Let $\{X_t^\mu,t\geq0\}$ be a Levy process on $\mathbb{R}^d$ whose distribution at time $1$ is a $d$-dimensional infinitely distribution $\mu$. It is known that the set of all infinitely divisible distributions on $\mathbb{R}^d$, each of which is represented by the law of a stochastic integral $\int_0^1\!\log(1/t)\,dX_t^\mu$ for some infinitely divisible distribution on $\mathbb{R}^d$, coincides with the Goldie-Steutel-Bondesson class, which, in one dimension, is the smallest class that contains all mixtures of exponential distributions and is closed under convolution and weak convergence. The purpose of this paper is to study the class of infinitely divisible distributions which are represented as the law of $\int_0^1\!(\log(1/t))^{1/\alpha}\,dX_t^\mu$ for general $\alpha>0$. These stochastic integrals define a new family of mappings of infinitely divisible distributions. We first study properties of these mappings and their ranges. Then we characterize some subclasses of the range by stochastic integrals with respect to some compound Poisson processes. Finally, we investigate the limit of the ranges of the iterated mappings.


The color changes of the peel is one of the physicals parameters most utilized to evaluate the ripening stage of the fruits. The papaya present a characteristic to changing a peel color, from green to yellow. This gradual change accomplished by a not uniform way creates difficulties for the utilization of nominal scale, that are subjected to the interpretation and tiredness to the observant. In this work were made reading in the papaya variety 'Golden' type exportation. In this study, the reading of the parameter L, a, b and reflectance were made in the peel of 100 fruits for each maturation stage 2, 3, 4 and 5. The results obtaineds indicated that Hunter parameter a and b and the peel reflectance in yellow-orange region are promising as objective physical measures to evaluate the maturation stage of 'Golden' papaya fruits.


Three parasitoids (Anagyrus pseudococci, Leptomastix dactylopii and Coccidoxenoides perminutus) of the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus, were monitored using both yellow sticky traps and yellow delta traps, the latter baited with lures containing the female pheromone of P. ficus. The yellow sticky trap is usually used to monitor parasitoids and predators whilst the yellow delta trap is used to monitor male Planococcus ficus. All three parasitoid species showed positive phototaxis to the traps. There was no significant difference in the total number of parasitoids caught on the yellow sticky traps and yellow delta traps between the areas except at Morgenster at P=0.05. The yellow delta traps and yellow sticky traps showed different peak reflectances of 42.96% and 30.58%, respectively. The yellow delta traps (12.5 kWh/m2) were more efficient than yellow sticky traps (4.2 kWh/m2) in attracting parasitoids at low sunlight radiation. Generally, the results showed that the yellow delta trap with the pheromone lure used to monitor male mealybugs could also be used to monitor the natural enemies of the female P. ficus.


Abstract. The first version of the actuator disc momentum theory is more than 100 years old. The extension towards very low rotational speeds with high torque for discs with a constant circulation, became available only recently. This theory gives the performance data like the power coefficient and average velocity at the disc. Potential flow calculations have added flow properties like the distribution of this velocity. The present paper addresses the comparison of actuator discs representing propellers and wind turbines, with emphasis on the velocity at the disc. At a low rotational speed, propeller discs have an expanding wake while still energy is put into the wake. The high angular momentum of the wake, due to the high torque, creates a pressure deficit which is supplemented by the pressure added by the disc thrust. This results in a positive energy balance while the wake axial velocity has lowered. In the propeller and wind turbine flow regime the velocity at the disc is 0 for a certain minimum but non-zero rotational speed. At the disc, the distribution of the axial velocity component is non-uniform in all flow states. However, the distribution of the velocity in the plane containing the axis, the meridian plane, is practically uniform (deviation approximately 0.2 %) for wind turbine disc flows with tip speed ratio λ > 5, almost uniform (deviation 2 %) for wind turbine disc flows with λ = 1 and propeller flows with advance ratio J = Π, and non-uniform (deviation 5 %) for the propeller disc flow with wake expansion at J = 2 Π. These differences in uniformity are caused by the different strengths of the singularity in the wake boundary vorticity strength at its leading edge.


The Journal of Case Studies in Education (JCSE) publishes original, unpublished case manuscripts relating educational situations from K - 12 and higher education. It is designed to provide the education professional a venue to share original situations with other educators. Cases from a broad range of topics are appropriate for consideration in the JCSE providing the focus of the work is educational situations.


A simple, rapid and convenient method for the synthesis of secondary alkyl sulphate esters is described in which the sodium alkoxide of the parent alcohol is sulphated by using triethylamine-SO3 complex. The procedure gives relatively good yields, even for the sulphation of long-chain alcohols and those in which the hydroxy group is remote from the terminal carbon atoms. Positional isomerization, arising from the migration of the hydroxy group along the carbon chain, is absent, and resolved enantiomers of alcohols react with complete retention of configuration.


When released into an appropriate environment, mammalian spermatozoa begin to capacitate and then continue until fully capacitated and able to fertilize. During capacitation in vitro, some cells 'over-capacitate' and undergo spontaneous acrosome reactions; this would be highly undesirable in vivo since already acrosome-reacted spermatozoa are non-fertilizing. Recent studies have revealed that seminal plasma contains several small molecules that bind to specific receptors on the sperm plasma membrane and act as 'first messengers', causing biologically important changes in availability of the 'second messenger' cAMP. Fertilization promoting peptide (FPP), calcitonin and adenosine all regulate cAMP production, stimulating it in uncapacitated spermatozoa and then inhibiting it in capacitated cells; in contrast, angiotensin II stimulates cAMP throughout capacitation. The molecules that regulate cAMP appear to do so via G protein-modulated changes in membrane associated adenylyl cyclases (mACs). Both mouse and human spermatozoa have been shown to have Galphas and Galphai2, as well as several isoforms of mAC, located in the same regions as the specific receptors. Thus spermatozoa possess the required elements for several separate signal transduction pathways, many of which regulate mAC/cAMP and so maintain sperm fertilizing ability. In vivo, such responses could increase the chances of successful fertilization.


We derive the two-loop Bethe ansatz for the sl(2) twist operator sector of N = 4 gauge theory directly from the field theory. We then analyse a recently proposed perturbative asymptotic all-loop Bethe ansatz in the limit of large spacetime spin at large but finite twist, and find a novel all-loop scaling function. This function obeys the Kotikov–Lipatov transcendentality principle and does not depend on the twist. Under the assumption that one may extrapolate back to leading twist, our result yields an all-loop prediction for the large spin anomalous dimensions of twist 2 operators. The latter also appears as an undetermined function in a recent conjecture of Bern, Dixon and Smirnov for the all-loop structure of the maximally helicity violating n-point gluon amplitudes of N = 4 gauge theory. This potentially establishes a direct link between the worldsheet and the spacetime S matrix approach. A further assumption for the validity of our prediction is that perturbative BMN (Berenstein–Maldacena– Nastase) scaling does not break down at four-loop level or beyond. We also discuss how the result gets modified if BMN scaling does break down. Finally, we show that our result qualitatively agrees at strong coupling with a prediction of string theory.


In today's world of rapid technological advances, what is the fate of old and discarded electronic equipments is worth a thought. As technology is renewed, a major challenge is the disposition process of obsolete equipment often termed as the "Equipment End life Crisis". This research paper highlights why e-waste is so harmful and the statistics of waste generation figures. It emphasizes on the role of the global regulatory bodies by seeing the existing regulations in the field of e-waste management. The reason why some of the companies are doing E-waste management? What is the business value to a company doing e-waste management is studied. What is the potential that this sector offers to the recycling companies? It also highlights some of the class action suits around e-waste globally and different processes that organizations can follow to deal with the problem of E-waste. Global reporting standards for E-waste management are also recommended in this paper for the companies. Data for research for this paper was primarily collected from reliable secondary sources. Reports and documents analyzed were all genuine sources and these are clearly mentioned in the references section. Keywords—E-waste, Recycling, WEEE, RoHS, EPR,


Abstract Traumatic injuries leading to complex scaphoid dislocations are uncommon. We present a successful reconstructive case after a complex intercarpal instability injury using scapholunotriquetral tenodesis without the need for Kirschner wire fixation and early controlled range of motion therapy. At 3 months, the patient had a pain-free wrist with a 100-degree arc of motion and returned to work with full functionality. A literature review was performed to describe the previously published surgical treatments of this injury pattern and compare functional outcomes.


The rare Hyperon decay $\Sigma^+ \to p \ell^+ \ell^-$ is an $s \to d$ flavour changing neutral current process, which is highly suppressed within the Standard Model, and is therefore sensitive to new physics. Due to recent improvements in experimental measurements of this decay, the Standard Model theory prediction must also be improved in order to identify any new physics in this channel. We present updates on our progress towards the first exploratory lattice calculation of the long-distance part of the form factors of this decay. This pilot calculation is performed on a 340 MeV pion mass ensemble using domain-wall fermions as part of the RBC-UKQCD collaboration.


PURPOSE
To develop a precisely calibrated, perfectly spherical, stainable, soft, and implantable but nonresorbable particulate embolization material.

METHODS
Calibrated particles with a trisacryl gelatin polymer core and hydrophilic surface characteristics were obtained by reversed emulsion synthesis followed by application of a wet-sieving technique. Particles were suspended in saline, bottled, and sterilized. Quality control included analysis of particle diameters before and after sieving and of suspension sterility and apyrogenicity. Particles were subsequently tested to ascertain their compatibility with commercially available microcatheters.

RESULTS
The resulting embolization material consisted of spherical, stainable microspheres of medical grade with diameters ranging from 130 microns to 1200 microns. Sieving the suspension produced particle groups of homogeneous size (accuracy, +/- 20-100 microns). At injection, the particles showed no tendency to build aggregates or to obstruct the microcatheters.

