To ensure that the implementation of a communication protocol conforms to its specification, a protocol test process is invoked to check for conformance. In this paper, an incremental protocol test method is proposed. The incremental protocol test method is based on modifying test architectures and enhancing formal description techniques (FDTs) functionalities so that they are powerful enough to be used in both the design phase and the test phase. To provide for direct control and observation, the proposed method has: a single high level formal representation mechanism, which is the OPS5 production system, to be used in both the design phase and the test phase; a test sequence generator and state monitor (TGM) that is added to the local environment. In this way, protocol test sequence generation is formally represented in production rules by combining those related elements in the formal protocol specification with additional elements used for controllability and observability in the test process.<<ETX>>


For the evolution of social behaviour, communication has an important implication. Living in a structured social system is common in many species and involves costs, benefits and the ability to communicate with group members. Members of a group are often spatial separated and to coordinate movements and maintain social bonds between members acoustic communication is central. In this book, we tried to understand the role of acoustic communication in African lions (Panthera leo). We were interest to find out which were the features that characterized female and male lion roars and roars of different prides. Additionally, if lion roars had individual features, and which parameters characterized them. This book is a preliminary study into the acoustic communication of lions that could be used as a guideline for future research in this field. Future studies into the acoustic communication could improve the understanding of the evolution of social behaviour.


The 95 best-quality fault-plane solutions for earthquakes in a 30 by 10 km area near the epicenter of the 1868 Hawaiian earthquake ( M about 7.9) were used for estimating the orientation of the stress and strain tensors. Most of the earthquakes had magnitudes of ML = 3.5 ± 0.6 with nine events in the range 4.2 ≦ ML ≦ 5.5. Although this area, Hilea, is capable of great earthquakes, it seldom produces events in the range 5.5 ≦ ML ≦ 6.5. We found that the directions of the slip and the principal strains are much more uniform in Hilea than in the neighboring regions of Kaoiki and south Kona, not varying more than 15°. The directions of the stress tensor are poorly constrained because of the uniformity of fault-plane solutions. Therefore one cannot be certain that the stress tensor is uniform in this area, but we assume that it is, because the strain and slip directions are. The stress and strain tensor directions differ significantly from those in the Kaoiki and south Kona areas. The slip directions as well as the plane defined by e1 and e3 are oriented approximately perpendicular to the upper part of Mauna Loa's southwest rift, suggesting that magma intrusions there (at a distance of 20 km) probably provide the stress for the seismic activity in the Hilea area.

We propose that a tectonic boundary exists near latitude 19° 19′ separating the Kaoiki and Hilea areas. The stress and strain tensor orientations are significantly different north and south of this boundary, and virtually no strike-slip earthquakes occur in the Hilea area, whereas they are the majority of solutions in the Kaoiki area.

The fault-plane solutions in Hilea have a near-horizontal and a near-vertical nodal plane. In other areas of Hawaii, the evidence suggests that the near-horizontal plane is a zone of weakness provided by buried oceanic sediment, which allows slip of the upper crust away from the volcanic centers toward the coasts. Here, however, the stress inversion does not lead to a clear choice of preferred fault plane. Thus, it may be that both nodal planes do act as fault planes in this area and that the rupture process in large earthquakes of the 1868 type may be complex involving decollement, steeply dipping normal faulting, and even strike-slip faulting.


The authors discuss their use of Ender's method in the treatment of fractures of the femur. The diameter and length of the nails depends on the type of fracture. 1) Three nails of 4 mm diameter are introduced in parallel from the medial condyle in fractures of the femoral neck; 2) 5 mm nails are used, in similar fashion, for the fixation of intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures; 3) 5 mm nails are used for diaphyseal, supracondylar and intercondylar fractures, introduced in crossed fashion ("Eiffel Tower" technique) from both medial and lateral condyles. This method of fixation has proved to be extremely stable. The operation itself is quick, with no blood loss or shock. The patient can resume partial weight bearing after a week in stabilised intertrochanteric and shaft fractures, after a month in less stable types, and after three to four months in fractures of the neck of the femur. This report is based on the first 250 cases treated by this method.


How to improve the cell culture method on scaffolds is important in the tissue engineering fileld. In this study, we optimized seeding and culture methods to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) on biodegradable polymer scaffold. The primary culture of VSMCs obtained from canine external jugular vein was accomplished by applying the explant-derived method. The primary cultured VSMCs were seeded into scaffolds and then cultured by using various different methods; static or dynamic seeding, static or dynamic culture. The difference in proliferative response of VSMCs was analyzed with an alamar blue assay. Cell-polymer construct was examined by histochemical method and scanning electron microscopy. Mesh type scaffold (10x10x0.4 mm) was made of polyglycolic acid (PGA) suture thread. The PGA mesh type scaffold was 45% in porosity, and 0.03 g in weight. The primary cultured VSMCs were confirmed with immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal anti-α-smooth muscle actin. The density and distribution of proliferated VSMCs within the scaffold and cellular adherence on the surface of the scaffold showed better results in the static seeding condition than in the dynamic condition. Under the same condition of seeding method as the static condition, the dynamic culture condition showed enhanced proliferation rates of the VSMCs when compared to the static culture condition. In conclusion, to improve the VSMCs proliferation in vitro, static seeding is better than the dynamic condition. In the culture condition, however, culture under the dynamic status is better than the static condition. This was a pilot study to manufacture artificial vascular vessel by tissue engineering.


The curricular process of chemistry is described as the
succession of transformed variant forms of curriculum. The
analytical synthetic modeling curriculum variant form is
described. The model of biochemistry is presented as a part of
analytical synthetic model of conceptual curriculum of
chemistry.


Data analysts are confronted with the choice of selecting an appropriate algorithm with suitable hyperparameters for datasets that they want to analyze. For this, they typically execute and evaluate many configurations in a trial-and-error manner. However, for novice data analysts this is a time-consuming task. Recent advances in the research area of AutoML address this problem by automatically find a suitable algorithm with appropriate hyperparameters. Yet, these systems are only applicable for supervised learning tasks and not for unsupervised learning. In the scope of this work, existing AutoML systems are analyzed in detail. Subsequently, a concept is developed that uses components from existing AutoML systems but modifies them in such a way that they are applicable for unsupervised learning. Although, various kinds of unsupervised learning methods exist, this work focuses on the popular unsupervised method clustering. This concept is also prototypical implemented as proof-of-concept and is used for the evaluation. The comprehensive evaluation discusses the results for different optimization methods for selecting a suitable clustering algorithm with appropriate hyperparameters. The evaluation unveils that the predicted number of clusters of the implemented prototype deviates only slightly from the actual number of clusters. Hence, this work showed that it is possible to successfully transfer the concepts of existing AutoML systems to the unsupervised learning method of clustering and at the same time achieve precise results in an acceptable amount of time.


The development of new nursing roles is set to continue. Patients may not always be aware that the person giving them care is a nurse. This paper explores some of the issues of ethics, equity and consent as nursing becomes involved in more invasive and independent areas of practice.


