With the recent public gender transitions of celebrities like Caitlin Jenner, greater visibility of transgender characters on television (e.g., Transparent ), and controversial laws enacted in some U.S. states and cities banning transgender employees from accessing bathrooms that align with their gender identities, issues of gender expression have been thrust into the national spotlight. In order to promote greater awareness and acceptance of transgender people, greater knowledge of their life experiences is needed. Adding to a small, but growing, body of research on the work experiences of transgender individuals, the goal of the present study is to examine the cognitive processes that shape these individuals' experiences in the workplace. Drawing on existing theory and research on paranoia, we examine the role of paranoid cognition , defined by hypervigilance, rumination, and sinister attributional tendencies, in explaining the relations between transgender employees' perceptions of workplace discrimination and their job attitudes and psychological wellbeing. Our findings suggest that perceptions of transgender discrimination in the workplace are positively related to paranoid cognition at work; paranoid cognition is positively related to transgender employees' turnover intentions and emotional exhaustion and negatively related to their job satisfaction; and paranoid cognition at work mediates the relations between perceptions of discrimination and each of these outcomes. We conclude by discussing the implications of our results, as well as avenues for future research on the work experiences of transgender employees.


Validated numerical simulations were used to investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for the blast mitigation provided to steel plates by water-filled containers in the near-field. The flying ring technique was used to define the spatial distribution of loading on the target, in order to isolate and quantify the importance of each mechanism. Increasing the height of the water-filled container was found to increase the loading at the top surface of the container. To offset this additional loading, the roles of the shadowing, mass and spreading mitigation mechanisms were enhanced as the height of the container increased. This resulted in the taller containers providing superior blast mitigation. The trade-offs between the loading and mitigation mechanisms were shown to result in an optimized container radius.


This chapter considers the duties of ex-employees, ie the obligations which apply to an employee who is about to leave his employment (whether voluntarily or otherwise), or who has actually left that employment. The law must strike a delicate balance. On the one hand, an employee has a right to earn his living, and knowledge and skills obtained in his former employment will doubtless enable him to continue to do so; on the other hand, an employer is entitled to limited protection against an employee who may well be seeking to compete. It includes garden leave, trade secrets and confidential information, restraint of trade and working for competitors.


BACKGROUND Ebstein's anomaly is one of the challenging congenital heart diseases (CHDs) that is presented with different anatomical and clinical symptoms. For this reason, patients with this complication require exact diagnostic methods and appropriate treatment approaches. In addition, multiple cardiac defects accompany this anomaly. CASE REPORT In this study, we describe a rare associated defect in an adult patient with Ebstein's anomaly and proper surgical methods performed for her. CONCLUSION The most important issue in adult patients with Ebstein's anomaly is to pay close attention to the presence of associated anomalies, in which careful examination and use of para-clinical methods is very helpful. Furthermore, accurate diagnosis of the associated defects determines the treatment and surgery of patients.


The analyzing power for ..pi../sup -/p..--> pi../sup 0/n has been measured at five incident momenta from 547 to 687 MeV/c using a transversely polarized target. Data were obtained with scintillation counters at 10 angles simultaneously covering the range -0.9 less than or equal to costheta/sub c.m.//sup ..pi../ less than or equal to 0.9. Our results and those of Kim et al. are used for a model-independent test of isospin invariance which is based on the triangle inequalities applied to the transversity-up as well as the transversity-down cross sections. No evidence is found for isospin violation.


This paper proposes a low cost double conversion power line conditioner with high frequency isolation, high input power factor, full-range input voltage varying among 90Vac-264Vac and 115Vac output voltage. The rectifier with power factor correction is based on flyback converter using the critical current mode control. The inverter is based on full-bridge topology with digital control implemented in a DSPic30F2020 microcontroller. This system is suitable for application with loads which require a high quality sinusoidal voltage. System description, theoretical analysis and experimental results for a 500W implemented prototype are shown in this paper.


The magnetic α-Fe nanoparticles were carried out using two-preparation methods that include solution phase metal salt reduction and organometallic precursor decomposition. Under the different reaction conditions such as precursor and reaction time, the magnetic properties of α-Fe nanoparticles were studied. The size of nanoparticle was confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) images. The magnetic properties were characterized with saturation magnetization(Ms) from hysteresis loop by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The crystallinity and structure of α-Fe nanoparticles was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD).


AquaporinZ (AqpZ)-containing, planar, biomimetic membranes hold great application potential in water purification and seawater desalination, due to the excellent permeability and selectivity of AqpZ. However, there remain many challenges for the production of robust and defect-free supported lipid bilayer (SLB) biomimetic membranes. By forming amide bonds between the lipid bilayer and microporous substrate, we fabricated an AqpZ-incorporated SLB forward osmosis (FO) membrane, with a large area of 36 cm2. With deionized water and 2 mol L−1 MgCl2 draw solution, the AqpZ-incorporated biomimetic membrane exhibited a water flux of ∼19.2 L m−2 h−1 (LMH) and a reverse solute flux of ∼3.2 g m−2 h−1 (gMH). When positively charged phospholipid 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) was blended in the 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) bilayer, a higher flux (∼23.1 LMH) could be reached accompanied by a constant reverse salt flux of 3.1 gMH, due to more AqpZ being embedded in the mixed bilayer. From the nanofiltration (NF) test, the water permeability (A) could reach 6.31 LMH per bar with a relatively low solute permeability (B) of 1.7 LMH for the AqpZ-DOPE/DOTAP SLB membrane. When rinsed with a 0.24 mmol L−1 TritonX-100 (TX-100) surfactant solution, water flux and reverse salt flux of the biomimetic membrane with covalent bonds only slightly increased, whereas the membrane without covalent bonds showed a significant increase in both water flux and reverse salt flux after TX-100 treatment. This paper presented an effective method for the preparation of biomimetic FO membranes with good separation performance as well as excellent stability and durability.


This research in meant to know The Role of Character Education as the Formation of Student Character at Grade IV of 067952 Primary School Medan in Year 2020/2021. The research is a descriptive. The population in this study is 30 student Grade IV of 067952 Primary School Medan , and sampel in research this study is 30 student Grade IV of 067952 Primary School Medan, because is the sampel technical to pose totality sampel. Data collection tools use questionnaires and documentation of student report card grades at the end of the semester on June 29. Forms of the application of character education in the 067952 elementary school of medan are Take part in the flag ceremony every Monday, Pray before doing learning activities, When with a teacher or friend do a smile, and greetings, Getting used to respecting teacher or older ones, Getting used to maintaining class cleanliness and neatness, Get used to study hard, Accustom each other to respect and love fellow friends, and Get used to being humble and always grateful. In the questionnaire there is four answer choices and scoring techniques based on Liker scale that is one to four. From the research result obtained analysis data 15 statements with the value of calculation as much 42,45% which states that role of character education will influence the formation of student character and in the good category. So that character education at the 067952 Elementary School of Medan is good.


Introduction: Approximately 70% of human breast cancers express estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), providing a potential for targeted endocrine therapy for patients. Unfortunately, 30-40% of ER+ patients still experience recurrence and metastasis with a 5-year relative overall survival rate of just 24%. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in the behavior of cancer cells and their response to endocrine therapies. However, there is a critical need for relevant 3D models of different metastatic sites to use for studying the molecular mechanisms driving resistance in these tumor phenotypes. Methods: We established 3D cell culture systems in novel hydrogels derived from decellularized bone, lung and liver tissues - the major sites of metastasis of ER+ tumors, and compared with standard Matrigel culture. Endocrine responsive (MCF7 and T47D) and resistant (MCF7 and T47D cells with ESR1 Y537S or D538G mutations) breast cancer cell lines were treated with fulvestrant (FUL), tamoxifen (TAM) and palbociclib (PAL). Tumorigenicity was assessed using in vitro cell viability and colony formation assays and in vivo breast cancer cell line xenografts in athymic mice. ERα cistromes and transcriptomes were assessed using ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq analysis. Metabolic changes were assessed using whole metabolite profiling by GC-MS, a Seahorse XF analyzer, and flux analysis with labeled glucose and glutamine. Results: We observed metastatic site-specific responses to each drug. For example, TAM blocked colony formation in Matrigel and lung hydrogel but increased colony formation in bone and liver hydrogels. FUL acted as an agonist and increased colony number and size in all three-tissue matrices, but not in Matrigel. PAL increased colony size and number in Matrigel and liver hydrogel but not in bone or lung hydrogel. Genome-wide ERα recruitment to chromatin was reduced in liver hydrogels, consistent with decreased clinical response to endocrine agents in patients with liver metastasis. We found that treatment with individual drugs activated novel metabolic pathways to increase survival in different metastatic sites. Using RNA-Seq analysis, we identified increased expression of nuclear export pathway components (XPO1, KPNA2, etc.) in various metastatic sites. Combining an FDA-approved XPO1 small molecule inhibitor, Selinexor (SEL) with the current therapies used for advanced breast cancers (FUL, TAM or PAL) decreased metabolic adaptations in response to individual drug treatments and prevented colony formation in hydrogels and tumor growth in xenograft models. Conclusions: Further developing and characterizing 3D metastatic site models will enable us to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and resistance, and target these mechanisms with novel drug combinations in already metastasized patients. Targeting metastatic-site specific adaptations to regenerate new vulnerabilities in endocrine-resistant breast tumors is novel. Given the need for better strategies for improving therapy response of metastatic ER+ tumors, our findings show uncovering the role ERα-XPO1 crosstalk plays in metastatic breast cancer could lead to new combined therapies that reduce mortality. Citation Format: Qianying Zuo, Eylem Kulkoyluoglu Cotul, Ashlie Santaliz-Casiano, Ozan Berk Imir, Elif Tunc, Chengjian Mao, David J. Shapiro, Ben Ho Park, Yosef Landesman, Zeynep Madak-Erdogan. Metastatic organ-specific changes in ERα and XPO1 signaling and metabolic adaptations dictate the therapy responses in endocrine resistant breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5675.


