological picture. The persistence of uremia induces a continued growth stimulus developing residual hyperplasia and consequently a very high risk of recurrence. We performed total PTx alone in 15 uremic patients excluded for renal transplantation 10 patients with undetectable iPTH serum concentration and were followed up for 37 to 144 months. There was no evidence of clinical bone disease (bone pain or fractures). Bone mineral lumbar spine and hip density was measured at the end of follow-up. The z score data showed that all patients had a bone mass similar than that expected for their age. Bone biopsies performed in four patients showed a uniform picture of low turnover without aluminium staining. Calcification of small arteries (digital and arcade vessels in hands and feet) were evaluated pre and post total PTx alone in nine out of the 10 patients with undetectable PTH levels. The small vessel calcification was present in five patients at the moment of PTx. At the end of the long term follow-up only one patient showed progression. In conclusion, total PTx without autotransplantation is a very effective and adequate treatment for refractory severe hyperparathyroidism in patients excluded for renal transplantation. Aluminium related osteopathy post PTx is a risk to be controlled with aluminium "free" dialysis water and avoiding aluminium containing phosphate binders.


Using heuristic arguments and numerical simulations it is argued that the critical exponent nu describing the localization length divergence at the integer quantum-Hall transition is modified in the presence of spin-orbit scattering with short-range correlations. The exponent is very close to nu=4/3, the percolation correlation length exponent, consistent with the prediction of a semiclassical argument. In addition, a band of weakly localized states is conjectured.


This study aims to improve the solubility and bioavailability of daidzein by preparing the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. Specifically, the nanocrystals were prepared with daidzein as a model drug, PEG_(20000), Carbomer_(940), and NaOH as a plasticizer, a gelling agent, and a crosslinking agent, respectively. A two-step method was employed to prepare the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocystals. First, the insoluble drug daidzein was embedded in β-cyclodextrin to form inclusion complexes, which were then encapsulated in the PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. The optimal mass fraction of NaOH was determined as 0.8% by the drug release rate, redispersability, SEM morphology, encapsulation rate, and drug loading. The inclusion status of daidzein nanocrystals was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), and X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis to verify the feasibility of the preparation. The prepared nanocrystals showed the average Zeta potential of(-30.77±0.15)mV and(-37.47±0.64)mV and the particle sizes of(333.60±3.81)nm and(544.60±7.66)nm before and after daidzein loading, respectively. The irregular distribution of nanocrystals before and after daidzein loading was observed under SEM. The redispersability experiment showed high dispersion efficiency of the nanocrystals. The in vitro dissolution rate of nanocrystals in intestinal fluid was significantly faster than that of daidzein, and followed the first-order drug release kinetic model. XRD, FTIR, and TGA were employed to determine the polycrystalline properties, drug loading, and thermal stability of the nanocrystals before and after drug loading. The nanocrystals loaded with daidzein demonstrated obvious antibacterial effect. The nanocrystals had more significant inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than daidzein because of the improved solubility of daidzein. The prepared nanocrystals can significantly increase the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of the insoluble drug daidzein.


Learning from noisy data is a challenging task that sig-nificantly degenerates the model performance. In this paper, we present TCL, a novel twin contrastive learning model to learn robust representations and handle noisy labels for classification. Specifically, we construct a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) over the representations by injecting the supervised model predictions into GMM to link label- free latent variables in GMM with label-noisy annotations. Then, TCL detects the examples with wrong labels as the out- of-distribution examples by another two-component GMM, taking into account the data distribution. We further propose a cross-supervision with an entropy regularization loss that bootstraps the true targets from model predictions to handle the noisy labels. As a result, TCL can learn discriminative representations aligned with estimated labels through mixup and contrastive learning. Extensive experimental results on several standard benchmarks and real-world datasets demonstrate the superior performance of TCL. In particular, TCL achieves 7.5% improvements on CIFAR-10 with 90% noisy label-an extremely noisy scenario. The source code is available at https://github.com/Hzzone/TCL.


