We derive fermionic Green's functions in the background of the Euclidean solitons describing false vacuum decay in a prototypal Higgs-Yukawa theory. In combination with appropriate counterterms for the masses, couplings and wave-function normalization, these can be used to calculate radiative corrections to the soliton solutions and transition rates that fully account for the inhomogeneous background provided by the nucleated bubble. We apply this approach to the archetypal example of transitions between the quasi-degenerate vacua of a massive scalar field with a quartic self-interaction. The effect of fermion loops is compared with those from additional scalar fields, and the loop effects accounting for the spacetime inhomogeneity of the tunneling configuration are compared with those where gradients are neglected. We find that scalar loops lead to an enhancement of the decay rate, whereas fermion loops lead to a suppression. These effects get relatively amplified by a perturbatively small factor when gradients are accounted for. In addition, we observe that the radiative corrections to the solitonic field profiles are smoother when the gradients are included. The method presented here for computing fermionic radiative corrections should be applicable beyond the archetypal example of vacuum decay. In particular, we work out methods that are suitable for calculations in the thin-wall limit, as well as others that take account of the full spherical symmetry of the solution. For the latter case, we construct the Green's functions based on spin hyperspherical harmonics, which are eigenfunctions of the appropriate angular momentum operators that commute with the Dirac operator in the solitonic background.


With the development of graphic processing unit(GPU)power,it is now possible to implement geometric correction and edge blending functions on a single computer.However,the processing resources consumed by the geometric correction and edge blending phases still burden the system and slow down the main application considerably.A new platform independent scheme is proposed,minimizing the negative influence on performance.In this scheme,parameters for geometric correction and edge blending are firstly defined in an interactive way and recorded as a 32-bit high dynamic range(HDR) image,which is then used by high level shading language(HLSL) codes embedded in the main application as a lookup table,greatly reducing the computational complexity and enhancing flexibility.


Summary form only given. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF/sub 6/) is widely used as an insulating and arc interrupting gas in high-voltage systems and has found application in plasma processing of materials. Because it is nontoxic, chemically inert, and thermally stable at temperatures up to 500/spl deg/C, SF/sub 6/ has been considered to be an environmentally safe and acceptable gas for most applications. However, SF/sub 6/ is known to decompose in electrical discharges to form toxic and corrosive gaseous compounds such as SOF/sub 4/, SOF/sub 2/, SO/sub 2/F/sub 2/, and HF. These products are generated under a wide range of conditions in both low-pressure and high-pressure discharges. Of particular concern are the species S/sub 2/F/sub 10/ and S/sub 2/O/sub 2/F/sub 10/ that are known to be highly toxic and to be formed in corona, spark, and arc discharges in high-pressure SF/sub 6/. The conditions under which these byproducts are formed, the methods for removal, and the possible hazards that they present are reviewed. Sulfur hexafluoride is also an efficient absorber of infrared radiation and is estimated to have a global warming potential that is 2.5/spl times/10/sup 4/ times greater than that of CO/sub 2/.


In this paper, a novel sampling algorithm that allows for multiple, independent rules to be efficiently merged into a single sampling decision will be presented. A brief discussion of past sampling technologies that motivated the development of the new system will also be included. Finally, the ability of the application to deal with various factory dynamics will be discussed.


This thesis is about the blurring boundaries between audiences and producers as a result of new social media technology and new approaches to journalism in international broadcasting to Africa, commonly referred to as participatory journalism. Audience participation, it has been suggested, can foster stronger democracy through engaging citizens in democratic debate or in the BBC World Service words, 'a global conversation'. Informed by deliberative democracy and dialogue theory, I use dialogic deliberation as a critical evaluative framework to understand the relationship between participatory journalism and democratic debate. This research goes beyond existing studies about participatory journalism by focusing on the relationship between a British broadcaster and social media audiences in Africa, thus contributing to a new understanding of media power and transnational deliberation between the Global North and the Global South.

The work draws on ethnographic data collected through participant observation at the BBC African services in London and on social media through three mediated moments a) a crowd sourced Nigerian Election map b) the launch of a new audience led programme and c) Facebook discussions about football. Through unique access to both the newsroom, the BBC's own web analytics systems, and by using both qualitative and quantitative methods, I demonstrate how it is changing journalistic and audience practices, and not social media technology by itself that is contributing to advancing international democratic debate. I also found that in order to allow for a more inclusive and accessible democratic debate, journalists need to give up their gatekeeping culture and use a more dialogic approach to participation including; inclusion and equality that allow personal storytelling, reciprocity and respect in debates, self-reflection of their own values and mutual exploration of news topics together with participating audiences.


BACKGROUND
Data on the clinical profile of early breast cancer (EBC) from India is scant. Due to differences in genetics, environment, lifestyle, socio-demographic structure and ethnicity, the presentation and behavior of breast cancer in India may be different.

AIMS
To analyze the clinical presentation and outcome of EBC patients.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN
A single center retrospective study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data from 487 EBC patients registered and treated at our institute from 1993 through 1999 were analyzed. Cox's multivariate regression test was used to determine prognostic factors for overall and disease-free survival (OS & DFS).

RESULTS
The median age was 47 years and 49.7% patients were pre-menopausal. Ninety-six per cent patients presented with a lump. Stages I, IIa, and IIb comprised 7.8%, 38.8%, and 47.6% respectively. Only 11.3% patients opted for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) while the remaining 88.7% underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM). Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 275 (56.5%), and radiotherapy to 146 (29.9%). Estrogen receptor status was known in 173, of whom 93 (53.7%) were positive. Most patients were prescribed Tamoxifen for 5 years. At a median follow-up of 48 months, 126 (25.9%) patients had relapsed (systemic 107, loco-regional 19) and 94 (19.3%) had died. Five-year DFS and OS were 73% and 78%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, four positive nodes adversely influenced survival (P< 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
The median age at presentation was 47 years, significantly lower than most Western figures. The majority (86.4%) had a lump size > two cm. BCS was done in only 11% and the rest underwent MRM. Nodal involvement was the significant prognostic factor.


The integration of the Slovak Republic into the European Union and the globalization process create conditions that significantly reduce barriers to entry into particular markets, but, on the other hand, enhance the intensity of competition. The relevance of the study lies in the extent of the European Union's support for the effectiveness of innovation activities in Slovakia. This paper investigates the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors on the competitiveness of Slovak enterprises over the period 2006–2018. The study is aimed at determining the causal relationship of factors that determine the competitiveness of enterprises. To investigate the relationship between the endogenous and exogenous factors, the Granger causality method is used. Mathematical models are used to identify the relationship between innovation expenditures on the one hand and different types of innovation activity with market expansion on the other. The results of the study provide a statistically significant relationship between the performance measured by the percentage of revenues of enterprises that have introduced innovations with a two-year lag and the concentration measured by the total R&D expenditure of an enterprise. The results of this study should also be used to ensure that, in the case of the Slovak SME sector, R&D expenditure is a significant driver of innovation in enterprises, as innovation in enterprises is expected to improve the quality of products and services, increase profits and expansion in domestic and foreign markets.
AcknowledgmentThis paper has been supported by funds of the project VEGA No. 1/0240/20 and VEGA No. 1/0813/19 Managing the development of innovative and start-up forms of businesses in international environment and verification of INMARK concept, which has received funding from the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic.


The research aim was to study the growth of Dendrobium applied with various concentrations of super bionik fertilizer. The research conducted used a Randomized Block Design consisting of 6 treatments: without super bionik fertilizer, 1 ml super bionik fertilizer/l water, 2 ml super bionik fertilizer/l water, 3 ml super bionik fertilizer/l water, 4 super bionik fertilizer ml/l water, 4 ml super bionik fertilizer/l water, and super bionik fertilizer 5 ml/l water. Each treatment was replicated 3 times. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and HSD at 5 %. The research results showed that the application of super bionik fertilizer significantly increased plant height and leaf number but no significant effect on the number of buds. The application of super bionic fertilizer at concentration of 4 ml/l water showed greater plant height and number of leaf than the other concentrations.


Filling epoxy resin (EP) with boron nitride (BN) nanosheets (BNNSs) can effectively improve the thermal conductivity of BN/EP nanocomposites. However, due to the few hydroxyl groups on the surface of BNNSs, silane coupling agent (SCA) cannot effectively modify BNNSs. The agglomeration of BNNSs is severe, which significantly reduces the AC breakdown strength of the composites. Therefore, this paper uses atmospheric pressure bipolar nanosecond pulse dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) Ar+H2O low temperature plasma to hydroxylate BNNSs to improve the AC breakdown strength and thermal conductivity of the composites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the hydroxyl content of the BNNSs surface increases nearly two fold after plasma modification. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) show that plasma modification enhances the dehydration condensation reaction of BNNSs with SCA, and the coating amount of SCA on the BNNSs surface increases by 45%. The breakdown test shows that the AC breakdown strength of the composites after plasma modification is improved under different filling contents. With the filling content of BNNSs increasing from 10% to 20%, the composites can maintain a certain insulation strength. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of the composites increases by 67% as the filling content increases from 10% (SCA treated) to 20% (plasma and SCA treated). Therefore, the plasma hydroxylation modification method used in this paper can provide a basis for the preparation of high thermal conductivity insulating materials.


This paper investigates the effect of heat treatment temperature on the stiffness and strength properties of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco) and common alder (Alnus glutinosa Gaertn.) woods. Two temperatures of heat treatment were used: 165 and 210 °C. The effects of dynamic elasticity modulus, static elasticity modulus, impact toughness, bending strength, and density were evaluated. It is already understood that the mechanical properties, primarily the bending strength, decreases with increasing temperature. In contrast to the favorable stability in shape and dimension that was achieved, the changes in the woods' properties with temperature were mostly negative. Higher heat treatment temperatures corresponded with lower stiffness and strength properties. For higher temperature treatments, above 200 °C, deterioration of the tested properties was noticable as a result of the significant changes in the wood chemical structure. Even the positive effect of the equilibrium moisture decrease was not able to counterbalance the unfavorable changes. Moreover, it was observed that as the hemicellulose content is higher in alder wood, density, static bending strength, and toughness all decreased steadily at high temperatures, compared to Douglas fir wood.