The equity effects of congestion pricing have come into focus as a potential hindrance to its acceptability in implementation around the world. Both theoretical arguments and empirical evidence about how the burden of the toll should fall on demographic groups have been mixed, depending on a variety of contextual factors such as automobile access, work schedule, flexibility, and spatial distribution of activities. Yet the evidence so far for implemented congestion pricing systems has not examined explicitly the role of such contextual factors. With the congestion pricing trial in Stockholm, Sweden, as a case study, this paper uses structural equation modeling to estimate a model of the role of age, income, and gender as independent variables; contextual factors as endogenous variables; and the change in automobile trips after congestion pricing as dependent variables. The findings indicated that gender was a significant factor in terms of the total effects and that three of the four contextual variables—access to a car, possession of a long-term transit pass, and having a workplace on the same side of the cordon as home—played significant mediating roles in the indirect effects of the demographic variables on trips by automobile. Moreover, it was found that gender was significant only when the contextual factors were included in the model. This finding suggested that a significant variable could be missed when such factors were omitted.


Toxic trace metals concentration in soil exerts a decisive impact on soil quality in an industrial area. In recent days, industrialization is growing at very faster rate than any other activities. Due to industrialization, the pollution load for water, air and soil is increasing day by day. Metal pollution in soil possess a serious threat to the human health and safety of agricultural production. An attempt is made here to study soil contamination due to industrial effluents and air pollutants in the surroundings of KMML (Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd.) industrial area in Chavara, Kerala. To find out the soil pollution from the solid and liquid wastes produced due to the manufacturing process of titanium dioxide in the KMML industry, a detailed analysis was conducted on the physico-chemical characteristics of soil samples collected from the surrounding areas. The study on the physical and chemical characteristics of soil in the selected stations of KMML industrial area shows that soils are acidic in nature and the concentration of nutrients like organic carbon, organic matter, nitrogen, total phosphorus, sodium in the study stations near the industry were less than that of the control soils. The present study revealed that the heavy metal concentrations in all the study stations were high compared to the control station. The study shows that the soils in the surroundings of industrial area are contaminated with toxic elements than its normal distribution.

 Key words: Soil pollution, heavy metals, industrial area, Kerala minerals and metals limited (KMML)


An 11.75-Gb/s combined decision feedback equalizer (DFE) and clock data recovery circuit in a 0.18-μm CMOS is presented. Various techniques are applied to reduce the chip power consumption. In particular, the feedback path of the DFE is merged with an Alexander phase detector (PD). An analysis on the speed requirements of various blocks in the PD and DFE circuits is performed to determine the optimum power dissipation of each one. It is shown that the chip power consumption is reduced by 31% compared to a conventional design. The chip is capable of equalizing copper cable channels with up to 12-dB loss at the 5.875-GHz Nyquist frequency and consumes 101 mW (not including output buffers) with a 1.8-V supply voltage.


Author(s): Mizell, Kira Louise | Advisor(s): Lam, Phoebe J; Hein, James R | Abstract: Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts are of interest and clear importance both as a unique paleoceanographic archive of seawater chemistry and as a potential resource for valuable and critical metals. Presently, there is a need to shift FeMn crust research from purely exploration-based studies to more targeted expeditions that can precisely locate FeMn crusts with characteristics of interest for scientific research and resource evaluation. Understanding the influence of general oceanographic conditions on FeMn crust formation is key to defining permissive regions. This thesis investigates variations in the geochemistry of FeMn crusts from the west-central Pacific that are associated with regional oceanographic conditions, including proximity to the oxygen minimum zone and high biological productivity maintained at the equator, as well as water depth controls and the effects of diagenetic phosphatization. Chemical analysis of over 60 FeMn crusts reveals that the oxygen minimum zones in the northern and southern tropics in the west Pacific exhibit strong controls on the composition of recent FeMn crust growth as well bulk FeMn crusts. Manganese contents are increased near the oxygen minimum zones, which is shown quantitatively for a broad region in this thesis for the first time. Iron is instead enriched in deeper waters where oxidation of iron is increased, which may be caused by higher carbonate ion concentrations and pH at depth and the availability of deep sources of iron. High biological productivity in the equatorial upwelling zone enriches iron, magnesium, and barium in FeMn crusts that are forming below this zone due to increased efficiency of the biological pump. Diagenetic phosphatization is commonly observed in crusts from depths above 2000 meters, but does not exceedingly dilute manganese oxides or elements of economic interest. Synchrotron analyses of phosphatized FeMn crust layers indicate that phosphatization does not change the speciation of lead as hypothesized based on previous sequential leaching studies. Overall, is it shown that the general oceanographic parameters studied here influence FeMn crust composition based on their geographic location and water depth, and these parameters can help create criteria for future crust exploration.


Women have been successful in breaking their confinement within the limits of their homes by entering into varied kinds of professionals and services women entrepreneurs have proved to be on par with their men counterparts in business acumen and are emerging as smart and dynamic entrepreneurs. Women owned businesses are highly increasing in the economies of almost all countries. The hidden entrepreneurial potentials of women have gradually been changing with the growing sensitivity to the role and economic status in the society. Skill, knowledge and adaptability in business are the main reasons for women to emerge into business ventures. 'Women Entrepreneur' is a person who accepts challenging role to meet her personal needs and become economically independent. The state of Tamilnadu is the industrially developing area in which some of the entrepreneurs excel in small scale industry. Even though the government organizes women by various associations, they are not ready to undertake the business. As compared to men, women are less motivated to start business units due to some unwanted fear, lack of motivation and kind of activities. Thus, the study aims at undertaking the entrepreneurial development among women highlights their motivational forces and relationship between socio-economic background of women entrepreneurs, motivational factors and their existing entrepreneurial traits. The future will see more women venturing into areas traditionally dominated by men. The socio background including factors, type and mode of business, training programmes are the important problems of women entrepreneurs in Erode District.


The authors assessed electroencephalographic coherence to determine the relation between cortico-cortical communication and visuomotor skill in 15 expert and 21 novice rifle shooters. They then calculated coherence and phase angles among the prefrontal (F3, F4) and ipsilateral cortical regions (central, temporal, parietal, occipital) during the aiming period for the theta (4-7 Hz), low-alpha (8-10 Hz), high-alpha (11-13 Hz), low-beta (14-22 Hz), high-beta (23-35 Hz), and gamma (36-44 Hz) bands. The authors subjected them separately to a series of analyses of variance (Group X Hemisphere X Region X Epoch). Experts generally exhibited lower coherence compared with novices, with the effect most prominent in the right hemisphere. The groups also exhibited differences in phase angle in a number of frequency bands. Coherence was positively related to aiming movement variability in experts. The results support refinement of cortical networks in experts and differences in strategic planning related to memory processes and executive influence over visual-spatial cues.


Puppets are fun and easy to make. Once you have given your puppet a definite look, character and most importantly a name, they come to life. They are a great aid when telling stories and make good visual props. A child is captivated when puppets are performing and can be encouraged to communicate with the puppet and even instruct it what to do. Their imagination will be stimulated and you will be encouraging their language development.


A new approach to the problem of extracting radar target features and building up a huge database in conventional clustering is proposed. By processing the radar target signal in its binary form and converting it to a dot based image, the number of target (aircraft) are identified after clustering the image. The algorithm includes image segmentation in binary and modified ISODATA. Experimental results have verified the validity of this approach to conventional narrow-band radar echoes.


(1) Background: Adherence to and the maintenance of treatment regimens are fundamental for pain self-management and sustainable behavioural changes. The first aim was to study older adults' (>65 years) levels of adherence to and maintenance of musculoskeletal pain self-management programmes in randomized controlled trials. The second aim was to suggest theoretical models of adherence to and maintenance of a behaviour. (2) Methods: The study was conducted in accordance with the recommendations for a scoping review and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Capability, motivation and opportunity were used to categorize the behavioural change components in the theoretical models. (3) Results: Among the four studies included, components targeting adherence were reported in one study, and maintenance was reported in two studies. Adherence was assessed by the treatment attendance rates, and maintenance was assessed by the follow-up data of outcome measures. For adherence, the capability components were mostly about education and the supervision, grading and mastery of exercise to increase self-efficacy. The motivation components included the readiness to change, self-monitoring and goal setting; and the opportunity components included booster sessions, feedback and social support. For maintenance, the capability components consisted of identifying high-risk situations for relapse and problem-solving skills. The motivation components included self-regulation and self-efficacy for problem solving, and the opportunity components included environmental triggers and problem solving by using social support. (4) Conclusion: There are several behavioural change components that should be used to increase older adults' levels of adherence to and maintenance of a pain self-management behaviour.


FCT-Portugal, FEDER, PORTUGAL2020 and COMPETE2020 for funding under
Project PTDC/QUI-QFI/28020/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028020) and Strategic funding of CF-UM-UP
(UID/FIS/04650/2019) and CQUM (UID/QUI/00686/2019). J.M.R. PhD grant is financed by FCT, POCH
and ESF.


