A tiny yellow fish almost makes it past an octopus without attracting attention, but he is snatched ("Hello, little guy!") by a tentacle-lined leg. Then he's subjected to some physical and verbal teasing in a lead-up to—gulp—being eaten: "You're so cute, you're more of a breathmint than a fish, really. I bet you even taste cute!" It looks like the end for our small yellow friend, until a page turn reveals his true identity: pufferfish, now in full-on inflated mode. "AAAAHHH!" shrieks the octopus as the pufferfish escapes with the last word: "Poor little guy." It's a one-note joke, but it's a funny one, and youngsters will be tickled by both the illustration of the angry, expanded pufferfish busting out of the startled octopus's maw and by the satisfying comeuppance, served up to the bully by a surprisingly tough little guy. The illustration are elegant and striking, featuring the diminutive golden pufferfish (wearing his oversized black specs) bobbing against a swirling sea of pale blue-grays that are punctuated by the octopus' sinuous gray and white form. The hand-lettered text is equally graceful, with the changing size and font providing mood and emphasis cues. Both story and art will carry well to a crowd, making this a particularly seaworthy addition to an ocean-themed storytime or classroom study, or pair it with Klassen's This Is Not My Hat (BCCB 11/12) for a duo of (fish) tales about rough justice, marine style. Endpapers show our hero's puffy thwarting of numerous other unsuspecting sea creatures. JH


The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) was once the South's most important timber species. It is associated with a distinct ecosystem that includes several endangered plants and animals. The pre-European extent of the ecosystem may have been as much as 100 million acres, yet extensive cutting in the 19th and 20th centuries has reduced this acreage to less than three million. We review the tree's importance to the region and document its spatial reduction in two states representing the species' core area: Florida and Georgia. In the last 60 years 90% of the longleaf pine acreage in these states has been lost. Unlike forests in the western U.S., southern forests are largely privately owned and longleaf pine on these lands is in jeopardy. Efforts at reintroduction are noted. Yet, without further incentives, education, and changes in public policy, privately held longleaf pine could largely disappear within the next three decades.


An MMIC power amplifier using low-high doped GaAs MESFETs (LH-MESFETs) has been developed for a CDMA/AMPS dual mode cellular telephone. It is fully integrated on one chip (2.5/spl times/2.9 mm/sup 2/) including all matching circuits. For CDMA operation at frequency of 836.5 MHz, an efficiency of 25%, adjacent channel leakage power of -29 dBc at 885 kHz, and -48 dBc at 1980 kHz were obtained with an output power of 27.25 dBm and V/sub d/d=4.7 V. In AMPS operation, 30.5 dBm output power was obtained with 27.5 dB gain and 47% efficiency. The experimental results show that the gate periphery of LH-MESFETs and size of MMIC are much smaller than in previously reported similar amplifiers using conventional MESFET technology. This MMIC power amplifier is suitable for dual mode cellular applications.


Cigarette smoking causes significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Physicians can use the five A's framework (ask, advise, assess, assist, arrange) to promote smoking cessation. All patients should be asked about tobacco use and assessed for motivation to quit at every clinical encounter. Physicians should strongly advise patients to quit smoking, and use motivational interviewing techniques for patients who are not yet willing to stop smoking. Clinical contacts with unmotivated patients should emphasize the rewards and relevance of quitting, as well as the risks of smoking and anticipated barriers to abstinence. These messages should be repeated at every opportunity. Appropriate patients should be offered pharmacologic assistance in quitting, such as nicotine replacement therapies, bupropion, and varenicline. Use of pharmacologic support during smoking cessation can double the rate of successful abstinence. Using more than one type of nicotine replacement therapy ("patch plus" method) and combining these therapies with bupropion provide additional benefit. However, special populations pose unique challenges in pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. Nicotine replacement therapies increase the risk of birth defects and should not be used during pregnancy. They are usually safe in patients with cardiovascular conditions, except for those with unstable angina or within two weeks of a coronary event. Varenicline may increase the risk of coronary events. Nicotine replacement therapies are safe for use in adolescents; however, they are less effective than in adults. Physicians also should arrange to have repeated contact with smokers around their quit date to reinforce cessation messages.


Self Bildung and new forms of sociality: the technorave as example

One of the most significant traits of late modernity is increasing individualization. This article deals with the question of what this radical individualization does to forms of sociality by analyzing individualization as self Bildung or formation of the self. The concept of Bildung is interesting in this regard, since the central conception is that personality and sociality are created in the same process. The Danish social analyst Lars Henrik Schmidt uses the concept of post traditional Bildung or simply self Bildung and outlines how Bildung may be conceived under late modern conditions. For him it is a type of Bildung that takes place on the individual's terms. The article uses this concept of self Bildung as a point of departure to propose an interpretation of how to conceive sociality under these conditions. Finally as an example of such a form of sociality the articles analyses technorave (this kind of music and dance culture). It concludes that the new forms of sociality tend to resemble sociability in its pure form. The technorave is a form of controlled dionysiac sociality that is oriented towards experiencing union with others. Finally these forms of sociality are characterized by being orient-ed more by tunings than by reasons and interests. Therefore they can be described as a type of sociality that is less articulated but 'broader' than traditional forms of sociality.


In the report authors had shown the clinical observation (case) of surgical treatment of the patient with veritable lateral aneurysm of right internal carotid artery appeared due of its king-king.


The similarity transformed equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method (STEOM-CCSD) for excited states is extended to treat spin-orbit coupling interactions (SOIs) using the spin-orbit mean field approximation of the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. Two possible schemes to include the spin-orbit splittings of excited states within the STEOM-CCSD model are formulated. They are identified as "diagonalize-then-perturb" and "perturb-then-diagonalize" approaches. The second approach is more suited for cases where SOI is larger, and the first approach breaks down. With the aid of the standard many-body diagrammatic techniques, expressions for all the necessary matrix elements can be derived. These new formulations are implemented in the ACES III suite of parallel coupled cluster programs, and benchmark studies are performed. Numerical tests for several atoms and molecules show a good agreement of calculated spin-orbit splittings to experiment, while also documenting the numerical differences between the two approaches.


Polycrystalline samples of SnBi4Te7 and PbBi4Te7 with deviations from stoichiometry in different sublattices were synthesized by melting and quenching followed by prolonged annealing and hot-pressing. At room temperature SnBi4Te7 exhibits both n-type conductivity (Te deficiency and Sn or Bi excess) and p-type conductivity (Te excess and Sn or Bi deficiency) whereas only n-type conductivity samples were obtained for PbBi4Te7 regardless of the type of deviation from stoichiometry. Both compounds possess high carrier concentrations in the range 4×1019-4×1020 cm-3 and a relatively low carrier mobility of 35-70 cm2 V-1 s-1. The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient have been measured over the temperature range 100-800 K on samples with different deviations from stoichiometry. The temperature dependence of the electrical transport properties of the compounds is typical of heavily-doped semiconductors. The potential for thermoelectric applications using these compounds is discussed.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Increasingly more evidence has shown that the senescence of vascular endothelial cells is the key to endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases. Anthocyanin is a type of water-soluble polyphenol pigment and secondary metabolite of plant-based food widely existing in fruits and vegetables. The gut microbiome is involved in the metabolism of anthocyanins and mediates the biological activities of anthocyanins and their metabolites, while anthocyanins also regulate the growth of specific bacteria in the microbiota and promote the proliferation of healthy anaerobic flora. Accumulating studies have shown that anthocyanins have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging effects. Many animal and in vitro experiments have also proven that anthocyanins have protective effects on cardiovascular-disease-related dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanism of anthocyanin in eliminating aging endothelial cells and preventing cardiovascular diseases is very complex and is not fully understood. In this systematic review, we summarize the metabolism and activities of anthocyanins, as well as their effects on scavenging senescent cells and cardioprotection.


Metatarsalgia, or pain in the metatarsal region of the foot, is a common orthopaedic problem, but is generally less well understood than pain in the toes, ankle or heel. The cause of metatarsal pain is often less apparent than in other regions of the foot, and in many cases plain X-rays are of no help. Morton's neuroma, a common cause of severe metatarsalgia, can usually only be diagnosed from the history and clinical examination. The key to diagnosis in the metatarsal region is to have a clear knowledge of the most likely conditions.


This paper is concerned with analysis into human motivation and education additionally the applications of analysis findings to formal studying environments. The dialogue begins with partner introduction to the critical word it really is used by researchers from completely unique theoretical backgrounds. from there, the principle attention moves to the framework of self-determination theory for a closer take a look at every the tenets of the speculation and its implications for academic look at an addition, there are five sub-theories that look at unique components of those larger components: mental characteristic evaluation idea,, organismic integration idea, relation orientations theory, primary psychological goals theory, and goal Contents idea. The sub-concept is in general worried with intrinsic motivation eventually, educational reforms that comprise the findings in support of self-determination theory at the governmental, gadget, site, and schoolroom ranges are recommended.


This article reviews important advances in the understanding and treatment of hypercholesterolemia and persistently high blood pressure in children. Two plant sterols, sitosterol and sitostanol, have been tested in prepubertal and adolescent children with hypercholesterolemia and appear promising. The advantages and disadvantages of family history in screening algorithms for atherosclerotic disease are discussed. Additionally, the apolipoproteins are being used more frequently to screen for cardiovascular risk. A rare genetic disease, familial defective apolipoprotein B-100, causes hypercholesterolemia. The distinction between this disease and familial hypercholesterolemia has therapeutic implications. Two studies show that in utero exposures influence the future development of hypertension. Intrauterine cocaine exposure was associated with persistently elevated blood pressure during later childhood. The mechanism may involve the sympathetic nervous system. Retarded fetal growth appears to be a risk factor for the presence of hypertension during adult years in men.


