Mobile commerce is flourishing today due to the advance of the mobile technology. Many conventional marketing activities are moving their ways to the mobile environment. Efficient marketing instruments such as the paper coupons and the electronic coupons are also evolving into the mobile coupons. In comparison with conventional coupons, mobile coupons are personalized and suitable for peer to peer delivery. Coupons are commonly issued by the merchants, used by the interested customers, and discarded by the uninterested receivers. Raising the redemption rate of the coupon will increase the sales of the promoted items. The raise can be accomplished by forwarding coupons from uninterested receivers to potentially interested customers. The ease-of-use exchange mechanism in mobile devices pushes the delivery in the peer to peer environment. Moreover, the characteristic of personalization inspires trust into mobile coupons. Thus, adding the incentives of coupon forwarding, such as a reward bonus, may activate the movement of stationary coupons and eventually increase the redemption rate of mobile coupons. Nevertheless, the incentives adding may bring the threats of alterations and forgery; if the adding mechanism is improperly made. Additionally, complicated security means are hindered by the limitations of storage space, computation power, and communication bandwidth of mobile devices. Therefore, we propose a scheme that uses digital signatures for verifying the incentive-added coupons and design a hash chain to detect possible forgery. The proposed scheme may increase the use of peer to peer mobile coupons without sacrificing the security.


ABSTRACT The field of tourism studies has entered an epoch of manifold vulnerabilities, a period in which the academic community will have to respond to the environmental and planetary crises and consider the wellbeing of not just humans but also nonhumans and multispecies. In these momentous times, it is imperative not to overlook tourism studies' ontological, epistemological, and axiological vulnerabilities and to survey the potential viabilities. Although the blossoming criticalities in the field have greatly fuelled the urgency to correct, rectify, and recalibrate existing relational arrangements and replace these by more sustainable, just, and inclusive visions for/versions of tourism, there is still a pressing need for more conceptually, theoretically, and philosophically malleable architecture. Inspired by Donna Haraway's scholarship on broader planetary matters, this contribution offers 'kinmaking' as a critico-creative, disruptive space and fitting thoughtscape for transitioning into more-than-tourism (studies). Among the key ideas covered in this paper are the dangers of epistemocentricism, the necessity for sympoietic approaches, the rise of postdisciplinary and posthuman acumen, and the overall ripeness of tourism studies to become a domain of critical relationalities.


In the decisions of the B.C. Court of Appeal in Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36 (2000) and the Supreme Court of Canada in Trinity Western University v. College of Teachers (2001), the courts allowed religiously-based "moral positions" held by would-be teachers and public officials to trump the interests of equal rights protection, in particular that of gays and lesbians. The author examines the ways in which the religious arguments were made (and accepted) in order to achieve this result. The author asserts that the decisions raise troubling questions about the extent to which courts are really willing to go to protect equality in the gay and lesbian context.


There are limitations to the meaningfulness and usefulness of the diagnosis of schizophrenia. These limitations have important treatment implications.
A re-evaluation of the phenomenology of the disorder, and in particular the formation of delusions, provides a potentially useful heuristic framework.
A disturbance of the experience of the self, and of the self in relation to the external world, may underpin the phenomenology of schizophrenia.
Putative biological substrates are described, and an integrative model is proposed, whereby higher centres, or mind, strive to modulate lower
biological events, experienced as anomalous, in order to restore a meaningful homeostasis. These distorted representations form the characteristic
symptoms of schizophrenia. Analogies are drawn with current strategies for managing chronic pain. Differences in the value accorded to the self
across cultures, and the variations in outcome corresponding with these differences, are proposed as evidence and indicate a need for a paradigm
shift in the philosophy of treatment of the disorder.


In these pages we seek to integrate two claims. First, we argue that, taken to their logical conclusions, the considerations that support a strict form of protection for tangible property rights do not call for a similar form of protection when applied to the case of copyright. More dramatically, these considerations demand, on pain of glaring inconsistency, a substantially weaker protection for copyright. In pursuing this claim, we show that the form of protecting property rights (including rights in tangibles) is, to an important extent, a feature of certain normal, though contingent, facts about the human world. Second, the normative question concerning the selection of a desirable protection for creative works is most naturally pursued from a tort law perspective, in part because the normative structure of copyright law simply is that of tort law.


Due to continuous growth of AI accelerator chip power and heat flux, implementation of advanced cooling technologies for AI platforms seems to be inevitable for hyper scale users. Liquid cooling is one of the relatively more mature category of advanced cooling technologies, and has been adopted in a variety of forms across industry. However, not all liquid cooling solutions are able to deliver high performance with reasonable cost and efficiency. In addition, it's not straightforward to arrive at proper balance of performance, reliability, serviceability, and scalability for a product, and prepare the facility accordingly to align with long term strategy.
 In this presentation, we will introduce a passive cold plate loop solution (Tide 1.0), based on Meta's AI training platform (Zion) with eight Open Accelerator Modules (OAM). It reflects the design considerations on performance and serviceability. Thermal simulation and optimization studies will be presented. The solution was tested on dummy thermal test vehicles and real functional system, along with cooling capability forecast. Results showed a good match between simulation, TTV test and real system test. The resulting performance demonstrated strong use case of liquid cooling solutions on upcoming AI platforms.


Engaging with research on protest participation and gender inequalities, we examine how gender dynamics play a crucial role in shaping patterns of protest participation across the rural/urban divide. We argue that moving from a rural toward an urban setting leads to an increase in protest participation for women, but not for men. Using an original two-wave panel survey dataset collected for the same individuals between 2018 and 2019 and covering nine European countries, we are able to go beyond traditional correlation analyses and measure our key variables over time, thus developing a dynamic approach that links differences in gender, socio-geographical positioning and protest participation. Our findings demonstrate that the rural/urban divide as a driver of protest participation affects women and men differently, because it might be shaped by different experiences of political socialization, socio-economic status and structures of domination and discrimination, leading to different opportunities and incentives for mobilization.


Some racial and ethnic groups are at increased risk for COVID-19 and associated hospitalization and death because of systemic and structural inequities contributing to higher prevalences of high-risk conditions and increased exposure (1). Vaccination is the most effective prevention intervention against COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality*; ensuring more equitable vaccine access is a public health priority. Differences in adult COVID-19 vaccination coverage by race and ethnicity have been previously reported (2,3), but similar information for children and adolescents is limited (4,5). CDC analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module (NIS-CCM) to describe racial and ethnic differences in vaccination status, parental intent to vaccinate their child, and behavioral and social drivers of vaccination among children and adolescents aged 5-17 years. By August 31, 2022, approximately one third (33.2%) of children aged 5-11 years, more than one half (59.0%) of children and adolescents aged 12-15 years, and more than two thirds (68.6%) of adolescents aged 16-17 years had received ≥1 COVID-19 vaccine dose. Vaccination coverage was highest among non-Hispanic Asian (Asian) children and adolescents, ranging from 63.4% among those aged 5-11 years to 91.8% among those aged 16-17 years. Coverage was next highest among Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) children and adolescents (34.5%-77.3%). Coverage was similar for non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black), non-Hispanic White (White), and non-Hispanic other race† or multiple race (other/multiple race) children and adolescents aged 12-15 and 16-17 years. Among children aged 5-11 years, coverage among Black children was lower than that among Hispanic, Asian, and other/multiple race children. Enhanced public health efforts are needed to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage for all children and adolescents. To address disparities in child and adolescent COVID-19 vaccination coverage, vaccination providers and trusted messengers should provide culturally relevant information and vaccine recommendations and build a higher level of trust among those groups with lower coverage.


The purpose of this study was to isolate the Saccharomyces cerevisiae present on different fruits and performing RAPD and ISSR analyses to know the genetic interrelationship between different S. cerevisiae isolates. Some fruits namely apple, plum, dates, and peach were used as natural sources for S. cerevisiae isolation. The isolated S. cerevisiae was designated as SUC1, SUC2, SUC3, SUC4, SUC5 respectively. Amplicon fingerprints for the isolated species were obtained by RAPD assay using six different primers and ISSR assay using six different primers. RAPD assay showed the lowest genetic distance (0.1559) between SUC2 and SUC3 isolates whereas ISSR assay showed the lowest genetic distance (0.06899) between SUC4 and SUC5 isolates.  Both genetic markers showed the highest genetic distance for SUC1 when compared to the other isolates.


The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) signature accomplishment was the creation of a statutory right to health care for the uninsured. The ambition and the degree of societal and political debate leading up to the Act's passage suggests it is a "superstatute," a rare breed of statute that creates rights and institutions typically thought to be the province of constitutions. Nevertheless, the ACA's right to health care is fragile and risks falling short of becoming a durable right. The ACA may end up as a "quasi-superstatute," a statute that aspires but fails to become a superstatute through a failure of political and public entrenchment. The problem is that the right to health care is to be delivered largely through changes to the private health insurance market, requiring the cooperation of reluctant states, industry, and individuals. The ACA's right to health care faces significant political and market challenges that threaten to weaken its benefits in the public's mind. This vulnerability is concentrated early in its lifespan, and if it survives these early years, the endowment effect may strengthen the right's durability as its benefits take hold. The risk of becoming a "quasi-superstatute" highlights the importance of structuring such reforms to achieve durability.


Relapsed herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis after neurosurgery is a very rare condition. An 11-year-old boy suffered from relapsed HSV encephalitis five days after neurosurgery to remove the epileptogenic focus six years after prior HSV encephalitis. He was diagnosed with HSV encephalitis reactivation after positive HSV polymerase chain reaction results following a lumbar puncture, and this diagnosis was supported by consistent radiologic and histopathologic findings. Moreover, focal cortical dysplasia coexisted with inflammatory changes resulting from a viral infection based upon the removed brain tissue. This case may support the hypothesis that neurosurgery may be a triggering factor of HSV reactivation.


