Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in mental ill health compared with prepandemic levels. Longer-term trajectories of depression in adults during the pandemic remain unclear. Objective We used latent growth curve modelling to examine individual trajectories of depression symptoms, and their predictors, beyond the early stage of the pandemic. Methods Data were collected in three waves in May 2020, September/October 2020 and February/March 2021 in four UK cohorts (Millennium Cohort Study, Next Steps cohort, British Cohort and National Child Development Study). We included n=16 978 participants (mean age at baseline: 20, 30, 50 and 62, respectively). Self-reported depressive symptoms were the study outcome. Findings Symptoms of depression were higher in younger compared with older age groups (d=0.7) across all waves. While depressive symptoms remained stable from May 2020 to Autumn 2020 overall (standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.03, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.04), they increased in all age groups from May 2020 to Spring 2021 (SMD=0.12, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.13). Feelings of loneliness were the strongest predictor and concurrent correlate of increasing depressive symptoms across all cohorts, prepandemic mental health problems and having a long-term illness were also significantly associated with an increase in depression symptoms across all ages. By contrast, compliance with social distancing measures did not predict an increase in depression symptoms. Conclusions Feeling lonely and isolated had a large effect on depression trajectories across all generations, while social distancing measures did not. Clinical implications These findings highlight the importance of fostering the feeling of connectedness during COVID-19-related distancing measures.


In parallel with terrestrial and satellite wireless networks, a new alternative based on platforms located in the stratosphere has recently introduced, known as High Altitude Platforms (HAPS). HAPS are either airships or aircraft positioned between 17 and 22.5 km above the earth surface. It has capability to deliver a wide spectrum of applications to both mobile and fixed users over a broad coverage area. Wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) has emerged as the mainstream air interface solution for 3G networks. Also the ITU has specifically authorized the use of some IMT-2000 (3G) frequency bands from HAPS. This project addresses only forward link power control for high altitude platform station for a WCDMA under the assumption of power control imperfections. Power control improves the uplink and the downlink performance both by equalizing the powers of all users in a cell and by compensating for the channel fading. However in real systems power control imperfections degrade the system capacity. In this project, the performance of two distance based forward link power control schemes (nth-power-of distance and optimum power control schemes) are evaluated for high altitude platform station (HAPS) W-CDMA systems. For a HAPs system with 19 beams, the total capacity of the system would be in the order of 1206 voice users or 144 data users. The coverage of the platform with 19 beams each with a radius of 1.2 km can by approximated by a circle with a radius of 6 km. It has been shown that HAPS UMTS gives capacity and resource management improvements


The traditional scheme for load balancing in a homogeneous Long Term Evolution (LTE) Network where User Equipment (UEs) associate to a node with the strongest received signal strength is not practical for LTE Heterogeneous Network (LTE HetNet) due to power disparity between the nodes. Therefore, dynamic Cell Range Expansion (CRE) based load-balancing schemes were employed by several scholars to address the challenges in the LTE HetNet. However, the fairness index in achieving the desired average user throughput and UE offloading effect is relatively low. In this work, an efficient load-balancing algorithm for LTE HetNet based on dynamic Cell Range Expansion (CRE) was developed to improve the fairness of the network for the desired throughput and UE offloading effect. The simulation results achieve a throughput gain improvement of up to 11%, while the fairness index improves by 6% compared to the existing algorithm. Further, the UEs offloading effect shows a significant improvement of 3% relative to the existing algorithm.
Keywords: Fairness Index; Cell Range Expansion; Load Balancing; LTE Heterogeneous Network; Throughput


The first aim of the chapter on leadership and listening: inspiration for conservation mission and advocacy is to encourage conservation practitioners to take seriously their duty to engage sensitively with diverse faith communities (from local to global) and with their leaders (non-political as well as political), and to temper the sense of urgency with the cultural awareness necessary to negotiate effectively. The second aim is to emphasize that conservation is not the sole preserve of the professional conservation biologist. Indeed, the need to maintain a stable balance between the diversity of life and human activities has been recognized by others quite independently, and has been built into the foundations of custom, cultures and belief throughout the world. Different cultures might express the need for environmental responsibility and ethical action in different ways.


Background Spirometry and biomarkers such as immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration (FeNO) have been proposed for assessing the risk of future adverse events in Expert Panel Report 3 (US National Asthma Education and Prevention Program). Objectives Evaluating the interrelationship between spirometry parameters and/or biomarkers levels (IgE, FeNO, blood eosinophils percentage) and specific symptoms in asthmatic children between hospitalization episodes. Material and Methods 40 asthmatic pacients were evaluated performing spirometry and measuring biological parameters (Ig E levels, blood eosinophils, Fe NO). Symptoms like cough, dispnoea, wheezing described in patients diaries were analysed in correlation with the spirometric and biological parameters using t-Test, Mann-Whitney test, Pearson correlations. For each symptom analysed, every time two groups have emerged (with symptoms or without symptoms). Results Blood eosinophils were different for each symptom, p<0.05 comparing each time the groups. The tendency for positive corelations p=0.08 was noticed between FeNO and FEV1 (forced expiratory vital capacity). Positive corelations, p<0.05 were found between studied parameters, most of the time in the same group (either the group with symptoms or the group without symptoms). Conclusions Blood eosinophils and IgE levels may be regarded more as global predictors but FEV1 and FeNO may be considered more accurate predictors in risk assessment of future adverse events.


Reliability is recognized as an important factor relating to the quality of a product, and robustness describes a means of improving reliability. Generic robustness methods rely on data of some sort, either experimental, established performance distributions, or precise engineering knowledge based on past design attempts. Design for Reliability methods, a class of reliability tool, facilitate methodical analysis, and a similar robust design method is suggested within the present paper that helps improve robustness in industries where the aforementioned data are unavailable. Thus the method can be used before any manufacture has taken place, and yields a numerical result, thus facilitating comparison of alternative designs. The method was developed by studying failure data associated with similar mechanisms. A link was sought between the mechanism geometry and the failure data, such that a mechanism analysis, performed before and after a change, would determine the benefit, regarding robustness, associated with that change. The method was then tested using further case studies, each consisting of two similar designs that satisfied the same requirements, to see whether relative robustness could be predicted. The results indicate that the method can show which design is more robust, but cannot say by how much robustness is changed.


Backgroud:The advent of emergency or disaster has posed serious challenges to the lives of many citizens in different localities and communities. This was as a result of either inadequate preparation for emergency or insufficient knowledge and skills on how to handle emergency situation by those concerned. So mamy lives were claimed; properties damaged and destroyed which calls for adequate and effective preparation against future occurrences by emergency rescue team members as well as healthcare professionals such as nurses. Methods:This is a cross sectional, descriptive survey conducted to explore the role of a nurse in emergency preparedness among nurses in Zaria local Government area of Kaduna State. One hundred and twenty (120) structured questionnaires were administered using simple random sampling technique. Results: The findings of this study established that 34% of the participants were within the age range of 30-39 years. Near two third of the participants 63% were female and 25% of the participants were at the rank of Nursing Officer II (N.OII), 22% of which work in accident and emergency unit while 45% had a working experience between 1-10 years. More than half 60% of the participants had a clear and correct understanding of the concept of emergency preparedness. So also, most of the participants strongly agreed that the roles of a nurse in emergency preparedness are enormous and central to emergency preparedness. Most of the participants 53% and 55% ticked all the tools itemized for emergency preparedness use as well as the factors affecting emergency participants respectively. Conclusion: Disaster preparedness maximized safe condition, decreases vulnerability and minimizes risk to individuals when they are confronted by a hazard. The role of the Nurses is central to emergency preparedness as a custodian of hospital infrastructures.


Inactivation of β-lactams by the action of β-lactamase enzymes is the most common mode of resistance to these drugs among Gram-negative organisms. The genomes of some key clinical pathogens such as Enterobacter and Pseudomonas encode AmpC, an inducible chromosomal β-lactamase. The potent activity of AmpC against broad-spectrum β-lactams complicates treatment of organisms with this gene. Antibiotic exposure can select for mutants expressing high levels of this enzyme, leading to the emergence of resistant isolates and failure of therapy, even when the initial isolate is fully susceptible. The risk of selecting for resistant organisms varies according to the particular β-lactam used for treatment. This article reviews the microbiology of these enzymes, summarizes clinical data on the frequency emergence of resistance, and discusses considerations for antimicrobial treatment of these organisms.


We consider an optimization problem of energy supply networks based on multiple-energy carriers for urban family houses by taking into account new energy supply concepts. Under the background of growing penetration of micro energy-cogeneration technologies, our goal is to design hybrid energy supply networks for providing electricity and heat, especially, we are interested in developing an optimal strategy to simultaneously determine the transmission lines of the underlying energy carriers as well as the distribution of micro energy technologies, which route the energy carrier flows. We propose a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (minlp) model to investigate the problem. However, due to its high complexity and large size of practical instances, it is challenging to compute optimal solutions. We apply piecewise linear approximation techniques and specific convexification structures to improve the solution process based on the branch-and-bound method. Numerical tests based on simulated data are presented to demonstrate the capability of our approaches.


Since its introduction, the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) has played a major role in the diagnosis of narcolepsy. We assessed its diagnostic value in a series of 2,083 subjects of whom 170 (8.2%) were diagnosed with narcolepsy. The sensitivity of the combination of two or more sleep onset rapid eye movement (REM) periods (SOREMPs) with a mean sleep latency of < 5 minutes on an initial MSLT was 70% with a specificity of 97%, but 30% of all subjects with this combination of findings did not have narcolepsy. In some narcoleptics who had more than one MSLT, the proportion of naps with SOREMPs varied substantially from the initial MSLT to the follow-up test. The highest specificity (99.2%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (87%) for MSLT findings was obtained with the criteria of three or more SOREMPs combined with a mean sleep latency of < 5 minutes, but the sensitivity of this combination was only 46%. The combination of a SOREMP with a sleep latency < 10 minutes on polysomnography yielded a specificity (98.9%) and PPV (73%) almost equal to those obtained from combinations of MSLT findings, but the sensitivity was much lower. Our results suggest that the MSLT cannot be used in isolation to confirm or exclude narcolepsy, is indicated only in selected patients with excessive daytime sleepiness, and is most valuable when interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings.


