A monochrome 2f optical performance measurement system at Sandia. To meet the goals of an optical test method that can be done in a relatively short period of time, requires little space, uses ``off the shelf`` test equipment, and provides a quantitative measure adequate to address quality control requirements, necessitates conversion of the system to use color. This test method is based on common ray trace calculations for targets and images at the radius of curvature for spherical and parabolic (f/D>3) concentrators. The implementation of a color system involved changing hardware and software. Target design -- the layout, materials, and color selection -- is a primary consideration. As the system development neared completion, it was used in several applications to measure solar concentrator facet performance and evaluate system performance. Included in this testing was a side-by-side test with the SHOT system at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This paper discusses the development of the color system hardware, reviews the results of testing, and presents the color system software.


In this paper the elevation model for the Greenland ice sheet based upon radio-echo-sounding flights of the Technical University of Denmark (TUD) (Letréguilly and others, 1991) are compared with the satellite-altimetry model (Tscherning and others, 1993) improved with airborne-laser and radar altimetry (IA model). Although the general hypsometry of both data sets is rather similar, differences seem to be large at individual points along the ice margin. Over the entire ice sheet, the difference between the IA model and the TUD model is 33 m with a root-mean-square error of 112 m. Differential GPS measurements collected in the ice-marginal zone near Søndre Strømfjord show that the IA model is more accurate than the TUD model. The latter data set underestimates the elevation by approximately 150 m in the ice-marginal zone near Søndre Strømfjord. Calculation of the ablation with an energy-balance model and with a degree-day model points to a 20% decrease in the ablation if the IA model is used. Not only does this show the sensitivity of ablation calculations to the orographic input but it also indicates that the ablation calculated by the models used nowadays is relatively overestimated.


The learned weights of a neural network are often considered devoid of scrutable internal structure. In order to attempt to discern structure in these weights, we introduce a measurable notion of modularity for multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs), and investigate the modular structure of MLPs trained on datasets of small images. Our notion of modularity comes from the graph clustering literature: a "module" is a set of neurons with strong internal connectivity but weak external connectivity. We find that MLPs that undergo training and weight pruning are often significantly more modular than random networks with the same distribution of weights. Interestingly, they are much more modular when trained with dropout. Further analysis shows that this modularity seems to arise mostly for networks trained on learnable datasets. We also present exploratory analyses of the importance of different modules for performance and how modules depend on each other. Understanding the modular structure of neural networks, when such structure exists, will hopefully render their inner workings more interpretable to engineers.1


The year 2015 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, which up to this day continues to chart out the best path to promote equality and equity between men and women also in health. The Beijing Conference underscored the need to include a gender perspective in every political decision, in every planning initiative, and in every government measure to put the real living conditions of men and women at the centre of policy-making and social development and to improve the ability of women to make informed choices about their health. A gender-specifi c approach to health care aims at appropriate prevention, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation in diseases typical of women, as well as and especially in those common to both men and women, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. In a recent WHO document "Health 2020: The new European policy for health", gender is recognized to be a decisive and essential factor in so far as health conditions, well-being and its perception, health promotion, the onset of diseases and their course, therapeutic approaches and their effi cacy are different between women and men. Recognizing the biological as well as the social and cultural differences of gender is essential to outline programmes and actions, to organize the delivery of services, to guide research, to collect and analyse statistical data, and above all to provide correct and comprehensive information and communication. It is therefore necessary to target action in health care by focussing more on how to better understand the demand for health of women as opposed to men, how to qualify the offering, how to organise training, and how to direct and encourage research in this fi eld. The gender dimension in health is therefore a need for a methodology and analysis and is, at the same time, a tool of system governance, for example by adopting gender-based budgets that are not always formulated based on statistics, but need to be duly differentiated. It is crucial to promote research on the impact that gender differences have on the development of pathologies, on their diagnosis, and on treatment and therapeutic compliance for the most common diseases of social importance. Although there are major differences between men and women, it is essential to better understand these differences and to translate them into customised therapeutic responses to ensure effi cacy, safety, compliance and appropriateness. In line with the approach of the World Health Organization for gender-specifi c medicine "in all policies," women's health, which is a strategic objective in ministerial programmes, is not pursued solely through the promotion of reproductive health, assistance along the path to birth and the health of mothers and their children, but also with a life-course approach to health considering, for example, the risks related to the post-fertile period, such osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, in addition to the prevention of cancer and sexually transmitted diseases. Women's health is a measure of the quality, effi cacy and fairness of our health system and is a general strategic objective. We are all aware, in fact, of the importance of the role of women in families as strategic fi gures for the adoption of healthy lifestyles and in the important task of the prevention, care and rehabilitation of diseases that affect families. Despite this, women do not always fi nd a response within the National Health Service to their specifi c needs as a result of organizational models that are often too aggregated and that neglect gender-specifi c needs. I believe that the Italian National Health Service should adopt a gender-specifi c approach and build a medical, nursing and administrative culture that is able to develop a true gender perspective as the foundation of a genuinely fair system. For this purpose, it is essential to promote scientifi c and research activities from a gender perspective, identifying issues on prevention and risk factors in areas such as cardiovascular, psychiatric and respiratory disease, which are of growing importance in the population; to adopt gender-based procedures for selecting samples and subjects involved in clinical trials for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic devices; to develop diagnostic and care pathways that are gender-based and gender-oriented; to train and inform healthcare professionals at all levels about gender differences relevant to health; and to set out procedures for the inclusion of gender aspects in the collection and processing of information fl ows and in the formulation of healthcare budgets.


Wrist motor activity was continuously recorded by a solid-state monitor in 12 patients with major depression throughout their stay in hospital; their clinical state was evaluated using three scales. During the day, activity troughs and immobility peaks occurred before noon and around 1500 hrs. Activity level progressively increased, while the duration of immobility decreased, with clinical improvement. The immobility measurement appeared to be a valuable index of depression and is more sensitive than the activity level, mainly for agitated depressed patients. Immobility episodes during the day could suggest the release of an ultradian sleep-wake rhythm in depression.


Purpose of the study: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and diabeticcomplications. Impairment in neuropsychological functioning in DM patients is shownin clinical studies. Patients with DM have a higher risk of developing neurologicaldisorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD) , depression, and anxiety. Symptoms ofthese diseases are observed in diabetic animal models and in population-based studies.DM-induced activation of stress responses in the central nervous system (CNS) such asoxidative stress and neuroinflammation may lead to various neurological disorders.Abnormal accumulation of methylglyoxal (MG) , one of the most reactive advancedglycation end-product (AGE) precursors, is found in the serum of DM patients. As MGis reported to induce brain cells impairment in the CNS, the effect of MG leading tosubsequent symptoms of the three neurological disorders was investigated.
 Methods: C57BL/6 mice were treated with MG solution (60mg/kg) or sham control byintraperitoneal injection for weeks. Rotarod test, open-field test (OFT) , and forcedswim test (FST) were used to examine the motor coordination, anxiety-like behavior,and depressive-like behavior of mice respectively. Corresponding parameters of thetests were measured and recorded.
 Summary of the results: In the rotarod test, significantly reduced latency to fall off was observed in the MG-treated group (74.1 ± 5.33) than that in the control group (92.9 ± 5.80) . In the OFT,significantly reduced total traveled distance (285 ± 1.01) was observed in the MG-treated group than that in the control group (13.4 ± 1.48) . In the FST, significantlyincreased percentage of immobile time was observed in the MG-treated group (77.6 ±2.19) than that in the control group (68.7 ± 2.42) .
 Conclusions: MG could induce symptoms of PD, depression, and anxiety in mice. MG may play arole in the dysfunction of brain cells and dysregulation of CNS resulting in neurologicaldisorders

 K.Yue: None.


In cognitive radio systems, the sparse assigned frequency bands are opened to secondary users. We consider the sensing of the frequency spectrum for cognitive radios, based on energy detection. It has been shown that the sensing reliability can be improved by using several cooperating cognitive radios that exchange their individual sensing information to a coordinator node. The coordinator node combines the received information in order to make a decision about the primary network presence. In this paper, we propose a decentralized Q-learning algorithm to share the sensing time among the cognitive radios in a way that maximizes the throughputs of the radios. Numerical results show the convergence of the proposed algorithm and allow to discuss the exploration strategy, the frequency of execution of the algorithm and its computational complexity.


ABSTRACT Conventional methods for total dust sampling from industrial high-temperature aerosols containing condensable species, e.g., in boilers of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI), are always influenced by condensation artifacts. Therefore, we extended the scope of a previously developed probe intended for size-fractionated aerosol sampling with reduced artifacts and employed it for total dust measurements. The dust is collected on quartz fiber filters, which are gravimetrically evaluated and chemically analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and wet-chemical methods. First measurements in the boiler of an MSWI confirm that the probe is also suitable for artifact-minimized total dust sampling. The data are consistent with results from measurements with the size-fractionating method conducted in parallel. By combining the results of both sampling methods, we reveal the average chemical composition of the submicron particles in the aerosol, which is not accessible by one of the two methods alone. © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research


Breaking time-reversal symmetry is a prerequisite for accessing certain interesting many-body states such as fractional quantum Hall states. For polaritons, charge neutrality prevents magnetic fields from providing a direct symmetry-breaking mechanism and, similar to the situation in ultracold atomic gases, an effective magnetic field has to be synthesized. We show that in the circuit-QED architecture, this can be achieved by inserting simple superconducting circuits into the resonator junctions. In the presence of such coupling elements, constant parallel magnetic and electric fields suffice to break time-reversal symmetry. We support these theoretical predictions with numerical simulations for realistic sample parameters, specify general conditions under which time reversal is broken, and discuss the application to chiral Fock-state transfer, an on-chip circulator, and tunable band structure for the Kagome lattice.


