The research studies the effect of the Holy Quran on the poetry of Imam Abd al- Hamid al-Farahi, paved the problem of the research, then gave a glimpse of his life to show the reason for his religious upbringing, then the first topic dealt with the artistic effect of the Holy Quran in it, which was manifested in the quotation, and it was found that he resorted to the literal quotation. , Which came at times short, long at other times, and to the quote in which it was changed, and the change may be easy, along with other poems in which he collected words from the Quran. The second topic dealt with the effect of the Quran on choosing topics of an Islamic religious nature, and made it into three divisions: the first in glorifying God and the Quran, the second in preaching and warning of this world, and the third in talking about the signs of the Hour, then stamping the results.


Deputy Principals play a pivotal role in management of schools. The prerequisite of good job performance by a deputy principal is job satisfaction. However, when they are not satisfied they are likely to decline the position of deputy headship. From 2008 to 2012, four deputy Principals resigned, 2 were demoted and 15 refused to take up deputy headship in Hamisi Sub County, citing deputy headship position as not fulfilling. This was contrary to other neighbouring sub counties like Sabatia, Vihiga and Emuhaya which experienced only 3 cases of refusal to take up deputy headship position. The study established that the following factors influenced deputy principals job satisfaction: deputizing principals, acting as a principal in absence of the principal, disciplining students, student adherence to school rules and regulations, salaries, medical allowances, house allowance, celebration of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results, delegation of duties to teachers, proximity of the school from the road network and proximity of deputy principal's office to the principal's office. The study concluded that the terms and conditions of service and principal's leadership factors influence job satisfaction of deputy head teachers. The study recommended that Teachers Service Commission should improve on salaries and medical allowances for teachers while the principal should provide for housing. The findings of this study are significant to the Ministry of Education, students and teachers, Teachers Service Commission, County Directors of Education, Deputy Principals and Principals in formulating policies that promote job satisfaction and add to the body of knowledge on job satisfaction.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Carcinoma of the prostate is one of the most common malignancies and second leading cause of death among American men. Even though patients with localized disease have high survival rates, patients with detectable metastasis have a median survival of only 12-15 months. One key step in the metastatic process is the loss of E-cadherin expression associated with tumor invasion. However the regulation of E-cadherin gene expression in prostate cancer (PrCa) cells is not well understood. Recently, the zinc finger transcription factor, WT1 was shown to regulate E-cadherin in NIH 3T3 cells and epicardial cells. We have previously reported the presence of WT1 protein in high grade prostate tumor sections, with little or no WT1 staining in non-neoplastic or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues. However, the significance of WT1 expression in prostate cancer has not been established. The objective of this study was to determine whether WT1 might contribute to increase migration of PrCa cells by repressing E-cadherin expression. Using quantitative real-time PCR (QRTPCR), WT1 and E-cadherin mRNA levels were measured and found to be inversely related in PrCa cells. Similarly, QRTPCR results showed a decrease in E-cadherin mRNA in GFP/WT1 transfected PrCa cells, while E-cadherin levels were increased in PrCa cells with suppressed WT1 expression. Titration of WT1 levels also affected the migration of PrCa cells in wound healing and transwell migration assays. Silencing of WT1 by siWT1 RNA decreased the migratory potential of PC3 cells and the overexpression of GFP/WT1 increased the migration of LNCaP cells. A bioinformatics approach was used to identify potential WT1 binding sites in E-cadherin promoter, then direct in vivo binding of WT1 to the E-cadherin promoter in the chromatin of PrCa cells was confirmed by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation. Transcriptional control was quantified by co-transfection of a GFP/WT1 expression construct with E-cadherin promoter constructs. Results showed that WT1 decreased the activity of the proximal E-cadherin promoter in PC3 cells and DU145 cells. Using site directed mutagenesis, a newly identified WT1 binding site located 146 bp from the transcription start site was shown to be required for the repression of the E-cadherin proximal promoter by WT1. Overall these results demonstrate that WT1 transcriptionally down-regulates E-cadherin expression and thereby increases migration of PrCa cells. This finding suggests that the biological significance of WT1 expression in high grade prostate cancer lies in its contribution to cell migration and potentially to the promotion of metastasis. Supported by NIHR15CA11360 and the Ohio Board of Regents.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1303. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1303


Providing Computer Science (CS) students with a proper case study for Mobile App Programming and IT Project Management courses is challenging, especially when it should be focussed on the vital issues and differ every year. The authors as the research and didactic staff are involved in the multidisciplinary R&D project called Friendly City, which aims to promote the accessibility of architectural heritage to the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community by adding Audio Descriptions (AD) to 85 public places in Lodz (Poland). That is why the IT targets of the project were chosen as a case study in the mentioned courses. CS students as well as History of Art and Psychology ones with BVI or sighted beneficiaries play a crucial role during both courses. They will be working with the Lodz BVI Association to prepare their final project solution.


Summary . For many technical installations that are held together by bolted joints (Fig.1(a,b)), the regular checking and documentation of proper bolt tightness is essential for certification and safe operation. However, with large structures and heavy bolts, the work required for the inspectors can be physically demanding and time consuming, e.g.with heavy hydraulic torque wrenches in demanding environments. In this work we attempt to develop reliable vibration-based techniques for bolt tightness estimation, using advanced mathematical modeling/analysis, and suitable measurement equipment and signal processing.


To determine whether the aminopyrine breath test (ABT) and serum bile acid concentrations reflect histologic severity of chronic hepatitis, 56 patients were prospectively evaluated with liver biopsies and ABTs, and the results were compared to results of standard liver chemistry tests; 44 of these patients also had fasting and 2‐hr postprandial serum bile acid measurements. Mean values for the ABT were significantly lower, and serum bile acids were significantly higher in patients with chronic active hepatitis with bridging or cirrhosis than in patients with mild chronic active hepatitis or chronic persistent hepatitis. Thirty of 35 patients with bridging or cirrhosis had ABTs <5.7% (mean of controls –2 S.D.) and 21 of 25 with mild chronic active hepatitis or chronic persistent hepatitis had values >5.7% (sensitivity 0.86, specificity 0.84). Fasting and 2–hr postprandial bile acids were also more sensitive than standard chemistries in identifying patients with bridging or cirrhosis. Thus, the ABT and serum bile acids reflect histologic severity in chronic hepatitis patients and may be helpful in selecting patients for liver biopsy.


over k. Then the genus of C(r,s) is (q―l)j2 and C(r,s) has an automorphism o order q. In §1, we shallgive a basis of the space 01 differentialsof the firstkinc on C(r,s),in forms suitable to our later use. In §2, we shall give a conditioi under which C(r,s)fsare isomorphic in terms of r and s. This is our main result In particular,we see that the cardinalityof the set of isomorphy classes is,(#+5)/i if q=\ mod 3, and (#+l)/6 if q=2 mod 3. In §3, we determine the order of tin group of automorphisms of C(r,s) in the case of characteristiczero. The auther should like to express his sincere thanks to Dr. T. Sekiguchi an< Dr. M. Homma for their encouragement during the preparation of this paper.


Mice were injected with TNP-KLH in one front footpad and challenged in both front footpads 1 to 16 wk thereafter. The response of the contralateral node was significantly lower than that of the ipsilateral node early and again late, but not at intermediate, intervals after priming. This difference was not abolished by boosting with a higher dose of antigen or by administering excess carrier-primed helper T cells before challenge with antigen. The ipsilateral brachial lymph node cells transferred significantly higher B cell memory responsiveness at all intervals after priming than the contralateral lymph node, although at 2 to 4 wk both lymph nodes transferred substantial memory. At later intervals (more than 8 wk) only the ipsilateral lymph nodes transferred significant memory for TNP. Priming in the front footpads did not result in a splenic primary response, but a secondary response was observed in the spleen after boosting in the footpads. The relative importance of antigen localization and circulating memory cells in determining induction and persistence of memory in sites of lymphoid tissue proximal and distal to antigen injection is discussed.


In this paper, we present and analyze a new transmission scheme for hybrid FSO/RF communication system based on joint adaptive modulation and adaptive combining. Specifically, the data rate on the FSO link is adjusted in discrete manner according to the FSO link's instantaneous received signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). If the FSO link's quality is too poor to maintain the target bit-error-rate, the system activates the RF link along with the FSO link. When the RF link is activated, simultaneous transmission of the same modulated data takes place on both links, where the received signals from both links are combined using maximal ratio combining scheme. In this case, the data rate of the system is adjusted according to the instantaneous combined SNRs. Novel analytical expression for the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the received SNR for the proposed adaptive hybrid system is obtained. This CDF expression is used to study the spectral and outage performances of the proposed adaptive hybrid FSO/RF system. Numerical examples are presented to compare the performance of the proposed adaptive hybrid FSO/RF system with that of switch-over hybrid FSO/RF and FSO-only systems employing the same adaptive modulation schemes.


