To satisfy increasing food and nutrient supply requirements for our growing future human population, farmers and staple food producers carry vital responsibilities. Especially farmers with ruminant livestock like dairy cows transform otherwise for human consumption unsuitable fibre into highly nutritious milk and meat. Nevertheless, dairy farmers are challenged increasingly by the consequences of global warming. Economic risks like feed supply and volatile commodity prices need to be balanced, also taking into account the increasing environmental awareness of end-customers. Focusing just on emissions, dairy production is contributing an essential part of the total carbon footprint emitted by the agricultural sector. Since rumen degradability of feed was identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of the most influential parameters in reducing the carbon footprint of dairy farming, the desire to exploit leverage potential for efficiency increases can be considered exceptionally high. Although the positive effects of improved feed, in other words, neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability for dairy farming are well understood, detailed information on the correct management to obtain well digestible feed sources is still missing. Using the smart dairy nutrition ration formulation concept, applying readily on-farm available digitized data and management information the objectives of this study were: 1) to assess the influential parameters which govern neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability of corn silage, using a set of 584 corn silages from multiple years, and 2) to evaluate within an integrated dairy production set up the economic and ecological improvement potential by feeding a subset of 28 different corn silages, including detailed variety information. Results show that the neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability is primarily governed by variety choice and can be four times more important than the correct harvest stage decision. By feeding corn silage varieties with high neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability, monetary income could be increased by ~10% while simultaneously reducing manure accumulation.


Background. Lapatinib is an oral small molecule dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor that binds intracellularly to the ATP binding site of the EGFR and HER2 receptors. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of women with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with trastuzumab, an anthracycline, and taxanes, lapatinib plus capecitabine improved time to progression versus capecitabine monotherapy. In an RCT of postmenopausal women with HR+ MBC, 1st-line therapy with lapatinib plus letrozole improved progressionfree survival vs. letrozole monotherapy in the primary analysis HER2+ population. Data on adherence and persistence with lapatinib in typical clinical practice are unavailable. Methods. This was retrospective observational study of adherence and persistence with lapatinib in women with MBC who were previously treated with trastuzumab. Data were from the Thomson MedStat MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare health insurance claims databases spanning 1/2000-3/2010 and representing >90 million covered lives. Subjects included women with ≥1 claims with a diagnosis of breast cancer, ≥1 claims with a diagnosis of distant metastases, ≥1 trastuzumab claim after first distant metastases diagnosis, and ≥1 lapatinib claim after first trastuzumab claim (date of first lapatinib claim="index date"). Pts with Results. A total of 1299 pts had ≥1 claims with a diagnosis of breast cancer, ≥1 claims with a diagnosis of distant metastases, ≥1 claims for trastuzumab, and ≥1 claims for lapatinib (1106 Commercial, 93 Medicare). Of these, 666 met all inclusion criteria (572 Commercial, 94 Medicare). Mean (SD) age was 52 (8) years in Commercial pts and 72 (6) years in Medicare pts. Among all pts, 73% had claims history of prior taxanes, 27% prior anthracylines, and 24% prior taxanes and prior anthracyclines. Mean (SD) initial lapatinib dosage was 1161 (339) mg daily; 84% initiated lapatinib on 1250 mg daily. Sixty-three percent received index lapatinib in combination with capecitabine; 6% in combination with an aromatase inhibitor. Median follow-up was 12 mos. Mean (SD) number of lapatinib claims was 7.1 (4.9). Mean (SD) MPR was 87% (19%); median MPR was 96%. Kaplan-Meier estimated median time to discontinuation of lapatinib was 7.4 months (95%CI 6.7−8.0 mos). Seventy three percent of patients had no treatment interruption during follow-up. Median duration of continuous therapy was 5.2 mos (95%CI 4.8−5.7 mos). Conclusions. In women with MBC previously-treated with trastuzumab, adherence and persistence with lapatinib in typical clinical practice are relatively high. Further research is needed to identify predictors and consequences of non-adherence so that efforts may be targeted to enhance adherence to effective treatment. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-12-24.