Tropical storm Nate, which was a powerful hurricane prior to landfall along the US Gulf coast, traversed north and weakened considerably to a tropical depression as it moved near an instrumented site in Hunstville, AL. The outer rain bands lasted 18 h (03:00 to 21:00 UTC on 08 October 2017) and a 2D-video disdrometer (2DVD) captured the event which was shallow at times and indicative of pure warm rain processes. The 2DVD measurements are used for 3D reconstruction of drop shapes (including the rotationally asymmetric drops) and the drop-by-drop scattering matrix has been computed using Computer Simulation Technology integral equation solver for drop sizes >2.5 mm. From the scattering matrix elements, the polarimetric radar observables are simulated by integrating over 1 min consecutive segments of the event. These simulated values are compared with dual-polarized C-band radar data located at 15 km range from the 2DVD site to evaluate the contribution of the asymmetric drop shapes, specifically to differential reflectivity. The drop fall velocities and drop horizontal velocities in terms of magnitude and direction, all being derived from each drop image from two orthogonal cameras of the 2DVD, are also considered.


In this paper, we present a method of crime analysis from open source information. We employed un-supervised methods of data mining to explore the facts regarding the crimes of an area of interest. The analysis is based on well known clustering and association techniques. The results show that the proposed method of crime analysis is efficient and gives a broad picture of the crimes of an area to analyst without much effort. The analysis is evaluated using manual approach, which reveals that the results produced by the proposed approach are comparable to the manual analysis, while a great amount of time is saved.


The authors describe the advantages and disadvantages, the indications and benefits on gas exchange as a result of mechanical ventilation during anaesthesia. The two models of ventilation most commonly used have been analyzed: pressure ventilators and volume preset ventilators. The former are used only in cases of short-term anaesthesia or when volume ventilators are not available. Both the most appropriate settings and ventilatory modes have been discussed regarding different paediatric ages. Particular attention has been given to the oxygen concentration in the ventilated gases (oxygen toxicity > 40%) and to barotrauma connected with high peak pressure (> 30 cm H2O). The authors suggest the type and caliber of endotracheal tube and the tidal volume for paediatric ages.


Solasodine from Solanum plants is a potential raw material for steroid drug manufacture. Acid hydrolysis of the naturally occuring glycosides of solasodine is a major step in production of the aglycone. As part of a detailed study of the hydrolysis of solasodine glycosides, the hydrolysis procedure has been mathematically modelled. Two models are presented and have been used to obtain kinetic data for the reactions at a number of different reaction conditions. The subsequent conversion of solasodine to solasodiene is considered in Part II of this paper; the combined reactions and guidelines for commercial hydrolysis are presented in Part III.


In October 2014, the University of British Columbia Vancouver campus (UBCV) ran a campus-wide survey to establish baseline information on teaching practices and attitudes among faculty, to measure the impact of existing teaching and learning initiatives and to identify the conditions leading to change in practices and attitudes around teaching. Over 1000 participants with teaching responsibilities across 11 Faculties responded to the survey. This paper explores the main challenges and enablers of effective teaching practice at this large research-intensive institution, and presents preliminary findings centered on emergent themes of class size, workload, balancing activities and content, perceptions of the institutional value of teaching, and the current support for teaching available at UBCV.


Seismic performance factors are used in current building codes and standards to estimate strength and deformation demands on seismic force resisting systems that are designed using linear methods of analysis, but are responding in the nonlinear range. Many recently evolved seismic force resisting systems have never been subjected to any signi?cant level of earthquake ground shaking. As a result, the seismic response characteristics of many systems, and their ability to meet seismic design performance objectives, are both untested and unknown. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the seismic performance factors of new seismic force resisting systems proposed for inclusion in building codes that will result in equivalent safety against collapse during an earthquake when properly implemented in the seismic design process. In this study, the response modification factor, overstrength factor and period based ductility for concrete filled steel tube (CFST) diagrid structural system are evaluated. To quantify these factors, the rational procedure introduced in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) P695, which is based on low probability of structural collapse and encompasses nonlinear static and dynamic analyses, is used. To this end, performance group consisting of 4, 8, 16 and 24 storey diagrid structures with 50° angle of external braces is considered. Nonlinear static analyses are performed to obtain overstrength factor and period?based ductility. Incremental dynamic analyses are then performed to assess collapse margin ratio of the archetypes. For modelling and numerical analysis, Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (OpenSees), an open source software is used.


Aims: This study systematically evaluated cases of pneumonitis following combined immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). Methods: Studies from Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Library on patients with LA-NSCLC who received CRT and ICIs were reviewed. The primary outcomes were rates of all-grade, grade 3-5 and grade 5 pneumonitis. Results: Overall, 35 studies involving 5000 patients were enrolled. The pooled rates of all-grade, grade 3-5 and grade 5 pneumonitis were 33.0% (95% CI: 23.5-42.6), 6.1% (95% CI: 4.7-7.4) and 0.8% (95% CI: 0.3-1.2), respectively, with 7.6% of patients discontinuing ICIs because of pneumonitis. Conclusion: The incidence rates of pneumonitis following combined CRT and ICIs for LA-NSCLC were acceptable. However, the pulmonary toxicity of concurrent CRT and nivolumab plus ipilimumab should be noted.


Oncogenic herpesviruses, like many other viruses, can be concentrated effectively from large volumes of culture fluids by precipitation with methanol with good recovery of infectivity.


In Central Java and on the island of Bali 779 and 437 villagers respectively were examined for dental mutilations. In Java 81.1% of the males and 99.2% of the females showed dental mutilations in the form of grinding the incisal and vestibular surfaces of the maxillary incisors and canines. In Bali, the figure for males was 91.3% and for females 96.6%. In Java as well as on the island of Bali most of the mutilations had been subjected to artificial staining. The authors have found a relief in the temple of Borobudur, built about 800 A.D., possibly depicting the performance of a dental mutiliation.


th and the third most common female cancer worldwide.
The purpose of the study was to determine risk factors and time
to progression and recurrence in patients with cervical cancer after
complex treatment (neoadjuvant chemotherapy + radical hysterectomy + combined radiation therapy).
Methods: This retrospective study involved female patients with
stage IB-IIA cervical cancer registered at Shymkent city oncological
dispensary in 2011- 2021 (n=883). All patients underwent (n=883)
radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. The patients
were selected who underwent radiation therapy of the lower pelvis
at a dose of ≥40 g. The age-, stage-, and tumor morphological structure-dependent survival factors and recurrence risk were analyzed
during the research decade.
Results: Direct correlation of the disease stage and the recurrence
period was established. The progression was most often 5 to 6 months
after treatment. 68.7% of progression and 63.1% of recurrences occurred in the first year and a half after the end of treatment, so this period is considered the most "dangerous" regarding the recurrence risk.
5.3% of patients had a recurrence 19 to 24 months after treatment,
31.5% – after more than two years.
Conclusions: In this research, cervical cancer progressed in 74
(10.6%) out of 883 women and recurred in 19 (3.0%). The recurrence
was most frequent in women aged 45-50 years (28.4%) and 50-60
years (26.3%).


The ever increasing speeds of paper making machines has made necessary the replacement of the inadequate mechanical drive with electrical sectional drive, and the perfection acquired in modern electrical sectional paper machine drive has made possible unlimited paper speed in so far as the drive and control is concerned. Not only is electrical sectional drive necessary for high speed machines but it is highly economical for even the slowest speed machines on account of the saving in power over mechanical drive, the great saving in maintenance, and the greater precision with which the section speeds can be maintained thereby greatly reducing the number of paper breaks and increasing production. This paper outlines the several trends of development in an historical sketch of progress in the art up to the present time, devoting special attention to a unique system of direct current drive in which the section driving motors through a differential electrical field control means, cause the several section driving motors to operate in synchronous relation at any desired relative speed values, which speed relations are at the same time adjustable at the will of the operator.


The utilization of additional cassava starch (Manihot utilisima) for alginate dental impression material. In Indonesia alginate which is a common impression material used in dentistry is still imported. Since the economic crisis in 1998 the alginate price becoming four times more expensive. This situation resulted in efforts to modify the commercial alginate as had been conducted by a dentist in South Sumatera province in Indonesia. He who had added cassava starch into the commercial alginate used to make partial denture impression. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of additional cassava starch into the commercial alginate on its ability to produce reproduction detail using type III gypsum the amont of 120 specimens were divided into 6 group of various additional cassava starch 45–55%. The specimens then being impressed with detail reproduction tool (ISO No. : 1563/1978) and the result is then analyzed under a stereo microscope. Conclusion: the alginate impression material with cassava starch with ratio up to 47,5% can be used as an impression in 50μm and 75μm in depth line.


Objective Birth prevalence of Cobalamin (Cbl) C or D defects in Portugal is an estimated 1:85,000, one of the highest worldwide. We compared the genotype/phenotype of patients identified with CblC or CblD before and after the implementation of expanded newborn screening. Methods Twenty-five Portuguese CblC/D patients, 14 symptomatic and 11 identified through screening, were diagnosed using gas chromatography or tandem mass spectrometry. Molecular characterization was performed through the study of MMACHC and MMADHC genes. Results The most common MMACHC mutation, c.271dupA, was present in 100% of MMACHC alleles of all CblC screened patients, in contrast with the 61% identified before expanded newborn screening. All studied cases (except one, who presented a CblD deficiency) presented a CblC defect. More CblC late-onset patients were diagnosed before the introduction of newborn screening than in the post newborn screening era, probably because some early onset patients died without a definitive diagnosis. Conclusion The molecular data found in this cohort contribute to the improvement of screening and diagnosis of Cbl defects and would enable a confirmatory diagnosis of these patients, reducing the need for complex, costly, laborious, and time-consuming biochemical/enzymatic tests.


