PURPOSE
To monitor cell death in tumors during the rejection process after treatment with an antibody radiolabeled with a β-emitter.

METHODS
Tumors during rejection after treatment with (177)Lu-labeled antibody BR96 and after administration of unlabeled BR96 were compared with untreated tumors from the same immunocompetent syngeneic rat tumor model. Cell death was monitored with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunohistochemical staining of activated caspase-3 and γH2AX. These data were evaluated together with histopathological morphology, BR96-binding antigen expression, and (177)Lu radioactivity distribution imaged by digital autoradiography.

RESULTS
The untreated tumors showed staining for all the markers, mainly in and around the necrotic areas. One to 2 days p.i. large areas were stained with anti-γH2AX, followed by a slight decrease. Staining of activated caspase-3 was intense and extensive 1-2 days p.i., while found in and around necrotic areas 3-8 days p.i. TUNEL staining was similar to activated caspase-3 staining 1-2 days p.i. but more extensive than activated caspase-3 staining 3-4 days p.i. Digital autoradiography revealed activity concentration in granulation tissue from 1 day p.i.

CONCLUSION
Following radioimmunotherapy in an immunocompetent syngeneic colon carcinoma model, tumor cells did not only die through caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, but also by other mechanisms.


A model of calculation of molecular weights of fragments EcoRI, Hind III and PvuI is formulated. A restriction site map of factor pAP39 is constructed automatically. Sites to EcoRI and PvuI are distributed in the segment with molecular weight 9.1 MD.


PURPOSE
The role of patient assistance programs and patient advocacy foundations as a safety net for Americans without health insurance or with inadequate insurance, the financial impact of 14 years of experience promoting enrollment in such programs at a cancer treatment center, and resources and strategies that pharmacists can use to increase patient enrollment and access to needed medications are discussed.

SUMMARY
Various patient assistance programs and patient advocacy foundations offer financial and other support for patients who need help obtaining prescription medications because they lack health insurance or their insurance fails to meet their needs. Patients must complete an application and provide personal financial information. Efforts by a pharmacist at a cancer treatment center to enroll patients in such programs produced a marked reduction in write-offs over a 14-year period. Pharmacists can promote patient enrollment in assistance programs by screening for costly drugs and patients who are likely to have difficulty obtaining these drugs. These patients include those who exceed Medicaid coverage or for whom Medicaid coverage is pending, patients without any health insurance, patients without a prescription drug benefit, patients for whom the planned drug therapy is not covered by insurance, and patients enrolled in charity programs.

CONCLUSION
Patient assistance programs and patient advocacy foundations provide a valuable safety net to ensure that Americans without health insurance or with inadequate coverage receive needed prescription medications.


The superiority and safety of eco-friendly agricultural products are well-known. The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental data for creating a safe food culture, to improve the quality of school food services, and to increase student satisfaction with school food services. We compared the perception of eco-friendly agricultural products and food service satisfaction between students with and without exposure to a dedicated event for learning about eco-friendly products (an Eco-friendly Food Service Day) in elementary and middle school. When students were asked to define eco-friendly products, "organic products" was a highly frequent response in schools with an Eco-friendly Food Service Day, while "pesticide-free products" was a highly frequent response in school without this event. For most students, a factor in choosing eco-friendly products was a quality certification mark. Students from elementary schools with an Eco-friendly Food Service Day had a higher frequency of using eco-friendly agricultural products at home compared to students from schools without the event (p


Some methods of synthesis of networks composed of ternary majority elements such as the three-stable-state parametron or twin are studied. It is shown that three-place majority operation and diametrical negation (negation in the strong sense) with constants are functionally complete in three-valued logic. Classes of functions of two variables are studied for which networks realizing them contain no more than three cascades. This provides a possibility of realizing these functions in one full time unit in the case of three-cycle excitation. Methods of synthesis are developed for the networks which realize functions of an arbitrary number of variables. These methods are based on the excluding of one or several variables simultaneously. Considerations are proposed on the order of the excluding variables. Methods of majority decomposition of functions of three-valued logic are developed.


By focusing on questions concerning what kind of training graduate students in theology and ethics and religious ethics should receive, I try to initiate a conversation we need to have about the kind of work the JRE should foster.


Epidemiological data from patients undergoing radiotherapy for thoracic tumors clearly show the damaging effect of ionizing radiation on cardiovascular system. The long-term impairment of heart function and structure after local high-dose irradiation is associated with systemic inflammatory response, contraction impairment, microvascular damage, and cardiac fibrosis. The goal of the present study was to investigate molecular mechanisms involved in this process. C57BL/6J mice received a single X-ray dose of 16 Gy given locally to the heart at the age of 8 weeks. Radiation-induced changes in the heart transcriptome and proteome were investigated 40 weeks after the exposure. The omics data were analyzed by bioinformatics tools and validated by immunoblotting. Integrated network analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics data elucidated the signaling pathways that were similarly affected at gene and protein level. Analysis showed induction of transforming growth factor (TGF) beta signaling but inactivation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha signaling in irradiated heart. The putative mediator role of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade linking PPAR alpha and TGF beta signaling was supported by data from immunoblotting and ELISA. This study indicates that both signaling pathways are involved in radiation-induced heart fibrosis, metabolic disordering, and impaired contractility, a pathophysiological condition that is often observed in patients that received high radiation doses in thorax.


a method based on adaptive sliding mode variable structure controller is presented for synchronization of a class of chaotic system with perturbations and parameter mismatch. The controller is more robust to perturbations, parameter mismatch and inputs sector nonlinearity. Moreover, no restrictive assumption is imposed on the system. Thus the adaptation range of the proposed method becomes broad. Theoretical analysis and simulation results illustrate the validity.


We studied whether an increase in the basal LH release rate and/or the anterior pituitary gland (APG) LH response to LHRH is involved in maintaining normal or near-normal serum LH levels in monosodium L-glutamate (MSG)-treated rats which have small APGs for their body weight. Female rats were injected with MSG (4 mg/g BW) or saline on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 after birth (day of birth = 0). At 8-9 weeks of age, saline-treated and MSG-treated rats were ovariectomized, and 7 days later, they were decapitated. Trunk blood was collected from 18 controls and 19 MSG-treated rats, and serum LH concentrations were measured by RIA. APGs were bisected and each hemi-APG was placed in culture medium for a 30-min preincubation period, followed by two 30-min incubation periods during which water or 10 or 30 ng LHRH were added to the medium. Despite the fact that the APGs of the MSG-treated rats were half the size of those of the saline-treated rats, the serum LH levels in the 2 groups were not different. Basal LH release rates (the response to water) and LHRH-induced LH release per mg APG were increased in MSG-treated rats. Calculation of the basal LH release rates and LHRH-induced LH release on the basis of the entire weights of the APGs showed no differences between the MSG-treated rats and the controls. In 6 additional control and 6 additional MSG-treated rats, the APG LH concentration was measured and was not different between the 2 groups. The results suggest that increases in both the basal LH release rate per mg APG and the amount of LH released per mg APG in response to LHRH are of importance in the maintenance of normal or near-normal serum LH concentrations in MSG-treated rats with small APGs.


Both ion fluxes and changes of cytosolic pH take an active part in the signal transduction of different environmental stimuli. Here we studied the anoxia-induced alteration of cytosolic K+ concentration, [K+]cyt, and cytosolic pH, pHcyt, in rice and wheat, plants with different tolerances to hypoxia. The [K+]cyt and pHcyt were measured by fluorescence microscopy in single leaf mesophyll protoplasts loaded with the fluorescent potassium-binding dye PBFI-AM and the pH-sensitive probe BCECF-AM, respectively. Anoxic treatment caused an efflux of K+ from protoplasts of both plants after a lag-period of 300–450 s. The [K+]cyt decrease was blocked by tetraethylammonium (1 mM, 30 min pre-treatment) suggesting the involvement of plasma membrane voltage-gated K+ channels. The protoplasts of rice (a hypoxia-tolerant plant) reacted upon anoxia with a higher amplitude of the [K+]cyt drop. There was a simultaneous anoxia-dependent cytosolic acidification of protoplasts of both plants. The decrease of pHcyt was slower in wheat (a hypoxia-sensitive plant) while in rice protoplasts it was rapid and partially reversible. Ion fluxes between the roots of intact seedlings and nutrient solutions were monitored by ion-selective electrodes and revealed significant anoxia-induced acidification and potassium leakage that were inhibited by tetraethylammonium. The K+ efflux from rice was more distinct and reversible upon reoxygenation when compared with wheat seedlings.


This research book aims is to establish that: a transaction graph leads to better understanding of the concepts and relations in transactions and their semantics within enterprise architecture. Enterprise architecture comprises of complex transactional information systems that carry out repetitive and bespoke business transactions to meet business goals. When enterprise systems transact with each other there needs to be an exchange of meaning through transactions, so that agent A has the same conceptual understanding as agent B in the business transaction. If we accept that agents may not use the same terms to mean the same things, we need a way to discover what another agent means when it transacts. Conceptual Graphs are used to capture and to model business transactions and their semantics within enterprise architecture. Using case studies in a health domain and a financial domain this research investigates and develops an approach and design artefacts for the specification of semantics in transactions within enterprise architecture. Model automation is used to provide both accurate semantic and syntactic refinement, aiding the designer to capture semantics through ontology.


