Spoilage bacteria play a remarkable role in the spoilage of chilled chicken. In this paper, a total of 42 isolates belonging to 16 species of four genera were isolated from chilled chicken and displayed different characterizations of psychrotrophic spoilage. Six isolates of J7, J8, Q20, Q23, R1, and R9 with differences in proteolytic capabilities were further characterized for in situ spoilage potential evaluation. Pseudomonas lundensis J8 exhibited the strongest spoilage potential in situ, displaying a fast growth rate, increased pH velocity, high total volatile basic nitrogen, and high peptide content in the chicken samples. The volatile flavor analysis of chicken samples via electronic nose indicated that the content of characteristic odors representing spoilage, including sulfides, organic sulfide, and hydride, increased during storage. Additionally, the principle component and correlation analyses revealed that the spoilage odors produced by different species of bacteria were significantly different and positively correlated with the results of protease activity in vitro. The characteristics of spoilage bacteria in chilled chicken provided a comprehensive insight into microbial assessment during storage.


AIM
To compare minimally invasive (MIS) and open techniques for MIS lumbar laminectomy, direct lateral and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgeries with respect to length of surgery, estimated blood loss (EBL), neurologic complications, perioperative transfusion, postoperative pain, postoperative narcotic use, and length of stay (LOS).

METHODS
A systematic review of previously published studies accessible through PubMed was performed. Only articles in English journals or published with English language translations were included. Level of evidence of the selected articles was assessed. Statistical data was calculated with analysis of variance with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS
A total of 11 pertinent laminectomy studies, 20 direct lateral studies, and 27 TLIF studies were found. For laminectomy, MIS techniques resulted in a significantly longer length of surgery (177.5 min vs 129.0 min, P = 0.04), shorter LOS (4.3 d vs 5.3 d, P = 0.01) and less perioperative pain (visual analog scale: 16 ± 17 vs 34 ± 31, P = 0.04). There is evidence of decreased narcotic use for MIS patients (postoperative intravenous morphine use: 9.3 mg vs 42.8 mg), however this difference is of unknown significance. Direct lateral approaches have insufficient comparative data to establish relative perioperative outcomes. MIS TLIF had superior EBL (352 mL vs 580 mL, P < 0.0001) and LOS (7.7 d vs 10.4 d, P < 0.0001) and limited data to suggest lower perioperative pain.

CONCLUSION
Based on perioperative outcomes data, MIS approach is superior to open approach for TLIF. For laminectomy, MIS and open approaches can be chosen based on surgeon preference. For lateral approaches, there is insufficient evidence to find non-inferior perioperative outcomes at this time.


The large working sets of commercial and scientific workloads favor a shared L2 cache design that maximizes the aggregate cache capacity and minimizes off-chip memory requests in Chip Multiprocessors (CMP). There are two important hurdles that restrict the scalability of these chip multiprocessors: the on-chip memory cost of directory and the long L1 miss latencies. This work presents a network victim cache architecture aimed at facing these two important problems. Our proposal takes advantage of on-chip networks to manage shared caches in chip multiprocessors. The network victim cache architecture removes the directory structure from shared L2 caches and stores directory information for the blocks recently cached by L1 caches in the network interface components decreasing on-chip directory memory overhead and improves the scalability. The saved memory space is used as victim caches which are embedded into the network interface components to reduce L1 miss latencies further. The proposed architecture is evaluated based on simulations of a 16-core tiled CMP. Results demonstrate that the network victim cache architecture provides better scalability and improves performance by 23% on average against over the traditional CMP with shared L2 cache design, and up to 34% at best.


Objective To bridge the efficacy and compare the safety of the 24-week teriparatide treatment in a Chinese osteoporosis study (NCT00414973) to a large international trial (FPT, NCT00670501) to determine whether long-term results from the international study were applicable to Chinese patients. Methods In this post-hoc analysis, a propensity score matching method was used to select patients with similar baseline characteristics. Patients were female with osteoporosis at high risk of fracture, aged ≥55 years, and had no history of rheumatoid arthritis or corticosteroid use. Outcomes included percentage changes in lumbar-spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD) from baseline to 24 weeks, safety in matched-pair patients, and long-term percentage changes in LS-BMD and fragility fracture incidence in the matched fracture prevention trial (FPT) population. The determination of the acceptability of bridging results was based on the International Conference on Harmonization E5 guidelines. Results A total number of 228 patients from each study were matched and paired. Patients were similar at baseline (P-values >0.33) except for ethnicity (98% Caucasian for FPT). For changes in LS-BMD from baseline to week 24, treatment with teriparatide showed significantly greater increases (P-values <0.001; least-squares mean difference: 5.0% in the Chinese study and 5.4% in FPT) than comparator (calcitonin/placebo). The safety profiles over 24 weeks were similar between two studies. For matched-pair FPT patients, long-term changes in LS-BMD were significantly greater (least-squares mean difference: 11.5%, P<0.001) and the fragility fracture rate was marginally lower in the teriparatide group compared with the placebo group (13.1% vs 22.3%, P=0.070). Conclusion Assuming similar pharmacokinetic profiles for teriparatide between populations, comparable increases in LS-BMD and consistent safety profiles within 24 weeks of the treatment suggest long-term LS-BMD results from the FPT may be applicable to Chinese population.


The aim of this study was to compare technological properties (gel hardness, foam drainage, and meringue crispness) of albumen of nonpacked table eggs (control) with those of eggs packed in high-barrier plastic pouches with 3 modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions (air, 100% N(2), and 100% CO(2)) during 28 d of storage at 25°C. The values of gel hardness for the control sample showed an increasing trend, demonstrating the highest values throughout the experiment duration compared with the other samples. This behavior was probably attributable to the pH increase detected only for this sample during storage (from 8.82 ± 0.06 for fresh egg to 9.96 ± 0.06 at the end of the experiment). Air and N(2) samples showed constant and similar hardness values during storage. The hardness of coagulated albumen showed a strict correlation with raw albumen pH (r(2) = 0.929; P < 0.001). Other than reducing albumen pH during storage, MAP with CO(2) caused the formation of a soft and puffy coagulum with very low hardness, reaching the lowest value of 1.26 ± 0.38 N after 4 d of storage, that slowly increased to 2.11 ± 0.49 N at the end of the experiment. Foam stability decreased during storage for all samples, but CO(2) eggs showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher foam stability than fresh eggs until 15 d, reaching values similar to those of the other samples only at the end of the storage time. Packing eggs in CO(2) promoted an improvement of meringue crispness. The application of this atmosphere could ameliorate the quality characteristics of albumen-based food products. Commercially, CO(2) MAP could provide an albumen-based ingredient tailored to maximize the characteristics needed in the final product (e.g., fresh shell eggs special for meringue preparation) that could give an added value to the product.


In this study, the effect of marriage conflict and conflict resolution styles on happiness levels is examined. In the examination of the research variables, the differentiation levels of the research variables in terms of the personal variables of the participants were examined by comparing the demographic variables of the individuals with the research variables. The research was carried out with the survey method. In order to determine the marriage conflicts of the participants, Assoc. Dr. 'Marriage Life Survey' developed by Zeynep Hatipoğlu Sümer (1993) was used. At the same time, the 'Conflict Resolution Styles Scale' developed by Ayça Özen Çıplak (2006) was used to determine the conflict resolution styles of the participants. Finally, the 'Happiness Scale in Relations', developed by Fletcher et al. (1990), was used to determine the level of happiness of the participants. The research includes married individuals (500 people) living in Istanbul. Descriptive and comparative statistical analysis methods were used in the research. The prepared questionnaire was subjected to reliability analysis in SPSS 22.0 for Windows package program. Cronbach's Alpha method was used to measure the reliability of the survey data used in the research. Looking at the research findings; In the research, a positive and significant linear relationship was found between the marriage conflict levels of the couples and the conflict resolution styles at the level of 78.6%. The level of conflict resolution styles increases as the participants' marriage conflict levels increase (p ˂ 0.05). Also; Negative conflict resolution sub-dimension (r =, 262; p <0.01), withdrawal sub-dimension (r =, 247; p <0.05), CBCL Order (r =, 232; p <0, 01) and happiness (r =, 002; p <0.05) were found to be positively significant. A significant positive relationship was found between the general dimension of conflict resolution and happiness level (r =, 048; p <0.05). Finally, significant relationships were found between conflict resolution sub-dimensions and happiness. Negative conflict resolution sub-dimension (r =, 220; p <0.05), submission sub-dimension (r =, 203; p <0.05) and withdrawal sub-dimension (r =, 249; p <0.05 ) has been found to have a positive positive relationship on happiness levels.


The paper presents a formalism for the analysis of e-commerce protocols. The approach integrates logics and process calculi, providing an expressive message passing semantics and sophisticated constructs for modeling principals. A common set of inference rules for communication, reduction and information analysis supports proofs about message passing, the knowledge and behavior of principals, and protocol properties. The power of the formalism is illustrated with an analysis of the NetBill Protocol.


We reported the dielectric properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystal in the temperature range of 300–1073 K and the frequency range of 100 Hz–10 MHz. Our results showed the coexistence of both true- and pseudo-relaxor behaviors in the crystal. The true relaxor behavior related to the paraelectric-ferroelectric phase transition occurs at~423 K. The pseudo-relaxor behavior appearing at~773 K was found to be related to oxygen vacancies. Further investigation reveals that the pseudo-relaxor behavior has fine structure: it contains two oxygen-vacancy-related relaxation processes. The low-temperature relaxation process is a dipolar relaxation created by the hopping motions of the oxygen vacancies, and the high-temperature relaxation process is a Maxwell-Wagner relaxation caused by the sample/electrode contacts.


