We use an Interacted Panel Vector Autoregressive (IPVAR) model, to investigate the effects of a government spending shock when the interest rate is at zero lower bound (ZLB). We also compare the responses of variables of interest at the ZLB with what we get when a government spending shock occurs in normal times (i.e. when the interest rate is larger than 0.25). We identify the government spending shock by sign restrictions and use the European Commission forecasts of government expenditure to account for fiscal foresight. For the baseline specification we find lower multipliers in times in which the ZLB is binding. However, fiscal foresight is not the only problem in fiscal VARs related to limited information problems. Usually, VAR models can only consider a limited number of variables due to degree of freedom problems. Several authors have shown (see Stock and Watson(2005) for a survey) how principal components extracted from a larger number of variables, can approximate unobserved factors driving most (if not all) of the macroeconomic variables. Therefore, we develop a Factor-Augmented IPVAR model (FAIPVAR) and find that the multipliers are very similar among states, ranging between 1.08 and 1.41 at the ZLB and between 1.26 and 1.39 away from it. We also divide our sample, considering two groups of countries in terms of high and low debt-to-GDP ratios. We find that countries with high levels of debt-to-GDP ratio show relatively lower multipliers. Considering the FAIPVAR model, the government spending multiplier ranges between 2.69 and 3.54 for core countries and between 0.82 and 1.37 for peripheral countries. Therefore, our findings support some recent studies, which suggest that the government spending multiplier is even larger if the debt-to-GDP ratio is low.


The magnesium sulfate solution digestion test carried out for resistance of concrete containing waste glass powder on magnesium sulfate attack. Moreover, it yielded S.D.F index was used for the criteria of quantitative assessment to the resistance of magnesium sulfate for the purpose of evaluation of chemical deterioration on concrete. Furthermore, to evaluate for micro-cracks within concrete and external corrosion, the weight variation of specimens and the dynamic elasticity were compared and analyzed and also the applicability was examined using the analysis of product of hydration through out observing external deformation and micro-structural deformation.


A high power direct diode laser, emitting in the range of near infrared radiation at wavelength 808–940 nm, was applied to produce a titanium matrix composite on a surface layer of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V by laser surface gas nitriding. The nitrided surface layers were produced as single stringer beads at different heat inputs, different scanning speeds, and different powers of laser beam. The influence of laser nitriding parameters on the quality, shape, and morphology of the surface layers was investigated. It was found that the nitrided surface layers consist of titanium nitride precipitations mainly in the form of dendrites embedded in the titanium alloy matrix. The titanium nitrides are produced as a result of the reaction between molten Ti and gaseous nitrogen. Solidification and subsequent growth of the TiN dendrites takes place to a large extent at the interface of the molten Ti and the nitrogen gas atmosphere. The direction of TiN dendrites growth is perpendicular to the surface of molten Ti. The roughness of the surface layers depends strongly on the heat input of laser nitriding and can be precisely controlled. In spite of high microhardness up to 2400 HV0.2, the surface layers are crack free.


We investigated the reasons why the transition from paper to electronically formatted records during patient handover between ambulance crews and emergency department staff in a North East England Emergency Department has not always been viewed positively. Interviews with seven paramedics and three emergency department staff were conducted in addition to observations of 74 ambulance staff during 37 handovers in the emergency department. In just over half of the handovers (20), paramedics found it necessary to provide written information to aid emergency department staff, in addition to that recorded electronically. There were a number of issues that impeded the ready utilisation of electronic records in this context. The major factors identified as contributing to this were the choice of system architecture, the design of user interfaces, and the procurement process used by the National Health Service. We have made some suggestions about how the system could evolve from one focused on providing management information to one that also supports operational needs.


A solution to long distance outdoor face recognition is presented in this work. The proposed method, called the Two-Stage Alignment/Enhancement Filtering (TAEF) system, consists of three main components: a cross-distance face alignment technique, a cross-environment face enhancement technique, and a two-stage filtering system. Given a probe image, the procedure of face alignment, enhancement and matching is executed against all gallery images to eliminate unlikely candidates at once at the first stage for efficiency. Then, the procedure is conducted for every individual probe/gallery image pair for higher accuracy at the second stage. The first rank recognition rates of the TAEF method are 100%, 100% and 97% for 60-, 100- and 150-meter visible-light images in the LDHF database, respectively.


Virtual reality (VR) has been designated as the 'ultimate empathy machine' due to its alleged ability to powerfully immerse users in another's perspective. As VR has attracted growing attention, criticism of its alleged 'empathic superpowers' has also gained strength. Critics have recently argued that the empathic VR vision is ethically flawed since it is misleading and denies non-communicable aspects of the Other. Moreover, several scholars argue that VR empathy rhetoric in fact exploits the marginalised targets of empathy, turning them to objects 'identity tourism' for the privileged. The paper revisits these claims, arguing that they rely on empathy notions that are dominant in traditional art-media, while overlooking VR's unique experiential affordances. Drawing on psychophysiological evidence, it argues that the ethical significance of VR lies in the unique ways in which it manipulates the user's body scheme via multisensory stimulation. These manipulations result in unprecedented empathy-related perceptual and conceptual transformations whose ethical implications require new ethical framing.


Although there is growing awareness of the long‐term cognitive effects of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI; eg, sports concussions), whether repeated concussions cause long‐term cognitive deficits remains controversial. Moreover, whether cognitive deficits depend on increased amyloid β deposition and tau phosphorylation or are worsened by the apolipoprotein E4 allele remains unknown. Here, we use an experimental model of rmTBI to address these clinical controversies.


Summation and synergism in the effects of three tumor promoters on urinary bladder carcinogenesis initiated by a 4-week treatment with 0.05% N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) in male F344 rats were examined. In experiment 1, the sequential administration of sodium saccharin (SS, 5.0%), DL-tryptophan (Tr, 2.0%) and sodium L-ascorbate (SA, 5.0%) in the diet, each for 10 weeks, significantly increased the incidence and the number of bladder tumors over that observed after SS alone or SS followed by Tr. In experiment 2, the simultaneous dietary administration of 2.5% SA, 1.0% butylated hydroxyanisole and 0.01% allopurinol for 32 weeks significantly increased the yield of bladder tumors. Paired combinations of promoters or each of the promoters administered alone were associated with a less pronounced promotive effect than when all three were combined. Thus, it is evident from the results of the present investigation that whatever the mechanisms underlying promotion by the different agents, they are capable of working in an additive fashion, under conditions of summation (consecutive administration) or synergism (simultaneous administration).


The aim of the study was to summarize the experience in the treatment of chronic renal failure due to secondary amyloidosis in the course of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Fourteen children aged 7.5-17.7 years were treated with dialysis; 12 with CAPD, 2 with HD. Our results indicate that CAPD is a proper dialysis technique for children with amyloidosis, despite a high rate of complications in early period of CAPD, such as: bleeding, leaks, hernias, and impaired wound healing.


Markets are often viewed as a key ingredient in facilitating more efficient dynamic spectrum access. In this paper we consider how such spectrum markets are influenced by a key property of the wireless medium: interference. Interference can result in "complementarities" among the "spectrum goods" being traded, which complicates the design of an efficient market mechanism. We consider several alternative models for defining such spectrum goods, and explore the impact of these choices on the complexity of the resulting market.


Background: Listening and communication are two critical aspects of positive relationships. In the context of health care, they have been found to have a positive impact on many aspects of client care, including patient satisfaction, emotional wellbeing, and functional and physiological status. However, little is understood about the specific listening and communication styles exhibited by students enrolled in the health-related disciplines, including occupational therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the listening and communication styles of undergraduate occupational therapy students. Method: This was a cross-sectional study of 210 students (response rate of 95.5%) enrolled in a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) course, who completed paper-based versions of the Listening Styles Profile (LSP) and the Communicator Style Measure (CSM). Both the LSP and CSM are valid and reliable measures. Results: Participants reported a strong preference for the People listening style and the Friendly and Attentive communication styles. A moderate preference was also shown for the Content listening style. There were only two minor differences between participants enrolled in the different year levels of the BOT course, and only minor differences between the male and female students. Conclusion: The participants' reported preferences are well suited for the role of occupational therapy. The findings suggest that occupational therapy students exhibit a disposition towards listening and communication styles that are indicative of an underlying interest in the care and welfare of others and which are traits of the 'helping, people-oriented' professions. The implications of these findings are that it is important to consider the listening and communication styles of occupational therapy students during their professional education and while completing practice placement education.


