In women with pre‐existing immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the effect of pregnancy on the course of the disease is poorly known. We performed a dual‐centre retrospective cohort study of 118 pregnancies in 82 women with primary ITP. In early pregnancy, the platelet count was <100 × 109/l in 35·6% of pregnancies. During pregnancy the median platelet count nadir was 66 × 109/l (25th–75th percentile: 42–117), with platelet count <30 × 109/l for 26 pregnancies (22%). In 49% of pregnancies, a significant decrease of the platelet count required treatment at least transiently in preparation for delivery. At the time of delivery, the median platelet count was 110 × 109/l (77–155). Compared to before pregnancy, at 3 months post‐partum, only 11% of pregnancies [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 6·8–20·2] showed disease worsening. Previous splenectomy was the only factor significantly associated with ITP worsening after pregnancy (53·9% vs. 10·3%, P < 0·001). For 8·3% of the pregnancies (95% CI: 3·8–15·1), neonatal thrombocytopenia required treatment, especially in case of previous maternal splenectomy (adjusted odds ratio 16·7, 95% CI: 2·61–106). The overall risk of exacerbation of ITP and severe thrombocytopenia during pregnancy is acceptable.


Long-term deep bed filtration in porous media with size exclusion particle capture mechanism is studied. For monodispersed suspension and transport in porous media with distributed pore sizes, the microstochastic model allows for upscaling and the exact solution is derived for the obtained macroscale equation system. Results show that transient pore size distribution and nonlinear relation between the filtration coefficient and captured particle concentration during suspension filtration and retention are the main features of long-term deep bed filtration, which generalises the classical deep bed filtration model and its latter modifications. Furthermore, the exact solution demonstrates earlier breakthrough and lower breakthrough concentration for larger particles. Among all the pores with different sizes, the ones with intermediate sizes (between the minimum pore size and the particle size) vanish first. Total concentration of all the pores smaller than the particles turns to zero asymptotically when time tends to infinity, which corresponds to complete plugging of smaller pores.


Field evidence supports the relatively widespread presence of nonmarine facies within the basal Potsdam formation of the Adirondack border areas of northern New York, southeastern Ontario, and southwestern Quebec. Detailed observations of areal extent, analysis of sedimentary structures and paleocurrent directions, and petrographic studies have been combined with the paleomagnetic determination of the temporal relationships of these strata to establish depositional patterns and facies trends within basal Potsdam units. Four distinct nonmarine lithofacies have been identified: massive matrix-supported conglomerate, stratified framework-supported conglomerate, conglomerate-arkose, and pebble conglomerate-arkose fining-upward sequences, interpreted to represent debris flows, proximal gravelly braided-stream deposits, intermediate to distal gravelly braided-stream deposits, and proximal sandy braided-stream deposits, respectively. Facies of eolian or possibly tidal, and shallow marine origin have also been identified at the base of the Potsdam sequence. Most basal Potsdam sediments are compositionally and texturally immature, derived directly from the crystalline detritus of the extensively weathered Precambrian surface and regoliths that may have locally developed on the craton. The desert-like environment of the Precambrian surface allowed for rapid transport and deposition of relatively unweathered sediments and the subsequent construction of a braided alluvial plain system. Field relations and evidence derived from consideration of the paleomagnetic properties inmore » five localities of fine-grained alluvium suggest that terrestrial Potsdam deposition in the Early and Middle Cambrian largely preceded the marine transgression that deposited the thick, shallow marine units typifying most of the Potsdam sequence.« less


This note compares the performance of the Mexican economy with that of the rest of the region over 23 years, since NAFTA took effect, based on the available economic and social indicators. Among the results, it finds that Mexico ranks 15th out of 20 Latin American countries in growth of real GDP per person, the most basic economic measure of living standards; Mexico's poverty rate in 2014 was higher than the poverty rate of 1994; and real wages (inflation-adjusted) were almost the same in 2014 as in 1994. It also notes that if NAFTA had been successful in restoring Mexico's pre-1980 growth rate —when developmentalist economic policies were the norm— Mexico today would be a high-income country, with income per person comparable to Western European countries. If not for Mexico's long-term economic failure, including the 23 years since NAFTA, it is unlikely that immigration from Mexico would have become a major political issue in the United States, since relatively few Mexicans would seek to cross the border.


Batam as one strategic area of industrial development in Indonesia and has a high potential as a medium to commercialize a company or certain products. This is certainly great potential for city government to increase the maximum extent possible Batam original income (PAD) of this advertisement sector. In the current era of autonomy, local governments have the authority to seek in the broader region income optimization. One source of local revenues of the most potential for increased tax revenues and user charges are billboards. The rapid development of information technology makes the business, users of this information technology services to introduce products utilizing billboards, logos and service from the company to the consumers and the general public. Fitting logos, products and services in public places in the size and design in such a way, indirectly will attract interest and attention for the products, services, or logos of any company or institution. Fundamental changes should be made by policy makers in giving permission for laying and designing billboards and buildings that violate field function and retention of green open space. Especially for billboards, shape and placement of the board should consider several things, including spatial function, width of road, visibility, height of buildings, areas and buildings can be maintained to safeguard the privacy of urban space, it is expected the city government can set rules permit the determination of the installation, billboard layout arrangement by establishing a strategic point which does not interfere with the spatial area of the city. Structuring consider several aspects: Legal Aspects, Strategic Value Aspects, Social Aspects, Economics and Environment. The results showed income from tax in Batam city billboards can provide greater potential if the arrangement of the layout stage billboard locations governed better by enhancing the strategic value of an area / zone billboard stage. The analysis is based on consideration of the road grade classification (arterial, collector and local), the density of usefulness / bustle of an area or public facility within or outside the municipal area (airport, seaport, bridge crossings and bus stops), crossing the road each area / zone will have a sale value of different points billboard stage with zone / area other billboard, which will be increased in accordance with the development of Batam as a free trade zone. Results of economic analysis, financial, strategic value of the potential of a region that can become a taxable sale value of the advertisement should be reassessed with local regulations and the determination is based on points and setting the stage billboard billboard strategic value. Results of social analysis of environmental, Batam is potential for the development of the business world so that means the installation of billboards will still be many diminiati by the stockholder. The SWOT analysis, there are opportunities that will be obtained to increase the potential of local tax revenue through the advertisements of some areas not fully utilized.


So-called metabolic direction has been developing intensively during last decades. Its aim is the theoretical and practical analysis of the role of metabolic disorders in initiation and progression of many diseases. The pathogenic peculiarities of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) which result in developing of secondary mitochondrial dysfunction are considered as a subject of this review. The methods of laboratory diagnosis of mitochondrial dysfunction and possibilities of its pharmaceutical correction in patients with ACS are reviewed.


Surveys of the literature may facilitate future scholarship by identifying important conceptual developments or recent advances in empirical research. However, we suggest that Shortz, Worthington, McCollugh, DeVries, and Morrow's (1994) conclusions regarding prominent trends in marital therapy and research suffer serious limitations based on the authors' failure to consider objective indices of either journals' influence or authors' actual impact, in addition to their exclusion of nonjournal sources and use of an arbitrary method of weighting authorship. We identify alternativeapproaches to evaluating published scholarship for use in future surveys.


Introduction A radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the best choice for achieving vascular access (VA) for hemodialysis, but this AVF has high rates of early failure due to juxta-anastomotic stenosis, making it impossible to use for dialysis. Low hemodynamic shear stress contributes to the pathophysiology of VA failure due to secondary thrombosis, stenosis, and re-occlusion after percutaneous intervention. Methods We used a computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) approach to evaluate the shear stress distribution and minimize its effects under various conditions including changes in the anastomosis angle. A three-dimensional computational domain was designed for arteriovenous end-to-side anastomosis based on anastomosis angles of 45°, 90° and including 135° angle of an obtuse anastomosis using three-dimensional design software. COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software was used to identify the hemodynamic factors influencing wall shear stress at the anastomosis site using a low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model that included non-Newtonian blood flow characteristics, the complete cardiac pulse cycle, and distention of blood vessels. In preliminary clinical study, all 201 patients who received a radiocephalic wrist AVF from January 2009 to February 2014 were divided into classic and obtuse angle groups. Results The CFD results showed that the largest anastomosis angle (135°) resulted in lower shear stress, which would help reduce AVF failures. This obtuse angle was preferred, as it minimized the development of anastomotic stenosis and tended to favor primary and primary-assisted patency in clinical study. Conclusions An obtuse radiocephalic wrist AVF shows more favorable patency compared to a classic radiocephalic AVF. Surgeons establishing a radiocephalic wrist AVF would be better to consider an AVF with an obtuse anastomosis.


This study integrates service fairness into a post-acceptance model of information system continuance. This study added constructs based on Greenberg's (1993) four-component taxonomy of organisational justice. The research model seeks to be useful in predicting post-acceptance satisfaction, which enhances continued usage of services together with a technological product. The results show that perceived usefulness and satisfaction influence continuance intention, as the post-acceptance model predicts. Three of the four distinct service fairness dimensions, systemic, configural and interpersonal fairness significantly enhanced post-acceptance satisfaction. However, the relationship between informational fairness and satisfaction was negative and significant.


Seasonal prevalence and abundance of the helminths of bluegill sunfish in a Louisiana oligohaline bayou were measured by a survey and a field "live-box" experiment. The survey took place from the spring of 1997 to the summer of 1998 and examined fish that were <7 cm. Three trematode species, Phagicola nana (Heterophyidae), Ascocotyle tenuicollis (Heterophyidae), and Posthodiplostomum minimum (Diplostomatidae), and 2 nematode species, Camallanus oxycephalus (Camallanidae) and Spinitectus carolini (Cystidicolidae), were examined. Camallanus oxycephalus was the only helminth that showed a distinct seasonal pattern. Abundance and prevalence peaked in summer, which was likely driven by concerted reproductive cycles of females. The survey data indicated that the other helminths fluctuated over time but did not seem to follow a distinct seasonal pattern. The fluctuations could be attributed to the variable nature of the habitat or to the stochastic events that influence transmission dynamics, particularly isolated events such as tropical storms, which cause dramatic changes in salinity. The live-box experiment successfully measured recruitment of A. tenuicollis and suggested a seasonal component of the distribution of this species, which was possibly caused by temperature-dependent emergence of cercariae from the snail intermediate host.