Localization of constituent nodes is of fundamental importance in many wireless sensor networks (WSNs) related applications. Existing research has mainly investigated the problem of localization in static WSNs, where the localization is performed mainly at the time of the node deployment. In contrast, it is important to keep track of the current locations of the nodes by invoking the localization algorithm periodically in mobile nodes. The high computation cost associated with most existing localization algorithms makes them less practical to use in resource constrained mobile sensor networks (MSNs). Additionally, these existing techniques often fail in hostile environments where some of the nodes may be compromised by adversaries, and used to transmit misleading information aimed at preventing accurate localization of the remaining sensors. In this paper, we build on our earlier work to propose an iterative gradient descent based technique with low computational complexity to securely localize nodes in MSNs. The proposed algorithm combines iterative gradient descent with selective pruning of inconsistent measurements to achieve a high localization accuracy. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can find a map of relative locations of the MSN even when some nodes are compromised and transmit false information.


Offering a systematic analysis of texts produced between the court of Burgundy in the 1470s and the court of the Austrian Habsburgs in the early 1700s, this book traces the development of the idea of successful and competent political behaviour as seen through the eyes of court historians between the fifteenth and the eighteenth centuries.


Population studies show that greater red and processed meat consumption increases colorectal cancer risk, whereas dietary fibre is protective. In rats, resistant starches (a dietary fibre component) oppose colonocyte DNA strand breaks induced by high red meat diets, consistent with epidemiological data. Protection appears to be through SCFA, particularly butyrate, produced by large bowel carbohydrate fermentation. Arabinoxylans are important wheat fibre components and stimulate large bowel carbohydrate SCFA production. The present study aimed to determine whether an arabinoxylan-rich fraction (AXRF) from wheat protected colonocytes from DNA damage and changed colonic microbial composition in pigs fed with a diet high (30 %) in cooked red meat for 4 weeks. AXRF was primarily fermented in the caecum, as indicated by higher tissue and digesta weights and higher caecal (but not colonic) acetate, propionate and total SCFA concentrations. Protein fermentation product concentrations (caecal p-cresol and mid- and distal colonic phenol) were lower in pigs fed with AXRF. Colonocyte DNA damage was lower in pigs fed with AXRF. The microbial profiles of mid-colonic mucosa and adjacent digesta showed that bacteria affiliating with Prevotella spp. and Clostridial cluster IV were more abundant in both the mucosa and digesta fractions of pigs fed with AXRF. These data suggest that, although AXRF was primarily fermented in the caecum, DNA damage was reduced in the large bowel, occurring in conjunction with lower phenol concentrations and altered microbial populations. Further studies to determine the relationships between these changes and the lowering of colonocyte DNA damage are warranted.


The ~cle-unstable nuclei SHe and Su have been studied via the 4He<,U,6U)SHe and 4He( Li,6He)SU stripping reactions at beam energies of 50 MeV and the 6U(12C, 13N)SHe and 6Li(13C, 14C)SU pickup reactions at 90 MeV. The experimental data clearly demonstrate a dependence of the lineshapes on the method of production of the mass-5 nuclei (in this case pickup or stripping). The observed lineshapes were analysed using the R-matrix formalism in a two-level approximation for each r value, with parameter values deduced from fits to the available 4He + nucleon scattering data. A best channel radius of 5·5 ± 1· 0 fm was determined from the stripping data, and the corresponding set of R-matrix parameters also provided a satisfactory description of the pickup data. This channel radius is significantly larger than that employed in most previous analyses. Properties of the lowest ~ - and ! - sta~s of SHe and sU, observed via direct reactions, ate deduced from the parameter values. These properties are compared with results from earlier experimental analyses and the inferred properties of positive-parity states are compared with the results of recent shell-model calculations.


BACKGROUND
The effect of physical training on insulin resistance (IR) in chronic heart failure (CHF) remains unclear.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Fourteen patients with CHF performed physical training using a bicycle ergometer; 9 patients (64%) were hyperinsulinemic and insulin resistant (HOMA IR > 1.97). Exercise tolerance increased (5.1 +/- 1.7 to 6.9 +/- 2.7 METs, p < 0.05) and heart rate at rest decreased (82 +/- 15 to 72 +/- 6, p < 0.05) in the IR group after physical training. Physical training also decreased the insulin level (15.1 +/- 5.6 to 9.8 +/- 2.6 microU/ml, p < 0.05) and HOMA IR (3.7 +/- 1.4 to 2.3 +/- 0.6, p < 0.05) in the IR group, but not in the 5 patients (36%) without IR or in 6 control patients.

CONCLUSION
Physical training can improve hyperinsulinemia and IR in patients with CHF.


ABSTRACT UL9, the origin binding protein of herpes simplex virus type 1, is a member of the SF2 family of helicases. Cotransfection of cells with infectious viral DNA and plasmids expressing either full-length UL9 or the C-terminal DNA binding domain alone results in the drastic inhibition of plaque formation which can be partially relieved by an insertion mutant lacking DNA binding activity. In this work, C-terminally truncated mutants which terminate at or near residue 359 were shown to potentiate plaque formation, while other C-terminal truncations were inhibitory. Thus, residues in the N-terminal region appear to regulate the inhibitory properties of UL9. To identify which residues were involved in this regulation, a series of N-terminally truncated mutants were constructed which contain the DNA binding domain and various N-terminal extensions. Mutants whose N terminus is either at residue 494 or 535 were able to bind the origin efficiently and were inhibitory to plaque formation, whereas constructs whose N terminus is at residue 304 or 394 were defective in origin binding activity and were able to relieve inhibition. Since UL9 is required for viral infection at early but not late times and is inhibitory to infection when overexpressed, we propose that the DNA binding activities of UL9 are regulated during infection. For infection to proceed, UL9 may need to switch from a DNA binding to a non-DNA binding mode, and we suggest that sequences residing in the N terminus play a role in this switch.


Cadherins and neuroligins (NLs) represent two families of cell adhesion proteins that are essential for the establishment of synaptic connections in vitro; however, it remains unclear whether these proteins act in concert to regulate synapse density. Using a combination of overexpression and knockdown analyses in primary hippocampal neurons, we demonstrate that NL1 and N-cadherin promote the formation of glutamatergic synapses through a common functional pathway. Analysis of the spatial relationship between N-cadherin and NL1 indicates that in 14-day in vitro cultures, almost half of glutamatergic synapses are associated with both proteins, whereas only a subset of these synapses are associated with N-cadherin or NL1 alone. This suggests that NL1 and N-cadherin are spatially distributed in a manner that enables cooperation at synapses. In young cultures, N-cadherin clustering and its association with synaptic markers precede the clustering of NL1. Overexpression of N-cadherin at this time point enhances NL1 clustering and increases synapse density. Although N-cadherin is not sufficient to enhance NL1 clustering and synapse density in more mature cultures, knockdown of N-cadherin at later time points significantly attenuates the density of NL1 clusters and synapses. N-cadherin overexpression can partially rescue synapse loss in NL1 knockdown cells, possibly due to the ability of N-cadherin to recruit NL2 to glutamatergic synapses in these cells. We demonstrate that cadherins and NLs can act in concert to regulate synapse formation.


This paper explores the links between channel/floodplain morphometry, streamflow variability, and sediment transport across a wide range of scales and frequencies of discharge. On the basis of extensive analysis of observations from a climatologically and geologically homogeneous region in the midwestern United States, we provide evidence that streamflow statistics are significantly affected by the scale‐dependent channel/floodplain interactions, which in turn are controlled by (and at the same time actively participate in defining) the dominant fluvial processes at a given scale. More specifically, we document that (1) the channel cross‐sectional geometry exerts a strong control on the frequency distributions of both daily and maximum annual discharges; (2) the frequency of exceedance of bank‐full discharge is scale dependent (particularly, channels draining large areas flood less often but stay overbank longer than channels draining small areas); (3) the critical area at which the variability of floods with scale changes from increasing to decreasing associates with the scale at which the fluvial regime changes from net‐erosional to net‐depositional and the floodplain gets well established due to its increased frequency of occupation by the flow; and (4) scaling in suspended sediment load reflects the scaling in channel and floodplain morphometry and depicts the signature of the aforementioned fluvial regime transition. The observation is made that maximum annual floods are composed of two distinct populations, one from below and one from above bank‐full flows, and that the quantile at which this transition occurs depends on scale. On the basis of this observation, the notion of statistical multiscaling of floods is reexamined.


Plasmons have been investigated in highly doped GaAs/Al0.2Ga0.8As multiple quantum well structures using the far-infrared techniques of dispersive Fourier transform spectroscopy and polarized oblique-incidence reflection spectroscopy. The plasma effective masses were obtained from comparison with van der Pauw measurements, and found to be considerably enhanced over their bulk values. This enhancement has been compared with that obtained using non-parabolicity theory. Good agreement is obtained, but the results suggest that the theory slightly underestimates the effect.


