The Relationship Between Quantitative T2 Relaxometry and Memory in Nonlesional Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Wendel JD, Trenerry MR, Xu YC, Sencakova D, Cascino GD, Britton JW, Lagerlund TD, Shin C, So EL, Sharbrough FW, Jack CR Epilepsia 2001;42:863–868 Purpose We investigated the relationship between preoperative quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 relaxometry and volumetry of the hippocampi and pre- and postoperative verbal memory in temporal lobectomy patients who had nonlesional temporal lobe epilepsy. Methods Pre- and postoperative memory data based on the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and the 30-min delayed recall trial of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) were obtained from 26 left and 15 right temporal lobectomy patients. Coronal MRI T2 maps were generated for these 41 temporal lobectomy patients as well as 61 control patients. Hippocampal T2 relaxation times and hippocampal volumes, converted to z scores using control group data, were correlated with neuropsychological performance in the patients. Results In left temporal lobe-onset patients, high T2 in the left hippocampal body predicted higher LM performance after surgery. Asymmetrically high T2 in the left hippocampal body (i.e., the right-minus-left difference), compared with the right hippocampal body, also predicted higher LM performance after surgery. In right temporal lobe-onset patients, high T2 in the left hippocampal body predicted relatively lower AVLT performance after surgery. Multiple regression analysis in left temporal-onset patients revealed that high T2 in the left hippocampal body together with higher preoperative LM performance predict higher postoperative LM performance. Conclusions Our findings suggest that elevated (i.e., abnormal) hippocampal T2 signal is associated with memory ability (or hippocampal functional capacity) independent of MRI-determined hippocampal atrophy. Therefore, our findings support the use of quantitative T2 relaxometry as an independent predictor of verbal memory outcome in both left and right TLE patients who are candidates for temporal lobectomy.


The facility has resumed since 17th February 2014 after reformation of operation safety system required from the new regulation because of the accident in the Hadron Facility occurred in May 2013. During eight-month shutdown period various hardware components have been improved; such as installation of additional RFQs in Linac to increase its energy to achieve higher power, repairing and replacement on the mercury(Hg) cooling loops of the neutron target, improvement on the cryogenic system for stable operation, etc. In order to mitigate the pitting damage on the Hg-target container we have been injecting helium micro bubbles in the target. The Laser Doppler vibrometory showed us that vibration amplitude on the proton bombardment has been drastically reduced by the injection. Twenty one instruments have been already installed. Eighteen instruments are operated for user program and three instruments are under either commissioning or construction. Now the experimental hall is almost full with instruments, leaving only 2 ports available for the future use. Operational time for user program in JFY2014 was about 170 days, and we received more than 700 general experimental proposals from users. World-class scientific outputs have been being created in various scientific fields, ranging from Li-battery science to bio-molecular science. Since J-PARC is internationally open for users, we have got experimental proposals from abroad more than 15% of the whole proposals. More than 10% of proposals have come from industries and a half of them are proprietary use. This fact has revealed a new horizon has come in the neutron scattering science in the 21 century. 3.1.1 19 JAEA-Conf 2015-002


The present invention allows for calibration of a scanning probe microscope under computer control. The present invention comprehends either the removal of nonlinear artifacts in the microscope output data after measurement has been taken (a off-line process), or the correction of nonlinear movements in the microscope scanner such that the scanner moves in a linear fashion during measurement (a realtime process). The realtime process may be operated in both an open-loop and a closed-loop process. The processes of the present invention uses an average cross-section of the scan in order to simplify the calculation and to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Interpolation methods and centroid calculations are used to locate features on the scanned sample to subpixel precision. Comparison of the measured scan feature positions with the known topography of the scanned calibration specimen enable the present invention to assemble a calibrated length scale which may be used to correct individual feature positions in a full two-dimensional scan, each scan line in a two-dimensional image, or an average cross-section of the two-dimensional scan.


Measured free surface elevations and horizontal velocities of non-breaking regular waves on a 1:2 rough permeable slope are analyzed to examine the cross-shore variations of the incident and reflected waves on the steep slope. The co-located measurements of the free surface elevation and horizontal velocities at a number of elevations are used to separate the incident and reflected waves locally. The estimated partial standing waves are then shown to describe the local free surface elevation and horizontal velocity reasonably well. The incident wave energy flux is found to be approximately constant along the 1:2 slope, whereas the data and linear theory are not accurate enough to detect the cross-shore variation of the relative small wave reflection coefficient. The measured mean horizontal velocities are shown to be in qualitative agreement with the return current estimated from the separated incident and reflected waves.


We propose an original model of human capital investments after leaving school in which individuals differ in their initial human capital obtained at school, their rates of return and costs of human capital investments, and their terminal values of human capital at an arbitrary date in the future. We derive a tractable reduced-form Mincerian model of log earnings profiles along the life cycle that is written as a linear factor model in which levels, growth, and curvature of earnings profiles are individual specific. This provides a structural interpretation of results obtained in the empirical literature on the dynamics of earnings and acknowledges its limitations.


Up-to-date approaches to treatment of disseminated prostatic cancer are discussed, including the experience of the use of maximum androgen blockade in 120 patients. The procedure may be recommended to start hormonal therapy in such patients with.


In response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, many countries around the world have rushed to develop and implement various mechanisms, including vaccination passports, to contain the spread of the virus and manage its significant impact on heath and society. COVID-19 passports have been promoted as a way of speeding society's return to 'normal' life while protecting public health and safety. These passports, however, are not without controversy. Various concerns have been raised with regard to their social and ethical implications. Framing the discussion within the 'risk society' thesis and drawing on an interview-based study with members of the UK public as well as the relevant literature, this article examines perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine passports. The findings of the study indicate that participants' attitudes toward vaccine passports are primarily driven by factors relating to perceptions of risk. While some considered vaccine passports as a positive strategy to encourage vaccine uptake and facilitate travel and daily activities, others saw this mechanism as a coercive step that might alienate further those who are already vaccine hesitant. Issues of fairness, equity, discrimination, trust, and data security were major themes in participants' narratives and their subjective assessment of vaccine passports.


Background: Multiple sclerosis is a devastating central nervous system autoimmune disorder that is characterized by a series of inflammations, demyelinations, and neurodegenerations that affect the brain and spinal cord. The epigenetic studies specially micro Ribonucleic acid expression represent an important field of researches that probably uncover the obscurities behind the multiple sclerosis pathogenesis.Objectives: to study the expression of micro Ribonucleic acids (20a, 146a, 155, and 145) in multiple sclerosis patients by the use of real time polymerase chain reaction.Patients and Methods: A case-control study was performed using real time polymerase chain reaction technique to measure the relative expression of micro Ribonucleic acids (20a, 146a, 155, and 145) in peripheral blood leukocytes of 25 newly diagnosed untreated multiple sclerosis patients and comparing them with that of 25 clinically apparent healthy controls .Results: Studying of micro Ribonucleic acids expression in multiple sclerosis patients revealed a significant down-regulation in micro Ribonucleic acid-20a while up- regulation of micro Ribonucleic acid-155 expression in multiple sclerosis patients in comparison to controls. Micro Ribonucleic acids -146a and 145 were not associated with significant changes in its expression in multiple sclerosis patients in comparison to controls.Conclusion: multiple sclerosis is associated with significant changes in micro Ribonucleic acids expression including micro Ribonucleic acid-20a, and micro Ribonucleic acid-155 but not micro Ribonucleic acid 146a and-145 that can be measured by real time polymerase chain reaction technique.


We compared a fluorescent monoclonal antibody and a DNA probe for identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) from primary genital cultures of presumptive GC and selected bacterial isolates other than GC. The monoclonal antibody was sensitive (94%) and specific (100%) enough to identify GC in selective primary genital culture. The DNA probe was sensitive (95%) but not adequately specific (65%) to function as a confirmatory test.


Introducing Clifford algebra as the mathematical foundation, a unified spatio‐temporal data model and hierarchical spatio‐temporal index are constructed by linking basic data objects, like pointclouds and Spatio‐Temporal Hyper Cubes of different dimensions, within the multivector structure of Clifford algebra. The transformation from geographic space into homogeneous and conformal space means that geometric, metric and many other kinds of operators of Clifford algebra can be implemented and we then design the shortest path, high‐dimensional Voronoi and unified spatial‐temporal process analyses with spacetime algebra. Tests with real world data suggest these traditional GIS analysis algorithms can be extended and constructed under Clifford Algebra framework, which can accommodate multiple dimensions. The prototype software system CAUSTA (Clifford Algebra based Unified Spatial‐Temporal Analysis) provides a useful tool for investigating and modeling the distribution characteristics and dynamic process of complex geographical phenomena under the unified spatio‐temporal structure.