Based on the general theory of dislocation and kink, we have constructed the three kink models corresponding to the 1/2 〈111〉{011} and 1/2 〈111〉{112} edge dislocations (EDs) in bcc Fe using the molecular dynamics method. We found that the geometric structure of a kink depends on the type of ED and the structural energies of the atom sites in the dislocation core region, as well as the geometric symmetry of the dislocation core and the characteristic of the stacking sequence of atomic plane along the dislocation line. The formation energies and widths of the kinks on the 1/2 〈111〉{011} and 1/2 〈111〉{112} EDs are calculated, the formation energies are 0.05eV and 0.04eV, and widths are 6.02b and 6.51b, respectively (b is the magnitude of the Burgers vector). The small formation energies indicate that the formation of kink in the edge dislocation is very easy in bcc Fe.


In this thesis we investigate aspects of the Earth's magnetic field with a view to further understanding the physical processes at work in the Earth's core which act to maintain the geomagnetic field against ohmic decay. In particular, we consider problems relating to the stability of the Earth's magnetic field. The basic model of the Earth's fluid outer core we adopt throughout, chosen to simplify the problem whilst retaining the important features, is that of a cylindrical annulus of electrically conducting, incompressible fluid rotating rapidly about its axis. In this annulus we impose a toroidal magnetic field and velocity field which both depend only on the distance from the axis of rotation. This basic state is then perturbed and its stability investigated. In the first problem we consider in Chapter 2 the annulus is unbounded in the direction of the axis of rotation. We extend the problem solved by Fearn (1988) to include an inner core of finite conductivity and allow the mantle to be a perfect insulator or a perfect conductor. The effect of varying the inner core conductivity on the magnetic field strength required for the onset of instability is investigated and the result in the limit of an insulating inner core compared with that of Fearn (1988) to serve as a check on the results. In Chapter 3 the same model is extended to include a finitely conducting layer at the base of the mantle as a model for the D" layer. The inner core conductivity is in most cases assumed to be equal to that of the outer core and the influence of the D" layer on instability is investigated. The results are compared with those of the previous Chapter in the appropriate limits. In the final problem considered we extend the linear stability analysis into the weakly nonlinear regime. The annulus is bounded in the direction of the axis of rotation by perfectly conducting plates and the cylindrical walls are assumed to be perfectly insulating. To simplify the analysis the magnetostrophic approximation is made. Using a multiple scales expansion technique an amplitude equation is derived and the coefficients evaluated to determine if the instabilities are of sub- or supercritical type. As a check on the results the geostrophic flow that arises in the nonlinear regime is used as input into the linear code and its effect on the field strength required for instability investigated. The calculations in this thesis were carried out on the University of Glasgow's IBM 3090-150E/VF mainframe computer. The graphics have been produced using the GHOST80 graphics package. The results of Chapters 2 and 3 can also be found in Lamb (1994a,b).


Given a set of $k$ strings $I$, their longest common subsequence (LCS) is the string with the maximum length that is a subset of all the strings in $I$. A data-structure for this problem preprocesses $I$ into a data-structure such that the LCS of a set of query strings $Q$ with the strings of $I$ can be computed faster. Since the problem is NP-hard for arbitrary $k$, we allow an error that allows some characters to be replaced by other characters.
We define the approximation version of the problem with an extra input $m$, which is the length of the regular expression (regex) that describes the input, and the approximation factor is the logarithm of the number of possibilities in the regex returned by the algorithm, divided by the logarithm regex with the minimum number of possibilities.


While the negative association between ADHD symptoms and IQ is well documented, our knowledge about the direction and aetiology of this association is limited. Here, we examine the association of ADHD symptoms with verbal and performance IQ longitudinally in a population-based sample of twins. In a population-based sample of 4,771 twin pairs, DSM-IV ADHD symptoms were obtained from the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised. Verbal (vocabulary) and performance (Raven's Progressive Matrices) IQ were assessed online. ADHD symptom ratings and IQ scores were obtained at ages 12, 14 and 16 years. Making use of the genetic sensitivity and time-ordered nature of our data, we use a cross-lagged model to examine the direction of effects, while modelling the aetiologies of the association between ADHD symptoms with vocabulary and Raven's scores over time. Although time-specific aetiological influences emerged for each trait at ages 14 and 16 years, the aetiological factors involved in the association between ADHD symptoms and IQ were stable over time. ADHD symptoms and IQ scores significantly predicted each other over time. ADHD symptoms at age 12 years were a significantly stronger predictor of vocabulary and Raven's scores at age 14 years than vice versa, whereas no differential predictive effects emerged from age 14 to 16 years. The results suggest that ADHD symptoms may put adolescents at risk for decreased IQ scores. Persistent genetic influences seem to underlie the association of ADHD symptoms and IQ over time. Early intervention is likely to be key to reducing ADHD symptoms and the associated risk for lower IQ.


The problems of national bibliography and publishing statistics are inextricably linked to the legislative support of acquiring and processing mandatory copies (MC) of Russian publications by the coordinating national center. Over a century, the Russian Book Chamber has been such center (in USSR, later in the Russian Federation). It acted as an independent organization until 2014. From 2014 till September 2022, it was affiliated with ITAR-TASS news agency. Today, the Russian Book Chamber is part of the Russian State Library while keeping its traditional functions in bibliographic and statistical control of national publishing products. The authors examine the key problems of these activities caused by retarding federal legislation on mandatory copies against the real-life publishing situation and information needs of our society and government. The number of publishers, though not professional, but some sort of "amateur" ones, is trending upwards, while the circulation of Russian book publications is decreasing year on year. The authors propose to optimize legislation support of publishing through control of publications by academic book publications and periodicals, as well as by those "printed on demand"; through decrease and differentiation of the federal MC sets, re-distribution of these sets for the sake of out-of-the capital library depositories, and timely editing of terminology and obsolescent articles in the law on mandatory copies.


Present work reports the Na-23, Si-29 NMR studies on the Sr0.55Na0.45SiO2.775 along with PXRD and ionic conductivity studies. NMR results indicate that Sr0.55Na0.45SiO2.775 consists of two phases, one being insulating alpha-SrSiO3 and other being a Na+ conducting amorphous Na2Si2O5. High temperature heat treatment of Sr0.55Na0.45SiO2.775 leads to the crystallization of amorphous phase into different polymorphs of Na2Si2O5 phase.


A spray administration of ivermectin was evaluated for the treatment of pinworm infection in mice. In this study, a spray of 0.1% ivermectin injectable solution over the entire cage once a week, for three consecutive weeks (one cycle treatment), was effective in eradicating both Syphacia obvelata and Aspiculuris tetraptera from mice under experimental conditions. In addition, no acute toxicity was observed in 105 mothers or 687 neonates treated with ivermectin, indicating that ivermectin does not affect murine reproduction. Finally, we attempted to eradicate pinworms from infected mice in our institute using this method. Two cycles of treatment were administered, with a two-week pause between cycles, resulting in complete eradication for at least one year. Treating mouse colonies with spray ivermectin is inexpensive, safe, requires very little labor and is very effective at eradicating pinworms from mice.


Eco-innovations comprise new or modified processes, techniques, practices, systems and products allowing environmental harms to be avoided or reduced. They are employed in order for specific social and environmental objectives to be achieved, hence their environmental, social, and institutional significance relating to the achievement of long-term sustainable growth patterns. As a consequence, eco-innovation has great amount of focus from many countries. Adding to the current literature which focuses mainly on the drivers and effects of eco-innovation in the context of developed and developing countries, this paper tries to find an answer to the question about the absolute β-convergence of eco-innovation. We also consider the spillover effects in the analyses. Our sample consists of 38 countries and relates to the years 2012−2017. We apply the spatial panel models to verify the research hypotheses. The results confirm that there is the absolute β-convergence in the sample countries. Moreover, we find evidence of positive spillovers of eco-innovation.


The surface treatment of spherical silica particles with a silane coupling agent with mercapto groups was carried out. The treated silica particles were incorporated within polyisoprene and then vulcanized. The effects of the loading amount and alkoxy group number of silane on the stress–strain curve of the filled composite were investigated. For this purpose, silanes with dialkoxy and trialkoxy structures were used. The loading amount of silane on the silica surface was varied from 1 to 8 times the amount required for monolayer coverage. The stress at the same strain increased with the silane treatment, and it was higher in the dialkoxy structure than in the trialkoxy structure above 300% strain. There was no significant influence of the loading amount on the stress for the trialkoxy silane structure. However, the stress was influenced by the loading amount, and the maximum stress was observed at 4 times the silane amount required for monolayer coverage for the dialkoxy structure. The stress had a good relationship with the crosslinking density of silica-filled polyisoprene rubber (measured with a swelling test). The reinforcement effect by the silane treatment of silica was found to be affected strongly both by the entanglement of the silane chain and polyisoprene rubber matrix and by the crosslinking reaction between the mercapto group of silane and polyisoprene rubber in the interfacial region. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


PDMS chips have proven to be suitable environments for the growth of several filamentous organisms. However, depending on the specimen, the pattern of growth and cell differentiation has been rarely investigated. We monitored the developmental pattern of the brown alga Ectocarpus inside a PDMS lab-on-chip. Two main methods of inoculation of the lab-on-chip were tested, i.e. by injection of spores or by insertion of sporophyte filaments into the chamber. Growth rate, growth trajectory, cell differentiation, and branching were the main development steps that were monitored for 20 days inside 25 μm or 40 μm parallel channels under standard light and temperature conditions. They were shown to be similar to those observed in non-constrained in-vitro conditions. Labelling of Ectocarpus cell wall polysaccharides – both with calcofluor for cellulose, and by immunolocalisation for alginates with monoclonal antibodies–showed expected patterns when compared to open space growth using either epifluorescence or confocal microscopy. Overall this article describes the experimental conditions for observing and studying the basic unaltered processes of brown algal growth using microfluidic technology, which provides the basis for future biochemical and biological research.