T HE N-Town plays are a scribal compilatio, written down and compiled in East Anglia during the second half of the fifteenth century, that self-reflexively meditates on the range and effects of vernacular drama. The preoccupation of these plays with the limits and potential of vernacular dramatic activity implicates them in the contemporary political debates about the appropriate role of the vernacular in late medieval English culture. In his efforts to define the parameters of vernacular drama, the N-Town scribe-compiler enacts a sort of theatrical self-analysis through his depiction of the complex interaction between two contrasting theatrical models: the monologic and the dialogic. The first or monologic model conceives of theater as a resolutely


Kaplan bases his analysis of Gower's English vocabulary on Macaulay's word list to the CA. The total number of words is 6006, of which 882 are proper names and 476 are variants of other words. The net number – 4648 words – seems much lower than the tally for Shakespeare, Milton, or even Chaucer. However, Kaplan ridicules the idea that "the greater the genius the greater the vocabulary" (396), and he finds the real interest in the percentage of loan words in Gower's vocabulary. Gower's diction is 54.9% Anglo-Saxon, 4.2% Latin, and 37.9% French, and a small percentage Other. However, when we take into account frequency of occurrence, then Gower's use of Anglo-Saxon words is likely around 90%. Kaplan further lists words from J to Z (Macaulay covered A to I) where Gower is the first citation in the NED (i.e., the OED). However, he concludes by casting some doubt on the value of first citations. [CvD]


The cytotoxic potential of blood lymphocyters from healthy donors was tested against freshly isolated lung cancer cells and the erythroleukemia K562 cell line in short-term 51Cr release assays conducted at an effector:target ratio of 50:1. Most donors exhibited significant activity against K6-562 cells. By contrast, fresh tumor cells were refractory, only 6 of 30 showing significant cytotoxicity. The low susceptibility of these tumor cells was confirmed in third-party cold inhibition assays in which they interfered minimally with killing of K562 targets under conditions in which unlabeled K562 cells efficiently blocked cytotoxicity. Cells prepared from normal lung tissue and Raji cells also failed to inhibit killing. Although in comparison to the K562 cell line freshly isolated tumor cells were resistant, their susceptibility may not be so low as to be biologically irrelevant, inasmuch as boosting of natural killing activity by interferon induced levels of cytotoxicity against both types of target cell that were unattainable by unstimulated effectors. Interferon-boosted killers were lytic for "normal" lung cells and the Raji cell line.


Hypothesis How to induce most efficiently severe sensorineural hearing loss in mice using a single coadministration of an aminoglycoside antibiotic and a loop diuretic? Background The coadministration of aminoglycosides and a loop diuretic has been widely used to induce hair cell and spiral ganglion cell loss in guinea pigs. However, the development of new treatment strategies against sensorineural hearing loss, such as tissue engineering techniques, requires the use of mouse models. Previous attempts to induce hearing loss in mice have rendered inconsistent results because of resistance to aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity. Especially inner hair cells seem to be resistant to aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity. Methods In the present study, we aim to optimize hearing loss in mice, using a single high-dose kanamycin (700 and 1,000 mg/kg) injection followed by a furosemide (100 mg/kg) administration. Although previous studies used intraperitoneal furosemide injections 30 minutes after kanamycin administration, we used intravenous furosemide injections administered within 5 minutes after kanamycin treatment. Results Auditory brain stem responses illustrated severe threshold shifts, and histologic analysis showed marked outer hair cell destruction as well as spiral ganglion cell loss. The present protocol results in more severe inner hair cell loss when compared with the results of previous researches. Conclusion We conclude that severe sensorineural hearing loss can be induced in mice. Moreover, we found that this mouse model can be augmented via the use of rapid intravenous furosemide administrations to maximize inner hair cell loss.


We describe a 2-GHz evanescent microwave magnetic dipole probe and its applications in imaging high-frequency electromagnetic properties of metallic magnetic samples. The probe offers the advantages of low cost and ease of implementation. It consists of a small inductive metallic loop fed by a microstripline resonator that is scanned over ferromagnetic samples. In contrast to the electric dipole probe reported previously, the magnetic dipole probe has higher input admittance, making it more suitable for quantitative imaging of high-conductivity metallic samples. When calibrated with a Gauss probe, the magnetic dipole probe was insensitive to electric field while it detected the magnetic field above the magnetized ferromagnetic sample with 1% accuracy and 0.06% resolution at 2 GHz. Using a simplified circuit model of the resonator, we were able to interpret the probe's output and predict the magnitude of the reflected wave and relate it to the magnetic properties of the samples under investigation.


Tumor cells have the ability to induce platelet activation and aggregation. This has been documented to be involved in tumor progression in several types of cancers, such as lung, colon, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, and brain. During the process, platelets protect circulating tumor cells from the deleterious effects of shear forces, shield tumor cells from the immune system, and provide growth factors, facilitating metastatic spread and tumor growth at the original site as well as at the site of metastasis. Herein, we present a wider view on the induction of platelet aggregation by specific factors primarily developed by cancer, including coagulation factors, adhesion receptors, growth factors, cysteine proteases, matrix metalloproteinases, glycoproteins, soluble mediators, and selectins. These factors may be presented on the surface of tumor cells as well as in their microenvironment, and some may trigger more than just one simple receptor–ligand mechanism. For a better understanding, we briefly discuss the physiological role of the factors in the platelet activation process, and subsequently, we provide scientific evidence and discuss their potential role in the progression of specific cancers. Targeting tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) by antiplatelet drugs may open ways to develop new treatment modalities. On the one hand, it may affect patients' prognosis by enhancing known therapies in advanced-stage tumors. On the other hand, the use of drugs that are mostly easily accessible and widely used in general practice may be an opportunity to propose an unparalleled antitumor prophylaxis. In this review, we present the recent discoveries of mechanisms by which cancer cells activate platelets, and discuss new platelet-targeted therapeutic strategies.


The competitive nature of Cloud marketplaces as new concerns in delivery of services makes the pricing policies a crucial task for firms. so that, pricing strategies has recently attracted many researchers. Since game theory can handle such competing well this concern is addressed by designing a normal form game between providers in current research. A committee is considered in which providers register for improving their competition based pricing policies. The functionality of game theory is applied to design dynamic pricing policies. The usage of the committee makes the game a complete information one, in which each player is aware of every others payoff functions. The players enhance their pricing policies to maximize their profits. The contribution of this paper is the quantitative modeling of Cloud marketplaces in form of a game to provide novel dynamic pricing strategies; the model is validated by proving the existence and the uniqueness of Nash equilibrium of the game.


In a parallel randomized placebo controlled clinical trial the authors tested two synthetic gestagens--allylestrenol and lynestrenol--in the treatment of postmenopausal flushes. Both preparations were administered during a six-week period in rapidly declining doses. Allylestrenol was administered in initial doses of 30 mg/d, after five days the doses were reduced so that after 15 days a daily dose of 5 mg was reached. The initial dose of lynestrenol was 10 mg/d with a similar gradual decline to 1.25 mg per day. The trial comprised 42 women with menopausal flushes after a natural or artificial menopause (castration). Both preparations improved the subjective condition of the patients and reduced the gonadotropic production significantly better than placebo (p < 0.05). Subjective relief after lynestrenol was recorded after the second week of therapy, in allylestrenol only after the sixth week when the effects of the two preparations were equal and significantly better than after placebo. Suppression of gonadotropin production was similar after both preparation but with a more rapid onset after lynestrenol and a more prolonged effect after allylestrenol even after significant reduction of the doses. No serious undesirable effects were recorded, no changes in indicators of liver functions or serum lipids incl. the HDL/LDL ratio. Endometrial bleeding after administration of hormones was not more frequent than after placebo. In the discussion the authors analyze some aspect of treatment of the climacteric syndrome by means of these hormones. Allylestrenol in particular is an interesting gestagen due to its inherent oestrogenic effect in the absence of an androgenic effect.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of kiln temperature,
relative humidity and wood moisture content on the content of acid and alcohol released in the drying process of high temperature kiln by studying the radiated pine sawn timber of 40mm thickness. The drying temperature was between 101°C and 115°C, the relative humidity in the drying kiln was reduced from 86.1% to 39.6%, the moisture content of the lumber was reduced from 106.16% to 11.98%, and gas extraction was executed nine times with an extraction speed of 1.0 L•min-1 and a sampling time of 30 min. The concentrations of acids and alcohols were analyzed by HPLC. The results showed that the concentrations of formic acid, acetic acid, and methanol emitted in the kiln during drying were 215.6-748.2, 4148.8-16803.2, and 6381.9-15648.9 mg•m-3, respectively, and these concentrations were significantly higher than the relevant standards. The concentrations of the emitted formic acid and acetic acid were proportional to the drying temperature, the concentrations of the emitted formic acid and acetic acid were inversely proportional to the relative humidity in the kiln and the moisture content of the lumber. The concentration of the emitted methanol was independent of the drying temperature, relative humidity in the kiln, and moisture content of the lumber. It is therefore suggested that formic acid, acetic acid, and methanol be separately recovered during the high-temperature drying of Pinus radiata lumber.


Background Melanoma patients vaccinated with tumor-associated antigens frequently develop measurable peptide-specific CD8+ T cell responses; however, such responses often do not confer clinical benefit. Understanding why vaccine-elicited responses are beneficial in some patients but not in others will be important to improve targeted cancer immunotherapies. Methods and Findings We analyzed peptide-specific CD8+ T cell responses in detail, by generating and characterizing over 200 cytotoxic T lymphocyte clones derived from T cell responses to heteroclitic peptide vaccination, and compared these responses to endogenous anti-tumor T cell responses elicited naturally (a heteroclitic peptide is a modification of a native peptide sequence involving substitution of an amino acid at an anchor residue to enhance the immunogenicity of the peptide). We found that vaccine-elicited T cells are diverse in T cell receptor variable chain beta expression and exhibit a different recognition profile for heteroclitic versus native peptide. In particular, vaccine-elicited T cells respond to native peptide with predominantly low recognition efficiency—a measure of the sensitivity of a T cell to different cognate peptide concentrations for stimulation—and, as a result, are inefficient in tumor lysis. In contrast, endogenous tumor-associated-antigen-specific T cells show a predominantly high recognition efficiency for native peptide and efficiently lyse tumor targets. Conclusions These results suggest that factors that shape the peptide-specific T cell repertoire after vaccination may be different from those that affect the endogenous response. Furthermore, our findings suggest that current heteroclitic peptide vaccination protocols drive expansion of peptide-specific T cells with a diverse range of recognition efficiencies, a significant proportion of which are unable to respond to melanoma cells. Therefore, it is critical that the recognition efficiency of vaccine-elicited T cells be measured, with the goal of advancing those modalities that elicit T cells with the greatest potential of tumor reactivity.


