According to the particularity of Automated Optical Inspection(AOI) has a relatively high detection accuracy in detecting mobile phone FPC board, a new template image generation and image-targeted method is put forward. Based on the features of the template, the CAD plan multi-template is used to match; Due to the difficulties of orientation of FPC board image and under-test image , the method based on the Hough transform assembly-positioning is adopted. The results prove the effectiveness and reliability of the method, and provide a guarantee to enhance the further soft-defect detection accuracy.


This article presents a new time-domain finite-element approach for modeling thin sheets with hyperbolic basis functions derived from the well-known steady-state solution of the linear flux diffusion equation. The combination of solutions at different operating frequencies permits the representation of the time evolution of field quantities in the magnetic field formulation. This approach is here applied to solve a planar shielding problem in harmonic and time-dependent simulations for materials with either linear or nonlinear characteristics. Local and global quantities show good agreement with the reference solutions obtained by the standard finite-element method (FEM) on a complete and representative discretization of the region exposed to a time-varying magnetic field.


The research described in this paper addresses the problems associated with the design of systems for efficiently producing computer-generated pictures and picture sequences of very complex, three-dimensional environments. The thesis of the research is that the geometric structure inherent in the definition of the shapes of three-dimensional objects and environments must be used not just to define their relative motion and placement but also to assist in solving many other problems of systems for producing pictures by computer.The implications are that by using an extension of traditional structure information, or a geometric hierarchy, five significant improvements to current techniques are possible. First, the range of complexity of an environment is greatly increased while the visible complexity of any given scene is kept within a fixed upper limit. Second, a meaningful way is provided to vary the amount of detail presented in a scene both according to the screen area occupied by the objects in the scene and according to camera and object motions. Third, by using the geometric hierarchy, "clipping" becomes a very fast logarithmic search for the resolvable parts of the environment within the field-of-view. Fourth, by using this positional hierarchy in conjunction with a storage hierarchy of the sort used in virtual memory computing systems, frame-to-frame coherence and clipping define a graphical "working set", or fraction of the total structure that should be present in primary store for immediate access by the visible-surface algorithms. Finally, the proposed structural framework suggests a new recursive descent visible-surface algorithm in which the computation time grows almost linearly with a scene's visible complexity rather than as a worse than linear function of its object-space complexity.


In addition to improving the resolution limit of electron microscopes[1], off-axis electron holography at moderate resolution can be used to characterize electrostatic and magnetic fields[2] down to the nanometer scale. We have investigated samples with oneand two-dimensional dopant profiles and obtained maps of electrostatic potential with a sensitivity of 0.1V and spatial resolution approaching 5nm. The magnetization behavior of patterned magnetic nanostructures at high sensitivity and spatial resolution has also been studied.


ABSTRACT:
 The Zumwalt Prairie in northeastern Oregon is the last large remnant of the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass Prairie. Compared to other prairies in North America, relatively little is known about these arid temperate grasslands as the majority disappeared quickly after Euro-American settlement. In this paper we describe the landscape history of the Zumwalt Prairie through interpretation of historical aerial photos. Beginning with photos taken in 1938, we examined photos for area of cultivation and woody vegetation and number of buildings and stock ponds. Using data collected in 1976 and 2001, area of woody vegetation was further classified as aspen (Populus tremuloides, Michx.), conifers, and shrubs for analysis of trends. Area in cultivation and number of buildings decreased over the 67 years we examined. In contrast, the number of stock ponds increased. Overall, the area of woody species increased over the period of study; area of aspen declined while acreage of conifers and shrubs increased. The land cover and land-use changes observed on the Zumwalt Prairie reflect the complex social and economic changes that have occurred since Euro-American settlement began in the late nineteenth century.


Over the years, there has been talk about an unfair competition policy and a resulting 'small market problem' which treats mergers between small market companies and mergers between large market companies unequally. Yet, for a long time, a systematic analysis of the problem did not exist. It was not until very recently that an extensive study was published, which presented a diagnostic system enabling one meaningful way to analyse this complex and challenging issue. The present article discusses the argument concerning discrimination against small market companies in EU merger control in the light of economic theory. The article explains the economic-theoretic foundations lying behind the findings regarding the recently presented diagnostic system. This article shows that from an economic-theoretic point of view, a proper practical assessment of small market mergers is subject to many open questions, to which we still have no clear-cut answers.


This article is referred to the article of Stigler. That gives the proof of the joint distribution between the sample mean and the sample variance with the assumption that the population is normally. The machine formula of S^2 has been used during the proof by Stigler, the bivariate distribution is being needed and also the Induction Theory.
Starting in this context and as part of statistical education, it has been brought a different viewpoint of doing the proofs of some important results and derivations of the sample mean distribution. It has been changed the scheme of proof replaying the machine formula with an alternative formula of S^2, which is a less used definition of the sample variance.
Compared with Stigler this method of proof gives less calculation. It is of interest to know what the covariance of the sample mean and the sample variance is without the assumption of normality. One method of proof is being done by Zhang (2007). He did not use the well-known formula of the sample variance, but it has been used the alternative formula to give the same result in an easer way. It, also, has been used the fact that the third moment of the sample population exists. The computations were straightforward and did not require advanced mathematical notions.
Is been showed an example of Poisson distributed to illustrate the fact that the covariance of the joint distribution of the sample variance and the sample mean were zero, but they were not independent. It has been constructed a table of joint probability and from this has been displayed the result.
Starting from this example and regarding challenges in teaching Statistics we pretend in the future to apply the distribution of an average of Poisson random variables in advance Statistics.


We discovered that by changing the dielectric capping layer above the phase change memory element we can change the SET speed and data retention of the memory. This allows us, for the first time, to integrate memories of different functions on the same chip with simple processes. By using a low temperature silicon nitride capping material we can get fast SET speed down to 20ns. With a high temperature silicon nitride capping material, on the other hand, data retention is increased to > 400 years at 85°C. Based on these discoveries, we propose a unified embedded memory solution which provides both ROM and RAM functions in a single chip for SOC applications.


Abstract All species of Cucurbita (which includes squashes, pumpkins, and the common, small, yellow-flowered gourds) are native to the Americas. Their center of origin lies in Mexico where most of the 26 wild and cultivated species still grow. Chilicayote (C. ficifolia), a perennial and probably the oldest cultivated species, is grown from Mexico to Bolivia and known archaeologically only from coastal Peru (3000 B.C.). Oldest archaeological cucurbits are C. pepo and Lagenaria siceraria, the bottle gourd. Specimens of these species were recovered from Tamaulipas in cave material dated 7000-5500 B.C. Pepo and Lagenaria spread over most of the United States probably with the advent of agriculture. Cucurbita moschata appeared in coastal Peru at the same time as C. ficifolia (3000 B.C.), but it does not occur in the Ocampo Cave cultures until 1400-400 B.C. when pottery and village life entered, and corn, cotton, pepo, and beans (common, lima and jack) were being grown. While the earliest dates for moschata in southwestern United States are about A.D. 1100, it probably entered the same time as cotton, perhaps as early as A.D. 700. Cucurbita mixta, the cushaw, is the most recent of the cultivated species. It is found mainly in Mexico and in post-A.D. 1000 sites in the southwestern U.S. Prehistoric C. maxima is known only from Peru and to the south and east in Chile and Bolivia. Its ancestors probably were carried there by man from the Mexican center, and the weedy C. andreana may have been taken along at the same time. The bottle gourd is most variable in the Old World. It probably originated there, and was carried to the New World in pre-agricultural times by ocean currents. A number of other cucurbits and the tree gourd, Crescentia cujete, not a true gourd but a member of the family Big-noniaceae, are briefly mentioned. Parts useful in identifying the cultivated cucurbits are the fruit stem or peduncle, seeds, rind, and leaves. A list of the collections of Cucurbita and Lagenaria which have been studied is given, with estimates for the date of each site.


The purpose of this paper is to explore briefly the role that a more phenomenological conception of dialectical development of consciousness plays in Hans-Georg Gadamer's work on hermeneutics. This is done with both an implicit understanding of the dialectical development of consciousness and self-consciousness in Gadamer and some explicit references to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and his Science of Logic in connection with Gadamer's work. However, the twentieth century departures from Hegelian logic by the phenomenological and existential philosophers are given crucial importance for the work of Gadamer which builds on both Heidegger's essays on art in particular and the much earlier Husserlian explorations of consciousness and intentionality. Special emphasis is given to Gadamer's concept of Spiel(play)* along with his ideas of Erfahrung( "lived experience" as opposed to Erlebnis or abstract experience),Geschehen (event) and Wirkungsgeschichtliches Bewusstsein ( Effectively historicized consciousness).


Inclusionary zoning ordinances, which typically require developers to set aside a percentage of new residential units for low and moderate income households, are a popular mechanism for ensuring the development of affordable housing in many communities. Washington State jurisdictions have been slow to introduce inclusionary zoning — particularly mandatory set-asides — perhaps because of the legal battles they would likely face. The Washington State Supreme Court previously relied on RCW 82.02.020 (the "tax preemption statute") to invalidate a low-income housing ordinance in San Telmo Associates v. City of Seattle and in R/L Associates, Inc. v. City of Seattle. Washington courts have also relied on a unique and complex takings analysis to invalidate low-income housing and manufactured housing laws on grounds that they constituted a taking of private property or a violation of substantive due process under the U.S. Constitution, or in some cases, under the Washington State Constitution. This Comment argues that inclusionary zoning is authorized by RCW 36.70A.540, the Affordable Housing Incentive Programs Act, which expressly amended the tax preemption statute and permits both voluntary and mandatory inclusionary zoning programs. This Comment explores the differences between the federal and Washington takings analyses and argues that the Washington State Supreme Court should abandon its unique tests in favor of the federal approach as articulated in Lingle v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc.Finally, this Comment explains why mandatory set-asides are constitutional under both federal and Washington takings law.