At physiological pH and concentrations of Mn++ in excess of 5 x 10-4 M, study of the Mn++ ion movement into human red cells is complicated by physicochemical alterations of the ion itself. At concentrations below 5 x 10x4 M, the rate of uptake bears a linear relationship to the Mn++ concentration. The permeability constant for inward movement of Mn++ is 2.87 ± 0.13 (S.E.) x 10-9 cm./sec. The rate is not influenced by the addition of metabolic substrates such as glucose or adenosine or the metabolic inhibitors iodoacetate or fluoride. Co++, Ca++, and Mg++ do not appear to compete with Mn++ for entry, but at high concentrations relative to Mn++, they reduce the rate of entry. Ca++ is far more effective than Co++ or Mg++ in this regard. The permeability constant for outward Mn++ movement is 1.38 ± 0.21 (S.E.) x 10-9 cm./sec., about half of that for entry. This slower rate of outward movement is consistent with the finding that 40 to 60 per cent of the Mn++ taken up by the red cells is non-ultrafilterable. Less than 5 to 10 per cent of the Mn++ appears to be bound to the stroma. It is concluded that entry and exit of Mn++ is a process of passive diffusion involving no carriers, transport, or metabolic linkage.


Level-set methods are popular for identifying piecewise constant structures. We propose an approach inspired by the level-set idea to identify coarse scale features of a scalar field, where the transitions between different regions can be both sharp and smooth. The nonlinear and coarse reparameterization structure provides regularization on the inverse problem, which is important if the quality of the available information is poor. In our identification strategy, the resolution of the representation of the parameter function is refined gradually; for several inverse problems, the nonlinearity of the problem is correspondingly carefully increased. Hence, when using a gradient-based optimization routine, the approach may reduce the risk of getting trapped in a local minimum of the objective function. We demonstrate the identification strategy for estimation of fluid conductivity in a porous medium based on sparsely distributed, transient data. The methodology is well suited for determining channels and barriers as well as smooth structures based on limited information.


Abstract A model and field investigation of hydrodynamic processes and morphological change at a sand-substrate tidal inlet is presented in order to describe conditions that can lead to shoaling and channel constriction. The Coastal Modeling System (CMS) developed at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) employs a depth-integrated two-dimensional circulation and sediment transport model, CMS-Flow, coupled with a phase-averaging, steady-state wave model, CMS-Wave, to simulate hydrodynamics and morphodynamics at Moriches Inlet in Long Island, New York. Short-term model simulations were conducted with measured water surface elevation and time-varying wave forcing to examine the capability of the model to simulate storm versus typical forcing. Model calibration and verification was performed by comparing calculations to measured water surface elevation and current velocity data collected during a field study at Moriches Inlet in 2004. Shoal development and relative movement of morphological features were reproduced in the model simulations. During simulated storm conditions, a vortex with a weak velocity field off the tip of the east jetty caused sediment to accumulate on the eastern boundary of the inlet channel. The alignment of the channel prevents the shoal from being scoured clear of the jetty. These modeled results were verified by observed morphologic response of Moriches Inlet to extratropical storms consisting of shoaling and channel constriction along the flank of the entrance channel and inlet throat. A 14-month long-term simulation also reproduced observations of channel infilling on the outer channel and accretion on the ebb tidal delta.


A central goal of algorithmic research is to determine how fast computational problems can be solved in the worst case. Theorems from complexity theory state that there are problems that, on inputs of size n, can be solved in t(n) time but not in t(n)^{1-epsilon} time for epsilon>0. The main challenge is to determine where in this hierarchy various natural and important problems lie. Throughout the years, many ingenious algorithmic techniques have been developed and applied to obtain blazingly fast algorithms for many problems. Nevertheless, for many other central problems, the best known running times are essentially those of the classical algorithms devised for them in the 1950s and 1960s.

Unconditional lower bounds seem very difficult to obtain, and so practically all known time lower bounds are conditional. For years, the main tool for proving hardness of computational problems have been NP-hardness reductions, basing hardness on P != NP. However, when we care about the exact running time (as opposed to merely polynomial vs non-polynomial), NP-hardness is not applicable, especially if the problem can already be solved in polynomial time. In recent years, a new theory has been developed, based on "fine-grained reductions" that focus on exact running times. The goal of these reductions is as follows. Suppose problem A is solvable in a(n) time and problem B in b(n) time, and no a(n)^{1-epsilon} and b(n)^{1-epsilon} algorithms are known for A and B respectively, for any epsilon>0. Then if A is fine-grained reducible to problem B (for a(n) and b(n)), then a b(n)^{1-epsilon} time algorithm for B (for any epsilon>0) implies an a(n)^{1-epsilon'} algorithm for A (for some epsilon'>0). Now, mimicking NP-hardness, the approach is to (1) select a key problem X that is conjectured to require t(n)^{1-o(1)} time for some t(n), and (2) reduce X in a fine-grained way to many important problems. This approach has led to the discovery of many meaningful relationships between problems, and even sometimes to equivalence classes.

In this talk I will give an overview of the current progress in this area of study, and will highlight some new exciting developments.


Critical segments in power system are closely related to cascading failures. Therefore, how to identify and quantify critical segments in a grid has become a hot topic of power system emergency and early warning. According to hidden failure model and power flow transferring, a searching mode of cascading failures was introduced in this paper, based on operational reliability model of lines. Utility theory is introduced to define the severity of the contingency. And a composite risk indicator for cascading failures is obtained by integrating the various risk indicators, which is based on the entropy and the analytic hierarchy process. According to complex network theory, vulnerability indicators are further proposed for the identification of key lines. Taking a district grid in Henan for example, the vulnerable lines in it are identified. The results demonstrate that improving a few key lines identified can make the grid avoid large blackouts.


This paper studies integration of the Novosibirsk Oblast market for final goods with  markets of all other Russian regions. It considers an aggregated market represented by a  basket of basic foods (staples basket). The law of one price serves as the criterion of market  integration. It is the base for constructing time series models of the regional costs of the  staples basket over 2001–2015 relative to its cost in the Novosibirsk Oblast. Regional markets are divided into four groups: perfectly integrated with the Novosibirsk Oblast market,  conditionally integrated with it, not integrated but tending towards integration, and neither integrated nor tending towards integration. Nonlinear time series models with asymptotically decaying trends describe the movement towards integration (price convergence).


Abstract An alternative approach to log-log plots for defect equilibria in the solid state and ionic equilibria in solution is presented. The method is based on the strictly monotone character of the functional dependence of an externally controlled thermodynamic variable (e.g. the oxygen partial pressure P(O2) for the defect equilibria in a simple oxide, or a total concentration for the ionic equilibria in solution) on a chemically relevant compositional variable (such as the electron concentration n for defect equilibria, or [H3O+] or a free ligand concentration for solution equilibria). This functional dependency can be safely inverted. The concentration of all species and the externally controlled thermodynamic variable can be calculated as a function of the chemically relevant compositional variable. The appropriate plots are then obtained using naively a spreadsheet program. This method gives exact results in many more cases than the traditional approach.


This article attempts to assess changes in the Korean business environment after the 1997 financial crisis from a foreign perspective. To this end, a comprehensive survey has been conducted of foreign business people in Korea. Although Korea has undertaken various policy measures and all-out efforts to improve its business environment in the recent past, the present study shows that foreign business people have in general a negative view on the progress. It further shows that there is substantial room for improvement in numerous areas. Not only should excessive government regulations and bureaucratic power be removed, but unfair advantages bestowed on domestic firms, inflexibility in the labour market and living conditions of foreign expatriates should also be improved. Korean people need to become more open and amicable to foreigners and foreign business operations in Korea.


Distributed power control by beamforming approach in cognitive radio networks requires a precise analysis of the impacts of the transmission parameters, tolerable interference and guarantees the quality of service of both the primary users and secondary users. In this paper, we propose an improved performance to solve the constrained nonlinear multi-object optimization and coherent power assignment by beamforming problem based on particle swarm optimization. This method is invoked to solve the constrained nonlinear optimization problem in order to reach to maximum capacity. A numerical study is performed to show the convergence behavior of the proposed algorithm and the efficiency of the proposed technique with a dynamic cost function.


In its first part the article deals with different classification of modelling types. In the process of analysis it is proved that classification systems created to answer the needs of particular branches of science do not meet the requirements of gnoseological analysis. In the second part of the article the author shows that, on the one hand, cybernetic modelling cannot be identified with any kind of modelling singled out in these systems. On the other hand, cybernetic modelling cannot be singled out of these systems as an independent type. Therefore, an attempt is made to investigate what types of modelling in these systems are most widely applied in cybernetic modelling, which of them and for what reason are the most effective ones.


The automatic detection and analysis of ocean eddies in the marginal ice zone via remote sensing is a very challenging task but of critical importance for scientific applications and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, as one of the first steps toward the automation of the eddy detection process, we investigated the potential of applying YOLOv5, a deep convolutional neural network architecture, to specifically collected and labeled high-resolution synthetic aperture radar data for a very dynamic area over the Fram Strait. Our approach involved fine-tuning pre-trained YOLOv5 models on a sparse dataset and achieved accurate results with minimal training data. The performances of the models were evaluated using several metrics, and the best model was selected by visual examination. The experimental results obtained from the validation and test datasets consistently demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of the chosen model to identify submesoscale and mesoscale eddies with different structures. Moreover, our work provides a foundation for automated eddy detection in the marginal ice zone using synthetic aperture radar imagery and contributes to advancing oceanography research.


