The authors present a 51-year-old patient who was admitted to the neurosurgical department of the hospital because of paraparesis and vegetative disturbances. Myelography showed a complete lumbosacral stop. During surgery, large masses of Echinococcal cysts were removed from the extradural space. 20 months after the intervention, another operation became necessary because of a relapse. The fact is stressed that in spinal hydatidosis late relapses must be expected.


A development tool for research in the field of inverter technology is proposed. The system is divided in two parts: a power subsystem adapted to the application; and a generic FPGA and DSP-based control subsystem. At least four different applications are considered under the same hardware structure, all of them possible with minor changes in the electric circuit layout and specific software executed by a DSP, all controlled from a PC.


. The intensification of the development of society leads to significant changes in the education system. With the release of normative documents in preschool education, global changes have taken place aimed at developing technologies for the communicative development of children in various types of activities. The emphasis is on the development of universal educational skills, through the ability to independently find the necessary information using a variety of technologies and communication with peers and adults. The communicative development of preschool children is of great importance and is a strategic direction of Russian education. In the course of the study, theoretical (annotation, theoretical analysis, pedagogical modeling) and empirical research methods (studying the products of children's activities, studying preschool documentation, observation) were used. The types of children's activities aimed at the all-round development of the child have been determined. The communicative skills of a preschool child are systematized, the main features of the cognitive development of preschoolers are highlighted. The result of the study was the substantiation of the effectiveness of the use of lessons on cognitive activity on the development of communication skills of preschool children. Realizing the direction of the development of communication skills of preschool children through the use of cognitive activity, it is important to clearly think over the educational potential of a preschool organization.


The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) has recently commissioned the new Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS). The gain in brightness as well as the continuous development of beamline instruments boosts the beamline performances, in particular in terms of accelerated data acquisition. This has motivated the development of new access modes as an alternative to standard proposals for access to beamtime, in particular via the "block allocation group" (BAG) mode. Here, we present the recently implemented "historical materials BAG": a community proposal giving to 10 European institutes the opportunity for guaranteed beamtime at two X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) beamlines—ID13, for 2D high lateral resolution XRPD mapping, and ID22 for high angular resolution XRPD bulk analyses—with a particular focus on applications to cultural heritage. The capabilities offered by these instruments, the specific hardware and software developments to facilitate and speed-up data acquisition and data processing are detailed, and the first results from this new access are illustrated with recent applications to pigments, paintings, ceramics and wood.


Due to poor exploratory effort the offshore sedimentary basins of Pakistan still remain as frontier basins. Hydrocarbon occurrence in Pakistan offshore can be explained by (1) adequate thickness of marine sediments, (2) favourable tectonics and basin analogies, (3) hydrocarbon seeps/shows, and (4) favourable results of field and laboratory investigations in the adjoining coastal areas. The size of the hydrocarbon resource is estimated to fall between 14-16 billion barrels of oil (or equivalent gas). The single most reason of non-discovery of this hidden wealth is lack of exploratory effort.


We study the problem of detecting a structured, low-rank signal matrix corrupted with additive Gaussian noise. This includes clustering in a Gaussian mixture model, sparse PCA, and submatrix localization. Each of these problems is conjectured to exhibit a sharp information-theoretic threshold, below which the signal is too weak for any algorithm to detect. We derive upper and lower bounds on these thresholds by applying the first and second moment methods to the likelihood ratio between these "planted models" and null models where the signal matrix is zero. For sparse PCA and submatrix localization, we determine this threshold exactly in the limit where the number of blocks is large or the signal matrix is very sparse; for the clustering problem, our bounds differ by a factor √2 when the number of clusters is large. Moreover, our upper bounds show that for each of these problems there is a significant regime where reliable detection is information-theoretically possible but where known algorithms such as PCA fail completely, since the spectrum of the observed matrix is uninformative. This regime is analogous to the conjectured 'hard but detectable' regime for community detection in sparse graphs.


The authors present a broad overview of issues related to mental health in Canada. They offer evidence from physical sciences, clinical practice, and social sciences, thus examining mental health issues from a wide variety of perspectives. They have developed a good text for students, from the level of senior high school to postgraduate, who want to develop their understanding of mental health and its many issues. This book could also be useful for many professionals to remind them of the broader issues beyond their particular profession. Residents in family medicine or psychiatry could benefit since it is likely to open their eyes beyond any possible narrow professional view to more of a population health focus. To give some idea of the scope of the book, chapters include discussion of what is mental health, biological foundations, insights from social sciences, substance use, diagnostic systems and their problems, stigma, workplace mental health, children and youth, gender and sexuality, culture, mental health crises, treatment of mental disorders, and a description of services in Canada. This very broad spectrum is a major strength of this book. The book is written in an easy to read style, avoiding unnecessary jargon. This is perhaps the essence of good scientific writing, that complex scientific issues are made easily comprehensible to a general readership. This well-written, easy to read style makes this book easily accessible to those with no special knowledge of mental health. The 3 authors are to be congratulated on having managed to achieve a consistent style throughout the book. They have also managed to keep the book very up-to-date. The format of the book is unusual and interesting. Each chapter ends with a conclusion, followed by a helpful glossary of terms, a number of critical thinking questions that really focus on the main content of the chapter, and a short list of recommended readings and recommended websites, followed by a full reference list for that chapter. There are also numerous vignettes throughout the book. This format makes the book ideal for learning purposes, whether for the individual reader, a group or small seminar (perhaps the most useful format for study), or a larger class. This reviewer does not know of any other text that so comprehensively brings such a wide variety of mental health issues into clear focus and that is also very readable and entertaining. My only criticism is of some of the illustrations. There are numerous illustrations throughout the book, none in colour, and the black and white rendering is frequently not very attractive. In addition, in some instances, it is difficult to see the relevance of the illustration to the topic under discussion. This should not detract from the overall quality and relevance of this publication.


Unusual dimers with wide interplanar separations, that is, very long bonds with d(D) approximately 3.05 A, are common to the spontaneous self-association of various organic pi-radicals in solution and in the crystalline solid state, independent of whether they are derived from negatively charged anion radicals of planar electron acceptors (TCNE-*, TCNQ-*, DDQ-*, CA-*), positively charged biphenylene cation-radical (OMB+*), or neutral phenalene radical (PHEN*). All dimeric species are characterized by intense absorption bands in the near-IR region that are diagnostic of the charge-transfer transitions previously identified with intermolecular associations of various electron-donor/acceptor dyads. The extensive delocalizations of a pair of pi-electrons accord with the sizable values of (i) the enthalpies (-Delta H(D)) and entropies (-Delta S(D)) of pi-dimerization measured by quantitative UV-vis/EPR spectroscopies and (ii) the electronic coupling element H(ab) evaluated from the strongly allowed optical transitions, irrespective of whether the diamagnetic dimeric species bear a double-negative charge as in (TCNE)(2)(2-), (TCNQ)(2)(2-), (DDQ)(2)(2-), (CA)(2)(2-) or a double-positive charge as in (OMB)(2)(2+) or are uncharged as in (PHEN)(2). These long-bonded dimers persist in solution as well as in the solid state and suffer only minor perturbations with Delta d(D) < 10% from extra-dimer forces that may be imposed by counterion electrostatics, crystal packing, and so forth. The characteristic optical transitions in such diamagnetic two-electron dimers are shown to be related to those in the corresponding paramagnetic one-electron pimers of the same pi-radicals with their parent acceptor, both in general accord with Mulliken theory.


In this work we explore a variant of a classic explore/exploit dilemma based on a recent study by Shin and Ariely (2004). We presented participants with a scenario in which they were forced to explore among 9 different options of unknown value; for some, options left unexplored long enough disappeared. Contrary to expectations, the mere presence of additional options did not substantially increase people's ability to walk away from them. However, when options differed in value, people were able to locate the more valuable options and became much more willing to walk away from at least a few. Finally, our analysis of individual differences revealed that while people differ greatly in the strategies they approach the task with, almost every participant showed an "explore to exploit" shift over time.


This article examines the amateur photographer as a common figure in contemporary news photographs, focusing on how the amateur's gestures signify in journalism's coverage of media events. Drawing on theories of photography as performance and ritual, I argue that the presence of the non-professional in the news photograph destabilizes journalistic discourse by challenging the role of the professional photographer and by redefining the event and its meanings. This is especially critical in coverage of catastrophic events, when the amateur's gestures become a form of witnessing from a participant's perspective, carrying both private and collective meanings for how the event will be understood in the future, and undermining the authority of journalism.


