This study elucidates the behavior of flange plate connection between a steel beam and a welded box column. Four finite element models simulating an exterior connection were prepared and analyzed. On the base of finite element results, two flange plate connection details which are the reinforcing plate length and plate-to-flange fillet weld geometry were improved. Then, two full-scale specimens with flange plate connections were tested using a standard connection requalification test protocol. The flange plate connections of test specimens achieved the AISC seismic provision requirements for special moment frames.


Plasma flow control, as a novel active flow control technique, has become a newly-rising focus of international aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics fields. Surface DBD plasma aerodynamic actuation is widely studied in subsonic flow separation control. Numerical simulation investigation of flow stall separation suppression of NACA 0015 airfoil by plasma aerodynamic actuation was performed. The plasma aerodynamic actuation was simplified as momentum and thermal source terms. The numerical model of airfoil flow separation control by plasma aerodynamic actuation was constructed. The simulation results showed that when the inflow velocity was 100m/s and angle of attack was 20 degree, the flow separates at the leading edge of the suction side of the airfoil. There is a 50.3% lift augmentation and 42.0% drag reduction after the plasma aerodynamic actuation was on. The best position of plasma aerodynamic actuation is just near the separation point. The simulation results were basically consistent with the test results, which demonstrated that the simulation model was correct. The results are useful to reveal the mechanism of the correlation of plasma aerodynamic actuation and boundary layer.


The paper reports the structure of the small laccase from Streptomyces coelicolor determined from a crystal soaked with potassium hexacyanoferrate [K4Fe(CN)6]. The decolorization of the natively blue crystal observed upon soaking indicates the reduction of the enzyme in the crystal. The ligand binds between laccase molecules and stabilizes the crystal. The increased diffraction limit of the diffraction data collected from this crystal enabled the refinement of the small laccase structure at 2.3 Å resolution, which is the highest resolution obtained to date.


Several optimizations to the Time Warp synchronization protocol for parallel discrete event simulation have been proposed and studied. Many of these optimizations have included some form of dynamic adjustment (or control) of the operating parameters of the simulation (e.g. checkpoint interval, cancellation strategy). Traditionally dynamic parameter adjustment has been performed at the simulation object level; each simulation object collects measures of its operating behaviors (e.g. rollback frequency, rollback length, etc.) and uses them to adjust its operating parameters. The performance data collection functions and parameter adjustment are overhead costs that are incurred in the expectation of higher throughput. The paper presents a method of eliminating some of these overheads through the use of an external object to adjust the control parameters. That is, instead of inserting code for adjusting simulation parameters in the simulation object, an external control object is defined to periodically analyze each simulation object's performance data and revise that object's operating parameters. An implementation of an external control object in the WARPED Time Warp simulation kernel has been completed. The simulation parameters updated by the implemented control system are: checkpoint interval, and cancellation strategy (lazy or aggressive). A comparative analysis of three test cases shows that the external control mechanism provides speedups between 5%-17% over the best performing embedded dynamic adjustment algorithms.


At present, due to the limitation of hardware, software and network
transmission performance, the medical diagnosis of medical CT image equipment is easy to be carried
out based on the wrong image. In addition, due to the complex structure of human organs and
unpredictable lesion location, it is difficult to judge the reliability of medical CT images, spatial
localization of the lesion, two-dimensional slice images and shape based on stereotypes. Therefore, how
to improve the efficiency of medical CT terminal and the image quality has become the key technology
to improve the satisfaction of medical diagnosis and treatment.

To improve the work efficiency of medical CT terminal and medical image transmission
quality, with the medical CT terminal state and service quality.

 Firstly, from the view of throughput, packet loss rate, delay and so on, a QoS aware model for
medical CT image transmission has been established. Then, with throughput, packet length, path loss,
service area size, access point location, and the number of medical CT terminals, the performance
change regulation of the medical CT image transmission is completed and the optimal quality of service
guarantee parameters sequence is obtained. Next, the medical CT image big data autonomous collision
control scheme is proposed.

The experimental and mathematical results verify the real-time performance, reliability,
effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed medical CT image transmission anti-collision mechanism.

The proposed scheme can satisfy the high-quality high demand for data transmission at the
same time, according to a variety of user experience demand and real-time adjustment of medical CT
terminal working state, which provides effective data quality assurance and optimization of the network
source distribution, and also enhances the quality of medical image data transmission service.


This paper presents a Bayesian network approach to dissolved gas analysis (DGA) problems for power transformers, which is easy to construct and able to interpret with formal probabilistic semantics. The effectiveness of the traditional IEEE/IEC coding scheme is validated using the proposed approach, which is also able to handle the missing codes in the traditional coding scheme. Firstly, the essential concepts of Bayesian networks are introduced, which are graphical representations of uncertain knowledge. The methodology of combining knowledge in the DGA domain with statistical data used to learn new knowledge is then described. A specific Bayesian network is designed to diagnose transformer faults based upon the IEEE/IEC DGA ratio method. An applicable solution to a transformer DGA problem, using the Bayesian network approach, is illustrated highlighting the potential of Bayesian networks. It can be seen from the results developed that the proposed approach is capable of tackling the DGA problem for power transformers as a supportive tool along with the IEEE/IEC DGA coding scheme.


Peculiarities of biologic object control by electronic measures are investigated. It is pointed out, that it is purposeful to create centralized information supply system for business objects. Conception of biotronics, its vision and principles are formulated. A problem of interfacing biologic and electronic systems is emphasized. Integration principles of biotronic systems are foreseen. Creation conception of integrated biotronic systems (IBTS) is substantiated. IBTS creation problems are distinguished. IBTS efficiency evaluation possibilities are analyzed. Structures of IBTS security implementations are presented. IBTS reliability control complex structure is offered. Ill. 16, bibl. 6 (in English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian).


The self-focus theory of choking under pressure explains decreases in performance of well-learned motor tasks with an increase in skill-focused attention. This shift in attentional focus has been demonstrated; however, specific propositions about the processes in pressure-induced attentional shift are yet to be developed. This study assesses whether specific aspects of movement execution attract more attention than others when movements are executed under pressure. Such elements are important in conscious movement control before execution becomes automated through practice; under pressure, attention may be redirected to these elements. Basketball free throws were executed by 22 junior national team members in a low and high pressure situation. Two dual task/focus conditions (related to different aspects of the movement) were implemented in each pressure condition. This dual task paradigm was used as a direct and detailed measure of skill focused attention, suitable to show specific pressure induced shifts of attention that lead to performance decrements. Pressure was induced by telling players that their performance would be evaluated by coaches. Players were defined as chokers if their performance decreased under this pressure. Chokers showed differences with regard to their attentional focus on movement execution in the pressure conditions compared to the players defined as non-chokers. The findings suggest that attentional shifts during choking can be related to specific aspects of movement execution.


The Self Lesson Report Form (SLRF) was designed as an alternative either to direct classroom observation or to commonly used questionnaires in which students and/or teachers report on general practices used in their classes. In the SLRF teachers report what happened in their last lesson. Certain items are structured while others are open. A special procedure was developed for the analysis of the open answers. A high level of reliability was obtained by comparing results of teachers' and observers' reports on the same lesson. Two hundred and fifty SLRF's were analyzed and the results are reported to illustrate the kind of information which can be obtained with this instrument. It was found that, on the average, junior high science classes in Israel are inquiry oriented, have abundance of discussions and hands-on laboratory activities which are closely supervised by the teachers.


This paper describes a multitaper test for long-memory processes against nonstationary alternatives. The test statistic is the largest canonical correlation between the multitaper eigencoefficients computed from data blocks offset in time. It is shown that the "Nile data" is not a long-memory process in the conventional sense, but has some persistent features at higher frequencies.


Based upon the revised Job Demands and Resources Model (2008) we aim first, to test the relations between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion across time and second, to determine the role of professional self-efficacy in this relation. A longitudinal study was conducted in two times, with a year of interval in a Spanish Army sample (n = 242). To test the causal relations between work-family and emotional exhaustion three models are tested: normal causal, reversed causal, and causal reciprocal. To test the role of professional self-efficacy in the relation between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion four alternative models are tested: independence, antecedent, mediation, and independence plus antecedent models. Structural Equation Modeling results confirm the simultaneous reciprocal effects model as it fits the data better than the normal causal or the reverse causal models. This result suggests a spiral process, where work-family conflict predicts emotional exhaustion and at the same time emotional exhaustion increases work-family conflict. Likewise, this article contributes to clarifying the role of selfefficacy in the complex relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion. © 2015 Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Conflicto familia-trabajo, autoeficacia y cansancio emocional: un análisis de los efectos longitudinales