Cancer vaccines have not been optimized. They depend on adjuvants to create an immunogenic microenvironment for antigen presentation. However, remarkably little is understood about cellular and molecular changes induced by these adjuvants in the vaccine microenvironment. We hypothesized that vaccination induces dendritic cell (DC) activation in the dermal vaccination microenvironment but that regulatory processes may also limit the effectiveness of repeated vaccination. We evaluated biopsies from immunization sites in 2 clinical trials of melanoma patients. In 1 study (Mel38), patients received 1 injection with an adjuvant mixture alone, composed of incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) plus granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In a second study, patients received multiple vaccinations with melanoma peptide antigens plus IFA. Single injections with adjuvant alone induced dermal inflammatory infiltrates consisting of B cells, T cells, mature DCs, and vessels resembling high endothelial venules (HEVs). These cellular aggregates usually lacked organization and were transient. In contrast, multiple repeated vaccinations with peptides in adjuvant induced more organized and persistent lymphoid aggregates containing separate B and T cell areas, mature DCs, HEV-like vessels, and lymphoid chemokines. Within these structures, there are proliferating CD4+and CD8+ T lymphocytes, as well as FoxP3+CD4+ lymphocytes, suggesting a complex interplay of lymphoid expansion and regulation within the dermal immunization microenvironment. Further study of the physiology of the vaccine site microenvironment promises to identify opportunities for enhancing cancer vaccine efficacy by modulating immune activation and regulation at the site of vaccination.


Until recently, more scholarly careers were being devoted to the study of the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas than to any other philosophical or theological doctrine, with the possible exception of Marxism. Roman Catholic scholars have tended, however, to isolate his philosophical theology from its neo-Platonism, while others have treated the various parts of his Summa Theologiae without regard to their historical context. Dr Hankey's main contention is that Aquinas was less of an Aristotelian than is commonly supposed, and that a proper appreciation of his work requires us to take fuller notice of his reliance on neo-Platonism. In setting out his case, Dr Hankey pays special attention to the influence of Proclus, whose work receives a critical exposition. The author supports his position by making a careful analysis of the first 45 questions of the Summa Theologiae.


Long-term electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring requires high-ratio lossless compression techniques to reduce data transmission energy and data storage capacity. In this paper, we have proposed a high-ratio ECG compression system with low computational complexity. Firstly, as the morphologies of the ECG change over time, we divide the signal of each heartbeat cycle into two regions. To achieve high prediction accuracy, a 1st order linear predictor and a combination of the template predictor and 3rd order linear predictor are applied in the two regions respectively. Secondly, we introduce a context-based error modeling module to the system, which cancels the statistical bias of the prediction algorithm and further improves the prediction accuracy. Thirdly, we modify the Golomb-Rice encoding algorithm to adaptively encode the prediction errors, while preserving a code space for packaging the information that is necessary for prediction. We evaluate the proposed system by using the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database (ARRDB). The experimental results show that with memory requirements as low as 444 to 14556 total variables this system achieves a compression ratio (CR) from 2.975 to 3.040, suggesting that it is highly applicable to both the low-power design and the cloud.


The presented material considers the possibility of combining sparingly soluble
polysaccharides with plant polysaccharides to increase the absorption of drugs with
low bioavailability, as biologically active substances they can serve as a targeted carrier
for the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents, as well as enzymes, nucleic acids,
vitamins or hormones, to certain cells, in particular hepatocytes (parenchymal liver
cells). A method for preparing a composition of arabinogalactan and chitosan succinate
is described, examples of its practical use in medicine, veterinary medicine and animal
husbandry are given.


Analytical information supplemental to data is presented in this paper. Solid-sample injection gas chromatrography and X-ray fluorescence were employed to characterize the particulates collected on Pallflex and Fluoropore filters. The complete preweighed filter was thermally desorbed and separated by capillary GC with simultaneous flame ionization (FID), thermal conductivity (TCD), nitrogen/phosphorus (NPD), and flame photometric (FPD) detection. Results are reviewed in terms of: % non-volatiles, % volatiles (fuel and lube oil contributions correlated to various engine speeds and loads), as well as detectable nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur compounds. XRF data were obtained from the Fluoropore filters to determine the concentrations of typical additive metals Mg, Ca, P, and Zn present in the particulate that would be indicative of oil consumption mechanisms and any tendencies for additive-sourced materials to selectively be captured as particulate matter.


When improperly managed, land application of animal manures can harm the environment; however, limited watershed-scale runoff water quality data are available to research and address this issue. The water quality impacts of conversion to poultry litter fertilization on cultivated and pasture watersheds in the Texas Blackland Prairie were evaluated in this three-year study. Edge-of-field N and P concentrations and loads in surface runoff from new litter application sites were compared with losses under inorganic fertilization. The impact on downstream nutrient loss was also examined. In the fallow year with no fertilizer application, nutrient losses averaged 3 kg N ha(-1) and 0.9 kg P ha(-1) for the cultivated watersheds and were below 0.1 kg ha(-1) for the pasture watersheds. Following litter application, PO(4)-P concentrations in runoff were positively correlated to litter application rate and Mehlich-3 soil P levels. Following litter application, NO(3)-N and NH(4)-N concentrations in runoff were typically greater from cultivated watersheds, but PO(4)-P concentrations were greater for the pasture watersheds. Total N and P loads from the pasture watersheds (0.2 kg N ha(-1) and 0.7 kg P ha(-1)) were significantly lower than from the cultivated watersheds (32 kg N ha(-1) and 5 kg P ha(-1)) partly due to lower runoff volumes from the pasture watersheds. Downstream N and P concentrations and per-area loads were much lower than from edge-of-field watersheds. Results demonstrate that a properly managed annual litter application (4.5 Mg ha(-1) or less depending on litter N and P content) with supplemental N should supply necessary nutrients without detrimental water quality impacts.


Retrieval of arbitrary-shaped surrounding data objects has many potential applications in spatial databases including nearby arbitrary-shaped object-of-interests retrieval surrounding a user. In this paper, we propose directional zone concept to determine directional similarity among spatial data objects. Then, we propose a novel query, called direction-based spatial skyline (DSS), which retrieves non-dominated arbitrary-shaped surrounding data objects in spatial databases for a user. The proposed DSS query is rotationally invariant as well as fair. We develop efficient algorithms for processing DSS queries in spatial databases by designing novel data pruning techniques using R-Tree data indexing scheme. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach by conducting extensive experiments with real datasets.


In recent years, semiconductive shields research for power cable application has been focusing on improving the smoothness and cleanliness of the conductor shields to enhance the performance of cable life. New crosslinkable semiconductive conductor shield compounds have been tested extensively both in the laboratory and on insulated power cables. A supersmooth class of compounds was produced with new polymer technology and acetylene black, and then used to fabricate a 15kV cable with XLPE insulation. This cable was tested for long term accelerated wet aging conditions and found to exhibit superior life performance relative to a control XLPE cable with typical supersmooth semiconducive shield. Aged cables were also diagnosed and found to exhibit high retained electrical breakdown strength and low dissipation factor, and showed low propensity of any vented tree growth from the conductor shield, indicating the benefit of long cable life performance in comparison to typical supersmooth semiconductive shield cable. In this study, the effect of the semiconductive shield types on the cable aging characteristics will be discussed.


China, like many other countries in the world, has declining biodiversity caused by urbanization. Urban parks are a patchwork of distinct biotopes and have significant conservation value for biodiversity. Biotope mapping is an essential tool for urban biodiversity conservation, ecological spatial planning and ecosystem management, however there are few studies on it in China. This study explores a practical scheme of biotope classification, assessment and application for urban parks. The classification scheme which integrated vegetation structure was updated to make it clearer and more appropriate for urban parks in factor selection and grade. To identify problems in the biotope, the assessment tool assessed biotope fragmentation and spontaneous vegetation diversity. The number of patches (NP), mean patch size (MPS) and fragmentation index (FI) were used to measure biotope fragmentation, and for species level the richness index and the Jaccard index were selected. These methods were applied to Riverside Park, Yichang as a case study site to verify the applicability and explore methods for biodiversity conservation and restoration based on biotope mapping. The results show that this classification scheme has the potential to become a standard system for urban parks in China, according to the advantages of recognition of human activities and other species, and easy learning. It is also shows that the evaluation method integrating fragmentation and diversity is feasible and reliable to identify the problems of biotope types, and practical strategies are developed according to the assessment results. Our findings provide guidance and reference for professionals on a new method to take urban biodiversity conservation and restoration from research to practice.


Abstract. Despite its biological importance in shaping both individual fitness and population structure, much remains to be learned about the hatchling emergence ecology of most freshwater turtles. Here, we provide some of the first details on these early life stages for the Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis) obtained during 2015–2017 along the lower Wisconsin River, Iowa County, Wisconsin, and integrate our results into related research within the genus Graptemys. Dedicated trail cameras over in situ turtle nests provided otherwise difficult to obtain observational data relevant to natural hatchling emergence without disturbing nests or hatchlings. In contrast to some earlier reports for Graptemys, hatchling emergence was mostly diurnal and synchronous, primarily in the morning soon after soil temperatures began to rise from overnight low values. Data suggest a temperature change model of cueing hatchling emergence, which may represent a local or regional adaptation to reduce nocturnal predation risks, mostly from raccoons (Procyon lotor), or may simply reflect default diurnal hatchling activity patterns when not affected by thermal constraints. Aside from predation, hatchlings on this small study site are affected by vegetative shading, leading to relatively long times to first emergence periods (mean, 82.3 d), low mean nest temperatures (25.9°C), and a likely male-biased sex ratio. These findings highlight the value of hatchling emergence studies in revealing important influences on population viability and in guiding appropriate habitat management in conservation efforts.