The study evaluated the accuracy of MRI in the diagnosis of 22 angular pregnancy cases and 37 interstitial pregnancy cases retrospectively during the first trimester. Two senior obstetrics radiologists reviewed the MR images and analyzed several features. The study found two key features were useful to diagnose angular pregnancy, namely, "medial free edge" and "medial free edge plus above-cutoff endometrial thickness". One key feature to diagnose interstitial pregnancy was "intact lateral junctional zone". MRI is a novel imaging approach to make the precise differential diagnosis of angular pregnancy and interstitial pregnancy.


Background The control of translation initiation is a crucial component in the regulation of gene expression. The eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) mediates binding of the initiator transfer-messenger-RNA to the AUG initiation codon, and thus controls a rate-limiting step in translation initiation. Phosphorylation of eIF2α at serine 51 is linked to cellular stress response and attenuates translation initiation. The biochemistry of translation inhibition mediated by eIF2α phosphorylation is well characterized, yet the physiological importance in hematopoiesis remains only partially known. Design and Methods Using hematopoietic stem cells carrying a non-phosphorylatable mutant form of eIF2α (eIF2αAA), we examined the efficiency of reconstitution in wild-type and B-cell-deficient microMT C57BL/6 recipients in two independent models. Results We provide evidence that phosphorylation-deficient eIF2α mutant hematopoietic stem cells may repopulate lethally irradiated mice but have a defect in the development and maintenance of newly formed B cells in the bone marrow and of naïve follicular B cells in the periphery. The mature B-cell compartment is markedly reduced in bone marrow, spleen and peripheral blood, and B-cell receptor-mediated proliferation in vitro and serum immunoglobulin secretion in vivo are impaired. Conclusions The data suggest that regulation of translation through eIF2α phosphorylation is dispensable in hematopoietic reconstitution but essential during late B-cell development.


Episodes of prolonged drought coupled with heat waves (i.e., drought and heat combination) can have a devastating impact on agricultural production and crop yield. It is therefore not surprising that improving tolerance to drought and heat combination has been a major goal for breeders and biotech companies. Although much is known about the physiological and molecular responses of vegetative tissues to a combination of drought and heat stress, less is known about the impact of this stress combination on yield and different yield components. Here, we used a meta-analysis approach to synthesize results from over 120 published case studies of crop responses to combined drought and heat stress. Our findings reveal that drought and heat stress combination significantly impacts yield by decreasing harvest index, shortening the life cycle of crops, and altering seed number, size and composition. Furthermore, these impacts are more severe when the stress combination is applied during the reproductive stage of plants. We further identify differences in how legumes and cereals respond to the stress combination and reveal that utilizing C3 or C4 metabolism may not provide an advantage to plants during stress combinations. Taken together our study highlights a need to focus future studies, as well as breeding efforts, on crop responses to drought and heat combination at the reproductive stage of different crop species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The development of mechanically functional cartilage and bone tissue constructs of clinically relevant size, as well as their integration with native tissues, remain important challenges for regenerative medicine. The objective of this study was to assess adult human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in large, three dimensionally woven poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds in proximity to viable bone, both in a nude rat subcutaneous pouch model and under simulated conditions in vitro. In Study I, various scaffold permutations: PCL alone, PCL-bone, "point-of- care" seeded MSC-PCL-bone, and chondrogenically pre-cultured Ch-MSC-PCL-bone constructs were implanted in a dorsal, ectopic pouch in a nude rat. After eight weeks, only cells in the Ch- MSC-PCL constructs exhibited both chondrogenic and osteogenic gene expression profiles. Notably, while both tissue profiles were present, constructs that had been chondrogenically pre- cultured prior to implantation showed a loss of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) as well as the presence of mineralization along with the formation of trabecula-like structures. In Study II of the study, the GAG loss and mineralization observed in Study I in vivo were recapitulated in vitro by the presence of either nearby bone or osteogenic culture medium additives but were prevented by a continued presence of chondrogenic medium additives. These data suggest conditions under which adult human stem cells in combination with polymer scaffolds synthesize functional and phenotypically distinct tissues based on the environmental conditions, and highlight the potential influence that paracrine factors from adjacent bone may have on MSC fate, once implanted in vivo for chondral or osteochondral repair.


From 1981 to 1989, 323 patients whose diagnoses resulted from ski injuries were emergently admitted to a Class 1 Trauma Hospital. Of this group, 107 (33%) were injured in skier-tree collisions. This tree collision group (TC group) was compared with a group that did not hit a tree (non-tree-collision group or NTC group). The average age of the TC group was 26 years, compared with 31 years in the NTC group. The Revised Trauma Score (RTS) was recorded for each patient. The TC group's average trauma score was 7.205, compared with 7.7395 for the NTC group. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) was also recorded. The TC group's ISS averaged 14.7, compared with 9.1 for the NTC group. Both of these scores demonstrated statistical significance. Certain injuries such as skull fractures, head injuries, pelvic fractures, and chest injuries (including rib fractures, pneumothoraces, and pulmonary contusions) were more common in the TC group. Tibia fractures were more common in the NTC group. Femur fractures and upper extremity fractures were evenly distributed between the two groups. Seven deaths were recorded in the TC group and five deaths occurred in the NTC group.


This paper presents a new approach to recover the depth information from images of a monocular vision system. The depth estimation of a point is achieved by designing a nonlinear observer based on a polytopic structure. The fulfillment of the conditions of the state estimation, that depends on the applied velocities for the nonlinear system, is required. To this end, the observability analysis is performed to establish the kinematic conditions for the reconstruction of unmeasured states. The stability analysis is carried out using Lyapunuv theory. The observer gains were computed from the resolution of the Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) constraints. Illustrations and simulation results are given at the end to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Abstract The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most important pest on soybean, a major crop worldwide. The SCN is considered both parasitic and pathogenic as it derives nutrition from the host and manipulates host physiology to do so. Currently, there are no commercially available chemicals that are specific, environmentally safe and cost effective to control SCN levels. Crop rotation, use of host resistance and other cultural practices remain the main management strategies. The need for bioprospecting other methods of controlling SCN is paramount, and fungi show promise in that respect. Several studies have evaluated fungi and fungal products as biocontrol options against plant-parasitic nematodes. This review discusses fungal genera isolated from the SCN with potential for use as biocontrol agents and the effects of their secondary metabolites on various stages of SCN development. The review also summarizes efforts to control SCN using soil amendments that could potentially impact fungal communities in the soil.


Abstract Background Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture is considered to be invariably associated with previous hand/wrist injury or systemic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. Case Description A 54-year-old man presented with a 4-month history of mild ulnar wrist pain and spontaneous left little finger flexion loss in the absence of distant/recent trauma and systemic arthropathy. Surgical exploration confirmed a zone IV left little finger flexor digitorum profundus (FDP5) attritional rupture (100%), ring finger flexor digitorum profundus (FDP4) attenuation (40%) and a disrupted lunotriquetral ligament and volar-ulnar wrist capsule. Volar subluxation of the narrowed carpal tunnel resulted in flexor tendon attrition against the hamate hook. A side-to-side tendon transfer was performed along with a lunotriquetral ligament repair and temporary Kirschner wire fixation. At 6 months the patient had full active, synchronous flexion of the ring and little fingers and reduced wrist pain. Literature Review Traumatic flexor tendon ruptures have been reported following distal radius/hamate hook fractures, from carpal bone osteophytes, accessory carpal bones and intraosseous ganglia. Attritional ruptures caused by chronic, degenerative carpal pathology are less common. Clinical Relevance This case highlights an unusual cause of flexor tendon rupture due to chronic carpal instability.


Human genetic modification has begun without a clear consensus on where the moral boundary lines should be placed to insure that the technology of human genetic engineering is not abused. Two principal recommendations have been made for setting the boundaries. The first is between somatic cell versus germ-line correction; the second is between the amelioration of disease and the enhancement of traits. Each proposal involves a distinction and a rule. There is a dilemma in that the first case involves a well-grounded distinction but a dubious rule, while the second offers a more favored rule, but a fuzzy distinction.


Deciphering historical substitution ciphers is a challenging problem. Example problems that have been previously studied include detecting cipher type, detecting plaintext language, and acquiring the substitution key for segmented ciphers. However, attacking unsegmented ciphers is still a challenging task. Segmentation (i.e. finding substitution units) is essential for cracking those ciphers. In this work, we propose the first automatic methods to segment those ciphers using Byte Pair Encoding (BPE) and unigram language models. Our methods achieve an average segmentation error of 2% on 100 randomly-generated monoalphabetic ciphers and 27% on 3 real historical homophonic ciphers. We also propose a method for solving non-deterministic ciphers with existing keys using a lattice and a pretrained language model. Our method leads to the full solution of the IA cipher; a real historical cipher that has not been fully solved until this work.