CONCLUSION
Precisely calibrated and easy-to-use microspheres were obtained that satisfied the biomedical requirements for implantation as an embolization material.


One of the pillars and, indeed, driving force, of Africa's structural transformation is agriculture. Evidence suggests that countries that have increased productivity across the globe benefited from economic growth sustained by agricultural transformation. Africans have an opportunity, now more than at any time before, to change their lives through increased agricultural productivity and enhanced agribusiness that connects smallholders to national, regional and global value chains. Food security has been given rightful prominence in the debate but cannot be a replacement for real transformation. It is important to renew the building blocks that are necessary for a deeper discussion of the connection to be made between agriculture and industrialisation. This paper proposes a six-point strategy to address major obstacles hampering African agricultural transformation.


We have developed a computer model for the simulation of resistive superconducting fault current limiters in three dimensions. The program calculates the electromagnetic and thermal response of a superconductor to a time-dependent overload voltage, with different possible cooling conditions for the surfaces, and locally variable superconducting and thermal properties. We find that the cryogen boil-off parameters critically influence the stability of a limiter. The recovery time after a fault increases strongly with thickness. Above a critical thickness, the temperature is unstable even for a small applied AC voltage. The maximum voltage and maximum current during a short fault are correlated by a simple exponential law.


The extents of groundwater and soil pollution arising from auto-mechanic activities from auto-mechanic workshops at Ibadan metropolis were examined. Groundwater and top soil samples from auto-mechanic villages and control site were collected fortnightly over a period of two months and analysed for both physicochemical parameters and some heavy metals. Results of physicochemical parameters of groundwater ranged from 23 to 29°C for temperature, 0.25 to 8.64 mg/L for DO, 0 to 52.19 mg/L for BOD, 14.7 to 205.86 mg/L for COD, 5.63 to 7.33 for pH, 18 to 133 mg/L for total alkalinity, 23 to 287 mg/L for total hardness, 2 to 32.75 F.T.U for turbidity, 187 to 268 µs/cm for conductivity, 0.7 to 44.6 mg/L for TSS, 135 to 248 mg/L for TDS, 136.3 to 292.6 mg/L for TS, 0.03 to 62.1 mg/L for nitrate, 2.37 to 12.02 mg/L for phosphate, and 0 to 55.6 mg/L for oil and grease. Results of heavy metals analysis for groundwater ranged from 0 to 1.132 mg/L for Cd, 0 to 24.46 mg/L for Pb and 0 to 24.6 mg/L for Fe. Statistical analysis, using Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated correlations of some parameters at P≤0.01 and 0.05. The mean and standard deviations of the parameters were also calculated. The daily activities of auto-mechanic workshops have negative impacts on both soil and water.


Relative weights for nuclear medicine procedures have been assigned previously on the basis of subjective estimates of resources expended. Thus, ultimate values frequently have not reflected time and cost of personnel and equipment accurately. Based on computerized data collected on over 8,000 patients, we have attempted to calculate relative weights more objectively by analyzing the following parameters: (A) physician time; (B) technologist time; (C) nurse (or aide) time; (D) equipment time and depreciation; and (E) radiopharmaceutical cost, or cost equivalent. Most major organ scans were found to have quite similar values whereas procedures with low ratings on previous value schedules were found to have high relative values when analyzed objectively.


In the city of Basle with a catchment area of 300,000 inhabitants a significant number of physicians were asked for observations concerning benzodiazepine abuse by their patients. In 1985, 31 patients abusing benzodiazepine only were observed, which represents an incidence of 1:10,000 or 0.01%. In addition, concrete information on 88 patients with multiple abuse was obtained. Demographic data, diagnosis and main reason of abuse, data on most frequently abused drugs, consequences of abuse, as well as measures against the abused are described in relation to the two main groups of abusers.


Abstract Blood samples of "yellow" wagtails collected in the areas geographically representing the Middle Volga breeding populations of these species were investigated. After isolation of mtDNA barkoding of studied "yellow" wagtails species was conducted. Amplification of the subunit of cytochrome oxidase I gene used as a genetic marker for the comparison of the samples was carried out. After sequencing and sequence alignment of gene cytochrome c-oxidase I, based on the comparison of genetic distances between individuals of the studied species using Jalview phylogenetic trees of populations of species Motacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758 and Motacilla citreola Pallas, 1776 were constructed.


Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine(BATMAN-TCM) were searched for the effective components and targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction. The relevant targets for endometriosis(EMT) and dysmenorrhea were retrieved from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database(CTD), Therapeutic Target Database(TTD), GeneCards, and DisGeNET with the terms of "endometriosis" and "dysmenorrhea". Cytoscape 3.8.0 was employed to construct the drug-active component-therapeutic target network. A protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established by STRING 11.0. Analyze Network, the plug-in in the Cytoscape 3.8.0, was used to calculate the topological parameters of the nodes and screen out the critical proteins in the network. The potential therapeutic targets were imported into RStudio and subjected to Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses with clusterProfiler package. Finally, the AutoDock Vina(Vina) platform was used for molecular docking to predict the binding degree of the main active components of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction to key targets. As revealed by the screening results, 136 active components and 380 targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction were obtained. Additionally, there were 1 627 targets related to EMT and 142 targets related to dysmenorrhea with 107 common targets, and 42 potential therapeutic targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction for the treatment of EMT-induced dysmenorrhea. The targets such as interleukin 6(IL6) and prostaglandi-nendoperoxide synthase-2(PTGS2) were pivotal in the biological network of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction intervention in EMT-induced dysmenorrhea, which involved multiple signaling pathways, including inflammation, hormones, and those promoted cell proliferation [e.g., mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase(PI3 K)-protein kinase B(AKT)]. The results of molecular docking showed that the active components of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction had good binding capacities to key targets such as IL6 and PTGS2. The findings of this study demonstrated that Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction could treat EMT-induced dysmenorrhea through multiple targets and multiple pathways, which could provide new ideas for investigating the underlying mechanism of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of EMT-induced dysmenorrhea.


Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most contentious issues in education today. Currently, the behaviours that constitute ADHD are portrayed as resulting from an underlying medical/psychiatric disorder. We argue that this perspective on ADHD has little direct utility for educators and may actually be counterproductive in terms of assessment and intervention. For educators, the most appropriate perspective on ADHD is a functional one which views ADHD-like behaviours as a function of environment and student skills. This approach can be empirically validated and can serve to empower educators in working with children described as having ADHD.


Forty patients with corneal epithelial defects were randomized into two groups. Group 1 (twenty patients) were treated with chloramphenicol ointment and an eye patch for six hours followed by chloramphenicol eyedrops six time a day for six days. Group 2 (twenty patients) were treated with chloramphenicol ointment and double eye patches for twenty-four hours as the only treatment. The patients were examined the next day, and again after a week. Two patients defected in group 1 and two patients from group 1 were excluded from the experiment because they failed to improve after three and four days, respectively. Five patients from group 2 defected. Corneal epithelial wound healing was found to be significantly faster in the group treated with double eye patches and the patients' subjective problems in this group were significantly less. (Significant with a probability less than 1%).


: Fertilization plays an important role in soil quality, food supply and security. Although promoting soil biological development is considered as one of the most critical components that organic fertilizers exert on soil compared with chemical fertilization, less attention has been paid to the fertilization-derived influence on crop growth and insect-resistance via soil biota. Understanding the role of soil biota in crop growth and resistance to insects would not only help explain the biological mechanisms of the fertilization effects on soil functions, but also help identify integrative management techniques for soils and crops. Soil suspension was extracted from long-term organically fertilized soils and chemically fertilized soils. Then, the soil suspension was sterilized or non-sterilized to investigate the soil biota's effects on rice growth and insect-resistance through a soil-free cultured method. Results showed that soil biota and fertilization significantly affected soil nutrient status ( P < 0.01). Soil biota decreased soil ammonium content, rice biomass, shoot nitrogen content and the biomass of Nilaparvata lugens , but increased soil nitrate content, rice root-shoot ratio and the con-tents of root nitrogen, soluble sugar and phenolics ( P < 0.05). Meanwhile, soil biota from organically fertilized soils promoted the synthesis of shoot soluble sugar and shoot phenolics. With the addition of Nilaparvata lugens , soil biota significantly reduced rice nitrogen uptake and promoted phenolic synthesis ( P < 0.05). Collectively, soil biota, especially from organically fertilized soils, promoted rice resistance traits by altering the nutrient allocation of rice between aboveground and belowground, and by increasing the root-shoot ratio and the synthesis of phenols.


Electrical utilities often use automatic fault sectionalization and distribution network restoration schemes to minimize customer minutes lost. Network restoration can be realized using directional relays, switches with voltage and current sensors and a feeder control system that incorporates communication between the switches and a central control point. The current sensors are measurement current transformers (CTs) which are designed for measuring load current and saturate during a fault. They are unsuitable for a conventional directional relaying scheme, which requires protection CTs rated for operation at the highest level of fault current. The paper describes a curve-fitting algorithm that extracts information from the measurement sensors necessary to determine the direction to a fault. Experimental results show that a directional relay based on the algorithm detects the direction to the fault correctly, even when the CTs are deeply saturated.