Many animals rely on a representation of head direction for flexible, goal-directed navigation. In insects, a compass-like head direction representation is maintained in a conserved brain region called the central complex. This head direction representation is updated by self-motion information and by tethering to sensory cues in the surroundings through a plasticity mechanism. However, under natural settings, some of these sensory cues may temporarily disappear—for example, when clouds hide the sun—and prominent landmarks at different distances from the insect may move across the animal's field of view during translation, creating potential conflicts for a neural compass. We used two-photon calcium imaging in head-fixed Drosophila behaving in virtual reality to monitor the fly's compass during navigation in immersive naturalistic environments with approachable local landmarks. We found that the fly's compass remains stable even in these settings by tethering to available global cues, likely preserving the animal's ability to perform compass-driven behaviors such as maintaining a constant heading.


The number of everyday interconnected devices continues to increase and constitute the Internet of Things (IoT). Things are small computers equipped with sensors and wireless communications capabilities that are driven by energy constraints, since they use batteries and may be required to operate over long periods of time. The majority of these devices perform data collection. The collected data is stored on-line using web-services that, sometimes, operate without any special considerations regarding security and privacy. The current work proposes a modified hash-chain authentication mechanism that, with the help of a smartphone, can authenticate each interaction of the devices with a REST web-service using One Time Passwords (OTP) while using open wireless networks. Moreover, the proposed authentication mechanism adheres to the stateless, HTTP-like behavior expected of REST web-services, even allowing the caching of server authentication replies within a predefined time window. No other known web-service authentication mechanism operates in such manner.


Rhizophora apiculata is easy species to be found and widely distributed. The purpose this research is to know the best concentration of salinity for growing seedlings of mangrove as refrence to rehabilitate mangrove forest. Effect of salinity on the growth and root development in mangrove Rhizophora apiculata Blume seedlings at Greenhouse Faculty of Agriculture and Laboratory of Ecology, University of Sumatera Utara from May 2015 until October 2015. Five level concentration of salinity was used namely 0%, 0,5%, 1,5%, 2%, and 3% with ten of repeatation. The research measured the parameters of height seedlings, diameter, leaves thickness, wide of leaves, primary root, lateral root, long of primary root, long of lateral root, diameter of primary root, diameter of lateral root, water content of shoot, water content of root, and shoot ratio. We found that the best growing Rhizophora apiculata seedlings was at 0,5% salinity level. Keywords: Development, Mangrove, Growing, Rhizophora apiculata Blume, Salinity


Since the last decade, the application of natural dyes on textile materials is gaining popularity all over the world, possibly because of increasing awareness of environment, ecology, and pollution control. In this research, extraction of dyes from madder at different conditions has been studied. The extracted dyes from madder were examined by TLC and HPLC. The adsorption properties of the dyes extracted from madder on natural polyamide fibers (wool) were also determined. The rate of dyeing at different temperatures, as well as the values of standard affinity, entropy, and enthalpy was calculated. The results indicated that increase of temperature leads to decrease the values of partition ratio and affinity. The adsorption isotherm was tested by fitting the adsorption data with Langmuir, Freundlich, BET, and Temkin isotherms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


The present study formed part of a larger study examining the potential long‐term effects of glycaemic control and treatment satisfaction in people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus who changed from multiple daily insulin injections to insulin pump therapy. Individuals (n = 46) who made the transition between May 1999 and February 2004 participated. The aim of the study was to describe experiences of the impact of insulin pump therapy in adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus after > 5 years' use of an insulin pump.


This research provides evidence on the relationship between responsiveness to quality assurance implementation and a business school i) organisational and leadership characteristics, ii) stakeholders' perceptions of quality assurance as innovation, and iii) the institutional pressures in the organisational field. It is based on the insights from the institutional theory and the diffusion of innovation theory and uses a mixed-methods research approach. The current global demand for accountability and concern with educational productivity in higher education makes this research timely.
The results of the study indicate that a business school's level of internationalisation (normative pressure) is positively associated with responsiveness whereas competition (mimetic pressure) and the government stipulations (coercive pressure) are not significant in determining whether a business school will or will not implement any quality assurance measures. In addition, leadership and organisational characteristics (such as size and level of conferred degrees) have been found to be associated with positive responsiveness. On the other hand, stakeholders' perceptions of quality assurance as innovation have not been found to explain the level of responsiveness to quality assurance implementation.
This research concludes that responsiveness is due to a number of factors; government guidelines for quality assurance have not been seen to be effective mainly due to the lack of sanctions. The type of business has been found to impact responsiveness to quality implementation with for-profit organisations being less likely to implement quality assurance measures than their not-for- profit counterparts.
By recommending appropriate approaches to increase institutional responsiveness to implement quality assurance, the research contributes to practice as it may inform state and business schools decision makers on the appropriateness of their policy formulation and execution. It can thus assist in drawing well-versed strategies and tactics. The research also contributes to the body of knowledge on the factors affecting the adoption of quality assurance in higher education institutions.


Twenty patients with primary osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee completed self-administered questionnaires probing pain severity on 10 occasions every day for 7 consecutive days. Rhythmometric analyses detected a significant circadian rhythm in pain in the majority of patients. Our data suggest that perceived pain severity varies substantially with time of day. These observations have important implications for the administration of pain questionnaires as outcome measures for clinical trials of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in OA of the knee.


Habitat degradation and heavy grazing by livestock are common conservation challenges across the steppes of Mongolia and Central Asia. Livestock grazing patterns are generally not uniform and are typically greater near campsites and watering holes. In this study, we examined how plant composition in a mountain steppe in southern Mongolia varied along a gradient of increasing distance from wells. We found that the cover and average height of Ephedera prezewalskii increased with increasing distance from the wells whereas soil chemistry and the other variables of plant composition that we examined were similar along the gradient of increasing distance from the wells. These results suggest relatively limited impact of livestock grazing on plant composition in our study. However, our study was limited in space and time and further studies are needed to understand the impact of livestock grazing in this mountain steppe in southern Mongolia.


Mechanisms of resistance to venetoclax, a highly selective oral BCL2 inhibitor approved for therapy of CLL, remain poorly understood and we sought to characterize the clonal evolution of resistance in patients developing progressive disease on venetoclax. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 7 relapsed/refractory CLL patients with disease progressing on venetoclax. We observed del17p in 43% (3/7), TP53 mutation in 86% (6/7) and unmutated IGHV in 71% (5/7) of patients. A median of four longitudinal tumor samples were sequenced per patient (total Nsamples= 25). We performed digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) analysis to look at the emergence of BCL2 G101V mutations that have been previously linked with venetoclax resistance after long times on therapy. G101V mutation was detected by ddPCR in two patients at low variant allelic fractions (VAF) of 0.03% and 4.68% respectively, and not detected by WES. We further detected one droplet positive for G101V mutation in two other patients in venetoclax progression bone marrow samples. Due to the very low VAF of the BCL2 G101V mutations, we suspected that other mechanisms of acquired resistance were more significant in this cohort of relatively early relapses. Analysis of WES data showed no somatic single nucleotide variants (sSNVs) selected in more than one patient with resistance. However, copy number analysis revealed acquired del8p in 3 patients, resulting in large subclonal expansions. Furthermore, del 8p co-occurred with amp 1q21.2-21.3 affecting the MCL1 gene in 2 patients, and with amp 8q, del 17p, del 18q22.1-23 and del 9p23-21.2 (containing the MYC, TP53, BCL2 and CDKN2A/B genes respectively) in a third. Two other patients showed expansion of clones harboring del 10q23.31-24.1, that includes PTEN, while a third contains an expanding clone with two IRF8 mutations (S283C and SFF416fs). Resistance in the final patient is likely associated with marked expansion of clones with TP53 and SF3B1 mutations. RNA-seq analysis comparing pre-venetoclax to post-venetoclax resistant samples from 8 CLL patients showed downregulation of the BCR, FCGR and MAPK signaling pathways, with upregulation of mitochondrial translation, oxidative phosphorylation and the TCA/citric acid cycle at the time of progression. RNA-seq analysis focusing on the patients with del 8p shows significant downregulation of the TNFRSF10A/10B genes (TRAIL-Rs), with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showing positive enrichment for WNT5A/FZD4 signaling and CREB signaling via the PKC and MAPK pathways, concomitant with downregulation of the BCR and FCGR pathways at progression. Our data suggest several mechanisms of venetoclax resistance in CLL, including loss of TNFRSF10A/B, sometimes with MCL1 upregulation, as well as WNT pathway upregulation and BCR pathway downregulation, which we are now validating in primary patient PBMCs and relevant cell line models. Citation Format: Ishwarya Murali, Justin Cha, Ignaty Leshchiner, Yanan Kuang, Kevin Vasquez, Jasneet Khalsa, Stacey M. Fernandes, Filippo Utro, Kahn Rhrissorrakrai, Chaya Levovitz, Brian P. Danysh, Kara Slowik, Raquel A. Jacobs, Cloud P. Paweletz, Laxmi Parida, Gad Getz, Jennifer R. Brown. Mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1097.