Federal courts of appeals usually review district court orders only after the entry of final judgment. There are, however, a number of statutory exceptions to the final judgment rule and judicially crafted doctrines that permit appellate review before final judgment. Whenever litigants take an authorized appeal, one of the questions the court of appeals has to confront is the scope of its jurisdiction. If an appeal is taken from a final judgment, it is well-established that the court's jurisdiction encompasses all of the lower court rulings that led up to and are "merged" in that judgment. When an appeal is taken before final judgment, the scope of jurisdiction is more controversial. To varying degrees, in each of the several contexts of pre-final judgment appeals, all of the federal courts of appeals have exercised what they call "pendent appellate jurisdiction" to allow review of some trial court rulings that fall outside the narrowly construed literal terms of the statutory and common law authorizations of interlocutory appeals. Nonetheless, in March, 1995, the United States Supreme Court sharply limited the use of pendent appellate jurisdiction, at least in the context of "collateral order" appeals, and potentially in the context of other interlocutory appeals as well.Section I of this Article defines pendent appellate jurisdiction and discusses Swint v. Chambers County Commission, the 1995 case in which the Court cast doubt upon the propriety of pendent appellate jurisdiction, although indicating in dicta a circumscribed version of the doctrine that might be acceptable. Section II evaluates Swint, comparing its approach to that which the Court has taken to the district courts' exercise of supplemental subject-matter jurisdiction. It explains why the Court's opinion in Swint casts doubt upon the exercise of pendent appellate jurisdiction, not only in the context of collateral order appeals, but also when appellate review is available in advance of final judgment under the statutory authority provided in 28 U.S.C. §§ 1292(a) and (b), in § 1651 governing mandamus, and elsewhere. Section II then explains the position in which the Swint approach leaves Congress, the Court as promulgator of federal Rules, and the federal appellate courts as potential elaborators of the doctrine of pendent appellate jurisdiction. In particular, Section II considers whether control of the pendent appellate jurisdiction doctrine properly is within the lower courts' interpretive and common law-making authority, or whether the existence and scope of pendent appellate jurisdiction are matters that properly lie exclusively with the legislature and with the Supreme Court, as Congress's delegated Rule maker. The Article takes issue with the Court's view that pendent appellate jurisdiction (or at least any but a narrowly limited form of such jurisdiction) may exist only if expressly authorized by Congress or by Rule. In doing so, the Article questions the Court's conclusion that the statutory scheme governing appeals precludes the federal courts from using adjudication to add to the occasions on which they may afford interlocutory review. More importantly and more conservatively, it argues that pendent appellate jurisdiction doctrine constitutes interpretation – of §§ 1291, 1292 and other authorizations of pre-judgment appeals – that establishes the scope of appellate jurisdiction when there is a statutorily authorized interlocutory appeal. The Article argues further that Congress, in conferring rule making authority to provide for appeal of new categories of interlocutory orders constituting new occasions for appeal, did not intend to curtail such interpretation of statutory jurisdictional grants. Thus, pendent appellate jurisdiction should not be threatened even if that rule making authority is construed to preclude pure common law creation of new occasions for immediate appeal of interlocutory orders.Section III begins and ends with an examination of the Supreme Court's and the intermediate appellate courts' decisions (other than Swint) concerning pendent appellate jurisdiction in the context of collateral order appeals. Section III also discusses the law of pendent appellate jurisdiction that has developed in connection with 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a), 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b), mandamus, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b), interlocutory orders entered after final judgment, and the jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court. This survey demonstrates that pendent appellate jurisdiction upon interlocutory appeal has an exceedingly long history, has long been synonymous with determining the scope of jurisdiction that is statutorily or otherwise authorized, has enjoyed widespread use – including use by the Supreme Court – and that the conditions of its exercise are highly consistent across statutory authorizations for interlocutory appeal, mandamus, and the appeal of "collateral orders." It also shows that both the utility and the pre-Swint acceptance of pendent appellate jurisdiction reached beyond "inextricably intertwined" issues, and beyond what is necessary to ensure meaningful review. The Article considers whether and how differences in the jurisdictional bases of interlocutory appeals bear upon the propriety and scope of exercises of pendent appellate jurisdiction. It argues however that, at a fundamental level, the use of pendent appellate jurisdiction in the context of collateral order appeals should not be distinguished from kindred determinations of the scope of appellate review in other appellate jurisdictional contexts.Finally, Section IV explains why Rule promulgation would not be the best way to define the circumstances in which pendent appellate jurisdiction may be exercised. Consensus concerning the circumstances under which the courts have power to exercise pendent appellate jurisdiction, and concerning the factors that should guide their exercises of discretion to decide (or not to decide) particular issues on a pendent basis, would be useful, however. Part IV thus sets forth pertinent considerations and proposes both a test for power and a non-exhaustive list of guidelines, standards and factors to govern when federal courts of appeals should review orders pursuant to pendent appellate jurisdiction. The proposal may be viewed as a recommendation as to how the doctrine should be elaborated, to the extent that its contours are left to the courts to define in their adjudicatory capacity. In view of the Supreme Court's professed view that rule making is the only proper means to define when an interlocutory order is appealable, it also may be viewed as a recommendation as to what the "rules" should be, to the extent that they are left to rule makers to determine.


This paper describes a preliminary investigation of how the capabilities of wearable computers may be used to provide task guidance in mobile environments. Specifically, this study examined how the capabilities of wearable computers may be used to aid a user in an inspection task, using as a case study the procedural task of preflight inspection of a general aviation aircraft. Two different configurations of a computer-based, voice-activated task guidance system and the current method of preflight inspection were compared and evaluated. Initial results demonstrate an over reliance on the computer by the pilots and indicate the importance of the user interface design to the performance of the inspectors. The paper concludes with recommendations on promising directions of research.


The present article is based on the analysis of the information obtained by means of a statistical analysis of a survey conduct among 110 Peruvian immigrants in Madrid. The living conditions of these workers are presented under a series of headings which include the job sectors in which they settle, various aspects of their working conditions and salaries, dwellings, leisure time activities, contact with their country of origin and the strength of their associationism. Previously, a sociodemographic description of the sample in set out based on an analysis of their distribution by age, sex, level of education and other variables of interest such as when and how they came to Spain or their legal situation.


The survival of African swine fever virus (ASFV) on different matrices and its infectivity in wild as well as domestic swine is still a matter of interest. ASFV is resistant to environmental effects; this fact is enhanced by the presence of organic material. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the ability of laboratory ASFV to survive in soil at different temperatures (4 and 22 °C) and with and without the presence of blood using culture procedures. The suitability of the procedure for determining the viability and titre of the ASFV field strain by the hemadsorption method was also verified, when a higher decrease in virus infectivity in the case of clay compared with peat was demonstrated. The stability of the virus was clearly temperature-dependent, the infectious virus was detected after 112 days, and the viral DNA was still detected in the matrix 210 days after inoculation in a relatively high and stable concentration (between 106 and 107 genome equivalents/mL). Based on this knowledge, soil and other environmental samples could provide rapid and reliable information on the disease outbreak and serve as indicators of the risk posed by the affected locality.


A hybrid train system employing fuel cells (FC) and lithium-ion batteries (Li Bat) is one of the most effective ways of coping with the drawbacks of diesel vehicles. This paper describes the design, construction and testing of a drive control method for such a hybrid test train using a traction inverter for which the user can modify the control program. The primary objective of this research is to deduce operation statuses of power sources from the input voltage of the traction inverter. A secondary aim is to change the maximum traction electric power based on the outcome of such deduction. This paper presents the design of the method along with the results of practical testing, and investigates compatibility between the drive control method and the FC/Li Bat hybrid system.


The oil content of 64 samples of groundnut kernels, representing 47 genotypes, was determined by the conventional Soxhlet extraction procedure (OilSOX). The values of OilSOX ranged from 403 to 536 g kg−1. The optical densities (ODs) of these samples were determined at 12 wavelengths (918, 928, 940, 950, 968, 975, 985, 998, 1010, 1023, 1037 and 1045 nm) in the near-infrared (NIR) region using a food composition analyser (essentially a filter-based NIR spectrophotometer). The instrument also recorded the temperatures of the sample (TempS) and the air (TempA) surrounding it. A sample holder (75 mm × 150 mm; optical path length 25 mm) was used for optical density measurement. The data obtained were subjected to multiple linear regression analysis using the ODs at 12 wavelengths, TempS and TempA as the independent (predictor) variables, and OilSOX as the dependent variable. The multiple linear regression equation comprising 14 predictors showed a significant relationship between predicted values of oil content (OilNIR) and OilSOX. The standard error of calibration and the coefficient of determination for calibration (R) were 3.54 and 0.821 respectively, while the standard error of prediction and the coefficient of determination for prediction were 5.82 and 0.865 respectively. The ratio of standard error of calibration and standard error of prediction was 0.608. The differences between OilSOX and OilNIR were less than ± 20 g kg−1 for samples having oil contents in the range from 480 to 510 g kg−1. However, for samples having OilSOX lower than 480 g kg−1 or higher than 510 g kg−1, differences greater than ± 20 g kg−1 were observed. There exists scope for further refining the regression equation by using a larger number of samples for generating optical data. The results demonstrated the potential of NIR transmittance spectroscopy for determining the oil content of groundnuts in a non-destructive manner.

© 2000 Society of Chemical Industry


An environmentally friendly and efficient process for recycling waste phosphors has been developed. The alkaline fusion process is used for recycling Eu from BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BMA) completely. The comprehensive BMA disintegration via alkaline fusion is discussed. Relationships between the alkaline fusion temperature and various properties of the compounds have been examined by various techniques (DSC-TG, XRD, SEM and XPS) to elucidate their roles in BMA disintegration in the alkaline fusion process. X-ray diffraction analysis provides details of the phase change. Based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a scientific hypothesis of crystal structure disintegration is presented. Sodium ions would substitute the europium and barium ions in the mirror plane and magnesium ions in the spinel block successively, which results in more oxygen vacancies and interstitial sodium ions appearing. The unit cell (P63/mmc (194)) would break from the mirror plane, then changes into BaAl2O4 (P6322 (182)), and be decomposed into NaAlO2, and barium and europium ions combine with free OH− and CO2 to form BaCO3, Eu2O3 and H2O. In the end the Eu2O3 can be recycled easily by acidolysis, oxalic acid precipitation and ignition. The mechanism provides a fundamental basis for recycling REEs from waste phosphors.


The Hammersley process relates to the statistical properties of the maximum length of all up/right paths connecting random points of a given density in the unit square from (0, 0) to (1, 1). This process can also be interpreted in terms of the height of the polynuclear growth model, or the length of the longest increasing subsequence in a random permutation. The cumulative distribution of the longest path length can be written in terms of an average over the unitary group. Versions of the Hammersley process in which the points are constrained to have certain symmetries of the square allow similar formulae. The derivation of these formulae is reviewed. Generalizing the original model to have point sources along two boundaries of the square, and appropriately scaling the parameters gives a model in the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality class. Following works of Baik and Rains, and Prähofer and Spohn, we review the calculation of the scaled cumulative distribution, in which a particular Painlevé II transcendent plays a prominent role.