Background In elderly patients, spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension (SAH) can be frequently caused by reduced preload and stiff ventricles. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of ultrasonographic carotid artery flow measurements during the passive leg raise (PLR) test to predict SAH in elderly patients. The correlation between preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measurements and SAH was also investigated. Material/Methods The patients aged over 65 years scheduled for elective surgery under spinal anesthesia were recruited. Preoperative TTE was performed in all patients. Corrected carotid flow time and carotid blood flow were measured in the supine, semirecumbent, and PLR positions. Ultrasonographic carotid artery flow and preoperative TTE measurements were compared between patients who developed SAH and those who did not. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to test the association with SAH. Results SAH occurred in 17 of 50 patients. Carotid blood flow in the semirecumbent position and preoperative mitral inflow E velocity could predict SAH, showing an area under the ROC curve of 0.754 (95% CI, 0.612–0.865) and 0.775 (95% CI, 0.634–0.881), respectively. However, according to the multivariate analysis, the independent risk factor for SAH was mitral inflow E velocity (OR 0.918, 95% CI 0.858–0.982, P=0.013). Conclusions In elderly patients, ultrasonographic carotid artery flow measurements failed to predict the occurrence of SAH. Only preoperative mitral inflow E velocity of TTE was selected as an independent risk factor for SAH.


In content based image retrieval, the success of any distance-based indexing scheme depends critically on the quality of the chosen distance metric. We propose in this paper a kernel-based similarity approach working on sets of vectors to represent images. We introduce a method for fast approximate similarity search in large image databases with our kernel-based similarity metric. We evaluate our algorithm on image retrieval task and show it to be accurate and faster than linear scanning.


Summary form only given. The destructive quantum interference of resonantly excited transitions within a lambda-system in case of two photon resonance leads to a medium, which is coherently prepared in a superpositional dark state. The corresponding distinct enhancement of radiation transmission is well known as electromagnetically induced transparency. Interaction of quantized fields with such a medium yields a correlation of quantum phase fluctuations of the fields even for independent cw lasers. The experiments are done on the Na D/sub 1/ line by means of a temperature stabilized sodium vapor cell. One frequency component is modulated by a broad spectrum of phase fluctuations of about 50 MHz width by means of an electrooptical phase modulator driven by a noise generator. A transfer of noise to the other frequency components within a lambda- or a closed double-lambda transition scheme during transmission through the dark state medium is observed using the heterodyne spectroscopy. The verified exponential decay of the width of the beat signal in dependence on the medium optical density proofs the noise transfer and hence the correlation of phase fluctuations between the corresponding frequency components. This behaviour as well as the different limits of decay for lambda- (towards the transparency linewidth) and closed double-lambda (towards zero) scheme is in good qualitative agreement with the theory.


The study presents a general framework for discovering underlying Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) using measured spatiotemporal data. The method, called Sparse Spatiotemporal System Discovery ($\text{S}^3\text{d}$), decides which physical terms are necessary and which can be removed (because they are physically negligible in the sense that they do not affect the dynamics too much) from a pool of candidate functions. The method is built on the recent development of Sparse Bayesian Learning; which enforces the sparsity in the to-be-identified PDEs, and therefore can balance the model complexity and fitting error with theoretical guarantees. Without leveraging prior knowledge or assumptions in the discovery process, we use an automated approach to discover ten types of PDEs, including the famous Navier-Stokes and sine-Gordon equations, from simulation data alone. Moreover, we demonstrate our data-driven discovery process with the Complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation (CGLE) using data measured from a traveling-wave convection experiment. Our machine discovery approach presents solutions that has the potential to inspire, support and assist physicists for the establishment of physical laws from measured spatiotemporal data, especially in notorious fields that are often too complex to allow a straightforward establishment of physical law, such as biophysics, fluid dynamics, neuroscience or nonlinear optics.


Abstract The inferior acetabulum (IA) has been studied as a stabilizer of the hip in flexed positions with potential implications in femoroacetabular impingement and hip instability. However, there is a paucity of studies considering the normal morphology and parameters for assessment of the IA. The purpose of this study was to define parameters to assess the IA morphology and their normal range. Specifically, the objectives were to assess: (i) the width of the anterior horn (AH) and posterior horn (PH) of the acetabulum; (ii) the inclination of the articular surface of the AH angle (AHA) and PH angle (PHA) in the axial plane; (iii) the anterior opening angle of the IA and differences between genders. One hundred and fifty adult skeletons were utilized in this study. Measurements were taken directly from acetabula in 300 innominate bones utilizing digital calipers. In sequence, the innominate bones were assembled to sacrum and 150 pelvises were digitally photographed in standardized positions. Angular parameters of the acetabulum were then measured utilizing the Adobe Photoshop software. The mean width of the AH was 14.80 ± 2.35 mm (range 9.44–20.88). The mean width of the PH was 19.72 ± 2.61 mm (range 13.16–25.86). The AHA was on average 43.58 ± 7.10° (range 24.70–64) and the PHA was on average 36.07 ± 7.54° (16.10–53.20). The mean anterior opening angle of the IA was 25.33 ± 5.40° (10.90–43.10). The IA morphology can be evaluated in all anatomical planes through quantitative parameters. The assessment of the osseous morphology of the IA is the first step to elucidate abnormalities of the IA as potential source of hip pain.


Although it's unclear whether cheating is on the rise on Vermont campuses, the process of going after offenders is so time-consuming and unwieldy that many offenders go unpunished, professors say.
 According to University of Vermont Sociology Professor Steve Berkowitz's 1990 survey of more than 800 randomly chosen UVM studtents, 16.5% of them have cheated on one or more academic assignments.
 Chemistry Professor Bill Meyer, however, calls the judicial process "laughable." He said he wishes for a return to the times when professors were allowed to discipline those caught cheating.
 "The thing that turns people off is, if someone wants to fight it, even though it's pretty abundantly clear they are guilty, they spend a lot of time, money and effort, and escape," Meyer said. He likened professors' experiences to those of rape victims who then have to go on trial to prove their character.
 "It's often the professors that come in red-faced and nervous," said Cooke, a mathematics and statistics professor. "The students come in angry and confident, as if they know it's the professor who's on trial."


Abstract : Objectives: The objectives in SERDP project ER-2135 addressed the SERDP Exploratory Development \201SEED\202 Statement of Need ERSEED-11-01: In situ remediation of contaminated aquatic sediments. Removal of the class of persistent organic pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls \201PCBs\202, from contaminated aquatic sediments is a priority due to their ability to enter the food chain and their potent toxic and carcinogenic properties. Presently, the approved remediation methods mainly include dredging and capping. However, these techniques are not only expensive, but also result in increased PCB concentrations in the water phase due to resuspension of contaminated sediment particles. While in situ microbial degradation of PCBs would represent a significant improvement in remediation efforts, previous attempts have failed due to PCB stability, low bioavailability and the low abundance and activity of naturally occurring PCB-degrading microorganisms. In order to overcome these negative aspects of microbial degradation, this project evaluated an approach, where anaerobically dechlorinating biofilms were added to sediment as a delivery system either by utilizing bacteria localized and concentrated onto activated carbon surfaces in active biofilm communities or by applying enriched wastewater sludge biofilms. The enhanced effect of biofilms on bioaugmentation was examined in a subsequent mesocosm experiment, where these biofilm communities were applied to PCB contaminated sediment. The high efficiency of activated carbon to quickly adsorb and sequester PCBs from aquatic sediments has previously been demonstrated. Co-localizing PCB-degrading microbes onto the surfaces of activated carbon in the form of biofilms and utilizing it as a microbial inoculum delivery system provides a number of benefits. First, the sequestering capacity of activated carbon further lowers aqueous concentration of PCBs that have leached from sediment. Second, by providing a large population of PCB-


Gamma-secretase is one of the critical enzymes required for the generation of amyloid-beta peptides from the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Because amyloid-beta peptides are generally accepted to play a key role in Alzheimer disease, gamma-secretase inhibition holds the promise for a disease-modifying therapy for this neurodegenerative condition. Although recent progress has enhanced the understanding of the biology and composition of the gamma-secretase enzyme complex, less information is available on the actual interaction of various inhibitor classes with the enzyme. Here we show that the two principal classes of inhibitor described in the scientific and patent literature, aspartyl protease transition state analogue and small molecule non-transition state inhibitors, display fundamental differences in the way they interact with the enzyme. Taking advantage of a gamma-secretase enzyme overexpressing cellular system and different radiolabeled gamma-secretase inhibitors, we observed that the maximal binding of non-transition state gamma-secretase inhibitors accounts only for half the number of catalytic sites of the recombinant enzyme complex. This characteristic stoichiometry can be best accommodated with a model whereby the non-transition state inhibitors bind to a unique site at the interface of a dimeric enzyme. Subsequent competition studies confirm that this site appears to be targeted by the main classes of small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitor. In contrast, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug gamma-secretase modulator sulindac sulfide displayed noncompetitive antagonism for all types of inhibitor. This finding suggests that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-type gamma-secretase modulators target an alternative site on the enzyme, thereby changing the conformation of the binding sites for gamma-secretase inhibitors.