Based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) measurements of the spatially averaged and peak helium metastable atom densities in a capacitively coupled micro atmospheric pressure plasma jet operated in He/N2 mixtures, the energy efficiency of metastable species (He-I 23S1) generation is compared for three different scenarios: single frequency operation at (i) 13.56 MHz and (ii) 54.12 MHz, and voltage waveform tailoring (VWT) at (iii) 'valleys'-waveforms synthesized from four consecutive harmonics of 13.56 MHz. For each case, the dissipated power is measured based on a careful calibration procedure of voltage and current measurements. It is shown that the range of powers, at which the jet can be stably operated, is noticeably expanded by VWT. The results are compared to particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collisions simulation results and very good agreement is found. The computational results show that the choice of the surface coefficients in the simulation is important to reproduce the experimental data correctly. Due to the enhanced control of the spatio-temporal electron power absorption dynamics and, thus, of the electron energy distribution function by VWT, this approach does not only provide better control of the generation of excited and reactive species compared to single frequency excitation, but in case of helium metastables the energy efficiency is also shown to be significantly higher in case of VWT.


There is increasing evidence from molecular studies to support the role of inflammation and increased oxidative stress that produce structural and electrical atrial remodeling to produce Atrial Fbrillation (AF). Oxidative damage to cardiomyocytes yields chemical substances that are secreted in urine. These substances can serve as biomarkers that can be measured, potentially allowing clinicians to quantify oxidative damage to the heart.


Recently, outboard engine technology has advanced significantly. With these new technologies comes a substantial improvement in emissions compared to traditional carbureted two-stroke engines. Some two-stroke gasoline direct injection (GDI) marine outboard engines are now capable of meeting California Air Resources Board 2008 Ultra-Low emissions standards. With improvement of gaseous emissions, studies are now being conducted to assess particulate matter (PM) emissions from all new technology marine outboard engines which include both four-stroke and two-stroke designs. Methods are currently being developed to determine the best way to measure PM from outboard engines. This study assesses gaseous and PM emissions, mutagenic activity of PM and oil consumption of two different technologies over the useful life of the engines. Water testing was performed on both engines to identify percentage of oil and grease present in a tank after running the engine according to the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) cycle. One of the most significant differences between lubricating oil usage from two-stroke and four-stroke engines is accountability of oil in terms of where it goes and who is responsible for it. Results are presented and a better understanding of effects of engine lubricating oil usage from both an environmental and legal standpoint is discussed. Final PM and gaseous emissions results averaged over the useful life of both engine technologies are very similar. The two-stroke GDI engine used 25% less oil over the 300 hour test program.


Abstract Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue malignancy which most commonly affects the lower limbs of young adults and rarely occurs in the head and neck region. The term synovial sarcoma may be a misnomer as most of these tumours occur in tissues not known to contain synovial tissue. There has only been one previously reported case affecting the middle ear, which was metastatic, and we report the first case of primary synovial sarcoma of the middle ear.


In this article, we discuss the perceptions of researchers who work on heritage language bilingualism (HLB), educators who teach heritage speakers (HSs), and, crucially, HSs themselves regarding the nature of bilingualism in general as well as HLB specifically. Despite the fact that all groups are invested in HLB and that researchers and educators tend to have a similar basic understanding of HLB development and share common goals regarding heritage language (HL) teaching and learning, there are non-trivial differences and disconnects between them. In our view, beyond the various aspects of the societal milieu that significantly contribute to this state of affairs, we maintain that these differences also reflect unfortunate miscommunication regarding how the object and outcomes of HLB research is packaged, contextualized and communicated to HSs and teachers who have direct influence over their education. Considering this, the main goal and contribution of the present work is to provide a forum in which the many voices involved in HL research/teaching/learning are acknowledged and the knock-on effects of such acknowledgement are meaningfully considered.


In the general theory of optical coherence, the following problem discussed in the present paper, arises: to determine the statistical properties of a field represented by an analytic signal from the knowledge of the statistical properties of the corresponding real field. It is shown by the use of the characteristic functionals that in order to determine the joint probability distributions of the complex field at N space‐time points, the knowledge of the complete statistical description of the real field is required; on the other hand, the moments of the complex field up to that order can be determined from the knowledge of the moments of the real field up to the same order. The results are illustrated by explicit calculations relating to the Gaussian random process, which, as is well known, characterizes the fluctuations of thermal light. A converse of a well‐known theorem of Kac and Siegert relating to a Gaussian random process is derived as an immediate consequence of our analysis.


Currently rapidly growing heavy metal pollution is a burning issue due to deteriorating air quality and health status of the inhabitants of the world. In the present study heavy metals in the solid aerosols as well as in the human blood samples from randomly selected sites related to Faisalabad environment were estimated using Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The order of concentration of these toxic metals were found to be Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cd for solid aerosols while Cu>Zn>Pb>Ni>Cr>Cd for blood samples. Overall effect of all these elements present in solid aerosols and blood samples is 22.5 % and 23.11% respectively. The contribution of different kinds of industries is the major source of emission of these elements in the environment. From where these enter in the food web and food chain when deposited on land or inhaled by the inhabitants of the area concerned. Concentration factor and Pollution load index (PLI) were also calculated which showed the shifting of Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr and Ni from solid aerosols to human blood causing severe health hazards while Pb was the only element found in blood which has its origin other than solid aerosols. This state of affairs shows that atmosphere of Faisalabad has worsened to an extent that protective measures are urgently required to overcome the health hazards generated by these potentially toxic pollutants.


The photosensitized reduction of heptylviologen in the bulk aqueous phase of phosphatidylcholine vesicles containing EDTA inside and a membrane-bound tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(2+) derivative is enhanced by a factor of 6.5 by the addition of valinomycin in the presence of K(+). A 3-fold stimulation by gramicidin and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone is observed. The results suggest that, under these conditions, the rate of photoinduced electron transfer across vesicle walls in the absence of ion carriers is limited by cotransport of cations. The rate of electron transfer across vesicle walls could be influenced further by generating transmembrane potentials with K(+) gradients in the presence of valinomycin. When vesicles are made with transmembrane potentials, interior more negative, the quantum yield of heptylviologen reduction is doubled, and, conversely, when vesicles are made with transmembrane potentials, interior more positive, the quantum yield is decreased and approaches the value found in the absence of valinomycin.


The big toe is of great importance for good stability and gait, but few reports have documented reconstruction of big toe defects. In this study, seven male patients, aged 17 to 59 years at surgery (average: 35 years), were treated for big toe defects. The metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints of the big toe were intact in all patients. Five patients were treated with free peroneal flaps (including one perforator flap), and two with free scapular flaps; flap sizes ranged from 9 x 4 to 24 x 6 cm. Follow-up periods ranged from 10 to 29 months, (average: 16.6 months). The iliac was used as the grafted bone in four patients and the scapula in one. Six flaps survived completely, and bone unions were achieved within 3 months. One flap became partially necrotic due to arterial thrombosis. All patients returned to their original jobs, and the cosmetic appearances of all toes were acceptable.


The Internal Revenue Code conditions important tax benefits for churches on their not intervening in political campaigns on behalf of particular candidates. Churches that violate this condition are not eligible to receive deductible contributions and may not be tax-exempt. The Internal Revenue Service and many commentators take the position that the ban on partisan political activity should be vigorously enforced against churches and should apply to core religious activities such as sermons. The article demonstrates that this approach needlessly threatens religious liberties, causes undue entanglement of government with religion, and adversely affects political campaigns. There are convincing arguments for treating churches differently from other section 501(c)(3) organizations when interpreting and applying the prohibition against intervening in political campaigns. The article recommends that pastors and other church leaders be able to communicate with members about the merits of political candidates without risking loss of favorable tax status. Such leniency for churches is consistent with the legislative history of the prohibition and would not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Furthermore, strict enforcement of the ban against participation in political campaigns by churches risks violating the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.


1. Two series of observations were made to determine the time and amount of loss of eggs in relation to the number shed per ovary and per mouse. 2. The correlations between sides within mice for eggs shed was -0.528, for corpora lutea counts -0.436 for implantations -0.300 and for live embryos -0.111. 3. A positive linear trend of loss of fertilized eggs with increasing numbers of eggs per uterine horn has been shown to occur before implantation. 4. Possible causative mechanisms for the loss are discussed in relation to observations on embryonic mortality previously reported by other workers.