Students of comparative politics explain electoral behavior, political networks, political institutions, contentious politics, comparative political economies, welfare states, international-comparative linkages, and the state. Their interest in the pragmatic and causal analysis of these critical political questions defines the "messy center" of comparative politics. The first edition of this volume emphasized the field's research paradigms, placing rationality, culture, and structure in the subtitle. In the decade or so since the first edition was published, tension between these two perspectives on the field has persisted. Contrasts between research paradigms and pragmatic causal accounts provide the intellectual friction that drives much of our research. These alternative foci structure this edition's themes and problems. Aiming to transcend a battle of the paradigms, Alan Zuckerman's chapter advances an explanatory strategy that is one such way forward. Explanations in comparative politics, he maintains, must meet clear standards: The more that are met, the better the results. The criteria include social mechanisms (a particular form of causal mechanism) that are derived from strong theoretical propositions. Convincing explanations also require empirical evidence of the specified explanatory processes. Because the ontology of politics demands that the explanations apply to stochastic, multilevel, and endogenous phenomena, simple causal claims are insufficient. Applying social mechanisms with high prior probabilities of explanatory power and employing appropriate statistical techniques transforms the language of explanation from imprecise verbal accounts into clear and specific arguments. The results move explanation along a scale from the mistaken to the demonstrated. As an attempt to convince by doing, Zuckerman applies his message


*Assess asthma severity before initiating treatment; monitor asthma control to guide adjustments in therapy using measures of impairment and risk (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [NHLBI] and National Asthma Education and Prevention Program [NAEPP] third expert panel report [EPR-3]). *Base treatment decisions on recommendations specific to each age group (0-4 years, 5-11 years, and >or=12 years). *Use spirometry in patients >or=5 years of age to diagnose asthma, classify severity, and assess control. *Provide each patient with a written asthma action plan with instructions for daily disease management, as well as identification of, and response to, worsening symptoms.


Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus) is known from scattered locations in the United States, including Orcas Island, Washington, where a population went unreported for about a decade, but was confirmed in 2017. On 19 June 2019, a single adult female P. siculus was caught in an industrial area along the northern arm of the Fraser River in Vancouver, British Columbia; this represents the first record of this species on the loose in Canada. No other P. siculus were sighted in the Vancouver area. We assume this Canadian P. siculus was a lone stow-away and had not deposited eggs. We could not determine how it entered the province.


In the utility grid interconnection of photovoltaic (PV) energy sources, inverters determine the overall system performance, which result in the demand to route the grid connected transformerless PV inverters (GCTIs) for residential and commercial applications, especially due to their high efficiency, light weight, and low cost benefits. In spite of these benefits of GCTIs, leakage currents due to distributed PV module parasitic capacitances are a major issue in the interconnection, as they are undesired because of safety, reliability, protective coordination, electromagnetic compatibility, and PV module lifetime issues. This paper classifies the kW and above range power rating GCTI topologies based on their leakage current attributes and investigates and/illustrates their leakage current characteristics by making use of detailed microscopic waveforms of a representative topology of each class. The cause and quantity of leakage current for each class are identified, not only providing a good understanding, but also aiding the performance comparison and inverter design. With the leakage current characteristic investigation, the study places most topologies under small number of classes with similar leakage current attributes facilitating understanding, evaluating, and the design of GCTIs. Establishing a clear relation between the topology type and leakage current characteristic, the topology families are extended with new members, providing the design engineers a variety of GCTI topology configurations with different characteristics.


Phoenix, an Active Management Area in the desert Southwest US, is the 5th most populated city in the US. Scarce local groundwater and water transported from external resources must be managed in the presence of different types of energy sources. Local and regional decision-makers are faced with answering challenging questions on managing water, energy supply, and demand over a few years to several decades. Prediction and planning for the interdependency of these entities can benefit from modeling the water and energy systems as well as their interactions with one another. In this paper, the integrated WEAP and LEAP tools and a modeling framework that externalizes their hidden linkage to an interaction model are described and compared using the Phoenix AMA. Loose coupling enabled by interaction modeling is a key for decision-policies that should be grounded at the nexus of the water-energy system of systems.


Antigen loss is a key mechanism how tumor cells escape from T-cell immunotherapy. Using a mouse model of melanoma we directly compared antigen downregulation by phenotypic adaptation with genetically hardwired antigen loss. Unexpectedly, genetic ablation of Pmel, the melanocyte differentiation antigen targeted by adoptively transferred CD8+ T-cells, impaired melanoma cell growth in untreated tumors due to competitive pressure exerted by the bulk wild-type population. This established an evolutionary scenario, where T-cell immunotherapy imposed a dynamic fitness switch on wild-type melanoma cells and antigen loss variants, which resulted in highly variable enrichment of the latter in recurrent tumors. Stochastic simulations by an individual-based continuous-time Markov process suggested variable fitness of subclones within the antigen loss variant population as the most likely cause, which was validated experimentally. In summary, we provide a framework to better understand how subclone heterogeneity in tumors influences immune selection of genetic antigen loss variants through stochastic events.


Today, video games are virtually everywhere. Each day, millions of people play games on smartphones that fit in the palms of their hands as well as on home consoles and computers that connect them with friends and strangers around the world. However, six decades ago, few people could have imagined a US$150 billion (and growing) global video game industry that would marry technology, art, and business to reshape the way that we play. What started in laboratories on massive mainframe computers that few had access to grew into one of the most prolific and important popular cultural mediums of the 21st century.


Abstract Pressure-temperature melting curves in two carbonate-bearing systems of relevance to Earth's mantle have been determined using the laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (LH-DAC). The solidus along the MgSiO3-MgCO3 join in the MgO-SiO2-CO2 system (MS-CO2) was defined from 15 to 80 GPa using in situ melting criteria, reaching a maximum temperature of ~2340 K at 80 GPa. The occurrence of melting has been confirmed with ex-situ textural and chemical analysis of recovered samples. The melting curve has a negative dT/dP slope at pressures between ~15 and 23 GPa resulting from the subsolidus phase transition of ilmenite- to perovskite-structured MgSiO3. The shallow slope of the melting curve at pressures higher than this transition indicate that for plausible mantle geotherms carbonate-bearing silicate lithologies will melt throughout the lower mantle. The solidus of a mixture along the MgCO3-CaCO3 join was determined as a proxy for alkali-free carbonate lithologies. Melting temperatures increase from 1860 K at 16 GPa to ~2100 K above 35 GPa, where the melting curve flattens. The melting reaction magnesite + post-aragonite (high-pressure CaCO3) = melt was confirmed using an in situ experiment. We conclude that crystalline Mg and Ca carbonate mixtures are unstable with respect to molten carbonate at conditions of the convective lower mantle. The flat melting curves at high pressures in both systems suggests that subducted carbonates will undergo melting at lower mantle conditions, a process that may be important for superdeep diamond formation and carbon storage in the deep mantle.


It has been suggested that acute viral bronchiolitis in infants may result in functional changes that predispose toward chronic pulmonary disease later in life. We assessed pulmonary function (PF) during the acute phase of viral bronchiolitis in infants and up to 12 mo later from static respiratory system compliance (Crs), using weighted spirometry, the distribution of ventilation by the mixing index (MI), and the functional residual capacity (FRC) measured by closed-circuit helium dilution (FRCHe). The study was performed in 24 infants (13 males and 11 females; median [25 to 75% range] age: 11 [9.6 to 13.3] wk; weight: 4.8 [4.3 to 5.0] kg; crown-to-heel length: 57.7 [55.5 to 59.0] cm) at admission and at 2 wk. In 17 infants, measurements were repeated 3 mo and 12 mo later. Predicted values and individual 95% prediction intervals for Crs, MI, and FRCHe were derived from 69 healthy infants (33 boys and 36 girls; median age [25 to 75% range]: 4.7 [2.0 to 21.4] wk; weight: 3.6 [3.0 to 6.9] kg; crown-to-heel length: 51.5 [48 to 61] cm). Data at admission and after discharge were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with those in the healthy controls matched for crown-to-heel length. At admission all three variables gave lower average results than predicted means. Values for each index had attained a normal level 2 wk after admission; normal levels were maintained at 3 and 12 mo. The prevalence of recurrent wheezing (five of the 17 infants) was comparable with that reported in population studies. These findings suggest that in this population acute viral bronchiolitis did not lead to permanent changes in PF.


Recently, researchers have explored the medical applications of umbilical cord blood (UCB) to treat certain types of cancer and other disorders. UCB is a hematopoietic tissue that contains a motherlode of cells, and creates the blood cells that carry oxygen, fight infections, and form clots at the sites of injuries. The use of UCB involves fewer ethical and legal problems than other stem cell technology. UCB banking not only involves the creation of a UCB storage bank, but is also a serial process that includes collecting UCB, extracting stem cells from UCB, storing these stem cells in liquid nitrogen at –385°F, and defrosting them if required by their owner. UCB banking service is thus a form of biological insurance, where the reward is an increased chance of good health rather than monetary compensation. Many people have begun to consider the need for public and private UCB banks to preserve cord blood donations. The main purpose of this research is to develop the UCB consumers' behavior based on the consumer buying behavior model. It clarifies the opinions of Taiwan people about UCB banking, identifies the main factors motivating people to store UCB, and provides the marketing strategies for the UCB banking service.


The gains achieved by the use of importance sampling in communication system simulation are strongly influenced by the choice of the biased input noise distribution. The Rayleigh tail and the Gaussian tail distributions are investigated for use as biased distributions in importance sampling. The robustness of these schemes with respect to the estimate of the unknown error probability is examined. It is shown that the Gaussian tail distribution previously considered to be theoretically optimum is not optimum in this regard. Methods of generating the biased random variates are presented. >


Decision Support Systems (DSSs) are computer systems that permit explicit representation of knowledge and can execute a computer program that uses the knowledge to assist in the decision process. A clinical DSS uses both clinical data and medical knowledge to help health professionals make clinical decisions. Developing a DSS can be a costly and time-consuming task. Sharing of knowledge can decrease costs and development time and therefore increase the use of DSSs in clinical practice.Arden Syntax is a standard specification for defining and sharing modular health knowledge bases among information systems and institutions. The medical knowledge is written as independent Medical Logic Modules (MLMs) and the scope of the standard is to facilitate sharing of knowledge.In this thesis a method is presented where medical knowledge, based on the Arden Syntax, is interpreted and used in a DSS. Furthermore, software tools for handling the MLMs in a computer are presented together with a system architecture for building a clinical DSS. Implementation of a DSS prototype, based on the presented method and tools, is demonstrated in a clinical laboratory environment.