Unplanned/impulse purchases form a considerable portion of grocery and retailing sales. Due to the economic importance of this phenomenon, retailers invest substantially in in-store marketing to encourage consumers to engage in this type of shopping; while public policy makers and consumer advocates seek to reduce it; and over the last few decades researchers have explored the potential factors associated with its occurrence. Prior research finds that unplanned buying is reactive behaviour and often involves an immediate action response to a stimulus. The stimuli can be internal (based on inner psychological states) or external (based on environmental cues) and can cause emotional responses which lead to different decisions and behaviours among consumers. While there has been extensive research into the nature and determinants of unplanned purchase behaviour, there is still little understanding of how emotional factors influence this behaviour. Drawing from emotion regulation theory, this research aims to investigate how consumers' unplanned purchase behaviour is shaped by emotional components (valence and arousal) that occur in response to in-store stimuli. Also, the role of type of the planned product, in particular whether the product is predominantly hedonic or utilitarian is investigated. By including all these factors in one study, this research delivers advantages over preceding studies, which considered the effects of only one of the components of emotion at the time (either valence or arousal) on unplanned buying. The empirical part of the thesis consists of four scenario-based experiments conducted in a behavioural lab using over eight hundred participants in total. The experiments unobtrusively manipulated consumers' emotional states through exposure to movie clips that form part of a shopping scenario. The scenarios allowed direct observation of the extent of unplanned buying. Findings in general show that consumers' unplanned purchase behaviour depends on the specific combination of current levels of valence and arousal. The results of the first two experiments demonstrate that the effects of arousal and valence are interdependent and that neither can singly explain the unplanned buying behaviour process. This suggests that if participants are in a pleasant emotional state they display greater levels of unplanned buying when they are aroused than when they are not aroused, while the reverse holds when they feel unpleasant. The results of the second and third experiments replicate the findings from the earlier experiments and provide strong additional support for the prediction that consumers' unplanned buying behaviour it a joint function of their current level of arousal and valence. Besides, the findings show that the effects of affect on consumer unplanned buying behaviour also depend on the type of planned item. The findings suggest that the interaction of valence and arousal is no longer significant when consumers had hedonic choices on their shopping list. In contrast, when they are in a pleasant emotional state with a utilitarian item in their shopping list, they are likely to purchase a greater number of unplanned products if they are aroused than when they are not aroused. Study four also shows the conceptual link between unplanned buying behaviour and consumers' unhealthy consumption behaviour. Evidence from this experiment suggests that consumers who are more likely to engage in unplanned behaviour prefer unhealthy over healthy items. Besides, the results further demonstrate the robustness of the interaction effect of arousal and valence on consumers' unplanned purchasing by testing the effect of arousal and valence on consumers' unhealthy consumption choices. The insights gained by this research can help retailers, marketers and public policy makers to better understand how and why consumers buy unplanned items. The insights can help them to select marketing strategies inside the retail store that will persuade more customers to engage in unplanned buying behaviour. Conversely the results can help consumer advocates and regulators to better identify where consumers may need protection. In same line, given the potentially harmful consequence of unplanned/impulse buying behaviour, the findings of this research can help marketers, public policy or social marketing researchers to understand and identify the best way to reduce unhealthy unplanned consumption.


Brand loyalty is a strategic asset of the company. Having loyal or faithful customers, in the era of competition, provides to business of essential benefits. Shaping of customer loyalty is not so easy. Companies, among others, by developing such elements as customer service quality and marketing communication quality, try to influence on customers' market behavior. One of the tools of influence on customers' behavior is loyalty programs. Thanks to these, brand owners try to attract and retain customers by planning the reward system and trying to reward the most loyal customers by – on the one hand – providing them an additional value, and on the other hand – turning them into brand advocates, the most valuable customer group. Popularity of loyalty programs in Poland is not very high. It is estimated that 25-40% of customers use loyalty programs. It is less than, for example, in the US or Canada. The benefits offered by most loyalty programs in Poland, however, are not high, and consumers think that the rewards they can get are very expensive and overpriced. Such a low assessment of the benefits of loyalty programs among customers negatively impact on their social acceptance. The change of business activities can change attitudes among Polish society. A positive example is the «My Ladybird» (in original «Moja Biedronka»), it is program introduced by the Biedronka discount chain, where both are the proposed bonuses and additional promotional campaigns, which were essentially targeted at children, proved to be a great success and have allowed them to outperform competitors with a recognized position in this area in just half a year. The attractiveness of the program has led to the active use it by 5 million households, which constitutes about 40 % of all households in Poland. The aim of the research is to present the concept of loyalty and the role of loyalty programs in shaping it. The author focused mainly on the conditions of today's popularity (or lack of it) available loyalty programs in Poland. Because of the availability of numerous studies of loyalty programs in Poland, secondary data was used in the study.


Stability of bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is an important goal for every surgeon. In the article factors influencing stability of the surgery result are reviewed. Special emphasis is given to different types of fixation of bone fragments. Their advantages and disadvantages in clinical use are discussed. Relapse after BSSO is usually classified as early and long-term relapse. Early relapse is usually caused by movements at the osteotomy site or temporomandibular joint sag and should be called surgical displacement. Long term relapse happens due to the progressive temporomandibular joint condylar resorption, which causes a lost of condylar and mandibular ramus height. Four different types of fixation were described in orthognatic surgery: rigid intermaxillary fixation, osteosuture, osteosynthesis and fixation with biodegradable materials.


Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has for a long time been considered a distinctly uncommon disease among Asians. In an early paper by Kang et al., a low prevalence of reflux esophagitis of 3.3% was reported. However, at the turn of the millennium, several review papers were published in this journal and others commenting on the rising incidence of GERD in the Asian population. In clinical practice, GERD and its complications have been encountered more frequently and this has culminated in the 1st Asian Pacific consensus report in 2005. Papers published in recent years have shown a higher prevalence of erosive esophagitis ranging from 6.1 to 15% compared to earlier studies. Similarly, surveys on the prevalence of GERD symptoms in the community have also shown a higher prevalence ranging from 9 to 17% compared to older studies. A time trend study from Singapore tracked the rising prevalence of esophagitis in endoscopy records from 1992 to 2001. From the same group, a revisit to a previously surveyed community in Jurong, Singapore showed a higher prevalence of GERD symptoms of 9.9% in 1999 compared to 1.6% in 1994. Further evidence for the increasing prevalence of reflux esophagitis is published in this issue of the Journal with the report of a large number of patients who underwent endoscopy in a major medical center in the Philippines. Sollano et al. reported a significant increase in the prevalence of erosive esophagitis, from 2.9% in 1994–1997 to 6.3% in the period of 2000–2003. The authors discussed the possible reasons for this increase; they include a decrease in H. pylori infection, which the authors have documented earlier in their own center, over the same period of time. A change in dietary intake, specifically an increase in dietary fat had been suggested and an increase in smoking and drinking alcohol was inferred from Philippine national statistics on smoking and drinking. However, as the study was essentially a retrospective review, data on obesity and the BMI of patients were not available. This is unfortunate, as among the factors that have been postulated as underlying this dramatic change in the prevalence of GERD in Asia, obesity is perhaps the most important. In this same issue of the Journal, Kang et al. report that obesity is an independent predictive factor for reflux esophagitis. In their single-center study from Seoul, Korea, Kang and colleagues carried out a prospective cross-sectional study on a large group of patients who attended health screening; they correlated abdominal obesity and body mass index (BMI) with reflux symptoms and endoscopic esophagitis. The prevalence of reflux symptoms in this study was 8.2% and esophagitis was 6.6%. The authors found that the prevalence of esophagitis increased with increasing BMI up to a prevalence of 16% in the group with BMI greater than 30 kg/m. When predictive factors for esophagitis and reflux symptoms were tested with a multiple logistic regression analysis model, abdominal obesity came out as an independent significant factor for esophagitis but not for reflux symptoms. Symptoms of reflux have always been difficult to assess. Although the authors used a validated questionnaire, 'GERD' as a disease entity is fairly 'new' to Asian patients compared to peptic ulcer disease, for example. In clinical practice, Asian patients often do not understand what heartburn is, having no such word in the local vernacular language. The use of a locally validated questionnaire for Asians, for example the one used in Hong Kong, China, as opposed to the one used in this study, which was constructed and based on a western population, may have given a different outcome to the analysis. BMI, as defined, was also not a significant independent factor for both esophagitis and reflux symptoms. Kang et al. used the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of BMI which, again, is based on a Western population. Increasingly, however, studies in Asian patients have used a modification of this criterion as proposed by the Western Pacific Regional Office of the WHO, which allows for the smaller bone structure and different adipose distribution of Asian patients and thus gives a more accurate reflection of the body fat stores. ThatAsians in general, appear slim and are therefore not overweight may be a false perception based on a smaller body frame;Asian studies should make use of this modified BMI criteria. Obesity has become a major problem among Asians. Two recent surveys from China showed that overweight and obesity affected a significant proportion of the population. Obesity and its attendant associated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver have been reported to be on the increase in the Asia–Pacific region. For many years, the proposal that obesity is a cause/risk factor of GERD has been bandied about and many textbooks of medicine have included obesity as a risk factor for GERD. As a corollary, many doctors tell their patients to lose weight as a treatment for GERD. Among the plausible mechanism(s) of disease causation, increased intra-abdominal pressure, impaired gastric emptying, decreased lower esophageal sphincter tone and an increase in the number of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations have been demonstrated in obese subjects. A recent study by Pandolfino and colleagues used sophisticated manometry techniques to show an increase in intragastric pressure as well as gastroesophageal pressure gradients in obese individuals. Both these pathophysiological mechanisms would increase the reflux of gastric contents into the lower esophagus. In a meta-analysis of published studies, Hampel and colleagues have shown that obesity is associated with increased reflux symptoms, erosive esophagitis and esophageal adenocarcinoma. However, this review was based exclusively on Western data. Data on Asian patients have been sparse. Rosaida and Goh, in a prospective cross-sectional study, reported on overweight (defined as BM > 25 kg/m) as an independent significant risk factor for GERD overall as well as for non-erosive reflux disease, but not for reflux esophagitis. Accepted for publication 9 May 2007.