The nucleosynthetic site of the rapid (r) neutron-capture process is currently being debated. The direct detection of the neutron star merger GW170817, through gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation, has confirmed such events as important sources of the r-process elements. However, chemical evolution models are not able to reproduce the observed chemical abundances in the Milky Way when neutron star mergers are assumed to be the only r-process site and realistic time distributions of such events are taken into account. Now for the first time, we combine all the available observational evidence of the Milky Way and its dwarf galaxy satellites to show that the data can only be explained if there are (at least) two distinct r-process sites: a quick source with timescales comparable to core-collapse supernovae, tquick ≲ 108 yr, and a delayed source with characteristic timescales tdelayed ≳ 4 Gyr. The delayed r-process source most probably originates in neutron star mergers, as the timescale fits well with that estimated for GW170817. Given the short timescales of the quick source, it is likely associated with massive stars, though a specific fast-track channel for compact object mergers cannot be excluded at this point. Our approach demonstrates that only by looking at all the available data will we be able to solve the puzzle that is the r-process.


BACKGROUND
IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most frequently occurring primary glomerulonephritis. A lack of specific biomarkers hinders the early diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This study analyzes and validates potential serum biomarkers using mass spectrometry proteomics.

METHODS
Global proteomics profiles of serum from 60 patients with IgAN and 43 healthy control subjects were compared to identify significantly changed proteins. These proteins were validated with targeted proteomics using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) in an independent validation set consisting of samples from 67 different stage IgAN patients and 60 healthy controls.

RESULTS
A total of 37 significantly changed proteins were found in the discovery set, among which 18 proteins were identified as potential biomarkers for IgAN through PRM assays in the validation set. Of these 18 proteins, IgGFc-binding protein, MS-A1 light chain variable region, transthyretin, ficolin-3, and myosin-reactive immunoglobulin light chain variable region were up-regulated in different IgAN stages, B cell receptor heavy chain variable region, rheumatoid factor RF-ET6, heavy chain Fab, cryocrystalglobulin CC1 heavy chain variable region, FLJ94213, lumican, and Q68CN4 (uncharacterized protein) were down-regulated in different IgAN stages. These proteins support previous findings that CKD is accompanied by altered immune response.

CONCLUSIONS
This study lays the groundwork for additional research using biomarkers to clinically diagnose IgAN. These proteins are potential molecular markers that could help us understand the potential molecular mechanism of IgAN.


During the North American crop-growing season, although daytime temperatures may remain well above freezing point, nighttime temperatures can easily drop below 0 C for a few hours. The effects of frost are felt in small operations, such as residential gardens, or in specific areas of a larger operation. Various large-scale measures exist for crop frost protection but they are neither portable nor flexible. A fully automated portable frost-protection misting system that makes use of the latent heat of fusion of water was developed and tested on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) at theMacdonald Campus of McGill University (Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada). The water tank stores up to 20 gal of pressurized water and detachable auxiliary air tanks provide additional line pressure. The device is lightweight, portable and provides flexible, overhead water misting for two 25-ft rows of crops. It activates autonomously using a thermostat, battery pack, and solenoid valve, and the outlet pressure is regulated using a pressure regulator. It is easily installed and dismantled for expedient relocation and the dynamic system of tubing and nozzles can be modified as required. The systemwas tested in subzero ambient air temperature ranging from L7.1 to 0 C. During misting, the flesh of the targeted tomato fruit remained, on average, 3.1 and 3.6 Cwarmer than ambient temperatures. The use of the system is currently limited by the infrequent formation of ice on the misting nozzles and in the water lines due drastic drops in temperature.


. In this paper, we study the geometry of position vectors of a spacelike curve in the Minkowski 4-space. We give some characterizations for spacelike curves to lie on some subspaces of R 41 .


The increasing request for higher data speeds in the information and communication technology leads to continuously increasing performance of microprocessors. This has led to the introduction of optical data transmission as a replacement of electronic data transmission in most transmission applications longer than 10 meters. However, a need remains for optical data transmission for shorter distances inside the computer. This paper gives an overview of the Joint European project FIREFLY, in which new polymer based single mode waveguides are developed for integration with VCSELs, splitters and fibers that will be manufactured using multi-layer nanoimprint lithography (NIL). Innovative polymers, new applications of nano-technology, new methods for optical coupling between components, and the integration of all these new components are the technical ingredients of this ambitious project.