Pyramidal- and wedge-absorber materials are used extensively in anechoic measurement chambers to attenuate stray signals. Typical absorber layouts result in large absorber walls in which the absorber tips and bases are roughly aligned in the same plane. Such a quasi-periodic configuration produces a strong coherent specular reflection which dominates the absorber scattered field. Based on the multisection impedance transformer concept, one can divide absorber elements into different levels (layers) so that this coherence can be destroyed to reduce the specular absorber scattering level. The synthesis of this desired behavior can be implemented by the Chebyshev transformer technique, which provides the largest bandwidth given a passband ripple threshold. The resulting reflected field is then the product of the original absorber response times the Chebyshev reduction factor, which is independent of polarization and absorber properties. Various measured results are used to show that more than a 10-dB improvement can be achieved at the critical low end of the frequency band using this approach. This improvement cannot be achieved using conventional design concepts unless the absorber size is doubled.


2D free energy surfaces V = V(rOH, rO...O) for the intramolecular H-bond in the title compound were calculated by the DFT method and used in the calculation of primary and secondary chemical shifts of the compound dissolved in chloroform and acetonitrile. Solvent effects were accounted for by the SCRF/PCM method. The corresponding two-dimensional chemical shift surfaces with included solvent reaction field were obtained using the Continuous Set of Gauge Transformations approach at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p) level of theory. The chemical shifts were estimated as quantum averages along the two internal coordinates in the hydrogen bond and along several vibrational levels according to the Boltzmann distribution at room temperature. Fairly good agreement between the experimental and calculated isotope effects was obtained. 1D and 2D NMR spectra of solutions of picolinic acid N-oxide and its deuterated analogue were recorded and assigned.


This paper proposes a new yield management method for the SoC (System on a Chip) VYR (vertical yield ramp). In this method, test structures and analysis methods are adjusted to quantitatively analyze and optimize failure modes for improved yield. To verify the new methodology, two types of test chips were designed to monitor and distinguish the various failure modes affecting typical LSI product chips. It is concluded that the new methodology can diagnose and improve these several failure modes simultaneously to achieve the SoC VYR.


The social, economic, and political transformations of the past two centuries have been rapid and dramatic, resulting in complex reconfigurations of religious authority in many Muslim societies. These changes have involved not only the emergence of distinctly new profiles of leadership, but also the persistence and adaptation of the models established by the ulama of the classical period. The challenges of modernizing reform at the turn of the twentieth century struck at the very heart of traditions that had bolstered established religious authority for a thousand years. In the modern period, ulama find themselves in increasingly crowded and highly contested public spheres in which they can no longer hold any kind of monopoly. Contemporary debates in Muslim public spheres are characterized by the emergence of complex new discursive formulations on issues of religious belief and practice, individual rights and responsibilities, and proper standards of public morality. This essay provides an historical introduction to the emergence of diverse models of Muslim religious authority in modern Asia.


This chapter is based on a review of literature written as part of the project "School on the Cloud" (SoC) launched by 57 project partners in March 2014 in Athens, Greece. The SoC project sought to provide a better understanding of potential impact that Cloud Computing can have on education in Europe. It presents leadership and management issues related to the adoption and implementation of the Cloud in education. It has been developed through a mixed-research approach involving desk-based review, analysis and policy guidance for educational stakeholders. E-leadership issues and support measures are identified for implementing the Cloud in education organisations.


Background. Foaming agent is one important substance in toothpaste. SLS is a detergent that commonly use as foaming agent in toothpaste. It has a danger potential to provide oral tissue damage. Rice straw water is an alternative to replace SLS function as foaming agent. The density of rice straw water as foaming agent in toothpaste is needed to be determined. This study was conducted by increasing the density of rice straw water (60 g, 80 g and 100 g rice straw ash in 500 ml distilled water) in order to increase the volume of foam generated. Purpose. The aim of this study was to determine the increasing density of rice straw water as a foaming agent in toothpaste to the volume of foam generated. Methods. Toothpaste with 0,15% SLS and toothpaste with rice straw water in three different density (60 g, 80 g and 100 g rice straw ash in 500 ml distilled water) were experimented on horizontal toothbrushing simulation machine to know the difference of each other in generating foam. The research was analyzed by Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Result. There were significant differences between the volume of foam generated by each sample groups. Conclusion. The increasing of rice straw water density in toothpaste will increase the volume of foam generated.


 Citation: Kermani M, Esrafili A, Piri R, Asadzadeh SN. Investigation of Photochemical Oxidation Efficiency Process Using H2O2 (UV/ H2O2) in Mineralization of 4-Chlorophenol IN Aqueous Environment. Journal of Health Research in Community. Summer 2018;4(2): 1-13. ABSTRACT Introduction and purpose: Chlorophenol is known as one of the toxic and dangerous pollutants in industrial wastewaters that's a essential to it's removal from industrial wastewaters and ground waters. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of 4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation using Ultraviolet/Hydrogen Peroxide process (UV/H2O2). Methods: The variables of the present study included initial concentration of pollutant, contact time, pH, and H2O2 concentration on 4-Chlorophenol removal on a laboratory scale. The concentration of residual 4-Chlorophenol was determined using UV/Visible at a wavelength of 280nm. In addition, the amount of mineralization in optimal conditions was evaluated using the measurement of total organic carbon (TOC) removal range according to the standard method 5310B. Synthetic models of the process were also investigated. Results: The optimum removal efficiency of 4-CP by UV/H2O2 process regarding the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 580 mg/L. pH of 3 and initial 4-CP concentration was obtained as 380 mg/L, and the presence of UV rays with a wavelength of 254 nm during 30m contact was 84.92% . In addition, 84.69% of the TOC was removed under the optimal condition. Moreover ,it was found that the data followed the first-order synthetic models. Conclusion: Considering the growing use of UV radiation in water treatment processes and the considerable efficiency of UV/ H2O2 process in removing 4-CP, this method can be proposed for the elimination of 4-CP after performing cost-benefit analyses. It can be concluded that with regard to purification goals and standards for wastewater treatment, UV/ H2O2 process can be used as a pre or final treatment.


The synthesis and structure-activity relationships of a series of phenylacetamides related to N-[3-(2,6-dimethyl-1-piperidinyl)propyl]-alpha-phenylbenzeneacetamide (1) (PD85639) acting at the voltage-dependent Na+ channel are described. All structural variations for this study were made in the phenylacetic acid portion of these molecules, and the compounds were synthesized by coupling the appropriately substituted phenylacetic acid derivative with 3-[1-(2,6-dimethyl)piperidinyl]-propanamine using standard methods of amide formation. Compounds were tested as inhibitors of [3H]batrachtoxinin binding in rat neocortical membranes and also as inhibitors of veratridine-induced Na+ influx in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing type IIA Na+ channels. Diphenylacetic acid derivatives with halogenated aromatic rings (12-15) were very potent in both assays, while alkoxy and alkyl substitution did not affect activity (16 and 17). Selected compounds were tested as potential neuroprotective agents in two cell culture assays involving inhibition of veratridine-induced and hypoxia-induced lactate dehydrogenase release. Compound 15 was equipotent with flunarizine, a reference compound in both neuroprotection assays.


Bike sharing is a new green transportation solution that has been developed and adopted at various cities around the world. In this paper, we present the process and results of the design and prototypes that a group of undergraduate students developed for a BikeShare@UH program during Summer 2017. After presenting the detailed results of four project teams focusing on customer discovery, bike share station (BSS) location identification, cloud-based mobile computing platform for user engagement and bike share program operation and management, smart lock, and alternative energy source based on PV panel. With the phase one implementation at the University planned in Spring 2018, we anticipate gathering real time data and feedback to improve the system.


This paper deals with the Optimal location and control of a unified power flow controller (UPFC) along with transformer taps are tuned to simultaneously optimize the voltage stability limit (VSL) and real power losses of a radial power system network. This problem is deals with a nonlinear equality and inequality constrained optimization problem with an objective function incorporating both the real power loss and VSL. An Meta-Heauristic algorithm known as Modified shuffled frog leap is applied for solving the UPFC location, its injected voltages are in series, a tap positions of secondary side transformers as they are variables. The obtained results of MSFL Algorithm Compared with Bacteria foregoing algorithm using IEEE 39 bus.


This research was aimed to reveal strategy of society communication development  within Qoryah Thoyyibah farmer association, through the farmer effort to increase organic rice plant commodity. This  research  used  descriptive  qualitative  approach  and  method  where  the  data  were  collected through observation, interview, documentation, and it also used triangulation of resource, data, and theory.  The  research  subjects  were  the  member  and  the  committee  of  Qoryah  Toyyibah  farmer association at Kalibening, Tingkir  district of Salatiga city. Through society empowerment, farmer association  of  organic  rice  plant  commodity  economically  has  raised  their  welfare  better  through cooperatives  system  where  it  becomes  the  alternative  activity  in  management  especially  about financial that involves farmer crop starting from planting process, maintenance process, up to crop yield management. Moreover, the strategy of society communication of farmer association was able to  strengthen  the  friendship  among  the  member  by  implementing   Javanese  culture  philosophy, mutual assistance, friendly and peaceful communication in monthly meeting conducted.