Field studies were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate the efficacy of imidazolinone weed management systems and crop tolerance of imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) corn to imazapic. Imazapic (36 and 72 g/ha) was evaluated when applied PRE; early postemergence (EPOST), when corn was at the two- to three-leaf stage; and late postemergence (LPOST), when corn was at the six- to eight-leaf stage. Imazapyr + imazethapyr EPOST and metolachlor + atrazine followed by (fb) primisulfuron LPOST were evaluated as commercial standards. Imazapic at 36 g/ha EPOST controlled johnsongrass, Texas panicum, smellmelon, and ivyleaf and entireleaf morningglory at least 93% when adequate rainfall occurred. Devil's claw was controlled at least 85% with imazapic EPOST or LPOST at either rate. Imazapic at 36 g/ha EPOST and LPOST controlled eclipta 88 and 91%, respectively. Yellow nutsedge was controlled >91% with imazapic LPOST, which was superior to imazapic applied EPOST. Broadleaf signalgrass was controlled 94% with imazapic at 72 g/ha LPOST, which was significantly higher than other herbicide treatments. Imazapic at 36 and 72 g/ha applied PRE under moisture stress resulted in reduced weed control; but when adequate rainfall occurred, weed control was generally similar to that of EPOST and LPOST applications. Imazapic crop response at 72, 105, 140, and 211 g/ha applied at EPOST and LPOST was evaluated in two IT corn hybrids. Crop response varied with soil and environmental conditions and application timings. Imazapic at 72, 105, and 140 g/ha EPOST resulted in crop injury 33 to 55% at 6 wk after planting (WAP) in a coarse soil; however, crop injury decreased to <20% at 12 WAP. Low crop injury (<9%) was observed at 12 WAP in a clay soil. Imazapic applied LPOST resulted in lower crop injury than EPOST application. Corn plant height and yield were not affected by any imazapic treatment. Nomenclature: Imazapic; imazapyr; imazethapyr; atrazine; metolachlor; primisulfuron; ivyleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq. #3 IPOHE; entireleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea var. integriuscula Gray # IPOHE; smellmelon, Cucumis melo (L.) var. dudaim Naud. # CUMMD; Texas panicum, Panicum texanum Buckl. # PANTE; johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. # SORHA; devil's-claw, Proboscidea louisianica (Mill.) Thellung # PROLO; eclipta, Eclipta prostrata L. # ECLAL; yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. # CYPES; broadleaf signalgrass, Brachiaria platyphylla (Griseb.) Nash # BRAPP; corn, Zea mays L., 'Garst 8326IT', 'Garst 8396IT', 'Cargill 7994IT', 'Garst 8222IT'. Additional index words: Crop response, application timings. Abbreviations: EPOST, early postemergence; fb, followed by; IR, imidazolinone-resistant; IT, imidazolinone-tolerant; LPOST, late postemergence; TAES, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Field Laboratory; TP, TP Farms; WAP, weeks after planting.


Along with insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), lean first-degree relatives of T2D subjects (FDR) feature impaired adipogenesis in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and subcutaneous adipocyte hypertrophy well before diabetes onset. The molecular mechanisms linking these events have only partially been clarified. In the present report, we show that silencing of the transcription factor Homeobox A5 (HOXA5) in human preadipocytes impaired differentiation in mature adipose cells in vitro. The reduced adipogenesis was accompanied by inappropriate WNT-signaling activation. Importantly, in preadipocytes from FDR individuals, HOXA5 expression was attenuated, with hypermethylation of the HOXA5 promoter region found responsible for its downregulation, as revealed by luciferase assay. Both HOXA5 gene expression and DNA methylation were significantly correlated with SAT adipose cell hypertrophy in FDR, whose increased adipocyte size marks impaired adipogenesis. In preadipocytes from FDR, the low HOXA5 expression negatively correlated with enhanced transcription of the WNT signaling downstream genes NFATC1 and WNT2B. In silico evidence indicated that NFATC1 and WNT2B were directly controlled by HOXA5. The HOXA5 promoter region also was hypermethylated in peripheral blood leukocytes from these same FDR individuals, which was further revealed in peripheral blood leukocytes from an independent group of obese subjects. Thus, HOXA5 controlled adipogenesis in humans by suppressing WNT signaling. Altered DNA methylation of the HOXA5 promoter contributed to restricted adipogenesis in the SAT of lean subjects who were FDR of type 2 diabetics and in obese individuals.


Recently, sensors that can imitate human skin have received extensive attention. Capacitive sensors have a simple structure, low loss, no temperature drift, and other excellent properties, and can be applied in the fields of robotics, human–machine interactions, medical care, and health monitoring. Polymer matrices are commonly employed in flexible capacitive sensors because of their high flexibility. However, their volume is almost unchanged when pressure is applied, and they are inherently viscoelastic. These shortcomings severely lead to high hysteresis and limit the improvement in sensitivity. Therefore, considerable efforts have been applied to improve the sensing performance by designing different microstructures of materials. Herein, two types of sensors based on the applied forces are discussed, including pressure sensors and strain sensors. Currently, five types of microstructures are commonly used in pressure sensors, while four are used in strain sensors. The advantages, disadvantages, and practical values of the different structures are systematically elaborated. Finally, future perspectives of microstructures for capacitive sensors are discussed, with the aim of providing a guide for designing advanced flexible and stretchable capacitive sensors via ingenious human‐made microstructures.


ABSTRACT An, P., 2018. Path optimization method of autonomous intelligent obstacle avoidance for multi-joint submarine robot. In: Ashraf, M.A. and Chowdhury, A.J.K. (eds.), Coastal Ecosystem Responses to Human and Climatic Changes throughout Asia. A multi-joint submarine robot could not avoid obstacles in real time under the complex environment of the seafloor. To address this problem, a method for path optimization of autonomous intelligent obstacle avoidance by the multi-joint submarine robot was proposed. First, a kinematic analysis of the multi-joint submarine robot was carried out. The joint space interpolation algorithm was used for trajectory planning of its robotic arm. The partial identification samples at the starting point and the target point part were set. A similarity matrix was used for assigning unlabeled samples, and all labeled samples were given to a support vector machine. A genetic algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of the support vector machines. The experimental result shows that the proposed method realizes the requirement of autonomous intelligent real-time obstacle avoidance and the path is the shortest.


The rate at which crimes are committed in our society these days has become an issue that every government and the society in general have to be concerned with. Stolen of vehicle has increased tremendously and at times such vehicle are been used in committing criminal activities such as armed robbery, kidnapping and of recent insurgency as it is been witness in some part of Nigeria. In view of these challenges, adequate records of stolen, identified and recovered vehicle were not readily available and as such very important. The development of vehicle movement notification and location is one of the solutions to vehicles owner in order to ensure speedy notification, identification and recovery of their vehicles and as well as reduce criminal activities in the society. The system made used of a developed application, installed in a mobile phone device which was embedded in a vehicle to notify the owner whenever an unauthorized user attempted to start the vehicle. A mobile phone was used to communicate with the vehicle owner where the user sent SMS to communicate with the mobile phone sensor in the vehicle. A web application was also developed to determine the real-time vehicle location and as well as database information system of found or missing vehicle. The results obtained after implementation showed that the developed system was effective and could be deployed and used as a cheaper mean of preventing vehicle from been used or stolen by unauthorised individuals. The developed system provided real-time information on the tested-missing and found vehicles for record and documentation purposes.Keywords: Identification, Location, Notification, Record, Security, Theft


Aims: Soil fungi are crucial drivers of log decomposition in forest ecosystems. The objective of this study was thus to assess the conservation roles of decaying logs on soil fungi.Methods: Five classes of decaying Minjiang fir (Abies faxoniana) logs were incubated on the forest floor in a subalpine coniferous forest on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, and the fungal communities compositions of the soil under decaying logs were assessed using high-throughput sequencing. Results: A total of 4321 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected by Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were dominant phyla regardless of log decay classes. With the log decomposition, the proportion of arbuscular mycorrhiza, wood saprotroph and saprotroph increased, but that of ectomycorrhiza decreased. Moreover, the diversity of soil fungal communities also increased along the decomposing process of logs. The decaying logs significantly altered soil fungal community composition by affecting biochemical properties (e.g. pH and concentrations of microbial biomass nitrogen and total phosphorus) and environmental factors (e.g. soil water content). Conclusion: Different decay classes of logs favor special fungal species, implying that the logs conservation with different decay classes in the forest ecosystem is of great significance for improving the diversity of soil fungi.


Homogeneous benzoylation of cellulose with a series of substituted benzoyl chlorides, in which substituents varied from electron donating to electron withdrawing groups, was investigated in an ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl). The electronic effect of substituents had a considerable effect on the reaction. A plot of Hammett parameters of substituents vs. degree of substitution (DS) of resultant cellulose esters exhibited a V-shaped graph: a negative slope for negative Hammett parameters, and a positive slope for positive Hammett parameters. Such a Hammett plot indicated the mechanism of cellulose benzoylation: the reaction underwent a unimolecular ionization mechanism with a carbocationic intermediate when benzoyl chlorides were with electron-donating substituents, and a bimolecular addition–elimination mechanism with a tetrahedral intermediate when benzoyl chlorides were with electron-withdrawing substituents. In addition, 13C-NMR analysis showed that most of the substituted benzoyl chlorides exclusively preferred the primary hydroxyl at the C-6 position. This unusually high regioselectivity was attributed to the synergistic effect of appropriate reaction rate, moderate steric effect and reaction mechanism of benzoylation.


Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19 infection at birth and the impact of the mode of delivery on the prognosis of these patients. Material and Methods: This is a multicenter observational study including pregnant women delivering while infected with COVID-19 from January 2021 to June 2022 in 3 regions in the south of Tunisia. To assess the impact of the mode of delivery among patients included, they were divided into 2 groups: The maternal and fetal outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between the mode of delivery and maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Results: We included 201 patients: 129 cesarean deliveries and 72 vaginal deliveries. Demographic parameters and the severity of COVID-19 signs before delivery were comparable in both groups. We noted higher rates of increased need for oxygen, maternal complications, and intensive care unit referral in the cesarean group (p<0.001).Cesarean birth was significantly associated with the risk of clinical deterioration (aOR=12.9, 95% CI: 4.89 – 34.4, p<0.001), maternal death (aOR= 3.84, 95% CI: 0.839 – 17.5, p=0.042), and an increased risk of neonatal intensive care unit admission (aOR=3.72; 95%CI: 1.63 – 8.48, with p= 0.001). Conclusions: Cesarean delivery may worsen the prognosis of pregnant women with COVID-19. It was also associated with adverse fetal outcomes.