Nucleic acid ligases are crucial enzymes that repair breaks in DNA or RNA during synthesis, repair and recombination. Various molecular tools have been developed using the diverse activities of DNA/RNA ligases. Herein, we demonstrate a non-conventional ability of T4 DNA ligase to join 5' phosphorylated blunt-end double-stranded DNA to DNA breaks at 3' recessive ends, gaps, or nicks to form a 3' branch structure. Therefore, this base pairing-independent ligation is termed 3' branch ligation (3'BL). In an extensive study of optimal ligation conditions, similar to blunt-end ligation, the presence of 10% PEG-8000 in the ligation buffer significantly increased ligation efficiency. A low level of nucleotide preference was observed at the junction sites using different synthetic DNAs. Furthermore, we discovered that T4 DNA ligase efficiently ligated DNA to the 3' recessed end of RNA, not to that of DNA, in a DNA/RNA hybrid, whereas RNA ligases are less efficient in this reaction. These novel properties of T4 DNA ligase can be utilized as a broad molecular technique in many important applications. We performed a proof-of-concept study of a new directional tagmentation protocol for next generation sequencing (NGS) library construction that eliminates inverted adapters and allows sample barcode insertion adjacent to genomic DNA. 3'BL after single transposon tagmentation can theoretically achieve 100% usable template, and our empirical data demonstrate that the new approach produced higher yield compared with traditional double transposon or Y transposon tagmentation. We further explore the potential use of 3'BL for preparing targeted RNA NGS libraries with mitigated structure-based bias and adapter dimer problems.


Grapes are familiar fruits in the Mediterranean, Central Europe and Southwest Asia. Various components of this plant have many uses, including leaves used in the preparation of foods. The quality of the grape leaves is especially important for the preparation of food and this requires careful consideration. One of the indicators of grape leaf selection in food is its surface integrity and absence of grooves. In this paper, by using image processing technique, the geometrical characteristics of the grape leaf including its area and perimeter are extracted and numerical value is given based on the defined index. For this purpose, leaves of four grape varieties were collected from different areas of Boroujerd City in Iran and modeling was done according to this research method. By categorizing the results that range between zero and one, two grape varieties have better Quality Index than other varieties and it is suggested as a suitable type for leaf use.


Summary: In this study, 60 different types of ovarian lesions, mainly consisting of ovarian neoplasms, were studied for the expression of claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7. Strong expression of claudins 1, 4, and 7 was seen in benign and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors. Expression of claudin 5, reported to be mainly present in endothelial cells, was seen in ovarian epithelial tumors, but with a significantly lower frequency than claudins 1, 4, and 7. On the contrary, sex-cord stromal tumors and cysts, such as fibromas/thecomas, Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors, granulosa cell tumors, and follicular and luteinized cysts were mainly negative for claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7. Interestingly, adenomatoid tumors did not express claudin 5, which is in agreement with their non-endothelial nature. They were also negative for claudin 4, but expressed claudins 1 and 7, but to a lesser degree than epithelial lesions. In immature teratomas, the epithelial component was usually positive whereas other components were negative for these claudins. Dysgerminomas did not express any of the claudins studied. The results show that claudins 1, 4, and 7 are mainly expressed in ovarian epithelial tumors and can thus be used to indicate epithelial differentiation in them. Eventhough considered an endothelial marker, claudin 5 was also present in a subset of epithelial lesions. However, this claudin can be used to differentiate adenomatoid tumors from vascular lesions. No significant difference was seen between epithelial benign and malignant lesions, except for claudin 5, which seemed stronger in malignant epithelial tumors.


The diffraction method of observing elementary excitations in crystals has been applied to the study of one-phonon thermal diffuse scattering from pyrolitic graphite on a high-resolution pulsed neutron diffractometer. The variation of the phase velocity of sound as a function of direction in the crystal has been determined for the out-of-plane modes. This is a quick and efficient method of determining sound velocities in crystals under extreme conditions.


The American family has undergone rapid transformation. Careful measurement attention to family formation is important because families are at the heart of numerous decisions, roles, and responsibilities with implications for understanding the well-being of families, adults and children. This paper considers whether there is a need for a new household panel study that addresses family formation. This paper consists of a review of the recent body of population-based, American surveys and finds a considerable gap in the ability to study the implications of families for the health and well-being of Americans. Earlier panel surveys used to assess family life anchored questions around marital events, but changes in family patterns require attention to a more diverse set of family forms. The paper concludes with recommendations for a multi-purpose panel study. The key challenge is to keep to pace with complexity and changes in American family life while at the same time maintaining a parsimonious set of survey questions.


The transcutaneous fluorescent imaging (TFI) method was applied to the imaging of a small experimental animal such as a rat. The feasibility of the functional imaging in TFI was verified. To make this method more practical, a technique of scattering suppression was proposed. The depth-dependent PSF was derived as an analytical solution in a closed form. The applicability of this technique to the functional TFI and its usefulness were demonstrated in animal experiments


Most of the anomaly based techniques produce vast number of alert messages that include a large percentage of false alarms. One of the widely used technique for anomaly intrusion detection systems (IDS) is cluster analysis. In cluster based IDS, feature vectors generated from network traffic are grouped into clusters as normal or abnormal (raising alert). The main cause for false alert generation is either, technique fails to differentiate an outlier from a genuine cluster point or the features extracted fail to separate the two classes. In this work, fuzzy clustering technique for anomaly intrusion detection has been explored to reduce the false alarms. A technique to robustify the existing fuzzy c-means algorithm is proposed and subsequently used as anomaly IDS.


Chapter 1 The Physiologic Basis of Homeostasis Introduction Overview of the Dynamics of Noxious Incitant Entry and Fate The Nature of the Incitant Stimulus The Nature of the Body's Homeostatic Response The Nature of Information Intake and Distribution Automating the Body-Energy The Clinical Signs and Symptoms after Chronic Noxious Incitant Entry The Body's Communication System-The Ground Regulation System Anatomical Categories Used in Communication for Regulating Homeostatic Mechanism Skin and Mucous Membranes Connective Tissue Matrix Mechanical Support System (Support Structure) Communication System Properties Connective Tissue and Electromagnetic Energy Molecular Sieve Latent Free Radical Response Vascular Function-Homeostasis Diffusion Vascular Sieve Microcirculation Vascular Tone Lymphatics Intravascular Content Cells Plasma Proteins Plasma Lipids Neurological Aspects of Homeostasis Pollutant Entry and the Body's Homeostatic Response to and Fate of the Noxious Stimuli Total Environmental Load Total Body Load The Local Receptors Local Homeostatic Responses and Information Reception Matrix Receptor Adjustment Responses Local Cell and Matrix Reactions for the Adjustment Response Regional Homeostatic Adjustment Central Homeostasic Adjustment Principles and Facts about Adjustment Responses Defense System Redox System Latency The Early Defense Mechanism Tissue Response to Local Entry (Initially Sub Inflammatory) Immune Response Nonimmune Detoxification in Relation to Homeostasis and the Defense Mechanism Repair Mechanism-Healing The Nonspecific Mesenchyme Reaction Rate of Enzyme and Nutrient Deficiency Homeostatic Dysfunction Leading to a Disordered Homeostatic Response Periodic Response Aperiodic Response The Specific Mechanisms of Inflammation and Function of Neutrophils and Macrophages Proinflammatory Cytokines Interleukin-6 Neurological System Connection with the Connective Tissue Matrix and Inflammation Summary References AMPLIFICATION SYSTEMS: NEUROLOGICAL, IMMUNE, AND ENDOCRINE Chapter 2 Nervous System Introduction Linear and Biphasic Effects of Noxious Stimuli Entry Receptors Autonomic Nervous System Anatomy and Physiology of the Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System Central Connection of the Autonomic Nervous System with the Hypothalamus Reflex Pathways Dysfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System Denervation Supersensitivity Law of Denervation Denervation and Spondylosis: Neuropathic Pain Neurally Mediated Hypotension and Tachycardia Neuromuscular Hypotension and Chronic Fatigue Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (Causalgia) Pollutant Injury to the Eye Pollutant Injury to the Nervous System of the Eye Cranial Nerves Autonomic Nerves Neurogenic Vascular Responses to Pollutant Stimuli Pathogenesis of Neuroimmunological Mediators (Neuropeptide Triggering by Noxious Stimuli) The Acupuncture Energy Flow System (AES) NAET Voluntary Central Nervous System Noxious Injury to the Blood-Brain Barrier Noxious Injury after Penetration of the Blood-Brain Barrier General Principles of Neuronal Physiology Principles of Response after Toxic Exposure Reversibility vs. Irreversibility of Cell Damage after Pollutant Exposure Mechanism of Acute Central Nervous System Injury Neurological Effects of Toxic Chemicals Fixed-Named Disease Toxic Neuropathy Summary References Chapter 3 Immune System Introduction Properties of Entering Noxious Excitants Stem Cells Lymph Nodes, Lymphatic Organs, and the Lymphatic System Development of Lymphatic Channels and Lymphocytes Regionalization of the Immune Response by Lymphatic Tissue Nodes and Channels after Mucosal Entry Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) Nasal Associated Lymphoid Tissue (NALT) Bronchial Associated Lymphoid Tissue (BALT) Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) Neuroimmune Regulation The Clinical Implications of Food and Chemical Sensitivity in Relation to the Autonomic Nervous System and Immune System Immunity Innate Immunity Transition to Innate and Humoral Immunity in the Newborn and Infant Acquired Immunity Lymphocytes The T-lymphocytes General Intrinsic Mechanisms B-Lymphocytes Onset of Antibodies Classes of Antibodies Inflammatory Effects Clinical Regulation of the Immune System The Cell Cycle Abnormal Cell Cycle Progression in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Cell Cycle and Cancer Autoimmunity Failure of the Tolerance Mechanism Causes Autoimmune Diseases Autogenous Lymphocytic Factor (ALF) Cell Death Allergy and Hypersensitivity Aging and the Immune System Summary References Chapter 4 Endocrine System Introduction Integrated Physiology Pituitary Gland Pollutant Effects on the Nervous System of the Pituitary Gland Pollutant Effects on the Physiology of the Pituitary Growth Hormone Pineal Gland Neuroendocrine System (Paraganglia, Paraneuron) Neuroendocrine Phenotype Biosynthetic Profile Secretory Granules Specialization of Neuroendocrine Cells Topography of Neuroendocrine Cell Subsets Branchiomeric Group Intravagal Neuroendocrine Cells Visceral-Autonomic Paraganglion Cells Genitourinary Paraganglion Cells Paragangliomas Clinical Manifestations of Neuroendocrine Stimulation Adrenal Glands Physiology of the Dynamics of Homeostasis and Dyshomeostasis in the Adrenal Glands Clinical Picture of Pollutant Injury and Adrenal Dysfunction Hyperadrenalism Adrenal Insufficiency/Hypoadrenalism Parathyroid Gland Ovary Organization/Activation Hypothesis Male Homosexuality Sexual Dysfunction Uterus and Tubes Premenstrual Syndrome Vasculitis of the Reproductive System Endometriosis Spontaneous Abortion Hormones The Influence of Toxics on Hormonal Homeostasis PCBs Pesticides/Herbicides Menopause Dysfunction Vagina and Vulva Testes and Seminal Vesicles Mechanisms of Action and Fetal Vulnerability Hormones and Neurobehavioral Effect Beyond Endocrine Disruption Implications and Ongoing Activities Exogenous Estrogens Phytoestrogens Estrogens in Milk Estrogenic Chemicals Sertoli Cell Number and Sperm Output Thyroid Physiology and Pathophysiology Agents Acting Directly on the Thyroid Class I Class II Class III Class IV Class V Agents Acting Indirectly on the Thyroid General Properties, Distribution, and Epidemiology Sulfurated Organics Thiocyanate (SCN), Isothiocyanates, and Thioglycosides (Goitrin) Aliphatic Disulfides Polyphenols Phenolic and Phenolic-Carboxylic Derivatives 2,4-DNP Phthalate Esters and Phthalic Acid Derivatives: DHBAs PCBs and PBBs PAH, 3,4,-BaP, MCA, and 7,12-DMBA Summary References