Although nanomaterial-based theranostics have increased positive expectations from cancer treatment, it remains challenging to develop in vivo "nano-doctors" that provide high-contrast image-guided site-specific therapy. Here we designed an activatable theranostic nanoprobe (ATNP) via self-assembly of activatable aptamer probes (AAPs) on Au@Ag/Au nanoparticles (NPs). As both quenchers and heaters, novel Au@Ag/Au NPs were prepared, showing excellent fluorescence quenching and more effective near-infrared photothermal therapy than Au nanorods. The AAP comprised a thiolated aptamer and a fluorophore-labeled complementary DNA; thus, the ATNP with quenched fluorescence in the free state could realize signal activation through target binding-induced conformational change of the AAP, and then achieve on-demand treatment under image-guided irradiation. By using S6 aptamer as the model, in vitro and in vivo studies of A549 lung cancer verified that the ATNP greatly improved imaging contrast and specific destruction, suggesting a robust and versatile theranostic strategy for personalized medicine in future.


Polymers are ubiquitously present in our daily life because they can meet a wide range of needs and fields of applications. This success, based on an irresponsible linear consumption of plastics and the access to cheap oil, is creating serious environmental problems. Two lines of actions are needed to cope with them: to adopt a circular consumption of plastics and to produce renewable carbon-neutral monomers. This review analyses the recent advances in the chemocatalytic processes for producing biomass-derived carboxylic acids. These renewable carboxylic acids are involved in the synthesis of relevant general purpose and specialty polyesters and polyamides; some of them are currently derived from oil, while others can become surrogates of petrochemical polymers due to their excellent performance properties. Polyesters and polyamides are very suitable to be depolymerised to other valuable chemicals or to their constituent monomers, what facilitates the circular reutilisation of these monomers. Different types of carboxylic acids have been included in this review: monocarboxylic acids (like glycolic, lactic, hydroxypropanoic, methyl vinyl glycolic, methyl-4-methoxy-2-hydroxybutanoic, 2,5-dihydroxypent-3-enoic, 2,5,6-trihydroxyhex-3-enoic acids, diphenolic, acrylic and δ-amino levulinic acids), dicarboxylic acids (2,5-furandicarboxylic, maleic, succinic, adipic and terephthalic acids) and sugar acids (like gluconic and glucaric acids). The review evaluates the technology status and the advantages and drawbacks of each route in terms of feedstock, reaction pathways, catalysts and economic and environmental evaluation. The prospects and the new research that should be undertaken to overcome the main problems threatening their economic viability or the weaknesses that prevent their commercial implementation have also been underlined.


Nursing leadership at Morristown Medical Center, a Magnet-designated, 600-plus bed tertiary care center, in response to forces, such as health care reform, and recommendations, such as those outlined in the Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing, developed an innovative model of care delivery called the Partners in Caring. This model of care delivery is an approach built on a functional unit of registered nurse-nurse assistant partnership supported by a patient care facilitator. The nursing partners are accountable for the coordination of patient care with an emphasis on patient and organizational goal achievement of (1) improving the health of our patients, (2) developing and maintaining an improved and responsive health care system, and (3) lowering costs while delivering quality care. The model of care was developed and is being implemented and evaluated using a knowledge translation methodology to ensure its evidence base and outcome achievement. Transforming workforce roles and communication patterns, incorporating technology to benefit time management and maintaining a keen focus on achieving patient outcomes are hallmarks of this new model.


The level of inertia in modern power systems is reducing drastically due to the increasing penetration of renewables to the power grid. In the near future the grid will face high penetration of renewable resources because of countries policies. However, renewables provides no inertia. On the other hand, voltage source converter (VSC) based multi terminal HVDC system is a promising solution for connection of offshore wind farms to transmit huge amount of harvested energy to ac grids. This paper proposes a complete VSC-HVDC control structure which enables candidate converter station to mimic the inertia of a synchronous machine considering generalized voltage droop strategy. The emulated inertia comes from the capacitor of the dc link. The proposed strategy enables a VSC station with a fixed dc link capacitor to mimic inertia constant in a considerable range, by configuring a range of dc-link dc voltage variation. Sudden load changes in weak ac grid will be compensated by the emulated inertia that is provided by the candidate grid side VSC station.


Following the Letokhov model for passive mode locking, which describes the buildup of ultrashort light pulses from noise, the statistical behavior of passive mode locking and the discrimination characteristics of the nonlinear absorber are examined. The probability W of having a second ultrashort pulse of a certain intensity within the resonator round-trip time 2t_{L} is described. This probability is essentially a function of the initial dye absorption coefficient x 0 and a pumping parameter t p that is a measure for the excitation rate of the optical pump. Experimental results are reported that confirm these theoretical considerations.


Abstract Helium produced by neutron irradiation is a crucial inducement to bring about the property of deterioration of structural materials served in a fusion reactor. To investigate the nucleation and growth behavior of helium bubbles in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels, which comprise one of the most promising candidate structural materials, the Molecular Statics method and the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm are combined to investigate the energetic and mechanical behaviors of HenVm clusters in α-Fe. The simulation results show that the vacancy and helium atom binding energy are inclined to reach a saturation state, i.e., 4.0 eV for the vacancy and 2.4 eV for the helium atom; however, the binding energy of self-interstitial atoms decreases to minus values at high helium-to-vacancy (He/V) ratios. The crossover of the binding energy curve of the helium and vacancy indicates that the equilibrium He/V ratio is 1.68 during the nucleation of helium bubbles. Meanwhile, the dissociation energy analysis indicates that the stable He/V ratio of the clusters is 1.3 at high temperatures. Moreover, the pressure analysis of the HenVm clusters indicates that the He/V ratio corresponding to their mechanical equilibrium state varies from 0.50 to 0.65 at 0 K. Furthermore, the analysis combined with the relevant experimental data of helium density in helium bubbles indicates that the actual He/V ratio of helium bubbles in the served materials is closely relevant to the irradiation condition, such as helium production rate, temperature, etc. The investigation results in this paper contribute to elucidate the microscopic process of helium bubble nucleation and growth and provides the energetic and mechanical parameters of small-sized helium bubbles with different sizes for large-scale simulation studies.


The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans can infect the central nervous system (CNS) and cause fatal meningoencephalitis, which accounts for an estimated 180,000 deaths per year. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis (CM) occurs mainly in the individuals with compromised immune systems. Thus, cryptococcal disease in the CNS has been predominantly attributed to insufficient immune responses and subsequent uncontrolled fungal growth. However, evidence has emerged that an inappropriate immune response, as much as an insufficient response, may promote clinical deterioration and pathogenesis. In this chapter, we will review the different types of immune responses to C. neoformans and their contribution to tissue damage and diseases.


Abstract Passive cyclonic gas-liquid separators (PCGLSs) are commonly used in microgravity conditions where gravity settling separation is difficult or impossible. In this study, displacement-current phase tomography (DCPT) is used to measure various features of the gas-liquid flow inside of a PCGLS. The liquid holdup, liquid angular velocity, and gas core size are investigated. The liquid holdup is also measured in a gas-liquid flow that simulates the injection flow for a PCGLS. It is found that the gas core contracts and expands in a periodic motion as air is injected with water. This motion becomes more noticeable as the air flow rate is increased. It is also found that the liquid layer angular velocity has a positive linear trend with the air flow rate under constant water flow rates. A basic linear relation is derived to relate the liquid angular velocity to the air and water flow rates. All DCPT and electrical capacitance phase tomography (ECVT) results closely match the visual confirmation methods used for each flow feature.


The notion that "success breeds success, and failure breeds failure" is a widely held belief applied by people to a variety of situations in everyday life. Initial success is assumed to generate confidence, which then increases the likelihood of success in subsequent trials. Repeated failures are expected to lead to diminished future accomplishments. One arena in which the apparent relationship between psychological factors and sequences of successes and failures has been tested is sport. Recently, Iso-Ahola and Dotson (2014) developed a model of psychological momentum (PM), and argued that the "hot hand" can be detected in sport (including games such as basketball) if the appropriate methodology and statistical tests are employed. This commentary examines their theoretical framework and conclusions, which seem to be rather conflicting in light of the evidence on the performance-enhancing effects of PM and the hot hand in sports. More specifically, we argue that their claims have received only limited support, suggesting that more solid empirical evidence is required to support the "success-breeds-success" principle and the conceptual framework of PM, at least as the sport arena is concerned.


The sustainable governance of water resources requires that policy makers adapt to changing environmental and socioeconomic context. The efficient management of water resources is vital for its sustainable access and use. Therefore, adequate management practices are needed. Institutional reforms governing the water sector are undergoing remarkable changes and several efforts have been made in this direction for a long time to enhance the water service level. Currently, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani limited (KUKL) is responsible for managing urban water and sanitation service to the Kathamndu Valley. It is the public company registered under the Nepal Government's company Act 2006 and operates under public private partnership (PPP) modality, which is a part of urban water supply sector reforms of Kathamndu Valley. However, the basic requirement of water and sanitation service level has not changed sustainably. This paper focused to understand the institutional structure of the reforms and to examine the roles of institutions involved and stakeholders. This paper attempted to find out the real problem of water supply and why inadequate water service in Kathmandu valley though many institutional changes occurred. Literatures were reviewed and a descriptive, qualitative design was adopted to generate empirical data. This study finds that urban water supply sector reform of Kathmandu Valley is much closer to the Scott's theory which consists of cognitive, normative and regulative structure and activities that work together provide stability and meaning to social behavior. However, findings are incongruent with this view point. Findings also show that focal problem of water supply is depleting water sources and widening the gap between demand and supply. Additionally, findings show that lack of coordination among stakeholders, weak institutional structure, unstable political scenario, and unplanned urbanization give rise to the problem, leading wider implications to the health of people and national economy. This paper discusses the results of the study and recommends improving the situation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jie.v9i1.10678 Journal of the Institute of Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 130–141


Most studies of solitude have focused on the modern individualized sense of solitude, located or originating in urbanized Western cultures where solitude is seen as a companion to urban modernity. In this perspective the larger historical and cultural context goes almost unnoticed together with the fact that the preoccupation with solitude, in various forms and functions, has been around for a longer time span than Modernity and with a broader cross-cultural perspective. However, the basic cultural function of the various understandings of solitude is the same across cultures: a negotiation of the boundaries of the human life world, but in forms that are historically contextualized and differentiated. With texts from William Shakespeare to J. M. Coetzee and with references to older mythology and its modern recycling this paper tries to capture the broader historical development of solitude in European culture as an imagined position on the boundary of the human life world.