The object of this study is to trace an approximation between the ideas related to Edward Gordon Craig's über-marionette and two contemporary works: the first in theatre, Ninguém falou que seria fácil (2011), written by Felipe Rocha, and the second in cinema, Synecdoche, New York (2008), script written by Charlie Kaufman. The hypothesis is that the idea of the actor in Craig's über-marionette finds an echo, in terms of creating roles, in these two dramatic texts, in which the characters, as animated matryoshkas, behave as puppets of the other characters in the text, resulting in a logic game of theatricality and in the dissolution of their realistic characteristics.


Labour and environmental standards agreements are two contentious proposals that have contributed to the failure of the WTO to launch a new round of trade liberalisation discussions and have prevented the US President from obtaining fast-track negotiating authority. Proponents of the agreements have been able to win substantial political support by arguing that standardised rules on labour practices and environmental regulations is the only way to assure that international trade remains fair. Although there are widespread demands for "fair trade," there remains a lack of understanding as to what fairness means exactly. Recently, a comprehensive catalogue of fairness principles was presented by Suranovic (2000). This paper will analyse the proposals for labour and environmental standards with respect to these fairness principles in order to characterise how fairness is used by supporters of these policies. The paper will also show that by using different fairness principles, opponents of these policies can argue that these same policies are unfair. The fact that reasonable notions of fairness can be applied by both opponents and proponents of these agreements highlights difficulties with fairness, per se, as a useful guide to policy. The paper uses this contentious issue to highlight the conceptual difficulties of proposals for fair trade.


An attempt is made to offer some ideas and guidelines that would suggest a direction for family planning communication research for the next few years. A psychologically based communication model developed by Donald Bogue provides some practical guides on information which should be collected with regard to communication for family planning. This Bogue model is presented, indicating the kinds of information that is needed in Indonesia. According to Bogue, individuals are likely to adopt family planning if they are well informed about the idea of family planning, about the methods of contraception and the potential side effect of the methods. Information is needed in Indonesia concerning what different audiences know about family planning. Being informed about family planning is important for many groups in addition to the actual users: community leaders, physicians, field workers, government leaders. It is necessary to know how well these groups are informed about family planning methods, places of service, and choices. Bogue indicates that individuals are likely to use family planning methods if they are motivated to get some of the benefits obtainable through having a small family. In Indonesia systematically collected information about the benefits which people associate with having a small family is badly needed. Again, information is needed about the various motives for using family planning among audiences other than only the potential users. If people are going to adopt and continue to use family planning methods, it is important that they have positive attitudes toward the methods available. To develop a scientifically based communication program, it is necessary to know which methods are liked by which kinds of people and why. Bogue argues that adopters must feel that the innovation has legitimacy. Contraceptive use is not likely to continue if the individual feels that the community does not support that activity. Future research must devote attention for a variety of audiences when investigating the legitimacy of using family planning methods. Bogue's evidence indicates that individuals are likely to use family planning to the degree that they believe its use concerns them and that their personal concerns can be taken care of through family planning use. At a practical level, it is important to establish the degree to which various groups in Indonesia are involved in family planning as a solution to their own problems. Learning the ways in which they are involved can help in developing communication approaches to relate them more directly to the family planning program. Also of great potential utility is research directed to learning about the unintended communication done by the national family planning program. Continued development of the program's communication activities will depend upon the development of fundamental research with regard to family planning, sex, influence, village and neighborhood structure.


In this work, the bonding strength of microchips fabricated by thiol-ene free-radical polymerization was characterized in detail by varying the monomeric thiol/allyl composition from the stoichiometric ratio (1:1) up to 100% excess of thiol (2:1) or allyl (1:2) functional groups. Four different thiol-ene to thiol-ene bonding combinations were tested by bonding: (i) two stoichiometric layers, (ii) two layers bearing complementary excess of thiols and allyls, (iii) two layers both bearing excess of thiols, or (iv) two layers both bearing excess of allyls. The results showed that the stiffness of the cross-linked polymer plays the most crucial role regarding the bonding strength. The most rigid polymer layers were obtained by using the stoichiometric composition or an excess of allyls, and thus, the bonding combinations (i) and (iv) withstood the highest pressures (up to the cut-off value of 6 bar). On the other hand, excess of thiol monomers yielded more elastic polymer layers and thus decreased the pressure tolerance for bonding combinations (ii) and (iii). By using monomers with more thiol groups (e.g. tetrathiol versus trithiol), a higher cross-linking ratio, and thus, greater stiffness was obtained. Surface characterization by infrared spectroscopy confirmed that the changes in the monomeric thiol/allyl composition were also reflected in the surface chemistry. The flexibility of being able to bond different types of thiol-enes together allows for tuning of the surface chemistry to yield the desired properties for each application. Here, a capillary electrophoresis separation is performed to demonstrate the attractive properties of stoichiometric thiol-ene microchips.


RATIONALE
We previously developed a massive cluster ion beam gun for secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in which the primary beam source is a vacuum electrospray. The secondary ion yields produced by this method had not yet been measured with a commercial time-of-flight (TOF) secondary ion mass spectrometer, and the ionization performance was unknown.

METHODS
A vacuum-type electrospray droplet ion gun was connected to a triple-focus TOF analyzer. The flight time of the secondary ions was measured using a sample-bias pulsing method, because a short pulse of the electrospray droplet beam could not be obtained. The secondary ion yields of an amino acid sample produced by the electrospray droplet beams and atomic Ga ion beams were compared.

RESULTS
TOF secondary ion spectra were measured for the amino acid and peptide samples with a mass resolution of ~500 using the sample-bias pulsing method. The secondary ion yield of the amino acid sample produced with the 10 kV vacuum-type electrospray droplet beams was much higher than that produced by 10 kV Ga ion beams. In addition, the secondary ion yields for the peptide sample and amino acid samples were almost similar.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report on secondary ion yields produced with vacuum-type electrospray droplet ion beams and measured with a semi-commercial TOF analyzer. The enhancement of secondary ion yields, in particular for relatively high-mass molecules, would be very useful in the SIMS analysis of a wide variety of biological samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


While anecdotal evidence suggests that interest groups play a key role in shaping immigration, there is no systematic empirical evidence on this issue. To motivate our analysis, we develop a simple theoretical model where migration policy is the result of the interaction between organized groups with conflicting interests towards labor flows. We evaluate the key predictions of the model using a new, industry-level dataset from the United States that we construct by combining information on the total number of immigrants and H1B visas with data on lobbying expenditures associated with immigration. We find robust evidence that both pro- and anti-immigration interest groups play a statistically significant and economically relevant role in shaping migration across sectors. Barriers to migration are lower in sectors in which business lobbies incur larger lobbying expenditures and higher in sectors where labor unions are more important.


We evaluate the applicability of silicon prisms to infrared (IR) spectroscopic investigations of the oxide/electrolyte interface in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration. Using formic acid as a probe adsorbate, a comparison is done between a rutile nanowire film supported on Si and a rutile nanorod film supported on ZnSe. The nanowires were 2 nm in diameter and were deposited directly on Si by chemical bath deposition, whereas the nanorods were deposited on ZnSe by solution casting of an aqueous dispersion prepared from a commercial powder. The lower penetration depth of the evanescent wave for silicon was compensated by a higher internal surface area of the corresponding nanowire film. Advantageously, much higher solution concentrations can be used in the case of the Si prism without a significant contribution of solution species to the IR spectrum. Furthermore, the high chemical stability of Si opens up the possibility of performing experiments in highly acidic aqueous solutions. Upon formate adsorption at pH 3.5, a pair of intense IR bands was observed in the wavenumber range where antisymmetric v(as)(COO) vibrations are expected, namely at 1537 and 1592 cm(-1) on nanorod films and at 1544 and 1586 cm(-1) on nanowire films. The relative band intensities are different for nanorod and nanowire films. While the bands at 1537/1544 cm(-1) are assigned to formate adsorbed on the (110) face, forming the bridging bidentate (mu) structure, those at 1592/1586 cm(-1) are tentatively attributed to formate adsorbed at low coordination adsorption sites at the nanocrystal edges. Bands corresponding to the carboxylate symmetric stretching and the HCO deformation were also observed.


This paper presents a numerical approach based on spectral methods for the computation of guided ultrasonic wave modes in stressed elastic plates and rods. The approach is applicable to Lamb modes in anisotropic plates and longitudinal modes in isotropic rods under uniform stress. The proposed approach computes the modeshapes and the full complex dispersion spectrum (real frequency, complex wavenumber), accommodating both propagating (real wavenumber) and non-propagating (complex wavenumber) modes. Numerical results are presented for plates composed of fiber-reinforced graphite/epoxy (GREP) and plates and rods composed of Hecla 17 steel. The results are used to investigate and compare the effect of stress on the dispersion curves for plates and rods, while demonstrating the computational efficiency of spectral methods. The convergence rate is demonstrated, showing spectral convergence.


PURPOSE
To ensure patient safety and surgical efficiency, much emphasis has been placed on the training of laparoscopic skills using virtual reality simulators. The purpose of this study was to determine whether laparoscopic skills can be objectively quantified by measuring specific skill parameters during training in a virtual reality surgical simulator (VRSS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ten medical students (with no laparoscopic experience) and ten urology residents (PGY3-5 with limited laparoscopic experience) were recruited to participate in a ten-week training course in basic laparoscopic skills (camera, cutting, peg transfer and clipping skills) on a VRSS. Data were collected from the training sessions. The time that individuals took to complete each task and the errors that they made were analyzed independently.