Informal residential setting fosters an atmosphere conducive to providing supportive care to patients and their families. The foremost consideration was patients' comfort and dignity.


We studied the evolution of vortex solitons in two-component coupled Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in a harmonic potential. Using a two-dimensional coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equation model and a variational method, we theoretically derived the vortex soliton solution. Under an appropriate parametric setting, the derived vortex soliton radius was found to oscillate periodically. The derived quasi-stable states with typical nonlinear features are pictorially demonstrated and can be used to guide relevant experimental observations of vortex soliton phenomena in coupled ultracold atomic systems.


As for China's fiscal position, the central government's fiscal position is relatively sound, while local governments' fiscal position is threatened by growing risks, mainly the expansion of debts and bad loans. This is clear from the results of the audit by the National Audit Office of the People's Republic of China (which is the Chinese equivalent of the Board of Audit of Japan). Given that China still maintains a high economic growth rate of around 7.5%, holds a huge amount of foreign currency reserves and is recording a large amount of current account surplus, government debts are unlikely to cause major disruptions to the Chinese economy as a whole in the short term. However, if fiscal problems arise in some regions and the impact spills over into other parts of the country, or if the impact stalls reform and delays resolution of problems, a serious crisis will occur sooner or later. To prevent such a situation, China needs to overcome a pile of challenges, including tax and fiscal system reforms, enhancement of the fiscal transfer system, the development of laws and regulations related to local fiscal policy and appropriate fiscal management based thereon, and appropriate allocation of administrative powers, revenues and responsibilities between the central and local governments. These are challenges that can in no way be skirted if the current government is to achieve its goal of carrying out economic structural adjustments and reforming the functions of government, so actions to overcome them must not be postponed. Amid the growing signs of a slowdown of the economy, fiscal policy has an increasingly important role to play, and the time left for reform is limited.


A sequential assignment procedure is outlined, based on two-dimensional NOE ( NOESY ) and two-dimensional J-correlated spectroscopy ( COSY ), for assigning the nonexchangeable proton resonances in NMR spectra of oligonucleotides. As presented here the method is generally applicable to right-handed helical oligonucleotides of intermediate size. We applied it to a lac operator DNA fragment consisting of d( TGAGCGG ) and d( CCGCTCA ) and obtained complete assignments for the adenine H8, guanine H8, cytosine H6 and H5, thymine H6 and 5-methyl, and the deoxyribose H1', H2', H2", H3', and H4' resonances, as well as some H5', H5" (pairwise) assignments. These assignments are required for the analysis of two-dimensional NOE and J-coupling data in terms of the solution structure of oligonucleotides.


In this study, we independently developed a universal nasopharyngeal swab extraction-free reagent based on a trehalose lipid for the rapid detection of pathogen nucleic acids in respiratory infectious diseases. By comparing the isothermal amplification results of a 2019-nCoV pseudovirus solution treated with different components of the extraction-free reagent, we determined the optimal composition of the extraction-free reagent to be a mixed solution of 10 mmol L-1 tris-HCl containing 0.05 mmol L-1 EDTA (TE solution), 5% glycine betaine, 0.5% Triton X-100, and 1.5% trehalose lipid. The results showed that the extraction-free reagent could cleave DNA viruses, RNA viruses, and bacteria to release nucleic acids and did not affect the subsequent nucleic acid amplification. Its efficiency was consistent with that of magnetic bead extraction. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to analyze the stability and repeatability of the detection results of the samples treated with the extraction-free reagent and the sensitivity of the extraction-free reagent. The results showed that the extraction-free kit could stably store the pathogen nucleic acid for at least 24 hours, the detection repeatability was satisfactory, and there was no incompatibility with the detection limits of various manufacturers' nucleic acid detection reagents. In conclusion, the established nucleic acid extraction-free method can effectively lyse respiratory infectious disease pathogens to release nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) at room temperature and can directly amplify nucleic acids without extraction steps. This method takes a short time and has high efficiency. The released nucleic acid met the requirements of molecular biological detection methods such as real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and isothermal nucleic acid amplification (INAA).


This study aimed to explore factors affecting students' learning satisfaction. The survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 315 students through the General Physics course at Cao Thang Technical College, Ho Chi Minh City. The Exploratory Factor Analysis method and Linear Regression were used to determine factors influencing students' learning satisfaction. The research factors that were explored consist of learning outcome statement (LOS), content knowledge for teaching (CKT), knowledge building process (KBP), applying knowledge (AK), organizing and managing classroom (OMC), teaching method (TM), teacher- student relationship (TSR), learning resources materials (LRM), and assessment process (AP), in which CKT, AP, and TM are of three most important factor affecting students' satisfaction learning process.


Both modern multi- and intermodal supply chains pose a significant challenge to control and maintain while offering numerous optimization potential. Digital Twins have been proposed to improve supply chains. However, as of today, they are only used for certain parts of the entire supply chain. This paper presents an initial framework for a holistic Digital Supply Chain Twin (DSCT) capable of including an entire multimodal supply chain. Such a DSCT promises to enable several improvements all across the supply chain while also be capable of simulating and evaluate several different scenarios for the supply chain. Therefore, the DSCT will not only be able to optimize multi- and intermodal supply chains but also makes them potentially more robust by identifying possible issues early on. This paper discusses the major requirements that such a DSCT must fulfil to be useful and how several information technologies that matured in recent years or are about the mature are the key enablers to fulfil these requirements. Finally, a suggested high-level architecture for such a DSCT is presented as a first step towards the realization of a DSCT, as presented in this work


A method has been developed for the solution of the resistivity and IP modeling problem for one or more two‐dimensional inhomogeneities buried in a space for which the Dirichlet Green's function is known. The boundary‐value problem reduces to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind which is parametrically a function of a spatial wavenumber. Using the method of moments, the integral equation is solved for a number of values of the wavenumber. An inverse Fourier transform is then performed in order to obtain the electric potential at any point of interest. The method agrees well with both experimental results and other numerical techniques.


Non–hot spot, intraplate volcanism is a common feature near the East Pacific Rise or Pacific‐Antarctic ridge. Volcanic ridges and seamount chains, tens to hundreds of kilometers long, are asymmetrically distributed about the ridge axis, with most volcanic features occurring on the Pacific plate. Their origins remain controversial. We have analyzed off‐axis volcanic ridges near the Pacific‐Antarctic ridge from bathymetry, backscatter, gravity, and geochemistry data of the Pacantarctic 2 cruise. K/Ar dating of samples dredged on these structures reveals a contrast of up to 3 Ma between the volcanoes and the underlying crust. The volcanic activity, as suggested by the strong backscatter in sonar images, appears to be limited to areas of seafloor younger than about 3 Ma. All surveyed ridges north of the Menard transform fault (TF) show recent activity close to the ridge axis and are not affected by faults. The off‐axis volcanic ridges south of the Menard TF show recent volcanic flows in their center and are affected by N‐S extension. Two different types of volcanoes can be characterized: conical, flat‐topped ones and rough, elongated ones associated with narrow, E‐W trending volcanic ridges, some of them showing strong backscattering on the EM12 imagery. From the morphology of the seamount chains and the ages of the lava samples, we infer that the magma source for the volcanic ridges is related to the feeding of the ridge axis through three‐dimensional mantle convective circulation. We suggest that a change in the relative plate motion since about 5 Ma might have induced an offset of the mantle upwelling circulation under the ridge axis so that anomalously hot mantle rises under the Pacific ridge flank. The kinematic change is also likely responsible for the tectonic deformation in the young lithosphere south of Menard TF.


Abstract In 1817–21, the Indian subcontinent was ravaged by a series of epidemics which marked the beginning of what has since become known as the First Cholera Pandemic. Despite their far-reaching consequences, these epidemics have received remarkably little attention and have never been considered as historical subjects in their own right. This article examines the epidemics of 1817–21 in greater detail and assesses their significance for the social and political history of the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, it examines the meanings that were attached to the epidemics in the years running up to the first appearance of cholera in the West. In so doing, the article makes comparisons between responses to cholera in India and in other contexts, and tests the applicability of concepts used in the study of epidemics in the West. It is argued that the official reaction to cholera in India was initially ameliorative, in keeping with the East India Company's response to famines and other supposedly natural disasters. However, this view was gradually supplemented and replaced by a view of cholera as a social disease, requiring preventive action. These views were initially rejected in Britain, but found favour after cholera epidemics in 1831–32. Secondly, in contrast to later epidemics, it is argued that those of 1817–21 did little to exacerbate tensions between rulers and the ruled. On the rare occasions when cholera did elicit a violent reaction, it tended to be intra-communal rather than anti-colonial in nature.