A communication system and its implementation method, regardless of whether there is a mobile IP telephony network connection allows IP-based communications. The method comprising the steps of: receiving a request for the IP address of the other terminal, this request via telephone number; corresponding to this phone number and checks whether the IP address registration; if the IP address is not registered, the IP address assigned to another server in combination IP address of the terminal. Thus, using the telephone number of the mobile telephone network, whether another terminal exists an IP connection, can be implemented IP-based video and audio communication with another terminal or network by name server.


We present the results of the first direct calculation of the superionic conductivity of CaF2, using constant temperature equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics in the linear response regime based on a rigid-ion potential. We found σ = (5.1 ± 0.2) mho/cm at T = 1700 K ≈ Tmelting, in good agreement with available experimental data and that the response of the system remains linear under external forces up to F = 107 eV/cm. The Haven's ratio, resulting from independent computations of conductivity and diffusivity at this temperature, H = 0.34 ± 0.05, suggests that the anionic sublattice is still crystalline and that mass transport and ionic conduction are not due to a simple vacancy or interstitialcy mechanism for which higher H values are expected.


There is an ever increasing number of studies on the experience of pediatric patients suffering with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) resulting in the conclusion that chronic kidney disease affects the development of these patients, their behavior, emotions and social relations, causing a series of psychological reactions. The aim of this study was to make a review of the existing literature on psychological experience of patients with chronic kidney disease and their adjustement. The study findings are in the context of previous research and existing theories. Research was made in professional literature related to Chronic Kidney Disease in children and adolescents, selecting works published betwen years 1981 and 2014, using key terms such as children, adolescent, chronic kidney disease, in different combinations. Children starting from school age and later in their adolescence are in constant change, not only as regards their physical growth but also their emotional and sexual growth and coexistance for a long time with such a problem as kidney disease is very difficult and affects their lives in many ways. Simultaneously, CKD causes grave psychological damages. Survival to the disease is not satisfactory so deepening on desease perception, social and psychological factors affecting patients, are very important elements to improve the quality of life of these patients. Comprehension of their experiences is very important in order to decrease the effect of CKD on their lives and for them to receive the most effective treatment. Nephrologists andpsychologist can work together by helping make the connections between psychosocial and biological factors.


Language maintenance of regional languages is one phenomenon that appears in the middle of a language shift polemic. This phenomenon also occurs in the Minangkabau community where People began to ignore their own language. On the map of West Sumatra, place names are no longer in Minang language. On the other hand, technological developments have led us to an advancement in IT-based mapping technology. This technology has been widely used in various fields including the social sector. However, currently there is no GIS application that focuses on language maintenance, especially Minang, which is a very rich language. This study aims to make an application design based on the name of the place in the Minang Kabau area which has undergone many changes. The method used in this application is the SDLC with a waterfall model. The result is a GIS-based language maintenance application that can be used easily for users to find out the original word, the meaning of the word, and information related to places in West Sumatra.


With 10 rice cultivars (lines) as materials, the changes in activities of adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPGPase), starch synthase (SSase) and starch branching enzyme (Q-enzyme) in the grains during grain filling, and their relationships with the filling rate, gel consistency (GC), alkali spreading value (ASV) and amylose content (AC) were studied. The results showed that changes in activities of ADPGPase, SSase and Q-enzyme exhibited a single peak during grain filling, and the time of the activity peaks for the former two enzymes was earlier than that of the maximum grain-filling rate (T(subscript max)), and the time reaching the peak for Q-enzyme was synchronous with T(subscript max) The activities at early grain filling stage, and the mean and maximum activities of each enzyme during grain filling period were positively and significantly or very significantly correlated with the mean and maximum grain filling rate and starch content (mg grain^(-1)) in the grains. Activities of ADPGPase at all grain filling stages and those of Q-enzyme at the early and mid filling stages were not significantly correlated the cooking quality (GC, ASV and AC). SSase activities at the early filling stage were significantly and negatively correlated with GC and ASV, and positively correlated with AC. Activities of SSase at mid and late grain filling stages and Q-enzyme at the late filling stage were significantly and positively correlated with GC and ASV, and negatively correlated with AC. Spraying zeatin or abscisic acid at early grain filling stage could obviously regulate the activities of ADPGPase, SSase and Q-enzyme in the grains.


The effect of microstructure on corrosion resistance and anodising behaviour of a 3rd generation lithium-containing aluminium alloy, AA 2099-T8, has been studied.Microstructural characterisation of the alloy has shown elongated grains with high angle grain boundaries and approximately equiaxed subgrains with low angle grain boundaries. Two types of constituent particles of high and reduced contents of copper were found, which are present individually or in the form of multiphase particles. The alloy also contains rod-like Al-Cu-Mn-Li and spherical (Al3Zr) dispersoids, and fine age hardening precipitates of T1 (Al2CuLi), (Al3Li) and (Al2Cu).Immersion testing in a chloride-containing solution revealed two types of localised corrosion sites: one was initiated from intermetallics and quickly became passivated; the other lasted for the course of testing, with extensive boundary attack. The latter has been correlated to grains and subgrains with relatively high stored energy.Alkaline etching removed intermetallics from alloy surface; generated a copper-enriched layer in the alloy matrix immediately beneath the residual alumina film; and gradually developed a surface nanotexture. The surface nanotexture has been correlated to the formation of copper-rich nanoparticles within the copper-enriched layer.Anodising the alloy in tartaric-sulphuric acid disclosed that copper in the alloy matrix could be occluded in the anodic film material as copper-rich nanoparticles or be oxidized and incorporated into the film material as copper ions, depending on the anodising voltage. In the latter case, the process was accompanied by oxygen gas generation within the film material, forming anodic films with lateral porosity. Intermetallics of different compositions behaved differently during anodising, leading to modification of the morphology and composition of anodic films. Concerning the effect of alkaline etching on anodising behaviour of the alloy, the removal of intermetallics increased anodising efficiency; the pre-developed copper-enriched layer advanced the establishment of the steady-state film/alloy interface. Variation of copper-enriched layer structure is revealed by the detection of copper-rich nanoparticles in the copper-enriched layer. The copper-rich nanoparticles have structures consistent with either ???, ?? or ? phases. Machining damage can be detected not only by chromic acid anodising (CAA) but also by tartaric-sulphuric acid anodising (TSAA). Neither CAA nor TSAA can be used for detecting shallow corrosion pits.


While it is commonplace to argue that international relations reflects a 'masculinist' world of men, this article reverses the argument and asks whether international relations might also discipline men and help produce masculinities. In thinking through this question, the article provides an alternative route to understanding the feminist argument that the 'gender variable' cannot simply be added to mainstream analysis. By drawing attention to the epistemological and methodological problems which would arise even with empirically oriented research on the subject, the limitations of mainstream approaches to this hitherto largely neglected area of research are highlighted, and alternatives suggested.


The lung scan is one of the most important diagnostic tests used for selecting candidates for lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and for determining the actual percentage of lung to be resected during the surgery (McKenna R, personal communication, 1997). This article describes the anatomical quantitation of the lungs. Methods: We used automatic and manual regions of interest in the posterior, and both posterior obliques of lung perfusion images to calculate the percent function in each individual lung lobe. Results: We evaluated 172 patients with this technique. Subsequently 136 of these patients had LVRS. Conclusion: The anatomical placement of regions of interest in the lung perfusion image aids the thoracic surgeon in selecting LVRS candidates and in determining the amount of lung to be resected during surgery.


A parallel algorithm has perfect strong scaling if its running time on $P$ processors is linear in $1/P$, including all communication costs. Distributed-memory parallel algorithms for matrix multiplication with perfect strong scaling have only recently been found. One is based on classical matrix multiplication (Solomonik and Demmel, 2011), and one is based on Strassen's fast matrix multiplication (Ballard, Demmel, Holtz, Lipshitz, and Schwartz, 2012). Both algorithms scale perfectly, but only up to some number of processors where the inter-processor communication no longer scales. We obtain a memory-independent communication cost lower bound on classical and Strassen-based distributed-memory matrix multiplication algorithms. These bounds imply that no classical or Strassen-based parallel matrix multiplication algorithm can strongly scale perfectly beyond the ranges already attained by the two parallel algorithms mentioned above. The memory-independent bounds and the strong scaling bounds generalize to other algorithms.


The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between gender and prospective memory performance with respect to participants' age and the specific requirements of pro-spective memory tasks. Prospective memory performance was better for women compared to men in the older adult group. In the entire sample, women performed better than men on prospective memory tasks with an external cue. The possible influence of factors related to the gender role, personality, and perception on prospective memory performance is discussed.


Correction of a severe bimaxillary protrusion with maximum anchorage can be challenging. This case report describes the treatment of a girl with a bimaxillary protrusion. Orthodontic treatment included extraction of her 4 first premolars. The total treatment time was 18 months. Her dental proclination and facial appearance was significantly improved.


Probability methods have been applied to schedule generating unit maintenance in single systems. Many utilities are now firmly interconnected with neighbouring utilities and generating capacity planning is conducted on a fully or semi-integrated basis. This paper presents a method based on the Gram-Charlier expansion for evaluating maintenance schedules in two interconnected power utilities using a levelized reliability criterion. This paper also investigates the effect of changing one utility peak demand on the maintenance schedule of the other utility. It also investigates the influence of tie capacity on the maintenance schedule of both utilities. An extention to the concept of the effective load carrying capability (ELCC) of a unit from single to two interconnected systems has been illustrated in this paper. Although the method has been applied to two interconnected systems, there are no conceptual difficulties in extending it to multi-interconnected systems.