Itoccurred to me at the 'time that the pregnancy might well have been a dual one, i.e., ovarian and intrauterine simultaneously, and I regret not having sent the tissue obtained by curettage for histologie examination. At laparotomy we omitted to search for foetus or foetal sac, since we had assumed that we were concerned with a case of common ectopic pregnancy. After the removal of blood from the abdominal cavity we proceeded to examine the tubes in search of the cause of bleeding, without paying much attention to clots. Unfortunately the histological report was received after the curettage had been done, which is why the supposed placenta was not sent for a histological examination.-I am, etc.,


Rapid population growth is one of the major contributing factors to the poverty and under-development of Third World countries--especially African countries, which boast the highest population growth rates in the world. Several factors are responsible for the rapid growth: a drop in mortality rates, a young population, improved standards of living, and attitudes and practices which favor high fertility. Africans view large families as an economic asset and as a symbol of worth and honor, and parents see it as security during old age. The ideal family size in Africa is 5 to 7 children. Because of its complex causes, curbing the rapid growth is not easy. In addition to strategic difficulties, population policies usually meet opposition, often from religious groups. So in order to gain acceptance, population programs need to be integrated with ongoing community development programs. Even though it often engenders opposition, family planning is more crucial then ever, as the rapid population growth continues to create an explosive situation. Rapid growth has led to uncontrolled urbanization, which has produced overcrowding, destitution, crime, pollution, and political turmoil. Rapid growth has outstripped increases in food production, and population pressure has led to the overuse of arable land and its destruction. Rapid growth has also hampered economic development and caused massive unemployment. 45% of Kenya's labor force is unemployed. Ultimately, rapid growth has undermined the quality of life of people. Society's responsibility extends beyond simply ensuring the survival of the population. Society must strive to provide people with a good life--one with dignity.


We present a quantitative analysis of the low-temperature, high parallel-field pairing resonance in ultrathin superconducting Al films with dimensionless conductance g1. In this regime we derive an analytical expression for the tunneling density-of-states spectrum from which a variety of normal-state spin parameters can be extracted. We show that by fitting tunneling data at several supercritical parallel magnetic fields we can determine all of the relevant parameters that have traditionally been obtained via fits to tunneling data in the superconducting phase. These include the spin-orbit scattering rate, the antisymmetric Landau parameter G 0 , and the orbital pair-breaking parameter.


In Australia in 1988, Linda Kirkman gestated a baby for her sister, Maggie Kirkman (conceived using Maggie's ovum and IVF). During the pregnancy, a variety of means were used to stimulate lactation. After the birth, several women donated breastmilk as supplements to Maggie's supply. The paper discusses not only the induction of lactation, but the cooperation of women, that enabled a baby to be fed breastmilk exclusively for her first four months.


Isotopic analyses are increasingly used to assess the structure of food webs and a series of isotopic functional indices have been proposed in the last decade to characterize this structure. These indices are based on the foundational assumption that proximity in the isotopic space informs on trophic similarity between species. While it has been recognized for long that this simplifying assumption should be used with caution, no formal evaluation of its domain of validity has been performed to date. We here simulate a large number (15,000) of food webs with varying characteristics to assess i) whether isotopic distance is a good proxy of trophic dissimilarity; ii) whether isotopic functional indices are good proxies of trophic functional properties; and iii) how the quality of these two proxies depend on various species and food web properties. We first demonstrate that isotopic distance is moderately correlated with trophic similarity in simulated food webs. We find however that two isotopic community metrics investigated (Rao's index of functional divergence and NND index of functional originality) are good indicators of community trophic structure, especially in food webs with large connectance, and when predators have low levels of diet specialization. We also find that isotopic functional indices are decreasingly reliable as they aim at characterizing more subtle functional patterns (such as sdNND, an index of between species variation in originality). Taken together, our results suggest that the reliability of the isotopic mapping of consumers decreases with their number of potential prey species, but increases with their number of realized prey species. Consequently, isotopic reliability decreases in species-rich food webs with low connectance, large vertical diversity and large incidence of omnivory. Our study highlights that researchers should not hope to grasp subtle patterns of food web structure based solely on widely used isotopic indices...


Resuming earlier work, this study explores the circulation mechanisms of rainfall variations in Central America and the Caribbean during 1921–1986. Regarding interannual variability, correlation analysis shows as favourable for abundant rainfall in the region warm surface waters, low pressure, upward motion, and weak tradewinds on the Atlantic side and over the eastern Pacific enhanced southerlies and a northward displaced intertropical convergence zone. In the course of the twentieth century, the region experienced alternations between protracted and contrastingly extreme regimes of rainfall, from wet 1931–1938 to dry 1939–1947 to wet 1950–1956 to dry 1971–1978. Changes in circulation patterns from the dry to the wet regimes are in the sense of correlations in interannual variability, pattern changes being broadly inverse in the evolution from the wet to the dry regimes. The alternations between contrasting circulation and rainfall regimes are reflected in changing lake levels. The study exemplifies the information value of a novel circulation data set. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society


Gas mixing in a tall narrow fluidized bed operated in the slugging fluidization regime is simulated with the aid of computational fluid dynamics. In the first part, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of various parameters on the gas mixing. Among the parameters studied, the specularity coefficient for the partial-slip solid-phase wall boundary condition had the most significant effect on gas mixing. It was found that the solid-phase wall boundary condition needs to be specified with great care when gas mixing is modeled, with free slip, partial slip and no-slip wall boundary conditions giving substantial differences in the extent of gas back mixing. Axial and radial tracer concentration profiles for different operating conditions are generally in good agreement with experimental data from the literature. Detailed analyses of tracer back mixing are carried out in the second part. Two parameters, the tracer backflow fraction and overall gas backflow fraction, in addition to axial profiles of cross-sectional averaged tracer concentrations, are evaluated for different flow conditions. Qualitative trends are consistent with reported experimental findings. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010


The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding about the processing of syntax
in the brain and/or mind of speakers. The focus is specifically on the neural signature of the processing of tense features and of agreement features on the one hand, and on the neural signature of the stage that arguably antecedes the processing of tense features and of agreement features on the other. Neuroimaging studies of the last two decades or so have come to establish that parts of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) are responsible for syntactic computing proper, and that the left posterior middle/superior temporal gyrus (MTG/STG) appear to be in charge of the projection of phrase structure. Based upon such findings, I defend the convenience of establishing specific goals or tasks that can contribute to their refinement, and that can lead to the acknowledgment of the topography and timing of neural activity at the very first stages of the processing of a sentence.


We find a first order transition driven by the strength of non-equilibrium conditions of one-dimensional driven open condensates. Associated with this transition is a new stable non-equilibrium phase, space-time vortex turbulence, whose vortex density and quasiparticle distribution show strongly non-thermal behavior. Below the transition, we identify a new time scale associated with noise activated unbound space-time vortices, beyond which the temporal coherence function changes from a Kardar-Parisi-Zhang type subexponential to a disordered exponential decay. Experimental realization of the non-equilibrium vortex turbulent phase is facilitated in driven open condensates with a large diffusion rate.


AIM
To investigate the effects of our tumor vaccines on reversing immune tolerance and generating therapeutic response.

METHODS
Vaccines were synthesized by solid phase using an Fmoc strategy, where a small molecule toll-like receptor-7 agonist (T7) was conjugated to a monoclonal gastric cancer 7 antigen mono-epitope (T7-MG1) or tri-epitope (T7-MG3). Cytokines were measured in both mouse bone marrow dendritic cells and mouse spleen lymphocytes after exposed to the vaccines. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally immunized with the vaccines every 2 wk for a total of three times, and then subcutaneously challenged with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. Three weeks later, the mice were killed, and the tumors were surgically removed and weighed. Serum samples were collected from the mice, and antibody titers were determined by ELISA using an alkaline phosphate-conjugated detection antibody for total IgG. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity was detected by the lactate dehydrogenase method using natural killer cells as effectors and antibody-labeled EAC cells as targets. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities were also detected by the lactate dehydrogenase method using lymphocytes as effectors and EAC cells as targets.

RESULTS
Vaccines were successfully synthesized and validated by analytical high performance liquid chromatography and electrospray mass spectrometry, including T7, T7-MG1, and T7-MG3. Rapid inductions of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-12 in bone marrow dendritic cells and interferon γ and interleukin-12 in lymphocytes occurred in vitro after T7, T7-MG1, and T7-MG3 treatment. Immunization with T7-MG3 reduced the EAC tumor burden in BALB/c mice to 62.64% ± 5.55% compared with PBS control (P < 0.01). Six or nine weeks after the first immunization, the monoclonal gastric cancer 7 antigen antibody increased significantly in the T7-MG3 group compared with the PBS control (P < 0.01). As for antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, antisera obtained by immunization with T7-MG3 were able to markedly enhance cell lysis compared to PBS control (31.58% ± 2.94% vs 18.02% ± 2.26%; P < 0.01). As for cytotoxic T lymphocytes, T7-MG3 exhibited obviously greater cytotoxicity compared with PBS control (40.92% ± 4.38% vs 16.29% ± 1.90%; P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
A successful method is confirmed for the design of gastric cancer vaccines by chemical conjugation of T7 and multi-repeat-epitope of monoclonal gastric cancer 7 antigen.


Renewable power capacity is increasing globally in response to energy decarbonisation, with solar photovoltaic (PV) projected to be the dominant renewable. A significant proportion of solar PV is deployed as ground-mounted solar parks with potential implications for the hosting ecosystem. Given their relatively rapid introduction, the impacts on land use and the local environment are poorly understood. However, if deployed and managed strategically, solar parks could offer unique opportunities to enhance the local environment and benefit biodiversity, with implications for ecosystem components such as pollinators. With a focus on north-west Europe, we systematically review the available evidence on how land management practices relevant to solar parks can enhance pollinator biodiversity. We assessed 185 articles for the quantity and agreement of evidence for 27 management interventions and assigned a confidence score to each finding. We show that a range of interventions applied to solar parks could increase their ability to enhance pollinator biodiversity. We then use our assessment to synthesise ten evidence-based recommendations on how to improve solar park management for pollinators by providing foraging and reproductive resources, undergoing considered management practices, increasing landscape heterogeneity and connectivity and providing microclimatic variation. Ensuring beneficial management of rapidly growing solar parks contributes to their wider environmental sustainability, with positive implications for both pollinator conservation and the energy sector in general.