Background:Coronary arteriovenous(AV) fistula is a rare congenital disease, and seldom produce symptoms during childhood. However late complications can occur including congestive heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and bacterial endocarditis. Therefore surgical repair is recommended even if the patients are asymptomatic. In these days many investigators are interested in transcatheter embolization because of high procedural success rate without risks and morbidity associated with cardiac surgery. Method:Five patients(4 females and 1 male) of coronary AV fistula were treated with trans catheter coil embolization. All had symptom of chest pain. In coronary angiograms fistulous tracts were originated from left anterior descending artery(LAD) and drained to main pulmonary artery(MPA) in 4 cases. The other case had abnormal vessel from left circumflex artery(LCX) to bronchial artery. Transcatherter coil embolization were done with Judkins left guiding catheter, 018 inch Tracker or 3F Microferret catheter, and 018 inch coils. Result:The fistula tracts were completely occluded in 3 cases after coil embolization. In 2 cases with multiple fistular vessels, major fistula were occluded, but minor vessels remained. There were no procedure related complications. Conclusion:Transcatheter coil embolization may be an effective treatment modality in coronary AV fistula with excellent result and minimal complications.


He was born in Nepal but orphaned soon after, ordained and educated in Kashmir, then despite old age and the long, harsh journey, this fourteenthcentury Buddhist monk travelled to China where he lived for the rest of his life. This is what this article is about — the life of the great Buddhist missionary Sahajaśrī. Through various sources, mainly in Chinese, this paper will investigate what inspired or impelled him to leave Kashmir and travel to China. China was in a dynastic transitional period. When Sahajaśrī arrived he was well received, against all expectations, by both Mongol and Chinese emperors. However, it seems that Sahajaśrī's achievement in Chinese Buddhism has not been recognized. By putting all the fragmentary accounts about Sahajaśrī together, this article aims to reconstruct Sahajaśrī's life in Ming China.


Asatryan, David G. and Anatol G. Feldman. 1965. Functional tuning of the nervous system with control of movement or maintenance of a steady posture, I: Mechanographic analysis of the work of the joint on execution of a postural task. Biofizika 10:837–846 [English translation 925–935] Baum, Leonard E. 1972. An inequality and associated maximization technique in statistical estimation for probabilistic functions of markov processes. Inequalities 3:1–8. Dempster, Arthur P., Nan M. Laird, and Donald B. Rubin. 1977. Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the EM algorithm. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, 39:1–38. Gunter, Heather E. 2003. A mechanical model of vocal-fold collision with high spatial and temporal resolution. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 113:994–1000. Lindblom, Björn. 1990. Explaining phonetic variation: A sketch of the H & H theory. In Speech production and speech modelling, ed. William J. Hardcastle and Alain Marchal, 403–440. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic. Maeda, Shinji. 1987. On the generation of sound in stop consonants. Speech Communication Group Working Papers, Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT 5:1–14. Miller, Joane L. and Emily R. Dexter. 1988. Effects of speaking rate and lexical status on phonetic perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 14:369–378.


PurposeIn the COVID-19 era, where blended learning is gaining popularity, research-informed teaching could be one of the alternatives or options to assess students' progress in Higher Education institutions. In the past, educators have assessed students' research skills gained from research-informed teaching through coursework components or assignments. However, whether the assignments can be converted into peer-reviewed output acceptable in a reputable journal or conference has hardly been investigated. This study explores how research-informed teaching has been rolled out in undergraduate/postgraduate BIM related modules/programmes in the School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University and which has culminated in high quality published outputs.Design/methodology/approachThe method used is purely qualitative in-depth interviews, where students who have published were tracked and invited to share their experiences. In total, nine former students of the 12 invited, participated in the interviews. Inductive content analysis, a suitable qualitative data analysis technique was used in analysing the feedback from the interviews.FindingsThe main finding is that research-informed teaching can be done in a technical and complex BIM discipline and students' coursework components or assignments can further be converted into published outputs.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study was that the sample was small. That notwithstanding, it has provided valuable insights into the understanding of student's ability to undertake research while studying and experiences of how educators can deliver research-informed teaching to students in Higher Education institutions.Originality/valueThe study adds to the existing body of literature about undergraduate and postgraduate research-informed teaching and goes further to provide strong evidence through published outputs thereby confirming that students at both levels can indeed conduct and publish peer-reviewed research articles while undertaking their studies.


The aim of thermo-mechanical reliability assessment in microelectronic packages is life time prediction under different thermal and mechanical induced stress loads. The analysis of long time stability of thermally loaded Plated- Through-Holes (PTH) in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) also requires an accurate determination of material data. This leads to application of different test and measurement methods, which are allowed to measure mechanical materials properties at micro- and/or nanostructural scale. This paper focuses on application of instrumented nanoindentation measurement technique for analysis of mechanical properties of microelectronic relevant electroplating copper. Nanoindentation method has been widely used for characterization of mechanical behaviour of devices in small volume (especially for PTH) and determined typically elastic mechanical properties (reduced modulus and hardness). In combination of modified Finite-Element (FE) simulation models and nanoindentation test results elastic and plastic material properties of copper in small scale were obtained. It was dimensionless functions for determination of presentable stresses developed, which allows to indicate the stress-strain curve of bulk materials. It is a precondition to implementation of this function that the indentation depth is out of indentation size effect. The presentation of calculated stress-strain curves by using of dimensionless function and the influence of thermal cycling of material behaviour of PTH are subject of this paper.


Merging is the simple term that captures the spirit of this article. This refers to merging, both structurally and functionally, the distinct moieties of the backbone and the side group in the topical design of the porous solids of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). As the backbone has been traditionally the focus of study, merging translates into the rise of the side group functions, which have of late proven to be increasingly important for the functionalization of the porous grid. The wide range of usable organic side groups, however, also presents a paradox of choice. Instead of mechanically latching the side groups onto the backbone (i.e., with their innate solution-phase reactivity more or less retained), we focus on distinct, dramatic synergism. Distinct being a subjective term open to dispute, we specify two modes of merging/integration. One involves the unconventional, backfolded shape of the ligand, in which rigid side arms coalesce with the backbones to generate multiple pre-assembled subunits (i.e., the simple tritopic subunits), each of which conforms to the traditional starburst shape. The other mode of merging involves crosslinking the side groups, which broadly ranges from the earlier use of simple σ bond links for mechanical locking in the MOF grid, to the use of more polarizable metal–chalcogenide or organic π bridges that stand to transform the insulating MOF grid into next-generation solid-state electronic materials.


The classical approach in one dimensional fluid power systems simulation considering the flow through hydraulic resistances is to imply a single-phase flow of an incompressible fluid. This assumption leads to significant errors in cases when the system is polluted with entrained air. In this paper the classical orifice equation describing the incompressible flow based on the Bernoulli's equation is analysed and transferred to allow the calculation of the existence of a second disperse gaseous phase. The basic objective hereby is the examination of the different behaviour caused by a laminar, turbulent or laminar-to-turbulent transition flow field as well as its ranges.Therefore Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of the single-phase flow and the two-phase flow through a hydraulic orifice are performed and the calculated discharge coefficients parameterizing the orifice equation are compared. To assure the validity of the simulations the one-phase and two-phase flow is measured using a new designed test bench. Finally the calculated, simulated and measured results are compared.© 2013 ASME


Linear cationic α‐helical antimicrobial peptides are promising chemotherapeutics. Most of them act by different mechanisms, making it difficult to microorganisms acquiring resistance. Decoralin is an example of antimicrobial peptide; it was described by Konno et al. and presented activity against microorganisms, but with pronounced hemolytic activity. We synthesized leucine‐substituted decoralin analogs designed based on important physicochemical properties, which depend on the maintenance of the amphiphilic α‐helical tendency of the native molecule. Peptides were synthesized, purified, and characterized, and the conformational studies were performed. The results indicated that the analogs presented both higher therapeutic indexes, but with antagonistic behavior. While [Leu]10‐Dec‐NH2 analog showed similar activity against different microorganisms (c.a. 0.4–0.8 μmol L−1), helical structuration, and some hemolytic activity, [Leu]8‐Dec‐NH2 analog did not tend to helical structure and presented antimicrobial activities two orders higher than the other two peptides analyzed. On the other hand, this analog showed to be the less hemolytic (MHC value = 50.0 μmol L−1). This approach provided insight for understanding the effects of the leucine substitution in the amphiphilic balance. They led to changes on the conformational tendency, which showed to be important for the mechanism of action and affecting antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Pool-boiling experiments were performed in helium from high purity copper which had been exposed to various amounts of fast neutron radiation. The residual effects of the radiation influenced the pool boiling in two ways: First by decreasing the thermal conductivity of the copper substrate; and second by inducing residual radioactivity in the copper. The changes in the conductivity influenced the unsteady heat conduction process associated with nucleate boiling. The residual radiation from the copper augmented the bubble nucleation in the superheated helium in a manner similar to a bubble chamber. The relative magnitudes of the two effects were influenced by surface smoothness.


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment of myopic foveoschisis patients using the macular buckling with L-shaped titanium plate and silicon sponge combined with vitrectomy. The data of the patients who underwent macular buckling combined with vitrectomy was collected. The study recorded the following parameters: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), axial length, intraocular pressure, central macular thickness, and the position of the titanium plate. Following the surgery, the BCVA of the included patients were improved, whereas the axial lengths were reduced followed by resolution of the foveoschisis compared with that noted prior to the operations. All patients had orbital CT examination and the results indicated that the titanium plates were appropriately placed and were not in contact with the optic nerve. Therefore, it is effective to treat myopic foveaschisis by macular buckling using the L-shaped titanium plate and silicon sponge in the presence of vitrectomy.


A Quality Assurance Program should establish the planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that fusion facilities and their subsystems will perform satisfactorily in service. The Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) Quality Assurance Program has been designed to assure that the designs, tests, data, and interpretive reports developed at TSTA are valid, accurate, and consistent with formally specified procedures and reviews. The quality consideration in all TSTA activities is directed toward the early detection of quality problems coupled with timely and positive disposition and corrective action.