Delayed clearance of Plasmodium falciparum by artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) has already been observed for African isolates. Here, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, among travelers returning from African countries, of polymorphisms in two genes correlated with delayed parasite clearance (encoding P. falciparum Kelch 13 [PfK13] and ubiquitin-specific protease 1 [pfubp1]) reported in eastern China and to provide baseline data for antimalarial drug resistance (ART) surveillance and evaluation. ABSTRACT Delayed clearance of Plasmodium falciparum by artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) has already been observed for African isolates. Here, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, among travelers returning from African countries, of polymorphisms in two genes correlated with delayed parasite clearance (encoding P. falciparum Kelch 13 [PfK13] and ubiquitin-specific protease 1 [pfubp1]) reported in eastern China and to provide baseline data for antimalarial drug resistance (ART) surveillance and evaluation. A total of 153 filter paper blood spots collected in 2017–2019 from patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum cases in Anhui and Shandong Provinces were included in this study. Among them, 3.3% (5/153) of the isolates carried PfK13 mutations, and 3 of them harbored the same synonymous mutation, C469C. A total of 13.1% (20/153) of the isolates were found to contain pfubp1 mutations, and all were nonsynonymous. The pfubp1 genotypes associated with ART that occurred in this study included E1528D (6.5% [10/153]) and D1525E (2.6% [4/153]). However, a high prevalence of the previously unreported mutation E1531D (5.9% [9/153]) was also detected. In addition, two types of deletions (encoding KID and KIE, respectively) and two types of insertions (encoding KYE and KYDKYD, respectively) were found in 16 isolates and 6 isolates, respectively. This study showed limited variation in PfK13 among travelers returning from African countries and suggested other potential molecular markers, such as pfubp1, for use in the surveillance of African isolates in ACT susceptibility studies. Further clinical trial research is under way to investigate these PfK13 and pfubp1 mutations, as well as other candidate molecular markers, and their roles in delaying parasite clearance.


Chemical injection has been emerged to be one of the processes that can improve oil recovery from major Malaysian offshore oilfield which is currently under waterflooding. Alkali-surfactant (AS) process was identified to be an optimized chemical system for this application. The chemical recipe and formulation for the field trial tests were obtained from comprehensive laboratory experiments studies. Pilot tests were designed and executed to evaluate the effectiveness of this chemical injection prior full field-scale implementation.
 Single well chemical tracer (SWCT) technique has been utilized to determine the residual oil saturation (Sor) before and after chemical injection in a one-spot pilot and cost-effective manner approach. Two wells and two different chemical formulations were investigated for AS injection responses and four tests were conducted in sequence. The objectives were to validate the laboratory results, assess the critical chemical process parameters such as Sor reduction, adsorption, injectivity, and obtain an operating experience at a harsh offshore environment with high reservoir temperature. Sea water treatment and softening process was needed to protect chemical slug from high-salinity and high-hardness environment.
 Favorable results achieve where successfully mobilized substantial amounts of Sor, chemicals easily mixed with no injection problems encountered, and no measurable dilution effects that indicated fluids travelling outside of test zones. The initial Sor waterflooding observe to be 0.16 and 0.27 for well 1 and well 2 respectively, while, interestingly, both wells show a 0.04 increase in Sor after first pilots were completed. It is most likely due to a shift in rock wettability toward more water wet. Competing reactions of alkaline was a major concern. Pre-flush and post-flush buffer of soft water was designed to minimize these reactions and allow surfactant to work in more favorable lower salinity water. Fortunately, Sor results show that the competing reactions were not severe enough to prevent the AS systems from working. The lowest Sor were 0.06 and 0.08 in the case of 1.5 PV and 1.0 PV soft-water buffer, respectively. It shows that Sor was not significantly reduced with additional 50% PV buffer. Even in the case of 0.15 PV buffer and 23,000 ppm salinity, Sor decreases only by 25%. It demonstrates that some degree of success will be gained even in the worst case where the salinity was reduced by 60%.
 This paper presents the principals of SWCT pilot application for a chemical EOR (CEOR) project case study and share the best practices and lessons learnt were achieved from these field trail tests. This paper can be used as a technical reference and guideline for upcoming CEOR projects and promote a detailed development plan which can potentially address various challenges that are often encountered in implementing chemical flooding, particularly at offshore oilfields.


Bathymetry, as a key parameter for evaluation of available resources of renewable marine energy, can be extracted from high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar images acquired by Sentinel-1. In this paper, the high repetitiveness of these acquisitions is used to improve the accuracy of bathymetric maps extracted from SAR images. A method to extract wavelengths from the free surface elevations was developed, through experiments made using a phase-resolving wave propagation model (Boussinesq Ocean and Surf Zone model). It makes use of several different swell conditions propagating over the same bathymetry. The retrieved bathymetry is established by averaging the different bathymetric maps, obtained from different swell conditions. It allows obtaining a Root Mean Square Error of order 4.5 m for depths 10 m to 50 m. Twenty SAR images on a particular region have been processed using this methodology. The extraction of wavelengths and peak periods on each image led to a first estimation of the bathymetric data of this specific region compared to an actual bathymetric map with a 20 m spatial resolution. All these maps have been averaged to create a final bathymetric map with a 50 m spatial resolution and a vertical accuracy given by the RMSE over the entire domain of study of about 2.6 m. These preliminary results are encouraging. Future tracks are proposed for improving these results.


Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a life-threatening lung disease that interferes with normal breathing – it is more than a "smoker's cough". Recently, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has gained interest as a major public health concern and is currently the focus of intense research because of its persistently increasing prevalence, mortality, and disease burden in countries of high, middle and low income. Objective: The present study was undertaken with following objectives  1) To asess the prevalence of COPD in 30 years and above in rural catchment of bilaspur which is field practice area of MMC.2) To study the risk factors associated with COPD in a Study population Material and Methods: Study Area: The study was conducted in catchment area of Rural Health Training Center, which is a field practice area of the department of community medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical college, Muzaffarnagar, having  1323 registered families with population of 1425. Study design: cross-sectional Study period: carried out between 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015. Results: In the present study, the symptoms of chronic bronchitis were reported by 71 (7.8%) subjects. Out of these only 62 had an airflow limitation based on low FEV1/FVC ratio on spirometry. Conclusion The present study also showed that bidi smoking was more prevalent in the economically underprivileged and those with low educational status due to affordability factor. Bidi smoking was more harmful than cigarette smoking in causation of COPD in the present study. Smoking anytime in life increased the chances of COPD 13 folds


the first chapter on the fate of polychlorinated biphenyls in soils considers the physical properties and sorption kinetics of about 100 PCB congeners in as many different soil types; all of which leaves the non-specialist more than a little confused as to what is the take home message. Similarly Chapter 3 deals with the fate and persistence of 14 aquatic herbicides. Therefore I found the contents of the second chapter on the toxicological implications of maleic hydrazide residues in tobacco much easier to relate to.


The mid-term results of this prospective randomized study illustrate why it is difficult to define a clear position concerning the issue of patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty. In both groups of 20 patients typical complications for the respective procedures have occurred. One patient from group A with patellar resurfacing had to be revised for loosening of the patellar implant. In group B without resurfacing 3 patellae subluxated, 2 having been revised. Furthermore 4 patients complained about mild to moderate anterior knee pain. The Knee and Function Scores of the patients without revision were not significantly different except for the parameter pain (Knee Score Gr. A:84.8, Gr. B:77.8; pain Gr. A:46.9, Gr. B:41.9; Function Score Gr. A:78.5, Gr. B:71.9; climbing stairs Gr. A:38.5, Gr. B:33.8). The radiological measurements found the patellae with resurfacing significantly less tilted with 3.8 degrees than the patellae without resurfacing with 6.4 degrees. With the correct implantation technique patellar resurfacing guarantees a good clinical result within the first 5 years. Leaving the patella unresurfaced was associated with a higher rate of anterior knee pain and revision in our study.


The yarn input tension - YIT is one of the most important parameters in weft knitting industry. This parameter must be maintained between limits in order to produce knitted fabric without faults. However, YIT is not the only parameter to control and monitor for preventing faults. The knitting elements and the knitting machine itself should be monitored to improve productivity and quality. The monitoring of the YIT can be used to detect the faults and at the same time controlled inside tight limits to prevent machine's premature stop due to yarn break. This paper presents the recent developments made for monitoring and control the YIT. A surveillance system is presented, a low cost force sensor is suggested to substitute the present industrial solutions, and a new actuator for control of the YIT is introduced.


This paper presents an in-depth analysis of digital performance of a Multi-Gate FET technology. Ring oscillators with metal gates and undopedfins show an inverter delay of 13.9ps at 1V, the highest performance of a Multi-Gate FET technology reported at 1.9nA off-current/stage. NAND and NOR show significant improvement in delay vs. stack height compared to bulk CMOS. SRAM cells and product-typical critical paths with more than 10k transistors demonstrate the capability for large-scale integration.


In facing with the explosive Internet traffic growth, optical transport networks based on WDM technologies forming the core part of Internet infrastructure carrying multi-Tb/s has to be re-considered from both designing, planning, operation and management perspectives to attain greater efficiency. Thanks to the convergence of significant advances in optical transmission technologies, and photonic switching, transparent (all-optical) architecture has come into practice, paving the way for eliminating the over-utilization of costly optical-electrical-optical (O-E-O) interfaces and hence, yielding remarkable savings of cost and energy consumption compared to opaque architecture. Traditional designs for transparent optical networks based on single-objective optimization model aiming at optimizing solely a single performance metric appears to be insufficient to capture the nuances of practical designs while conventional multi-objective approach tends to reach (non-) optimal solutions. Different from existing works, we present a new framework for multi-objective WDM network designs capturing several goals on one hand and on the other hand, achieving optimal solutions. Moreover, our proposal exploits the characteristics of each constituent objectives to lay the foundation for setting up weight coefficient so that the order of optimization is guaranteed. Equally important, our proposal is pragmatic in the sense that the complexity of the optimization model remains the same as the single-objective model while the quality of solution has been greatly improved. We have extensively tested realistic optical core networks topologies, that is, COST239 and NSFNET, with various network traffic conditions and it turns out that our design brings about a saving of wavelength link usage up to roughly $28\%$ in the most favorable cases while $14\%$ is expected for the least favorable cases.