Wakaf is one Islamic institution that is social, value-worship, and a devotion to Allah SWT. Wakaf legal basis in the Qur'an does not explicitly mention. Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Isra verse 26 contains a command that in promoting the family must fulfill the rights of relatives and people who are in need as well as the prohibition applies wasteful. This became the basis of wakaf law expert. Wakaf experts on the one hand are very well because wakif would get two goodness of deeds wakaf, also the kindness of the family relationship given wakaf property. However, expert's wakaf can cause haziness in the management of wakaf utilization by the family entrusted wakaf property. But in Act No. 41 Year 2004 on Wakaf in part the explanation does not separate between wakaf experts with khairi, this being the problem of how wakaf expert in Islamic law and Act No. 41 Year 2004 on Wakaf. In writing this essay, the author uses the method normative, whereas the specification of research using descriptive analytical method. The research phase through two ways, namely research literature and field research, while the methods of data analysis of all the data were analyzed qualitatively normative. Based on the research results, we concluded that the wakaf experts in Islamic law is known, though had long since been abolished because of their frequent reasons that make the abuse of wakaf experts as a means to avoid the division of the inheritance that would lead to hostility between brother and sister. While in the Government Regulation No. 28 of 1977, Act No. 41 of 2004 on Wakaf and Government Regulation No. 42 of 2006 does not regulate wakaf expert. Indonesia adheres to the wakaf of experts under the provisions of the Islamic Law Compilation because there are nuances to the teachings of Islam. The purpose of wakaf expert in the Village Rancasari Pamanukan District of Subang Regency in accordance with the purpose of wakaf experts in Islamic law and Act No. 41 of 2004 on Wakaf i.e. utilizing wakaf property for the benefit of Muslims.


Oral ulcers represent a comprehensive group of lesions. Because they are both common and painful, the dentist and physician are frequently consulted for diagnosis and treatment. The pathogenesis, clinical appearance, and suggested treatment modalities for the most common ulcerations are presented. Knowledge of the classification of oral ulcers will aid in proper diagnosis and direct the clinician toward appropriate therapy. In many cases, only palliative care can be offered, but symptoms can often be ameliorated.


Background: Pericardial effusion (PE) is a known complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Limited data is currently available regarding the incidence and outcomes of PE in pediatric HSCT. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of patients who underwent HSCT between 2004 and 2015. Risk factors associated with development of PE were evaluated. Results: In 111 HSCT, stem cell source was bone marrow in 37 (33.3%), peripheral blood—42 (37.8%) and cord blood—32 (28.8%). Incidence of PE after HSCT was 37.8%. Insignificant effusion (trivial or small) was noted in 30 (27.0%) transplants, and significant (moderate or large) PE in 12 (10.8%). There were no associations between incidence of effusion and stem cell source, graft versus host disease or CMV infection. Risk factors associated with development of PE included systemic hypertension (P<0.05), total body irradiation (P<0.05), and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome formerly known as venoocclusive disease (P=0.03). Overall mortality was 22.5% after HSCT, but 38.1% among those with effusion (P<0.05). None of these deaths were attributed to primary cardiac etiologies. Conclusions: The incidence of PE in this cohort of pediatric HSCT recipients is high and associated with higher morbidity and mortality.


Recently, a new fluorescent probe AE-Phoswas reported to detect the activity of alkaline phosphatases (ALP) in different living cell lines. Here, we present an in-depth computational analysis of the mechanism and source of the fluorescence of the AE-Phos probe. There is an intermediate product (AE-OH-Phos) in the experiment as well as a different configuration of products that may emit fluorescence. It is essential to investigate the origin of fluorescence and the detection mechanism of the probe, which could help us eliminate the interference of other substances (including an intermediate product and possible isomers) on fluorescence during the experiment. According to the change of geometric parameters and Infrared spectra, we deduce that the dual intramolecular hydrogen bonds of salicylaldehyde azine (SA) were enhanced at the excited state, while AE-OH-Phos was attenuated. Considering the complex ESIPT behavior of the dual proton-type probe, the potential energy surfaces were further discussed. It can be concluded that the single proton transfer structure of SA (SA-SPT) is the most stable form. Both the concerted double proton transfer process and stepwise single proton transfer process of SA were forbidden. The fluorescence for SA was 438 nm, while that of SA-SPT was 521 nm, which agrees with the experimentally measured fluorescence wavelength (536 nm). The conclusion that single proton transfer occurs in SA is once again verified. In addition, the distribution of electron-hole and relative index was analyzed to investigate the intrinsic mechanism for the fluorescence quenching of the probe and the intermediate product. The identification of the origin of fluorescence sheds light on the design and use of dual-proton type fluorescent probes in the future.


Introduction Primary CNS angiitis is a challenging diagnosis to make. Without treatment it is relentlessly progressive and fatal. Case A 44 year old gentleman from Sierra Leone presented to A&E with a 4.5 hour history of left facial weakness and slurred speech. CT was normal and a diagnosis of minor stroke made. The patient was discharged on Clopidogrel and Simvastatin, with outpatient MRI. 2 weeks later the patient re-presented with a 3 day history of worsening left sided hemi-chorea. MRI revealed diffuse right hemisphere vasculopathy. Routine bloods, thrombophilia, infection and autoimmune screens were normal, as were carotid doppler's, ECHO, CXR and CSF. 24 hr ECG revealed bursts of AF. The patient was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF and discharged with a follow up MRI, which revealed worsening vasculopathy. A brain biopsy was arranged, showing non-specific chronic inflammation with focal non-necrotising granulomatous vasculitis, confirming 'Primary CNS Angiitis'. The patient was treated with Prednisolone and Cyclophosphamide, making a full recovery. Discussion Making this diagnosis is challenging, as brain imaging often shows non specific changes and blood results are usually normal. CSF may reveal raised proteins and WBCs. A high index of suspicion is required to arrange a brain biopsy as this confirms the diagnosis.


The spatial image of the spectrum of Xe(M) and Xe(L) emissions produced by the development of stable channelled propagation of intense femtosecond ( fs) 248 nm pulses propagating through a gas-phase Xe cluster target has been obtained. Analysis (i) shows that the observed channel length exceeds 20 Rayleigh ranges, (ii) reveals enhanced emission from the channel by very highly excited species such as Xe ions having double 2p-vacancies A), (iii) gives spectral evidence for a substantial departure of the excitation from conditions of thermal equilibrium in the channel, (iv) confirms earlier studies which indicated the development of intensities of in the channel, and (v) provides additional evidence for the role of an anomolously strong multiphoton coupling in the generation of the observed X-ray emission.


Acoustic scene classification is a difficult problem mostly due to the high density of events concurrently occurring in audio scenes. In order to capture the occurrences of these events we propose to use the Subband Power Distribution (SPD) as a feature. We extract it by computing the histogram of amplitude values in each frequency band of a spectrogram image. The SPD allows us to model the density of events in each frequency band. Our method is evaluated on a large acoustic scene dataset using support vector machines. We outperform the previous methods when using the SPD in conjunction with the histogram of gradients. To reach further improvement, we also consider the use of an approximation of the earth mover's distance kernel to compare histograms in a more suitable way. Using the so-called Sinkhorn kernel improves the results on most of the feature configurations. Best performances reach a 92.8% F1 score.


Biodiesel is an attractive alternative fuel because of its nontoxicity and biodegradability. Biodiesel is produced through transesterification of vegetable oils' triglyceride. It is obtained from vegetable oils or fats either by chemical or enzyme-cataly zed transesterification with methanol or ethanol. Use of whole-cell biocatalyst immobilized within biomass support particles (BSPs) can overcome the obstacle of high cost of enzymatic catalyst. The objective of this research is to produce clay foam ceramic as BSP by replica method from raw materials such as clay, sodium silicate and sodium tripolyphosphate. To prepare the whole cell biocatalyst Rhizopus oryzae fungi (PTCC 5174) was immobilized on the ceramic foam with bulk density and porosity of 0.3 g/cm 3 and 88.8%, respectively. The deposited biomass on clay foam particles can be observed through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). A packed-bed reactor (PBR) system using whole-cell biocatalyst was developed for biodiesel production by pretreated used cooking oil (UCO). Clay foam ceramic seems to be more suitable compared to polyurethane foam for supporting fungi immobilization because it shows high mechanical strength and reduces damaged microorganisms.


Successful distribution channel strategy selection, implementation, and management cannot only help to meet the shopping needs and habits of the target customers efficiently under the cost constraints of the seller; they must also mitigate the disadvantages caused by distribution channel conflicts such as double marginalization. Customer needs analysis plays a relatively small role in product development in these firms. Instead, product development is typically driven by process technology capabilities which often are the result of incremental process improvements. Unlike market-driven firms, where a focus on value drives marketing decision making, marketing decisions in these firms often revolve around pricing issues, such as volume discounts, as the key to increasing the firm's unit sales. The purpose of the study was analyse influence of distribution channels on supply chain performance: New KCC Eldoret. The specific objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of product efficiency on supply chain performance in the New KCC. The research employed descriptive research design. The study involved 84 employees from various departments in the company. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires that consist of both open and closed ended questions. The data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The findings indicated as significant relationship between the product efficiency 0.010. The study concluded that distribution channels have a significant impact on supply chain performance. For any organization to be effective there should be effective distribution management process to convey finished products from the manufacturer to the final consumers. The study recommended that organizations should involve themselves in the correct distribution channels; in order to meet their organizational objectives of being efficient in provision of the products, customer satisfaction should be considered in order to enhance supply chain performance in manufacturing companies. Keywords: Product Efficient, Distribution.