Sediment problems affect the operation life and comprehensive benefits of a reservoir. In response to the floods in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Xiaolangdi Reservoir is subjected to preventative pre-discharge scheduling. Through a prototypical observation of the density current plunging zone of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in 2018, we collected prototypical data of the water level, water-sediment characteristics, sediment thickness, thalweg points, and flow velocity, and analyzed the pre-dam distribution of density current and scouring-sedimentation characteristics during the flood dispatching period of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir. The research results promoted the understanding of the movement law of the density current of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir and the development of efficient sediment drainage technology for reservoirs.


Purpose : The psychosocial impact of the progress of chronic respiratory disease and long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy (LTOT) was examined to develop an appropriate intervention strategy for pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. Methods : Psychosocial factors were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 144 patients receiving LTOT were compared with 100 chronic respiratory patients (RES) who were not yet suffering from respiratory failure and therefore not under LTOT, and a control group of 51 healthy subjects (HCS). Results : With the progress of the disease, there was a decrease in daily activities as well as in body mass index. Support of family members and others, life satisfaction, and morale decreased, while the tendency for depression increased significantly. These patterns appeared to begin before initiation of LTOT and worsened in the respiratory failure stage. The negative emotions ranged from 'feeling helpless', 'feeling being a burden and miserable', 'denying LTOT', and 'feeling dependent and anxious'. Conclusions : For pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, an effective intervention strategy that is suggested from this study should address these psychosocial issues at the initiation of LTOT, and follow through with continuous care throughout life under therapy to counter the development of negative attitudes.


The purpose of this study was modeling the mass and size distribution of three varieties of almond and its kernel (seed) using the Weibull distribution function. Furthermore, some physical properties of seeds were measured using an image processing technique. A two-parameter Weibull distribution function was chosen for modeling the size and mass distributions. The Weibull distribution of width was better modeled than the other sizes and the distribution of sizes mainly were better modeled than the mass. The mass distribution of almonds was approached to the normal probability density function, whereas the dimension distributions of seeds had negatively skewed.


Occupational health and safety continues to be one of the most critical but highly criticized issues within the discipline of human resource management. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of health and safety programmes on performance of manufacturing firms in Western Province, Kenya. The study presents the results on an empirical study conducted. The study utilized a convenient sample by using all manufacturing firms in Western Kenya. Content validity and reliability of the research instruments were done through test retest method using one of the manufacturing firms which was not included in the final analysis. Reliability coefficient yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88. The data from all the manufacturing firms was collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tools like Pearson correlation, simple regression and one way ANOVA. The study findings showed a moderate positive relationship between occupational health and safety programmes (OHSP) and organizational performance of manufacturing firms. This was an indication that OHSP were not efficient in the studied firms, thus, affecting organizational performance of these firms in terms of sales, profitability, production, order delivery, reputation, target achievement, product quality and production costs. Management of firms must put in place policies and structures for improving occupational health and safety. They should not wait to form ad hoc committees (after an accident has occurred), whose recommendations may not be implemented. Organizations should put in place active health and safety committees which should be given mandate to implement their recommendations. Everyone in the organization should adhere to laid down policies, rules and safety precautions to reduce accidents. The study results provide vital information to managers, researchers and academicians on the relevance of occupational health and safety in business organizations.


The effect of annealing heat treatment on pitting resistance of stainless steel type 316L has been studied using Tafel polarization and ASTM G150 for estimating of the pitting potential and CPT, respectively. The materials were tested in 3.5% NaCl solution. The chemical composition of the material was analyzed via optical emission spectrometry. It was found that the sample treated at 940°C shows better pitting corrosion resistance than samples treated at 520°C and 820°C. The treatment at 940°C produced two types of morphologies, austenitic-ferritic matrix with δ-ferrite and only small amount of the σ phase. In the range up to 820°C the σ phase embedded in the γ phase matrix and at δ/γ interface was causing brittleness of the material and aggravated corrosion resistance. The treatment at 940°C produced the microstructure which prevented the corrosion attack to develop. It was revealed that the pitting size in samples treated at 520°C and 820°C is greater than that at 940°C. In addition, depth of pitting has been considered as a factor of pitting corrosion resistance. The depth of pitting in sample treated at 940°C is low since the pitting is almost superficial, while the pitting size in samples treated in 520°C and 820°C is higher and deeper.