Everyone knows the major influence government has over individuals lives. The Constitution grants the state formidable powers in almost every conceivable sphere. But does the Constitution impose obligations on the state to provide benefits and services for the population? Although the Constitution does require government to take action in narrow circumstances, it is largely cast in negative terms, exemplified by the Bill of Rights' restraints on the prohibition on abridging freedom of speech. There are only two exceptions to the "no duty to protect" rule: the government must provide humane confinement conditions for prisoners, (1) and it must protect a person if the state creates the danger. (2) The Supreme Court has remained faithful to a negative conception of the Constitution even in the face of dire personal consequences. Justice Blackmun deplored the Court's faithfulness in his famous dissent in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services: Poor Joshua! Victim of repeated attacks by an irresponsible, bullying, cowardly, and intemperate father, and abandoned by [social workers] who placed him in a dangerous predicament and who knew ... and yet did essentially nothing.... Joshua DeShaney now is assigned to live out the remainder of his life profoundly retarded. Joshua and his mother ... deserve--but now are denied by this Court--the opportunity to have the facts of their case considered in the light [of what the Constitution] is meant to provide. (3) And the Court has been faithful to this line of reasoning in cases that bitterly divided the Court and the nation. In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, (4) the majority saw no government obligation to provide medical services for the poor when a Missouri statute barred state employees from performing abortions and banned the use of public facilities for such procedures. Referring to DeShaney, the Court wrote: "our cases have recognized that the Due Process Clause generally confers no affirmative right to governmental aid, even where such aid may be necessary to secure life, liberty, or property interests of which the government itself may not deprive the individual." (5) Further, "it is difficult to see how any procreational choice is burdened by the State's ban on the use of its facilities or employees for performing abortions." (6) The majority found irrelevant the fact that a poor woman's only realistic access to medical services may be through government assistance. The Supreme Court based these decisions on the Fourteenth Amendment's substantive due process clause. The Court declined to consider whether victims have a procedural due process right of protection against private violence. The Court has now taken up this question, however. In Castle Rock v. Gonzales, it held that state law requiring police to enforce domestic abuse re straining orders cannot confer a property interest protected by the procedural due process clause. (7) Simon Gonzales, who had a history of erratic and suicidal behavior, violated a restraining order by abducting his three young daughters. His estranged wife, Jessica Gonzales, repeatedly pleaded with the police to enforce the restraining order, to no avail. Nearly eight hours after she first contacted police, her husband opened fire on the police station with a semiautomatic handgun purchased after the abduction. Ultimately, he was fatally shot, and police found the three girls, murdered by their father, in his truck. Although Ms. Gonzales framed her case as one of process rather than substance, in an effort to circumvent the holding in DeShaney, the Court saw little difference between the cases. In the Court's holding, Justice Scalia said the right to enforce a court-ordered restraining order "would not, of course, resemble any traditional conception of property." (8) Under Supreme Court precedent, Ms. …


Ninety six one-day-old broiler chickens were used to evaluate the effect of feeding naturally contaminated rations with low levels of fumonisins (FBs) and the protective effect of a commercial anti-mycotoxin additive (AMA) on circulating and intestinal immune cells, blood biochemistry, hematological variables and biomarkers of FBs exposure. Birds were assigned in three groups: Negative control (NC), positive control (PC) containing low level (17 ppm) of FBs (FB1 + FB2) in feed, and PC with AMA at 0,2%  (AMA + PC). Blood was collected and used to quantify circulating leucocytes through flow cytometry, activity of aspartate transaminase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and levels of uric acid (UA), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), globulin (Glb), Alb:Glb ratio, total leucocytes count (TLC) and hematocrit (Ht), as well as free esphinganine to esphinogosine ratio (SA:SO). On day 3, FBs reduced circulating CD4+TCRVβ1- and CD8+CD28- lymphocytes in PC; reduced B Llymphocytes and increased Kul-MHCII+ in both PC and PC+AMA, and increased Kul+MHCII+ cells in PC+AMA birds. On day 7, circulating CD4+TCRVβ1+ and CD8-CD28+ and CD3+ in jejunum were increased only in PC, while CD4-TCRVβ1+ were increased in both PC and PC+AMA birds. FBs reduced TLC and Alb:Glb in both PC and PC+AMA birds after 14 days and only in PC after 28 days, while increased Glb after 14 days in both PC and PC+AMA. On day 28, FBs increased Alb:Glb and reduced Ht only in PC birds, increasing Alb levels and GGT activity in both PC and PC+AMA birds. Serum SA:SO was increased only in PC birds on day 28. These results showed that low levels of naturally occurring FBs could induce rapid immune alterations and impaired liver function and blood homeostasis, which may reflect in a reduction in the overall birds' competence to respond to challenges.  Therefore, even if the regulatory standards of FBs are met, toxicity may occur and can be detected by sensitive markers. The use of an AMA was able to alleviate most of these effects.

 Key words: Fumonisins, broiler chickens, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, anti-mycotoxin additive.


Smart cities are using innovative technological solutions to improve the quality of life and service that citizens and visitors receive. Defined as a digital or ecological city, its services depend on information and communication technology infrastructure, such as intelligent automated traffic systems, advanced security management Services, building systems, and the use of automation in offices and homes. The global trend now towards smart cities, sustainable and green cities and other cities, with different nomenclature, the common denominator is the comfort of the individual and the preservation of natural resources. Adopting smart, sustainable, green, or healthy cities is either to address a problem or to ward off the risk or both, as the need to go to green cities was to avoid the problems of environmental pollution and resource depletion, while the health cities were intended to achieve health well-being and for resource sustainability. The importance of this research has been highlighted by the experiences of different countries that tried to implement the principles of smart cities, including those who succeeded and achieved impressive results, and other cities whom still tries to overcome the disadvantages of these cities.It was noted that the difference between most experiments was according to the quality of the society in which they were applied, as the research aims to demonstrate the role of the social dimension in the mechanism of implementing smart cities, and if this role is negative or positive, the research hypothesis states that the social dimension of individual behavior plays an important role in determining the possible To embrace the concept of smart city, the research structure includes a theoretical aspect that highlights the smart cities, their indicators, principles and the applied side of the social dimension with its indicators, we made questionnaires through the identification of selected experts of planning, architecture and environment, then concluded to a set of conclusions identified The importance of the social dimension and its (negative, positive) effects in the achievement of smart cities, finally we put number of recommendations that will help to solve the problem and achieve the objective and hypothesis of the research.


Notation and Assumptions Section I: Foundations of Logic and Proof Writing Ch 1. Logic Ch 2. Beginner-Level Proofs Ch. 3 Functions Section II: Basic Principles of Analysis Ch 4. The Real Numbers Ch 5. Functions of a Real Variable Section III: Basic Principles of Aglebra Ch 6. Groups Ch 7. Rings Index


The subject of the present study is a transcription of the first two chapters of Genesis in an undocumented Jewish Neo-Aramaic literary dialect. Recorded in the vicinity of Mosul, Iraq, at some point during the mid-nineteenth century, the Genesis manuscript is accompanied by another of identical provenance preserving a selection from the Gospel of Matthew in the same ostensibly Jewish dialect. The purpose of my analysis is to establish the provenance of this exceptional pair of documents, and, upon the basis of this determination, to analyze the contents of the Genesis manuscript in light of other attested Jewish Neo-Aramaic renderings of the biblical text.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
It has been reported that there is a high rate of bone mineral density (BMD) loss after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. To clarify the course of postoperative BMD loss, it is necessary to precisely determine the preoperative BMD of gastric cancer patients.

METHODOLOGY
From October 2005 through September 2008, preoperative BMD was measured in 91 patients (59 males and 32 females, mean age of the patients was 67.3 years) who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Then, the percentage of the subject's BMD divided by the BMD of young adult mean (YAM) (% of YAM) was obtained for each subject and the incidence of osteoporosis as well as the relationship between % of YAM and the patient's clinico-pathological factors or biochemical parameters was examined.

RESULTS
The incidence of osteoporosis was 15.4%. There is a correlation between BMD in preoperative gastric cancer patients and serum albumin levels, and BMD decreases further in the elderly and individuals with a BMI lower than 18.5.

CONCLUSIONS
From the viewpoint of osteoporosis prevention, this suggests the importance of nutritional management for elderly gastric cancer patients with associated nutritional disorder.


Abstract. Nitrogen oxides (NOx = nitric oxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxides (NO2)) are important trace gases that affect atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate. Contemporary development of NOx emissions inventories is limited by understanding of the roles of vegetation (net NOx source or net sink), gasoline and diesel in vehicle emissions, and application of NOx emission control technologies. In this study, we used the nitrogen stable isotope composition of NOx (δ15N(NOx) to resolve the uncertainties in NOx emission sources, by incorporating 15N into the US EPA trace gas emission model SMOKE (Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions) and compared simulated spatiotemporal patterns in NOx isotopic composition with corresponding atmospheric measurements in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. The results indicate potential underestimation of emissions from soil, livestock waste, off-road vehicles, and natural gas power plants and the potential overestimation of emissions from on-road vehicles and coal-fired power plants.