While it is well known that all organisms age, our understanding of how aging occurs varies dramatically among species. The aging process in perennial plants is not well defined, yet can have implications on production and yield of valuable fruit and nut crops. Almond, a relevant nut crop, exhibits an age-related disorder known as non-infectious bud failure (BF) that affects vegetative bud development, indirectly affecting kernel-yield. This species and disorder present an opportunity to address aging in a commercially-relevant and vegetatively-propagated, perennial crop threatened by an aging-related disorder. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that telomere length and/or TERT expression can serve as biomarkers of aging in almond using both whole-genome sequencing data and leaf samples collected from distinct age cohorts over a two-year period. To measure telomere lengths, we employed both in silico and molecular approaches. We also measured expression of TERT, a subunit of the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining telomere lengths. Results from this work show a marginal but significant association between both telomere length measured by monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR and TERT expression, and age of almond seedlings. These results suggest that as almonds age, TERT expression decreases and telomeres shorten. This work provides valuable information on potential biomarkers of perennial plant aging, contributing to our limited knowledge of this process. In addition, translation of this information will provide opportunities to address BF in almond breeding and nursery propagation.


Purpose of review To highlight new concepts and therapeutic approaches concerning hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection. Recent findings Common receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HDV has been elucidated, deciphering of HDV replication is still in progress, preliminary results of phase II proof-of-concept clinical assays for entry inhibitors and cellular farnesyl transferase inhibitors are now available. Summary Hepatitis D infection remains a severe acute and chronic liver illness with the only currently approved therapy (Peg-&agr;IFN) achieving disappointingly low rates of sustained viral response and clinical improvement. Both sodium taurocolate cotransporting polypeptide and heparan sulphate glypican 5 are important for viral adsorption. Preliminary results of 6 months treatment with a subcutaneous HBV PreS1-derived myristoyled peptide as an entry inhibitor indicates an encouraging short-term response with low side-effects. In addition, the short-term use of oral farnesyl transferase inhibitors induces a log10 reduction of viral RNA in almost all treated patients, but is associated with gastrointestinal upset and weight loss (especially using 200 mg/day). Encouraging results are being reported using intravenous phosphorothioate nucleic acid polymers both in terms of HBV surface antigens (HBsAg) and HDV-RNA decline; interestingly, in some patients with a strong HBsAg decline, the appearance of anti-hepatitis Bs antibodies might suggest clinical end-point improvement.


We propose two new methods to reduce the spurious harmonic distortion of a digital sinusoidal signal generated using the look-up-table (LUT) method. Spurious harmonic distortion arises when we try to interpolate the value of a sample that is not present in the LUT. The first proposed method depends on a real time evaluation of the missing sample value without the need for any additional LUT length. The second proposed method requires an additional table and some real time processing to calculate the value of the interpolated sample. The two proposed methods are simulated and their performance is compared with that of the existing methods; namely direct LUT, linear interpolation and trigonometric interpolation. The simulation results show that our proposed methods are superior to both direct LUT and linear interpolation methods. Moreover, for practical table lengths, the performance of our proposed methods is of the same order as that of the trigonometric interpolation method.


Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer properties. Ginger has been used as a condiment and for the treatment of ailments for many years. However, there are limited studies on the antioxidant and scavenging power of processed ginger. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects that processing has on the total phenolic and flavanoid content of ginger and its antioxidant potential using 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Radical-Scavenging Activity and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). Fresh ginger (FG) was used as a control with oven drying (OD) sun drying (SD) and freeze drying (FD) as processing methods. Freeze-dried ginger (77.87%) showed a significantly higher (p < 0.05) free radical scavenging ability as compared to other treatment groups (18.40% - 72.90%). However, sundried ginger had the highest ferric-reducing antioxidant power at 35.28 ± 0.69 mmol Fe (II)/mg ginger. Total phenolic content content (mg GAE/100g) for fresh, oven died, sun-dried, and freeze-dried were 514.02 ± 3.92, 796.46 ± 8.16, 878.76 ± 13.17, and 1021.15 ± 12.95, respectively. Flavanoid content of processed ginger was highest in freeze-dried samples (458.82 CE/100g ginger).


The interaction of light with metallic nanoparticles (NPs) has aroused significant interest in recent years due to demonstrated applications in nanoscale lithography [1–3], surface-enhanced spectroscopies [4–9], and chemical and biological sensing applications [10–14]. In each of these examples, light can be localized, manipulated, and amplified on the nanometer scale by exciting a collective electron oscillation in the metallic NPs, known as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). By controlling the size, shape, material and local dielectric environment of the NPs, the resonance condition of the plasmon can be tuned throughout the visible and near-infra-red (IR) ranges [15–21]. It is the latter property – namely the local dielectric environment – which forms the basis of LSPR-based biosensing experiments [10, 11, 14, 22–28]. Before discussing LSPR and its applications in detail, the basic physics of plasmons will be briefly reviewed [20]. When a metal surface (either bulk or nanoscale) is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation (light) of the appropriate frequency, a coherent oscillation of the metal's conduction electrons is induced orthogonal to the propagation direction of the light. This oscillation is a ''plasmon'', and it can be analyzed as fluctuations in the metal's surface electron density or, in other words, as a longitudinal electron density wave. In the case of metallic NPs with sizes less than the wavelength of the incident radiation, this plasmon is localized on the surface of the NP (in contrast to bulk metal, where the plasmon can propagate along the surface plane and evanescently decay perpendicular to the plane). This principle is illustrated in Figure 9.1, where the electron cloud of a metallic NP oscillates in phase with the incident electromagnetic field. The wavelength at which this resonance occurs depends on a number of factors related to both the NP itself, as well as its local environment. Typically, gold and silver NPs are chosen for most LSPR applications, although other metals such as 159


Background Tissue based diagnosis or surgical diagnostic pathology undergoes significant changes and focuses on image content analysis in our days. Herein we describe and discuss new approaches of content image analysis and compare their applications, benefits and constraints. Theory Any useful microscopic image contains information that can be evaluated and transferred into a tissue-based diagnosis. A correctly derived diagnosis depends upon the image information and the pathologist's knowledge, i.e. his ability to recognize and transfer the image content information into clinical application. Thus, image information is related to external "disease" information and "pure" image content information. Application of external image information requires a separation of objects from the background, or segmentation procedures. "Pure" image information is solely pixel based. It can be analyzed using different approaches, such as entropy measure, construction of image primitives and their spatial distribution, or image similarity operations. Our approach uses entropy calculations dependent upon all possible gray value thresholds in combination with syntactic analysis of pixel based image primitives. Implementation Virtual slides underwent the evaluation of regions of interest (ROI) as described previously. ROIs were interactively controlled and subject for application of developed image analysis procedures. The "classic method" of object recognition and syntactic structure analysis is applied too. Trials were performed on antie Her2_new stained, DAB visualized, and glycohistochemically stained, AP visualized slides. The images were measured at magnifications, which correspond to x20, and x40 objectives. Results The algorithm displayed only weak changes of the evaluated gray level based structural entropy (GL-MST)-entropy in the selected ROIs in contrast to the whole image. In addition, significant differences could be obtained when the measures were associated to the clinical impact (diagnosis, fetal developing stage). Conclusions: Images textures and pixel primitives can serve for evaluating "pure" image content information. They do not require segmentation and additional external information for measurement. Interpretation of the measures, i.e. external information can be implemented at a later stage. The described algorithm is probably applicable for image analysis of different fields such as histology, forests, traffic, or can serve for objective image quality evaluation.


The emotion recognition in conversation (ERC) task aims to predict the emotion label of an utterance in a conversation. Since the dependencies between speakers are complex and dynamic, which consist of intra- and inter-speaker dependencies, the modeling of speaker-specific information is a vital role in ERC. Although existing researchers have proposed various methods of speaker interaction modeling, they cannot explore dynamic intra- and inter-speaker dependencies jointly, leading to the insufficient comprehension of context and further hindering emotion prediction. To this end, we design a novel speaker modeling scheme that explores intra- and inter-speaker dependencies jointly in a dynamic manner. Besides, we propose a Speaker-Guided Encoder-Decoder (SGED) framework for ERC, which fully exploits speaker information for the decoding of emotion. We use different existing methods as the conversational context encoder of our framework, showing the high scalability and flexibility of the proposed framework. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority and effectiveness of SGED.


Asynchronous circuits exhibit considerable advantages over their synchronous counterparts, like lower dynamic power and inherent variation tolerance, which makes them increasingly interesting. Their fault-tolerance behavior, however, is not yet fully explored. In particular, temporal masking, as seen with synchronous circuits, seems to be completely non-existent in asynchronous logic. Instead, there seem to be other masking mechanisms in the control structure that establish an extra barrier for transient fault propagation. In this paper we will explore these masking mechanisms in a qualitative as well as quantitative manner. To this end we first analyze the behavior of a Muller C-element, one fundamental building block in asynchronous designs. In a next step we evaluate the behavior of a chain of these elements, forming a so-called Muller pipeline, the basic control structure of many asynchronous designs, under transient faults. To validate our theoretical findings we inject radiation induced single event transients (SETs) in an extensive simulation campaign. The results show that the SET susceptibility of the Muller pipeline is indeed state dependent. This knowledge can be leveraged to improve, e.g., the radiation hardness of asynchronous circuits by preferring the more robust states in their design wherever possible.


