This paper presents a profile for modelling systems of electronic
services using UML. Electronic services encapsulate business services,
an organisational unit focused on delivering benefit to a consumer,
to enhance communication, coordination and information management.
Our profile is based on a formal, workflow-oriented description of electronic
services that is abstracted from particular implementation technologies.
Resulting models provide the basis for a formal analysis to verify
behavioural properties of services. The models can also relate services to
management components, including workflow managers and Electronic
Service Management Systems (ESMSs), a novel concept drawn from experience
of HP Service Composer and DySCo (Dynamic Service Composer),
providing the starting point for integration and implementation
tasks. Their UML basis and platform-independent nature is consistent
with a Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) development strategy, appropriate
to the challenge of developing electronic service systems using
heterogeneous technology, and incorporating legacy systems.


The close combination of theoretical teaching with practical teaching is a characteristic of software engineering majors and it is a difficult problem to enhance the practical teaching during the teaching processes. Aiming at different courses over stressing theoretical teaching or practical teaching, we propose some feasible teaching design schemes of specialized courses based on workshop mode, which includes the organization of study teams, methods of solving problems, technique of communication and establishment of cognitive system. The good experiment effect has been proved effective in teaching processes.


N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)formation in chloraminated Iowa River water (IRW) is primarily attributed to reactions with natural organic matter (NOM) generally classified as humic substances. Experiments were conducted to determine the contribution of various NOM humic fractions to the NDMA formation potential (NDMA FP) in this drinking water source. NOM was concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) and humic fractions were obtained by a series of resin elution procedures. Mass balances showed that nearly 90% of the NDMA formation potential could be recovered in the NOM concentrate and in water reconstituted using additions of the various humic fractions. Generally, the hydrophilic fractions tended to form more NDMA than hydrophobic fractions, and basic fractions tend to form more NDMA than acid fractions when normalized to a carbon basis. Overall, the hydrophobic acid fraction was the dominant source of NDMA when both formation efficiency and water composition were considered. The amount of NDMA formed in a sample was found to correlate linearly with an oxidation-induced decrease in specific UV absorbance (SUVA) value at 272 nm. This is consistent with a mechanism in which precursors are formed as the direct consequence of the oxidation of NOM. The NDMA FP estimated using the slope of this relationship and the initial SUVA value compared closely to the value obtained by measuring the NDMA formed in solutions dosed with excess concentrations of monochloramine that presumably exhaust all potential precursor sources. However, the NOMA FP could not be correlated to the SUVA value of the individual humic fractions indicating that the relationship of the NDMA FP to SUVA value is probably a water-specific parameter dependent on the exact composition of humic fractions. It is hypothesized that either specific NDMA precursors are distributed among the various humic fractions or that the humic material itself represents a "generic" nonspecific precursor source that requires some degree of oxidation to eventually produce NDMA. The nonmonotonic behavior of NOM fluorescence spectra during chloramination and lack of correlation between NOM fluorescence characteristics and NDMA formation limited the usage of fluorescence spectra into probing NDMA formation.


Abstract A juvenile Meyer's parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) was presented for acute depression and crop stasis and died. On histopathologic examination, intranuclear inclusion bodies were seen in the liver, spleen, proventriculus, and intestinal mucosa. DNA in situ hybridization of tissues was positive for adenovirus and negative for herpesvirus, polyomavirus, and circovirus. Degenerate (polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) primers targeting a conserved region of adenovirus DNA–dependent DNA polymerase were used to amplify and sequence a product from paraffin-embedded tissue. This is the first sequence information available for a psittacine adenovirus. Phylogenetic and comparative sequence analysis indicated that this virus is a member of the genus Aviadenovirus and is here termed Meyer's parrot adenovirus 1. Consensus nested PCR and sequencing can be used to rapidly identify novel adenoviruses, and DNA in situ hybridization may be used for rapid localization of novel viruses in tissues. Identification of adenoviral types and species will provide useful diagnostic, prognostic, and epidemiologic information for clinicians.


An initiative has been taken in 2008 at the 5th MCM of COST 2100 (Trondheim, Norway, June 4-6, 2008) and exposed in TD(08)524 "Statistical antenna modelling". Since that time, several works implementing this approach in one way or another have been carried out. The purpose of the present paper is to review these works, situate after some years the context and the scientific objectives of such an approach, and discuss whether it is relevant to give it further momentum.


Abstract The effect of various biological, genetic, economic and management factors relevant to advanced generation seed orchard establishment was investigated using numerical estimates for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Sweden. Factors considered were planting density, rate of genetic advance in the breeding population, timing of first seed collection, seed value, seed production cost (stratified to establishment, annual management, cone harvest and seed extraction), orchard rotation age and contamination level. The developed model demonstrated its utility in studying and evaluating various economic and biological options associated with advanced generation seed orchard establishment/turnover. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of the developed model through various arbitrarily changes in genetic gain advances, establishment, management and seed production, particularly those associated with cone harvests from upper crown and costs. The Swedish Scots pine case study produced results supporting faster turnover of seed orchard generations (30 vs 40 years) with shorter orchard lifespan (early start of seed cone after 8 years vs 15 years) delivering higher gain through minimizing the genetic gain differential between the breeding and production populations and allowing the capture of this gain for inclusion in the seed orchards. Orchard planting densities of 400 and 600 grafts per hectare produced similar results with marginal differences, and the latter was recommended for future orchard establishment.


ABSTRACT Mixed infections with different Leishmania species could explain differences in the clinical courses of these infections. On identification of Leishmania parasites from Iranian patients with mucosal leishmaniasis (ML), a patient with both oral and nasal lesions was found to be concomitantly infected with Leishmania tropica and L. major. Mixed infection was identified by PCR amplification of Leishmania kinetoplast DNA on scraping of cytological smears and histopathological sections. L. major and L. tropica were isolated from the nasal and oral lesions, respectively. These species were also confirmed by immunohistochemistry. This seems to be the first reported case of concurrent ML infection with two Leishmania species. It indicates that, at least in this patient, previous infection with one of these Leishmania species did not protect against infection with the other. This result has important implications for the development of vaccines against leishmaniases and implies careful attention in the treatment of this infectious disease.


A newly designed molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) material was developed and successfully used as recognition element to fabricate a capacitive sensor for enantioselective recognition of glutamic acid (Glu). The MIP with a well‐defined structure was synthesized on a gold electrode in one step by electrochemical copolymerization of o‐phenylenediamine (o‐PD) and dopamine (DA) in the presence of template molecule Glu. The resulting MIP material was characterized with a potentiostatic frequency scan method, cyclic voltammetry, capacitance measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structure and recognition behaviour of the copolymer film to template molecule depended on its composition. The optimal composition was at the o‐PD to DA molar ratio of 3:2. With a potentiostatic time scan method the copolymer displayed high enantioselectivity and sensitivity to the stereoselective rebinding of L‐ or D‐Glu to their corresponding artificial receptor due to the exact definition of the imprint cavity. The capacitance response of the sensor for L‐Glu or D‐Glu was proportional to their concentration in the range of 16.7 to 250 μM. The enantiometric selectivity coefficients for L‐Glu and D‐Glu imprinted films against their respective enantiomers are 24 and 15, respectively. The resulting MIP capacitive sensors showed good reproducibility, stability and repeatability. This strategy opened a convenient way for preparation of enantioselective MIPs and recognition of enantiotropic molecules.


Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells and monoclonal gammopathy. It is associated with various clinical manifestations including bone disease and anemia. Clinical introduction of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) and its derivatives has been a breakthrough in treating patients with anemia, mainly those with chronic kidney disease and cancer patients on chemotherapy. EPO was found to have additional biological effects, including potentiation of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Our studies and those of others, have shown that EPO treatment for anemia in MM patients was associated with general improved immunological functions and immune-mediated modulation (suppression) of MM. A role for EPO in bone metabolism was previously suggested, but its effects were often controversial and the underlying mechanisms remain to be resolved.

Objectives To determine the immunological and skeletal effects as well as the underlying mechanisms of EPO signaling in the 5T33 MM mouse model.

Results EPO administration led to a 50% decrease in the levels of the MM pathological κ light chain while attenuating the decrease in normal IgA. These immunoglobulin changes were accompanied by a 70% elevation (p=0.015) of B220+IGM+IgD- immature B cells in the BM of EPO-treated MM mice, compared to diluent-injected MM mice (9.8%±0.91 versus 5.68%±1.19 of B220-gated cells, respectively). We also found a 45% increase (p=0.01) in the level of BM macrophages (F4/80+CD11b+) following EPO administration in both healthy and MM mice. Moreover, stimulation in vitro of purified BM-derived macrophages with EPO, led to a 33% increase (p=0.01) in phagocytosis of the 5T33 MM cells.

Th17 cells play an important role in MM pathobiology. Our data demonstrate that in MM mice, rHuEPO administration induces a 70% decrease (p=0.021) in the expression level of RORγt, a Th17 hallmark transcription factor. These findings were associated with a 4-fold increase (p<0.001) in the transcript levels of the Th1-associated cytokine IFN-γ, in the BM of EPO-treated MM mice versus their diluent-injected MM counterparts. As MM is typically associated with a Th2 response and since Th17-associated cytokines in MM patients are suggested to inhibit the Th1 response, EPO may thus have a beneficial role in MM, by shifting the balance towards a Th1 response. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that EPO treatment potentiates humoral immune responses, and limits MM progression.