Background: Few studies have focused on the underlying relationship between the prognosis of tumor mutation burden (TMB) and immune cell infiltration in gastric cancer (GC). This study aims to explore the relationship among TMB and various components in tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods: The transcription profiles and somatic mutation data of 375 tumor and 32 normal samples were obtained from TCGA. The specific mutation information was summarized and visualized with waterfall chart, then number of TMB per million bases of each GC sample was calculated. Immune/stromal scores and tumor purity were calculated by the 'ESTIMATE' package, and the fractions of 22 immune cells in each sample were evaluated by CIBERSORT algorithm. Finally, Lass regression analysis was utilized to generate a prognostic scoring signature with TCGA cohort as the training set, while GES84437 cohort as the validation set. Results: Higher TMB indicated favorable overall survival (OS, P = 0.043),better disease specific survival (P = 0.029), and longer progression free interval (P = 0.004). TMB was positively correlated with MSI and tumor purity, while negatively associated with immune/stromal scores. Moreover, TMBhigh group has lower T cells CD4 memory resting (P < 0.001) and T cells regulatory (P < 0.001), and more T cells CD4 memory activated (P < 0.001) and T cells follicular helper (P = 0.009). More importanly, the infiltration of dendritic cells activated predicted a worse OS, while T cells CD4 memory activated and T cells follicular helper meant a better OS. Finally, a nomogram combined TMB-related signature with clinicopathologic variables can successfully predict the OS with high accuracy and efficiency.Conclusion: TMB can effectively reveal the immune infiltration status in TME of GC, and might serve as a prognostic classifier for individualized treatment of clinical decision-making.


Background: Though Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective treatment method for osteoarthritis, insuffient postoperative pain management affects paitents satisfaction and functional results. To an effective postoperative pain management, several methods are used for analgesia. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effect  of the application of pre-incisional wound site infiltration on postoperative analgesia, additional to multi-modal analgesia methods for the provision of analgesia following Total Knee Arthroplasty. Material and methods: Total of 80 patients aged ≥55 years posted to undergo TKA were randomly separated into 2 groups. Pre-incisional injection was administered to the skin for the group I patients, wherreas patiemts of group II were not administered pre-incisional injection. For postoperative pain management additional multi-modal analgesia methods were applied in both groups. To evaluate the level of postoperative pain, a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score at rest and dynamic VAS (DVAS) during activity were used. The time of requirement for first analgesia and the amount of analgesia required were recorded. The patients were monitored throughout the operation and in the postoperative period for side-effects. Results: Postoperative VAS scores of Group I were found to be statistically significantly lower than those of Group II (p<0.05). The DVAS scores which were evaluated together with mobilisation, determined to be statistically significantly lower in Group I (p<0.05). The time of requirement for analgesia was determined to be later in Group I and the total amount of analgesia administered in the postoperative period was lower in Group I. No statistically significant difference was determined between the two groups in side-effects. Conclusion: The application of pre-incisional infiltration can be considered to be a safe and effective method, which is easy to apply and has low potential for side-effects, while increasing the efficacy of multi-modal analgesia..


The effects of isoproterenol pretreatment on phosphatidylinositol turnover in rat parotid slices were studied to elucidate the relationship between beta- and alpha 1-adrenoceptors. 32P-Labeling of phosphatidylinositol in parotid slices was increased by an alpha 1- and alpha 2-agonist (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and alpha 1-agonists (methoxamine and phenylephrine), but not by an alpha 2-agonist (clonidine) and a beta-agonist (isoproterenol). Prazosin inhibited the increase in phosphatidylinositol turnover elicited by epinephrine, but propranolol did not. These results indicate that the stimulation of phosphatidylinositol turnover elicited by adrenergic agonists is mediated by activation of alpha 1-adrenoceptors in the parotid glands. Isoproterenol pretreatment of the parotid slices caused a significant increase in 32P-labeling of phosphatidylinositol and a decrease in that of phosphatidic acid. The epinephrine- or phenylephrine-induced increase in 32P-labeling of phosphatidylinositol were further enhanced by the isoproterenol pretreatment of the slices. In the isoproterenol-treated membranes of the parotid glands, [3H]prazosin binding to alpha 1-receptors increased, but [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding to beta-receptors did not. These findings indicate that the acceleration of phosphatidylinositol turnover induced by the isoproterenol pretreatment may be associated with an increase in alpha 1-adrenoceptor binding sites which might have appeared as a result of the isoproterenol pretreatment of the parotid slices.


This pilot study obtained preliminary data on the effectiveness of an online, self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy-based psychoeducational program for coping with a potential experience of cyberbullying. The aim of the increasing resilience to cyberbullying (IRCB) program was to increase adolescents' likelihood of employing coping skills that may be helpful for a victim of cyberbullying, and to increase confidence in their ability to cope and/or help a friend cope with an experience of cyberbullying. Online questionnaires were administered to participants at baseline (preprogram, n = 54) and after program completion (postprogram, n = 54). Participants were year 9 or 10 students from Australian secondary schools (M = 14.70 years, SD = 0.57; 89% male). Results indicated significant increases in adolescents' likelihood of using the coping skills of self-compassion and challenging unhelpful thinking to cope with an experience of cyberbullying. There was also a significant increase in adolescents' help-seeking attitudes and behavioral intentions to engage with counseling services in the event of being victim of cyberbullying. There was no evidence to suggest that the IRCB program significantly increased adolescents' confidence in their ability to cope and/or help a friend cope with an experience of cyberbullying. The majority (87%) of participants (n = 34) described the IRCB program as helping them. Results suggest that an online intervention has the potential to provide adolescents with a free and easily accessible intervention that helps ameliorate the effect of cyberbullying, by promoting effective coping skills.


The spread of forces around the knee joint depends on the degree of knee bending in the limb loading phase. Excess load on the patella and paterall ligament during walking with flexion of the knee joint leads to the development of a number of pathological phenomena in the femoropatellar joint resulting from the existing disturbances of muscular balance.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

The human MOF gene encodes a protein that specifically acetylates histone H4 at lysine 16 (H4K16ac). Reduced levels of H4K16ac correlate with a defective DNA damage response (DDR) and double-strand break (DSB) repair post ionizing radiation exposure. MOF overexpression increases cell survival to intrastrand crosslink inducing agents like cisplatin. DNA polymerase eta (Pol H), the product of the xeroderma pigmentosum variant (XPV) gene and a Y-family DNA polymerase, plays a pivotal role in translesion DNA synthesis and was found to interact with MOF. Its interaction with MOF increases in a dose dependent manner after exposure to intrastrand DNA damage induced by cisplatin. Pol H colocalized with phosphorylated MOF and γ-H2AX foci in cisplatin treated cells. Overexpression of MOF enhances recruitment of Pol H to laser induced DNA damage. This correlated with monoubiquitination of PCNA which has been shown to facilitate the switch between the replicative DNA polymerase with the low-fidelity polymerase eta to bypass UV or cisplatin-induced DNA lesions during replication. MOF was found to interact with PCNA and regulating the ubiquitination of PCNA thereby facilitating Pol H recruitment to DNA damage sites.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Mayank Singh, Arun Gupta, Komal Komal, Tej K. Pandita. MOF cooperates with DNA polymerase eta to repair intrastrand break induced by crosslinking agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5139. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5139


The paper presents new compact static 4-bit CMOS adders based on iterative shared transistor carry lookahead (CLA) units. The CLA units have a regular, fast, simple and multi-output static structure with a small number of transistors. Designs made in 1.0 /spl mu/m CMOS technology show that these adders reduce the silicon area and improve the timing and dynamic power performance compared with similar static adders.


The reduction of oxygen on nickel-doped lanthanum strontium ferrite was studied by current interrupt cyclic voltammetry. Nickel doped on the B site of the perovskite ranged from 0 to 40%. Nickel strongly influenced the sintering of the films. The minimum temperature at which a stable adherent robust film could be formed increased with nickel content. The electrochemical performance for reduction of oxygen was compared with nickel content. Undoped lanthanum strontium ferrite consistently showed greater activity than the doped materials. The data were further analyzed to obtain the exchange current density as a function of temperature and then further analyzed to obtain the activation energy and pre-exponential factor. These values did not correlate with nickel composition but did correlate with one another. The variation in performance was tentatively attributed to subtle variations in microstructure.


The importance of nutrition in managing critically ill infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) is foundational to optimizing short- and long-term health outcomes. Growth failure and malnutrition are common in infants with CHD. The etiology of growth failure in this population is often multifactorial and may be related to altered metabolic demands, compromised blood flow to the intestine leading to nutrient malabsorption, cellular hypoxia, inadequate energy intake, and poor oral-motor skills. A dearth of high-quality studies and gaps in previously published guidelines have led to wide variability in nutrition practices that are locally driven. This review provides recommendations from the nutrition subgroup of the Neonatal Cardiac Care Collaborative for best evidence-based practices in the provision of nutritional support in infants with CHD. The review of evidence and recommendations focused on 6 predefined areas of clinical care for a target population of infants <6 months with CHD admitted to the ICU or inpatient ward. These areas include energy needs, nutrient requirements, enteral nutrition, feeding practice, parenteral nutrition, and outcomes. Future progress will be directed at quality improvement efforts to optimize perioperative nutrition management with an increasing emphasis on individualized care based on nutritional status, cardiorespiratory physiology, state of illness, and other vulnerabilities.