The sialoglycoproteins (glycophorins) in human red cell membranes of rare individuals lacking totally (Ge-1,-2,-3 phenotype) or partially (Ge-1,-2,3 phenotype) the Gerbich (Ge) blood group antigens and two Ge-1,-2,-3 heterozygotes were studied by dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic techniques. Two sialoglycoproteins (components D and E) were not detectable in the membranes from the homozygotes and found to be decreased by about 50% in those from the heterozygotes. Ge--1,-2,-3 and Ge-1,-2,3 cells were found to contain a 'new' component (mol. masses about 29 and 30 kDa, respectively) possibly representing a D/E hybrid molecule. This sialoglycoprotein was not detectable in membranes from the Ge-1,-2,-3 heterozygotes, suggesting that the Ge-1,-2,-3 phenotype may be caused by at least two different alleles at the Ge blood group antigen locus. Hemagglutination or hemagglutination inhibition tests involving anti-Ge 1,2,3 and -Ge 1,2 as well as native and enzyme-treated normal red cells (phenotype Ge 1,2,3) or membrane and sialoglycoprotein fractions from normal erythrocytes indicate that the receptors of these sera are located within the glycosylated domain(s) of the D and/or E sialoglycoprotein(s). Our data suggest that the Ge locus encodes the polypeptide sequences of the D and E sialoglycoproteins.


Almost since the beginning, massive stars and their resultant supernovae have played a crucial role in the Universe. These objects produce tremendous amounts of energy and new, heavy elements that enrich galaxies, encourage new stars to form and sculpt the shapes of galaxies that we see today. The end of millions of years of massive star evolution and the beginning of hundreds or thousands of years of supernova evolution are separated by a matter of a few seconds, in which some of the most extreme physics found in the Universe causes the explosive and terminal disruption of the star. Key questions remain unanswered in both the studies of how massive stars evolve and the behaviour of supernovae, and it appears the solutions may not lie on just one side of the explosion or the other or in just the domain of the stellar evolution or the supernova astrophysics communities. The need to view massive star evolution and supernovae as continuous phases in a single narrative motivated the Theo Murphy international scientific meeting 'Bridging the gap: from massive stars to supernovae' at Chicheley Hall, UK, in June 2016, with the specific purpose of simultaneously addressing the scientific connections between theoretical and observational studies of massive stars and their supernovae, through engaging astronomers from both communities. This article is part of the themed issue 'Bridging the gap: from massive stars to supernovae'.


This study examined various demographic characteristics, the attitudes toward partner abuse, and the relationship between the attitudes toward partner abuse and the incidence of partner abuse among first generation Korean Americans. The study employed a correlational explanatory design using a cross-sectional survey technique utilizing a total of 223 Korean immigrant adults currently residing in Louisiana. A three-part instrument was used for data collection. The use of domestic violence among Korean immigrants was highly prevalent. Korean Americans generally did not approve the use of interpersonal violence against spouses/partners. The relationship between the attitudes toward partner abuse and the incidence of partner abuse as perpetrator was significantly correlated.


A 5.5-y-old Chinese-origin female rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) presented for bilateral hindlimb lameness. The primate had been group-reared in an SPF breeding colony and was seronegative for Macacine herpesvirus 1, SIV, simian retrovirus type D, and simian T-lymphotropic virus. The macaque's previous medical history included multiple occasions of swelling in the left tarsus, and trauma to the right arm and bilateral hands. In addition, the macaque had experienced osteomyelitis of the left distal tibia and rupture of the right cranial cruciate ligament that had been surgically repaired. Abnormal physical examination findings on presentation included a thin body condition, mild dehydration, and bilaterally swollen stifles that were warm to the touch, with the right stifle more severely affected. Mild instability in the left stifle was noted, and decreased range of motion and muscle atrophy were present bilaterally. Hematologic findings included marked neutrophilia and lymphopenia and moderate anemia. Arthrocentesis and culture of joint fluid revealed Moraxella-like organisms. Treatment with enrofloxacin was initiated empirically and subsequently switched to cephalexin, which over time alleviated the joint swelling and inflammation. Definitive diagnosis of Moraxella osloensis septic arthritis was made through isolation of the organism and sequencing of the 16S rDNA region. To our knowledge, this report is the first description of Moraxella osloensis septic arthritis in a rhesus macaque.


A telling European vandalism wreaked on African continent is the looting of Africa's visual artifacts and the desecration of African royal palaces and places of worship. This paper analyzes how Osundare, using African proverbs, makes meaning, projecting the shame of Europe, the agony of Africa and the demand for universal justice in one of his poems in which African artifacts are the subject of imagination. The historicity of stolen African artifacts is well documented and known. This is in spite of the European art historians and dealers' shameless polemic of ownership in an attempt to erase or rewrite the history. What continues to generate controversy, because it centrally borders on the right of the victim to seek reparation on and repatriation of these Africa's treasures, is the refusal of those who perpetrated the rubbery to return thousands of these looted visual artifacts. The economic and psychological implications for Africa are unquantifiable. While Europeans and their American collaborators are reaping from where they did not sow, exhibiting and auctioning these timeless ancient African treasures, satisfying their orgy of perverse art pleasure, the original creators and owners are made to continue to fight to retrieve what rightly belong to them and what should have been honorably returned by those who violently carted them away. The loss of these treasures regularly occupies the creative imagination and muse of African writers in manner that brings back tragic memories and the need to seek redress of these centuries of injustice in the global arena of human right court. Such is the poetic rhetoric of Osundare. Osundare proverbially illustrates the essence of these cultural icons, musing the shamelessness of the perpetrators and the agony of the victim, using African proverbial text as a trope of meaning. Bursar


Fluctuations in pH and head‐space pressure in a fermentor introduce temporary changes in off‐gas CO2 concentrations. These changes are quantified using a simple model based on kinetics of CO2 hydration and gas–liquid mass transfer. The model is verified experimentally. An eigenvalue analysis of the model indicates that mass transfer is the parameter which controls the dynamics of CO2 equilibration.


Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to review the advances in electromagnetic levitation techniques as tools for determination of the thermophysical properties of molten metals under standard gravity and microgravity conditions. We show that a combination of containerless processing and microgravity offers the exclusive possibility to measure critical thermophysical properties of molten metals, both above and below their melting points, over a wide temperature range, and with high accuracy.


Objectives To assess the long-term clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus after biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent based percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods The patients with coronary artery disease were treated with PCI for target lesions, Including 162 diabetic patients 45 to 83 years old and 150 non-diabetic patients aged 43-86 years old in our centre from January to December 2007. Drug-eluting stents were successfully implanted on target lesions. The five years follow-up recurrent angina, clinical end points of death, myocardial infarction, stroke and any repeat revascularisation were made through case record review and mainly by telephone interview after discharge retrospectively. Results The procedural success rate was 100% for both goups 100% of the cohort was followed successfully. The median time of follow-up was 5 years. At 5 years follow-up. There were no significant differences in complication rate (8.8% vs 7.0%), non-fatal stroke (3.92% vs 3.0%) and non-fatal heart disease (0% vs 0%) (all p > 0.05). Recurrent angina (42,1% vs 30.0%) and repeat revascularisation rate (30.4% vs 14.0%) and mortality (9.8% vs 2.0%) were higher in diabetic group than in non-diabetic group respectively (all ρ < 0.05). cardiac death was 0%. Conclusions Implanting sirolimus-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus during PCI is safe and effective. Diabetic patients undergoing elective coronary stenting have acceptable long-term outcomes, but diabetes mellitus is still independently associated with worse late prognosis.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by corporate social responsibility (CSR) in building relationship quality (RQ) in the context of sports organisations. In turn, the link between RQ and customer loyalty is examined. Acknowledging that customers develop a psychological connection with the sports organisation over time, the study also examines whether the link between CSR and RQ is moderated by the psychological continuum model (PCM) stages (awareness, attraction, attachment and allegiance).