Summary . Stripe (yellow) rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici ( Pst ), is a major threat to wheat production in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWA-NA). Effective fungicides are available, but host resistance remains the most economical, effective and ecologically sustainable method for stripe rust control. Understanding the genetic diversity of resistance to Pst is a key element in breeding for durable rust resistance. Multipathotype tests were performed on 87 elite lines of bread wheat from the spring wheat breeding programme at the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), 23 Lebanese bread and durum wheat varieties, and 28 Lebanese landraces, with 11 Pst pathotypes. Low and high infection types were identified for the resistance genes Yr1 , Yr3 , Yr4 , Yr6 , Yr7 , Yr9 , Yr17 , Yr25 , Yr27 , and Yr32 . All but one of these genes ( Yr32 being the exception) were postulated. ICARDA elite lines displayed greater diversity for Yr genes than the Lebanese varieties and landraces. Yr27 was the most frequent Yr gene postulated singly in the Lebanese varieties. Yr7, together with other unidentified Yr genes, was the most frequent gene in the ICARDA elite lines. Combinations of two Yr genes were common in ICARDA elite lines. These results confirm that the landraces consist of several genotypes. Seventy-five percent of landraces were susceptible to all pathotypes, but they displayed resistance diversity, with different proportions of resistant seedlings. In two landraces, some plants were resistant to the Warrior pathotype, which has recently spread in CWANA regions, and to other pathotypes. This indicates the presence of new resistance genes in these landraces. Some landraces, elite ICARDA lines and Lebanese varieties were completely resistant to all pathotypes, and are therefore potential sources of new resistances


Here we report the case of a noncompliant 50-year-old female patient with high-grade, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and strong family cancer history. She only agreed to start treatment after being admitted to the hospital with advanced stage disease and severe anaemia resulting from bulky, ulcerated, and actively bleeding tumor. Therapy was promptly started with platinum-based chemotherapy, resulting in extremely rapid clinical remission and complete control of local symptoms. In conclusion, we hypothesise that even a single course of platinum-based chemotherapy could bring under control life-threatening complications in hereditary TNBC and, therefore, it should be administered without hesitation in emergency circumstances if the patient can tolerate one dose of the medication.


We analyze the relationships between atomic, neutral hydrogen (H i) and star formation (SF) in the 12 low-mass SHIELD galaxies. We compare high spectral (∼0.82 km s−1 ch−1) and spatial resolution (physical resolutions of 160–640 pc) H i imaging from the VLA with Hα and far-ultraviolet imaging. We quantify the degree of co-spatiality between star-forming regions and regions of high H i column densities. We calculate the global star formation efficiencies (SFE; / ) and examine the relationships among the SFE and H i mass, H i column density, and star formation rate (SFR). The systems are consuming their cold neutral gas on timescales of order a few gigayears. While we derive an index for the Kennicutt–Schmidt relation of N ≈ 0.68 ± 0.04 for the SHIELD sample as a whole, the values of N vary considerably from system to system. By supplementing SHIELD results with those from other surveys, we find that H i mass and UV-based SFR are strongly correlated over five orders of magnitude. Identification of patterns within the SHIELD sample allows us to bin the galaxies into three general categories: (1) mainly co-spatial H i and SF regions, found in systems with the highest peak H i column densities and highest total H i masses; (2) moderately correlated H i and SF regions, found in systems with moderate H i column densities; and (3) obvious offsets between H i and SF peaks, found in systems with the lowest total H i masses. SF in these galaxies is dominated by stochasticity and random fluctuations in their ISM.


In this paper we give an overview of partial orders on the space of probability distributions that carry a notion of information content and serve as a generalisation of the Bayesian order given in (Coecke and Martin, 2011). We investigate what constraints are necessary in order to get a unique notion of information content. These partial orders can be used to give an ordering on words in vector space models of natural language meaning relating to the contexts in which words are used, which is useful for a notion of entailment and word disambiguation. The construction used also points towards a way to create orderings on the space of density operators which allow a more fine-grained study of entailment. The partial orders in this paper are directed complete and form domains in the sense of domain theory.


Individuals with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva are born with malformations of the great toes and develop a heterotopic skeleton during childhood because of an identical heterozygous mutation in the glycine-serine activation domain of ACVR1, a bone morphogenetic protein type I receptor. Substitution of adenine for guanine at nucleotide 617 replaces an evolutionarily conserved arginine with histidine at residue 206 of ACVR1 in all classically affected individuals, making this one of the most highly conserved disease-causing mutations in the human genome. To better understand the molecular constraints and physiological implications of this mutation, we performed in silico modeling of wild-type and mutant ACVR1. In both the wild-type ACVR1 model and template crystal structures (TβRI), the conserved arginine appears to form a salt bridge with an invariant aspartate residue. Although lysine, a conservative substitution in BMPRIA and BMPRIB, can be readily accommodated, histidine at residue 206 (like in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva) would participate in a salt bridge with the aspartate only at decreased intracellular pH and with extensive structural rearrangement. Protein modeling predicts that substitution with histidine, and only histidine, creates a pH-sensitive switch within the activation domain of the receptor that leads to ligand-independent activation of ACVR1 in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.


Abstract Twenty four species of Cancellariidae belonging to eleven genera occurring in the Neogene Bocas del Toro assemblages, Caribbean Panama, are discussed and figured. The following seven species are described as new: Cancellaria pilula n. sp., Cancellaria isabelae n. sp., Cancellaria stri n. sp., Cancellaria axelolssoni n. sp., Massyla corpulenta n. sp., Aphera trophis n. sp., Admetula valientensis n. sp. The cancellarid genus Charcolleria Olsson, 1942 is considered a synonym of Massyla H. Adams and A. Adams, 1854. Of the 24 species present in the Bocas del Toro, 12 are known also to occur elsewhere in the tropical American Neogene. This level of endemism is high, but not as high as that reported from other Tropical American Neogene assemblages, probably due to the very central geographic location within the Gatunian Province of the Bocas assemblages.


This paper presents the design and experimental verification of a field-modulated permanent-magnet (FMPM) machine using spoke-magnet outer rotor for direct-drive wind turbines. The fundamental operation and optimised design process of the proposed machine are elaborated and discussed in detail. The electromagnetic analytical calculation is used for the initial determination of the prototype design, mainly concerning the special constraints of wind power generation, and the two-dimensional finite element analysis is also applied to optimise and investigate the detailed characteristics. A 5 kW prototype is constructed, and the measured performances have verified the analysis and design, justifying that the proposed machine can offer significant advantages of high-torque capability and low-voltage regulation. Experience gained from this study has led to develop a general design guideline for the open-slot FMPM machine using spoke-magnet outer rotor for direct-drive applications.


A structure prediction method for layered materials based on two-dimensional (2D) particle swarm optimization algorithm is developed. The relaxation of atoms in the perpendicular direction within a given range is allowed. Additional techniques including structural similarity determination, symmetry constraint enforcement, and discretization of structure constructions based on space gridding are implemented and demonstrated to significantly improve the global structural search efficiency. Our method is successful in predicting the structures of known 2D materials, including single layer and multi-layer graphene, 2D boron nitride (BN) compounds, and some quasi-2D group 6 metals(VIB) chalcogenides. Furthermore, by use of this method, we predict a new family of mono-layered boron nitride structures with different chemical compositions. The first-principles electronic structure calculations reveal that the band gap of these N-rich BN systems can be tuned from 5.40 eV to 2.20 eV by adjusting the composition.


In this work, the catalyst (0.75In2O3-0,25 Ag2O и 0,25Fe3O4-0,75 Ni2O3) for selective and highly sensitive methane sensor was selected. Selective natural gas thermochemical sensors have been developed using selected catalysts. In a wide range of parameters, the influence of various parameters was studied and optimal conditions providing the highest thermochemical sensor signal were established.


The paper summaries the Anna Freud Centre-University College London, Parent-Child Project, which found that the security of the infant's relationship with both parents at 12 and 18 months could be predicted on the basis of qualitative aspects of the parents' accounts of their own childhoods collected before the birth of the child. This confirmed Selma Fraiberg's observations concerning the reemergence of childhood conflicts at early stages of pregnancy. Possible mechanisms mediating this link are explored with particular reference to the role of the parents' accurate mental representations of the infant's mental world.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between intention to lose weight, actual weight loss, and all-cause mortality among overweight individuals with diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We performed a prospective analysis among 1,401 overweight diabetic adults aged > or =35 years sampled in the National Health Interview Survey. The previous year intention to lose weight and weight change were assessed by self-report. Nine-year mortality rates were examined according to intent to lose weight and weight loss, which were adjusted for age, sex, education, ethnicity, smoking, initial body weight, and diabetes complications.

RESULTS
Individuals trying to lose weight had a 23% lower mortality rate (hazard rate ratio [HRR] 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.99) than those who reported not trying to lose weight. This association was as strong for those who failed to lose weight (0.72, 0.55-0.96) as for those who succeeded in losing weight (0.83, 0.63-1.08). Trying to lose weight was beneficial for overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) individuals (0.62, 0.46-0.83) but not for obese (BMI>30) individuals (1.17, 0.72-1.92). Overall weight loss, without regard to intent, was associated with an increase of 22% (1.22, 0.99-1.50) in the mortality rate. This increase was largely explained by unintentional weight loss, which was associated with a 58% (1.58, 1.08-2.31) higher mortality rate.