Bone disease is a major component of MM and is associated with significant morbidity. High-resolution CT analysis of the distal femurs confirmed bone loss in 5T33 MM mice. The femur bone density of 5T33 MM mice was 30% lower (p=0.04) than that of their healthy counterparts (3.1%±0.003 versus 4.4%±0.008, respectively). Unexpectedly, EPO treatment of MM mice, in comparison to diluent-injected MM mice, induced a 35% reduction (p=0.004) in trabecular bone density (3.1%±0.003 and 2%±0.007, respectively) and 41% (p<0.001) reduction in trabecular number (2.62mm-1±0.23 and 1.54mm-1±0.266, respectively). This was only partly compensated by a 19% increase (p=0.006) in trabecular thickness (0.043mm ±0.005 versus 0.036mm ±0.003 in controls) in EPO-treated MM mice. Bone loss correlated with a 50% increase in transcript levels of the osteoclastogenic nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) in BM of EPO-treated MM mice compared to diluent-injected MM mice. In line with the premise that EPO-induced bone loss is mediated by increased osteoclastogenesis, we found an EPO-associated elevation in BM osteoclast progenitors, as determined by RANK and cFms immunostaining (cFms+/RANK−, 1.7 fold, p=0.01; cFms+/RANK+, 2.7 fold, p=0.007).

Conclusions We show that in MM, EPO acts as a double-edged sword, by stimulating the immune response against MM on one hand, but also accelerating bone resorption on the other, which further alters the already compromised bone tissue. A better understanding of the osteoimmunological roles of EPO may advocate for the use of rHuEPO along with targeted bone protective treatment in MM patients, to attenuate the anemia and MM progression, while also preventing bone damage.

ND-U and SH-B have contributed equally. Supported by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (DN).

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A high-valent manganese(IV)-hydroxo porphyrin π-cation radical complex, [Mn(IV)(OH)(Porp+•)(X)]+, was synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. The Mn porphyrin intermediate was highly reactive in alkane hydroxylation and oxygen atom transfer reactions. More importantly, the Mn porphyrin intermediate reacted with water at a fast rate, resulting in the dioxygen evolution. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first manganese Cpd I model compound bearing a porphyrin π-cation radical ligand with a high reactivity in oxidation reactions, including water oxidation.


We present a first-principles study of the quantum conductance of hybrid nanotube systems consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) encapsulating either an isolated single C60 molecule or a chain of C60 molecules (nanotube peapods). The calculations show a rather weak bonding interaction between the fullerenes and the SWCNTs. The conductance of a (10,10) SWCNT with a single C60 molecule is virtually unaffected at the Fermi level, but exhibits quantized resonant reductions at the molecular levels. The nanotube peapod arrangement gives rise to high density of states for the fullerene highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital bands.


 Abstract — Type I diabetic patients is a chronic condition marked by an abnormally large level of glucose in the blood. Persons with diabetes characterized by no insulin secretion within the pancreas (ß-cell) which also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetic Mellitus (IDDM). The treatment of type I diabetes counting on the delivery of exogenous insulin to succeed in the blood glucose level near the natural ranges (70-110mg/dL). In this paper, a Modified Internal Model Controller (MIMC) has been developed based on three different nonlinear functions to control the concentration of blood glucose levels under a disturbing meal. The parameters of the proposed control design are optimized by using Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization (CPSO) technique. The model which is used to represent the artificial pancreas is a minimal model for Bergman. Simulations, based on MATLAB/Simulink, were performed to verify the performance of the proposed controller. The results showed the effectiveness of the proposed MIMC in controlling the behavior of glucose deviation to a sudden rise in blood


The firm value is the price that a potential buyer is willing to pay if the company will be sold. This value also a benchmark for investors to invest to obtain the desired profit. Dividend policy is to determine how much of the profits will be distributed as dividend to shareholders and how much as retained earnings. Capital structure is a proposition in determining the fulfillment of company spending where the proceeds are used for a combination or mixed that is the main source comes from the company's long-term funding consists of two main sources, from within and outside the company. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship, the relationship closeness and influence between capital structure, dividend policy as a free variable against the value of the company as the dependent variable. Capital structure with DER indicators, dividend policy proxied by payout ratio, and the value of the company proxied by two indicators namely market value and intrinsic value per share. In this study the authors perform statistical testing either partially or simultaneously. The method of analysis used in this study are the correlation coefficient analysis (R) to identify the relationship among variables. The coefficient of determination analysis (R2) to determine the closeness of the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables, and regression coefficient analysis to measure the magnitude of the influence of independent variables against dependent variables. Besides, the trend analysis of the data was conducted to determine the development of data during the research period. Significant test conducted by F test and t test. The level of significance set in this study is 10%. The analysis found several important findings. Some are such as INTP R between capital structure and share price stood at 0.690 or at the level of a strong relationship. While on SMGR R is at 0,877 or very strong. Level of significance of both companies respectively 0.058 and 0.004. Meanwhile, Figures R between capital structure and intrinsic value reached 0.306 INTP or weak and insignificant (0.461). While on SMGR reached 0,841 or very strong with significance level of 0.009.


Richmond, Ind., Jan. 23, 1898. To the Editor: —If Dr. Carstens will read carefully, he will see that I am not opposing operative methods, as I said in two of these cases I had been called to operate and found one case dying, and a second so much improved that I declined to operate; and in two other cases, not included in the eight reported, they refused operation, and a third not included recovered. Hence it is unfair to represent me as being opposed to operation (I am not). But in a careful study of the disease and from reports of surgeons I am still of opinion that many cases under judicious treatment would recover and avoid the knife. I have, as I reported, made postmortem examinations whenever possible, to study the nature and progress of the disease, and am not wholly a novice in operation.... My experience teaches me


Modern natural products (NPs) research relies on untargeted liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry metabolomics. Together with cutting-edge processing and computational annotation strategies, such approaches can yield extensive spectral and structural information. However, current processing workflows require feature-alignment steps based on retention time which hinders the comparison of samples originating from different batches or analyzed using different instrumental setups. In addition, there is currently no analytical framework available to efficiently match processed metabolomics data and associated metadata with external resources. To address these limitations, we present a new sample-centric and knowledge-driven framework allowing multi-modal data alignment e.g. through chemical structures, biological activities, or spectral features and demonstrate its value in exploring large and chemodiverse natural extract datasets. Here, the experimental data is processed at the sample level, matched with external identifiers where possible, semantically enriched, and integrated into a unified knowledge graph. The use of semantic web technology enables comparison of processed and standardized data, information, and knowledge at the repository scale. We demonstrate the utility of the developed framework, the Experimental Natural Products Knowledge Graph (ENPKG), to leverage the results obtained from screening 1,600 plant extracts against trypanosomatids and streamline the identification of new antiparasitic compounds. Thanks to its versatility, the proposed approach allows for a radically novel exploitation of metabolomics data. We consider the adoption of semantic web technologies to be a fundamental asset and anticipate that their adoption will complement the current computational metabolomics pipelines and enable the community to advance in the description of global chemodiversity and drug discovery projects.


There has been little progress in implementing protection of wilderness and aesthetic values in Antarctica since the coming into force of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in 1998. This can in part be attributed to a lack of research defining these values and showing how they may be assessed. In 2009, a survey comprising 90 images of Antarctic landscapes was established on the Internet to canvass as wide a cross-section of people with an interest in Antarctica as possible on their perceptions of wilderness and their aesthetic preference. At the time of writing, over 337 respondents from 23 nationalities have taken part in the survey. Responses were analysed to determine the effect of human presence, both transient and as infrastructure, on perceptions of wilderness and aesthetic values. The analysis was in three parts: (1) all images combined; (2) images grouped by landscape type, derived from the Environmental Domains of Antarctica regionalization; and (3) 16 pairs of digitally manipulated images of which respondents were shown either an original image or one in which human presence had been either digitally removed or added. Responses to images grouped by landscape type show that coastal and ice-free areas are less valued both aesthetically and as wilderness than mountainous and ice-covered terrains. Signs of human presence were found to make images significantly less likely to be considered as wilderness and also reduced their aesthetic rating. This demonstrates that human impacts on these values are measureable. To access the supplementary material to this article, please see Supplementary Files under Article Tools online.


Recent advancements in technology have changed the way educators teach and students learn (Wells, Fieger & Lange, 2005). In the last decade, educational trends have progressed towards online and blended instruction. One key in this revolution is the development of the Learning Management System (LMS); software that enables the management and delivery of learning content and resources to students providing students the flexibility for "anytime" and "anywhere" learning. Research indicates learner self-efficacy with LMS may be a critical factor in e-learner satisfaction (Lee and Hwang, 2007) and performance. The goal of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that measures students' confidence with LMS, and explore the relationship between LMS self-efficacy and course performance for e-learners. This study was conducted with 68 students enrolled in an instructional technology course. Student confidence for accessing the course content, tests and grades, asynchronous communication, synchronous communication and using advanced tools were measured. Factor and post-hoc analysis were used to examine instrument dimensionality. The complete paper will discuss the full results of the study and designs for further validation, particularly with regard to implications for measuring student self-efficacy with LMS technologies. Patterns of confidence and performance will also be reported and discussed.


Purpose: To establish a practical methodology to quantify the performance of different automatic exposure controls (AEC) options in digital mammography in terms of dose efficiency. Methods: A Hologic Selenia digital mammography system was used in the study. A figure of merit (FOM), defined as the squared signal difference to noise ratio normalized by the mean glandular dose (MGD), was utilized to delineate the AEC performance. The measurements and analyses were conducted under different AEC options on a realistically shaped tissue equivalent phantom (CIRS 18‐222). The phantom consists of simulated masses, fibers, and microcalcifications. Slabs of BR12 were added to reach different thicknesses. Based on the results, a computer simulation was performed for lesions on the images of an anthropomorphic breast phantom (Gammex, Rachel) acquired under the same AEC options. The pathological findings from the resulted images were compared. Results: For the mammography system used in the experiment, it was found that as compared with the default AEC, the lower kVp and Mo‐Mo target‐filter AEC table results in a FOM improvement on low contrast by 11% to 20%, except for 7 cm thickness where the FOM is reduced by 17%. The FOM improves negligibly on high contrast details for the thicknesses of 4.5 – 6 cm and decreases by 18% for the thickness of 7 cm. The simulated lesions on the Rachel phantom showed enhanced contrast with the lower kVp and Mo/Mo option, but the enhancement gradually decreases for the thicker breast. Conclusions: A methodology was established to quantify the performance of different AEC options using the figure‐of‐merit and the commercially available phantoms. For the tested mammography system, the lower kVp and Mo/Mo option is preferred if the breast thickness ranges 4.5 – 6 cm, whereas the default AEC is recommended if the breast thickness is 7cm and above.