Background: The anti-progestins (RU-486, CDB-2914 and CDB-4124) may have potential to prevent estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive breast cancer. Physiological estradiol (E2), and progesterone (P4) levels are different in pre- and post-menopausal women. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) Whether the physiological female hormones at pre- and postmenopausal concentrations affect the growth of an in vitro model of breast cancer, i.e., T47D spheroids, and 2) Whether anti-progestins at pharmacological concentrations work as growth inhibitors in high and low hormonal environments. Methods: T47D cells were grown as spheroids in the presence of serum concentrations of E2 and P4 consistent with pre- and postmenopause. Premenopausal luteal phase concentrations were 262 pM (71.3 pg/mL) of E2 + 18 nM (5.66 ng/mL) of P4; postmenopausal concentrations were 122 pM (33.2 pg/mL) of E2 + 3 nM (1.08 ng/mL) of P4. T47D cells (5000 per well) were seeded in 1.5% agarose coated 96 well plates, and grown in phenol red-free mammary epithelial cell growth basal medium (Lonza) supplemented with 10% double charcoal -stripped FBS. Hormones and anti-progestin treatments started 24 hrs after cell seeding. Three concentrations (50, 250, 1000 nM) of the anti-progestins were tested. Images of each spheroid were taken daily for 14 days, and the sizes of spheroids were analyzed by area (Pixel) using ImageJ software. Results: Results are presented in Table 1. Premenopausal and postmenopausal hormone concentrations stimulated spheroid growth by two- fold and 1.7 fold higher, respectively, when compared to the vehicle control (0.1% DMSO) at14 days. In the premenopausal condition, RU-486 showed moderate inhibition of spheroid growth at all three concentrations; CDB-2914 was more efficient at inhibition than CDB-4124 at 50 nM. At 250 nM and 1000 nM, CDB-2914 and CDB-4124 showed similar efficacy. In the postmenopausal condition, RU-486 showed very minor inhibition on spheroid growth at all three concentrations; CDB-2914 showed significantly higher inhibition than CDB-4124 at 50 nM. At 250 nM and 1000 nM, CDB-4124 was more efficient than CDB-2914. Conclusions: Our results indicate that T47D spheroids will grow in postmenopausal hormone concentrations, but growth is enhanced in premenopausal hormone conditions. RU-486 did not produce effective inhibition at postmenopausal hormone levels; however pharmacological concentrations (50, 250 and 1000 nM) of both CDB-2914 and CDB-4124 efficiently decrease the spheroid growth induced by both premenopausal and postmenopausal hormone levels. These data suggest that low doses of CDB-2914 and CDB-4124 should be further investigated for ER/PR positive breast cancer prevention and therapy. Citation Format: Oukseub Lee, Mi Ran Choi, Susan E Clare, Seema A Khan. Low dose of CDB-2914 and CDB-4124 efficiently inhibit the growth of T47D spheroid induced by pre-menopausal and post-menopausal concentrations of estrogen and progesterone [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-07-07.


In order to elucidate the significance of high normal blood pressure in occupational health care, a 5 year follow up survey was performed on 874 men with normal blood pressure and 225 men with high normal blood pressure. The major results of this survey were as follows. 1) Sixty-seven out of 874 with normal blood pressure (7.7%), and 78 out of 225 with high normal blood pressure (34.6%) became hypertensive in 5 years. 2) High normals started with a higher frequency of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hyper gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidasemia compared with normal blood pressure at the start of the survey. 3) Logistic regression analysis showed that age, SBP, DBP were risk factors of developing hypertension from normal blood pressure, while only the amount of alcohol drinking applied for high normal blood pressure. 4) Logistic regression showed that high normal blood pressure, drinking, obesity and were significantly related to the development of hypertension. These results suggested that interventive activities for high normal blood pressure should be included in occupational health care because of a high tendency of underlying poor life style and a high risk of getting hypertension.


Hospitals are subject to more economic pressures than ever before. On the one hand, cost containment or cost reduction is paramount, particularly in relation to costly branded pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, quality measures and value-based reimbursement penalizes poor patient care. Multimodal analgesia sits squarely in this quandary, since its very nature requires use of multiple drugs with their associated costs, though this approach has the potential to improve quality of care. We undertook a comprehensive review of the pharmacoeconomics of IV acetaminophen, a new drug useful as part of a multimodal analgesic approach. While this new branded drug adds to direct drug costs, there is clear potential for IV acetaminophen to reduce the incidence of opioid-related adverse events and, in so doing, result in net hospital savings. This review describes many clinical studies showing significant improvements in postoperative nausea and vomiting, excessive sedation and pruritus. In addition, we describe studies demonstrating faster recovery times in the post-anesthesia care unit, intensive care unit and total hospital length of stay. Lastly, we summarize many studies demonstrating the robust effect of IV acetaminophen on patient satisfaction. A holistic view of total hospital performance should be adopted when reviewing drugs rather than a silo mentality within the pharmacy. While IV acetaminophen adds to drug costs, the body of evidence indicates this drug has the potential to improve outcomes and hospital efficiency.


Rust, caused by Olivea neotectonae, stands out as the main teak disease, causing premature defoliation regardless of the tree's growth stage. In this study, we aimed to assess the temporal progress of rust in adult teak plants in southern Tocantins State (Brazil). Both rust incidence and severity were evaluated and the disease progress curves were obtained, adjusting to monomolecular, logistic and Gompertz mathematical models. Data from incidence and severity were correlated with climate variables collected by the agrometeorological station located in the study area. Rust incidence reached 100% at 98 days after beginning of the evaluations (DBE). The highest severity (equal or above 75%) was observed at 147 DBE. There was a significant and negative correlation between severity and minimum temperature. The adjustment of the Gompertz model suggests that control measures should be aimed primarily to reduce the rate of disease progress.


Key Words : Reading Skill and Thematic Simulation

Reading is one of important skills in English. But, reading sometimes is the language skill which is neglected. Moreover, some students think that reading is difficult task and this lesson often makes them bored. Some students complain about the teaching method that is applied by the English teacher. They do not enjoy with the way of their teaching. Because of that reason, the researcher intends to make a research using Thematic Simulation method to teach reading. This is an innovative learning method with a fun activity, so it will help the students to avoid the boredom. Besides, teaching reading using Thematic Simulation is able to encourage the student's aspect like affective, psychomotor and cognitive.
In this research, the researcher employed classroom action research. The subject was the eight grade students of SMPN 05 Sawoo Ponorogo in the academic year of 2010/2011. Before implementing the study, the researcher made a lesson plan, a scenario of teaching using Thematic Simulation method and prepared the research instruments like questionnaire, observation checklist, test, portfolio, and field notes. Also, the researcher determined the criteria of success to know the successfulness of the research.
The research was conducted in two cycles. Each cycle consists of two meetings. The first meeting is the implementation of Thematic Simulation and the second meeting is the reading test. Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal (KKM) of the test is 70. Based on the result of the test in cycle one was found that the student's score above 70 were five students or 23.07%. But, twenty seven students or 76.93% got score under KKM. It means that the criteria of success had not fulfilled. Therefore, the researcher continued to cycle two. After conducting cycle two, finally the result of the test showed improvement 76.93%. All of students (100%) got score equal or above 70. It means that the classroom action research had met criteria of success, so the researcher stopped the research.
In the last, the researcher suggess to the English teacher to apply the variation of teaching method appropriately with characteristics of students, especially Thematic Simulation method to teach reading. Also, the teacher should create the situation of learning teaching that is fun and enjoyable, so the students are not bored, especially in reading lesson.


Background: Glaucoma drainage devices have traditionally been reserved for patients with refractory glaucoma. However, these devices are prone to various sight-threatening complications. To prevent hypotony after placement of the Baerveldt tube, surgeons traditionally tie the tube with an absorbable suture until encapsulation occurs around the plate. We hypothesized that combining the XEN tube, placing it in the anterior chamber and connecting it to the Baerveldt tube posteriorly, outside the anterior chamber, would minimize 2 main potentially blinding complications: hypotony and corneal disease. Purpose: To describe a new surgical technique for refractory glaucoma, combining both the Baerveldt and the XEN tubes in the same surgery. Surgical Technique: The Baerveldt implant was positioned in the superotemporal quadrant and sutured to the sclera. A scleral flap was executed extending from the anterior margin of the plate for the entire length of the tube to the limbus. The Baerveldt tube was correctly positioned by removing a deeper scleral flap. The XEN tube was then inserted ab externo and inserted into the Baerveldt tube's lumen. The newly formed double tube was then sutured and covered by the first scleral flap and usual suturing of the conjunctiva was performed. Conclusions: This technique is simple and potentially increases the safety of refractory glaucoma surgeries.


We have demonstrated that the reproducibility of electron beam pulses generated by a high power, cold cathode glow discharge is greatly improved by adding a small continuous keep-alive discharge current. A current of the order of 200 μA was found to limit the shot to shot current variation to within 1.5%. This stabilization in turn reduces by an order of magnitude the fluctuations of the energy density deposited on the target, demonstrating a reliable energy source for surface treatment.


Objective: The treatment of burns remains a challenge due to the associated high morbidity and mortality. Besides the administration of physiologic saline, local disinfection, and symptomatic medications, no causal therapy is known to reduce the tissue damage and accelerate wound healing. The aim of the study was to develop a reliable burn model that allows for reproducible quantitative in vivo analysis of the microcirculation, angiogenesis, and leukocyte endothelium interaction after burn injury. Methods: Experiments were carried out on male hairless mice (n = 9). Full-thickness burns were inflicted with a hot air jet without any contact to the tissue (117 ± 2.1°C for 1 second; burn area: 1.3 mm2). Intravital fluorescent microscopy, in combination with FITC-dextran as plasma marker, was used to assess microcirculatory standard parameters; leukocytes were stained with rhodamine 6G. Values were obtained before, immediately after, as well as at days 1, 3, 7, and 14 postburn. Results: The nonperfused area decreased during the observed period and perfusion was almost completely due to angiogenesis at day 14. No posttraumatic expansion of the nonperfused area after 24 hours could be observed. Leukocyte endothelium interaction showed its maximum 24 hours postburn. The formation of edema occurred immediately postburn and decreased during the following observation time. Conclusion: The developed burn model allows a reproducible assessment with significant results of the microcirculation, angiogenesis, and leukocyte endothelium interaction without causing mechanical damage to the tissue; therefore, this model qualifies for the further investigations of interventional drugs to decrease the effects of burn injury.