Background. During the performance of the BCIRG trials primary patient tumor samples were obtained from paraffin blocks and assembled into 15 tissue microarrays, including 3000 samples from trial 005 (adjuvant taxol in Her2- node positive patients), 2200 in 006 (adjuvant herceptin in Her2+ high risk patients) and 300 in 007 (addition of platinum in Her2+ first line therapy). This array set was prepared prospectively, in anticipation of molecular epidemiologic studies of a variety of targets in relation to outcome. In order to address the potentially important role of the PIK3CA pathway in modulating outcome in different clinical situations we assessed components of the PIK3CA pathway by various methods.Methods. We analysed the expression of PTEN, Cyclin D1, p53 and Stathmin by immunohistochemistry using standard methods. All markers were scored by histoscore. Phospho S6 240 and phospho Akt 473 were assessed simultaneously by quantum dot immunofluorescence using automated image capture and segmentation. PIK3CA mutations were evaluated using SnaPshot analysis of laser captured TMA spots in a subset of approximately 2000 samples.Results. In the samples analyzed PIK3CA mutation had an incidence of 23%, with 9% being mutations in exon 9 and 13% in exon 20, with 0.5% being mutant in both exons. Initial analysis of the results prior to outcome analysis indicated that Stathmin expression, while being a robust marker with good dynamic range, did not appear to correlate with PTEN loss by IHC or with PIK3CA mutation.Conclusions. PIK3CA mutational analysis is feasible from TMA cores and gives mutation incidences similar to the published literature for archival material. Relationships of markers with outcome will be presented. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 4043.


The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III (MCMI-III) is well suited for use in corrections settings. The MCMI-III's scales correlate with theDiagnosticand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) personality disorders (frequently found in correctional settings), and the publisher offers a corrections-specific interpretive package. To further elucidate the usefulness of the MCMI-III with offenders and assess its efficacy, the authors administered the test to more than 10,000 inmates of the Colorado Department of Corrections. Scale scores were compared to intake judgment and outcome variables across mental health, substance abuse, and violence variables. A number of scales were found to predict several mental health variables such as subsequent diagnosis, medication prescription, and therapy time. Substance abuse scale elevations corresponded to subsequent intake recommendations. Although more modest, the aggressive personality disorder scales and several of the neurotic scales correlated with future institutional violence. The authors discuss the relevance of these findings to screening, triage, and correctional assessment.


The reaction C3(a(3)Πu) + C2H2 → C5H + H was investigated at collision energy 10.9 kcal mol(-1) that is less than the enthalpy of ground-state reaction C3(X(1)Σg (+)) + C2H2 → C5H + H. C3(a(3)Πu) radicals were synthesized from 1% C4F6/He by pulsed high-voltage discharge. The title reaction was conducted in a crossed molecular-beam apparatus equipped with a quadrupole-mass filter. Product C5H was interrogated with time-of-flight spectroscopy and synchrotron vacuum-ultraviolet ionization. Reactant C3(a(3)Πu) and product C5H were identified using photoionization spectroscopy. The ionization thresholds of C3(X(1)Σg(+)) and C3(a(3)Πu) are determined as 11.6 ± 0.2 eV and 10.0 ± 0.2 eV, respectively. The C5H product is identified as linear pentynylidyne that has an ionization energy 8.4 ± 0.2 eV. The title reaction releases translational energy 10.6 kcal mol(-1) in average and has an isotropic product angular distribution. The quantum-chemical calculation indicates that the C3(a(3)Πu) radical attacks one of the carbon atoms of C2H2 and subsequently a hydrogen atom is ejected to form C5H + H, in good agreement with the experimental observation. As far as we are aware, the C3(a(3)Πu) + C2H2 reaction is investigated for the first time. This work gives an implication for the formation of C5H from the C3(a(3)Πu) + C2H2 reaction occurring in a combustion or discharge process of C2H2.


Neural network-based controllers arc evolved for racing simulated R/C cars around several tracks of varying difficulty. The transferability of driving skills acquired when evolving for a single track is evaluated, and different ways of evolving controllers able to perform well on many different tracks are investigated, ft is further shown that such generally proficient controllers can reliably be developed into specialized controllers for individual tracks. Evolution of sensor parameters together with network weights is shown to lead to higher final fitness, but only if turned on after a general controller is developed, otherwise it hinders evolution, ft is argued that simulated car racing is a scalable and relevant testbed for evolutionary robotics research, and that the results of this research can be useful for commercial computer games.


It is significant to study the difference between thermal fatigue behavior and high temperature low cycle fatigue, in order to understand the fracture mechanism of metals.In this study, thermal fatigue tests (the upper temperature 800°C, the lower temperature 400°C) and low cycle fatigue tests at 800°C were carried out for super alloy IN738LC, and the initiation of a short crack and its propagation behavior were observed.The results of these fatigue tests showed that the difference in fatigue life between them were caused by the differences in crack initiation life and crack propagation rate during the time of the short crack (2a≤2.0mm).On the other hand, it was observed that the fatigue crack propagation behavior was affected largely by the fracture resistance of grain boundary and cell boundary in crystal grains at high temperatures.


Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are two of the greatest golfers in history. In fact, it's fair to say that between them - with some help from Gary Player - they created the game as we know it. Their rise inspired and coincided with golf's huge explosion - in participation, in TV coverage, and in commercial terms. This dual biography tells the story of two men who at times loathed, resented, but in the end came to respect each other, and the way they changed an entire sport. Palmer, ten years Nicklaus's senior, was an all-American hero. Blue-collar, charming, loved by fans, at the end of the 1950s it looked as though the King would dominate golf for the rest of his career. Then along came Nicklaus. Nicklaus was a shambling, middle-class fat kid who dared to take on and beat America's favourite star. And in the end Nicklaus would prove by far the more successful of the two. (On the course, that is.). Arnie was brilliant - he won seven major titles - but Jack was out of this world. His record of eighteen majors still stands. But this is a morality story too. Each man wanted what the other had - what he himself could not have.Arnie was loved by everyone, and with the help of newly created sports marketing agency IMG he became immensely wealthy. For the best part of three decades, he was the highest-earning sportsman in the world. But he wanted Jack's titles. Jack may have had all the glory on the course, but for all that the sport never quite took him to its heart, and through a series of business disasters, he never accumulated anything like Arnie's riches. In the end, neither could be satisfied. Ian O'Connor brilliantly brings to life the story of two men, their rivalry and a whole sport, in a gripping, no-holds-barred account of one of sport's most fascinating pairings.


SCIAMACHY data processing generates products on various levels as required by the user community. These products are either produced in the ENVISAT Payload Data Segment as operational products or by science institutes as scientific products or value-added products. Operational processing occurs in two steps – level 0-1b and level 1b-2. In both steps different timescales may apply – near-realtime, fast delivery or offline. Level 0-1b processing generates geolocated and calibrated radiances from the raw atmospheric measurements, as well as from measurements for calibration and instrument monitoring. The algorithms convert measured signals into calibrated radiances. Therefore a sequence of calibration steps has to be applied starting with correcting the memory effect and non-linearity and ending with applying the radiometric instrument response. Particular attention has to be given to the correction of polarisation and degradation. The goal of level 1b-2 processing is to provide geophysical parameters such as column densities and profiles from trace gas species as well as cloud and aerosol parameters. Nadir measurements permit retrieving total column densities or cloud and aerosol parameters. From limb observations height resolved profiles of atmospheric parameters can be inferred. Together with the scientific and value-added products the SCIAMACHY data can serve a wide range of applications.


Aim To investigate the effect of prehospital critical care team attendance, versus usual ambulance care, on trauma patient mortality. Methods We retrospectively examined data from the Scottish Trauma Audit Group for the calendar years 2011–14, covering all trauma patients admitted to hospital in Scotland. We divided them into two groups: those who were seen by a prehospital critical care team; and those who received standard ambulance care only. We compared expected mortality (by TRISS and PS12 models) with observed mortality within each group, with subanalysis of major trauma patients (Injury Severity Score >15). Results 10 252 patients were available for analysis. Of these, 503 (4.9%) were seen by a prehospital critical care team and 9749 (95.1%) received standard ambulance care. There was a non significant increase in excess survivors (0.9/100 patients) in the group who received critical care (p=0.58). 1545 major trauma patients were available for analysis. Of these, 210 (13.6%) were seen by a prehospital critical care team and 1335 (86.4%) received standard ambulance care. There was a significant increase in excess survivors (4.5/100 patients) in major trauma patients who received critical care (p=0.03). Conclusion In major trauma patients in Scotland, the addition of prehospital critical care to standard ambulance care results in an increase in patient survival. This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the utility of prehospital critical care, especially in the most severely injured patients. Conflict of interest None declared. Funding None declared.


In the twenty years since the first edition of Sedimentary Petrology was published, this book has deservedly won acceptance as a seminal undergraduate text. The third edition updates this work for the 21st century through reference to a variety of recent studies and new techniques. Overall however, the philosophy of the book remains unchanged. It presents a concise account of the origin, constituent parts and classification of sedimentary rocks and the physical, chemical and biological processes acting on their formation and subsequent diagenetic alteration. Although primarily aimed at the undergraduate market, this book is also a valuable reference for anyone who needs to be aware of the basic composition of sedimentary rocks and how they may be analysed and classified.

The writing style is easy to follow and concise, and although the book runs to only …


A procedure for obtaining the Lie point symmetries of a difference scheme for a nonlinear sine-Gordan equation is presented. The invariant discretization of the first order of accuracy difference scheme for the equation is concerned. The symmetry transformations act both on the difference scheme and lattices, and leave the solution set of the difference scheme invariant.


Nambu-Goldstone modes are sensitive to the effects of physics at ener- gies comparable to the scale of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We show that as a consequence of this the global texture proposal for structure formation requires rather severe assumptions about the nature of physics at the Planck scale.