The aim of our study is to compare the structural and biological tolerance of novel Al2O3/3Y-TZP composites with ceria respectively titania addition (5 wt%). Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and XPS results are reported for structural characteristics and surface modifications upon different fluoride treatments. The biocompatibility of the samples was evaluated using an animal model (rabbit). The explants were analyzed at a specific period (6 weeks).The sections of implanted bone area were subjected to histological evaluation. Upon correlating the structural properties and in vivo evaluation, we concluded that the addition of both TiO2 and CeO2 to Al2O3/3Y-TZP implies similar properties and satisfactory biological tolerance. With respect to the surface treatment, qualitative and quantitative results show that the alumina/zirconia with titania addition are more sensitive to fluoride treatment.


We study reinforcement learning in continuous state and action spaces endowed with a metric. We provide a refined analysis of the algorithm of Sinclair, Banerjee, and Yu (2019) and show that its regret scales with the \emph{zooming dimension} of the instance. This parameter, which originates in the bandit literature, captures the size of the subsets of near optimal actions and is always smaller than the covering dimension used in previous analyses. As such, our results are the first provably adaptive guarantees for reinforcement learning in metric spaces.


PURPOSE: Thermal ablation is a popular method in local cancer management; however it is extremely challenging to predict thermal changes in vivo. Ultrasound could be a convenient and inexpensive imaging modality for real-time monitoring of the ablation, but the required advanced image processing algorithms need extensive validation. Our goal is to design and develop a reliable test-bed for validation of these monitoring algorithms. METHOD: We previously developed a test-bed, consisting of ablated tissue sample and fiducial lines embedded in tissue-mimicking gel.1 The gel block is imaged by ultrasound and sliced to acquire pathology images. Following fiducial localization in both image modalities, the pathology and US data were registered. Ground truth ablated region is retrieved from pathology images and compared to the result of the ultrasound-based processing in 3D space. We improved on this platform to resolve limitations that hindered its usage in a larger-scale validation study. A simulator for evaluating and optimizing different line fiducial structures was implemented, and a new fiducial line structure was proposed. RESULTS: The new proposed fiducial configuration outperforms the previous in terms of accuracy, fiducial visibility, and use of larger tissue samples. Simulation results show improvement in pose recovery accuracy using our proposed fiducial structure, reducing target registration error (TRE) by 34%. Inaccurate pixel spacing information and fiducial localization noise are the main sources of error in slice pose recovery. CONCLUSION: A new generation of test-bed was developed, with software that does not require lengthy manual data processing, and is easier to maintain and extend. Further experimental work is required to optimize phantom preparation and precise pixel spacing computation.


Previous surveys of very dry Atacama Desert mineral soils have consistently revealed sparse communities of non-photosynthetic microbes. The functional nature of these microorganisms remains debatable given the harshness of the environment and low levels of biomass and diversity. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the phylogenetic community structure and metabolic potential of a low-diversity mineral soil metagenome that was collected from a high-elevation Atacama Desert volcano debris field. We pooled DNA extractions from over 15 g of volcanic material, and using whole genome shotgun sequencing, observed only 75–78 total 16S rRNA gene OTUs3%. The phylogenetic structure of this community is significantly under dispersed, with actinobacterial lineages making up 97.9–98.6% of the 16S rRNA genes, suggesting a high degree of environmental selection. Due to this low diversity and uneven community composition, we assembled and analyzed the metabolic pathways of the most abundant genome, a Pseudonocardia sp. (56–72% of total 16S genes). Our assembly and binning efforts yielded almost 4.9 Mb of Pseudonocardia sp. contigs, which accounts for an estimated 99.3% of its non-repetitive genomic content. This genome contains a limited array of carbohydrate catabolic pathways, but encodes for CO2 fixation via the Calvin cycle. The genome also encodes complete pathways for the catabolism of various trace gases (H2, CO and several organic C1 compounds) and the assimilation of ammonia and nitrate. We compared genomic content among related Pseudonocardia spp. and estimated rates of non-synonymous and synonymous nucleic acid substitutions between protein coding homologs. Collectively, these comparative analyses suggest that the community structure and various functional genes have undergone strong selection in the nutrient poor desert mineral soils and high-elevation atmospheric conditions.


Based on the assumption of two-quark structure of the scalar meson $K_0^*(1430)$, we calculate the CP-averaged branching ratios for $B \to K_0^*(1430) \etap$ decays in the framework of the perturbative QCD (pQCD) approach here. We perform the evaluations in two scenarios for the scalar meson spectrum. We find that: (a) the pQCD predictions for $Br(B \to K_0^*(1430) \eta^{(\prime)})$ is $10^{-5} - 10^{-6}$, basically agree with the data within large theoretical uncertainty; (b) the agreement between the pQCD predictions and the data in the scenario I is better than that in the scenario II, which can be tested by the forthcoming LHC experiments; (c) the annihilation contributions play an important role for these considered decays.


Author(s): King, Melissa Ruth | Advisor(s): Schwenkel, Christina | Abstract: In nationalist Armenian American youth activism and expression, the practice of memory of woundedness and genocide is conceived as a form of resistance related to claiming a particular subjectivity and identity as diasporan Armenians and as a minority group in the United States. Armenian American youth position themselves in history as remnants and freedom fighters, demanding recognition of the Armenian genocide in a "struggle for justice" that simultaneously calls for their recognition as survivors in a context of perceived denial. The tradition of activism on which this dissertation focuses has tended toward anti-assimilationism and the assumption and display of woundedness as a means of obtaining perceptibility, for it is the distinction of woundedness on which Armenian American survivorship is legitimated. The Armenian genocide and its denial are often cited as the cause of the wound, producing survivorship as a specific position to the past. Youth experience and claim survivorship through historically significant diasporan institutions that structure commemoration services, cultural events, and political protests where practices of memory are encouraged as well as in U.S. political spaces including public schools where denial and ambiguity are personally perceived. This dissertation is based on eighteen months of field research in the Los Angeles region, one of the largest populations of diasporan Armenians.


The effect of simultaneous oral administration of dimethylamine or aminopyrine and sodium nitrite on the damage and repair of rat liver DNA was studied by the use of centrifugation in alkaline sucrose gradient. Fragmentation of the intact DNA was observed significantly shortly after combined treatment with aminopyrine and nitrite when no liver necrosis occurred yet and the damaged DNA at the lower dosage level of aminopyrine with nitrite was found to be repaired in contrast to the increased activity of serum aminotransferase. The lowest effective dose on DNA damage at 2 hr after administration was about 40 mg/kg of aminopyrine and 80 mg/kg of sodium nitrite. This effect was equal to that caused by single oral administration of 2 to 10 mg/kg of dimethylnitrosamine, while dimethylamine at 160 or 320 mg/kg together with 80 mg/kg of sodium nitrite produced no pronounced DNA damage. The significant damage of rat liver DNA by aminopyrine and nitrite correlates well with the easier nitrosation of aminopyrine and the occurrence of high incidence of malignant liver tumors in rats fed aminopyrine together with nitrite already reported by Lijinsky.


The effects of the number of seeds in a training sample set on the ability to predict the viability of cabbage or radish seeds are presented and discussed. The supervised classification method extended canonical variates analysis (ECVA) was used to develop a classification model. Calibration sub-sets of different sizes were chosen randomly with several iterations and using the spectral-based sample selection algorithms DUPLEX and CADEX. An independent test set was used to validate the developed classification models. The results showed that 200 seeds were optimal in a calibration set for both cabbage and radish data. The misclassification rates at optimal sample size were 8%, 6% and 7% for cabbage and 3%, 3% and 2% for radish respectively for random method (averaged for 10 iterations), DUPLEX and CADEX algorithms. This was similar to the misclassification rate of 6% and 2% for cabbage and radish obtained using all 600 seeds in the calibration set. Thus, the number of seeds in the calibration set can be reduced by up to 67% without significant loss of classification accuracy, which will effectively enhance the cost-effectiveness of NIR spectral analysis. Wavelength regions important for the discrimination between viable and non-viable seeds were identified using interval ECVA (iECVA) models, ECVA weight plots and the mean difference spectrum for viable and non-viable seeds.


Heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment is dictated in part by context-dependent changes in cell-cell interactions. Subpopulations of tumor cells can responding to local micro-environmental changes in a manner that distinguishes them biochemically as well as behaviorally from the rest of the tumor. We identified such a phenomenon in the proteolytic shedding of the cell adhesion molecule ALCAM (Activated Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule). ALCAM controls cell adhesion in a variety of cell types including T-cells, epithelial cells, neurons and endothelial cell. Although ALCAM mRNA is detected in all epithelial tissues and the tumors they give rise to, the detection of cell-surface ALCAM is highly variable, being strong in some regions of the tumor while completely absent in adjacent tumor cells. Through molecular analysis of cell-surface ALCAM we determined that this adhesion molecule is shed from the surface by ADAM17 in response to cytokines from the local milieu. Although ALCAM shedding is common in cancer, the loss of ALCAM greatly diminishes metastasis, thereby suggesting that ALCAM remains necessary for tumor progression. Indeed, ALCAM shedding supports a dynamic regulation of cell adhesion which, in turn, supports tumor cell dissemination. Considering that the proteolytic processing of ALCAM is functionally important in tumor progression, the detection of ALCAM shedding should be a molecular indicator of disease progression. Indeed, through analysis of retrospective patient cohorts, we demonstrated ALCAM shedding to be a prognostic indicator of disease progression in cancers of the colon, kidney and bladder. Our observations demonstrate that spatial and context-dependent heterogeneity can be accomplished through post-translational proteolysis of cell adhesion molecules. This process enables tumor cells to respond dynamically to the local milieu and disseminate to a more hospitable environment. Identifying this proteolysis in cancer patients through the detection of ALCAM shedding can predict metastatic progression and long-term patient outcome. Citation Format: Amanda G. Hansen, Katie Hebron, Trenis D. Palmer, Shanna Arnold, Andries Zijlstra. Proteolytic shedding of the cell adhesion molecule ALCAM generates a spatial and context-dependent heterogeneity important for metastasis.. [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Conference on Cellular Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment; 2014 Feb 26-Mar 1; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B65. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.CHTME14-B65


A monoclonal antibody to Actinomyces naeslundii (A. viscosus) T14V-J1 type 1 fimbriae, capable of inhibiting the adherence of this bacterium to salivary proline-rich protein-treated hydroxyapatite, was generated by immunization of SWR mice with A. naeslundii 55-19, a strain derived from T14V-J1 that possess only type 1 fimbriae. Supernatants of hybridomas were screened for reactivity with purified type 1 fimbriae. An IgG monoclonal antibody, 86-49E, blocked the adsorption of the parent strain to proline-rich protein-treated hydroxyapatite by 77% with 1.0 microgram/ml of the monoclonal antibody; the Fab fragment derived from this monoclonal antibody inhibited adherence by 38% at the same concentration. Similarly, the adherence of strain 55-19 was inhibited by 100% and 64% to proline-rich protein-treated hydroxyapatite with 1.0 micrograms/ml of IgG and Fab fragments respectively. Control monoclonal antibody to the subunit of type 1 fimbriae, as well as to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans caused only minimal adherence inhibition. Monoclonal antibody 86-49E also agglutinated both type 1 fimbriae-bearing strains of A. naeslundii T14V-J1 and 55-19 but not strains 59-51 and 147, which lack type 1 fimbriae. Further confirmation of the specificity of monoclonal antibody 86-49E was obtained using these fimbria-deficient mutant strains in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with the monoclonal antibody binding only to strains possessing type 1 fimbriae. Immunogold labeling in conjunction with electron microscopy suggested binding of monoclonal antibody 86-49E occurring near the distal end of the fimbriae. In contrast, when a monoclonal antibody specific for the type 1 fimbrial subunit but not capable of adherence inhibition was used together with 86-49E in double-labeling experiments, extensive labeling of the fimbriae by the subunit antibody was noted. These data suggest that a monoclonal antibody specific for the type 1 fimbriae of A. naeslundii that is capable of binding to a discrete site on the fimbriae has the capacity to inhibit the adsorption of this organism to saliva-treated hydroxyapatite.


Seventeen patients with 15 surgically proved paragangliomas involving the temporal bone and parapharyngeal spaces were examined with high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Scans were obtained in multiple axial (0 degree, 30 degrees) and coronal (70 degrees, 105 degrees) section planes using 1.5-mm collimation and table incrementation. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the utility of HRCT in assessing tumor extent and size, with particular emphasis on intrinsic temporal bone invasion. The most characteristic HRCT signs of paraganglioma include: jugular fossa expansion, soft-tissue mass in the hypotympanum and sinus tympani, permeation of the infracochlear surface, dural ballooning adjacent to the jugular fossa (indicative of epidural tumor), anterior displacement of parapharyngeal fat planes, and extension into the proximal aspect of the eustachian canal. It is concluded that HRCT is the single most efficacious examination to determine tumor extent, especially when intratemporal invasion has occurred, and to define other additional clinically unsuspected lesions.


This thesis describes an experimental and theoretical study into the nonlinear optical properties of novel photorefractive materials and devices. The focus of the work is centred on bringing together the attractive attributes of inorganic and organic materials in a single hybrid device and to increase the photorefractive effect that is available from either material alone. Consequently three novel photorefractive devices have been developed that are suitable for use as frequency agile optical filters and exhibit greater contrast ratios than previous passive photorefractive materials. Small signal gain co-efficients of up to 1600cm-1 are demonstrated in these hybrid devices, compared to less than 20cm-1 in a single photorefractive window without any inorganic-organic hybridisation. The fundamental understanding in an inorganic photorefractive hybrid has also been advanced.


We consider a threshold epidemic model on a clustered random graph with overlapping communities. In other words, our epidemic model is such that an individual becomes infected as soon as the proportion of her infected neighbors exceeds the threshold q of the epidemic. In our random graph model, each individual can belong to several communities. The distributions for the community sizes and the number of communities an individual belongs to are arbitrary. We consider the case where the epidemic starts from a single individual, and we prove a phase transition (when the parameter q of the model varies) for the appearance of a cascade, i.e. when the epidemic can be propagated to an innite part of the population. More precisely, we show that our epidemic is entirely described by a multi-type (and alternating) branching process, and then we apply Sevastyanov's theorem about the phase transition of multi-type Galton-Watson branching processes. In addition, we compute the entries of the matrix whose largest eigenvalue gives the phase transition. MSC classes: 60C05, 05C80, 91D30


Severe cognitive deficits are a frequent outcome of both neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. In the attempt to define new clinical biomarkers, current research trends aim at the identification of common molecular features in these pathologies rather than searching for differences. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has attracted great interest as possible biomarker because of its key role in synaptic remodeling during cognitive processes. BDNF undergoes proteolytic processing and studies in animal models have highlighted that different forms of learning and memory require either the proBDNF precursor or the mature BDNF form. Significantly, an altered expression of BDNF forms was found in postmortem brains and serum from patients with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and mood disorders. Based on these studies, this review puts forward the hypothesis that abnormalities in proBDNF or mBDNF biosynthesis may correspond to different cognitive dysfunctions in these brain diseases, while the role of truncated BDNF remains unknown.


Purpose: Relationship between CT or MR images and
histological findings, especially vascularity, has not been adequately
evaluated. The purpose of this study was to investigate correlation between
contrast enhancement on CT and MRI and histological findings in posterior
mediastinal ganglioneuromas. Materials and Methods: Contrast-enhanced (CE) CT
(n = 11) and CE MRI (n = 5) of 12 patients with ganglioneuroma were
reviewed. The attenuation, signal intensity, and dynamic enhancement pattern of
the tumors were evaluated. The vascularity was histologically evaluated by the
numbers of vessels. Results: Enhancement on CE-CT was none, mild, moderate, and
high enhancement in 5 (45%), 2 (18%), 3 (27%), and 1 (9%) of the 11 lesions,
respectively. Dynamic MRI showed mild, moderate and high enhancement in 3
(60%), 1 (20%) and 1 (20%) cases, respectively. The level of contrast
enhancement correlated well only with the number of capillary vessels (r =
0.79, P = 0.0037). Conclusion: The posterior mediastinal ganglioneuromas
sometimes show insufficient enhancement particularly on CE-CT. The level of
enhancement might correlate with the amount of capillary vessels.


Verb or Verba (latin: Verbum, 'word') is a class of words that express an action, existence, experience, or other dynamic understanding. The word type generally becomes a predicate in phrase or sentence. This research is meant to find the verb in the Folk Songs in Tontemboan Language at Karimbow Talikuran Village. In doing this research, the researcher found a fact that these Folk Songs in Tontemboan Language was rarely sung by people of Karimbow Talikuran Village. People in Karimbow Talikuran Village did not realized that the Folk Songs which is rarely sung has a good meaning, because in this research the researcher found many spiritual songs that were created as a form of respect and gratitude to Almighty God as the creator of the earth. In this research the researcher are more emphasis to the study the verb contained in the Folk Songs in Tontemboan Language at Karimbow Talikuran Village. And looking for the best way to preserve the Folk Songs in tOntemboan Language and culture at Karimbow Talikuran Village. The researcher used Qualitative Method in this research therefore the researcher is required collecting the data by interviews and documentation. The researcher using the method from Miles and Huberman as a research method. After collecting the data and information from government and villagers at Karimbow Talikuran Village researcher found the reason why the Folk Songs are rarely sung, because the villagers has been influenced by the modern language and feel the Folk Songs is ancient and no one teaches the Folk Songs to young people and the children. Finally, by knowing the Folk Songs and study the Verb in Folk Songs in Tontemboan Language, the people of Karimbow Village would continuously sing the Folk Songs in Tontemboan Language and preserve the culture.


Eight species of Euplocania from Colombia, in species groups Bonaverensis, Enderleini and Patinoi, are here described and illustrated. They raise to 40 the number of species described in the genus, 27 of which are found in Colombia. Of the Colombian species, one is shared with Ecuador and one is shared with Brazil and Peru. A key to identify the males of the species here described is included.


We investigate semi-inclusive photon-hadron production in the color glass condensate (CGC) framework at RHIC and the LHC energies in proton-proton (pp) and proton-nucleus (pA) collisions. We calculate the coincidence probability for azimuthal correlation of pairs of photon-hadron and show that the away-side correlations have a double-peak or a single-peak structure depending on trigger particle selection and kinematics. This novel feature is unique for semi-inclusive photon-hadron production compared to a similar measurement for double inclusive dihadron production in pA collisions. We obtain necessary conditions between kinematics variables for the appearance of a double-peak or a single peak structure for the away-side photon-hadron correlations in pp and pA collisions at forward rapidities and show that this feature is mainly controlled by the ratio p_T^hadron/p_T^photon. Decorrelation of away-side photon-hadron production by increasing the energy, rapidity and density, and appearance of double-peak structure can be understood by QCD saturation physics. We also provide predictions for the ratio of single inclusive prompt photon to hadron production, and two-dimensional nuclear modification factor for the semi-inclusive photon-hadron pair production at RHIC and the LHC at forward rapidities.