A 53-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of genital bleeding. The clinical diagnosis was cancer of the corpus uteri with much ascites. During the course of 10 months of illness, she complained of low back pain, so we diagnosed the sacral metastasis by scintigram. Autopsy examination revealed simultaneous triple malignancies of the right ovarian cancer, the sacrococcygeal chordoma, and the thyroid cancer. Histologically, the ovarian cancer was papillary cystadenocarcinoma with widespread metastases. The chordoma invaded the bone marrow of the sacrum. The thyroid cancer was follicular carcinoma without metastasis. This combination is very rare.


The downy mildew constitutes an important group of plant diseases affecting plant species. The data of 10 years (1991-2000) of downy mildew in pearl millet var. HB 3 recorded at the experimental field of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar were taken to develop the regression models for prediction of downy mildew progression in the crop based on weather parameters. Weather data for the same period (maximum, minimum and mean temperature, morning and evening relative humidity, sunshine hours, rainfall, rainy days, wind speed and rate of evaporation) were used for epidemiological study of downy mildew in pearl millet. Disease intensity values were transformed using Logistic, Gompertz, Monomolecular and Von Bertalanffy-Richard disease progression models. Growing degree days and vapour pressure deficit were computed using daily weather data. Disease intensity (%) and transformed values by different models were correlated with weather parameters. Among the disease progression models, disease intensity transformed by Logistic model showed the best association with weather parameters. Mean temperature, wind speed and growing degree day were collectively explained upto 72% variability in downy mildew disease progression.


BACKGROUND
Application of Light's criteria results in misclassification of some transudative effusions as exudative, particularly because of congestive heart failure (CHF). We sought to determine if the serum to pleural fluid albumin (SF-A) and serum to pleural fluid protein (SF-P) gradients increased the predictive accuracy to correctly identify exudative effusions.

METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed 1,153 consecutive patients who underwent a diagnostic thoracentesis at the Medical University South Carolina. Univariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the statistical significance of pleural fluid tests that correctly identified exudative effusions. Tests with significant diagnostic accuracy were combined in multivariable logistic regression models, with calculation of areas under the curve (AUCs) to determine their predictive accuracy. The predictive capability of the best model was compared with Light's criteria and other test combinations.

RESULTS
Pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), SF-A gradient, and SF-P gradient had a significant effect on the probability of identifying exudative pleural effusions. When combined together in a multivariable logistic regression, LDH (OR, 14.09 [95% CI, 2.25-85.50]), SF-A gradient (OR, 7.16 [95% CI, 1.24-41.43]), and SF-P gradient (OR, 6.83 [95% CI, 1.56-27.88]) had an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.85-0.98).

CONCLUSIONS
Application of Light's criteria, not uncommonly, misclassifies CHF transudative effusions as exudates. In cases where no cause for an exudative effusion can be identified or CHF is suspected, the sequential application of the fluid LDH, followed by the SF-P and then the SF-A gradients, may assist in reclassifying pleural effusions as transudates.


This study considers the present state of domestic and international use and problems of See-Through Amorphous Silicon BIPV and for economical efficiency of See-Through Amorphous Silicon BIPV, it estimates the possibility of energy saving of See-Through Amorphous Silicon BIPV about consumption of energy in the subject building.


We provide a survey of important properties of the generalized polarization tensors which are the basic building blocks for the full asymptotic expansions of the boundary voltage perturbations due to the presence of a small conductivity inclusion inside a conductor. These properties may be used to design efficient algorithms for reconstructing conductivity inclusions of small volume.


The problem of scheduling multiple streams of real-time customers, is addressed in this paper. The paper first introduces the notion of (m, k)-firm deadlines to better characterize the timing constraints of real-time streams. More specifically, a stream is said to have (m, k)-firm deadlines if at least m out of any k consecutive customers must meet their deadlines. A stream with (m, k)-firm deadlines experiences a dynamic failure if fewer than m out of any k consecutive customers meet their deadlines. The paper then proposes a priority-based policy for scheduling N such streams on a single server to reduce the probability of dynamic failure. The basic idea is to assign higher priorities to customers from streams that are closer to a dynamic failure so as to improve their chances of meeting their deadlines. The paper proposes a heuristic for assigning these priorities. The effectiveness of this approach is evaluated through simulation under various customer arrival and service patterns. The scheme is compared to a conventional scheme where all customers are serviced at the same priority level and to an imprecise computation model approach. The evaluation shows that substantial reductions in the probability of dynamic failure are achieved when the proposed policy is used.


This work addresses the mitigation of channel errors by means of efficient minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation. Although powerful model-based implementations have been recently proposed, the computational burden involved can make them impractical. We propose two new approaches that maintain a good level of performance with a low computational complexity. These approaches keep the simple structure and complexity of a raw MMSE estimation, although they enhance it with additional source a priori knowledge. The proposed techniques are built on a distributed speech recognition system. Different degrees of tradeoff between recognition performance and computational complexity are obtained.


Traditional power flow algorithms are not applicable to the distribution network with distributed generation because of the unbalance of power source, load and line. Based on the analysis of wind turbines, photovoltaic system, fuel cell, storage battery, high frequency micro turbines and power frequency CHP(combined heat and power), their models in power flow are presented. In view of three phase unbalance and weakly meshed characteristics of the distribution network, the back/forward sweep power flow is improved, which is widely used for the radical distribution network. A new three phase back/forward sweep power flow for the weakly meshed distribution network with the distributed generation is presented. The example has proved the efficiency and feasibility of the algorithm.


Long wavelength turbulence increases dramatically in the outer regions of DIII-D plasmas with the application of radial resonant magnetic field perturbations (RMP) to suppress edge-localized modes (ELMs). Correspondingly, transport increases and global energy confinement decreases in these low collisionality RMPELM suppressed discharges. This process is evident through a sharp reduction in core and pedestal density, while ion and electron temperatures may change only slightly. Low wavenumber density turbulence (k⊥ρi<1) in the range of 60–300 kHz, measured with beam emission spectroscopy (BES), is modified and generally increases throughout the outer region (0.6<ρ<1.0) of the plasma in response to RMPs over a range of q95 values; ELM suppression, in contrast, occurs for a narrower range in q95. Radial magnetic field modulation experiments indicate that these turbulence modifications occur on a time scale of a few milliseconds or less near ρ=0.85–0.95, significantly faster than transport time-scales and faster than the local pressure gradients and shearing rates evolve at these locations. As the internal coil current is varied from 3.2 to 4.2 kA, the turbulence magnitude varies in phase by 30% or more, while local density changes by only a few percent. This dynamical behavior suggests that the turbulence is directly affected by the RMP, which may partially or largely explain the resulting increased transport and stabilization of the pedestal against peeling-ballooning instabilities that are thought to drive ELMs. Understanding this transport process will be crucial to extrapolating and optimizing the RMP ELMsuppression technique in ITER.


In computer science, contextual information can be used both to reduce computations and to increase accuracy. This paper discusses how it can be exploited for people surveillance in very cluttered environments in terms of perspective (i.e., weak scene calibration) and appearance of the objects of interest (i.e., relevance feedback on the training of a classifier). These techniques are applied to a pedestrian detector that uses a LogitBoost classifier, appropriately modified to work with covariance descriptors which lie on Riemannian manifolds. On each detected pedestrian, a similar classifier is employed to obtain a precise localization of the head. Two novelties on the algorithms are proposed in this case: polar image transformations to better exploit the circular feature of the head appearance and multispectral image derivatives that catch not only luminance but also chrominance variations. The complete approach has been tested on the surveillance of a construction site to detect workers that do not wear the hard hat: in such scenarios, the complexity and dynamics are very high, making pedestrian detection a real challenge.


Coumarins are nowadays an important group of organic compounds from natural and synthetic sources that are useful in a number of fields. because they are known for different pharmacological properties, their separation and purification is a very important task. A high-performance counter-current chromatography (hPCCC) method is an efficient preparative technique offering a series of advantages over conventional chromatography like elimination of irreversible adsorption of sample or easy scaling-up. hPCCC method was applied for the preparative separation and purification of major coumarins from the fruits of Heracleum leskowii. A scale-up process from analytical to preparative in a very short time was developed. different experiments with mixtures of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water in reverse phase system were performed. Coumarins such as angelicin, bergapten, imperatorin and some not unidentified coumarin-type compounds were obtained. The components purified and collected were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-dAd. Acknowledgments: This work was financially supported by Grant no N N405 617538 from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.


The in vivo effects of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor idazoxan, rauwolscine and phentolamine on alpha 2-auto/heteroreceptors and 5-HT1A autoreceptors modulating the synthesis of dopa/noradrenaline and 5-HTP/serotonin were assessed in rats, using the accumulation of dopa and 5-HTP after decarboxylase inhibition as a measure of the rate of tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylation. The acute administration of idazoxan (0.1-40 mg/kg) induced a pronounced dose-dependent increase in the synthesis of dopa in the cerebral cortex (22-86%) and hippocampus (8-80%), as a consequence of the powerful blockade of alpha 2-autoreceptors. However, idazoxan did not increase the synthesis of 5-HTP in these brain regions, as it would have been expected by the concurrent blockade of alpha 2-heteroreceptors on serotonergic terminals. Instead, idazoxan decreased the synthesis of 5-HTP in the cerebral cortex (13-33%) and hippocampus (25-48%), suggesting that these inhibitory effects were mediated through activation of 5-HT1A autoreceptors. Similar results were obtained for rauwolscine. Pre-treatment of rats with the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100135 (10 mg/kg) fully antagonized the inhibitory effects of idazoxan (10 mg/kg) on 5-HTP synthesis, but it did not prevent the stimulatory effects of idazoxan on dopa synthesis. The results indicate that idazoxan is a potent and specific agonist at 5-HT1A autoreceptors modulating brain serotonin synthesis in vivo.