CONCLUSIONS
Overweight diabetic adults trying to lose weight have a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, independent of whether they lose weight. Actual weight loss is associated with increased mortality only if the weight loss is unintentional.


Some authors believe that there are considerable differences in styles of writing in particular cultures (e.g., see Mauranen 1993b) and, in fact, some others see nonnative speakers fail to modulate their writing (Bloor & Bloor 1991 and Hyland 2001). The appropriate use of hedging in scientific discourse is a vital skill for writers presenting their knowledge in the discourse community, as it both qualifies categorical commitment and facilitates discussion with the audience. In our presentation we will examine this rhetorical device from a crossgeneric (Case Report/Research Paper) and a crosslinguistic (Spanish/English) point of view. The results of this study seem to indicate that hedging may vary across these two languages and cultures.


BiblioGov. Paperback. Book Condition: New. This item is printed on demand. Paperback. 34 pages. Dimensions: 9.7in. x 7.4in. x 0.1in.The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific organization created in 1879, and is part of the U. S. government. Their scientists explore our environment and ecosystems, to determine the natural dangers we are facing. The agency has over 10, 000 employees that collect, monitor, and analyze data so that they have a better understanding of our problems. The USGS is dedicated to provide reliable, investigated information to enhance and protect our quality of life. This is one of their bulletins. This item ships from La Vergne,TN. Paperback.


This essay critically reviews Jan-Werner Müller's What is Populism and its application in the Indian debate to show the efficacy and limits of his exposition. It focuses on three points: elision of subjectivity of those who are targets of populism, neglect of religion as a key factor in populist mobilizations, and the near desertion of International Relations in accounting for populism. These points are discussed by drawing, inter alia, on contemporary Indian populism, especially related to pluralism, a concept that Müller insightfully foregrounds as central to populism. It is hoped that a political-anthropological approach to populism will enrich its theoretical understanding beyond disciplinary and spatial grooves.


We examined the relationship between stand density and stem quality characteristics for lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta). The influence of initial stand density on end of rotation log quality was inferred by analyzing data from unmanaged, rotation-age stands. Quality characteristics examined included first log branch diameters, taper, wood density, and the proportion of sapwood. After differences in diameter at breast height were accounted for, only branch size was strongly influenced by stand density. A strong negative exponential relationship was found between the mean of the five largest branches per first log and number of trees per hectare.


Introduction: Over a lifetime constant changes occur in the complexity and quality of the execution of motor actions, characterizing the motor development. External (environmental) factors may act positively or negatively in the cour- se of some motor skill, such as the ability of rolling. Objective: It is about an analytical cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the positioning of the cradle of preterm and terms infants relating to the rolling movement. Method: The sample comprised 27 infants of both genders, divided into two groups (G1 and G2). G1 was composed of 8 premature infants included in a motor stimulation project and G2 was composed of 19 term infants enrolled in a nursery school. A questionnaire was sent to parents/caretakers and later a practical assessment was held in which the rolling motion was stimulated with rattles, three times for each side (left/right), observing the presence or absence of facilitation in this action. Results: It was found that in both groups, most of the cradles were placed with one of the sides against the wall and the statistical analysis of the data indicated a significant correlation to the placement of the cradle in space and the ease of rolling for preterm infants (p<0.05) and terms infants (p<0.01), while the stimulation was performed by the study researcher. Conclusion: Therefore, it was possible to conclude that there was an ease of rolling to the contralateral side of the wall, i.e. to the side of largest environmental stimulus, which emphasizes the importance of a sensory-rich environment in the course of a proper infant development.


A method for the optimization of gear shift operations in automatic transmissions is proposed in this paper. Based on a mechanical model of the power train the control parameters for the clutch pressure as well as those for the load-reduction are optimized in order to improve the performance of the automatic transmission with respect to passengers comfort and gear shift duration. Scalar criteria, which are capable of describing these effects are formulated. The nonlinear optimization problem is solved with a sequential quadratic programming algorithm. The results show a significant improvement in terms of the optimization criteria.


Objective We aimed to evaluate the effects of different oxygen conditions (20% [high O2], 5% [low O2] and 5% decreased to 2% [dynamic O2]) on mouse pre- and peri-implantation development using a novel double-channel gas supply (DCGS) incubator (CNC Biotech Inc.) to alter the oxygen concentration during in vitro culture. Methods The high-O2 and low-O2 groups were cultured from the one-cell to the blastocyst stage under 20% and 5% oxygen concentrations, respectively. In the dynamic-O2 group, mouse embryos were cultured from the one-cell to the morula stage under 5% O2 for 3 days, followed by culture under 2% O2 to the blastocyst stage. To evaluate peri-implantation development, the blastocysts from the three groups were individually transferred to a fibronectin-coated dish and cultured to the outgrowth stage in droplets. Results The blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher in the low-O2 and dynamic-O2 groups than in the high-O2 group. The total cell number was significantly higher in the dynamic-O2 group than in the low-O2 and high-O2 groups. Additionally, the apoptotic index was significantly lower in the low-O2 and dynamic-O2 groups than in the high-O2 group. The trophoblast outgrowth rate and spread area were significantly higher in the low-O2 and dynamic-O2 groups than in the high-O2 group. Conclusion Our results showed that a dynamic oxygen concentration (decreasing from 5% to 2%) had beneficial effects on mouse pre- and peri-implantation development. Optimized, dynamic changing of oxygen concentrations using the novel DCGS incubator could improve the developmental competence of in vitro cultured embryos in a human in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer program.


Background

Systemic inflammatory responses and nutritional status are useful prognostic factors in patients with gastric cancer. Because oral hypofunction is a cause of undernutrition, we cross-sectionally investigated whether some nutritional biomarkers were affected by occlusal supporting zone status.
Methods

The study included 114 patients (85 men and 29 women) diagnosed with gastric cancer at Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital between September 2014 and March 2019. Gastric cancer stage, body mass index (BMI), albumin levels, total lymphocyte counts, cholesterol levels, and C-reactive protein levels were evaluated in preoperative blood tests. Four kinds of nutritional biomarkers were evaluated; they are the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and controlling nutritional status (CONUT). Oral conditions were assessed by determining the number of remaining teeth, occlusal supporting status based on the Eichner classification. Patients were assigned into three groups per their occlusal status, and mean values were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results

The mean age and BMI were 72.2 ± 8.5 (50–89) years and 22.0 ± 3.6 (14.8–33.4), respectively. There were here were 42, 39, 23, and 10 stages I, II, III, and IV patients, respectively. The mean number of remaining teeth was 18.1 ± 9.5 teeth. According to the Eichner classification, there were 45, 42, and 27 patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively. There were significant differences in the GPS and NLR values, and CONUT frequencies between groups A and C (P = 0.033, P = 0.00097, P = 0.04, respectively) (Mann-Whitney U test). PNI values were lower in Group C with poor occlusal support zones than in Group A with stable occlusal support zones.
Conclusions

Reductions in occlusal supporting zones were associated with undernutrition. Notably, patients in Eichner Class C with few occlusal supporting zones had poor GPS, PNI, and CONUT values, and were found to be undernourished. Thus, patients with markedly reduced occlusal contacts are often undernourished and have advanced systemic inflammation, which may affect prognosis. Patients in the Eichner Class C group need interventions to improve nutritional status such as dietary counseling due to potential nutritional deficits experienced by this group of patients.


This thesis seeks to examine the use of air power during Operation JUBILEE. In recent revisionist accounts, the role of the Royal Air Force has come in for criticism. Therefore, this thesis seeks to examine why the RAF fought the battle in the manner that it did. It examines both the doctrinal and operational context of the forces involved in JUBILEE and in doing so examines their effectiveness. This thesis contends that Combined Operations doctrine argued that the key role for air power was to maintain air superiority in order to protect assaulting force. It then examines this alongside the development of the offensive use of RAF Fighter Command in the battle for air superiority in the period 1940-1942. In understanding, these twin pillars of doctrine and operations this thesis challenges the perceived failure of the RAF during the raid by arguing that in seeking to battle the Luftwaffe in the manner that it did during JUBILEE it provided the most appropriate protection that it could for the assault forces. The thesis then examines the impact that JUBILEE had upon Fighter Command strategy and various aspects of Combined Operations development in 1943 thesis in order to assess its effectiveness. This thesis argues that while there may not be a direct link to Operation OVERLORD in 1944 operations at Dieppe had an impact during 1943 and needs to be considered as one line of development in parallel with those from other theatres of war.


The present discussion outlines the design and initial implementation of a semester-long graduate course in suicide theory, risk assessment, and management. While the structure of the course is adaptable in light of various considerations (e.g., targeted group of students and availability of resources), we review suicide risk assessment core competencies and course structure and provide sample evidence-based applied and interactive assignments. An initial empirical test of the course yielded a number of encouraging findings, including increased factual knowledge concerning suicide risk assessment and management, and improved objectively assessed student accuracy in estimating chronic and acute suicide risk in response to a mock case vignette. We offer suggested next steps for modification and testing of the course in undergraduate and graduate training contexts.


In the past decade, imaging systems have increased in size and quality while decreasing in cost. As the cost has decreased, many aerial imaging applications have become practical such as tracking, vegetation indexing, coast line monitoring, etc. However, many of these applications require geo-location and orthorectification to enable analysis. Orthorectification is a computationally expensive process due to floating-point operations and divisions in the algorithm. To reduce the computational cost of on-board processing, two novel algorithm modifications are proposed. One modification is projection utilizing fixed-point arithmetic. Fixed-point arithmetic removes the floating-point operations and reduces the processing time by operating only on integers. The second modification is replacement of the division inherent in projection with a multiplication of the inverse. With these modifications, the processing time of the projection is reduced by a factor of 1.2 × with an average pixel position error of 0.5% of a pixel size for 128-bit integer processing and over 2 × with an average pixel position error of less than 15% of a pixel size for a 64-bit integer processing.