SUMMARY This work describes an analytical study of the dynamic behaviour of a tractor-semitrailer vehicle. A digital computer simulation was used to describe the longitudinal, vertical, and pitching motions of the vehicle travelling over a stationary random road surface. A man-seat model was also incorporated into the simulation. Vehicle response to road irregularities has been studied by assuming two different roads for loaded and unloaded cases. Numerical results are presented for vehicle, showing system eigenvalues, power spectral densities and root mean square values of the linear and angular accelerations and displacements. Vehicle acceleration response is compared with the ISO riding comfort standard. All results for the loaded and unloaded cases and for smooth and rough roads indicated that an uncomfortable ride would result from vehicle response.


There are claims that electronic banking can be used to provide access to financial services without much additional costs to the banking populations in developing countries. As a result some developing countries have geared towards using such channels to bring the unbanked population into the banking cubicle. Based on the perception that it increases banks performance and improves financial inclusion the study investigates the effect of e-banking on banks' performance and financial inclusion in Nigeria. The dataset was collected from Statistical bulletin of the Central Bank of Nigeria, National financial inclusion strategy bulletin and World Bank economic indicators. The result revealed that electronic banking has made positive and significant contribution in promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria 2007-2017.


ABSTRACT In 1588 Tycho Brahe proposed a new cosmological system keeping a motionless Earth at the centre of the world. In the first half of the following century the reception of Tycho's model within the Society of Jesus was characterized by a strong resistance at the beginning, followed by a long and winding path, and then a good fortune, whereas heliocentric models were increasingly investigated in European observatories. In 1651 a Jesuit astronomer, Giovan Battista Riccioli, published the Almagestum novum, an encyclopaedic synthesis of astronomical knowledge where the Earth's motions or rest were extensively discussed in order to prove the Earth's immobility. However, through the period 1650–1687 the Almagestum novum did not entirely fulfil its aims, rather seeming like the dying swan's song of Tychonic or semi-Tychonic models. Contemporary scholars appreciated the encyclopaedic effort by Riccioli, but many were critical of his proofs. Even influential Jesuit astronomers showed a remarkable interest in the Copernican model, accepting geocentric models only on the basis of Holy Scripture's authority. This conduct and the tacitly allowed circulation in Catholic Europe of openly Copernican books, indicate that Catholic science tolerated heliocentric theory, when presented as a computational device rather than a representation of reality, more frequently than we usually think.


Despite some progress, successful co-management in Canada has remained the exception rather than the rule, and especially so in jurisdictions not covered by a comprehensive land claims agreement. As such, our aim in this perspective is to identify and describe some of the primary factors that may impede more rapid progress toward successful co-management and to explore why they persist, with particular attention to fisheries and marine contexts. Specifically, we outline several institutional conditions that are likely to impede broader adoption of co-management approaches in Canada, including (1) antiquated and incomplete legislative arrangements; (2) a co-management policy vacuum that has not grappled with emerging expectations for co-governance; (3) relative absence of the knowledge co-production systems needed to create the precursors for successful co-management initiatives; and (4) financial and human resource capacity limitations. Such conditions must also be situated in a dynamic context that includes the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ongoing reconciliation processes, and shifts in the ownership and use of fisheries and other marine resources. We offer, finally, some suggestions to augment co-management efforts and ultimately achieve its promise.


Abstract: Recent evidence demonstrates that the quality of raters' applied clinical skills is directly related to study outcome. As such, the training and evaluation of raters' clinical skill in administering symptom-rating scales is essential before being certified to rate patients in clinical trials. This study examined a novel approach to rater training and certification that focused on both conceptual knowledge and applied skills. Forty-six raters (MDs = 14; PhDs = 7; MA = 5; BA/LPN/RN = 20) in a large multicenter depression study went through a 2-step Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) certification process: didactic training, administered online via an interactive Web tutorial, and live, applied training, where raters interviewed depressed patients while being remotely observed via 3-way teleconference. Raters' applied skills were evaluated using the Rater Applied Performance Scale (RAPS), designed specifically to evaluate critical rater behaviors associated with good clinical interviews. Raters received feedback immediately following the interviews; those receiving a failing score were given 2 more opportunities to pass. Each subsequent session was accompanied by feedback, and was conducted by a different trainer, who was blind to the results of the previous session as well as to which session number it was, to avoid bias. Raters who failed on the third attempt were excluded from rating patients in the trial. All training and testing occurred prior to the startup meeting. Results found a significant improvement pre-to-post Web training in raters knowledge of scoring conventions, P < 0.001. On the applied component, raters' RAPS scores improved significantly on the second attempt following feedback, from 9.05 to 11.58, P < 0.001, and from their second to their third session (from 9.00 to 11.00, P = 0.033. Three raters failed all 3 attempts and were excluded from the study. Results support the efficacy of the approach in improving both conceptual knowledge and applied interviewing skill.


There is a growing interest in innovation ecosystems. Embedding innovation processes in ecosystems comes with several opportunities and managerial challenges. This paper's aim is to increase our understanding of the strategies that industrial firm managers use to deal with innovation ecosystems. How do they align partners and activities while securing and developing their role in the ecosystem? Drawing on 98 interviews with CEOs, CTOs and innovation managers in Germany and the Netherlands, we identify two layers in innovation ecosystems: an explorative layer, which is open and aimed at identifying opportunities for innovation, and an exploit-ative layer, which is semi-closed and aimed at enacting these opportunities to create new value propositions for customers. We analyse how companies act upon these two layers productively, particularly in relation to alignment and strategic positioning; how they create synergies between the different layers; and how they cope with the existing tensions. Furthermore, we discuss differences in strategic choices regarding ecosystem strategies, and propose a maturity model for the development of innovation ecosystem strategies.


Uncontrollable bleeding remains a life-threatening problem in severe liver injury. The application of an absorbable mesh has been reported in a small number of patients. To evaluate an absorbable mesh wrap in standardized conditions, we performed an experimental study in 14 female pigs. A standard liver laceration imitating a blunt injury grade IV (Liver Injury Scale of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma) was made in all animals. Heparin was administered to mimic coagulopathy. After randomization, seven animals received a polyglycolic acid (Vicryl) mesh wrap to control bleeding. Seven animals served as controls. Six of seven animals with a mesh wrap survived. Six of seven animals in the control group died (p = 0.02, Fisher's exact test). Intrahepatic pressures in the treated group varied from 3 to 55 mm Hg. Liver function tests in surviving animals were temporarily elevated. Necropsy at 2 weeks demonstrated adhesions to the wrapped lobe, but no hematoma, free bile, or abscess. Histologic examination showed a foreign-body reaction to the mesh and necrotic parts in the liver. It is concluded that an absorbable mesh wrap can effectively control bleeding from severe liver injury and improve survival in an animal model, although it may cause some damage to liver tissue.


Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectra of 17O, 39K, 85Rb, 87Rb and 133Cs have been measured in the low-temperature phases of KHSO4, RbHSO4, NH4HSO4 and TlHSO4 with the nuclear quadrupole double resonance technique based on magnetic field cycling. The NQR results are related to the crystal structures of the low-temperature phases of these compounds.


The heat flow equation shows that geothermal gradient varies directly with conductive heat flow and inversely with thermal conductivity. Because of the second of these functions, geothermal gradient values have limited validity wherever bottom-hole temperature (BHT) readings are reduced without regard for ambient rock type. Thus, I present a geothermal gradient map of Texas using new data from selected geologic formations of generally uniform rock type. Four carbonate rock units provide the data base for most of the state inland of the Lower Cretaceous shelf edge. These include, for the inner Gulf Coast Basin region, the Jurassic Smackover Formation and the Cretaceous Sligo and Edwards Formations. For most of the remainder of the state west of the Balcones/Ouachita trend, data were obtained for the Ordovician Ellenburger Group. Coastward of the Cretaceous shelf edge, data from the 1976 AAPG and U. S. Geol. Survey map were employed owing to the paucity End_Page 540------------------------------ of carbonate-rock horizons at reasonable depths there. Despite this selective use of BHT data, the geothermal gradient contours do not necessarily represent areal variations in heat flow. Since all the horizons charted are petroleum reservoirs (and in their updip reaches, some are also aquifers), hydrodynamics also must be involved. High gradient anomalies may thus be due to upwelling of basinal waters; low anomalies may be a result of recharge. Hydrodynamic influences also provide a local means for delimiting structures, with uplifts commonly being the loci of upwelling and thus registering relatively high geothermal gradients. High anomalies are even more consistently correlated with fault zones, as seen along the Luling-Mexia trend in south-central Texas where there is an overlap of gradient highs among the three horizons contoured.End_of_Article - Last_Page 541------------


Adsorption technique is widely used for removal of toxic organic contaminants from aqueous streams. Although commercial activated carbon is an effective adsorbent, its widespread used is restricted due to its high cost and substantial lost during regeneration. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of fly ash as an alternative adsorbent for phenol removal from aqueous solution. The removal characteristics of para-chlorophenol from aqueous solution by fly ash were investigated under various conditions of contact time, particle size, pH concentration and temperature. The level of uptake of para-chlorophenol by fly ash decreased with increasing particle size and pH but increases with temperature. Rate constants for different conditions were evaluated in terms of first-order kinetics. The experimental results underlined the potential of fly ash for recovery of parachlorophenol from waste water. The main mechanisms involved in the removal of para-chlorophenol from solution by fly ash were electron with drawing effect of chloro group of benzene ring and adsorption at the surface of the fly ash. It was found that these low cost fly ash adsorbent demonstrated good removal capability of phenol and hence can be used economically on large scale.