Aluminium Metal matrix composites reinforced with fly ash particles of three different particle size ranges ((53–75) μm, (75–103) μm and (103–125) μm) were fabricated using stir casting technique. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) was employed to machine the composite materials with copper electrode. The influence of EDM process parameters namely peak current, pulse-on-time, pulse-off-time, particle size and the percentage fly ash on Material Removal Rate (MRR), Tool Wear Rate (TWR) and Surface Roughness(SR) were investigated. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was employed to predict the material removal rate, tool wear rate and surface roughness of the composites. The experimental values coincide with the predicted values of the proposed networks. The process parameters are then optimized using desirability based multi response optimization technique to maximize the MRR and minimize both TWR and SR. Increase in peak current and pulse-on time increased the MRR while increase in pulse-off time, percentage fly ash and fly ash particle size decreased the MRR.


Abstract As the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) continues to expand its role in promoting peace and stability in Africa, the Minister of Defence has called for the full and equal participation of women in all aspects of the SANDF, including military operations. Many South African women embrace this call, though not without difficulty. This paper aims to describe key aspects of women's experiences of their participation in military operations. The written texts of 89 SANDF women with recent operational experience were qualitatively analysed. The findings reveal women's efforts to claim space through joining the military, participating in military operations and seizing leadership positions. The paper also addresses various ways that the military challenges this claiming of space, through undermining woman leaders, sexual harassment and inadequate gender mainstreaming. The data is used to highlight ambivalence in the military, as an institution of hegemonic masculinity, towards the integration of women.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of Phyllanthus emblica against clastogenicity induced by lead nitrate on the incidence of sperm head abnormalities in the germ cells of mice. At higher concentration of lead, a significant increase in the percentage of sperm head abnormalities was noted but when animals primed with Phyllanthus fruit extract (PFE), a reduction in the frequency of sperm head abnormalities was observed. It can be suggested from the above study that Phyllanthus emblica plays a key role in inhibition of heavy metal mutagenesis in mammals.


Ridehailing applications that collect mobility data from individuals to inform smart city planning predict each trip's fare pricing with automated algorithms that rely on artificial intelligence (AI). This type of AI algorithm, namely a price discrimination algorithm, is widely used in the industry's black box systems for dynamic individualized pricing. Lacking transparency, studying such AI systems for fairness and disparate impact has not been possible without access to data used in generating the outcomes of price discrimination algorithms. Recently, in an effort to enhance transparency in city planning, the city of Chicago regulation mandated that transportation providers publish anonymized data on ridehailing. As a result, we present the first large-scale measurement of the disparate impact of price discrimination algorithms used by ridehailing applications. The application of random effects models from the meta-analysis literature combines the city-level effects of AI bias on fare pricing from census tract attributes, aggregated from the American Community Survey. An analysis of 100 million ridehailing samples from the city of Chicago indicates a significant disparate impact in fare pricing of neighborhoods due to AI bias learned from ridehailing utilization patterns associated with demographic attributes. Neighborhoods with larger non-white populations, higher poverty levels, younger residents, and high education levels are significantly associated with higher fare prices, with combined effect sizes, measured in Cohen's d, of -0.32, -0.28, 0.69, and 0.24 for each demographic, respectively. Further, our methods hold promise for identifying and addressing the sources of disparate impact in AI algorithms learning from datasets that contain U.S. geolocations.


A model is developed for electron-ion recombination in a gas capacitor in which the cathode is irradiated simultaneously by an electron beam and a defocused flux of soft-landing ions, under conditions such as encountered in variable pressure scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The model describes the dependence of the secondary electron (SE) emission current (injected into the gas from the cathode) on the distance above the cathode, and the effects of SE-ion recombination on electron imaging signals utilized in SEMs. The model is tested experimentally, and is used to construct a simple procedure for quantification of the effects of SE-ion recombination on emissive signals in a gas capacitor. The presented method allows for quantification of electron emission current measurements obtained in a variable pressure SEM.


Introducing blockchain into Federated Learning (FL) to build a trusted edge computing environment for transmission and learning has become a new decentralized learning pattern, which has received extensive attention. However, the traditional consensus mechanism and architecture of blockchain systems can hardly handle the large-scale FL task and run on IoT devices due to the huge resource consumption, limited transaction throughput, and high communication complexity. To address these issues, this paper proposes a two-layer blockchain-driven FL system, called ChainFL, which splits the IoT network into multiple shards as the subchain layer to limit the scale of information exchange, and adopts a Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based mainchain as the mainchain layer to achieve parallel and asynchronous cross-shard validation. Furthermore, the FL procedure is customized to deeply integrate with blockchain technology, and the modified DAG consensus mechanism is proposed to mitigate the distortion caused by abnormal models. To provide a proof-of-concept implementation and evaluation, multiple subchains based on Hyperledger Fabric and the self-developed DAG-based mainchain are deployed. The extensive experimental results demonstrated that our proposed ChainFL system outperforms the existing main FL systems in terms of acceptable and fast training efficiency (by up to 14%) and stronger robustness (by up to three times).


The sheath is composed of an outer non-cellular layer, the neural lamella, and an inner layer of sheath cells. The neural lamella possesses a large number of collagen fibrils arranged in layers with differing orientations. The sheath cells are flattened on the inner surface of the lamella and the cytoplasm contains lipochondria, mitochondria, and small amounts of endoplasmic reticulum.


PurposeThe complexity of small oral cavity and intimate apposition of the oral cavity mucosal surfaces make CT identification of obvious masses difficult. Puffed-cheek CT improves the evaluation of oral cavity lesions. We used the puffed-cheek maneuver with 18F-FDG PET/CT scans to determine the feasibility and accuracy in clinical practice and to identify any benefits. Patients and MethodsTwenty-two patients with oral cancer were included. They were instructed to perform the puffed-cheek maneuver after a conventional 18F-FDG PET/CT scan. Two physicians reviewed the puffed-cheek and conventional 18F-FDG PET/CT images and achieved consensus about the cancer extent, location, and dental artifacts before classifying and grading the oral cancers. Dichotomous results of localized or extended cancer and artifact grading scores from the puffed-cheek and conventional 18F-FDG PET/CT methods were compared using McNemar test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. P < 0.05 was considered significant. ResultsThe puffed-cheek maneuver with 18F-FDG PET/CT was practical and had incremental benefits. The conventional 18F-FDG PET/CT classified 12 patients correctly as having localized or extended cancer, and the puffed-cheek 18F-FDG PET/CT classified 21 patients correctly. Puffed-cheek 18F-FDG PET/CT found a synchronous skip cancer and provided detailed cancer delineation. This method might reduce the effects of dental artifacts without undesirable muscular FDG uptake. ConclusionsPuffed-cheek PET/CT is feasible in the current clinical setting and can improve the delineation of oral cancer extent and location, with a potential benefit of reducing dental artifacts.


The article discusses Christian theological symbols in the homily 'On Jonah' by Ephrem the Syrian, Syriac poet and theologian of the 4th century. The book uses oriental Christian literature symbols, such as 'robe of glory, 'mystery', 'mirror', 'healer', 'king'. They allow to reveal methods of the Old Testament typological exegesis in the works of Ephrem the Syrian and reflect the Christological interpretation of the Prophet Jonah's figure in the sermon. Refs 30.


Ventilation is essential to the health and comfort of occupants in enclosed spaces. However, it is difficult to accurately measure the ventilation rates in large, long, and narrow spaces such as aircraft cabins and train compartments. This study has proposed a modified tracer-gas-concentration decay method that combines the multi-zone technique with the genetic algorithm to determine ventilation rate in such spaces. To validate the proposed method, the investigation utilized both the modified decay method and the traditional decay method to numerically measure the ventilation rate in an MD-82 aircraft cabin by computational fluid dynamics technique. The results showed that the modified tracer-gas-concentration decay method can significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of the ventilation rate measurements in such a large, long, and narrow space. The modified tracer-gas-concentration decay method was also used to experimentally measure the ventilation rate in an actual MD-82 aircraft cabin. Although no exact ventilation rate could be measured, but compared with the traditional tracer-gas-concentration decay method, the ventilation rate determined by the modified method was much closer to that obtained by the constant tracer-gas-concentration method, which is considered to be the most accurate measurement.


The numerical methods employed in the solution of many scientific computing problems require the computation of derivatives of a function f $R^N$→$R^m$. Both the accuracy and the computational requirements of the derivative computation are usually of critical importance for the robustness and speed of the numerical solution. Automatic Differentiation of FORtran (ADIFOR) is a source transformation tool that accepts Fortran 77 code for the computation of a function and writes portable Fortran 77 code for the computation of the derivatives. In contrast to previous approaches, ADIFOR views automatic differentiation as a source transformation problem. ADIFOR employs the data analysis capabilities of the ParaScope Parallel Programming Environment, which enable us to handle arbitrary Fortran 77 codes and to exploit the computational context in the computation of derivatives. Experimental results show that ADIFOR can handle real-life codes and that ADIFOR-generated codes are competitive with divided-difference approximations of derivatives. In addition, studies suggest that the source transformation approach to automatic differentiation may improve the time to compute derivatives by orders of magnitude.