Pathogenesis of serous discharge from the nipples of the breast is complex and includes the following components: hormonal imbalance as a backdrop, stimulating increased secretion in the ducts of serous content, resorption of the liquid component of a secret, resulting in local pathological effects of protein resorption, hormone content, autoimmune reactions ductless with subsequent development of proliferative processes in them. Under adverse conditions, infection occurs from an external or internal source of microorganisms. The presence of fluid in the ducts, mammary system ductal communication with the external environment, is an "open gate" for content ductal infection of the mammary glands. This creates the prerequisites for the development of proliferative processes in the first phase of the inflammatory origin. Application of 194 women with serous secretions from the nipples of the breast combined combinations of enzymes, glucocorticoids, progestogens, gonadoliberins and other agonists, suppress the proliferation of drugs that helped to put an end to abnormal secretion and prevent changes in the walls of the ducts and periductal breast tissue at different stages of disease.


Background: Corona virus infection is a respiratory infection, compromising the normal breathing in critical patients by damaging the lungs. Researches are ongoing to find an efficient treatment strategy for this disease by either inactivating the virus or boosting the immune system of patient or by managing the cytokine storm. Aim: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of Substance P receptor Neurokinin 1 antagonist in Covid 19 patients against the usual treatments as controls. Patients and Methods: It is a randomized clinical trial, open label, having two arms, one receiving normal management and care while other receiving Neurokinin 1 Receptor antagonist, Aprepitant, in addition. Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid is also administered orally to both the groups. PCR positive, hospitalized patients with more than 18 years of age, both genders, moderate to critical phase were included. 18 patients were randomly allocated in both arms, having 10 in group A and 8 in group B. Lab investigations were performed in both the groups before and after the intervention. We report preliminary results for the comparison of Aprepitant 80 mg given once daily for 3 to 5 days vs routine management. The primary outcome was total in hospital days and duration of disease. Results: Mean age of patients in group A was 47.63 +12.07years while 60.90+ 9.75 years in group B. There were 3 males in group A and 8 in group B. There were 2 critical patients in group A and 5 in group B. Biochemical and hematological parameters in both groups didnot show much difference except the C reactive protein reduction in the intervention group, indicative of a reduced inflammation. Oxygen saturation also improved but more patients should be enrolled to get a statistically significant data. One patient was discharged from each group within 5 days and one patient expired in each. Conclusions: It is a pilot study but the findings give a strong clue for the therapeutic potential of Aprepitant. Patients who received a combination therapy of Aprepitant and Dexamethasone were recovered earlier and showed improved clinical outcomes, laboratory findings and reduced C reactive protein which is an inflammatory marker. We suggest here a study on larger sample size to get a deeper insight of its potential and efficacy. It may be more effective in severe to critical patients having respiratory difficulties.


A chemical study of the laterite profile developed over basalts in the Hazaridadar plateau in Madhya Pradesh, India, is presented, based on data obtained from intensive exploration. In ascending order the profile consists of lithomarge (saprolite), laterite, and bauxite with laterite.The formation of the profile essentially involves desilication and hydration. In absolute terms there is no major gain or loss in TiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 . Judging from the chemical character of the different zones, the profile has been evolved by gradual in situ weathering of basic rocks under favorable conditions.It is postulated that the profile has been developed in three distinct stages. First, formation of lithomarge (by partial desilication and hydration) has been followed next by the formation of a laterite horizon with a fixed composition in terms of Al 2 O 3 + Fe 2 O 3 . Desilication is more or less complete in this stage. Finally, differential leaching of Al 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 and the downward migration of the latter have resulted in the formation of a zone of bauxite within the laterite at the top and another of laterite at the bottom, the latter showing evidence of deposition of secondary Fe 2 O 3 . Zones favoring free movement of water in the top levels of the laterite are suggested as favorable horizons for enrichment in Al 2 O 3 .


Abstract:Elia Benamozegh (1823–1900)—Italian rabbi, kabbalist, publisher, and thinker of Moroccan descent who lived in the Tuscan port city of Livorno—is known for his copious writings in Hebrew, Italian, and French encompassing exegetical, historical, and philosophical studies and especially for his posthumous magnum opus, Israel and Humanity. Eager to foster religious unity across faiths, demonstrate Jewish universalism, and fight against secularism, he inspired Christian-Jewish encounters in twentieth-century France. This article is the first study of Benamozegh's work as a publisher, revealing the deep significance of his ties with the Mashriq and Maghrib. The scope of Benamozegh's publications and the contentious reception of his work provide an opportunity to reexamine important yet less studied aspects of modern Jewish thought, including the dynamics of modern Sephardi thought and self-representation and the intellectual, transnational networks that spanned the Mediterranean and the Middle East in an age of nationalism and colonialism.


BACKGROUND: Percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy (PTR) is a widely used procedure for trigeminal neuralgia. However, comprehensive analyses that combine anatomic, radiological, and surgical considerations are rare. OBJECTIVE: To present high-quality anatomic dissections and radiological studies that highlight the technical nuances of this procedure. METHODS: Six silicon-injected postmortem heads underwent PTR. The surgical corridors were dissected, and the neurovascular relationships were studied. In addition, 20 dried human skulls and 50 computed tomography angiography and MRI scans were collected to study the anatomic relationships for a customized puncture corridor. RESULTS: The PTR corridor was divided into 3 segments: the buccal segment (length, 34.76 ± 7.20 mm), the inferior temporal fossa segment (length, 42.06 ± 6.92 mm), and the Meckel cave segment (length, 24.75 ± 3.34 mm). The puncture sagittal (α) and axial (β) angles measured in this study were 38.32° ± 4.62° and 19.13° ± 2.82°, respectively. The precondylar reference line coincided with the foramen ovale in 75% of the computed tomography angiography scans, and the postcondylar line coincided with the carotid canal in 70% of the computed tomography angiography scans; these lines serve as the intraoperative landmarks for PTR. The ovale-carotid-pterygoid triangle, delineated by drawing a line from the foramen ovale to the carotid canal and the lateral pterygoid plate, is a distinguished landmark to use for avoiding neurovascular injury during fluoroscopy. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the anatomic and radiological features of PTR is essential for a successful surgery, and a customized technical flow is a safe and effective way to access the foramen ovale.


Multiple histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are approved for use as single agents in hematological cancers, including T-cell lymphomas and multiple myeloma. However, these compounds have failed to address unmet needs in other hematological malignancies and solid tumors, due in part to the promiscuous inhibitory properties of pan inhibitors, a lack of suitable therapeutic indices for combination therapy, and, in some cases, a non-oral route of administration. Of the approved agents, romidepsin is the most potent and selective, but is limited by its need for IV infusion and therapeutic index. With these challenges in mind, our team designed OKI-179, a novel, oral pro-drug analog of largazole, a compound reminiscent of the romidepsin-depsipeptide class of natural products. OKI-179 demonstrates potent inhibition of the Class 1 HDACs, HDAC 1,2,3 (IC50 = 1.2, 2.4, 2.0 nM, respectively), with no significant inhibition of Class IIa HDACs. It shows potent antiproliferative and apoptotic effects against a wide range of cell lines, activity in xenograft cancer models, and good oral PK properties in mouse, rat and dog models. OKI-179 inhibits the growth in mice of colorectal (HCT-116) and triple negative breast (MDA-MB-231) xenograft models potently and dose-dependently as a single agent. OKI-179 potently and dose-dependently causes the upregulation of MHC Class 1 in B16F10 murine melanoma cells; patients with low MHC presentation respond poorly to checkpoint inhibitors. Importantly, the combination of OKI-179 and a murine anti-PD1 agent demonstrates significant synergistic tumor growth inhibition in the syngeneic CT26 murine CRC model and in a genetic model of DLBCL. OKI-179 is currently being investigated in a first-in-human phase 1 dose-escalation trial, with the goals of determining safety, MTD, RP2D, PK, PD, and preliminary efficacy signals. In the first dosing cohorts, the drug was well-tolerated, achieved good exposure following oral administration, and preliminary signs of on-target PD effects were observed. An update of the clinical experience will be presented and discussed, along with translational data that will guide subsequent clinical development. Citation Format: Jennifer R Diamond, Jodi A Kagihara, Xuedong Liu, Gilad Gordon, Amy M Heim, James Winkler, John A DeMattei, Anthony D Piscopio, S. Gail Eckhardt. OKI-179 is a novel, oral, class I specific histone deacetylase inhibitor in phase 1 clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B007. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B007


Objective Identification of predictive factors for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) failure in pediatric patients. Methods Prospective observational study performed in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in a University Hospital. Eighty-seven patients who received NIV were included. Clinical data collected were respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR) and FiO2 before NIV began. The same data and inspiratory (IP) and expiratory (EP) pressures were collected at 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. Conditions precipitating respiratory failure were classified into two groups: type 1 ARF (hypoxemic) − 29 episodes; and type 2 ARF (hypercapnic) − 58 episodes. Factors predicting NIV failure were determined by multivariate analysis. Results NIV success rate was 86.2% (72.4% in type 1 and 93.1% in type 2). Type 1 ARF patients showed a higher risk of NIV failure compared to type 2 ARF (OR 16.988; 95% CI 2.895 to 99.669). A lower RR before starting NIV (OR 0.929; 95% CI 0.869 to 0.994), and a lower RR decrease (at 1 hour and at 6 hours; OR 0.907; 95% CI 0.832 to 0.989 and OR 0.895; 95% CI 0.895 to 0.992, respectively) were also independently associated with NIV failure. Conclusions NIV has a high success rate in pediatric patients. Type 1 group classification, lower RR before starting NIV, and lower RR decrease during NIV were independent risk factors for NIV failure.