Objective To analyze metabolic parameters, body composition (BC), and bone mineral density (BMD) in childhood-onset GH deficiency (COGHD) patients during the transition period (TP). Design Single- center, retrospective study was performed on 170 consecutive COGHD patients (age 19.2 ± 2.0 years, range 16–25) transferred after growth completion from two pediatric clinics to the adult endocrine unit. Two separate analyses were performed: (i) cross-sectional analysis of hormonal status, metabolic parameters, BC, and BMD at first evaluation after transfer from pediatrics to the adult department; (ii) longitudinal analysis of BC and BMD dynamics after 3 years of GH replacement therapy (rhGH) in TP. Results COGHD was of a congenital cause (CONG) in 50.6% subjects, tumor-related (TUMC) in 23.5%, and idiopathic (IDOP) in 25.9%. TUMC patients had increased insulin and lipids levels (P < 0.01) and lower Z score at L-spine (P < 0.05) compared to CONG and IDOP groups. Patients treated with rhGH in childhood demonstrated lower fat mass and increased BMD compared to the rhGH-untreated group (P < 0.01). Three years of rhGH after growth completion resulted in a significant increase in lean body mass (12.1%) and BMD at L-spine (6.9%), parallel with a decrease in FM (5.2%). Conclusion The effect of rhGH in childhood is invaluable for metabolic status, BC, and BMD in transition to adulthood. Tumor-related COGHD subjects are at higher risk for metabolic abnormalities, alteration of body composition, and decreased BMD, compared to those with COGHD of other causes. Continuation of rhGH in transition is important for improving BC and BMD in patients with persistent COGHD.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Most nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies contain a human pathogen named as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV infection is considered as an early event involved in the pathogenesis of NPC. However, the close association of EBV with NPC is a paradox. EBV infection is common that occurs in ≥95% of the world's population, yet the incidence rate of NPC is rare worldwide and is only seen in Cantonese speaking ethnic groups in Southern Asia. The mechanisms that regulate EBV infection of NPC/pre-malignant NP cells including the events involved in latency and lytic activation (either in vitro or in vivo) are not well-defined. Expressions of latent and lytic EBV genes have been shown to have variable effects on the biology and malignant properties of EBV-infected cells. Hypoxia and nutrient-starvation are common physiological stresses within tumours and may have impact on regulation of latent and lytic EBV infection in NPC cells.

Here we report that the levels of hypoxia-inducible factor, HIF-1α protein, a prime hypoxic-stress responsive marker for mammalian cells, are higher in EBV-infected NPC/pre-malignant NP cell lines under hypoxia than their non-infected counterparts, which may imply an enhanced survival ability of EBV-infected NP cells. The alteration in gene expression profiles of host cells and expression of EBV genes observed in infected cells may be responsible for the stabilization of HIF-1α and vice versa. Moreover, EBV infection enhances the tumour growth rate and size of NPC cells xenografts in nude mice. The main stem of this study is to examine whether there is a differential response between EBV-infected and non-infected NP cells towards various metabolic stresses. Through studying this project, the mechanism and function of HIF-1α stability by EBV infection will be explored, which is expected to help characterizing the role of EBV in transformation of epithelial cells and how EBV infection may enhance NPC cells to survive inside a tumour core.

Citation Format: VMY Lau, SW Tsao. Role of Epstein-Barr virus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma under metabolic stress. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1512. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1512

Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.


A highly sensitive detection system for magnetic contaminants using a High-Tc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) was developed. Finding ultra-small metallic contaminants is a big issue for manufacturers producing commercial products such as lithium ion batteries. When the contamination does occur, the manufacturer of the product suffers a great loss to recall the tainted products. The outer dimension of metallic particles less than 100 microns can not be detected by X-ray imaging, which is commonly used as the inspection method. In most cases, the matrix of industrial products is magnetized and the magnetic signal from the matrix is large enough to mask the signal from contaminants. We developed a detection system based on a high-Tc SQUID gradiometer. A specially designed low noise planar gradiometer for the system was developed. The flux white noise level of the SQUID gradiometer was 8-16 muphi0/Hz1/2 at 1 kHz. Use of the gradiometer and horizontal magnetization could solve problem above. We tested the performances of the system and found that small iron particles as small as 50 mum times 50 mum on the electrode of the lithium ion battery could be clearly detect. This detection level is difficult to achieve using other methods.


The objectives of this study were to determine 1) the effectiveness of calcium chloride when injected later than 2 d postmortem, 2) the effect of extended postinjection aging time, and 3) the tenderness response curve in calcium chloride-treated beef. In Exp. 1, the longissimus thoracis et lumborum was injected on either d 2 or 14 postmortem with 5% by weight of a 200 mM calcium chloride solution. Samples were aged (1 degree C) either 7 or 35 d after injection. The uninjected control longissimus from the contralateral side was aged for 9, 21, 37, or 49 d. In Exp. 2, the longissimus thoracis et lumborum was injected on d 2 postmortem with 5% by weight of a 200 m x M calcium chloride solution then sampled for shear force on d 1, 2, 6, 8, 12, and 14 after injection. Calcium chloride injection, regardless of injection time or postinjection aging time, had higher (P < .05) sensory tenderness rating than control with the same total aging time (5.2, 5.5, 5.8, and 6.1 vs 4.3, 4.8, 5.1, and 5.3, respectively). Calcium chloride injection at d 14 reduced shear force (.7 kg) and increased tenderness rating (.7 units) as effectively (P > .05) as injection at d 2 (1.2 kg and .8 units, respectively). Calcium chloride-injected steaks had higher (P < .05) juiciness ratings than control steaks. Postrigor calcium chloride injection reduced (P < .05) shear force within 1 d after injection and resulted in more tender meat through 14 d after injection. Extended postinjection aging (35 d) had little effect on color display stability. Calcium activated tenderization can be applied as late as 14 d postmortem and will reduce the occurrence of tough meat if aging is limited.


Background: Goiters are commonly seen in the low socioeconomic group with limited access to the specialists and specialized centres where this condition can be safely managed. Medical outreaches bring an opportunity for reprieve, but the setting and available facilities are often far from optimum. This study seeks to describe a safe approach to thyroid surgery in the limited settings of a medical outreach. Methodology: In this study, 17 consecutive thyroidectomies done during medical outreaches, in several localities in Nigeria, between June 2010 and October 2010, are reported. Results: In this study, 16 out of 17 patients had thyroidectomy done with local anaesthesia . The airway was monitored intra-operatively by speaking with the patients and using a pulse oximeter. A life threatening complication of intra-operative laryngospasm was seen in one of these patients and was successfully managed by passing a laryngeal mask airway and conversion to general anaesthesia. In one patient with a giant goiter, general anaesthesia was used and the patient intubated. Conclusion: Thyroidectomy may be safely carried out in the awake patient with local anaesthesia. However, patients must be meticulously selected and all preparations must be made for promptly securing an airway.


The effectiveness of different types of masks in mitigating respiratory infections, particularly those caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been a topic of significant interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of the real-world efficacy of N95, surgical, and cloth masks in reducing the transmission of respiratory infections.

Using a large sample size and rigorous data collection methods, we evaluated the protective capabilities of each mask type by assessing the number of infections among individuals wearing these masks in various settings. Our findings reveal that N95 masks exhibited the highest level of protection, followed by surgical masks and cloth masks. However, even cloth masks provided a significant level of protection compared to no mask usage.

The results of our study underscore the importance of widespread mask usage as a critical public health measure to control the spread of respiratory infections. These findings have significant implications for public health policies and highlight the need for continued adherence to mask-wearing practices.


The need for automatic defect inspection of solar panels becomes more vital with higher demands of producing and installing new solar energy systems worldwide. Deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) remarkably perform very well for solving the image classification task from different domains. In this paper, the convolutional neural network is applied to characterize the surface of the PV panel and to detect the presence of the defect. The application of transfer learning with AlexNet CNN provided a very promising performance and reveal the potential of the approach for the detection of various defects in the surface of the solar panel.


Background: Knowing the immune status against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B in children Cochabamba, Bolivia and seroepidemiological association.
Study method: A seroepidemiological study (n=424) and HBV (n=436) of HAV in children living in Cochabamba, Bolivia, 2010. A questionnaire was completed by parents for demographics, socioeconomic was performed and housing and blood samples were collected, An ELISA was used to measure antibodies to hepatitis A and B.
Results: As regards Hepatitis A, the overall prevalence 95.4 (95% CI -93.5 to 97.4) were immune. The immunity was higher in children of 5-10 years (97%) and tweens 10-13 years (97.9%), the prevalence of immunity was also higher in subjects whose parents had a low level of education (99, 4 to 99.5%) living in rural areas (98.7%) lived in municipalities with an urban development under (99.1 to 100%), had water delivered home by an oil sisterna (99.4%) and spoke Quechua at home (99.5%). As to Hepatitis B virus, immunity that presented to the IgG anti-HBs IgG antibodies in the cohort of pre-universal vaccine was 5.8% (95% CI: 3.3 to 8.3%); was higher in men (9.1%), and those living in the suburbs (9.7%). The anti-
HBsIgG prevalence among cohort universal post-vaccine was 37.9% (95% CI: 28.5 to 48.1%), and was higher in children who speak Quechua at home (51.0% ), those living in the suburbs (53.9%), and those born in 2005 (72.7%). Neither cohort showed differences concerning education of parents. The prevalence of IgG anti-HBc was 1.1% among post universal vaccine cohort and 1.2% among pre-universal vaccine cohorts (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The susceptibility to infection by the hepatitis A child reaches 4.5%. There is a high susceptibility of contracting hepatitis B infection by low immunity was identified.


This article provides steps toward a theory of the basic effects that multimedia systems have on people. These effects are grouped into knowledge transfer, entertainment, and data processing. Although based on empirical investigations, several components of the theory are controversial and in need of further critical empirical investigation. This article criticizes the optimistic multimedia paradigm, the dominant conviction among multimedia system developers and users that adding multimedia functionality to information systems (always) leads to improved information and knowledge transfer. Adding multimedia functionality is not sufficient for these and other learning effects. The role of independent variables that facilitate multimedia effects is reviewed and a more moderate, realistic multimedia paradigm is proposed.


Pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) develop as a result of damage to the major or peripheral pancreatic ducts, complication due to acute or chronic pancreatitis, trauma or iatrogenic causes. PFCs include pancreatic pseudocysts (PPs) and walled-off necrosis (WON). PFCs usually resolve spontaneously and are asymptomatic, but if they persist, increase in dimension or became symptomatics, therapeutic intervention is required. Available therapeutic interventions include surgical, percutaneous, and endoscopic drainage. The endoscopic approach is nowadays considered the first line-treatment of PFCs due to various advantages when compared with surgical or percutaneous drainage: decreased morbidity, length of hospital stay, and reduced costs. In the last few years, the endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided transmural drainage, initially with plastic stents, gained popularity. More recently, fully covered self-expanding lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) have been demonstrated to be both, safe and effective with high clinical and technical success, reducing the risk of perforation, peritoneal leakage, migration and facilitating the drainage of necrotic contents. In the last few years, several studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of LAMS and their differences with plastic stents have been performed, but literature on the removal timing of this device and associated complications is still limited. The aim of this review is to analyze studies reporting information about the retrieval timing of LAMS and the related adverse events.


The Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) is an endangered species inhabiting the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. From October 2002 to December 2003, we observed 924 groups (3643 individuals) of Tibetan gazelles in Hoh Xil region. These groups could be classified into five types. Female groups (525) were the major type, accounting for 56.8%. Solitary gazelle (a special group type), male groups, mother-calf groups and mixed groups made up 26.1%, 11.0%, 3.0% and 3.0%, respectively. Group size ranged from one to 17 individuals. Groups of 2-10 individuals, solitary gazelle groups and larger groups (10 individuals) accounted for 70.0%, 26.1% and 3.9%, respectively. 72.9% of gazelles were observed in group with sizes of 2-8 individuals, while 20.5% were observed in group sizes 8 and 6.6% were solitary. A chi-square test showed that the frequencies of individuals in different group sizes were significantly different (P0.001). Group sizes varied significantly among different group types (Kruskal-Wallis H test, P0.001). There were significantly more males (68.1%) than females (P0.001) in solitary groups. To sum up, female group was the main group type of Tibetan gazelles, and the optimal group size was 2-8 individuals.


Sponsor: Arthur C. Cope Fund Citation: For his contributions, both fundamental and practical, to the fields of asymmetric catalysis and organic synthesis. Current position: Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University Education: B.S., chemistry, New York University; Ph.D., chemistry, University of California, Berkeley Jacobsen on his current scientific goals: "I am very excited about connecting the worlds of small-molecule and enzymatic catalysis in meaningful ways. I hope to discover small, synthetic catalysts that use enzymatic principles to do reactions that have thus far not been possible." What his colleagues say: "Jacobsen's catalyst systems have been used widely in industry and academia, and the underlying concepts he has elucidated now serve to guide research throughout the world."—Stephen L. Buchwald, Massachusetts Institute of Technology


The multiphase interleaved synchronous buck converters with coupled phase inductors are being preferred for voltage regulator modules requiring low output voltage, high output current, and fast transient response since they simultaneously offer better steady-state efficiency and faster dynamic response. In this paper, a novel magnetic core structure for symmetrical coupling of multiphase buck converter phase inductors is proposed, which overcomes several limitations of asymmetrical inductor coupling proposed so far. A new analytical technique to arrive at simple dynamic equivalent circuits of the converter, as well as design guidelines for the proposed inductor structure, is presented. Experimental results from a prototype four-phase synchronous buck converter with the proposed inductor demonstrate 2% to 6% improvement in the converter efficiency compared to a similarly rated converter with uncoupled inductors while retaining the same transient performance.


The endoscopic transnasal approach to the rostral pediatric spine and craniovertebral junction is a relatively new technique that provides an alternative to the traditional transoral approach to the anterior pediatric spine. In this case series, the authors provide 2 additional examples of patients undergoing endoscopic transnasal odontoidectomies for ventral decompression of the spinal cord. Both patients would have required transection of the palate to undergo an effective transoral operation, which can be a cause of significant morbidity. In one case, transnasal decompression was initially incomplete, and decompression was successfully achieved via a second endoscopic transnasal operation. Both cases resulted in significant neurological recovery and stable long-term spinal alignment. The transnasal approach benefits from entering into the posterior pharynx at an angle that often reduces the length of postoperative intubation and may speed a patient's return to oral intake. Higher reoperation rates are a concern for many endoscopic approaches, but there are insufficient data to conclude if this is the case for this procedure. Further experience with this technique will provide a better understanding of the indications for which it is most effective. Transcervical and transoral endoscopic approaches have also been reported and provide additional options for pediatric anterior cervical spine surgery.


China has announced plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and part of that plan is to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities. This chapter examines the regulatory challenges facing China as it undertakes this plan and provides a menu of robust options for policy makers. In pursuit of this plan, China faces two material challenges in implementing its CCS strategy. The first is a lack of suitable onshore sites in the southern areas close to the industrial centers of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai. Their local geography and geology favors the use of offshore CCS; there are large suitable basins offshore most of southeastern China. Thus China needs to consider the inclusion of offshore CCS options. Second, China has announced its intent to leverage the finance options afforded under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. CCS, and offshore CCS, are permissible technologies allowed under the CDM, but there are regulatory requirements spelt out in Decision 10/CMP.7, which would need to be satisfied in advance to qualify an offshore CCS project for CDM-based support. Thus China needs to be able to rapidly progress its regulatory framework addressing CCS operations. This chapter explores the efficient pathways available to Chinese policy makers to rapidly develop a regulatory approach that would satisfy the regulatory requirements of Decision 10/CMP.7, whilst providing options to best match the regulatory and governing institutions of China. The chapter explores the literature of Law & Economics on regulatory theory to explain when certain options might be robust and when other options might be robust.


With finite element method (FEM) using ANSYS finite element (FE) package, an electromagnetic-structural simulation model is introduced for the switched reluctance motor (SRM). Since the main reason of noise and vibration in the SRM is a radial force applied to stator poles, the 2D FE transient analysis is carried out in  electromagnetic modeling to predict the instantaneous radial force. Based on 3D FEM, the modal analysis is done in the developed structural model to determine mode shapes and natural frequencies. Using the developed simulation model and an evolutionary algorithm, a method is proposed for design optimization of the SRM to decrease noise. To evaluate the proposed method, the simulation results are presented for an 8/6 switched reluctance motor.


This paper explores aspects of learning design for design thinking within a small (circa 100) remote rural secondary (12-18 year old) school in the Highlands of Scotland. It introduces action research school teachers and final year (17-18 year old) pupils which explored how "real world" learning experiences can be brought into the classroom. It does so by joining two areas that are often treated as distinct practices. These are, the use of system theory and community development approaches to identify and map complex issues (Bell and Morse 2012), and the use of ideas from co-design to include non designers in the design process (Sanders and Westerlund 2011). The paper takes a grounded approach to the application of these ideas, simply asking "do they work", and then "what", "how" and "why". In exploring those questions the paper tries to be open and transparent about learning design as a messy, uncertain and emergent process


The formation of ice, which plays an important role in diverse contexts ranging from cryopreservation to atmospheric science, is often mediated by solid surfaces. Although surfaces that interact favorably with ice (relative to liquid water) can facilitate ice formation by lowering nucleation barriers, the molecular characteristics that confer icephilicity to a surface are complex and incompletely understood. To address this challenge, here we introduce a robust and computationally efficient method for characterizing surface ice-philicity that combines molecular simulations and enhanced sampling techniques to quantify the free energetic cost of increasing surface-ice contact at the expense of surface-water contact. Using this method to characterize the ice-philicity of a family of model surfaces that are lattice matched with ice but vary in their polarity, we find that the nonpolar surfaces are moderately ice-phobic, whereas the polar surfaces are highly ice-philic. In contrast, for surfaces that display no complementarity to the ice lattice, we find that ice-philicity is independent of surface polarity and that both nonpolar and polar surfaces are moderately ice-phobic. Our work thus provides a prescription for quantitatively characterizing surface ice-philicity and sheds light on how ice-philicity is influenced by lattice matching and polarity.


ABSTRACT:This article examines the political and philosophical implications of plasmogenia, the theory of the origin of life developed by Mexican biologist Alfonso Herrera during the initial decades of the twentieth century. Focusing on Herrera's theoretical reflection on life and his institutional initiatives throughout the revolutionary and years, the article argues that there is a structuring contradiction between the biopolitical utopia concerning the creation of a perfect man and the conception of life as an inorganic and constant becoming. In a paradoxical way, Herrera's notion of vida universal tends to deterritorialize his own project of artificially manufacturing a superman in the laboratory. This essay shows that plasmogenia not only played an unforeseen role during the process of state formation after the Mexican Revolution, but it also continues to intervene decisively in current debates about biopolitics and the philosophy of life.


The years following the Great Awakening in New England saw a great theological struggle between proponents of Calvinism and the champions of Christian liberty, setting the stage for American Unitarianism. The adherents of Christian liberty, who were branded Arminians by their opponents, were contending for the liberty of the mind and the soul to pursue truth and salvation free from prior restraint. The Arminian movement took shape as a major, quasi-denominational force in New England under the guidance of particular clergymen, most notably Ebenezer Gay, minister of the First Parish in Hingham, Massachusetts, from 1718 to 1787. Despite his ubiquitous presence in the history of Arminianism, however, Gay has been a historical enigma. Robert J. Wilson's purpose in this biography is to trace Gay's long and fascinating intellectual odyssey against the evolving social, political, and economic life of eighteenth-century Hingham as well as the religious history of the coastal region between Boston and Plymouth.