RESULTS
The mean time that individuals took to complete tasks was significantly different between the groups (p < 0.05), with the residents being faster than the medical students. The residents' group also completed the tasks with fewer errors. The majority of the subjects in both groups exhibited a significant improvement in their task completion time and error rate.

CONCLUSION
The findings in this study demonstrate that laparoscopic skills can be objectively measured in a VRSS based on quantified skill parameters, including the time spent to complete skill tasks and the associated error rate. We conclude that a VRSS is a feasible tool for training and assessing basic laparoscopic skills.


It has been over 100 years since Thomas Edison built the first direct current (dc) electricity supply system on 4 September 1882, at Pearl Street in New York City. Many prominent events occurred in the electricity supply industry after that. The first one, ?the war of currents,? started in 1888. Thomas Edison and his dc distribution system were on one side, and George Westinghouse and Nikolai Tesla with the alternating current (ac) system were on other side. The war ?ended? in about 1891 when ac won as the dominant power supply medium. The key behind the ac win was the invention of the transformer that could easily step up medium voltage to high and extra-high voltage for long-distance power transfer from a remote ac generation station to load centers hundreds of kilometers away with lower transmission losses. Transformers can also step down high voltage back to low voltage at load stations to supply the low-voltage equipment. Since the end of the war, ac power systems have been developed and expanded at a tremendous speed from the initial small isolated networks, with each supplying only lighting and motor loads with a few hundreds of customers, to its current scale of super interconnected networks each supplying billions of customers over large geographic areas in one or several countries. The voltage levels and capacities of transmission networks have increased from the first commercialized three-phase ac system with only 2.4 kV, 250 kW in the town of Redlands, California, United States, to the first commercial long-distance, ultra-high-voltage, ac transmission line in China with 1,000 kV, 2,000 MW. Transmission distance has been increased from several miles to over thousands of kilometers (miles). With such major achievements, it is little wonder that the ac power system became the top engineering achievement of the 20th century. Does this mean that dc is gone? The answer is an unambiguous no. What has happened in the past 50 years, such as applications of advanced control technologies in conventional power system loads, the power electronics based high-voltage dc (HVdc) transmission, and the additional renewable power sources in low-voltage distribution system, calls for a rethink about dc and ac in electricity supply systems.


The article presents and describes a clinical case of a gunshot wound of the left forearm of a 9-year-old child — a rare case in the practice of traumatologists and pediatric surgeons in peacetime, which occurred during hunting. The child had an open multi-splintered fracture of the lower third of both bones of the left forearm with damage and defect of the radial and ulnar artery, radial, ulnar and median nerves, damage and defect of over 15 cm of the extensor tendons of the left hand and fingers, soft tissue defect and the presence of foreign objects. There was no blood supply, movement and sensitivity on the left hand. Radiographs of the left forearm and hand in front and lateral projections revealed multi-splintered fractures of the lower third of both bones of the left forearm with the presence of foreign objects (pellet). There was a question of reconstruction or amputation of the forearm. Collectively, at a consultation of doctors consisting of: an orthopedic traumatologist, an angiosurgeon, a neurosurgeon, a pediatric surgeon and a pediatric anesthesiologist-resuscitator, it was decided to reconstruct the forearm. Primary surgical treatment of a gunshot wound, restoration of the radial and ulnar arteries, radial median and ulnar nerves were performed; extra-focal osteosynthesis of the left forearm was performed according to G.A. Ilizarov technique. One month after cleansing the wound and the formation of granulations, free autodermoplasty with a full-layer skin flap was performed. An objective examination 4 months after the dismantling of the Ilizarov apparatus revealed that the limb was warm, moderate swelling of the hand remained, and tactile and motor sensitivity were registered. With extensive defects of the soft tissues, vessels and nerves of the limb with gunshot wounds, it is necessary to involve an orthopedic traumatologist, an angiosurgeon, a neurosurgeon, a combustiologist, an anesthesiologist, a plastic surgeon and a medical psychologist.


ences including a list of textbooks are very helpful. The accounts of treatment are simple and contain many common-sense tips and each chapter has a section on nursing aspects; unfortunately for 'the British reader many prescriptions contain American proprietary drugs. There are numerous statements with which we cannot agree; the tubercle bacillus is surely not a secondary invader in erythema nodosum; the familial 'incidence of psoriasis is much higher than 2 per cent; vesicles are not " at various levels in the epidermis" in dermatitis herpetiformis. It is also rather extreme to say that "Pruritus ani if untreated leads to a neurosis". There are almost no printing errors though livido and lichen sclerosis are not usually accepted spellings. Despite these criticisms it is a good book for its purpose. F.F.H.


The August 1977 SPIE Annual Symposium devoted one of its seminars to Laser Engineering. What is laser engineering? To answer that, one must decide what engineering is and how it is distinguished from development or research. Without getting enmeshed in a web of confusing semantics and nuances, one can say without controversy that the term "engineering" is commonly used when there is considerable economic activity in existence or in prospect, and when hardware, structures, or products result. Of course, there can be rather close coupling between engineering and science. The engineering of a new accelerator for basic high energy research or a basic materials research program to obtain improved semiconductor devices are two examples.


Oak wood is characterized by a high resistance to effects of biotic factors and thereby it is often found in archaeological excavations. While lying over many years in the wet environment, the wood turns black as a result of reaction with iron compounds. Archaeological oak is a valuable raw material. In this paper selected mechanical and chemical properties of a thousand years archaeological oak were investigated. Then the archaeological oak properties were examined and compared with the contemporary oak wood. Archaeological oak wood as well as contemporary oak wood has a directly proportional relationship between MOE (modulus of elasticity) and wood density, and similar relationships between wood density and compressive strength, bending strength, content of mineral substances. Contemporary wood of the same density as the archaeological oak wood would show significantly higher mechanical properties.


Summary

1.  Herbivores make decisions at different spatial levels in response to food plant quality and quantity. Although experiments have examined the responses of herbivores at lower levels, few have examined how herbivores respond to such variation at the stand level. We assessed the response of a herbivore community in a boreal forest to manipulations of food resources at the stand level by performing a large replicated experiment where we fertilized young forest stands and then followed their use by herbivores during the subsequent year.

2.  We used stands at 25 sites in an area 35 × 45 km. At each site we had one fertilized plot, a close control (100 m away) and a distant control (300 m away), all 50 × 50 m.

3.  Before the growing season we fertilized treatment plots with calcium–ammonium–nitrate at 600 kg ha−1 (200 kg N ha−1). Fertilization significantly improved browse quality (nitrogen concentration) in both downy birch Betula pubescens and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. Furthermore, the amount of browse significantly increased for birch, and Scots pine showed a similar trend.

4.  Considering the animal community as a whole, we found that 10 of 13 animal species/groups made more tracks during winter in fertilized than in control plots. The total number of tracks was greater in fertilized plots, followed by close and then distant controls.

5.  In the summer following fertilization, moose Alces alces strongly selected fertilized plots over controls. Furthermore, during the following winter moose again selected fertilized plots over controls. Hares Lepus timidus similarly left more pellets in the fertilized plots. Other mammals used the fertilized and the close controls similarly, and both were used more than distant controls. The number of grouse pellets did not differ among the treatments, although they followed a similar trend.

6.  Several lines of evidence suggest that moose browsed fertilized plots more. Although not statistically significant, both heavy and light browsing were more common in fertilized than in control plots. Trees with the top shoot removed, or with bark stripped from the stem, did not differ significantly, but once again fertilized plots were browsed more than controls.

7.  Our results are discussed in light of understanding both how herbivores in general respond to changes in food quality and quantity, and if fertilization may be a useful tool in modern forestry to manage herbivores.

8.  Fertilization might be useful as a tool to alter the location of herbivore feeding, but buffer strips around any fertilized areas appear necessary, and other potential environmental effects should be evaluated.


Technology nowadays enables the remote access to laboratory equipment and instruments via Internet. This is especially useful in engineering education, where students can conduct laboratory experiment remotely. Such remote laboratory access can enable student to use expensive laboratory equipment, which is not usually available to students. In this paper, we present a method of creating a Web-based Remote Laboratory Experimentation in the master degree course "Wireless Communications Systems" which is part of "ICS (Information and Communication Systems)" and "Investment Management in Telecommunications" curriculums. This is done within the RIPLECS Project (Retrieved from http://riplecs.dipseil.net/) and the NI2011 FF005 Research Project "Implementation of Project-Based Learning in an Interdisciplinary Master Program".


Every day we are faced with changes, we love them or we do not want them. We are aware of the reasons for the changes, but we often can not understand it, and after it is over, we try to justify it. In some changes we can influence, some of us are causing them, while in those that we can not influence, we leave. One of us in the changes looks like excitement and opportunity from that situation to emerge victorious while others are frightened of everything that would change your habits. Similarly to organizations. By managing them people and how the managers find themselves in the changes will depend on the organization's report on the changes. Some will ignore the changes, some will cause them, and some will try to exist in the conditions of permanent change. But only what can we be confident is that the changes all happen and will not cease to happen unless we ignore it, and we have to conclude that only the changes are important.In the broadest sense of change, we mean transitioning from a state (existing) to a new state (if it is worked for an individual, organization or society as a whole). Any organizational change is a change of organizational status between two time intervals while the process of organizational change is where that change is caused. Changes are core events that consist of many factors (hinterland, management, knowledge, desire for change, diversity, motivation, danger, etc.). This process is neither easy nor quick but so simple that it would be necessary to make the decisions, the timing, the initiative for the changes to take place, that the new choices begin to function, be maintained and brought in new quality. The operation of the new solution is only a phase of transition to further changes.There are also so-called kalimith changes that are also called innovations. Innovations (in this regard) are smaller volumes. Although it is difficult to define the boundaries that when innovation goes beyond the line of importance which determines that it is possible to talk about changes, with all that in the midst of these phenomena there are certain changes. Peter Drucker thinks that joining innovations in traditional organizations does not succeed. Unspecified organizations need to create a variety of organizers, which requires organizational avoidance of issues that have been shown to be overcome, as well as continual advancement of all products, services and processes within the organization. This requires the use of success, especially novel, unplanned and systematic innovations. The goal of organizing the organization as a whole on the sales agenda is to change the mind-set mental community. Rather than seeing changes as a threat to employees, they should begin to experience it as a desirable opportunity.Organizational changes are complex and very demoralizing phenomena. Every organizational change contains in its own different processes actions and events. After that, organizational changes can be viewed from many angles and perspectives. They can be classified in many different ways and according to many criteria. Different theoretical perspectives of organizational changes differ between each other depending on the type of organizational changes that are in their own focus.