This investigation has as principal object comprehend the overcoming process of intrafamiliar violence against children overcoming process of the families. It explores authors' oppinions about the value of the social and affective support network on the violence practiced by parents against their children overcoming process. It presents results referring to resident families of the city of Petrolina - PE, attended by the Tutelary Council. The data were collected through documental analysis and case study. The interview reports were treated by Bardin's content analysis. Express how the violence occurred in each family represented a difficulty for the participants, existing a tendence from the authors' in not admitting the fact. Finding a motivation that justify the practice of any type of violence against the children was present on the interviewed's words. On the delators' narratives, was observed an inclination to accuse the agression's authors. The attendance good quality of the service of Tutelary Council was referred by the most interviewed. However, it was perceived a dislocation between the work of the Tutelary Council and the support to the families' services. The participation of the afective network importance is mentioned as the main protention mechanism that they have. They link as challenges on the overcoming of violence episodes the relationship difficulties between author and victim and the lack of attendance by the Tutelary Council. It's pretended to contribute to the efectivation of the children and adolescents' rights, giving elements to the structuration of combat to the intrafamiliar violence networks, and the capacitation on its professionals.


Home networks are an evolution of office local area networks, answering the need for residential distribution of broadband services. The design of a home network must strive to keep low costs, easy installation and maintenance while at the same time providing a large variety of services, from voice and data applications to multimedia streaming. A successful platform for home networking must put together simple interfaces for the users and sophisticated mechanisms for managing the distribution of the desired broadband services. In this paper we propose mechanisms to support flows with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in a home network whose architectural model has been defined in the framework of the European IST ePerSpace project. The model is based on a centralized Residential Gateway (RG), which connects and coordinates different network technologies to support home services. The proposed mechanisms are simple to be implemented since they can be installed on top of existing home network technologies, without modifying them. We implement the whole model and our mechanisms in a real testbed and we perform an extensive performance evaluation over it. The performance evaluation allows us to understand the effect of different settings both on the wired and on the wireless interfaces of the RG, to comprehend which are the key aspects that influence the overall performance and to propose some RG configurations which turn out to be very effective in achieving the desired performance. Special attention is devoted to the wireless support of home services on IEEE 802.11b devices.


The case report of a potentially lethal hazard of internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterisation by Dr Morgan and Dr Morrell (Anaesthesia 198 1 ; 36: 5 12-1 7) contains a fine analysis of the potential hazards associated with this procedure as well as an excellent literature review. We have since reported a similar, non-fatal complication in which a vertebral artery arteriovenous fistula was formed. We agree with four of the recommendations in Morgan and Morrell's paper, especially the recommendation that 'superficial sites' be selected; the external jugular vein is such a site.z-4 Their recommendation that a spinal needle be threaded through a larger gauge, shorter needle according to the technique of Civetta et al.4-5 introduces other hazards, however. Longer needles may permit deeper penetration and predispose to pneumothorax and, additionally, threading the larger diameter needle over the spinal needle may result in unappreciated serious arterial puncture after the IJV has been properly identified. This, in fact, is what we believe occurred in our reported case.' Our current practice is to thread a small diameter, blunt-tip catheter into the IJV over a 20-gauge locator needle. Venous catheterisation is confirmed by connecting the small diameter catheter to a transducer prior to introduction of a guidewire and larger catheter or introducer-sheath combination. In 710 IJV catheterisations the carotid artery was inadvertently entered 32 times (4.5%). The arterial nature of the catheterisation was not appreciated on four of these occasions until the waveform was seen on the oscilloscope and the pressure was measured.Z This incidence of unappreciated arterial catheterisation (four cases out of 710) was similar to our earlier reported experience (five cases out of 1021),6 but no serious complications occurred using this technique. We concur with Morgan and Morrell that there are potentially grave, and even lethal, complications associated with catheterisation of the IJV. Percutaneous catheterisation of the IJV is, however, a valuable and even a lifesaving procedure and we have demonstrated that, with proper safeguards these complications can be minimised.