The kinetoplast DNA of the hemoflagellate protozoa (Simpson 1972) consists of two molecular species, the minicircles and the maxicircles, catenated together to form a giant network of DNA situated within the single mitochondrion of the cell (Borst and Hoeijmakers 1979a; Englund 1980). The maxicircle appears to represent the homolog of the informational mtDNA found in other cells (Simpson and Simpson 1978); the role of the minicircle is unknown. The major RNA species present in a purified kinetoplast fraction from Leishmania tarentolae are the 9S and 12S RNAs, which were shown to be transcribed from the maxicircle DNA in an ethidium-bromide-sensitive process (Simpson and Simpson 1978). Similar RNAs have also been isolated from purified kinetoplast fractions of Phytomonas davidae (Cheng and Simpson 1978), Trypanosoma brucei (Simpson and Simpson 1980), and Crithidia fasciculata (unpubl.). A high level of sequence conservation of 9S and 12S RNAs has been demonstrated for several hemoflagellate species by hybridization techniques (Simpson and Simpson 1978; Borst and Hoeijmakers 1979b; Simpson and Simpson 1980). In this paper we describe several additional maxicircle transcripts and present a general method to identify mitochondrial structural genes by the use of heterologous DNA probes. MAXICIRCLE TRANSCRIPTS: NORTHERN BLOT ANALYSIS Total kinetoplast RNA and poly(A) + kinetoplast RNA were isolated from Renografin-purified kinetoplast fractions of L. tarentolae (Simpson and Simpson 1978), separated by electrophoresis in formaldehyde-agarose gels, and blotted onto nitrocellulose filters. The filters were probed with nick-translated maxicircle DNAs, including the 6.6-kb cloned Eco RI/ Bam HI fragment that contains the 9S RNA and 12S RNA genes...


We introduce a basis for a bi-dimensional finite matrix calculus and a bi-dimensional finite matrix action principle. As an application, we analyze scalar and spinorial fields in D = 4n + 2 in this approach. We verify that to establish a bi-dimensional matrix action principle we have to define a Dirac-algebra-modified Lebniz rule. From the bi-dimensional equations of motion, we obtain a matrix holomorphic feature for massless matrix scalar and spinorial fields.


Abstract Background: Left non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) or "spongy myocardium" is a relatively rare primary genetic cardiomyopathy, characterized by prominent wall trabeculations and intertrabecular recesses which communicate with the ventricular cavity. It appears in isolated form or coexists with other congenital heart diseases and/or systemic abnormalities. Material and method: A 28-year-old woman was admitted with exertional dyspnoea, palpitations, non-specific chest pain and progressive fatigue on exertion. In her family history sudden cardiac-related deaths at young age are present. Cardiovascular system examination revealed tachycardia, intermittent extrabeats. The rest EKG showed sinusal tachycardia (105 bpm), negative T-waves in DII, DIII, aVF, V4-V6. Consecutive 24 hours Holter EKG monitoring revealed nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, isolated ventricular extrasystoles. Echocardiography showed left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF:30-35%), slight LV enlargement, normal right ventricle and small left ventricle (LV) trabeculae in the apical area. Cardiac MRI demonstrated dilated LV and the presence of the trabeculations of LV walls suggestive for non-compaction cardiomyopathy. A combined treatment for heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias was initiated with good clinical results. Patient was scheduled for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator "life-saving". Conclusions: The symptoms of heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias should be considered important in apparently healthy young patients. Besides intensive medical treatment is indicated the implantation of an ICD "life-saving" and in advanced cases heart transplantation. Even if the electrocardiographic findings are non specific for noncompaction, a complete diagnostic evaluation is important, including sophisticated imaging techniques, a screening of first-degree relatives, and an extensive clinical, and genetic appreciation by a multidisciplinary team.


Carbonate esters and esters were commonly used as solvents, reaction carrier, and additives in organic synthesis, the pharmaceutical industry, and processing industries. Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data are vital to the separation process or process simulation for separating solvents. Therefore, it is necessary to enrich a VLE database for carbonate esters and esters. In this study, isobaric VLE data for three systems of isopropyl acetate + diethyl carbonate (DEC), sec-butyl acetate + DEC, and DEC + isoamyl acetate at 101.3 kPa were determined for enriching the group interaction parameters for carbonate esters. Meanwhile, the thermodynamic consistencies of the VLE data were tested using the Van Ness method modified by Fredenslund et al. The Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC models were used and found to have good consistency for all binary systems between the experimental and simulated data. At the same time, the VLE data were correlated by the UNIFAC-DMD model to supplement the group parameters for carbonate ...


Obesity is a pan-endemic health problem in both developed and developing countries, in both western and eastern countries. It increases risk for many common diseases, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, heart disease, stroke, asthma, osteoarthritis, cancers and depression etc.. Although the incidence of obesity in Asia is relatively low, Asian patients tend to have similar incidence of obesity related metabolic syndrome at lower BMI level comparing to Caucasians because of central obesity. Hypertension increased with increasing BMI but not with increasing age or waist wideness. On the contrary, the prevalence of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia increased with increasing waist and age.There are strong evidences that bariatric surgeries can cure most of the associated co-morbidities, improve life quality and prolong survival in morbidly obese patients. In average, diabetes was completely resolved or improved in 86.0%, hyperlipidemia in 70%, obstructive sleep apnea in 85.7% and hypertension in 78.5%. Adjusted odds ratios for the surgically treated group versus controls were 0.8 for hypertension, 0.002 for diabetes and 0.028 for LDL.Recently developed laparoscopic surgery has renewed the interest and reimbursed the growth of laparoscopic bariatric surgery. In Asia, laparoscopic obesity surgery has also gained a substantial progress in the past decade. Among the current surgical procedures, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass are the two most commonly performed procedures. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is increasingly being performed as a standalone bariatric procedure. With the advantage of easier technique, lower mortality rate, rapid weight loss and less long-term complication, this procedure is the most welcomed in Asia now. Laparoscopic duodenal switch is recommended for super-morbid obesity. Some new procedures and many non-operative trans-oral procedures have been developed for the treatment of obesity.In conclusion, laparoscopic bariatric surgery is the recommended treatment for morbid obese patients. Effective weight loss was achieved after surgery and a substantial majority of patients with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea experienced complete resolution or improvement.


In the autumn of 1913 Major Kenrick, I. M. S., kindly sent me, from Pachmari, Central Provinces, India, a blood slide from a native child, containing numerous malaria parasites. On examining these, which I at first took to be malignant tertian parasites, the suspicion arose in my mind that there was something peculiar about their appearance. I happened just previously to have been studying a blood slide from Rhodesia, containing very numerous malignant tertian parasites. The peculiarity of the Indian parasite, as far as I could at first define it, was that it was an irregular parasite as compared with the regular, almost monotonous, contour of the "rings" of the malignant tertian parasite ( Plasmodium falciparum ). I proceeded then to study the Indian parasite more carefully; and, after-daily observations for many weeks of it, and of control malignant tertian parasites from various sources, I came definitely to the conclusion that it was unlike any malignant tertian parasite that I had ever seen or that I could find figured in the text-books or journals. I also considered carefully the possibility of its being the simple tertian parasite, but to this point I shall return later. During this study, in order to fix my impressions, I drew 150 consecutive parasites from the Indian slide and the Rhodesian slide respectively, as the former appeared in the field of view of an ocular so restricted by placing a diaphragm in it that only half a dozen red cells were visible in the field at a time, thus effectively preventing any selection on my part. I reproduce as pen-and-ink drawings 35 of each series taken at random, as they show very well in a general way the different aspect of the two parasites. For the same purpose I also drew a number of young simple tertian parasites. I now proceed to define as far as possible in detail the peculiarities of this parasite.


An equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price. Bangladesh capital market is one of the smallest market in Asia but the third largest in the South Asian region. Equity market plays an important role in economic development of a country. Economic development is a term that generally refers to the sustained, concerted effort of policymakers and community to promote the standard of living and economic health in a specific region. The equity market believes that a dynamic, automated, transparent stock exchange is needed in Bangladesh. Emerging equity market should be very attractive for risk capital investors. In this book we consider the equity market and recommended to create an emerging equity market in Bangladesh.


ABSTRACT Association of specific antimicrobial resistance patterns with unrelated selective traits has long been implicated in the maintenance of antimicrobial resistance in a population. Previously we demonstrated that Escherichia coli strains with a specific resistance pattern (resistant to streptomycin, sulfadiazine, and tetracycline [SSuT]) have a selective advantage in dairy calf intestinal environments and in the presence of a milk supplement commonly fed to the calves. In the present study we identified the sequence of the genetic element that confers the SSuT phenotype and show that this element is present in a genetically diverse group of E. coli isolates, as assessed by macrorestriction digestion and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. This element was also found in E. coli isolates from 18 different cattle farms in Washington State. Using in vitro competition experiments we further demonstrated that SSuT strains from 17 of 18 farms were able to outcompete pansusceptible strains. In a separate set of experiments, we were able to transfer the antimicrobial resistance phenotype by electroporation to a laboratory strain of E. coli (DH10B), making that new strain more competitive during in vitro competition with the parental DH10B strain. These data indicate that a relatively large genetic element conferring the SSuT phenotype is widely distributed in E. coli from cattle in Washington State. Furthermore, our results indicate that this element is responsible for maintenance of these traits owing to linkage to genetic traits that confer a selective advantage in the intestinal lumens of dairy calves.