This article presents the results of an experimental investigation carried out to examine the changes of the size distribution of ultrafine particles that take place in aerosol electrical chargers. Two types of commercially available chargers have been studied: an unipolar corona discharge ionizer, and a bipolar radioactive neutralizer. Particle diffusion losses to the walls modify the size distribution in both chargers to approximately the same extent. Additionally, particles can grow by Brownian coagulation in the radioactive neutralizer if the aerosol particle number concentration is above about 10 7 /cm 3 . In contrast, the extremely small volume of the corona ionizer used in the experiments, 2 cm 3 , prevents coagulation even when the aerosol concentration is very high. For particle number concentration above 10 7 /cm 3 aerosol coagulation takes place downstream of any of these two chargers. The experimental results have been compared with those obtained by numerical integration of the population balance equations including charging, coagulation and diffusion losses. In spite that the coagulation rate between charged particles of opposite polarity is one to two orders of magnitude larger than the corresponding rate for uncharged particles, the numerical calculations have shown that the expected electrostatic enhancement of coagulation is negligible, probably because the fraction of charged particles in the radioactive neutralizer is too low for the particle size range studied.


The velocity of critical surface at microwave band in laser-induced plasma was measured and the results are presented. The results indicate that the velocity of critical surface with low electron density is larger than that with the high one; and the velocity of critical surface increases with the laser power density.


Herbicides classify as chemicals targeting specific biochemical pathways in plants and may influence human or animal health according to their chemistry, concentration, environment, biological target and others. With safety concern, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified herbicides and their metabolites as fetal developments may be a consequence of enzymatic inhibition or other mechanisms. Thirty phytotoxins were subjected to online pkCSM website, as a Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) prediction activity against honey bee, avian, and multiple human Leukemia, CNS, Ovarian, Prostate Cancer cell lines. Prediction outcomes were varied and influenced by chemical structure of each tested herbicide. Sulfentrazone having evidence of human non- carcinogenic character (Group E) had hepatotoxicity prediction and cancer cell lines activity less than 5 of Leukemia, CNS, Ovarian, and Prostate. Also, it had CYP1A2 inhibition, negative response of p- glycoprotein, Ames, skin sensitization, renal OCT2, and hERG. All above characters beside low intestinal absorption and Blood- Brain Barrier (BBB) presented encouraging online funding as more structurally safe having active – multiple toxicological and cellular interactions. Simetryn and Simazine that have the same core structure except (-SCH3) group replaced with chloro group gave semi identical results of many calculated characters and inactive materials to cancer cell lines and herbicide activity, honey bee and avian toxicities but not BBB, total clearance, and oral rat chronic (LOAEL) confirming structure influences upon prediction.


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Chromitites hosted in the serpentinized harzburgite bodies from Los Congos and Los Guanacos (Eastern Pampean Ranges, north Argentina) record a complex metamorphic evolution. The hydration of chromitites during the retrograde metamorphism, their subsequent dehydration during the prograde metamorphism and the later-stage cooling, have resulted in a threefold alteration of chromite: i) Type I is characterized by homogeneous Fe3+- and Cr-rich chromite; ii) Type II chromite contains exsolved textures that consist in blebs and fine lamellae of a magnetite-rich phase hosted in a spinel-rich phase; iii) Type III chromite is formed by variable proportions of magnetite-rich and spinel-rich phases with symplectitic texture. Type I chromite shows lower Ga and higher Co, Zn and Mn than magmatic chromites from chromitites in suprasubduction zone ophiolites as a consequence of the redistribution of these elements between Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite and silicates during the prograde metamorphism. Whereas, the spinel-rich phase in Type III chromite is enriched in Co, Zn, Sc, and Ga, but depleted in Mn, Ni, V and Ti with respect to the magnetite-rich phase, due to the metamorphic cooling from high-temperature conditions. The pseudosection calculated in the fluid-saturated FCrMACaSH system, and contoured for Cr# and Mg#, allows us to constrain the temperature of formation of Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite by the diffusion of magnetite in Fe2+-rich porous chromite at <500 ºC and 20 kbar. The subsequent dehydration of Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite by reaction with antigorite and chlorite formed Type I chromite and Mg-rich olivine and pyroxene at >800 ºC and 10 kbar. The ultimate hydration of silicates in Type I chromite and the exsolution of Type II and Type III chromites would have started at ~600 ºC. These temperatures are in the range of those estimated for ocean floor serpentinization (<300 ºC and <4 kbar), the regional prograde metamorphism in the granulite facies (800 ºC and <10 kbar), and subsequent retrogression to the amphibolite facies (600 ºC and 4-6.2 kbar) in the host ultramafic rocks at Los Congos and Los Guanacos. A continuous and slow cooling from granulite to amphibolite facies produced the exsolution of spinel-rich and magnetite-rich phases, developing symplectitic textures in Type III chromite. However, the discontinuous and relatively fast cooling produced the exsolution of magnetite-rich phase blebs and lamellae within Type II chromite. The P-T conditions calculated in FCrMACaSH system and the complex textural and geochemical fingerprints showed by Type I, Type II and Type III chromites leads us to suggest that continent-continent collisional orogeny better records the fingerprints of prograde metamorphism in ophiolitic chromitites.


Parallel spatial memory systems theory posits that there are two types of memory system. One is a flexible, cognitive mapping system subserved by the hippocampal formation, and the other is a system centred on the striatum based on reinforcement learning principles where specific stimuli are associated with rewarded actions (O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978; White & McDonald, 2002). More recently, Khamassi & Humphries (2012) have argued that the division between model-based and model-free spatial learning is a better predictor of whether hippocampal or striatal systems will be recruited, with hippocampal systems associated with model-based responding and striatal systems with model-free responding. Model-free decision-making occurs when responding is based on average reward history associated with a particular cue-action pairing, whereas model-based decision-making allows knowledge of outcomes from previous learning history to be represented. We sought to test these theories by asking participants (N = 24) to navigate within a virtual environment through a previously learned, 9-junction route with distinctive landmarks at each junction, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. In critical conflict probe trials, a landmark was presented out of sequence such that following the usual sequence of actions would generate an opposite response to following the learned individual landmark-action association, now out of sequence. Participants that made sequence-based responses had higher parahippocampal activations relative to participants that made responses based on the individual landmark-action association, a result that would be predicted by the need to recruit model-based systems to make a sequence-based response. Parallel spatial memory systems theory would not predict hippocampal formation recruitment for either response in the conflict probe, because no cognitive mapping is required when following a prescribed route. In longer probe trials where participants were able to plan a sequence of responses, striatal systems were recruited (caudate and putamen) suggesting a role for striatum in action chunking.


This paper presents a new series inductance interval (SII) PFC, using an auxiliary winding, to limit double power processing interval around the input voltage zero crossing. This limitation removes the unessential double processing power and consequently reduces the converter loss. Since the converter is a SII type, this converter has a limited voltage stress on the bulk capacitor and the converter can satisfy the IEC 6100 3-2 class D standard. The converter is analyzed, a design strategy is presented and the results are verified with PSIM simulation and experimental results.


Information retrieval from unstructured contents using ontology has become an activity now a day. We attempt to review some of such activities. Unstructured content typically includes text, speech, music, video, or still images. Vocabulary mismatch and fuzzy search goals are the common problems encounters in the traditional information retrieval (IR) systems. The prime reason is the way the search concepts are expressed. The quality of search result and the usage of the system has mainly affected the keyword-based retrieval in multimedia documents. Perception and the representation of the user information needs affect the personalized search results. We propose to capture the user information needs using ontology using a world knowledge base and the user's local instance repository. A care should be taken that irrelevant concepts are not getting associated and matched and that relevant concepts will not be discarded. This can be achieved by using ontology. Many researchers have been proposed with regard to information retrieval using ontologies.


Abstract : The major elements of the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation phase of a multi-year research program to demonstrate the viability of a totally nonintrusive, magnetically coupled velocimeter has been completed. The velocimeter R/D program was undertaken to yield a device capable of accurately measuring the mean and the turbulent velocity structure of flow-fields typical of rocket combustion chambers and exhaust nozzles. A drive dipole magnetic field array was designed to produce a harmonically varying, spatially localized and controlled field which penetrates flow-fields to produce eddy and motional currents. A probe array has been designed to differentiate those currents from each other and the drive array currents by analytically inverting the measured fields to yield the spatial structure of flow velocity and conductivity. An experimental test of the basic approach (using a electrolytic test chamber) has verified key elements in the analysis. A small, bench scale combustor test of the approach has begun. (Author)


The aim of the managers in SMEs is to have a competitive enterprise on the market, to develop and achieve some positive results. Project management can play a significant role in facilitating this contribution; however, SMEs require less structured forms of project management than those used by larger, traditional organizations. Project management is the set of managerial activities needed to lead a project to a successful end. The paper deals with finding whether the project management of SMEs influences the growth rate of an enterprise. Data were gathered as questionnaires and interviews from 183 enterprises operating in the Czech Republic. The research was made in the period of 2014-15. Authors in the paper failed to confirm that the organizations with project management have better growth rate.


The history of hunger is a story about natural disasters and wars, but, on the other hand, also about the investigation of evolutionary defense mechanisms concerning quantitative food shortages. The article presents how fasting and the experimental starving oriented the development of physiology, and it is based on a comparative analysis of monographs and articles on starvation in the medical context from library collections and the PubMed database. Over the centuries, doctors have believed that fasting has a beneficial effect on health, and they recommended a restrictive diet during an illness. In the 19th century, the growth of modern physiology was determined by experimental fasting of human subjects and animals. Furthermore, undernourishment and chronic hunger in large populations were recognized as a threat to public health for the first time. During both world wars, depriving civilians of food became a strategy of combat and a method of genocide. The mass nature of war hunger motivated doctors to research the pathophysiology of starvation and refeeding of emaciated people, even in the ghetto or concentration camps. After the Second World War, the invention of the scanning electron microscope enabled systematic studies on the effects of starvation on the human body. As a result, the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and the cellular metabolism of cholesterol at the submolecular level were clarified. At the turn of the 21st century, the research on the metabolic response to starvation shed new light on atherogenesis and the link between lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.