It is said that information is power. But information in the abstract is not power. Rather, the power attributed to information arises from its usefulness (or uselessness) for decision-making in the context of action and relationships in the physical world - that is, actionable information is an instrument of power. Understood in this way, information warfare is the protection, monitoring, disruption, or manipulation of information and information flows to improve one's own decision-making process or to degrade that of the enemy. This paper examines issues relating to the disruption and manipulation of information flows in order to preempt or otherwise constrain terrorist acts in the context of the war on terrorism. It is beyond the scope of this paper to address protection or monitoring of information flows. This paper explores the need for a comprehensive understanding of information warfare doctrine and policy in the broader context of the war on terrorism - that is, the need for an overarching analytic framework to inform the public debate; one that encompasses not just military operations but includes foreign and domestic intelligence and law enforcement information operations in a cohesive and consistent manner. In particular, this paper examines the policy and legal challenges in the use of offensive information operations (including legal sanctions) to disrupt or manipulate information flows short of armed conflict, especially those actions that may impact US domestic information flows or US citizens, either directly or indirectly, or that may conflict with generally recognized democratic norms. This paper is specifically interested in identifying and understanding policy issues arising at the intersection or overlap of the converging military, intelligence, and law enforcement missions intended to prevent terrorist acts by denying, limiting, or degrading the use or usefulness of information or infrastructure for recruiting, planning, financing, inciting, or implementing such acts. It is a fundamental premise of this paper that the traditional domains and missions of national security and law enforcement organs are converging because of challenges posed by non-state transnational security threats, in particular that of international terrorism aimed at undermining US and global economic, social, and political institutions and power structures through violent asymmetric attacks against US and allied interests and citizens both within the US and abroad. This convergence of mission - evidenced in the reactive shift in focus of the military paradigm from destruction to disruption, and that of law enforcement from prosecution to preemption - challenges existing international and national governing structures both for authorizing and constraining the use of sovereign power (particularly coercive force) because national security power and law enforcement power have traditionally been governed by and managed under disparate - and potentially irreconcilable - doctrines and laws that may not be adequate to fill interstitial gaps in which these new threats operate and where information warfare based counter-measures may need to be considered. Further, this paper argues that non-state groups - especially fundamentalist groups like al-Qa'ida organized along net-centric segmented tribal lines - are benefiting from and taking advantage of opportunities provided by advanced information technologies to recruit, organize, plan, direct, finance, and execute criminal or terrorist acts, as well as to elicit overt and covert support from various population groups in furtherance of their activities, and that these terrorist groups may not be susceptible to conventional military or law enforcement strategies. This paper adheres to the view that modern information technologies are themselves among the primary enabling mechanisms for the emergence and amplification of certain sub-state organized threats to global security and suggests, therefore, that counter-strategies based on advanced information, organizational, and network theory aimed at disrupting or manipulating the usefulness of information and information resources to these hostile networks needs to be considered. Physical, regulatory, and social disruption and targeting mechanisms aimed at information, channels, and actors are discussed, including actions to disrupt links, target nodes, and introduce misinformation in order to deceive, misdirect, or undermine opposed organizational activity or cohesion. This paper examines both covert and overt tactics potentially available to military, intelligence, and law enforcement forces, the existing legal and policy regimes governing the use of such methods in each context, and the potential conflict or gaps in law or policy from employing these strategies across jurisdictional and organizational divides. In addition, this paper examines the potential clash between the use of these methods and traditional or current notions of free expression, free association, and due process. This paper reviews various specific legal and technical mechanisms that are currently employed or being considered (for example, material support statutes, control orders, identity nullification, etc.) and suggests some principles that might be applied in order to mitigate the potential harms from misuse or abuse of these techniques as well as to conform their use to circumstances compatible with liberal democratic governance. In sum, this paper aims to inform and engender public debate about the potential use of disruption and manipulation techniques on information and information flows in order to control non-state actors that threaten global or national security.


Air pollution is known to lead to a substantial health burden, but the majority of evidence is based on data from North America and Europe. Despite rising pollution levels, very limited information is available for South Asia. We investigated the impact of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM10) on hospitalization, by cause and subpopulation, in the Kathmandu Valley, an understudied and rapidly urbanizing region in Nepal. Individual-level daily inpatient hospitalization data (2004-2007) were collected from each of 6 major hospitals, as Nepal has no central data collection system. Time-stratified case-crossover analysis was used with interaction terms for potential effect modifiers (e.g., age, sex, and socioeconomic status), with adjustment for day of the week and weather. Daily PM10 concentrations averaged 120 μg/m3, with the daily maximum reaching 403 μg/m3. A 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 level was associated with increased risks of hospitalization of 1.00% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62, 1.38), 1.70% (95% CI: 0.18, 3.25), and 2.29% (95% CI: 0.18, 4.43) for total, respiratory, and cardiovascular admissions, respectively. We did not find strong evidence of effect modification by age, sex, or socioeconomic status. These results, in combination with the high levels of exposure, indicate a potentially serious human health burden from air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley.


Ninety-nine Escherichia coli and 33 Salmonella isolates were assessed for antimicrobial susceptibility (disc diffusion test). Sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes were identified through PCR, and class 1 and class 2 integrons with resistance gene cassettes were identified with PCR followed by sequencing. Salmonella (63.6%) and E. coli (85.8%) isolates were multidrug resistant (resistance to 3 or more antimicrobials), and the highest incidences of resistance were observed for tetracycline, nalidixic acid, and sulfamethoxazole. The sul1, sul2, tetA, and tetB resistance determinant genes were predominant in E. coli, whereas only sul2 and tetA were identified in Salmonella isolates. In the E. coli isolates, 54 (54.5%) class 1 integrons, 6 (6.1%) class 2 integrons, and 5 (5.1%) class 1 and class 2 integrons together were detected, whereas only 3 (9.1%) integrons were found in the Salmonella serovars. Around 87% of the integrons in E. coli harbored resistance gene cassettes conferring resistance to streptomycin/spectinomycin (aadA, aminoglycoside resistance gene), trimethoprim (dfrA, dihydrofolate reductase gene), streptothricin [sat1 and sat2 (streptothricin acetyltransferase), and estX (putative esterases)]. The most common gene cassettes were aadA1+dfrA1 and dfrA1+sat2+aadA1 in class 1 and class 2 integrons, respectively. Other cassettes including aadA5+dfrA7, dfrA12+aadA2, aadA2+aadA1+dfrA12, and aadA5+aadA2/dfrA7 were also identified. Among the Salmonella serovars, Salmonella Malmoe harbored aadA1+dfrA1 and dfrA12+sat2+aadA1 genes. The aadA1, aadA2, sat2, and dfrA1 had wide variation in similarity among themselves and from previously reported genes worldwide. The diverse gene cassettes could be responsible for the prominent resistance profiles observed and a potential source for dissemination of antimicrobial resistance determinants to other bacteria.


Abstract Nature-inspired optimization (NIO) algorithms have gained quite a popularity among the researchers due to their good performance on difficult optimization problems. Recently, machine learning (ML) algorithms dealing with the generation of knowledge automatically from data have been often integrated into NIO algorithms to enhance their performance. One of the widely used popular NIO algorithms is an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm mimicking the intelligent foraging behaviour of real honeybees. In order to improve the performance of standard ABC, some hybridization studies of ABC and ML techniques have been performed to introduce more intelligent versions of ABC that can be used for solving the optimization problems arising in ML and other areas. This study presents a survey on the studies combining ABC with ML techniques for enhancing the performance of ABC algorithm and provides a discussion on how ML techniques have been adapted so far and can be employed for improving ABC further. We hope that this study would be very helpful for the researchers dealing with ML and NIO algorithms, particularly ABC.


Three synthetic test circuits to verify the interrupting performance of UHV circuit breakers (765kV, 63kA, 50Hz) are compared on aspects of equivalence, operation, required capacitive energy and applicability. The comparisons show that, although each circuit has its own merits, the EPIC circuit appears to be very attractive. The EPIC circuit not only saves on capacitive energy but has also a good equivalence with the direct test circuit.


Two VCSELs placed facing each other with one biased chip while the second chip is unbiased is shown as a promising alternative to the popularly used conventional SESAM mode-locked VECSEL to generate mode-locked pulses. We propose a theoretical model using time-delay differential rate equations and numerically show that the proposed dual-laser configuration functions as a typical gain-absorber system. Parameter space defined by laser facet reflectivities and current are used to show general trends in the exhibited nonlinear dynamics and pulsed solutions.


The effect of changes in surface charge on the biological properties of implants is not clear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biological properties of the surface of titanium sheets with different charges due to different treatment methods. Titanium sheets were sandblasted with large grit and underwent acid etching before being subsequently divided into the following groups: SLA, no further treatment; SLA-Ca2+, immersed in 1% CaCl2 solution; SLA-NaCl, immersed in saline; and SLA-Ca2+-NaCl, immersed in 1% CaCl2 solution followed by saline. Surface characteristics were evaluated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry, surface profilometry, and contact angle assays. Additionally, we used a ζ-potential analyzer to directly measure the electrostatic charge on the different group surfaces. The effect of changes in the Ti surface on biological processes after different treatments was determined by analyzing fibronectin adsorption, osteoblast-like MG63 cell adhesion and proliferation, and the expression of osteogenesis-related genes. Compared to the SLA surface, the other three groups contained corresponding trace elements because they were soaked in different liquids; the contact angles of the three groups were not significantly different, but they were significantly smaller than that of the SLA group; and there was no change in the surface topography or roughness. Furthermore, the SLA-Ca2+ group had a significantly reduced negative charge compared to that of the other three groups. There were no differences between the SLA-NaCl and SLA-Ca2+-NaCl groups in terms of negative charge, and the SLA group surface carried the most negative charge. Fibronectin adsorption capacity and cytological performance testing further showed that the SLA-Ca2+ group had the most significant change, followed by the SLA-NaCl and SLA-Ca2+-NaCl groups; the SLA group had significantly lower capacity and performance than the other three groups. These results suggest that the surface charge of the titanium sheet changed when immersed in different liquids and that this treatment enhanced biocompatibility by reducing the electrostatic repulsion between biomaterials and biomolecules.