There are many kinds of stratigraphic units—rock-stratigraphic units, bio-stratigraphic units, and stratigraphic units based on mineral character, electrical character, seismic properties, environment of deposition, etc. None of these are intrinsically time -stratigraphic units though each may have time significance to a lesser or greater degree. Radioactivity may eventually furnish a method for truly measuring time in sedimentary rocks, but at present paleontologic (bio-stratigraphic) evidence is the most useful means we have. It should be recognized, however, that paleontologic evidence of time in rocks is always imperfect , that it may in certain cases be exceeded in value by other types of stratigraphic evidence, and that true time-stratigraphic units exist for us only as the ideal concepts of material stratigraphic units comprising the rocks formed during a given time interval, bounded only by time surfaces and independent of lithologic, paleontologic, or other facies. Because of the more or less orderly evolutionary sequence of life forms, the present large-scale geochronologic time-stratigraphic divisions ( systems and series ) can generally be recognized paleontologically with rough accuracy throughout the world, although it is doubtful that their division points are marked by "natural breaks" in the fossil record. However, it is useful and desirable to apply the time-stratigraphic concept also to units of lesser rank where the purpose is perhaps not so much geochronology as the mere determination of synchrony. In the case of these smaller units ( stages ) we are approaching a limit to the degree of resolution possible in the use of evolutionary sequence of fossils, and at this scale the percentage error in the carrying of time-stratigraphic divisions by means of fossils has increased so much that this method is not infrequently exceeded in value by evidence from other stratigraphic features—lithology, mineralogy, electrical character, chemical composition, relation to diastrophism, relation to climate, etc. Since the application of time-stratigraphic concepts to the sediments of brief time spans is nevertheless extremely useful and important to us, we are justified in employing any or all available lines of evidence for dividing and extending such minor time-stratigraphic units and we should not restrict criteria to any one group of fossils or any one facies of fossils, nor yet to fossils in general. Even when the bases for stage divisions are restricted to fossils, we inevitably have an overlap of these units when considered on a world-wide or even a regional scale, since we cannot reasonably expect correspondence between time lines in one area based on one group or one facies of fossils and those of another area based on other groups or other facies of fossils or those of a third area with no fossils at all. Since we thus already have overlapping stages, there is no objection to the use of other than paleontologic bases for stage division on the grounds that this would result in overlapping time-stratigraphic divisions. On the contrary it would seem to be a healthy procedure to allow initial minor time-stratigraphic units to be based on any feature characterizing any well-defined part of a sedimentary section whose time equivalent it might be useful to recognize (either practically or theoretically) in another section, regardless of whether the feature were paleontologic, lithologic, mineralogic, or of still different type. Obviously the number of stages should desirably be maintained at a minimum compatible with maximum service to stratigraphy. However, if stages are adequately defined and correctly used as purely time-stratigraphic units, it does not so much matter how many are made or on what they are based—only those which are of service will survive. Although all of the useful minor time-stratigraphic units would not necessarily have chronologic time significance there should be nothing to prevent the eventual establishment of definite chronologic Stages forming aliquot parts of the standard Series if, as, and when adequate bases for them are found. Since it has been proposed that the terms System and Series be capitalized when used in a geochronologic sense, the formal geochronologic Stage might be conveniently distinguished by a capital S from the stage used merely in the sense of any minor time-stratigraphic unit.


Received Jun 4, 2022 Revised Aug 14, 2022 Accepted Oct 30, 2022 The adoption of Bluetooth beacon technology demonstrates a broad interest in indoor positioning technology because of its low cost and ease of use. Bluetooth beacons usually have an accuracy of fewer than 4 meters. The use of machine learning (ML) leads to results with greater accuracy compared to using traditional filtering methods. In this paper, we provide indoor localization based on Bluetooth beacons using several different ML techniques. We used ML algorithms to locate customers' devices in shopping malls. The extra-trees classifier and k-neighbors classifier found the device with greater than 90% accuracy. Other algorithms were able to determine the location with less accuracy. The results also showed that Bluetooth technology is a valid solution to find the data used to analyze the spatialtemporal behavior of individuals.


Tendon and tendon-bone junction injuries, while heal, have high re-tear rates. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great appeal for the promotion of tendon and tendon-bone junction healing because of their high proliferation rate, multi-potency and relative ease of isolation from various tissues. Tendon stem cells have been identified recently and could be an alternative new cell source for tendon and tendon-bone junction repair. In this review, we summarized the in vitro characteristics of tendon stem cells. The evidence supporting the potential use of these cells for tendon and tendon-bone junction repair was presented. In order to therapeutically apply tendon stem cells in the clinical settings, standardization of tendon stem cell culture is essential. Issues relating to the sources, purity, efficacy, safety and delivery of tendon stem cells for tendon and tendon-bone junction repair were summarized and discussed. The direction for future research was suggested.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by repressing translation or directing sequence-specific degradation of complementary mRNA. Altered miRNA expression has been demonstrated in several human cancers. Limited information is available concerning the expression and role of miRNAs in melanoma. Here, we report that expression of miR-205 is significantly suppressed in melanoma tumor samples when compared with nevi, and is correlated inversely with melanoma progression. miR-205 expression was also significantly downregulated in a panel of melanoma cell lines when compared to a normal melanocyte line. miRNA target databases predicted a conserved target site for miRNA-205 in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of E2F1 and E2F5. The expression levels of E2F1 and E2F5 were inversely correlated with that of miR-205 in melanoma cell lines. miR-205 significantly suppressed the luciferase activity of reporter plasmids containing the 3'UTR sequences complementary to either E2F1 or E2F5, which was abolished by mutations in these 3'UTR regions. Overexpression of miR-205 in melanoma cells reduced E2F1 and E2F5 protein levels without alteration of mRNA expression. The proliferative ability of melanoma cells was suppressed by miR-205, mediated by E2F-regulated AKT phosphorylation. Transient overexpression of miR-205 in melanoma cells resulted in induction of apoptosis, as indicated by increases in cleaved caspase-3, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and release of cytochrome-c. Stable overexpression of miR-205 suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation, and resulted in inhibition of tumor cell growth in vivo and induction of a senescence phenotype accompanied by elevated p16INK4A expression and other markers for senescence. These results demonstrate a novel role for miR-205 as a tumor suppressor in melanoma.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 142. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-142


The present study deals with the Blasius and Sakiadis flow of Casson hybrid nanoliquid over a vertically moving plate under the influence of magnetic effect and Joule heating. Here, we considered Silver and Copper as nanoparticles suspended in 50% Ethylene-Glycol (EG) as base fluid. Further, the Arrhenius activation energy and convective boundary conditions are taken into the account. The set of PDEs of the current model are converted into ODEs by using suitable similarity variables. The reduced ODEs are numerically solved with the help of RKF-45 method by adopting shooting scheme. The impact of various pertinent parameters on the fluid fields is deliberated graphically. The result outcomes reveal that, rise in values of Casson parameter diminishes the velocity gradient. The escalated values of magnetic parameter decline the velocity profile but reverse trend is detected in thermal and concentration profiles. Moreover, the augmentation in the activation energy parameter elevates the concentration profile.


Background Our objective was to estimate the impact of universal varicella vaccination (UVV) on the use and costs of antibiotics and antivirals for the management of varicella among children in the United States (US). Methods A decision tree model of varicella vaccination, infections and treatment decisions was developed. Results were extrapolated to the 2017 population of 73.5 million US children. Model parameters were populated from published sources. Treatment decisions were derived from a survey of health care professionals' recommendations. The base case modelled current vaccination coverage rates in the US with additional scenarios analyses conducted for 0%, 20%, and 80% coverage and did not account for herd immunity benefits. Results Our model estimated that 551,434 varicella cases occurred annually among children ≤ 18 years in 2017. Antivirals or antibiotics were prescribed in 23.9% of cases, with unvaccinated children receiving the majority for base case. The annual cost for varicella antiviral and antibiotic treatment was approximately $14 million ($26 per case), with cases with no complications accounting for $12 million. Compared with the no vaccination scenario, the current vaccination rates resulted in savings of $181 million (94.7%) for antivirals and $78 million (95.0%) for antibiotics annually. Scenario analyses showed that higher vaccination coverage (from 0% to 80%) resulted in reduced annual expenditures for antivirals (from $191 million to $41 million), and antibiotics ($82 million to $17 million). Conclusions UVV was associated with significant reductions in the use of antibiotics and antivirals and their associated costs in the US. Higher vaccination coverage was associated with lower use and costs of antibiotics and antivirals for varicella management.


We consider a robust MIMO transceiver design to minimize mean square errors, by taking into account the imperfect channel state information from a worst-case robustness perspective. We show that for a given precoder, the optimal robust equalizer is obtained through channel diagonalization, and vice versa. Thus, a joint but usually suboptimal transceiver design can be readily obtained through alternately optimizing the equalizer and precoder, where in each iteration only a scalar problem is to be solved. We further propose efficient algorithms for the scalar optimization problems.


A refractory pouring spout and channel unit for the arrangement on the outlet of a tundish of a strip casting installation has at least one vertical, refractory pouring spout and channel part ( 25 ) which can be connected to the tundish; and a refractory pouring spout and channel part ( 25 ') which originates from said vertical part, which extends horizontally and which is provided with one or more openings that are distributed over its length. This results in almost constant laminar flow conditions for the melt flowing between the casting rollers.