Design/methodology/approach

The survey data were drawn from almost 6,000 season ticket holders of a professional sports club. Structural equation modelling and the non-parametric bootstrapping regression technique were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results support the direct impact of CSR activities on RQ. RQ, in turn, drives customer loyalty. Importantly, RQ is found to fully mediate the relationship between CSR and customer loyalty. However, as customers move through the psychological connection stages, the effect of CSR on customer loyalty via RQ tends to diminish.

Practical implications

This study provides evidence of a direct impact of CSR activities on RQ, and also attests the role of psychological connection in sports organisations.

Originality/value

The incorporation of a multidimensional RQ construct and the PCM stages allows a deeper understanding of how CSR might be employed to achieve organisational goals.


When ordinary wounds are infected, the skin's self-healing capacity declines; thus appropriate dressings with both antibacterial ability and healing ability for bacteria-associated wounds are indispensable. In this work, multifunctional chitin/ZnO composite hydrogels have been designed as an infected full-thickness skin wound-healing material. The hydrogels are fabricated by a facile one-pot strategy through the sequential addition of commercial ZnO powders into aqueous alkaline chitin solutions, crosslinking and regeneration. The regenerated nanoscale ZnO particles aggregate into microscale particles and are embedded in the chitin matrix with tight interactions, including hydrogen bonding and coordination interactions. The decoration of ZnO endows the chitin/ZnO composite hydrogels with excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), with acceptable biocompatibility. More importantly, the chitin/ZnO composite hydrogels show an outstanding accelerated infectious full-thickness wound-healing performance with more fibroblast proliferation, more collagen deposition, and more neogenesis of the epithelium and granulation tissue. Therefore, it is expected that the chitin/ZnO composite hydrogels can serve as competitive skin wound dressings for the prevention and control of infections.


Oxygen transport, utilization and storage and related functions were studied in rats exposed to simulated altitude (18,000 ft.) at three different temperatures (5°, 24° and 36℃) for periods in excess of 3 months. Liver, heart, kidney and adrenal weights were altered only where thermal influences were involved. Adrenal weight in altitude-cold was greater than in cold alone. The oxygen transport function was normal in altitude-cold, but it was depressed in altitude-heat. Liver succinic dehydrogenase activity was elevated in all altitude groups, but more so in both the heat and cold. That of the adrenals was elevated most in the altitude-cold. Oxygen storage was unaffected by thermal factors.

Submitted on April 18, 1958


Background Sexual health plays a primary role in quality of life (QoL) for many people, including those with hemophilia; however, there is little information available about sexual relationships and satisfaction in patients with hemophilia. Methods To address this issue, the Hemophilia Experiences, Results and Opportunities (HERO) and the Bridging Hemophilia B Experiences, Results and Opportunities into Solutions (B-HERO-S) studies included questions from the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ). Results Although these data were not statistically analyzed for comparisons between the 3 populations (HERO, HERO US only, and B-HERO-S), in general, participants in the HERO survey appeared to be more satisfied with their sexual relationship than participants in the B-HERO-S survey. In addition, many patients, especially those outside the United States, reported that they had not discussed sexual health with their doctor or other members of the hemophilia treatment center team. While the topic of sexual health has been infrequently explored in men with hemophilia, this is the first time it has been investigated in women with hemophilia. Conclusion The results of these studies demonstrate that the impact of hemophilia extends to intimacy and suggest the need for large-scale studies in additional countries to explore further the factors associated with sexual health issues in people with hemophilia.


The organocatalytic one-pot oxidative cleavage of terminal 1,2-diols to one-carbon-unit-shorter carboxylic acids is described. The combination of 1-Me-AZADO (cat.), NaOCl (cat.), and NaClO(2) caused smooth one-pot oxidative cleavage under mild conditions. A broad range of substrates including carbohydrates and N-protected amino diols were converted without epimerization. Terminal triols and tetraols respectively underwent cleavage of their C-2 and C-3 moieties to afford their corresponding two- and three-carbon-unit-shorter carboxylic acids.


The problem of seeking and selecting the configuration for a laser resonator is approached from a new direction: as an inverse problem in optics. Specifically, the configuration (the complex reflection coefficients of the resonator mirrors) is found from a given amplitude distribution and/or phase distribution of the field in the plane of the output aperture. Closed integral equations are constructed for determining the complex reflection coefficients. Exact analytic solutions are derived for certain cases. The problem of developing an algorithm for deforming the mirrors of a resonator in order to control the power of the laser radiation is formulated and solved as an inverse problem of synthesizing the geometric configuration of a resonator from a given phase distribution of the output radiation. The results of a numerical study of the output power of controlled resonators and of the axial intensity of the radiation in the far zone are reported. In selecting one- or two-mirror layout for controlling the configuration of a resonator, one should be guided primarily by the comparative complexity of developing the deformable mirrors and control systems.


Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer the perfect yet largely unexplored alternative for selective adsorption of oxygen. Oxygen molecules can bind directly to the coordinatively unsaturated open metal sites of MOFs, leading to higher selectivity of oxygen over nitrogen. Whilst MOFs show extraordinary capacity to adsorb gas molecules, its thermally insulating nature and strong binding to stored molecules makes the desorption process quite challenging and energy-intensive. To overcome the high energy requirements associated with regeneration of MOFs, it is possible to synthesise Magnetic Framework Composites (MFCs) by incorporating magnetic nanoparticles in the MOF framework. This process known as Magnetic Induction Swing adsorption (MISA), utilises the penetrative nature of magnetic fields to produce heat from the magnetic nanoparticles embedded within the MOF composites, enabling the adsorbent to be regenerated without the external application of heat or vacuum.


The existent literature provides numerous definitions and statistical methods for analysis of contagion in the financial markets. The definition of shift contagion of Forbes and Rigobon (2001) and their adjusted correlation analysis (Forbes and Rigobon, 2002) have gained a lot of attention but the later faces the problem of ad hoc determination of the crisis periods and the issue of volatility adjustment. The aim of this paper is to elaborate the weaknesses of the method of Forbes and Rigobon and to provide a modification of their test that addresses these issues. To achieve this, a moving-window approach of Forbes and Rigobon's (2002) method is proposed, by splitting the moving-windows into two equally sized sub-windows. We then apply the modified method to examine whether there was a (shift) contagion in the stock markets of five Eurozone countries (namely France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain) in the time period from December 2003 to January 2012. We found that shift contagion has played an important role in the propagation of shocks in the investigated stock markets during the crises. The start of the Greece's debt crisis in May 2010 coincided with contagion from the Ireland's, Italy's, and Spain's stock markets to the stock markets of France and Germany. Similar episodes of contagion were indentified around the Middle East financial crisis, at the end of 2006 and the start of 2007. The global financial crisis coincided with contagion from the Italy's and Spain's to the German stock market, while the Ireland's debt crisis with contagion from the Ireland's to the German stock market. The results of the paper have important implications for the investors in these stock markets. In the mainstream financial literature it has been recognized that international diversification reduces the total risk of a portfolio. This is due to non-perfect positive co-movement between returns of the portfolio assets. Increased co-movement between asset returns, identified during financial market turmoil, therefore can diminish the advantage of internationally diversified investment portfolios. The contagion analysis is also important for financial sector supervisory authorities and the monetary policy as different policy actions may be successful when the increase in co-movement between financial markets is a result of contagion or a result of a change in interdependence between the markets. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.4.5419


Surveying an ultra-fast spreading ridge along the East Pacific Rise (EPR), explorers aboard the submersible Nautile examined features such as lava pillows and tubes, sulfide chimneys, black smokers, hot shimmering waters, and colonies of animals living in hydrothermal vents to learn more about the processes of accretion and tectonics on the ocean floor. Taken together, the observations of the EPR between 17°S and 19°S from the 1993 NAUDUR cruise (a French acronym for Nautile on Ultra-fast Ridge) indicate recent volcanic eruptions occurring as frequently as every few years.

The NAUDUR cruise was designed to study the interaction between magmatic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes at an ultra-fast spreading axis of the EPR. Researchers performing twenty three dives in five regions (Figure 1) along the axis of the Garrett fracture zone collected more than 150 rock samples and made 52 gravity measurements [Auzende et al., 1994]. The Garrett fracture zone (13°S) and the Easter Microplate limit a large segment of the East Pacific Rise where the accretion rate is near the upper limit for present-day spreading values (141 to 162mm/yr) [Perram et al., 1993]. The five dive regions with distinct morphological characteristics represent different stages in the accretion process.


We compare the simplest realistic brane inflationary model to recent cosmological data, including Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) three-year cosmic microwave background (CMB) results, Sloan Digital Sky Survey Luminous Red Galaxies (SDSS LRG) power spectrum data and Supernovae Legacy Survey (SNLS) type 1a supernovae distance measures. Here, the inflaton is simply the position of a D3-brane which is moving towards a -brane sitting at the bottom of a throat (a warped, deformed conifold) in the flux compactified bulk in type IIB string theory. The analysis includes both the usual slow-roll scenario and the Dirac–Born–Infeld scenario of slow but relativistic rolling. Requiring that the throat is inside the bulk greatly restricts the allowed parameter space. We discuss possible scenarios in which a large tensor mode and/or non-Gaussianity may emerge. Here, the properties of a large tensor mode deviate from that in the usual slow-roll scenario, providing a possible stringy signature. Overall, within the brane inflationary scenario, the cosmological data are providing information about the properties of the compactification of the extra dimensions.