Since intermittent cardioplegic reperfusion during an ischemic period may reduce the ischemic stress of the heart at least by lowering myocardial temperature, we compared the post-ischemic recovery of the dog heart following cardioplegia and subsequent continuous ischemia of 1 X 300 minutes at 22 +/- 1 degree C (model 1) and following cardioplegia and subsequent 3 X 100 minutes of ischemia at 17 +/- 1 degree C with intermittent 4-minute cardioplegic reperfusion every 100 minutes (model 2). The parameters of post-ischemic recovery were the cardiac O2 consumption per beat at work (MVO2-E0): HR), the stability of cardiac rhythm, the left ventricular content of high-energy phosphates, and ultrastructure. Solution HTK with a magnesium concentration of 9 mM/L, in clinical use up to the beginning of 1984, resulted in a significantly better post-ischemic recovery in model 1, despite about 40% lesser ischemic stress in model 2. A reduction of Mg concentration from 9 to 4 mM/l, as in the HTK solution clinically tested since February 1984, did facilitate the post-ischemic recovery in model 1 as indicated by the stability of cardiac rhythm but led to a significant improvement of all parameters of recovery in model 2. Moreover, recovery in model 2 after reduced Mg was also clearly better than in model 1 corresponding to the lesser ischemic stress. The parameters myocardial O2 consumption (MVO2) and potassium loss during HTK perfusion containing 9 and 4 mM/l, respectively, gave indications of specific membrane labilizing effects of Mg in the cardioplegic solution HTK.


Abstract In biogeopolitics, the key state stakeholders develop and aim to accomplish their geopolitical goals by (mis)management and biopolitical governance of vulnerable population. In this paper, this population refers to asylum‐related migrants who use or aim to use an asylum request as their entry mechanism to the European Union. This paper explores the emergence of biogeopolitics at the EU borderland between Turkey and Greece during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020. Statistics about irregular migration from Turkey to Greece, field observations in Lesvos (Greece) as well as media and social media discussions about COVID‐19 in Lesvos are analysed. In the biogeopolitics of COVID‐19, the governance and (mis)management of asylum‐related migrants include policies and practices to let these migrants to live or die, including regulating illegal border‐crossings, everyday living conditions at the reception centres, and actions regarding the pandemic. The COVID‐19 pandemic was used as an additional tool to foster biogeopolitics.


This article presents a comparison of results obtained by the Monte-Carlo, finite volume, and modified discrete ordinates interpolation method for an absorbing, emitting, and isotropically scattering medium that is surrounded by discretely heated irregular surfaces. The medium is maintained at an isothermal condition or in radiative equilibrium. While the results of the Monte-Carlo method present the benchmark solutions within a statistical limit, the comparative results by the other methods provide a relative accuracy in the given geometry. In particular, the ray effects stemming from a discrete set of angular discretization for flux methods are found to be pronounced in the case of localized heating.


The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a promising device in the fields of power generation, energy storage, aerospace, and public transportation. The hydrogen recirculation ejector with the advantages of low cost, high durability, and no parasitic power is the key component of PEMFC systems. However, it is challenging to design a hydrogen recirculation ejector to cover the wide operating conditions of PEMFC systems. In order to design an ejector for fuel cell systems, a comprehensive understanding of ejector research is required. Consequently, the state-of-the-art research work on the hydrogen recirculation ejector is analyzed, including characteristics of the ejector in PEM fuel cell systems, geometry design and optimization, different types of ejectors and a comparison between them, and system integration and control. Through a comprehensive analysis of ejectors, further research suggestions on designing high-performance ejectors are presented.


Efficient generation of polarized single photons or entangled photon pairs is a crucial requirement for the implementation of quantum key distribution (QKD) systems [1] [2]. In this context, self-organized semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) [3] [4] play a decisive role as they are capable of emitting only one polarized photon at a time using appropriate electrical current injection [5] [6]. Therefore, a single QD embedded in a LED can be used as a single photon source. By tuning the electronic structure it is possible to use QD as source for entangled photons. Resonant cavity-induced enhancement of spontaneous emission and out-coupling efficiency can improve external quantum efficiency of quantum dot based single photon sources dramatically. In order to optimise the device geometry detailed numerical device modelling must be performed. The modelling of the electromagnetic field were done using eigenmode-techniques. The essential design parameters, such as cavity length, aperture diameter, position and thickness were systematically varied. We designed and fabricated optimized resonant cavity light emitting diodes combined with a submicron oxide current aperture, to pump individual InGaAs/GaAs QDs electrically. These devices demonstrates more than ten times increased single photon rate in comparison to the simple LED design. Pulsed correlation measurements demonstrated true single photon emission with g2(0) = 0 at a rate of 1 GHz.


This paper describes a new method for affine parameter estimation between image sequences. Usually, the parameter estimation techniques can be done by least squares in a quadratic way. However, this technique can be sensitive to the presence of outliers. Therefore, parameter estimation techniques for various image processing applications are robust enough to withstand the influence of outliers. Progressively, some robust estimation functions demanding non-quadratic and perhaps non-convex potentials adopted from statistics literature have been used for solving these. Addressing the optimization of the error function in a factual framework for finding a global optimal solution, the minimization can begin with the convex estimator at the coarser level and gradually introduce nonconvexity i.e., from soft to hard redescending non-convex estimators when the iteration reaches finer level of multiresolution pyramid. Comparison has been made to find the performance of the results of proposed method with the results found individually using two different estimators. Keywords—Image Processing, Affine parameter estimation, Outliers, Robust Statistics, Robust M-estimators


BACKGROUND
Although minimal intervention dentistry (MID) is on the increase, little is known about the patterns of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of dentists in the United States.

METHODS
Federal service and civilian dentists who were active members of the American Dental Association (N = 1,500) received a pretested questionnaire about their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning MID. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were conducted to assess dentist personal and practice characteristics associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

RESULTS
Federal service dentists reported more knowledge of MID than civilian dentists (Cochrane Mantel Haenszel Ridit Scores), p < 0.0043, with similar attitudes toward fluoride (p = 0.11), and decisions regarding monitoring or restoring enamel caries (p = 0.22). Federal service dentists remineralized noncavitated carious lesions more (p < 0.0001) and had lower composite scores, indicating more MID tendency (Wilcoxon p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
Federal service dentists reported more knowledge and clinical practices regarding minimal intervention dentistry compared to civilian dentists.


Four new members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, referred to as fibroblast growth factor homologous factors (FHFs), have been identified by a combination of random cDNA sequencing, data base searches, and degenerate PCR. Pairwise comparisons between the four FHFs show between 58% and 71% amino acid sequence identity, but each FHF shows less than 30% identity when compared with other FGFs. Like FGF-1 (acidic FGF) and FGF-2 (basic FGF), the FHFs lack a classical signal sequence and contain clusters of basic residues that can act as nuclear localization signals. In transiently transfected 293 cells FHF-1 accumulates in the nucleus and is not secreted. Each FHF is expressed in the developing and adult nervous systems, suggesting a role for this branch of the FGF family in nervous system development and function.


Background and aims. Bleaching may exert some negative effects on existing composite resin restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of home bleaching on microleakage of fiber-reinforced and particle-filled composite resins. Materials and methods. Ninety class V cavities (1.5×2×3 mm) were prepared on the buccal surfaces of 90 bovine teeth. The teeth were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=15) and restored as follows: Groups 1 and 2 with Z100, groups 3 and 4 with Z250, and groups 5 and 6 with Nulite F composite resins. All the specimens were thermocycled. Groups 1, 3 and 5 were selected as control groups (without bleaching) and the experimental groups 2, 4 and 6 were bleached with 22% carbamide peroxide gel. All the samples were immersed in 2% basic fuchsin dye for 24 hours and then sectioned longitudinally. Dye penetration was evaluated under a stereomicroscope (×25), at both the gingival and incisal margins. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests (a=0.05). Results. Statistical analyses revealed that bleaching gel increased microleakage only at gingival margins with Z250 (P=0.007). Moreover, the control groups showed a statistically significant difference in microleakage at their gingival margins. Nulite F had the maximum microleakage while Z250 showed the minimum (P=0.006). Conclusion. Microleakage of home-bleached restorations might be related to the type of composite resin used.


Complex dielectric constant ='-i" of a semiconducting BaTiO3 ceramics has been measured at room temperature over the frequency range of 10kHz-500MHz. This dielectric response can be approximately described by the Debye type relaxation equations, whereas the conductivity dominates the imaginary part at lower frequencies. From the dielectric measurement, the resistivity and the dielectric constant have been evaluated for the grains and grain boundaries separately.


The EduSpeak system is a software development toolkit that enables developers of interactive language education software to use state-of-the-art speech recognition and pronunciation scoring technology. We first report results on the application of adaptation techniques to recognize both native and nonnative speech in a speaker-independent manner. We discuss our pronunciation scoring paradigm and show experimental results in the form of correlations between the pronunciation quality estimators included in the toolkit and grades given by human listeners. We review phone-level pronunciation estimation schemes and describe the phone-level mispronunciation detection functionality that we have incorporated in the toolkit. Finally, we mention some of the EduSpeak toolkit system features that facilitate the creation and deployment of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) applications.