Due to the beauty of their flowers, orchids are extremely valued and commercialized. However, under natural conditions, the chances of reproduction are low. Thus, in vitro cultivation becomes an excellent option for rapid proliferation and for obtaining numerous plants with high genetic and phytosanitary quality. Among the many factors utilized to increase the efficiency and speed of production of these plants is the addition of activated carbon, which has been used due to its positive influence on the height and rooting in some species. The objective of this work was to find a way to improve the in vitro development of Catasetum fimbriatum in a simpler and cheaper way, without the use of activated carbon. My hypothesis is that the effect of light deprivation on the roots of the orchid could result in a development equivalent to that of the plant whose culture medium has activated charcoal, since I believe the growth of the orchid is not helped by the charcoal itself, but by the darkness it provides to the plant. Specimens of Catasetum fimbriatum were used as study material. The plants were studied in three groups, the first one (control) in conventional culture medium, the second with addition of activated carbon and the third with light deprivation in orchid roots. After three months, the specimens were evaluated according to the largest length of the root, length of the largest leaf, shoot fresh mass and root fresh weight. I found significant variations (p <0.05) in the different groups, and the one with greatest relevance (statistical significance) was the length of the largest root between group 1 (activated charcoal) and 2 (deprivation of light), which showed longer roots. We can conclude that light deprivation would be a good alternative to activated charcoal, since a longer root length may favor the rooting of the plant when transferred to the growth vessel, although the root length of the plant may also depend on the presence of phenols. Other studies should be performed to clarify the nutritional influence of activated carbon on the in vitro culture of Catasetum fimbriatum.


We reviewed the clinical features and etiologies of Leigh disease in 66 patients from 60 pedigrees. Biochemical or molecular defects were identified in 50% of all pedigrees, and in 74% of the 19 pedigrees with pathologically proved Leigh disease. Isolated deficiency of respiratory chain complex I was found in 7 patients, though the complex was only assayed in 25 patients, making this the second most common biochemical abnormality after complex IV deficiency. Mutations at residue 8993 of mitochondrial DNA were found in only 2 patients. No correlation was found between the clinical features and etiologies. No defects were identified in the 8 patients with normal lactate concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid.


Tracking inherent periodic orbits is of significance in chaos control research. In this paper, we propose an adaptive variable structure time-delayed self-control design using only partial information of states for tracking inherent unstable periodic orbits (UPO's) in chaotic dynamic systems. Since the period of inherent UPO's is usually difficult to obtain, a gradient-descent-based adaptive search algorithm for the time-delay constant is utilized. A variable structure control (VSC) mechanism is employed to create an attraction region about the UPO such that once the trajectory enters the region, it will stay in it forever. Due to the ergodicity of chaotic dynamics, such an attraction region is always reachable. Two well-known chaotic dynamics, the Duffing equation and the Lorenz system, are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Molecular architectures (Kagome networks, coordinated/covalent dimers and branched coordination chains) via self-assembly, Ullmann reaction and pyridine coordination of 4-[(4-bromophenyl)ethynyl]pyridine are found to be sensitive to the underlying metallic surfaces. The molecular species were characterised on the surface by low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (LT-STM) at sub-molecular level.


Lightweight protective structures and materials such as the personal protective equipment (PPE) for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel are frequently under investigation globally. Their mechanical response to impulsive loads such as blast and ballistic impacts is critical for establishing the spectrum of their performance against various types of threats. This chapter presents a novel testing technique that incorpo‐ rates three near‐simultaneous impacts in one shot in order to acquire deeper under‐ standing of the dynamic interactions that take place during an explosion. A numerical model of an aramid fabric is developed to examine the parameters that influence the ballistic performance under multiple impacts. Fragment cluster impacts with dense dispersion have increased probability to perforate the target material. Heterogeneous, non‐isotropic materials, like most of the ballistic grade protective materials, distribute the energy of the impacts in the form of stress wave streams causing the material to behave differently depending on the formation of the impacting fragments. Experi‐ mental work with aramid fabrics against single and triple impacts with the fragment‐ simulating projectile (FSP, 1.102 g) indicates that the ballistic limit in triple impacts is considerably lower that the ballistic limit in single impacts. The actual ballistic performance against multiple fragment impacts is severely underestimated with the classical single‐impact methodologies.


Abstract Background: Startup companies in the healthcare sector often fail because they lack sufficient entrepreneurial, regulatory, and business development expertise. Maturity models provide useful frameworks to assess the state of business elements more systematically than heuristic assessments. However, previous models were developed primarily to characterize the business state of larger nonmedical companies. A maturity index designed specifically for startup companies in the medical product sector could help to identify areas in which targeted interventions could assist business development. Methods: A novel MedTech Startup Maturity Index (SMI) was developed by a collaborative team of academic and industry experts and refined through feedback from external stakeholders. Pediatric medical device startups associated with the West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) were scored and ranked according to the SMI following semi-structured interviews. The CTIP executive team independently ranked the maturity of each company based on their extensive experiences with the same companies. Results: SMI scores for 16 companies ranged from 1.2 to 3.8 out of 4. These scores were well aligned with heuristic CTIP rankings for 14 out of 16 companies, reflected by strong correlations between the two datasets (Spearman's rho = 0.721, P = 0.002, and Kendall's tau-b = 0.526, P = 0.006). Conclusions: The SMI yields maturity scores that correlate well with expert rankings but can be assessed without prior company knowledge and can identify specific areas of concern more systematically. Further research is required to generalize and validate the SMI as a pre-/post-evaluation tool.


Re-Sternotomy is an important part of many interventions in cardiac or thoracic surgery. It is performed close to critical structures such as the ascending aorta or the heart with an inherent high risk of serious damage. In this paper, a system for improving the safety of this surgical procedure is presented. A soft tissue preserving saw is combined with automatic depth regulation. The depth is controlled on the basis of the optical characteristics (visible light) of the tissue aligned to the saw blade, which is analyzed using a color sensor. Detection of the blades' position in the bone during the cutting process is possible through the integration of an optical fiber into the tip of the saw blade. The automatic depth control is realized using a hysteresis controller running on a real time system. To show the feasibility of this approach, the sensor technology was integrated into a prototypal sternal saw and evaluated on artificial bone. As part of the experiments the influence of water for cooling and dust particles from the process on the systems control stability were analyzed. The system performed stable and accurate. Future research will focus on the control algorithm and cadaver trials.


Acknowledgment The authors address their profound gratitude to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) for providing the scholarship to the corresponding author (M.B) and their financial support in conducting this research. Abstract Saline-water intrusion is a growing problem for sustaining agricultural productivity along River Gambia as results of sea-level rise. On this concern, the study attempts to examine farmers' knowledge and adaptive responses to saline-water intrusion on the rice-growing areas of Lower River Region (LRR) of The Gambia. Five villages practicing swamp rice farming along River Gambia were randomly selected in each of four randomly selected districts across the Region. Data were collected via semi-structured interview questionnaire from 240 farmer household heads and through 20 focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics in SPSS Software Version 23 were, therefore, used to analyze the data obtained from the respondents. Results revealed that 96% of farmers are aware of saline-water intrusion in the region, while 77.5% believed that there is an increasing trend of salinity over the last five years, which impacts their yields. Most farmers (>85%) believed that saline-water intrusion reduced both their yields and incomes. In term of adaptive responses, the major on-farm strategies included changing the planting date (59.60%), increased use of fertilizers and seeds (56.30%), intensive manure application (55.20%), and use of early maturing varieties (35.50%). The major off-farm strategies employed included use of weather forecast (18.60%), change from crop production to animal rearing (7.70%) and to marketing of agricultural products (7.70%). Challenges faced by farmers in adapting to saline-water included among others poor access to adaptation information, low extension services and limited access to improved crop varieties. The study recommends to Government and stakeholders to establish mechanisms to strengthen and enhance the quality of saline-water intrusion adaptation and information dissemination in the study area using farmers' preferred sources of information. Also, stakeholders and Government have to provide saline-tolerant rice cultivars to farmers and intensify the construction of soil and water conservation structures (anti-salt dikes and spillways) as well as training on livelihood diversification activities for farmers in the area. Keywords: Adaptive Response, Climate change, Knowledge, River Gambia, Saline-water intrusion


The 915 MHz radar wind profiler/radio acoustic sounding system (RWP/RASS) measures wind profiles and backscattered signal strength between (nominally) 0.1 km and 5 km and virtual temperature profiles between 0.1 km and 2.5 km. It operates by transmitting electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere and measuring the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Virtual temperatures are recovered by transmitting an acoustic signal vertically and measuring the electromagnetic energy scattered from the acoustic wavefront. Because the propagation speed of the acoustic wave is proportional to the square root of the virtual temperature of the air, the virtual temperature can be recovered by measuring the Doppler shift of the scattered electromagnetic wave.