An auxiliary-enabled Pd-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective sp(3) C-H activation and the direct arylation of the C3-position of oxygen heterocycles, such as tetrahydrofuran and 1,4-benzodioxane systems, are reported. An efficient stereoselective construction of cis 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives (analogues of norlignans) and cis 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-benzodioxane derivatives (analogues of neolignans) is described. The direct C(sp(3))-H arylation of the C3-position of (R)- or (S)- tetrahydrofuran-2-carboxamides furnished the corresponding (2R,3R) and (2S,3S) C3-arylated THF scaffolds as major compounds with very high regio- and diastereoselectivities. The stereochemistry of the products obtained in this work were unambiguously assigned on the basis of the X-ray structure analyses of representative compounds 3b, 3e, 4p, and 7.


OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of respiratory viral infection in a cohort with acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring hospitalization. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study including patients with ARF who required admission from December 2010 to January 2011. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained and RT-PCR was performed to detect H1N1 virus and seasonal Influenza. We also froze these samples at -80oC to analyse them afterwards with multiplex RT-PCR nested method described by Coiras et al 1 . This method allows to simultaneously detect the following virus: parainfluenza virus (1,2,3,4), coronavirus, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus and influenza A, B and C. We excluded patients under 18, nosocomial infection and mild episodes that did not meet the criteria for admission. Demographic data, comorbidities and final diagnosis were analysed. RESULTS: 50 patients (46% female) were evaluated. Average age was 54,7 ± 18 years. In 49 patients Chest X-ray showed pulmonary infiltrates compatible with pneumonia. Using PSI score, 73% of pneumonias were class IV/V. 21 patients (42%) required ICU admission. Mortality was 12% (6 subjects). Main comorbidities were Diabetes Mellitus (26%), imunosuppression (24%) and other respiratory diseases (22%). In patients diagnosed with viral infection (40%), H1N1 was the most frequent 70% (14/20).Other viruses isolated were rhinovirus (4 cases) and parainfluenza 4 (2 cases). In 35% of H1N1 subjects, bacterial coinfection was found, whereas in subjects with other viral infection bacterial coinfection was 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of viral infection was 40%, with H1N1 as the most frequent (70%) Bibliography 1. J Med Virol 72 : 484-95.


Th e suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) generates and controls the circadian rhythms in mammals including the rhythm of locomotor activity. Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipose tissue that informs the brain about the fat stores. SCN neurons express leptin receptors. Here we investigated the eff ects of 3 diff erent leptin administrations on the locomotor activity of the Syrian hamsters maintained in constant darkness. Animals were intraperitoneally (ip) injected (4 μg/kg), subcutaneously (sc) infused (4 μg/kg), or intra-SCN infused (0.4 μg/kg) with leptin for 3 days at circadian time 10 whereas the controls received saline (0.9% NaCl) at the same time in order to eliminate stress factors. Our results demonstrate that the locomotor activity of the hamsters can be phase advanced by the external leptin administrations. Leptin aff ected the level of phase-shift s in an administration method-dependent manner. Th e biggest phase advance was observed in intra-SCN infusion (P = 0.001), and the smallest was in the ip injection (P = 0.041) group. Th e wheel-turn amounts did not change signifi cantly in the groups before and aft er the leptin administrations (P = 0.233); however, the period lengths increased (P = 0.011) signifi cantly aft er leptin administrations. Th ese results suggest for the fi rst time that in vivo leptin administrations may change the rhythm of locomotor activity in adult male Syrian hamsters.


Mercury emission from non-ferrous smelting plants has attracted worldwide attention. To realize the goal of mercury removal from high SO2 concentration flue gas, a new method, using acidic thiourea solution, was proposed. It was found that it displayed significantly higher removal efficiency for elemental mercury from high SO2 flue gas, up to above 89% at the optimal condition. Low solution pH and temperature contributed to Hg0 removal due to the high stability of thiourea. Adding oxidants, such as FeCl3 and H2O2, could promote the oxidation of mercury, especially in the initial reaction period. After the mercury removal from flue gas, the CuCl2 modified activated carbon was added to acidic thiourea solution to absorb mercury. Almost 92% of mercury in solution was removed and the thiourea solution after absorption process could be reused to absorb gaseous mercury. In summary, the noval technology is environmentally sustainable for the recovery of mercury from non-ferrous smelting flue gas.


Due to the limited capacity of the sensors' batteries, energy is a critical resource in wireless sensors networks. Sleep mode operation is an effective approach to prolong the life time of the network. How to determine insomnious (wakeup) node is a critical component of this approach. There are a number of selection methodologies in the literature but all of them except randomized sleeping require local or global residual energy information exchanges among sensors. This can be very expensive especially in a densely deployed sensor network. In this paper, we propose to use Passive Clustering (PC) as a selection method and we further increase the service time of a sensor network by introducing an energy-aware selection mechanism. This mechanism allows balanced energy consumption among the sensor nodes. Each sensor determines being insomnious or not based on its residual energy and the number of neighbouring insomnious nodes and their energy level. An efficient flooding during each wake up period determines insomnious nodes in the network. GRIDS selects insomnious nodes well distributed in the sensor deployed area. The simulation results show that the selection mechanism distributes "evenly" the duty cycles among sensor nodes and thus considerably increase the network's lifespan as the result.


The adaptive minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) detector for direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA), is attractive because it has a simple structure. Also, the adaptive nature of the detector allows it to learn the required information and adjust it to the prevailing interference and noise environment. However, it shows performance degradation in a severe near-far environment. On the other hand, a parallel interference cancellation (PIC) detector has the potential to combat the near-far problem, since it is designed to subtract out interference. However, this performance depends on its data estimates. A novel multiuser detector is proposed to combat the near-far problem in DS-CDMA schemes. It utilizes the advantages of the two detectors by combining an adaptive MMSE multi-user detector and PIC detector. The focus of the paper is on the near-far resistance capability of the detector. Simulation studies shows that the proposed detector is immune to the near-far problem on top of its improved bit error rate.


ABSTRACT:Financial crisis that hit the economic standing in 2008 has put the blame on the mismanagement of the working capital of firms. Empirical evidences highlight the importance of efficient and sound working capital management thus managers should therefore be alert and sensitive on the factors affecting working capital management to improve firm's performance in order to stay resilient. Nevertheless, limited studies have been done on this matter and is very much pronounced in the East Asian countries, despites the fact that these countries are the worst affected by the crisis. Malaysia is no exception in suffering from the turmoil thus it is paramount to examine the influencing factors of working capital management especially before, during and after a financial crisis in Malaysia. A panel regression is employed on a financial data of 57 Malaysian listed firms from 2002-2012. The study period is divided into three different scenarios, 2002-2006 (before the crisis), 2007-2008 (during the crisis) and 2009-2012 (after crisis). The cash conversion cycle is employed as a measurement of working capital management. The independent variables and their measurements are chosen based on previous studies, which are, profitability (net profit/total asset), debt (total debt/total asset), sales growth (salest–salest-1)/salest-1), free Cash flow (free cash flow/total asset), firm size (natural logarithm of sales) and liquidity (current asset/current liabilities). Several tests are carried out and the statistical procedure showed that the Random Effect model is the best model to explain the relationship between working capital management and its explanatory variables. A constant negative relationship is spotted between profitability and firm size with working capital management for all the three periods. The negative relationship between profitability and firm size with working capital management provide strong evidence on pecking order theory. Sales growth is negatively related to working capital management before and after the crisis periods. Debt appears to be mixed, with positive sign before the crisis but negative after the crisis. Free cash flow is positively related during the crisis period. No significant relationship however is detected on liquidity. The same variables (profitability, debt, sales growth and firm size) have significant relationships with working capital management before and after the crisis. This study has policy implication where managers can be sensitive on factors affecting working capital management and give particular attention on profitability, debt, sales growth and firm size in the management of their working capital regardless of the economic scenarios.


Cryptorchidism was associated with increased responsiveness of the isoproterenol-sensitive adenylate cyclase in membrane particles from rat testis. Abdominal testes from uni- and bilaterally cryptorchid rats showed the same activities. The change in isoproterenol-responsive adenylate cyclase was independent of the age at which the animals were made cryptorchid. The isoproterenol response was maximal 3-4 weeks after the rats were made cryptorchid. By 2-3 months after orchidopexy the isoproterenol response in the rat testis had decreased to normal control values.


The baseline design of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) calls for sampling gratings to provide third-harmonic energy diagnostics in the highly constrained area of the target chamber. These 40 multiplied by 40 cm transmission gratings are to diffract at (order plus 1) nominally 0.3% of the incident 351 nm light at a small angle onto a focusing mirror and into a calorimeter. The design calls for a plane grating of 500 lines/mm, and approximately 30 nm deep, etched into a fused silica focusing lens and subsequently overcoated with a sol-gel antireflective coating. Gratings of similar aperture and feature size have been produced for other applications by ion etching processes, but, in an effort to reduce substantially the cost of such optics, we are studying the feasibility of making these gratings by wet chemical etching techniques. Experimentation with high-quality fused silica substrates on 5 and 15 cm scale has led to a wet etching process which can meet the design goals and which offers no significant scaleup barriers to full sized optics. The grating is produced by holographic exposure and a series of processing steps using only a photoresist mask and a final hydrofluoric acid etch. Gratings on 15 cm diameter test substrates exhibit absolute diffraction efficiencies from 0.2 - 0.4% with a standard deviation of about 15% of the mean over the full aperture. The efficiency variation is due to variation in linewidth caused by spatial nonuniformities in exposure energy. Uniformity improvements can be realized by using a smaller, more uniform portion of the exposure beam and exposing for longer times. The laser damage threshold for these gratings has been measured at LLNL and found to be identical to that of the fused silica substrate. Scaleup to full-sized substrates will use techniques such as meniscus coating for photoresist, large-aperture holography and other processes already established at LLNL for optics of this size. A prototype sampling grating to be installed on the Beamlet laser will be produced in early 1996.