A beam of electrons, grazing the surface of a semiconductor or insulator, can cause transitions between bands of localized surface states. When the scattered beam is focused in an energy-resolving transmission electron microscope, an image of the surface is obtained. This paper uses a semiclassical model to analyse inelastic electron-surface scattering and predict the brightness and shape of the surface image. The range of validity of the semiclassical model depends on the symmetries of the initial and final surface wavefunctions in a direction perpendicular to the surface.


Within the hierarchical framework for galaxy formation, minor merging and tidal interactions are expected to shape all large galaxies to the present day. As a consequence, most seemingly normal disk galaxies should be surrounded by spatially extended stellar "tidal features" of low surface brightness. As part of a pilot survey for such interaction signatures, we have carried out ultra deep, wide field imaging of eight isolated spiral galaxies in the Local Volume, with data taken at small (D = 0.1–0.5 m) robotic telescopes that provide exquisite surface brightness sensitivity (μlim(V) ∼ 28.5 mag arcsec−2). This initial observational effort has led to the discovery of six previously undetected extensive (to ∼30 kpc) stellar structures in the halos surrounding these galaxies, likely debris from tidally disrupted satellites. In addition, we confirm and clarify several enormous stellar over-densities previously reported in the literature, but never before interpreted as tidal streams. Even this pilot sample of galaxies exhibits strikingly diverse morphological characteristics of these extended stellar features: great circle-like features that resemble the Sagittarius stream surrounding the Milky Way, remote shells and giant clouds of presumed tidal debris far beyond the main stellar body, as well as jet-like features emerging from galactic disks. Together with presumed remains of already disrupted companions, our observations also capture surviving satellites caught in the act of tidal disruption. A qualitative comparison with available simulations set in a ΛCold Dark Matter cosmology (that model the stellar halo as the result of satellite disruption evolution) shows that the extraordinary variety of stellar morphologies detected in this pilot survey matches that seen in those simulations. The common existence of these tidal features around "normal" disk galaxies and the morphological match to the simulations constitutes new evidence that these theoretical models also apply to a large number of other Milky Way-mass disk galaxies in the Local Volume.


This work demonstrates gastric mucin-triggered nanocarrier disassembly for release of antisense oligonucleotides and consequent unassisted cellular entry as a novel oral delivery strategy. A fluorescence activation-based reporter system was used to investigate the interaction and mucin-mediated disassembly of chitosan-based nanocarriers containing a 13-mer DNA oligonucleotide with a flanked locked RNA nucleic acid gapmer design. Gastric mucins were shown to trigger gapmer release from nanocarriers that was dependent on the interaction time, mucin concentration and N : P ratio with a maximal release at N : P 10. In contrast to siRNA, naked gapmers exhibited uptake into mucus producing HT-MTX mono-cultures and HT-MTX co-cultured with the carcinoma epithelial cell line Caco-2. Importantly, in vivo gapmer uptake was observed in epithelial tissue 30 min post-injection in murine intestinal loops. The findings present a mucosal design-based system tailored for local delivery of oligonucleotides that may maximize the effectiveness of gene silencing therapeutics within tumours at mucosal sites.


Purpose To examine the effect of long working hours on anxiety and depression among resident physicians working in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using an anonymous and confidential self-administered electronic questionnaire. Mental health status (depression and anxiety) is measured using hospital anxiety and depression scale. A multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 24.0. The Chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression (OLR) were used to test the association. Results A total of 258 medical residents participated in the study. The prevalence of anxiety was 39.5% (n=102) and depression was 20.9% (n=54). In multivariate OLR against anxiety, working more than 64 hours per week was significantly associated (p=0.013) with an increase in the odds of observing a higher level of anxiety (odds ratio=2.91, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.25–6.77) compared with working up to 40 hours per week after adjusting for age, amount of sleep and exposure to injustice. For the depression multivariate OLR, it would increase the odds of observing a higher level of depression for working 41–48, 49–64 and more than 64 hours per week by 2.21 (95% CI:1.07–4.58, P=0.033), 2.07 (95% CI:1.01–4.27, P=0.049) and 2.37 (95% CI:1.03–5.50, P=0.044) respectively, compared with working up to 40 hours per week and adjusting for the amount of sleep and exposure to injustice. Conclusion Resident physicians are at increased risk of developing anxiety and depression which is influenced by long working hours and a variety of other factors. Therefore, attention needs to be paid to this association. The implementation of interventions for the prevention and screening of physicians' mental health disorders is needed.


Acrylic polymer latex has versatile role in many academic and industrial applications like paint, adhesives, textile, paper industry, concrete, surface coating, synthetic rubber and many ones. Acrylic base polymer latex can be prepared by various polymerization methods like Batch emulsion, Seeded emulsion, Situ miniemulsion, Atom transfer radical, Free radical copolymerization, Pickering miniemulsion, Semi-continuous seeded emulsion, dispersion copolymerization, aqueous suspension polymerization etc. in different solvents i.e. 1,1,2-trichloroethane, water, deionized water, 1,4-dioxane, chloroform, tetra hydro furan, toluene, benzene, nitric acid and so on. Acrylic latexes possessed various properties such as increased particle size which resist centrifugal nature and reduce viscosity of heavy oil, layered coating on steel improve lustre along with flexibility, tensile strength and thermal stability too. Acrylic latexes increase silicon intensity in silicon nanoparticles by controlling pH of emulsion during polymerization and also super paramagnetic behaviour of Fe2O3 nanocomposites latex controlled by pH. In this connection, many researchers have synthesized various acrylic base polymer latex or its composites, investigate its utility in different forms for different purposes to improve properties as required. In this review our main emphasis is to investigate the synthesis, characterisation and application of various acrylate polymer latexes. Keyword: Polymerization techniques, Emulsion, Acrylate, Latex, Nano-composites, Thermal techniques.


Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) is an important tool for investigating the complexity of snake venom proteomes. Apart from applications based on whole proteome analysis, we suggest that 2DE can be used as an assay to guide the progress of protein purification. The aim of this study was to prove the feasibility of this concept by using it to purify rhodocetin from Calloselasma rhodostoma venom. Rhodocetin (α subunit) spot on the 2DE profile of C. rhodostoma venom was first identified and confirmed by mass spectrometry, with a molecular mass of 16 kDa and calculated pI of 5.16. Rhodocetin was subsequently purified by successive anion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Every peak from both chromatography profiles was collected and tested on 2DE. The presence of rhodocetin (α subunit) spot in the 2DE profile of the peak DP2 indicated the presence of the protein. The purified compound was used to spike the crude venom. A spiked spot with a 1.6-fold increase in intensity was observed and its position matched to that of rhodocetin (α subunit) on the 2DE profile. Together, these spots confirmed the identity of the purified compound as rhodocetin. Hence, our results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the concept we now term 2DE-guided purification.


Positively charged donor exciton binding energy is computed as a function of quantum-dot size within the single band effective mass approximation for different Mn contents in Cd1−xinMnxin Te/Cd1−xoutMnxout Te. The exciton bound polaron is computed for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08, on the Mn mole fraction. We determine the energy gap using the mean field approximation and incorporate the exchange interaction between the carrier and the magnetic impurity. The interband emission energy is studied with the height and radius of the cylindrical quantum dot. Valence-band anisotropy is included in our theoretical model using different hole masses in different spatial directions. Spin polaronic shifts as functions of quantum-dot radius and Mn concentration are estimated using the mean field theory. It is found that (i) the energy gap depends on the Mn mole fraction, (ii) it increases linearly with an increase in Mn content, and (iii) the effect is more pronounced for a narrow dot, showing the quantum size effects. Our results are in good agreement with other recently published reports.


Nanopore-based sequencers generate a series of raw electrical signal measurements that represent the contents of a biological sequence molecule passing through the sequencer's nanopore. If the raw signal is analyzed in real-time, an irrelevant molecule can be ejected from the nanopore before it is completely sequenced, reducing sequencing time. To meet the low-latency and high-throughput requirements of the real-time analysis, a number of recent works propose the direct analysis of raw nanopore signals instead of traditional basecalling-based analysis approaches. We observe that while existing proposals for raw signal read mapping typically do well in all metrics for small reference databases (e.g., viral genomes), they all fail to scale to large reference databases (e.g., the human genome) in some aspect. Our goal is to analyze raw nanopore signals with high accuracy, high throughput, low latency, low memory usage, and needing few bases to be sequenced for a wide range of reference database sizes. To this end, we propose RawAlign, the first Seed-Filter-Align mapper for raw nanopore signals. Our evaluation shows that RawAlign is the only tool that can map raw nanopore signals to large reference databases $\geq$3117Mbp with high accuracy. Our evaluation shows that RawAlign generalizes well to a wide range of reference database sizes. In particular, RawAlign has a similar throughput to the overall prior state-of-the-art RawHash (between 0.80$\times$-1.08$\times$) while improving accuracy on all datasets (between 1.02$\times$-1.64$\times$ F-1 score). RawAlign provides a 2.83$\times$ (2.06$\times$) speedup over Uncalled (Sigmap) on average (geo. mean) while improving accuracy by 1.35$\times$ (1.34$\times$) in terms of F-1 score on average (geo. mean). Availability: https://github.com/cmu-safari/RawAlign


The study purpose was to examine the impact of providing individualized body composition information (intervention condition; n = 40) versus body weight information (standard control condition; n = 40) on motivational regulations in overweight female exercise initiates about to commence an exercise program. The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 was completed prior to and following the information provision. Results revealed a significant increase in introjected regulation for the intervention condition indicating that the body composition information may have reinforced previous feelings of self-imposed pressure and a sense of obligation to start exercising. Implications for motivating new exercisers are discussed.