Background:Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard adjuvant endocrine-therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. However, main side effects reported are musculoskeletal symptoms. The pathogenic and anatomic features of AI-induced arthralgia have not been clearly defined. The objective of the study was to describe the joint symptoms and structural joint changes in women received adjuvant anastrozoleMethods: Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive early breast cancer were enrolled in this open, multicentre trial. Anastrozole was administrated 1mg/day p.o. All of them were naive of AI and tamoxifen treatment. Patients were followed one year with clinical examination every 3 months, ultrasound (US) examination every 6 months, measurements of inflammation biomarkers and cartilage biomarkers of degradation U-CTX-II (urinary C-terminal crosslinked telopeptide of type II collagen) every 6 months and X-rays at baseline and 12 monthsResults: From June 2006 to December 2007, one hundred and fourteen patients (114) were included and 106, with a median age of 61.5 (49-79) years, were followed-up for 1 year.Overall, 33% of patients were previously treated by chemotherapy, (anthracyclines 97%, taxanes 63 %) and 40.6% were receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at tumour diagnosis. The prevalences of arthralgia were 40.6, 59.1 and 60.6 % at baseline, 6 months and 12 months respectively.Among the 63 (59.4%) patients without arthralgia at baseline, 37 patients presented with arthralgia during treatment (26 between baseline and M6, 11 between M6 and M12) with median time to onset of 4 months.In univariate logistic analysis, significant determinant factors of joint disorders at 12 months were previous osteoarthritis and personal history of arthralgia but not the previous HRT or previous adjuvant chemotherapy with taxanes. In multivariate analysis, none of those factors were significant.Clinical examination by rheumatologist and US examination did not show any significant changes of the number of synovitis and tenosynovitis over 12 months.There were no significant changes of the U-CTX-II levels and of joint damages assessed by radiographs. Inflammation biomarkers did not significantly change over 12 months.Conclusion: This prospective study with a systematic rheumatologist follow up of the patients showed that arthralgia occurs early after the beginning of anastrozole therapy (first 6 months); and suggest that joint disorders were not associated with any cartilage degradation after 1 year of treatment. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 801.


Harmonics have become a major issue in the recent times due to the high usage of power electronic equipment. Harmonics lead to many problems such as overheating of equipment, interference with the near, by communication lines, high power loss, low power factor and hence poor usage of equipment. Shunt active filters are used to compensate these harmonics and draw only fundamental component of current from the supply. The shunt active filters be designed using multilevel inverters are more efficient when compared to the classical inverters due to their step voltage waveform. In this work, multilevel inverter based shunt active filters are designed using different controllers such PI and fuzzy logic controllers. There is no requirement of a precise mathematical model when fuzzy logic controllers are used for their design unlike the PI controller. A three level H-bridge was used as the inverter for the filter design. The instantaneous active(iLd), reactive(iLq) components of load current are used to produce the reference compensation currents in this Id-Iq control method. Matlab simulation was used to verify the results.


We present the result of the first deformation experiments at high-temperatures and high-pressures on synthetic magmatic suspensions of strongly anisometric particles. The results highlight the interplay between the rheological response and the development of microstructures and they demonstrate the critical importance of the shape of crystals on the mechanical behaviour of magmas. Plagioclase suspensions with two crystal fractions (0.38 and 0.52) were deformed both in compression and in torsion in a Paterson apparatus. With increasing crystal fraction, the rheological behaviour of the magmatic suspension evolves from nearly steady-state flow to shear weakening, this change being correlated with a microstructural evolution from a pervasive strain to a strain partitioning fabric. Magmatic suspensions of plagioclase have viscosities approximately five orders of magnitude higher than suspensions of equivalent crystallinities made of isometric particles such as quartz.


This paper presents some complexity results for deductive recognition in the framework of languages such as KL-ONE. In particular, it focuses on classification operations that are usually performed in these languages through subsumption computations. The paper presents a simple language that encompasses and extends earlier m-ONE-based recognition frameworks. By relying on parsing algorithms, the paper shows that a significant class of recognition problems in this language can be performed in polynomial time. This is in marked contrast to the exponentiality and undecidability results that have recently been obtained for subsurnption in even some of the most restricted variants of I&ONE


Large amounts of oily sludge are generated as residues by the oil industry, representing a real problem for refineries. This work studied the technical viability of treating oily sludge biologically, through stimulation of native microorganisms, at bench scale. Such microorganisms were able to grow in a medium containing oily sludge as the only carbon and energy sources. Two oily sludge concentrations were studied, 5% (v/v) and 10% (v/v), with a C:N ratio of 100:1. Higher microbial populations were observed in the first case. Substrate inhibition and/or toxic effect took place in the second case. The importance of aeration on the microbial activity and on the biodegradation of the residue was ascertained. In terms of n-paraffins, pristane and phytane consumption, maximum global efficiency of 76.9% (w/w) was achieved, in a medium containing 5% (v/v) of oily sludge. Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas predominated. Two yeast species were also identified and two filamentous fungi were isolated.


In the present paper optimum height of skirt of Skirt Pontoon Floating Breakwater are reported by physical model. 54 tests on 3 types (skirt heights : 8,16 and 24 cm) of skirt pontoon floating breakwater is conducted in the wave flume of Soil Conservative and Watershed Research Center. Hydrodynamical and geometrical parameters were analysised. In this research optimum height of skirt to water depth ratio is determined.


Regarding to the ecotourism for environmental conservation, tourists`s consciousness and attitude on environment should be dealt with importantly more than the mass tourism. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of the tourist`s environmental consciousness on the ecotourism attitudes. As a result, it was analysed that the more people had interested in environmental problems, positive activities in the environment, the more people had the ecotourism attitudes. This suggested that for development of the ecotourism, it were needed to change tourist`s attitude to friendly environment, to make higher consciousness about environmental conservation.


The name of Liang Sou-ming is perhaps most familiar in connection with his controversial published lectures of the early 1920's, The Cultures of East and West, and Their Philosophies. It is less well known that Liang had an extensive career in the field of rural reconstruction during the 1930's, that he was one of the prime movers of the political coalition which ultimately became the China Democratic League, and that, more recently, he has been under severe attack by communist thinkers for his continuing rejection of Marxism-Leninism as applied to China. Particularly during the time when he was active in rural reconstruction and in national politics, Liang represented movements which stood, or seemed to stand, as alternatives to both the Kuomintang and the Communist solutions to China's problems. The failure of these movements to prevent antagonistic polarization and civil war in China raises some of the most important problems to which a study of Liang Sou-ming gives entry. Here we shall be concerned primarily with the first of these efforts—rural reconstruction.


Abstract Classically heterotrimeric G proteins have been described as the principal signal transducing machinery for G-protein-coupled receptors. Receptor activation catalyzes nucleotide exchange on the Gα protein, enabling Gα-GTP and Gβγ-subunits to engage intracellular effectors to generate various cellular effects such as second messenger production or regulation of ion channel conductivity. Recent genetic and proteomic screens have identified novel heterotrimeric G-protein-interacting proteins and expanded their functional roles. This review highlights some examples of recently identified interacting proteins and summarizes how they functionally connect heterotrimeric G proteins to previously underappreciated cellular roles.


A post-partum total uterine prolapse in a 3 years old non-descript goat was presented. This paper reports a clinical management of the case. The everted uterus was carefully assessed and gross debris gently removed and disinfected with dilute chlorhexidine solution. Epidural anaesthesia was achieved using 1.5 ml of 2% lignocaine solution administered at the intercoccygeal joint. The prolapsed uterus was replaced and no suture was placed on the vulva. Oxytocin, calcium borogluconate, broad-spectrum antibiotics (ceftriaxone) and DNS solution were administered. The animal was completely recovered.


The results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of 36 epidemiological studies on competence in activities of daily living and basic care needs in old age is presented. On the level of basic activities (ADL), the mean portions of elderly people in private households receiving help varied between 1.4% (eating) and 7.7% (bathing). With respect to the "instrumental" activities (IADL) cooking and shopping, the mean percentages were 14.1% and 17.8%, respectively. The mean rate of care needs in the elderly at home amounted to 4.7%. These global scores are further differentiated with respect to person variables (age, sex) and study characteristics (severity of care needs, inclusion of institutionalized elderly).


We investigate gene interaction networks in various cancer cells by spectral analysis of the adjacency matrices. We observe localization of the networks on hub genes which have extraordinarily many links. The eigenvector centralities take finite values only on special nodes when the hub degree exceeds a critical value $d_c \simeq 40$. The degree correlation function shows the disassortative behavior in the large degrees, and the nodes whose degrees $d \gtrsim 40$ have tendencies to link to small degree nodes. The communities of the gene networks centered at the hub genes are extracted by the amount of node degree discrepancies between linked nodes. We verify the Wigner-Dyson distribution of the nearest neighbor eigenvalues spacing distribution $P(s)$ in the small degree discrepancy communities, and the Poisson $P(s)$ in the communities of large degree discrepancies including the hubs.


In agreement with students' conceptual understanding, identifying of problem solving is an important part of physics. This article is to identify the approach used by students in solving a physics problem. The subject of the research were students of physics education year 2014 in Jambi University who had joined basic physics class. The instruments used in this research were DIRECT (determining and interpreting resistive electric circuit concept test) (Engelhardt & Beichner, 2004). Based on the result, 34,1% students still used the memory based approach in problem solving, 52,3% of them used no clear approach, 4,5% used structured manner, 6,82% used unstructured manner and only 2,27% students used a scientific approach to solving the problem. The result showed that many students used no clear approach and memory based approach to solve the problem. It mean that they did not use physics concept in solving the problem and generally they only used the equation they memorized related to the problem they ever did before.


Turbo equalization algorithms have been used to effectively improve the performance in MIMO OFDM systems. To improve the estimated accuracies of channel matrix, an iterative estimation using soft decided signals and pilots was proposed. Furthermore, a new iterative equalization method based on subtracting interference terms, it is a maximum a posterior probability (MAP) MMSE algorithm and has lower complexity than traditional algorithms. Simulation results indicate that the proposed methods can yield remarkable improvements in performance after no less than two iterations.