Abstract. Gap-filling streamflow data is a critical step for most hydrological studies,
such as streamflow trend, flood, and drought analysis and hydrological
response variable estimates and predictions. However, there is a lack of
quantitative evaluation of the gap-filled data accuracy in most hydrological
studies. Here we show that when the missing data rate is less than 10 %,
the gap-filled streamflow data obtained using calibrated hydrological models
perform almost the same as the benchmark data (less than 1 % missing)
when estimating annual trends for 217 unregulated catchments widely spread
across Australia. Furthermore, the relative streamflow trend bias caused by
the gap filling is not very large in very dry catchments where the hydrological model calibration is normally
poor. Our results clearly demonstrate that the gap filling using hydrological
modelling has little impact on the estimation of annual streamflow and its
trends.


The nonglycosylated membrane protein (M) of Sendai virus was purified from virions and conditions were found under which the protein assembled in vitro into three types of ordered structures: narrow tubes, wide tubes, and sheets. These structures were examined by high resolution electron microscopy by using negative staining and metal shadowing techniques. The tubes and sheets are formed from strands 7.2 nm wide that are composed of annular subunits. The wide tubes appear to be formed by the rolling of a sheet into a cylinder in which the 7.2-nm strands are inclined with a pitch of 26-33 degrees and have a left-handed orientation. In addition to the strong reflections corresponding to the 7.2-nm spacings generated by the strands, optical diffraction patterns also showed weak reflections that could be indexed on a lattice corresponding to real-space lattice constants of 7.6 nm and 5.3 nm, with an included angle of 71 degrees. The dimensions and arrangements of these structures formed in vitro are strikingly similar to those of ordered arrays of particles found by others to be associated with the inner surface of the plasma membrane of infected cells. The results support the concept that ordered arrays of M protein, similar to those assembled in vitro, are involved in the assembly of the virus particle by budding from the cell membrane and that they provide specific recognition sites for the viral nucleocapsid at the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane.


We consider the couplings of RR fields with open string sector for Dp- backgrounds of various p. The proposed approach, based on the approximation of the open string algebra by the algebra of differential operators, provides the unified description of these couplings and their interrelations.


BACKGROUND
Liver allograft hepatitis B virus (HBV) reinfection and hepatitis B (HB) recurrence jeopardize the long-term survival of recipient and liver allograft. Lamivudine has been referred as a novel antiviral agent against HBV in HBV cirrhotic patients even in liver transplantation setting. We assessed the prophylatic effect of lamivudine on liver allograft HBV reinfection and clarified the dynamic changes of HBV markers in HBV related decompensated liver cirrhosis after liver transplantation.

METHODS
Twenty-five recipients were divided into three groups: HBV active replication group (15 recipients), HBV inactive replication group (7), and control group (3). 100 mg/d lamivudine was administered preoperatively except in the control group. The HBV markers of serial sera and liver biopsy samples of the 25 recipients were evaluated regularly with enzyme-linked radioimmunoassay, HBV DNA fluorescent quantitative assay, immunohistochemical staining, labelled streptavidin biotin (LSAB) and digoxin labelled HBV DNA hybridization in situ. The dynamic alternation of HBV markers under lamivudine prophylaxis was observed.

RESULTS
In the HBV active replication group who had received lamivudine 2 weeks before liver transplantation, serum HBV DNA positive converted to negative by 80%. HBsAg of all recipients disappeared after liver transplantation, but corresponding antibodies of HBV appeared within one week after the operation. HBsAb 9/15, HBcAb 13/15 and HBeAb 11/15 appeared and subsided gradually within 24 weeks. HBV DNA in sera was kept negative; HBsAg, HBcAg and HBV DNA hybridization in situ of liver biopsy samples remained negative after use of lamivudine. Ten of the 15 recipients showed clearance of HBV, and per se HBV markers were undetectable both in serum and liver biopsy samples between 12 to 44 weeks (24 weeks on average). The 1-, 2-year survival rates were 83% in this group. Two of the 15 recipients developed HBV allograft reinfection or recurrence of hepatitis 2 years after lamivudine monoprophylaxis (2/15, 13.3%). In the HBV inactive replication group, the outcome was similar to that of the HBV active group. The HBV antibody frequency was HBsAb 4/7, HBcAb 6/7, and HBeAb 2/7. Three of 7 recipients showed HBV clearance both in sera and liver biopsy samples, whereas in the control group all 3 recipients developed HBV allograft reinfection and recurrent hepatitis 8, 10, 12 months postoperatively; one of them died of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis, and the remaining 2 recovered after additional lamivudine therapy. The overall allograft reinfection rate was 9.1% (2/22) and the overall 1-, 2-year survival rates were 87% in the lamivudine prophylaxis group.

CONCLUSIONS
Lamivudine prophylaxis can prevent effectively liver allograft from HBV reinfection in patients with HBV-related decompensated liver cirrhosis even in HBV active replication recipient after liver transplantation. Its long-term outcome remains to be studied.


Arginine-rich and lysine-rich histones were extracted from various cytologic types of leukemic blasts and from preparations rich in normal monocytes. On polyacrylamide disc electrophoresis, the patterns of normal monocyte histones closely resembled those found in acute histiomonocytic leukemia (Schilling type). The electrophoretic patterns of histones obtained from leukemic blasts in acute myelomonocytic leukemia (Naegeli type) were similar to those found in both acute myelobastic leukemia and chronic granulocytic leukemia. The results support the concept that acute myelomonocytic leukemia may be closely related to, or a variant of, acute myeloblastic leukemia, and that acute histiomonocytic leukemia is most probably a monocytic rather than a myeloblastic disorder. In addition to accepted morphologic and enzymatic criteria, the present studies suggest that differences in histone patterns might be useful in further distinguishing between histiomonocytic, myeloblastic, and myelomonocytic leukemias.


Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate genetic toxicity of Cervi pantotrichum Cornu herbal acupuncture solution(CPCHA). Methods : In this study, a series of investigation have been carried out to analyze the effects of Cervi pantotrichum Cornu herball acupuncture solution(CPCHA) on colony forming ability of NIH3T3cells, Hela cells and adrenorectal coloncell for genetic toxicity test. Results and Conclusions : From the above results, it is suggested that Cervi pantotrichum Cornu herball acupuncture solution(CPCHA) was limited 0.5-10ug/ml by test. Cervi pantotrichum Cornu herball acupuncture solution(CPCHA) did not exert the protective role to the genetic toxicity in kinds of cell lines used in this study. From these results, Cervi pantotrichum Cornu herbal aqua-acupuncture solution needs further study to prove it's function in cell culture system.


Large amounts of carbon are stored in permafrost‐affected soils of the Arctic tundra. The quantity, distribution and composition of this carbon are important, because much of the carbon is likely to be released as a result of global warming. We have studied soils of the central Siberian Arctic to determine the carbon content and the nature of the organic matter by density fractionation, and 13C‐NMR‐ and 13C‐stable‐isotope analyses. There are pronounced differences in the profile and variations from place to place in the quantity and nature of soil organic matter. We estimated that the mean stock of carbon was 14.5 kg m–2 within the active layer. We found a total of about 30.7 kg C m–3 in the entire upper metre of the soils. Carbon of the tussock tundra showed strong vertical differentiation, with a large proportion comprising decomposed, recalcitrant compounds. We identified within the soil several zones of aerobe and anaerobe decomposition. Mobile carbon fractions have precipitated under the influence of low temperatures.


In this project, youth will learn about fish and their adaptations for living in water. This revised 48-page Intermediate level (ages 11-13) project book was written by Karen Blyler, and published by the UF Department of 4-H Youth Development, October 2014.
Contents: A. What is a fish? B. How do fins help a fish? C. How does body shape help a fish? D. How does body color help a fish? E. Why do fish have different mouths? F. Why do fish have scales? G. How can we determine a fish's age?
4H354/4H354: Fins & Scales: An Introduction to Bony Fish—A Marine Science Project Book for 4-H Intermediate Members (ufl.edu)


Abstract Introduction: Neonatologists must be skilled at providing antenatal counseling to expectant parents of premature infants at the limits of viability. We conducted a medical improvisation workshop with the objective of enhancing antenatal counseling skills. Methods: Pre- and postworkshop questionnaires were collected to examine the impact of the training. A follow-up survey was distributed 3 months after the workshop to examine the impact of the training on antenatal counseling skills. Results: Nine neonatologists and three neonatal fellows participated in the workshop. Participants reported the skills learned in the workshop could enhance the quality of antenatal counseling. On follow-up survey, 90% of subjects reported improvements in the quality of their antenatal counseling. Discussion: Participation in a medical improvisation workshop resulted in enhancements of self-perceived antenatal counseling skills. Medical improvisation training may provide a feasible and effective method of communication training for neonatologists. Further research into this innovative method are needed.


In this study, a five-generation Chinese family (family F013) with progressive autosomal dominant hearing loss was mapped to a critical region spanning 28.54 Mb on chromosome 9q31.3-q34.3 by linkage analysis, which was a novel DFNA locus, assigned as DFNA56. In this interval, there were 398 annotated genes. Then, whole exome sequencing was applied in three patients and one normal individual from this family. Six single nucleotide variants and two indels were found co-segregated with the phenotypes. Then using mass spectrum (Sequenom, Inc.) to rank the eight sites, we found only the TNC gene be co-segregated with hearing loss in 53 subjects of F013. And this missense mutation (c.5317G>A, p.V1773M ) of TNC located exactly in the critical linked interval. Further screening to the coding region of this gene in 587 subjects with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) found a second missense mutation, c.5368A>T (p. T1796S), co-segregating with phenotype in the other family. These two mutations located in the conserved region of TNC and were absent in the 387 normal hearing individuals of matched geographical ancestry. Functional effects of the two mutations were predicted using SIFT and both mutations were deleterious. All these results supported that TNC may be the causal gene for the hearing loss inherited in these families. TNC encodes tenascin-C, a member of the extracellular matrix (ECM), is present in the basilar membrane (BM), and the osseous spiral lamina of the cochlea. It plays an important role in cochlear development. The up-regulated expression of TNC gene in tissue repair and neural regeneration was seen in human and zebrafish, and in sensory receptor recovery in the vestibular organ after ototoxic injury in birds. Then the absence of normal tenascin-C was supposed to cause irreversible injuries in cochlea and caused hearing loss.