I leaped at the opportunity to review these volumes because (a) they represent the premier recipe compendia of the most important cross-coupling reactions in organic synthesis of the last half-century and (b) they would instantly receive first-shelf, center display in our laboratories1 for student browsing and immediate transfer to the bench. With the recognition that the word browsing has lost one of its original meanings ('to look through in a leisurely manner in the hope of finding something of interest'), a student of my generation would have sung, or attempted to sing, Georg Friedrich Händel's Hallelujah chorus on receipt of this three-volume, 2606 page (not counting indices) work.


This paper presents a control law for shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators. Unlike most laws reported in the literature, this control law includes both a feedback and an open-loop part. The open-loop part takes into account the stress - strain - temperature behaviour of SMA wires, as well as the dynamics of the heating and cooling process. A constitutive model for a NiTi wire is developed. This model is a compromise between accurate description of the real behaviour, and simplicity, since it must be used on-line for the determination of the open-loop part of the control law. The method is tested both in simulations and experiments on a system with one degree of freedom. The tracking performance of the controlled system was investigated for a number of trajectory-following tasks. The tracking error obtained with the proposed control method is considerably smaller than with feedback control only.


ABSTRACT A 2.6-kbp fragment of the pseudorabies virus (PrV) genome was sequenced and shown to contain the homologues of the highly conserved herpesvirus genes UL31 and UL32. By use of a monospecific antiserum, the UL31 gene product was identified as a nuclear protein with an apparent molecular mass of 29 kDa. For functional analysis, UL31 was deleted by mutagenesis in Escherichia coli of an infectious full-length clone of the PrV genome. The resulting virus mutants were deficient in plaque formation, and titers were reduced more than 100-fold from those of wild-type PrV. Ultrastructural analyses demonstrated that capsid maturation and DNA packaging were not affected. However, neither budding at the inner nuclear membrane nor cytoplasmic or extracellular virus particles were observed. These replication defects were similar to those of a UL34 deletion mutant (B. G. Klupp, H. Granzow, and T. C. Mettenleiter, J. Virol. 74:10063–10073, 2000) and could be completely repaired in a cell line which constitutively expresses the UL31 protein. Yeast two-hybrid studies revealed that a UL31 fusion protein specifically interacts with plasmids of a PrV genome library expressing the N-terminal part of UL34. Vice versa, UL34 selected UL31-encoding plasmids from the library. Immunofluorescence studies and immune electron microscopy demonstrated that in cells infected with wild-type PrV, both proteins accumulate at the nuclear membrane, whereas in the absence of UL34 the UL31 protein is dispersed throughout the nucleus. Like the UL34 protein, the UL31 gene product is a component of enveloped virus particles within the perinuclear space and absent from mature virions. Our findings suggest that physical interaction between these two virus proteins might be a prerequisite for primary envelopment of PrV at the inner nuclear membrane and that this envelope is removed by fusion with the outer nuclear membrane.


Mutant A11, a mutant of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera Sdu with low acid and neutral trehalase was found to accumulate over 18% (w/w) trehalose from starch in its cells. In this study, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (Tps1) was purified to homogeneity from this mutant, with a 30-fold increase in the specific enzyme activity, as compared to the concentrated cell-free extract, from initial cells. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme as determined by SDS-PAGE was 66 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were 6.6 and 37 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was activated by Ca2+, K+ and Mg2+, with K+ showing the highest activation at 35 mM. On the other hand, Mn2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Hg2+ and Co2+ inhibited the enzyme. The enzyme was also strongly inhibited by protease inhibitors such as iodoacetic acid, EDTA and PMSF.


Four plasmids, each encoding a combination of either an Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas putida promoter and either toluene dioxygenase or toluene monooxygenase, were electroporated into five bacterial strains isolated from sediments found at depths of 91 to 295 m. Four of these engineered bacterial strains demonstrated both toluene and trichloroethylene degradation activities.


In tumors characterized by a high osteotropism, such as multiple myeloma, the measurement of bone metabolism markers is helpful in monitoring both severity and prognosis of the skeletal disease. Here, we review the pathophysiology of these markers including tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP), which appears highly specific and closely related to the extent of myeloma bone lesions.


Darwinian evolution, defined as evolution arising from selection based directly on the properties of individuals, does not account for cultural constructs providing the organizational basis of human societies. The difficulty with linking Darwinian evolution to structural properties of cultural constructs is exemplified with kinship terminologies, a cultural construct that structures and delineates the domain of kin in human societies


Pregnancies, as well as the post-partum period, are characterized by important metabolic changes. A lot of physiological changes affect the circulating blood volume, peripheral vascular compliance and resistance, myocardial function, heart rate and the neuro-hormonal system. These changes are well known in normal pregnancies, due to thorough examination and intense study; however there are still some questions related to the differences between women with and without structural diseases. Tocolitic medication used in pregnancy can cause cardiac complications in a healthy woman. The presence of cardiovascular diseases in pregnancy must not be ignored because:  Cardiovascular diseases are top causes of non-obstetrical maternal death (Sullivan, 1990).  The modern possibilities of investigation improved diagnosis of cardiac diseases.  The modern therapy can help women with cardiovascular diseases to have a good pregnancy outcome. Until recently, pregnancy was forbidden in those women.  Women with repaired congenital heart defects. These women will have an increased risk of arrhythmias during pregnancy (Tateno, 2003). These types of patients usually have fragile hemodynamics and need additional therapy in most of the cases.


The Ni-Mn-In alloy occur martensite reverse phase transitions driven by magnetic field in a certain composition range, resulting in the macroscopic strain, and along with the output of up to 108 MPa stress. However, there are some defects impeded practical application of alloy, such as brittleness and low Curie temperature. So, we will improve its mechanical properties by doping the suitable rare earth Gd elements in Ni-Mn-In alloy in this paper.In this paper, we study the microstructure, martensitic transformation and mechanical properties of Ni45.4Mn41.5-xIn13.1Gdx (x=0,0.2,0.5,1,2) magnetic shape memory alloy by DSC and Compression fracture strength and strain curve, which clarify the influence of Gd doping on martensitic phase transformation and mechanical properties of alloys.The studies have shown that the microstructure of the alloy changes from single organization into a mixed-phase structure of the matrix and the rich-Gd phase with the increasing of rare earth Gd content and martensitic transformation temperature of the alloys increases gradually with the increasing of Gd element content; The fracture strength and fracture strain increases first and then a decreasing trend with increasing the rare earth Gd elements. The result of the improved mechanical properties is the co-action of fine grain strengthening and second phase strengthening.


Objective/Material and Method: Cryptic chromosomal imbalances contribute significantly to the etiology of multiple congenital anomalies with or without mental retardation (MCA/MR). Current approaches in prenatal diagnosis include targeted high resolution analyses by MLPA and some microarray platforms or a genomewide screening at maximal resolution using oligonucleotide or SNP arrays. The major disadvantages of the latter approach are cost and the inadvertent detection of copy number variation of unknown clinical significance.  In this prospective work, fetal DNA samples from 66 fetuses who had pathological antenatal ultrasonography findings with normal karyotype and Multiprobe T-FISH results were tested using commercially available targeted MLPA probe-sets to compare the efficacy and the impact of MLPA testing at prenatal setting. Results: Three submicroscopic deletions (3.66; 4.5%) were detected in the cohort. Two of them were de novo deletions, 18ptel and 7q11.23. The third finding was a 75 kb duplication at 18q, which was maternally inherited and probably a benign copy number variation unrelated to the pathological ultarsonography findings. Conclusion: The observed detection rate by MLPA testing can be considered within the expected range. Furthermore, benign copy number variation was identified with the targeted diagnostic approach as an unexpected finding. This study shows that MLPA is a practical and cost-effective technique to investigate submicroscobic chromosomal aberrations in fetuses.


Predation strongly affects the dynamics of northern vertebrate communities through direct and indirect pathways. Coyotes are one of the main predators of snowshoe hares, and hare populations are characterized by cyclic fluctuations with peaks every 8-11 years. Northern coyotes rely on hares as their primary food source, but they are also major predators of Dall sheep lambs. I examined the response of coyotes to the snowshoe hare population decline in the Alaska Range from 1999-2002 and evaluated the impact of coyote predation on other species in the vertebrate prey community. I first addressed these issues at the population level and then examined the foraging behavior of individual coyotes and social groups. Snowshoe hare abundance declined 10-fold and had a strong effect on coyote diet composition. The absolute biomass of hares was a good predictor of the amount of carrion, voles, porcupine, and hare in the diet, and coyotes were relatively insensitive to changes in the abundance of alternative prey. Coyote selection for hares and porcupines increased as hare numbers declined, and per-capita consumption of porcupines increased 25-fold. Conversely, voles irrupted and represented 61% of available prey biomass by the end of the hare decline, but coyote selection for voles did not increase. Coyote per-capita consumption of Dall sheep was not affected by sheep or hare abundance. Because coyote predation on alternative prey was not dependent on alternative prey density, it was not a stabilizing influence on the prey community. Coyote numbers declined nearly 2-fold during the snowshoe hare decline, with peak coyote numbers occurring 1 A years after the hare peak. Mortality and emigration increased immediately following the peak in coyote numbers, followed by reproductive failure during the low phase of the hare cycle. Coyote-inflicted mortality on Dall sheep lambs fell 3-fold when coyote reproduction failed. Lamb survival was negatively related to hare abundance, showing a limit cycle with a 2-year time delay. Thus, snowshoe hare abundance indirectly affects Dall sheep populations via a numerical response by coyotes. Diet composition varied among individual coyotes and social groups. The pattern of snowshoe hare consumption by social groups largely mirrored the pattern of hare abundance in space and time, indicating that patchiness in prey abundance may have been the main cause of diet variation among coyote groups. Adult coyotes with higher proportions of hare and vole in their diets and lower proportions of porcupine and carrion had increased chances of surviving the hare decline and remaining in the study area.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