Coal geology is not widely taught, but in addition most books on the subject have major drawbacks and are expensive for undergraduate use. This volume has been developed for those working in the coal industry and is designed to give background information for the coal geologist. As such, therefore, it should include introductory principles which may be useful for students. The book comprises 14 chapters and includes chapters from the origin of coal, to coal as a substance, to coal exploration, resources, reserves and use. It is illustrated by diagrams and photos many of which have not reproduced well.

Following a brief preview chapter, the origin of coal is considered. The chapter is poorly organized with the sedimentological interpreation of coal sequences coming before the origin of …


An adaptive nonlinear-state-feedback speed control scheme of a voltage-fed induction motor has been developed in which the control of torque and flux is decoupled. The inputs to the control algorithm are the reference speed, the reference flux, the measured stator currents, the measured rotor speed, the estimated rotor flux, and estimates of the rotor resistance, stator resistance, and load torque, which may vary during operation. The controller outputs are the reference stator voltages in rotor-flux rotating reference frame. An accurate knowledge of the rotor flux and machine parameters is the key factor in obtaining a high-performance and high-efficiency induction-motor drive. The rotor flux is estimated using the induction-motor rotor-circuit model. Although the estimated rotor flux is insensitive to the stator-resistance variation, it does depend on the rotor resistance. A stable model reference adaptive system (MRAS) rotor-resistance estimator insensitive to stator-resistance variation has been designed. Stable stator-resistance and load-torque MRAS estimators have also been developed. These estimators have been developed to constitute a multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) decoupled-cascade structure control system. This simplifies the design problem of the estimators for a stable operation from a MIMO design problem to a single-input-single-output (SISO) design problem. The continuous adaptive update of the machine parameters and load torque ensures accurate flux estimation and high-performance operation. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the stability of the induction-motor drive in various operating modes.


This article analyzes how subnational governments request transfers from the federal government in Brazil. Using microdata on applications for discretionary transfers from the Brazilian federal government to municipalities between 2009 and 2016 and a regression discontinuity design (RDD), I show that mayors affiliated with the president's party demand substantially more resources than opposition mayors, meaning that the partisan alignment is an important channel to request transfers. On the other hand, the effect varies among mayors from other coalition parties. Thus, the results show that partisan alignment between different levels of government is a key factor in explaining the requests for discretionary resources in Brazil.


BACKGROUND
Hyperglycaemia is common among patients with acute ischaemic stroke, and may be due to the physiological stress of the acute stroke event or reflect underlying diabetes mellitus. The under-diagnosis of diabetes in the general population, combined with the association of diabetes and stroke, suggests a rationale for screening for diabetes among hyperglycaemic stroke patients.

AIM
To determine how often clinicians screen for diabetes among hyperglycaemic stroke patients without a prior diagnosis of diabetes.

DESIGN
Retrospective medical record review.

METHODS
We reviewed the records of acute ischaemic stroke patients admitted at any of ten Connecticut hospitals from May 1996 through December 1998.

RESULTS
We identified 90 acute stroke patients with no prior history of diabetes. The prevalence of hyperglycaemia varied from 31% down to 6%, depending on the maximum glucose cut-off used to define hyperglycaemia: from > or = 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/l) to > or = 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l). Only one of the hyperglycaemic patients (1/90, 1%) had any evidence that a clinician screened or planned to screen for undiagnosed diabetes: one patient had a haemoglobin A1c measured during the hospitalization, none received oral glucose tolerance testing while hospitalized, and no discharge summary included a plan to screen for diabetes as an out-patient.

DISCUSSION
Hyperglycaemic stroke patients without a previous diagnosis of diabetes are not routinely screened for diabetes. This situation represents an opportunity, currently unused, to identify an important and modifiable condition.


Thirteen primer pairs generating intraspecific length and/or presence-absence polymorphism in Picea abies have been obtained from a P. abies mtDNA library, using different methodologies (agarose gel electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), single-strand conformation (SSCP). Poly-morphism tests were extended successfully to other Picea species (P. omorika, P. engelmanii and P. glauca) and species belonging to other conifer genera (Abies alba, Larix laricina and Pinus pinaster). This set of PCR-based mitochondrial markers can provide promising tools for studying phylogeography or phylogeny in P. abies and other conifer species in which the mt genome is generally the only one to be transmitted via the female gamete.


Baifu tombs locates at Changping county in Beijing.Because of the complexity in contents, it has bring many controversary about cultural character and the grave owner's identity. In first part,The article divides the tombs into two parts,one related to the burial custom and the other buried in the tombs.Then analyses them separately,which called microcosmic analysis. In second part,the article compares baifu tombs with another graves dating from Shang and Zhou dynasty,which called macroscopical comparision.Finally,the author comes to conclusion that Baifu tombs belongs to Northern cultural,and it provides a key to understand the relationship between Northern culture and Central plain culture during middle Zhou Dynasty.


Background: Internal carotid artery (ICA) injuries represent a rare, potentially fatal complication of endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (EESBS). The use of adenosine to induce transient hypotension and facilitate management of high-flow, high-pressure arterial lesions has been well-documented in neuro-endovascular literature. A similar setting in which adenosine-induced hypotension may prove beneficial is during the management of major vascular injury encountered during EESBS. Methods: A case of ICA injury and subsequent repair during EESBS is presented. Results: A 74-year-old female underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal resection for a recurrent pituitary adenoma. During suprasellar resection, the right cavernous ICA was inadvertently injured resulting in brisk bleeding. Immediate vascular tamponade was applied, and a crushed muscle graft was obtained. Two intravenous doses of adenosine were administered in quick succession to produce transient hypotension and facilitate repair of the injury with the graft. Neurovascular imaging revealed a small pseudoaneurysm which remained stable throughout the postoperative course. The patient underwent definitive stent embolization of the pseudoaneurysm 1 month following discharge. Conclusion: Prompt repair of ICA injury during EESBS is crucial, but often limited by poor visualization. Adenosine-induced hypotension has demonstrated great efficacy as an adjuvant in neurovascular clipping of intracranial aneurysms and remains a valuable tool for the endoscopic skull-base surgeon as well. In cases with high risk for ICA injury, adenosine should be readily available.


It is shown that the currently available traps for cooled atomic beams, which are analogues of optical wave-guides for the de Broglie waves, are capable of transmitting quantum images. This process consists of expansion of the input image as a series in terms of the eigenfunctions of a two-dimensional potential well (waveguide) and the transmission of information about the terms of this series by travelling de Broglie waves to a section of the waveguide (remote from the input) where the initial image is synthesised as a result of the cophasal superposition of the terms of the series.


Thirty-nine hospital outpatients with upper abdominal pain without demonstrable organic abdominal abnormalities and 28 healthy controls were compared blindly with regard to back pain and back abnormalities when subjected to a standardized physical examination of the spine. Seventy-two per cent of the patients versus 17% of the controls were troubled with back pain (P less than 0.001). Seventy-five per cent of the patients with back pain actually had abnormalities revealed at the physical examination, indicating that some organic mechanisms are involved in back pain. Most of the findings were localized to the lower thoracic and thoracolumbar segments, the same segments that innervate the upper gastrointestinal tract. This suggests the existence of a connection between abdominal pain and back pain. Viscerosomatic or somatovisceral reflexes with trigger zones either in the viscera or in the skin, muscles, tendons, or ligaments could be part of the pathophysiology in this syndrome. Fifty-one per cent of the patients had symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and 41% had heartburn, which was significantly related to the experience of back pain.


The ratio of the length of the second finger to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is considered to be a putative proxy of prenatal exposure to testosterone, and has been increasingly used as a promising tool to evaluate the impact of prenatal androgenization in humans in such traits as physical performance. In this study, for the first time, we present 2D:4D data on adult participants of Han ethnicity. We consider the sexual dimorphism of 2D:4D and handgrip strength, and also report the relationship between 2D:4D and handgrip strength of males and females. The sample consisted of 54 males and 55 females recruited from a remote village in the Qinling Mountains, China. We found sexual dimorphism of both 2D:4D and handgrip strength, i.e., males had lower 2D:4D and right-left 2D:4D than females and greater handgrip strength than females. There was a sex-specific correlation between 2D:4D and handgrip strength, i.e., 2D:4D in the right hand was negatively correlated with handgrip strength in males but not in females. This relationship may be driven by sexual selection operating on fetal programming.


To improve the search accuracy and diversity of non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), an improved algorithm DMNSGA-II referencing to the strategy of differential evolution to strengthen local search is proposed in this paper. The algorithm uses mutation guiding operator and crossover operator of DE to replace crossover operator in NSGA-II to enhance the local search capability and improve search accuracy. while retaining the mutation operator of NSGA-II to improve diversity. We use four benchmark test problems to investigate the performance of the DMNSGA-II algorithm, and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve a good overall performance in multi-objective optimization. Keywords-convergence; NSGA-II; differential operator; mutation operator; multi-objective optimization


I characterized 33 small water bodies from the southern Spain provinces of Seville, Cadiz, and Malaga using hydrochemistry (geochemical analyses), hydrology (water budgets), geological surveys, and local knowledge. Based on hydrogeological criteria (association with permeable materials), water bodies were grouped into three categories: 1) wetlands associated with permeable materials (playa-lakes), 2) wetlands associated with impermeable materials (ponds and pools), and 3) artificial wetlands. The three wetland typologies differed in morpho-structural indices, hydrogeological functioning, water chemistry, flora and fauna, and vulnerability to a range of human impacts, and these attributes need consideration in habitat management and conservation.


The Fusion Advanced Studies Torus (FAST) experiment is being proposed by the Italian laboratories as a European satellite Tokamak that will enhance and facilitate the exploitation of ITER like scenarios and technologies. Its size and complexity is comparable to the largest fusion machine in the world: JET. As such, its real time control system will have to meet basic requirements such as a modular and distributed architecture, where different control subsystems can be easily integrated at different times and can operate either independently or in cooperation with other subsystems. Another important feature, which has to be taken into account, is the transparency regarding both the hardware interfacing and the adopted platform. As a test bed, we are currently planning to upgrade the architecture of the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU) real-time system in order to improve its flexibility and modularity and have decided to adopt the MARTe package to reach our goal. Currently, there are four systems under development at FTU: the LH-Power system; the gas puffing control system; the ODIN Equilibrium Reconstruction system; and the position and current feedback control system (currently in a design phase). This paper will describe the current status and first results of the previously referred systems integration.