Fifteen per cent of children treated with growth hormone (GH) are receiving treatment for Turner syndrome, but few results are available on final height in the UK. In this study, data were obtained from the UK KIGS database for 485 girls with Turner syndrome who were treated from 1986, allowing an audit of practice and outcome over 10 years. Over the decade, the mean age of starting growth hormone treatment fell from 10.4 to 8.5 years and the starting dose increased from 0.55 to 0.95 IU/kg/week. The frequency of injections increased from three to six or seven/week. Some girls received suboptimal doses, which also differed depending on whether they were based on weight or surface area. To assess what height gain might be expected at final height, all 52 girls who were prepubertal at the start of treatment, which continued for four years or more, and who had reached final height or had a growth velocity < 2 cm/year were selected. Their mean gain in final height was 5.2 cm and the GH dose was 0.78 IU/kg/week over 5.8 years. Final height gain correlated significantly with duration of treatment, total dose received, and first year response, which itself related to starting dose. This audit shows a changing pattern of treatment over the past decade, which in many instances has been inadequate. When treatment starts before puberty and continues through to final height, with a dose of 30 IU/m2/week in six or seven injections, a mean increase in final height of 5 cm or more would be expected.


We tested cortical motor evoked potentials (cMEPs) as a quantitative marker for in vivo monitoring of corticospinal tract damage in a murine multiple sclerosis model (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, EAE). The cMEPs, previously standardized in naive C57BL/6 developing and adult mice, were studied longitudinally in adult EAE mice. Central conduction times (CCTs) increased significantly shortly before the earliest clinical signs developed (10 days postimmunization, dpi), with peak delay in acute EAE (20–40 dpi). In clinically stable disease (80 dpi), CCTs did not increase further, but cMEP amplitude declined progressively, with complete loss in >80% of mice at 120 dpi. Increase in CCT correlated with presence of inflammatory infiltrates and demyelination in acute EAE, whereas small or absent cMEPs were associated with continuing axonal damage in clinically‐stabilized disease and beyond (>80 dpi). These results demonstrate that cMEPs are a useful method for monitoring corticospinal tract function in chronic‐progressive EAE, and provide insight into the pathological substrate of the condition. Muscle Nerve, 2006


In automated printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, modular placement machines represent the most recent type of machinery. Similar to assembly lines they require the workload between their modules to be balanced in order to achieve the desired output rate. To optimize the operations of this type of machinery, we present an integer programming (IP) model and two different heuristic solution procedures. In the first stage of both heuristics, a feasible solution with respect to the limited component magazine capacity at each module of the placement machine is determined. Priority rules are used for generating an initial assignment of components to the various modules of the machine. In the second stage, the workload of the modules is balanced in order to minimize the resulting cycle time. Two alternative approaches are offered. The first one uses priority rules in order to de-bottleneck the workload by reassigning assembly operations to other modules of the machine, whereas the second one determines an exact solution to this sub-problem by solving an IP. The approaches presented are especially designed to consider the technological constraints arising from the design of modular placement machines. Numerical investigations reveal that optimal solutions can be obtained for all but a few extreme and hypothetical cases within short CPU times. In a case study investigation, it could be shown that the output rate of a modular placement machine is considerably increased compared with solutions applied in industry.


Bladder cancer usually spreads via the lymphatic and hematogenous routes, the most common sites of metastases of urinary bladder cancers being the regional lymph nodes, liver, lung, bone, peritoneum, pleura, kidney, adrenal gland and intestines. Generalized lymph node metastasis of transitional cell cancer of the bladder is extremely rare. According to our literature search, there has been no case report of transitional cell cancer of the bladder that manifests as an extensive large lymph node metastasis involving the intraparotid, supraclavicular thoracic inlet, axillary and regional abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes without bone or visceral organs involved. Such a presentation could be mistaken as malignant lymphoma and the importance of a biopsy of the lymph nodes is emphasized. The clinical course of rapid progression of the disease and the presence of wild-type p53 with rapid response to chemotherapy and a short remission may represent a unique case, which is discussed here.