Although originally developed for coherent paraxial scalar electromagnetic radiation in the visible-light regime, phase retrieval using the transport-of-intensity equation has been successfully applied to a range of paraxial radiation and matter-wave fields. Such applications include using electron wave fields to quantitatively image magnetic skyrmions and spin ices, propagation-based phase-contrast imaging using cold neutrons and hard x-rays, and visible-light refractive imaging of the projected column density of cold-atom clouds. Teague's method for phase retrieval using the transport-of-intensity equation, which renders the phase of a paraxial complex wave indirectly measurable via the existence of a conserved current, has been applied to a broad variety of situations which include all of the experiments described above. However, these applications have been undertaken without a thorough analysis of the underlying validity of the method. Here we derive sufficient conditions for the phase-retrieval solution provided by Teague's method to coincide with the true phase of the paraxial radiation or matter-wave field. We also present a sufficient condition guaranteeing that the discrepancy between the true phase function and that reconstructed using Teague's solution is small. These conditions demonstrate that, in most practical cases, for phase-amplitude retrieval using the transport-of-intensity equation, the Teague solution is very close tomore » the exact solution. However, we also describe a counter example in the context of phase-amplitude retrieval using hard x-rays, in which the relative root-mean-square difference between the exact solution and that obtained using Teague's method is 9%. These findings clarify the foundations of one of the most widely applied methods for propagation-based phase retrieval of both paraxial matter and radiation wave fields and define a region for its applicability.« less


The book examined role of traditional authorities in ethnic conflict management and resolution in the East Gonja and Kpandai districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Case study research design was employed for the study. The study population included chiefs, opinion leaders, youth leaders, governmental and non-governmental agencies interested in peace-building and development in the two districts. Purposive sampling technique was employed to sample 28 respondents for the study. Both primary and secondary data were used. In-depth interview guides were used in interviewing the respondents. The contents, case and inductive analyses were adopted in organizing and analyzing the data. The study revealed that the origins of the violent ethnic conflicts between the historically non-centralized ethnic groups and their centralized neighbors in the districts are rooted in the colonial legacy and policy, and strengthened by globalisation. These factors undoubtedly influenced the conflicts. Most of the actors in the ethnic conflicts in the East Gonja and Kpandai districts involved all the feuding ethnic groups but politicians and the elites in the society worsened the situation.


We report on results of the performance study of UVA LEDs depending on the thickness of the active region. UVA LEDs are based on GaN/AlGaN heterostructures grown on Al2O3 (0001) substrates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). It is shown that the use of thick ( 100 nm) single layer as the active region of UVA LED is a promising concept to achieve enhanced efficiency. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


For a given set S of n points in the plane and a fixed point o, we introduce the Voronoi diagram of S anchored at o. It will be defined as an abstract Voronoi diagram that uses as bisectors the following curves. For each pair of points p, q in S, the bisecting curve between p and q is the locus of points x in the plane such that the line segment ox is equidistant to both p and q. We show that those bisectors have nice properties and, therefore, this new structure can be computed in O(n log n) time and O(n) space both for nearest-site and furthest-site versions. Also, we prove that the dynamic version of this diagram can be built in O(nλ6s+2(n) log n) time complexity, where s is a constant depending on the function that describes the motion of the points. Finally, we show how to use these structures for solving several locational optimization problems.


Abstract:There are two main motives ascribed to Saddam Husayn's decision to invade Iran in 1980. One motive is that he invaded for geopolitical gain when international factors worked in his favor. The other is that he invaded to prevent Iran from fomenting revolution in Iraq. This article argues the decision was taken due to the latter, that the decision to invade Iran was primarily due to the fear of spillover effects from the Iranian Revolution, and considers the broader implications for why revolutions can sometimes lead to war.


Study Design. A cost-utility analysis study. Objective. This study aims to evaluate the cost-utility of neoadjuvant teriparatide therapy in osteopenic patients undergoing adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Summary of Background Data. There is increasing evidence supporting preoperative use of anabolic agents such as teriparatide for preoperative optimization of ASD patients with poor bone density. However, such treatments are associated with added costs. To our knowledge, the cost-utility of teriparatide in osteopenic patients undergoing ASD surgery has not been established. Materials and Methods. A decision-analysis model was developed for a hypothetical 68-year-old female patient with osteopenia (T score <−1.0) undergoing a T11 to pelvis instrumented spinal fusion for ASD. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to create estimates for event probabilities, costs, and quality adjusted life years at each node. Key model assumptions were that administration of a 4-month preoperative teriparatide course reduced 2-year postoperative reoperation rates [for pseudarthrosis from 5% to 2.5% and for proximal junctional failure (PJF) from 15% to 5%]. Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the mean incremental cost utility ratio and incremental net monetary benefits. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to estimate the contribution of individual parameters to uncertainty in the model. Results. Teriparatide was the favored strategy in 82% of the iterations. The mean incremental cost utility ratio for the teriparatide strategy was negative (higher net benefit, lower net cost), and lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000 per quality adjusted life year. Teriparatide use was associated with a mean incremental net monetary benefit of $3,948. One-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the factors with the greatest impact on the model were the incidence of PJF in the no teriparatide group, the duration and monthly cost of treatment, and the cost of reoperation due to PJF. Conclusions. Neoadjuvant teriparatide is a cost-effective strategy to reduce postoperative complications in patients with osteopenia undergoing ASD surgery.


The effect of Si addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of dual two-phase intermetallic alloys was investigated. Si was added to the base alloy composition Ni 75 Al 9 V 13 Nb 3 + 50 wt. ppm B by three substitution ways in which Si was substituted either for Ni, for Al and for V, respectively. The alloys added with 1 at.% Si showed a dual two-phase microstructure composed of Ni 3 Al (L1 2 ) and Ni 3 V (D0 22 ) phases, while the alloys added with over 2 at.% Si exhibited the same dual two-phase microstructure but contained third phases. The third phases were G phase (Ni 16 Si 7 Nb 6 ) and A2 phase (the bcc solid solution consisting of Nb and V). Yield and tensile strength of the 1 at.% Si-added alloys were high in the alloy in which Si was substituted for Al but low in the alloys in which Si was substituted for Ni or for V, in comparison with those of the base alloy. Tensile elongation was lower than that of the base alloy irrespective of substitution ways. The density of the Si added alloys was close to or slightly lower than that of the base alloy. Oxidation resistance of the Si added alloy was increased. Si addition to the dual two-phase intermetallic alloys is beneficial for reducing the density and enhancing the oxidation resistance without a harmful reduction of strength properties.


This article investigates aspects of the school pedagogical work, observing the signification, processes, dynamics, and relations. We also investigate hierarchical relations, task divisions, and the occurrence, or absence, of collective work. Our focus is the institutional relations between teachers and the administration team. The investigation was accomplished in a municipal public school in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, where children attend at Early Childhood, from 3-5 years old, followed by the initial years of Basic Education. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with the school principal, the coordinator, and two teachers engaged in the school proposal. Ball's studies are considered, focusing on the power relations and the diversity of goals that guide the pedagogical work. Lima's perspective of microanalytical investigation of the school and Weber's forms of domination are also adopted. The analysis of the strategies established by the administration team showed that the school under investigation works as both a bureaucratic organization and an organized anarchy. Efforts are carried out for the establishment of a shared administration, involving all the school agents. We also noted the existence of teachers' resistance concerning the proposals issued by the administrative team, demonstrating ideological disputes and disputes for interests present in its daily routine.


. The growth in the number and size of wind energy projects in the last decade has revealed structural limitations in the current approach adopted by the wind industry to assess potential wind farm sites. These limitations are the result of neglecting the mutual interaction of large wind farms and the thermally-stratified atmospheric boundary layer. While currently available analytical models are sufficiently accurate to conduct site assessments for isolated rotors or small wind turbine clusters, the wind farm's interaction with the atmosphere cannot be neglected for large-size arrays. Specifically, the wind farm displaces 5 the boundary layer vertically, triggering atmospheric gravity waves that induce large-scale horizontal pressure gradients. These perturbations in pressure alter the velocity field at the turbine locations, ultimately affecting global wind farm power production. The implication of such dynamics can also produce an extended blockage region upstream of the first turbines and a favorable pressure gradient inside the wind farm. In this paper, we present the multi-scale coupled (MSC) model, a novel approach that allows the simultaneous prediction of micro-scale effects occurring at the wind turbine scale, such as individual wake 10 interactions and rotor induction, and meso-scale phenomena occurring at the wind farm scale and larger, such as atmospheric gravity waves. This is achieved by evaluating wake models on a spatially-heterogeneous background velocity field obtained from a reduced-order meso-scale model. The MSC model is validated against two large-eddy simulations (LES) with similar average inflow velocity profiles and a different capping inversion strength, so that two distinct interfacial gravity wave regimes are produced, i.e. subcritical and supercritical. Interfacial waves can produce high blockage in the first case, as they are allowed 15 to propagate upstream. Conversely, in the supercritical regime their propagation speed is less than their advection velocity and upstream blockage is only operated by internal waves. The MSC model not only proves to successfully capture both local induction and global blockage effects in the two regimes, but also captures wind farm gravity-wave interaction, underestimating wind farm power by about only 2 % compared with the LES results. Conversely, wake models alone, even if combined with a local induction model, cannot distinguish between differences in thermal stratification, and are affected by a first-row over-20 prediction bias that leads to a consistent overestimation of the wind farm power by 13 % to 20 %


The synthesis of the novel tripodal ligand [N(CH2CH2CH2OH)(CH2CH2SH)2] H3-4 is reported. The aliphatic tetradentate ligand is equipped with an unsymmetrical NOS2 donor set. It reacts with Ni(OAc)2 x 4H2O or Zn(BF4)2 x xH2O to give the complexes [Ni(H-4)]2 5 and [Zn(H-4)]4 6, respectively. The molecular structures of 5 and 6 have been determined by X-ray diffraction. In both cases multinuclear, mu-thiolato-bridged complexes, wherein the ligand coordinates with only three (NS2) of the four donor groups, had formed. The dinuclear complex 5 adopts a butterfly geometry and contains nickel(II) ions in a square-planar NS3 coordination environment. Cyclic voltammetry experiments indicate that the nickel centers in 5 are electron-rich but not overly sensitive toward oxidation. Complex 6 is tetranuclear and the four thiolato-bridged metal centers form a ring. It shows a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry for the zinc(II) ions in an NS3 coordination sphere. In both complexes the hydroxyl functionalized ligand arm of the tripodal ligand remains uncoordinated.