A 5-year retrospective study was conducted to describe the mastitis-causing organisms isolated from bovine milk samples submitted to four veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Australia. The aim of this study was to identify temporal, geographical, and seasonal patterns of occurrence for the organisms and report the in vitro susceptibility of the most common mastitis-causing pathogens. In total, 22,102 milk samples were submitted between 2015 and 2019. The results were reported as positive growth for at least one significant organism (n = 11,407; 51.6%), no growth (n = 5,782; 26.2%), and mixed/contaminated growth (n = 4,913; 22.2%). Culture results for no growth, gram-negative bacteria, and eukaryotic organisms were combined for each region, and they were accounted for between 23 and 46% of submissions. These results represent a subset of mastitis cases for which the antibiotic treatment may not be warranted. A total of 11,907 isolates were cultured from 11,407 milk samples. The most common isolated organisms were Streptococcus uberis [41.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 40.4–42.1%] and Staphylococcus aureus (23.6%; 95% CI: 22.8–24.3%). For S. uberis and S. aureus, there was an association between a positive culture result and the dairy region. All regions except for the Sub-tropical Dairy region were more likely to culture S. uberis compared to the reference, Dairy NSW (P < 0.001). Similarly, for S. aureus, a positive culture result was more likely in all other dairy regions compared to Dairy NSW (P < 0.001). The LISA cluster analysis identified differences between High-High (hotspot) postcodes for S. aureus and S. uberis throughout all the analyzed dairy regions. These results highlight the need for further investigations into specific risk factors, such as environmental factors and herd-level predictors, which may have influenced the observed regional variations. Common mastitis-causing pathogens showed overall good susceptibility to a range of antimicrobials used in the treatment of mastitis. On-going surveillance of mastitis-causing pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibilities will facilitate targeted mastitis control and treatment programs.


Today considerable numbers of female undergraduate students with aspirations of earning their degrees depart with that dream either because of academic failure emanated from ill-nurtured academic environment or lacking the skills of social adjustments needed for the Higher Education (HE). For Ethiopian female undergraduate students, access and completion rates have always lagged behind male students. Although HE enrollment rates for Ethiopian students have increased in the last couple of decades, female students' access to public universities remains unbalanced. Beyond access, female students have not earned degrees at the same rates as their male counterparts. This Book is primarily intended as a reference for key stakeholders regarding the realities of female students' participation and academic achievement in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and important strategies for better future. Using a modified version of Tinto's students' retention model, this book attempted unfolding the realities in the HEIs in Ethiopia to sparkling lights on the existing contextual scene. It is our hope that this book will serve as a stepping stone for future research works in the area.


Objective To determine the impact of the changes in the amount of abdominal fat, directly measured by computed tomography, body composition, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors on the bone mineral density (BMD) of Korean women. Methods A retrospective cohort study involving 534 Korean women aged 29 to 78 years, who had undergone both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal adipose tissue analysis by computed tomography scan more than twice between January 2004 and December 2010. The changes in the BMD values were examined in association with the changes in fat amount, body composition parameters, and risk factors of MetS. Results On cross sectional analysis, there was a significant positive correlation between femoral BMD and total abdominal fat amount at the initial visit. However, the correlation disappeared when the impact of change of the fat amount on the change in BMD was analyzed over the study period. When the MetS and body composition parameters were analyzed, a significantly positive correlation was found between skeletal muscle mass and BMD. There was no significant relationship between the MetS risk factors or other body composition parameters and BMD throughout the study period after adjusting for age (time interval). Conclusion Among body composition parameters, only increased skeletal muscle mass had a positive correlation with increased BMD over the study period of 2.7 years.


The Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling polymerization of platinum-containing m,m-phenylene and p,p-phenylene-linked diethynyl monomers m,m-1 and p,p-1 with 1,4-dibromobenzene 2a, 1,4-dibromonaphthalene 2b and 9,10-dibromoanthracene 2c was carried out to obtain the corresponding platinum-containing polymers [poly(m,m-1-2a)–poly(m,m-1-2c)] and [poly(p,p-1-2a)–poly(p,p-1-2c)] with Mn's ranging from 4,300 to 28 000 in 24%-quantitative yields. The UV-vis absorption and emission properties of the formed polymers were measured in various solvents to examine the solvent effect on the optical properties. These polymers emitted fluorescence at 400–600 nm with 3.4–18.0% quantum yields in THF, CHCl3 and CH2Cl2. The fluorescence intensities of the polymers remarkably decreased upon raising the MeOH concentration in THF/MeOH mixtures, accompanying the formation of aggregates.


The transition from high school to university mathematics has proven to be difficult for many students but especially for pre-service secondary teachers. To support these students at mastering this transition, various universities have introduced support measures of various kinds. The WiGeMath project developed a taxonomy that makes it possible to describe and compare these measures concerning their goals as well as their frame characteristics. We will exemplify the use of the taxonomy in the description of one specific innovative measure that was part of the WiGeMath evaluations. Moreover, we will present first results concerning the goal-fulfilment of this measure concerning affective characteristics of the student cohort and their predominant beliefs.


Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is common in England. Persistent HPV infection can cause cervical and other HPV-related cancers. In clinical trials, HPV vaccination was found to have very high efficacy against HPV infection and early HPV-related disease. The National HPV Immunisation Programme, using HPV16/18 vaccine, was introduced in the UK in September 2008 for females aged up to 18 years old. This thesis aims to evaluate the equity and coverage of HPV vaccination in England and the population-level impact of the vaccination programme on infection and early disease outcomes in young females. In this thesis, serological surveillance confirmed high coverage of HPV vaccination in the targeted female population. However, surveillance among women at higher risk of HPV infection indicated lower coverage among those born outside of the UK, from more deprived areas or with a previous diagnosis of chlamydia infection. The same higher-risk population was used to investigate a previous ecological observation of reduced genital warts diagnoses since the vaccination was introduced. I designed and conducted a case-control study to estimate the effectiveness of HPV16/18 vaccination against genital warts (which are largely caused by HPV6/11). This study found no evidence that HPV16/18 vaccination offered cross-protection against warts (adjusted odds ratio (95% CI):1.02 (0.72- 1.45)). My analyses of HPV infection surveillance data within the post-vaccination period (2010-2016) demonstrated substantial declines in prevalence of HPV16/18 infection in 16-18 year olds (8.2% in 2010/2011 compared to 1.6% in 2016) and of HPV31/33/45 (6.5% to 0.6%). This work provides evidence of substantial direct protection against HPV16/18 and some type-specific cross-protection. It also shows a strong herd protection effect of vaccination. Reassuringly, there was no evidence of other non-vaccine types becoming more common. The results of this thesis will inform future decisions about changes to the National HPV Immunisation Programme and the UK Cervical Screening Programme.


P <0.0001). Net reclassification for women with events was not improved (net reclassification index events, 0.007; P =0.18); and, for women without events, net reclassification was marginally improved (net reclassification index nonevents, 0.002; P =0.04) Conclusions —Key reproductive factors are associated with CHD independently of established CHD risk factors, very modestly improve model discrimination, and do not materially improve net reclassification. ( Circulation . 2016;133: Words: factor and CHD associations by socioeconomic status (SES), we added income, education, and a neighborhood/zipcode–based SES indicator 15 to age-adjusted reproductive factor CHD models. We explored models that contained BMI, physical activity index, and a family history of premature CHD (<60 years of age) 16 in addition to reproductive and established risk factors given that these are com- mon clinically measured risk factors that have traditionally aided clinicians in CHD risk stratification of patients. All analyses were conducted in SAS version 9.3 and R version 2.15. The study was approved by an institutional review committee at the University of California San Francisco, and the subjects gave informed consent.


Objectives To assess the prevalence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to investigate factors potentially associated with RLS. Methods 130 patients diagnosed with AS (95M, 35F, mean age: 38.4) according to modified New York criteria and age-and-sex matched 91 healthy control subjects (66M, 25F, mean age: 37.6) were included in this study. The diagnosis of RLS was made according to the criteria of the International RLS Study Group. The factors associated with RLS were evaluated. Electrophysiological procedures were performed in a group of patients with RLS. Results The frequency of RLS was significantly higher in AS patients (30.8%) than in healthy subjects (13.2%) (p=0.002). When AS patients with RLS was compared with AS patients without RLS, it was seen that peripheral arthritis (60% vs 26.7%, p<0.001), uveitis (25% vs 8.8%, p=0.016), iron deficiency anemia (62.5% vs 24.4%, p<0.001) and smoking (60% vs 30%, p=0.001) were significantly higher in the former group. AS patients with RLS tended to be have a younger mean age than others (p=0.088). We also evaluated cutaneous silent period in a subgroup AS patients with and without RLS. The mean level of upper extremity (87.6+10.6 vs 76.8+10, p=0.004) and lower extremity latency (123.9+22.6 vs 105.9+18.7, p=0.017) were significantly higher in AS patients with RLS than in AS patients without RLS. The mean duration of upper extremity (31.3+10.5 vs 39.9+8.5, p=0.013) and lower extremity (29+9.5 vs 43.9+9.6, p<0.001) were significantly shorter in AS patients with RLS than in AS patients without RLS. In multivariate regresssion analysis, it was seen that independent parameters associated with RLS in AS patients were the presence of iron deficiency anemia (OR: 4.3, 95%CI: 1.6-11.4, p=0.001) and smoking (OR: 5.2, 95%CI: 1.8-15.2, p=0.004). Conclusions Our findings indicate that RLS is commonly associated with AS. Possible causes include iron deficiency anemia, smoking and small fiber neuropathy. It is possible that many of AS patients with uncertain neurosensory symptoms and electrophysiologic abnormalities have previously unrecognized small fiber neuropathy. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4018


Since the very beginning of 1950s, the Turks started to migrate to European countries due to different reasons. As consequences of increasing migration waves and the fact that Turkish people have constituted a considerable portion of the population in the host countries, the first generation yielded primarily to build masjids to perform basic religious duties and then the second and third generation tended to construct institutional complexes that become integrated with the surrounding parts. With their religious, social, cultural and educational functions, these multi-functional mosques have played key roles up to present date to protect the religious and national values and contributed considerably to the integration process of the Turkish immigrants to their hosting countries. This article deals with the Turkish mosques in England and their basic functions.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