This work investigates the vibrational characteristics of the underground gas pipelines. Experiments were conducted to analyze the effects of various parameters on the vibrational characteristics from the emergency detection point of view. Influences of the various types of impact exerted on the pipe, height of free fall and measuring locations were analyzed. Especially, the difference between the vibrational signal generated by the direct impact on the pipe and the ambient noise was successfully identified. To validate the experimental observation, computer simulation was also performed with constant properties(elasticity, fluid velocity and internal pressure) which are directly conjectured from the accompanying experiment with a real pipe system.


We calculate the expected FIR/sub-mm molecular hydrogen line emission from the first galactic objects that formed in the universe. Due to their low masses, the stellar feedback from massive stars is able to blow away their gas content and collect it into a cooling shell where H2 rapidly forms and IR rotational lines carry away a large fraction of the explosion energy. The expected fluxes from these sources are in the range 10100 μJy. The highest number counts are expected in the 60-80 μm band, where about 1000 sources/deg are predicted at the limiting flux of 7×10μJy. Among the planned FIR/sub-mm facilities, we find that the best detection perspectives are offered by the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF, which should be able to reveal about 3500 first objects in one hour observation time. Therefore, FIR/sub-mm instruments appear to represent perfect tools to trace star formation and stellar feedback in the very high (z > ∼ 10) redshift universe.


This comprehensive history (first published in 1987) covers the whole period in which books have been printed in Britain. Though Gutenberg had the edge over Caxton, England quickly established itself in the forefront of the international book trade. The slow process of copying manuscripts gave way to an increasingly sophisticated trade in the printed word which brought original literature, translations, broadsheets and chapbooks and even the Bible within the purview of an increasingly broad slice of society. Powerful political forces continued to control the book trade for centuries before the principle of freedom of opinion was established. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the competition from pirated USA editions - where there were no copyright laws - provided a powerful threat to the trade. This period also saw the rise of remaindering, cheap literature, and many other 'modern' features of the trade. The author surveys all these developments, bringing his history up to the present age.


The objective of this chapter is to propose a methodology for the measurement of value chain relational coordination of SMEs. For this purpose, the case of the measurement of relational coordination of the value chain of a small safety footwear company of Ambato, Ecuador is analyzed. The results of the analysis show that the measurement of relational coordination in the value chain of SMEs presents several challenges. Some of the challenges are the result of some characteristics of SMEs such as the lack of strategy, processes, and functions formalization. Other challenges are derived from the size and power asymmetry of chain members and the geographical distance between them. Five steps are proposed for the measurement of relational coordination of the value chain of SMEs.


This paper presents a new estimation method for the parameters of a model generating times series. Given some conditions on the form of the power spectral density associated to the process, it is possible to indirectly recover pa- rameter estimates from wavelet variances (WV) associated to the process. We propose an optimization criterion based on a standardized distance between the sample WV estimates and the model based WV, as is done e.g. with the generalized method of moments and therefore call the new estimator the generalized method of Wavelet Moments (GMWM) estimator. Moreover, it can be computed using simulations, so that it is very straightforward to implement in practice, since the only specification that is needed for a given model, is the data generating process. We derive its asymptotic properties for inference and perform a simulation study to compare the GMWM estimator to the MLE and another estimator with different models. We also use it to estimate the the stochastic error's parameters in accelerometer and gyroscopes composing inertial navigation systems by means of a sample of over 8000000 measurements, for which no other estimation method can be used.


Arbuscular mycorrhizae, ubiquitous mutualistic symbioses between plant roots and fungi in the order Glomales, are believed to be important controllers of plant responses to global change, in particular to elevated atmospheric CO2. In order to test if any effects on the symbiosis can persist after long‐term treatment, we examined root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and other fungi of several plant species from two grassland communities after continuous exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2 for six growing seasons in the field. For plant species from both a sandstone and a serpentine annual grassland there was evidence for changes in fungal root colonization, with changes occurring as a function of plant host species. We documented decreases in percentage nonmycorrhizal fungal root colonization in elevated CO2 for several plant species. Total AM root colonization (%) only increased significantly for one out of the five plant species in each grassland. However, when dividing AM fungal hyphae into two groups of hyphae (fine endophyte and coarse endophyte), we could document significant responses of AM fungi that were hidden when only total percentage colonization was measured. We also documented changes in elevated CO2 in the percentage of root colonized by both AM hyphal types simultaneously. Our results demonstrate that changes in fungal root colonization can occur after long‐term CO2 enrichment, and that the level of resolution of the study of AM fungal responses may have to be increased to uncover significant changes to the CO2 treatment. This study is also one of the first to document compositional changes in the AM fungi colonizing roots of plants grown in elevated CO2. Although it is difficult to relate the structural data directly to functional changes, possible implications of the observed changes for plant communities are discussed.


Several types of industrial Real-Time Ethernet (RTE) networks could be present in the same plant. This work deals with the clock synchronization problems that arise when different RTE network infrastructures are interconnected. Specifically, this paper is focused on the exploitation of PROFINET IO Conformance Class C infrastructure for the interconnection of other industrial communication devices or measurement instruments that use IEEE1588 for clock synchronization. Actually, such devices (e.g., LXI instruments, EtherNet/IP devices, etc.) cannot be satisfactorily synchronized if directly connected to the PROFINET infrastructure, because of the large time errors (up to 100 μs). The solution proposed in this paper is an intelligent clock synchronization converter that has fewer limitations if compared with other systems, like boundary clocks. The basic idea is the creation of a "black-box" (a sort of remote bridging device) for the interconnection of IEEE1588 nodes through a PROFINET IO host plant, with zero-configuration on both systems. The proposed approach differs from boundary clock since its goal is to keep the PROFINET IO and the IEEE1588 synchronization domains separated, exploiting the possibility to tunnel the IEEE1588 time information through the PROFINET IO infrastructure with sufficient precision. In order to verify the practical feasibility of the proposed solution, LXI Class B instruments have been connected to the infrastructure of a real PROFINET IO network. The results show that the standard deviation of the synchronization accuracy is only 10 ns higher than the one measured in the case of a dedicated (separated) network for the LXI instruments.


The pathophysiology of trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm and other disorders that can be cured by microvascular decompression of cranial nerves, is reviewed and different hypotheses about its pathophysiology are discussed. It is found that the pathophysiology of these disorders is complex and other factors than vascular compression are necessary to cause symptoms. While the efficacy of the microvascular decompression (MVD) operation is indisputable, it is questionable if the symptoms and signs of these disorders are caused by abnormal neural activity in the respective cranial nerves that result from the compression from a blood vessel. Instead, studies point to hyperactivity and hyperexcitability of the respective nuclei as a cause of the symptoms and signs of these disorders. Results of several studies indicate that irritation of the cranial nerve in question from close contact with a blood vessel may promote such development, and it seems necessary that other factors in addition to the vascular contact must be present in order that such a condition develops.


Over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd June 2019, Kettering Borough Council held its first ever Health and Wellbeing Festival. The event, held at Northampton Road Recreation Ground and at Boughton House, was deemed to be a great success by exhibitors and visitors alike.


In the emergent field of tax psychology, the focus on regulating tax evasion recently shifted towards searching for situational cues that elicit common goals compliance. Trust and reciprocity are argued to steer a socially-favorable environment that supports social tax ethics norms. Experiments, in which 256 participants played an economic trust game followed by a common goods game, found evidence for trust and reciprocity leading to individuals contributing to common goals. The more trust and reciprocity was practiced and experienced, the more common goals were supported - leveraging trust and reciprocity as interesting tax compliance antecedents. The results have widespread implications for governmental-citizen relations. Policy makers and public servants are advised to establish a service-oriented customer atmosphere with citizens breeding trust and reciprocity in order to reach common societal goals.


Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Part I. Constant's Education: the French, Scottish, and German Enlightenments: 1. Childhood 2. Edinburgh 3. Paris 4. Protestantism and the Enlightenment 5. Brunswick 6. Mauvillon, the new German theology and the idea of progressive revelation 7. Constant's 'The Spirit of Religions' 8. Madame de Stael Part II. The Crucible of the Directory Years: 1. The see-saw policy of the directory 2. Catholicism and the need for 'Republican Institutions' 3. Catholic counter-arguments 4. Constant during the Directory 5. Critics of the Directory's Religious Policies 6. The second Directory and the renewed campaign for Republican institutions 7. Theophilanthropy 8. Lessons of the Directory: William Godwin and Des circonstances actuelles Part III. Napoleon, or Battling 'the New Cyrus': 1. Napoleon and the Catholic Revival 2. Enlightened responses and the plan to 'Protestantize' France 3. Charles de Villers 4. Bonaparte's decision 5. Portalis on the Utility of Religion 6. The Concordat and the Organic Articles 7. Friends and foes of the Concordat: from the Genie du christianisme to Delphine 8. Constant's trip to Germany 9. The Sentiment/Form Distinction 10. Return to Paris (December 1804) and the Debate on a National Religion Part IV. Constant becomes Constant: From the Principles of Politics (1806) to the Spirit of Conquest and Usurpation (1814): 1. Constant's Political Principles in 1806 2. 'Private judgement' in Protestant Polemics 3. Book VIII: On Religious Freedom 4. Constant's 'Corner of Religion': from the 'Letter about Julie' to the Correspondence with Prosper de Barante, a. The 'Letter about Julie', b. Adolphe and Cecile, c. Correspondence with Prosper de Barante 5. De l'Allemagne (1810) 6. Constant's return to Germany 7. The spirit of conquest and usurpation (1814) Part V. Politics and Religion during the Restoration (1814-24): 1. Keeping Political Liberty Alive 2. Keeping Religious Liberty Alive Part VI. The 'Protestant Bossuet': De la religion in Political Context (1824-30): 1. De la religion, volume I (May 1824), Reviews of volume I 2. Charles X and 'the invasion of priests', Constant's article 'Christianity', Professions of Protestantism 3. De la religion, volume II (October 1825) 4. The Problem with Industrie: Constant and religion seen from the Left 1. Saint-Simon's 'New Christianity' (1825) 2. Auguste Comte, Le Producteur, and the search for a new 'spiritual authority' Part VII. Constant's Legacy: 1. The Revolution of 1830 2. Constant's declining reputation.


A new adaptive algorithm for blind interference rejection and multipath mitigation is studied and applied to antenna array processing in the reverse channel of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) cellular communication system. The method is based on higher order statistics (HOS) processing of the baseband vector samples at the antenna array output. The similarity between the cumulant-based solution and the standard multivariable least-squares solution is exploited to derive an efficient adaptive algorithm based on a low-rank processing architecture. The algorithm exhibits good tracking and enhanced identification capability with respect to traditional least-squares methods.


Purpose: Pterygia have been reported to share some of the genetic defects seen in cancers, including microsatellite instability (MSI). We examined pterygia for the presence of proteins typically missing or defective in adenocarcinomas with MSI. We also performed microsatellite analysis on DNA from pterygia to test for instability in the size of the microsatellites, using markers conventionally used to characterize MSI in tumors (Bethesda convention markers). Methods: We examined 13 pterygia by immunohistochemistry for MLH1 and MSH2, 2 proteins involved in DNA mismatch repair. In addition, we amplified the pterygial DNA with primers specific for 5 Bethesda markers (BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250). Results: MLH1 staining was present at low levels in the basal cells of the cornea and migrating limbal cells of the pterygia. MSH2 staining was present in basal and in maturing epithelial cells of the cornea and migrating limbal cells of pterygia. We observed no reproducible examples of MSI or loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Conclusions: We were unable to confirm the presence of MSI and LOH by using the markers we examined. MSH2 staining appeared to be normal in pterygia. MLH1 staining was present but in reduced amounts compared with that seen in the conjunctiva.


Objectives Perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate are well-known inhibitors of the sodium-iodide symporter and may disrupt thyroid function. This exploratory study investigated the association among urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate concentrations and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in the general U.S. population. Methods We analyzed data on 4265 adults (aged 20 years and older) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2005 through 2006 to evaluate the relationship among urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate concentration and PTH levels and the presence of hyperparathyroidism cross-sectionally. Results The geometric means and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) concentrations of urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate were 3.38 (3.15–3.62), 40363 (37512–43431), and 1129 (1029–1239) ng/mL, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables and sample weights, creatinine-corrected urinary perchlorate was negatively associated with serum PTH levels in women (P = 0.001), and creatinine-corrected urinary nitrate and thiocyanate were negatively associated with serum PTH levels in both sex groups (P = 0.001 and P<0.001 for men, P = 0.018 and P<0.001 for women, respectively). Similar results were obtained from sensitivity analyses performed for exposure variables unadjusted for creatinine with urinary creatinine added as a separate covariate. There was a negative relationship between hyperparathyroidism and urinary nitrate and thiocyanate [odds ratio (95% CI) = 0.77 (0.60–0.98) and 0.69 (0.61–0.79), respectively]. Conclusions A higher urinary concentration of perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate is associated with lower serum PTH levels. Future studies are needed to determine the pathophysiological background of the observation.


Among univoltine insects that experience diapause, differences in emergence timing between adult males and females are expected to be dictated by sex-specific developmental factors. In multivoltine insects without a diapause, there is often an additional relationship between the date of oviposition and the date of adult emergence. Differences between male and female emergence timing in the latter case can therefore be influenced by female sex-allocation decisions. In the present study, it is shown that eggs of a univoltine parasitoid wasp Diachasma alloeum Muesebeck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) that are laid earlier also eclose earlier during the subsequent year, independent of (although complementary to) sex-related differences in development time. The implications of this pattern for sex allocation decisions by female univoltine parasitoids are discussed.


Objective: To explore the genetic characteristics of a family with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) caused by endoglin (ENG) gene mutations. Methods: A total of 17 individuals from a 3-generation HHT family attending the First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University were selected as the research subjects. Clinical data and familial disease status of the HHT family proband were collected. Whole exome sequencing technology was used to screen for suspected pathogenic genes in the proband, and Sanger sequencing was used for family validation. Results: The proband and her mother had recurrent epistaxis and skin mucosal telangiectasia, and enhanced CT scans of the chest of the proband and her mother, daughter, and cousin indicated the presence of varying degrees of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. The results of the full exon sequencing results showed that the proband carried the ENG gene c.579_599del non-shift deletion mutation, and Sanger sequencing showed that the mother, daughter, and cousin carried the same mutation. Conclusion: ENG gene c.579_ 599del mutation may be the genetic basis of HHT in this family.


This paper would like to prove the feasibility of a new high-Q eight-path bandpass filter. The proposed filter is tuned by using a command circuit made up by a ring voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with 'XOR' gates. Fabricated in a standard 0.35 mum CMOS, this circuit is intended to replace the SAW filters in wireless broadband applications. Experimental results demonstrate interesting performances; a tunable center frequency range of 200 MHz [300-500 MHz] and a quality factor that can be as high as 200 within the tunable frequency range.


Tourism is all community activities related to tourists. The growth and development of tourism can increase the country's foreign exchange. This view can improve tourism both in terms of infrastructure and superstructure. In addition, art can be used as a support for tourism. Remembering art is one of the creations, intentions, and human works to maintain his life. Cultural elements include: dance, music and art which are introduced to tourists through tourism. Dance and music which is used as a tourist attraction on attractions are staged, in order to introduce culture as local and foreign tourists. Performing arts can be used as a supportive power for tourism and can be collaborated in order to package and provide a collaboration art performance pattern. The collaborative art performances include Sasak Ethnic Dance such as: Rudat Dance, Gendang Beleq; in addition to Balinese dance arts such as Panyembrama Dance, Gabor Dance and Pendet Dance.


Oil refinery production of fuels is becoming more challenging as a result of the changing world supply of crude oil towards properties of higher density, higher sulfur concentration, and higher acidity. One such production challenge is an increased risk of naphthenic acid corrosion that can result in various surface degradation profiles of uniform corrosion, non-uniform corrosion, and localized pitting in piping systems at temperatures between 150°C and 400°C. The irregular internal surface topology and high external surface temperature leads to a challenging in-service monitoring application for accurate pipe wall thickness measurements. Improved measurement technology is needed to continuously profile the local minimum thickness points of a non-uniformly corroding surface. The measurement accuracy and precision must be sufficient to provide a better understanding of the integrity risk associated with refining crude oils of higher acid concentration. This paper discusses potential technologies for measuring localized internal corrosion in high temperature steel piping and describes the approach under investigation to apply flexible ultrasonic thin-film piezoelectric transducer arrays fabricated by the sol-gel manufacturing process. Next, the elastic wave beam profile of a sol-gel transducer is characterized via photoelastic visualization. Finally, the variables that impact measurement accuracy and precision are discussed and a maximum likelihood statistical method is presented and demonstrated to quantify the measurement accuracy and precision of various time-of-flight thickness calculation methods in an ideal environment. The statistical method results in confidence values analogous to the a90 and a90/95 terminology used in Probability-of-Detection (POD) assessments.


Workplace privacy is a growing area of concern for employees, companies, legislatures, and the courts.  With increasing pressures to improve productivity and profitability, employers are taking advantage of various methods to monitor and control the activities of their employees – both on and off the job.  In addition, improved technology is affecting not only the manner in which employers gather such information, but also the location, time, and way in which employees perform their jobs.  A survey was conducted to gather perceptions about whether or not employers should be able to take certain actions or gather certain information in ten specific areas. The results provide insights into the three practices deemed most objectionable as well as the three areas of least concern.  Court opinions and the professional literature relating to these topics are reviewed.  Finally, the law, literature, and survey results are synthesized to produce a series of practical recommendations to help employers and employees deal with workplace privacy in a legal, practical and constructive manner.


For many accounting research questions, empirical researchers cannot randomly assign observations to treatment conditions or identify a quasi-experimental setting. In these cases, entropy balancing (Hainmueller 2012) is an increasingly popular statistical method for identifying a control sample that is nearly identical to the treated sample with respect to observable covariates. In this paper, we compare entropy balancing's approach of reweighting control sample observations to ordinary least squares and propensity score matching. We demonstrate that researchers applying entropy balancing in empirical settings involving panel data with features common in accounting research may encounter implementation issues that render the resulting estimates sensitive to relatively minor changes in the control sample or the research design. Using the setting of estimating the Big-N audit fee premium, we empirically demonstrate these issues and propose solutions.