Abstract — In the 80's and 90's, the various Portuguese Governments set the goal of rehousing the majority of the low-income families without a proper house, through a program to build Social Housing. Municipalities assumed the role and developed the solutions to meet the needs. The necessities defined priorities, efforts were directed to quantity rather than quality: 120,000 apartments distributed by 24,500 buildings, in 25 years. Designed in-house or contracted out with a conventional approach and a limited budget, around 500 euros/m. The construction was outsourced and hasty, due to time constraints. Although the construction were common, in technology and design solutions, some architectural prizes, National and International, were given to authorial projects. These became symbols of the progressive Portugal Architectural Heritage and of the success of the Portuguese Social Experience, recognized as architectural points of interest, for tourist and specialists. As time goes by, maintenance falls short and requires critical conservation, tenants demand rehabilitation and renovation, mostly to situations related to the loss of comfort and quality, associated with water damages in the constructive solutions. The research regarded the latest European Union policies, on GHG emissions and energy consumption reductions in new building design, to pursue the nZEB's, "nearly Zero Energy Building(s)" concept. By developing a low-cost building renovation founded on new constructive solutions to actualize the envelopes' response: decreasing maintenance's needs and expenses, increasing user comfort while aiming the reimbursement of the investment period. Based on the "Renovation or Rehabilitation — Decisive Gains (RoR-DG)," (Nuno D. Cortiços) benefits were accounted considering achieved savings minus investment: relying on the system's performance, as rated by the key indicators of "Facilities Maintenance Management Model" (Igal M. Sohet and Sarel Lavy). This approach was applied to measure the impact of the first Eco-Neighborhood, applied to a Lisbon social housing park (Bairro da Boavista, Monsanto). Although the Program's positive achievements, the results show a low impact on efficiency. For the future actions it is advisable an overall thermal reinforcement, follow-up measures, additional financial support, and the tenants' commitment. In the 80's and 90's, the various Portuguese Governments set the goal of rehousing the majority of the low-income families without a proper house, through a program to build Social Housing. Municipalities assumed the role and developed the solutions to meet the needs. The necessities defined priorities, efforts were directed to quantity rather than quality: 120,000 apartments distributed by 24,500 buildings, in 25 years. Designed in-house or contracted out with a conventional approach and a limited budget, around 500 euros/m. The construction was outsourced and hasty, due to time constraints. Although the construction were common, in technology and design solutions, some architectural prizes, National and International, were given to authorial projects. These became symbols of the progressive Portugal Architectural Heritage and of the success of the Portuguese Social Experience, recognized as architectural points of interest, for tourist and specialists. As time goes by, maintenance falls short and requires critical conservation, tenants demand rehabilitation and renovation, mostly to situations related to the loss of comfort and quality, associated with water damages in the constructive solutions. The research regarded the latest European Union policies, on GHG emissions and energy consumption reductions in new building design, to pursue the nZEB's, "nearly Zero Energy Building(s)" concept. By developing a low-cost building renovation founded on new constructive solutions to actualize the envelopes' response: decreasing maintenance's needs and expenses, increasing user comfort while aiming the reimbursement of the investment period. Based on the "Renovation or Rehabilitation — Decisive Gains (RoR-DG)," (Nuno D. Cortiços) benefits were accounted considering achieved savings minus investment: relying on the system's performance, as rated by the key indicators of "Facilities Maintenance Management Model" (Igal M. Sohet and Sarel Lavy). This approach was applied to measure the impact of the first Eco-Neighborhood, applied to a Lisbon social housing park (Bairro da Boavista, Monsanto). Although the Program's positive achievements, the results show a low impact on efficiency. For the future actions it is advisable an overall thermal reinforcement, follow-up measures, additional financial support, and the tenants' commitment. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Diamond Congress Ltd., Budapest University of Technology and Economics Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2018.


This thesis presents the findings of an Experimental Investigation of the behaviour of the oil film in a journal bearing supporting Dynamic Loads. The instrumentation developed for an existing loading frame is described and includes a balance piston capable of detecting tensile stresses in the oil film, and a lever system which measures journal centre displacement with commercially available displacement transducers. The conversion of a crankshaft test rig into a Second Testing Machine is described. A feature of this second machine is the use of an Externally Pressurised Bearing as a 'frictionless support' for the test bearing housing. This construction enabled extremely sensitive bearing friction measurements to be recorded simultaneously with the co-ordinates of the journal centre within the clearance circle, and of the applied load. The loading mechanism in both testing machines consisted of a Hydraulic Load Capsule pressurised from an eccentric driven ram pump. The diaphragm was bonded to the capsule body in the First Testing Machine and was sealed by a series of piston rings to form a free piston arrangement in the Second Testing Machine. Oil film pressures in bearings of 3 inches diameter and 3 inches long with diamentral clearance of .0015 and .003 inches were surveyed in the First Testing; Machine for a range of Static and Dynamic Loads. The Dynamic Loads were of sinusoidal form with unit bearing loads up to 1650 lb f./in.2 and the ratio of the Load Frequency to the Journal Speed set at unity. Integration of the oil film pressures acting on the bearing surface, indicated pressure loads which were in good agreement with the applied loads. The pressure surveys indicated that, under conditions of Static or Dynamic Loads, the load bearing film pressures were retained within an arc bounded by the axial supply grooves, and that the clearance space on the unloaded arc of the bearing was not full of oil but contained a large quantity of air released by the cavitation of the oil film. The oil film over the unloaded arc of a Dynamically Loaded bearing consists of a trough of very low pressures prior to the area of constant sub-atmospheric pressures previously reported for dynamic loads. The oil film sustains tensile stresses in this trough during the period OF increasing load, and on eventual rupture air is released from solution and forms cavities in the oil. As the oil film does not rotate within the clearance space under Dynamic Loads, it cavitates and reforms within the same bearing arc. This process forms depressions in the profile of the developing film pressures as the entrapped air is dissolved. Journal displacement measurements made in the First Testing Machine indicated that a certain degree of restraint was imposed on the test bearing housing by the loading mechanism. It was also noted that the bulk of the balance piston cylinder gave the test shaft a stiffness which varied with the plane of bending. These factors combined to make interpretation of the Dynamic Load Displacement measurements difficult without recourse to correction factors. To avoid these problems in the Second Testing Machine no pressure transducer was included in the test shaft and the bearing was mounted so that the Journal was simply supported in the plane of loading. Static Load measurements were compared with published experimental results to evaluate l3ie measuring techniques before their application to Dynamic Load Conditions. Journal centre co-ordinates were measured in .003 inch diameter clearance bearings with a length to diameter ratio of 1% and The journal paths under Dynamic Loads of sinusoidal form had the simple elliptical shape predicted from theoretical considerations. The presence of two axial grooves in bearings subjected to this form of loading, holds the major axis of the elliptical path in a position close to the line of applied load, irrespective of the magnitude or speed ratio of that load. The experimental techniques used, failed to detect a load frequency to journal speed ratio at which the oil film had zero load capacity.


Within multi-species microbial communities, individual species are known to occupy distinct metabolic niches. By contrast, it has remained largely unclear whether and how metabolic specialization occurs within clonal bacterial populations. The possibility of such metabolic specialization in clonal populations raises several questions: Does specialization occur, and if it does, which metabolic processes are involved? How is specialization coordinated? How rapidly do cells switch between states? And finally, what functions might metabolic specialization provide? One potential function of metabolic specialization could be to manage overflow metabolites such as acetate, which presents a toxic challenge due to low pH, and protective pH-neutral overflow metabolites. Here we show that exponentially dividing Bacillus subtilis cultures divide into distinct interacting metabolic subpopulations including one population that produces acetate, and another population that differentially expresses metabolic genes for the production of acetoin, a pH-neutral storage molecule. These subpopulations grew at distinct rates, and cells switched dynamically between states, with acetate influencing the relative sizes of the different subpopulations. These results show that clonal populations can use metabolic specialization to control the environment through a process of dynamic, environmentally-sensitive state-switching.


Background: Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo account for an estimated 40% of world malaria burden. Malaria parasite prevalence is one of the primary tools for estimating disease burden in a population. Aim: To estimate rural sero-prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 564 children and adults; 312 (55.3%) and 252 (44.7%) from Kwall and Jengre communities respectively of Bassa Local Local Government Areas of Plateau Stateusing a multistage sampling technique between 1 st and 4 th May, 2017.Clinical evaluation, laboratory diagnosis and case management for malaria were carried out. Stata 14.1 software was used for data analysis. Results were presented in table and bar chart. Result: One hundred and five (34.6%), 289 (51.2%), and 80 (14.2%) were aged 0 – 5, 5 – 17 and 18 – 80 years respectively. Fever was the commonest presenting complaint in 34 (6%) while 472 (83.7%) had no symptoms. P. falciparum sero-prevalence rates were 24.2%, 41.4% and 34.3% among under-five children, 6 – 17 years and 18 – 80 years respectively. Conclusion. Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission continues to occur with high sero- prevalence in rural communities of Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State. A slight decline was however, noted. Research on innovative models such as malaria vaccines, mosquito bionomics and environmental sanitation to compliment malaria therapeutics may need be employed in our rural communities so as to achieve the global goal for malaria eradication. Keywords: Malaria, sero-prevalence, Rapid diagnostic test, disease burden


Over a four-month period, three patients with ascites and hyponatraemia secondary to decompensated cirrhosis were admitted to the Intensive Care unit (ICU) of a quaternary referral centre for liver disease and transplantation for further management. Each had a stable documented coagulopathy without bleeding on ICU admission. Following commencement of anticoagulant-free continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a severe bleeding diathesis developed in all three patients necessitating transfusion of large volumes of blood products. The clinical presentation and results of detailed coagulation profiles and thromboelastography (TEG) were consistent with the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) with hyperfibrinolysis. The onset of DIC in all three cases was associated with significant morbidity. One patient went on to receive an orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) and death was the end result in the subsequent two cases. Due to the temporal relationship, we hypothesise that the initiation of CRRT may have contributed to the derangement in coagulation status in these patients. Though the exact mechanism is uncertain, it may be related to a higher rate of adsorption of high molecular weight kinins or the CRRT membrane's ability to bind endogenous heparinoids. These cases highlight the precarious nature of the coagulation cascade in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Initiation of CRRT may profoundly disrupt that tenuous balance and should be preceded by careful consideration of the potential complications including DIC and its associated morbidity.