Early twentieth-century advertising discourses on the archetypal boy consumer promoted a masculinized ideal of consumption that broke decisively from the stereotype of the emotion-driven female shopper. Boys were lauded as rational, informed buyers who prized technological innovation and influenced parents and peers. While touting boys' ample consumer appetites, promoters of the boy consumer also depicted boys' interest in advertised goods as worthy of entrepreneurial-minded self-improvers. The ideal of the boy consumer thus harmonized the potentially hedonistic ethos of consumerism with older ideals of productivity and industriousness. New ideologies of manhood that valorized enthusiasm, loyalty, and salesmanship confirmed the boy consumer's manly vitality.


This work is concerned with the study of nonlinear nonconvex stochastic programming, in particular in the context of trust-region approaches. We first explore how to exploit the structure of multistage stochastic nonlinear programs with linear constraints, in the framework of primal-dual interior point methods. We next study consistency of sample average approximations (SAA) for general nonlinear stochastic programs. We also develop a new algorithm to solve the SAA problem, using the statistical inference information to reduce numercial costs, by means of an internal variable sample size strategy. We finally assess the numerical efficiency of the proposed method for the estimation of discrete choice models, more precisely mixed logit models, using our software AMLET, written for this purpose.


The ecological situation in most mining regions n Ukraine is critical, and the closure of unprofitable mining enterprises, mines and cuts creates environmental problems associated with significant changes in the geological and hydrological environment. The purpose of the work is to assess the environmental hazard of the territory of the Rozdil State Mining and Chemical Enterprise "Sirka". The research was carried out on the territory of Rozdil SMCE "Sirka". Rozdil State Mining and Chemical Enterprise "Sirka" is in the West of Ukraine (Lviv region) of the Dniester River basin. According to the State Register of Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHO) of Ukraine, Rozdil State Mining and Chemical Enterprise "Sirka" belongs to the monitoring facilities of PHO. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) method was used experimentally to determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of heavy metals and other inorganic elements in samples, soil pollution with heavy metals. The main threats were identified which should be considered at the stage of liquidation of the mining and chemical enterprise. The main reason for pollution of the water objects of the enterprise territory and the Dniester River is the non-performance of the project on maintenance of ecological balance, monitoring, reclamation of the territory of the land due to lack of financing for the implementation of projects. In this regard, sources of pollution (phosphogypsum, oil tars, lump sulfur, flotation tails, solid waste) constantly affect the environment and over the years the situation is still dangerous. On the example of Rozdil State Mining and Chemical Enterprise "Sirka" the main problems of the monitoring system of the territory of the mining and chemical enterprise at the stage of liquidation are demonstrated. The influence of ОСНОВИ ПРИРОДОКОРИСТУВАННЯ


With the wave of the Internet of Things has been sweeping, people's lifestyles are undergoing tremendous changes. Wireless sensor networks as an important part of the Internet of things plays a huge role, it is not only one of the most influential technology of the 21st century, but also caused a strongly sought after in academia and industry. The transport protocols in wireless sensor networks have also become one of the hot spots. This paper started with the related knowledge of the wireless sensor network transport protocol and summarized the performance of the couples of classic transport protocol. In the end, concluded the necessity and importance of a superior performance transport protocol in a wireless sensor networks.


Collectables are often considered as an alternative to stocks for investing. Technological advancements have facilitated collectible investment, allowing information to be transferred worldwide between millions of investors in electronic markets such as online auctions. This research examines the behaviors of these electronic market investors, especially as they compare to traditional stock market investors. This research examines risk and returns in 13,263 auctions involving 755 distinct rare coins collected over 128 days. While stock investors typically ignore risk that can be eliminated through diversification, this research finds evidence that collectible investors who trade in online auctions do not consider diversification over short horizons, but rather they their bid levels include diversifiable risk adjustments, supporting a contention that typical online auction collectible investors view collectibles as stand-alone assets, differing from typical the stock investor's perspective that diversifiable risk can be ignored when an investment is added to a collection or portfolio.