A three-phase, medium-power standard AC motor can be operated from a single-phase, highly-distorted and unregulated AC source by the use of a diode bridge rectifier/boost chopper/inverter cascade. The integration of a boost chopper unit employing an inductor made of amorphous metal (Metglas) into the system results in unity power factor at the AC supply side, low harmonic content line currents and high efficiencies and power densities. Laboratory and field test results have shown that this system constitutes a reliable, cost-competitive and almost maintenance-free alternative to other drive options, especially for auxiliary systems in electric locomotives where squirrel-cage induction motors are chosen as auxiliary driving machines.


We present a comparison of the energetics of spiral formation for two vinca alkaloids: a novel difluorinated vinorelbine derivative 20',20'-difluoro-3',4'-dihydrovinorelbine (F12158, or vinflunine) and the parent compound, vinorelbine. Vinca alkaloids are antineoplastic agents that halt cell division at metaphase by inhibiting microtubule assembly and inducing tubulin self-association into spiral aggregates. The overall affinities for tubulin of vincristine, vinblastine, and vinorelbine seem to correlate with their clinical doses, where vincristine with the highest overall affinity is used at the lowest doses. Doses of chemotherapeutic agents, however, also are determined by toxicities. In the physicochemical study described here, we used sedimentation velocity to compare vinorelbine- and vinflunine-induced self-association of porcine brain tubulin in the presence of 50 micro M GDP or 50 micro M GTP. Vinflunine demonstrates 3-16-fold lower overall affinity for tubulin and induces smaller polymers compared with vinorelbine. Sedimentation velocity provides the only direct evidence to date that vinflunine is a tubulin-binding drug. Stopped-flow light scattering demonstrates the shortest relaxation times for polymer redistribution for vinflunine consistent with induction of the shortest spirals. Data collected at 5 degrees, 15 degrees, 25 degrees, and 37 degrees show increasing 20,w values with increasing temperature and are consistent with an entropically driven process. These data are entirely consistent with our hypothesis that vinflunine is likely to result in reduced clinical neurotoxicity relative to vinorelbine, vinblastine, and vincristine.


Many studies have evaluated different uses of collaborative software. Typically, the research has focused on the shortcomings and, sometimes, the ways end users succeed or fail to work around these shortcomings. In a recent field study, surprisingly, a group demonstrated unimpaired dexterity using a full range of collaborative software. Some interesting lessons emerged from observing these "perfect" collaborators. Lessons include implications for more typical or "less than perfect" end users, especially around the adoption of collaboration technology. Also, there is a general, but subtle, lesson that studying successful users of technology (or "ideal end users" as we put it) can be as valuable as studying those who struggle with technology and highlight its shortcomings.


Objective To evaluate the effect of radiotherapy(RT)combined with chemotherapy(C) for stage Ⅲ non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and to find a more effective way of giving them.Methods From Jan. 1995 to Dec. 1997 , 60 patients with stage Ⅲ NSCLC were randomized into two groups . RT alone group(30 cases) was given conventional fractionated D T 60~70?Gy/6~7 W. The combined group(30 cases) received conventional fractionated radiotherapy plus chemotherapy (DDP,5 FU,VP 16 and IFO, given simulatneosly). In some patients,chemotherapy was also siven before,during and after RT for at least 2 courses. Results CR rates of RT and combined groups were 20% and 43%, respectively . PD rate of the two groups were 10%and 7% . The 1 ,2 and 3 year survival rates were 42.4%,15.7%,7.8% in the RT group and 68.1%,37.8%,18.9% in the combined group(P0.05). The median survival periods were 8 months and 15 months though the combined group had more obvious side effects than the RT group. Conclusions Combined therapy is able to improve obviously the survival rate of stage Ⅲ NSCLC with the induction therapy very important. We expect a more effective combination is to have RT and C simultaneosly or alternately given.


Rolling up two-dimensional (2D) materials can form quasi-one-dimensional nanoscrolls, which are expected to have novel properties due to their larger space of structural parameters. In this Letter, the structural dependence of formation energy was investigated based on more than 90 different graphene nanoscrolls (GNSs) through ab initio calculations. A quantified relationship between formation energy and structural parameters is discovered, which could provide universal description of rolling up 2D materials beyond graphene. Further calculations on electronic structures show the opening of bandgap in GNSs with ultrahigh carrier mobilities up to 107 cm2 V-1 s-1. The structural stability under room temperature was also testified by using molecular dynamic simulations. This work provides general insights into the rolling-up strategy and demonstrates the tunable properties of GNSs, thus extending the scope of the research field for 2D materials.


The results of a magnetic study of the Okenugbo Area of Ago-Iwoye, Southwestern Nigeria are presented for the evaluation of the geostructural settings in the area to determine the competency of the basement for building constructions. The study area lies within Longitude N 06°55.389' - N 06°55.384' and Latitude E 03°55.001' and E 03°55.959' in the basement complex of Nigeria. Three magnetic profiles were established for the evaluation and the magnetic anomaly map, the regional geology and its analytic signal amplitude helped in identifying the nature and depth of the magnetic sources in the study region. The magnetic residual values range from -2400 nT to +1800 nT. The area shows magnetic closures of various sizes at the Western part of the study area trending West with prominence at the center and distributed East-West which has been interpreted as fractured or faulted zones. The depth estimate revealed the apparent depth to the causative body from the surface and the basement depth range from 4.3 to 21.3 m which agrees with other literatures. The study has revealed that the area is generally competent for high rise structures and industrial site while the faulted/fractured zones are prospective better locations for hydrogeological purposes.


Structural changes of astrocytes and their perisynaptic processes occur in response to various physiological and pathophysiological stimuli. They are thought to profoundly affect synaptic signalling and neuron-astrocyte communication. Understanding the causal relationship between astrocyte morphology changes and their functional consequences requires experimental tools to selectively manipulate astrocyte morphology. Previous studies indicate that RhoA-related signalling can play a major role in controlling astrocyte morphology, but the direct effect of increased RhoA activity has not been documented in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we established a viral approach to manipulate astrocytic RhoA activity. We tested if and how overexpression of wild-type RhoA, of a constitutively active RhoA mutant (RhoA-CA), and of a dominant-negative RhoA variant changes the morphology of cultured astrocytes. We found that astrocytic expression of RhoA-CA induced robust cytoskeletal changes and a withdrawal of processes in cultured astrocytes. In contrast, overexpression of other RhoA variants led to more variable changes of astrocyte morphology. These induced morphology changes were reproduced in astrocytes of the hippocampus in vivo. Importantly, astrocytic overexpression of RhoA-CA did not alter the branching pattern of larger GFAP-positive processes of astrocytes. This indicates that a prolonged increase of astrocytic RhoA activity leads to a distinct morphological phenotype in vitro and in vivo, which is characterized by an isolated reduction of fine peripheral astrocyte processes in vivo. At the same time, we identified a promising experimental approach for investigating the functional consequences of astrocyte morphology changes.


This paper proposes a novel adaptive image interpolation method using an edge-directed smoothness filter. Adaptive image interpolation methods tend to create higher visual quality images than traditional interpolation methods such as bicubic interpolation. These methods, however, often suffer from high computational costs and production of inadequate interpolated pixels. We propose a novel method to overcome these problems. Our approach is to estimate the enlarged image from the original image based on an observation model. Obtaining an image with edge-directed smoothness, we constrain the estimated image to have many edge-directed smooth pixels which are measured by using the edge-directed smoothness filter introduced in this paper. Additionally, we also propose a simplification of our algorithm to run with lower computational complexity and smaller memory. Simulation results show that the proposal method produces images with high visual quality and performs well on PSNR and computational times.


Being difficult to determine hidden units's number and unsuitable to select central position in radial basis function (RBF) layer, Particle Swarm Optimization and Resource Allocation (RAN) were proposed for training RBF neural networks. First, determine units's number in RBF layer using RAN. Then, optimize RBF parameters such as central position, width and weights based on PSO. The simulation results show that the new method has better approximation ability, the shorter time and the higher precision.


The authors describe IDtrace, a binary instrumentation tool which produces execution traces for the ix86 instruction set architecture. Long execution traces can be generated quickly and easily for input to a wide variety of performance evaluation tools. Issues involved in the construction of such a tool are listed along with illustrations of the uses of different generated traces. One example observes the behavior of a branch prediction technique and another compares the cache behavior of the i486 with that of the MIPS R3000.<<ETX>>


According to Sri Lankan traditional medicine, a decoction made from stems and leaves of Anisomeles indica Kuntze (Lamiaceae) possesses analgesic activity. However, the validity of this claim has not been scientifically tested. The aim of this study was to investigate analgesic and antihyperalgesic activities of this plant using a water extract made from the leaves and stems. The water extracts were made from leaves and stems of both preflowering (E1) and flowering plants (E2). E1 showed a dose-dependent analgesic effect up to 6 h of treatment when tested in rats using the hot plate and the tail flick techniques. Further, the analgesic effect of E1 was not accompanied by toxic effects. This effect was neither gender dependent nor dependent on the stage of the estrous cycle. E1 also showed a dose-dependent antihyperalgesic activity in the hot plate test. In contrast, E2 did not show any analgesic effect (500 mg/kg). The analgesic effect produced by E1 was not abolished by naloxone. E1 dose-dependently retarded the amplitude of the spontaneous contractions of isolated dioestrous rat uterus. Further, E1 induced a dosedependent plasma membrane stabilisation effect on rat erythrocytes. Collectively, these observations suggest that the analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects of E1 are mediated from inhibition of COX-1, thus impairing the synthesis of prostaglandins. A change in chemical contents that accompanies flowering could be one possible reason for the inability of E2 to demonstrate analgesic effect.