This study was about economics of small scale irrigation schemes funded by TASAF. The study was conducted at the Mkindo irrigation scheme in Mvomero District, Morogoro. The main objective of the study was to analyze the economic viability and determine the impact of the irrigation scheme on household income and food security. Specifically study: (i) analyzed the economic viability of the irrigation scheme; (ii) determined the impact of the irrigation scheme on household income and income distribution and (iii) determined the impact of the irrigation scheme on household food security. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to random samples of 80 households practicing irrigation at Mkindo and 80 households depending on rainfed agriculture at Dakawa. Cost Benefit analysis and with and without approaches were employed to determine economic viability and impact respectively. The calculated NPV, BCR and IRR values were TZS 2 396 687 745, 5.56 and 16.0% respectively. The average household income for irrigators was significantly (p<0.005) higher than that of non irrigators. The Gini coefficients for irrigators and non-irrigators were found to be 0.386 and 0.496 respectively. Amount of food consumed or stored from own produced food by irrigators was not significant (p>0.005), compared to non irrigators, the number of month which a household was able to feed themselves from own produced food was significantly (p<0.005) higher for irrigators than non irrigators and irrigators households were having significantly (p<0.005) more meals per day than nonirrigators. The regression results indicate that irrigation practice to be one of the factors significantly affects crop yield positively. These suggest that it is worthwhile for the government and development partners to support small scale irrigation schemes in the country. However the support should be accompanied by promoting use of fertilizers because they complement each other.


PURPOSE
To determine whether improvement in postchemotherapy fatigue following acupuncture treatment is substantial enough to warrant a controlled trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We accrued patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center who had completed cytotoxic chemotherapy but experienced persisting fatigue. Patients with severe anemia, clinical depression, or Karnofsky performance status score less than 70 were excluded. Thirty-seven patients were registered in two cohorts; 31 provided follow-up data. Patients received acupuncture either twice per week for 4 weeks (25 patients) or once per week for 6 weeks (12 patients). The primary end point was change in score on the Brief Fatigue Inventory between baseline and 2 weeks after the final treatment. A baseline Brief Fatigue Inventory score of four or greater was an eligibility requirement for the trial.

RESULTS
Patients had completed cytotoxic chemotherapy an average of more than 2 years previously. Baseline fatigue scores were high, with approximately half of the sample scoring in the "severe" range. Mean improvement following acupuncture was 31.1% (95% CI, 20.6% to 41.5%), meeting our prespecified criterion for declaring acupuncture worthy of further study. Increasing age was associated with poorer response and failure to complete the study. There was no important difference in improvement following once-weekly and twice-weekly treatments.

CONCLUSION
Acupuncture is worthy of further study in the treatment of postchemotherapy fatigue.


Background: Direct traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) carries a poor prognosis. However, the outcome of this injury is diverse and is related to time to treatment and treatment protocol.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of the combined treatment protocol in patients with direct TON.

Materials and Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients between January 2015 and August 2019. Main outcome was visual acuity (VA) improvement after the treatment.

Results: Thirteen patients (15 eyes) were included. The mean age was 38.61 years with a range of 13 to 65 years. Initial VA varied from no light perception (NPL) in seven eyes of six patients, light perception (PL) in one eye, counting fingers in two eyes, 20/200 in three eyes, and 20/60 in two eyes. Average timing to treatment was 2.8 days (range 0 to 7 days). There were no side effects of high-dose corticosteroids treatment in all patients. During a follow-up period of three months, six of 13 patients (46.1%) had VA improvement.

Conclusion: Despite poor prognosis of direct TON, the combined treatment protocol provides a favorable successful rate with most patients on having stable vision, and some having visual improvement from reducing intracanalicular pressure of the optic nerve.

Keywords: Endoscopic optic nerve decompression; Traumatic optic neuropathy; Visual acuity; Case series


ABSTRACT In this article, we evaluate ethnic solidarity and the vote in Chile with reference to the Mapuche, the largest and most traditional ethnic group in the country. We use electoral data from the mayoral elections of 2012, drawn from all the municipalities of the Araucanía, the region with the largest percentage of Mapuche population. Using a multi-level linear regression model and controlling for poverty and rurality, we found that Mapuche candidates, regardless of their political orientation, were indeed more successful than non-Mapuche candidates in areas with the greatest concentration of Mapuche voters. Additionally, we used results from an unpublished opinion survey conducted in three municipalities of the Araucanía. We concluded that after controlling for other variables ethnic solidarity prevails as a robust predictor of electoral behaviour, albeit more strongly in rural areas than urban ones. The Chilean case, moreover, is useful for studying the strategies used by the traditional parties that promote this solidarity – that is, by presenting candidates with Mapuche surnames in their lists.


A hyperspectral cube consists of a set of images taken at numerous wavelengths. Hyperspectral image data analysis uses each material's distinctive patterns of reflection, absorption and emission of electromagnetic energy at specific wavelengths for classification or detection tasks. Because of the size of the hyperspectral cube, data reduction is definitely advantageous; when doing this, one wishes to maintain high performances with the least number of bands. Obviously in such a case, the choice of the bands will be critical. In this paper, we will consider one particular algorithm, the adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) for the detection of point targets. We give a quantitative interpretation of the dependence of the algorithm on the number and identity of the bands that have been chosen. Results on simulated data will be presented.


In order to understand how transnational exchanges have evolved and how a home video market has been organized in France, this paper tries to trace a history of the beginnings of the VHS industry from the late 1970s to the early 2000s. We will focus on three phases of market development to show how pricing strategy and short-term development prospects damage the image of the product and perceived quality of Japanese cartoons. After a first period, in which anime seem to be treated as non-significant cultural by-products, during the second phase of growing the market is intensified by the activity of amateurs through the creation of distribution networks. They tried to change the image of the product using different methods of legitimation. But in the third era, the rapid collapse of the market is favour by overproduction and the technological transition from the VHS to DVD, and because of the dumping of prices, the cartoon is once again considered a cheap product.


Abstract. The Pursley-Sarwate criterion of a pair of finite complexvalued sequences measures the collective smallness of the aperiodic autocorrelations and the aperiodic crosscorrelations of the two sequences. It is known that this quantity is always at least 1 with equality if and only if the sequence pair is a Golay pair. We exhibit pairs of complex-valued sequences whose entries have unit magnitude for which the PursleySarwate criterion tends to 1 as the sequence length tends to infinity. Our constructions use different carefully chosen Chu sequences.


Biofilms are the dominant form of microbial loading (and organic material) within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), yet our understanding of DWDS microbiomes is focused on the more easily accessible bulk-water. Disinfectant residuals are commonly provided to manage planktonic microbial activity in DWDS to safeguard water quality and public health, yet the impacts on the biofilm microbiome are largely unknown. We report results from a full-scale DWDS facility used to develop biofilms naturally, under one of three chlorine concentrations: Low, Medium, or High. Increasing the chlorine concentration reduced the bacterial concentration within the biofilms but quantities of fungi were unaffected. The chlorine regime was influential in shaping the community structure and composition of both taxa. There were microbial members common to all biofilms but the abundance of these varied such that at the end of the Growth phase the communities from each regime were distinct. Alpha-, Beta-, and Gamma-proteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial classes; Sordariomycetes, Leotiomycetes, and Microbotryomycetes were the most abundant classes of fungi. Mechanical cleaning was shown to immediately reduce the bacterial and fungal concentrations, followed by a lag effect on the microbiome with continued decreases in quantity and ecological indices after cleaning. However, an established community remained, which recovered such that the microbial compositions at the end of the Re-growth and initial Growth phases were similar. Interestingly, the High-chlorine biofilms showed a significant elevation in bacterial concentrations at the end of the Re-growth (after cleaning) compared the initial Growth, unlike the other regimes. This suggests adaptation to a form a resilient biofilm with potentially equal or greater risks to water quality as the other regimes. Overall, this study provides critical insights into the interaction between chlorine and the microbiome of DWDS biofilms representative of real networks, implications are made for the operation and maintenance of DWDS disinfectant and cleaning strategies.


This study examined the relationship of seascape structure, prey availability and sex on the post-spawning distribution and diet of European flounder Platichthys flesus in the northern Baltic Sea. The objectives were to determine whether: (1) wave exposure and substratum affect abundance and distribution of P. flesus, (2) diet reflects the benthic prey composition and (3) sex affects the distribution or diet of P. flesus. The results showed that P. flesus was evenly spread in the archipelago with no correlation to wave exposure. The distribution was, however, sex specific; reproductive males dominated the exposed zone and mainly post-reproductive females dominated the intermediate and sheltered zones. Platichthys flesus fed mainly on two bivalve prey species: blue mussels Mytilus edulis and Baltic tellins Macoma balthica. Hard substratum invertebrates dominated the diet in all habitats and apart from some typical soft substratum species, there was no clear link between fish feeding and the dominance structure of benthic prey. Diet was further sex specific, with females showing a broader range of diet than males. Results suggest that P. flesus is a specialist molluscivore found commonly and equally in soft- and hard-substratum habitats throughout the archipelago area. Previous studies on P. flesus in the Baltic Sea have yielded inconsistent results regarding diet and it has commonly been believed that the distribution of Baltic Sea P. flesus is linked to sand and soft substrata. The present findings emphasize the importance of including the entire range of habitats when diet and regional species distributions are assessed.