Human neonatal skin fibroblasts plated sparsely in MCDB 105 traversed a complete cell cycle in the absense of serum or serum‐derived proteins. Addition of pure PDGF did not significantly increase entrance into S phase as revealed by 3H‐thymidine labeling index or clonal growth on palladium islands. In subphysiologic Ca2+ concentrations or in the presence of a calmodulin inhibitor, W7, proliferation in the absence of growth factors ceased and PDGF became mitogenic. In contrast, confluent fibroblast cultures were stimulated by PDGF in physiologic Ca2+ concentrations. This was also the case with sparse adult skin fibroblast cultures while a fetal strain entered S in the absence of PDGF even in low extracellular Ca2+ concentrations. EGF gave similar results as PDGF in all experiments performed. This proposes a similar role for the two growth factors in the cell cycle. However, a difference in the mechanisms of action of PDGF and EGF is indicated by the fact that PDGF and EGF were additive at optimal concentrations when maximal growth response by a single growth factor was restricted by a subphysiologic extracellular Ca2+ concentration.


A simple scheme which is free of the decoupling problem is used with unstructured grids to calculate scattering off airfoils. Standard numerical techniques with equal order interpolation and no staggering for both the electric and the magnetic field are employed, and some preliminary results are presented. Scattering of plane waves off cylinders and airfoils was simulated. Contours, current density, and radar cross section were generated after 7.96 cycles.<<ETX>>


IFAPP (International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Pharmaceutical Medicine) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote Pharmaceutical Medicine & Medicines Development (PM&MD) by enhancing the competencies and maintaining high research ethical standards of Pharmaceutical Physicians and other professionals involved in medicines development worldwide, leading to the availability and appropriate use of medicines for the benefit of patients and society1. About 30 national professional associations related to PM&MD, involving 7000 professionals, are affiliated to IFAPP. Medicines development has traditionally been a challenging enterprise, with high risk, high investment, and potentially high returns in the lengthy and complex process of identifying a new chemical entity as a candidate for development and possibly succeeding in bringing it as a pharmaceutical product to the market. However, the emergence of genomics, translational research, biomarkers, and precision medicine pose challenges going forward involving allocation of resources, price, market access, and cost-effectiveness as opposed to the traditional concepts of "efficacy" and "safety." Education and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are a major focus of IFAPP. The International Conference on Pharmaceutical Medicine (ICPM) is the largest event for our organization; ICPM is held every 2 or 3 years and is aimed to provide the state of the art in key areas for our discipline and profession. The paper is a reflection on the role of competency-based education and training for Pharmaceutical Physicians and medicines development scientists, as was discussed during the recent ICPM 2016 held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 18–19, with the support of the Brazilian Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine, and gathered around 200 representatives from the pharmaceutical, clinical research and regulatory arenas from all over the world2,3.


In this paper, we develop and analyze decentralized failure diagnosis schemes for systems that can be modeled as finite state machines (FSMs). We consider a scenario where we are given multiple local diagnosers (with partial access to the events occurring in the system under diagnosis) and focus on designing a global coordinator which gathers the estimates of the local diagnosers at irregularly spaced time intervals and combines them to reach the final diagnosis decision. The functionality of the system and the local diagnosers is known, and each local diagnoser does not necessarily observe the same events as other diagnosers. We require the global coordinator to perform diagnosis using only simple processing of the results it receives from the local diagnosers. More specifically, we consider two possible strategies for the coordinator to reach a final diagnosis decision: (i) intersection of local estimates or (ii) consultation of a stored table that is constructed offline. In both cases, the global coordinator can operate in real time without knowledge of the functionality of the system or the local diagnosers. For each scheme, we derive conditions for single-request diagnosability and multiple-request diagnosability. We also explore the trade-offs between the two schemes in terms of processing and memory requirements on the global coordinator


The use of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology was reviewed in 117 cases of soft-tissue lesions: 23 non-neoplastic lesions, 34 benign mesenchymal tumors and 60 histologically proven soft-tissue sarcomas. The soft-tissue sarcoma aspirates were classified according to their cytomorphology into five groups of possible histologic diagnoses. Difficulties were experienced in the correct diagnoses. Difficulties were experienced in the correct assessment of aspirates from low-grade malignancies. On the other hand, in high-grade malignant sarcomas and in recurrent or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma, FNA cytology was useful in both the initial diagnosis of a new lesion (22 patients) and in the confirmation or exclusion of a suspected treatment failure (38 patients with recurrence or metastases). In the latter, FNA cytology supported the clinical data and reduced the number of repeat open biopsies. However, the final diagnosis of soft-tissue sarcomas should be based upon the histologic study of tissue sections.


MOFs are typical 3D crystalline materials, and amorphous MOFs emerges as a new attractive material family very recently. Herein, we report a novel layered MOF, IPM-1, which is synthesized from a cage-like organic linker with extremely weak interlaminar interaction. When subjected to external disturbance, IPM-1 degraded to an intermediate state between the crystalline and amorphous phase (1D-amorphours), in which the layers retain the in-plane two-dimension periodic structure but are misaligned in the third dimension, leading to the loss of apparent porosity and crystallinity. 1D-amorphous IPM-1 is readily exfoliated into crystalline 2D nanosheets with a thickness of 1.15 nm at gram-scale, excellent uniformity and homogeneity, lateral size up to 10 µm, and restored microporosity. They can fabricate wafer-scale thin �lms and present the �rst mass-producible 2D monolayer material. This work underlines that MOFs without apparent crystallinity can be idea precursors for the successful preparation of 2D crystalline monolayer nanosheets.


Many researchers have done the CFD simulation of open-cell aluminum metal foams with a unit cell with periodic boundary conditions. However, this does not represent a real life situation, as the foam-fluid interactions cannot be properly modeled. In the present study the simulation is done for metal foam with the more number of foam cells to proximate the conditions close to the actual situations. The CFD simulation of open-cell aluminum metal foams was done using ANSYS FLUENT. The results are obtained by solving the Continuity, Momentum and Energy equations and standard k- e turbulence model is used for simulation. The boundary conditions applied are same as those applied during the experiments conducted at Heat Transfer Lab, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore. In this study the Aluminum Alloy (Al 6101-T6) metal foam of pore density 10 ppi is used for CFD analysis.


High-density oligonucleotide expression arrays are a widely used microarray platform. Affymetrix GeneChip arrays dominate this market. An important distinction between the GeneChip and other technologies is that on GeneChips, multiple short probes are used to measure gene expression levels. This makes preprocessing particularly important when using this platform. This chapter begins by describing how to import probe-level data into the system and how these data can be examined using the facilities of the AffyBatch class. Then we will describe background adjustment, normalization, and summarization methods. Functionality for GeneChip probe-level data is provided by the affy, affyPLM, affycomp, gcrma, and affypdnn packages. All these tools are useful for preprocessing probe-level data stored in an AffyBatch object into expression-level data stored in an exprSet object. Because there are many competing methods for this preprocessing step, it is useful to have a way to assess the differences. In Bioconductor, this can be carried out using the affycomp package, which we discuss briefly.


In this paper, a precoding OFDMA uplink technique is proposed for the upcoming 4G cellular system. Such as IEEE 802.16m and 3GPP LTE, both of them are 4G candidates. We especially tackle the common carrier frequency offset (CFO) problem which brings the inter carrier interference (ICI) and multiple access interference (MAI). The main idea of this paper is the proposed QR dirty paper coding (QR-DPC) method, which is based on QR decomposition. Assisted with block diagonalization (BD) algorithm, we successfully utilize the precoding technique to eliminate the annoying MAI in a multiuser uplink system. Thus, the combination of BD and QR-DPC can significantly increase the BER performance as compared to conventional DPC. Moreover, we can further enhance the performance of QR-DPC by using the famous Water Pouring algorithm. Simulation results confirm that the proposed system can provide excellent performance under the ICI, MAI, and multipath interference environment.


This paper emphasizes two major reasons why in the present context a paradigm shift in macroeconomics is unlikely to materialize, in contrast with what happened in the 1930s. First of all, the standard paradigm – despite its predictive and explanatory failures – appears to be an internally consistent research programme, built around a unifying framework like the Arrow-Debreu model. Secondly, various types of 'Keynesian' critics of the standard paradigm, while raising relevant issues, such as the role of animal spirits in the analysis, seem to miss the target of building a new paradigm precisely because they fail to rely upon a truly alternative unifying framework.


Ring shaped patches of clonal plants fascinated plant ecologists since long time. In this work we review the reports on the occurrence of ring pattern in different environmental conditions, the growth forms of ring-forming plants, the mechanisms underlying ring formation, and the consequences for species diversity at community scale. Rings formed by 83 species of clonal vascular plants have been found in grasslands, deserts, bare substrates of lava flow, harvested peat lands, salt marshes, and sand dunes. Four causal hypotheses have been proposed for the emergence of ring patterns: i. occurrence of architectural constraints for ramets development; ii. induction by fire, drought, trampling or overgrazing; iii. nutrient and water depletion by competition inside the ring; and iv. onset of species-specific negative plant-soil feedback in the inner zone of the clone. Since almost all the available studies are observations of ring structure or modelling exercises, none of the putative mechanisms for ring formation emerged from the literature as either generally applicable or suitable for rejection. Therefore, long-term field experiments are needed to investigate the relative prevalence of different mechanisms in different environments. Ring formation bears important consequences at community scale, because ring forming plants often act as "nurses", enhancing the recruitment and development of different plant species. In fact, ring establishment modifies above- and below-ground environmental conditions, providing specialized safe sites for beneficiaries in the inner zone of the clones. Such interspecific facilitation by ring forming plants, particularly in chronically stressed environments, contributes to increase plant species richness and can locally promote the successional dynamics.