RNAi technology has brought a new category of treatments for cancer. NFκB is a transcription factor which can inhibit apoptosis and promote cell proliferation. Activation of NFκB is linked to the progression of various cancers. Inhibition of NFκB and its downstream targets using NFκB-siRNA (NS) for cancer therapy has been investigated. However, for successful siRNA delivery, it has to be delivered into the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Naked siRNA is prone to degradation and has a plasma half-life of less than five minutes. In addition, the relatively small size of the siRNA leads to rapid renal clearance. These facts, together with the negatively charged siRNA which limits permeability across cell membrane, mean that successful delivery of naked siRNA is unlikely. Cationic lipid based systems have emerged as the most attractive siRNA delivery, however the use is limited due to poor transfection efficiency and toxicity. The use of polymers (polyethyleneimines and polyesteramines) has been hampered due to substantial toxicity. Natural polymer based delivery systems (chitosan, gelatin, albumin) are biocompatible and biodegradable with high physiological tolerance and low immunogenicity. The purpose of this study was to develop NS loaded into gelatin nanocarriers (NS-GNCs) that enables effective delivery in a targeted fashion to tumors. The NS-GNCs were prepared using cationic gelatin by desolvation method. The NS-GNCs were characterized for size, charge, entrapment, release and in vitro efficacy against lung and breast cancer cells. The size and zeta potential was found to be 180 ± 4 nm and 16 ± 2 mV respectively. Entrapment efficiency was found to be 81 ± 1.4 % and the release of siRNA was in a controlled manner up to 48 h. The dose dependent in vitro efficacy of NS-GNCs was studied using A549 lung cancer and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells compared to naked NS using untreated cells as a control. NS-GNCs showed significantly (p<0.05) higher cytotoxicity against lung and breast cancer cells in a dose dependant manner compared to naked NS. At 30ng/ml, NS-GNCs treated A549 cells showed 46% cytotoxicity compared to 16% in naked NS treated A549 cells. At 60ng/ml, NS-GNCs treated MDA-MB-231 cells showed 54% cytotoxicity compared to 21% in naked NS treated cells. The increased cytotoxicity with NS-GNCs can be attributed to the tumor specific accumulation of positively charged GNCs by uptake through electrochemical diffusion. Moreover, NS-GNCs showed comparable cytotoxicity as compared to lipofectamine (tranfecting agent) in both the cancer cells. The developed targeted NS-GNCs showed enhanced activity compared to naked NS against cancer cells. This innovative delivery approach will help to overcome the limitations and adverse side effects associated with current delivery approaches. We are currently investigating NS-GNC conjugation with RGD peptide to enhance the tumor specific delivery via receptor mediated endocytosis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5644. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5644


A self-consistent thermodynamic framework is presented for power law canonical distributions of the Zipf-Mandelbrot type based on the generalized central-limit theorem by extending the discussion given by Khinchin for deriving Gibbsian canonical ensemble theory. The thermodynamic Legendre transform structure is invoked in establishing its connection to nonextensive statistical mechanics.


A simple method for determining whether the high-yield debt market is "rich" or "poor" at any point in time uses the concept of break-even yield to measure the current market premium that investors can expect to receive over the yield of the benchmark—default-risk-free bonds. Covering the sample period 1988 to 1994, analysis of premiums and implied default rates for each of the high-yield bond rating categories, as well as the overall high-yield market, indicates that premiums over the break-even yield have varied dramatically during the past six years, from 0.5 percent to 8.0 percent. Also, total returns are significantly positively correlated with lagged premiums. This result implies an effective model for predicting returns over 6- and 12-month horizons.


Matt 1:1 raises interpretive questions regarding its scope as a potential title and the import of the phrases "son of David" and "son of Abraham." This article contends that "son of Abraham" introduces a significant sacrificial Christological category centered on the figure of Isaac which complements the Messianic aspects of Jesus Christ's ministry associated with the title "son of David." "Son of David" and "son of Abraham" therefore stand in parallel at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew as two titular designations specifying two Christological categories of the greatest import for the Gospel: Messiah ("son of David") and new Isaac ("son of Abraham"). Thus is solved the difficulty of a crucified Messiah: Jesus is indeed the Messiah but also the anti-type of Isaac, whose sacrifice was paradigmatic in Jewish tradition. Matt 1:1 therefore introduces the reader to these dual Christological categories and is a title whose scope covers the entire Gospel.


We investigate the intrinsic error sensitivity of photoacoustic experiments in obtaining reliable and accurate information on the inhomogeneous thermal conductivity below the surface. The analysis is based on thermal wave properties and does not depend on any approximate inversion technique. As an example, the theory is applied to the important class of monotonic profiles. The theory can help us in choosing the lower frequency limit in an actual experiment.


The Ironman World Championship in Hawaii is assumed to be the most challenging Ironman triathlon in the world. Athletes intending to compete in 'Ironman Hawaii' need to qualify. The aims of this study were (i) to compare the participation of athletes between 'Ironman Hawaii' and its qualifier races regarding their origin, and (ii) to compare the top ten performances of selected nations in 'Ironman Hawaii' with the top ten performances of the same nations in qualifier races within one year. All finishers in 2010 in both 'Ironman Hawaii' and in the qualifier races were analyzed regarding nationality, sex and performance of finishers. For women, a higher percentage (27.2%) finished in 'Ironman Hawaii' compared to the qualifiers (18.9%). For men, a higher percentage (81.1%) finished in the qualifiers compared to 'Ironman Hawaii' (72.8%). In both 'Ironman Hawaii' and in the qualifiers, most finishers originated from the USA, followed by athletes from Germany and Canada. When the split and overall race times of the top ten finishers of the fastest nations were compared between the qualifiers and 'Ironman Hawaii', split and overall races times were faster in both women and men in the qualifiers compared to 'Ironman Hawaii'. In the qualifiers, the fastest women originated from the USA (551±14 min), followed by athletes from Germany (563±12 min) and Switzerland (574±22 min). In 'Ironman Hawaii' the fastest race times were achieved by American women (571±10 min), followed by women originating from Australia (600±32 min) and Germany (623±25 min). For men, the fastest race times in the qualifiers were reached by athletes originating from Germany (496±7 min), followed by athletes from Australia (503±10 min) and Great Britain (512±9 min). In 'Ironman Hawaii', American triathletes (522±11 min) were the fastest followed by German (526±19 min) and Australian (532±26 min) finishers. These findings showed that (i) split and overall race times were slower in 'Ironman Hawaii' compared to its qualifiers and (ii) American triathletes dominated both participation and performance in both 'Ironman Hawaii' and its qualifiers. Â


The model of the system DNA-histones functioning like a computer has the following elements: 1. The hydrogen bonds between the complementary nucleotide bases function as informational gates. When the pi electrons of a nucleotide base are excited, an exchange of protons is produced between the 2 complementary bases. The result is the displacement of the double conjugated bonds which facilitate the intermolecular transmission of the electronic wave of excitation by an electromagnetic coupling. 2. Each triplet of nucleotide bases of DNA fixes a certain amino acid (as in the genetic code). Between the nucleotide bases and the amino acids there are constituted informational gates, which ensure the circulation of the electronic wave of excitation.


MOTIVATION
The data gathered by the Pan-Cancer initiative has created an unprecedented opportunity for illuminating common features across different cancer types. However, separating tissue-specific features from across cancer signatures has proven to be challenging. One of the often-observed properties of the mutational landscape of cancer is the mutual exclusivity of cancer driving mutations. Even though studies based on individual cancer types suggested that mutually exclusive pairs often share the same functional pathway, the relationship between across cancer mutual exclusivity and functional connectivity has not been previously investigated.

RESULTS
We introduce a classification of mutual exclusivity into three basic classes: within tissue type exclusivity, across tissue type exclusivity and between tissue type exclusivity. We then combined across-cancer mutual exclusivity with interactions data to uncover pan-cancer dysregulated pathways. Our new method, Mutual Exclusivity Module Cover (MEMCover) not only identified previously known Pan-Cancer dysregulated subnetworks but also novel subnetworks whose across cancer role has not been appreciated well before. In addition, we demonstrate the existence of mutual exclusivity hubs, putatively corresponding to cancer drivers with strong growth advantages. Finally, we show that while mutually exclusive pairs within or across cancer types are predominantly functionally interacting, the pairs in between cancer mutual exclusivity class are more often disconnected in functional networks.


Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) may provide a clinical option for rebuilding damaged superficial lamina propria of the vocal fold. We investigated the effects of five hydrogels (hyaluronic acid [HA], collagen, fibrin, and cogels of fibrin-collagen and fibrin-HA) on the differentiation of ASCs, with the long-term goal of establishing the conditions necessary for controlling the differentiation of ASC into the functional equivalent of superficial lamina propria fibroblasts. Human ASCs were isolated and characterized by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and real-time polymerase chain reaction. According to fluorescence-activated cell sorting and gene analysis, over 90% of isolated ASCs expressed adult stem cell surface markers and expressed adult stem cell genes. Scaffold-specific gene expression and morphology were assessed by culturing the ASCs in three-dimensional hydrogels. Twofold higher amounts of total DNA were detected in fibrin and cogel cultures than in collagen and HA cultures. Elastin expression was significantly higher in cells grown in fibrin-based gels than in cells grown in other gels. Cells grown in the cogels showed elongated morphology, expressed decorin marker, and exhibited glycosaminoglycan synthesis, which indicate ASC differentiation. Our data suggest that it may be possible to control the differentiation of ASCs using scaffolds appropriate for vocal fold tissue engineering applications. In particular, cogels of HA or collagen with fibrin enhanced proliferation, differentiation, and elastin expression.