The clinical use of platinum (Pt) agents is often compromised by the occurrence of drug resistance. Studies have shown reduced intracellular Pt accumulation in cells resistant to Pt drugs. Copper transporters have been reported to have a role in Pt influx and efflux. While the first member of this family, CTR1, has been shown to transport Pt, the role of the structurally similar CTR2 in Pt transport is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the role of CTR2 in Pt based drug-transport using KB-3.1 cervical carcinoma cells and its cisplatin (KB-CP20) or oxaliplatin (KB-OX60) resistant subclones. In previous studies we reported that compared to parental cells the resistant cell lines have lower levels of intracellular Pt following cisplatin (CIS) or oxaliplatin (OX) exposure. We transfected parental KB-3.1 cells and its drug resistant sublines with CTR1, CTR2 or both transporters, and incubated cells with either CIS or OX. Intracellular Pt accumulation was not increased in any of the transfected parental KB-3.1 cells. In contrast, KB-CP20 cells transfected with CTR1, CTR2 or both trasnporters accumulated more CIS but not more OX compared to non-transfected KB-CP20 cells; while transfected KB-OX60 cells accumulated higher levels of both CIS and OX compared to non-transfected KB-OX 60 cells. In both resistant cell lines, the increased intracellular Pt observed after transtfection of the transporters was accompanied by increased DNA platination. Given the clinical utility of OX in colon carcinoma we next determined intracellular CIS and OX levels, the expression of proteins involved in copper transport (ATP7A, ATP7B, CTR1 and CTR2), and the IC50 for CIS and OX of six colon carcinoma cell lines. We found an inverse correlation between intracellular Pt levels and the IC50 of both drugs, and correlations between: (1) the IC50 of CIS and expression levels of CTR1, (2) intracellular CIS levels and expression levels of ATP7A, (3) expression levels of ATP7B and CTR2, and (4) OX accumulation and expression levels of ATP7A. In summary, we have shown CTR2 is able to transport Pt-containing drugs and increases intracellular Pt accumulation that is accompanied by greater DNA-platination. In unselected colon cancer cells, we have shown that the IC50 of a Pt based drug is determined by the intracellular accumulation of that drug, and to varying extent by the expression of copper transporters.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2554.


Expansions in the scale of river management have led to expansion in the level of human resources involved in management, and therefore the need for partnering between government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the public. Inclusion of partners requires a more flexible and evolving process to plan for change, and poses new challenges for all involved. Collaboration requires major institutional reorientation at the policy level to ensure responsiveness to local demand, and to empower and enable communities to act. At the program level, it means detailed outlines for action can no longer be drawn up at the outset because problem solving must be based on partnerships and cooperation. I review the relevance of collaborative management, approaches for initiating collaborative efforts, challenges associated with accommodating diverse interests, communication among partners, assembly and development of relevant information, development of an action plan, and selected case histories.


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The discipline of Hadith studies is one of the richest and exclusive discipline of knowledge as its branches extend to hundred. The religious scholars had written thousands monograph concerning Hadith interpretations and explanations. Many voluminous works appeared and existed and each of them is a commendable contribution to Hadith explanations. One of the significant works on Hadith explanations is "Takmila Fath-al-Mulhim" that is the result of scholastic efforts of many years by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani. This explanation of Hadith Book Muslim was originated and finished till the "Section of Marriage" but he could not extend it to the last chapter due to his political engagements and later his demise closed the chapter. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani completed the remaining work in eighteen years and nine months. This explanation is pure from any type of rigidness, prejudice and descrimination. Sunni Islam is seperated into four main schools of jurisprudence, namely, Hanafi, Maliki, Shafai and Hanabli. Although Taqi Usmani belongs to Hanafi school of thought but if there is found any weak point in his school of thought. He accepts it with open heart and respects the point of other scholars having different school of thought. He has explained the ahadith in a neutral, impartial and unprejudiced way. In this perspective some evidences have been mentioned in this article.


Introduction: Indian population has a paradoxically high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Maternal vitamin D levels are related to outcomes of pregnancy for mother and foetus. To understand the need for screening and appropriate management decisions, data is needed from various regions of India to explore the magnitude of the problem. Aim: To evaluate the vitamin D levels in pregnant mothers and their newborns at a hospital catering to the affluent population in Mumbai. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to December 2012. A 100 women of Indian origin, between 20-45 years of age and their newborns who were delivered at the Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai were included. Determination of 25 hydroxy (OH) vitamin D, serum calcium, albumin concentration was done in mothers just before delivery and newborns venous cord blood at the time of delivery. Pearson's correlation test was used for determining relation between maternal and newborns vitamin D levels and Chi-square test for association of maternal vitamin D levels with their sun exposure and newborns birth weight. Results: The distribution of serum 25 (OH) vitamin D status in mothers was 75 deficient (75%), 13 insufficient (13%) and 12 sufficient (12%). Mean serum 25 (OH) vitamin D in mothers was 15.09 ng/mL. The distribution of serum 25 (OH) vitamin D levels in newborns were 78 deficient (78%), 13 insufficient (13%) and 9 sufficient (9%). Mean serum 25 (OH) vitamin D in neonates was 13.82 ng/mL. There was strong correlation between maternal and newborns serum 25 (OH) vitamin D levels with a Pearson correlation coefficient value of 0.94 and the p-value of <0.001. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant mothers associated with hypovitaminosis D in newborns in this hospital-based study catering to affluent population from Mumbai.


We argue that the magnon condensate in yttrium iron garnet may display experimentally observable superfluidity at room temperature despite the 100 times dominance of the normal density over superfluid ones. The superfluidity has a more complicated nature than in known superfluids since the U(1) symmetry of the global phase shift is violated by the dipolar interaction leading to the exchange of spin moment between the condensate and the crystal lattice. It produces periodic inhomogeneity in the stationary superfluid flow. We discuss the manner of observation and possible applications of magnon superfluidity. It may strongly enhance the spin-torque effects and reduce the energy consumption of the magnonic devices.


Objective: Torticollis is a deformity characterized by the lateral flexion of the head to the arm on the side of the localization of deformity and its rotation on the opposite side. The aim of this paper is to identify the clinical characteristics that have an impact on the progression of the congenital muscular cramping, as well as to show the role of kinesitherapy in the treatment of torticollis. Methods: The research was conducted in the "Therapy" - Physical Therapy Clinic in Pristina, in the 2-year period since February 2014 until 2016. The total number of infants diagnosed with torticollis is 160, ranging from 0 to 9 months. At the beginning of the research, the examinations of all infants were performed, all the necessary tests, measurements, and motor functions. Afterward, they were rehabilitated for 3 consecutive weeks with 5 sessions per week, a total of 15 sessions for each. After the rehabilitation was completed, over again, the same tests were made as it was done in the beginning. Questionnaires were completed on the first and last visit for all infants. Results: In the first visit of the infants' examination, there was no significant difference between the groups (Chi-test=0.96, p=0.1), whereas in the second examination, after 15 rehabilitation sessions, there was a significant difference in improvement of all the treated groups with kinesiotherapy. Significant result was achieved in mobility where at the beginning of the treatment, there was a very large limitation of neck mobility (different mean = −31.0±10.0.95% CI: 33.7-−28.2, p<0.001). A small limitation of mobility remained only among some third-degree infants in the 6-9 month age group because of the time appearance for physical treatment was delayed (different mean = −27.8±12.6, 95%, CI: 31.2-−24.4, p<0.001). Conclusion: From the results of our research on kinesiotherapy with infant toddlers with torticollis, we conclude that kinesitherapy has a primary and very successful effect on the treatment of babies with muscular torticollis.


OBJECTIVE(S)
The purpose was to study the interrelationship between cell surface integrin receptor (alpha2beta1) and matrixmetalloproteinases.

METHODS
Immunoprecipitation and cell adhesion assay were done to assay alpha2beta1 and alpha3beta1 on SiHa cell surface. Zymogram was developed to assay secreted MMP activity of cells grown in presence of alpha2 monoclonal antibody. Immunoblot was developed to assay expression of MMP-2, FAK, and p-FAK. Plasma membrane-dependent activation of MMP2 was performed by incubating pure MMP-2 with membrane-enriched fraction isolated from SiHa cells.

RESULTS
Immunoprecipitation and cell adhesion assay results confirmed the presence of alpha2beta1 receptor on SiHa cells. Zymographic analysis of serum-free media collected at different time points from SiHa cells grown on alpha2 monoclonal antibody-coated culture dishes showed the expression and activation of MMP-2 within 2-4 h, confirmed by immunoblot. Western blot of cells grown on alpha2-coated dishes for 30 min-4 h showed increased phosphorylation of FAK. Membrane-enriched fraction isolated from SiHa cells was found to specifically activate proMMP-2 to its activated forms within 30 min.

CONCLUSION(S)
The experimental findings strongly indicate that SiHa cell surface alpha2beta1 regulates MMP-2 expression. Increased phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) strongly indicates the possible role of FAK in signaling cascade. Incubation of SiHa cell membrane fraction with pure MMP-2 strongly confirms the cell membrane-dependent activation of proMMP2.


Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is one of the popular, next generation, globally accepted, wireless technologies acting as a replacement to the existing barcode system. This emerging technology was invented way back in 1948, but didn't open up for use commercially until 1980s. Mainly used for fraud detection, enhancing productivity, tracking objects, to name a few, RFID lacks a great sense of security in that the radio waves get easily interrupted, the server, reader(s) and tag(s) get easily tampered compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the information that is communicated between the tag(s) and the reader(s) and the back-end server . Hence, we, in this paper, propose to extend the application of RADIUS server that, being located in a remote place, will authenticate, authorize and account for multiple tags, with the knowledge and feel of the tags that they are authenticated by the back-end server.