Primary cutaneous gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma (PCGD-TCL) is a clonal proliferation of gamma-delta T cells with a cytotoxic phenotype that is typically characterized by an aggressive clinical course with ulcerative plaques or subcutaneous nodules. In this report, the authors describe a patient who developed an ulcerated tumor on the left upper extremity and painful papules and nodules on the right lower extremity. Interestingly, several of the papulonodules on the right lower extremity underwent spontaneous involution. A skin biopsy of the papulonodular lesion demonstrated a superficial and deep perivascular interstitial infiltrate with a population of pleomorphic enlarged CD30-positive T cells. These enlarged lymphocytes lacked expression of TCR beta, CD4, CD8, and the pan T-cell antigen CD7, but were positive for TCR gamma, supporting the diagnosis of PCGD-TCL. The patient rapidly developed pain and severe weakness in the left upper limb and MRI revealed extensive neurolymphomatosis of the left brachial plexus. The patient was treated with chemotherapy with complete remission achieved. Unfortunately, her response was transient and the patient relapsed and ultimately died due to her disease. In this article, the authors describe an extraordinary case of a CD30-positive PCGD-TCL to expand the histopathological spectrum of CD30-positive and gamma-delta-positive lymphoproliferative disorders.


A sensitive reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for rapid visual detection of Murray valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) infection. The reaction was performed in one step in a single tube at 63 °C for 60 min with the addition of the hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) dye prior to amplification. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was 100 copies per reaction based on 10-fold dilutions of in vitro transcribed RNA derived from a synthetic MVEV DNA template. No cross-reaction was observed with other encephalitis-associated viruses. The assay was further evaluated using spiked cerebrospinal fluid sample with pseudotype virus containing the NS5 gene of MVEV.


Several new triptycene-containing polyetherolefins were synthesized via acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization. The well-established mechanism, high selectivity and specificity, mild reaction conditions, and well-defined endgroups make the ADMET polymerization a good choice for studying systematic variations in polymer structure. Two types of triptycene-based monomer with varying connectivities were used in the synthesis of homopolymers, block copolymers, and random copolymers. In this way, the influence of the triptycene architecture and concentration in the polymer backbone on the thermal behavior of the polymers was studied. Inclusion of increasing amounts of triptycene were found to increase the glass transition temperature, from 44 C in polyoctenamer to 59 C in one of the hydrogenated triptycene homopolymers (H-PT2). Varying the amounts and orientations of triptycene was found to increase the stiffness (H-PT1), toughness (PT11-bPO1) and ductility (PT11-ran-PO3) of the polymer at room temperature. VC 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 1695–1706


"Misogynoir" is the anti-Black racist misogyny experienced by Black women, which is characterised by components of both racism and sexism. Misogynoir is challenging to detect due to its inherent subjectivity and its intersectional nature, and people's opinions and interpretations of such hate might vary, which adds to the challenges of understanding it. In this paper, we explored how and some potential why's different annotator characteristics influence how they interpret and annotate a dataset for potential cases of Misogynoir and Allyship. We sampled tweets containing public responses to self-reported misogynoir cases by four prominent Black women in technology, designed an online annotation task study, and recruited annotators of diverse ethnicities and genders from the Prolific crowdsourcing platform. We found that participants' sources of evidence in judging and interpreting content for potential cases of Misogynoir and Allyship, even in circumstances where they all agree on a prospective label, vary across different factors, such as different ethnicity, lived experiences and gender. In addition, we present a variety of plausible interpretations influenced by the various annotators' characteristics. This study demonstrates the relevance of different annotator perspectives and content comprehension in hate speech and the need for further efforts to understand intersectional hate better.


Summary form only given, as follows. The author presents results from a series of simulation experiments indicating that if, in storing binary patterns in a Hopfield associative memory, the matrix of connection weights is optimally constructed, a network of n neurons is with high probability able to store very close to n random patterns without error. This is in contrast to the behavior of such memories under the outerproduct storage rule, which yields a storage capacity of only O(n/log n) patterns. >


This study aims to explore the effectiveness of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in promoting L2 learners' self-learning and motivation. The participants of this study are a randomly selected group of L2 learners attending English Language Training Program (EL). Their levels of proficiency range from beginner to advanced in order to ensure that they have had adequate exposure to English. Data were collected by circulating a 22-item survey consisting of two sections. The first section consists of eleven items that aim to identify the role of CALL in promoting participants' self-learning strategies, whereas the second section consists of eleven items that investigate the extent to which the participants' motivation has increased/decreased with the impact of CALL. Data were analyzed descriptively by looking at the participants' responses to the questionnaire in order to pinpoint any potential themes or patterns concerning the impact of CALL on promoting the two independent variables under study. The findings indicated that CALL contributes to increasing L2 learners' motivation fairly whereas promote their self-learning significantly.


Ultrastructural analyses of the flagellar apparatus suggested that Sphaeroplea, Atractomorpha, the Hydrodictyaceae, and the Neochloridaceae, all of which produce biflagellate motile cells with directly opposed (DO) basal bodies, are allied in an order Sphaeropleales. Recent studies of 18S rDNA sequence data supported an alliance of the DO group, but no data from Sphaeroplea and its allies were included. This investigation presented a test of the phylogenetic hypothesis suggested by the flagellar apparatus evidence using sequence data from the nuclear‐encoded small‐subunit rDNA (18S) and large subunit rDNA (26S) genes, combined with additional taxon sampling. Results from phylogenetic analyses weakly supported monophyly of biflagellate DO taxa and indicated that pyrenoids with cytoplasmic invaginations are present in numerous distinct lineages. Analysis of both molecular data sets supported a class Chlorophyceae comprised of at least six major groups that generally correspond to currently recognized orders or families: Chaetophorales, Chae‐ topeltidales, Chlamydomonadales, Sphaeropleales, Sphaeropleaceae, and Oedogoniales. In addition, Cylindrocapsa, Elakatothrix, Treubaria, and Trochiscia formed a seventh chlorophycean clade that is new to science. This investigation demonstrated that the 26S rDNA gene provides more phylogenetic signal, per unit sequence, than the 18S rDNA gene and that combined analysis yields topologies with more robust support than independent analysis of either data set.


This essay studies the change in behavior of a glider during flight with variying horizontal
displacement of its center of gravity. Even if it looks most of the humans like a child's play, it
involves all of the flight dynamics, which also apply for modern, high technology aeroplanes. Essay
is centered around the question "How does the horizontal displacement of a glider varies with
changing horizontal placement of center of gravity of the glider?" Troughout the essay, the question
is evaluated from two aspects. Firstly, what is the cause of the change in behavior? Under that
aspect, causes of the behavior is explored and proved with data collected and processed from the
experiment. Secondly, what are the implications of this change? Under this aspect, effect of the
causes on the glider was discussed in order to explain how they cause the change in behavior of
the glider. At the beginning, a rigorous research on flight dynamics was made. Afterwards it have
been decided to use a paper glider launched by a rubber band. A cotton string with a paperclip is
used to pinpoint the location of center of gravity and sytraphor plates on a string were used as wind
detectors. Fifty trials in total were performed and collected data is processed to obtain a result. A
graph was drawn and function relating them was found. Later on, implications of this function and
its' strengths and weaknesses were discussed. Based on that discussion on function dsplayed in
the graph, standard deviation and error values, conclusiveness of the result was discussed.
Moreover, discussions made under two aspects in which central question was evaluated, were put
into coherence check with theoritical expectations. In the end, further questions and research
areas emerging from the conclusion was discussed with proper explanations.


We made a detailed,empirical analysis of the railway network of China (RNC),in which the stations are treated as nodes and a link exists between every two nodes if there is a train stop at each node. Firstly,we explore the statistical properties of the directed and weighted RNC with respect to the distribution of degree and strength,clustering coefficient and the shorted path length. The results exhibit that the distribution of degree and strength are between the exponential distribution and scale-free. Moreover,the RNC is a hierarchical small-world network. Secondly,the construction of the railway is the result of balance between the economical cost and the degree of need such as the population density and the number of administrative divisions. So the topological properties constrained by the geographic factors are taken into consideration,such as the relation between railroad length and degree,the density distribution of the stations and the population and the community strength of the province. These results proved that the RNC is constrained by the geography and approaches to the optimal construction.


Cell-free translation system has an ability to translate genetic information to real materials. Combination with genome sequence analysis, it will constitute a new system for medical and biochemical applications, which is useful to search a novel protein from living organisms. Microtechnology will make it possible to fabricate a miniaturized experimental system. In this paper, the authors show that bacteriophage MS2 protein can be synthesized depending on its mRNA in a 226 nL microfabricated space. Since there are quite a few living organisms on Earth and they have many kinds of proteins, integrated and parallel experimental systems should, therefore, be developed. The authors discuss the problems toward the development of such integrated microreactors for total synthesis and analysis.


Nitrate uptake and growth rates of the red-tide dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum were measured in a chemostat culture system in which nitrate was added in the same total amounts every 1, 2 or 3 d In comparison with continuous nitrate supply, the rate of cell division was not affected by the 1 or 2 d pulse treatments, whereas it fell drastically when a nitrogen source was added only every 3 d. Delayed steady uptake rates were reached during the 1 or 2 d pulse phases, which reflected a mid-term adaptation of the cell uptake process under discontinuous nutrient supply. This adaptation permitted P. minimun~ to maintain a steady growth rate under these regimes. During the 3 d pulse treatment, the maximal uptake rate measured during each pulse experiment increased considerably. which reflected a long-term adaptation, but was not sufficient to maintain the initlal growth rate. For low frequencies of nitrate supply, uptake and growth rate became largely uncoupled. It is concluded that P. minimum is a species able to form a large internal pool of nitrogen which constitutes a competitive advantage. This is discussed in the light of in situ observations.