Gradual shot change detection is one of the most important research issues in the field of video indexing/retrieval. Among the numerous types of gradual transitions, the dissolve-type gradual transition is considered the most common one, but it is also the most difficult one to detect. In most of the existing dissolve detection algorithms, the false/miss detection problem caused by motion is very serious. In this paper, we present a novel dissolve-type transition detection algorithm that can correctly distinguish dissolves from disturbance caused by motion. We carefully model a dissolve based on its nature and then use the model to filter out possible confusion caused by the effect of motion. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is indeed powerful.


The rootstock plays a large role in modern citrus production because of its influence on tolerance to adverse abiotic and biotic soil-borne stresses, and on the general horticultural characteristics of the grafted scion. In recent years, rootstock has received increased attention as a management strategy to alleviate the devastating effects of the bacterial disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as "citrus greening." In commercial citrus nursery production, rootstocks are typically propagated by seed. Because of the increased demand for HLB-tolerant rootstocks, seed supply is often inadequate for the most popular cultivars. Cuttings and tissue culture (TC) propagation are alternative methods to supply adequate quantities of genetically identical rootstocks to be used as liners for grafting. However, there are concerns among nursery owners and citrus growers regarding the possible inferiority of rootstocks that are not propagated by seed. This study investigates the influence of rootstock propagation method on traits of sweet orange trees grafted on four commercially important rootstock cultivars during the nursery stage and during the first year of growth in a commercial citrus orchard. Several of the measured traits during the nursery stage, including rootstock sprouting, grafted tree growth, and root mass distribution were significantly influenced by the rootstock propagation method, but traits were also influenced by the rootstock cultivar. Our results also suggest that for tissue culture-propagated plants, differences in the starting material and the culturing method can affect the grafted tree behavior. Except for canopy spread and scion to rootstock trunk diameter ratio, tree growth during the orchard stage was determined by the combination of propagation method and rootstock, rather than by propagation method alone.


Abstract When submitting queries to information retrieval (IR) systems, users often have the option of specifying which, if any, of the query terms are heavily dependent on each other and should be treated as a fixed phrase, for instance by placing them between quotes.In addition to such cases where users specify term dependence, automatic ways also exist for IR systems to detect dependent terms in queries. Most IR systems use both user and algorithmic approaches. It is not however clear whether and to what extent user-defined term dependence agrees with algorithmic estimates of term dependence, nor which of the two may fetch higher performance gains. Simply put, is it better to trust users or the system to detect term dependence in queries? To answer this question, we experiment with 101 crowdsourced search engine users and 334 queries (52 train and 282 test TREC queries) and we record 10 assessments per query. We find that (i) user assessments of term dependence differ significantly from algorithmic assessments of term dependence (their overlap is approximately 30%); (ii) there is little agreement among users about term dependence in queries, and this disagreement increases as queries become longer; (iii) the potential retrieval gain that can be fetched by treating term dependence (both user- and system-defined) over a bag of words baseline is reserved to a small subset (approximately 8%) of the queries, and is much higher for low-depth than deep precision measures. Points (ii) and (iii) constitute novel insights into term dependence.


The use of a Zigbee network in various health monitoring systems has become well accepted. This network promises to develop health care by allowing prompt, secure, low power, and low-cost health monitoring with real-time medical data transmission and update via the session initiation protocol (SIP). In this paper, we present a description and system architecture for a ubiquitous ECG monitoring system based on SIP and the Zigbee Network. Our proposed ubiquitous ECG monitoring system includes a wireless ECG sensor, ECG console, a Zigbee module, a SIP registrar and proxy server, a database server, and wireless devices for users. This system specifically targets patients, senior citizens, and others who may benefit from continuous, Remote health monitoring systems. We performed an evaluation of the results of this research through an ECG monitoring system design and experimentation with a pervasive computing test bed.


The common respiratory abnormality, small airway dysfunction (fSAD), is easily neglected. Its prognostic factors, prevalence, and risk factors are unclear. This study aimed to explore the early detection of fSAD using radiomic analysis of computed tomography (CT) images to predict fSAD progress. The patients were divided into fSAD and non-fSAD groups and divided randomly into a training group (n = 190) and a validation group (n = 82) at a 7:3 ratio. Lung kit software was used for automatic delineation of regions of interest (ROI) on chest CT images. The most valuable imaging features were selected and a radiomic score was established for risk assessment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, radiomic score, smoking, and history of asthma were significant predictors of fSAD (P < 0.05). Results suggested that the radiomic nomogram model provides clinicians with useful data and could represent a reliable reference to form fSAD clinical treatment strategies.


Emission input modules was developed to produce emission input data and change some profiles for Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) using Clean Air Policy Support System (CAPSS)`s activities and previous studies. Specially, this study was focused to improve chemical speciation and temporal allocation profiles of SMOKE. At first, SCC cord mapping was done. 579 SCC cords of CAPSS were matched with EPA`s one. Temporal allocation profiles were changed using CAPSS monthly activities. And Chemical speciation profiles were substituted using Kang et al. (2000) and Lee et al. (2005) studies and Kim et al. (2005) study. Simulation in Seoul Metropolitan Area (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi) using MM5, SMOKE and CMAQ modeling system was done for effect analysis of changed input modules of SMOKE. Emission model results adjusted with new input modules were slightly changed as compared to using EPA`s default modules. SMOKE outputs shows that aldehyde emissions were decreased 4.78% after changing chemical profiles, increased 0.85% after implementing new temporal profiles. Toluene emissions were decreased 18.56% by changing chemical speciation profiles, increased 0.67% by replacing temporal profiles as well. Simulated results of air quality were also slightly elevated by using new input modules. Continuous accumulation of domestic data and studies to develop input system for air quality modeling would produce more improved results of air quality prediction.


This paper analyzes competition policy and antimonopoly law provisions with respect to regional integration. The international aspects of competition policy and antimonopoly law can take a variety of forms. With regard to the forms of agreement between countries, we compare bilateral agreements (focusing on bilateral cooperation and mutual assistance agreements) and multilateral agreements (focusing on the WTO) with agreements that adopt the form of regional integration, and through this we highlight aspects such as the characteristics, content, and functions of competition policies and antimonopoly law provisions in regional integration agreements. By means of a survey of regional integration agreements, we ascertain that with regard to their substantive provisions and their procedural provisions, two types exist in parallel: a type with strong functions for promoting the enactment of legislation and promoting their sharing by the participating countries, and a weak type that lacks these functions. Through this we can see that the regional integration format can combine the characteristics both of the bilateral agreement format and the multilateral agreement format. In addition, the process of regional integration can be understood as being that as the degree of integration increases, there is a progressive adoption of common competition policy and antimonopoly law and of central executive institutions, the more so when the integration is between developed nations. However, even in cases of integration between developed countries in which the degree of integration is advanced, there are some that try to maintain a high degree of commonality of competition policy and antimonopoly law provisions among the participating countries, without going so far as to have central executive institutions or common antimonopoly law provisions, while even in cases of integration by developing countries there are some that endeavor to adopt a form in which they have common antimonopoly law and other provisions. This paper further examines the characteristics of competition policies and antimonopoly law provisions in regional collaboration pacts and other agreements that Japan has concluded. Based on the above analysis of the background, content, administration, and other aspects of integration, it is possible to make meaningful suggestions as to the wealth of possibilities for the desirable forms that competition policy and antimonopoly law provisions should take in cases of regional integration, and as to the desirable forms of such provisions in cases of regional integration in which Japan is involved.


The Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT) showed a conclusive 54 per cent reduction in mortality in patients with inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) and impaired left ventricular function who received an implantable defibrillator compared with those who did not. The Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Patch Trial, which studied a patient population with a similar extent of left ventricular dysfunction and overall cardiovascular risk, demonstrated no mortality benefit from placement of an implantable defibrillator. All patients in the MADIT trial were 'VT inducible', while this criterion was neither required nor evaluated for entry into the CABG Patch Trial. A statistical approach to estimating with good accuracy the fraction of CABG Patch patients who were inducible at the time of their randomization from the prevalence of VT inducibility in the surviving CABG Patch Trial control population during follow-up is presented. This more generally applicable approach estimates the mixing percentage using missing data techniques. We present the mathematical and physiological basis of the assumptions underpinning the mixture model and its estimation procedure. The mixture model forms the basis for the electrophysiological substudy to the CABG Patch Trial, which directly tests the hypothesis that the difference in the frequency of inducible VT between the MADIT and CABG Patch patients populations is sufficient to account for the difference in effect on mortality.


Ray tracing algorithms that sample both the light received directly from light sources and the light received indirectly by diffuse reflection from other patches, can accurately render the global illumination in a scene and can display complex scenes with accurate shadowing. A drawback of these algorithms, however, is the high cost for sampling the direct light which is done by shadow ray testing. Although several strategies are available to reduce the number of shadow rays, still a large number of rays will be needed, in particular to sample large area light sources. An adaptive sampling strategy is proposed that reduces the number of shadow rays by using statistical information from the sampling process and by applying information from a radiosity preprocessing. A further reduction in shadow rays is obtained by applying shadow pattern coherence, i.e. reusing the adaptive sampling pattern for neighboring sampling points.