This paper provides details of the experiments performed by the LMB group at the University of Freiburg, Germany, for the medical automatic annotation task in the ImageCLEF 2006. We use local features calculated around so-called interest points, which have recently recieved excellent results for various image recognition and classification tasks. We propose the use of relational features, which are highly robust to illumination changes, and thus quite suitable for X-Ray images. Results with various feature and classifier settings are reported. A significant improvement in results is seen when the relative positions of the interest points are also taken into account during matching. For the given test set, our best run had a classification error rate of 16.7 %, just 0.5 % higher than the best overall submission, and therewith was ranked second in the medical automatic annotation task at the ImageCLEF 2006.


Educational environments have incorporated the use of software to support learning activities. A Learning Management System (LMS) is essential to dispatch distance learning courses to students. A LMS typically stores large volumes of data, recording in detail the activities performed by students. These data can be used to discover relevant information that can help teachers in the management of the teaching-learning process. In this study, by using data mining techniques, we investigate how to obtain inferences about the performance of students in distance learning courses based on data obtained from a Learning Management System. Some experiments conducted in this research indicate the viability of this proposal, achieving accuracy rates between 73% and 80% in estimates students' academic performance.


The paper describes the main historical periods of the development of the institution of the participation of the prosecutor in administrative cases in courts. From the historical analysis of the powers of the prosecutor, the author concludes that the administrative proceedings, in which the prosecutor took an active part, have always existed, but took different forms. An analysis of the legislation and opinions of scientists of the Russian Empire period in comparison with modern legislation and legal concepts allows us to highlight the best from the past and move it to the modern legal field. The powers of the prosecutor in administrative proceedings currently include the provisions of the legislation of the Russian Empire and the Soviet period, however, they require additional reflection based on historical experience. As a result, the author concludes that, without taking into account the historical past in terms of the institution of the participation of the prosecutor in administrative cases in courts, it is currently impossible to develop and improve the powers of prosecutors in administrative courts.


Marx begins Chapter 2 of his "Critique of Political Economy" as follows: "Gladstone, speaking in a parliamentary debate on Sir Robert Peel's Bank Act of 1844 and 1845, observed that even love has not turned more men into fools than has meditation upon the nature of money." Meditation upon the vicissitudes of the international monetary system has perhaps done as much in our day. The upheaval of August 1971 marked the end of the post-war international monetary system based on gold, fixed international exchange rates and the supremacy of the US dollar. The Smithsonian agreement which followed in December devalued the dollar in terms of gold, acknowledged the official ending of the dollar's convertibility, set new rates of exchange between the dollar and various other currencies and made some technical changes in the system. President Nixon called the agreement "the most significant monetary agreement in the history of the world". The First National City Bank of New York was more realistic; it said the agreement was "but a stopgap solution to an unresolved problem." The agreement did not in fact come to grips with any of the real difficulties; it merely established what was hoped would be an interim truce of monetary order and stability during which solutions to the real difficulties might be negotiated.


The aim of the study was to assess the dynamics of changes in magnesium (Mg) serum levels in the acute, symptomatic period of infectious mononucleosis and during the convalescence period, when clinical symptoms were no longer present. 50 subjects were included, among them 26 patients (14 women and 12 men) at the age of 16 to 27 years in the acute, symptomatic stage of the disease. The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis was based on the clinical, hematological, biochemical and serologic criteria. Mg concentration was measured 3 times: on the 1st day and in the 2nd week of hospitalization, and also in the convalescence period--3 weeks after the regression of clinical symptoms. The control group consisted of 24 healthy individuals (5 men and 5 women) at the age of 17 to 26 years. Mg concentration was measured once in this group. All measurements of Mg serum concentration were performed using the method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) at the wavelength of 285.2 nm. We observed significantly higher Mg serum concentrations in patients with acute, symptomatic infectious mononucleosis than in healthy individuals. During the convalescence period Mg serum concentrations were lower but still statistically higher than in the control group.


Glucose transporter-2 (glut2) is underexpressed in beta cells of several rodent models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This may also be true for rodent models of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). The present study examines two murine models of autoimmune IDDM, the nonobese diabetic (NOD) and the low-dose streptozotocin (stz) murine models for changes in the expression of glut2 by double-label light and confocal microscopy during various stages of the disease. The spatial distribution of glut2 cells was also examined in relation to insulin immunoreactive cells and the islet inflammatory cells during these stages. In both the female NOD mouse and the female Swiss mouse without stz treatment, glut2 colocalized with insulin in virtually all the beta cells. In the NOD mouse, islets with moderate to advanced insulitis showed either an absence or considerably reduce expression of glut2 in insulin-containing beta cells. Cells with reduced glut2 expression were usually located adjacent to the region of insulitis. At onset of diabetes, glut2 immunolabeling was reduced despite the preservation of weak insulin immunoreactivity. In Swiss mice treated repeatedly with stz, glut2 labeling began to decline in select Beta cells after the fourth injection in approximately 50% of the islets, despite the lack of insulitis. At this stage expression of glut2 fell in a small number of islets with evidence of early macrophage infiltration. Loss of glut2 became more pronounced in nondiabetic Swiss mice after the fifth injection. At this stage glut2 labeling in the plasma membrane appeared diffuse and variable. At onset of stz-induced diabetes, glut2 expression significantly fell, despite weak immunoreactivity for insulin. This loss was associated with an enhanced influx of both macrophages and T lymphocytes within the islets of diabetes mice. In both the NOD and the low-dose stz mouse models, loss of glut2 thus occurs from an early stage and precedes hyperglycaemia. This loss may be mediated by immune and nonimmune mechanisms.


Beans contain substantial amount of protein, dietary fibre, B-vitamins, minerals, and anti-nutrients which limit their utilisation. Processing reduce the level of antinutrients in plant products but little information exist on effects of processing methods on nutrient and antinutrient composition of bean products. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of processing methods on nutrient and antinutrient composition, and micronutrient potential of bean paste (Ekuru) from two cultivars of beans, white ( Vigna unguiculata ) and red ( Vigna angustifoliata ) species of beans which were processed into white and brown Ekuru using standardised traditional methods. 100 g of raw V. unguiculata and V. angustifoliata contained 22.83 and 23.94 g protein, 1.94 and 2.11 g crude lipid, 30 and 29 mg sodium, 1.110 and 1.124 mg potassium, 390 and 130 mg phosphorus, 10.65 and 10.95 mg iron and 5.87 and 5.95 mg zinc, respectively. Ekuru products contained between 18.76 and 21.90 g protein, 0.81 and 1.38 g crude lipid, 20.00 and 90.00 mg sodium, 870 and 1124 mg potassium, 8.16 and 8.36 mg iron and 4.87 and 5.21 mg zinc, respectively. Processing decreased the nutrient content of the products compared with raw samples, the red bean product was higher in crude protein, crude lipid and ash; while the white bean product was higher in crude fibre and moisture content. The bean products were very low in antinutrients, with no trypsin inhibitors. Ekuru samples can be good sources of plant protein, nonhaeme iron and zinc, and their consumption should be encouraged. Key words : Processing methods, nutritive value, antinutrients, Ekuru, Vigna unguiculata, Vigna angustifoliata.


This article explores historical assessments of the foreign policy of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated fifty years ago. It traces the evolution of JFK historiography from the uncritical so-called 'Camelot' school to harsh revisionist critiques in the 1980s and 1990s, and on to the current 'third wave' of scholarship. The article focuses in particular on new work concerning JFK's handling of the Berlin and Cuba superpower crises, his role in expanding the United States' involvement in Vietnam (and whether blame for this war can be assigned to him) and larger questions about his approach to the danger of nuclear holocaust and the possibility of defusing Cold War tensions. The conclusion to the article examines his various peace-seeking initiatives in the months following the Cuban Missile Crisis, and suggests that Kennedy may have been turning towards a more critical view of American Cold War politics when he was killed in Dallas in November 1963.


The case of a 31 year old man who had been intravenous drug abuser for years is reported. He was studied because of abdominal pain, jaundice, a weight loss of 10 kg, and the presence of a subclavicular mass. Biopsy of the mass demonstrated a high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and the patient was classified in group IV-D of the human immunodeficiency virus infection because he had HIV serum antibodies and a reduced CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio. Although lymphoma had a good response to chemotherapy, persistent cholestasis led to liver and biliary evaluation. Sclerosing cholangitis and papillary stenosis were found. He has been followed for two years, without evidence of any secondary infectious disease associated to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.


A 60-year-old male patient presented with jaundice. Initial investigations showed anemia, indirect hyperbilirubinemia, raised Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) and increased reticulocyte count suggestive of hemolysis. Considering hemolysis low MCV and basophilic stippling on peripheral film, hemoglobin electrophoresis was done that showed Haemoglobin H (15.5%) that in the absence of family history was thought to be acquired. After bone marrow examination, the final diagnosis was Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Refractory anemia with excess of blast (RAEB) associated with acquired Haemoglobin H (Hb H) disease.