The fruiting body and culture broth of many edible mushrooms contain water-soluble polysaccharides. Numerous researchers have reported that these polysaccharides have immunoenhancing effects. In this study, Hericium erinaceus and Hericium laciniatum were separately cultivated in a shaker at 25 degrees C for 25 days. Polysaccharides were extracted from the culture broth. The molecular weights were larger than 1 x 10(5) k Da and their polysaccharide components were mainly glucose in H. erinaceus and galactose in H. laciniatum. Furthermore, we investigated these two purified water-soluble polysaccharides for their anti-artificial pulmonary metastatic tumor and immunoenhancing effects in ICR mice. The results revealed that both polysaccharides had significant anti-artificial pulmonary metastatic tumor effects in mice (p < 0.05). Additionally, the polysaccharide from H. erinaceus was more effective than that from H. laciniatum. However, both of the polysaccharides enhanced the increase of T cells and macrophages. The numbers of CD4+ cells and macrophages were significantly higher in the test group than in the control group (p < 0.05). From our results, no differences were found between the two purified water-soluble polysaccharides in the antitumor effects and immunoenhancing activities (p > 0.05).


In this work an aeroelastic model that describes the interaction between aerodynamics and drivetrain dynamics of a large horizontal-axis wind turbine is presented. Traditional designs for wind turbines are based on the output of specific aeroelastic simulation codes. The output of these codes gives the loads acting on the wind turbine components caused by external forces such as the wind, the electricity grid and ( for offshore applications) sea waves. Since the focus in the traditional codes lies mainly on the rotor loads and the dynamic behavior of the overall wind turbine, the model of the drive train in the wind turbine is reduced to only a few degrees of freedom. This means that, for the design of the drive train, the simulated load time series need to be further processed to applied loads on the individual components, such as gears and bearings. Furthermore, the limitation of the model implies that vibrations of these internal drive train components are not taken into account and, as a consequence, dynamic loads on these components cannot be simulated. In this effort an aerodynamical model based on the non-linear and unsteady vortex-lattice method is used to compute the aerodynamic loads and their evolution in the space and the time domains, considering multiple aerodynamic interactions among blades, wakes, hub, nacelle, support tower, ground and land-surface boundary layer. All these in combination affect substantially the total efficiency of the turbine. In addition, a flexible multibody model for the drivetrain is developed as a way to include directly the high speed shaft's (which connects the gear box and generator) flexibility. For the inter-model combination, a strong interaction scheme based on the fourth order Hamming predictor-corrector method is used. The models and the interaction scheme are implemented in a computational tool; using this tool, the behavior of the turbine in the starting initial regime is investigated considering different laws of brake releasing. The capability to simulate these phenomena is a novel aspect in the present effort.


Further study of the subcellular localization of a preneoplastic antigen in hyperplastic liver nodules and primary hepatocellular carcinoma induced in rats by acetylaminofluorene has been pursued. Antisera against four subcellular fractions, cytosol, smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, and free polysomes, were obtained in rabbits and were used to assay for the presence of the antigen by immunodiffusion. The preneoplastic antigen, Antigen 1, appearing as a sharp precipitin line, is located predominantly, if not exclusively, in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum fraction of hyperplastic nodules and hepatomas. It appears after about 3 weeks of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding and persists throughout the carcinogenic process in nodules and hepatomas. A second antigen, antigen 2, appears in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of nodules after 13 weeks of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding but gradually disappears on discontinuation of exposure to the carcinogen after 20 weeks. This antigen, appearing as a more diffuse precipitin line, becomes demonstrable in rough endoplasmic reticulum as well but only after stripping off the ribosomes. The presence and distribution of preneoplastic antigen during carcinogenesis as revealed by immunodiffusion was similar when a more sensitive assay, microcomplement fixation, was used. The preneoplastic antigen appears to be a potentially useful marker for alterations in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum that may be related to the development of liver cancer.