OBJECTIVE
Mikulicz disease has been considered to be a subtype of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). However, recent studies have suggested that Mikulicz disease is an IgG4-related disease and is distinguishable from SS. In addition, it has been reported that both interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 induce IgG4 production and inhibit IgE. This study was undertaken to examine the expression of these cytokines in patients with Mikulicz disease and patients with SS.

METHODS
Labial salivary gland (LSG) sections from 15 patients with Mikulicz disease and 18 patients with SS were examined for subsets of the infiltrating lymphocytes, expression patterns of messenger RNA (mRNA) for cytokines/chemokines, and relationships between the IgG4:IgG ratio and the expression of mRNA for IL-4 or IL-10.

RESULTS
Immunohistochemical analysis showed lymphocyte infiltration of various subsets in the LSGs of SS patients, and the selective infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells and Treg cells in the LSGs of Mikulicz disease patients. The levels of mRNA for both Th1 and Th2 cytokines and chemokines in LSGs from patients with SS were significantly higher than in controls, while the expression of both Th2 and Treg cells was significantly higher in the patients with Mikulicz disease than in controls. Furthermore, the expression of IL-4 or IL-10 in the LSGs was correlated with the IgG4:IgG ratio.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that the pathogenesis of Mikulicz disease is different from that of SS. Mikulicz disease is a unique inflammatory disorder characterized by Th2 and regulatory immune reactions that might play key roles in IgG4 production.


This article develops an ideology based on which circadian biology involving timing of nutrient delivery to aquaculture is of both physiological and economical importance. Due to differing endocrinological properties during different times of the circadian 24-h period, the same quality and quantity of nutrients mat be utilized with different efficiency and fate depending on when during the 24-h phase they are fed and ingested.


The inhibition of specific SH2 domain mediated protein-protein interactions as an effective chemotherapeutic approach in the treatment of diseases remains a challenge. That different conformations of peptide-ligands are preferred by different SH2 domains is an underappreciated observation from the structural analysis of phosphotyrosine peptide binding to SH2 domains that may aid in future drug design. To explore the nature of ligand binding, we use simulated annealing (SA) to sample the conformational space of phosphotyrosine-containing peptides complexed with the Src SH2 domain. While in good agreement with the crystallographic and NMR studies of high-affinity phosphopeptide-SH2 domain complexes, the results suggest that the structural basis for phopsphopeptide- Src SH2 interactions is more complex than the "two-pronged plug two-hole socket" model. A systematic study of peptides of type pYEEX, where pY is phosphotyrosine and X is a hydrophobic residue, indicates that these peptides can assume two conformations, one extended and one helical, representing the balance between the interaction of residue X with the hydrophobic hole on the surface of the Src SH2 domain, and its contribution to the inherent tendency of the two glutamic acids to form an α-helix. In contrast, a β-turn conformation, almost identical to that observed in the crystal structure of pYVNV bound to the Grb2 SH2 domain, predominates for pYXNX peptides, even in the presence of isoleucine at the third position. While peptide binding affinities, as measured by fluorescence polarization, correlate with the relative proportion of extended peptide conformation, these results suggest a model where all three residues C-terminal to the phosphotyrosine determine the conformation of the bound phosphopeptide. The information obtained in this work can be used in the design of specific SH2 domain inhibitors.


Optical absorption measurements in the 3-9 eV energy range and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) have been performed at 300 K and at 80 K on Sawyer PQ quartz. The effect of the neutron irradiations is to induce the presence of absorption bands at 7.6 eV (E band) at 7.1 eV (D band) and at 6 eV (E' region). The most intense peak of all the spectra is the E band (7.6 eV); its shape is complex and the existence of a double structure can be suggested. The D band is evidenced for the first time in neutron-irradiated synthetic quartz, the authors measurements show that this structure is correlated with the 6.0 eV band. The 'E'' region is complex; in fact, at the highest neutron fluence the optical absorption spectrum reveals the existence of four structures, at 4.7, 5.2, 5.6 and 6.0 eV, where the 4.7 eV band has the same characteristics as the D0 band, which is present in amorphous silica.


In trying to solve a problem or find evidence to test a research hypothesis, both researchers and accounting professionals should clearly and precisely explain the meaning of the main terms, concepts, definitions and constructs (or construct) adopted and used in their study. The absence of this procedure can jeopardize the validity and reliability of the research findings or the results of a finished job, causing contradictions and overlapping explanations of the results that were found and their possible applications. The main terms and variables have to be conceptualized and defined in order to allow the researcher, the professional and anybody interested in the results of the job to share the same understanding about the concepts, definitions, possible constructs and variables included in the study, with a view to a similar comprehension of study results, conclusions and limitations. This text aims at presenting, discussing, explaining and exemplifying the meanings of accounting concepts, conceptual and operational definitions and constructs, with a view to a correct understanding of these essential categories of scientific and professional discourse, in accordance with the theoretical frame of reference they are inserted in. It discusses the functions, limitations and practical and theoretical opportunities of notions, concepts, meanings, conceptual and operational definitions and constructs, which are illustrated by examples and configurations from Accountancy. Key words: Accounting, concepts, definitions, constructs.


A simple model for the smoke formation in black powder combustion is developed. Smoke formation is modeled as nucleation from gas phase molecules. The precursor molecules for this nucleation process for black powder with 75 wt% of KNO3 are identified as potassium salts such, K2CO3 and K2SO4. This determination is based on the partial-equilibrium calculations in which chemical species in the condensed phase are excluded. Standard classical nucleation theory (CNT) is adopted to estimate the radius and formation rate of the critical nuclei of smoke particles. The main components of smoke from black powder are K2CO3 or K2SO4 particles, depending on the sulfur content. The predicted nucleation rates of the particles are very fast. The time variation of the averaged particle radius and volume fraction of smoke is also evaluated by solving the population valance equation (Smoluchowski equation). The volume fraction of smoke produced by black powder combustion is predicted to be of the order of 10. This study also investigates how ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4, AP) added to the black powder affects smoke formation, using CNT and the Smoluchowski equation. CNT predicts that the critical radius of K2CO3 and K2SO4 particles can be considerably increased by the addition of AP to black powder. This intervention could thus reduce smoke-particle formation. Although CNT predicts that no KCl particles will form because of the high vapor pressure of KCl, the Smoluchowski equation indicates that KCl particles will be produced with a large amount of added AP. Solutions of the Smoluchowski equation also indicate that the average particle diameter and volume fraction of smoke decrease if the amount of added AP is increased.


Facial composite is no longer new term into criminal law. Facial composite is an
alternative methods acted as a visual likeness representation of the criminal's face
structure. Most of the police officers in both local and international country have been
practicing this method as one of their methods to identify the criminal suspect's face.
This paper presents the study of the several face construction methods as well as to
develop a face construction application that meets the requirements. Typically, the
witnesses often are facing difficulty in describing the criminal suspects' face. It is due to
they might be influenced by many factors such as emotions which in a way resulted in
not accurate information or description. This paper focuses on the study of the Royal
Malaysian Police Officer and the crime witnesses of violent crime (homicide/murderer)
cases, highlighting on the Face Construction, a method used by the police officers to
construct the criminal suspect's face. Apart from that, the study carried out has been
based on research methodology used which is Iterated Waterfall Model which consists of
five phases; Requirements, Design, Implementation, Testing and Maintenance.
SwishMax has been used as a platform to develop the project; Criminal Suspect Face
Construction Application. As for findings part, Usability Testing emphasize on five
aspects has been conducted in order to test the usability of the application which resulted
in 54% of design layout, 38% of functionality, 70% of ease of use, 65% of satisfaction,
43% of outcome/future use and 40% of error/system reliability.


Purpose of review The review examines the different preventive measures that have been found to be useful to abolish or decrease the negative effects of burnout and increase resilience in anesthesiologists. Recent findings Studies in anesthesiology cite autonomy, control of the work environment, professional relationships, leadership, and organizational justice as the most important factors in job satisfaction. Factors such as difficulty in balancing personal and professional life, poor attention to wellness, work alcoholism, and genetic factors increase an individual's susceptibility to burnout. Exposure to chronic or repeated stress instigates a spectrum of autonomic, endocrine, immunologic, and behavioral responses that activate the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Investigating the difference in psychobiologic reactivity, as well as defining the psychological symptoms that are characteristic to individuals vulnerable to stress-induced illness, would enable scientists to better look into the modalities to eradicate the negative effects. Recent studies have shown that a combination of individual and structural changes in institutions can increase resilience in physicians. Summary Burnout is a pathological syndrome that is triggered by constant levels of high stress. A combination of individual efforts as well as structural interventions can help to increase wellbeing in physicians.


Summary Three Lower Cretaceous reservoirs in the southwestern Barents Sea have been studied and compared in terms of facies and depositional setting, diagenetic processes and reservoir properties in order to improve the current paleogeographic framework and to understand how depositional environments may control the reservoir quality. The methods include core and well log description, petrographic analysis, and seismic data as a reference. Petrographic observations show textural and diagenetic differences that have resulted in high porosity (up to 30 %) in two of the reservoirs, whereas one reservoir has <5 % porosity in some sandstone samples. The diagenetic differences can partly be explained by the presence of chlorite cement, observed in the high porosity reservoirs, which probably has inhibited some compaction and cementation and thereby preserved the porosity. Both texture and diagenesis, and thus the reservoir quality, largely reflects the depositional environment in which the rock formed. Early chlorite cement is for example commonly present in deltaic sandstone. The results from this study can be used on a larger perspective for a better understanding on the connection between sedimentary processes and reservoir properties.