In automotive industry, achieving lightweight, low-cost, reliable and more accurate product design are the most important goal. Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is an important tool for achieving this since it decreases prototyping cost and time. Cars have different door system and one of the important part of them is door hinge. An automotive door hinge is mainly composed of three elements, fixed part, mobile part and hinge pin that fasten fixed part and mobile parts. Manufacturers have to perform tests and analysis for ensuring international and customer requirements.In this study, FEA results are compared with static and dynamic test results of front door hinge of automotive according to International specifications. The agreement between the computed and measured values is shown.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


This paper describes the influence of the stator end winding coils on two different asymmetrical rotor types with short motorlength. A current control method is applied to use the reluctance of the rotor and to reach minimal current consumption. Due to the saturation, 3D- finite elements field calculations are compared with the 2D- finite element field calculation. Different rotor lengths are taken into account and a difference of rotor length to stator length is examined. To regard the effect of saturation, different current levels are calculated. >


Background Atrial fibrillation is associated with poorer outcomes poststroke. It is unclear how the quality of stroke care in hospitals influences outcomes in these patients. Aims The study aims to compare outcomes in stroke patients with and without atrial fibrillation and identify hospital processes of care associated with poor outcomes. Methods Data were collected using retrospective, consecutive medical record audits from participating hospitals in the 2009 and 2011 National Stroke Foundation acute services audit program. Patient characteristics, stroke severity, and hospital management data were compared for those with and without atrial fibrillation. Multiple regression analyses for outcomes of in-hospital death, dependency at discharge (modified Rankin Score 3–5), and discharge destination were undertaken, adjusted for patient clustering by hospital. Results Atrial fibrillation status was known for 5473 (80%) cases; 2049 had atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (aOR 1·46, 95% CI 1·06, 2·02). Management on a stroke unit (aOR 0·57, 95% CI 0·40, 0·80) and having a swallow assessment within 24 h (aOR 0·71, 95% CI 0·51, 0·98) were associated with increased survival among all stroke types, as was receiving aspirin within 48 h poststroke (aOR 0·65, 95% CI 0·44, 0·97), for patients with an ischemic stroke. Stroke patients with atrial fibrillation were less likely to receive important processes of care associated with reduced mortality. Conclusions Hospital processes of care can influence outcomes in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation. The greater in-hospital mortality experienced by stroke patients with atrial fibrillation may be attenuated by admission to a stroke unit, and for ischemic stroke, early administration of aspirin.


Because of its small size and unique design, the 0.15-mm diameter split-film sensor has many signifi cant advantages over the conventional X-configuration hot-film sensor and the yaw-wire technique for measur ing turbulence near a wall. Calibration of the splitfilm sensor indicates that the magnitude and yaw angle of the instantaneous velocity vector is dependent only on the sum and ratio of the sensor outputs, re spectively. Results of limited measurements of the longitudinal and vertical turbulence intensities and Reynolds stress for hydraulically smooth, free sur face flows are presented. Digital time series of the split-film outputs revealed the following informa tion: (1) the split-film sensor longitudinal and vertical turbulence intensities and Reynolds stress compares favorably with previous studies; (2) the split-film sensor can be used as an instantaneous velocity vector transducer; (3) the split-film sensor is capable of making two-dimensional turbulence measurements in water to within five probe diameters of the wall. Calibration and experimental results indicate that the split-film sensor may be useful in improved spatial definition of the turbulent structure in wall shear flows.


Rural development usually refers to the procedure of improving the quality of life and financial well-being of group living in relatively areas. More than 69% of population of Pakistan is living in rural areas. They contribute in the economy of Pakistan, It accounts for 29% of G.D.P. Socioeconomic development of Pakistan cannot be successful to neglect the rural people and the rural areas. Rural development is influenced by a multitude of factors such as natural resources, human resources, technology, institutions and organizations including co-operatives. The study was define the socio economic characteristics of respondents, to explore the perception of people towards the rural development. The study was find out the level of knowledge about the factors affecting the rural development. Tehsil was chosen all the way through simple random sampling. Two villages was selected by simple random sampling. 120 respondents was chosen through simple random sampling methods from selected tehsil of district Faisalabad. To custody understanding objectives a well-organized questionaire was used for data collection. The collected data was analyzed by using proper statistical methods. The results was presented in the shape of SPSS. for it of


The combination of sparse coding and manifold learning
has received much attention recently. However, the
computational complexity of the resulting optimization
problem hinders its practical application. In this paper, an
augmented Lagrangian method is proposed to address this
issue, which first transforms the unconstrained problem to
an equivalent constrained problem and then an alternating
direction method is used to iteratively solve the
subproblems. Experimental results validate the effectiveness
of the propose algorithm.


Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide in women and the most lethal gynecologic malignancy due to the lack of accurate screening tools for early detection and late symptom onset. The absence of early-onset symptoms often delays diagnosis until the disease has progressed to advanced stages, frequently when there is peritoneal involvement. Although ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous malignancy with different histopathologic types, treatment for advanced tumors is usually based on chemotherapy and cytoreduction surgery. CAR T cells have shown promise for the treatment of hematological malignancies, though their role in treating solid tumors remains unclear. Outcomes are less favorable owing to the low capacity of CAR T cells to migrate to the tumor site, the influence of the protective tumor microenvironment, and the heterogeneity of surface antigens on tumor cells. Despite these results, CAR T cells have been proposed as a treatment approach for peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal and gastric origin. Local intraperitoneal administration of CAR T cells has been found to be superior to systemic administration, as this route is associated with increased tumor reduction, a more durable effect, protection against local relapse and distant metastases, and fewer systemic adverse effects. In this article we review the application of CAR T cells for the treatment of ovarian cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer.


Efficient and fair resource allocation strategies are being extensively studied in current research in order to address the requirements of future wireless applications. A novel resource allocation scheme is developed for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) networks designed to maximise performance while limiting the received interference at each user. This received interference is in essence used as a fairness metric; moreover, by defining different interference tolerances for different sets of users, the proposed allocation scheme can be exploited in various cognitive radio scenarios. As applied to the scheme, the authors investigate a scenario where two cellular OFDM-based networks operate as primary and secondary systems in the same band, and the secondary system benefits by accessing the unused resources of the primary system if additional capacity is required. The primary system benefits either by charging the secondary system for the use of its resources or by some form of reciprocal arrangement allowing it to use the secondary system's licenced bands in a similar manner, when needed. Numerical results show our interference-limited scheduling approach to achieve excellent levels of efficiency and fairness by allocating resources more intelligently than proportional fair scheduling. A further important contribution is the application of sequential quadratic programming to solve the non-convex optimisation problems which arise in such scenarios.


A population of 150 doubled haploid lines of rapid cycling Brassica oleracea, derived from an F1 from a var. alboglabra x var. italica cross, was scored for flowering time in two trials. Using information on 82 mapped molecular markers, spread evenly across the nine linkage groups, QTL were identified at six locations; one each on linkage groups O2 and O3 and two each on linkage groups O5 and O9. In total, these QTL explained 58 and 93% of the genetical variation in the two trials. Three of these QTL, on linkage groups O2, O3, and O9, were situated in regions showing considerable homology both with each other and with chromosome regions of B. nigra that have been shown to affect flowering time. These same regions are all homologous to a single tract of Arabidopsis chromosome 5, which contains a number of the flowering-related genes, one or more of which may be candidates for the QTL found in Brassica.


Lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals (NCs) are considered an emerging class of advanced functional materials with numerous outstanding optoelectronic characteristics. Despite their success in the field, their precision synthesis and fundamental mechanistic studies remain a challenge. The vast colloidal synthesis and processing parameters of LHP NCs in combination with the batch‐to‐batch and lab‐to‐lab variation problems further complicate their progress. In response, a self‐driving fluidic micro‐processor is presented for accelerated navigation through the complex synthesis and processing parameter space of NCs with multistage chemistries. The capability of the developed autonomous experimentation strategy is demonstrated for a time‐, material‐, and labor‐efficient search through the sequential halide exchange and cation doping reactions of LHP NCs. Next, a machine learning model of the modular fluidic micro‐processors is autonomously built for accelerated fundamental studies of the in‐flow metal cation doping of LHP NCs. The surrogate model of the sequential halide exchange and cation doping reactions of LHP NCs is then utilized for five closed‐loop synthesis campaigns with different target NC doping levels. The precise and intelligent NC synthesis and processing strategy, presented herein, can be further applied toward the autonomous discovery and development of novel impurity‐doped NCs with applications in next‐generation energy technologies.


Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin forms heptameric pores on eukaryotic cell membranes. Assembly of the heptamer precedes formation of the transmembrane pore. The latter event depends on a conformational change that drives a centrally located stretch of 15 amino acid residues into the lipid bilayer. A second region of the molecule that has been implicated in the pre-pore to pore transition is the far N-terminus. Here, we used fluorescently labeled single cysteine replacement mutants to analyze the functional role of the far N-terminus of alpha-toxin. Pyrene attached to mutants S3C, I5C and 17C forms excimers within the toxin pore complex. This indicates that the distance of adjacent N-termini is less than 10-12 Angstrom. By labeling with the polarity-sensitive fluorophore acrylodan, pore formation is shown to cause distinct environmental changes in the N-terminus. Removal of membrane lipids from the labeled heptamers has no effect upon the acrylodan spectrum, indicating lack of direct contact of the N-terminus with the target membrane. The environmental alterations to the N-terminus are thus due to altered protein structure only. Both acrylodan emission shifts and pyrene excimers were shown to be absent in toxin heptamers that were arrested at the pre-pore stage. Therefore, while not being directly involved in membrane penetration, the N-termini of the alpha-toxin heptamer subunits move into immediate mutual proximity concomitantly with transmembrane pore formation.