Live weight at the beginning of the finishing period (IFW), average daily gain (ADG), slaughter weight (SW), cold carcass weight (CCW), carcass dressing percentage (DP), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) and slaughter age in days (SA) of 32 castrated males Braford, previously weaned at 100 (EW) or 180 days (CW) and slaughtered at 13-14 months old, were evaluated. From CW (03/06/01) until the beginning of finishing period (08/09/01), when passed to an improved pasture of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.), the calves were maintened on a rice (Oryza sativa) post-harvested paddock. From 09/04/01, the calves had a supplementary feeding, basically Sorghum vulgare, until the slaughters in november. The steers were slaughtered according the visual fatness, independently of the liveweight. The EW steers had IFW significantly lower than the CW steers (182,8 kg vs. 240.5 kg). However, the ADG was significant greater for EW steers, with adjusted means as 1.399 and 1.269 kg/day for EW and CW, respectively. SW and CCW were lighter for EW steers (328.8 and 359.4 of live weight and 174.0 and 186.7 kg of cold carcass for EW and CW, respectively. The EW steers had greater DP (52.9%) than CW steers (51.9%). No differences were observed between treatments for SFT, being 4.91 and 4.95 mm for EW and CW, respectively. SA was affected by age at weaning, with EW steers slaughtered at 430.1 days and CW steers slaughtered at 416.9 days of age.


Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the levels of perceived stigma and social support and presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with tuberculosis and to investigate the association of perceived stigma and depression with demographic and disease related factors.Methods: This study included patients older than 18 years of age with tuberculosis. The hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS), stigma of tuberculosis scale (STS), and multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) were applied to the participants. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to define correlates of depression and perceived stigma.Results: A total of 204 patients were included. The risk of anxiety and depression were 25% and 36.8%, respectively. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses suggested that higher HADS-anxiety scores and lower MSPSS scores were associated with a depressive HADS score and that a lower BMI, higher HADS-anxiety score, and higher HADS-depression score were associated with high levels of perceived stigma.Conclusions: The rates of depression, stigmatization, and anxiety were high in these patients. Anxiety symptoms were positively and social support was inversely associated with depressive symptoms. A lower BMI and higher depression and anxiety scores were independently associated with high levels of perceived stigma.


Numerous applications in science and engineering rely on sparse linear algebra. The efficiency of a fundamental kernel such as the Sparse Matrix-Vector multiplication (SpMV) is crucial for solving increasingly complex computational problems. However, the SpMV is notorious for its extremely low arithmetic intensity and irregular memory patterns, posing a challenge for optimization. Over the last few years, an extensive amount of literature has been devoted to implementing SpMV on Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), with the aim of exploiting the available fine-grain parallelism and memory bandwidth. In this paper, we propose to efficiently combine adaptivity and compression into an ELL-based sparse format in order to improve the state-of-the-art of the SpMV on Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). The foundation of our work is AdELL, an efficient sparse data structure based on the idea of distributing working threads to rows according to their computational load, creating balanced hardware-level blocks (warps) while coping with the irregular matrix structure. We designed a lightweight index compression scheme based on delta encoding and warp granularity that can be transparently embedded into AdELL, leading to an immediate performance benefit associated with the bandwidth-limited nature of the SpMV. The proposed integration provides a highly-optimized novel sparse matrix format known as Compressed Adaptive ELL (CoAdELL). We evaluated the effectiveness of our approach on a large set of benchmarks from heterogeneous application domains. The results show consistent improvements for double-precision SpMV calculations over the AdELL baseline. Moreover, we assessed the general relevance of CoAdELL with respect to other optimized GPU-based sparse matrix formats. We drew a direct comparison with clSpMV and BRO-HYB, obtaining sufficient experimental evidence (33% geometric average improvement over clSpMV and 43% over BRO-HYB) to propose our research work as the novel state-of-the-art.


In order to evaluate the implications of psychological factors in the genesis of ischaemic heart disease, three study groups applied the same research program to three series of patients, resulting in a total of 2 876 men aged between 40 and 59. The mean follow-up was 73 months. The psychological assessment included the type of behaviour (type A or B) and the presence or absence of neurotic characteristics (note N of Eysenck's inventory of the personality). The results demonstrate that psychological factors definitely do have a place amongst the risk factors of heart disease. The predictive value of the type A personality is more obvious in patients who will develop a myocardial infarction than in patients who will develop angina. Conversely, the degree of neurosis is strongly correlated with angina pain, but is predictive value is low or nil for myocardial infarction. These findings demonstrate the value of multi-dimensional psychological surveys.


Internet as a global computer-network that combine image, motion-pictures, text, and audio-visual. Internet has differentiated itself from earlier media types through what is called as interactivity. Interactivity is an uniqueness of internet media particularly in terms of its contents, such as feedback mechanism through email (electronic mail), online chat-room or live interviews. Its information is easily searchable, updated at any time, and can be linked to other sites.
The research was carried out to find out how user reception on interactivity in online media on the site of Suara Surabaya.net. And how to access subjective meanings that they have created based on their understanding on online media so far. The research is also interested in looking into user reception on information and communication technology based on its relevance with the selected theme namely discourse on global media in web site of Radio Suara Surabaya.
Interactivity value of Suara Surabaya.net was obtained by users through hyperlinks, book-marking the site of Suara Surabaya.net and mechanism of feedback that provide users with opportunities to get in touch with editorial staff, as well as other users. Therefore, that can respond to one another by means of users to users namely individuals interact with other individuals in online discussion, more de-massified in nature - personal (nullifying things that are massed in nature); Whereas response of users to documents are individuals access rubrics of news, article, archive, searching, photograph, and so on. News can be framed and regulated into any format wanted by users, not waiting anymore for schedules of media publishing time (publishing time periodicity). Users are unhampered in accessing the required information. Meanwhile users to computers (online transaction) is interaction with users to the computer itself.


A theoretical framework is presented for target classification based on the belief theory on the continuous space. The proposed approach is applicable when class-conditioned densities of feature/attribute measurements are known only partially, as subjective models of a potential "betting" behaviour. Prior class probabilities may also be unknown. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate how the proposed approach is more cautious in decision making and produces very different results from those obtained using the Bayesian classifier.


In typical infants, the achievement of independent locomotion has a positive impact on the development of both small-scale and large-scale spatial cognition. Here we investigated whether this association between the motor and spatial domain: (1) persists into childhood and (2) is detrimental to the development of spatial cognition in individuals with motor deficits, namely, individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). Despite evidence of a co-occurring motor impairment in many individuals with ADHD, little is known about the developmental consequences of this impairment. Individuals with WS demonstrate impaired motor and spatial competence, yet the relationship between these two impairments is unknown. Typically developing (TD) children (N = 71), individuals with ADHD (N = 51), and individuals with WS (N = 20) completed a battery of motor tasks, a measure of independent exploration, and a virtual reality spatial navigation task. Retrospective motor milestone data were collected for the ADHD and WS groups. Results demonstrated a relationship between fine motor ability and spatial navigation in the TD group, which could reflect the developmental impact of the ability to manually manipulate objects, on spatial knowledge. In contrast, no relationships between the motor and spatial domains were observed for the ADHD or WS groups. Indeed, while there was evidence of motor impairment in both groups, only the WS group demonstrated an impairment in large-scale spatial navigation. The motor-spatial relationship in the TD, but not the ADHD and WS groups, suggests that aspects of spatial cognition can develop via a developmental pathway which bypasses input from the motor domain.


The partitionates of methanolic extract of the leaves of the plant Lasia spinosa at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg were subjected for their antinociceptive activity using both acetic acid writhing method and radiant heat tail flicking method. The petroleum ether partitionate at 400 mg/kg induced significant decrease in the no. of writhes while the ethyl acetate partitionate at 400 mg/kg showed promising activity compared to standard diclofenac sodium. Similarly the petroleum ether partitionate elongates the reaction time significantly after administration of extract in radiant heat tail flicking method suggesting central antinociceptive activity.


A foreground digital calibration technique for pipelined ADC is proposed which accounts for linear error correction, while an error estimation technique for amplifier non-linearity is suggested as a reference for non-linear error correction. The calibration algorithm is based on applying a slow input to the ADC to automatically correct for linear errors, while depending on the accuracy of Digital Error Correction (DEC) to estimate and correct for non-linear errors. The proposed calibration scheme is demonstrated for an 11 bit pipelined ADC, and gives SNDR improvement over 30 dB, while using low specifications residue amplifier to reduce power consumption.


The Onsager algebra is one of the cornerstones of exactly solvable models in statistical mechanics. Starting from the generalised Clifford algebra, we demonstrate its relations to the graph Temperley--Lieb algebra, and a generalisation of the Onsager algebra. We present a series of quantum lattice models as representations of the generalised Clifford algebra, possessing the structure of a special type of the generalised Onsager algebra [1]. The integrability of those models is presented, analogous to the free fermionic eight-vertex model. We also mention further extensions of the models and physical properties related to the generalised Onsager algebras, hinting at a general framework that includes families of quantum lattice models possessing the structure of the generalised Onsager algebras.


[1] Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) is a new remote sensing instrument aboard the Earth Observing System (EOS) "Terra" satellite which exploits gas correlation radiometry principles to quantify tropospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4). The MOPITT CO retrieval algorithm employs a nonlinear optimal estimation method to iteratively solve for the CO profile which is statistically most consistent with both the satellite-measured radiances and a priori information. The algorithm's theoretical basis is described in terms of the observed radiances and their weighting functions, the a priori information, and the retrieval averaging kernels. Examples of actual CO retrievals over scenes with contrasting pollution conditions are demonstrated, and interpreted in the context of the retrieval averaging kernels and a priori.