Abstract 2926

Background: RAS proteins are encoded by 3 proto-oncogenes (K-RAS, N-RAS, and H-RAS) and regulate the growth and differentiation of many cellular types, including the myeloid compartment. Codons 12, 13, and 61 (in N-RAS and K-RAS) have been reported to be common targets of mutations. These mutations result in constitutive activation of the RAS pathway by increasing intracellular RAS GTP levels, which result in activation of the RAS/MEK and the RAS/PI3K pathways. Its prognostic significance in MDS is yet to be clarified. Because the potential prognostic and therapeutic implications of RAS mutations in MDS, we decided to study the impact of RAS mutations in patients (pts) with MDS.

Methods: Mutation analysis of KRAS and NRAS codons 12, 13, and 61 was performed by Pyrosequencing using biotinylated reverse primers. All pts referred to MD Anderson between 2000–2009 were reviewed. In addition to standard clinical characteristics, including karyotyping, mutational status of Flt3, c-Kit and JAK2 was also analyzed. Overall survival was calculated based on Kaplan-Meier.

Results: Of the 1067 pts with MDS of age above 17 evaluated for RAS mutation, 43 pts (4%) were positive. Seventy nine percent of RAS mutations were of N-RAS type (codon12 (55%), codon 13 (12%), codon 61(12%)) with K-RAS 12 comprising the rest (21%). Median age was 68 years (range, 18–94) with 66% being males (703 pts). Their median white blood cell (WBC) was 3.3×109/L (range, 0.3–72.2), hemoglobin 9.8 (range, 3–17.5), and platelets 73×109/liter (range, 1–1040). Median bone marrow blast was 5% and 77 pts (7%) had leukemic transformation. More than half of the pts had RAEB or RAEB-t (44% and 9 % respectively) which translated into fewer patients in the low IPSS category (19%). The median age was 66 years (range 26–84) in the RAS mutated (muRAS) group compared to 68 in the wild type (wtRAS). WBC was higher in the muRAS group compared to wtRAS (6.8 ×109/L vs. 3.2 ×109/L, p<0.001 by Mann-Whitney median test (M-W-T)). Percent of bone marrow blasts was higher (9%) in muRAS group compared to 5% in wtRAS (p<0.001 by M-W-T). High (Int-2 and high) risk by IPSS was more frequent in muRAS 51% compared to 40% in wtRAS group (p=0.11). Leukemic transformation was 9% and 7% (p=0.61) in both muRAS and wtRAS groups respectively. RAS mutation was detected more frequently in the CMML subgroup (12/80 (15%) pts). There were no differences in terms of response to DNA methylating inhibitors (CR in 41% in muRAS versus 40% in wtRAS). ARA-C-based regimens resulted in better CR in wtRAS than muRAS (59% vs 25%); however, the size of muRAS group was too small (1 out 4 pts).There was a trend towards shorter overall survival (OS) in the muRAS group compared to wtRAS (395 vs. 500 days, p value=0.057). MuRAS RAEB (325 vs. 450 days, p= 0.13) and RAEB-t (125 vs. 375 days, p= 0.27) subgroups showed a trend towards worse OS compared to wtRAS group. There was a significant OS decrease in RCMD (150 vs. 700 day, p= 0.015). Surprisingly, muRAS CMML group showed a trend towards better OS compared to wtRAS (728 vs. 687 days, p=0.44). Additionally we analyzed patients for presence of Flt3 mutation. These were present in only 18 of the pts (4%) but none of them had also a RAS mutation. There was no c-Kit mutations found in this cohort of pts, compared to 9/37 (24%) pts tested positive for JAK2V617F.

Conclusion: MuRAS occurs in 4% of pts with MDS. In the muRAS group, pts tended to have higher risk disease and risk of transformation to acute leukemia compared with wtRAS. OS tended to be worse in some subgroups in muRAS. Although the prognostic impact of RAS mutations in MDS appears to be limited, mutations could be used to develop targeted therapeutic interventions.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Aflatoxins are natural fungi toxins that have originated from Aspergillous fungi and secondary metabolites of moulds such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. These toxins can be carcinogenic if they enter the body through food. Alfatoxin toxins can cause tissue necrosis, hepatic cirrhosis and liver cancer. Observed clinical signs in human including: regurgitation, cramp, acute hepatic lesions such as lipid changes, pulmonary edema, muscle tremors, coma, hysteria and death with brain edema and involvement of organs such as liver, kidney and heart. Among aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, the most common ones is aflatoxin B1 that is very toxic. Aflatoxins can be found in many foods, for example, grains, oilseeds, spices, maize, groundnuts(peanuts), pistachios, red pepper, black pepper, dried fruit, figs, are substances that have a high risk of aflatoxin. But this dangerous toxin has been observed in a wide variety of food. There has been a chance of contaminant with alfatoxin M in milk, chesses and other dairy products; and Mycotoxins have had improper economical effects on farmers, consumers of agricultural and animal products and ultimately the entire of community.


A series of olefin metathesis catalysts bearing cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (CAAC) ligands of varying size and steric demand has been synthesized and evaluated in ring‐closing‐, self‐, and cross‐metathesis reactions at room temperature. The catalysts were also probed for potential applications in dynamic covalent chemistry. The majority of the catalysts showed high stability, and remained active in the reaction mixtures for several days, including in methanol‐based solutions. Higher temperatures could be used to control the reactivity towards sterically challenging substrates, enabling formation of tetrasubstituted olefins. The CAAC complexes exhibited remarkable functional group tolerance towards heteroaromatic and nucleophilic additives, making them potentially useful in the screening of biologically active compounds.


Objective. To evaluate the role of sonographically guided small‐bore chest catheters and sonographically based monitoring of fluid evacuation in rapid sclerotherapy of malignant pleural effusions. Methods. In 50 patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusions, a 9F catheter was inserted into the pleural space under sonographic guidance. When sonography documented complete fluid evacuation, bleomycin (0.75 mg/kg) was injected via the tube. Fluid drainage was monitored for 12 hours; if fluid output was less than 100 mL, the pleural catheter was removed; otherwise, a second dose of bleomycin was administered after 24 hours. If loculations or fluid reaccumulations due to tube malfunctioning were detected, they were evacuated by sonographically guided thoracentesis, and bleomycin (1.5 mg/100 mL of fluid) was injected through the thoracentesis needle. All patients were monitored for fluid recurrence with thoracic sonography. Results. Twenty‐nine patients received 1 dose of bleomycin, and 21 received 2 doses. In 11 patients with residual loculations, sonographically guided thoracentesis was performed, and bleomycin was injected into the loculations. In 29 patients, pleurodesis was completed within 24 hours; in 21, it was completed within 48 hours. The 30‐day response was 84%; the long‐term response was 60%. No complications or serious side effects were observed. Conclusions. Rapid pleurodesis can be accomplished within 24 to 48 hours, with good short‐ and long‐term responses. Thoracic sonography plays a pivotal role. It guides placement of the pleural catheter and is valuable in the monitoring of fluid evacuation for determining the right time for sclerosing agent administration and in the detection and treatment of loculations or residual pleural fluid due to tube malfunctioning.


A 65-year-old man presented with a slight headache and transient visual disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed occlusion of the left internal carotid artery (ICA) and acute brain infarctions in both hemispheres, and a blood examination indicated inflammation. Gadolinium enhancement was observed in the walls of the temporal arteries and ICAs. After we diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) by a temporal artery biopsy, aspirin and corticosteroids were administered. The typical symptoms of GCA, such as jaw claudication and temporal artery tenderness, were absent during the entire clinical course, and the findings of contrast-enhanced MRI contributed to the diagnosis.


Replacing sitting by standing has been hypothesized to reduce the health risks of sitting, based on the assumption that muscles are passive during sitting and active during standing. Interventions have been more effective in overweight (OW) than in normal weight (NW) individuals, but subjects' muscle activities have not been quantified. This study compared quadriceps and hamstring muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity between 57 NW (body mass index (BMI) 22.5 ± 1.5 kg/m2, female n = 36) and 27 OW (BMI 28.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2, female n = 8) subjects during non-fatiguing standing (15 s, EMGstanding) and sitting (30 min). EMG amplitude was normalized to EMG measured during maximal isometric knee extension and flexion (% EMGMVC), and sitting muscle inactivity and bursts were determined using 4 thresholds (60% or 90% EMGstanding and 1% or 2% EMGMVC). Comparisons were adjusted for sex, age, knee extension strength, and the individual threshold. Standing EMG amplitude was 36% higher in OW (1.9% ± 1.5% EMGMVC) than in NW (1.4% ± 1.4% EMGMVC, P < 0.05) subjects. During sitting, muscles were inactive 89.8% ± 12.7% of the measurement time with 12.7 ± 14.2 bursts/min across all thresholds. On average, 6% more activity was recorded in NW than in OW individuals for 3 of the 4 thresholds (P < 0.05 for 60% or 90% EMGstanding and 1% EMGMVC). In conclusion, the OW group had higher muscle activity amplitude during standing but more muscle inactivity during sitting for 3/4 of the thresholds tested. Interventions should test whether the observed heterogeneity in muscle activity affects the potential to gain cardiometabolic benefits from replacing sitting with standing.