A hypothesis that the source of milk-serum derived vesicles (MSDVs) is the Golgi apparatus (GA) was examined. Using dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy, it was shown that MSDVs are composed of globular structures with hydrodynamic sizes of 70 15 nm. More than 60% of the total protein content of MSDVs was associated with the MSDV lumen and 30% was associated with the MSDV membrane. Casein was the major protein found in the MSDV lumen. The conclusive markers of the GA, lactose synthase components (a-lactalbumin and galactosyltransferase) and activity (synthesis of lactose from glucose and UTP-galactose), the presence of casein in micellar form in the MSDV lumen, and a high luminal content of citric acid, were demonstrated in the lumen of MSDVs. Though MSDVs composed only 0.7% of the milk mass, they accounted for a high proportion of the total milk content of reactive (15% Cu and 18% Fe) and toxic minerals (60% Cd and 65% Pb), which strongly suggests that MSDVs serve as an avenue to protect mammary epithelial cells from the toxic effects of these minerals by storing them intraluminally and secreting them into milk. The presence of micellar casein in the MSDV lumen, along with the presence of metal transporters in their membranes, is responsible for this impressive capacity for storing reactive and toxic minerals. Exposing a single mammary gland to lipopolysaccharide challenge induced changes in regulatory proteins stored in the lumen of MSDVs (tissue plasminogen activators, plasminogen and plasmin) and in the activity of xanthine oxidase and alkaline phosphatase attached to the outer membrane of MSDVs. Thus, we have demonstrated that MSDVs are under the regulation of the nucleus and respond to extracellular signals.


Introduction While the impact of acute high exposures (i.e., poisoning) to organophosphorus insecticides is well understood, the impact of low level exposures, particularly on neurobehavioral functioning, is still under debate. Even less information is available regarding cumulative exposure, particularly among adolescents who may be working in agriculture. The goal was to examine the impact of chlorpyrifos exposure on biomarkers of exposure and neurobehavioral performance in adolescents across an application season. Methods Male Egyptian adolescents (applicators and non-applicators) were assessed 35 times before, during and after the pesticide application season. At each session, participants (n=89) completed a neurobehavioral test battery and urine was collected for analysis of the chlorpyrifos metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2 pyridinol (TCPy) (biomarker of exposure). Cumulative urinary TCPy over the study period was used to classify participants into low (<median) and high (≥median) exposure groups. Results Urinary TCPy increased during application with recovery following the end of application. High exposed participants had significantly elevated metabolite levels throughout the 10 month study period. Deficits in motor skills and slower reaction times, along with deficits in executive function and short-term memory were found between the high and low exposure groups. Changes in neurobehavioral performance across the application season indicate a pattern of impaired performance among the high exposed compared to the low exposed. Deficits increased during the application season and remained for months after application ended. Conclusion The findings indicate that neurobehavioral deficits increase during the application season, as exposure also increases, and remain after the application ends, even when the biomarkers of exposure are reduced. This is particularly important when considering the developmental changes that occur during adolescence. An intervention to reduce pesticide exposure has been implemented in this population. (Supported by NIEHS and the Fogarty Institute R21 ES017223 and R01 ES022163, Rohlman).


A stable-like process is a Feller process $(X_t)_{t\geq 0}$ taking values in $\mathbb{R}^d$ and whose generator behaves, locally, like an $\alpha$-stable Levy process, but the index $\alpha$ and all other characteristics may depend on the state space. More precisely, the jump measure need not to be symmetric and it strongly depends on the current state of the process; moreover, we do not require the gradient term to be dominated by the pure jump part. Our approach is to understand the above phenomena as suitable microstructural perturbations.
We show that the corresponding martingale problem is well-posed, and its solution is a strong Feller process which admits a transition density. For the transition density we obtain a representation as a sum of an explicitly given principal term -- this is essentially the density of an $\alpha$-stable random variable whose parameters depend on the current state $x$ -- and a residual term; the $L^\infty\otimes L^1$-norm of the residual term is negligible and so is, under an additional structural assumption, the $L^\infty\otimes L^\infty$-norm. Concrete examples illustrate the relation between the assumptions and possible transition density estimates.


The clinical progression of neurodegenerative diseases correlates with the spread of proteinopathy in the brain. Understanding of the mechanism of the proteinopathy spread is far from complete. Here, we propose that inflammation is fundamental to proteinopathy spread. A sequence variant of α-synuclein (V40G) was much less capable of fibril formation than wild-type α-synuclein (WT-syn) and, when mixed with WT-syn, interfered with its fibrillation. Yet when V40G was injected intracerebrally into mice, it induced aggregate spreading even more effectively than WT-syn. The aggregate spreading was preceded by sustained microgliosis and inflammatory responses, which were more robust with V40G than with WT-syn. Oral administration of an anti-inflammatory agent suppressed aggregate spreading, inflammation, and behavioral deficits in mice. Furthermore, exposure of cells to inflammatory cytokines increased the cell-to-cell propagation of α-synuclein. These results suggest that the inflammatory microenvironment is the major driver of the spread of synucleinopathy in the brain.


One of the main causes of pipeline systems' failure are sharp changes and fluctuations in pressure caused by various reasons. Pressure stabilizer is a modern and effective mean for damping of wave processes. The constructive scheme of the device is a pipeline with uniformly distributed perforation through which liquid can flow from the pipeline into a damping add-on above the perforated part of it. The article discusses the pipeline scheme, in which occurs water hammer. It is investigated the problem of optimal perforation area under the assumed constant parameters of the stabilizer. It was used a numerical method of characteristics.


Plenary Talk.- From Search Engines to Question-Answering Systems: The Problems of World Knowledge, Relevance, Deduction, and Precisiation.- Invited Session: Fuzzy Multiperson and Multicriteria Decisions Modelling.- A Fuzzy Approach to Optimal R&D Project Portfolio Selection.- Choquet Integration and Correlation Matrices in Fuzzy Inference Systems.- Linguistic Summarization of Some Static and Dynamic Features of Consensus Reaching.- Consistency for Nonadditive Measures: Analytical and Algebraic Methods.- Neural Nets.- Neuro-Fuzzy Kolmogorov's Network with a Modified Perceptron Learning Rule for Classification Problems.- A Self-Tuning Controller for Teleoperation System using Evolutionary Learning Algorithms in Neural Networks.- A Neural-Based Method for Choosing Embedding Dimension in Chaotic Time Series Analysis.- On Classification of Some Hopfield-Type Learning Rules via Stability Measures.- Applications I.- A New Genetic Based Algorithm for Channel Assignment Problems.- Max-Product Fuzzy Relational Equations as Inference Engine for Prediction of Textile Yarn Properties.- Automatic Defects Classification and Feature Extraction Optimization.- Short-Term Load Forecasting in Power System Using Least Squares Support Vector Machine.- Plenary Talk.- Fifteen Years of Fuzzy Logic in Dortmund.- Invited Session: Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and Generalized Nets I.- Intuitionistic Fuzzy Graphs.- On Some Intuitionistic Properties of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Implications and Negations.- On Intuitionistic Fuzzy Negations.- Invited Session: Soft Computing Techniques for Reputation and Trust I.- A Simulation Model for Trust and Reputation System Evaluation in a P2P Network.- A Fuzzy Trust Model Proposal to Ensure the Identity of a User in Time.- Quantification of the Effectiveness of the Markov Model for Trustworthiness Prediction.- Applications II.- Fuzzy-Genetic Methodology for Web-based Computed-Aided Diagnosis in Medical Applications.- Weight Optimization for Loan Risk Estimation with Genetic Algorithm.- A Fuzzy Feature Extractor Neural Network and its Application in License Plate Recognition.- Invited Session: Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and Generalized Nets II.- Nearest Interval Approximation of an Intuitionistic Fuzzy Number.- On Intuitionistic Fuzzy Expert Systems With Temporal Parameters.- Generalized Fuzzy Cardinalities of IF Sets.- Invited Session: Soft Computing Techniques for Reputation and Trust II.- Towards Usage Policies for Fuzzy Inference Methodologies for Trust and QoS Assessment.- Simulating a Trust-Based Peer-to-Peer Metadata Publication Center.- The Complex Facets of Reputation and Trust.- Theory I.- Fuzzy Covering Relation and Ordering: An Abstract Approach.- Measures of Differentiability.- Lipschitz Continuity of Triangular Norms.- Plenary Talk.- Formal Models of Knowledge Operators: Rough-Set-Style and Fuzzy-Set-Style Approaches.- Invited Session: Looking at Language with Fuzzy Logic.- Using a Fuzzy Model for Combining Search Results from Different Information Sources to Build a Metasearch Engine.- Some Fuzzy Counterparts of the Language uses of And and Or.- Fuzzy Sets Versus Language.- Theory II.- Some Properties of Fuzzy Languages.- General Form of Lattice Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets.- A Note on Generated Pseudo-Operations with Two Parameters as a base for the Generalized Pseudo-Laplace Type Transform.- Theory III.- Fuzzy All-Pairs Shortest Paths Problem.- Optimal Toll Charges in a Fuzzy Flow Problem.- Modified Interval Global Weights in AHP.- Plenary Talk.- Fuzzy Approaches to Trust Management.- Invited Session: Complex-Valued Neural Networks.- Proposal of Holographic 3D-Movie Generation Using Coherent Neural-Network Interpolation.- Blur Identification Using Neural Network for Image Restoration.- Solving the Parity n Problem and Other Nonlinearly Separable Problems Using a Single Universal Binary Neuron.- Some Novel Real/Complex-Valued Neural Network Models.- Theory IV.- Extending the Fuzzy Rule Interpolation "FIVE" by Fuzzy Observation.- Fuzzy Rule Interpolation Based on Polar Cuts.- Approximate Reasoning Using Fodor's Implication.- Plenary Talk.- Brain-, Gene-, and Quantum-Inspired Computational Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities.- Invited Session: Intelligent Data Mining.- Incremental Learning for E-mail Classification.- Reduction of Search Space for Instance-Based Classifier Combination.- Invited Session: Preferences and Decisions.- Linguistic Matrix Aggregation Operators: Extensions of the Borda Rule.- Evolutionary Algorithms.- An Evolutionary Algorithm for the Biobjective QAP.- On a Hill-Climbing Algorithm with Adaptive Step Size: Towards a Control Parameter-Less Black-Box Optimisation Algorithm.- Self-Adaptive Baldwinian Search in Hybrid Genetic Algorithms.- Intragenerational Mutation Shape Adaptation.- Theory V.- The Choquet-Integral as an Aggregation Operator in Case-Based Learning.- Fuzzy Sets and Multicriteria Decision Making.- Fuzzy Reinforcement Learning for Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks.- Outlier Resistant Recursive Fuzzy Clustering Algorithms.- Invited Session: Fuzzy Sets - 40 years after.- Fuzzy Set Theory - 40 Years of Foundational Discussions.- Fuzzy Control - Expectations, Current State, and Perspectives.- Fuzzy Sets in Categories of Sets with Similarity Relations.- Fuzzy Sets as a Special Mathematical Model of Vagueness Phenomenon.- Fuzzy IF-THEN Rules from Logical Point of View.- Applications III.- Synthesizing Adaptive Navigational Robot Behaviours Using a Hybrid Fuzzy A* Approach.- Fuzzy Impulse Noise Reduction Methods for Color Images.- Use of Variable Fuzzy Sets Methods for Desertification Evaluation.- A Fuzzy Ultrasonic System for Estimating Degradation of Insulating Oil.- A Genetic Algorithm-Based Fuzzy Inference System in Prediction of Wave Parameters.- Poster Contributions.- Estimation of Degree of Polymerisation and Residual Age of Transformers Based on Furfural Levels in Insulating Oil Through Generalized Regression Neural Networks.- Fuzzy Shortest Paths in Fuzzy Graphs.- Improving Vegas Algorithm Using PID and Fuzzy PID Controllers.- A Fuzzy-Based Automation Level Analysis in Irrigation Equipment.- Motorized Skateboard Stabilization Using Fuzzy Controller.