A 57-year-old woman (162 cm, 65 kg) was admitted with breast pain. An ultrasound scan revealed an 8 mm nodule in the right thyroid gland. The nodule was confirmed as a thyroid carcinoma with fine needle aspiration biopsy and thyroidectomy was performed. In the preoperative testing, vocal cord (VC) motion was normal on both sides despite suspected laryngeal reflux. No other specific clinical features were found before the surgery. Because of a loose front tooth, the thyroidectomy was performed with a 7 mm internal diameter endotracheal tube (ETT) via a light wand. No breathing difficulties were present at extubation, and no postoperative airway symptoms were found. In a VC test performed 2 days after the surgery, voice changes were detected, and a fiber-optic bronchoscope (FOB) examination exhibited incomplete paralysis of the right VC. Histopathologic examination of the postoperative specimen showed a positive end margin, so a left thyroidectomy with extensive neck dissection was scheduled three days after the right thyroidectomy.

No medications were administered preoperatively. She had normal sinus rhythm, oxygen saturation of 98% without oxygen, blood pressure of 135/80 mmHg and pulse of 50. She did not have specific airway symptoms except for voice changes before the anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced with 40 mg lidocaine, 120 mg propofol, 40 mg rocuronium and 8 vol% sevoflurane. Because of a loose front tooth, intubation with a 7 mm internal diameter ETT was performed using a light wand. The balloon of the ETT was confirmed to be over the suprasternal notch, and normal breath sounds were checked and found. The ETT was fixed at a distance of 20 cm from the corner of the mouth. Cuff pressure was maintained as low as possible to prevent leakage. Anesthesia was maintained with FiO2 of 0.5, oxygen of 0.9 L/min, air of 1.6 L/min and sevoflurane of 3-4 vol%.

The surgery took 65 minutes to perform and was without problems, but the surgeon suggested that there was a possibility of damage to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) from the LigaSure™ sutures. Pyridostigmine (15 mg) and glycopyrrolate (0.6 mg) were administered for recovery. She regained consciousness with normal breathing within 10 minutes with the ETT still in place. Because of possible damage to the left RLN and potential breathing difficulties that might be caused by incomplete paralysis of the right VC, extubation was performed in the operating room in preparation for reintubation and so that tracheostomy could be performed instantly in an emergency. The patient claimed she had difficulty breathing after the extubation. Mask support was applied for breathing assistance and 10 mg of dexamethasone was administered. FOB was performed within 15 minutes after the extubation.

Both the VCs were immobile, and the space between the two vocal folds was less than 5 mm, meaning that the airway was not completely blocked. Breathing difficulties continued and oxygen saturation stayed at around 90% despite oxygen delivery. Because of the need for breathing assistance, tracheostomy or reintubation was considered. However, a normal range of oxygen saturation returned as a result of the steady breathing assistance given. The patient was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) 55 minutes after the extubation.

A FOB performed in the ICU revealed reduced motion of the arytenoid cartilage and a 5 mm space between the two vocal folds (Fig. 1), so the oxygen saturation was continually monitored while oxygen was given via an oxygen mask. She began to have less breathing difficulties although her voice remained hoarse. As she had no breathing problems at 20 hours postoperatively, she was transferred to the open ward and discharged seven days after the surgery. During the outpatient follow-up, left VC lateral fixation was performed 24 and 26 days postoperatively under the diagnosis of bilateral VC paralysis. In the endoscopic examination performed 3 months postoperatively, the left VC was retracted laterally after the lateral fixation. The right VC had fully recovered its function.

Fig. 1

Fiber-optic bronchoscope.

The incidence of RLN damage following thyroid surgery is not frequent. However, it can cause catastrophic obstruction when both VCs become paralyzed [1]. Unilateral VC paralysis does not pose a threat to life, but it can be critical when accompanied by breathing difficulties or diaphragmatic paralysis. The case described herein can be also serious because VC paralysis on the one side was subsequently followed by VC paralysis on the other side. Symptomless unilateral RLN palsy prediction is difficult to evaluate pre-operatively without VC evaluation [2]. Moreover, an overlooked postoperative voice change can cause airway management problems in the situation of bilateral VC palsy as described herein. RLN damage can be examined during surgery as follows: the VCs can be observed through the laryngeal mask using a FOB [3], RLN can be stimulated using a stimulator [4], and an electromyogram can be performed with an endotracheal tube containing an electrode (reinforced EMG probe, Medtronic Xomed, Jacksonville, Florida, USA) [5]. In this case report, breathing difficulties can be treated in a timely manner when bilateral VC palsy is identified, in a step before extubation. During the preparation for reintubation, tracheostomy and supportive ventilation are required for extubation, and so an operation room is a suitable place to perform an extubation. Then a VC test should be performed promptly using an FOB. In this case report, we did not perform reintubation because the oxygen saturation increased with supportive ventilation. Besides, reintubation would have made a VC test impossible. The laryngeal mask was not used because she had a loose front tooth and risked having airway spasm. Considering the complications of tracheostomy, it should be the last option but it should be considered when the patient presents with cardiovascular disease, obesity or a neuropsychiatric disorder [1]. Bilateral VC palsy after surgery usually improves over time with supportive care. Therefore, securing an emergent airway should not be performed impetuously. RLN damage can heal on its own in several months, but otherwise a laryngeal operation such as lateral fixation is necessary as evidenced in this case report [1].

When thyroid surgery is performed in a patient with unilateral VC palsy on the opposite side from the affected thyroid, the possibility of bilateral VC palsy should be considered. The medical history should be checked and a VC test is necessary when there is any symptom. Detection of the presence or absence of laryngeal nerve damage should be checked during surgery, and preparation for possible breathing problems is essential even when there is no laryngeal nerve damage on the opposite side.


We report here our 13-year experience treating chronic tuberculous empyema by open window thoracostomy. The subjects were 33 patients (28 males and 5 females) with a median age of 70 (range: 56-83) years who underwent surgery between January 1990 and December 2002. Patients with a history of pulmonary resection or thoracoplasty were excluded. All patients complained of cough and purulent sputum related to the presence of bronchopleural fistula. Previous illnesses included pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 20) and tuberculous pleurisy (n = 14) treated by artificial pneumothorax (n = 1) or chemotherapy (n = 22). Median duration from the initial episode of tuberculosis to surgery was 44 (range: 1-60) years. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (n = 9), Aspergillus fumigatus (n = 6), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [n = 5], and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 5) were representative microorganisms isolated from empyema. Preoperative mean %VC was 48 (range: 31-74)%. Mean follow-up was 34 (range: 1-131) months. Seven patients died of empyema-related disease within 6 months postoperatively. Nine patients underwent curative surgery to close the thoracostomy, including extrapleural pneumonectomy (n = 5), muscular transposition with thoracoplasty (n = 3), and lobectomy with muscular transposition and thoracoplasty (n = 1). In 17 patients, the thoracostomy was left open throughout the observation period because of severe impairment of pulmonary function. In elderly patients with severely impairment of pulmonary function, open window thoracostomy does not control empyema well and has a high rate of mortality.


The power-saving opportunities of long-running application servers which execute on multi-core systems are studied in this paper. The research goal is to develop an efficient power-saving strategy of application servers with the minimum performance degradation in cloud environments. The power-saving strategy is based on the run-time information which is already available in a JVM, the base software component of application servers. Several key findings are revealed through this study. First, the particular behavior of application servers, also known as phases, can be related to the run-time information of a JVM. Thus the phases of an application server can be predicted before the applications actually execute on hardware. Secondly, some particular phases are observed in this study and used to establish the power-saving strategy, such as memory phases and execute phases. Finally, a new finding of idle phase is proposed to reduce significant energy wastage without performance degradations. Based on these findings, a set of power-saving algorithms is proposed and implemented with two widely used JVMs, Sun's Hotspot and Jikes RVM. With the experiments of five multi-threaded benchmarks and two web application benchmarks, the use of proposed power-saving strategy leads to the lowest value of energy-delay product among the other power-saving techniques, and the performance degradation is well below 6 percent.


Characteristics of ring resonator diplexers for high-power ECRH are briefly reviewed. Commissioning experiments performed on ASDEX Upgrade with the diplexer Mk IIa are presented, which demonstrate slow and fast switching of the power between two launchers, and thus the capability for efficient suppression of neoclassical tearing modes and simultaneous central heating of the plasma. The development of the compact diplexer Mk IIIb is discussed, and test results are presented. Finally, an evacuated design for 170 GHz is shown. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2012.


Objective : This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of Snake anti-venom Immunoglobulin [IgG] manufactured by Anti-Snake Venom [ASV]/Anti-Rabies [ARV] Serology Laboratory, Health Department, Government of Sindh. Methods : The prospective, observational single arm study was conducted after the approval of IRB. Study included six patients with viper [Echis carinatus sochureki] snakebites referred to the emergency ward of Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences Hospital, Nawabshah and District Headquarter Hospital Mithi, Sindh, Pakistan with consultation of Clinical and Principal investigator. The study was conducted over a period of three months [August 2015 to November 2015]. All patients were given IV infusion of 10 mL [1 vial] investigational ASV diluted in 100 mL normal saline except one patient who received 5 mL management dose and 5 mL subsequent dose for the recovery of coagulopathy. The efficacy was assessed by Primary and secondary efficacy endpoints, i.e. the dose at which maximum no of patients were treated [permanent restoration of normal blood coagulation tested by 20-minute whole blood clotting test [20-minute WBCT] with minimum toxicity. Results : All patients recovered from coagulopathy after receiving IV infusion of 10 mL investigational ASV diluted in 100 mL normal saline tested by 20-minute WBCT. Mean Recovery time was 9:15 ± 3:25 hours. Conclusion : Safety and efficacy was assessed for the Bivalent Anti venom Immunoglobulin-NQ1 [IgG] manufactured by ASV/ARV Serology Laboratory, Health Department, Government of Sindh.