The contents of nitrates and nitrites in selected vegetables reaped in summer and autumn in 1993 were investigated. The samples of vegetables were collected directly from the producers from area of Lódź and from outside of the city. Nitrates were reduced on a cadmium column to nitrites, where-upon they were determined colorimetrically using sulfanilic acid and N-1-Naphthylethylenediamine. It has been found that the contents of nitrates in tested vegetables are mostly higher than the allowable values published in the Ordinance of Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 8th of October 1993. The average contents of nitrates and nitrites in most of tested vegetables were higher in the vegetables from the outskirts of the city than in ones from outside of the city in the province.


Abstract The main objective of the work reported here was to develop an intelligent condition monitoring system that was able to detect when a cutting tool was worn out. To accomplish this objective the use of a hybrid intelligent system, based on an expert system and two neural networks, was investigated. The neural networks were employed to process data from sensors and the classifications made by the neural networks were combined with information from the knowledge base to make an estimate of the wear state of the tool. The novelty of this work is mainly associated with the configuration of the developed system that estimates tool wear in a new way. The combination of sensor-based information and inference rules results in an online system that can be updated when the cutting conditions fall outside of the trained zone of the neural networks. The neural networks resolved the problem of interpreting the complex sensor inputs while the expert system, by keeping track of previous success, estimated which of the two neural networks was more reliable. Misclassifications were filtered out through the use of a rough but approximate estimator - Taylor's tool life model. The use of Taylor's tool life model, although weak as a tool life estimator, proved to be crucial in achieving higher performance levels. The application of the self-organizing map to tool wear monitoring proved to have a slightly larger zone of influence and make slightly more accurate estimates of tool wear than the adaptive resonance theory neural network and overall the system made reliable, accurate estimates of the tool wear.


An algorithm for analysing changes in ECG morphology based on principal component analysis (PCA) is presented and applied to the derivation of surrogate respiratory signals from single lead ECGs. The respiratory induced variability of ECG features, P waves, QRS complexes and T waves are described by the PCA. We assessed which ECG features and which principal components yielded the best surrogate for the respiratory signal. 20 subjects performed controlled breathing for 180 s at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 breaths per minute and normal breathing. ECG and breathing signals were recorded. Respiration was derived from the ECG by three algorithms; the PCA based algorithm and two established algorithms, based on RR intervals and QRS amplitudes. ECG derived respiration was compared to the recorded breathing signal by magnitude squared coherence and cross-correlation. The top ranking algorithm for both coherence and correlation was the PCA algorithm applied to QRS complexes. Coherence and correlation were significantly larger for this algorithm than the RR algorithm (p<0.05 and p<0.0001 respectively) but were not significantly different from the amplitude algorithm. PCA provides a novel algorithm for analysis of both respiratory and non-respiratory related beat-to-beat changes in different ECG features.


Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of research interests and applications of machine learning on graphs. Automated machine learning (AutoML) on graphs is on the horizon to automatically design the optimal machine learning algorithm for a given graph task. However, none of the existing libraries can fully support AutoML on graphs. To fill this gap, we present Automated Graph Learning (AutoGL), the first library for automated machine learning on graphs. AutoGL is open-source, easy to use, and flexible to be extended. Specifically, we propose an automated machine learning pipeline for graph data containing four modules: auto feature engineering, model training, hyper-parameter optimization, and auto ensemble. For each module, we provide numerous state-of-the-art methods and flexible base classes and APIs, which allow easy customization. We further provide experimental results to showcase the usage of our AutoGL library.


Background: Leptin deficiency leads to midluteal-phase defect or reduced testicular volume in adults, despite normal gonadotropin levels. All children documented to date with leptin deficiency were prepubertal with physiologically low gonadotropins prior to therapy. A direct effect of leptin on pubertal development in a leptin-naive adolescent has not yet been shown. Methods: In 2010, we reported the first connatal leptin-deficient adolescent girl with clinically and chemically proven hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. In this study, we evaluated the effect of recombinant methionyl human leptin substitution. Results: Initially, the patient had prepubertal basal and stimulated luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, low growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels and no pulsatile secretion of LH and FSH. After 11 weeks of therapy, basal and stimulated LH and FSH levels rose to pubertal values and nocturnal pulsatility was initiated. After 76 weeks of therapy, menstruation occurred at the age of 16.3 years. Pulsatile nocturnal growth hormone secretion, stimulated growth hormone secretion and IGF1 values also normalized. Conclusion: We describe here the first adolescent with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to connatal leptin deficiency. Leptin substitution led to a rapid induction of gonadotropin secretion and menarche. These data are further proof of the concept that leptin is needed for a timely maturation of the hypothalamic/pituitary/gonadal axis.


Fifteen cases, 27 hips, of idiopathic necrosis of the femoral head (INFH) were included in our series. The roles of radiography, isotopic bone scanning, intraosseous pressure measurement and intraosseous venography in the diagnosis of INFH were evaluated. Radiological examination could not reveal early cases, while isotopic bone scanning was more sensitive. There was an increase of intraosseous pressure in most of the diseased hips, and intraosseous venography showed abnormalities in all examined hips. The latter two tests could therefore detect early INFH. Core decompression was performed in 23 hips, 21 of which were followed for 7 to 27 months. Functional evaluation was good or excellent in 18 hips. Radiological re-examination remained unchanged in 19 hips. Postoperative intraosseous pressure measurement and intraosseous venography revealed a decrease of intraosseous pressure and improvement of venous drainage. Core decompression is therefore an ideal method of treatment for early INFH.


This paper presents a probabilistic capacity spectrum strategy for the reliability analysis of a bridge pile shaft, accounting for uncertainties in design factors in the analysis and the soil-structure interaction (SSI). Monte Carlo simulation method (MCS) is adopted to determine the probabilities of failure by comparing the responses with defined limit states. The analysis considers the soil structure interaction together with the probabilistic application of the capacity spectrum method for different types of limit states. A cast-in-drilledhole (CIDH) extended reinforced concrete pile shaft of a bridge is analysed using the proposed strategy. The results of the analysis show that the SSI can lead to increase or decrease of the structure's probability of failure depending on the definition of the limit states.


A protocol for the efficient isotopic labeling of large G protein‐coupled receptors with tryptophan in Escherichia coli as expression host was developed that sufficiently suppressed the naturally occurring L‐tryptophan indole lyase, which cleaves tryptophan into indole, pyruvate, and ammonia resulting in scrambling of the isotopic label in the protein. Indole produced by the tryptophanase is naturally used as messenger for cell–cell communication. Detailed analysis of different process conducts led to the optimal expression strategy, which mimicked cell–cell communication by the addition of indole during expression. Discrete concentrations of indole and 15N2‐L‐tryptophan at dedicated time points in the fermentation drastically increased the isotopic labeling efficiency. Isotope scrambling was only observed in glutamine, asparagine, and arginine side chains but not in the backbone. This strategy allows producing specifically tryptophan labeled membrane proteins at high concentrations avoiding the disadvantages of the often low yields of auxotrophic E. coli strains. In the fermentation process carried out according to this protocol, we produced ∼15 mg of tryptophan labeled neuropeptide Y receptor type 2 per liter medium. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1681–1690. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The Persian period (586-332 BCE) in the southern Levant saw the presence of Greeks, Cypriots, Phoenicians and Persians on Levantine soil, mixing with the local inhabitants, many of whom had only recently returned from exile. This mix of cultures can be traced through the mortuary remains, which the author surveys here, looking in particular at the location of tombs relative to settlements, tomb typology and orientation, the position of the body, and the analysis of skeletal remains and grave goods.


Many of a firm's most important informational or relational resources are at risk of diffusion to its competitors because they are embedded in the firm's human capital. Using novel firm- and worker-level data, we present descriptive evidence on the adoption of and outcomes associated with four post-employment restrictive covenants (PERCs) that limit the diffusion of such resources to competitors: non-disclosure agreements (NDA), non-solicitation agreements, non-recruitment agreements, and non-compete agreements. We find that firms tend to adopt these PERCs together, with just three combinations (no PERCs, only an NDA, all four) covering more than 82% of workers and 70% of firms. We examine two rationales for why firms might bundle PERCs together—value creation and pure value capture—and draw out and test their implications both for worker and firm outcomes and for adoption. Our results suggest that pure value capture is the likely rationale for bundling PERCs with the average worker, while value creation is more applicable to top managers. Finally, we document how studying just one PERC can be misleading when such PERCs are bundled.


An infant is described with multiple congenital anomalies associated with mosaic trisomy 9. Review of the three previously reported cases of trisomy 9 shows that these patients have several common features which make trisomy 9 a clinically distinct syndrome. The frequently encountered findings are: upward‐slanted eyes, small palpebral fissures, enophthalmos or microphthalmos, broad base and prominent tip of the nose, microcephaly, micrognathia, low‐set malformed ears, high‐arched palate, congenital heart disease, skeletal and genito‐urinary anomalies, abnormal palmar creases, failure to thrive, hypotonia and retardation.