Abstract Average solvency in South African agriculture deteriorated considerably between 1976 and 1985, improved somewhat from 1985 to 1988 and thereafter deteriorated once again. Considerable interregional differences exist in relative levels of solvency. Entrepreneurial and managerial influences on this are manifested through financial management involving particularly mechanization, choice of financiers and risk acceptance or avoidance. A cross sectional and discriminant analysis was done to explain solvency differences between regions. Solvency was shown to be a function of land ownership, education, percentage established pastures, enterprise mix, financier, type of management and long term average rainfall. The output/input price ratio, enterprise mix and percentage of debt load financed by co-operatives explained the difference between regions with below and above average solvency ratios.


Abstract : This research analyzes the effects of situational constraints on individual performance within an Air Force Aerial Port squadron. Situational constraint research originated with laboratory studies by Peters and O'Connor in 1980 and was investigated in an Air Force field environment in 1984; mixed results were obtained. Laboratory studies identified direct performance inhibitors (Peters et al., 1980); however, field studies found little correlations with job performance (Kane, 1981; O'Connor et al., 1984a). Data collected in June 1995 (Dougherty, 1995) and March 1996, in this study, were used to accomplish a longitudinal analysis. Correlations between constraints and performance were also low in this study; however, significant reductions in constraints were identified in 12 of the 14 work groups investigated. Results suggest that O'Connor et al.'s measure (1984a) may be useful in identifying bottlenecks requiring managerial actions.


Rare functionally defective carboxypeptidase A1 (CPA1) variants have been reported to predispose to nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, mainly the idiopathic subtype. However, independent replication has so far been lacking, particularly in Asian cohorts where initial studies employed small sample sizes. Herein we performed targeted next‐generation sequencing of the CPA1 gene in 1,112 Han Chinese idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) patients—the largest ICP cohort so far analyzed in a single population—and 1,580 controls. Sanger sequencing was used to validate called variants, and the CPA1 activity and secretion of all newly found variants were measured. A total of 18 rare CPA1 variants were characterized, 11 of which have not been previously described. However, no significant association was noted with ICP irrespective of whether all rare variants [20 out of 1,112 (1.8%) in patients vs. 24 out of 1,580 (1.52%) in controls; P = 0.57] or functionally impaired variants [three out of 1,112 (0.27%) in patients vs. two out of 1,580 (0.13%) in controls; P = 0.68] were considered.


Cortical folding patterns are related to brain function, cognition, and behavior. Since the relationship has not been fully explained on a coarse scale, many efforts have been devoted to the identification of finer grained cortical landmarks, such as sulcal pits and gyral peaks, which were found to remain invariant across subjects and ages and the invariance may be related to gene mediated proto-map. However, gyral peaks were only investigated on macaque monkey brains, but not on human brains where the investigation is challenged due to high inter-individual variabilities. To this end, in this work, we successfully identified 96 gyral peaks both on the left and right hemispheres of human brains, respectively. These peaks are spatially consistent across individuals. Higher or sharper peaks are more consistent across subjects. Both structural and functional graph metrics of peaks are significantly different from other cortical regions, and more importantly, these nodal graph metrics are anti-correlated with the spatial consistency metrics within peaks. In addition, the distribution of peaks and various cortical anatomical, structural/functional connective features show hemispheric symmetry. These findings provide new clues to understanding the cortical landmarks, as well as their relationship with brain functions, cognition, behavior in both healthy and aberrant brains.


Evidence is presented that collagen is a major constituent of glomerular capillary basement membrane. Electron microscopic examination of bovine glomeruli digested with collagenase demonstrated that a large portion of the capillary basement membrane was removed. However, collagenase-treated glomeruli were still capable of removing by absorption the antibodies in antiglomerular serum which localized on glomerular basement membrane when the serum was injected intravenously in mice.


Previous studies have identified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome substitution lines between 'Cheyenne' (CNN) and 'Wichita' (WI) that contain quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting yield and yield components, anthesis date, plant height, and grain volume weight. However, chromosome substitution lines can only identify additive or epistatic gene action. In this study, hybrids between CNN and WI, and between chromosome substitution lines and their recurrent parents were evaluated in four field environments to determine if the QTLs exhibited additive and dominant gene action which could result in heterosis. As expected, the chromosome substitution lines were significantly different for grain yield from their recurrent parents, which indicated the chromosomes contained additive genes. Three of four chromosome substitution line hybrids were not different from the midparent value, which indicated predominantly additive gene action. However, the fourth substitution line hybrid significantly differed from the midparent value for grain yield, which indicated the chromosome contained genes that were heterotic and had dominant gene action. Some hybrids did not significantly differ from one parent, which further indicated the possibility of dominant gene action. Midparent heterosis also was identified in the cultivar hybrid for grain yield. High parent heterosis was not found for any of the measured traits. Hence, genes on these chromosomes exhibited predominantly additive gene action, but also exhibited dominant gene action which may explain some of the heterosis found in the cultivar hybrid.


— The primary aim of this research is to build a web application for Work Force management using face-recognition to replace the traditional system being used to take attendance which is not very efficient. The traditional method being used is prone to errors and creates a lot of ambiguity in retrieving the data. With the help of technology, we are going to develop an automated system which can cut the problems in the traditional system.
The technology that works behind is going to be the face recognition system. There is an admin module where the admin can register the individuals into the system. The system captures photos of the workers while registering. The face recognition engine is trained and then attendance can be detected.
The attendance detected can be stored into the database and can be retrieved any point of time using the Django web server. This project can be used to manage the workforce in an easy way.


Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) attempt to identify attacks by comparing new data to predefined signatures known to be malicious (misuse IDSs) or to a model of normal behavior (anomaly-based IDSs). Anomaly intrusion detection approaches have the advantage of detecting previously unknown or new attacks, but suffer from the possible high false alarms due to the problem of behavior drifting and the difficulty of building an adaptive model. In this paper, we propose a model based on the data mining technique - naïve Bayes classification to classify an input event (system call sequences generated from privileged processes) as "normal" or "anomalous" to detect system anomalous behavior. The independent frequency of each system call from a process collected under the normal conditions is the basis for the classifier. The ratio of the probability of a sequence from a process and the probability NOT from the process serves as the input of a fuzzy system for the classification. Experimental results in a data set consisting of both normal and intrusion traces show that the model can successfully detect most of intrusion traces with a very low false alarm rate.


The local nonlinear stability of thermal convection in fluid-saturated porous media, subjected to an adverse temperature gradient, is investigated. The critical Rayleigh number at the onset of convection and the corresponding heat transfer are determined. An approximate analytical method is presented to determine the form and amplitude of convection. To facilitate the determination of the physically preferred cell pattern, a detailed study of both two- and three-dimensional motions is made and a very good agreement with available experimental data is found. The finite-amplitude effects on the horizontal wavenumber, and the effect of the Prandtl number on the motion are discussed in detail. We find that, when the Rayleigh number is just greater than the critical value, two dimensional motion is more likely than three-dimensional motion, and the heat transport is shown to have two regions for n =1. In particular, it is shown that optimum heat transport occurs for a mixed horizontal plan form formed by the linear combination of general rectangular and square cells. Since an infinite number of steady-state finite-amplitude solutions exist for Rayleigh numbers greater than the critical number Ac*, a relative stability criterion is discussed th at selects the realized solution as that having the maximum mean-square temperature gradient.


With the proliferation of mobile devices, research on image retargeting is becoming ever more important. However, there is little work on image retargeting quality assessment despite its importance. In this work, we focus on evaluating retargeting quality based on line distortion. Generally, image retargeting results in content loss and shape distortion. Line segments, which are fundamental image structures, are hence discarded or distorted in retargeted images. As a result, we formulate a retargeting quality index consisted of three line distortion measures: line loss, line artifact and line rotation. To test its performance, we have validated it on the public dataset RetargetMe. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms many existent ones and line distortion is a good indicator of retargeting quality.


This article presents a neurobiological hypothesis of experience- and learning dependent synaptic reorganization processes in the juvenile brain and their influence on the normal development of intellectual, emotional and social abilities. Based on experimental data we offer the theory that during early learning events (also termed as imprinting) the initially relatively unspecifically organized synaptic network in the higher associative brain areas undergoes an experience- and learning-dependent reorganization. This process involves synaptic sprouting as well as synaptic pruning of redundant synaptic connections and results in a more specific and efficient neuronal network, which provide the basis for learning processes during later life. Sensory or social deprivation during early childhood impairs this synaptic reorganization of the brain and thereby prevents the normal development of intellectual, emotional and social abilities. Under adverse environmental and familial circumstances these deficits may eventually lead to mental disorders such as neuroses. Since early learning and the underlying synaptic reorganization processes are restricted to specific sensitive phases during brain development the resulting mental and social deficits are remarkably stable, which may be one explanation of the resistance of certain mental disorders to psychotherapy. The intention of this provocative hypothesis is to stimulate future research initiatives using an interactive neurobiological and neuropsychological approach to gain more insight into these cellular mechanisms and to develop innovative therapeutical strategies.