We compared principal components derived from sets of real data with dimensions of 120 x 7, 120 x 4, 150 x 11, 150 x 8, 150 x 5, 454 x 12, 454 x 8, and 454 x 5, to those from sets of randomly generated data of corresponding size. Principal components from subsets of 25, 50, 75, and 100 observations from the 120— and 150—observation data sets and those from subsets of 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 observations from the 454—observation data sets were compared. Percent variance association with components from real data was relatively constant over all sample sizes; percent variance decreased with larger samples of random data. A bootstrap method was used to develop standard error estimates on percent variance and percent of remaining variance associated with components from real data. Percent of remaining variance associated with the first four components from real data was significantly higher than analogous components from random data.


How important is the President for US foreign policy? Studies in American politics—the Two Presidencies literature — assert that the president is much less constrained by Congress and other domestic forces in foreign policy than in domestic policy. Studies in international relations also often assume that the president is the most important actor in foreign policy and is relatively unconstrained by domestic politics. Additionally, studies in international relations often assume that each issue area in foreign policy can be studied in separation. We challenge each of these views. Using new data on roll call votes in Congress and on Presidential-Congressional budget interactions, we argue that 1. Foreign policy instruments should be analyzed jointly and comparatively because they are substitutable, 2. Some foreign policy instruments are more constrained by Congress and domestic forces and look more like domestic issue areas, 3. Other foreign policy instruments, because they can be linked more directly to national security, allow the President more discretion and influence over their use. Our research has two larger implications. Presidential bargaining with Congress over foreign policy matters since the Presidents tends to be more favorable on average to international engagement; rising congressional influence may circumscribe America's role in the international system.


Nowadays, global carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere have reached a historically high level due to carbon dioxide emissions. The current effort to change the alternative energy source of LNG fuel was found to be one of the cleanest fossil fuels due to lower carbon emissions to ease the rapid growth of carbon emissions. LNG marine industry forecasts that the increasing demand for FLNG vessels will accelerate the development of gas resources, research work on the system process analysis and optimisation of the Liquefaction system. The rapid growth in equipment and processes of FLNG development is the response to the challenges due to weight and space limits. One of the critical objectives onboard FLNG is to build the combined plant models of clean energy. The research boundary covers processes of LNG liquefaction, nitrogen separation and boil-off gas handling. BOG re-liquefaction will be used as a fuel gas supply system. BOG will also be converted to clean energy fuel such as hydrogen or ammonia for the main and auxiliary engines onboard. A small-scale liquefaction process with a refrigerant cycle is proposed in this study to meet these FLNG challenges. The Brayton refrigeration (BR) cycle is found to be most suitable for FLNG vessels, among other refrigerant cycles. The BR cycle using nitrogen as a refrigerant and a single expander is the focus of this study [8].


During the past 25 years, African immigrants have been arriving in the US in increasing numbers due to the push factors of globalization, wars, civil unrest and natural disasters. Drawing on in-depth interviews with African women as immigrants in Greater Boston and Philadelphia, this paper will explore how the intersections of gender, race and class affect their contributions to civil society and business development. This work illustrates how transnational ties, specifically in the form of a new pan-Africanism, lead African immigrants to make significant contributions to community revitalization, particularly in historically African American communities. Although African women immigrants are clearly transnationals, in their civic lives, they differ from their male counterparts in their especially strong commitment to improving the lives of their families and communities on this side of the Atlantic.


Introduction Cardiac memory refers to T-wave inversions that result when normal ventricular activation resumes following a period of abnormal ventricular activation. Case Report We present a case of a 29-year-old man with a pacemaker who presented with new, deep symmetric T-wave inversions caused by cardiac memory. Discussion Abnormal ventricular activation is most commonly induced by ventricular pacing but can also occur in the setting of transient left bundle branch blocks, ventricular tachycardia, and intermittent ventricular pre-excitation. Conclusion Recognition of this phenomenon may help to reduce unnecessary admissions, cardiac testing, and cardiac catheterizations.


The system consists of two identical units in parallel with good, degraded, and failed states. We discuss a maintenance policy that maximizes the expected net profit-rate from the system over an infinite time span. General equations which describe the system behavior under a certain maintenance policy are derived. The optimal maintenance policy can be determined by solving those equations.


Charging and aggregation processes were studied in aqueous dispersions of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) in the presence of monovalent inorganic electrolytes and ionic liquid (IL) constituents. The same type of co-ion (same sign of charge as HNT) was used in all systems, while the type of counterions (opposite sign of charge as HNT) was systematically varied. The affinity of the inorganic cations to the HNT surface influenced their destabilizing power leading to an increase in the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) of HNT dispersions in the Cs+ < K+ < Na+ order. This trend agrees with the classical Hofmeister series for negatively charged hydrophobic surfaces. For the IL cations, the CCCs increased in the order BMPY+ < BMPIP+ < BMPYR+ < BMIM+. An unexpectedly strong adsorption of BMPY+ cations on the HNT surface was observed giving rise to charge neutralization and reversal of the oppositely charged outer surface of HNT. The direct Hofmeister series was extended with these IL cations. The main aggregation mechanism was rationalized within the classical theory developed by Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek, while ion specific effects resulted in remarkable variation in the CCC values. The results unambiguously proved that the hydration level of the surface and the counterions plays a crucial role in the formation of the ionic composition at the solid–liquid interface and consequently, in the colloidal stability of the HNT particles in both inorganic salt and IL solutions.


The estimation of covariance matrices from compressive measurements has recently attracted considerable research efforts in various fields of science and engineering. Owing to the small number of observations, the estimation of the covariance matrices is a severely ill-posed problem. This can be overcome by exploiting prior information about the structure of the covariance matrix. This paper presents a class of convex formulations and respective solutions to the high-dimensional covariance matrix estimation problem under compressive measurements, imposing either Toeplitz, sparseness, null-pattern, low rank, or low permuted rank structure on the solution, in addition to positive semi-definiteness. To solve the optimization problems, we introduce the Co-Variance by Augmented Lagrangian Shrinkage Algorithm (CoVALSA), which is an instance of the Split Augmented Lagrangian Shrinkage Algorithm (SALSA). We illustrate the effectiveness of our approach in comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms.


The main topic addressed in this paper is how to help learners navigate in exploring hyperspace provided by existing web-based learning resources in which they can navigate Web pages in a self-directed way to learn the domain concepts/knowledge. Such self-directed navigation involves constructing knowledge from the contents embedded in the navigated pages, along what is called the navigation path, which has been demonstrated to enhance learning. Creation of a useful navigation path influences the knowledge construction process and plays an important role in self-directed learning in the hyperspace. On the other hand, learners often fail at creating a navigation path due to cognitive overload, which is caused by diverse cognitive efforts what may be viewed as meta-cognitive activities. Such meta-cognitive activities hold the key to success in self-directed learning. Our approach to this issue is to analyze the navigation planning tasks in order to design facilities that can more readily facilitate learners' planning activities. In this paper, we provide the learners with a navigation planning environment called Advanced Planning Assistant, which helps them plan a navigation path in an adaptive way before learning the hyperspace. This planning environment calls the learners' attention to establishing the navigation path prior to and separately from learning the hyperspace. We also report preliminary case study to evaluate the usefulness of the adaptive approach proposed. From the results of the case study, we have made sure that they are useful.


Background

CRIPSR/Cas9 gene editing has the ability to effectively modify plant genomes. Multiple target sites usually were designed and the effective target sites were selected for editing. However, upland cotton is allotetraploid and is commonly considered as difficult and inefficient to transform. Therefore, it's important to quickly identify feasibility of the target site. In this study, we use Agrobacterium rhizogenes K599 strain to infect cotton shoot meristem and induce them to grow hairy roots to detect the feasibility of a selected target designed in GhMYB25-like gene.
Results

We designed a sgRNA within the second exons of GhMYB25-likeA and GhMYB25-likeD and constructed the CRISPR vector. Transient hairy root transformation using A. rhizogenes K599 with four OD600s (0.4, 0.6,0.8, 1.0) was performed in Coker 312 (R15). The results show that A. rhizogenes at OD600 = 0.6–0.8 is the best concentration range for inducing cotton hairy roots. The other three cultivars (TM-1, Lumian 21, Zhongmian 49) were injected using A. rhizogenes K599 with OD600 = 0.6-0.8 and all produced hairy roots. We characterized ten R15 plants with hairy roots and detected different degrees of base deletions and insert at the target site in five R15 plants.
Conclusion

Overall, our data show A. rhizogenes-mediated transient hairy root transformation offers a rapid and efficient method to detect sgRNA feasibility in cotton.


Background: In this article we described the influence of transplantation of pregnant rat BMC to pregnant rats of the same date of pregnancy to study the influence on fetus's development.
Methods: To study we made a single intravenous transplantation of BMC of pregnant rats of 4-5, 7-8 or 11, 12 days to pregnant rats of the same date of pregnancy. The analyses were made at 18th day of pregnancy.
Results: The transplantation of rat BMC at 4, 5 pregnant days increases pre- and post-implantation death of fetuses without change of their weight and weight of placentas. The transplantation of BMC after implantation at 7, 8, 9 days of pregnancy during gastrulation increased the weight of 18th day fetuses and of placentas in comparison with the same parameters of usual normal fetuses. The survival of fetuses was not disturbed. In case of BMC transplantation during placentation at 11, 12 days of pregnancy the weight of fetuses and survival of fetuses was significantly decreased and the weight of placentas was increased.
Conclusions: Results of BMC transplantation depends on the stage of rat pregnancy. The increase of the weight of fetuses after BMC transplantation within gastrulation may be explained by positive paracrine effects of allogenic transplanted cells on the size of decidua and in turn on the growth of fetuses and placentas or by transplanted cells itself. The transplantation of BMC at 11, 12 day of pregnancy during placentation decrease the weight of fetuses at 18th day of pregnancy and increase the weight of placentas. The possibility to regulate a weight of fetuses by allogenic BMC transplantation at gastrulation is important results for stem cell therapy of fetuses.