Logjams with a gap at the bed form naturally in small channels and are used in engineering practice to maintain river connectivity at base flow. Limited understanding of a jam's effect on backwater rise and flow velocity limits assessment of geomorphic and ecological impacts of natural logjams, design of river restoration interventions, and representation in flood models. The distribution of flow through and beneath the jam satisfies a two‐box, momentum‐based model constrained by drag generated in the jam, momentum loss in flow through the lower gap, and net pressure force. The model was validated with 68 flume experiments. Backwater rise is predicted from discharge beneath the jam following established models for solid sluice gates. As a result, backwater rise increases with jam resistance, which forces a greater discharge beneath the jam. Below‐jam velocity and Shields parameter increased with ratio of friction coefficient to slope and decreasing gap height.


Maternal antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a critical intervention in the prevention-of-mother-to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. In South Africa, many HIV-infected pregnant women commence ART late in pregnancy, and as a result, the duration of ART prior to delivery is often insufficient to prevent vertical transmission. To address this, we designed an intervention for the rapid initiation of ART in pregnancy (RAP), where patient's ART preparation occurred during rather than before treatment commencement. Here we report on the acceptability and the challenges of the RAP programme. We conducted 7 key informant and 27 semi-structured interviews with RAP participants. Participants were purposefully selected based on ART-eligibility and stage in the pregnancy to post-partum continuum. Interviews were conducted in participants' home language by trained fieldworkers, with key informant interviews conducted by the study investigators. The data were analysed using a framework analysis approach. Rapid initiation in pregnancy was acceptable to the majority of programme participants and protection of the woman's unborn child was the primary motivation for starting treatment. The key barrier was the limited time to accept the dual challenges of being diagnosed HIV-positive and eligible for life-long ART. Truncated time also limited the opportunity for disclosure to others. Despite these and other barriers, most women found the benefits of rapid ART commencement outweighed the challenges, with 91% of women initiated onto ART starting the same day treatment eligibility was determined. Many participants and key informants identified the importance of counseling and the need to make an informed, independent choice on the timing of ART initiation, based on individual circumstances. Acceptance of ART-eligibility improved with time on the programme, however, as women's principal reason for initiating ART was protection of the unborn child, monitoring and supporting adherence during the post-partum period will be critical.


A convenient and efficient phosphine-catalyzed sequential annulation domino reaction between dienic sulfones and MBH carbonates has been developed. In the presence of 20 mol% of tris(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine, functionalized bicyclo[4.1.0]heptenes were prepared in excellent yields and stereoselectivities under mild conditions.


The hydrogen depth profiling in solids has been done by elastic recoil detection (ERD) technique with multicharged 19F ion beam from a small Tandem Accelerator of 2×1.7MV. Details of the experimental technique are described. The depth resolution of about 230Å in the near-surface regions (similar 5000Å) is much better than that of ERD technique with 2.5MeV He beam and heavy ion beam of 30MeV.


Bad smells often indicate potential problems in software, which may lead to long-term challenges and expensive maintenance efforts. Although bad smells often occur in source code, bad smells also exist in representations of design descriptions and models. We have observed that many users of graphical modeling environments (e.g., LabVIEW) are systems engineers who may not be aware of core software engineering techniques, such as refactoring of bad smells. Systems engineers often focus on implementation correctness and may be unaware of how their designs affect long-term maintenance properties that may increase design smells. There exists a large body of research focused on analysing bad smells embedded in the source code of textual languages, but there has been limited research on bad smells in systems models of graphical languages. In this paper, we present a semi-automated approach for extracting design smells across versions of LabVIEW graphical models through user-defined queries. We describe example queries that highlight the emergence of design smells that we discovered from posts in the LabVIEW user's forum. We then demonstrate the use of the example queries in understanding the evolution of seven bad smells we found in 81 LabVIEW models stored in 10 GitHub repositories. We analyze the evolution of these smells in order to understand the prevalence and introduction of bad smells, as well as the relationship between bad smells and the structural changes made to the models. Our results show that all of the models contain instances of at least one type of bad smell and the number of smells fluctuates as the size of a model increases. Furthermore, the majority of the structural changes across different versions of LabVIEW models involve the addition of new elements with a corresponding increase in the presence of design smells. This paper summarizes the need for better analysis of design smells in systems models and suggests an approach that may assist in improving the structure and quality of systems models developed in LabVIEW.


A procedure for extraction-spectrophotometric determination of Mo(VI), W(VI) and Re(VII) with thiocyanate and thioacetanilide (RSH) at trace level in the complex materials e.g. ores, steel, cement dust, coal ash and waste water is described. These metals in reduced state e.g. Mo(V), W(V) and Re(IV) react with thiocyanate and RSH to give benzene-extractable colored complexes with molar absorptivity in the range of (1.90-3.06)×10^41 mol^-1 cm^-1 at λ_max 410-470 nm. The Mo and W determinations are free from interferences of the metals which are generally associated with them. The effect of various analytical variables on extraction of the metals, and the composition and the conditional extraction constants of the complexes are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
To study the mechanism of prophylactic effects of nasal tolerance with a dual analogue (Lys262-Ala207) on experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG).

METHODS
Clinical and immunological changes were observed in Lewis rats administered with dual analogue Lys262-Ala207 nasally, to compare the effects between the rats with predetermined dosage of Lys262-Ala207 and control peptides at two different time points, before the day (Group A or C) or on the day (Group B or D) of immunization with acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in complete Freud's adjuvant for 10 consecutive days. The clinical scores was evaluated for 50 days post immunization. Numbers of MNC expressing IFN-gamma, IL-4 or IL-10 and CD4+ and/or CD25+ from lymph nodes were enumerated by flow cytometry. Proliferative response, expressed as stimulation index (SI), was suppressed in response to antigen-specific stimulation in the rats receiving dual analogue, as compared with the rats receiving saline buffer only.

RESULTS
Group A and group B of Lewis rats developed EAMG with reduced severity, as compared to the control groups. Number of cells synthesizing IFN-gamma, IL-4 or IL-10 decreased, whereas numbers of CD4+CD25+ cells increased in group A and B than those in the control groups. Proliferative response was suppressed in response to antigen-specific stimulations in the rats receiving dual analogue Lys262-Ala207.

CONCLUSIONS
Nasal administration with a dual analogue Lys262-Ala207 at two different time points, before the day and on the day of immunization, could delay symptoms of muscular weakness in EAMG rats, which was associated with suppression of immune function in AChR antigen-specific T cells and lay a scientific foundation for treatment of human MG with nasal dual analogue.


Forensic mental healthcare needs radical change. National standards should be established. An effective model needs to integrate special hospitals, secure units and community care.


: Since August 1990, we used the Thermex-II system to treat prostatism in 220 patients for whom an indication of transurethral prostatectomy was proposed, in 85% by some other urologists and the last 15% by us. The treatment was offered on a clinical research basis, and the patient received large information. No complications other than 10 short-term retentions (2-15 days), mild hematuria and 2 marked prostatic edema were noted. Objective amelioration was seen in 78%, and subjective amelioration was noted in 83%. Only 6 patients needed surgery.


Maternal immunity may affect vaccination success in young lambs. This study was aimed to determine the duration of the maternal immunity in lambs born from vaccinated ewe against Sheep pox. The level of neutralizing antibody against Sheeppox virus (SPPV) was measured in 14 lambs that were fed colostrum of their immunized mother (MCF lambs; n = 14) or reared with colostrum of ewes that were not immunized against Sheep pox, as the control (C lambs; n = 7), using virus neutralization index. The lambs were randomly divided into four experimental groups and after blood sampling, they were challenged by a virulent SPPV at different postbirth days, including 15 (2 CF and 1 C lambs), 30 (4 CF and 2 C lambs), 60 (4 CF and 2 C lambs), and 90 (4 CF and 2 C lambs) days of age. All the C lambs had no antibody titers against SPPV. Results of the challenge test showed that, up to 60 days of age, the MCF lambs had only localized scabs at the inoculation site and did not show any secondary pock lesions associated with Sheep pox; while all the C lambs were infected (p < 0.05). However, the percentage of lambs with Sheep pox signs was not different between C and MCF lambs after the challenge test at 90 days old lambs (p > 0.05), indicating decrease of maternal immunity. These findings revealed that the duration of maternal immunity against SPPV is ∼60 days, and vaccination is better to be performed at later ages.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the long-term results of recanalization of occluded iliac arteries with local low-dose thrombolysis, angioplasty, and, if necessary, stent implantation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-seven patients with acute or chronic occlusions of the common or external iliac artery, or both, underwent local low-dose thrombolysis (n = 47), percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) (with balloon dilation [n = 43] and rotational angioplasty [n = 30] in the patients in whom a retrograde recanalization was performed), and, if needed, intravascular stent placement (n = 18). Follow-up lasted 3-53 (mean, 21) months.

RESULTS
The primary recanalization rate was 98% (46 of 47). The mean ankle-brachial index increased from 0.33 to 0.81 within 14 days after treatment and was 0.76 at the most recent follow-up. Two early (< 14 days) and two late reocclusions (after 24 and 30 months) occurred; one restenosis detected with duplex sonography and angiography was observed after 19 months.

CONCLUSION
This therapy represents a true alternative to vascular surgery and a first-line treatment for acute or chronically occluded iliac arteries.