This study was undertaken to investigate the relation of plasma lead levels, and early pregnancy losses. The concentration of lead in the plasma was measured in 20 women with a history of pregnancy loss before the 20th gestational week, and the results were compared with 20 control patients with viable intrauterine pregnancy. The results showed a mean lead level of 18.8 μg/dL in the cases of pregnancy loss and 22.1 μg/dL in the control patients, thereby indicating that there is no significant relation between early pregnancy loss and maternal plasma lead levels.


Abstract: Lameness continues to be a critical health and welfare concern associated with goat production. Amphotericin B (amp B) is an antimicrobial successful in inducing transient lameness for research purposes previously in livestock animals. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify which of three varying doses of amp B would be most effective in inducing lameness in meat type goats and (2) develop a facial grimace scale for goats. Lameness was produced by an intra-articular injection of amphotericin B into the left hind lateral claw distal interphalangeal joint with either a 5 mg/0.25 mL (high–low, 5 mg of amphotericin B in a volume of 0.25 mL), 5 mg/0.5 mL (high–high, 5 mg of amphotericin B in a volume of 0.5 mL), or a 2.5 mg/0.25 mL (low–low, 2.5 mg of amphotericin B in a volume of 0.25 mL). A saline treatment of 0.5 mL was used as control (0.9% sterile saline solution). Lameness response was analyzed by infrared thermography (IRT) at the induced joint, mechanical-nociception threshold (MNT), visual lameness scoring (VLS), a visual analogue scale (VAS), kinetic gait analysis (KGA), plasma cortisol (CORT), substance P (Sub P), and behavior scoring. The IRT and MNT values differed by timepoint (P ≤ 0.0001). Results from VLS showed the HL treatment was the most effective at inducing lameness (6/6 goats became lame compared to HH 4/6 and LL 2/6). At 24, 48, and 72 h, VAS scores were significantly higher when comparing HL to all other treatment groups (P = 0.0003). Both behavior observers (1 and 2) reported a significant time effect (P = 0.05), with goats exhibiting more facial grimacing at 24 h post-lameness induction. From these data, an optimal dose for a repeatable lameness induction model in goats was aquired. An effective Goat Grimace Scale (GGS) was also developed to evaluate pain responses in goats.


For the purpose of investigation on the human acetabular growth, proliferation of cartilage cells as well as extent and degree of maturation of newly formed trabeculae in both acetabular and triradiate physeal plates were observed. The material consisted of 13 acetabula of the left hip joints from necropsies whose age distribution ranged from the period of neonate to adolescence. The acetabulum was divided into 5 parts by radial lines. Histological sections were then prepared from each of these parts. The growth of the acetabulum was mainly based on the development of the acetabular and triradiate physeal cartilages, and it seemed that the course of newly formed trabeculae from both physeal plates showed centripetally directed arrangement, with convergence upon a point. These trabecular arrangement was most conspicuous in the neonatal period in which active new bone formation progressed. Based on these findings it would be reasonable to consider that the acetabular physeal cartilage takes a large part of increase in depth of the acetabulum, while the triradiate one is mainly responsible for increase in its diameter. From neonatal period to about 1 year of age there was an active growth of both acetabular and triradiate cartilages. With age the growth rate of physeal plates showed a decrease, and there was a tendency to a predominance of triradiate cartilage proliferation over acetabular one. On reaching adolescence cessation of cartilage growth occurred in both physeal plates.


Quantum simulation of the electronic structure problem is one of the most researched applications of quantum computing. The majority of quantum algorithms for this problem encode the wavefunction using N Gaussian orbitals, leading to Hamiltonians with O(N^4) second-quantized terms. We avoid this overhead and extend methods to condensed phase materials by utilizing a dual form of the plane wave basis which diagonalizes the potential operator, leading to a Hamiltonian representation with O(N^2) second-quantized terms. Using this representation, we can implement single Trotter steps of the Hamiltonians with linear gate depth on a planar lattice. Properties of the basis allow us to deploy Trotter- and Taylor-series-based simulations with respective circuit depths of O(N^(7/2)) and O(N^(8/3)) for fixed charge densities. Variational algorithms also require significantly fewer measurements in this basis, ameliorating a primary challenge of that approach. While our approach applies to the simulation of arbitrary electronic structure problems, the basis sets explored in this work will be most practical for treating periodic systems, such as crystalline materials, in the near term. We conclude with a proposal to simulate the uniform electron gas (jellium) using a low-depth variational ansatz realizable on near-term quantum devices. From these results, we identify simulations of low-density jellium as a promising first setting to explore quantum supremacy in electronic structure.


The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are lipid-activated transcription factors involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. Little is known, however, about the control of the expression of the genes encoding each of all three receptor subtypes: alpha, delta, and gamma. We have addressed this question in the brown adipocyte, the only cell type that co-expresses high levels of the three PPAR subtypes. Differentiation of brown adipocytes is associated with enhanced expression of PPAR genes. However, whereas PPARgamma and PPARdelta genes are already expressed in preadipocytes, the mRNA for PPARalpha appears suddenly in association with the acquisition of the terminally differentiated phenotype. Both retinoic acid isomers and PPAR agonists, specific for either PPARalpha or PPARgamma, regulate expression of each PPAR subtype gene in the opposite way: they up-regulate PPARalpha and down-regulate PPARgamma. The effects on PPARalpha mRNA are independent of protein synthesis, whereas inhibition of PPARgamma mRNA expression depends on protein synthesis, except when its specific ligand prostaglandin J2 is used. Our results indicate a strictly opposite autoregulation of PPAR subtypes, which supports specific physiological roles for them in controlling brown fat differentiation and thermogenic activity.


The problems of teenages are often caused by a behavior problem including problem of sexual before mature which adversely affect their family and society. This research aimed to test the effectiveness of the health education program for sexual before premature age prevention of the sixth grade students inNakhon Ratchasima provunce. A total of 64 students, 32 students in the experimental and 32 students in the comparison group were recruited in this study. The experimental group was received health education program that composed of lecture with media, games, group discussion etc. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and comparison statistics were used paired t- test, and independent sample t- test. The significant was set at p-value < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval. At the end of the study, the experimental group had mean score of knowledge and intended to have sexual relation in appropriate age were higher than before and comparison group significantly (p-value<.001). Creative thinking and critical thinking, self awareness and empathy, emotional and stress management, self- esteem and social responsibility, Communication and inter-personals interaction were higher than before and comparison group significantly (p-value<.01). Decision and problem solving were higher than before and comparison group significantly (p-value<.05).


An analytic model for high electric fields on the source side in lightly doped drain (LDD)-type MOSFETs is proposed. The present model explains consistently the dependence of the source field peak on various relevant process and device parameters. It is shown that the source peak plays a role in avalanche and hot-carrier phenomena. The model predictions are compared with the results of extensive 2-D simulations. >


Oxygen tensions play an important role in the outcome of infections. Oxygen is cidal or static for microorganisms that lack defenses against oxidants. Hyperoxia and hyperbaric oxygen exert antimicrobial effects by increasing the intracellular flux of reactive oxygen species. In bacteria, such species cause DNA strand breaks, degradation of RNA, inhibition of amino acid biosynthesis, and inactivation of membrane transport proteins. Oxygen tensions also affect the activity of antimicrobial agents. In general, hyperoxia potentiates while anaerobiosis decreases the activity of many antimicrobial drugs. With regard to host defenses, hyperoxia elevates oxygen tensions in infected tissues to levels that facilitate oxygen-dependent killing by leukocytes. Prolonged hyperoxia inhibits DNA synthesis in lymphocytes and impairs chemotactic activity, adherence, phagocytic capacity, and generation of the oxidative burst in polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages.


In pursuit of the perfect supervised NLP classifier, razor thin margins and low-resource test sets can make modeling decisions difficult. Popular metrics such as Accuracy, Precision, and Recall are often insufficient as they fail to give a complete picture of the model's behavior. We present a probabilistic extension of Precision, Recall, and F1 score, which we refer to as confidence-Precision (cPrecision), confidence-Recall (cRecall), and confidence-F1 (cF1) respectively. The proposed metrics address some of the challenges faced when evaluating large-scale NLP systems, specifically when the model's confidence score assignments have an impact on the system's behavior. We describe four key benefits of our proposed metrics as compared to their threshold-based counterparts. Two of these benefits, which we refer to as robustness to missing values and sensitivity to model confidence score assignments are self-evident from the metrics' definitions; the remaining benefits, generalization, and functional consistency are demonstrated empirically.