A new pyridone alkaloid, (+)-N-deoxymilitarinone A (1), was isolated from Paecilomyces farinosus RCEF 0097 along with the related metabolites, militarinone D and militarinone B. The sterol 22E,4R-ergosta-7,22-diene-3beta,5alpha,6beta,9alpha-tetraol was also identified. The structures were established by spectroscopic methods, in particular with the aid of extensive NMR experiments. Compound 1 induced neurite sprouting in PC 12 cells when tested at 33 and 100 microM concentrations. A cytotoxic effect was observed in human neurons (IMR-32) at a concentration of 100 microM.


We show that the empirical spectral distribution (ESD) of the sample autocovariance matrix (ACVM) converges as the dimension increases, when the time series is a linear process with reasonable restriction on the coefficients. The limit does not depend on the distribution of the underlying driving i.i.d. sequence and its support is unbounded. This limit does not coincide with the spectral distribution of the theoretical ACVM. However, it does so if we consider a suitably tapered version of the sample ACVM. For banded sample ACVM the limit has unbounded support as long as the number of non-zero diagonals in proportion to the dimension of the matrix is bounded away from zero. If this ratio tends to zero, then the limit exists and again coincides with the spectral distribution of the theoretical ACVM. Finally, we also study the LSD of a naturally modified version of the ACVM which is not non-negative definite.


Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) have recently been used to estimate the dynamic characteristics and biomass of sound scattering layers (SSLs) or swimming speed of fish schools and to analyze SSL spatial distribution or various behavior patterns. This paper shows that it is necessary to verify mean volume backscattering strength (MVBS, dB) values acquired from each beam for quantitative analysis of the spatial distribution or the biomass estimates of such specific targets as SSL or a fish school when using an ADCP. In this study, the SSL was selected to be a homogeneous density layer over a large area and two methods were used to verify the MVBS values from each beam of the ADCP. First, a mutual comparison among four beams was conducted after calculating MVBS from the measured echo intensity. Second, the MVBS values were verified using comparison between the calculated MVBS from the 153.6 kHz ADCP and MVBS from three frequencies of a well-calibrated scientific echosounder. Moreover, the dominant scatterers (euphausiids) were collected by a framed midwater trawl. From these samples, biological data were used to identify the different frequency characteristics between two systems, using a distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) theoretical backscattering model in order to assess the averaged target strength and target strength TS differences for the three frequencies.


Syntaphilin is a brain-specific syntaxin-binding partner first characterized as an inhibitor of SNARE complex formation and neurotransmitter release. Here we show that syntaphilin also binds to dynamin-1 and through this interaction inhibits dynamin-mediated endocytosis. Immunoprecipitation studies from cross-linked rat synaptosomes demonstrate that an endogenous syntaphilin-dynamin-1 complex exists independently of dynamin-1 binding to amphiphysin. Functionally, syntaphilin expression inhibits transferrin internalization in COS-7 cells. These data reveal that syntaphilin is an inhibitor of both SNARE-based fusion and dynamin-mediated endocytosis.


For quite some years now, there has been a growing debate under the label of "Green I(C)T" about reducing the energy consumption of ICT equipment. More recently, the discourse started to partly shift towards a novel discussion on using ICT to induce energy savings in sectors other than ICT. Advocates suggest that the cumulated potential for ICT-induced savings is several times larger than the entire energy consumption of ICT itself. Numerous studies on ICT-related energy consumption exist, and also an increasing number of studies looking at ICT-induced energy efficiency. The few studies, however, considering both aspects, typically do so independently, without relating the two aspects. Moreover, in the energy efficiency discourse, ICT is usually treated as a monolithic block of technologies – only the application areas that are expected to benefit from it being differentiated. In this paper, we make the case that ICT energy consumption and ICT's potential for inducing energy efficiency can – and should – be related to each other. We further argue that this can only be obtained by decomposing the "ICT monolith" and look at its (naturally heterogeneous) parts separately. Based on a first round of expert interviews, we show that it is possible to qualitatively determine for every single technology subsumed under ICT its potential for inducing energy efficiency. We finally argue that only by consequently following low energy consumption targets for technologies with a low energy efficiency potential, while at the same time not suffocating technologies with a high energy efficiency potential through restrictive consumption targets, the full ICT-related energy saving potential


Several years have passed since the first robot introduction into building construction sites. Earnest efforts by the involved people developed some types of construction robots in the industry. But the construction industry is understood to be a very difficult area of robotization and there is no integrated robotized building construction system yet. System Science Institute, Waseda University, has started robot research project group since 1982 and the research project was named WASCOR (WASeda COnstruction Robot). As the result of earnest research effort the group has reached a stage to propose a set of extra construction robotics technologies added to the existing ones for manufacturing industry. The author introduces some of the new technologies and suggests a plan of construction robot research laboratory to be installed in the industry.


BACKGROUND
A rat pancreas transplantation model with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) recurrence was established using a Wistar-Furth (WF; RT1u, RT6.2) rat as a donor and diabetes-prone (DP; RT1u, rt6.1 gene carrier) BioBreeding rat as a recipient. Interestingly, NKR-P1+TCRalphabeta+ (NKT) cells have recently been reported to have immunoregulatory functions in preventing autoimmune diabetes. The purpose of this study was to specifically examine the contribution of NKT cells in the prevention of IDDM recurrence.

METHODS
Graft survivals with or without anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1/leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 monoclonal antibodies were examined comparing pancreaticoduodenal (PD) transplantation with islet transplantation or pancreas-alone transplantation excluding duodenum and peripancreatic lymph nodes, in an IDDM recurrent model. The cells of the spleen were analyzed by flow cytometry (including intracellular interleukin (IL)-4 analysis), and serum cytokine levels (IL-4 and interferon-gamma) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).

RESULTS
Only those DP recipients transplanted with PD grafts with monoclonal antibody treatment were free from IDDM. Flow cytometric analyses of spleen cells showed that NKT cells in them, compared with those in the recurrent DP recipients (mean <7%), increased significantly (13.7+/-3.1% in the total splenic T cells), most of which (85.9+/-4.3%) were derived from the donor (RT6.2+). The absolute number of RT6+NKT cells significantly increased in the nonrecurrent DP recipients, whereas that of RT6-NKT cells was similar with those of the other recurrent DP recipients. These RT6+NKT cells were predominantly CD4+ and showed significantly more expressions of intracellular IL-4 than the other T cells. By ELISA, serum interferon-gamma was not detectable (< 13 pg/ml) in any of the rats. However, IL-4 was detected at 111.6+/-47.8 pg/ml only in the nonrecurrent DP recipients.

CONCLUSIONS
Unlike islet or pancreas-alone transplants, NKT cells, especially RT6+NKT cells derived from PD grafts, may have an important immunoregulatory function of preventing IDDM recurrence, involving a Th2 deviation.


The optimization of the three objectives, time, cost and quality, is the important project management content. This paper applies co-evolutionary algorithm to the optimization of the three engineering project objectives. The populations of time, cost and quality are separately designed for cooperative evolutionary operators in the paper, which are coordinated and compromised to get the coordination solution in pareto optimum. All the programming algorithms are through Matlab, and finally the feasibility and superioirty of this algorithm is proved by a engineering project


In the evaluation of space-occupying lesions of the oropharynx it is necessary to perform modern imaging methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging additionally to clinical and endoscopical methods. 126 patients were examined using T1-weighted (TR = 500 ms, TE = 25 ms) and T2-weighted (TR = 3000 ms, TE = 25/90 ms) spin-echo-sequences before and after i.v. application of Gd-DTPA. Superficially growing lesions of stage T1 could not be delineated from isointense mucosa. The preoperative staging of T2-T4 lesions can be markedly improved by using T1- and T2-weighted sequences in combination with Gd-DTPA. MR imaging with Gd-DTPA is recommended as the primary diagnostic tool for diagnosing lesions in the region of the oropharynx.


Abstract Blarina hylophaga (Elliot, 1899) is a soricid commonly called Elliot's short-tailed shrew. A short-legged, robust shrew with a long, pointed snout and a short tail; it is 1 of 4 species in the genus Blarina. It occurs throughout most of the Great Plains of the United States, where it inhabits moist, well-drained grassland and riparian areas with deep leaf litter. It is listed as a species of greatest conservation need in Iowa and at possible risk in Texas, which might be due to the limited knowledge of the species throughout its geographic range.