-is paper investigates the risk contribution of 29 industrial sectors to the China stock market by using one-factor with Durante generator copulas (FDG) and component expected shortfall (CES) analyses. Risk contagion between the systemically most important sector and other sectors is examined using a copula-based ∆CoVaR approach. -e data cover the 2008 global financial crisis and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. -e empirical results show that the banking sector contributed most to systemic risk before and during the global financial crisis. Nonbank finance became equally important in 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic promoted the position of the computer and pharmaceuticals sectors.-e spillover effect diminishes over time, but there remains risk contagion between sectors. -e risk spillover trend is consistent with that of systemic risk.


Automated Protocol for Analysis of Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer Data from Fine Aggregate Asphalt Mixes. (August 2010) Pedro Cavalcanti De Sousa, B.E., Federal University of Ceara, Brazil; M.E., Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France. Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee, Dr. Dallas N. Little Dr. Eyad Masad Fatigue cracking and moisture damage are two important modes of distress in asphalt pavements. Recently, the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) was used to characterize fatigue cracking and evaluate the effects of moisture damage on the Fine Aggregate Matrix (FAM) portion of asphalt mixtures. The FAM specimens should be properly fabricated to represent the composition and structure of the fine portion of the mixture. The objective of the first phase of this study was to develop a standard test procedure for preparing FAM specimens such that it is representative of the mixture. The method consists of preparing loose full asphalt mixtures and sieving through different sizes. Then, the ignition oven was used to determine the binder content associated with the small size materials (passing on sieve #16). Sieve #16 is used to separate fine aggregates from the coarse aggregates. The applicability of this new method will be evaluated using a number of asphalt mixtures. The objective of the second phase of this study was to develop software to analyze the data from DMA test. Such software will enable engineers and researchers to perform the complex analysis in very short time. This is Microsoft Windows ® based software, executable in any hardware configuration under this operational system.


Desert plant communities are characterized by specific fragile conditions due to environmental factors. The Desert Ecosystem plays a very important role, not only for the wide area occupied but also for its specific characters and species diversity, some of which are considered endangered. The objective of this study was to define classes, vegetation associations and area occupied within the study zone using plant cover values and presence of plant species. Data were obtained from 110 sampling sites, through the GAP Analysis methodology. Cluster analysis method to group homogeneous classes with plant cover and species structure applying the Ward minimum variance technique was used. Results depicted similarity among observed sites (r2 = 80,93) which means good confidence in the associations; three groups were identified with 2 clusters each. Group 1 with 23 sites and 9 dominant species; group 2 with 28 sites and 2 dominant species; and group 3 with 58 sites and 7 dominant species. Plant species present in the area with more than 50% cover are: Larrea tridentata and Prosopis glandulosa.


The effects of carp, Cyprinus carpio L., on water quality and functioning of aquatic systems were investigated in two experiments in ponds (~90 cm deep) outdoors at Griffith, New South Wales. The experiments represented contrasting conditions of high and low impact, defined by stocking density and food availability, with stocking densities chosen to be above and below 450 kg ha-1, the stocking density suggested as a critical threshold for damage. Under high impact conditions, carp had a significant effect on water quality, habitat structure and pond physical characteristics. Turbidity increased from approximately 7 NTU to 26 and 73 NTU by Day 4, there was a complete loss of two out of five plant species tested (Chara fibrosa and Vallisneria sp.) by Day 6, and surface water temperature in ponds with carp was significantly greater by Day 7. Plant loss was attributed to uprooting rather than herbivory, as sometimes reported. Under low impact conditions the uprooting rate of Vallisneria was reduced to a third. Contrary to the results of previous studies, there was no evidence of increased nutrients or greater algal biomass in ponds with carp, but this may have been because the sediments were relatively low in phosphorus. A crude nutrient budget based on water concentrations and tissue analysis showed substantial growth of carp in 20 days that could be accounted for only by considering either sediments or terrestrial inputs (ponds were not covered) as an important food source.


INTRODUCTION Soccer is a complex game with interacting players and teams. Team members cooperate to score a goal and opponent players try to keep the opponent from scoring. In addition, young soccer players need excellent tactical skills to reach the top. Tactical behavior emerges through interactions between opposing teams. This study aimed to determine the tactical team performance in elite-standard youth soccer players of two age categories (under-17 and under-19) during small-sided games (SSGs). METHODS 39 elite-standard male youth soccer players were assigned to two teams (under-17 and under-19) and 24 small-sided games were played in total. Positional data (LPM-system) were collected to determine tactical performance measures of the teams (mean ± sd): inter-team distances, stretch indices and length per width ratios (lpwratios). In addition, interaction behaviour were determined for these measures, in order to capture the coordination patterns in these age groups. RESULTS Differences between age groups were found for the lateral stretch index (under-19 5.24 ± 0.08m; under-17 5.03 ± 0.07m) and the lpwratio (under-19 0.97 ± 0.03; under-17 1.00 ± 0.04), but not for the longitudinal stretch index. Also, no differences were found for inter-team distance of the centroids between age categories. In addition, in-phase behaviour was dominant for the team centroids (>70% of the time). In-phase behaviour was less dominant, for stretch indices and lpwratios (>50% of the time). No differences were found between the age categories in these coordination patterns. DISCUSSION Differences were found for the lateral stretch index and the lpwratio between age groups, meaning that under-19 made more use of the pitch width. In contrast, no differences existed in the coordination patterns between the teams. Both age groups were similarly attracted to a dominant in-phase behaviour and a less dominant anti-phase behaviour. Positional data can be used in order to determine differences in tactical performance in elite-standard youth soccer teams. Coach instructions and training exercises should be directed at exploiting pitch width to increase the pursuit of goal-scoring.


Post-silicon validation of RF/mixed-signal circuits is challenging due to the need to excite all possible operational modes of the DUT in order to establish equivalence between its specified and observed behaviors and to ensure that the DUT does not produce any unexpected behaviors that can lead to system failure. In this research, we first develop a methodology for determining if the DUT contains behaviors that are not explicitly included in its behavioral model. A complex (optimized) test waveform is applied to the DUT and its test response signature is captured. It is seen that in the presence of unexpected DUT behaviors, the residual error in the test response signature from that defined by the model, cannot be minimized below a certain threshold by manipulating the model parameters in any way. If however, it is determined that the model is adequate but the signature is different from the expected, then a procedure is developed for determining which sub module is responsible for the difference (i.e. causes the system level specifications to be different from that specified by the behavioral model). Experiments on an RF transceiver are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed validation and diagnosis approach.


This article examines perceptions of Germany in Ireland during the Euro crisis. It explores debates about a "normalization" of Germany's role in Europe and its European identity, calling for a focus on external perceptions of Germany as key to understanding the extent to which Germany is viewed as "normal" from the outside. Through a presentation of findings from qualitative analysis of political speeches and newspaper articles, it shows that perceptions of Germany are filtered through discourses on Irish national identity that place Irish economic interests and national sovereignty at the heart of Irish engagement in the EU. Whereas Irish leaders argue in favor of further integration as a means to regain economic sovereignty, opposition actors and the conservative press see Germany as exercising economic control of Europe. The Irish case demonstrates that Germany's past continues to shape the way in which its leadership in Europe is perceived from the outside.


In Content Centric Network, name-based routing may not scale because the number of content names will be orders of magnitude higher than IP prefixes. To address the scalability problem, we propose routing schemes that exploits the autonomous system numbers and domain names. For intradomain routing, routers use the splitted routing table by using hashed value of domain names. For inter-domain routing, autonomous system number will be attached to domain name of interest packet. By exploiting this number, packet will be forwarded to destination.


In the present paper, we deal with the problem of allocating the network resources in multi-rate Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) Visual Sensor Networks (VSNs). We consider a single-cell system where each node uses the same chip rate, but can transmit at a different bit rate. In wireless VSNs, we face the constraints of limited power lifetime and of an error-prone environment, mainly due to attenuation and interference. The proposed cross-layer scheme enables the Centralized Control Unit (CCU) to jointly allocate the transmission power, the transmission bit rate and the source-channel coding rates for each VSN node in order to optimize the delivered video quality. The transmission power of each visual sensor assumes values from a continuous range, while the rest of the resources take values chosen from an available discrete set. The numerical results demonstrate the performance of the proposed multi-rate scheme vs a single-rate system.


Summary

Experiments were undertaken to verify, under high pressures, the linear relation postulated by Terzaghi between the equilibrium void-ratio (ɛ) of a sediment and the logarithm of the applied pressure (p). Samples of Gault, Oxford Clay, Keuper Marl, Globigerina Ooze and Terrigenous Mud were subjected to maximum pressures between 250 and 840 kg/cm2. Certain departures were found from Terzaghi's relation. However, they do not appear to be such that large errors would arise in assuming the validity of Terzaghi's relation up to, say, 1000 kg/cm2. The void-ratio at unit pressure (ɛ1) was found to be proportional to the compression index (the coefficient of the logarithmic term in Terzaghi's relation). This suggests that if sediments reach a state of no voids, the pressure at which it is reached is the same for all of them. From the data obtained in the present experiments a pressure of about 2500 kg/cm2 is estimated for this state. Casagrade's suggestion that if an undisturbed pre-stressed sample of a sediment is re-subjected to pressure, the slope of the ɛ-p curve would show a discontinuity at the pre-stress value was verified under high pressure. An estimate of the overburden eroded from the top of the Athleta zone of the Oxford clay is made from such experiments.