In many radioisotope scan display systems the data are presented to the observer as an array of marks or symbols. The range of data is subdivided into levels, each represented by a particular type of mark or symbol. This subdivision is generally arbitrary, depending more on the number of different marks or symbols available than on any guiding principle. The author provides assistance on the selection of levels in multi-level display systems.


Survival study of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 Classical Inaba and El Tor Ogawa biotypes was carried out in artificial microcosm without any nutrients under stressed physiochemical conditions. The organisms were found to undergo viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, which was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique using primers that flank a specific fragment of the cholera toxin gene (ctx). The findings of the study showed that about 89% of samples gave positive result although the organisms were in nonculturable state. Depending upon the conditions the Classical biotype of vibrios had undergone non-culturable state within 2-15 days and 55-92 days were subjected to PCR assay after 45 and 120 days of incubation respectively. A similar tend was also observed in case of El Tor biotype. With non-culturable cell only 5 of 18 microcosms (of both Classical and El Tor biotypes) at pH 4.5 showed no viability. Since the PCR assay demonstrated positive results after 90 (in case of El Tor biotype) and 120 days (in case of Classical biotype), the total survival time thus ranges over 3 and 4 months. Thus PCR has an important advantage over the techniques those are used in routine laboratories for the identification of pathogenic organisms. Keywords: Physicochemical stresses, Survivality, Vibrio cholerae, Artificial microcosms, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Non-culturable state, Viable but non-culturable (VBNC)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i2.1258 Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 24, Number 2, December 2007, pp 133-136


Article history: Received 24 February 2018 Accepted 22 March 2018 Available online 02 April 2018 Glutamic acid lithium sulphate monohydrate crystal is a new semiorganic nonlinear optical material. It was grown from a mixture of aqueous solution of glutamic acid and lithium sulphate monohydrate by slow evaporation technique at room temperature. The powder XRD analysis was carried out to identify the structural parameters of the grown crystals. The presence of functional groups of both reactants was qualitatively analyzed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer study. In UV-vis study, the existence of wide transparency window and band gap was investigated for optoelectronic device applications. In Kurtz-Perry powder technique, the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of GLSMH crystal is found to be 1.933 times greater than that of KDP crystal.


Abstract. This paper presents part of the results of a larger research project that focused on the surveying and documenting of Roman theatres and amphitheatres in the Campania region as well as the testing of a virtual fruition system for the digital reconstruction of a case study: the Roman theatre of Benevento. The work was carried out by the research group at the Interdepartmental Urban/Eco Research Centre of the University of Naples Federico II in collaboration with Spinvector, a company specialized in ICT – Information and Communication Technology – which lead to the defining of a fruition system of Cultural Heritage applied to archaeological heritage.The project included 3D digital surveys of the study samples carried out using reality-based techniques, which allowed for the acquisition of metric, morphological, geometric and colorimetric data. This made it possible to elaborate three-dimensional models, based on the current configuration of the places as well as of the possible original reconfigurations.


Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is a new technique developed in recent years, which aims to measure multi-phase flow. The conductivity distribution images of cross section can be obtained, and then the gas holdup can be calculated using ERT system. Combining ERT technique and cross correlation measurement method, the velocity can be calculated. In this paper, the dual-plane digital ERT system was designed, and experiments were carried out on a small-scale gas/water two-phase flow experimental set-up. The on-line reconstructed images, gas holdup estimations and correlation velocity can be obtained. Experimental results showed that the reconstructed images with high spatial resolution and real-time performance can be obtained. The software has rich functions and user-friendly interface, which can meet the needs of visualized measurement for two-phase flow in practical application.


The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a mature option for a future electron-positron collider operating at centre-of-mass energies of up to 3 TeV. CLIC will be built and operated in a staged approach with three centre-of-mass energy stages currently assumed to be 380 GeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV. This contribution discusses the prospects for precision measurements of top-quark production and properties at CLIC. Based on a dedicated centre-of-mass energy scan around the top-quark pair production threshold, the top-quark mass can be determined with a precision of about 50 MeV in a theoretically well-defined manner. Other approaches to extract the top-quark mass at the first stage of CLIC make use of ISR photons or the direct reconstruction of the top quarks. The large number of top-quark pairs produced also allows competitive searches for Flavour Changing Neutral Current (FCNC) top-quark decays to charm quarks. At the high-energy stages of CLIC the top Yukawa coupling and CP properties in the ttH coupling can be studied, as well as the top-quark pair production through the vector-boson fusion. Expected limits on new physics contributions described in terms of Effective Field Theory (EFT) operator coefficients are presented, showing sensitivity of CLIC to mass scales up to 100 TeV.


A test for the detection of virus hemagglutination neutralizing antibodies in the quantity of blood conveniently obtainable from the tail of a mouse is described. The uses of such a test are discussed.


The influences of residual stress on the piezoelectric ultrasonic sensors having composite membrane structure included PZT (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3) thin film are presented. Due to the different thermal and elastic characteristics of each constitutive layer, a subsequent residual stress and deflection is usually generated on the composite membrane. We discuss the influences of residual stress on the Si-based integrated sensor device in the two point of view; the mechanical behaviors and piezoelectric thin film properties. The composite layer structure and fabrication process especially related to thermal process have significant effects on the stress state of the composite membrane. The relationships among the stress states, deflections of composite membrane and sensitivities of sensor devices are considered.


Relatively few studies have explored how resilience of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems to hazards can be enhanced under the current and future development and climatic challenges pressures in urban areas. This study employed the citizen science approach to build the capacity of citizens and integrate communities into scientific research on water quality and WASH related risk monitoring. Data was collected with assistance of 8 self-motivated and trained citizen science research counterparts. Standard sampling procedures were used to collect water samples from a total of 27 unsafe water sources in Karonga Town. The water samples were analysed for biological, physical and chemical parameters using standard methods. Personal observations were done to determine major sanitary risks impacting on a water sources in the town. It was observed that water from the majority of water samples collected from shallow wells, rivers/streams, lake and boreholes were highly contaminated with Escherichia coli, which were considerably higher than Malawi Bureau of Standards water quality specifications for drinking water. In general, the water is of low mineralization with rock-water interactions and surface pollution from anthropogenic activities such as agricultural activities and municipal wastes being responsible for input of biological, chemical and physical pollutants especially into the unlined and uncovered water sources. The results of the water quality index (WQI) and water quality (WQ) ratings indicated that water is not suitable for direct human consumption prior to treatment. It is recommended that onsite treatment and point of use water treatment interventions should be instituted and advocated to improve human health, livelihoods and to build resilience to WASH related risks and hazards in Karonga Town.

 Key words: Citizen Science, resilience, urban risks, water quality index, water, sanitation, hygiene.


PURPOSE
This study explored how nursing home residents define quality of care.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Data were collected through in-depth interviews and were analyzed using grounded dimensional analysis.

RESULTS
Residents defined quality in three ways: (a) Care-as-service residents focused on instrumental aspects of care. They assessed quality using the parameters of efficiency, competence, and value. (b) Care-as-relating residents emphasized the affective aspects of care, defining quality as care that demonstrated friendship and allowed them to show reciprocity with their caregivers. (c) Care-as-comfort residents defined quality as care that allowed them to maintain their physical comfort, a state that required minute and often repetitive adjustments in response to their bodily cues.

IMPLICATIONS
Residents' perceptions of care quality have implications for long-term care practice. The integration of these perceptions into quality assurance instruments could improve the usefulness of tools designed to obtain resident input.


We have formed the ideal Co/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) by magnetron DC sputtering. The experimental current-voltage data of the Co/n-GaAs SBD are almost independent of the sample temperature and quite well obey the thermionic emission model from 100 K to 320 K. We have showed that the temperature coefficient of the barrier height can be determined using Norde's method instead of the temperature-dependent capacitance-voltage measurements or the flat-band barrier height values because the thermionic emission current dominates in the ideal SBDs. We have obtained a barrier height temperature coefficient value of α = 0.41 meV/K for Co/n-GaAs SBDs used in this work, which is in close agreement with values reported for the metal/n-GaAs Schottky diodes in the literature.