This paper describes a finite state machine to control an ankle-foot prosthesis with two degrees of freedom (DOF) in the sagittal and frontal planes. Strain gauges were installed in the foot to provide ground reaction torques feedback for impedance and admittance controllers to be used at heel-strike and push-off of the gait, respectively. The quasi-static stiffness of the ankle with the active control was measured showing a near linear relationship between the torque feedback gain and the stiffness of the ankle. The performance of the finite state machine and controllers were also evaluated using a custom-made circular treadmill and the results were compared to the results of the prosthesis using position controller and inactive controllers. The results showed that the impedance/admittance controller was capable of tracking the desired input trajectory while decreasing the required torque at the ankle joint.


BACKGROUND
Neurosurgical procedures are necessary at all times of day. Other surgical specialties have examined the effect of surgical start time (SST) on morbidity and mortality; however, a similar study has not been performed for neurosurgical procedures.

OBJECTIVE
To perform a retrospective cohort study describing the association between SST and operative morbidity.

METHODS
We analyzed all patients undergoing neurological surgery between January 1, 2007 and August 1, 2014 at our institution. This study included 15 807 patients. A total of 785 complications were identified through the self-reported morbidity and mortality reports created by faculty and resident neurosurgeons. We used multilevel logistic regression to investigate the association of SST with morbidity.

RESULTS
In multilevel logistic regression, our Baseline model demonstrated that the odds of complication increased by more than 50% for start times between 21:01 and 07:00 (odds ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-2.29, P = .04). When accounting for the length of the surgery, the odds of a complication were even greater for later time periods 21:01 to 07:00 (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.44-3.23, P < .001). The only statistically significant factor that predicted severity of the complication was if the operation was emergent compared to elective (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.11-2.60, P = .02). An SST between 21:01 and 07:00 substantially contributed when severe complications were isolated (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.50-2.90, P = .08).

CONCLUSION
Patients with SSTs between 21:01 and 07:00 are at an increased risk of developing morbidity compared to patients with an SST earlier in the day.


A frequent application of the nanoscratch technique is to estimate hardness of ultrathin films when substrate effects are encountered with the nanoindentation technique. A model based on the work of Goddard and Wilman, which assumes a rigid-plastic behavior of the deformed surfaces, is commonly used for the determination of hardness from scratch tests, yet it overestimates the hardness of materials by as much as a factor of three at very shallow indentation depths on the order of 1–10 nm. The Goddard and Wilman model was extended in this paper to include the effects of the component of the shear stress tangential to the meridianal plane and the elastic recovery of the plastically deformed surfaces assuming elastic-perfectly-plastic material behavior. The proposed model was subsequently verified by performing nanoscratch experiments on fused quartz, which is homogeneous and isotropic with no known surface layers and with known hardness. The hardness was calculated using both the model based on the work of Goddard and Wilman and the extended model. The hardness calculated using the extended model was in very close agreement with the accepted value of bulk hardness of fused quartz over the range of scratch depths tested, showing the importance of the effects of elastic recovery and interfacial shear stress. The model was further verified for the case of a pure aluminum sample and the native thin film coating of alumina that forms on the surface upon air exposure.


The rate coefficient has been measured under pseudo-first-order conditions for the Cl+CH3 association reaction at T=202, 250, and 298 K and P=0.3-2.0 Torr helium using the technique of discharge-flow mass spectrometry with low-energy (12-eV) electron-impact ionization and collision-free sampling. Cl and CH3 were generated rapidly and simultaneously by reaction of F with HCl and CH4, respectively. Fluorine atoms were produced by microwave discharge in an approximately 1% mixture of F2 in He. The decay of CH3 was monitored under pseudo-first-order conditions with the Cl-atom concentration in large excess over the CH3 concentration ([Cl]0/[CH3]0=9-67). Small corrections were made for both axial and radial diffusion and minor secondary chemistry. The rate coefficient was found to be in the falloff regime over the range of pressures studied. For example, at T=202 K, the rate coefficient increases from 8.4x10(-12) at P=0.30 Torr He to 1.8x10(-11) at P=2.00 Torr He, both in units of cm3 molecule-1 s-1. A combination of ab initio quantum chemistry, variational transition-state theory, and master-equation simulations was employed in developing a theoretical model for the temperature and pressure dependence of the rate coefficient. Reasonable empirical representations of energy transfer and of the effect of spin-orbit interactions yield a temperature- and pressure-dependent rate coefficient that is in excellent agreement with the present experimental results. The high-pressure limiting rate coefficient from the RRKM calculations is k2=6.0x10(-11) cm3 molecule-1 s-1, independent of temperature in the range from 200 to 300 K.


Abstract It is demonstrated that energy-filtered transmission electron microscope enables following of in situ changes of the Ca-L2,3 edge which can originate from variations in both local symmetry and bond lengths. Low accelerating voltages of 20 and 40 kV slow down radiation damage effects and enable study of the start and finish of phase transformations. We observed electron beam-induced phase transformation of single crystalline calcite (CaCO3) to polycrystalline calcium oxide (CaO) which occurs in different stages. The coordination of Ca in calcite is close to an octahedral one streched along the <111> direction. Changes during phase transformation to an octahedral coordination of Ca in CaO go along with a bond length increase by 5 pm, where oxygen is preserved as a binding partner. Electron loss near-edge structure of the Ca-L2,3 edge show four separated peaks, which all shift toward lower energies during phase transformation at the same time the energy level splitting increases. We suggest that these changes can be mainly addressed to the change of the bond length on the order of picometers. An important pre-condition for such studies is stability of the energy drift in the range of meV over at least 1 h, which is achieved with the sub-Ångström low-voltage transmission electron microscope I prototype microscope.


Climate Change Experiments in High-Latitude Ecosystems; Fairbanks, Alaska, 13-14 October 2010; A 2-day climate change workshop was held at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The workshop, sponsored by Biological and Environmental Research, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), was attended by 45 subject matter experts from universities, DOE national laboratories, and other federal and nongovernmental organizations. The workshop sought to engage the Arctic science community in planning for a proposed Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE-Arctic) project in Alaska (http:// ngee.ornl.gov/). The goal of this activity is to provide data, theory, and models to improve representations of high-latitude terrestrial processes in Earth system models. In particular, there is a need to better understand the processes by which warming may drive increased plant productivity and atmospheric carbon uptake and storage in biomass and soils, as well as those processes that may drive an increase in the release of methane (CH{sub 4}) and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) through microbial decomposition of soil carbon stored in thawing permafrost. This understanding is required to quantify the important feedback mechanisms that define the role of terrestrial processes in regional and global climate.


Given the fact that donkeys contribute to valuable socio-economic activities in small holders agricultural sectors, they are under low welfare condition in developing countries. This is need assessment of the profiles, socioeconomic roles and welfare of donkeys in developing countries like Ethiopia. A total of 384 randomly selected donkeys in selected sites of Ethiopia were assessed for socioeconomic activities and their welfare issues including working day-length. The majorities of donkeys used in the study area are 6-10 year (70.8%), and are male (94.3%), and in moderate body condition (59.1%). Here, they are frequently used for transportation of animal feed, water, constriction material, market and mill, charcoal and fire wood, and salt ban. In addition to these 48.7% of the studied donkeys were also used for ploughing. Average mean ± SD working-hours/day was 11.00±1.00 and days/week was 6.56±0.68. Feed shortage, unfair communication, watering once per day, and outdoor keeping are the commonly observed. However, majorities (86.6%) were kept off-pray-dieter and 72.1% receive Tigray Donkey Health and Welfare Project health services. Donkeys' contribution in farmers' livelihood for poverty alleviation in developing countries worth a lot. They reduces burden failed on the local society mainly on woman's and children but, welfare issues need to do lot in Ethiopia. Key words : Donkey profile, socioeconomic activity, welfare, transportation, Ethiopia


The digestion and absorption of dietary fats require a processing of water-insoluble triglycerides into a water medium. In the gastro-intestinal tract they are emulsified by the detergent action of the bile and hydrolyzed by lipases. Phospholipids are the major components responsible for the emulsion. Normal phospholipid molecules have both lipophilic and hydrophilic parts due to two fatty acids esterified to glycerol, and a phosphoric acid and either choline, ethanolamine or inositol. Such a combination allow them to act as biosurfactants when mixed with water and fats. Lysophosphatidylcholine (Lysoforte), a specific phospholipid, naturally existing, is even more hydrophilic than the other phospholipids as it has only one fatty acid residue per molecule, which makes it a very effective biosurfactant for oil-in-water emulsions (Mine et al. 1992). Lysoforte can change the conformation of the ovalbumin protein from eggs by reducing the average droplet size and substantially enhancing the absorption of linoleic acid from the intestines (Saunders and Sillery, 1976). A number of animal trials have been carried out to evaluate the efficacy of lysoforte in enhancing animal digestion as well as performance. Table 1 shows the results of an industrial scale broiler trial conducted in Spain. Improvements were obtained in growth, FCR and livability. A recent trial with layers showed a clear increase in egg size and egg mass production (Kemin Industries, unpublished results). A digestibility trial with pigs conducted in Australia showed an overall enhancement in digestibility (Table 2), particularly that in amino acids.