This paper provides an overview of the main ideas driving the bootstrap algebraic multigrid methodology, including compatible relaxation and algebraic distances for defining effective coarsening strategies, the least squares method for computing accurate prolongation operators and the bootstrap cycles for computing the test vectors that are used in the least squares process. We review some recent research in the development, analysis and application of bootstrap algebraic multigrid and point to open problems in these areas. Results from our previous research as well as some new results for some model diffusion problems with highly oscillatory diffusion coefficient are presented to illustrate the basic components of the BAMG algorithm.


In order to enrich the molecular markers linked to wheat stem rust resistance gene and to facilitate the marker-assisted selection in breeding programme, bulk segregation analysis was carried out for gene tagging using F2 segregating population derived from cross between wheat synthetic 4 line with resistant gene (Sr gene carrier) and a common wheat variety Agra local (susceptible to wheat stem rust). This Sr gene carrier synthetic 4 was derived between a cross Triticum turgidum (AABB) and Triticum tauschii (DD). A total of 35 SSR primers covering D and B Genome on the basis of chromosomal location of resistance genes were screened. The SSR marker namely Xgwon106, Xgwm432, Xgwm533 and Xgwm369 have revealed polymorphism among the parents used for study. The SSR Xgwm 533 was found to be putative linked with stem rust resistance gene while the marker Xgwm 389 was co- segregating with Xgwm 533. Marker Xgwm 533 and Xgwm 389 were taken from B genome. Hence, the stem rust resistance gene presumed to be located on 3-B genome of wheat. The use of these markers in combination with others markers could better predict the presence of stem rust resistance gene in wheat genome.

 Key words: Stem rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici), molecular tagging, bulk segregation analysis, synthetic hexaploid wheat, SSR primers.


Treatment of persistent/recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer is based on surgery, when feasible, and malignant tissue ablation by 131I administration. This procedure requires levothyroxine withdrawal to obtain high levels of endogenous thyrotropin (TSH) to stimulate radioactive iodine uptake by the malignant tissue. Levothyroxine withdrawal may cause severe adverse effects and complications in patients with concomitant illness or advanced metastatic disease. The recent availability of recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) allows diagnostic whole-body scan (WBS) and thyroglobulin testing without levothyroxine withdrawal. We describe six patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and concomitant illness in whom the use of rhTSH was effective in preventing the complications that patients had previously experienced during hypothyroidism consequent to levothyroxine withdrawal. Our results indicate that rhTSH can be particularly advantageous to avoid signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and complications because of associated diseases in view of 131I treatment of DTC metastases in selected cases in which levothyroxine withdrawal may be dangerous. Its efficacy to treat advanced metastatic disease should be further investigated.


Bulbar paralysis has long been attracting the attention of neuropathologists, due to its diversity in the clinical picture, the duration of the course of the disease and the severity of the disease. In Germany, the term bulbar paralysis was first used in 1864 by Wachsmuth in relation to the chronic form, which is now called Duschenn's progressive bulbar paralysis. Due to the difficulties of recognition, cases of intravital diagnosis of paralysis with lesions of the medulla oblongata were almost absent at that time. In France, the acquaintance with this disease began, apparently, a little earlier than Germany, but there and here they soon began to distinguish acute cases (Lange) of paralysis from chronic ones.


Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was one of the most influential and prolific composers of the eighteenth century. His oeuvre encompassed virtually every musical genre of the time, except opera, and his music enjoyed a high reputation and wide distribution well beyond the composer's lifetime. The recovery in 1999 of the archives of the SingAkademie zu Berlin, which include many unique copies of Bach's Hamburg Passions and cantatas once thought to have been lost during the Second World War, has made it possible to present for the first time the complete works of this important composer. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Coomplete Works is an editorial and publishing project of The Packard Humanities Institute, in cooperation with the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, the Sachsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, and Harvard University. Its goal is to make available, in both printed and digital formats, a critical edition of the composer's works.


We develop a novel Monte Carlo algorithm for the vector consisting of the supremum, the time at which the supremum is attained and the position at a given (constant) time of an exponentially tempered L\'evy process. The algorithm, based on the increments of the process without tempering, converges geometrically fast (as a function of the computational cost) for discontinuous and locally Lipschitz functions of the vector. We prove that the corresponding multilevel Monte Carlo estimator has optimal computational complexity (i.e. of order $\varepsilon^{-2}$ if the mean squared error is at most $\varepsilon^2$) and provide its central limit theorem (CLT). Using the CLT we construct confidence intervals for barrier option prices and various risk measures based on drawdown under the tempered stable (CGMY) model calibrated/estimated on real-world data. We provide non-asymptotic and asymptotic comparisons of our algorithm with existing approximations, leading to rule-of-thumb guidelines for users to the best method for a given set of parameters. We illustrate the performance of the algorithm with numerical examples.


Transmittance of a straight junction between two plasmonic slot waveguides can be enhanced by either coupling a perpendicular stub to the input waveguide or inserting an intermediate slot section between the waveguides. We derive analytic expressions for the transmission spectra in these two configuration schemes and analyze them to obtain simple formulas, relating the parameters of the stub and intermediate slot section that maximize the transmittance at a given frequency. A considerable advantage of our results over the recently reported approximations is in their broader applicability domain, which is the consequence of the correct accounting for the phase shift resulting from the reflection of the surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) at the end of the stub, and inclusion of ohmic losses. By the example of a 100-fs Gaussian pulse at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.55 m, we demonstrate that both transmission enhancement techniques can almost completely eliminate SPP reflection from the junction of 125- and 25-nm-gap silver-air-silver plasmonic waveguides, whereupon the preference can be given to either of the techniques, depending on the desired design features. Although, for concreteness, we studied a pair of aligned slot waveguides, the concepts of optics and transmission-line theory that we marry in our work are not specific for straight junctions and are well suited for analyzing more complex waveguide geometries. Our solutions to the problem of SPP transmission through the two types of junctions provide a simple tool for design optimization of power-efficient plasmonic interconnects for all-optical supercomputers.


ABCA1 plays a major role in cholesterol homeostasis and high density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. ABCA1 contains disulfide bond(s) between its N- and C-terminal halves, but it remains unclear whether disulfide bond formation is important for the functions of ABCA1 and which cysteines are involved in disulfide bond formation. To answer these questions, we constructed >30 ABCA1 mutants in which 16 extracellular domain (ECD) cysteines were replaced with serines and examined disulfide bond formation, apoA-I binding, and HDL formation in these mutants. From the single cysteine replacements, two cysteines (Cys75 and Cys309) in ECD1 were found to be essential for apoA-I binding. In contrast, in ECD2, only Cys1477 was found to be essential for HDL formation, and no single cysteine replacement impaired apoA-I binding. The concurrent replacement of two cysteines, Cys1463 and Cys1465, impaired apoA-I binding and HDL formation, suggesting that four of five extracellular cysteines (Cys75, Cys309, Cys1463, Cys1465, and Cys1477) are involved in these functions of ABCA1. Trypsin digestion experiments suggested that one disulfide bond is not sufficient and that two intramolecular disulfide bonds (between Cys75 and Cys309 in ECD1 and either Cys1463 or Cys1465 and Cys1477 in ECD2) are required for ABCA1 to be fully functional.


A novel measure, called as the Normalized High-order Cross-cumulant Coefficient (NHCC), for registering medical images or its sequence is proposed in this paper. The analytical results show that the proposed NHCC cannot only easily capture the correlation information among the multiple variables simultaneously, but also suppress the additive Gaussian noise influence on the registration results of the image or its sequence. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed measure.


Nanomaterials integration in biosensors designs are known to enhance sensing and signaling capabilities by exhibiting remarkably high surface area enhancement and intrinsic reactivity owing to their distinctive optical, chemical, electrical and catalytic properties. We present the synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and their immobilization on a silicon on-chip biosensor platform to enhance sensing capability for prostate specific antigen (PSA) - cancer biomarkers. Several techniques, including UV-Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectrum, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used for characterizing the AgNPs. The biochemical sensor consists of AgNPs immobilized on the receptor layer of a silicon avalanche mode light emitting device (Si AM LED) which enables on-chip optical detection biological analytes. A bio-interaction layer etched from the chip interacts with the evanescent field of a micro dimensioned waveguide. An array of detectors below the receptor cavity selectively monitor reflected light in the UV, visible, infrared and far infrared wavelength regions. AgNPs used as an immobilization layer in the receptor layer enhances selective absorption analytes, causing a change in detection signal as a function of propagation wavelength as light is dispersed. The analytes could range from gases to cancer biomarkers like prostate specific antigen.


The results presented in this paper deal with the design of a current sensorless delay–based controller for the closed–loop stabilization of a photovoltaic system under an MPPT scheme using a boost dc/dc converter. Some applications of such topology are dc microgrids, solar vehicles, or stand-alone systems, to mention a few. The basis of this control scheme relies on the feedback linearization control technique coupled with a delay–based low-order controller. In order to study the stability, the proposed approach uses a geometric point of view which allows the partitioning of the controller parameters space into regions with similar stability characteristics (same number of unstable characteristic roots). The most important contribution of the paper relies on providing practical guidelines to tune the gains of the proposed delay–based controller, ensuring asymptotic stability of the closed–loop system and fulfilling the requirements for photovoltaic applications. In addition, the proposed approach allows the design a non-fragile controller with respect to the controller gains. Furthermore, in order to test the effectiveness of the control scheme presented, experimental results evaluating the closed–loop system performance under set-point changes and abrupt irradiance disturbances are addressed using a solar array simulator and a battery bank as load.