Using a provincial panel data set taking advantage of the time variations brought about by the 1994 fiscal reform, this study provides empirical evidence to the hypothesis that the level of public service improves when local governments enjoy a certain degree of fiscal autonomy. China is the ideal region for this identification strategy since it has experienced various changes in the central–local fiscal relationships during its economic transition. Besides the ordinary least squares estimation, the instrumental variables approach is also applied to address the problems of measurement error in fiscal decentralisation indexes. This research lends empirical support to the literature, which argues that decentralisation improves the delivery of public services.


The biological activity of the (15 S )-15-methyl analogs of prostaglandin (PG) E2 methyl ester and PGF2α methyl ester were compared in vitro on the isolated gerbil colon and rat uterus and in vivo for their antifertility effects in the hamster and cardiovascular effects in anesthetized dogs and rats. The initial step in the metabolism of PGE2 and PGF2α is an oxidation at carbon 15 by 15-hydroxy prostaglandin dehydrogenase. These analogs are not substrates for this enzyme. 15-Methylation caused only slight changes in the activity on isolated tissues and in the magnitude and duration of the cardiovascular responses. These data are consistent with efficient means of inactivation in vivo other than 15-dehydrogenation. However, at high doses 15-methylation of PGE2 methyl ester qualitatively changed the mechanism of its depressor action in the dog. PGE2 methyl ester, at 1 and 3.2 µg/kg, lowered blood pressure by a decrease in total peripheral resistance, whereas the 15-methyl analog did so by depressing myocardial contractility and cardiac output. In striking contrast, the antifertility activity of the 15-methyl analogs was increased 50- to over 100-fold over time PGE2 and PGF2α Parent compounds, respectively.


Long ago, I suggested that Erasmus Darwin 'achieved more in a wider range of intellectual disciplines than anyone since'. This remark has not yet been contradicted; and that is perhaps enough to justify the choice of Erasmus Darwin as the subject of the Wilkins Lecture for 1997. I shall run quickly through his varied talents, comment on his personality and then outline his life and achievements. As an addition to the life story, I shall include glances at those of his many friends who together formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham, so called because it met at the time of the full moon; they are of course the 'Lunaticks' of my title. To conclude, I shall look more closely at one of his many interests, explaining how he came to believe in biological evolution (as we now call it) and then had to keep quiet about it for 20 years before eventually championing it in public.


In modern microscopy imaging systems, optical components are carefully designed to obtain diffraction-limited resolution. However, live imaging of large biological samples rarely attains this limit because of sample induced refractive index inhomogeneities that create unknown temporally variant optical aberrations. Importantly, these aberrations are also spatially variant, thus making it challenging to correct over wide fields of view. Here, we present a framework for deep-learning based wide-field optical aberration sensing and correction. Our model consists of two modules which take in a set of three phase-diverse images and (i) estimate the wavefront phase in terms of its constituent Zernike polynomial coefficients and (ii) perform blind-deconvolution to yield an aberration-free image. First, we demonstrate our framework on simulations that incorporate optical aberrations, spatial variance, and realistic modelling of sensor noise. We find that our blind deconvolution achieves a 2-fold improvement in frequency support compared to input images, and our phase-estimation achieves a coefficient of determination (r2) of at least 80% when estimating astigmatism, spherical aberration and coma. Second, we show that our results mostly hold for strongly varying spatially-variant aberrations with a 30% resolution improvement. Third, we demonstrate practical usability for light-sheet microscopy: we show a 46% increase in frequency support even in imaging regions affected by detection and illumination scattering.


Normally, yeah has positive polarity, but with a change in prosody, it can convey a negative stance (e.g., polite disagreement/rejection). This study examines acoustic-prosodic features of 'negative yeahs' in a stance-rich corpus of collaborative tasks. Four categories are identified based on degree of agreement/acceptance and distinguished by an interaction between pitch and intensity: while two groups have low, flat pitch, and two have high domed or dipping contours, this division is cross-cut by intensity, again low-flat vs. high domed. These patterns show that fine-grained stance analysis can reveal word-level acoustic patterns that are not apparent in coarser approaches.


A dramatic rise in AIDS cases in a rural hospital 60 km west of Abidjan is described. Out of 212 adult cases diagnosed between January and November 1987 as having AIDS, using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria defined in Bangui, 128 (60%) had antibodies to HIV-1 only, 61 (29%) had antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2, 15 (7%) had antibodies to HIV-2 only and eight (4%) had no detectable antibodies to HIVs. These results, taken together with those of Ouattara et al. showing that both retroviruses have a similar seroprevalence in the general rural and urban populations, suggest that HIV-2 may have a lower physiopathological potential than HIV-1. This suggestion is supported by a 6-month follow-up of 60 AIDS cases, but only longer follow-up of cohorts of patients and healthy subjects with antibodies to one of the two viruses will allow definitive conclusions.


Casino gaming is growing. In America, casino operations have became the largest segments of the entertainment industry. In Asia, another four countries will legalize casino gambling in 1994. The growth of the gaming industry is a worldwide trend. Right now, there is an exceptional opportunity; a special legislative bill is under consideration to legalize casino gambling in Taiwanese surrounding island districts. The legislators are evaluating the necessity of legalized casino gambling in Taiwan. According to other countries' casino operation experiences, some legislators consider hotel industry investors to be the most suitable operators of casino operations. One of their concerns was whether or not owners of hotels would be willing to invest in casinos. The purpose of this study is to assess the attitudes of key executives of International Tourist Hotels toward casino investments in Taiwan. The results disclosed that the key executives' perceptions of casino investments in Taiwan are positive and the majority of them are willing to invest in casinos in Taiwan.


Abstract.  Methods to perform fixed size sampling with prescribed second‐order inclusion probabilities are presented. The focus is on a conditional Poisson design of order 2, a CP(2) design. It is an exponential design of quadratic type and it is carefully studied. In particular, methods to find the suitable values of the parameters and methods to sample are described. Small examples illustrate.


Thin-layer modeling of FHIA-21 (Tetraploid Plantain) slices was studied in a conventional hot-air dryer. The samples were dried at 50, 60, 70 and 80°C air temperature with control and blanching as pretreatments. Increase in drying air temperature from 50 to 80°C decreased the drying time from 16 and 17.5 hours to 3 and 7 hours for untreated and blanched samples, respectively. Drying of the plantain occurred in falling rate period. Five thin layer drying models were evaluated by fitting to the experimental moisture ratio data. Among the mathematical models investigated, the Page model satisfactorily described the drying behaviour of the slices with high r 2 values and low χ 2 and RMSE. The effective moisture diffusivity of the plantain slices increased as the drying air temperature was increased. Also the moisture diffusivity and activation energy were lower for blanched samples.


An electrostatic ion guide has been developed to transmit externally formed ions in chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Transport of ions over a distance of ten or more cm is accomplished with a high efficiency. Our design of the ion guide allows efficient separation of ion from neutral molecules, which provides a relatively simple means to significantly increase the detection sensitivity in chemical ionization mass spectrometry.


An auxiliary electric power supply for a vehicle, having a first switch, a capacitor bank, a discharge resistor, and a control section that are electrically connected between input and output terminals. The capacitor bank has serially connected electric double layer capacitors and also has balance resistors having substantially the same resistance as each other and connected in parallel to the respective electric double layer capacitors. The capacitor bank and the discharge resistor are connected to the first switch. The control section controls the first switch while detecting the voltage ofthe capacitor bank and the operating state of an ignition key for operating the ignition switch of the vehicle. The control section controls the first switch such that the capacitor bank is connectedto the discharge resistor when the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off.


We further develop the 0/1 ILP formulation of Lee for edge coloring where colors are encoded in binary. With respect to that formulation, our main contributions are (i) an efficient separation algorithm for general block inequalities, (ii) an efficient LP-based separation algorithm for stars (i.e., the all-different polytope), (iii) an introduction of matching inequalities, (iv) an introduction of switched path inequalities and their efficient separation, (v) a complete description for paths, and (vi) the promising computational results.


Pithomyces chartarum produces metabolites similar to sporidesmin (I) having a sulphur–chlorine ratio greater than two. A fraction having a sulphur–chlorine ratio of three has been isolated and the crystalline meterial obtained, named sporidesmin E, was converted into sporidesmin when treated with triphenylphosphine. When sporidesmin was sulphurated with phosphorus pentasulphide and sulphur, it was possible to isolate sporidesmin E from the products. The n.m.r. spectrum of sporidesmin E at 25° was complex but at 95° was similar in many respects to the spectrum of sporidesmin. The facts are interpreted in terms of an epitrithiadioxopiperazine formula (III) though dimeric structures are not rigorously excluded.


Multiguard structures are used in order to enhance the breakdown voltage of microstrip detectors. In this work we studied the electrical properties of devices designed in four different layouts on n-Si substrates, based on a central diode surrounded by various p/sup +/ and/or n/sup +/ floating rings. In particular we measured the main DC characteristics and we compared the experimental results with those simulated by a two-dimensional drift-diffusion computer model. The device noise was also measured for the central diode as a function of the applied voltage. We repeated all measurements after neutron and gamma irradiation, in view of the application of these devices to silicon microstrip detectors for future high energy physics experiments. For example at the LHC the level of radiation damage expected during the detector lifetime implies very high bias voltages for the detector operation. Multiguards can offer a solution, provided the design optimisation takes into account the radiation effects.


In eight patients with so-called idiopathic degenerative arthritis of the hip the acetabular labrum, at surgery, was found to lie in the articulation between the femoral head and the acetabulum. In none of the patients was there a history or roentgenographic evidence of congenital dysplasia or congenital dislocation. None of the patients had had a closed reduction or manipulation of the hip during infancy, childhood, or adolescence. No patient had had a traumatic dislocation. The findings suggest that the intra-articular labrum was a developmental abnormality and we postulate that this abnormality was the cause of the degenerative arthritis.