In the preceding paper we have described the results of a detailed re examination of the radium B and radium C (3-ray spectra, and also from these spectra we deduced the energies or wave-lengths of the y-rays emitted by these bodies. There is, however, a great deal more information that can be obtained from these measurements. It is admittedly of a less certain character but refers to very important problems. It is the object of this paper to describe these further deductions. In the first section we discuss some details connected with the ejection of the natural (3-ray groups. In the second section we confirm the conclusion reached from previous work that there are stationary states in the nucleus, of which the energy differences can be obtained from the y-rays measured. Here we find the new and interesting result that there seem to be striking analogies between the level systems of radium B and radium C. Finally, a short discussion is given of the bearing of our general results on the theory of the (3-ray disintegration.


The possibility of using ultrasonic wave velocity measurements for monitoring sintered density of nuclear fuel pellets has been explored. The variation of longitudinal ultrasonic velocity in sintered uranium dioxide pellets in the range of 89-96% of theoretical density has been studied using an ultrasonic thickness/velocity meter. The longitudinal wave velocity has been correlated with the density of sintered uranium dioxide pellets. The possible applications of this nondestructive evaluation technique in the quality control of nuclear fuels is discussed.


Agonistic support is generally considered a classical example of altruistic behaviour. It plays a critical role in the process of rank acquisition. This study investigates agonistic coalitions involving juvenile Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) living in a large captive group. Kinship was a good predictor of agonistic support received by juvenile macaques. Kinship also had a significant, though weaker, influence on agonistic support given by juvenile macaques. The latter was strongly influenced by the prospective rank of the individual against which the coalition was directed, i.e. by the rank relationship between the target of the coalition and the juvenile's mother. Juvenile macaques intervened aggressively more against prospectively subordinate individuals than against prospectively dominant individuals. These results imply agonistic support is not necessarily altruistic, and support the hypothesis that primates may understand the rank relationship that exist among their group mates, i.e. that they are aware of third-party social relationships. They also suggest that selective pressures associated with the process of rank acquisition may have favoured the evolution of higher cognitive abilities.


Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) is an oxidative stress responsive transcription factor known to be activated in response to transient middle cerebral artery intraluminal occlusion. Since oxidative stress activation may largely occur during reperfusion, the aim of this study was to determine if permanent middle cerebral artery intraluminal occlusion without reperfusion induces NF-kappa B activation and the relationship of NF-kappa B activation to HSP70 expression and neuronal cell death. Our results suggest that permanent intraluminal occlusion is sufficient to induce NF-kappa B activation 7 h after the onset of occlusion. Interestingly, this activation seems to occur specifically in dying neurons of the penumbra area devoid of any HSP70 neuronal immunoreactivity. These findings are consistent with the suggested protective role of HSP70 expression and suggest that NF-kappa B activation observed in the penumbra area has a role in neuronal cell death after permanent intraluminal cerebral ischemia.


Rudbeckia L. are valuable nursery crops that offer broad adaptability and exceptional ornamental merit. However, there is little information on interspecific and interploid crossability and ploidy levels of specific cultivars. The objectives of this study were to determine the ploidy levels and relative DNA contents (genome sizes) of selected species and cultivars, to evaluate self-compatibility and crossability among species and ploidy levels, and to explore reproductive pathways in triploid R. hirta L. with the goal of facilitating future breeding endeavors and development of new hybrids. Reciprocal interspecific crosses were performed between R. hirta cultivars and R. fulgida Ait., R. missouriensis Engelm. ex C.L. Boynton & Beadle, and R. subtomentosa Pursh. as well as reciprocal interploid crosses among four R. hirta cultivars. A combination of relative DNA content analysis and chromosome counts was used to test for hybridity and to determine ploidy levels for selected species, cultivars, and interploid R. hirta F1 hybrids. Of the specific clones tested, R. subtomentosa and R. missouriensis were diploid, R. fuligida varieties were tetraploid, and R. hirta include both diploid and tetraploid cultivars. Mean 1Cx DNA content varied over 320% among species. The interploid R. hirta crosses produced triploids as well as pentaploids and hexaploids. Seedlings from open-pollinated triploid R. hirta appeared, based on diverse phenotypes and DNA contents, to be aneuploids resulting from sexual fertilization, not apomixis. Of the 844 seedlings from interspecific F1 crosses, only one individual, R. subtomentosa · R. hirta, had a DNA content intermediate between its parents and was confirmed as the only interspecific hybrid. Although most taxa had low self-fertility, seedlings (with genomic sizes similar to their maternal parent) resulted after interspecific crosspollination, indicating that pseudogamy is one reproductive pathway in Rudbeckia species.


We propose a new identity based multi-proxy signature system. Compared with the previous some ones, we firstly implement one original signer authorizing a group of persons, called proxy signers, sequentially to make signature on behalf of original signer. Also, the system combines the properly of the identity based signature, and has much more advantages that the traditional multi-proxy signature schemes without the identity based characteristic. The protocol can stop to perform in any one proxy signer. At that time, this proxy signer's signature is a valid signature too.


HVA and 5-HIAA in CSF were determined in five patients with non-fluctuating progressive dystonia before and after treatment with L-Dopa. The response to L-Dopa was unequivocally favourable in one patient. The HVA-level in her CSF was significantly reduced before treatment, whereas in the other four non-responding patients the pre-treatment HVA was normal. It is postulated, that the biochemical delineation of clinical responsiveness to a neurotransmitter may provide useful clues towards the classification of extrapyramidal disease in childhood.


MGT fuelled by landfill gas was tested to asses feasibility of its exhaust gas application for CO2 enrichment. The exhaust gas was analyzed during start-up and normal operation with different MGT load conditions. Due to the changes of air/fuel ratio and combustion mode, O 2, CO2, CO and NOx concentration were varied within wide ranges during the MGT start-up. Especially, NOx emissioin level was increased up to 20.01 ppmv. Different tendencies of O 2, CO2, CO and NOx concentrations were observed with MGT output changes. O 2 and CO concentrations were shown to be decreased and NOx and CO2 concentrations were shown to have opposite trends. NOx emission level (0.8~1.88 ppmv) was very low compared to other types of combustion based power generation equipment. Unburned hydrocarbon emission level was substantially decreased with MGT load increase. Especially, C 2H4 concentration was below the detection limit(0.2 ppmv) around the nominal load condition. The exhaust gas from landfill gas fuelled MGT system was shown to be feasible for CO 2 fertilization. Concentrations of major components were within or below the maximum allowable ranges.


Using PCR, reverse transcription‐PCR (RT‐PCR) and colony hybridization in a genomic library, we isolated six genes which encode type II P‐type ATPases in Neurospora crassa. The six full‐length cDNAs were cloned in a yeast expression vector and transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae null Ca2+‐ or Na+‐ATPase mutants. Three cDNAs suppressed the defect of the Ca2+ mutant and two of these protected from Mn2+ toxicity. One cDNA suppressed the defect of the Na+ mutant and two cDNAs were not functional in S. cerevisiae. The expression of the transcripts of the six genes in the presence of Ca2+, Na+, high pH or supporting an osmotic shock indicated that, with the exception of one of the Ca2+‐ATPases, the main function of the cloned ATPases is the adaptation to stress conditions. The relationship between the cloned fungal Ca2+‐ and Na+‐ATPases and plant type II P‐ATPases is discussed.


Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-linked disorder caused by null mutations in the dystrophin gene. Although the primary defect is the deficiency of muscle dystrophin, secondary events, including chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and muscle regeneration failure are thought to actively contribute to disease progression. Despite several advances, there is still no effective therapy for DMD. Therefore, the potential regenerative capacities, and immune-privileged properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), have been the focus of intense investigation in different animal models aiming the treatment of these disorders. However, these studies have shown different outcomes according to the sources from which MSCs were obtained, which raise the question whether stem cells from distinct sources have comparable clinical effects. Here, we analyzed the protein content of the secretome of MSCs, isolated from three different sources (adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and uterine tubes), obtained from five donors and evaluated their in vitro properties when cocultured with DMD myoblasts. All MSC lineages showed pathways enrichment related to protein metabolic process, oxidation-reduction process, cell proliferation, and regulation of apoptosis. We found that MSCs secretome proteins and their effect in vitro vary significantly according to the tissue and donors, including opposite effects in apoptosis assay, indicating the importance of characterizing MSC secretome profile before its use in animal and clinical trials. Despite the individual differences a pool of conditioned media from all MSCs lineages was able to delay apoptosis and enhance migration when in contact with DMD myoblasts.


The wastewater generated from multi-fold industrial estates is complex in nature because of the variability in the process system producing organic and inorganic load in the wastewater. These industries pollute water by discharging the wastewater containing large number of organics and other color causing compounds. Hence the area of interest is detection of wastewater components. Analytical methods such as FTIR and GC-MS have been used for the characterization of wastewater. The result achieved in the present investigation using GC-MS and FTIR study of sample confirms the presence of organics in wastewater. Efforts therefore have to be made provide some specific treatment employing advanced treatment methods/processes to improve the quality of wastewater to before discharging in the environment.


Carbonaceous material associated with potent carcinogens such as 3-4 benz(a)pyrene (BaP) and other polynuclear aromatic (PNA) hydrocarbons constitutes by far the greatest part of the particulate found in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine. The probable precursors of carbon particles are radicals formed in the incomplete combustion zone while their nucleation is made possible by ions originating in the flame. Ion current instantaneous values were measured by means of a modified Langmuir's probe, thus calculating thickness and speed of the flame in an engine cylinder. Relations between ion current and collected soot weight were examined. Fuel quality and additive influences over carbon and PNA formation were obtained.