To improve the performance of vehicles equipped with laterally interconnected air suspension (LIAS), a damper system is constructed based on multi-agent theory and Shapley value principle of cooperative game. The multi-agent control system consists of an information fusion agent, a ride comfort agent, a handling stability agent and a game coordination agent. The information fusion agent obtains vehicle status information from environment, and carries out the information transmission according to the requirements of other agents; on the basis of suspension dynamic deflection and its changing rate, the ride comfort agent indicates the intention of damping coefficients. The handling stability agent triggers the reasoning module according to the current interconnection state information, and indicates the intention of the damping coefficients by the vehicle roll angle, in which, the reasoning module is formed by the self-learning of fuzzy neural networks according to the damping coefficients optimized by genetic algorithm. The game coordination agent receives the intention of the damping coefficients from the above agents, then corrects the damping intention through the rules of cooperative game, and outputs the global optimum damping coefficients. Based on a bench test, a simulation model is established to perform the effectiveness of the multi-agent damper system proposed in this paper. The results have verified that the proposed multi-agent damper system not only improves ride comfort of vehicle with LIAS, but also restrains the roll motion of the vehicle body.


In this movie-ready novel (logical given the collaboration of Lyga with actor Facinelli and film producer DeFranco), the world as we know it long gone, and what remains is grim. There are awful secrets about how fifty billion people died and what happened to the Earth afterwards, but Deedra doesn't, initially, know anything about that; she just knows if she doesn't work and scavenge, she won't eat or survive. After she meets Rose, a mysterious and gorgeous guy unlike anyone she's ever known, things begin to fall apart in her previously predictable, if awful, world. Rose is perhaps the most intriguing element about this messy novel, as his origins, while absurdly out of the range of any realistic science, are creatively described and slowly revealed in tantalizing layers. Unfortunately, the villains are profoundly unsubtle, and issues of moral complexity are as flat as their characterization. In addition, while it is perhaps realistic that Deedra, an orphan in a world that has taught her almost nothing, would be rather slow to sort out the truth behind the lies, it's tiring that she circles back multiple times to what she used to believe, even in the face of obvious hints that she is oh, so wrong. Even so, readers who appreciate an apocalypse that truly feels like one, with massive numbers of dead, complete upheavals, and inevitable dystopian restructuring, may well find this compelling enough to keep an eye out for the likely sequel. AS


This subject was selected from deductions forcibly impressed on me during ten years of experience in examinations of more than 2,300 candidates before the American Board of Otolaryngology. That problems of otolaryngology are clearly related to general medicine has been recognized from time to time in the literature and in practice. The earlier otolaryngologists numbered quite a few men who were trained in general medicine first and in otolaryngology later, whereas the modern specialism concentrates the training for a number of years on otolaryngology and to a considerable extent ignores the related and borderline problems. Postgraduate instruction in this country is an evolutionary training, and the best opportunities are offered in a comparatively few centers. In the effort to stress the highly technical surgical procedures, the allied specialties, such as neurology and internal medicine, are given scanty consideration. The examinations given by the board indicate that the candidates are splendidly


The restoration of sites disturbed by human activities often relies on the capacity of plants to propagate vegetatively. Willow cuttings are widely used in such projects. However, few studies have looked at the impact of planting orientation on the survival and growth of the cuttings. The objective of this study was to evaluate, in a greenhouse experiment, the performance (survival, shoot emergence, final number of shoots, biomass production) of Salix planifolia cuttings planted vertically or horizontally on peat moss (control) and on two substrates (overburden and waste rock) from an iron ore mine site in Schefferville (northern Québec, Canada). Overall, cutting performance (survival, shoot production and biomass) was greater on overburden and peat moss than on waste rock at the end of the seven week-long experiment. Horizontal cuttings had a greater survival rate than the vertical ones. However, cutting orientation impact on shoot production appears to vary according to substrate. Both orientations showed similar shoot production on overburden, but vertically planted cuttings produced a greater number of shoots than the horizontal ones on waste rock. These results suggest that vegetative propagation of S. planifolia has potential for the revegetation of abandoned iron mine sites.


Interactions between the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana SG8702, and imidacloprid on Nilaparvata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae) were studied in laboratory bioassays by spraying suspensions of unformulated conidia (assay 1) and aqueous dilutions of emulsifiable conidia formulation alone (assay 2) or together with imidacloprid at the sub-lethal rates of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 microg ml(-1) (assays 3-5). Each assay consisted of five conidia concentrations plus an appropriate control and three replicates, each including 30-40 third-instar nymphs, so as to generate time-concentration-mortality data for modeling analysis. A mineral oil-based emulsion used to formulate B bassiana slightly enhanced fungal activity but had no significant impact on the background mortality of N lugens. On the basis of LC50 estimates and associated variances on days 4-12 after spraying, synergistic interactions of both agents or formulations were determined by estimating relative potencies of assay 2 over assay 1 (1.2-9.0), assay 3 over assay 2 (1.3-1.7), assay 4 over assay 2 (7.5-9.6), assay 5 over assay 2 (22.7-101), assay 4 over assay 3 (3.8-5.8), assay 5 over assay 3 (16.1-61.0), and assay 5 over assay 4 (3.0-10.5). The time-concentration-mortality modeling method was not only mathematically but also biologically robust to evaluate the interactions of B bassiana and imidacloprid on N lugens. Compared with their counterparts, enhanced fungal formulations displayed consistently earlier or greater activities against the pest species based on LC50 and LT50 estimates determined from their time-concentration-mortality relationships. The results highlight a potential for pest control by combined formulation or application of B bassiana and imidacloprid.


The remodeling of bone continues throughout life. It takes place in circumscribed areas called BMU (bone multicellular units), which during the remodeling process becomes BRU (bone remodeling units). The time span of the total remodeling process, the number of BRU and the distance in time between the appearance of these BRU in a given localization are responsible for the maintenance, or the increase or decrease, of bone substance, in particular of the trabecular bone. In bone atrophy, or osteopenia, and its clinical manifestation as osteoporosis there is decoupling of the remodeling process, with diminished bone formation which ultimately leads to perforations of the bone plates in the spongious bone. In Paget's disease of bone precipitate remodeling of bone causes the characteristic deformations. Recently, virus-RNA sequences have been shown in the bone cells, which is circumstantial evidence for a slow virus infection. Hyperphosphatasia is characterized by the same morphological alterations and discussion is currently in progress as to whether it is a congenital, or juvenile, form of Paget's disease. In osteogenesis imperfecta four different types are now distinguished; children affected by the most frequent type survive into adult life. In this condition, increased bone remodeling with insufficient bone formation is observed. In contrast, osteopetrosis, or marble bone disease, is due to an osteoclastic insufficiency and thus inadequate bone resorption. In this osteopathy a decoupling of the remodeling process has to be assumed: it is thought that other, still unknown, factors maintain regular bone formation although there is little or no bone resorption. The osteoclastic insufficiency has now been proven.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


No information has been available regarding middle cerebral artery (MCA) dissection occurring as a result of athletics. We describe a case of cerebral infarction in the right MCA region that occurred in young, right-handed tennis player while he was serving. Angiography with a contrast medium and a 3-dimensional rotational system revealed proximal M2 stenosis, and emergency superficial temporal artery-MCA anastomosis was performed. As a result, the patient showed a complete recovery and resumed all activities of daily life, including playing tennis. Because sports such as tennis, in which players vigorously swing their heads while serving, could lead to intracranial artery dissection, we advise that the possibility of MCA dissection should be considered in athletes with certain neurological symptoms, including headache.


Focusing on the Mission Inn and the Sherman Indian Boarding School in Riverside, this article analyzes an idealized "Hotel California" as a component of what I have called "the Spanish Imaginary." Just as the Eagles' song of the same name examines both the mythmaking of Southern California and the American dream, this article describes how that imaginary shapes our collective hallucinations of a time that rightfully should be mourned instead of celebrated. The Mission Inn, which opened in 1902, architecturally portrays the Spanish Imaginary and the mission themes of spirituality, hinting as well at the secular benevolence of the Mexicans and Americans who succeeded the Spanish. This article argues that the pervasive Mission Revival style of architecture that is synonymous with Southern California is a physical manifestation of the anti-Indian ideology that informed the greed and violence of European and American settlement. The newcomers eviscerated the future state's environment, introducing a genocidal architecture that combines capitalistic culture with an historical imaginary, one that succeeded in drawing millions of settlers to California and became the embodiment of both the American dream and the American nightmare. Both continue to exert their influence: while the Sherman Indian Boarding School has moved away from its Spanish mission roots, today's Mission Inn presents visitors with the idealized "Hotel California" version of the Golden State's past, wrapping the reality of Indian slavery and genocide in a distinctive form of plantation nostalgia.
 Perhaps no other structure in California better illustrates the colonial desires of Spain (then of Mexico, then of the United States) to "civilize" Indigenous peoples than the Sherman Indian Boarding School, whose original design illustrates the collective delusion of the Spanish Imaginary. Opening its doors in 1903, Sherman intentionally drew its design from mission architecture. The choice makes sense, given that both missions and Sherman were designed to transform Native peoples. Both utilized Native bodies for their labor. Both drew sustenance from Native peoples' difference, and from their availability as a threatening "Other" requiring physical as well as cultural control. The Sherman Indian Boarding School provides a potent site of analysis of the ways that twentieth-century Americans used architecture to harness a mythical past and then bend it to capitalist goals. Moreover, implicating Mission Revival–style architecture in American processes of mythmaking illustrates how colonizers' notions of race undergirded their spatial colonial logics, in ways that devalued Native peoples in the past and continue to obscure their physical and cultural persistence today.