Background: Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder that affects 50 million people worldwide. Conventional antiepileptic drugs are coupled with several adverse effects and contraindications. Herbal agents that possess antiepileptic potential could be a better alternative to conventional medicine with minimal or no adverse effects. Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiepileptic effects of a combined herbal extract of Brassica nigra and Swertia chirata, in comparison with standard drugs in pentylenetetrazole model of seizure. Methodology: Wistar albino rats (weighing 180-220 gram) were randomly divided into 6 groups having 6 animals in each group. Group 1: Control (DMSO 10%, 10 ml/kg b.w, p.o), Group 2: Diazepam 10 mg/kg, p.o; Group 3: Valproic acid 300 mg/kg, p.o; Group 4: Brassica nigra (BN) 250 mg/kg and Swertia chirata (SC) 250 mg/kg, p.o; Group 5: BN 250 mg/kg and SC 500 mg/kg p.o; Group 6: BN 500 mg/kg and SC 250 mg/kg p.o. Results: In the pentylenetetrazole model; Group 4, significantly delayed the onset (p=0.01) and duration of seizures (p=0.003) as compared to control. In Group 5, the onset of seizure was significantly delayed (p=0.000, p=0.01) as compared to control and diazepam respectively; while the duration of seizure was increased (p=0.003) as compared to valproic acid. In Group 6; the onset of seizure was significantly delayed (p=0.000, 0.000) as compared to control and diazepam; whereas, duration of seizure was significantly decreased (p=0.007) as compared to control. Conclusion: On the basis of these results, we can conclude that the herbal combinations possess anti-seizure potential.


The gas-phase complexes AnO2(CH3CO2)2(-) are actinyl(V) cores, An(V)O2(+) (An = U, Np, Pu), coordinated by two acetate anion ligands. Whereas the addition of O2 to U(V)O2(CH3CO2)2(-) exothermically produces the superoxide complex U(VI)O2(O2)(CH3CO2)2(-), this oxidation does not occur for Np(V)O2(CH3CO2)2(-) or Pu(V)O2(CH3CO2)2(-) because of the higher reduction potentials for Np(V) and Pu(V). It is demonstrated that NO2 is a more effective electron-withdrawing oxidant than O2, with the result that all three An(V)O2(CH3CO2)2(-) exothermically react with NO2 to form nitrite complexes, An(VI)O2(CH3CO2)2(NO2)(-). The assignment of the NO2(-) anion ligand in these complexes, resulting in oxidation from An(V) to An(VI), is substantiated by the replacement of the acetate ligands in AnO2(CH3CO2)2(NO2)(-) and AnO2(CH3CO2)3(-) by nitrites, to produce the tris(nitrite) complexes AnO2(NO2)3(-). The key chemistry of oxidation of An(V) to An(VI) by the addition of neutral NO2 is established by the substitution of acetate by nitrite. The replacement of acetate ligands by NO2(-) is attributed to a metathesis reaction with nitrous acid to produce acetic acid and nitrite.


The issue of hemispheric asymmetry in speech processing is one of the most debatable ones in modern neuroscience and psychophysiology. The studies in my thesis addressed this issue by magnetically measuring brain responses elicited by speech and complex sound stimuli of different temporal structure in different acoustic conditions. The results suggest that the right hemisphere is predominant in the perception of slow acoustic transitions, whereas neither hemisphere clearly dominates the discrimination of non-speech sounds with fast acoustic transitions. In contrast, the perception of speech stimuli with similarly rapid acoustic transitions is dominated by the left hemisphere, which may be explained by the presence of acoustic templates (long-term memory traces) for speech sounds formed in this hemisphere. While the mismatch negativity (MMN), the brain's automatic change– detection response, appears to be sensitive to the lateralization of speech processing in the brain, other auditory cortex responses (P1, N1, P2) do not reflect this lateralization. However, the asymmetry measured with the MMN does not correlate with the right-ear advantage (REA), a behavioral measure of the speech processing lateralization. This probably implies that the MMN and REA reflect two different stages in the perception of speech by the human brain: an early automatic pre-attentive stage (reflected in the MMN) and a later, "conscious" one (measured with the REA). When speech signals are presented in white noise background, the involvement of the left hemisphere's auditory cortex in speech discrimination, as indicated by the brain responses, is considerably decreased, while that of the right hemisphere increases. Furthermore, the locations of activity sources of the P1, N1, and P2 responses in noise are different from those in silence in the right but not in the left hemisphere. This suggests that the increased right-hemisphere role in speechsound processing in noisy conditions involves the recruitment of additional right auditorycortex structures.


This paper proposes a cluster-based target tracking strategy for one moving object using wireless sensor networks. The sensor field is organized in 3 hierarchal levels. 1-bit message is sent when a node detects the target. Otherwise the node stays silent. Since in wireless sensor network nodes have limited computational resources, limited storage resources, and limited battery, the code for predicting the target position should be simple, and fast to execute. The algorithm proposed is simple, fast, and utilizes all available detection data for estimating the location of the target while conserving energy. This has the potential of increasing the network life time. Simulation results show that the strategy saves energy while estimating the location of the target with an acceptable error margin.


Objective: Incidence rates of lung cancer (LC) are reported to have declined in the nation. However, the role of depression and tobacco history relative to hospitalization cost for LC remains unknown. Tennessee, being a tobacco producing State, provides an opportunity to examine two issues: (i) Prevalence of LC, depression, and history of tobacco use among LC patients by race and gender; (ii) Effect of depression and smoking history on hospitalization costs by sub-groups of LC patients. Methods: We extracted data pertaining to depression, smoking history, and demographics on patients discharged with all lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, ICD-9 codes 160-165) from the 2008 Tennessee Hospital Discharge Data System (HDDS). The sample (n = 6,665) had patients that were mostly white (86%) and male (57%), with an average age of 67 years. We computed age-adjusted LC rates for race and gender (per CDC methodology), and compared the costs for LC patients with depression/ smoking history with LC patients without depression/smoking history. Results: LC rates (per 100K) were higher among blacks than whites (146.6 vs. 131.6, p Conclusion: LC rates are higher among blacks and males who also have more smoking history. Depression is higher among females and whites with LC. Further, both depression and smoking history adds significantly to the hospitalization costs. These results point to: (i) costs savings might be realized by treating depression first among the LC patients, and (ii) population-based smoking cessation programs need to be vigorously implemented to reduce lung cancer and associated co-morbidities. ___________________ This presentation at the Eight AACR annual Conference, New Orleans, April 16-20, 2016, was partially supported by grants from CDC #U58CCU422782, a sub-contract #ED-07-20811-09, and a NCI/NIH grant (5U54CA163066) to Tennessee State University, B. Husaini, PI. Citation Format: Baqar A. Husaini, Van A. Cain, Robert S. Levine. Race and gender differences in lung cancer: examining the effect of smoking history and depression on hospitalization costs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1796A.


The properties of creatine kinase isolated from bovine heart mitochondria in dimeric (Mr = 84 +/- 6 kD) and octameric (Mr = 340 +/- 17 kD) forms were compared with those of the earlier described hexameric form of the enzyme (Mr = 240 +/- 12 kD). The kinetics of SH-group modification by DTNB, the inactivation kinetics as well as the number of modified SH-groups point to significant differences between the three oligomeric forms of the enzyme. Each subunit of creatine kinase was found to possess one "fast" essential cysteine residue whose modification by DTNB and iodoacetamide led to enzyme inactivation. The formation of an analog of the transition state complex (E--MgADP--NO3--creatine) was paralleled with partial protection of only the "fast" cysteine residue which manifested itself in the decrease of the rate of its interaction with DTNB in all the three oligomeric forms. Dimer association into a hexamer and octamer occurred in parallel with a decrease of the affinity of essential SH-groups of cysteine for DTNB in 50% of the oligomeric molecule subunits. Thus, in the dimer two essential SH-groups were rapidly modified by DTNB at the same rate: k1 = k2 = (23.9 +/- 5.6).10(4) M-1 min-1. Within the hexamer, the rate of modification of 3 out of 6 SH-groups was practically unchanged: k1 = (10.6 +/- 2.3).10(4) M-1 min-1. Another 3 SH-groups in the remaining 50% of the subunits were partly masked, which manifested itself in a 10-fold decrease of their modification rate: k2 = (1.12 +/- 0.28).10(4) M-1 min-1. Within the octamer, the SH-groups rapidly interacted with DTNB only on 4 subunits: k1 = (20.7 +/- 2.2).10(4) M-1 min-1, whereas in the remaining 4 octamer subunits a practically complete masking of essential SH-groups was observed, as a result of which these groups became inaccessible to DTNB. This manifested itself in a 1000-fold decrease of the rate of SH-group modification by DTNB which reached that of non-essential SH-group modification. In has been found that a complete loss of the octamer activity is due to the modification of only 4 SH-groups which interact with DTNB at a high rate. A model for subunit association into a dimer, hexamer and octamer has been proposed. Presumably, 50% of the active centers in the mitochondrial creatine kinase octamer are not involved in the catalytic act.


Catalytic synthesis of warfarin acetals by using different heteropolyacid catalysts In this research, we report on the synthesis of warfarin acetals by using Preyssler's anion, [NaP5W30O110]-14 and heteropolyacids (HPAs) catalysts. This reaction was performed using methanol and ethanol at reflux temperature conditions. Under these conditions we have excellent yields and high selectivity. Preyssler heteropolyacid catalyst were easily recycled recovery and reused without the loss of its catalytic activities. The synthesis of warfarin acetals has been achieved using the catalytic amounts of green, inexpensive and eco-friendly Keggin types heteropolyacids. The products were obtained in high yields.