Benzoylecgonine-horseradish peroxidase conjugate (BE-HRP) can be used as a diagnostic reagent for the detection of cocaine in illicit drug samples and in biological fluids. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of BE-HRP. Two hydrazide derivatives of benzoylecgonine, N-2-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)benzoylecgonine hydrazide and mono(N-2'-benzoylecgoninoyl)adipic dihydrazide, were synthesized by carbodiimide-activated coupling of benzoylecgonine to N-2-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl) hydrazide and adipic dihydrazide, respectively. Removal of the tert-butyloxycarbonyl protecting group in N-2-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)benzoylecgonine hydrazide with anhydrous HCl yielded benzoylecgonine hydrazide hydrochloride. NMR and high-resolution mass spectral analyses demonstrated that the benzoyl group of benzoylecgonine remained intact under the conditions of both carbodiimide coupling and anhydrous HCl treatment. By aldehyde-hydrazide condensation, the hydrazides were covalently conjugated to the carbohydrate residues of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Dot blot analysis of the conjugates employing antibodies specific to benzoylecgonine demonstrated the presence of bound benzoylecgonine in HRP. The stoichiometry of benzoylecgonine residues to HRP was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Mono(N-2'-benzoylecgoninoyl)adipic dihydrazide gave a 2.5-3-fold higher coupling compared with benzoylecgonine hydrazide. Conjugates were also prepared by the coupling of the carbodiimide-activated benzoylecgonine to HRP that was derivatized with adipic dihydrazide.


— The paper represents the dependence of ammonia concentration on microclimate parameters and photocopying shop circulation. The concentration of ammonia was determined during 8-hours working time over five days including three sampling points of a photocopying shop in Novi Sad, Serbia. The obtained results pointed out that the room temperature possesses the highest impact on ammonia release. The obtained ammonia concentration was in the range of 1.53 to 0.42ppm and decreased with the temperature decreasing from 24.6 to 20.7 o C. As the detected concentrations were within the permissible levels of The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and The Health and Official Gazette of Republic of Serbia, in the range of 35 to 200ppm, there was no danger to the employee's health in the photocopying shop. .


Self-control strength is a central construct to theories of willpower, optimal functioning, freedom from addiction, and abilities to override problematic social motives and behaviors (e.g., aggression). Understanding the processing basis of self-control strength, and more particularly its depletion, is thus of paramount importance to both basic and applied literatures. Self-control strength, the present review suggests, can be profitably viewed in cognitive control terms, particularly so in relation to operations of a brain-based cognitive control circuit involving the anterior cingulate cortex (linked to monitoring potential or actual unwanted outcomes) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (linked to controlling potential or actual unwanted outcomes). Also, sufficient task motivation is important to operations of this circuit and depletion effects might be understood in terms of such depletion effects on task motivation. Multiple sources of evidence are marshaled in support of this cognitive control perspective of self-control strength. It is concluded that viewing self-control strength in cognitive control terms has considerable merit. Social, cognitive, personality, and clinical sources of data are integrated in the analysis.


BACKGROUND
Evidence exists for the use of palliative sedation for people approaching the last days of life with refractory and intolerable symptoms. It is a third-line intervention that deliberately lowers the conscious state to relieve intolerable and refractory symptoms. This level of intervention is not routinely used in primary care, and there is a lack of guidelines for palliative sedation in this context.

OBJECTIVE
This article provides some key information about palliative sedation and global issues faced by all individuals involved. A tertiary centre case study is used to illustrate the key points. Given this form of therapy may be required for palliative patients in the community, another aim of this article is to provide an overview for primary care practitioners to raise their awareness of such therapy and the issues related to it.

DISCUSSION
While palliative sedation has been regarded as 'controversial' in early palliative care literature, there has been an increased effort to formulate standardised guidelines to define and ethically justify this procedure.


In the easily surveyable and rather homogeneous military population of the Norwegian Armed Forces, a group of 112 male suicide-attempting conscripts was studied retrospectively. Compared to a normal conscript population, suicide attempters more often had troublesome backgrounds, had experienced psychiatric problems and abuse, and had previously more often attempted suicide. Diagnostically adjustment disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, and personality disorders predominated, whereas major affective disorders and psychotic disorders were rare. Methods of self-destruction employed were mostly drug ingestion and laceration. Personality disordered subjects tended to have lower suicidal intent than others.


A retrospective study on the incidence of bovine dystocia between October, 2012 to September, 2013 was screened. A high incidence of maternal cause of dystocia was found in both cows (78.89%) and buffaloes (80.33%). Maldisposition of fetus was the commonest cause of fetal dystocia in both cows (16.67%) and buffaloes (18.03%). Imperfect dilatation of cervix (50%) was the major cause of maternal dystocia in cattle while uterine torsion (55.74%) in buffaloes. Other causes of dystocia with low incidence include narrow pelvis, fetal emphysema and fetal monster.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of reversing the direction of flow in constructed wetland of subsurface horizontal flow (CW-HSSF) in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the clogging material. For this, in the end of the experimental period, bed samples were collected from six CW-HSSF: two non-cultivated (CW-HSSF 1 and 4), two cultivated with tifton 85 grass (Cynodon spp.) (CW-HSSF 2 and 5) and two cultivated with alternathera (Alternanthera philoxeroides) (CW-HSSF 3 and 6). The interstitial solids were separated from the samples taken from the CW-HSSF porous media. In this material was quantified the mass of total solids (CST), total volatile solids (CSVT), and fixed total solids (CSFT) per volume (kg m-3) of CW-HSSF porous media. Each plant species influenced differently the distribution of CST, CSFT and CSVT in planted CW-HSSF. Even in conditions of CSVT/CST low relationship the organic fraction provided structure of the surface material support of CW-HSSF. On average, the reversal in the flow direction does not reduced the accumulation of organic matter in porous media. The high degree of clogging in CW-HSSF prevented or made less noticeable and prolonged the positive effects of reversing the direction of flow of wastewater on conditions of the porous media.


PURPOSE
A case of bupropion-induced constipation is reported.

SUMMARY
A 38-year-old man went to a clinic with a chief complaint of depression. He was prescribed extended-release bupropion 150 mg orally daily. Three weeks later, the patient returned to the clinic for a follow-up visit regarding his depression. He reported that his depression symptoms improved, but he complained of constipation and inflamed hemorrhoids from straining with defecation. He used docusate sodium, fiber supplements, and Preparation H(Wyeth) products with some relief. The bupropion was continued for his depression. Recommendations were given to the patient to increase fluids, maintain fiber intake, and add exercise. One week later, the patient complained of rectal pain and minimal bleeding. Prescriptions were given to the patient for hydrocortisone suppositories and 2.5% cream to be used twice daily. Three days later, the patient returned to the clinic complaining of increased pain and no relief from the hydrocortisone suppositories and cream. The rectal examination showed 3- and 5-cm hemorrhoids, one of which was thrombotic. The patient was instructed to continue hydrocortisone products, increase fluids, and continue docusate. Hemorrhoidectomy surgery was eventually performed, as well as a fissurectomy. The patient discontinued bupropion on his own due to the constipation approximately one week before the surgery. The constipation resolved after discontinuation of bupropion.

CONCLUSION
Extended-release bupropion was the probable cause of severe constipation in a man with multiple medical problems.


This paper reviews the current theories on educational changes, specifically the role of educational establishments as basic units of educational action and improvement. It accounts for the ground covered in search of this improvement: from external centralized policies that make school into a strategic unit to, in the past decade, highlighting the increase in student learning as a privileged topic. Based on the lessons learned, a new paradigm of educational policy and innovation argues for a balance between the external pressures that stimulate improvement and the necessary school autonomy, where the learning of all of the students becomes the focus of changes. Bearing this in mind, we look into curricular and organizational changes or supports for educational policies that can promote such changes.


The feasibility of using πKS femtoscopy to experimentally study the K ∗ 0(700) resonance is considered. The K∗0(700) resonance is challenging to study due to its broad width and proximity in mass to the K(892), both of which predominantly decay via the πK channel. One of the main interests in the K∗0(700) is that it is considered a candidate for a tetraquark state. It is proposed to use two-particle femtoscopic methods with πKS pairs produced in proton-proton and heavy ion collisions assuming a strong final-state interaction between them due to elastic scattering and/or via the K∗0(700) resonance. Calculations of πKS correlation functions are made to estimate the strength of these final-state interactions and to see if this signal can be adequately separated from the K(892) background. A possible signature of diquark versus tetraquark behavior of the K∗0(700) final-state interaction is also discussed.


In the UN system, conflicts and contradictions seldom concern the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as such, but rather the means of achieving them. These differences of opinion about priorities, and about how much and to whom development aid or assistance should be directed, could be explained by analysing the ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions underpinning the general perspectives in the communication for development (C4D) field. Theoretical changes in the perspective on development communication (modernization, dependency, multiplicity) have also reached the level of policy-makers. As a result, different methodologies and terminologies have evolved, which often make it difficult for agencies, even though they share a common commitment to the overall goals of development communication, to identify common ground, arrive at a full understanding of each other's objectives, or to cooperate effectively in operational projects. Consequently, it is difficult for development organizations in general and UN agencies in particular to reach a common approach and strategy.