We previously demonstrated the synergistic therapeutic effect of the cetuximab (anti-epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] monoclonal antibody, mAb)-trastuzumab (anti-HER2 mAb) combination (2mAbs therapy) in HER2(low) human pancreatic carcinoma xenografts. Here, we compared the 2mAbs therapy, the erlotinib (EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor [TKI])-trastuzumab combination and lapatinib alone (dual HER2/EGFR TKI) and explored their possible mechanisms of action. The effects on tumor growth and animal survival of the three therapies were assessed in nude mice xenografted with the human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines Capan-1 and BxPC-3. After therapy, EGFR and HER2 expression and AKT phosphorylation in tumor cells were analyzed by Western blot analysis. EGFR/HER2 heterodimerization was quantified in BxPC-3 cells by time-resolved FRET. In K-ras-mutated Capan-1 xenografts, the 2mAbs therapy gave significantly higher inhibition of tumor growth than the erlotinib/trastuzumab combination, whereas in BxPC-3 (wild-type K-ras) xenografts, the erlotinib/trastuzumab combination showed similar growth inhibition but fewer tumor-free mice. Lapatinib showed no antitumor effect in both types of xenografts. The efficacy of the 2mAbs therapy was partly Fc-independent because F(ab')(2) fragments of the two mAbs significantly inhibited BxPC-3 growth, although with a time-limited therapeutic effect. The 2mAbs therapy was associated with a reduction of EGFR and HER2 expression and AKT phosphorylation. BxPC-3 cells preincubated with the two mAbs showed 50% less EGFR/HER2 heterodimers than controls. In pancreatic carcinoma xenografts, the 2mAbs therapy is more effective than treatments involving dual EGFR/HER2 TKIs. The mechanism of action may involve decreased AKT phosphorylation and/or disruption of EGFR/HER2 heterodimerization.


Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a type of polymers with a clear renewable origin, as different types of microorganisms can produce them. Unfortunately, their mechanical properties are not usually as good as those of conventional polymers and for a moment their price is relatively higher; these are two of the reasons why it is suggested in the bibliography that they can be employed forming part of blends with conventional polymers. In the present work, blends of a poly(hydroxybutyrate-valerate) (PHBV) copolymer and a polypropylene resin have been successfully processed using PHBV concentrations up to 20 phr with internal mixer and a hot plate press. Processability and applicability of such blends logically depend on their properties, and for this reason morphology, rheological, thermal properties, and tensile strength for all samples have been evaluated. Ternary blends, incorporating a poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene) copolymer have also been obtained and the influence of the blends properties has been analyzed. Results have shown that the rheological behavior and crystallization process of the system is markedly dependent on the blend composition. Although tensile strength significantly decreases with PHBV concentration, the use of low concentrations of the styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer could improve the elongation at break to a certain extent. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


I would like to add a few more thoughts to what was already said by Juan G. Roederer regarding JGR standards in the May issue of E⊕S.

First, Roederer correctly pointed out some of the difficulties regarding submission, review, and publication of papers in a technical journal. However, there is a pitfall in demanding submittal of manuscripts through division heads. I know of occasions when bosses, particularly new assistant professors with research grants, have forced their way as co-authors after a paper has been accepted for publication and have never even bothered to look at or understand the contents of the paper. How can JGR make sure that each of the co-authors of a paper has made any contribution—regardless of its significance? A letter to that effect, as suggested by Roederer, is so easy to produce. Indeed, it is even possible to make the original author write that letter 'of his own free will.'


The prohormone-processing proteases PC1/3 and PC2 belong to the family of mammalian subtilisin-related proprotein convertases (PC) possessing homology to the yeast Kex2 protease. The presence of PC1/3 and PC2 in secretory vesicles of bovine adrenal medulla (chromaffin granules) implicates their role in the processing the precursors of enkephalin, neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, and other neuropeptides that are present in chromaffin granules. In this study, PC1/3 and PC2 were purified to apparent homogeneity from the soluble fraction of chromaffin granules by chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200, pepstatin A-agarose, and anti-PC1/3 or anti-PC2 immunoaffinity resins. PC1/3 and PC2 were monitored during purification by measuring proteolytic activities with S-enkephalin precursor and Boc-Arg-Val-Arg-Arg-methylcoumarin amide (MCA) substrates and by following PC1/3 and PC2 immunoreactivity with specific anti-PC1/3 and anti-PC2 sera generated in this study. Purified PC1/3 and PC2 on SDS-polyacrylamide gels each show a molecular mass of 66 kDa. PC2 in the soluble fraction of chromaffin granules was present at 5- and 10-fold higher enzyme protein and activity, respectively, compared with that of PC1/3. PC1/3 and PC2 cleaved paired basic and monobasic sites within peptide-MCA substrates, with Boc-Arg-Val-Arg-Arg-MCA and pGlu-Arg-Thr-Lys-Arg-MCA as the most effectively cleaved peptides tested. PC1/3 and PC2 showed pH optima of 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. Kinetic studies indicated apparent K values for hydrolysis of Boc-Arg-Val-Arg-Arg-MCA as 66 and 40 μM, with Vmax values of 255 and 353 nmol/h/mg for PC1/3 and PC2, respectively. Specificity of the PC enzymes for dibasic sites was confirmed by potent inhibition by the active site-directed peptide inhibitors (D-Tyr)-Glu-Phe-Lys-Arg-CH2Cl and Ac-Arg-Arg-CH2Cl. Inhibition by EGTA and activation by Ca indicated PC1/3 and PC2 as Ca-dependent proteases. In addition, PC enzymes were activated by dithiothreitol and inhibited by thiol-blocking reagents, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and mercuric chloride. These results illustrate the properties of endogenous PC1/3 and PC2 as prohormone-processing enzymes.


We present local hybrid functionals that incorporate a position-dependent admixture of short-range (screened) nonlocal exact [Hartree-Fock-type (HF)] exchange. We test two limiting cases: screened local hybrids with no long-range HF exchange and long-range-corrected local hybrids with 100% long-range HF exchange. Long-range-corrected local hybrids provide the exact asymptotic exchange-correlation potential in finite systems, while screened local hybrids avoid the problems inherent to long-range HF exchange in metals and small-bandgap systems. We treat these functionals self-consistently using the nonlocal exchange potential constructed from Kohn-Sham orbital derivatives. Generalized Kohn-Sham calculations with screened and long-range-corrected local hybrids can provide accurate molecular thermochemistry and kinetics, comparable to existing local hybrids of full-range exchange. Generalized Kohn-Sham calculations with existing full-range local hybrids provide results consistent with previous non-self-consistent and "localized local hybrid" calculations. These new functionals appear to provide a promising extension of existing local and range-separated hybrids.


Thirty-six pilots (31 men, 5 women) were tested in a flight simulator on their ability to intercept a pathway depicted on a highway-in-the-sky (HITS) display. While intercepting and flying the pathway, pilots were required to watch for traffic outside the cockpit. Additionally, pilots were tested on their awareness of speed, altitude, and heading during the flight. Results indicated that the presence of a flight guidance cue significantly improved flight path awareness while intercepting the pathway, but significant practice effects suggest that a guidance cue might be unnecessary if pilots are given proper training. The amount of time spent looking outside the cockpit while using the HITS display was significantly less than when using conventional aircraft instruments. Additionally, awareness of flight information present on the HITS display was poor. Actual or potential applications of this research include guidance for the development of perspective flight display standards and as a basis for flight training requirements.


Simultaneous measurements of the gastric emptying rate of the solid and liquid phase of a dual-isotope-labeled test meal were made using a gamma camera and a simple scintillation detector, similar to that used in a hand-held probe. A simple scanning apparatus, similar to that used in a hand-held scintillation probe, was compared with simultaneous measurements made by a gamma camera in 16 healthy males. A dual-labeled test meal was utilized to measure liquid and solid emptying simultaneously. Anterior and posterior scans were taken at intervals up to 120 min using both a gamma camera and the scintillation probe. Good relative agreement between the methods was obtained both for solid-phase (correlation range 0.92-0.99, mean 0.97) and for liquid-phase data (correlation range 0.93-0.99, mean 0.97). For solid emptying data regression line slopes varied from 0.75 to 1.03 (mean 0.84). Liquid emptying data indicated that slopes ranged from 0.71 to 1.06 (mean 0.87). These results suggested that an estimate of the gamma measurement could be obtained by multiplying the scintillation measurement by a factor of 0.84 for the solid phase and 0.87 for the liquid phase. Correlation between repeat studies was 0.97 and 0.96 for solids and liquids, respectively. The application of a hand-held probe technique provides a noninvasive and inexpensive method for accurately assessing solid- and liquid-phase gastric emptying from the human stomach that correlates well with the use of a gamma camera, within the range of gastric emptying rate in the normal individuals in this study.


Present study is done to establish the hypothesis that alcohol does cause intravascular hemolysis by comparing serum concentration of G6PD in alcoholic patients in comparison to normal healthy control. In this case control & cross sectional study patients were selected from outpatient department of Medicine & Psychiatry, Chirayu Medical College& Hospital, India. Patients between 25—50 yrs of age with a history of drinking alcohol more than 80gms per day for more than 5 years were taken for the study. Serum G6PD concentration is measured by using Method proposed by Kornberg and Horecker (1955) , along with RBC count and indirect bilirubin estimation. It was observed that G6PD activity in serum is in significant amount among the alcoholics. The concentration of serum G6PD increases significantly (3.02 ± 65 IU/ml) along with the decrease in RBC count. Indirect bilirubin (unconjugated bilirubin) was found to be very significantly high (7.536 ±2.28mg/dL) along with decrement in the hemoglobin concentration (12.04 ± 0.60 gm/dl) and RBC count. Serum G6PD shows a negative correlation (r = - 0.70). RBC count and indirect bilirubin was concentration show a moderate negative correlation (r= - 0.55). From the above result we conclude that alcohol does cause intravascular hemolysis and Serum G6PD level can be considered as a marker for intravascular hemolysis.