Pseudocedrela kotschyi commonly known as Dry-zone cedar and hard cedar-mahogany belongs to the family of Meliaceae. It is widely spread from east Senegal to western Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria. The stem bark of the plant has been used for the treatment of numerous diseases among different cultures around the globe. The study aimed at evaluating the phytochemical constituents and the antioxidant effects of P. kotschyi stem bark as claimed traditionally. Qualitative and quantitative Phytochemical screening were done according to standard methods. Antioxidant potentials of the P. kotschyi stem bark crude extracts of (Hexane, Ethyl acetate and Methanol) and isolated compound were estimated using Qualitative and quantitative 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Qualitative preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts of P. kotschyi revealed the presence of phytochemicals such as carbohydrate, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins and steroids/ triterpenes and for qualitative screening, ethyl acetate extract had the highest quantity of phytochemicals tested as represented in table 4 in percentages. The antioxidant activity was observed qualitatively by the change of DPPH colour on TLC plates from purple to yellow. Quantitative antioxidant activity revealed the following IC50 values 324.22, 46.37, 91.77and 34.09 µg/mL for hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and ascorbic acid, respectively. Ethyl acetate extract had the highest antioxidant effect.  The effects of the extracts is dose dependent and statistically significant(p<0.05). The studies established that P. kotschyi stem bark is rich in phytochemical constituents and was validated to have free radical scavenging effect.


Critical phenomena can show unusual phase diagrams when defined in complex network topologies. The case of classical phase transitions such as the classical Ising model and the percolation transition has been studied extensively in the last decade. Here we show that the phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard model, an exclusively quantum mechanical phase transition, also changes significantly when defined on random scale-free networks. We present a mean-field calculation of the model in annealed networks and we show that when the second moment of the average degree diverges, the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit. Moreover we study the model on quenched networks and we show that the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit as long as the maximal eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix diverges. Finally we study the phase diagram of the model on Apollonian scale-free networks that can be embedded in 2 dimensions showing the extension of the results also to this case.


Discovering early signatures of voltage instability can enhance situational awareness and facilitate emergency control. Such signatures usually appear as decaying trends in load voltages and increase in reactive power output of generators. Discrete control actions such as frequent switching of load tap changer (LTC) and capacitor banks, that are otherwise unmonitored, can also be crucial indicators of a voltage problem. Hence, the authors propose a unified early warning scheme (EWS) for detecting voltage instability. To quantify and correlate spatial, temporal (spatio-temporal) trends and level changes, the authors use a multivariate, adaptive trend and level (T&L) filter. A unique feature of the proposed scheme is the signature authentication, by verifying simultaneity in T&L changes across multivariate time series. The authors show that, by extrapolating trends, limit violations in bus voltages and generator reactive power output can be estimated well in advance. Further, the level-change detection logic is shown to have the ability to detect frequent LTC-actions directly from the bus voltage time series. While the T&L filtering scheme is validated on field phasor measurement unit (PMU) datasets, EWS and emergency control is demonstrated on the classical 10-bus voltage stability test system.


In his main charitable foundation, the Rabʿ-i Rashīdī, near Tabriz, Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍl Allah al-Hamadhānī (ca. 645-648–718/1247-1250–1318) set up a manuscript production workshop in order to produce regular copies of the Qurʾān, a collection of Ḥadīth and his own works. This article addresses the question of whether this workshop can be identified as a kitāb-khānah. It focuses on the earliest preserved manuscript that was most likely produced in, or in relation to the Rabʿ-i Rashīdī: the compendium of four theological books titled Majmūʿa Rashīdiyya (The Compendium of Rashīd al-Dīn), dated to 707–710/1307–1311 (Bibliotheque nationale de France, Arabe 2324). This large-scale and lavishly illuminated volume is submitted to a detailed stylistic and spectrometric analysis. Unlike previous works where style and technique, especially pigments, are usually studied independently, this article proposes a new, unprecedented approach where both dimensions are examined in close connection in an attempt to reconstruct the manuscript's decoration process and the type of organization that lies behind it.


Mechanical cues in cellular microenvironment are central in directing a
 class of cellular behaviors such as the dynamic of cell adhesion, migration,
 and differentiation. Several advanced optical techniques, such as
 structured-illumination nano-profilometry (SINAP), have been developed for a
 better resolution of these dynamic processes. These techniques however
 require culturing cells on materials of refractive index close to that of
 glass, while most studies regarding the effects of mechanical cues on
 cellular dynamics were conducted on hydrogel-based substrates. Here we
 report the development of culturing substrates of tunable rigidity and
 refractive index suitable for SINAP studies. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based
 substrates were mixed with a softener called Di(isononyl)
 Cyclohexane-1,2-Dicarboxylate (DINCH) and cured by heating. The volume
 ratios of PVC to DINCH were varied from 1:1 to 3:1. The Young's modulus of
 the resulting substrates ranged from 18 kPa to 40 kPa. The yielded
 refractive indices of the composite substrates as measured by phase contrast
 tomography ranged from 1.47 to 1.53. Human lung adenocarcinoma cells CL1-5
 were cultured on the composite substrates and cell viability was examined
 using the MTT assay. The dynamics of cell adhesion and filopodia activities
 were examined using SINAP. Preliminary results suggest that PVC based
 culturing substrates have a great potential in the application of SINAP
 based studies.


The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the bonding efficiency between two self-adhesive cements to enamel and dentine, with and without previous dental surface conditioning, before and after thermocycling. Thirty-six molars were divided into 3 experimental groups and 01 control group. The self-adhesive resin cements selected for the experimental groups were: RelyX Unicem (subgroups RE and RD) and Bifix SE (subgroups BE and BD). For control groups, a conventional resin cement, Variolink II (subgroups VRE and VRD), was used. The specimens were submitted to microtensile bond strength test. The results were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test. The results showed statistically significant differences between VR group and the others before and after thermocycling. According to the results obtained, it can be concluded that self-adhesive cements, despite of their practicality and less sensitive technique concerning to cementation, have lower adhesive resistance when compared to conventional resin cements.


This study investigates what factors determine students' academic performance in 5 major Eastern Asian economies. It does so using data gathered through the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. In a regression analysis, we explicitly consider initial maturity differences, endogeneity of class size and peer effects. We find that a student's individual and family backgrounds are key determinants of educational performance, while institutional and resource variables have a more limited effect. Peer effects are significant in general, but ability-sorting at the school and/or class levels makes it difficult to interpret these effects in Hong Kong and Singapore.


The antigen-reactive cells in normal rabbit bone marrow could be isolated from a suspension of marrow cells by passage of the cells through an antigen-sensitized glass bead column. The cells which passed through the column were deficient in antigen-reactive cells directed to the antigen used to sensitize the glass beads, whereas the cells eluted from the column could transfer antibody-forming capacity to irradiated recipients only with respect to the specific sensitizing antigen. Separation of the bone marrow antigen-reactive cells could not be achieved by passage of the cells through nonsensitized glass bead columns or in the presence of excess free antigen in the column. Cells which were retained by, and later eluted from, the antigen-sensitized glass bead columns were mostly small mononuclear cells, whereas cells which passed through the columns were morphologically similar to the original unfractionated bone marrow cell suspension. The data indicate the presence of an antibody or antibody-like structure, with defined immunological specificity, on the surface of the normal bone marrow antigen-reactive cell.


Objective To assess the treatment of acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (ANVUGIB) in Chinese patients on antithrombotic therapy. Methods The clinical data of patients with ANVUGIB who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy 24 h after bleeding at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, from 2016 to 2018, were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into antithrombotic therapy and control groups and into high-risk (Forrest Ia, Ib, IIa, and IIb) and low-risk (Forrest IIc and III) bleeding groups according to the results of endoscopy. Results In all, 230 patients were enrolled, with 99 cases in the antithrombotic group (antiplatelet therapy 80 patients, anticoagulant therapy 19 patients) and 131 cases in the control group (without antithrombotic therapy). A total of 78 and 21 and 84 and 47 patients were at high- and low- risk for bleeding (P = 0.019) in the antithrombotic and control groups, respectively; 12.1% and 4.6% had esophageal bleeding (P = 0.047), and 8 and 2 patients received interventional therapy (P = 0.021). Overall, 21 patients with hemodynamic instability were treated via endoscopy with anesthesia under tracheal intubation and ventilator support: 20 patients in the antithrombotic group (13 patients within 1 month after coronary intervention, 5 patients within 1 month of cardiac-valve replacement, and 2 patients within 4 years of cardiac-valve replacement) and 1 patient with third-degree atrioventricular block in the control group. Ten patients received interventional therapy: eight and two in the two groups, respectively. Multidisciplinary consultation was conducted to regulate the use of antithrombotic drugs. Conclusion Compared to the controls, patients in the antithrombotic group had a significantly higher incidence of critical and active bleeding. Patients with hemodynamic instability should be examined and treated via upper gastrointestinal endoscopy under anesthesia with tracheal intubation and ventilator support.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of existing systems for the diagnosis of the endogenous (melancholic) subtype of major depression.

METHOD
The authors review the critical empirical research examining this subtype and discuss its implications for DSM-IV. They examine the relationship of endogenous/melancholic symptoms to other clinical features, treatment response, selected laboratory tests, consistency across episodes, family history, and particular courses of illness.

RESULTS
Melancholic symptom features are predictive of a positive response to ECT and to tricyclic antidepressants in the severely ill. Key features include psychomotor retardation, unreactive mood, pervasive anhedonia, and distinct quality of mood. Melancholic features are associated with shorter REM latency and/or nonsuppression of cortisol during the dexamethasone suppression test. Depressive episodes that are not melancholic may take on melancholic features with repetition and passage of time in some individuals. Once melancholic features are present, it is unclear whether they repeat across subsequent episodes. Melancholic features are not uniquely associated with a positive family history of depression per se, but they may be especially associated with a family history of severe depression.