Osmotically-driven membrane processes, such as forward osmosis and pressure retarded osmosis, operate on the principle of osmotic transport of water across a semipermeable membrane from a dilute feed solution into a concentrated draw solution. The major hindrance to permeate water flux performance is the prevalence of concentration polarization on both sides of the membrane. This article evaluates the external and internal boundary layers, which decrease the effective osmotic driving force. By modeling permeate flux performance, the role that feed and draw concentrations, membrane orientation, and membrane structural properties play in overall permeate flux performance are elucidated and linked to prevalence of external and internal concentration polarization. External concentration polarization is found to play a significant role in the reduction of driving force, though internal concentration polarization has a far more pronounced effect for the chosen system conditions. Reduction of internal concentration polarization by way of membrane modification was found to improve the predicted flux performance significantly, suggesting that alteration of membrane design will lead to improved performance of osmotically driven membrane processes. 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 53: 1736–1744, 2007


Tigerlily is a TigerGraph based system designed to solve the drug interaction prediction task. In this machine learning task, we want to predict whether two drugs have an adverse interaction. Our framework allows us to solve this highly relevant real-world problem using graph mining techniques in these steps: (a) Using PyTigergraph we create a heterogeneous biological graph of drugs and proteins. (b) We calculate the personalized PageRank scores of drug nodes in the TigerGraph Cloud. (c) We embed the nodes using sparse non-negative matrix factorization of the personalized PageRank matrix. (d) Using the node embeddings we train a gradient boosting based drug interaction predictor.


Mountain lions (Puma concolor) were once endemic across the United States. The Northeastern population of mountain lions has been largely nonexistent since the early 1800s and was officially declared extinct in 2011. This regionally extinct mountain lion is Pennsylvania State University's official mascot, where it is referred to as the 'Nittany Lion'. Our goal in this study was to use recent methodological advances in ancient DNA and massively parallel sequencing to reconstruct complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes of multiple Nittany Lions by sampling from preserved skins. This effort is part of a broader Nittany Lion Genome project intended to involve undergraduates in ancient DNA and bioinformatics research and to engage the broader Penn State community in discussions about conservation biology and extinction. Complete mtDNA genome sequences were obtained from five individuals. When compared to previously published sequences, Nittany Lions are not more similar to each other than to individuals from the Western U.S. and Florida. Supporting previous findings, North American mountain lions overall were more closely related to each other than to those from South America and had lower genetic diversity. This result emphasizes the importance of continued conservation in the Western U.S. and Florida to prevent further regional extinctions.


Based on the principle of drought monitoring, the existing agricultural drought monitoring models based on remote sensing were summarized beginning from soil moisture, vegetation index, land surface temperature and so on. The advantages and disadvantages of all kinds of models and the applicable range of them were analyzed. The vegetation temperature condition index( VTCI) and the temperature vegetation dryness index( TVDI) were analyzed emphatically, and point out that they should be the simplification of normalized difference temperature index(NDTI). Compared with other methods, they were practicable and their precisions could meet the requirement of daily routine. The development direction and goal of drought monitoring based on remote sensing were forecasted.


The detoxification of the phytoalexin brassinin to indole-3-carboxaldehyde and S-methyl dithiocarbamate is catalyzed by brassinin oxidase (BOLm), an inducible fungal enzyme produced by the plant pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. Twenty-six substituted quinolines and isoquinolines are synthesized and evaluated for antifungal activity against L. maculans and inhibition of BOLm. Eleven compounds that inhibit BOLm activity are reported, of which 3-ethyl-6-phenylquinoline displays the highest inhibitory effect. In general, substituted 3-phenylquinolines show significantly higher inhibitory activities than the corresponding 2-phenylquinolines. Overall, these results indicate that the quinoline scaffold is a good lead to design paldoxins (phytoalexin detoxification inhibitors) that inhibit the detoxification of brassinin by L. maculans.


For the application of K connector (K103F) at Ka-band, many problems exist, due to the complex method of installation. In this paper, the test fixture is simplified, and the performance of this section is improved with the Electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure. Simulation results are presented for the connection structure with EBG; plots of the input reflection of geometrical and physical parameters are reported and commented on.


Weekly sound surveys (n = 63) were collected, using 5 s sampling intervals, for two modern neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Median weekly equivalent sound pressure levels (LEQ) for NICU A ranged from 61 to 63 dB (A weighted), depending on the level of care. NICU B L(EQ) measurements ranged from 55 to 60 dB (A weighted). NICU B was recently built with a focus on sound abatement, explaining much of the difference between the two NICUs. Sound levels exceeded 45 dB (A weighted), recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 70% of the time for all levels of care. Hourly L(EQ)s below 50 dB (A weighted) and hourly L10s below 55 dB (A weighted), recommended by the Sound Study Group (SSG) of the National Resource Center, were also exceeded in more than 70% of recorded samples. A third SSG recommendation, that the 1 s L(MAX), should not exceed 70 dB (A weighted), was exceeded relatively infrequently (< 11% of the time). Peak impulse measurements exceeded 90 dB for 6.3% of 5 s samples recorded from NICU A and 2.8% of NICU B samples. Twenty-four h periodicities in sound levels as a function of regular staff activities were apparent, but short-term variability was considerable.


In this paper, we investigate the behavior of the Miyazawa pol ynomial of periodic virtual links. As applications, we give some criteria to det ect possible periods of a given oriented virtual link.


Ta and Cr adhesion to 3,3'-4,4'-biphenyl tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride-p-phenylenediamine derived (BPDA-PDA) polyimide (PI) surfaces has been studied before treatment, and after CF4 reactive ion etching (RIE), and Ar sputtering. The initial peel adhesion results for both metals on the BPDA-PDA surfaces are comparable and show increased peel adhesion as a function of the surface treatment in the following order: virgin (no treatment) < Ar sputter < CF4 RIE ~ CF4 RIE followed by Ar sputter. The surface roughness effect on metal/PI adhesion has also been investigated. The data suggest that the surface roughness does not primarily affect peel adhesion. In this case, it is the removal of the weak boundary layer and the cracking of the residual PI on the metal peel interface surface during the peeling process which cause the increase in the peel strength. It is also proposed that the changes observed in the peel strength as a function of the surface treatment are due to differences in the fracture toughness ...


People show vast variability in skill learning. What determines a person's individual learning ability? In this study we explored the possibility to predict participants' future learning, based on their behavior during initial skill acquisition. We recruited a large online multi-session sample of participants performing a sequential tapping skill learning task. We trained machine learning models to predict future skill learning from raw data acquired during initial skill acquisition, and from engineered features calculated from the raw data. While the models did not explain learning, strong correlations were observed between initial and final performance. In addition, the results suggest that in correspondence with other empirical fields testing human behavior, canonical experimental tasks developed and selected to detect average effects may constrain insights regarding individual variability, relevant for real-life scenarios. Overall, implementing machine learning tools on large-scale data sets may provide a powerful approach towards revealing what differentiates between high and low innate learning abilities, paving the way for learning optimization techniques which may generalize beyond motor skill learning to broad learning abilities.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Low-dose computed tomography (CT)screening has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality but suffers from a high false positive rate that leads to unnecessary diagnostic procedures. The development of deep learning techniques has the potential to help improve lung cancer screening technology. Here we present the algorithm, DeepScreener, which can predict a patient's cancer status from a volumetric lung CT scan. DeepScreener is based on our model of Spatial Pyramid Pooling, which ranked 16th of 1972 teams (top 1 percent)in the Data Science Bowl 2017 competition (DSB2017), evaluated with the challenge datasets. Here we test the algorithm with an independent set of 1449 low-dose CT scans of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST)cohort, and we find that DeepScreener has consistent performance of high accuracy. Furthermore, by combining Spatial Pyramid Pooling and 3D Convolution, it achieves an AUC of 0.892, surpassing the previous state-of-the-art algorithms using only 3D convolution. The advancement of deep learning algorithms can potentially help improve lung cancer detection with low-dose CT scans.


This report discusses the issue facing Congress on whether to continue to support the executive branch's prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers, in accordance with marijuana's status as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, or whether to relax federal marijuana prohibition enough to permit the medical use of botanical cannabis products by seriously ill persons, especially in states that have created medical marijuana programs under state law.


Chapter one introduces the subject of the study and the importance of appreciating the concept of Globalization within the business concept. The Historical review of KWAL which is a company in beverage market specifically in wines and spirits is covered and also an overview of the global beverage market. The challenges of Globalization to KWAL are highlighted in the statement of the problem and the research question is to inquire into KWAL responsiveness to the challenges brought by Globalization since the early nineties after liberalization of Economy in Kenya. The importance of this study and how it adds to the existing knowledge is also underscored in this chapter. Chapter two is on literature review and focuses on environmental dependency of organizations. It looks at how the environment has changed overtime affecting the appropriateness of the strategies employed in different situations. The concept of strategic issue management in hypercompetitive conditions is brought up and how global trends are leading to increased business turbulence. The concept of external environment with its impact to the business is reviewed with a greater emphasis on industry environment. The concept of liberalization which accelerated Globalization in Kenya in the nineties is also reviewed. The Concept of Globalization is also reviewed from an economic and business perspective. Chapter three is about the methodologies used to collect and analyze the data. Qualitative content analysis ratio analysis and performance trending have been used to analyze the data which is from both primary and secondary sources. Chapter four presents data analysis and interpretations which includes the impact of Globalization to KWAL and the strategies used to respond to Globalization challenges have also been analyzed. The impact of Globalization and strategies employed is supported by way of statistical data from historical records in form of tables and appendices.. Graphs on the financial data are also provided in the appendix VI. Chapter five summarizes the findings and the effectiveness of the strategies that have been adopted by KWAL to respond to challenges of Globalization. Recommendations based on existing theories and practices on what would have been the most appropriate strategies are included in this chapter. The limitations of the study are also highlighted with suggestion for further studies made at the end.