Depth-density curves for the sediments concerned in the above experiments are presented. These calculations show that where compaction following Terzaghi's relation is the only process involved, the state of no voids is reached at about 10000 m depth of burial.

Theoretical calculations of the heat conductivity of a mass of porous sediments are given in the paper. It is shown that the conductivity of the first 10 m of Globigerina Ooze, a typical deep sea sediment, should be expected to be reduced to two-thirds that of the constituent grains, owing to the presence of the water-filled voids.

The mechanism of compaction is discussed. An expression similar to Terzaghi's relation has been derived from certain considerations involving the energy needed to break the bonds between grains. The approach suggests that it should be possible to calculate the value of the compression index theoretically for a clay of known lattice structure.


The developmental environment can affect the expression of sexually selected traits in adulthood. The physiological mechanisms that modulate such effects remain a matter of intense debate. Here, we test the role of the developmental environment in shaping adult mitochondrial function and link mitochondrial function to expression of a sexually selected trait in males (bird song). We exposed male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to corticosterone (CORT) treatment during development. After males reached adulthood, we quantified mitochondrial function from whole red blood cells and measured baseline CORT and testosterone levels, body condition/composition, and song structure. CORT-treated males had mitochondria that were less efficient (FCRL/R) and used a lower proportion of maximum capacity (FCRR/ETS) than control males. Additionally, CORT-treated males had higher baseline levels of CORT as adults compared to control males. Using structural equation modelling, we found that the effects of CORT treatment during development on adult mitochondrial function were indirect and modulated by baseline CORT levels, which are programmed by CORT treatment during development. Developmental treatment also had an indirect effect on song peak frequency. Males treated with CORT during development sang songs with higher peak frequency than control males, but this effect was modulated through increased CORT levels and by a decrease in FCRR/ETS. CORT-treated males had smaller tarsi compared to control males; however, there were no associations between body size and measures of song frequency. Here, we provide the first evidence supporting links between the developmental environment, mitochondrial function, and the expression of a sexually selected trait (bird song).


A mixed finite element-boundary element solution for the analysis of two-dimensional flow in porous media composed of rock blocks and discrete fractures is described. The rock blocks are modelled implicitly by using boundary elements whereas finite elements are adopted to model the discrete fractures. The computational procedure has been implemented in a hybrid code which has been validated first by comparing the numerical results with the closed-form solution for flow in a porous aquifer intercepted by a vertical fracture only. Then, a more complex problem has been solved where a pervious, homogeneous and isotropic matrix containing a net of fractures is considered. The results obtained are shown to describe satisfactorily the main features of the flow problem under study.


The effect of nanoscale Pt particles embedded in ferroelectric matrix on the polarization switching characteristics of Pb(Zr_0.5Ti_0.5)O_3 (PZT) thin films of low thickness was investigated. Two different nanocomposite structures of PZT-Pt thin films were fabricated for the study. The first one incorporated a single layer of Pt nano-particles embedded in the PZT film, which was formed by annealing an ultrathin Pt layer that had been inserted into the middle of the deposited PZT. The other one had Pt nano-particles embedded uniformly and coherently in the lattice of the PZT matrix, which was generated by annealing the cosputtered films of PZT and Pt. The electric field applied on the films can be locally intensified near the embedded Pt particles, which markedly enhances the polarization switching characteristic of the above PZT-Pt nanocomposite films. Accordingly, a satisfactorily higher remanent polarization was obtained than exhibited by normal PZT films, but the coercive field was only slightly higher. However, adding an excess of Pt made the nanocomposite films too leaky to exhibit the enhancement. Moreover, the nanocomposite PZT-Pt films in the capacitor configuration of Pt/LaNiO_3/PZT-Pt/LaNiO_3/Pt also exhibited highly reliable polarization retention and fatigue resistance.


Sea ice schemes with a few vertical levels are typically used to simulate the thermodynamic evolution of sea ice in global climate models. Here it is shown that these schemes overestimate the magnitude of the diurnal surface temperature cycle by a factor of 2–3 when they are used to simulate tropical ice in a Snowball earth event. This could strongly influence our understanding of Snowball termination, which occurs in global climate models when the midday surface temperature in the tropics reaches the melting point. A hierarchy of models is used to show that accurate simulation of surface temperature variation on a given time scale requires that a sea ice model resolve the e-folding depth to which a periodic signal on that time scale penetrates. This is used to suggest modifications to the sea ice schemes used in global climate models that would allow more accurate simulation of Snowball deglaciation.


BACKGROUND The appropriateness of psychiatric management decisions following an episode of deliberate self-harm is under-researched. AIM To determine whether the offer of follow-up or psychiatric admission by psychiatric doctors is related to known predictors of repetition of self-harm or completed suicide, and recognition of a depressive disorder. METHODS Prospective survey of 158 adult self-harm referrals from the general hospital. RESULTS Offer of aftercare was significantly associated with a definite wish to die at the time of the attempt (P<0.001), Beck's Suicide Intent score (P=0.001), Beck's Hopelessness score (P=0.001), age (P<0.01) and an ICD-10 diagnosis of depression (P<0.001). Psychiatric admission was more likely for men (P=0.01) and accommodation problems (P=0.04) and less likely for relationship problems (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS Psychiatrists are selectively admitting or following up patients from established high-risk groups. Given the limitations of suicide prevention and mental health resources, their management is appropriate.


Most people spend their time indoors. Indoors have a higher complexity than outdoors. Moreover, today's building structures are increasingly sophisticated and complex, which can create problems when a disaster occurs in the room. Fire is one of the disasters that often occurs in a building. For that, we need disaster management that can minimize the risk of casualties. Disaster management with cloud computing has been extensively investigated in other studies. Traditional ways of centralizing data in the cloud are almost scalable as they cannot cater to many latency-critical IoT applications, and this results in too high network traffic when the number of objects and services increased. It will be especially problematic when in a disaster that requires a quick response. The Fog infrastructure is the beginning of the answer to such problems. This research started with an analysis of literature and hot topics related to fog computing and indoor disasters, which later became the basis for creating a fog computing-based architecture for indoor disasters. In this research, fog computing is used as the backbone in disaster management architecture in buildings. MQTT is used as a messaging protocol with the advantages of simplicity and speed. This research proposes a disaster architecture for indoor disasters, mainly fire disasters


One may say that the European Union is a success story: it is growing and in 2004 it witnessed the most significant enlargement in its history up to now – 10 new countries have become members;two other new countries – Romania and Bulgaria – are ready to join the Union. Beyond these positive and encouraging facts the European Union seems to be confronted with a weakness with no self-evident cause, with an erosion of its future position the mood of the European Union is characterized by dualism and the balance seems to be condemned to instability in the long run. The cause responsible for this situation is globalization which substantially changes the rules of the game: in a nutshell, in the globalized context the new technologies enable that everything can be produced everywhere and everybody can compete with everybody.


The effect of external AC magnetic field on arc shape and weld quality of magnesium alloy TIG welding were analyzed. The results indicate that the arc shape is rotated by longitudinal AC magnetic field periodicitily, and it is advantageous in forming weld, refining weld grain and homogenizing microstructure. The microhardness of WZ and HAZ which are weld by longitudinal AC magnetic is higher than base plate, the tensile strength of weld zone is 220 MPa, which is 88% of the base plate, the fracture point occured in the WZ, which belongs to the shear fracture.


Skeletal muscle is the most economically valuable tissue in meat-producing animals and enhancing muscle growth in these species may enhance the efficiency of meat production. Skeletal muscle mass is negatively regulated by myostatin (MSTN), and non-functional mutations of the MSTN gene in various animal species have led to dramatic hypermuscularity. This study was designed to assess the characteristics of male MSTN-knockout (KO) pigs. A transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) pair targeting exon 1 of the swine MSTN gene was constructed and used to transfect porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). We obtained a cell line consisting of a 2-bp deletion in one allele and a 4-bp deletion in the other allele, and this was used as a donor to generate cloned pigs via SCNT, and delivered 18 live piglets. They developed and grew normally to sexual maturity. These MSTN-KO boars grew normally to adulthood and showed visually-clear hypermuscular characteristics, increased carcass dressing percentage and loin eye size, and decreased backfat thickness. These pigs may show greater meat production, as well as being used in animal models of human diseases.


On March 27, 1928, the United States Department of State issued the following public statement: The petroleum regulations just promulgated by President Calles constitute executive action which completes the process beginning with the decision made by the judicial branch of the Mexican Government on November 17, 1927, and followed by the enactment of the new petroleum law by the legislative branch on December 26 last. Together these steps voluntarily taken by the Mexican Government would appear to bring to a practical conclusion the discussions which began ten years ago with reference to the effect of the Mexican constitution and laws upon foreign oil companies. The department feels, as does Ambassador Morrow, that such questions, if any, as may hereafter arise can be settled through the due operation of the Mexican administrative departments and the Mexican courts.


We have developed a new method to observe bone and to document growth in living animals. The technique involves injecting calcein, a fluorescent calcium deposition marker, waiting approximately 4 hr for it to clear the vascular system, and observing bone directly through the toenails of lightly anesthetized living animals. Bone regrowth can be monitored in situ by amputating the digit through the nail plate, waiting the desired number of days, and injecting a second fluorescent label, alizarin red. Bone that has regrown since the amputation appears as a red area distal to the green calcein label on toes of lightly anesthetized animals when viewed under FITC fluorescence. This method has been used to demonstrate blocked bone synthesis and to quantitate significant differences in bone growth in control and experimental toes of individual animals. Advantages of this method include its simplicity, the use of fewer animals to collect sequential data, and increased reliability of repeated microscopic measurements using the same animal.