It is shown that in laser ablation of materials with large Prandtl numbers (mainly ceramics and polymers) a motion of the melt along the surface caused by the vapour plume pressure is essentially retarded for thin enough melt layers due to the onset of viscous friction. For polymers in nanosecond laser ablation this melt displacement can be obtained to be less than the ablation depth per pulse (which is typically 0.2-1 µm for nanosecond irradiation), when the absorption coefficient, , and the kinematic viscosity, , satisfy the condition 2>108 s-1. Thus, clean precise laser ablation for such polymers can be explained simply in terms of the thermal mechanism, without invoking the concept of photochemical decomposition, in terms of absorption coefficient, melt viscosity and pressure of the ablation plume on the irradiated surface. From this point of view, several factors facilitating clean laser ablation in multipulse irradiation are discussed. However, for metals (usually having a very small Prandtl number) the viscous friction has no significant effect on the retardation lateral melt flow to the periphery. The quality of the laser spot border can still be improved by using laser pulses shorter than 1 ps. In this case, in a shallow spot, the alternative (explosive) melt expulsion mechanism becomes predominant, producing material removal mainly transverse to the spot surface. Thus, the lateral (along the surface) component of melt expulsion appears to be strongly suppressed, having no chance to spoil the border of the spot.


The results of studying the influence of different systems of agriculture and measures of basic tillage on the number of microorganisms and its phytotoxicity in the field of winter wheat are presented. It is proved that different systems of agriculture and measures of basic tillage do not equally affect the microbiological activity of the rhizosphere of winter wheat in the number and species composition of microorganisms. As a result, the variants created different conditions for the course of biochemical processes in the soil and the formation of crop yields. Moldboard-boardless tillage and the ecological system of agriculture proved to be more promising.

Keywords: Microbiological activity; Farming systems; Tillage of soil; Winter wheat

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Abstract A case of symptomatic recurrent adenoidal hypertrophy, as the presenting feature of HIV infection in a haemophiliac child, is reported. The incidence of non-malignant nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia in HIV infection is examined and the relevance of the histological appearance is discussed in relation to progression of disease.


ABSTRACT Two healthy subjects (male and female, ages 22 and 25 years) spent 50 h over a period of 7 consecutive weeks training the negative vergence system. The training was performed in two 45‐min daily sessions, usually immediately before and after the workday. The training was exclusively negative vergence training using devices such as variable vectograms, the aperture rule, the synoptophore, and loose or bar prisms. An extensive examination of the visual systems before, after, and periodically during the training demonstrated that the negative vergences increased at distance by 5.0&Dgr; and at near by 9.1&Dgr; (using hand‐held prisms, bar prisms, and the synoptophore). The phorias of both subjects became more exophoric or less esophoric at both distance and near by 3.6&Dgr; (using average of changes on the cover test, von Graefe subjective phoria technique, and the synoptophore). A haploscope equipped with a coincidence optometer showed only small increases in vergence amplitude but confirmed that the lag of accommodation became more stable after the training than it was before. Other testing suggested that the negative relative accommodation, the angle of deviation at both distance and near, positive vergences, the associated phoria, and the slope of the fixation disparity curve changed significantly over the period of training. I conclude that negative vergence training can increase the negative vergence capabilities and also affect the phoria position of the eyes via feedback into the slow vergence system.


The article describes a special time-interval balancing in multi-processor scheduling of composite modular jobs. This scheduling problem is close to just-in-time planning approach. First, brief literature surveys are presented on just-in-time scheduling and due-data/due-window scheduling problems. Further, the problem and its formulation are proposed for the time-interval balanced scheduling of composite modular jobs. The illustrative real world planning example for modular home-building is described. Here, the main objective function consists in a balance between production of the typical building modules (details) and the assembly processes of the building(s) (by several teams). The assembly plan has to be modified to satisfy the balance requirements. The solving framework is based on the following: (i) clustering of initial set of modular detail types to obtain about ten basic detail types that correspond to main manufacturing conveyors; (ii) designing a preliminary plan of assembly for buildings; (iii) detection of unbalanced time periods, (iv) modification of the planning solution to improve the schedule balance. The framework implements a metaheuristic based on local optimization approach. Two other applications (supply chain management, information transmission systems) are briefly described.


This article describes the standardization and evaluation of an in-house specific IgG avidity ELISA for distinguishing recent primary from long-term human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. The test was standardized with the commercial kit ETI-CYTOK G Plus (Sorin Biomedica, Italy) using 8 M urea in phosphate-buffered saline to dissociate low-avidity antibodies after the antigen-antibody interaction. The performance of the in-house assay was compared to that of the commercial automated VIDAS CMV IgG avidity test (bioM rieux, France). Forty-nine sera, 24 from patients with a recent primary HCMV infection and 25 from patients with a long-term HCMV infection and a sustained persistence of specific IgM antibodies, were tested. Similar results were obtained with the two avidity methods. All 24 sera from patients with recently acquired infection had avidity indices compatible with acute HCMV infection by the VIDAS method, whereas with the in-house method, one serum sample had an equivocal result. In the 25 sera from patients with long-term infection, identical results were obtained with the two methods, with only one serum sample having an incompatible value. These findings suggest that our in-house avidity test could be a potentially useful tool for the immunodiagnosis of HCMV infection.


One-dimensional topological photonic crystals (TPCs) with graphene sheet have been proposed to enhance the Faraday rotation (FR). Because of the strong localized field of the topological interface state, the enhanced FR angle with high transmittance has been confirmed. The effects of external magnetic field, unit cell number and multiple interface states of multilayers on FR angle and transmittance are studied. As a result, the FR is raised, which shows a field enhancement constraint at the interface between the TPCs with graphene. The FR angle can reach 16.2° with the high transmission (70%). By constructing multiple interface states, multiple transmission peaks and FR angles are further achieved. Our result would give a fresh idea, which could be applied in nonreciprocal photonic device or optical communication systems.


Key issues in the current agricultural debate include the future of family farms, levels of government support for farms, the roles of marketing institutions and the effect of new trade arrangements. In part, these issues have arisen because of recent price volatility, but the agricultural debate has also raised basic questions: Can farming in Canada survive, and if so, what will the new farms look like? The future of farming is approached through evidence on land values and assessments of alternative land use. The future structure of farms is approached through a review of farm size, location and product mix. Farm sizes are increasingly bi-modal, with small farms relatively insulated from farm markets, and large specialized farms dependent on the market for a narrow range of commodities. Policy changes influencing product mix or regional specialization are also reviewed. About one-half of farm output in Canada now comes from the prairie region of Canada. Open trading relationships and subsidy changes are further modifying the regional location of farming. Changes in marketing board arrangements and withering of prime farmland restrictions will lead to further shifts. The following appear to be key factors in assessing future directions for farming and farm structure: For small farms, numbers are not declining, but these operations contribute relatively little to farm output. For commercial farms, technology and scale factors are leading to larger sizes and increasing specialization. Specialization is expected to occur regionally as well as within farms, and the prairie provinces are likely to become an increasingly important part of Canadian agriculture. The sizes of commercial farms are such that few farms will be financed by single families, and the balance sheets as well as the management structures of new commercial farms will increasingly mirror those in the non-farm economy.


A detailed model for the in-duct mercury capture in incinerator flue gas by powdered activated carbon injection is presented. Material balances on mercury in both gaseous and adsorbed phases are carried out along the duct length and inside the activated carbon particles, taking into account mass transfer resistances and adsorption kinetics. The set of the coupled partial differential equations is transformed by means of an orthogonal collocation technique and integrated using a Runge-Kutta method with adaptive stepsize control. The model has been applied to several sorbents of practical interest, whose parameters have been evaluated from available literature data. The values and range of the operating variables have been chosen in order to simulate typical incinerators operating conditions. Results of simulations indicate that large sorbent loadings in the duct are needed to obtain high mercury removal efficiencies, due to the short residence times. As a consequence very low utilization of the sorbents is achieved in any case. To minimize the sorbent feed rate it is particularly advisable to use a reactive sorbent and to lower the operating temperature as much as possible. Improvements in the mercury capture performance can be obtained also by increasing the in-duct particles residence time and by decreasing the sorbent particles size. Model results are compared with available relevant full scale data.


The multiple impedance control (MIC) is a model-based algorithm for cooperative object manipulation. Computation of the system dynamics even if perfectly known, may require considerable process time at each step for implementing the control law. The non-model-based multiple impedance control (NMIC) has been recently proposed for fixed base robots to eliminate the need to system dynamic model in implementation of the MIC algorithm. In this paper, the NMIC law is extended to coordinated object manipulation by a space free flying robot (SFFR) that consists a moving spacecraft and a number of manipulators mounted on it. To improve the precise tracking characteristics of the manipulated object and the SFFR, the butter-worth filter is also exploited. Next, the proposed NMIC law is applied on a SFFR with 20 DOF that manipulates an object on a desired path that deliberately includes impacts due to contact with an obstacle. The obtained results show good tracking performance that reveal the merits of NMIC law as a non-model-based algorithm for object manipulation tasks, which can be implemented with reasonable limited on-line computations.