This study is concerned with heat transfer by natural convection in a differentially heated square cavity. The purpose is to explore numerically the effects of the corner geometry and adiabatic extensions on heat transfer through the sidewalls. Two sets of simulations have been carried out in this study. The first set is concerned with steady-state calculations with different corner shapes, and the second set considers both steady-state and transient heat transfer with adiabatic extensions of various dimensions. The numerical results are presented in this paper.


Epithelioid sarcoma is a relatively rare malignancy which possesses peculiar clinico-morphological characteristics. It is characterized by few symptoms and a comparatively long course; it tends to arise in distal parts of the extremities in the age range of 20-40 years. It reveals the following morphologic features: nodular pattern, involvement of tendons and fasciae, epithelium-like cells and central necroses. Recurrence was observed in 79% and dissemination-57% (metastases into lymph nodes-37.5% included). Extensive excision of tumor or amputation are a method of choice in treating epithelioid sarcoma.


Entrepreneurial Capital, Human Capital and Financial Capital: they are three definitions widely recurring in corporate culture. However, they are often considered as independent elements and - for this reason independently analyzed - without considering that firm's reasoning is expression of a changing process over the time but, overall, deeply characterized by interconnected factors. Analyzing how an entrepreneur or a company makes specific market choices means identifying the aims, joining them to the technical skills of the company in order to realize a product or a service and, last but not least, quantifying the financial instruments to support the company project. That's why Entrepreneurial Capital, Human Capital and Financial Capital express three voices of a sole paradigm. They are expression of the company's progress and for this reason they should be duly related to new challenges of a market always more interconnected and global.


The objective of the research was to analyze the effects of the disruption that Peruvian university education has suffered due to COVID-19 in 2020 The type of research was basic under the design of grounded theory (De la Espriella & Gómez Restrepo, 2020) The study scenario was university education in the first semester of 2020, considering more than twenty academic texts;between articles, texts and reports related to university educational disruption The technique implemented was that of documentary analysis And in the procedure for collecting information, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken into account The results show that disruption is the break, abrupt or sudden interruption caused within a current paradigm Therefore, the paradigm of face-to-face Peruvian university education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has suffered a sudden interruption;so much so that article 47 of University Law N°30220 was modified;The modalities of face-to-face, semi-face-to-face and distance or non-face-to-face teaching were established, introducing university higher education in the new paradigm of online education For this reason, universities should be required to leave their comfort zone and incorporate information and communication technologies as a possibility and opportunity for academic development


Abstract Despite evidence for the involvement of working memory in mathematics attainment, the understanding of its components relationship to individual areas of mathematics is somewhat restricted. This study aims to better understand this relationship. Two-hundred and fourteen year 3 children in the UK were administered tests of verbal and visuospatial working memory, followed by a standardised mathematics test. Confirmatory factor analyses and variance partitioning were then performed on the data to identify the unique variance accounted for by verbal and visuospatial working memory measures for each component of mathematics assessed. Results revealed contrasting patterns between components, with those typically visual components demonstrating a larger proportion of unique variance explained by visuospatial measures. This pattern reveals a level of specificity with regard to the component of working memory engaged depending on the component of mathematics being assessed. Implications for educators and further research are discussed.


This paper aims at clarifying the articulation between the task models and system models encountered in CHI design practices. We demonstrate how the use of a formal task model may enhance the design of interactive systems, by providing quantitative results on which designers may base their decisions. We also demonstrate that it is possible to describe both task and system models within the same formal framework. This enables us firstly to formally prove that task and system models comply with each other, and secondly to perform quantitative analysis on the combination of task and system models. We propose a software design life cycle integrating formal task and system modelling. The approach is illustrated by a toy example which, despite its small size, allows us to develop both task and device models and to perform several iterations on the life cycle. The device and tasks are modelled using the Interactive Cooperative Objects (ICO) formalism, which is based on Petri nets and on the object-oriented approach. The formality of Petri nets allows for axiomatic validation of isolated and interacting subsystems.


We report the case of a 63 year-old man who presented with suddenonset, severe headache. Work-up revealed a hemorrhagic pituitary macroadenoma. He then suffered sudden-onset aphasia and right hemiparesis. Further evaluation revealed left ICA occlusion. Emergent transsphenoidal resection of the tumor produced recanalization of the occluded ICA, but his neurological symptoms persisted. ICA occlusion following pituitary tumor apoplexy is a rare event that must be recognized early for optimal patient outcomes. We report the first case with demonstration of carotid recanalization after tumor resection, review the incidence of ICA occlusion due to pituitary tumors, describe the possible mechanisms, and recommend optimal treatment strategies.


Water quality is a highly concerning issue as long as irrigation is planned to be used for crop production. Hence, groundwater at Bochessa catchment was assessed to determine the spatiotemporal variability of its quality and to evaluate its suitability for irrigation. For this study, 8 boreholes were selected and sampling was done during the dry and wet seasons between 2015 and 2017. Totally 48 water samples were collected from monitoring boreholes for laboratory analysis. Water samples were analyzed for 13 parameters including major cations and anions. The general linear model of two ways analysis of variance was used to determine the variability of parameters across the seasons and locations. The results revealed that about 46.0 and 16% of the parameters showed significant variation at P<0.05 across seasons and locations, respectively. This suggests temporal variation has a noticeable effect on the quality of groundwater. Almost all quality parameters showed a declining trend during the wet season. This also confirmed that how temporal variation influences groundwater quality in the area. SAR values in all locations were found within the limit and the water is suitable for irrigation. However, its values showed an increasing trend over time suggesting sodicity may challenge irrigation practices. Therefore, management practices such as; irrigation-fallowing, leaching, and choice of crops may help the farmers to maintain soil productivity.

 Key words: Agriculture, groundwater, permissible limit, quality parameters, suitability.


The COVID Pandemic could affect fertility behaviour and intentions in many ways. Restrictions on service provision may reduce access to family planning services and increase fertility in the short term. By contrast, the economic uncertainty brought about by the pandemic and its impact on mental health and well-being may reduce fertility. These various pathways have been explored in the context of high income countries such as the United States and Western Europe, but little is known about middle income countries. In this paper we asses the impact of the COVID pandemic on fertility intentions and behaviour in the Republic of Moldova, a middle income country in Eastern Europe, using the Generations and Gender Survey. This survey was conducted partially before and partially after the pandemic, allowing for detailed analysis of individual circumstances. The results indicate that the pandemic reduced contraceptive use by 40%. Conversely couples were also 41% less likely to be trying to conceive after the onset of the pandemic, although medium term fertility intentions were unchanged. Indicators therefore suggest that in the medium term fertility intentions may not be affected by the pandemic but access to family planning services and deferring attempts to conceive may change which individuals have children and when.


This paper tests the hypothesis that one important factor determining household availability of ready-to-consume products is their cost relative to the rest of the diet. National food expenditure surveys in the UK (2008) and Brazil (2008–09) were used. Purchased food quantities were converted into dietary energy (calories) and classified into three groups: (1) foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed; (2) processed culinary ingredients; and (3) ready-to-consume products, either processed or ultra-processed. The contribution of these groups to diets in each country was calculated as a percentage of total energy. Relative cost of ready-to-consume products in each country was calculated by dividing their cost by the cost of the rest of the diet (foods plus culinary ingredients). Linear regression analysis was used to test the association between the UK to Brazil ratios of the caloric share of different ready-to-consume products, and of the relative cost of these products. The caloric share of ready-to-consume products in the UK (63.4%) was well over double that of Brazil (27.7%), whereas their cost relative to the rest of the diet was 43% lower. The lower the relative cost of ready-to-consume products in the UK (compared with Brazil), the higher their relative consumption (R2=0.38, p<0.01).


High quality of the provided communication services can be reached by package networks by the organization of network synchronization of the time scales (TS). The report summarizes the experience of comparing the TS of the leading watches of the corporate telecommunication network with the state time scale - UTC (SU). The methods of realization of checking of a time scale and methods of distribution of time signals on a network are considered. In the report are presented the results of approbation on real networks of the technique of measuring the difference (divergence) of TS on the networks elements proposed by research and development company "KOMETEH". Results of pilot studies are given and practical recommendations about distribution of time scale signals over a network with the required accuracy with using the equipment of domestic production are made.


This article contains an overview of selected clinical techniques employed for neurointensive care monitoring and testing of cerebral autoregulation of patients following severe head injury. Multiple modalities are used for monitoring of cerebral haemodynamic reserve, including intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), blood flow velocity (FV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), jugular bulb oxygen saturation, laser-Doppler cortical flowmetry, near infrared spectroscopy of cerebral cortex, tissue oxygenation, and microdialysis. Large volumes of information demand specialised computer support for sensible interpretation and filtration of artifacts. Methods of testing of cerebral autoregulatory reserve based on transcranial Doppler ultrasonography are reviewed. Repetitive or continuous assessment is important in practice as autoregulatory reserve may fluctuate in time. Static and dynamic rates of autoregulation show sensitivity to carbon dioxide-induced vasodilatation, but fail to correlate with outcome following head injury. The carotid artery compression test, useful for assessment of patients after subarachnoid haemorrhage, has yet to prove its usefulness in head injury. Continuous waveform analysis of MCA FV and CPP correlates with coma score after resuscitation and outcome and hence may be considered as a robust method for the assessment of autoregulation in ventilated head trauma patients.