Warm season (June–September) hydroclimatology is a key determinant of freshwater supplies in the Korean Peninsula. In the Han River Basin, nearly three‐fourths of annual discharge occurs during the warm season. Given the increased reliance on water supplies for numerous human and ecosystem functions, an integrated view of water supplies within the context of the regional hydroclimate will aid efforts to achieve water resources sustainability. To that end, this diagnostic study investigates several key aspects of the Han River hydrologic regime: (i) the warm season hydroclimatology; (ii) understanding the relative contribution of typhoon and non‐typhoon precipitation events to warm season streamflow; and (iii) relationships with large‐scale atmospheric teleconnections patterns and the implied seasonal predictability. Statistical analysis of modelled unimpaired streamflow indicates that the East Atlantic‐Western Russia (EA–WR) teleconnection pattern modulates the Han River streamflow during the warm season. Furthermore, a linear modelling approach using the EA–WR and East Atlantic (EA) teleconnection indices offers a useful empirical framework for understanding the systematic shifts in streamflow probability distributions. Based on these results, potential use of this information for multi‐objective water resources management, environmental flow prescriptions, proactive use of seasonal forecasts, and some open questions are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society


To evaluate the short term results of open reduction and internal fixation with cross k-wires in
type III supracondylar fracture of Humerus in children in our setup.
PATIENTS & METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery & Traumatology, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro from
March 2012 to March 2014. Total forty-seven patients with type III supracondylar Fracture Humerus
were evaluated in this series. All were treated with open reduction & internal fixation with
cross k-wires. The children followed regularly and the cosmetic and functional results assessed
according to the Flynn criteria.
RESULTS: The mean age in our series was 7.4 years. There were 35 boys and 12 girls. The most
common mode of injury 72.34% was fall during play. In 95.75% of our cases injury was extension
type and in 4.25% flexion type. Grade I pin tract infection was noted in only 3 patients. 69%
cases have excellent cosmetic and functional results, 22% were having good cosmetic and
functional results according to Flynn Criteria.
CONCLUSION: Open reduction and internal fixation with cross k-wires produce excellent to
good results in Gartland type III supracondylar fracture especially in the areas where image intensifier
facilities are limited.


. We investigate measure-theoretic aspects of various notions of reducibility by applying analogs of Demuth's Theorem in the hyperarithmetic and set-theoretic settings.


We present a lightweight annotation tool, the Data AnnotatoR Tool (DART), for the general task of labeling structured data with textual descriptions. The tool is implemented as an interactive application that reduces human efforts in annotating large quantities of structured data, e.g. in the format of a table or tree structure. By using a backend sequence-to-sequence model, our system iteratively analyzes the annotated labels in order to better sample unlabeled data. In a simulation experiment performed on annotating large quantities of structured data, DART has been shown to reduce the total number of annotations needed with active learning and automatically suggesting relevant labels.


Environmental conditions require, from companies and their employees, continuous learning and acquiring new knowledge, skills, and competences, which generally may be named as shaping the human capital. The same refers to agricultural cooperatives and more specifically their members and employees. The article describes the usage of one of cooperative principles, concerning education, training, and information, in Polish agricultural cooperatives. The purpose of the article is to describe the educational needs of members and employees of agricultural cooperatives. The article brings the answers for the following questions: What is the interest of additional education and professional development in Polish agricultural cooperatives? What are the areas of interest of education? What forms of education are appropriate? Who most needs education? The article utilizes the results of research conducted in 2013. The research method was a survey sent electronically to the managers of 1,147 cooperatives. Approximately 50 respondents took part in the research. Data analysis included the method of logical inference. The findings are disturbing. It turns out that the level of educational needs in Polish agricultural cooperatives is small. The reasons for this are most often the lack of funds, the lack of faith in ensuring tangible effects of training, and the general members' antipathy to make efforts to improve the knowledge and skills which results from their age close to retirement. The main conclusion is that this might have its source in the wider context of changes in Poland in general and associating Polish agricultural cooperatives with the forced collectivization of agriculture that is still observed, even by the cooperatives members themselves.


In a series of recent publications, the crystals of L- and DL-cysteine were shown to undergo multiple phase transitions upon variation of temperature and pressure. All these transitions are related to rotation of the amino acid side chain. Accordingly, cysteine-containing crystal structures should be stabilized with respect to phase transitions by measures that reduce the mobility of the side chain in the crystalline environment. In the present work, we show that this can be achieved by increasing the significance of the side chain –SH group as a participant in intermolecular hydrogen bonds, either by N-acetylation, which removes the strong –NH3+ donor of cysteine and leaves a system without strong charge-assisted interactions, or by co-crystallization with an acid (oxalic acid) that converts the amino acid to a cation and itself forms a strong anion H-bond acceptor, thus boosting the importance of potential –SH donors. The crystal structures of the three compounds N-acetyl-L-cysteine, DL-cysteinium semioxalate, and bis(DL-cysteinium) oxalate have thus been studied with variation of temperature and pressure. Cooling down to 4 K and increasing pressure up to 9.5 GPa did not result in any structural phase transitions in N-acetyl-L-cysteine and bis(DL-cysteinium) oxalate. In case of DL-cysteinium semioxalate, increasing pressure caused a phase transition at a much higher pressure (∼6 GPa), compared to the ranges of pressure-induced phase transitions observed earlier for both monoclinic and orthorhombic L-cysteine (2.5–3.9 GPa and 1.1–2.5 GPa, respectively) or DL-cysteine (0.1–5 GPa). This phase transition had a large hysteresis, so that the reverse transformation on decompression was observed at ∼3.7 GPa only, and was accompanied by a change in molecular conformations, as well as by the reorganization in the N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure.


Literary Translation and The Question of Interpretation
The second half of the 20th century was particularly marked by the deepening of hermeneutical philosophy. This development has largely influenced various sciences and disciplines, in particular the arts and humanities. First, it was a question of studying the issues relating to modern man and his "existence" in the face of the "text" according to a hermeneutic approach. Philosophers of hermeneutics have been particularly interested in this discipline, not only because it derives from the Latin origin of its term but also because translation deals with the understanding of texts by exposing any language to the challenges of survival through relation to its culture and its identity Translation, being at the center of this uncertainty between the global and the local, the unique and the diverse, the global and the specific, had to be at the heart of the hermeneutic question, by introducing the interpretation in its dualities of "freedom and literalness", of "fidelity and infidelity".


OBJECTIVE
This study examined grief and mental health service use among 86 bereaved caregivers of advanced cancer patients.

METHODS
Caregivers were assessed before (median=3.1 months) and after (median=6.6 months) patients' deaths for prolonged grief disorder, axis I psychiatric disorders, mental health service use, suicidality, and health-related quality of life.

RESULTS
Sixteen percent of the bereaved sample met criteria for prolonged grief disorder, which was significantly associated with suicidality and poorer health-related quality of life, but not with mental health service use. The majority of bereaved caregivers with prolonged grief disorder did not access mental health services. In multivariable analyses, having discussed psychological concerns with a health care professional when the patient was ill was the only significant predictor of mental health service use during bereavement.

CONCLUSIONS
Because bereaved caregivers with prolonged grief disorder underutilize mental health services, connecting them with services while the patient is still alive may be beneficial.


This paper reports on the mechanical properties of fused silica flexures manufactured by a two-step process combining femtosecond lasers exposure below the ablation threshold and chemical etching. Flexural strengths as high as 2.7 GPa were measured, demonstrating that femtosecond lasers can be efficiently used to produce arbitrarily shaped high-strength mechanical devices, opening new opportunities for the design of monolithically integrated optomechanical devices.


The invention relates to a calcinated catalyst for converting paraffinic hydrocarbon into corresponding olefin through dehydrogenation. The catalyst is an oxidic, heat-stable carrier material and contains a catalytic active constituent, which is applied on the carrier material and has the following composition (in wt. % in relation to the entire weight of the catalyst): a) 0.2 to 2.0 % of at least one element of the groups Pt and Ir and, acting as a promoter, a combination of elements from the six following groups of substances: b) 0.2 to 5.0 % of at least one of the following elements Ge, Sn, Pb, Ga, In, Tl; c) 0.1 to 5.0 % of at least one of the following elements Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr; d) 02. to 5.0 % of at least one of the following elements Fe, Co, Ni, Pd; e) 1.0 to 5.0 % P; f) 0.2 to 5 % of at least one of the following elements Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra and lanthanides and g) 0.1 to 2 % Cl.


Cellular protein concentrations are generally under stronger evolutionary pressure than mRNA concentrations. [Also see Report by Khan et al.] Which is more conserved across species—the concentrations of proteins or the concentrations of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that encode them? When examining orthologous genes, it's protein concentrations that are more similar to each other. This observation was first made in worm and fly (1), and later for eight organisms ranging from bacteria to yeast, plant, and human (2). However, because the measurement platforms, data sets, and cell samples were heterogeneous in these studies, it has been difficult to separate possible biological trends from technical artifacts. On page 1100 of this issue, Khan et al. (3) show that the biological trend is very real. The authors show that protein concentrations from identical cell types across three primate species are under stronger evolutionary constraints than the respective mRNA expression levels.