The Approach to transfer data format from CAD to GIS is researched. The method based on SuperMap, which is considered better by being analyzed the data format transformation method based ArcGIS, FME, GEOWAY and SuperMap, can maintain the geometric element integrality, support adding the attribute data of GIS, and support the data format of China GIS software. The method for data format transformation from CAD to GIS based on SuperMap is studied, while the study object is the CAD data of transport infrastructure provided from Jilin City. The application result shows that the method for data format transformation from CAD to GIS based on SuperMap can realize the data format transformation work better, such as the transformation of geometric elements, coordinate system conversion, layer alignment, layer topology processing and layer label.


Although many guidance documents have been developed to inform the design and operation of building water systems to ensure safe water quality, there is a lack of consensus on some topics. This study interviewed 22 subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify topics of concern for managing water quality in buildings and compared SME views with information available on these topics in 15 systematically screened important guidance documents. The study found 18 design and 11 operational topics as critical for managing water quality in buildings. No one guidance document addressed all these topics, suggesting that a compendium of available guidance is needed. SMEs most frequently recommended temperature and residual disinfectant measurements as good parameters for monitoring overall building water quality. Both SME and guidance document recommendations for temperature for controlling opportunistic pathogen growth were reasonably consistent with water heater setpoint >60 °C. However, hot water temperature recommendations varied between 50 and 55 °C for other locations (i.e., the water temperature at the tap or end of the return loop). On the contrary, recommendations for disinfectant residual levels (0.2–2.0 mg/L), flushing frequency (1–14 days), and allowable time for hot water to reach the tap (10–60 s) were not consistent. While this study was able to reconcile diverging views on some of the water quality topics, such as identifying common guidance for water heater set point to at least 60 °C, it also highlights lack of definitive guidance on other critical topics, such as residual level, flushing frequency, hot water time to tap, and the use of thermostatic mixing valves, indicating that these are significant knowledge gaps that need further investigation. The study concludes that there is a need for developing evidence-based guidance, particularly on the topics where expert opinions diverged.


The brain serves as the center of the nervous system. Physiologically, it centralized control over the other organs of the body and acts on the rest of the body both by generating patterns of muscle activity and by driving the secretion of hormones. In the present ultrastructural investigations, we undertake to figure out the subcellular impact of Lanthanum (La) on brain of Wistar rats after its intraperitoneal injection under soluble solution. Our data, using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), attempted to locate that the administered element was selectively concentrated under insoluble form within the lysosome of nerve cells with their axons and oligodendrocytes from brain ultrathin sections of lanthanum treated rats. While, neither electron dense surcharge, nor ultrastructural modifications were identified in brain ultrathin sections from rats given intraperitoneal saline solution. In addition to the presence of lanthanum deposits in the nerve and oligodendrocytes cells, visible changes in tissue and cells such as histology one involving cytoplasmic vacuolization and rarefication, marked expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial damages were also identified as consequences of the presence of lanthanum. Although during our experiments we found that there were cases of death weight loss and mother's abortions. These results speculated the toxicity of lanthanum at the used dose. The observed signs of toxicity allowed concluding that the important role of lysosomes in the sequestration of this element under an insoluble form in all categories of cells in the studied tissues does not seem to be efficient.


Abstract : This research centered on the treatment of aqueous solutions of hydrazine (H), monomethylhydrazine (MMH), and unsymmetrical DIMETHYLHYDRAZINEUDMH by ozone. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effect of solution concentration and pH, the two catalysts ultraviolet (UV) light and ultrasonics, reactor inlet ozone gas phase concentration and superficial gas velocity. The objectives of this research were (1) to establish the stoichiometry and kinetics of the ozone oxidation of H, MMH, and UDMH in aqueous solution; (2) to identify the partial oxidation products from the ozone oxidation of hydrazine fuels; (3) to accomplish toxicity testing of the ozone treated wastewaters with fathead minnows and Daphnia magna.