As Europe edges toward some sort of unity, the volatile abortion debate has begun to spill across national boundaries. Reflecting the continent's religious and cultural diversity, abortion laws throughout Europe vary widely. Holland and Sweden have the most liberal abortion laws. The former allows abortion on demand, while the later permits abortion until the 18th week -- and possibly up until term, if the National Health Bureau gives permission. Britain, France, and Belgium have also adopted liberal abortion laws. Other nations, however, have more conservative laws. Since 1983, Ireland has banned abortion entirely. Spain allows abortion only in cases of rape, malformed fetuses, or when the mother's life is in danger. Many countries are also experiencing bitter debates over abortion. Czechoslovakia's liberal abortion law has come under increasing pressure, and in Poland, bishops and legislators have feuded over the legality of abortion. The move towards unification has only intensified these debates. Germany is currently without a national abortion law, as the former East Germany still enjoys a more liberal abortion law than West Germany. Differences over abortion laws have led to what is know in Europe as abortion shipping. Every year, an estimated 15,000 Irish women travel to England, some 7,000 German women go to Holland, and some 3,000 French women travel to England -- all seeking to take advantage of another country's abortion law. Some Europeans have begun to look for continent-wide laws on abortion. Recently, an Irish group argued against its country's law before the European court of Justice. Right-to-life groups have also fought to establish continent-wide restrictions. So far, it seems unlikely that Europe will reach an agreement on the issue of abortion.


Agilent Technologies has opened a 12,500 m2 oligonucleotide production plant in Frederick, Colorado, to meet growing demand for the RNA and DNA molecules that biotech firms are developing as therapies for many diseases. The $185 million facility will complement its oligo plant in nearby Boulder. The two sites are equipped to make oligos for antisense, RNA interference, and immune-stimulating therapies, as well as guide RNAs used to direct gene editing. Agilent anticipates shipping orders from the site later this year.


This paper reviews how one company has been able to develop and implement a highly effective job safety and health system and to sustain it at a high level of performance. This process begins with a simple but clear corporate safety and health policy statement: "Procter & Gamble insists on safe operation." It is driven by three critical values, namely: 1) its employees, 2) its public trust, and 3) its profits. The impact of workers' compensation costs on company profits is examined, along with the enormous savings in these costs that have been achieved by the company's commitment to total quality. This is followed by brief descriptions of the company's "Total Incident Rate" and it's "Key Elements" systems, and the relationships between them. The paper concludes with a description of the company's model for enabling all employees to make recommendations for continuous improvement of health and safety systems throughout all of the company's operations.


Background Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) quantifies the microstructure's non-Gaussian diffusion properties. However, it has increased fitting parameters and requires higher b-values. Evaluation of DKI reproducibility is important for clinical purposes. Purpose To assess reproducibility in whole-brain high resolution DKI at varying b-values. Study Type Prospective. Subjects and Phantoms Forty-four individuals from the test-retest Human Connectome Project (HCP) database and twelve 3D-printed tissue mimicking phantoms. Field Strength/Sequence Multiband echo-planar imaging for in vivo and phantom diffusion-weighted imaging at 3T and 9.4T respectively. MPRAGE at 3T for in vivo structural data. Assessment From HCP data with b-value =1000,2000,3000 s/mm2 (dataset A), two additional datasets with b-values=1000, 3000 s/mm2 (dataset B) and b-values=1000, 2000 s/mm2 (dataset C) were extracted. Estimated DKI metrics from each dataset were used for evaluating reproducibility and fitting quality in whole-brain white matter (WM), region of interest (ROI) and gray matter (GM). Statistical Tests DKI reproducibility was assessed using the within-subject coefficient of variation (CoV), fitting residuals to evaluate DKI fitting accuracy and Pearson's correlation to investigate presence of systematic biases. Results Compared to dataset C, the CoV from DKI parameters from datasets A and B were comparable, with WM and GM CoVs <20%, while differences between datasets were smaller for the DKI-derived DTI parameters. Slightly higher fitting residuals were observed in dataset C compared to A and B, but lower residuals in dataset B were detected for the WM ROIs. A similar trend was observed for the phantom data with comparable CoVs at varying fiber orientations for datasets A and B. In addition, dataset C was characterized by higher residuals across the different fiber crossings. Data Conclusion The comparable reproducibility of DKI maps between datasets A and B observed in the in vivo and phantom data indicates that high reproducibility can still be achieved within a reasonable scan time, supporting DKI for clinical purposes. HIGHLIGHTS: Reproducibility and fitting accuracy of high resolution DKI were evaluated as function of available b-values. A DKI dataset with b-values of 1000 and 3000 s/mm2 performs equally well as the original HCP three-shell dataset, while a dataset with b-values of 1000 and 2000 s/mm2 has lower reproducibility and fitting quality. In vivo results were verified using phantoms capable of mimicking different white matter configurations. These results suggest that DKI data can be obtained within less time, without sacrificing data quality.


The increasing demand for robust and precise navigation systems has brought-up new sensor fusion algorithms that improve system performance of such systems. However, these algorithms present two challenges: they are computation-intensive and require hybrid but tightly coupled processing resources. In this paper, we present a flexible fast prototyping platform for navigation systems with advanced sensors fusion. The platform is a complete hardware/software framework including FPGA hardware accelerators for some compute intensive parts of image and GNSS signal processing. It can be used by system designers to implement and test advanced, tightly coupled sensor fusion algorithms in representative environments while fully respecting real-time.


Experiments were conducted on direct and indirect regeneration from the meristem tip and mature caryopsis explants of Lolium perenne L. ʻNuman' and ʻGrassland'. De-husked caryopses were cultured both intact and longitudinally sliced on MS media supplemented with 2,4-D alone, and in combinations with BA. The highest percentage of callus induction obtained from intact-sliced caryopses were 71 and 87% for ʻGrassland' on MS basal medium supplemented with 6 mg L-1 2,4-D+ 0.02 mg L-1 BA, and 5 mg L-1 2,4-D. While, for ʻNuman', the highest callus induction was achieved by the same explants as 55% and 72% with 5 mg L-1 2,4-D + 0.02 mg L-1 BA, and 4 mg L-1 2,4-D + 0.02 mg L-1 BA, respectively. The best regeneration medium for ʻGrassland' was MS medium supplemented with 10 g L-1 maltose and 2 mg L-1 ABA. In a separate experiment, meristem tip cultures were incubated on two type combination of plants growth regulators along with control treatment. The best regeneration rate was obtained in both cultivars on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg L-1 2,4-D + 0.5 mg L-1 Kin. Plantlets with well-developed roots were transferred to greenhouse condition. Four weeks later, all acclimatized plants were survived.


The most serious obstacle to overcome in present-day cardiorespiratory resuscitation is the necessity of opening the chest. This step of the procedure has always been a stumbling block, and no doubt has been one of the factors which retarded the development of resuscitation from 1902 to 1950. Only within the past six years has cardiac resuscitation become an acceptable procedure in the operating room. Finally, resuscitation emerged from its underground tunnel of despair to be accepted as a therapeutic measure with potential new horizons for overcoming temporary death and restoring life. Experiments now indicate that closed-chest resuscitation can become a practical reality. Experience leads us to believe that the time has arrived when cardiac resuscitation must be included in certain cases of sudden clinical death (relative death 10 ) outside the operating room, and possibly outside the hospital. For example, resuscitation is now feasible for those persons facing impending death from


The effect of hydration on the dielectric constant and loss factor tan δ of viscose hydrocellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and dextran was studied in a wide range of temperatures and frequencies. The results obtained reveal that (1) whereas hydration shows little effect on the variation with temperature of both and tan δ of hydrocellulose, the presence of adsorbed water significantly modifies the dielectric behavior of the other two samples; (2) only one relaxation denoted as γ-process is observed in the case of hydrocellulose sample irrespective of its moisture content; (3) two absorption peaks are recorded with moistened hydroxypropyl cellulose and dextran specimens, one below room temperature denoted as β-process and a dispersion loss at high temperature; and (4) after drying of these samples, the dispersion loss peak disappears, the β-peak diminishes, and the γ-peak, which is hidden behind the sizable β-peak, is observed and that, although with increasing frequency, the former peak disappears, the intensity of the latter one increases. The analysis of these results in view of the chemical and the fine structure of the test samples as well as the calculated activation energy indicates that the γ- and β-relaxations recorded are of different natures. The satisfactory interpretation given clarifies to a great extent the contradictions reported in the literature concerning the relaxation phenomena in polysaccharides. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 571–582, 2005


This study aim to find out whether there is a difference in the use of probing prompting learning model that supported by recitation methods on the learning outcomes of eight grides students in social studies subjects at MTs Abu Darrin Dander Bojonegoro in the academic year 2017/2018 compared to confessional models or lectures. This research is a type of experimental research, since this study directly examines the influence among variables to test the cause and effect of variables by giving treatment of the experimental group or class. Based on the results of analysis, the average value of the experimental class is 76.56 and the average value of the control class is 68.48. From the activites between the experimental class and the control class also proved with probing prompting learning model supported by the student recitation method the experimental class more focused on learning that was 75% compared to the control class with the lecture learning model which only 45%. So it can be concluded that there was an effect of probing prompting learning models supported by recitation methods to the learning outcomes of VIII classes in social studies subjects at MTs Abu Darrin Dander Bojonegoro 2017/2018. Keywords: probing prompting learning model, recitation method, social studies, learning outcomes