ABSTRACT Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infections are associated with hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). In vivo, elevated plasma levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) in EHEC-infected children are correlated with a high risk of developing HUS. As IL-8 gene transcription is regulated by the transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1, we analyzed the role of these factors in the regulation of IL-8 production after infection of the epithelial intestinal T84 cell line by EHEC. By 6 h of infection, EHEC had induced significant secretion of IL-8 (35.84 ± 6.76 ng/ml versus 0.44 ± 0.04 ng/ml in control cells). EHEC induced AP-1 and NF-κB activation by 3 h of infection. Moreover, the three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) (ERK1/2, p38, and JNK) were phosphorylated in EHEC-infected T84 cells concomitant with induction of AP-1 DNA binding activity, and IκB-α was phosphorylated and then degraded concomitant with induction of NF-κB DNA binding activity. Pretreatment of cells with the highly specific MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126, the p38 inhibitor SB203580, and/or the proteasome inhibitor ALLN led to inhibition of the IL-8 secretion induced in EHEC-infected T84 cells. These findings demonstrate that (i) EHEC can induce in vitro a potent proinflammatory response by secretion of IL-8 and (ii) the secretion of IL-8 is due to the involvement of MAPK, AP-1, and NF-κB signaling pathways.


Given their special structural characteristics, bridges are prone to suffer from the effects of many hazards, such as earthquakes, wind, or floods. As most of the recent unexpected damage and destruction of bridges has been caused by hydraulic issues, monitoring the scour depth of bridges has become an important topic. Currently, approaches to scour monitoring mainly focus on either installing sensors on the substructure of a bridge or identifying the physical parameters of a bridge, which commonly face problems of system survival or reliability. To solve those bottlenecks, a novel structural health monitoring (SHM) concept was proposed by utilizing the two dominant parameters of fractal theory, including the fractal dimension and the topothesy, to evaluate the instability condition of a bridge structure rapidly. To demonstrate the performance of this method, a series of experiments has been carried out. The function of the two parameters was first determined using data collected from a single bridge column scour test. As the fractal dimension gradually decreased, following the trend of the scour depth, it was treated as an alternative to the fundamental frequency of a bridge structure in the existing methods. Meanwhile, the potential of a positive correlation between the topothesy and the amplitude of vibration data was also investigated. The excellent sensitivity of the fractal parameters related to the scour depth was then demonstrated in a full-bridge experiment. Moreover, with the combination of these two parameters, a safety index to detect the critical scour condition was proposed. The experimental results have demonstrated that the critical scour condition can be predicted by the proposed safety index. The monitoring system developed greatly advances the field of bridge scour health monitoring and offers an alternative choice to traditional scour monitoring technology.


Coherent-mode representation provides physical insight and computational simplification into the analysis of random optical signals. In this work, we present the coherent-mode decomposition for pulsed electromagnetic beam fields. We show that the mode decomposition can be done for any valid space-frequency or space-time coherence matrix representing nonstationary pulsed electric field, and moreover, the spectral and temporal modes are connected via a Fourier transform relation. The analysis also yields the coherent modes of electromagnetic time-domain signals in temporal optics. We present the overall degree of coherence as a measure of the average temporal or spectral and spatial coherence of the beam. Several illustrative examples are discussed analytically and numerically.


In order to use histochemical methods in cornbination with electron microscopy for the study of the function and the fine structure of cells, we have proceeded along certain lines as working hypotheses. Our main assumption is that a compromise should be made between the distinct requirements of histochemistry and of electron microscopy. It would seem at first hand that the requirements of these disciplines are mutually antagonistic; but, if we have done anything with our investigations, it is to indicate that this is not so, especially in our selected circumstances. It may be effective, therefore, to review some of the separate requirements from which compromises must be made. For electron microscopy one of the most exacting requirements concerns the adequate preservation of the fine structure of cells by fixation. At present there are few fixatives which give satisfactory results. Among the chief ones that have been used, (osmium tetroxicle (15), potassium dichromate (6), potassium permanganate (12), and formalin (17)) osmium tetroxide and the permanganate are considered the best because they preserve the membranous struttures of the cytoplasm. The other two fixatives, which have been extensively used in light microscopy, are less adequate because they do not preserve the extensive intracellular membranous systems. They have been employed, though, for the fixation of structures (nuclei, various granules, etc.) which consist primarily of concentrated proteins. It should he pointed out that the use of formalin, in particular, has indicated that the distribution of densities in


A portable and quantitative enzyme immunoassay with a glucometer readout was developed for the sensitive monitoring of neuron-specific enolase (NSE, as a model analyte) in a high-binding polystyrene 96-well microtiter plate (MTP), conjugated with monoclonal mouse anti-human NSE antibody (mAb1). Gold nanoparticles heavily functionalized with glucoamylase and polyclonal rabbit anti-human NSE antibody (pAb2) were utilized as the trace tag. A sandwich-type immunoassay format was adopted for the quantitative detection of NSE in the mAb1-functionalized MTP. Accompanying the gold nanoparticles, the carried glucoamylase could hydrolyze amylopectin in glucose. The produced glucose could be quantitatively monitored using a portable personal glucose meter (PGM). Under optimal conditions, the PGM-based immunoassay exhibited good analytical properties for the determination of the target NSE, and allowed the detection of NSE at concentrations as low as 0.05 ng mL−1. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) were below 10% and 11%, respectively. The methodology was also evaluated by assaying 15 clinical serum samples, and showed good accordance between results obtained by the developed immunoassay and the referenced values.


The nonlinear absorption of CuBr nanocrystals embedded in a transparent glass matrix was investigated by using the excite-and-probe method. The luminescence properties of samples with different average nanocrystal radii were also studied. A fast-decaying damping of exciton absorption band was observed, and interpreted as being mainly caused by elastic collisions between excitons. The relationship between the photoinduced changes of the absorption and the exciton density was established. Radiative exciton - exciton interaction and surface recombination were revealed as the main recombination processes governing the decay of excitons in CuBr nanocrystals, and the relevant rate constants were evaluated.


Synapses can release multiple vesicles in response to a single action potential. This multi-vesicular release (MVR) occurs at most synapses but its spatiotemporal properties and relation to uni-vesicular release (UVR) are poorly understood. Nanoscale-resolution detection of individual release events in hippocampal boutons revealed a pattern of spatial organization of MVR, which preferentially overlapped with UVR at more central release sites. Pairs of fusion events comprising MVR were also not perfectly synchronized and the earlier event within the pair occurred closer to the active zone (AZ) center. Parallel to this organization, individual release sites had a gradient of release probability extending from the AZ center to periphery. This gradient, and spatial features of MVR, were similarly tightened by buffering intracellular calcium. These observations revealed a heterogeneous landscape of release site properties within individual AZs, which determines the spatiotemporal features of MVR and is controlled by non-uniform calcium elevation across the AZ.


Decision directed channel tracking (DDCT) at high fade rates in OFDM based systems is addressed in this paper. Existing DDCT algorithms like the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm (Al-Naffouri et al., 2002) suffer from error propagation and exhibit poor performance when applied to large frames at high fade rates. We propose a robust EM algorithm which mitigates the effect of error propagation and is able to track the channel in the decision directed mode even over frame durations experiencing 2-3 fade cycles. This EM algorithm uses the Huber's cost function in the maximization step instead of the non-robust least squares or Kalman cost function. Further, the noise variance is estimated using the robust median absolute deviation estimator instead of the standard maximum likelihood estimator. The proposed robust EM based DDCT scheme has a better error rate and MSE performance when compared to Kalman filter based pilot assisted channel tracking scheme with a 6.25% pilot overhead, even at a normalized Doppler of 0.04.


We study theoretically the influence of the direct and indirect Coulomb interaction on second-harmonic generation (SHG) and difference-frequency generation (DFG) connected with intersubband transitions in asymmetric double quantum wells. Our approach is based on the time-dependent local density approximation. The exact analytical expressions have been derived for SHG (in a two-subband system) and DFG (in a three-subband system) surface susceptibilities. Unlike in our previous papers, we take into account the nonresonant terms and nonlinear dependence of the exchange-correlation potential upon the electron density. Numerical calculations have been performed for GaAl/AlGaAs asymmetric coupled double-quantum-well structures with small energy separation (about 10 meV) between the ground and excited subband when the effect of the Coulomb interaction is most pronounced and the nonresonant terms become essential. The results obtained show that Coulomb interaction not only shifts the peak positions in SHG and DFG spectra, but also modifies their height. The height modification can be particularly strong (even more than one order of magnitude) in the case of the SHG. The nonlinearity of the exchange-correlation potential is found to lead to a novel feature that cannot be ignored in a correct description of SHG and DFG spectra. The electron-density dependence of the many-body effect is analysed. A critical comparison of the results obtained with those reported in the literature is also given.


In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in finding a noninvasive method to induce the acceleration of dental movement, methods such as low intensity vibrations, pulsed electromagnetic fields, and low-level laser therapy (LLLT). There have been multiple studies on the efficacy of LLLT in animal models, in vitro and in patients without conclusive results. Objective: Evaluate the state of the art on the use of LLLT to increase the rate of the orthodontic tooth movement to create a concise reference guide of the different laser and protocols available. Materials and Methods: We searched online databases for articles with the keywords LLLT, LLLI, OTM, photobiomodulation. Results: We found conflicting information as to the efficacy of LLLT to accelerate OTM. There is no consensus in the way the irradiation should be performed. Conclusions: The lack of a standardized irradiation protocol makes it hard to compare conflicting results, even in cases where the laser have the same technical specifications.


Glycine encephalopathy (GE) or nonketotic hyperglycinemia is an autosomal recessive disorder due to a primary defect in glycine cleavage enzyme system. It is characterized by elevated levels of glycine in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid usually presenting with seizures, hypotonia, and developmental delay. In our case, paradoxical increase in seizure frequency on starting sodium valproate led us to diagnose GE.