Nordic physical planning is in crisis, a vacuum left now that modernism no longer works as a comprehensive ideological force. Other ideologies and beliefs struggle to fill the vacuum left by modernism. The most important of these is postmodernism, which wants to replace all the norms and values of modernism. Deconstruction may also be seen as a philosophy that actively questions modernism, despite the fact that it does not claim to be a new doctrine. The struggle to be recognised as the comprehensive doctrine of physical planning has not yet been settled. Various groups are fighting to rescue the remains of the modernist project. However, there is a great risk that the struggle will be nostalgic and retrospective if it is not combined with some measure of self-criticism. My aim is to analyse the philosophies of postmodernism and deconstruction, their cultures, architecture and physical planning, in order to promote critical self-reflection. Although postmodernism and deconstruction do not offer immediately acceptable alternatives to the modernist world view, greater sensitivity to the questions being formulated may contribute to more subtlety in and development of modem self-comprehension.


This title is entiled "An Analysis on the Influennce of Nursing Service on Patients' Satisfaction at the Instalation of Bed Care of Prof.Dr. Margono Soekarjo Purwokerto Hospital". The purposive of the research were, firstly, discover whether there is a significanct difference between expected service quality and actual service quality, secondly, to determine bether tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and emphaty significantly influenced patients' satisfaction, and finaly to determine the most influential variables on patients' satiafaction. There were three Hypothesis proposed in the reseach. The fisrt on stated that there was significant difference between expected service quality and actual service quality. The second one stated that the variables of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and emphaty significantly influenced patients' satisfaction do exist. Reseach methodology adopted was survey and the data collection methods were using questionnaires and documentation. The tools of analisis used were t-test ( comparative ), multiple regretions, F-test and t-test. The following result were obststained from the analisis first, which means that Ho must be rejected while Ha is assepted. The acceptance of Ha implies that there is a significant difference between the expected service and actual service quality. Second, F test result showed a significant valuae less than alpha value 0,05. This means that Ho must be rejected while Ha is accepted. The acceptance of Ha implies that all independent variables simultaneously influence patients' satisfaction; third t-test result showed that responsiveness has no significant influence on patients' satiafaction. There fore the revised regretion equation is a follow: Y = - 1,274 + 0,229 X1 + 0,146 X2 + 0,226 X4 + 0,210 X5, means while the result to elasticity test showed that assurance was the most influential variables with an elasticity value of 0,345 greater than other. Based on the findings, it is suggested to the hospital management that empathy, assurance, tangibles and reliability must be continuously improved in order to satisfy the hospital patients'.


In this paper, quality properties and antioxidant capacity of cooked black carrot has been studied. Five different cooking methods have been applied: microwave (45 sec), boiling (100℃, 14 min), steaming (100℃, 20 min), sous vide (75℃, 80 min), sous-vide (95℃, 30 min). The color value was slightly different (p<0.05), the boiling method was the highest in L-value and Sous vide 75℃ method was the lowest. The steaming method indicated the highest a-value at 5.50. The b-value was significantly different between the samples (p<0.05). The microwave method was the highest at 3.49 while the sous vide 95℃ method was the lowest at -0.34. No significant difference was observed between the samples when only the moisture content results were considered. The highest pH was observed in samples cooked using the boiling method. The softening (%) was higher when the cooking water was in contact with samples and it was dependent on the temperatures. In addition, this study shows that not only temperature but also cooking time and cooking media are very crucial in the preparation and cooking of black carrot to prevent the loss of the antioxidant compound. In conclusion, the comparison of the quality characteristics and antioxidant properties of black carrots indicated that the most appropriate cooking method is sous-vide method.


This work is a follow-up to the paper, 'Numerical relativity as a tool for studying the early Universe'. In this article, we determine if cosmological gravitational waves can be accurately extracted from a dynamical spacetime using an averaging process as opposed to conventional methods of gravitational wave extraction using a complex Weyl scalar. We calculate the normalized energy density, strain and degree of polarization of gravitational waves produced by a simulated turbulent plasma similar to what was believed to have existed shortly after the electroweak scale. This calculation is completed using two numerical codes, one which utilizes full general relativity calculations based on modified BSSN equations while the other utilizes a linearized approximation of general relativity. Our results show that the spectrum of gravitational waves calculated from the nonlinear code using an averaging process is nearly indistinguishable from those calculated from the linear code. This result validates the use of the averaging process for gravitational wave extraction of cosmological systems.


The existing methods are mostly concentrated on single flow network selection.In this paper,a multi-flow network selection model scheme based on bigraph is proposed.By calculating the satisfactions between flows and networks this scheme can distribute the flows with the most satisfaction on the condition of being fair.Analysis of the performance of the algorithm proves the correctness of Algorithm.Numerical results show that the proposed schemes achieve significant satisfaction and Fair coefficient.


Invertebrate diversity is important for a multitude of ecosystem services and as a component of the larger ecological food web. A better understanding of the factors influencing invertebrate taxonomic richness and diversity at both local and landscape scales is important for conserving biodiversity within the agricultural landscape. The aim of this study was to determine if invertebrate richness and diversity in agricultural field interiors and edges in central Illinois, USA, were related to the complexity of the surrounding landscape. Our results show taxonomic richness and diversity in field edges is positively related to large scale landscape complexity, but the relationship is negative for field interiors. These unexpected results need further study.


Colony queen number, a major feature of social organization in fire ants, is associated with worker genotypes at the gene Gp-9. We sequenced Gp-9 and found that it encodes a pheromone-binding protein, a crucial molecular component in chemical recognition of conspecifics. This suggests that differences in worker Gp-9 genotypes between social forms may cause differences in workers' abilities to recognize queens and regulate their numbers. Analyses of sequence evolution indicate that regulation of social organization by Gp-9 is conserved in South American fire ant species exhibiting social polymorphism and suggest that positive selection has driven the divergence between the alleles associated with alternate social organizations. This study demonstrates that single genes of major effect can underlie the expression of complex behaviors important in social evolution.


INTRODUCTION
Medical students' attitude towards euthanasia is a very important ethical problem because they may grapple with this question as future doctors. The aim of the study was to compare the attitude to euthanasia in the group of first year medical students from Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald (Germany) and Lund University (Sweden).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study is based on anonymous filling out of the questionnaire about euthanasia by first year medical students. 233 students (61%) answered the questionnaire. There were 65 Polish students, 71 German and 97 Swedish ones. In the group of respondents there were 129 (55%) women and 104 (45%) men. The average age was 22.3 years.

RESULTS
82% of questioned German students declared the acceptance of euthanasia and it was a significantly higher percentage than in comparison to 61% of Swedish students (p < 0.007) and 48% Polish ones (p < 0.0001). Poles were more often against euthanasia (29%) in comparison to 12% of Swedes (p < 0.02) and 3% of Germans (p < 0.001). Unnatural support of patient's life was the most often accepted by students clinical situation to use euthanasia. Significantly more Germans than Poles (79% vs 48%; p < 0.005) and Swedes (79% vs 50%; p < 0.02) accepted euthanasia in the group of questioned students declaring themselves as believers.

CONCLUSIONS
German students in the highest percentage declared the acceptance of euthanasia and Polish ones--the highest objection. It may be connected with religious beliefs as the element of cultural differences among above three countries. It seems very proper to continue the study among older medical students.


Efficient, low-cost enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic residues is essential for cost-effective production of bioethanol. The production of β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase and xylanase by Colletotrichum graminicola was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Maximal production occurred in wheat bran. Sugarcane trash, peanut hulls and corncob enhanced β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase and xylanase production, respectively. Maximal levels after optimization reached 159.3 ± 12.7 U g−1, 128.1 ± 6.4 U g−1 and 378.1 ± 23.3 U g−1, respectively, but the enzymes were produced simultaneously at good levels under culture conditions optimized for each one of them. Optima of pH and temperature were 5.0 and 65 °C for the three enzymes, which maintained full activity for 72 h at 50 °C and for 120 min at 60 °C (β-glucosidase) or 65 °C (β-xylosidase and xylanase). Mixed with Trichoderma reesei cellulases, C. graminicola crude extract hydrolyzed raw sugarcane trash with glucose yield of 33.1% after 48 h, demonstrating good potential to compose efficient cocktails for lignocellulosic materials hydrolysis.


Issue 13 of Hyperrhiz celebrates recent work by academics and artists working at the intersection of today's maker culture and the digital humanities. The nine original works in this issue demonstrate some of the ways in which modern, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) practices of counter-cultural production combine with new, experimental forms of humanities scholarship.


Introduction The flow diverter stent (FDS) has become a first-line treatment for numerous intra-cranial aneurysms (IAs) by promoting aneurysm thrombosis. However, the biological phenomena underlying its efficacy remain unknown. We proposed a method to collect in situ blood samples to explore the flow diversion effect within the aneurysm sac. In this feasibility study, we assessed the plasma levels of nucleotides within the aneurysm sac before and after flow diversion treatment. Materials and methods In total, 14 patients with unruptured IAs who were selected for FDS implantation were prospectively recruited from February 2015 to November 2015. Two catheters dedicated to (1) FDS deployment and (2) the aneurysm sac were used to collect blood samples within the parent artery (P1) and the aneurysm sac before (P2) and after (P3) flow diversion treatment. The plasma levels of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at each collection point were quantified with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Results The aneurysms were extradural in nine (64.3%) patients and intra-dural in five (35.7%) patients. They presented an average diameter of 15.5 ± 7.1 mm, height of 15.8 ± 4.6 mm, and volume of 2,549 ± 2,794 ml. In all patients (100%), 16 FDS implantations and 42 in situ blood collections were performed successfully without any complications associated with the procedure. The ATP, ADP, and AMP concentrations within the aneurysm sac were decreased after flow diversion (p = 0.005, p = 0.03, and p = 0.12, respectively). Only the ATP levels within the aneurysm sac after flow diversion were significantly correlated with aneurysm volume (adjusted R2 = 0.43; p = 0.01). Conclusion In situ blood collection within unruptured IAs during a flow diversion procedure is feasible and safe. Our results suggest that the flow diversion technique is associated with changes in the nucleotide plasma levels within the aneurysm sac.