Tumors or neoplasms are pathological over growths of tissue which occur as a result of multiplication of cellular elements due to alteration of biological properties of cells of the organisms under the influence of blastomogenic factors of external and internal medium. Tumors are new and inappropriate cell growths or neoplasia. Cancer are malignant tumors that are characterized by loss of normal cellular controls that results in unregulated growths, lack of differentiation and ability to invade local tissues and metastases to other parts of the body (Dwight et al. 1999). Tumors are characterized by a typical structure, unlimited and uncoordinated with the body growth, persisting even after elimination of causes of their appearance. Tumors or cancerous growth can grow at any site and serves no useful function. Classification of tumors are based on different principles amongst which histological tumor classification should be considered the most acceptable one. It differentiates between epithelial, connective tissue, muscular and neural tumors. Within each of these groups, tumors are divided according to the type of tissue and maturity (differentiation) of tumors cells. Thus epithelial tumors are tumors which are classified into tumors from glandular (adenomas, adenocarcinomas) and flat epithelium (papillomas, cancroid and non- keratinizing cancer tumors). According to type of tissue (fibrous, adipose, cartilaginous, osseous), connective tissue tumors are divided into fibromas, lipomas, chondromas, osteomas. A survey work of tumours in domestic animals have been done and reported by Singh et al. (1997).


We employ Nehari manifold methods and critical point theory to study the existence of nontrivial homoclinic solutions of discrete p-Laplacian equations with a coercive weight function and superlinear nonlinearity. Without assuming the classical Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition and without any periodicity assumptions, we prove the existence and multiplicity results of the equations.


The expression of carbonic anhydrase-IX (CA-IX) in tumors can lead to a poor prognosis; thus, CA-IX has attracted much attention as a target molecule for cancer diagnosis and treatment. An 111In-labeled imidazothiadiazole sulfonamide (IS) derivative, [111In]In-DO3A-IS1, exhibited marked tumor accumulation but also marked renal accumulation, raising concerns about it producing a low signal/background ratio and a high radiation burden on the kidneys. In this study, four 111In-labeled IS derivatives, IS-[111In]In-DO2A-ALB1-4, which contained four different kinds of albumin binder (ALB) moieties, were designed and synthesized with the aim of improving the pharmacokinetics of [111In]In-DO3A-IS1. Their utility for imaging tumors that strongly express CA-IX was evaluated in mice. An in vitro binding assay of cells that strongly expressed CA-IX (HT-29 cells) was performed using acetazolamide as a competitor against CA-IX, and IS-[111In]In-DO2A-ALB1-4 did not exhibit reduced binding to HT-29 cells compared with [111In]In-DO3A-IS1. In contrast, IS-[111In]In-DO2A-ALB1-4 showed a greater ability to bind to human serum albumin than [111In]In-DO3A-IS1 in vitro. In an in vivo biodistribution study, the introduction of an ALB moiety into the 111In-labeled IS derivative markedly decreased renal accumulation and increased HT-29 tumor accumulation and blood retention. The pharmacokinetics of the IS derivatives varied depending on the substituted group within the ALB moiety. Single-photon emission computed tomography imaging with IS-[111In]In-DO2A-ALB1, which showed the highest tumor/kidney ratio in the biodistribution study, facilitated clear HT-29 tumor imaging, and no strong signals were observed in the normal organs. These results indicate that IS-[111In]In-DO2A-ALB1 may be an effective CA-IX imaging probe and that the introduction of ALB moieties may improve the pharmacokinetics of CA-IX ligands.


The combined anaerobic fermentation of coal and straw can increase the production of biogas. To explore the mechanism of adding corn straw to increase methane production, coal with different metamorphic degrees and corn straw were collected for biogas production simulation experiments under different substrate ratios. The changes in liquid products, the structure of lignocellulose in corn straw, and microbial evolution were monitored. The results showed that the combined fermentation of bituminous coal A with corn straw and bituminous coal C with corn straw at a mass ratio of 2:1 each ((AC-2) and (CC-2)) and that of bituminous coal B and corn straw at a mass ratio of 3:1 (BC-3) had the best gas production, and methane yields reached 17.28, 12.51, and 14.88 mL/g, respectively. The fermentation liquid had organic matter with more types and higher contents during the early and peak stages of gas production, and fewer types of organic matter were detected in the terminal stage. The degradation of lignocelluloses in the corn straw of AC-2 was higher. With the increase in fermentation time, the carbohydrates in the fermentation system increased and the degradation rate of cellulose decreased gradually. The abundance of genes related to nitrate reduction gradually increased, while that of sulfate reduction was on the contrary. Bacteria in the cofermentation system mainly metabolized carbohydrates. During cofermentation with high metamorphic coal, corn straw would be preferentially degraded. The structure of the archaea community changed from Methanosarcina and Methanothrix to Methanobacterium.


Eight apparently normotensive Australian women patients developed hypertension after taking appetite‐suppressant preparations which contained high doses of phenylpropanolamine. The margin between the maximum dose permitted to be sold in some States of Australia without prescription, and the doses documented as causing hypertension is small. Three patients took twice the recommended dose — a pattern of behaviour which has been described previously. Changes to the regulations governing the availability of phenylpropanolamine may have reduced the risk of this adverse effect, but the use and misuse of preparations still available over‐the‐counter may not be without danger.


The amount of atmospheric water vapor is highly variable in both time and space. In this thesis some aspects of the variations in the atmospheric water vapor are treated. Short term variations of up to approximately a day in the radio propagation delay due to water vapor has an important role as one of the limiting factors in space geodesy and radio astronomical interferometry. Since the atmospheric water vapor is a greenhouse gas, its change over many years is of interest in climatology.
 A microwave radiometer at the Onsala Space Observatory was used for data acquisition. Its data are used for characterizations of the variations in the amount of water vapor. The accuracy of the amount of water vapor determined using microwave radiometry is evaluated, as well as methods that utilize the knowledge of short-term atmospheric variability in order to improve the accuracy of the water vapor estimates.
 The role of the water vapor in space geodetic techniques such as Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) is also discussed. In these techniques the radio wave propagation is used for precise positioning. It is shown that an increased statistical knowledge of the variations in the amount of water vapor can improve the estimation of the contribution of water vapor to the propagation path length. The result is better positioning, while at the same time the amount of water vapor can be derived from the geodetic data, which is of interest for the meteorological community.


From an economic perspective, early educational intervention is an investment in the lives of young children that may yield both immediate and future returns. Economic analysis can be used to estimate the costs and benefits of investments in early intervention and to produce estimates of the net economic gain to society resulting from early intervention. In the last two decades, at least 20 economic analyses of early intervention have been conducted and their results widely distributed. The "cost-effectiveness" of early intervention has been used with apparent success as an argument for a wide range of early interventions for infants and young children. This paper critically reviews the existing literature to assess the strength of the empirical evidence regarding the economics of early intervention. We find that a few studies provide credible evidence that early intervention for disadvantaged children can be a sound economic investment. Many of the studies that have been conducted were found to be problematic, however, and much work remains to be done. Few conclusions can be drawn regarding the relative economic efficiency of alternative intervention strategies or the long-term economic benefits of early intervention programs for handicapped children. Recommendations are offered for improving the research base.


Breast milk has many advantages over cow's milk in feeding of infants. Breast-fed newborns usually have much less chance of infections than do bottle-fed ones. In this communication, the cellular and humoral immunocompetent components in the colostra of 80 mothers were studied. The results showed: 1) Colostrum contained a large number of viable leukocytes as blood, but the vast majority was monocyte/macrophage (63.76%); 2) T and B lymphocytes were present in the colostrum, the number of T cell was much less than that of the blood; 3) The colostral mononuclear cells (MNC) had lymphoproliferative responses to mitogens and the mitogenic capability decreased gradually postpartum; 4) The colostral MNC were able to produce interleukin 2, and 5) Immunoglobulins G, A and M and C3 and C4 were present in small amount in the colostrum, however, the concentration of IgA was nearly half of that of the blood. In conclusion, colostrum contains a lot of cellular and humoral immunocompetent components which will confer newborns with passive immunity to various microorganisms.


This paper represents a fuzzy high-order sliding-mode (F-HOSM) controller in order to regulate blood glucose concentration in type 1 diabetics. This method uses merits of both fuzzy concept and high-order sliding-mode control so that not only the blood glucose level can be efficiently controlled, but also the amount of chattering in control effort will be significantly alleviated. Moreover the amount of control effort will decrease to its half in comparison to that in HOSM controller leading to a less risk of hypoglycemia, which is the most dangerous phenomenon in controlling the blood glucose level of diabetics. The efficiency of the proposed controller is validated by computer simulation. This controller is used to regulate the blood glucose level in a well-known diabetic model called minimal model.


Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 is a recently identified probiotic. However, its distribution along the intestine and impact on resident microbiota is unknown. Herein, we established a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the B. bifidum-specific BopA region for the quantification of B. bifidum in feces and used this assay to investigate transit of B. bifidum MIMBb75 through the murine intestine. We also analyzed the consequential impact on resident microbial cohorts. C57BL/6J mice were daily gavaged with 0.2 mL of either sterile PBS or PBS containing 10(8) colony-forming units of B. bifidum MIMBb75 for 2 weeks, after which intestinal contents and fecal samples were analyzed for microbial compositional changes. Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 was able to transiently colonize the murine intestine, with the predominant niche being the ceco-proximal colonic region. Region-specific effects on host microbiota were observed including decreased levels of Clostridium coccoides in the cecum, increased levels of bifidobacteria in the proximal and distal colon, total bacteria and Clostridium leptum in the proximal colon, and of C. coccoides in the feces. These findings suggest that probiotic properties of B. bifidum MIMBb75 may partially depend on its ability to at least transiently colonize the intestine and impact on the resident microbial communities at various intestinal loci.


OBJECTIVE To establish differential protein expression profile specific for serum proteome of cervical carcinoma in Uighur women by protein 2-dimensional liquid phase chromatography. METHODS We collected and prepared sera of cervical carcinoma from Uighur women, and separated and processed data using 2-dimensional liquid phase chromatography system specific for protein (ProteomeLab PF-2D). RESULTS A differential expression profile of serum proteome based on characteristics of protein isoelectric point and hydrophobic features was successfully established. Fifty-six differentially expressed protein spots were found, among which there was an obvious difference in 12 peaks. CONCLUSION Two-dimensional liquid phase chromatography is an effective and feasible method to establish differential expression profile of serum proteome and to offer a new way for the screening of serum protein markers of Uighur women with cervical carcinoma.


The relativistic six-quark equations including the u, d quarks and antiquarks are found. The nonstrange baryonia B/bar B are contructed without the mixing of the quarks and antiquarks. The relativistic six-quark amplitudes of the baryonia are calculed. The poles of these amplitudes determine the masses of baryonia. 16 masses of baryonia are predicted.


A cross-sectional survey was performed on 144 farms randomly selected from 3 breeding organisations in Münsterland, Germany, to obtain representative data on husbandry management, worm control practices and their possible associations with gastro-intestinal parasite infections in sows. Straw bedding was provided in the majority of gestation units; lactating sows were frequently kept strawless. Pasturing of gilts and non-lactating sows were performed in 37% of the farms. Sows were treated with anthelmintics (mainly benzimidazoles, ivermectin or levamisole) in 98% of the farms. The proportions of farmers performing the 'targeted' (mainly prefarrowing) or 'non-targeted' treatment strategy (treatment of all animals several times per year) were similar. Piglets were anthelmintically dosed in only 19% of the farms. Patent infections of sows with Oesophagostomum spp., Ascaris suum, Trichuris suis and Eimeria spp. were detected in 79%, 7%, 8% and 29% of all the farms, respectively. Hyostrongylus rubidus infections were only found in farms with pasturing. The within-farm prevalences of both the strongylid and Eimeria infections were negatively correlated with the herd size but positively with the weaning age. Risk factors for strongylid infections were straw bedding in pens and pasturing. Pasturing was a risk factor for Eimeria infections too. There was a positive association between the time interval to last deworming of sows and strongylid egg counts. However, neither the treatment strategy nor the anthelmintic class used was associated with nematode infections. No relations were found between different cleaning methods in stables and endoparasite infections.


In an attempt to reduce the computational complexity of the vertical Bell Labs layered space time (V-BLAST) processing for time-varying channels, an efficient adaptive receiver is developed based on the generalized decision feedback equalizer (GDFE) architecture. This receiver updates the filter weight vectors using a recursive least squares (RLS)-based time- and order-update algorithm. In time-varying channels, the proposed adaptive technique can be considerably simpler to implement than the V-BLAST processor with the channel tracking, yet its performance is almost comparable to that of the latter.


Background: Hematuria is one of the most common and early signs of diseases related to genitourinary system and can be classified as either glomerular or non-glomerular in origin. Percentage of dysmorphic RBC (%dRBC) in urine has been in practice as a diagnostic tool for differentiating glomerular from non-glomerular hematuria. Recent studies indicate that, urinary albumin-total protein ratio (uAPR) can also be used as a diagnostic tool in this regard. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of uAPR as a diagnostic tool for detecting glomerular hematuria in comparison to %dRBC in urine. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 96 patients with hematuria. Fresh urine samples were collected from each subject to determine the %dRBC and to calculate uAPR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was done on these results to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of uAPR and %dRBC in differentiating glomerular from non-glomerular hematuria. Results: uAPR and %dRBC were significantly (p<0.001) higher among patients with glomerular hematuria than non-glomerular hematuria. At the cutoff value of 0.57 mg/mg, uAPR showed sensitivity of 81.8% and specificity of 95.5%. At the cutoff value of 22.5%, %dRBC showed sensitivity of 54.5% and specificity of 86.4%. Conclusion: uAPR has higher sensitivity and specificity than %dRBC in differentiating glomerular from nonglomerular hematuria and can be used as a diagnostic tool.


The foundry business model was first developed by TSMC in 1985. A foundry should provide customers with IC manufacturing services. Those customers include IC design houses, integrated device manufacturers (IDM), and system suppliers. However, most electronic products are consumer products, and their life cycle has been reducing with time. An IC design house needs to continuously develop ICs with new functions to meet the current market demand for consumable products. Meanwhile, to support customers for high speed and low cost end product development, foundry service providers must also continue developing new process technologies, from 0.25mum down to 32nm. Unfortunately, advances in new manufacturing process technologies also create difficulties in new IC design. These advances increase the IC design failure rate. Currently, no effective working model and system exists to solve this problem. To formulate this high IC design failure problem, this work proposes a novel engineering-chain (EC) business model. This work also proposes an engineering chain management system (ECMS) to help achieve the goals of EC, such as improving IC design success rate, reducing IC design cycle time, lowering IC design costs, and increasing revenue.


introduce the complexity of debates around the subject and the challenge to exegesis which they pose. The chapter on the Feminist Bible Commentary is simplistically descriptive in parts. However, several of the studies offer syntheses, evaluated snapshots of some aspect of biblical scholarship (e.g., on Q studies and women, or Genest's succinct overview of 'Feminist Theories in Interpretation of the Bible'). Such things are useful for the student or the teacher who is venturing into,


. Given a heterogeneous material, the mechanical behavior of its microstructure can be investigated by an algorithm that uses the Fourier representation of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation. Incorporating a model order reduction technique based on calculations with a reduced set of Fourier modes, the computational cost of this algorithm can be decreased. It was shown that the accuracy of this model order reduction technique strongly depends on the choice of Fourier modes by considering a geometrically adapted rather than a fixed sampling pattern to define the reduced set of Fourier modes. Since it is difficult to define a geometrically adapted sampling pattern for complex microstructures, additionally a strain-based sampling pattern was introduced. The accuracy and adaptability of this strain-based reduced set of Fourier modes is shown by incorporating a polycrystalline microstructure.


The objective of this study is to investigate the environmental contamination realities and geochemical characteristics of groundwaters. Fifty two groundwater samples were collected and analyzed out of the urban, suburb and industrial areas in Kwangju city. The pH, Eh, EC (electric conductivity), TDS (total dissolved solid), DO (dissolved oxygen), ER (electric resistivity) and NaCI percentage were measured in the field and, ration elements such as K, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Fe, Sr, Al, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Se, Ge, Th and U were analyzed by GFAAS, AAS, ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Anions, F, Cl^-, Br^-, NO₃^- and SO₄^(2-) were analyzed by IC and the HCO₃^- contents are determined by titration with Phenolphthalein and Methyl red-brom cresol green. TDS vs Mg, Na, Ca, Cl^-, HCO₃^-, SO₄^(2-), U, hardness values were clearly related each other. At the urban site, the Eh, EC, TDS, Mg, Na, Ca, Cl^- and SO₄^(2-) values were higher and NO₃^-, Cr, Pb and Zn values were highist in the industrial groundwater. Most groundwater showed a calcium-bicarbonate-chloride dominating water quality type. On stability diagrams, Kwangju groundwater is included in the kaolinite stable area.


Seven of ten pedophiles in hospital completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled two-dose comparison of medroxyprogesterone acetate and cyproterone acetate. Sequential measures during the 28 week study were: patient self-reports, nurses' observations, phallometry, hormone levels and side-effects. The drugs, which performed equivalently, reduced sexual thoughts and fantasies, the frequency of early morning erections on awakening, the frequency and pleasure of masturbation, and level of sexual frustration. Penile responses were also reduced but to a lesser degree and were more variable. Serum testosterone FSH and LH all declined during drug administration, but by the end of the final placebo phase had essentially returned to (or exceeded) pre-drug values. Our experience suggests that only a minority of pedophiles are likely to accept libido-reducing drugs.


Given the need to develop and implement alternative renewable energy sources, this research was focused on using palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) as a raw material for biofuel production. A bench-scale plug flow reactor was designed and built and it was then used to carry out the thermal cracking experiments aimed at bio-oil production. For each experiment, the bio-oil products were characterized according to the acid value, refraction index, viscosity, and density and distillation curve. The results obtained from each experiment were compared with those for crude oil in order to identify the operation conditions that provide the best quality bio-oil. The bio-oil from each experiment was then fractionated using a distillation column, to produce bio-gasoline, bio-kerosene and green diesel. The distillation products were also characterized, based on the same properties evaluated for the bio-oil, and the results were compared with those for gasoline and diesel fuels. The results of this study show that it is possible to produce a bio-fuel based on bio-oil obtained from the thermal cracking of palm oil using a plug flow reactor, and the product is similar to crude oil, with the exception of the acid index value. With regard to the distillation curve, when compared with those for crude oil (Hungo and Cabinda blends) and its derivatives, good approximations are observed. The thermal cracking of palm oil can therefore be used as a technological strategy to obtain bio-oil and its derivatives and thereby reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.