This study examined the effects of melatonin on leptin-induced changes in sperm parameters in adult rats. Five groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either leptin or leptin and melatonin or melatonin for 6 weeks. Leptin was given daily via the intraperitoneal route (60 μg kg−1 body weight) and melatonin was given in drinking water (10 mg kg−1 or 20 mg kg−1 body weight per day). Upon completion, sperm count, sperm morphology, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, Comet assay, TUNEL assay, gene expression profiles of antioxidant enzymes, respiratory chain reaction enzymes, DNA damage, and apoptosis genes were estimated. Data were analyzed using ANOVA. Sperm count was significantly lower whereas the fraction of sperm with abnormal morphology, the level of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, and sperm DNA fragmentation were significantly higher in rats treated with leptin only. Microarray analysis revealed significant upregulation of apoptosis-inducing factor, histone acetyl transferase, respiratory chain reaction enzyme, cell necrosis and DNA repair genes, and downregulation of antioxidant enzyme genes in leptin-treated rats. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed significant decreases in glutathione peroxidase 1 expression with increases in the expression of apoptosis-inducing factor and histone acetyl transferase in leptin-treated rats. There was no change in the gene expression of caspase-3 (CASP-3). In conclusion, the adverse effects of leptin on sperm can be prevented by concurrent melatonin administration.


Color concentration is a key parameter to mark lubricant product specifications. Lubricant color does not necessarily indicate product quality, but the grade's color range can indicate possible contamination by another product. This study aims to design a side-polished fiber to measure color concentration in lubricants. The sensor is obtained by stripping the cladding of 1 mm polymer optical fiber. The side-polished fiber weaken light intensity due to the absorptive properties of color concentrate for visible light. The light source in this study is tri-color LED and the OPT101 as a light detector. Light passing through the fiber is converted by the detector into a voltage output. The results showed that the sensor is capable of detecting the concentration of color with measurement ranging from 10 mg/L to 200 mg/L. The output voltage of sensor's sensitivity is up to 0.039 (mg/L)/mV, 0.042 (mg/L)/mV and 0.047 (mg/L)/mV for the red, green and blue light sources respectively. The average linear correlation is 97.3 % in liquid lubricants. The designed sensor could be applied in ASTM D-1500 for color scale measurement of lubricant oil products.


Intergenotype recombinant RF2k/1b of hepatitis C virus was fi rstly detected in 2002 in the Russian Federation. In our study patients, infected with this recombinant, had high indices of liver fi brosis and did not achieve a sustained viral response to standard double therapy with exception of one participant. There are discussed and proposed options for treatment and diagnosis of these patients.


Background and aims: The importance of developing physical training and the need to expand it among students increases when the social harms and anomalies observed in this space are carefully analyzed. Knowing the pattern and model governing this matter helps prevent social anomalies. Since no study was done to discover this model, the present research was conducted to investigate the design of the development model of physical training for students of Iranian medical sciences universities. Methods: This study was conducted with an exploratory-fundamental nature, a qualitative approach, and the foundation's data strategy in 2021-2022. The data collection method was a semi-structured interview with 19 specialists and experts using purposeful sampling. The method of coding and forming concepts from the interviews was used to analyze the data. MAXQDATA2020 software was used to analyze the data. Then, the codes were categorized, and a conceptual model was presented. Results: The codes extracted from the interviews included 191 codes in 6 categories of causal conditions, central phenomenon, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategic conditions, and consequential conditions, as well as 38 components. Causal conditions include seven components and 27 codes; central phenomenon includes three components and 11 codes; contextual conditions include seven components and 36 codes; intervening conditions include eight components and 41 codes; strategic conditions include eight components and 43 codes and conditions a result includes five components and 24 codes. Conclusion: The developments of physical education and sports for students of medical sciences in Iran, taking into account its causes, axes, contexts, obstacles, and consequences, can inform the managers and planners of sports students of the Ministry of Health about its development process and trend. Students go to physical activity to prevent the wastage of available resources, including financial, human and physical, with careful planning and organization.


A gate-first self-aligned Ge n-channel MOSFET (nMOSFET) with chemical vapor deposited (CVD) high-/spl kappa/ gate dielectric HfO/sub 2/ was demonstrated. By tuning the thickness of the ultrathin silicon-passivation layer on top of the germanium, it is found that increasing the silicon thickness helps to reduce the hysteresis, fixed charge in the gate dielectric, and interface trap density at the oxide/semiconductor interface. About 61% improvement in peak electron mobility of the Ge nMOSFET with a thick silicon-passivation layer over the CVD HfO/sub 2//Si system was achieved.


BACKGROUND
One of the major problems in IVF is the poor response of the ovary to gonadotropins. ESRI and FSHR are two effective genes on controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH).

OBJECTIVES
Evaluating the correlation of alleles and genotypes of polymorphism (-29G/A) located in the FSH receptor gene and polymorphism (XbaI G/A) located in Estrogen receptor genes with the ovary's response would help to anticipate the results of ovulation in IVF cycles.

METHODS
In the present study, two hundred (200) blood samples were taken from infertile women aged 20 to 39 who were under IVF therapy. After DNA extraction from the samples, real-time PCR was performed using a specific probe-primer.

RESULTS
Statistical analysis revealed that the frequency of alleles and genotypes of polymorphisms (-29G/A) and (XbaI A/G) in women with normal to poor response did not have significant correlation.


The effect of an electrostatic crystal-field (CF) model on energy levels and oscillator strengths for Nd3+:YAG (where YAG denotes yttrium aluminum garnet) has been studied. Three parameters for the correction of the Slater integrals F2, F4, and F6 and one parameter to correct the spin-orbit constant for the effects of the linear configuration interaction have been introduced. The complete 364×364 energy matrix has been diagonalized directly. The various polarizabilities and shielding parameters used have been calculated by ab initio methods. All Stark levels within the Nd3+(4f3) configuration are presented. The calculated Stark splittings agree well with experiment. The electrostatic CF model used is therefore believed to be satisfactory. The eigenvectors of the complete energy matrix have been used to calculate oscillator strengths, which agree well with experiment. A refined Judd-Ofelt theory has been used. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ωλ are presented and found to be in excellent agreement with experiment. The temperature dependence of the spectrum is studied using a molecular-dynamics approach.


A single Dirac particle is bound in d dimensions by vector V(r) and scalar S(r) central potentials. The spin-symmetric S = V and pseudo-spin-symmetric S = −V cases are studied and it is shown that if two such potentials are ordered V(1) ⩽ V(2), then corresponding discrete eigenvalues are all similarly ordered E(1)κν ⩽ Eκν(2). This comparison theorem allows us to use envelope theory to generate spectral approximations with the aid of known exact solutions, such as those for Coulombic, harmonic-oscillator and Kratzer potentials. The example of the log potential V(r) = vln (r) is presented. Since V(r) is a convex transformation of the soluble Coulomb potential, this leads to a compact analytical formula for lower-bounds to the discrete spectrum. The resulting ground-state lower-bound curve EL(v) is compared with an accurate graph found by direct numerical integration.


International measurements of the molar volume of single-crystal silicon based on fifteen different samples have confirmed the 1986 value of the Avogadro constant recommended by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) but have not confirmed the 1998 CODATA recommended value and a value published recently. The concluding recommendation of this letter, therefore, is not to include the result for the particular sample used to obtain the latter value in any statistical analysis or adjustments of the values of fundamental physical constants.


Shashikant Patel,Piyush Yadav,Priyanshu Maurya Sushil kumar Yadav,Vikash kr.Gupta. Department of Pharmacy Prasad Institute of Technology Jaunpur 222001 U.P.INDIA ABSTRACT:Medicinal plants have a vital role to preserve the human healthy life. The large family Euphorbiaceae contains nearly about 300 genera and 7,500 species. Generally they are the flowering plants. Amongst all, the Ricinus communis or castor plant has high traditional and medicinal value for maintain the disease free healthy life. Traditionally the plant is used as laxative, purgative, fertilizer and fungicide etc. whereas the plant possess beneficial effects such as antioxidant, antihistaminic, Antinociceptive, antiasthmatic, antiulcer, immunomodulatory, Antidiabetic,hepatoprotective, Antifertility, anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, central nervous system stimulant, lipolytic, wound healing, insecticidal and Larvicidal and many other medicinal properties. This activity of the plant possess due to the important phytochemical constituents like flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids and steroids etc. The aim of this paper is to explain the details of phyto-pharmacological properties of Ricinus communis for the future research work.