The development of a radiation-induced sarcoma (RIS) in the post mastectomy thoracic treatment volume is an infrequent, but recognized, event. Its frequency is rising in relation with increasing survival of breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant radiation therapy, and is associated with poor prognosis despite treatment. We present a case of leiomyosarcoma in a patient who underwent mastectomy followed by radiotherapy for invasive ductal carcinoma. A delayed TRAM flap reconstruction was performed 10 years after and a rapid growing mass under the reconstructed flap appeared, on routine follow-up, twenty years later. This report analyzes the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of patients with RIS.


Although therapy using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has been steadily successful over the last 20 years, the means of delivery of mAbs has not been optimized, especially for long-term delivery. Frequent injections or infusions have been current standard of care. In this study, we have developed a long-term antibody biodegradable implant using a porous polycaprolactone (PCL) capsule. It released Bevacizumab (Bev) slowly for 8 months to date. The Bev release kinetics fit a drug release model with experimental data of the diffusion coefficient and partition coefficient through the polymer capsule. Since screening drug release profiles for the long-term (> 6 months) is time consuming, an accelerated degradation method was used after validating characteristics of the PCL capsule in natural and accelerated degradation conditions. The correlation of time period between the natural and the accelerated degradation was determined. Overall, the study suggests mAbs can be released from a porous PCL capsule without an effect of the polymer degradation over the long period (~ 6 months) and the long-term release kinetics can be determined by the accelerated degradation within 14 days.


Vehicular communication networking is a promising approach of facilitating road safety, traffic management, and infotainment dissemination for drivers and passengers. However, it is subject to various malicious abuses and security attacks which hinder it from practical implementation. In this paper, we propose a novel security protocol based on group signature and identity-based signature scheme to meet the unique requirements of vehicular communication networks. The proposed protocol not only guarantees security and anonymity, but also provides easy traceability property when the identity of the sender of a message has to be revealed by the authority. To further enable Internet access, the network architecture incorporating with the proposed security protocol is introduced. Simulation is conducted to analyze the system performance which proves the feasibility of the proposed scheme.


Inflammatory bowel diseases are caused by an abnormal reaction of the immune system, which becomes hyperactive because the mechanisms responsible for regulating it get out of control. For an effective immune response, many proinflammatory cytokines are secreted, particularly interleukin-6 (IL-6) keystone cytokine inflammation. Many synthetic and natural compounds targeting IL-6 have been studied. The genus Satureja of the Lamiaceae family is generally known for its many virtues, in particular anti-inflammatory properties. However, the mechanism of action is unclear. This study aims to predict the impact of characterized bioactive molecules of Moroccan Satureja nepeta in the potential control of inflammatory response mediated by IL-6 cytokine. A list of 9 previously characterized natural compounds of S. nepeta was compiled, and a list of 6 potential protein targets involved in intestinal inflammation was made. The 2 lists of natural compound-target proteins were analyzed by the STITCH software (http://stitch.embl.de/) to develop protein-compound and protein-protein interaction networks (PPINs). An ontological enrichment (GO) analysis was performed by the Clue GO plugin to evaluate the PPIN generated by STITCH; finally, the molecular docking to predict the mode underlying the anti-inflammatory effects. STITCH results revealed direct and indirect interactions of S. nepeta chemical compounds with a key protein target IL-6. The array results by ClueGO showed that most compounds involved in the regulation of several biological processes related to IL-6 such as inflammation apoptosis, cell differentiation, and metabolic regulation. The targets directly related to IL-6 have been used for molecular docking. Quercetin, catechin, and gallic acid have a strong affinity with the IL-6 receptor (respectively −7.1; −6.1; −5.3). This study strongly suggests that the bioactive compounds of S. nepeta could constitute a new therapeutic alternative in the treatment of diseases related to IL-6. However, to validate the results obtained in this work, it is necessary to explore the mechanism of action of potential bioactive molecules by experimentation.


Abstract. This paper reviews Hippotis Ruiz & Pav. and Schradera Vahl, two Rubiaceae genera with centers of diversity in western South America. Both are inadequately known and in need of field study. Recent authors' circumscriptions of H. albiflora H. Karst. and H. mollis Standl. are narrowed here, and four new species of Hippotis are described: H. antioquiana C. M. Taylor from northwestern Colombia, H. ecuatoriana C. M. Taylor from central-southern Ecuador, H. elegantula C. M. Taylor & M. Calderón from the western Amazon basin in Ecuador, and H. vasqueziana C. M. Taylor from lowland northeastern Peru. Four new species of Schradera Vahl are also described here: S. cernua C. M. Taylor and S. francoae C. M. Taylor from western Colombia, S. condorica C. M. Taylor & D. A. Neill from southern Ecuador, and S. morindoides C. M. Taylor from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Schradera condorica at least sometimes is a free-standing tree, a habit newly documented for this genus.


This study aims to analyze the legal aspects of Mut ah Rights and Eid al-Fitr towards the wife who has been divorced by Talaq in her position as Qobla Dukhul. This research is Normative Empirical, namely research by looking at the existing conditions in the field by linking the legal sources of regulations in force in the Republic of Indonesia. The benefits that will be received from the results of this research are to find out and analyze the legal basis of Mut ah Rights and Iddah livelihoods against a wife who has been divorced by her husband in her position that the wife has not been interfered with at all (Qobla Dukhul) and to know and analyze legal considerations in the decision. Rantauprapat Religious Court No. 1173 / Pdt.G / 2020 / PA.RAP for Divorce talaq in the position of wife of Qobla Dukhul. The results of this study state that if a marriage breaks up due to divorce, according to the provisions of Article 149 and Article 158 of the Compilation of Islamic Law, the ex-husband is obliged to give a proper mutʻah to his ex-wife, either in the form of money or objects, unless the former wife is qobla al dukhul and provides a living , maskan and kiswah to the ex-wife during iddah, unless the ex-wife has been through divorce ba1in or Nusyuz and is not pregnant. In the consideration of the Panel of Judges in Case No. 1173 / Pdt.G / 2020 / PA.RAP stated that because the marriage broke up due to divorce in the Qabla ad-Dukhul State, the Respondent did not have a period of iddah at all and the applicant was released from all legal consequences of divorce such as providing support, maskan and kiswah to ex-wife during iddah. Keywords: Mut'ah, Nafkah Iddah, Qobla Dukhul


Milking cows once a day (OAD) is a herd management practice that may help to reduce working effort and labour demand in dairy farms. However, a decrease in milk yield per cow occurs in OAD systems compared with twice a day (TAD) systems and this may affect profitability of dairy systems. The objective of this study was to assess productive and economic impact and risk of reducing milking frequency from TAD to OAD for grazing dairy systems, using a whole-farm model. Five scenarios were evaluated by deterministic and stochastic simulations: one scenario under TAD milking (TADAR) and four scenarios under OAD milking. The OAD scenarios assumed that milk yield per cow decreased by 30% (OAD30), 24% (OAD24), 19% (OAD19) and 10% (OAD10), compared with TADAR scenario, based on experimental and commercial farms data. Stocking rate (SR) was increased in all OAD scenarios compared to TADAR and two levels of reduction in labour cost were tested, namely 15% and 30%. Milk and concentrate feeds prices, and pasture and crop yields, were allowed to behave stochastically to account for market and climate variations, respectively, to perform risk analyses. Scenario OAD10 showed similar milk yield per ha compared with TADAR, as the increased SR compensated for the reduction in milk yield per cow. For scenarios OAD30, OAD24 and OAD19 the greater number of cows per ha partially compensated for the reduction of milk yield per cow and milk yield per ha decreased 21%, 15% and 10%, respectively, compared with TADAR. Farm operating profit per ha per year also decreased in all OAD scenarios compared with TADAR, and were US$684, US$161, US$ 303, US$424 and US$598 for TADAR, OAD30, OAD24, OAD19, OAD10, respectively, when labour cost was reduced 15% in OAD scenarios. When labour cost was reduced 30% in OAD scenarios, only OAD10 showed higher profit (US$706) than TADAR. Stochastic simulations showed that exposure to risk would be higher in OAD scenarios compared with TADAR. Results showed that OAD milking systems might be an attractive alternative for farmers who can either afford a reduction in profit to gain better and more flexible working conditions or can minimise milk yield loss and greatly reduce labour cost.


Factors that stimulate the growth of hematopoietic progenitors in vitro have been identified and the genes that encode these factors have been isolated. Nevertheless, defining hematopoietic regulation requires understanding how these factors are induced and function in the context of organized tissue. Defining these molecular events is, however, complicated by heterogenous cell populations present in hematopoietic tissue, which makes it difficult to assess the consequences of any specific cell-cell interaction. Recent advances in the identification of surface molecules involved in mediating recognition phenomenon between interacting cells makes it possible to begin dissecting specific interactions that may be restricted by the gene products of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC).


The subject of this paper is how to construct this flexible receiver. We survey the steps that have been taken over the years in this direction - some very tenuously - leading up to a recent realization of a software-defined RF front-end. We do not cover the work that has gone into the digital front-end which follows the ADC (Hentschel and Fettweis, 2002), nor on the software-defined baseband - both are essential for a full radio. Furthermore, an efficient software-defined transmitter without which the software-defined radio project is incomplete is still in the research phase


Purpose To report the presentation and management of a 65-year-old female who presented with chronic angle closure glaucoma and an atypical iris membrane. Case Report A 65-year-old healthy female with no significant past medical history presented to the emergency room with a 2-day history of headache, blurry vision, and right ocular pain. She denied any such prior episodes, any prior ocular history including ocular trauma, or a family history of glaucoma. She was diagnosed with bilateral, severe chronic angle closure glaucoma with an atypical, pigmented iris-pupillary membrane in the right eye. Given the appearance of the membrane, ocular oncology consultation and anterior segment imaging were unremarkable. Surgical management included complex cataract extraction, limited pars plana anterior vitrectomy, iris membrane removal, and placement of a sulcus tube shunt. Conclusions This complex case of chronic angle closure glaucoma with an atypical pupillary membrane highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential and ruling out secondary pathologies such as iris melanoma. Additionally, it highlights the complexities of cataract extraction with a shallow anterior chamber.