The radiation decomposition of pure CO2 in the absence of added scavengers has been studied at high dose rates using protons from a Van de Graaff accelerator. Primary decomposition yields G(CO)= 4.25±0.25 and G(O2)= 2.24±0.1 have been measured in a fast flow system. Irradiations under static conditions have shown that these yields are obtained when the concentrations of products in the irradiated gas are < 4% of the relevant steady-state concentrations. Supporting work on the 14CO/CO2 radiation-induced exchange reaction confirms these primary yields and demonstrates the importance of a species derived from molecular O2 in initiating the radiation-induced back reaction involving the oxidation of CO.


Abstract Purpose: This study was conducted to compare a three-dimensional (3D) fusion image navigation system (FINS) with ultrasound (US) for guiding percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA) for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and methods: This is a retrospective, non-randomized, comparative study. Our team developed a 3D FINS and used it to guide PMWAs for HCCs in 19 patients (3D group) and compared the results to those of 24 PMWAs guided by US (US group). The complete ablation rate of the first session, the local tumor progression (LTP), intrahepatic recurrence and disease-free survival were compared between the groups. Results: The 3D FINS was successfully applied in all 19 patients. The mean size of HCCs was 4.14 cm ±0.95 in 3D the group and 4.07 cm ±0.91 in the US group. Major complications were identified at 5.3% in the 3D group and 4.2% in the US group (p = .865). Average time of image fusion was 404.53 ± 161.84 s. There were more antenna insertions in the 3D group (3.68 ± 1.57) than in the US group (2.71 ± 1.12) (p = .02). The complete ablation rate of the first session was higher in the 3D group (94.7%) than in the US group (62.5%) (p = .034). The mean follow-up period was 11.4 months ±4.9 in the 3D group and 9.8 months ±5.5 in the US group. There were no significant differences in technique efficacy rate and LTP rate between the two groups. Conclusions: The 3D FINS could be a safe, feasible and effective technique for guiding PMWA of HCC, which could help an operator improve the complete ablation rate of the first session.


This paper presents a methodology for radiometric cross-calibration of the solar reflective spectral bands of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Chinese Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (CMODIS) sensors based on analysis of two difference time image pair for Dunhuang test site on July 27, 2002. With the well-calibrated MODIS as a reference, we derive top-of-atmosphere(TOA) reflectance using MODIS data and then use these TOA reflectance to compute TOA radiance for CMODIS taking into account the effect of spectral band different and the changes in solar zenith angle due to any temporal differences in the overpass times as well as differences in the view angles between the sensors. This TOA radiance, which is correlated with the sensor digital number (DN) output, determines the in-flight calibration coefficients of CMODIS. The relatively error between the cross-calibration and the reflectance-based method calibration results is within 9%.