Longitudinal and transverse giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effects in micropatterned ribbons (Metglas ® 2714A) with meander structure are investigated. The maximum longitudinal GMI ratio of the ribbons is 180.4% and it presents to H L = 10 Oe and an AC frequency f= 20 MHz. In the range of 0―10 Oe, the GMI sensitivity of ribbons is 8.1%/Oe at 20 MHz. The maximum transverse GMI ratio is much less than the longitudinal one and the position of GMI extreme value is corresponding to higher magnetic field. The difference between the longitudinal and the transverse GMI effect is due to two main reasons: one is the easy axis deviates from the transverse direction of the sample; another is the demagnetizing factor D ⊥ effect on the longitudinal permeability.


A 104-week-old male CD (SD) rat exhibited enlargement of the left testis. Microscopically, this mass was demarcated from the testis by fibrous connective tissue and characterized by cystic dilatation with single-layered columnar cells and papillary proliferation connected to the solid growth area without clear boundaries. In the solid growth area, cells were dissected into irregular alveolar nests by scant fibrous tissue with small blood vessels. The nuclei of proliferating cells were variable in size and round- to oval-shaped, and their cytoplasm was pale or eosinophilic and sometimes contained vacuoles or eosinophilic granules. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for vimentin and cytokeratin (CK) 7. Since CK7 was exclusively positive in the rete testis epithelium of the naïve rat, it was valuable to diagnose this tumor as rete testis-originated. Based on these results and the lack of apparent pleomorphism, mitotic figures, and metastasis, the present case was diagnosed as rete testis adenoma.


Immunohistochemistry of human atherosclerotic arteries demonstrates expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on endothelial cells, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells of the plaques. Normal arterial endothelial cells and intimal smooth muscle outside plaques give weaker or negative reactions; these differ from the strong endothelial expression in small vessels. Quantitative color-image analysis of the endothelial layer shows increased expression of ICAM-1 in all subtypes of atherosclerotic lesions, except fibrous plaques. Endothelial expression of ICAM-1 may be involved in the recruitment of monocytes to the lesion, as suggested by its role in the entry of leukocytes, including monocytes, into foci of inflammation. Collaboration with other mechanisms, particularly chemoattractant factors, may be important for this effect. ICAM-1 enhanced monocyte recruitment is a potential mechanism for the growth of an atherosclerotic plaque.


IN THE SECOND edition ofLectures on Pathological Anatomyby Samuel Wilks and Walter Moxon (London, 1875) is found the following: We recently met with a curious example of a disease. The common duct in a child of four years was dilated to form a cyst as large as the child's head. In the wall of this cyst were crowds of pendulous growths of myomatous structure, in which were embedded numbers of non-striated muscle fibers.1* Although the distinction between smooth and striated muscle by microscopic examination had been made prior to this date, the last clause may refer to the gross, rather than the microscopic, appearance of the tumor. In any event, this is a clear description of the autopsy findings in a rhabdomyosarcoma (botryoid sarcoma) of the choledochus. No history is given, but the age is within the range of the proven modern cases. Wilks and Moxon1


A Gaussian laser beam is reshaped to have specific irradiance distributions in many applications in order to ensure optimal system performance. Refractive optics are commonly used for laser beam shaping. A refractive laser beam shaper is typically formed by either two plano-aspheric lenses or by one thick lens with two aspherical surfaces. Ray mapping is a general optical design technique to design refractive beam shapers based on geometric optics. This design technique in principle allows to generate any rotational-symmetric irradiance profile, yet in literature ray mapping is mainly developed to transform a Gaussian irradiance profile to a uniform profile. For more complex profiles especially with low intensity in the inner region, like a Dark Hollow Gaussian (DHG) irradiance profile, ray mapping technique is not directly applicable in practice. In order to these complex profiles, the numerical effort of calculating the aspherical surface points and fitting a surface with sufficient accuracy increases considerably. In this work we evaluate different sampling approaches and surface fitting methods. This allows us to propose and demonstrate a comprehensive numerical approach to efficiently design refractive laser beam shapers to generate rotational-symmetric collimated beams with a complex irradiance profile. Ray tracing analysis for several complex irradiance profiles demonstrates excellent performance of the designed lenses and the versatility of our design procedure.


Transfinite patches provide a simple and elegant solution to the problem of representing non-four-sided continuous surfaces, which are useful in a variety of applications, such as curve network based design. Real-time responsiveness is essential in this context, and thus reducing the computation cost is an important concern. The Midpoint Coons (MC) patch presented in this paper is a fusion of two previous transfinite schemes, combining the speed of one with the superior control mechanism of the other. This is achieved using a new constrained parameterization based on generalized barycentric coordinates and transfinite blending functions.


Background One of common mechanisms in pathophysiology of chronic kidney diseases is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). On the other hand oxidative stress has been known to participate in kidney damage of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Objectives We studied if tempol, a well-known antioxidant agent, can ameliorate EMT in DN induced in male rats. Materials and Methods Twenty-seven male rats were equally divided in to 4 groups. Group I (control or C), group II (diabetic or D), group III (T) rats which was given tempol (100 mg/kg/day) by gavages for 28 days and group IV (D&T) was diabetic rats that also received same dose of tempol. After treatment, their kidneys were studied by immunohistochemicalstaining. Results Pathological changes in the kidney were detected concurrently with increasing kidney weight and urinary albumin excretion. In addition, EMT indices, i.e. decline of E-cadherin and increase of α SMA staining were significantly emerged in the renal tubular cells of diabetic group and were partially modified in diabetic group which were simultaneously treated by tempol. Conclusions Tempol can modify, but not significantly, EMT induced by DN.


Purpose
This scoping review examines what is known about the processes of quality improvement (QI) teams, particularly related to how teams impact outcomes. The aim is to provide research-informed guidance for QI leaders and to inform future research questions.

Data sources
Databases searched included: MedLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and SCOPUS.

Study selection
Eligible publications were written in English, published between 1999 and 2016. Articles were included in the review if they examined processes of the QI team, were related to healthcare QI and were primary research studies. Studies were excluded if they had insufficient detail regarding QI team processes.

Data extraction
Descriptive detail extracted included: authors, geographical region and health sector. The Integrated (Health Care) Team Effectiveness Model was used to synthesize findings of studies along domains of team effectiveness: task design, team process, psychosocial traits and organizational context.

Results of data synthesis
Over two stages of searching, 4813 citations were reviewed. Of those, 48 full-text articles are included in the synthesis. This review demonstrates that QI teams are not immune from dysfunction. Further, a dysfunctional QI team is not likely to influence practice. However, a functional QI team alone is unlikely to create change. A positive QI team dynamic may be a necessary but insufficient condition for implementing QI strategies.

Conclusions
Areas for further research include: interactions between QI teams and clinical microsystems, understanding the role of interprofessional representation on QI teams and exploring interactions between QI team task, composition and process.


Tests conducted on rats evidenced that with combined use of hydrocortisone, 2-methyl-3-(o-chlorphenyl)-quinazolone-4 and phenobarbital the development of the hypnotic effect and the level of the blood corticosteroids were inversely proportional. The relation between the hypnotic effect and inhibition of the ATP-ase activity of the cerebral tissue homogenates in rats was observed only in experiments with phenobarbital.


We achieve Bose-Einstein condensation of lithium molecules. The molecules are formed by pairing fermionic lithium atoms and they are evaporatively cooled to BEC in an optical dipole trap.


Service network expansion and rationalization is a major aspect of business planning in large multi-site organizations. In this paper an approach is presented to provide decision-support for managers engaged in network expansion and rationalization. The approach rests on the analysis of spatial data. Particular attention is drawn to the value of geographical information systems (GIS). An application is described, based on the experiences of dealer x who had the task of managing six existing service centers in Melbourne, Australia, and which was considering a number of options for the location of new centers. The application demonstrates that spatial analysis, supported by GIS technology, has the capacity to assist decision-makers when planning their service networks.


William Shakespeare is believed to be a significant author in the anonymous play, The Reign of King Edward III, published in 1596. However, recently, Thomas Kyd, has been suggested as the primary author. Using a neurolinguistics approach to authorship identification we use a four-feature technique, RPAS, to convert the 19 scenes in Edward III into a multi-dimensional vector. Three complementary analytical techniques are applied to cluster the data and reduce single technique bias before an alternate method, seriation, is used to measure the distances between clusters and test the strength of the connections. We find the multivariate techniques robust and are able to allocate up to 14 scenes to Thomas Kyd, and further question if scenes long believed to be Shakespeare's are not his.


Only very recently, deep learning models have been globally used as the basis for most of the on-going research on several fundamental computing areas, such as computer vision, information extraction, data generation and data understanding. The research in this field is still a black box for many people, particularly, regarding its more mathematical aspects. Users of high level packages often struggle to understand the reasoning behind the many building blocks of deep learning, such as convolutional layers, batch normalization and activation functions. In this tutorial, we seek to introduce the field of deep learning to a broad audience of students and professionals, walking through two important milestones of deep learning understanding: (1) the intuition behind the neural networks and batch gradient descent algorithm with back propagation, and (2) the convolutional network and its use as a feature extraction technique. These milestones lay a solid conceptual and mathematical foundation in which the many other deep learning concepts can be explored and built on. In addition, we will present new frontiers in deep learning techniques which can be used by the audience to gain a deeper understanding and to provide the key pointers to the areas that are currently being mostly sought in the literature.