A field study on vegetable cowpea (ev. Bidhan Barbati-1l was conducted during pre-kharifseason of 1999 and 2000 to study the effect of phosphorus and biofertilizers (Rhizobium and phosphatesulubilizing bacteria) on nodulation and yield in a sandy-loam soil of Old Alluvial Zone, West Bengal, Four levels of phosphorus (0, 40, 60, 80 kg/ha) as main-plot treatments and four sub-plot treatments comprising no inoculation, single inoculation with Rhizobium and Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, dual inoculation with both of them were arranged in split-plot design with three replications. Phosphorus fertilization increased the pod yield and nodulation significantly up to 80 kg/ha. Single or dual inoculation with biofertilizers resulted in conspicuous increase in nodule number and weight, leg-haemoglobin content and Nitrogenase activity of nodules and pod yield over no inoculation. However, dual inoculation with Rhizobium and Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria resulted better response than their individual inoculations. Economic evaluation revea1ed that dual inoculation with biofertilizers gave maximum net return and B/C ratio.


Introduction Patients with hepatic encephalopathy have an altered sleep pattern. Tryptophan metabolism produces two sedative compounds oxindole and melatonin. Altered tryptophan metabolism in patients with hepatic encephalopathy could have some role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Aim The study aim was to study differences in the concentrations of oxindole and melatonin between various parts of the body in cirrhotics with and without hepatic encephalopathy. Methods During a check for patency on a previously constructed transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt (TIPSS) blood was collected from the splenic, portal, hepatic and internal jugular veins and right atrium in 10 cirrhotic patients without evidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy and 10 patients with Hepatic encephalopathy grade A or B. 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy was used to measure concentrations of oxindole and melatonin in plasma. Results In cirrhotic patients oxindole levels were significantly higher in portal vein than hepatic vein (408±63 vs 280±58 μmol/dl (p<0.05)) and also significantly lower in the right atrium compared to the internal jugular vein (377±42 vs 521±73 μmol/dl (p<0.03)). In encephalopathic patients oxindole levels were significantly lower in the right atrium compared to the internal jugular vein (389±61 vs 768±77 μmol/dl (p<0.01)). Levels in the internal jugular vein in encephalopathics were significantly higher than cirrhotics (521±73 vs 768±77 μmol/dl (p<0.043))2. Melatonin levels in cirrhotics were significantly higher in the right atrium compared to the internal jugular vein (603±54 vs 288±39 μmol/dl (p<0.01)). In encephalopathic patients melatonin levels were also significantly higher in the right atrium compared to the internal jugular vein (889±80 vs 533±57 μmol/dl (p<0.03)). Levels in portal vein and hepatic vein in encephalopathics were significantly higher than cirrhotics (1251±73 vs 772±77 μmol/dl (p<0.01)) for portal vein and (1448±102 vs 706±93 μmol/dl (p<0.007)) for hepatic vein. Conclusion All metabolites had significant hepatic extraction both in cirrhotics and encephalopathics. Melatonin had brain clearance in encephalopathy while oxindole clearance was lower in encephalopathy.


Zirconolite and pyrochlore are considered as promising host phases for high level waste (HLW). However, correct information on substitution mechanisms, forms of dopants incorporation in their structures and distortions in coordination polyhedra is presently unavailable. To clarify these points we use the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Pyrochlore and three of zirconolite polytypes: zirconolite-2M, zirconolite-3T, and zirconolite-30 are considered. Pyrochlore is the "parent" structure for zirconolite since any zirconolite variety is produced by means of distortion of the initial pyrochlore structure. Space groups of pyrochlore and basic polymorphous zirconolite varieties found from XRD and TEM data, as well as interatomic distances and angles, were taken from reference data. This allows the determination of the most probable sites for impurities, substitution mechanisms, and local symmetry of coordination polyhedra (initial). Ions chosen for EPR were Gd (III) as an analog of trivalent rare earth and actinide elements which are also occurred in HLW and Fe (III) as a typical corrosion product which occurs in all HLW. For Gd (III) a strong ligand field approximation is suggested, theoretical computation using perturbation theory in this approximation has been carried out. All the non-diagonal members plus magnetic field were chosen as perturbation and formulae for transition frequencies, estimations of fine structure and g-factors parameters in the given approximation have been obtained.


Segmentation accuracy and generalization ability are essential for deep learning models, especially in medical image segmentation. We present a novel, robust yet straightforward loss function to boost model accuracy and generalizability for medical image segmentation. We reformulate the graph cuts cost function to a loss function for supervised learning. The graph cuts loss innately focuses on a dual penalty to optimize the regional properties and boundary regularization. We benchmark the proposed loss on six public retinal vessel segmentation datasets with a comprehensive intra-dataset and cross-dataset evaluation. Results reveal that the proposed loss is more generalizable, narrowing the performance gap between different architectures. Besides, models trained with our loss show higher segmentation accuracy and better generalization ability than those trained with other mainstream losses. Moreover, we extend our loss to other segmentation tasks, e.g., left atrium and liver tumor segmentation. The proposed loss still achieves comparable performance to the state-of-the-art, demonstrating its potential for any N-D segmentation problem. The code is available at https://github.com/zzh_enggit/graphcutsloss.


We examine if corruption has any effect on stock market returns. Using balanced panel data that consist of cross-sectional groups and time periods, we find that an improvement in corruption has a positive effect on stock market returns, and time effects are more dominant than group effects. In addition, it is shown that the random time effect model is preferred to the fixed time effect model for the relationship between corruption and stock market returns. Our study is expected to provide not only a new insight to investors in terms of international diversification but also alternative options to socially responsible or ethical investment funds.


INTRODUCTION
Lifestyle activities, such as regular physical activity, are important for good metabolic health and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Epidemiological studies highlight an increase in the proportion of overweight children in Singapore. A workgroup was formed to develop recommendations to encourage children and adolescents (aged 7-17 years) to adopt a holistic approach towards integrating beneficial activities within a daily 24-hour period for good metabolic and general health.

METHODS
The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Evidence to Decision framework was employed to formulate the public health question, assess the evidence and draw conclusions for the guide. The evidence for international 24-hour movement guidelines, and guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep and eating habits were reviewed. An update of the literature review from August 2018 to end of September 2020 was conducted through an electronic search of Medline and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases.

RESULTS
Ten consensus statements were developed. The statements focused on the overall aim of achieving good metabolic health through integration of these activities and initiatives: light and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis; muscle- and bone-strengthening activities; limiting sedentary behaviour; regular and adequate sleep; good eating habits and choosing nutritionally balanced foods and drinks; practise safety in exercise; and aiming to achieve more or all aforementioned recommendations for the best results.

CONCLUSION
This set of recommendations provides guidance to encourage Singapore children and adolescents to adopt health-beneficial activities within a 24-hour period.


Article Info Abstract Article History Received: June 2020 Revised: July 2020 Published: July 2020 This study is aimed at finding the utilizing of communicative language games in improving students' speaking ability at second grade students of SMPN 4 Praya Barat Daya. This study was an action research which comprised two cycles. It involved an English teacher and 24 students of second grade at SMPN 4 Praya Barat Daya. The steps of this study were reconnaissance, planning the actions, implementing and observing the actions, and reflecting the actions done. The data of this study were qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative data were obtained by observing the teaching and learning process during the implementation of the actions and interviewing the students and the English teacher. The data were collected using field notes and interview transcription. The quantitative data were taken by assessing the students speaking ability using pre-test and post-test in the form of students' scores. The research finding shows that the use of the communicative language games is effective to improve students' speaking ability. The games are accompanied with other actions such as using classroom English, applying varied themes, using adequate media, doing language form activities, giving feedback, giving rewards, doing group works and rearranging the students seating arrangement. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of communicative language games is able to improve students' speaking skills at second grade students of SMPN 4 Praya Barat Daya.


Disposal of industrial waste has become a great burden globally due to its associated high economic expense and environmental pollution. The possibility of re-using Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) as fine aggregate in concrete profits both construction and industrial sectors. The present study aimed at examining the reuse of chemically bonded WFS as fine aggregate in concrete paver blocks. It assessed the physical and chemical properties of chemically bonded WFS and the effect of chemically bonded WFS as partial replacement of natural sand at 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% on compressive strength, tensile strength and water absorption of concrete pavers. The result showed that chemically bonded WFS is finer than Natural river sand and has different chemical composition. The water absorption of the blocks containing different proportions of WFS ranged from 4.3%-4.6% by mass. The 28 days tensile and compressive strength ranged from 3.15-3.73MPa and 50.5-53.7 MPa, respectively with chemically bonded WFS use but highest in the control mix at 3.79MPa and 61.0MPa respectively. Lastly, the optimal tensile and compressive strengths were observed at 10% and 20% chemically bonded WFS use. In conclusion, the higher strengths in the control mix are attributed to the coarser particle size of natural river sand relative to chemically bonded WFS. Also, the use of chemically bonded WFS as fine aggregate achieves concrete strength that is close to that from the control mix. Nonetheless, the replacement of chemically bonded WFS from 10%-20% is recommended as it can make concrete paver blocks of the standard quality.


Platelets and clotting cascade play a major role in development of atrial thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation. The mean platelet volume (MPV) reflects platelet size and is considered a marker and determinant of platelet function because larger platelets are hemostatically more reactive than platelets of normal size, increasing the propensity to thrombosis. We have investigated the relationship between MPV and left atrial thrombus in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. A total of 205 consecutive patients (men: 67.3%, women: 32.7%; mean age: 62.3 ± 12.8) who had persistent atrial fibrillation, undergone transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography. Study individuals were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n: 96, 46.8%): atrial fibrillation complicated with atrial thrombus and group 2 (n: 109, 53.2%): atrial fibrillation free of thrombus, which was identified by means of transesophageal echocardiogram. The MPV, platelet distribution weight, and platelet count were measured. There was no difference in terms of MPV, platelet distribution weight, and platelet count in two groups. MPV was not correlated with thrombus and spontaneous echo contrast. Left atrial thrombus was included in multivariate logistic regression analysis and only low ejection fraction was a predictor of left atrial thrombus (P = 0.04). This is first report showing that MPV is not related with left atrial thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation. According to our result, MPV cannot be considered as an index of left atrial thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation.