ABSTRACT Purpose: This quantitative study sought to investigate the perceptions of teachers and students regarding competency-based education (CBE) principles at the College of Agriculture at Razi University. Design: This research is a comparative analysis of two groups. The first group consists of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in agriculture who are members and non-members of student cooperatives (n = 256). The second group consists of agricultural faculty members (n = 59). Findings: The results of this study show that students and teachers have different views with regard to the extent to which CBE principles are practiced in the College of Agriculture. Moreover, students with different learning patterns had different perceptions regarding the extent to which CBE is practiced, whereas teachers with different teaching patterns had the same perception of the application of CBE principles in the College of Agriculture. Practical implications: This study has practical implications for agricultural higher education in general and colleges of agriculture in particular. Colleges of agriculture across Iran could encourage their students to establish and engage in student cooperatives so that the 'what' and 'how' aspects of CBE are put into practice. Theoretical implications: This study has theoretical implications for CBE principles. For example, student cooperatives can be utilized by faculty members as one of the main strategies for developing CBE in agricultural colleges. Originality/value: This study is original in that it moves from theory to practice when considering CBE.


In an effort to sustain optimum milk production and overlapping pregnancy, rabbit meat producers often increase nutrient density of rabbit does. This situation may lead to protein intakes in excess of requirements and hypothetically can be associated with a decline in fertility. The effect of dietary protein level on plasma urea nitrogen concentrations (PUN) and reproduction efficiency was assessed through a trial involving 90 multiparous hybrid rabbit does at the same pregnancy stage. At d 27 of pregnancy, the animals were equally divided into 2 experimental groups fed on mixture at different protein levels: 18.5% (CP18.5=45) and 22% (CP22=45) on d.m. Blood samplings (=90) were performed at the same day of AI (12 d pp) and plasma was assayed for PUN. Reproduction efficiency was evaluated by abdominal palpation 12 d after AI to determine the pregnancy rate (PR). CP22 rabbits exhibited significantly higher PUN levels compared to CP18.5 (34.06 vs 24.64; P vs 69.3 % for CP18.5 vs CP22; P<0.01). The results indicate that high dietary CP may exert an adverse effect on reproduction efficiency by elevating PUN levels in the lactating rabbit doe. Further research is necessary to elucidate how ammonia, urea and some other toxic product of protein metabolism may intercede at one or more steps to impair conception and the establishment of pregnancy.


Treatment of (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2 (iPrPDI, 2,6-(2,6-iPr2C6H3N═CMe)2C5H3N) with CO2 and ethylene resulted in the formation of a homologous series of saturated and unsaturated iron carboxylate products, (iPrPDI)Fe(O2CR), the distribution of which depends on the ratio of the reagents. The solid-state and electronic structures of a saturated product, (iPrPDI)Fe(O2CC2H5), were elucidated. Product distributions, deuterium labeling studies, and stoichiometric experiments support initial formation of a five-membered metallalactone intermediate, which undergoes subsequent ethylene insertions to generate macrocyclic metallalactones. Competitive β-hydride elimination, CO2 insertion, or reaction with H2 determines the fate of the metallalactone, the latter accounting for formation of iron complexes with saturated carboxylates. Similar reactivity was observed upon addition of propiolactone and ethylene to (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2, supporting C-O oxidative addition and C-C bond formation through metallacycle intermediates.


Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many adverse phenomena, particularly in the area of health for both individuals and society as a whole. Healthcare staff also suffered dire consequences. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among healthcare professionals in Poland. Material and method: The survey was conducted between 4 April 2022 and 4 May 2022. The study applied the Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) technique using the standardised Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) questionnaire. Results: The average score obtained by the respondents on the PDI was 21.24 ± 8.97. There was a statistically significant difference between the average PDI score obtained based on the gender of the subject (Z = 3.873, p = 0.0001.) The score obtained amongst nurses was statistically significantly higher compared to the paramedic group (H = 6.998, p = 0.030). There was no statistically significant difference between the average PDI score obtained based on the age of the participants (F = 1.282, p = 0.281), nor with their length of service (F = 0.934, p = 0.424). A total of 82.44% of the respondents received 14 PDI points, the cut-off point indicating the risk of PTSD that was adopted in the study. It was concluded that 6.12% of respondents did not require intervention (<7 PDI score); 74.28% of respondents needed further follow-up for PTSD and a reassessment of the PDI approximately 6 weeks after the initial testing; and 19.59% required coverage for PTSD prevention and mitigation (>28 PDI score). Conclusions: The study has shown a high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among healthcare professionals in Poland. This risk is related to the gender of the respondents, with an indication of a higher risk of PTSD among women. The results have also shown a correlation between increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and occupation, with nurses being the most affected group. In contrast, no association has been found in terms of age and length of service for an increase in the risk of PTSD, following exposure to trauma in relation to healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic.


The loyalty paradigm is evolving as part of our cultural modifications. We must enunciate our own standards and temper them with realism. Employers can seldom promise permanent jobs, and employees are reluctant to hitch their stars to one organization. In health care institutions, ethical considerations may result in divergent allegiances. The new loyalty paradigm is affected by the movements toward participative management and team building. A number of suggestions are offered for enhancing a pragmatic form of loyalty.


Robotic balloons, also known as aerobots, have become candidates for collecting atmospheric data and detailed surface observations of Venus, Mars, and Titan. A mission to Venus over a decade ago used two of them. Their inclusion last year in attempts by a balloonist to circumnavigate the Earth aptly demonstrated their utility for remote sensing and in situ observations of planetary atmospheres.

To simulate aspects of an aerobot mission, a small payload to measure local atmospheric conditions and balloon position and velocity was included on Solo Spirit "Round the World" flights during January and August of last year. These missions, flown in Roziere balloons, were attempts by Steve Fossett to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon without stopping. Neither attempt was successful, but the aerobot came through with flying colors.


The origins of the South African trc process, which made such a dramatic contribution towards opening up a new more inclusive political culture in post-apartheid South Africa, are usually found in the constitutional negotiations and settlement reflected in the Postamble of the 1993 Interim Constitution. This article starts from the apparent paradox that a secretive amnesty pact by political elites could have been responsible for a public truth process uncovering human rights violations in past political conflicts. It suggests that an alternative trc genealogy may rather be found in the public amnesty debate since mid-1992 that issued in a civil society-based proposal for a truth and reconciliation process. The 'amnesty for truth' compromise, conjoining the political elites' concerns for amnesty with the human rights quest for a victim-based truth and reconciliation process, resulted in the incoherence of the actual trc process. The ambivalent legacy of the trc, shaped both by secretive elite political deals as well as by the quest for public truth in politics, still informs unresolved tensions in the Marikana Commission, and those between the Promotion of Access to Information Act and the controversial Protection of State Information Bill.


Writing and reliving autoethnographic research is a complex process, both emotionally and intellectually. This is especially true when the focus of the autoethnographer's research involves experiences with stigma, discrimination, and marginalization in the presence of mental illness. Supervising this process, where students may find themselves feeling vulnerable and confused, presents a unique academic and ethical challenge. How far can a supervisor "push" the student to unearth personal experiences that draw meaning to the larger socio-cultural context to which those experiences took place? How do students confront emotionally painful issues to describe and systematically analyze as part of the academic process? By engaging in a duoethnographic process that pushed beyond surface learning to exploring depths of unconscious biases and hidden assumptions, this paper unveils how the academic relationship between a supervisor and student evolved in terms of understanding, influence, and inspiration, as part of the student's autoethnographic research. It serves to guide others in the academic supervisor-student relationship when students find themselves confronting emotionally painful issues in their learning. Specifically, the dialogic process of duoethnographic research, where sensitive lived experiences are brought to light and examined, has the potential for students and supervisors to reconceptualize their ways of knowing and being in relation to one another. If successful, this pedagogical framework may be used to support students in their scholarly growth.


The trematode, Stellantchasmus falcatus, is one of the members in the Family Heterophyidae, which is reported to be an endemic fluke in northern region of Thailand. A sensitive and specific detection of this parasite is required to determine the epidemiology at larval stages. Specific primers to determine the presence of S. falcatus were investigated using high annealing temperature random amplified polymorphic DNA (HAT-RAPD) PCR, with 10 arbitrary primers to generate different polymorphic DNA profiles. Eleven parasite species were used for comparison. A 380 bp HAT-RAPD S. falcatus-specific marker was found, and was cloned and sequenced, allowing a pair of primers (St-F 5'-GGCCAACG CAATCGTCATCC-3' and St-R 5'-GCGTCGGGTTTCAGACATGG- 3') to be designed to produce a 320 bp amplicon specific for S. falcatus. It revealed no cross-reaction with any of the other tested parasite species. The S. falcatus-specific primers can be used for epidemiological monitoring and for detection in snail intermediate hosts, which serve as usefulness tools in management and epidemiological control programs.