This study which adopted the descriptive research design investigated the relationship between writing anxiety and students' achievement in essay writing. SS2 Students from six schools in Ibadan Metropolis were used for the study. The instruments used were Essay Writing Achievement Test(r=0.81) and Writing Anxiety Questionnaire(r=0.86). Data collected were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a negative significant relationship between writing anxiety and students' achievement in essay writing. This implies that the higher the writing anxiety, the lower the achievement in essay writing. It was therefore recommended among others that the teaching and learning of essay writing in classroom should be devoid of unnecessary tension and stress so as not to heighten students' anxiety in essay writing. Also, English language teachers should devise any means of reducing writing anxiety among students so they can write better essays.


Retraction of 'Black mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanoleaves: a high capacity and high rate anode for aqueous Al-ion batteries' by Ying Juan He et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 1721–1731.


This work describes a method developed to simplify and reduce the cost of the standardized testing required to measure the energy consumption of electric motorcycles before they are sold on the Swiss market. The robust algorithms for estimating four characteristic parameters of electric two-wheelers are based on a linear dynamics model that is considered to be as simple as possible yet as complex as necessary to characterize the vehicles. The model equations are investigated analytically for their ability to find unique solutions, and it is shown that multiple solutions may exist. The algorithms are tested for their ability to handle various data frequencies, levels of noise, and initial guesses. Ultimately it is found that these methods effectively enable the use of simulation models trained on real-world driving to run mandated standard test cycles in place of expensive dynamometer testing to estimate on-road energy use.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major problem in liver surgery. To modulate the complex process of inflammation, additional drugs to add to well-defined organ preserving solutions have been sought. The aim of the current study was to investigate the additive potential of antithrombin (AT) in liver preservation.

METHODOLOGY
Female Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: sham (Group I), experiment model (Group II), and treatment groups with AT (250U/kg) administration systematically (Group III) or locally (Group IV) before hepatectomy. UW solution was used for liver preservation for 24h at 4°C. The livers in group II, III and IV were reperfused 1h and histopathological parameters were evaluated microscopically. Apoptosis was assessed with TUNEL test.

RESULTS
Karyorrhexis was lower in the local treatment with AT group. Sinusoidal desquamation and mononuclear cell infiltration was higher in the experimental model group. Sinusoidal enlargement was higher in the systemic AT treatment group and neutrophil infiltration to sinusoids was lowest in the local treatment group. Apoptosis of hepatocytes and sinusoidal cells were significantly suppressed in rats that were treated with AT via portal vein infusion.

CONCLUSIONS
AT treatment obviously contributed to liver preservation in our model; the effects on apoptosis and inflammation were prominent. Therefore, AT should be considered as a potent agent although its clinical role has yet to be defined in ex-vivo hepatic preservation.


Concerning the question of the (spin‐)Peierls mechanism in the presence of disorder we present a detailed analysis of the ground state phase diagram of the dimerized anisotropic Heisenberg‐XXZ chain containing one impurity. It is obtained by studying the destruction of the quantum coherence by the perturbations. The stability of the Peierls phase, i. e. the occurence of a stable dimerization, is determined by the energy gain and gap due to the coupling to the static phonons. The extension of the paramagnetic phase, found already in the clean dimerized chain, grows by adding the impurity, because the distortions weaken each other. The Peierls phase is reduced for two reasons: First, the energy gain of the spin‐system decreases, which leads to a smaller stable dimerization and second, the energy gap itself is reduced.


An experiment for investigating pulse propagation in a dispersive medium is described. Longitudinal and flexural elastic waves in a straight cylindrical rod are used to illustrate the principles of pulse propagation under conditions of low and high dispersion respectively. Stress pulses of short duration are generated by steel ball impact at one end of the rod and pulse profiles at any point along the rod can be recorded by means of surface strain gauges. The signals are analysed according to Kelvin's method of stationary phase. In this way experiment and theory are compared without the need to evaluate Fourier integrals. The importance of such concepts as pulse bandwidth and dispersion characteristics of the propagating medium on the extent of pulse distortion can be investigated by simple analysis.


A recent report found that the number of opioid-related deaths in Ontario in the first 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.2% higher than in the 15 weeks before the pandemic. Our study sought to determine if pharmacy professionals self-reported an increase or decrease in naloxone provision due to the pandemic and to identify adjustments made by pharmacy professionals to dispense naloxone during the pandemic. A total of 231 Ontario community pharmacy professionals completed an online survey. Pharmacy professionals' barriers, facilitators, and comfort level with dispensing naloxone before and during the pandemic were identified. The sample consisted of mostly pharmacists (99.1%). Over half (51.1%) reported no change in naloxone dispensing, while 22.9% of respondents reported an increase and 24.7% a decrease. The most common adjustments made during the pandemic were training patients how to administer naloxone over video or phone, delivering naloxone kits, and pharmacy technicians offering naloxone at prescription intake. Over half (55%) of participants said the top barrier for dispensing was that patients did not request naloxone. Naloxone distribution through pharmacies could be further optimized to address the increased incidence of overdose deaths during the pandemic. Future research should investigate the reasons for changes in naloxone dispensing.


We establish, through numerical calculations and comparisons with a recursive Green's function based implementation of the Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism, an efficient method for studying Anderson localization in quasi-one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems using the Kubo-Greenwood formalism. Although the recursive Green's function method can be used to obtain the localization length of a mesoscopic conductor, it is numerically very expensive for systems that contain a large number of atoms transverse to the transport direction. On the other hand, linear-scaling has been achieved with the Kubo-Greenwood method, enabling the study of effectively two-dimensional systems. While the propagating length of the charge carriers will eventually saturate to a finite value in the localized regime, the conductances given by the Kubo-Greenwood method and the recursive Green's function method agree before the saturation. The converged value of the propagating length is found to be directly proportional to the localization length obtained from the exponential decay of the conductance.


Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing societal problem, and without new anti-infective drugs, the UK government-commissioned O'Neil report has predicted that infectious disease will claim the lives of an additional 10 million people a year worldwide by 2050. Almost all the antibiotics currently in clinical use are derived from the secondary metabolites of a group of filamentous soil bacteria called actinomycetes, most notably in the genus Streptomyces. Unfortunately, the discovery of these strains and their natural products (NPs) peaked in the 1950s and was then largely abandoned, partly due to the repeated rediscovery of known strains and compounds. Attention turned instead to rational target-based drug design, but this was largely unsuccessful and few new antibiotics have made it to clinic in the last 60 years. In the early 2000s, however, genome sequencing of the first Streptomyces species reinvigorated interest in NP discovery because it revealed the presence of numerous cryptic NP biosynthetic gene clusters that are not expressed in the laboratory. Here, we describe how the use of new technologies, including improved culture-dependent and -independent techniques, combined with searching underexplored environments, promises to identify a new generation of NP antibiotics from actinomycete bacteria.


The fossil fuels are presently abundant and relatively inexpensive, with sufficient reserves to last for approximately 30-50 years at current consumption rates (and much longer for coal). The principal objection to their continued use is the impact on climate change through the related emission of greenhouse gases. Irrespective of the outcome of the climate change debate (whether we are witnessing local warming or a global phenomenon, the efficacy of proposed actions, etc.), one thing is clear: the transition to a non-fossil fuel economy is underway and will accelerate throughout the coming decades. The real issues are how this transition can be managed, the impacts mitigated, and the various technology options blended over time: fossil fuel de-carbonization and sequestration in the short term, the deployment of effective energy efficiency and load management measures to reduce and reshape demand, the switch to new and renewable source of energy, and the removal of barriers confronting new nuclear plant. Current policy is firmly focused on two of these options.


The viability of using a foraminifera-based transfer function method to reconstruct the local
relative sea-level for the Mersey Estuary was assessed in this study, which has not been
previously investigated in the UK in the context of application in a strongly macrotidal
setting. A total of 105 surface samples were collected across two saltmarshes. Foraminiferal
analysis was carried out, along with several environmental variables (organic matter
content, salinity, pH, and grain size) to establish the species distribution of foraminifera and
their relationship with elevation. Two main zonations were found: a high-to-middle marsh
zone occupied by Haplophragmoides spp., J. macrescens and M. fusca; and a low marsh
zone composed of increasing numbers of calcareous species including Elphidium spp.; and
Haynesina spp. Foraminiferal distributions along each transect were found to be controlled
predominantly by elevation and distance from tidal influence, whilst combined datasets
reflected intra- and inter-site variability in the assemblages. Elevation was still found to
have an important control over the distributions, with a strong relationship between the
species zonations and elevation (r2 = 0.8). Therefore, the dataset (82 samples) formed a
local training set in which a transfer function for the relationship between foraminifera
species and elevation was developed. WAPLS was used as it produced the highest
predictive ability (r2
jack = 0.85) and lowest prediction errors (RMSEPjack = 0.11 m). Regional
and combined (local plus regional) transfer functions were also developed but the local
transfer function produced the most accurate and reliable reconstruction. Reconstructions
were carried out for both saltmarshes with reference to a sediment chronology which was
established using radionuclides and pollution indicators. The reconstructions demonstrated
the vast difference in the saltmarsh development and record of sea level between the sites.
Oglet Bay developed as a result of increased accommodation space arising from changing
estuary morphology, resulting in rapid accretion (2.34 cm year-1) and was found to be
strongly influenced by tidal channel migration. Decoy Marsh accreted at a slower pace (0.32
cm year-1) and was less affected by tidal or morphological changes. Both reconstructions
were affected by decalcification resulting in the reconstructions dating back to 1978 at the
most. The reconstructed rates of sea-level change were 1.8 cm year-1 for Oglet Bay and 1.1
cm year-1 for Decoy Marsh, both of which over-estimate the trend from the monthly
instrumental record (1.04 cm year-1) over the same period. The study highlights the
problems which may arise when conducting research in an inner estuary which is strongly
macrotidal, including tidal range changes, tidal asymmetry, and decalcification, but also
demonstrates that a relatively precise and reliable reconstruction is achievable.