Embryo fibroblasts of hamster, rat, mouse, and were cultured 24 hrs on polyvinylchloride plates with regular relief of grooves with cylindric surfaces in between. Most cells were accumulated on the middle part of spaces between the grooves, their nuclei were elongated and oriented in the direction of grooves. Nuclear elongation was assessed quantitatively by the ratio of long to short nuclear axes. Contact orientation was measured as deviation of the long nuclear axes from the grooves direction. Both contact orientation and elongation considered respectively as "orientation reaction" is maximal and the "form reaction", increased with increasing cylinder curvature (i. e. when the radii diminished from 333 to 61 mcm). Both reactions are well expressed in cultures of the human and (less distinctly) the rat cells. In murine cells, the "orientation reaction" is maximal and the "form reaction" is weak while for the hamster cells the opposite is true. Therefore, both types of reaction seem to be independent characteristics of cells.


Family studies of schizophrenics have shown the importance of factors such as a malignant mother-child symbiosis, changes in the family role structure, pseudo-mutuality and techniques on how 'to drive someone crazy'. More recent studies concern themselves with disturbance of communication and interaction within schizophrenic families. In particular, the problems of double-bind and other paradoxical modes of communication are discussed by the author. In contrast to double-bind as a sociological aetiological model which defines schizophrenia as a metacommunicative disturbance and evoked reaction of the self-system, the hypothesis is proposed of an intrapsychic double-bind which the patient is producing wihtin himself.


The pilgrimage along the Way of Saint James constituted the principal mechanism for the introduction of new currents of thought into the Iberian Peninsula, such as Romanesque architecture. Taking this into account, we examined whether the standard tradition on the orientation of Christian churches was followed. We measured the orientation of 108 churches built between the end of the 10th and 13th centuries near the French Way, in the ancient kingdoms of Leon and Castile. The statistical analysis shows a clear tendency to orientate the apse of the church eastwards, specifically slightly to the north of due east. Furthermore, we found that the orientation patterns differ from one kingdom to the other. In Leon, there seems to be a predilection for the local tradition of aligning the apse toward the ecclesiastical equinox. Castile, in contrast, built their churches orientated to Easter, one of the most important feast days of Christianity.


The increase of plasma and blood viscosity is usually associated with pathological conditions; however, elevation of both parameters often results in increased perfusion and the lowering of peripheral vascular resistance. In extreme haemodilution, blood viscosity is too low and insufficient to maintain functional capillary density, a problem that in experimental studies is shown to be corrected by increasing plasma viscosity up to 2.2 cP. This effect is mediated by mechanotransduction‐induced nitric oxide (NO) production via shear stress in the endothelium as shown by microelectrode perivascular measurements of NO concentration. Moderate elevations of blood viscosity by increasing haematocrit (∼10%) result in comparable reductions of blood pressure and peripheral vascular resistance, an effect also NO‐mediated as it is absent after Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester treatment and in endothelial nitric oxide synthase‐deficient mice. These findings show that the rheological properties of plasma affect vessel diameter in the microcirculation leading to counterintuitive responses to the changes in blood and plasma viscosity. Application of these findings to haemorrhagic shock resuscitation leads to the concept of hyperosmotic‐hyperviscous resuscitation as a modality for maintaining the recovery of microvascular function.


Compelling evidence indicates that the immune system is linked to metabolism in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but factors participating in these processes still are awaiting identification. Inducible nitric oxide synthase, encoded by the NOS2 gene, and surfactant protein D, encoded by the SFTPD gene, have been implicated in diabetes. We investigated NOS2 and SFTPD mRNA levels in leukocytes obtained from 125 pregnant women with (n = 87) or without (control group; n = 38) GDM, and, in turn, correlated their expression with clinical parameters of subjects. Leukocytes were isolated from the blood of pregnant women and NOS2 and SFTPD expression in these cells was determined by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Univariate correlation analyses were performed to assess an association between leukocyte NOS2 and SFTPD expression and clinical characteristics of patients. qRT-PCR experiments disclosed significantly increased leukocyte NOS2 and SFTPD mRNA levels in hyperglycemic GDM patients (P < 0.05). In the entire study group, there were significant positive associations of leukocyte NOS2 and SFTPD mRNAs with C-reactive protein. Additionally, transcript level of SFTPD also correlated positively with fasting glycemia and insulin resistance. This study demonstrates that an impaired glucose metabolism in GDM may be predominant predictor of leukocyte NOS2 and SFTPD overexpression in diabetic patients. Furthermore, alterations in the expression of these genes are associated with glucose metabolism dysfunction and/or inflammation during pregnancy. In addition, these findings support the utilization of leukocytes as good experimental model to study a relationship between immune-related genes and metabolic changes in women with GDM, as well as to assess the potential mechanisms underlying these alterations.


Four kinds of cationic derivatives (C-PAM) of polyacrylamide (PAM) containing the amine units of 15 to 59 mol %, the amide units of 58 to 0 mol % and. others were prepared by the Hofmann degradation. Their adsorption behaviors onto pulp (L-BKP), and their effects on enhancements of dry and wet paper strengths and on retention of a clay were investigated. In addition, the effects of C-PAM on improvements of paper strength were compared with those of four kinds of commercial paper strength agents. The following results were obtained : (1) The adsorptions of C-PAM onto pulp were almost quantitatively in spite of the amine unit contents while those of anionic PAM (added 2% level of alum to dry pulp) and commercial cationic PAM were less than 60%. (2) Handsheets showed an increase in dry tensile strength of about 30% by the addition of C-PAM at 0.5% level based on dry pulp and of 50% over at 1.5% level. (3) Wet tensile strengths were improved in approximately proportion to the contents of amine units. When C-PAM containing amine unit of 59% was added at 0.5% level, wet tensile strength increased 700%. (4) Retention of clay increased with an increase of amine unit in C-PAM and reached to about 80%. (5) C-PAM were more effective for the improvement of dry tensile strength than anionic PAM, commercial cationic PAM, cationic melamine resin or polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohy-drine resin. On the other hand, the effect of C-PAM on the improvement of wet tensile strength was similar to that of melamine resin, but was not so good as polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohydrine resin.


Silicon oxynitride films were deposited using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. The bond configurations of the constituent atoms in the deposited film were analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of the Si 2p spectra showed the presence of nonstoichiometric silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride. Analysis of the binding energy shifts induced by Si–O and Si–N bond formation indicated an O–Si–N complex was present in the film matrix. Component balance analysis indicated that second-nearest-neighbor bond interactions were not the cause of these energy shifts and supported the presence of an O–Si–N complex.


Behaviorally relevant environmental stimuli are often characterized by some degree of temporal regularity. Dynamic attending theory provides a framework for explaining how perception of stimulus events is affected by the temporal context within which they occur. However, the precise neural implementation of dynamic attending remains unclear. Here, we provide a suggestion for a potential neural implementation of dynamic attending by appealing to low-frequency neural oscillations. The current review will familiarize the reader with the basic theoretical tenets of dynamic attending theory, and review empirical work supporting predictions derived from the theory. The potential neural implementation of dynamic attending theory with respect to low-frequency neural oscillations will be outlined, covering stimulus processing in regular and irregular contexts. Finally, we will provide some more speculative connections between dynamic attending and neural oscillations, and suggest further avenues for future research.


Convection intensity and longevity is highly dependent on the surrounding environment. Ensemble sensitivity analysis (ESA), which quantitatively and qualitatively interprets impacts of initial conditions on forecasts, is applied to very short-term (1–2 h) convective-scale forecasts for three cases during the Mesoscale Predictability Experiment (MPEX) in 2013. The ESA technique reveals several dependencies of individual convective storm evolution on their nearby environments. The three MPEX cases are simulated using a previously verified 36-member convection-allowing model (Δx = 3 km) ensemble created via the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Radar and other conventional observations are assimilated using an ensemble adjustment Kalman filter. The three cases include a mesoscale convective system (MCS) and both nontornadic and tornadic supercells. Of the many ESAs applied in this study, one of the most notable is the positive sensitivity of supercell updraft helicity to increases in both storm inflow region deep and shallow vertical wind shear. This result suggests that larger values of vertical wind shear within the storm inflow yield higher values of storm updraft helicity. Results further show that the supercell storms quickly enhance the environmental vertical wind shear within the storm inflow region. Application of ESA shows that these storm-induced perturbations then affect further storm evolution, suggesting the presence of storm–environment feedback cycles where perturbations affect future mesocyclone strength. Overall, ESA can provide insight into convection dependencies on the near-storm environment.


Recent research has indicated a need to study the relationship between the language of the adult aphasic and his attempts at cognitive processing. Nine aphasic adults who demonstrated a minimal ability to explain conservation (as defined by Piaget), a cognitive task which they understood, were given verbal model training to improve their explanations of weight and liquid conservation. Each subject was given a pretest, an experimental condition during which explanations for weight conservation only were trained, a control condition during which subjects named pictured common objects, and a posttest. Order of presentation of the experimental and control conditions was varied. As a result of training, a greater number of explanations (quantitative improvement) and a greater number of explanatory concepts (qualitative improvement) were expressed for both the trained and nontrained conservation tasks. It is suggested that the improvement in conservation explanations is the result of "response facilitation effects" as described by Bandura. Furthermore, the improvement in conservation explanations is supportive of Schuell's concept of impaired linguistic retrieval mechanisms in aphasia.