ABSTRACT In view of the results of animal studies as well as theoretical considerations, continuous administration of β-lactam antibiotics should be superior to intermittent administration because of the close relationship between efficacy and the duration of time in which the concentration of unbound antibiotics in plasma remains above the MIC. The aim of the present study was to establish the pharmacokinetic parameters of cefamandole and ceftazidime for patients receiving these cephalosporins by continuous infusion. The interindividual differences in the concentrations in plasma at the steady state were mainly attributable to variations in renal function, as estimated by the rate of creatinine clearance. Using these results, we derived formulas for both cephalosporins that can be used to determine on an individual basis the total daily dose needed to obtain a therapeutic concentration in plasma. These formulas were tested with a group of subsequent patients and proved to be practical and fairly reliable. For some patients, a correction for a possible underestimation of the renal clearance at presentation might be required.


India is witnessing an increase in the burden of childhood obesity, especially among the upper socioeconomic strata and in urban areas. Emerging literature suggests a link between childhood obesity and the diabetes epidemic in India. Asian-Indian children and adolescents are increasingly susceptible to a high percentage of body fat and abdominal adiposity. Further, they are exposed to an obesogenic environment, created by rapid urbanization and nutrition transition in India. Obese children have a higher risk of developing abnormalities that are recognized as precursors to diabetes, such as subclinical inflammation, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which often track to adulthood. A review of the literature suggests the need for more longitudinal studies to improve understanding of the long-term consequences of childhood obesity in India. A life-course approach with a combination of population- and risk-based strategies is warranted, to prevent childhood obesity and curtail its consequences in adulthood.


We study the impact of employment quota on firms' demand for disabled workers. The Austrian Disabled Persons Employment Act (DPEA) requires firms to provide at least one job to a disabled worker per 25 non-disabled workers, a rule which is strictly enforced by non-compliance taxation. We find that, as a result of the discontinuous nature of the non-compliance tax, firms exactly at the quota threshold employ 0.05 (20 % in relative terms) more disabled workers than firms just below the threshold - an effect that is unlikely driven by purposeful selection below the threshold. The flat rate nature of the non-compliance tax generates strong employment effects for low-wage firms and weak effects for high-wage firms. We also find that growing firms passing the quota threshold react with a substantial time-lag but the magnitude of the long-run effect is similar to the one found in cross-section contrasts.


We establish fundamental upper bounds on the amount of secret key that can be extracted from continuous variable quantum Gaussian states by using only local Gaussian operations, local classical processing, and public communication. For one-way communication, we prove that the key is bounded by the Renyi-$2$ Gaussian entanglement of formation $E_{F,2}^{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle G}}$, with the inequality being saturated for pure Gaussian states. The same is true if two-way public communication is allowed but Alice and Bob employ protocols that start with destructive local Gaussian measurements. In the most general setting of two-way communication and arbitrary interactive protocols, we argue that $2 E_{F,2}^{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle G}}$ is still a bound on the extractable key, although we conjecture that the factor of $2$ is superfluous. Finally, for a wide class of Gaussian states that includes all two-mode states, we prove a recently proposed conjecture on the equality between $E_{F,2}^{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle G}}$ and the Gaussian intrinsic entanglement, thus endowing both measures with a more solid operational meaning.


Terratek® Flex Enhances Impact Strength and Compostability Polylactic Acid (PLA) is one of the most widely used compostable bioplastic materials in the U.S. However, the impact strength and heat tolerance of the material is quite low, making it inadequate for more demanding applications. While there are many materials that can be added to PLA to enhance the physical properties, in doing so, most sacrifice compostability. Using Green Dot's Terratek Flex compostable elastomeric bioplastic as an impact modifier for PLA has been shown to increase impact strength and flexibility while enhancing compostability.


. The first theoretical investigation of the formation of the linearly polarized solar line spectrum of a complex atom, neutral titanium, is presented. The process of formation of line polarization is modeled by simply considering a plane-parallel layer of Ti  atoms illuminated from below by the photospheric radiation field, and accounting for the di ff erential pumping induced in the various magnetic sublevels by the anisotropic radiation field. The calculated line polarization pattern is in good qualitative agreement with reported observations, thus showing that the generation of population imbalances between magnetic sublevels due to the radiation field anisotropy is the basic physical mechanism responsible for the observed polarization pattern in the Fraunhofer spectrum of Ti  . The role of depolarizing collisions on the polarized spectrum of Ti 


SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GRAPHITE NANOSTRUCTURE THIN FILM WITH SPUTTERING TECHNIQUE. Synthesis and characterization of graphite nanostructure thin film using the DC-sputtering technique has been carried out. Nanostructured graphite for target of deposition using DC-Sputtering technique has been prepared by milling technique using High Energy Milling (HEM) with the variation of milling time between 50 hours until 100 hours. First, the graphite target was prepared by doing a compaction using press machine to the nanostructured graphite powder got from milling process. Secondly, a thin film of graphite was fabricated using DC-Sputtering technique. The phase identification of nanostructured graphite thin film were carried out using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and the surface and cross section morphology of thin film were observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRD identification shows the presence of peaks of Si(100) and C(002) in all conditions of preparing powder using for target, but a shift of the angel's peak to the left and the decreasing of peak intensity were found. While the observation using SEM to surface morphology of thin film shows that the form of thin films are mostly homogeneous, smooth and flat at the milling time of 50-75 hours. From the SEM photograph of cross section, it is shown that there is a tendency of the more commonly found particles of droplets on the surface of thin film with the increasing of milling process against the carbon powder as a constituent of pellets for the DC-Sputtering targets, especially in the case of C/Si thin film fabricated using target prepared by milling for 100 hours, the morphology of surface was worst.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
There is considerable evidence for the presence of positive species diversity-productivity relationships in plant populations, but the population parameters determining the type and strength of the relationship are poorly defined. Relationships between species evenness and tree survival or species coexistence are not well established. The objective of this study was to quantify the joint effects of density and species evenness on tree productivity and species coexistence.

METHODS
A 12-year-old experimental tree plantation mixing two species according to a double gradient of density and species proportion was used. A neighbourhood approach was employed and descriptors of local competition were used to model individual tree growth. Fagus sylvatica and Acer pseudoplatanus were used as model species, as they can be considered as ecologically equivalent in their young stages.

KEY RESULTS
Density and tree size were primary factors determining individual growth and stand productivity. Species identity had a significant, but less pronounced, role. Stand productivity was highest when species evenness was close to 1 and slightly lower in uneven mixtures. The reduction in stand productivity when species evenness decreased was of similar magnitude irrespective of which species became dominant, indicating symmetric effects for the two species. When examining individual tree growth in response to species proportion for each species separately, it was observed for both species that individual trees exhibited greater growth in uneven mixtures in which the other species was more frequent.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that mixtures of these two functionally similar species have the highest production at maximum evenness, indicating a complementary effect between them. The presence of a mixture combines both stabilizing mechanisms (individuals from both species show higher growth when surrounded by individuals from the other species) and equalizing mechanisms (the two species have very similar growth curves) that, in turn, determine the species' relative dominance. These processes should act to ensure the long-term coexistence of species.


Background: The β amylase (BAM) gene family, known for their property of catalytic ability to hydrolyze starch to maltose units, has been recognized to play critical roles in metabolism and gene regulation. To date, BAM genes have not been characterized in oil crops.Results: In this study, the genome wide survey revealed the identification of 30 BnaBAM genes in Brassica napus (B. napus), 11 BraBAM genes in Brassica rapa (B. rapa), 20 BoBAM genes in Brassica oleracea (B. oleracea), which were divided into 4 subfamilies according to the sequence similarity and phylogenetic relationships. All the BAM genes identified in the allotetraploid genome of B. napus, as well as two parental related species (B. rapa and B. oleracea), were analyzed for the gene structures, chromosomal distribution and collinearity, the sequence alignment of the core glucosyl hydrolase domains was further applied. 30 BnaBAMs, 11 BraBAMs and 17 BoBAMs exhibited uneven distribution on chromosomes of Brassica crops. The similar structural compositions of BAM genes in the same subfamily suggested that they were relatively conserved. Abiotic stresses pose one of the major constraints to plant growth and productivity worldwide. Thus, the responsiveness of BnaBAM genes under abiotic stresses were analyzed in B. napus. The expression patterns revealed a stress responsive behavior of all members, of which BnaBAM3s were more prominent. These differential expression patterns suggested an intricate regulation of BnaBAMs elicited by environmental stimuli. Conclusion: Altogether, the present study provides first insights into the BAM gene family of Brassica crops, which lays the foundation for investigating the roles of stress--responsive BnaBAM candidates in B. napus.


: What if we told you that "you already have 27% of net profit trapped in your misleading business"? As common de facto state in production planning, subjective human judgments play a significant role on demand point:plant assignments at product replenishment and this is mostly driven by myopic transportation minimization paradigm, disregarding production and profitability determinants. In this paper, we propose an integer programming characterized Network Optimization solution to find global optimal assignments that maximize the profitability in terms of contribution margin or net profit by taking sales, transportation and production planning perspectives into account and concerning potential capacity constraints. According to the experimental results obtained at a real-life implementation in cement industry, Network Optimization solution increases contribution margin by an average value of 6.33% and net profit by 26.3%. Moreover, proposed solution architecture promises a seamless network optimization experience over a large canvas that wholistically integrates SAP system, optimization logic and Microsoft Power BI tiers. As a result, our clients can concentrate on more value adding operations such as variance analysis and what-if scenario evaluation rather than manual, time consuming and error-prone data preparation.