Erythrocyte insulin binding in 8 ewes in late pregnancy was studied. The main purpose was to study the influence of pregnancy and starvation of the insulin binding capacity of the erythrocytes and compare it with the capacity of erythrocytes in newborn lambs. Results from the present study indicate that erythrocytes from pregnant ewes in late pregnancy have no insulin binding capacity and that the erythrocyte insulin receptors cannot be used as an index of different metabolic conditions.


Osaka, 558-8585, Japan, email@example.com. Abstract— To address the deterioration of bridges and buildings, we have developed a robot, HORNET, to inspect building walls. This robot travels on the wall surface using propellers with wheels on the wall. As the running duration is short on smooth surfaces, the crosssectional shape of the rotor was designed to reduce the power consumption using two-dimensional numerical analysis using a genetic algorithm. Furthermore, we manufactured several kinds of rotors imitating birds and performed experiments to determine the ideal shape to reduce electricity consumption. Experiments were also conducted to evaluate the performance when the rotor was attached to HORNET. First, we developed HORNET's dynamic model and evaluated the performance by running a simulation on a route imitating the actual inspection route. Additionally, by installing a new rotor in HORNET, we evaluated the running performance on the up and down paths.


In this technological world, we engulf with a variety of new advancements, out of these the one we are going to discuss is cloud computing. Cloud Computing, the long-held dream of computing as a utility, has the potential to transform a large part of the IT industry, making software even more attractive as a service and shaping the way IT hardware is designed and purchased. Cloud computing provides the architecture for creating market-oriented Clouds by leveraging technologies such as Virtual Machines; provides thoughts on market-based resource management strategies that encompass both customer-driven service management and computational risk management to sustain SLA oriented resource allocation.


We consider longstanding questions concerning configuration spaces of 1-dof tree-decomposable linkages in 2D. By employing the notion Cayley configuration space, i.e., a set of intervals of realizable distance-values for an independent non-edge, we answer the following. (1) How to measure the complexity of the configuration space and efficiently compute that of low algebraic complexity? (2) How to restrict the Cayley configuration space to be a single interval? (3) How to efficiently obtain continuous motion paths between realizations? (4) How to bijectively represent of the Cartesian realization space as a curve in an ambient space of minimum dimension? (5) How robust is the complexity measure (1) and how to efficiently classify linkages according to it?
In Part I of this paper, we deal with problems (1)-(4) by introducing the notions of (a) Cayley size, the number of intervals in the Cayley configuration space, (b) Cayley computational complexity of computing the interval endpoints, and (c) Cayley (algebraic) complexity of describing the interval endpoints. Specifically (i) We give an algorithm to find the interval endpoints of a Cayley configuration spac. For graphs with low Cayley complexity, we give the following. (ii) A natural, minimal set of local orientations, whose specification guarantees Cayley size of 1 and $O(|V|^2)$ Cayley computational complexity. Specifying fewer local orientations results in a superpolynomial blow-up of both Cayley size and computational complexity, provided P is different from NP. (iii) An algorithm--for generic linkages--to find a path of continuous motion (provided exists) between two given realizations, in time linear in a natural measure of path length. (iv) A canonical bijective representation of the Cartesian realization space in minimal ambient dimension, also for generic linkages.


Ion migration in hybrid halide perovskites is ubiquitous in all conditions. However, the ionic conductivity can be manipulated by changing the material composition, operating temperature, light illumination, and applied bias as well as the nature of the interfaces of the devices. There have been various reports on electron ion coupling in hybrid perovskite semiconductors which gives rise to anomalous charge transport behavior in these devices under an applied bias. In this investigation, we have synthesized a mixture of 2D/3D perovskites by incorporating sulphur-doped graphene quantum dots (SGQDs) and demonstrated that the optical and electrical properties of the hybrid system can be tuned by controlling the ion conductivity through the active layer. It has been observed that the recombination resistance in undoped CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskites follows an anomalous behavior while the doped CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite shows a monotonic increase with increasing applied bias due to reduced ionic conductivity. SGQDs at the grain boundaries of 2D/3D perovskites prohibit ion migration through the active layer, and therefore the electronic-ionic coupling is reduced. This results in increased recombination resistance with increasing applied bias.


Abstract An open boundary condition is constructed for three dimensional primitive equation ocean circulation models. The boundary condition utilises dominant balances in the governing equations to assist calculations of variables at the boundary. The boundary condition can be used in two forms. Firstly as a passive one in which there is no forcing at the boundary and phenomena generated within the domain of interest can propagate outwards without distorting the interior. Secondly as an active condition where a model is forced by the boundary condition. Three simple idealised tests are performed to verify the open boundary condition, (1) a passive condition to test the outflow of free Kelvin waves, (2) an active condition during the spin up phase of an ocean, (3) finally an example of the use of the condition in a tropical ocean.


The problem of this study was to determine the numbers and percentages of first semester freshmen at Texas A&M University-Commerce who could correctly identify the individuals who are generally considered to be the "fathers" of communism and capitalism. A questionnaire was administered to all entering freshmen students enrolled in a business computing systems course. Of those students surveyed, 26.6 percent were able to identify Adam Smith as the "father" of capitalism, while 37.2 percent were able to identify Karl Marx as the "father" of communism. Introduction The free enterprise economic system is now operational in most of the world -- even the last remaining avowed communist nations such as China, Cuba and North Vietnam have incorporated free enterprise segments into their economies. Having had such a widespread and profound impact on the worlds' economies, what is the level of awareness of the founder or the synthesizer of the free enterprise system? Previous studies have indicated that American freshmen college students were much more aware that Karl Marx was the founder of communism than that Adam Smith was the founding father of the free enterprise system. (Manton and English, 1984 and 1988) There is a need for Americans to raise their level of economic understanding. In the state of Texas, as well as other states, it is the obligation and responsibility of the public school system to teach students about our economic system. In 1973, the Texas Legislature mandated that all public high schools provide instruction in the "essentials of the free enterprise system." Subsequently, the State Board of Education amended school accreditation standards to require that all schools: (a) offer an elective free enterprise, course to all high school students, (b) incorporate the study of the free enterprise system into the required high school social studies courses, and (c) correlate free enterprise education instruction with the elementary curriculum. (Texas Education Agency 1979, 1) The Economic Education Act of 1977 gave the State Board of Education power to expand the scope of free enterprise education and listed deadlines for the implementation of economic education in Texas public schools. Adopted measures for grades 10-12 were implemented by the 1978-1979 school year. (Texas Education Agency 1979, 1) It was decided to survey the college freshmen class of 1998 to see what, if anything, had changed since the prior studies that were conducted in 1984 and 1989. This knowledge had been described in the previous studies as a "measure of students knowledge of economic heritage." Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to determine the number of first semester freshmen, at Texas A&M University-Commerce, who could correctly identify the individuals who are generally considered to be the "fathers" or founders of communism and of capitalism. The researchers also investigated the effect that a high school economics/free enterprise course, in the state of Texas, has upon the ability to correctly identify the founders of the respective economic systems. Procedures A questionnaire was administered to all entering freshmen students enrolled in GBus 128, Business Computer Systems in the fall 1998, to gather the data for this study. This is a required course that is usually taken by prospective business majors during the first semester of college enrollment. Thus, the sample would be composed primarily of recent high school graduates. The questionnaire contained nine questions. These questions were of the multiple response and "yes/no" type. There were two key questions asked. One was, "Which of the following persons is generally considered to be the `father' of communism?" Respondents were asked to select one of five persons listed. The choices were: (a) Josef Stalin, (b) Leon Trotsky, (c) Karl Marx, (d) Lenin, and (e) Mao Tse Tung. The other key question was, "Which of the following persons is generally considered to be the `father' of the free enterprise system? …


High crystallization rate and thermomechanical stability make polylactide stereocomplexes effective nanosized physical netpoints. Here, we address the need for soft, form-stable degradable elastomers for medical applications by designing such blends from (co)polyesters, whose mechanical properties are ruled by their nanodimensional architecture and which are applied as single components in implants. By careful controlling of the copolymer composition and sequence structure of poly[(L-lactide)-co-(ε-caprolactone)], it is possible to prepare hyperelastic polymer blends formed through stereocomplexation by adding poly(D-lactide) (PDLA). Low glass transition temperature Tg ≤ 0 °C of the mixed amorphous phase contributes to the low Young's modulus E. The formation of stereocomplexes is shown in DSC by melting transitions Tm > 190 °C and in WAXS by distinct scattering maxima at 2θ = 12° and 21°. Tensile testing demonstrated that the blends are soft (E = 12–80 MPa) and show an excellent hyperelastic recovery Rrec = 66–85% while having high elongation at break εb up to >1000%. These properties of the blends are attained only when the copolymer has 56–62 wt% lactide content, a weight average molar mass >140 kg·mol−1, and number average lactide sequence length ≥4.8, while the blend is formed with a content of 5–10 wt% of PDLA. The devised strategy to identify a suitable copolymer for stereocomplexation and blend formation is transferable to further polymer systems and will support the development of thermoplastic elastomers suitable for medical applications.


Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most widely spread pollutants in the environment including the agricultural soil. PAH degradation by indigenous bacteria is an effective and economical means to remove these pollutants from the environment. Here, we report a bacterial consortium (Pdy-1) isolated from paddy rice soil in northern Japan able to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at high rates. Pdy-1 was incubated with a mixture of PAH compounds (fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene) in Bushnell Haas Medium at a final concentration of 100 mg/L each. PDY-1 degraded 100% of fluorene, 95% of phenanthrene, and 52% of pyrene in 5 days. Phenanthrene and pyrene were completely degraded at 10 d and 15 d, respectively. Cloning of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the consortium was composed of 40% Achromobacter and 7% each of Castelaniella, Rhodanobacter, and Hypomicrobium. Comamonas, Ferrovibrio, Terrimonas, Bordetella, Rhizobium, and Pseudonocardia were also detected. PCR-DGGE showed the dynamics of the consortium during the incubation period. Real-time PCR revealed that PAH degrading genes such as the gram-positive ring dihydroxylating genes (PAH-RDH) and pyrene dioxygenase (nidA) were most abundant at day 5 when the rapid biodegradation of the PAHs was observed. This study improves our understanding on dynamics and characteristics of an effective PAH-degrading bacterial consortium from paddy rice soil.


In this paper, we study Riemannian, anti-invariant Riemannian and Lagrangian submersions. We prove that the horizontal distribution of a Lagrangian submersion from a Kaehlerian manifold is integrable. We also give some applications of this result. Moreover, we investigate the effect of the submersion to the geometry of its total manifold and its fibers.


INTRODUCTION The substantial growth of the Internet has caused profound changes in the global economy. Research on its impact on national economies shows that Internet sales are beginning to make up a notable percent of GDP, especially in countries where consumers and corporations are heavy users (Hazan et. al, 2011). It has also had a tremendous impact on consumer purchase of collectible cultural goods such as books. Books once were sold in a local competitive landscape. Due to the ubiquity of the Internet, however, they now must compete globally (Raugust, 1999). Rare books, for example, are no longer solely sold in small Antiquarian book stores. Buyers can now purchase rare books from such global sites as Biblio (http://www.biblio.com), AbeBooks (https://www.abebooks.com), and Alibris (http://www.alibris.com/). The Internet has also impacted the sale of new books. While used college texts have, for example, always negatively impacted the sale of new texts, Internet sale and purchase of used books from students have increased this negative impact well beyond prior levels. No longer do new books of any kind have a long period of time before their sale is eroded by used books. As remarkable as it may seem, books are available as used books almost immediately after their release, with used editions appearing on Amazon often only one day after the new book goes on sale (Mutter et al., 2004). Similar to books, a DVD is also capable of being a collectible and is not perishable. And the sale of DVDs has followed a similar course to that of books sold on the Internet. The majority of DVD sales moved from local distribution by retailers to global regional sales linked to the ability of a DVD to play in given regions of the world, designated by their region codes (e.g., 1 = U.S. and Canada, 6 = China). As a digital product, the DVD film market has a short product life cycle; with considerable novelty value at the beginning, followed by a brief maturity phase and a rapid decline as new films supersede old ones. Studios have attempted to retain consumer interest through the release of Blu-rays and the release of popular films as special editions with some success, though the cost of restoration can be as high as $1 million dollars (Schauer, 2012). Also, there are still things that can be obtained on a DVD that can't be found in streaming and may never be found on streaming because of the extra cost to streaming distributors, such as special features (e.g., interviews with directors and actors) (Weinman, 2012). Whether someone chooses to rent or own a DVD to get these features is a complex matter driven by price, convenience, and user preference. This short life cycle and the intense competition that takes place during it require a responsive and agile DVD inventory management process (Chung et al., 2012). One key component for the development of such a system is an understanding of how user views of DVD content relate to sales, especially online where many DVDs are now purchased. Our study seeks to answer this question by examining the impact of valence and volume of user reviews on the time it takes to sell new DVDs. Whether valence or volume matters more has remained a point of debate in current research. Reviews have long been recognized as highly influential in consumer choices in the cultural industries, ranging from performing arts festivals (Shrum, 1991) to the feature film industry (Chintagunta et al., 2010; Dellarocas et al., 2007; Duan et al., 2008; Liu, 2006), digital music industry (Shin et al., 2008) and the online book market (Chevalier & Mayzlin, 2006; Gruhl et al., 2005). However, the pathway of influence through which reviews affect market outcomes has been relatively underspecified. Since product reviews vary in terms of volume and valence, there are two possible pathways of influence of reviews on consumer choice. One perspective is that the sheer volume of reviews may serve as a proxy for popularity of products (Kovacs & Sharkey, 2014) which may encourage purchase behavior. …


In a highly fluid and volatile environment, that comes as a result both of the global financial crisis of 2008 and the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, Public Health is becoming more and more of interest, as a controversial matter of dialogue, as well as a
creative one. It is now clear that the need of providing a higher level of health services is becoming imperative. This fact is reflected in various economic indicators, mainly as
a percentage of public expenditure in public health, as well as in the preferences and aspirations of society, according to studies and data of recent years. The implementation
of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can provide a solution to these issues, as an
alternative form of financing but also as a mean of promoting a higher level of health
service, in general. This thesis reflects precisely that argument, by analyzing issues that
are presented below. The analysis below, if summarized, aims at three main goals.
Firstly, in the citation of data and details around models, forms and content of PPPs.
Secondly, in capturing key elements of the Public Health sector in Europe and Greece,
by emphasizing its importance, mainly through economic figures and data. Thirdly,
in providing details and information about the implementation of PPPs in the field of
Public Health, both at European and Greek level; emphasis is given on the good
practices and lessons learned by the implementation of this particular model of
cooperation between public and private sector. At the last part of this thesis, the
advantages and disadvantages arising from the implementation of PPPs are summarized,
aiming to create conclusions that will serve as a springboard for the expanded and
optimal use of PPPs in the field of Public Health.


Presented is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna designed to fit around the neck of a small gas cylinder and capable of operation at the European and American UHF RFID bands. The design is readable from all directions in the plane of the cylinder neck and is mounted on cheap synthetic rubber (neoprene) of thickness 2 mm with dimensions of 125 × 20 mm. The tag antenna was conjugally matched to the complex impedance of the transponder IC chip.


[Excerpt] At first glance such a spatial transformation of work may seem positive, as indeed it was for the largely white work force that left the city and staffed these new positions. But left behind geographically, economically, and socially were the largely black (and to a lesser extent, Mexican) working-class residents. It was at this juncture, with jobs disappearing and the urban social structure fragmented, that black Chicago, symbolized in the person of Harold Washington, finally assumed political power. In Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods, editors Pierre Clavel and Wim Wiewel have collected a group of essays that examine the fate of this latest effort at urban reform. The essayists were either members of Washington's administration, neighborhood leaders actively seeking to affect policy, or both. This immediacy gives the book its particular insight and its occasional poignant moment.


Aims
Given the efficacy of new medications for Hepatitis C virus (HCV), we aimed to determine whether drinking relates to HCV treatment access among the high-risk group of individuals with HIV/HCV co-infection.

Methods
We sampled 210 patients in a sexual health clinic; of these, 39 reported HIV/HCV co-infection (79.49% male; 56.41% Black). Patients completed a self-report survey on drinking and treatment history.

Results
Those drinking despite health problems reported less HCV treatment (p =0.035). Drinking despite health problems did not relate to whether HCV treatment was recommended by providers, and binge drinking did not relate to either HCV outcome. Drinking was unrelated to HIV treatment.

Conclusions
HIV/HCV co-infected individuals drinking despite health problems are in urgent need of attention, to reduce drinking and increase engagement in treatment. Drinking despite health problems m ay serve as an effective screening question to identify HIV/HCV co-infected drinkers who are most at risk of being untreated.


Effects of temperature on shoot growth in northern provenances of Pinus sylvestris L. were studied under natural long-day conditions (Lat. 69 degrees 39' N) at controlled temperatures. The optimum constant temperature for formation of stem unit primordia in the terminal resting bud was 18 to 21 degrees C. Stem unit number decreased linearly with temperature between 15 and 9 degrees C. Temperature during bud formation had a significant effect on final stem unit length achieved in the following year. Final shoot length was significantly affected by temperature during shoot elongation. The optimum constant temperature for elongation growth was 18 to 21 degrees C. The rate of shoot elongation was positively correlated with the number of stem units.


In Bangladesh, millions of wells dug to provide safe drinking water are laced with arsenic from ancient sediments, endangering human health. Now a study on page
 1602
 suggests that pumping for irrigation might be at least partly to blame for the poisoned water, although the finding is controversial. The results could signal the need for deeper drinking-water wells.