Recurrent dislocation of a total hip arthroplasty is a most distressing complication for both patient and surgeon. The situation is worsened when massive osteolysis occurs in combination with recurrent dislocation. Management options become more limited in this situation. We present such a case along with a discussion of the management options utilised. (Hip International 2007; 17: 237-40)


Abstract 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) are food contaminants commonly found in refined vegetable oils and fats, which have possible carcinogenic implications in humans. To investigate this clinically, we conducted an occurrence level analysis on eight categories of retail and cooked food commonly consumed in Malaysia. This was used to estimate the daily exposure level, through a questionnaire-based case-control study involving 77 subjects with renal cancer, with 80 matching controls. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) was calculated using the multiple logistic regression model adjusted for confounding factors. A pooled estimate of total 3-MCPDE intake per day was compared between both groups, to assess exposure and disease outcome. Among the food categories analysed, vegetable fats and oils recorded the highest occurrence levels (mean: 1.91 ± 1.90 mg/kg), significantly more than all other food categories (p < .05). Risk estimation found the Chinese ethnic group to be five times more likely to develop renal cancer compared to Malays (AOR = 5.15, p = .001). However, an inverse association was observed as the 3-MCPDE exposure among the Malays (median: 0.162 ± 0.229 mg/day/person) were found to be significantly higher than the Chinese (p = .001). There was no significant difference (p = .405) in 3-MCPDE intake between the cases (median: 0.115 ± 0.137 mg/day/person) and controls (median: 0.105 ± 0.151 mg/day/person), with no association between high intake of 3-MCPDE and the development of renal cancer (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 0.5091–2.5553). Thus, there was insufficient clinical evidence to suggest that this contaminant contributes to the development of renal malignancies in humans through dietary consumption. Further research is necessary to support these findings, which could have significant public health ramifications for the improvement of dietary practices and food safety measures.


This paper introduces a new lexicographic resource, the MuLeXFoR database, which aims to present word-formation processes in a multilingual environment. Morphological items represent a real challenge for lexicography, especially for the development of multilingual tools. Affixes can take part in several word-formation rules and, conversely, rules can be realised by means of a variety of affixes. Consequently, it is often difficult to provide enough information to help users understand the meaning(s) of an affix or familiarise with the most frequent strategies used to translate the meaning(s) conveyed by affixes. In fact, traditional dictionaries often fail to achieve this goal. The database introduced in this paper tries to take advantage of recent advances in electronic implementation and morphological theory. Word-formation is presented as a set of multilingual rules that users can access via different indexes (affixes, rules and constructed words). MuLeXFoR entries contain, among other things, detailed descriptions of morphological constraints and productivity notes, which are sorely lacking in currently available tools such as bilingual dictionaries.


The number of Saudi female international students (SFISs) pursuing higher degrees in Western countries has increased dramatically. Many are faced with unusual challenges, especially acting without a male's permission, interacting with males, and using an open, free Internet. This article proposes that SFISs experience a "digital shift" whereby their cultural, educational, and digital backgrounds impact their information-seeking behavior in Australia. The study used a qualitative interpretivist methodology, interviewing a diverse group of SFISs studying in Australia, to better understand this impact on their everyday information needs and use of information sources. Findings indicate that SFISs' imperfect online search skills, exacerbated by English language deficiency, increase their challenges. Recommendations for supporting SFISs are offered for institutions and service providers.


Activation of mast cells by aggregation of their high-affinity IgE receptors stimulates prostaglandin (PG) D(2) synthesis and secretion. An immediate phase of PGD(2) synthesis, complete within 30 min, is followed by a delayed, second phase of PGD(2) production that reaches a maximum 4 to 8 h after activation. Activation of mast cells from COX-2 (-/-) mice stimulates the release of PGD(2) during the first 30 min, whereas activation of mast cells from COX-1 (-/-) mice does not generate any PGD(2) in the first 2 h. On the other hand, COX-2 (-/-) cells do not participate in delayed phase of PGD(2) synthesis, while COX-1 (-/-) cells secrete low levels of PGD(2) between 2 and 4 h after activation. These data demonstrate that (i) the first phase of PG synthesis is COX-1 dependent and (ii) the second, delayed phase of PG synthesis is dependent on activation-induced synthesis and activity of COX-2.


Previously, water-soluble N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers have been used with gold nanorod (GNR) mediated plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) to induce hyperthermia (43 °C for 10 min) and have been shown to improve delivery of hydrophobic drugs to treat cancer. However, it was unknown how altering the heating parameters (temperature and duration) of PPTT would affect HPMA copolymer accumulation and retention. This study aimed to investigate how changes in heating parameters, or thermal dose, would change polymer accumulation profiles with PPTT. It was observed that temperatures of either 40, 43, 46, or 49 °C at durations of 10 or 30 min had significant effects on HPMA copolymer accumulation. Mild temperatures led to transient enhancement in accumulation, but more severe temperatures led to tissue and vascular damage, creating slowed dynamics of inflow and outflow of the polymers from the tumor tissue.


Carotenoids play pivotal roles in vision as light filters and precursor of chromophore. Many vertebrates also display the colorful pigments as ornaments in bare skin parts and feathers. Proteins involved in the transport and metabolism of these lipids have been identified including class B scavenger receptors and carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases. Recent research implicates members of the Aster protein family, also known as GRAM domain‐containing (GRAMD), in carotenoid metabolism. These multi‐domain proteins facilitate the intracellular movement of carotenoids from their site of cellular uptake by scavenger receptors to the site of their metabolic processing by carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases. We provide a model how the coordinated interplay of these proteins and their differential expression establishes carotenoid distribution patterns and function in tissues, with particular emphasis on the human retina.


Theory relating the temperature coefficient of the zero point and digit disturb threshold to the random anisotropy field is discussed. Certain assumptions about the relationship between the random anisotropy of ripple theory and the uniaxial anisotropy field yield relationships that predict the temperature sensitivity of these properties fairly well in Permalloy films. The temperature dependence of most disturb properties appears to be related to the temperature coefficient of the uniaxial anisotropy field from an experimental point of view. Several process variations that can affect the temperature coefficient of the uniaxial anisotropy field are considered.


Ouabain plasma level kinetics and removal by dialysis were studied in 14 dialysis-dependent patients with chronic renal failure. Each received one 400 mug intravenous dose of unlabeled ouabain (9 patients also received 83 muCi of 3-H-ouabain) at the onset of a routine 4-hour hemodialysis. Plasma concentration fell rapidly the first few hours, and after 5 to 10 hours declined exponentially with a mean half-life of 50 plus or minus 19 (SD) hours. Ouabain recovery in dialysis bath was 11.5% plus or minus 2.2% the first 2 hours and only 3.4% plus or minus 0.5% the next 2 hours after an intravenous dose, due to rapid removal of ouabain from the extracellular fluid compartment by tissue uptake. Hence, hemodialysis is relatively ineffective for reducing ouabain body stores. Ouabain elimination in patients with chronic renal failure is significantly slower than in normal subjects (P smaller than 0.01), but significantly more rapid than that reported for digoxin (P smaller than 0.01) and digitoxin (P smaller than 0.01) in patients with chronic renal failure, a potentially useful characteristic in treating acute cardiac problems among such patients.


This Paper presented the reduction methods of emission from ships during voyage. In order to decrease emission during voyage the equation was established and conducted the study about the relationship between ship speed, the propulsive efficiency and its production. The results obtained from the examinations are as follows : 1. emission from sailing ships can be decreased by reducing specific fuel oil consumption of main diesel engine, coefficient of total resistance and ship speed and also by increasing propeller efficiency. 2. Diesel-electric propulsion system is more effective than diesel-mechanical system to decrease the level of emission during long voyage. 3. Good condition of ship`s hull surface, rudder and propeller`s surface can decrease the quantity of fuel oil and emission by reducing the resistance of ship that can rise the propeller efficiency 4. emitted from ships can be decreased in a global scale by giving attention to the synthetic transport efficiency.


The economies of the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean have traditionally been based on low value adding activities within global value streams. This has occured even when there was knowledge and opportunity for industrial upgrading to occur. This study looks at the Fashion Industry of Trinidad and Tobago and investgates whether there exists opportunity for owning or occupying lead positions in global fashion industry value streams.


In markets for entry-level professionals, the insurance motive drives some participants to sign early contracts. The rush to early contracting can be self-fulfilling, as both its effect on expectations about demand-supply balance in the subsequent spot market and the effect on it from changes in the demand-supply balance can be nonmonotone. Matching markets with more risk-averse participants, a greater uncertainty regarding relative supply of positions, or a more polarized distribution of applicant qualities are more vulnerable to self-fulfilling early-contracting rushes. Employers can have a collective interest in preventing early offers to a few promising applicants from starting the rushes. Copyright 2004 by the Economics Department Of The University Of Pennsylvania And Osaka University Institute Of Social And Economic Research Association.


The six planets of the Kepler-11 system are the archetypal example of a population of surprisingly low-density transiting planets revealed by the Kepler mission. We have determined the fundamental parameters and chemical composition of the Kepler-11 host star to unprecedented precision using an extremely high-quality spectrum from Keck-HIRES (R ≃ 67,000, S/N per pixel at 600 nm). Contrary to previously published results, our spectroscopic constraints indicate that Kepler-11 is a young main-sequence solar twin. The revised stellar parameters and new analysis raise the densities of the Kepler-11 planets by between 20% and 95% per planet, making them more typical of the emerging class of "puffy" close-in exoplanets. We obtain photospheric abundances of 22 elements and find that Kepler-11 has an abundance pattern similar to that of the Sun with a slightly higher overall metallicity. We additionally analyze the Kepler light curves using a photodynamical model and discuss the tension between spectroscopic and transit/TTV-based estimates of stellar density.