Under the environment of various network and multimedia, various theories are studied to make utilize digital story telling authoring. In the era of digital convergence and ubiquitous information, they want to send information with additional emotional information which is preferred constructive sending method. Digital storytelling refers to a unified technology for narrative structure with the picture and act. If engraft with particular research field, It will make interactive or linear story structure. These structures have problems that they are mismanaging on the result and they are not integrated systemization in each society. Because those are designing storytelling without development process and they are focusing on web distribution. This thesis is design using the object-oriented methodology of component-based design methodology, This thesis create digital storytelling and design metadata for contents management. In the requirement phase, subject and predicate part are extracted from the narrative structure of the story and restructure an organization. We explain by giving specific examples "kongjwi and patjwi" story as a case study.


Abstract. Characterization of a red pigmented enterobacterium isolated from natural population of white perch, Morone americanus (Gmelin), during the course of a bacteriological survey in the Back River (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) indicated that the bacterium belonged to the species Serratia marcescents. The virulence properties of this isolate (RB 469), studied in comparison with the reference strain of S. marcescens ATCC 1800 and S. plymuthica K1R, revealed that all the strains were highly pathogenic for fish with LD50s raging from 5 × 103 to 1 × 105. Similarly, te extracellular products (ECP) from the three isolates were lethal for fish (LD50 ranging from 0·22 to 4·8 μg protein g-1 fish). However, only ECP from strains with strong proteolytic activity (the white perch isolate and S. plymuthica) were cytotoxic for both in fish and homoiothermic cell cultures and both activities were completely destroyed by heating at 100°C for 10min. In contrast, only the two S. marcescens strains which possessed phospholipase active were pathogenic for mice and produced enterotoxins. None of the Serratia strains displayed dermonecrotic factor in rabbits. All these lindings indicate that a direct relationship between eytotoxicity and virulence cannot be established.


Discrimination of large chemical explosions (e.g., mining blasts) from possible clandestine nuclear tests (e.g., decoupled explosions) is a significant issue for seismic verification. Unless discrimination is possible, the numerous mining blasts within the USSR would give ample opportunity for concealing a clandestine test. Evernden et al. (1986) advocate high frequencies as a means to detect these clandestine tests; however, mining blasts must still give a unique signature for their discrimination. Specific conditions are also necessary for high-frequency verification: low attenuation and quiet seismic stations are among the most important. In this study we address these problems under conditions representing a best case scenerio.

During the summer of 1985, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) deployed a regional array and high frequency seismic station near RSON (Red Lake, Ontario, Canada) to study regional seismic signals at a low-noise site with excellent propagation characteristics, the continental shield. One objective was to evaluate the performance of regional seismic arrays and high-frequency stations in this geological environment. Using high-frequency data from mining blasts within the Mesabi Iron Range in northern Minnesota (distance of 380 km), we also observed the high-frequency Pn phase of ripple-fired blasts, modeled their source properties, and evaluated a possible discriminant for chemical explosions.

This study suggests the existence of a distinctive signature for large chemical explosions: strong, high-frequency spectral peaks in the P spectra introduced by delay shooting or ripple firing. Its application depends, however, on a frequency band extending to at least 35 Hz at regional distances, reasonably uniform delay times in the blast pattern, predictably quiet seismic sites, and minimal path attenuation for high frequencies. At 380 km, we observe good propagation to 30 Hz; at 50 Hz the evidence suggests severe attenuation or scattering which is consistent with a total Q between 1500 and 2500. Attenuation estimates assuming a simple source behavior (e.g., f −2 or f −3) at high frequencies for mining explosions would give incorrect values of Q unless corrected for the blast pattern. These attenuations will limit the value of high frequencies for the detection of small decoupled explosions at regional distances.


Brittle culm mutants are considered as valuable germplasm resources for energy crop breeding in rice.This study analyzed biological characters and biomass digestibilities of 10 distinct rice brittle culm mutants.Compared with the wild type japonical variety NPB(Nipponbare),all mutants displayed normal growth and development,and shorter plant height and lower tension stress.In terms of cell wall composition in the mature culm tissues,the mutants showed lower cellulose and higher hemicelluloses levels than that of the NPB and no significant increase is identified in lignin level,which were consistent with the RNA transcript levels of their major wall polymer synthases.Due to cell wall alternation,the rice mutants appeared to have a stronger resistance to lodging than NPB did.However,all mutants and NPB were determined with unchanged single plant spike weight and higher number of effective panicles,suggesting that the mutants were not much affected with their seed yield.Meanwhile,the mutants had higher biomass yield.With respect to the brittle characters,all mutants exhibited a much higher biomass enzymatic digestibility upon various acid and alkali pretreatments.The data indicated that the mutants could be applied for energy crop breeding towards high yields of seeds and biomass in rice.


Abstract Introduction Delirium research in palliative care, particularly in the dying phase, is possible but is frequently met with ethical and methodological challenges. This paper describes the challenges faced in a previous delirium screening study. Methods Within 72 hours of admission to an acute inpatient specialist palliative care unit, 100 consecutive patients over 18 years of age with advanced cancer were invited to be screened for delirium using validated screening tools. Results Of the 100 consecutive admissions, 49 patients were unable to participate including 7 who did not meet the inclusion criteria and 9 (6 families and 3 patients) who withheld consent. The remaining 33 patients were more unwell and closer to death than those who were recruited. Reasons for non-participation included being too unwell/gate keeping (10), unresponsive (9), died (2) or discharged (3) before recruitment, and exceeding the 72 hour time limit (9). Conclusion Gate keeping and physical condition of patients were the main obstacles to recruitment and is consistent with barriers faced in previous studies involving palliative care and dying patients. While it is possible and necessary to conduct studies in palliative care, including the terminal phase, as reflective practitioners, we must maintain the balance between the demands for evidence-based practice and our compassion and respect for our most vulnerable of patients.


Case reports and small retrospective studies suggest that atypical antipsychotic agents may be associated with new-onset Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA); however, these reports often provide limited or no information on demographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, relationship to weight gain, and time course. We analyzed 45 published cases of new-onset DM or DKA for which followed initiation of atypical antipsychotic treatment. Of the 45 patients, 20 had received clozapine, 19 olanzapine, 3 quetiapine, and 3 risperidone. Eighty-seven percent patients were male, and 47% African American. Forty-two percent of these patients presented as DKA, and 50% manifested no weight gain at time of presentation with DM or DKA, although 84% were overweight before antipsychotic therapy. Eighty-four percent presented within 6 months and 59% within 3 months of commencing atypical antipsychotics. The DKA cohort had significantly younger age, less overweight at baseline, and higher proportion of women than did those with DM alone, without significant differences in distribution of ethnicity, weight gain, family history of DM, or duration of exposure to atypical agents. Clinicians should be aware of the potential risks of new-onset DM and DKA in patients taking atypical antipsychotics, and utilize appropriate clinical and laboratory monitoring to prevent serious adverse events.


We re-analyse the 1916 Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrak), the major naval engagement of the First World War, in the light of the understanding of dreadnought fleet tactics developed over the decade leading up to it. In particular, we consider the interaction of the calculus of Lanchester's Square Law with fleet geometry and the commanders' decisions that determined it, and with the shipbuilding decisions associated with the Lanchestrian trade-off between quality and quantity. We re-examine the behaviour of the commanders in the light of this tactical analysis, and conclude that the outcome of Jutland, in spite of apparent British tactical and technological failings, was the culmination of a decade of consistent and professionally insightful decision-making by the Royal Navy, which built and correctly wielded its decisive weapon, the Grand Fleet, to achieve the required strategic victory.


Detection of repetitive patterns in texture images is a longstanding problem in texture analysis. In the textile industry, this is particularly useful in isolating repeats in woven fabric designs. Based on repetitive patterns, textile designers can identify and classify complex textures. In this paper, we propose a new method for detecting, locating, and grouping the repetitive patterns, particularly for near regular textures (NRT) based on a mid-level patch descriptor. A NRT is parameterized as a vector-valued function representing a texton unit together with a set of geometric transformations. We perform shape alignment by image congealing and correlation matching. Our experiments demonstrate that our patch-based method significantly improves the performance and the versatility of repetitive pattern detection in NRT images.


VPN(virtual Private network) provide a cost-effective means of connecting an organization and its partners when compared to the cost of a private network. A VPN provides a secure channel link over the Internet between project partners. This paper gives a brief introduction of fundamentals and implementations of the VPN, the comparison between characteristics and technologies of the traditional and based on IPsee VPN. Through studying IPsec, we presented a method of designing hub-and-spoke VPN system based on IPsec, which has been used for automobile collaborative design.


Travel-time residuals were calculated for Pn arrivals from four nuclear explosions and 10 earthquakes recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey's San Andreas seismic telemetry network. Arrivals at stations west of the fault are earlier than at stations east of the fault. Stations on basement rocks indicate a variation in crustal thickness of about 5 to 9 km across the fault at the center of the network. The average mantle velocity after correcting for the residuals is 8.0 km/sec. The Pn waves traveling from the east, when corrected for crustal delay, have a velocity of 7.7 to 7.8 km/sec. Waves traveling from the north or south, after the same corrections, have a Pn velocity of 8.0 to 8.2 km/sec. This difference may be caused by an anisotropic upper mantle, but additional data from seismic sources in the Pacific will be required to confirm this result.