This paper discusses the workability of the existing norms of transparency and accountability in the battle against corruption in Nigeria. Incontrovertibly, high level corruption pervades every nook and cranny of the country to the detriment of its citizens. Although anti-corruption norms exist in the Nigerian legal order, high profile corruption remains endemic, suggesting that the norms are unworkable. This paper argues that the unworkability of transparency and accountability norms in Nigeria is largely attributable to the contradictions, inconsistencies or deficiencies inherent therein. Consequently, the paper suggests ways of putting the norms to work against corruption in Nigeria. Keywords : Corruption, Governance, Sustainable Development


Highly light scattering structures have been generated in a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film using a CO2 laser. The haze, and in some cases the transparency, of the PET films have been improved by varying the processing parameters of the laser (namely, scanning velocity, laser output power, and spacing between processed tracks). When compared with the unprocessed PET, the haze has improved from an average value of 3.26% to a peak of 55.42%, which equates to an absolute improvement of 52.16% or a 17-fold increase. In addition to the optical properties, the surfaces have been characterised using optical microscopy and mapped with an optical profilometer. Key surface parameters that equate to the amount and structure of surface roughness and features have been analysed. The CO2 laser generates microstructures at high speed, without affecting the bulk properties of the material, and is inherently a chemical-free process making it particularly applicable for use in industry, fitting well with the high-throughput, roll to roll processes associated with the production of flexible organic photovoltaic devices.


INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGYA new discipline is trying to persuade companies that tracking the flow of materials and energy over a product's lifetime makes good business sense. The philosophy has begun to pay off--mainly in Europe--in everything from appliances designed with reusable parts to schemes for capturing precious metals that may otherwise end up in landfills or riverbeds. However, a cradle-to-grave approach to doing business hasn't yet caught fire in the United States.


Since Doppler shift is one of the most important parameters in wireless propagation, the evaluation of the Doppler shift at the base station (BTS) in vehicular communications improves BTS in many aspects such as channel varying rate, jamming detection, and handover operations. Therefore, in this study, we propose a novel method at a base station based on the received user signal to estimate the channel Doppler shift seen by BTS. Utilizing the inherent information existed in common receivers, a level crossing rate (LCR) based Doppler shift estimation algorithm is developed without any excessive hardware. Moreover, a jamming detection algorithm is improved based on the proposed Doppler shift estimation scheme. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated in a Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) network, and comprehensive experimental results have shown superior performance in a wide range of velocities, signal to noise ratios and jammers.


This paper proposes a new approach to rollback-recovery for mobile agent systems, and describes its implementation in the MESSENGERS mobile agents system. The used checkpointing method allows the implementation of a space and time efficient, user-transparent rollback-recovery in heterogeneous distributed environments. Together with an efficient non-blocking system snapshot algorithm this checkpointing method is an attractive choice for implementing a rollback-recovery mechanism in a mobile agent system, because it exploits features specific to such systems during the recovery. This paper also presents an optimization technique, called concurrent checkpointing, that increases the effectiveness of the proposed rollback-recovery mechanism.


The influence of extractive content on the thermal stability and kinetic degradation of two wood species has been investigated using chemical analysis and thermogravimetry. Two wood species were studied: Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus grandis. Thermogravimetric results showed that higher extractive contents in the wood accelerate the degradation process and promote an increase in the conversion values at lower temperatures reducing the wood thermal stability. After removing the extractives from wood the thermal stability for both wood species increased. The results also demonstrated that prior information about the wood composition can be helpful to increase the range of industrial applications of wood.


Abstract Objective To determine the impact of low-dose aspirin (81 mg) on markers of maternal inflammation and placental function. Setting Rural Southern India Population Nulliparous women with a singleton pregnancy dated by ultrasound who were enrolled in the ASPIRIN (Aspirin Supplementation for Pregnancy Indicated risk Reduction In Nulliparas) Trial. Methods We performed a case-control study to elucidate the impact of low dose aspirin (LDA) on markers of placental function and maternal inflammation among women who delivered prematurely compared to term controls in women enrolled in the ASPIRIN trial. Women were prospectively enrolled in an ancillary observational trial wherein maternal serum was collected and measured between 10 to 13 weeks and 17 to 21 weeks of gestation after initiation of aspirin or an identical placebo. Results From 2016-18 with a total of 666 n women enrolled in this ancillary trial of whom 269 were selected for analyte analysis. Women who received LDA had lower levels of Alpha Feto-Protein (AFP) at 10 to 13 weeks than women who received placebo (Placebo) (LDA 18.3 ng/mL vs 21.4 ng/mL -P 0.001). AFP was similar between the two groups at 17 to 21 weeks. No other differences were seen in C-Reactive protein or Anti-Mullerian Hormone. Conclusion Low-dose aspirin administration lowers AFP early in pregnancy.


The frequency of thoracic injuries in the general structure of combat surgical trauma remains at the level of 7-12 % and unchanged from the time of the Second World War to the current armed conflicts. The overwhelming majority of them (up to 72 %) are shrapnel gunshot wounds.
The formation of a gunshot wound occurs due to the action of a shock wave; a wounding projectile; energy of side impact and vortex wake. The shape, size, features of the wound canal are determined by the kinetic energy of the wounding agent and the physical properties of the damaged tissues. The lung parenchyma is loose and elastic, so small-caliber bullets with low energy cause minimal damage.
The wound canal is well differentiated on CT-slices. Its cavity is filled with blood, fragments of destroyed tissue, air bubbles. On the periphery, the contusion zone is determined (area of increased attenuation in the lung-ground-glass opacity). Shrapnel wounds can be accompanied by ruptures of the pulmonary parenchyma with hemorrhages, bilateral pulmonary contusion, damage to the bone frame and soft tissues of the chest. Vascular injury with massive hemorrhage into the pleural cavity and tense hemopneumothorax are one of the main causes of mortality in penetrating wounds. Transmediastinal gunshot wounds, armor trauma and bullet embolism require special attention during radiation examination of victims.
The purpose of radiation diagnostics of modern combat trauma is to identify and fully characterize injuries and their complications. The amount of diagnostic information is determined by the level of medical care.


Background Policing is an increasingly sedentary occupation that is associated with high levels of physical and psychological morbidities. Mobile health (mHealth) technology is increasingly popular, low cost and accessible. The study aim was to assess the potential impact, feasibility and acceptability of an mHealth technology intervention (Fitbit® activity monitor and 'Bupa Boost' smartphone app) to promote physical activity (PA), reduce sedentary time, and improve health and wellbeing, perceived stress and perceived productivity in the police force. Methods Single-group, pre-post, mixed methods exploratory trial. Police officers and staff (n=180) were recruited from two sites (Plymouth Basic Command Unit, Devon & Cornwall Police and North Dorset territorial area, Dorset Police). Participants used the technology for 12 weeks (an 'individual' then 'social' phase) followed by five months of optional use. Data sources included Fitbit®-recorded objective step count, questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews (n=32). Outcome assessment points were baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 6), post-intervention (week 12) and follow-up (month 8). Quantitative data was analysed using paired t-tests, regression and correlations. Qualitative analysis involved framework and thematic analysis. Findings were integrated during interpretation; qualitative findings confirmed, explained, and expanded on quantitative results. Results While self-reported PA increased overall (e.g. mean increase +421 MET-minutes/week moderate to vigorous PA baseline to month 8, 95% CI 56–785), significant increases in steps were observed only in participants with a baseline mean daily step count less than 10,000 (+1028 steps/day, 95% CI 417–1,639 baseline to week 12; +810 steps/day, 95% CI 115–1,506 baseline to month 8). Engagement and perceived acceptability were high overall, particularly for the less active participants, but some usability issues were reported with the Bupa Boost app, resulting in lower and declining engagement with this component. Participants preferred individual self-monitoring and goal-setting to social features of the app. There were no significant changes in sedentary time; participants perceived a need for more opportunities for breaks in the workplace. Mental health-related quality of life improved from baseline to month 8 (SF-12 mental component score +1.75 points, 95% CI 0.28–3.23). Despite interview-reported improvements in health and wellbeing, survey-assessed changes in physical health-related quality of life, perceived stress and perceived productivity were not statistically significant. Conclusion mHealth technology is a potentially impactful, feasible and acceptable intervention for increasing PA in the police force, particularly for less active officers and staff. The intervention was less useful for reducing sedentary time and the impact on health, wellbeing, stress and productivity is unclear.


Booming the global container trade, scarcity of land at ports in many metropolitan areas has the same difficulties with expanding the terminal area to improve capacity. As a result, alternative solutions, high-density, automated container terminals (ACT) are currently considered to increase the performance of container terminal. In this paper, a concept of new combination system-ACT (NC-ACT) is proposed. The average percentage cost per container and land needed is analyzed, evaluated, and compared with four prior systems. Four prior systems include general ACT (AGV-ACT) using automated guided vehicles (AGVs), linear motor conveyance system (LMCS), overhead grid rail system (GR), and automated storage/retrieval system (AS/RS). NC-ACT is shown that the efficiency is higher, the capacity is higher, unchecked containers are accessed randomly, and it has lower average percentage cost/storage capacity/acre than four prior ACT systems


Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth caused by specific microorganisms resulting in progressive destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone with pocket formation recession or both.Thorough understanding of the etiopathogenesis of periodontal disease has provided the clinicians and researchers with various treatment modalities that range from non-surgical and surgical therapy. There are various natural ways to treat periodontal disease some of which even help in preventing it from occurring. There are various medicinal plantsl herbs which can be used in different forms and preparations for the treatment of periodontal diseases. Clinical trials for assessment of safety and efficacy of these herbal remedies are in it infant stage. These herbal remedies are expected to be widely used in future.


Lifelike models of the oscillating legs treated as three‐segment systems show the course of kinetic and potential energy over the locomotor cycle for a cheetah, pronghorn, jackrabbit, and elephant running at speeds approaching their maxima. The models can be adjusted to eliminate differences among the animals in time intervals, mass or length of limb, and joint angles. This facilitates analysis of the influence on total energy of each of these variables and of the distribution of mass among leg segments. Fast‐cycling legs of the carnivore type have significantly more energy than those of the hoofed type. This may contribute to the lesser endurance that is usual for carnivores that hunt using a high‐speed dash.