In recent years, the concept of open innovation has garnered interest among companies due to its potential for generating new models and practices. This study aimed to explore the potential of open innovation for co-creation in entrepreneurship. To achieve this, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, analyzing 53 scientific articles from the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases. The analysis focused on the characteristics related to co-creation and open innovation, the actors involved in these processes, the strategies employed, and the benefits and challenges encountered. The results revealed that: (a) co-creation and open innovation activities enable entrepreneurs to expand their knowledge base through collaboration with diverse stakeholders; (b) the strategies implemented by entrepreneurs have been beneficial in promoting innovation and the creation of shared value, particularly in the development of technologies and new markets; (c) despite recognizing the importance of this collaboration, there are still challenges to be addressed to maximize the advantages of co-creation and open innovation, such as resource scarcity and collaboration skills. Therefore, this study aimed to provide value to entrepreneurs, organizations supporting entrepreneurship, decision-makers, and the community at large in designing programs and mechanisms that foster co-creation and open innovation competencies.


Objectives: The ongoing outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection (COVID-19) has been declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. It is a highly contagious disease that poses a grave threat to human health. Dental practice involves close contact with the airway and dental procedures entail generation of intense aerosol sprays; the virus particles can survive within small droplets in the air for several hours. Thus, dental practice is associated with a high risk of cross infection. This article describes the patient management process and its performance at the outpatient department of a specialized dental hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic in Xi'an, China. The objective is to provide a reference for management protocols for dental clinics and dental specialty centers across the world. Methods: A specialized management protocol for staff, patients, and material management for dental clinic during the epidemic was implemented since February 3 2020. The numbers of outpatient visits, distribution of oral diseases, demographic characteristics of patients, and COVID-19 infection among patients and staff from February 3 to March 15 are described. Results: The management protocols at the dental clinic were tailored according to the level of national emergency response for COVID-19. The number of physical consultations at the hospital was effectively controlled with use of online consulting service. Dental emergency patients were managed safely. Conclusion: The management protocol and infection prevention and control strategies adopted at our institution are effective in treating dental emergencies while controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus in oral clinics.


Action video game players (AVGPs) are proven to be significantly different from non-AVGPs (NAVGPs) in attention, which is proposed to be divided into three functional networks: alerting, orienting, and execution control. However, whether the hemispheric lateralization of attentional functions is influenced by the action video game is unclear. In the present study, we examined the lateralization of the three attentional functions in a group of AVGPs (n = 33) compared to NAVGPs (n = 34). The results showed that, relative to NAVGPs, the interactions between orienting and executive control in the left hemispheres of AVGPs were higher than those in the right hemisphere. Moreover, the correlations among the functions are much more sensitive in the left hemisphere. These results suggest significant left lateralization of the attentional functions in AVGPs.


Need for automatic video copy detection is increased with the recent technical developments in the internet technologies and video recording. Even though image-based techniques with bag-of-word kind of representations are accepted as the best solution because of robustness and speed, they discard the convenient geometric relation which exists among interest points. In this work, we propose a novel geometric relation which computes a binary signature leveraging existence and non-existence of interest points in the neighborhood area. The experimental results on TRECVID 2009 content-based video copy detection dataset show that combination of our method with recently proposed quantization-based indexing and weak geometric consistency schemes outperforms classical representations.


Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluxes and yields from 15 major U.S. rivers draining an assortment of terrestrial biomes are presented. A robust relationship between CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loads is established (e.g., a350 versus DOC; r2 = 0.96, p < 0.001). Calculated CDOM yields are also correlated to watershed percent wetland (e.g. a350; r2 = 0.81, p < 0.001) providing a method for the estimation of CDOM export from ungauged watersheds. A large variation in CDOM yields was found across the rivers. The two rivers in the north‐eastern U.S. (Androscoggin and Penobscot), the Edisto draining into the South Atlantic Bight, and some rivers draining into the Gulf of Mexico (Atchafalaya and Mobile) exhibit the highest CDOM yields, linked to extensive wetlands in these watersheds. If the Edisto CDOM yield is representative of other rivers draining into the South Atlantic Bight, this would result in a CDOM load equivalent to that of the Mississippi from a region of approximately 10% of the Mississippi watershed, indicating the importance of certain regions with respect to the role of terrigenous CDOM in ocean color budgets.


Tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)borate [B(OCH2CF3)3] was found to be a mild and general reagent for the formation of a variety of imines by condensation of amides or amines with carbonyl compounds. N-Sulfinyl, N-toluenesulfonyl, N-(dimethylamino)sulfamoyl, N-diphenylphosphinoyl, N-(α-methylbenzyl), and N-(4-methoxyphenyl) aldimines are all accessible using this reagent at room temperature. The reactions are operationally simple, and the products are obtained without special workup or isolation procedures.


With the advantages of rich content, strong personalization, flexible course time, easy sharing, and high learning efficiency, the emergence and development of online education has become an important connotation and distinctive feature of education modernization. The use of information technology to promote the renewal of educational concepts, methods, and approaches is a palpable marker for our society's advancement in terms of digitalization and computerization of educational resources. In fact, this has given rise to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things (IOT). It must be noted that the current Moroccan education model shows diversified trends, and thus this new mode of learning abundantly introduces various types of intelligent education systems that emerge on a perpetual basis. As a result, the class content and the learning context of students can be tracked at any time, which is conducive to fathoming out the individualization and differentiation of students in a timely manner.


Here, we isolated two chikungunya virus strains (SZ1050 and SZ1239) from patients infected with chikungunya virus who were returning to China from India and Indonesia, respectively. Strain SZ1050 was classed in the Indian Ocean lineage, and strain SZ1239 belonged to the Asian lineage. ABSTRACT Here, we isolated two chikungunya virus strains (SZ1050 and SZ1239) from patients infected with chikungunya virus who were returning to China from India and Indonesia, respectively. Strain SZ1050 was classed in the Indian Ocean lineage, and strain SZ1239 belonged to the Asian lineage. No A226V mutation in the envelope protein E1 was found in either strain.


In this paper, a convolute structure optoelectronic hybrid processing system for cruise missile scene matching guidance based on Joint Transform Correlator was proposed. An electrically addressed liquid crystal displays (EALCD) controlled by computer was used as spatial light modulator (SLM) was placed on input plane, on which reference image and target image were juxtaposed to display; in addition, CCD camera as a square law detector was placed in frequently spectrum plane recorded joint transform power spectrum and correlation result. Owing to detected the joint power spectrum and correlation result by CCD camera, the system could achieve sharper correlation peak and location accuracy by using edge detection input image and binaryzation of joint power spectrum. It was very advantageous to meet the demand of further improving performance, speed, strike accuracy of the cruise missile. Computer simulation and optical experiments showed that even in noisy background, the system can achieve excellent recognition and location performances with max speed: 16frames/s, recognition probability greater than 94%, and location accuracy better than a pixel.


A series of N-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-(3/4/5-substituted)-salicylaldimines (I–XI) were synthesized using appropriate synthetic route. Their structures were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Visible, ESI-MS, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques and analytical methods. The crystal structure of N-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-bromosalicylaldimine (V) was determined by X-ray diffraction at room temperature. Relationship between the melting points and the structures of the compounds was examined. Antimicrobial activity of the compounds was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis. Antifungal activities were reported for Candida albicans. Schiff bases showed considerable antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, S. epidermidis and C. albicans. N-(5-Chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-salicylaldimine (II) has the broadest and highest antimicrobial activity according to the others.


The problem of performance computation for sequential tests between Poisson processes is considered. The average sample numbers and error probabilities of the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) between two homogeneous Poisson processes are known to solve certain delay-differential equations (DDEs). Exact, numerically stable solutions to these DDEs are developed here, and their asymptotic properties are explored. These solutions are seen to be superior to earlier solutions of Dvoretsky, Kiefer, and Wolfowitz (1953), which suffer from severe numerical instability in some ranges of parameters of interest in applications. The application of these results is illustrated in the problem of performance approximation for the cumulative sum (CUSUM) quickest detection procedure.


Introduction: Infertility is a multifactorial syndrome with various genetic and non-genetic factors. Despite methodological advancements, the possible causes for infertility are still unknown for more than 25 percent of cases (idiopathic infertility). Male factor infertility accounts for 50 percent of infertile couples. The human KISS1 GENE is located on the long arm of chromosome 1 and has a pivotal role in metastasis control. Since 2003, its importance in puberty, ovulation and fertility has been revealed. Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between codon 81 polymorphism of the gene and male idiopathic male infertility. Materials and Methods: In this molecular study, 50 patients and 36 healthy fertile men (as controls) were tested for polymorphism of pro 81 Arg. DNA was extracted from 2ml of peripheral blood samples from the patients and controls (having obtained written informed consents from them). Allele specific PCR method was applied to determine the codon polymorphism. Results: Among infertile cases, the distribution of genotypes was as follows: 5% were Pro/Pro, 84% were Arg/Pro and 5% were pro/pro. As for the controls, the distributions were: 0% Pro/Pro, 100% Arg/Pro and 0% Arg/Arg. The results and statistical analyses revealed that the genotype frequencies observed between healthy and patient groups, were significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.0418). However, difference in the distributions of alleles (Pro/Arg) in patient and control groups was not significant (P = 0.9170). Conclusion: In this study, Pro/Pro and Arg/Arg homozygote genotypes in 81 codon of KISS1 gene can be attributed to idiopathic male infertility. Overall, the role of genetic composition between the studied polymorphism and susceptibility to male idiopathic infertility may be considered as effective. However, the results may be different when selecting different genetic pools or significant changes in a population size. Thus, the conclusion was not solid and more studies are needed for functional validation of the polymorphism.