Across Europe children's nurses today face many challenges, including rising childhood obesity, the soaring incidence of issues with the mental health of children and young people, the effects of social media, child maltreatment and the impact of poverty, war and conflict on children and families. There are opportunities for children's nurses to undertake new roles and to influence both policy and practice to improve the health outcomes of children and young people, and thereby the future health of the population.


Materials for wrapping surgical dressings were studied by a method which measured the recontamination rate in packs stored for periods of up to several weeks. Of the materials tested a thick crêpe paper was better than calico and balloon cloth fabrics. Dressings wrapped in paper were not significantly contaminated after storage in dusty places for periods of up to three weeks. For added protection during handling and for convenience in transport and storage, paper packs may be sterilized and kept in paper-lined cartons. The shelf life in good storage conditions would be many weeks at least.


Most crime occurs when the perpetrator finds an appropriate opportunity; the opportunities may be due to a factor or a combination of several factors. In many cases, the term of opportunity to commit crime is used with secure together. Security is one of the main sustainable factors of today's communities, without stability and security, there is no possibility of growth and development for any community and positive achievements will be replaced by negative ones. One of physical solutions to increasing security is crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), which is currently the most efficient solution to supply physical security through reducing criminal opportunities in urban areas. Worn out textures in cities due to the specific physical and activity characteristics are considered as one of the main crime rise centres. In this study, the factors affecting insecurity and creating criminal opportunities of worn out texture of Urmia downtown have been studied. The research method is analytical-descriptive and the tool of library studies, survey and open questionnaires has been used to collect required data. The research result shows that due to insecurity reasons in the scope of the study, the principles of CPTED approach can be effective in reducing the rate of insecurity. To this end, strategies for enhancing security in the study area using environmental design approach would be proposed at the end.


Due to a constantly changing environment as well as a lack of willingness to modify existing organizational structures and decision models, the full economic potential of Web information systems (WIS) has not yet been realized. A reference model as a normative concept represents an abstraction of a typical company, its functional units, or its (Web) information systems and is intended to facilitate the exploitation of this potential. The data object types of the presented meta model, the Extended World Wide Web Design Technique (eW3DT), focus on the document oriented storage layer of the Dexter Hypertext Reference Model. They provide hypertext designers with a framework and graphical notation for the construction of both reference and implementation models, during the software development process of commercial WIS. As a precondition for pursuing a partial globalization strategy, eW3DT distinguishes between technical and content specific responsibilities for designing, implementing, and maintaining WIS.


A new species of firefly, Afrodiaphanes pulcher sp. nov., is described, diagnosed and illustrated. This is the first species of Afrodiaphanes described from the Central African Republic as well as the first firefly described from this nation.


We extend the work of Argyres and Tye (1991 Phys. Rev. Lett. 67 3339) on fractional superstrings established for to higher-dimensional parafermionic cosets. We derive the generic formula for the critical spacetime dimensions and the corresponding critical central charges for the more general coset We also show that only the cosets and allow one to build critical (N,k)-string models. Other features are also discussed.


Twenty genotypes of rice were studied in response to water stress imposed at early stage seedling stress. The varietal variations and interactions differed significantly and the genotype Lakhokunwar highly maintained its water content followed by Banspor (68.26%). During recovery period, the genotypes Lakhokunwar reached to its maximum value (84.36%) as that of control (irrigated) followed by Banspor (81.43%) and Uraibuta (81.16%). The maximum chlorophyll stability index (CSI) was observed in Safrideshi (0.93) and minimum in Desilaldhan (0.71) under early seedling water stress condition.


The acquired enamel pellicle is an organic film covering the surfaces of teeth. When this film was first discovered, it was thought to be of embryologic origin. Only in the middle of this century did it become clear that it was acquired after tooth eruption. Initially, the small amounts of material that could be obtained have virtually limited the investigation of pellicle proteins to amino acid analysis. Nevertheless, this technique revealed that the pellicle is mainly proteinaceous and is formed by selective adsorption of salivary proteins on tooth enamel. Later, immunologic techniques allowed for the identification of many salivary and fewer non-salivary proteins as constituents of pellicle. However, to this date, isolation and direct biochemical characterization of in vivo pellicle protein have not been possible, because only a few micrograms can be obtained from a single donor. Therefore, the composition and structure of the acquired enamel pellicle are still essentially unknown. Information on the functions of pellicle has been obtained mainly from in vitro experiments carried out with saliva-coated hydroxyapatite and enamel discs. It was found that pellicle protects enamel by reducing demineralization upon acid challenge. Improved pellicle harvesting procedures and analysis by state-of-the-art proteomics with mass spectroscopy approaches promise to make major inroads into the characterization of enamel pellicle.


This paper describes an experimental and theoretical analysis of the heat and mass transfer processes that take place during defrosted water evaporation from compressor water trays. The influence of the operating conditions on the water evaporation rate was experimentally evaluated using a purpose-built testing facility. Two different tray designs were studied (top hat and membrane). In total, 16 experiments were carried out with the water evaporation rate varying from 4 g/h to 37 g/h. It was found that the compressor shell temperature was up to 11.6C lower and the average water evaporation rate was up to 109.5% higher in the membrane tray design. A dynamic simulation model was also developed and used to predict both the compressor shell temperature and the water evaporation rate. The model results were compared with the experimental data and over 80% of the model predictions for the average water evaporation rate lay within a 15% error band. It was also found that the water and compressor shell temperatures were predicted with maximum root mean square errors (RMSEs) of approximately 1.4oC and 3.2oC, respectively.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopically placed metal stents in comparison with operative procedures, in patients with obstructive pancreatic head cancer. Endoscopic stenting techniques and materials for gastrointestinal malignancies are constantly improving. Despite this evolution, many still consider operative procedures to be the gold standard for palliation in patients with unresectable obstructive pancreatic head cancer. This is a retrospective study of 52 patients who were diagnosed with obstructive (biliary, duodenal, or both) adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head. Twenty-nine patients (endoscopy group) underwent endoscopic stenting. Eleven patients (bypass group) underwent biliodigestive bypass. Twelve patients (Whipple group) underwent Whipple operation with curative intent; however, histopathology revealed R1 resection (palliative Whipple). T4 disease was identified in 13 (44.8%), 7 (63.6%), and 3 (25%) patients in the endoscopy, bypass, and Whipple groups, respectively. Metastatic disease was present only in the endoscopy group (n = 12; 41.3%). There was no intervention-related mortality. Median survival was 280 days [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 103, 456 days], 157 days (95% CI, 0, 411 days), and 647 days (95% CI, 300, 993 days) for the endoscopy, bypass, and Whipple groups, respectively (P = 0.111). In patients with obstructive pancreatic head cancer, endoscopic stenting may offer equally good palliation compared with surgical double bypass. The numerically (not statistically) better survival after palliative Whipple might be explained by the smaller tumor burden in this subgroup of patients and not by the superior efficacy of this operation.


The Northern Humboldt Current System (NHCS) is the world's most productive ecosystem in terms of fish. In particular, the Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is the major prey of the main top predators, like seabirds, fish, humans, and other mammals. In this context, it is important to understand the dynamics of the anchovy distribution to preserve it as well as to exploit its economic capacities. Using the data collected by the "Instituto del Mar del Perú" (IMARPE) during a scientific survey in 2005, we present a statistical analysis that has as main goals: (i) to adapt to the characteristics of the sampled data, such as spatial dependence, high proportions of zeros and big size of samples; (ii) to provide important insights on the dynamics of the anchovy population; and (iii) to propose a model for estimation and prediction of anchovy biomass in the NHCS offshore from Perú. These data were analyzed in a Bayesian framework using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) method. Further, to select the best model and to study the predictive power of each model, we performed model comparisons and predictive checks, respectively. Finally, we carried out a Bayesian spatial influence diagnostic for the preferred model.


The shell of the bivalve Montacuta ferruginosa is covered with a rust-colored biofilm. This biofilm includes filamentous bacteria and protozoa encrusted with a mineral, rich in ferric ion and phosphate. The aim of this research was to study two possible microbial iron precipitation pathways in the biofilm, namely, microbial iron oxidation and microbial degradation of organic Fe(III) complexes. The iron-oxidizing activity was assayed spectrophotometrically by monitoring the formation of the dye Wurster blue in biofilm extracts. Iron-oxidizing activity was effectively detected in extracts obtained by oxalic acid treatment of biofilm fragments. Extracts obtained without oxalic acid treatment, heated extracts, or extracts supplemented with HgCl 2 did not show any activity. This suggests that an iron-oxidizing factor (IOF), possibly an enzyme, coprecipitated with the mineral. Additional information gathered by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, gel-filtration chromatography, and UV spectrophotometry indicate that the IOF would be a small peptide or glycopeptide (1,350 Da). Microbial degradation of organic Fe(III) complexes was assayed with biofilm fragments incubated in a medium containing ferric citrate. Analysis of the supernatants after various intervals revealed that the complex was degraded by living microorganisms much faster than in the heat-killed negative controls. We conclude that ferric iron precipitation in the biofilm may proceed by way of microbial Fe(II) oxidation as well as microbial degradation of organic Fe(III) complexes.