The Ems estuary has constantly changed over the past centuries both from man-made and natural influences. On the time scale of thousands of years, sea level rise has created the estuary and dynamically changed its boundaries. More recently, storm surges created the Dollard sub-basin in the 14th -15th centuries. Beginning in the 16th century, diking and reclamation of land has greatly altered the surface area of the Ems estuary, particularly in the Dollard. These natural and anthropogenic changes to the surface area of the Ems altered the flow patterns of water, the tidal characteristics, and the patterns of sediment deposition and erosion. Since 1945, reclamation of land has halted and the borders of the Ems estuary have changed little. Sea level rise has continued, and over the past 40 years the rate of increase in mean high water (MHW) along the German coast has accelerated to 40 cm/ century. Climate has varied on a decadal time scale due to long-term variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which controls precipitation, temperature, and the direction and magnitude of winds. Between 1960 and 1990 the most intense variation in the NAO index on record was observed. As a result the magnitude and frequency of storm surges increased, and mean wave heights increased at 1-2 cm/year. Currently the NAO index—and therefore storminess—is trending downwards. Over the longer term, global warming models predict an average temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius over the next century. A doubling of CO2 is expected to increase sea level by 30 cm, while the significant wind speed and wave heights in the North Sea are predicted to increase by 50 cm/s and 50 cm, respectively. Beginning in the late 1950's, dredging activity and construction measures in harbours and shipping channels greatly altered the physical processes in the Ems. Deepening and streamlining the Ems River and shipping channel between the 1960s and 1990s decreased the hydraulic roughness and increased the tidal range in the river above Emden by as much as 1.5 m. At the turbidity maximum between Emden and Papenburg, concentrations of sediment are currently between 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than in the 1950's, and fluid mud layers of several meters thickness occur. Other man-made changes, such as gas pipelines and the expansion of harbours, have often caused significant, but more localized, changes to the estuary.


To improve the microphysical parameterizations for simulations of the aerosol effects in regional and global climate models, the Morrison double‐moment bulk microphysical scheme presently implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model is modified by replacing the prescribed aerosols in the original bulk scheme (Bulk‐OR) with a prognostic double‐moment aerosol representation to predict both aerosol number concentration and mass mixing ratio (Bulk‐2M). Sensitivity modeling experiments are performed for two distinct cloud regimes: maritime warm stratocumulus clouds (Sc) over southeast Pacific Ocean from the VOCALS project and continental deep convective clouds in the southeast of China. The results from Bulk‐OR and Bulk‐2M are compared against atmospheric observations and simulations produced by a spectral bin microphysical scheme (SBM). The prescribed aerosol approach (Bulk‐OR) produces unreliable aerosol and cloud properties throughout the simulation period, when compared to the results from those using Bulk‐2M and SBM, although all of the model simulations are initiated by the same initial aerosol concentration on the basis of the field observations. The impacts of the parameterizations of diffusional growth and autoconversion of cloud droplets and the selection of the embryonic raindrop radius on the performance of the bulk microphysical scheme are also evaluated by comparing the results from the modified Bulk‐2M with those from SBM simulations. Sensitivity experiments using four different types of autoconversion schemes reveal that the autoconversion parameterization is crucial in determining the raindrop number, mass concentration, and drizzle formation for warm stratocumulus clouds. An embryonic raindrop size of 40 µm is determined as a more realistic setting in the autoconversion parameterization. The saturation adjustment employed in calculating condensation/evaporation in the bulk scheme is identified as the main factor responsible for the large discrepancies in predicting cloud water in the Sc case, suggesting that an explicit calculation of diffusion growth with predicted supersaturation is necessary to improve the bulk microphysics scheme. Lastly, a larger rain evaporation rate below clouds is found in the bulk scheme in comparison to the SBM simulation, which may contribute to a lower surface precipitation in the bulk scheme.


It is essential in interstitial Photodynamic therapy (iPDT) treatment planning to ensure a homogeneous distribution within a tumor volume using cylindrical diffusing fibers while keeping the surrounding tissue intact. Light distribution is simulated through two algorithms based on the diffusion equation assuming diffusers as light sources. The first algorithm analyzes the diffusion equation and studies the effects of different variables (optical properties, delivered power, diffuser length, and position). Next, optical properties of breast were applied to estimate the volume that receives accepted light dose from one diffuser. In the second algorithm, multiple diffusers were simulated in order to find the relation between the volume and the number of required diffusers which are needed to cover cubical or cylindrical volume with sufficient light dose. Throughout this study, real values of optical properties, clinical laser power, and treatment time were considered to evaluate sufficient light doses. This study is in agreement with previous works in that optical properties are the major factors influencing light distribution in iPDT. It is shown that for a homogeneous phantom mimicking breast cancer and cubical or cylindrical shape, the number of required fibers N equal W×L or D 2 respectively.


A filtering methodology inspired by the principles of quantum mechanics and incorporating the well-known Schrodinger wave equation is investigated for the first time for filtering EMG signals. This architecture, referred to as a Recurrent Quantum Neural Network (RQNN) can characterize a non-stationary stochastic signal as time varying wave packets. An unsupervised learning rule allows the RQNN to capture the statistical behaviour of the input signal and facilitates estimation of an EMG signal embedded in noise with unknown characteristics. Results from a number of benchmark tests show that simple signals such as DC, staircase DC and sinusoidal signals embedded with a high level of noise can be accurately filtered. Particle swarm optimization is employed to select RQNN model parameters for filtering simple signals. In this paper, we present the RQNN filtering procedure, using heuristically selected parameters, to be applied to a new thirteen class EMG based finger movement detection system, for emulation in a Shadow Robotics robot hand. It is shown that the RQNN EMG filtering improves the classification performance compared to using only the raw EMG signals, across multiple feature extraction approaches and subjects. Effective control of the robot hand is demonstrated.


Split-thickness nail bed grafting is the accepted method of treatment for injuries involving loss of nail bed tissue. The nail bed of the great toe may be used without donor-site morbidity, and nail bed grafting may be combined with other procedures for fingertip reconstruction. A case of fingertip avulsion injury with loss of the nail plate, nail bed, and periosteum over the exposed distal phalanx of the thumb was reconstructed by a split-thickness nail bed graft placed directly on granulating decorticated bone. The length, appearance, and function of the injured dominant thumb were preserved.


This article focuses on how and why some Jordanian Muslim Brothers have engaged in relatively exclusive, Islamist ways of confronting the regime during the "Arab Spring," while others adopted a more inclusive, national strategy in the same period. As such, this article not only contributes to our knowledge of divisions within the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, but also shows how this can impact Islamist-regime relations in the Arab world. It argues that the organization as a whole initially wanted to exploit the uprisings in the region through a relatively exclusive, Islamist approach to the regime, but that others within the organization disagreed with this method as the "Arab Spring" proved mostly unsuccessful. Aware of the dangers of provoking the state from a position of increased isolation, these members advocated a more inclusive attitude toward the regime and others. While both groups were ultimately unsuccessful, the latter at least survived as a legal entity, while the Muslim Brotherhood lost its official presence in the kingdom because the regime was able to exploit the existing divisions within the organization.


Scandinavian countries are often portrayed in policy debates as model examples having shown how to square concerns for efficiency and equity. The core principle of the Scandinavian welfare model is an individual entitlement to public sector provisions combined with collective financing via taxes. However, a high employment rate is needed to ensure financial viability of this model. The Scandinavian model faces several challenges which affect the possibilities of maintaining a high employment ratio, namely, demographic changes, a growth dilemma and globalization. This paper discusses how these challenges affect the need and scope for reforms of the Scandinavian welfare model. JEL Code: H1, E62, F22, P1.


30 healthy 60- to 89-year-old subjects and 20 young ones (20 to 31 years) were given orally ammonium chloride 125 mg/kg. The signs of subsequent metabolic acidosis were more obvious in older subjects and they lasted longer. In young subjects, the intake of ammonium chloride induced a considerable hyperventilation.


Radiation enterocolitis is a severe adverse event that occurs after radiotherapy for malignant abdominal tumors. In this study, the therapeutic effects of ETS-GS, a novel vitamin E derivative with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory abilities, were examined in a rat model of radiation enterocolitis. The radiation enterocolitis model was created by irradiation of male rats with a single dose of 10 Gy. ETS-GS was administered subcutaneously (10 mg/kg/day) for five consecutive days from two days prior to irradiation. The animals were sacrificed three days after irradiation; following which, ileal tissue samples were analyzed for macroscopic and histological findings, presence of apoptosis, degree of oxidative stress and inflammation. In the irradiated group, severe erosion was observed in the small intestine in addition to necrosis of the mucosal layer, swelling and invasion of inflammatory cells of the submucosal layer, and shortening of the crypts. In irradiated rats that received ETS-GS, mucosal injury in the small intestine was milder compared with that of irradiated rats that received no ETS-GS. In addition, ETS-GS decreased apoptosis in the small intestine and reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde, which are markers for inflammation and oxidative stress. ETS-GS with antioxidant activity has a therapeutic effect on the symptoms of radiation enterocolitis in a rat model.


Resumen This study aims to identify aspects of the practical dimension in nursing care under the perspective from the social representations elaborated by nursing students beginning the graduation, and others about to conclude it. The theoretical-methodological reference was the Theory of Social Representations. This was an exploratory qualitative study, collecting data through individual interviews applied to 28 students which had a thematic content analysis. The results showed the peculiarities of the constituent elements of social representations made by both groups. Social representations of both groups are distinguished, as the beginners describe a practice focused on affective and expressive aspects markedly while the students about to be graduated bring, effectively, a combination of these aspects with scientific knowledge. Conclusion: The graduation program gradually influences the social representations in care, and consequently in its practical dimension.


Topical hydration can reduce thermal damage to skin treated with a plasma skin regeneration (PSR) device, according to a recent study.


The paper discusses an alternative macroeconomic strategy proposal for Mexico. The author argues that, in the short-run the primary task should be to put to work idle resources, and that a competitive and stable real exchange rate, coupled with supply-side measures that benefit domestic producers, can contribute to make higher domestic production competitive. Speeding-up growth in the near future would make it easier to achieve a high growth rate in the medium- and long run. However, a medium- and long-run growth strategy entails also a careful investment strategy. Last, an economic strategy must consider also measures to redistribute income, because this will not be achieved as a spontaneous consequence of economic growth.