Considering a compact Riemann surface of genus greater or equal than two, a Higgs bundle is a pair composed of a holomorphic bundle over the Riemann surface, joint with an auxiliar vector field, so-called Higgs field. This theory started around thirty years ago, with Hitchin's work, when he reduced the self-duality equations from dimension four to dimension two, and so, studied those equations over Riemann surfaces. Hitchin baptized those fields as Higgs fields because in the context of physics and gauge theory, they describe similar particles to those described by the Higgs bosson. Later, Simpson used the name Higgs bundle for a holomorphic bundle together with a Higgs field. Today, Higgs bundles are the subject of research in several areas such as non-abelian Hodge theory, Langlands, mirror symmetry, integrable systems, quantum field theory (QFT), among others. The main purposes here are to introduce these objects, and to present a brief but complete construction of the moduli space of Higgs bundles.


Distance-sensitive applicators for UHF diathermic are described. A novel power and frequency controlled diathermic system using this applicators shows a leakage radiation of more than 20dB below that of conventional systems when unloaded. Furtheron. the new system keeps the actually applicated power constant as long as the patient is in a correct position.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the effects of the association of lopinavir and ritonavir administered during the whole period of rat pregnancy.

METHODS
62 Wistar rats of the EPM-1 variant weighing about 200 g were randomly divided into five groups: two controls (Ctrl = stress control, n = 10; and Ctr2 = drug vehicle control, n = 10) and three experimental ones which were treated with an oral solution of lopinavir/ritonavir (Exp1 = 12.8/3.2 mg/kg b.w., n = 14; Exp2 = 38.4/9.6 mg/kg b.w., n = 14; Exp3 = 115.2/28.8 mg/kg b.w., n = 14) from 'day 0' up to the 20th day of pregnancy. Maternal body weight was recorded at the start of the experiment and on the 7th, 14th and 20th day thereafter. At term (20th day), upon laparotomy and hysterotomy, the rats were anesthetized and the amount of implantations, reabsorptions, living fetuses, placentae and intrauterine deaths were recorded. The collected fetuses and placentae were weighed and the concepts were examined under a stereoscope microscope for external malformations.

RESULTS
An apparent dose-unrelated lethal effect of the antiviral association on the pregnant rats was observed; notwithstanding, the body weight gain of the surviving rats had no changes, independent of the considered group. It was noted that the quantitative and qualitative intrauterine content of living term rats was indistinguishable from that of the controls.

CONCLUSION
There was some degree of deleterious effects of the administration of the lopinavir/ritonavir association on pregnant rats; such effects eventually led to maternal death. However, neither the surviving rats showed toxicity nor did their concepts present any detectable change which could be related to the drug association.


This paper describes the systems developed by the HCCL team for the NIST 2021 speaker recognition evaluation (NIST SRE21).We first explore various state-of-the-art speaker embedding extractors combined with a novel circle loss to obtain discriminative deep speaker embeddings. Considering that cross-channel and cross-linguistic speaker recognition are the key challenges of SRE21, we introduce several techniques to reduce the cross-domain mismatch. Specifically, Codec and speech enhancement are directly applied to the raw speech to eliminate the codecs and the environment noise mismatch. We denote the methods that work directly on speech to eliminate the relatively explicit mismatches collectively as data adaptation methods. Experiments show that data adaption methods achieve 15\% improvements over our baseline. Furthermore, some popular back-ends domain adaptation algorithms are deployed on speaker embeddings to alleviate speaker performance degradation caused by the implicit mismatch. Score calibration is a major failure for us in SRE21. The reason is that score calibration with too many parameters easily lead to overfitting problems.


Next Steps (formerly known as the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England – LSYPE) is a longitudinal study which follows a sample of around 16,000 people born in 1989/1990. Study members were recruited via schools in England when they were aged 13–14 in 2004. They were interviewed annually for seven waves until they were aged 19/20 in 2010. Co-resident parents were also interviewed in the first four waves of the study.


Selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec isoacceptors contain the modified nucleotide i6A immediately 3' to the anticodon. Because synthesis of i6A is expected to be inhibited by lovastatin, the status of tRNA[Ser]Sec isoacceptors was examined in human breast carcinoma cells. As part of the initial characterization of these cells, it was determined that an adriamycin resistant derivative of the MCF-7 cell line exhibited a dramatic increase in the sensitivity to the killing effects of lovastatin relative to the parental MCF-7 cells. When MCF-7Adr cells were incubated with high levels of lovastatin, there was a dramatic perturbation in the distribution of isoacceptors within the selenocysteine tRNA population. Lovastatin may therefore be a useful reagent for both the study of differential killing of drug-resistant tumor cells and selenoprotein biosynthesis.


Electric drive is increasingly gaining in importance within the general ship propulsion system. Contemporary electric propulsion mainly contains a fixed propeller, a synchronous or asynchronous propulsion engine and a PWM frequency converter with an adequate drive. During recent years the azimuth system has become the most popular concept within the shipboard electric propulsion system. Ship's maneuverability has been significantly improved and the hull's vibration reduced. The employment of an external propulsion unit gives additional space for cargo or passengers. Dynamics of operation of the marine permanent magnet synchronous machine has been analyzed during operation in case of sudden increase of loading at propeller by application of mathematical model MatLab/sup /spl reg//.


The Middle Jurassic Lajas Formation in the Neuquen Basin of Argentina has been considered an ideal analog for tide-dominated deposits because of the widespread presence of tidal sedimentary structures and its heterolithic nature. Outcrops of the Lajas in the Los Molles area provide excellent exposures allowing both sedimentary structures and large-scale architectural information to be documented in detail. The extensive event bed stratification that characterizes the delta front and interdistributary bay deposits is interpreted to be the result of river floods because of the sharp base, fining-upward grain size trend, and seaward-directed paleocurrent indicators within each bed. The absence of wave-generated structures precludes a storm wave origin for these beds. Interflood deposits have two forms. The first is fine-grained sandstone and siltstone that is highly bioturbated with no tidal structures and is indicative of an overall river-dominated system. The second is also finer grained than the river flood beds but shows distinctive tidal features, indicative of a tide-influenced system during times when river influence was least. Mouth bars can be classified as purely river-dominated or river-dominated with tidal influence, depending on the type of interflood beds present. Tide-influenced mouth bars tend to be muddier, with more internal flow baffles or barriers and a lower-angle dip than their river-dominated counterparts. This study suggests that heterolithic successions containing pervasive tidal structures need not be tide-dominated because not all tidal structures are of equal importance in environmental interpretations. Their location (in river flood layers versus interflood layers) can be used as a methodology for determining the dominant and subordinate processes responsible for shaping the delta.


Leukocyte elastase induces apoptosis of lung epithelial cells via alterations in mitochondrial permeability, but the signaling pathways regulating this response remain uncertain. Here we investigated the involvement of proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1), the transcription factor NF-kappaB, and the protooncogene p53 in this pathway. Elastase-induced apoptosis of lung epithelial cells correlated temporally with activation of NF-kappaB, phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation of p53, increased p53 up-regulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) expression, and mitochondrial translocation of Bax resulting in enhanced permeability. Elastase-induced apoptosis was also prevented by pharmacologic inhibitors of NF-kappaB and p53 and by short interfering RNA knockdown of PAR-1, p53, or PUMA. These inhibitors prevented elastase-induced PUMA expression, mitochondrial translocation of Bax, increased mitochondrial permeability, and attenuated apoptosis. NF-kappaB inhibitors also reduced p53 phosphorylation. We conclude that elastase-induced apoptosis of lung epithelial cells is mediated by a PAR-1-triggered pathway involving activation of NF-kappaB and p53, and a PUMA- and Bax-dependent increase in mitochondrial permeability leading to activation of distal caspases. Further, p53 contributes to elastase-induced apoptosis by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.


In this paper, the performance of directional MAC protocol, proposed in [T. Koriakis et al., June 2003], and IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol are compared for an inter-vehicle communication application. Actual vehicle movement in a city and highway road scenarios are used for simulating inter-vehicle communication among nodes in network simulator (ns-2). DMAC protocol was implemented in ns-2. The results obtained from simulations demonstrate the performance improvement of directional MAC protocol as compared to IEEE 802.11 MAC for inter-vehicle communication.


I am honored to have been invited to present this Madison lecture, and I want to thank my hosts, Robby George and Brad Wilson, for their hospitality and for the excellence achieved by the Madison program under their stewardship.My charge was to present something on constitutional theory. Now, as you shall see, I do work in one corner of constitutional theory; and, of course, I believe it is the right corner to work in, and that all constitutional theorists should be working in my corner. The baleful truth, however, is that most constitutional theorists reject that claim, and this despite several articles of mine urging them to do otherwise. So, to date I have failed in my normative aspirations regarding constitutional theory. And this lecture will steer clear of preaching to the unconverted.What I intend to do instead is to categorize the extant approaches to constitutional theory, including mine. I am going to taxonomize rather than criticize — although, I confess, some criticisms will seep through, albeit mainly implicitly.


To improve access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy in rural areas of the global south, off-grid systems using renewable generation and energy storage are often proposed. However, solution design is often technology-driven, with insufficient consideration of social and cultural contexts. This leads to a risk of unintended consequences and inappropriate systems that do not meet local needs. To address this problem, this paper describes the application of a capabilities-led approach to understanding a community's multi-dimensional energy poverty and assessing their needs as they see them, in order to better design suitable technological interventions. Data were collected in Tlamacazapa, Mexico, through site visits and focus groups with men and women. These revealed the ways in which constrained energy services undermined essential capabilities, including relating to health, safety, relationships and earning a living, and highlighted the specific ways in which improved energy services, such as lighting, cooking and mechanical power could improve capabilities in the specific context of Tlamacazapa. Based on these findings, we propose some potential technological interventions to address these needs. The case study offers an illustration of an assessment method that could be deployed in a variety of contexts to inform the design of appropriate technological interventions.