Associations between ultrafine particles (UFPs) and hourly onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have rarely been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the impacts of UFPs on AMI onset and the lag patterns. A time-stratified case-crossover study was performed among 20,867 AMI patients from 46 hospitals in Shanghai, China, between January 2015 and December 2020. Hourly data of AMI onset and number concentrations of nanoparticles of multiple size ranges below 0.10 μm (0.01-0.10, UFP/PNC0.01-0.10; 0.01-0.03, PNC0.01-0.03; 0.03-0.05, PNC0.03-0.05; and 0.05-0.10 μm, PNC0.05-0.10) were collected. Conditional logistic regressions were applied. Transient exposures to these nanoparticles were significantly associated with AMI onset, with almost linear exposure-response curves. These associations occurred immediately after exposure, lasted for approximately 6 h, and attenuated to be null thereafter. Each interquartile range increase in concentrations of total UFPs, PNC0.01-0.03, PNC0.03-0.05, and PNC0.05-0.10 during the preceding 0-6 h was associated with increments of 3.29, 2.08, 2.47, and 2.93% in AMI onset risk, respectively. The associations were stronger during warm season and at high temperatures and were robust after adjusting for criteria air pollutants. Our findings provide novel evidence that hourly UFP exposure is associated with immediate increase in AMI onset risk.


Focused on an analysis of surviving late medieval religious art in Transylvanian Lutheran churches, this study wishes to explore the ways in which these images were presented to and viewed by the congregations after the Reformation of the Saxon community. The article considers the connection between these artifacts and the ritual context that framed them whilst assessing their ability to shape different patterns of piety and a new confessional identity. Drawing mostly on visual evidence, the study also relies on an exploration of the records of the synods of the Transylvanian Lutheran Church in order to understand this newly forged religious culture.


Insect pests cause injury to the rice plant in various ways. The brown planthopper sucks assimilates from the phloem (Sogawa 1982) and reduces plant height and organ dry weights (Rubia-Sanchez et al.2003). Mechanical injury is the removal of leaves or tillers using scissors. The manner by which injury is inflicted may vary, but the response of the rice plant to injury may be similar. Hence, it is important to compare the effects of BPH injury with that of mechanical injury to better understand plant response to BPH feeding. We chose two cultivars, Nipponbare, which belongs to japonica rice, and Taichung Native I (TN1), which belongs to indica rice, to determine if there is a difference between the two cultivars in plant response to injury.


Differential Privacy (DP) is a well-established framework to quantify privacy loss incurred by any algorithm. Traditional DP formulations impose a uniform privacy requirement for all users, which is often inconsistent with real-world scenarios in which users dictate their privacy preferences individually. This work considers the problem of mean estimation under heterogeneous DP constraints, where each user can impose their own distinct privacy level. The algorithm we propose is shown to be minimax optimal when there are two groups of users with distinct privacy levels. Our results elicit an interesting saturation phenomenon that occurs as one group's privacy level is relaxed, while the other group's privacy level remains constant. Namely, after a certain point, further relaxing the privacy requirement of the former group does not improve the performance of the minimax optimal mean estimator. Thus, the central server can offer a certain degree of privacy without any sacrifice in performance.


In thermal solid freeform fabrication of layered products, simultaneous quality assurance of the part geometry and material structure requires concurrent design of the process conditions with the product features. For a heat transfer analysis yielding the material structure, an analytical, distributed-parameter quasi-linear thermal model is developed and tested in scan welding. This is based on Green's field, identified in-process by infrared temperature sensing to reflect thermal nonlinearities. Similarly, a mass transfer model of the layer surface geometry is established on an analogous concept of the material deposition field, approximated by an ellipsoidal shape and identified in-process by Laser 3D scanning of the part topology in fused deposition modeling tests. The invertibility and computational efficiency of both models provide a basis for design of adaptive feedback control strategies for the thermogeometrical characteristics of rapid prototypes.


The structure and meaning of the passage are analysed, and its variants and textual proposals discussed. A way of understanding the text as transmitted is presented.


In this paper, a new methodology to select the best storage format for sparse matrices based on deep learning techniques is introduced. We focus on the selection of the proper format for the sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV), which is one of the most important computational kernels in many scientific and engineering applications. Our approach considers the sparsity pattern of the matrices as an image, using the RGB channels to code several of the matrix properties. As a consequence, we generate image datasets that include enough information to successfully train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Considering GPUs as target platforms, the trained CNN selects the best storage format 90.1% of the time, obtaining 99.4% of the highest SpMV performance among the tested formats.


This document presents the results of a computer-based dynamic performance assessment of a TATRA Truck with a swing arm suspension. A fully three dimensional TATRA model was created using a commercially available modeling and simulation methodology called Dynamic Analysis and Design Systems (DADS) (1). Limited validation was performed by comparing model predictions with video recordings of field tests (2). The model was considered accurate enough to predict various aspects of ride quality and stability performance, critical to the US Army mission needs. Performance evaluations were made by analyzing state variable time histories and high definition computer-generated animations recorded on video tape. One-to-one comparisons of the TATRA and a standard, solid-axle, heavy tactical vehicle (HTV) operating in various terrain and obstacle negotiation conditions were performed.


The history of EGAS is briefly reviewed. Conception and birth, affiliation with EPS, EGAS annual conferences and cooperation with the EPS Division on Atomic and Molecular Physics is discussed successively, after which a critical evaluation is presented.


A code package has been developed to utilise connection-method calculation for both 2-D and 3-D SN codes, DORT-TORT, extending further the capabilities of DORSET/TORSET. It also includes support utilities to make input preparation easier. Potential uses of the method are, for example, to allow the coupling of one problem to the end of another by transforming output fluxes of the former into an external source term for the latter. For evaluating the code's applicability in a more specific way, the coupling calculation has been performed using a two-leg duct-streaming problem with a 14 MeV neutron source. The RZ-RZ (DORT) result shows good overall agreement with the reference MCNP4B result. However, it is also found that the result is influenced by the dimension of the calculation region and that some transformation error has occurred. For evaluating the 3-D transformation, full preparation of first collision source is required for TORT.


We examined the substantia nigra of 8 patients with Parkinson's disease immunohistochemically using antisera against complexes I, II, III, and IV of the mitochondrial electron transport system. In the patients with Parkinson's disease, a fair proportion of the nigral neurons showed reduced staining against the complex I antibody. The proportion of the neurons with reduced staining ranged from 12.7 to 74.1% of the melanized nigral neurons. Although neurons with reduced immunostaining for complex I were also observed in control subjects, the proportion among the nigral neurons was significantly smaller than in parkinsonian patients. Staining for complexes III and IV appeared normal. Staining of substantia nigra for complex II was decreased in 3 parkinsonian patients. These results are consistent with our findings that there is a deletion of gene coding for the four subunits in the mitochondrial DNA located in the striata of parkinsonian patients.


Gridded CO2 emission maps at the urban scale can aid the design of low-carbon development strategies. However, the large uncertainties associated with such maps increase policy-related risks. Therefore, an investigation of the uncertainties in gridded maps at the urban scale is essential. This study proposed an analytic workflow to assess uncertainty propagation during the gridding process. Gridded CO2 emission maps were produced using two resolutions of geospatial datasets (e.g., remote sensing satellite-derived products) for Jinjiang City, China, and a workflow was applied to analyze uncertainties. The workflow involved four submodules that can be used to evaluate the uncertainties of CO2 emissions in gridded maps, caused by the gridded model and input. Fine-resolution (30 m) maps have a larger spatial variation in CO2 emissions, which gives the fine-resolution maps a higher degree of uncertainty propagation. Furthermore, the uncertainties of gridded CO2 emission maps, caused by inserting a random error into spatial proxies, were found to decrease after the gridding process. This can be explained by the "compensation of error" phenomenon, which may be attributed to the cancellation of the overestimated and underestimated values among the different sectors at the same grid. This indicates a nonlinear change between the sum of the uncertainties for different sectors and the actual uncertainties in the gridded maps. In conclusion, the present workflow determined uncertainties were caused by the gridded model and input. These results may aid decision-makers in establishing emission reduction targets, and in developing both low-carbon cities and community policies.


We reported that RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products), a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily expressed in myoblasts, when activated by its ligand amphoterin (HMGB1), stimulates rat L6 myoblast differentiation via a Cdc42-Rac-MKK6-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, and that RAGE expression in skeletal muscle tissue is developmentally regulated. We show here that inhibition of RAGE function via overexpression of a signaling deficient RAGE mutant (RAGEΔcyto) results in increased myoblast proliferation, migration, and invasiveness, and decreased apoptosis and adhesiveness, whereas myoblasts overexpressing RAGE behave the opposite, compared with mocktransfected myoblasts. These effects are accompanied by a decreased induction of the proliferation inhibitor, p21Waf1, and increased induction of cyclin D1 and extent of Rb, ERK1/2, and JNK phosphorylation in L6/RAGEΔcyto myoblasts, the opposite occurring in L6/RAGE myoblasts. Neutralization of culture medium amphoterin negates effects of RAGE activation, suggesting that amphoterin is the RAGE ligand involved in RAGE-dependent effects in myoblasts. Finally, mice injected with L6/RAGEΔcyto myoblasts develop tumors as opposed to mice injected with L6/RAGE or L6/mock myoblasts that do not. Thus, the amphoterin/RAGE pair stimulates myoblast differentiation by the combined effect of stimulation of differentiation and inhibition of proliferation, and deregulation of RAGE expression in myoblasts might contribute to their neoplastic transformation.