Endothelial cell injury caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Omentin, an adipocytokine that is abundantly expressed in visceral fat tissue, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties. However, endothelial protective effects of omentin against oxidative stress remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of omentin against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cell injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cytotoxicity and cytoprotective effects of omentin were evaluated using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The apoptotic activity of HUVECs was detected using Annexin-V/PI and Hoechst 33258 staining methods. Antioxidant activity of omentin was evaluated by measuring both reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. No cytotoxicity effect was observed in HUVECs treated with omentin alone at concentrations of 150 to 450 ng/ml. MTT assay showed that omentin significantly prevented the cell death induced by H2O2 (p < 0.001). Hoechst staining and flow cytometry also revealed that omentin markedly prevented H2O2-induced apoptosis. Moreover, omentin not only significantly inhibited ROS production (p < 0.01) but also significantly (p < 0.01) increased GPx activity in HUVECs. In conclusion, our data suggest that omentin may protect HUVECs from injury induced by H2O2.


The small-signal gain is derived for a Cerenkov free-electron laser operating in the collective beam limit. The device consists of two dielectrically lined parallel plates driven by a cold, relativistic electron beam. The dependence of the output wavelength on the resonator parameters and the electron beam energy is examined with particular attention devoted to device operation in the far infrared and submillimeter portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at moderate electron beam energies ( \gamma ).


In the last decade, the foundations of the digital economy have been formed with Internet platforms becoming its largest and most important segment. According to the authors, one of the key problems associated with the development of the digital economy and of Internet platforms is the diffusion of existing and generation of the new competencies. This is important both for platform users and partner companies. The article analyzes the role of platforms in this process and highlights the main channels for competence diffusion. Firstly, individual and, secondly, institutional dimensions of these processes are defined. In the first case, the authors elaborate on the ways of developing user competencies - both basic and specialized. In the second case, the article focuses  on the distribution of organizational and institutional competencies, and best practices among partner companies and participants in corporate ecosystems of platforms. For the partners the primary conditions for acquiring new competencies depend, firstly, on a system of organizational and economic requirements of the platforms. Secondly — on specific digital interfaces. Growth and improvement of services, technology, dynamics and principles of platform market organization provide formation and diffusion of more complex economic and technical competences of digital economy. It is shown that a new powerful source of development and transfer of promising technological and economic competences within the extended platform ecosystems is also being formed. The scope of operations of modern digital platforms, their composition, engagement of all key groups of actors in the innovation processes (including consumers) create unique opportunities for further development of this area.


The purposes of this study were: 1) assess the orientation of happiness in mothers of children with mild mental retardation, 2) assess the orientation of happiness in the fathers who have children with mild mental retardation. This study is a qualitative study using phenomenological approach. The primary informants are mothers and fathers who have mild mentally disabled children who attend school in SLB C Yakut Purwokerto, while the secondary informants were neighbors. Methods of data collection in this study is the interview. Analysis of the data used interactive model analysis. The results showed: There are differences in the pattern of happiness orientation between the mother and father who have children with mild mental retardation. Orientation mother more happiness are dominated on social engagement, meaning that mother happier if it can be involved in social activities. While the pursuit of happiness if dad can do something fun that is the way the economic needs of the family.


Southern California Edison Company's Brawley Geothermal Electric Project is the first flash-steam project in the United States to successfully demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing steam from highly saline geothermal fluids for electric power generation. The objective of Edison's Power Plant Unit 1 program at Brawley, California is to assess the technical feasibility of generating electricity from steam produced from highly saline geothermal fluids. The Edison plant is designed specifically for utilization of geothermal steam, and it employs principles found in conventional fossil-fueled electric generating plants. The design is simple and reliable. Where possible, the plant has been designed for low capital cost. The plant serves as a model of a full scale commercial plant, using systems and components which likely will be utilized in large scale follow-on units.


As the U.S. government continues the battle against terrorism, Congress—representatives of the people—must develop long-term policies that provide for national security and protect the civil liberties of the American people.
 Much of the conversation surrounding the War on Terror focuses on presidential power and responses to the president's exercising that power. Often overlooked or downplayed is the role of Congress in directing the outcome of the war. This book illustrates how Congress—in conjunction with the president and the judiciary—has played a key role in laying the foundation for many post-9/11 policies in areas such as surveillance and detention.
 Instead of arguing that Congress is incapable of making successful counterterrorism policy, Congress and the War on Terror objectively examines what Congress has done in the past to suggest what action may be needed in the future. Covering controversial topics including torture, interrogation, drones, and military tribunals, it shows that only understanding previous decisions will enable Americans to determine what role Congress should play as the United States fights terror.


In recent years, due to the increment in the image editing software applications and the easiness of using these, the probability of malicious changes on the images has also increased. Copy-move forgery is one of the most widely applied modification types on the images. In case of that the copied region is rotated before being pasted, forgery detection becomes difficult. Many researchers try on proposing new rotation-invariant techniques for detecting forgeries. For this purpose, various techniques such as Zernike invariants and log-polar transform have been utilized. In this study, Circular Projection technique is used for generating feature vectors from the image blocks. When compared with the results of the studies in the same field, it is observed that the proposed method gives better results even on the rotation operations with greater angles. Experimental results show that the proposed technique is robust against scaling and mirroring operations.


This article both assumes a close relationship among legal rules, procedures, and investigation methods and enters a caveat (within a particular context) against the construction of a legal theory on the basis of statistical data substituted in a-priori formulae, without clearly defining the method that may yield these data. Prof. Ariel Porat has recently advocated an extensive application of the doctrine of "Compensation for Loss of Chances" in tort law. This doctrine is not an autonomous legal structure. It is, rather, inter-linked and dependent upon epidemiological studies and probabilistic estimations. In the authors' opinion, some of Porat's arguments may be undermined from his failure to pay attention to the crucial connection between this doctrine, on the one hand, and the epidemiological studies and estimations, on the other hand. The article focuses on one of the situations presented by Porat: cases in which a wrongful act was certainly committed by the defendant, but in which there is uncertainty as to whether that act caused the damage inflicted upon the plaintiff. A close examination of the two examples provided by Porat in support of the application of the doctrine in such cases reveals that, at least in some types of examples, one can not reliably estimate the effect of a single factor on the probability that a person would incur a sickness. The estimation of the probability that a particular factor actually caused the damage is hindered by the difficulty in designing a reliable experiment (which is related, in turn, to the problem of identifying the relevant populations and their characteristics) and the difficulty in isolating, at a reasonable level of reliability, the effect of a single factor (possibly a defendant) from other factors, known or unknown, that may have taken part in bringing about the damage. These problems affect the element of causality, which is a necessary requirement in the torts of negligence, fraud, or negligent misrepresentation.In the absence of these problems, it would have been theoretically possible to obtain empirical results that might have supported compensation for loss of chance, in cases involving uncertainty as to whether the wrongful act caused the inflicted damage. However, the inherent complication and sometimes impossibility of producing reliable probability estimations, undermines in such cases the methodological foundation for the calculations necessitated by the Compensation for Loss of Chances Doctrine.


School resource officers (SROs) have become a permanent presence in many K-12 schools throughout the country. As a result, an emerging body of research has focused on SROs, particularly on how SROs are viewed by students, teachers, and the general public. This exploratory and descriptive research uses a different focus by examining the nature of crimes for which SROs were arrested in recent years with information gathered from online news sources. The current findings are encouraging insofar as they reveal that SROs are rarely arrested for criminal misconduct. When SROs were arrested, however, they are most often arrested for a sex-related offense involving a female adolescent. These sex-related incidents generally occurred away from school property or during nonschool hours and rarely involved the use of physical force. The implications of these findings for SRO programs are discussed.


It is argued that a pulsating acoustically levitated bubble cannot possibly maintain a spherical shape. A jet forms during compression, and the sound amplitude such that the jet first strikes the other side of the bubble with sufficient energy is hypothesized to be the threshold for sonoluminescence. It is proposed that the connection between jet impact and light emission is a fracturing of the liquid that cannot flow during the extremely short time scale over which pressure is applied. With this hypothesis, sonoluminescence would therefore be a manifestation of the non-Newtonian nature of water and other simple liquids when stressed with sufficient intensity and rapidity.


Abstract 2853

Poster Board II-829

Introduction: Osteolytic bone disease is a frequent complication of multiple myeloma (MM) that is characterized by reduced bone formation and increased bone resorption. MM cells produce several cytokines causing dysregulation of the bone remodeling process that results in excessive bone resorption mediated by activated osteoclasts (OCLs). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a critical role in tumor invasion and progression in many solid tumors such as breast cancer but the role of MMPs in MM has have not been well elucidated.

Methods and Results: We analyzed the MMP expression profiles (MMP1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 13) of MM cells and found very high expression (400-fold higher) of MMP13 compared to other MMPs. Tissue array analysis for MMP-13 expression in MM tumor samples and normal control tissue indicated that MMP13 was only highly expressed in MM tumor samples. ELISA analysis of serum samples revealed a positive correlation of MMP13 expression with MM bone disease. MMP13 was not detectable in the sera of healthy donors, whereas 62% of MM patients expressed MMP13 in their serum samples, among which 87% had extensive bone disease. Co-culture of MM cells with primary bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) resulted in a significant ( P <0.001) increase (up to 14-fold) of MMP13 secretion by MM cells. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of MMP13 gene in MM cells was markedly enhanced by BMSC conditioned medium, suggesting that BMSC-secreted soluble factors, instead of direct cellular interactions, induce MMP13. Functional inactivation of different cytokines with neutralizing antibodies identified IL-6 as a critical cytokine for the induction of MMP13. Electromobility shift assays showed that IL-6 mediated AP-1 activation promotes MMP13 transcription. Importantly, MMP13 significantly enhanced o steoclastic bone resorption on dentin slices induced by RANKL plus M-CSF. However, the strong induction of bone resorption was not derived from increased OCL formation since MMP13 only slightly increased OCL numbers. MMP13 significantly increased the OCL size as well as the nuclear number/OCL which increases the bone resorption activity per osteoclast.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that MMP13 augments the pathogenic process of osteolytic lesions in MM by increasing the bone resorption capacity/OCL. These results suggest that targeting MMP13 may represent a novel approach to ameliorate osteolytic lesions in MM.