Abstract Conventional estimator of rainfall rate using reflectivity factor and differential reflectivity ZDR becomes unstable when the measured values of ZDR are small due to measurement errors. An alternate estimator of rainfall rate using reflectivity factor and ZDR is derived, so that this estimator is fairly robust over the full dynamic range of reflectivity factor and ZDR. Simulations are used to study the error structure of this robust estimator in comparison with the conventional estimator of rainfall rate. It is shown that the alternate estimator performs better than the conventional estimator of rainfall rate at all rainfall values. In particular the largest improvement of this estimator is proved to be in light rain. The robust estimator is obtained as a direct regression of rainfall rate against reflectivity factor and ZDR instead of solving for the drop size distribution.


The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences (MJMS) would like to present a brief report of its progress in 2018 with a purpose to provide a clear picture of how it has performed so far. This report may considered as a helpful information, especially, to future authors who wish to submit their articles to MJMS. This report summarised the information of the total of original manuscripts received based on manuscript type, authors' country of origin and total of original manuscripts received by month. It also reveals the statistics of the final decisions made based on manuscript type, the accept-reject ratio by the editor and the time taken from submission to decision for all manuscripts submitted throughout 2018.


Vanadium pentoxide is reduced by liquid sodium to the oxide V2O3 and sodium oxide at low temperatures (150 °C). On increasing the temperature (up to 600 °C) the ternary oxides Na4VO4 and NaVO2 are produced. Vanadium dioxide reacts at 150 °C to form the oxide NaVO2 which is stable to liquid sodium up to 600 °C. Vanadium(III) oxide, V2O3, reacts with liquid sodium to give a mixture of the ternary oxide, NaVO2, and the monoxide, VO; the latter oxide is stable to pure liquid sodium up to 600 °C but may be oxidised by solutions of oxygen in liquid sodium to NaVO2 which may be further oxidised by oxygen in sodium to Na4VO4.


ABSTRACT Objective  Prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is estimated to be 4%–8%. Women with mental health difficulties are at increased risk for IPV during the perinatal period. Prevalence of IPV is high among women with eating disorders (ED); however, prevalence of IPV during the perinatal period among women with ED is unknown. Method  We studied women from a population‐based cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Prevalence and odds of physical and emotional IPV during and after the perinatal period was investigated among women with lifetime ED, with (n = 174) or without pregnancy shape and weight concern and/or purging behaviors (n = 189), and women with no ED (n = 8723). Results  Women with lifetime ED showed higher prevalence of IPV during and after the perinatal period (physical = 9.6%–14.3% and emotional = 24.1%–28.1%). Lifetime ED was associated with higher odds of physical IPV during the perinatal period (odds ratio: 2.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.11–4.93, p = .03). Lifetime ED with and without pregnancy shape and weight concerns and/or purging was associated with higher odds of IPV after the perinatal period, and higher odds of reporting emotional IPV at all time points. Associations were moderated by partner's response to pregnancy and maternal experience of childhood sexual abuse. Discussion  Mothers with ED and their children may be vulnerable to negative effects due to maternal ED and IPV combined, both of which have been associated with severe and long‐lasting harmful consequences. Partner's response to pregnancy and maternal experience of childhood sexual abuse might contribute to the association between ED and IPV perinatally. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Eating Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:727–735)


Clustering techniques find a collection of subsets of a data set such that the collection satisfies a criterion that is dependent on a relation defined on the data set. The underlying relation is traditionally assumed to be symmetric. However, there exist many practical scenarios where the underlying relation is asymmetric. One example of an asymmetric relation in text analysis is the inclusion relation, i.e., the inclusion of the meaning of a block of text in the meaning of another block. In this paper, we consider the general problem of clustering of asymmetrically related data and propose an algorithm to cluster such data. To demonstrate its usefulness, we consider two applications in text mining: (1) summarization of short documents, and (2) generation of a concept hierarchy from a set of documents. Our experiments show that the performance of the proposed algorithm is superior to that of more traditional algorithms.


Summary form only given. The Periodic Run Edge Compression for Image Systems (PRECIS) is a simple, fast algorithm to compress bitonal images containing periodic halftones. Its compression of periodic halftones doubles and often quadruples the compression obtained using the commonly used MMR algorithm. Its software execution time in compressing periodic halftones has been measured to be as short as half the execution time of MMR. In addition, one software embodiment of a simple version of PRECIS can be implemented simply by clever reuse of building blocks from an existing MMR implementation.


While conducting a study on the costs and benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) in solo and small group practices, use of the EHR to improve quality of care emerged as an important issue. An on-line provider survey was conducted to compliment our qualitative data. We found providers using an EHR were quite proficient at replicating their paper processes, but were less apt to use EHR features designed to improve quality of care.


This paper primarily deals with the computational aspects of chemical dissolution‐front instability problems in two‐dimensional fluid‐saturated porous media under non‐isothermal conditions. After the dimensionless governing partial differential equations of the non‐isothermal chemical dissolution‐front instability problem are briefly described, the formulation of a computational procedure, which contains a combination of using the finite difference and finite element method, is derived for simulating the morphological evolution of chemical dissolution fronts in the non‐isothermal chemical dissolution system within two‐dimensional fluid‐saturated porous media. To ensure the correctness and accuracy of the numerical solutions, the proposed computational procedure is verified through comparing the numerical solutions with the analytical solutions for a benchmark problem. As an application example, the verified computational procedure is then used to simulate the morphological evolution of chemical dissolution fronts in the supercritical non‐isothermal chemical dissolution system. The related numerical results have demonstrated the following: (1) the proposed computational procedure can produce accurate numerical solutions for the planar chemical dissolution‐front propagation problem in the non‐isothermal chemical dissolution system consisting of a fluid‐saturated porous medium; (2) the Zhao number has a significant effect not only on the dimensionless propagation speed of the chemical dissolution front but also on the distribution patterns of the dimensionless temperature, dimensionless pore‐fluid pressure, and dimensionless chemical‐species concentration in a non‐isothermal chemical dissolution system; (3) once the finger penetrates the whole computational domain, the dimensionless pore‐fluid pressure decreases drastically in the non‐isothermal chemical dissolution system.


Stone mulch offers potential benefits for water conservation in many rain-fed agricultural systems of the arid regions. The effects of stone mulch on transpiration and grain yield were examined for a durum wheat crop grown under soil water deficit stress. In a greenhouse trial, stone mulches with two levels of ground coverage significantly decreased soil-surface evaporation and increased crop transpiration. The transpiration increase contributed to increases both in biomass and grain yield. Field experiments over two cropping seasons confirmed yield increases of 12% in soil half-covered and 24% in soil fully-covered by stones. These significant yield increases indicate the potential usefulness of stone mulch technology in rain-fed cereal cropping. It is suggested that stones should not be removed from cereal fields unless their presence obstructs management severely. It remains to develop technologies for effectively managing soils containing large numbers of sizable stones in order to obtain the benefits of the potential yield increase associated with their presence on the soil surface.


Chemical byproducts analysis has been recognized as a powerful diagnosis method for SF6 gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). The authors have previously demonstrated that a carbon nanotube (CNT) gas sensor could detect partial discharge (PD) generated in SF6 gas. However, PD-generated decomposition gas species, which were responsible for the CNT gas sensor response, have not been identified yet. In this paper, two kinds of experiments were conducted in order to identify the responsible decomposition gas species. At first, the decomposition gas molecules adsorbed on CNTs were analyzed by Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR absorbance was observed around 735 cm-1 after CNTs were exposed to PD generated in SF6. In the second experiment, the CNT gas sensor responses to typical SF6 decomposition products (HF and SF4) were examined. The CNT gas sensor responded to these gases in the same way as to PD generated in SF6. SF4  response was larger than HF response. Based on these results, SF 4 and SOF2 emerged as candidates for the responsible decomposition gases. Electrochemical interactions between adsorbed gas molecules and CNT were discussed based on theoretical predictions of molecular orbital calculations. The calculation results suggested that both of SOF2 and SF4 could increase the CNT gas sensor conductance


Statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre give an overview of tends in prescribing over the past 10 years. Here we outline the main shifts in practice.


This paper provides new evidence about the evolution of top incomes in Finland over the period 1966-2007. Using micro data we construct estimates of shares of top income groups. The paper shows how the proportion of income earned by the very richest one per cent has changed over time. It shows a U-shaped pattern over this period. The total share of the highest earners fell consistently between the mid 1960s and the beginning of the 1990s but then began to rise. The results bring out clearly how the major equalization from the mid 1960s to the mid 1990s has been reversed, taking the shares of top income groups back to levels of inequality or even higher found 40 years ago. The main factor that has driven up the top one per cent income share in Finland after the mid 1990s is in an unprecedented increase in the fraction of capital income which is in 2007 62 per cent of incomes in the top one per cent group. In 1990 this fraction was 14 per cent. Therefore the composition of high incomes at the end of period considered is very different from those earlier years of this period. We argue in this paper that the 1993 tax reform is one of the key factors responsible for this trend. Our results suggest that the decline in income progressivity since the mid 1990s is a central factor explaining the increase of top income shares in Finland.