Many studies in the literature have documented the outcome of circumferential lumbar fusions. However, no study has specifically evaluated the performance of the anterior fresh-frozen femoral head allograft as a structural interbody graft material. All office and hospital records, including charts and radiographs, were reviewed to obtain pertinent clinical and radiographic information. The cases included 23 single-level fusions, 22 two-level fusions, and 5 fusions of three or more levels. In all, 88 fusion levels were analyzed radiographically. The mean follow-up time was 28 months (range, 24 to 36 months). All procedures were performed in a single stage. At the latest follow-up, clinical outcome was graded good to excellent in 39 (78%) cases, fair in 8 (16%) cases, and poor in 3 (6%) cases. The average time to anterior radiographic fusion was 6 months (range, 4 to 8 months). The overall fusion rate was 98%. The average preoperative anterior disk space height was 10 mm, 14 mm immediately after operation, and 13 mm at follow-up. The posterior disk space height averaged 5 mm before operation, 7 mm immediately after operation, and 6 mm at follow-up. The average segmental lordosis was 7 degrees before operation, 10 degrees immediately after operation, and 10 degrees at follow-up. Late postoperative disk space collapse of 3 mm or more was noted in 17% of the fused disk spaces examined. Seventy-eight percent of the disk spaces maintained a disk space height greater than that of their preoperative value at the latest follow-up. Segmental lordosis did not change significantly at follow-up. The occurrence of collapse did not correlate with the clinical result, smoking history, or surgical indication (p < 0.05). Perioperative complications included one pleural effusion, two urinary tract infections, and one deep wound infection. Late complications included five painful graft sites and two patients with pseudarthrosis. Fresh-frozen femoral head allograft fulfills its desired function as an anterior structural graft in combination with rigid posterior transpedicular fixation, maintaining the disk space height achieved at surgery while reliably allowing remodeling and incorporation into a solid anterior fusion.


It is pointed out that the determination of the gradient of magnetic fields, e.g. for deflection-type magnetic separators, necessitates an accurate measurement of the field distribution. An automatic measuring device which satisfies the imposed conditions is described. A comparison of the design calculation using the finite-element method and the measured field profile is shown. >


Abstract Dax1 is an orphan nuclear receptor expressed in both Leydig and Sertoli cells of the testis. Mutation of DAX1 in humans causes adrenal failure and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Targeted mutagenesis of Dax1 in mice reveals a primary gonadal defect characterized by overexpression of aromatase and cellular obstruction of the seminiferous tubules and efferent ductules, leading to germ cell death and infertility. Transgenic expression of DAX1 under the control of the müllerian-inhibiting substance promoter, which is selectively expressed in Sertoli cells, improves fertility but does not fully correct the histological abnormalities in the testes of Dax1 knockout (Dax1KO) mice. We therefore hypothesized that Dax1 may also play a crucial role in other somatic cells of the testis, namely the Leydig cells. A 2.1-kilobase fragment of the murine LH receptor 5′-promoter (LHR-DAX1) was used to generate transgenic mice that selectively express DAX1 in Leydig cells. Expression of the LHR-DAX1 transgene caused no observable phenotype in wild-type mice but improved fertility when expressed in Dax1KO males (rescue [RS]). Although testicular size was not increased in LHR-DAX1 RS animals, aromatase expression was restored to normal levels, and sperm production was increased. Testicular pathology was only slightly improved in RS mice compared to Dax1KO animals. Taken together with the result of previous studies of DAX1 expression in Sertoli cells, we conclude that the testis phenotype of Dax1KO mice reflects the combined effects of Dax1 deficiency in both Sertoli and Leydig cells.


In this article, we discuss the Asymptotic behaviour of mild solutions of
 nonlinear stochastic partial functional equations driven by Poisson jumps
 and Rosenblatt process. The Banach fixed point theorem and the theory of
 resolvent operator devolped by Grimmer are used. Finally, an illustrative
 example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.


Phalaenopsis is the most popular orchid for the consumer, because it has unique and interesting color, shape and size of flower and some flowers fragrant. One of the ways to improve the diversity of color and shape of the Phalaenopsis flower can be done by artificial mutation through gamma radiation. The study aims to determine the effect of Gamma ray radiation in Phalaenopsis phenotypes during vegetative growth. The experiment was conducted in two places; the implementation of radiation was carried out in BATAN Jakarta and then acclimatized in Green's house of farmers in Bumiayu Village, Kedung Kandang, Malang in the months from January to June 2011. The experiment was arrange single Completely Randomized Design using dosage of gamma radiation treatment five levels: 0 krad (R0); 1.0 krad (R1); 2.0 krad (R2); 3.0 krad (R3) and 4, 0 krad (R4). Each treatment consist of fivereplication. The observations were made on the parameters of the number of leaves and the length and width of leaves at week 4, 8, 12, 16, the percentage (%) of plant life, color and leaf shape and the content of chlorophyll were measured at the end of the observation. The results show that the dosage of Gamma radiation influenced the number in leaves, the leaves color and shape, the amount of chlorophyll, but has no effect on the length and width of leaves at 16 weeks after radiation. The higher dose of gamma rays affected the vegetative growth slowest at dosage of 4.0 krad. Gamma ray dosage from 1.0 to 4.0 krad are able to produce color change in Phalaenopsis leaves


Organizational innovation favors technological innovation, but does it also influence technological innovation persistence? This article investigates empirically the pattern of technological innovation persistence and tests the potential impact of organizational innovation using firm-level data from three waves of the French Community Innovation Surveys. Evidence shows a positive effect of organizational innovation on technological innovation persistence, according to various measures of organizational innovation. Moreover, this impact is more significant for complex innovators (i.e., those who innovate in both products and processes). These results highlight the complexity of managing organizational practices with regard to the firm's technological innovation. They also add to comprehension of the drivers of innovation persistence, through a focus on an often forgotten dimension of innovation in a broader sense. Keywords—Organizational Innovation, Technological Innovation, Persistence


Nigeria has been on a long-winding journey to reform its petroleum sector with no end in sight. The first version of the reform bill, the petroleum industry bill (PIB) was sent to the National Assembly in 2008. The sustained opposition to the PIB from both indigenous and international oil companies as well as other stakeholders led to the decision, in 2016, to balkanize it into four bills, with each bill focusing on an aspect of the reform. The first of the tripartite bills, the petroleum industry governance bill (PIGB) was passed by both chambers of Nigeria's National Assembly and transmitted to the president for assent. The president declined assent, thus deepening the uncertainty that characterizes the sector. Drawing data from primary and secondary sources, the paper evaluates the trajectory of Nigeria's petroleum sector reform, including the long delay and its impact on the sector. It finds that the delay in passing the reform bills has negatively rubbed off on the country as it has stymied growth and closed off new investments. The paper advocates the depoliticization of the reform agenda in order to reposition the country's petroleum sector for national development.


An apparently undescribed virus, provisionally named raspberry yellow dwarf virus (RYDV), was isolated from naturally infected raspberry, strawberry, blackberry and several weed species by mechanical inoculation of sap to Chenopodium amaranticolor. The severe disease it caused in Malling Exploit raspberry usually occurred patchily in otherwise normal plantations: these patches increased in size from year to year. RYDV was differentiated from raspberry ringspot and tomato black ring viruses by the symptoms produced in C. amaranticolor, tobacco and Petunia hybrida. RYDV lost infectivity when sap was heated for 10 min. at 61° C., diluted 10-5or kept for 15 days at 18° C. RYDV was precipitated without inactivation by acetone and by ammonium sulphate.

Isolates of RYDV from different plants and localities, and of different virulence, were identified by plant-protection and serological tests. Such tests gave no evidence that RYDV was related to raspberry ringspot, tobacco ringspot, tomato black ring or cucumber mosaic viruses.

Raspberry and sugar-beet plants became systemically infected with RYDV when grown under glass in soil from a field where the disease had occurred in raspberry plants, and where the virus persisted in the soil for 3 years after the raspberry plants were removed. RYDV seems to be widely disseminated in England but recently introduced and rare in eastern Scotland.

Like raspberry ringspot and tomato black ring viruses, RYDV causes symptoms of the ringspot type in tobacco, has a wide natural and experimental host range, is soil-borne and of local importance. Such features seem characteristic of ringspot viruses as a group.


Cephalexin (CFX) residues in the environment represent a major threat to human health worldwide. Herein we investigate the use of novel approaches in deep learning in order to understand the mechanisms and optimal conditions for the sorption of cephalexin in water onto an acidic pretreated jackfruit peel adsorbent (APJPA). The interaction between the initial concentration of CFX (10–50 mg/100 mL), APJAP dosage (3–10 mg/100 mL), time (10–60 min), and the pH (4–9), was simulated using the one-factor-at-a-time method. APJPA was characterized by FESEM images showing that APJPA exhibits a smooth surface devoid of pores. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of -C-O, C–H, C=C, and -COOH bonds within the APJPA. Maximum removal was recorded with 6.5 mg/100 mL of APJAP dosage, pH 6.5, after 35 min and with 25 mg/100 mL of CFX, at which the predicted and actual adsorption were 96.08 and 98.25%, respectively. The simulation results show that the dosage of APJAP exhibits a high degree of influence on the maximum adsorption of CFX removal (100%) between 2 and 8 mg dose/100 mL. The highest adsorption capacity of APJAP was 384.62 mg CFX/g. The simulation for the effect of pH determined that the best pH for the CFX adsorption lies between pH 5 and 8.