Disclosures: Roodman: Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy. Lentzsch: Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy.


In the winter of 1996-1997 ergot was observed in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) plants growing in several locations of Tamaulipas, Mexico, including San Fernando, Soto La Marina, Manuel, Cuahutemoc, and Altamira. The disease in sorghum plants was associated with high humidity and low temperatures during the blooming stage in February, 1997. The most obvious symptom was the exudation of honeydew from the infected flowers. Microscopic analysis of the honeydew revealed the presence of the asexual conidia of a Claviceps sp. The abundance, size, and shape of conidia were characteristic of Sphacelia sorghi (1). Honeydew was also observed in plants of Sorghum halepense, forage sorghum and volunteer plants of sorghum, which are also hosts. The first report of ergot in the Americas was made in 1995 in Brazil (2), where it was probably introduced via contaminated seed from Africa. The disease spread rapidly from Brazil to Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela. The pathogen was probably dispersed and introduced to Mexico by contaminated seed, wind, or insects from South America. The disease represents a serious threat to the 800,000 ha of sorghum grown in Tamaulipas. Due to its confirmed extraordinary capacity to spread rapidly, ergot could affect sorghum growing in regions adjacent to Tamauli-pas, including Nuevo Leon in Mexico, and Texas in the U.S. References: (1) D. E. Frederickson et al. Mycol. Res. 95:1101, 1991. (2) E. M. Reis et al. Plant Dis. 80:463, 1996.


Hainan gibbons are among the world's most critically endangered primates, with a remaining population of only 35 individuals distributed across five social groups in the Bawangling Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China. Habitat conversion and forest fragmentation over the past 40 years have reduced their geographical distribution by 95%. In the absence of a quantitative assessment of the availability of remaining suitable habitat, it is unclear whether this species can survive to the end of this century. We used behavioral observations, ArcGIS, remote sensing, stereo optical imagery, and MaxEnt modeling to identify patterns of Hainan gibbon range use and compare changes in the distribution of suitable forest types and areas of forest fragmentation over the past 20 years (2000-2020). The results indicate that the combined range of the five extant Hainan gibbon groups totaled 14.89 km2 . The home range of the smallest group (Group E, 3 individuals) was 1.51 km2 , which likely represents the minimum home range size for this species. The remaining area of highly suitable and moderately suitable habitat totals 26.9 km2 . However, habitat connectivity across the gibbon range is very low (less than 0.5), limiting the ability of Hainan gibbons to move between forest patches. The results of this study indicate that the availability of suitable habitat in Bawangling is insufficient to allow for future Hainan gibbon population growth. Therefore, immediate action must be taken to restore, reforest, and establish ecological corridors to reconnect areas of suitable habitat for these Critically Endangered gibbons. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Background Despite evidence that low-dose irradiation of 2 Mrad (20 kGy) is not virucidal for patellar tendon allografts and reduces tissue strength, many tissue bank protocols include low-dose irradiation. Hypothesis Maintaining tissue mechanical integrity may be particularly relevant toward accelerated rehabilitation of the injured knee, where the cyclic function of patellar tendon allografts is critical. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods The cyclic and failure mechanical properties of paired bone-patellar tendon-bone allografts, with and without current low-dose irradiation of 20 kGy, were evaluated. Specimens were loaded from 50 N to 250 N for 1000 cycles at 0.5 Hz and subsequently loaded to failure at a strain rate of 100% per second. Results After 1000 cycles, grafts elongated 27% more when irradiated than when not (4.4 ± 1.5 mm vs 3.4 ± 1.0 mm; P = .03). Failure load averaged 1965 ± 512 N for irradiated grafts and 2457 ± 647 N for nonirradiated grafts (P = .007). Conclusions The diminished strength of irradiated grafts may contribute to overt anterior cruciate ligament graft failure, and the increase in cyclic elongation may also be detrimental to graft function. Clinical Relevance These results suggest that one should consider the use of nonirradiated allografts as an alternative to irradiated grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.


In this paper we present a method for detecting the text genre quickly and easily following an approach originally proposed in authorship attribution studies which uses as style markers the frequencies of occurrence of the most frequent words in a training corpus (Burrows, 1992). In contrast to this approach we use the frequencies of occurrence of the most frequent words of the entire written language. Using as testing ground a part of the Wall Street Journal corpus, we show that the most frequent words of the British National Corpus, representing the most frequent words of the written English language, are more reliable discriminators of text genre in comparison to the most frequent words of the training corpus. Moreover, the frequencies of occurrence of the most common punctuation marks play an important role in terms of accurate text categorization as well as when dealing with training data of limited size.


Group IIA secretory phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) has been implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases including acute lung injury (ALI); however, the role of sPLA(2) in this disorder remains unclear. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the role of this enzyme in a model of ALI induced by oleic acid (OA) in rabbits by testing human group IIA phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) inhibitor, S-5920/LY315920Na. Experimental groups consisted of a saline control group (n = 8), an OA control group (n = 10) infused intravenously with OA (0.1 ml/kg/h for 2 h), and three groups given OA + S-5920/LY315920Na (three different doses, n = 8, respectively). Infusion of OA provoked pulmonary hemorrhage and edema formation, protein leakage, and massive neutrophil infiltration, resulting in severe hypoxemia and impaired lung compliance. PLA(2) activity was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), but not plasma, which correlated well with severity of lung injury in this model. Pretreatment with S-5920/LY315920Na diminished the OA-induced PLA(2) activity in the BALF and dose-dependently attenuated the previously described lung injury induced by OA, accompanied by protection against lung surfactant degradation and production of thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)). S-5920/LY315920Na also inhibited the OA-induced production of interleukin-8 (IL-8), both in plasma and BALF. Thus, sPLA(2) appears to play a key role in OA-induced lung injury, suggesting that the group IIA PLA(2) inhibitor may be a promising agent for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).


The LTE RAN creation of a network is not an instantaneous process; it typically goes stage by stage. For realization provision of services in the network, in addition to creating a network infrastructure that provides the traffic transmission, you must also install equipment for service delivery and ensure its configuration. The proposed by us previously method did not take in account services, which provided in network. This article proposes an optimization model for the LTE RAN network planning that improvement of our previous method and aimed to accounting of services multi-period planning. The analysis of experiments results showed that formulation of the problem, which is shown in article and presented as a problem of MILP, allows to obtain the correct solutions from the practical point of view. Comparison of the result showed that usage of multi-period network and services planning increase the profit margin to 10% more than the pro-posed by us previously method.


© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London. Accurate simulation of the building response to soil settlements is useful for the risk assessment of underground excavations in urban areas. Two-dimensional numerical models with coupling between the soil and structure offer a relatively flexible means of investigation for large scale projects, as complete 3D simulation is time consuming. However, the material parameters of the 2D building models need to be adjusted to reproduce the correct building stiffness relative to the soil. Furthermore, 2D models neglect potential torsional effects,which can be relevant during the tunnel advance and due to building orientation with respect to the tunnel. In this work, the responses of 2D and 3D models are compared to evaluate the effect of the dimensional assumption on the accuracy of the prediction of cracking in masonry structures. First, a 2D finite element simulation, which includes both the soil and the structure, is compared to the results of a centrifuge test on a scaled 3D structure subjected to tunnelling in sand. The assumptions employed to calculate the stiffness of the "equivalent" 2D model are highlighted and discussed. Second, a semi-coupled model, where the soil is not modelled directly but the soil displacements are directly applied to an interface which accounts for the soilstructure interaction, is presented. Finally, a 3D semi-coupled model of the structure is used to investigate the 3D boundary effect in the centrifuge sand box. In all simulations, a cracking model is used to account for the structural damage experimentally observed. Comparison of the 3D model and experimental results demonstrates the ability of the model to reproduce the torsional building response.The modelling of cracking in the masonry makes it possible to assess the development of structural damage and its influence on the building response. The comparison between the 2D and 3D results enables quantification of the impact of 2D simplification on the final prediction.


Previous founding studies (Girard, 1964) (Bozon, Heran, 1987, 1988) (Singly, 1984) have shown that heterosexual couples are structured according a double logic, that of social homogamy and sexual heterogamy thereby ensuring the reproduction of social order and gendered order. This paper aims at reexamining the issue of couples'configuration, focusing on cases of woman's hypogamy (where the woman is more qualified than her partner). How do these situations of atypical heterogamy affect the reproductions of social and gendered order within the family? This study is based on the findings of the " Families and employers " INED study caried out in 2004 on 2719 couples ages 25-49 and follow up interviews on a sample of couples in which the woman is significantly more highly qualified than the man. The findings do not show major changes but changes in emphasis. First, heterogamy, and femal hypogamy, will be measured. Heterogamy is slightly on the increase, but women are more often hypergamous than hypogamous, even if the latter shows a slight increase. Moreover, the sex inversion of heterogamy (female if the diploma is taken as criterion or male if the social category is) proves how difficult it may be for women to find a job which really corresponds to their diploma and qualifications. The interviews focused on situations of woman's hypogamy and confirm that the sexual division of work (domestic work especially) is only slightly affected, even in a configuration that may have been deemed much more favorable for women. We nevertheless noticed some specific features (which distinguish hypogamous women more from other women than from men): overqualified women (compared to their partner) tend to be more stable in their jobs and more involved in their work. The interviews revealed a greater autonomy of these women as regards their work, but their career does not necessarily have priority within the couple. These findings are congruent withe research carried out in other countries (Tichenor, 2005) (Bittman and alii, 2003) (Mac Rae, 1986).