When a network is prone to failures, it is very expensive to compute the shortest paths every time from the scratch. Distance sensitivity oracle provides this privilege to find the new shortest paths faster and with lower cost by once pre-computing an oracle in advance. Although several efficient solutions are proposed in the literature to support the single failure, few efforts are done to devise an efficient method regarding the case of multiple failures. In this paper, we present a novel distance sensitivity oracle based on Markov Tensor Theory \cite{golnari2017markov} to support replacement path queries $(*,t,\mathcal{F})$ in general directed and weighted networks facing the set of failures $\mathcal{F}$. In contrast to the existing work, there is no limitation on maximum failure size supported by our oracle and there is no need to know the size of failure for constructing the oracle. The specifications of our oracle are: space size of $O(n^2)$, pre-process time of $O(n^{\omega})$, where $\omega$ is the exponent of fast matrix multiplication, and query time of $O(m)$ for answering to replacement path query of $(*,t,\mathcal{F})$ which computes the replacement (shortest) paths from all nodes to target $t$ at once. While the computation time for regular shortest path methods, such as Dijkstra's, is $O(m+nlogn)$ for each query after a failure, our algorithm can save a considerable computational time when the size of failure set $|\mathcal{F}|$ is $O(m^{1/\omega})$ or less and the network is sparse $O(m)


175 Abstract— Digital images are obtained from the retina and graded by trained professionals. Progression of diabetic retinopathy is assessed by its severity, which in turn determines the frequency of examinations. However, a significant shortage of professional observers has prompted computer assisted monitoring. Assessment of blood vessels network plays an important role in a variety of medical disorders. Manifestations of several vascular disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy, depend on detection of the blood vessels network. In this work green channel of the fundus RGB image was used for obtaining the traces of blood vessels. The algorithm developed used morphological operation to smoothen the background, allowing veins, to be seen clearly. Disc structuring elements were used in this work. The proposed algorithm has employed modules such as contrast enhancement, background exclusion and thresholding. The techniques describe in the paper is based on morphological operation and apply on publicly available DRIVE, diaretdb0, diaretdb1 databases and images from eye hospital. Experimental results obtained by using gray-scale/green-channel images have been presented. The proposed algorithm has been shown to be a highly effective method for classifying retinal blood vessels. The proposed algorithm being simple and easy to implement, is best suited for fast processing applications.


Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment in childhood can lead to suppression of longitudinal growth as a side effect. The actions of GCs are thought to be mediated in part by impaired action of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) and their binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -6). We have studied the effects of GCs on IGF and IGFBP expression at the local level of the growth plate, using non-radioactive in situ hybridization. We treated 3-week-old normal mice for 4 weeks with dexamethasone (DXM). We also treated human IGF-II (hIGF-II) transgenic mice in order to investigate whether IGF-II could protect against the growth retarding effect of this GC. DXM treatment resulted in general growth retardation in both mice strains, however, only in normal mice was tibial length decreased. In both normal and hIGF-II trangenic mice, the total width of the growth plate was not affected, whereas the width of the proliferative zone decreased as a result of the DXM treatment. Additionally, only in normal mice, the width of the hypertrophic zone thickened. Only expression of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-2 could be detected in the growth plates of 7-week-old normal mice. IGFBP-1, -3, -4, -5 and -6 mRNAs were not detected. DXM treatment of normal mice induced a significant 2.4-fold increase in the number of cells expressing IGF-I mRNA, whereas IGF-II and IGFBP-2 mRNA levels were not affected. In hIGF-II transgenic mice, IGF-I mRNA levels were significantly increased, while endogenous IGF-II and IGFBP-2 mRNAs were unaffected, compared to normal animals. DXM treatment of the hIGF-II transgenic mice induced a further increase of IGF-I mRNA expression, to a similar extent as in DXM-treated normal mice. The increase of IGF-I due to DXM treatment in normal mice might be a reaction in order to minimize the GC-induced growth retardation. Another possibility could be that the increase of IGF-I would contribute to the GC-induced growth retardation by accelerating the differentiation of chondrocytes, resulting in accelerated ossification. In the growth plates of hIGF-II transgenic mice, the higher basal level of IGF-I, might be responsible for the observed partial protection against the adverse effects of GCs on bone.


OBJECTIVE
To objectively evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of Mixture for Nourishing Kidney and Strengthening Bone.

METHOD
Among 160 cases of osteoporosis under clinical observation, 96 patients in the treatment group were treated with Mixture for Nourishing Kidney and Strengthening Bone, 32 patients in the control group were given Shen Gu Capsule and 32 patients in the blank group were given no drug in half a year. Observation and determination were conducted on bone mineral density (BMD), clinical symptoms, bone gla protein (BGP), pyridinoline (PYD), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), transaminase and routine test on blood and urine.

RESULT
The comprehensive effect in the treatment group was remarkably superior to that in the control group.

CONCLUSION
The safe and reliable Chinese drug can enhance BMD, promote osteogenesis and inhibit bone absorption, hence treating osteoporosis with marked effect.


The setting for this case study is the Dolph Briscoe, Jr. Library, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, a health sciences campus with medical, dental, nursing, health professions, and graduate schools. During 2008-2009, major renovations to the library building were completed including office space for a faculty development department, multipurpose classrooms, a 24/7 study area, study rooms, library staff office space, and an information commons. The impetus for changes to the library building was the decreasing need to house collections in an increasingly electronic environment, the need for office space for other departments, and growth of the student body. About 40% of the library building was remodeled or repurposed, with a loss of approximately 25% of the library's original space. Campus administration proposed changes to the library building, and librarians worked with administration, architects, and construction managers to seek renovation solutions that meshed with the library's educational mission.


This essay is a chapter of the book Dall�esilio. La crazione artistica como testimonianza. It explores Nietzsche�s concept of History as developed on his Second Untimely Meditation, Use and Abuse of History for Life (1873). It argues that Nietzsche anticipates prophetically present times: in a negative perspective, by criticizing the abuse of History that leads to a kind of indifferent equality and to a state of saturation of the breaches and breakages in past times. In a positive perspective, by showing that a correct attitude toward the past can lead Thought to think against itself promoting new ways of moving and comunicating, such as works of art. The essay explores, in the last place, the relationship between Nietzsche�s heritage, Literature and Philosophy.


LIBUS, J., MAUER, O.: Forest regeneration under standards of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.). Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2009, LVII, No. 5, pp. 197–204 Work objective was to establish reasons to the impaired vitality of woody and herbaceous vegetation growing under standards of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.). The paper analyzes the infl uence of insolation, root competition, soil moisture content and chemical composition of soil on the growth of pedunculate oak seedlings under standards. The analyses included three standards of pedunculate oak aged over 150 years, growing at an altitude of 160 m a.s.l. Controls were plots occurring at a distance of 20 m from the standards. Conclusions following out from the analyses are as follows: The number of seedlings emerged under the standards was lower than the number of seedlings emerged in the open area. Shoot height as well as root collar diameter of seedlings under the standards were lower than in the control seedlings. Total cover of herbaceous layer and height of herbs under the standards were lower than in the open area. The impaired vitality of woody and herbaceous vegetation resulted from a great amount of the fi ne roots of pedunculate oak standards, withdrawing water up to the wilting point. The amount of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) under the standards was suffi cient for the growth of plants. pedunculate oak, standard, phytocoenology, root competition, soil moisture, photosynthetically active radiation


Background. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) after tuberculosis (TB) is typically not included among the chronic lung diseases causing PH (group 3 PH), with few data available to support the inclusion.
Objectives. To determine the prevalence of PH in an adult population completing TB treatment.
Methods. This single-centre, cross-sectional study only included patients with their first documented episode of TB, and who were in the second half of treatment or had recently completed treatment. PH was assessed using transthoracic echocardiography. Questionnaires were also completed and spirometry and a 6-minute walk test were performed.
Results. One hundred patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 37.1 years, of whom 58% were male and 46% HIV positive. The median time since initiation of TB treatment was 22 weeks. The mean (standard deviation) measured right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) was 23.6 (6.24) mmHg. One participant had PH (defined as RVSP ≥40 mmHg; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0 - 3.0) and a further 3 had possible PH (RVSP ≥35 and <40 mmHg), with a combined PH prevalence of 4% (95% CI 0.2 - 7.8). Airflow obstruction on spirometry was found in 13.3% of 98 patients, while 25.5% had a reduced forced vital capacity. There was no association between RVSP or PH/possible PH and sex, age, HIV status, systemic hypertension, spirometry measurements or 6-minute walking distance. Smoking status was associated with RVSP, but not with the presence of PH/possible PH.
Conclusion. There was a significant prevalence of PH in this preliminary study of predominantly young patients completing treatment for a first episode of TB. Larger and more detailed studies are warranted.


Today, working under a highly controlled safety condition in biological laboratories is becoming an important issue among researchers. Working in such environments requires considerable levels of attention to hazardous agents, microbial pathogens and/or biological sources might enter the laboratory. In the case of soil biology laboratories, soil scientists mainly deal with a wide variety of microorganisms that either isolated from soil samples or soil-related areas. Though these microorganisms have not dangerous for lab assistants and lab technicians, nevertheless, considering safety issues during the isolation of these species from target samples, their subculture processes, and formulating them into biofertilizers will need a great level of attention to reduce all concerns might be associated with the possibility of their pathogenicity for lab staffs. In this review, the recent trends on safety standards for working with microorganisms in soil biology laboratories have been discussed. The review will try to place extra concentration on self-protecting points during working with soil microorganisms and pave a way for a better understanding of experimental standards in soil biology laboratories.


The phenolic aqueous extract from red cabbage was incorporated into bread and stability and contribution of anthocyanins comprising bread samples have been investigated. Assessment of total monomeric anthocyanin in sample bread stored both at room temperature and at 4 oC, on different days; first, third, sixth and 32nd day of storage, was carried out. The total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity of sample bread were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) procedure and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method, respectively. Total phenolic contents were estimated as 91.88 ± 2.42 mg GAE/100 g and ORAC value was calculates as 1387 ± 153 mmol TE/100 g (DW;Dry weight). No colonies of mold were monitored in sample bread when kept at 4 oC for almost three weeks retaining its antioxidant properties. These innovative and health promoting bread samples might be inspiring for public and the molecular gastronomy and food science researches as well as in the near future.