CONCLUSIONS
The available evidence suggests some clinical utility and some (albeit not entirely consistent) validity for the concept of melancholic features. Consequently, DSM-IV will retain the designation "with melancholic features," return to the shorter DSM-III feature listing, and broaden the designation by requiring either unreactive mood or pervasive anhedonia but not both. Further research on this subgroup is indicated.


Since industrialisation, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) has increased significantly. The most important anthropogenic GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). N2O is of major concern for two reasons; i) it is a potent GHG responsible for 6.2% of the observed anthropogenic radiative forcing and ii) it plays a major role in the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Soil processes are the largest contributor to the atmospheric N2O, with agriculture as the largest anthropogenic source, accounting for 65% to 80% of total emission. The N2O emissions are largely influenced by the land use and, due to the long half life time of N2O in the atmosphere, is it important to find mitigation options that will reduce N2O from agriculture. This is particularly important for drained organic soils, which are emitting large amounts of N2O and CO2. The main processes that produce N2O in soil are nitrification and denitrification. Several interacting factors control these processes and the magnitude of N2O emission, such as site fertility, ground water level, pH and competition from vegetation. Thus, because of the complexity of the driving variables, it is difficult to predict N2O emission from environmental factors. The articles in this thesis deals with measurements of N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes, although I in my summary of these, focus on mitigation options for N2O emissions from organic soils, as these are largely increased after drainage and have a large impact on the national GHG budget for Sweden. Main findings of my work are that cereals, row sown crops (e.g. vegetables) and forest emit larger amounts of N2O than pastures. However, due to the many controlling factors, the different soil properties as well as measurement periods it is difficult to generalise the findings for all peat soils. Soil pH was found to be a driving factor for N2O emission from the forest site, with enhanced N2O emission from low pH. Increased soil pH due to wood ash addition was found to reduce N2O emission at a spruce forest site, which might provide a mitigation option for organic forest soils. Based on the results from the thesis, a suggested mitigation strategy for N2O emission from drained agricultural peat soils is to avoid cereal and vegetable cultivation in favour of permanent meadows or pastures. Increasing pH by wood ash or lime can decrease N2O emission from forest soils. Although not a result in this thesis, liming of agricultural drained peat soils could also be an


We discuss two flexibility metrics for Simple Temporal Networks (STNs): the so-called naive flexibility metric based on the difference between earliest and latest starting times of temporal variables, and a recently proposed concurrent flexibility metric. We establish an interesting connection between the computation of these flexibility metrics and properties of the minimal distance matrix DS of an STN S: the concurrent flexibility metric can be computed by finding a minimum weight matching of a weighted bipartite graph completely specified by DS, while the naive flexibility metric corresponds to computing a maximum weight matching in the same graph. From a practical point of view this correspondence offers an advantage: instead of using an O(n5) LP-based approach, reducing the problem to a matching problem we derive an O(n3) algorithm for computing the concurrent flexibility metric.


Information graphics, such as bar charts and line graphs, that appear in popular media generally have a message that they are intended to convey. We have developed a Bayesian network that analyzes the communicative signals in an information graphic and produces a logical representation of the graphic's intended message. However, the output produced by the Bayesian network is deficient for producing natural language text. This paper presents our solution to several aspects of this problem: identifying an appropriate referent for the dependent axis, determining when to enumerate the bar labels in a message, and identifying the ontological category for the bar labels. An evaluation study shows that our methodology produces reasonable text that is much better than several baseline strategies.


ABSTRACT An increasing number of universities have implemented prior learning assessment (PLA), but little research has examined the non-course matching approach referred to as block credit PLA. Adult learners pursuing a college degree often bring professional competencies, knowledge, and skills to the classroom. PLA enables adult learners to earn college credit hours based on prior college-level learning gained outside the traditional classroom. This study operationalized Block Credit Prior Learning Assessment to award college credit hours for adults enrolled in a college completion program. Participants were comprised of 280 undergraduate students who submitted a PLA portfolio for evaluation by trained raters. Research methods included computing Cronbach's alpha for inter-rater reliability and conducting principal component analysis to weight four internal variables for computing a score. Results indicated a weighted score from internal variables combined with external variable scores aligned with college credit hours. This study relates PLA theory to practice in implementing Block Credit Prior Learning Assessment.


©The Geological Society of Japan 2013 647 Abstract: This paper reports on latest Late Jurassic to early Late Cretaceous radiolarians extracted from a gravel of calcareous nodule that originated from the basal conglomerate of the Pliocene Naarai Formation. The calcareous nodule (ca. 12 cm in length) contains vertebrate bones, and lithologically similar gravels have been known to contain Albian and Tithonian ammonoids. The age of the radiolarians from the calcareous nodule ranges from latest Tithonian to late Cenomanian, based on the occurrence of Holocryptocanium barbui. This age range is concordant with ammonoid ages reported previously from gravels of calcareous nodules derived from the Naarai Formation. 報 告


The flow of electrical current through a microscopic actual contact spot between two conductors is influenced by the flow through adjacent contact spots. A smoothed version of this interaction effect is developed and used to predict the contact resistance when the statistical size and spatial distribution of contact spots is known. To illustrate the use of the method, an idealized fractal rough surface is defined using the random midpoint displacement algorithm, and the size distribution of contact spots is assumed to be given by the intersection of this surface with a constant height plane. With these assumptions, it is shown that including finer scale detail in the fractal surface, equivalent to reducing the sampling length in the measurement of the surface, causes the predicted resistance to approach the perfect contact limit.


The vibrational structure of the absorption and monomeric emission spectra of aqueous solutions of bis(wnaphthylmethy1)ammonium chloride (DNMAC) and (a-naphthylmethy1)ammonium chloride (NMAC) is modified by the formation of an associate of these luminescence probes and anionic polyelectrolytes. The wavelength of the probe excimer emission is also influenced by complexation with polyelectrolytes; a similar change can also be achieved by variation of the pH of the probe solution in the absence of polyelectrolyte. These effects have been interpreted as a transition of the probe from a tetrahedral structure (which is stable in low-pH solution) to a more pyramidal structure (which is characteristic of polyelectrolyte associates and unstable in basic solution). The fluorescence decay of the probe excimer emission consists in all cases of two clean first-order components, whose relative contribution to the overall intensity depends on the pH or the polyelectrolyte concentration. These results are consistent with the pH- or polyelectrolyte-induced tetra- hedral-pyramidal structural interconversions.


A large amount of energy from power plants, vehicles, oil refining, and steel or glass making process is released to the atmosphere as waste heat. The thermoelectric generator (TEG) provides a way to reutilize this portion of energy by converting temperature differences into electricity using Seebeck phenomenon. Because the figures of merit zT of the thermoelectric materials are temperature-dependent, it is not feasible to achieve high efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion using only one single thermoelectric material in a wide temperature range. To address this challenge, the authors propose a method based on topology optimization to optimize the layouts of functional graded TEGs consisting of multiple materials. The multimaterial TEG is optimized using the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method. Instead of dummy materials, both the P-type and N-type electric conductors are optimally distributed with two different practical thermoelectric materials. Specifically, Bi2Te3 and Zn4Sb3 are selected for the P-type element while Bi2Te3 and CoSb3 are employed for the N-type element. Two optimization scenarios with relatively regular domains are first considered with one optimizing on both the P-type and N-type elements simultaneously, and the other one only on single P-type element. The maximum conversion efficiency could reach 9.61% and 12.34% respectively in the temperature range from 25 °C to 400 °C. CAD models are reconstructed based on the optimization results for numerical verification. A good agreement between the performance of the CAD model and optimization result is achieved, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.


PURPOSE
Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor. RhoBTB2 protein participated in various cellular activities and influenced pathways responsible for cell cycle and apoptosis. To address its potential as a therapeutic target for osteosarcoma, this study investigated the effect of RhoBTB2 expression on osteosarcoma tissue and cell.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed to evaluate the level of RhoBTB2 mRNA and protein in 121 osteosarcoma specimens. The relationship of RhoBTB2 expression with clinicopathological parameters of osteosarcoma patients was analyzed using Chi-square test. In addition, a plasmid expressing the RhoBTB2 gene was transfected into human osteosarcoma (HOS) cell using Lipofectamine 2000, and the effects of RhoBTB2 on HOS cell were investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay and flow cytometry.

RESULTS
This study reports that RhoBTB2 protein is weakly expressed in osteosarcoma specimens, but highly in normal parts of specimens. RhoBTB2 expression is significantly associated with primary location and local recurrence of osteosarcoma. Overexpression of RhoBTB2 results in significant G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in HOS cell.

CONCLUSION
Taken together, we identified the role RhoBTB2 in osteosarcoma tissue and cell. The results might not only be of relevance for diagnosis and prognosis, but potentially also provide a novel target for osteosarcoma therapies.


Surface grating couplers are fundamental building blocks for coupling the light between optical fibers and integrated photonic devices. However, the operational bandwidth of conventional grating couplers is intrinsically limited by their wavelength-dependent radiation angle. The few dual-band grating couplers that have been experimentally demonstrated exhibit low coupling efficiencies and rely on complex fabrication processes. Here we demonstrate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the realization of an efficient dual-band grating coupler fabricated using 193 nm deep-ultraviolet lithography for 10 Gbit symmetric passive optical networks. The footprint of the device is 17×10µm2. We measured coupling efficiencies of -4.9 and -5.2dB with a 3-dB bandwidth of 27 and 56 nm at the wavelengths of 1270 and 1577 nm, corresponding to the upstream and downstream channels, respectively.