We provide evidence suggesting that some hedge funds manipulate stock prices on critical reporting dates. Stocks in the top quartile of hedge fund holdings exhibit abnormal returns of 0.30% on the last day of the quarter and a reversal of 0.25% on the following day. A significant part of the return is earned during the last minutes of trading. Analysis of intraday volume and order imbalance provides further evidence consistent with manipulation. These patterns are stronger for funds that have higher incentives to improve their ranking relative to their peers.


Using the differential equation of the orientational order parameter representing the transient behavior of monolayers, which is derived from the Debye Brownian rotational motion equation, the dielectric dispersion of organic monolayers on a material surface was analyzed. It was found that the equations representing the dielectric dispersion of organic monolayers satisfy the relations by Debye, although the dielectric relaxation time depends on the spatial restriction of the monolayers, the Coulomb interaction between the molecules as well as the interaction between the molecules and the substrates. Finally, we discuss the dielectric relaxation of monolayers on the basis of the experimental results on L-α-dimyristoyl, phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) multilayers.


Hydrochloride of beta-phenylglutamic acid (RGPU-135, glutarone, neuroglutamine) administered in dosis 13 mg/kg and 26 mg/kg doses increases exercise performance of outbred mice in repeated forced dynamic load test, reduces the intensity of fatigue, and accelerates adaptation to loading. In contrast, beta-phenylethylamine (20 mg/kg) under the same conditions decreases the exercise performance and adaptation capacity and accelerates the development of fatigue. The RGPU-135 compound, similar to typical psychostimulants, in a dose of 26 mg/kg increases the spontaneous motion activity of inbred C57BL/6 mice with the active phenotype of stress response, but not in the BALB/c line mice with the passive phenotype. The RGPU-135 exhibits a psychostimulant activity without an "exhaustive" effect characteristic of psychostimulants.


In wireless sensor networks, an energy-efficient routing protocol is a key design factor to prolong network lifetime. Recently, Optimal Coverage-Preserving Scheme (OCoPS) is proposed in [11] as an extension of the Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) routing protocol with the coverage-preserving scheme which saves energy consumption through excluding redundant nodes of which sensing ranges are fully overlapped by their on-duty neighbors. In this paper, we propose a basestation-aided clustering-based routing protocol, namely, the Basestation-aided clustering routing protocol with the Coverage-Preserving Scheme (BCoPS). In BCoPS, the base station substitutes energy intensive tasks for deployed sensor nodes to prolong network lifetime. The performance of BCoPS is compared with the LEACH and OCoPS. The extensive simulation results show that BCoPS outperforms OCoPS by more than 20% on network lifetime and by more than 30% network lifetime until the coverage rate is higher than 80%.


Application of juvenile hormone esterase inhibitor 3-octylthio-1,1,1- trifluropropan-2-one (OTFP) to 5th instar nymphs and virgin females of D. cingulatus revealed the profound role played by juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) in metamorphosis and reproduction. The ability of OTFP to cause delay and the formation of malformed nymphs, suggests that inhibition of JHE in vivo maintains a higher than normal hemolymph JH titer. It is obvious that OTFP does inhibit in vivo JHE activity in late instar nymphs. Further, the application of JHE inhibitor, OTFP to virgin females demonstrates that substituted trifluropropanones can indirectly stimulate egg development by inhibiting JHE activity in virgin females.


Clopidogrel is relatively contraindicated in patients at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. To reduce this risk, proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) which are often co-prescribed. Many PPIs undergo hepatic metabolism by the cytochrome (CYP) P450 isoenzymes, thus CYP P450-metabolised drugs, including clopidogrel become vulnerable to drug-drug interaction. Gilard et al first highlighted the negative impact of PPIs, on the pharmacodynamic response to clopidogrel in the randomised, double-blind Omeprazole CLopidogrel Aspirin (OCLA) trial. A randomised trial of omeprazole and pantoprazole conducted by Cuisset et al also demonstrated that after 1 month, patients receiving pantoprazole had significantly better platelet response to clopidogrel than those receiving omeprazole. Population-based studies have suggested that concomitant use of PPI with clopidogrel results in significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes. Anxieties brought on by such studies have been largely allayed by the recently presented results of the COGENT trial. This major randomised controlled trial, comparing clopidogrel with omeprazole vs clopidogrel alone demonstrated no difference in the risk of cardiovascular events between groups. We assessed the impact of PPI co-prescription on clopidogrel response using a verified near patient test, prospectively in 269 patients (mean age 63±11, 85 female) admitted with high risk ACS (characterised by electrocardiographic changes of ischaemia and/or raised troponin I). Loading and maintenance of clopidogrel was as per contemporary UK practice. Eighty-eight patients were prescribed a PPI concomitantly as in-patients. Platelet response to clopidogrel in whole blood samples, taken at the time of angiography, was assessed using a VerifyNow analyser (Accumetrics, California, US). Of the 269 patients recruited, 151 (56%) proceeded to PCI, 40 (15%) underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 78 (29%) were treated medically. The clinical endpoint was adverse clinical events (ACE) at 18 months (death, MI, repeat revascularisation, CABG, stroke or unplanned cardiovascular hospitalisation). Co-administration of PPI and clopidogrel was associated with significantly reduced clopidogrel P2Y12 activity (p=0.022) (Abstract 41 Figure 1a) but not clinical outcome (ACE, p=0.123, Abstract 41 Figure 1b). Groups were well matched for age, gender, body mass index, current smoking, presence of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. More patients in the PPI group had suffered a previous MI (36% vs 20%, p=0.007) and had received previous PCI treatment (20% vs 8%, p=0.005). Abstract 41 Figure 1 As near patient tests of clopidogrel activity find their position in the care of patients with ischaemic heart disease, physicians may wish to use this technology to test patients at high risk of stent thrombosis who are also taking medications which pose a risk of inhibiting platelet clopidogrel response.


This paper presents an approach of a social emotional model, which allows to extract the social emotion of a group of intelligent entities. The emotional model PAD allows to represent the emotion of an intelligent entity in 3-D space, allowing the representation of di ff erent emotional states. The social emotional model presented in this paper uses individual emotions of each one of the entities, which are represented in the emotional space PAD . Using a social emotional model within intelligent entities allows the creation of more real simulations, in which emotional states can in fl uence decision-making. The result of this social emotional mode is represented by a series of examples, which are intended to represent a number of situations in which the emotions of each individual modify the emotion of the group. Moreover, the paper introduces an example which employs the proposed model in order to learn and predict future actions trying to in fl uence in the social emotion of a group of people.


In this paper, results are presented showing the feasibility of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique as a fast and sensitive analytic tool for quantitative measurement of trace elements in water. Many ionic elements were detected; the system linearity was tested by analyzing water samples containing known concentration of Mg and Ca, whereas Cr-polluted samples were exploited to test the system sensitivity limit to impurities.


Sustainability developed in many countries; it is mainly implemented in engineering design, manufacturing and supply chain management field. Sustainable is defined as meeting the needs of the present generation by not taking the need of the feature generation. Sustainability is more important in today's culture due to the increasing demand for a more eco-friendly society and a growing population. Sustainability is the reconciliation of environmental, society and economic. Vortex tube is used as sustainable tool for manufacturing system. Vortex tubes having no moving part so there is no need for maintence. This work is numerical analysis on optimizing the parameter of the vortex tube for minimizing the temperature at cold end. The length and diameter of the vortex tube are optimized, cold end orifice radios and hot end gap are optimized using numerical tool. The inlet profile of the vortex tube also modified and analyzed. The importance of this work is reducing the cold end temperature of the vortex tube. By reducing the cold end temperature we can use the vortex tube in machining operation alternative for the flood cooling method.


In 16 girls and 12 women with recurrent urinary tract infection without ureterovesical reflux we performed 75 bladder washout-tests. 52 (72%) tests indicated a vesical, 19 (27%) of supravesical bacteriuria. The 16 girls had less often (18%) supravesical bacteriurias than the 12 women (58%). If follows that in the absence of reflux, ascension of bacteria from the bladder to the upper tract is a relatively frequent phenomenon, the pathogenic importance of which is not yet clear. Clinical manifestations and urographic aspect correlated rather poorly with the results of the bladder-washout-test.


Summary Phenomena related to neoplastic growth have been studied in a number of invertebrate phyla, and tumors of either epithelial or connective tissue origin have been reported in annelids, sipunculids, arthropods, molluscs, and ascidians. Evidence of the true neoplastic character of such alleged tumors is often scanty; reasonably convincing signs of malignancy are found only in a small number of reported cases. A number of tumors described in representatives from various invertebrate groups may be classified as spontaneous growths, since their cause is unknown. In insects certain of the alleged tumors are known to be hereditary. Other factors reported to cause tumors or abnormal growths in invertebrates are parasites, endocrine imbalance, and disturbance of innervation. Carcinogens have been tried on a variety of invertebrates and have been reported to cause tumors only in molluscs. X-rays in suitable dosage are known to cause tumor-like growths or increase their incidence in insects (Drosophila).