The success of satellite navigation in the mass consumer market will depend greatly on its performance in deep urban and moderate indoor environments. The signal obstructions in these environments lead to low signal-to-noise ratios, which substantially degrade the positioning accuracy of GPS and Galileo receivers. New ranging techniques are required to increase the positioning accuracy to an acceptable level for pedestrian navigation in urban and indoor environments. Differential correlation is such a new ranging technique. It can replace the state-of-the-art noncoherent integration with very little implementation overheads. It improves performance as it utilizes the statistical properties of GPS and Galileo signals. This paper analyzes the resulting positioning accuracy for GPS and Galileo receivers when differential correlation is utilized. The probability density functions for early-late code discrimination with differential correlation are algebraically derived in closed form. The resulting positioning accuracies are presented for signals with binary phase shift keying (BPSK) and binary offset carrier (BOC) modulation in a large variety of reception conditions. The results indicate that differential correlation can replace noncoherent integration for all relevant configurations of GPS and Galileo receivers. It increases the accuracy of the measured receiver-to-satellite distances by 40% to 77% when compared to noncoherent integration.


Electricity tariffs suffer heavy distortions in many developing countries because of undue government influence. However, in view of increasing financing constraints in recent times and the need for increased energy efficiency, private sector participation in the electric utility industry in these countries is crucial for the future success of the industry. Consequently, to encourage private sectors efforts, electricity tariffs must be adjusted to acceptable economic levels. This paper presents the use of expected system load duration curve (LDC) and power plant input-output function to establish the shadow price for electricity for a study period. The paper also examines how this marginal opportunity cost (MOC) may be adjusted to capture equity objectives. The use of LDC and actual generating unit production function offers the following advantages: better perception of price feedback effects and the ability to incorporate economic despatch into energy shadow prices. Furthermore, with the use of LDC and system generating unit capacity outage function, it is possible to establish price probabilities for the planning period.


This paper discusses the farm credit policies pursued by governments in low-income countries. It is argued that, in the early stages of development, peasant attitudes to debt are such that cheap credit is unlikely to be a useful growth stimulus. It is shown that the effectiveness of credit depends on the ability and willingness of the peasants to devote such additional funds to productive uses. The poor performance of many government rural credit programmes in low-income countries is discussed and criteria for a successful programme are presented.


An ovarian abscess is an uncommon surgical emergency that could be lethal. The causes of an ovarian abscess vary, and treatment thereof may unfortunately lead to an oophorectomy. In order to draw the attention of physicians to this rare entity, we present a case of ovarian abscess resulting from follicle aspiration for in-vitro fertilization. Furthermore, with correct preoperative diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention at an early stage, the affected ovary may be salvageable.


Planning balanced and collision-free motion for humanoid robots is non-trivial, especially when they are operated in complex environments, such as reaching targets behind obstacles or through narrow passages. Research has been done in particular to plan such complex motion on humanoids, however, these approaches are typically restricted to particular robot platforms and environments, which can not be easily replicated nor applied. We propose a method that allows us to apply existing sampling-based algorithms directly to plan trajectories for humanoids by utilizing a customized state space representation, biased sampling strategies, and a steering function based on a robust inverse kinematics solver. Our approach requires no prior offline computation, thus one can easily transfer the work to new robot platforms. We tested the proposed method by solving practical reaching tasks on a 38 degrees-of-freedom humanoid robot, NASA Valkyrie, showing that our method is able to generate valid motion plans that can be executed on advanced full-size humanoid robots.


It is well known that the Airy integral is a solution of the Airy differential equation /" zf = 0 and that the Airy integral is a contour integral function with special properties. We show that there exist analogous special contour integral solutions of the more general equation /" z"f = 0 where n is any positive integer. Related results are given.


The electronic properties of zinc-blende BxGa1–xN alloys are comparatively investigated by employing both the Perdewe-Burkee–Ernzerhof generalized-gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) and the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof screened hybrid functional methods (HSE06). HSE06 reproduced much closer ground-state properties to experiments. Large and composition-dependent bowing parameters bγ for the direct band gaps were obtained from both PBE and HSE06. The crossover composition where alloy switches from direct to indirect was predicted to occur at very similar x from PBE and HSE06. We can obtain direct gap BxGa1–xN with a gap value much larger than that of GaN by alloying x < 0.557 boron into GaN.


In commercial aviation industry, reduction of aircraft emissions is an urgent priority. Engine manufacturers in particular have worked long and hard to improve each component of the engine. MEE (More Electric Engine) is a new engine system concept that seeks engine efficiency improvements and emissions reduction in fuel burn and CO2. The key concept of the MEE involves the architecture for the electrical power generation by the engine and changing the power source for accessories from mechanical/hydraulic to a fault-tolerant electric motor. Due to its contribution to fuel burn reduction, electrification of the engine fuel pump system is a primary issue. The MEE motor-driven fuel pump is usually called electric fuel pump. There are several technical challenges for the design of the pump, including high power-weight-ratio and reliability. However, when the electric fuel pump delivers and regulates fuel into the combustor, the motor-driven pump generates much heat especially at high delivery pressure or flow rate, which deteriorates the running condition, life, and safety of the pump and even the engine. Thus, it is an urgent need to take reasonable heat dissipation measures for the motor cooling. Modeling techniques and characteristic study for heat dissipation is indispensable to cooling scheme design and optimization. Heat dissipation of the motor mainly involves heat generation calculation and heat dissipation scheme. It is necessary to minimize the heat generated by the motor loss. On the other hand, it is also necessary to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the motor as much as possible from the perspective of cooling performance. In order to obtain accurate heat dissipation characteristics of a fuel-cooling shell of an electric fuel pump, a multi-physical coupled model is built. The heat dissipation characteristics of the shell are numerically simulated under typical conditions. The results show that the loss of the stator/rotor core increases proportionally with the rotation speed, while the permanent magnet loss increases exponentially with the rotation speed. The temperature distribution of each part of the permanent magnet motor and fuel cooling shell is obtained. The fuel flow rate through the shell directly impacts the heat dissipation intensity, but the dissipation efficiency decreases with the increase of the flow rate. Based on the multi-physical coupled model, the effects of different parameters on the cooling are obtained, which proves the necessity of the model proposed in the paper when characterizing the heat distribution inside the pump.


Abstract Phytoplankton (>15 µm) was investigated in three shallow coastal areas at Admiralty Bay (AB) between the summers of 2002–03 and 2008–09. Phytoplankton abundance was low (103 cells l-1) and, over time, the prevailing cell size decreased due to a shift in phytoplankton dominant species from diatoms to dinoflagellates. In situ and remote sensing data showed that oscillations in sea surface temperature, precipitation, ice formation/melting, irradiance (cloud cover) and bottom circulation (indexed by the Antarctic Oscillation Index; AAO) were shown to govern the structure of the phytoplankton. Under negative AAO, diatoms prevailed, with the dominance of large (>80 µm) benthic diatoms (e.g. Corethron pennatum and Navicula directa) in periods of low production (102 cells l-1 in 2002–03), and medium-sized (31–80 µm) centrics (e.g. Thalassiosira spp. and Stellarima microtrias) when the abundance was higher (104 cells l-1 in 2003–04). Conversely, positive AAO led to the co-dominance of dinoflagellates and planktonic diatoms (e.g. Pseudo-nitzschia spp.) in the summers of 2007–08 and 2008–09. These results suggest that the AAO can be a good predictor of phytoplankton in coastal areas around the western Antarctic Peninsula, and may help our understanding of changes in other trophic levels of the food web.


An iterative estimation procedure involving the use of a light limiter is proposed for obtaining robust estimates of the amplitude of a signal of known form in additive nearly Gaussian noise. In the case of a constant signal the procedure, referred to as the iterative limiter estimator (ILE), is exhibited as a form of stochastic approximation and the procedure is shown to be robust in a well-defined asymptotically min-max sense. The ILE is also shown to be asymptotically robust in terms of efficiency relative to the sample mean. in the case of a time-varying signal the procedure is referred to as an iterative limiter-correlator estimator (ILCE). Simulation results show that both the ILE and the ILCE possess a high degree of robustness for seemingly mild, but potent, deviations from the Gaussian model. This robustness is obtained at the expense of a relatively small loss in efficiency when the noise is actually Gaussian.


The nature of cervical spine motions consists of multiple components of the cervical spine, intervertebral disc, ligaments, and adjacent facet joints. Cervical spinal stenosis is disabling and this chronic degenerative disorder commonly occurs in middle age-elderly persons. Surgical options for those spinal cord disorders generally are the anterior or posterior approach. Historically, a conventional multi-level laminectomy was performed to decompress the spinal cord but there is a high rate of late biomechanical complications such as segmental instability, and kyphosis. Laminoplasty was developed to relieve the spinal cord compression and maintain the posterior elements. Lately, there are various techniques of the cervical laminoplasty, the biomechanical impact of these techniques will be described.


We demonstrate tuning of a two-dimensional (2D) plasmon spectrum in modulation-doped AlAs quantum wells via the application of in-plane uniaxial strain. We show that the dramatic change in the plasma spectrum is caused by strain-induced redistribution of charge carriers between anisotropic Xx and Xy valleys. The discovered piezoplasmonic effect provides a tool to study the band structure of 2D systems. We use the piezoplasmonic effect to measure how the inter-valley energy splitting depends on the deformation. This dependency yields the AlAs deformation potential of E 2 = ( 5.6 ± 0.3 ) eV.