In this study, the synthesis, structure, and chiroptical response control of planar chiral polymethylene-vaulted trans-bis[(β-iminomethyl)aryloxy]platinum(II) complexes bearing axially chiral 1,1'-binaphthyl ligands are described. A series of enantiopure polymethylene (n = 4-10)-vaulted complexes were prepared in 6 steps using commercially available (R)- or (S)-BINOL as the starting material without an optical resolution process. The trans-coordination and three-dimensional vaulted structures of the platinum complexes were elucidated from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The complexes were found to show structural dependence of chiroptical responses in the dilute solution state such that the absolute values of [α]D, dissymmetry factors gabs in circular dichroism (CD), and glum in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) increased upon shortening the length of the polymethylene bridges. The enhanced chiroptical responses were theoretically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations, and the results are discussed in terms of the molecular structures and transition dipole moments of the ground states. The structural dependence of the chiroptical responses was ascribed to the distortion of the coordination platforms caused by restriction of the vaulting methylene linkers.


A more accurate solution of the model (of an 8-band of interacting electrons) discussed in paper I is obtained. The new solution predicts a finite lifetime for the pseudo-particles and also the 'Mott' insulator-conductor transition. A physical interpretation of the theory based upon an analogy with the theory of alloys is given, and a special case in which the predictions of the theory can be worked out in some detail is studied.


It is thought that Tcrbeta genes are effectively allelically excluded, while Tcralpha genes are not. We report here that endogenous Tcrbeta genes are expressed on as much as 5-7% of CD4+ T cells in 8-week-old Tcralphabeta-transgenic mice. In this model, the transgenic Tcr recognizes residues 91 - 101 of a lambda2(315) Ig light chain, presented on the I-Ed class II molecule. From such mice, a CD4+ T cell clone was isolated which not only responded to lambda2(315), but also mobilized Ca2+ and proliferated in response to Mls-1a. (Inadvertently we found that the C3H/Tif substrain, in contrast to C3H/HeJ, is Mls-1a positive.) The clone expressed the transgenic Tcr (Valpha1 and Vbeta8.2), and in addition an endogenous Vbeta6 chain, conferring the Mls-1a reactivity. On the population level, 1-2% of Tcr-transgenic lymph node cells displayed Vbeta6, in addition to the transgenic beta-chain. Such dual Tcrbeta expressor cells could be preferentially expanded in vitro by first stimulating with DBA/2 spleen cells and then with lambda2(315)-pulsed BALB/c antigen-presenting cells. In addition to demonstrating that allelic exclusion of Tcrbeta-chain genes is substantial but not complete in this model, the data show that the double beta-chain expressors can have two different specificities, and be signaled through both receptors, by physiological ligands. However, such dual-Tcr T cells appear to have reduced sensitivity to ligands, due to their decreased expression of each receptor. This holds true for both early (Ca2+ mobilization) and late (proliferation) T cells activation parameters. Dual Tcr cells may have a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases: If naive T cells are first stimulated by (infectious) superantigen, they could later, as activated T cells, respond to self-peptide/MHC on costimulation-deficient cells and cause autoimmunity. As a corollary, dual Tcr Id-specific T cells could, once activated, directly regulate Id+ B cells.


With the increasing demand for the development of nuclear power comes the responsibility to address the issue of waste, including the technical challenges of immobilizing high-level nuclear wastes in stable solid forms for interim storage or disposition in geologic repositories. The immobilization of high-level nuclear wastes has been an active area of research and development for over 50 years. Borosilicate glasses and complex ceramic composites have been developed to meet many technical challenges and current needs, although regulatory issues, which vary widely from country to country, have yet to be resolved. Cooperative international programs to develop advanced proliferation-resistant nuclear technologies to close the nuclear fuel cycle and increase the efficiency of nuclear energy production might create new separation waste streams that could demand new concepts and materials for nuclear waste immobilization. This article reviews the current state-of-the-art understanding regarding the materials science of glasses and ceramics for the immobilization of highlevel nuclear waste and excess nuclear materials and discusses approaches to address new waste streams.


The antioxidant activity of the crude methanolic extract and fractions of the aerial parts of Persicaria hydropiper or 'kesum' were investigated to evaluate their potential application as health supplement. Dried aerial part of the plant samples were extracted with methanol and the methanol crude extract was fractionated by liquid-liquid extraction into five different fractions. All fractions were analyzed for total phenolic content utilizing Folin Ciocalteau assay. The antioxidative potential of all fractions were also evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl radical (DPPH), ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and xanthine oxidase inhibition (XO) methods. Furthermore, the metabolite profiling of the bioactive antioxidant fractions was accomplished using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LCMS). The use of LCMS techniques is an important approach for online identification of plant constituents. The amount of the total phenolics, varied widely in the fractions and ranged from 0.00 to 224.4 mg GAE/100 g dry extract. The highest level was found in butanol fraction with 224.4 mg GAE/100 g dry extract, followed by ethyl acetate (68.9 mg GAE/100 g dry extract), dichloromethane (8.7 mg GAE/100 g dry extract), aqueous (6.4 mg GAE/100 g extract) and hexane (4.3 mg GAE/100 g dry extract) fractions. The DPPH assay revealed that the ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of P. hydropiper were the most active fractions with IC50 values of 25.5 and 28.6 μg/ml, respectively. Dichloromethane fraction showed moderate activity with IC50 value of 94.2 μg/ml. The lower radical scavenging activity was observed in aqueous and hexane fractions with IC50 values ranged from 110 to 380 μg/ml. In comparing the antioxidant activity using ferric thiocyanate assay, all fractions effectively inhibited higher lipid oxidation compared to α-tocopherol. Except for the hexane fraction, the inhibition of the other fractions were comparable to the known synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Of the fractions assayed for xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, butanol fraction showed the most active with IC50 value of 32.3 μg/ml followed by ethyl acetate fraction with IC50 value of 166.9 μg/ml. The ethyl acetate and butanol fractions exhibited good antioxidant activity in all the assay tested. The LC-DAD-ESIMS chemical profiling method was developed for the identification of phytochemical constituents in the antioxidative fractions of P. hydropiper. The phytochemical profile of ethyl acetate fraction has identified fourteen compounds together with two unidentified compounds. The compounds were identified as quercetin (1), quercetin-3-O-glucoside (3), galloyl quercetin-3-O-glucoside (5), galloyl quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (6), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (7), kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (13), galloyl kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (14),hydropiperoside (31), vanicoside A (34), vanicoside B (35), vanicoside D (38), rhamnetin (87), apigenin-3-O-glucoside (89) and kaempferol rutinoside (90). From the ethyl acetate fraction, six compounds; 1, 3, 5, 7, 87 and 3,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (88) have been isolated and identified using NMR spectroscopy. Phytochemical investigation of the bioactive butanol fraction of P. hydropiper using LC-DAD-ESIMS/MS led to the identification of nine compounds including rhamnazin-3-sulphate (91), quercetin-3-O-glucuronide (8), luteolin-3-O-glucoside (92), kaempferol-3-O-sulphate (93), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (7), apigenin-3-O-glucoside (89), quercitrin 7-sulphate (94), luteolin-7-sulphate (95) and isorhamnetin-3-sulphate (persicarin) (96). All compounds were relatively identified based on the MS/MS and UV data in comparison with those of the standard compounds.


A case of solitary angiomyofibroblastoma of the vulva in a 16-year-old woman was examined by histology and immunohistochemistry. Microscopic examination of the tumor revealed typical features of a mesenchymal neoplasm, composed of bundle spindle cells with low cellular density, rich in collagen fibers and thin-walled blood vessels. Immunohistochemistry revealed immunoreactivity for progesterone receptor, CD34, desmin and vimentin, tumor cells expressing positivity, but not for estrogen receptors. The stains for the muscle-specific actin and S-100 were negative. These results were mostly consistent with those of previous reports and suggest that the tumors cells were derived from primitive mesenchymal cells which occur normally in this region and show the potential for diverse lines of myoid differentiation.


In order to reduce the impact of scaled distributed power access on the original grid and improve the multiple utilization efficiency of the source grid. In this paper, by analyzing the multi-stage energy interaction scene with distributed power supply, the multi space scale of main network, distribution network, feeder and platform area, and short-term, ultra short term, quasi real time multi time scale interaction mechanism are formulated, a multi-source interactive coordinated optimal control model for distributed power supply including large wind power plants, gas turbines and centralized large capacity energy storage is established. The objective function of the model is the minimum active power fluctuation, the closest network loss and the largest economic benefit. The model sets constraints such as node power flow, wind power, and so on. Taking Chongming Island in Shanghai as an example, the multi intelligence coordinated optimization control application scene of source network is set up to simulate and verify the short-term, super-short-term and quasi-real-time optimization effects of multiple spatial scales, and to provide optimized control basis for the access of large-scale distributed power supply.


On a few occasions F.A. Hayek made reference to the famous Godel theorems in mathematical logic in the context of expounding his cognitive and social theory. The exact meaning of the supposed relationship between Godel's theorems and the essential proposition of Hayek's theory of mind remains subject to interpretation, however. The author of this article argues that the relationship between Hayek's thesis that the human brain can never fully explain itself and the essential insight provided by Godel's theorems in mathematical logic has the character of an analogy, or a metaphor. Furthermore the anti-mechanistic interpretation of Hayek's theory of mind is revealed as highly questionable. Implications for the Socialist Calculation Debate are highlighted. It is in particular concluded that Hayek's arguments for methodological dualism, when compared with those of Ludwig von Mises, actually amount to a strengthening of the case for methodological dualism.