This paper reports an expost facto research carried out to find out from 153 Computer Education Students (from Colleges of Education) their knowledge of Computer games. The researcher specifically set out to investigate, if those Computer Education Students thought pupils could actually learn form Computer games. The findings show that these level of Nigerian teachers in training who would be the ones to inculcate computer skills into the learners (at primary and Junior secondary school level) still needs a lot of education themselves especially in the areas of the capabilities of computer games for learning. The Nigerian Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol. 9(1) 2004: 16-24


Education acts as a soul in the overall societal development, in one way or the other. Aspirants, who gain their degrees genuinely, will help society with their knowledge and skills. But the other side of the coin, the problem of fake certificates, is alarming and worrying. It has been prevalent in different forms from paper-based dummy certificates to replicas backed with database tampering and has increased to astronomic levels in this digital era. In this regard, an overlay mechanism using Blockchain technology is proposed to store the genuine certificates in digital form and verify them firmly whenever needed without delay. The proposed system makes sure that the certificates, once verified, can be present online in an immutable form for further reference and provides a tamper-proof concealment to the existing certification system. To confirm the credibility of the proposed method, a prototype of blockchain-based credential securing and verification system is developed in ethereum test network. The implementation and test results show that it is a secure and feasible solution to online credential management system.


Human fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a multifaceted metabolic regulator considered to control sugar intake and to exert beneficial effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. Elevated serum FGF21 levels are associated with metabolic syndrome, suggesting a state of FGF21 resistance. Further, given the evidence of a hepatic ChREBP and FGF21 signaling axis, it can be assumed that SSBs containing fructose would possibly increase FGF21 concentrations. We investigated the effects of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption on fasting FGF21 levels in healthy, lean men, discriminating the effects of glucose, fructose, and their disaccharide sucrose by secondary data analysis from a randomized controlled trial. Seven weeks of daily SSB consumption resulted in increased fasting FGF21 in healthy, lean men, irrespective of the sugar type. Medians of ΔFGF21 between post-SSB intervention values (week 7) and no-intervention period values (IQR) in pg/mL were: glucose 17.4 (0.4–45.8), fructose 22.9 (−8.6–35.1), and sucrose 13.7 (2.2–46.1). In contrast, this change in FGF21 concentration was only 6.3 (−20.1–26.9) pg/mL in the control group. The lack of a fructose-specific effect on FGF21 concentrations is contrary to our assumption. It is concluded that SSB intake may impact FGF21 concentrations and could contribute to the increased FGF21 concentrations observed in subjects suffering from metabolic syndrome that is possibly associated with decreased FGF21 responsiveness.


The functional approach to the treatment of aphasia is embodied in the methods and techniques of Promoting Aphasic's Communicative Effectiveness (PACE), which has had an international influence on the way therapists approach the rehabilitation of aphasia patients. However, there is a shortage of research into the approach and little up-to-date practical guidance on its application. D. Carlomagno's concise book aims to provide a guide to the use and efficacy of PACE methodology which should be useful for aphasia therapists.


Every autumn approximately 900 randomly selected sera from various regional bacteriological laboratories are received at the NIPH and assayed for the presence of haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies to current influenza strains. After three years of preliminary investigations the system is now working successfully. It is possible, in retrospect, to assess the impact of various influenza strains in different age groups and regions of the country. In particular, after the reappearance of the H1N1 subtype (the "Russian influenza") in Europe in January 1978, the sera collected in Norway during a 3-week period in October 1978 clearly showed that those under the age of 25 years, and especially teenagers between 13 and 16 years of age, were struck by this virus. This was unexpected since there was hardly any influenza morbidity associated with this "new" strain recorded in the winter of 1978.


Abstract Friuli-Venezia Giulia is situated in northeast Italy, on the border with Austria and Slovenia. The availability of stone from many different sites across the geographical area of the Carnian and Julian Alps, the foothills and the eastern Karst has meant that, historically, a great variety of stone materials has been employed in the region. The sources of these materials are well documented as are the locations of earlier quarries, providing evidence that small-scale local quarrying operated throughout the region for more than two thousand years. In the modern period, from the beginning of the 20th century, these quarries were progressively abandoned. It is only recently that the area of historical building resources has started to attract new attention and detailed studies have been carried out into the use of natural stone materials, both from the geological and architectural points of view. The results of these studies are of great importance for the history of construction, and they also provide useful support for restoration. However, there is a great need for a comprehensive system to organize the considerable amount of data from historical documents and recent research. At present, much of the information available is accessible only to specialists, a situation which hinders the sharing of knowledge and the development of the field. In order to meet this need, a research project is in progress which aims to create an electronic database of the historical stone resources of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Based on the historical listings of quarries included in two 19th century surveys of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the database will describe the sites with existing buildings and other constructions in which the quarried materials were employed supplementing the data, where possible, with illustrations and specific references. The aim of the work is not only to demonstrate the great variety of stone resources in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the influence of this on the history of building, but also to allow the cross-disciplinary correlation between architectural, material and geographical data. Once the database has been implemented, it is hoped that it will provide a continuously upgraded resource for future conservation and restoration projects.


Accurate ab initio computational chemistry has evolved dramatically. In particular, the development of multireference-based approaches has opened up a completely new area, and has had a profound impact on the potential of theoretical chemistry. Multireference-based perturbation theory (MRPT) is an extension of the closed-shell single reference Moller-Plesset method, and has been successfully applied to many chemical and spectroscopic problems. MRPT has established itself as an efficient technique for treating nondynamical and dynamical correlations. Usually, a complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) wave function is chosen as a reference function of MRPT. However, CASSCF often generates too many configurations, and the size of the active space can outgrow the capacity of the present technology. Many attempts have been proposed to reduce the dimension of CASSCF and to widen the range of applications of MRPT. This review focuses on our recent development in MRPT.


Quantity and quality assessment of human pancreatic islets are essential processes to define a safe and potent quality product used for clinical transplantation. The conventional method of manual assessment has been used in the field for longer than two decades. The high degree of variability in product quantity and lack of archival imaging records of the product for verification are two major disadvantages of using the manual method for quantity and quality assessment of human pancreatic islets. Investigators have developed promising new methods for technical improvement. In this study, we briefly review the published methods and highlight the advantages of digital imaging analysis (DIA) when compared to the manual method. The application of DIA reduces measurement variability and increases the precision of islet equivalent (IEQ) determination for batch analysis. It produces images that can be archived for retrospective analysis and validation, and the data can be transmitted electronically for off-site analysis. These features are important for quality pancreatic islet assessment and are consistent with FDA requirements of current good manufacturing practice for clinical islet transplantation.


Aedes aegypti mosquitoes exhibit specific behavior when choosing their nest. This study was conducted on April 2021 and aimed to assess the correlation between the oviposition habit of female Aedes sp. and the features of a house in 34 adjacent houses in the Tamansari area. Ovitraps were placed indoors and outdoors at each house. The number of mosquitoes that laid eggs were estimated by dividing the number of eggs found in the ovitrap by the average number of eggs produced by female mosquitoes. Data about the features of the houses were obtained by observing the houses and interviewing the house owners. Results showed that 79.41% of the houses had the Aedes sp.'s egg in an ovitrap. There was a correlation between the number of indoor oviposition mosquitoes and the number of occupants (p=0.04; r=0.35). There was also a correlation between the number of outdoor oviposition mosquitoes and the ratio of the house's area (m2) per number of occupants (p=0.03; r=0.36). We conclude that mosquitoes prefer to nest inside a house with a lot of occupants and prefer to nest outside a house that is spacious and has few residents.
Keywords: aedes, house, oviposition


Conductivity, complex permittivity, and shielding effectiveness (SE) of single- and multiwalled carbon nanotube (SWCNT and MWCNT) composites prepared by ultrasonication dispersion were investigated experimentally. As compared with a manual process, ultrasonication dispersion was able to reduce percolation threshold of the SWCNT composites significantly. Frequency-dependent permittivity of the composite can be well described by the scaling law based on the percolation theory. It is also found that the carbon nanotube (CNT) composites possess large tunable dielectric properties (>;60%) at relatively low bias electrical field (7.5 V/mm), which have potential applications in smart electromagnetic functional structures. SE of the MWCNT composite with 5% CNT and a thickness of 2 mm is about 30 dB at 12 GHz. Therefore, the MWCNT composites are good candidates as flexible shielding materials operating at microwave frequencies.


Abstract Aims Substrate assessment of scar-mediated ventricular tachycardia (VT) is frequently performed using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images. Although this provides structural information about critical pathways through the scar, assessing the vulnerability of these pathways for sustaining VT is not possible with imaging alone. This study evaluated the performance of a novel automated re-entrant pathway finding algorithm to non-invasively predict VT circuit and inducibility. Methods Twenty post-infarct VT-ablation patients were included for retrospective analysis. Commercially available software (ADAS3D left ventricular) was used to generate scar maps from 2D-LGE images using the default 40–60 pixel-signal-intensity (PSI) threshold. In addition, algorithm sensitivity for altered thresholds was explored using PSI 45–55, 35–65, and 30–70. Simulations were performed on the Virtual Induction and Treatment of Arrhythmias (VITA) framework to identify potential sites of block and assess their vulnerability depending on the automatically computed round-trip-time (RTT). Metrics, indicative of substrate complexity, were correlated with VT-recurrence during follow-up. Results Total VTs (85 ± 43 vs. 42 ± 27) and unique VTs (9 ± 4 vs. 5 ± 4) were significantly higher in patients with- compared to patients without recurrence, and were predictive of recurrence with area under the curve of 0.820 and 0.770, respectively. VITA was robust to scar threshold variations with no significant impact on total and unique VTs, and mean RTT between the four models. Simulation metrics derived from PSI 45–55 model had the highest number of parameters predictive for post-ablation VT-recurrence. Conclusion Advanced computational metrics can non-invasively and robustly assess VT substrate complexity, which may aid personalized clinical planning and decision-making in the treatment of post-infarction VT.