Purpose : Quality of Life (QoL) is an important outcome measure in health care and pharmacological trials. The trend towards multinational clinical trials may be problematic because it is unclear as to whether, or to what extent, QoL measures are comparable across cultures. This study compared QoL between English and German adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and their healthy peers. Method : The study comprised a cross-sectional design. The English subjects formed two groups; 58 adolescents with CF and 49 healthy controls. The German subjects consisted of 26 adolescents with CF and 75 healthy controls. Quality of life was measured using the English and German versions of the SF-36. Demographic (age and gender) and clinical data (FEV 1 % predicted and BMI) were also recorded. Results : The English and German CF groups had similar age-adjusted lung function and body mass index. Both the English CF and control groups reported a poorer quality of life than their respective German counterparts across several domains of the SF-36. These were limitations in activities due to physical health problems and emotional difficulties, social functioning, energy and vitality and pain. Conclusions : The differences in quality of life between English and German adolescents with CF appear to be either culturally determined or due to idiosyncrasies in the translations of the SF-36, rather than a consequence of their disease or its management.


Two recurrent questions often appear when solving numerous real world policy search problems. First, the variables defining the so called Markov Decision Process are often continuous, that leads to the necessity for discretization of the considered state/action space or the use of a regression model, often non-linear, to approach the Q-function nee- ded in the reinforcement learning paradigm. Second, the markovian hypothesis is made which is often strongly discutable and can lead to unacceptably suboptimal resulting policies. In this paper, the job scheduling problem in grid infrastructure is modeled as a continuous action-state space, multi-objective reinforcement learning problem, under realistic assumptions ; the high level goals of users, administrators, and shareholders are captured through simple utility functions. So, formalizing the problem as a par- tially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), we detail the algorithm of fitted Q-function learning using an Echo State Network. The experiment, conducted on simu- lation of real grid activity will demonstrate the significative gain of the method against native scheduling infrastructure and a classic feed forward back-propagated neural net- work (FFNN) for Q function learning in the most difficult cases.


The authors correlated radiographs with the clinical and histologic data of 12 patients with colorectal hemangioma. All patients presented with rectal bleeding, which was chronic in seven. Phleboliths were also visible in seven cases, which correlated with chronic bleeding in five. On barium studies, three masses were soft and three produced rigid narrowing. The atypical features of rigid luminal narrowing, which might mimic a carcinoma, and hypovascularity correlated with chronic bleeding or visible phleboliths, which suggest the correct diagnosis of colorectal hemangioma.


Next to numerous contaminated sites, also large quantities of polluted dredged sediments have to be cleaned in the near future in the Netherlands. Soil washing (classification) is one of the most common remediation techniques to remediate contaminated dredged sediment and excavated soil. It uses chemical and physical particle properties to separate contaminated particles from clean particles. The process is less successful when a large fraction of soil particles smaller than 63μm is present (the fines), which is very likely in dredged sediments. Classification is also not suitable when polluted and clean particles hardly differ in density or size.In cases where classification techniques fails, flotation can be a successful alternative remediation technique. Flotation is a separation technique based on the capture of particles by bubbles and their collection in a froth layer. It can also be used to succeed the classification techniques in order to clean the fines fraction.Also in flotation the separation of small particles cause problems. Factors like entrapment and entrainment lead to reduction in efficiency. Entrapment problems occur when fine hydrophilic particles become physically trapped by hydrophobic particles or bubble-particle aggregates. Hydraulic entrainment occurs when hydrophilic particles are recovered in the liquid film between air and bubbles in the froth. Entrainment becomes prominent when large quantities of fine particles are treated.This thesis investigates the possibility of the selective separation of very small particles by flotation in relation to the remediation of contaminated soil and sediment. The influence of some flotation reagents is investigated and the importance of the contact angle is studied.A new flotation device was developed which uses dissolved air, as small bubble source, together with a sedimentation zone. The mixing and sedimentation zone are separated by a baffle to prevent settled particles falling back into the mixing zone. This creates a flotation reactor that is capable of separating even the smallest particles whilst minimizing the effects of entrainment and entrapment. For contaminated soil it means that when the contamination is present in a hydrophobic fraction and the other fractions consists out of clean hydrophilic particles, there is no limitation for the separation of these particles by flotation.The new flotation technique was used to clean fractions of contaminated soil and sediment. The remediation of a sandy soil sludge contaminated with PAH was very successful and PAH removal could be further increased with flotation agents as Diesel and Montanol. The fraction of 45-90μm of PAH contaminated dredged sediment from Overschie and the Petrol Harbor was also successfully treated with flotation. The remediation was less efficient for the smallest fractions (<32μm) of these sediments, but PAH was still selectively removed.The counter current flotation sedimentation cell is a practical tool to perform a quick laboratory test to investigate if contaminated soil or sediment could be remediated by flotation. Next to that, on basis of the laboratory experiments a prototype reactor could be developed to remediate even the smallest fractions of contaminated soil and sediment in practice. The flotation reactor could succeed other classification processes, but could also be applied as a single (mobile) remediation step. Moreover, this new developed flotation process might even be more useful to selectively float more value valuable particles or powders in other industrial fields.


Abstract : Over the past four years the University of Massachusetts Photonics Center, the Center for Advanced Materials and the Submillimeterwave Technology Laboratory in partnership with AFRL/SNHC has been developing technology for producing low defect density substrates and high-quality epi-substrate interfaces for ABCS device applications as well as developing fabrication and device concepts for incorporation into quantum-cascade THz lasers. During the course of the project a number of new technologies were developed and demonstrated. A new Bridgeman-magnetic-stirring antimonide bulk growth method was developed and using the method uniformly selinium n-type doped bulk GaSb crystals were grown; Bulk InGaSb crystals were grown; and GaAlSb bulk crystals were grown. In the areas of wafer polishing and epi-substrate interface control, novel gas cluster-ion-beam (GCIB) final polishing methods and bromine ion-beam assisted etching final polishing methods were developed that allow control of the epi-substrate interface when molecular beam epitaxy is employed for epigrowth. In the THz portion of the project novel Thz photonic crystals were demonstrated and new phonon mediated THz quantum cascade laser design developed. The ABCS polishing work was moved toward commercialization through two joint collaborations with Galaxy Compound Semiconductors, Inc, a Phase I SBIR to develop bromine-based GaSb GCIB polishing (AFRL) and a PhaseI/II project to develop novel final polishing techniques for GaSb and InSb wafers (DARPA). The THz work generated collaborations with Drs. T. Nelson and J.Ehret of WPAFB, Prof. Ram-Mohan of WPI/Quantum Semiconductor Algorithms, Inc. and Dr. Kurt Linden of Spire Corp.


An efficient computing model, called concurrent processing with result sharing, is introduced. An architecture suitable for executing programs under this model is developed. A performance analysis of this architecture based on a queuing network model is presented to investigate the effect of problem dynamics on the speed of problem solving and the resource requirements. The analysis indicates that, for both coarse- and fine-grain computations, as the amount of recomputation increases, the number of function units needed decreases and the delay at the processor element decreases significantly. For fine-grain computation, the bottlenecks at either the matching unit or the instruction store significantly degrade the system performance. This can only be avoided by using a more expensive multiple-ring architecture.<<ETX>>


Introducing the concept of /spl alpha/-fairness, which allows for a bounded fairness compromise, so that no source is allocated less than a fraction /spl alpha/ of its fair share, this letter studies tradeoffs between efficiency (utilization, throughput or revenue) and fairness in a general telecommunications network with relation to any fairness criterion. We formulate a linear program that finds the optimal bandwidth allocation by maximizing efficiency subject to /spl alpha/-fairness constraints. This leads to what we call an efficiency-fairness curve, which shows the benefit in efficiency as a function of the extent to which fairness is compromised.


Obesity represents one of the most important health problems of our times, nowadays it is considered a health challenge in developed countries, as well as in those that are developing, as they have adopted the typical eating habits of the developed world, but also because of all the associated comorbidities. Obesity is associated with a very broad spectrum of pathophysiological changes such as: volume overload, hypertension, metabolic dysregulation, neurohumoral activation and systemic inflammation. The genes involved in obesity are several and are related to different processes: in the regulation of appetite, the behaviors of food search and metabolic efficiency. Weight loss with changes in lifestyle (diet and exercise) is an adequate way to improve health in patients with risk factors associated with obesity. Although there are medical and surgical treatments to achieve weight loss, these are not chosen as first intention and are only used when the primary treatment has failed.


Zinc Tin Sulphide (ZTS) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique. The CBD was obtained by preparing 20 ml of 0.5M of Zinc chloride solution, 20ml of 0.5M stannum chloride (SnCl2) with 3ml of Triethanolamine (TEA) (N(CH2CH2OH)3) and 25ml of 0.5M of Thiourea as complexants. The grain size of ZTS from the SEM micrographs was spherically-shaped without visible defects like crack or peel. The SEM micrograph of the annealed ZTS thin films, however, showed a dense sponge-like structure. ZTS thin films reflectance curve exhibited average reflectance below 30% for all films. Annealed ZTS thin films (at 200 0 C) exhibited the greatest reflectance of about 30% than all other films. Both as-deposited and annealed ZTS films exhibited transmittance above 40% for wavelength around 780 nm and above. The extrapolated band gaps energy values for ZTS for as-deposited and annealed thin films varied from the range of 3.30 to 3.40 eV. The resistivity increased with an increase in heat treatment and it ranged between, 1.83 × 10-1 Ωm to 9.71 × 10-2 Ωm.


ARPES measurements on HiTc superconductors such as BiSrCaCuO reveal a quasiparticle peak, a broad background and a dip. The background may originate from inelastic spin fluctuation emission. Calculations of the spectral weight are presented incorporating these inelastic processes. Superconducting correlations have been included in the magnetic susceptibility. The dip feature in the spectral weight is evidence for a spin gap in the superconducting state.


This thesis presents a system for automatically generating code for a set of Bayesian statistical models. The overall contributions include a system for performing pattern matching and symbolic computations, a schema system of efficiently managing statistical operations in a reusable manner. Additionally, the overall system for generating efficient code is also presented, alongside the general architecture that enables this process.