Power distribution networks (PDNs) are designed and analyzed iteratively. Randomwalk is among themost efficient methods for PDN analysis. We develop in this paper an incremental and on-demand random walk to reduce iterative analysis time. During each iteration, we map the design changes as positive or negative random walks for observed nodes. To update PDN analysis result, we only need to apply these extra positive or negative walks, instead of doing all walks from scratch. We show that different execution orders for these walks do not affect accuracy but do affect the runtime because of the cancellation between positive and negative walks. Considering this cancellation effect, we optimize the walk order by solving a min-energy electromagnetic particles placement problem and, as a result, further reduce the runtime to about 8× compared to the worst order. Experiments show that, compared to random walk from scratch, our algorithm has similar accuracy but reduces the iterative analysis time by up to 18× for on-chip PDN sizing, and by up to 13× for package ball assignment with substrate routing. In addition, our incremental random walk has a linear time complexity with respect to the number of observed nodes and is more suitable for on-demand analysis, compared to random walk from scratch and its big warm-up cost.


Albert Koch was one of those fascinating characters who burst upon the American scene in the early nineteenth century. He was a fossil collector who has been lauded and ridiculed by both scientists and laymen alike. After collecting natural history specimens in Pennsylvania and Michigan, he opened a museum in St. Louis, an amalgam of natural history objects, curiosities, and theatrical performances. He is best known for his famous Missourium, a grossly misassembled American mastodon skeleton that ended up in the British Museum. Because of the hokum he peddled, many scientists considered his exaggerated and misassembled skeleton a hoax. Albert Koch created additional controversy when he observed that he had uncovered evidence that the extinct megafauna and early man were contemporaneous, a debate that remained unsettled for several decades. This essay critically examines Koch's fossil collecting pursuits, his claims of human-megafauna associations, as well as his contributions to science and natural history.
 This is the first of a two-part paper, the second focusing on Koch's discovery and exhibition of an early archaeocete whale that he called Hydrarchos, an exaggerated skeleton that created significantly more controversy than his Missourium.


A growing body of evidence suggests that relevant, well-designed simulations can make a valuable contribution to students' experiences in training and education and go some way toward meeting the expectations of students who have grown up with immersive, computer-mediated games. Within universities, many barriers exist that may prevent the effective development of this work, in part because of the nature of the traditional roles of both academics and developers who undertake these activities. Through a discussion of the experiences of working within a successful cross-functional team, the authors discuss the practice of developing an innovative eLearning simulation tool for an undergraduate course and how the challenges of combining the developer and educationalist roles were overcome. By synthesizing theories in educational philosophy and game design processes, a conceptual framework for ensuring quality in creative education projects is outlined that may be applied to the development of eLearning and adaptive game projects.


The isolation and in vitro expansion of stem cells from the adult heart may provide a cell therapy for regenerating damaged myocardium. Cardiac stem cells can be isolated via magnetic or fluorescent cell sorting using specific cell-surface markers, including c-kit, Sca-1, and Isl-1. Because these isolation methods yield relatively few cells, substantial in vitro expansion is required to generate sufficient cell numbers for therapy. An alternative method uses cells spontaneously shed from cultured heart explants, which are harvested, induced to form cardiospheres, and expanded as a monolayer for several passages. This method for generating therapeutically relevant numbers of cells in a shorter time period than cell surface marker-based isolations is ideally suited for autologous cardiac stem cell therapy after myocardial infarction. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


A hollow structured CaO sorbent with high CO2 absorption capacity and good cyclic performance at high temperatures was derived from the corresponding CaCO3 precursor, which was prepared by bubbling gaseous CO2 through a Ca(OH)2 slurry in the presence of the triblock copolymer surfactant, P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the novel sorbent to be comprised of nanosized platelets forming hollow particles resembling a pod of approximately 200 nm in diameter and up to 600 nm in length. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the tailored sorbent had the highest CO2 absorption capacity when compared with calcines derived from precipitated CaCO3 without P123 and a commercially available CaCO3, retaining >50% CO2 absorption capacity after 50 CO2 capture-and-release cycles for carbonation temperatures from 600 to 700 °C.


A succession of disruptions to world trade have put the reorganisation of international supply chains high on the political agenda. The difficulties began with the trade war between the United States and China, deepened with the Covid-19 pandemic and culminated in the sanctions and export controls imposed by Western countries after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The increased risk of interruption of supplies forces businesses today to price in political factors and respond to political demands. However, realistic timeframes for reconfiguring supply chains are largely incompatible with the rapid responses expected by political decision-makers, especially where chains are long and complex. A process needs to be developed for dealing more effectively with political supply chains risks. It should be transparent for all involved.


Teaching and education are in a modern knowledge-based society a central focus. In the recent decades numerous researches and meta-analysis of effective teaching have been carried out numerous researches and meta-analysis of effective teaching, showing that effective teachers devote their central attention to students' understanding of the subject matter. It's about the for teachers in the classroom that promote students' thinking and in-depth understanding of the subject matter, reasoning, initiative and problem solving, and use a variety of strategies that they also want to develop by students. The role of teachers in the society of knowledge is becoming increasingly more difficult. Teachers need to continually learn and develop professionally. In addition to the core competence of class management, teachers must also be qualified to analyze and evaluate their own teaching practice to induce teaching innovations, for the collaboration with colleagues and the environment, and for building learning communities.
The basic purpose of the research was to determine how teachers from 1st to 9th grade of primary school consider qualitative and effective teaching and what their conceptions of the teachers' roles are. We wanted to know how big is their awareness about domestic and foreign researches of teaching, how much importance they attach to the teachers didactic research of teaching and the extent to which they make use of it.
The obtained results of the survey gave an insight into the teachers conceptions of teaching and enabled analysis of the extent to which the teachers' conceptions of teaching are in line with modern researches of effective teaching or the extent in which the teachers have familiarised themselves with the results of researches of teaching and integrated them into their perceptions. The results showed that by the teachers the higher conception of their role dominated. In the majority they believe that awareness about domestic and foreign researches is important. They agree that it is the teacher's own research which is crucial for the performance of effective teaching and that the didactic research of teaching has a significant impact on the professional development of teachers. Most of them agree with that every teacher should explore teaching because the research of teaching is important.
The research gave an insight on the experiences of teachers with the execution of didactic research of teaching, which will be the basis for further encouragement of professional development of teachers.


The taxonomy of the genus Platypygus Loew is summarized, previously described species are reviewed based on examination of types, and a key to known species of the genus worldwide is presented. All previously described species are diagnosed and illustrated. The male genitalia of P. ridibundus (Costa) and female genitalia of P. americanus Melander are described for the first time. Some characters supporting the monophyly of the genus Platypygus are discussed and the Nearctic Cyrtisiopsis americanus (Melander) is restored to its original combination as Platypygus americanus. The type status of Platypygus bellus Loew, P. lativentris Loew, P. pumilio Loew, and P. turkmenorum Paramonov is clarified and a lectotype is selected for Platypygus kurdorum Paramonov and P. tauricus Paramonov. New country records are given for the following species: P. bellus (Greece); P. chrysanthemi (Israel, Jordan); P. kurdorum (Israel, Jordan, Syria); P. limatus (Nepal, Thailand); P. pumilio (Greece, Turkmenistan); P. ridibundus (Cyprus, Israel, Portugal), P. titanomedea (Jordan, Turkey).


This paper presents a new and programmable VLSI coprocessor referred to as the fuzzy-digital signal processor (FDSP) and its software support application development system (FDSP IDE). The FDSP offers economic solution to implement adaptive fuzzy, digital signal processing systems. The FDSP acts as an internal, programmable coprocessor to 8-16 bit microcontrollers (MCs). This system allows one to build advanced economic adaptive filters, estimators, channel equalisers, and control systems to support high resolution real-time applications in such systems as hard disk drive controllers, imaging filters and multimedia processing.


Decompilation aims to transform a low-level program language (LPL) (eg., binary file) into its functionally-equivalent high-level program language (HPL) (e.g., C/C++). It is a core technology in software security, especially in vulnerability discovery and malware analysis. In recent years, with the successful application of neural machine translation (NMT) models in natural language processing (NLP), researchers have tried to build neural decompilers by borrowing the idea of NMT. They formulate the decompilation process as a translation problem between LPL and HPL, aiming to reduce the human cost required to develop decompilation tools and improve their generalizability. However, state-of-the-art learning-based decompilers do not cope well with compiler-optimized binaries. Since real-world binaries are mostly compiler-optimized, decompilers that do not consider optimized binaries have limited practical significance. In this paper, we propose a novel learning-based approach named NeurDP, that targets compiler-optimized binaries. NeurDP uses a graph neural network (GNN) model to convert LPL to an intermediate representation (IR), which bridges the gap between source code and optimized binary. We also design an Optimized Translation Unit (OTU) to split functions into smaller code fragments for better translation performance. Evaluation results on datasets containing various types of statements show that NeurDP can decompile optimized binaries with 45.21% higher accuracy than state-of-the-art neural decompilation frameworks.


This chapter covers the key features of vegetable production systems, demonstrates how crop diversity influences mechanization, considers the impacts of diverse mechanization on system sustainability, and highlights the developments which can dramatically improve both the productivity and environmental sustainability of mechanized vegetable production. Harvest operations commonly cause significant soil compaction, requiring intensive tillage to remediate soil to a condition suitable for seedbed preparation for the next crop. Aggregate stability refers to the ability of soil aggregates to maintain their integrity and structure when subjected to disruptive forces, such as those that might occur under the influence of droplet impact, wind blow. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) systems are based on the concept that all field machinery travels on permanently located traffic lanes, while crop production occurs in the untrafficked soil between the wheel tracks. The introduction of Wide Span mechanization to vegetable production would be a significant and transformational change to both the mechanization and operational requirements of the industry.