The comparative value of the protein of wholemeal bread and white bread, in promoting the growth of young rats of both sexes, has been re-examined. With weanling rats the results confirmed previous observations, made by other workers, that the protein of wholemeal bread promotes a better rate of growth than that of white bread. This difference in the rate of growth was also observed when the diets contained 4% skim milk powder and 10% potato powder. With older rats (starting about 5 to 6 weeks afterweanling) the difference in rate of growth, on the diets containing wholemeal bread com pared with those containing white bread, was not so pronounced with male rats and was insignificant with females. Following these observations the lysine content of the wholemeal and white-bread diets was determined using the analytical technique of Moore & Stein (1951) with an ion-exchange resin. With these data as a basis the lysine content of the white-bread diets was raised to that of the wholemeal diets by the addition of L-lysine. The rate of growth of male weanling rats on the supplemented white-bread diet was then no longer inferior to that observed with the wholemeal diet. In further experiments the lysine content of both the white-bread and wholemeal diets was raised to about 1%, so that lysine was no longer the limiting factor in either. Male weanling rats grew equally well on both these supplemented diets. Once the lysine requirement was satisfied there was no evidence of any other essential amino-acid being a limiting factor in the white-bread diets, compared with the wholemeal. It is concluded, first, that the difference in the nutritive value of the protein of wholemeal bread and that of white bread (as measured by the rate of growth of the weanling rat) is due to the higher lysine content of the wholemeal bread. Secondly, that the weanling rat is extremely sensitive to small changes in the lysine concentration in diets when the content of this essential amino-acid is in the range 0·3 to 0·5%.


A novel Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, obligate aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, and flagellated bacterium, designated S11R28T, was isolated from the intestinal tract of a Korean shiner, Coreoleuciscus splendidus. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain S11R28T was identified as member of the genus Undibacterium in class Betaproteobacteria, and was closely related to Undibacterium parvum DSM 23061T (98.49 %). The isolate grew at 4-25 °C, pH 6-9, with 0 % (w/v) NaCl, and grew optimally at 20 °C, pH 8, in the absence of NaCl. The main cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 and summed features 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). The strain possessed diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine as predominant polar lipids, and ubiquinone Q-8 as a respiratory quinone. The polyamine profile composed of 2-hydroxyputrescine, spermidine, putrescine, and benzoic acid. A genomic DNA G+C content was 51.4 mol%. The average nucleotide identity between strains S11R28T and U. parvum DSM 23061T was 78.66 %. Thus, Undibacterium piscinae can be considered a novel species within the genus Undibacterium with the type strain S11R28T (=KCTC 62668T=JCM 33224T).


Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus and is involved in various biological processes, such as regulating the immune system, and counteracting inflammation and malignancy. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AS-IV on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate cell survival and cell death, and Western blotting was performed to assess protein expression. We found that AS-IV inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells and caused a noticeable increase in cell death. Furthermore, the expression of Bax, a marker of cell death, was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, was reduced. AS-IV also promoted cleavage of caspase-3, another indication of apoptosis. Finally, the Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin axis was suppressed in response to AS-IV. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that AS-IV inhibits NSCLC development via inhibition of the Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling axis. We therefore propose that AS-IV represents a promising novel agent for the treatment of NSCLC.


We investigate the production sites and the enrichment history of r-process elements in the Galaxy, as traced by the [Eu/Fe] ratio, using the high resolution, cosmological zoom-in simulation "Eris." At z = 0, Eris represents a close analog to the Milky Way, making it the ideal laboratory to understand the chemical evolution of our Galaxy. Eris formally traces the production of oxygen and iron due to supernovae (SNe) Ia and SNe II. We include in post-processing the production of r-process elements from compact binary mergers. Unlike previous studies, we find that the nucleosynthetic products from compact binary mergers can be incorporated into stars of very low metallicity and at early times, even with a minimum delay time of 100 Myr. This conclusion is relatively insensitive to modest variations in the merger rate, minimum delay time, and the delay time distribution. By implementing a first-order prescription for metal mixing, we can further improve the agreement between our model and the data for the chemical evolution of both [α/Fe] and [Eu/Fe]. We argue that compact binary mergers could be the dominant source of r-process nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy.


The Raman band intensity of the carbonyl group in methyl benzoate has been measured in five solvents, for a wide range of concentration. After 'correction' the values still appear to vary with concentration, and from all the data a smooth variation has been found with refractive index of the mixture. Similar measurements have been made with the vibrational chromophores C = O , C ≡ N and C ≡ C in many media, at the same concentration, and this relation with refractive index has been confirmed. Extrapolation of the curves to low values of the refractive index suggests values for the band intensities in the vapour phase. This dependence of band intensity upon refractive index cannot yet be convincingly explained, but it is suggested that a further examination is required of the corrections usually made for reflexion losses in the Raman measurements. Marked changes of intensity of the C=O Raman band in methyl benzoate occur when substituents are introduced into the aromatic ring. These have been correlated with inductive and mesomeric effects of the substituents, and with the shifts in the electronic absorption bands in relation to the Raman exciting frequency. The results suggest that this latter factor, through the resonance Raman effect, may be the main cause of the variation of band intensity.


A photonic crystal waveguide biosensor in the visible is presented for biosensing. The sensor is applied to Refractive Index (RI) measurements. The sensitivity at different wavelength is presented for both air holes and air core configurations of photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) made of TiO2. It is shown that by using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) the expected sensitivity of the air core configuration outperforms the previously reported results.


The question of calculating excitation propagation velocity is analyzed on the basis of the Hodgkin-Huxley model. The activation of the sodium current is assumed to be rapid as compared to the rate of potential variation. Because of slow variation of potassium activation and sodium inactivation the dynamics of these processes is assumed to be of negligible effect in the region of impulse velocity formation. By means of pieace-wise linear approximation of thus obtained voltage-current characteristics the characteristics the analytical solution of the problem was found. In two limiting cases this solution coincides with the solutions of Kolmogorov and Scott. The dependence of impulse velocity on parameters is analyzed and illustrated graphically.


Only recently has the importance of extracellular vesicles as key mediators of intercellular communication been appreciated. Extracellular vesicles are membrane derived structures that include exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies. Exosomes have been shown to transfer molecules between cells and have the potential to transfer signals between cells. Exosomes are released under normal physiological conditions; however, they are also believed to serve as mediators in the pathogenesis of neurological, vascular, hematological and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer. Quantifying and characterizing exosomes in a reproducible and reliable manner has been difficult due to their small size (50 – 100 nm in diameter). Exosomes analysis can be done using high-magnification microscopy however this technique has a very low throughput. Attempts to analyze exosomes using traditional flow cytometers has been hampered by the limit of detection of such small particles and low refractive index. To overcome these limitations we have employed multispectral imaging flow cytometry that has the advantage of combining high throughput flow cytometry with higher sensitivity to small particles and the added benefit of imaging that can provide visual confirmation of particle integrity and characterization. In this study we use multispectral imaging flow cytometry to investigate the interaction of exosomes with white blood cells. Exosomes derived from different cell types will be investigated for their preferential interactions with blood cell subsets by combining immunophenotyping with morphological parameters to measure their binding and internalization.


Abstract. Due to many problems such as diseases and pests, low fertility, and dehydration, trees need immediate actions to be taken in time of need. Since they are an important source of fruit, food, and nutrients consumed by humans, keeping track of the trees in orchards is a crucial issue in recent years. Today, drones equipped with multispectral cameras are used in precision agriculture, especially for monitoring and controlling trees. For this cause, two citrus orchards in Iran with an area of 9.2 and 2.67 hectares and a resolution of 3.6 and 0.68 cm were selected for the study area. In this study, First, tree extraction was conducted using four algorithms namely Local maxima, Image binarization, valley following, and watershed segmentation, and a proposed method that is based on the improvement of the watershed algorithm. This method achieved an overall accuracy of 87% and 81% in the two study regions which was higher than common methods. Secondly, the effect of the number of spectral bands on the accuracy of tree extraction was investigated. As a result, by adding of Red-Edge and NIR bands, the accuracy increased by about 5% and 7%. Therefore, experts suggested using NIR and Red-Edge bands besides RGB bands.


To support the growth and development of plants in the Bedugul tourist area, in addition to using inorganic fertilizers, most farmers still use organic fertilizer derived from chicken manure which is easily obtained in large quantities from outside the Candikuning Village area. Until now, the source of organic fertilizer that can actually be used from solid and liquid rabbit manure in Candikuning Village is still not carried out further processing to improve the quality of rabbit manure as a nutrient source fertilizer for plants.  This opportunity can actually be used by livestock farmer groups in Candikuning Village as an opportunity to supply organic fertilizer from solid and liquid rabbit manure.  The group's problem is that solid and liquid rabbit manure has not been processed optimally, there is no house where the drying and fermentation process has not been carried out, and packaging and labeling have not been carried out. Therefore, partner groups need to be facilitated from the aspects of processing technology and improving the quality of rabbit waste, packaging and labeling, product quality testing in the laboratory, and partner group business management. This PKM program is carried out in livestock farming groups in Candikuning Village, Baturiti District, Tabanan Regency-Bali Province.  The method used to achieve the goal is through socialization, counseling, mentoring, training, and the application of technology with direct practice in the field. In this activity, the output target that has been achieved is that the partner group is independently able to utilize solid and liquid rabbit manure waste into "SOF" (Solid Organic Fertilizer) and "LOF" (Liquid Organic Fertilizer) with good quality has been packaged and labeled so that it can compete in the market and increase the income of the partner group.