From the end of April to the end of August, 1958, Ching-tung (景东) and Li-chiang (丽江) Yunnan, were selected as the major localities for field study of amphibian fauna and side trips were made to Ta-li (大理), Pin-chuan (宾川), Kunming (昆明), Ho-kou (河口) and Pingpien (屏边). Four species of Caudata belonging to 4 genera, 2 families and 45 species of Salientia belonging to 14 genera and 7 families were collected, to which there are 8 new provincial records (Batrathuperus species, Cynops orientalis, Scutiger rugosa, Megophrys oneimontis, Megophrys oshanensis, Rana taipchemis, Rana adcnopleura, Suurois mantzorum), 5 new records for China (Megophrys palpebralespinata, Rhacophorus feac, Rhacophorus mulus, Philautus palp-cbralis, Philautus gracills), and 4 new species (Bombina microdeladigitora, Mfgophyrs giganticus, Rana maculoia, Rana unculuanus).Bombina microdeladigitora sp. nov.Type: No. 583158, adult male, collected from Huang-tsiao-ling, Ching-tung, Yunnan, altitude 2,240 m., June 15, 1958.Diagnosis: A distinct new species related to Bombina maxima but distinguished from the latter by the following characters: Webs between the toes slightly indicated, black spines scattered in small groups on the throat and the chest; black color dominant on the ventral side of the body. In the male of Eombma maxima, the toes fully webbed, black spines aggregated into two distinct patches, on the bides of the chest, black and red varicgations about equal in proportion on the ventral side of the body.Description of the type: Body length 77 mm.; head broader than long; snout rounded and high, canthus rostralis indistinct; loreal region slightly oblique; nostrils small, located on anterio- dorsal side of the snout and nearer to the tip of the snout; internasal space larger than the inter-orbital space but smaller than the width of the upper eye-lid; tympanum hidden; tongue large and oval, adhereing to the floor of the mouth cavity; two oval vomerine teeth nearly meeting each other in between and behind the level of the choanae.Arms long; fingers short, flattened especially conspicuous near their bases, tips rounded; third finger the longest, the second the fourth subequal in length, the first finger the shortest; fingers with distinct fringes near their bases, forming web-like structures; no subarticular tubercle, inner palmer tubercle prominent. Legs short, tibio-tarsal articulation reaching the shoulder region, when placed at right angles to the body, tibio-tarsal articulation not meeting; the length of the tibia about 40% of the body length; toes somewhat flattened, third to longer than the fifth toe, webs slightly indicated; no subarticular tubercle; inner metatarsal tubercle small and flattened, no outer metatarsal tubercle.Skin very rough, large and small warts scattered on the whole dorsum of the head, body and limbs, the snout and the lateral sides of the head, the body and the limbs being much smoother; 4 larger elongated warts arranged in a X mark on the shoulder region and with a large pnrotoid gland posterior to the eye; small black spines scattered in between the warts; light-colored granules evenly scattered on the whole throat and the chest, only a small number of black spines located on or in between the scattered granules but never forming two distinct patches on the chtst region; belly smooth. Small black spines crowded on the inner side of the lower arm and the inner dorsal sides of the three inner fingers.When alive, the dorsum greenish with blackish brown marks along the warts, black vertical bjrs on the jaws and one wide bkck bar on each thigh; black patterns dormment with much less orange-red marks on the ventrum, After preserved, the greenish color changed into dark gray with an indication of brown and the orange-red turned into white.Megophrys giganticus sp. nov.Type: No. 581539, adult female, collected from Hsin-ming-hsiang, Chingtung, Yunnan, 2,120 m. altitude, June 2nd. 1958.Diagnosis: A distinct new species of Meguphrys closely related to Megophrys shapingcnsis, but with a regular row of small tooth-like tu


Simple Summary Ecuador is considered a biodiversity reserve in which 951 native freshwater species of fish are recognized. Most of them have not been characterized and are endemic, inhabiting fragile ecosystems and presenting an endangered situation. In this work, chame was morphostructurally characterized; sex and production systems (cultured and wild) were considered factors of variation. This research represents a first step towards the development of breeding and conservation plans for this native zoogenetic resource. Abstract Ecuador, a country exhibiting large developments in fish farming, has a great variety of freshwater native fish. Among these fish is the Dormitator latifrons or chame, which has characteristics that make its farming prone to occur at a quite-developed stage. However, morphological characterization is required to establish a conservation program. In this study, 300 chames were captured in the Manabi province (Ecuador) to analyze their morphostructural model and to evaluate the effects of sex and the production system through multivariant techniques. The fish from the farm presented morphological measurements that were statistically (p < 0.05) higher than those of wild fish. Males were taller, longer, and wider than females, although the differences were not significant (p > 0.05). The percentage of correct adscription was 84%, with larger errors in wild fish. The morphostructural model had a high homogeneity, with 89.95% significant correlations (p < 0.05), and wild male and female fish were more homogeneous. The farm fish were larger because of the higher food availability. Moreover, the species exhibited sexual dimorphism, although there were no great differences in the morphometric measurements. This study shows the great biodiversity that naturally exists in Ecuadorian rivers. Therefore, it is of great interest to develop a chame breeding and conservation program.


Comparative analysis between salmeterol xinafoate (SX) powders was carried out to define quantitatively the solid-state and surface particle properties relevant to formulation of these materials into dry powder respiratory drug delivery systems. SX powders were prepared in supercritical CO 2 using a single-step crystallization process (Solution Enhanced Dispersion by Supercritical fluids, SEDS™), the volume mean diameter and deagglomeration behaviour of pure drug compound were optimised for respiratory applications. This compound together with reference samples of starting granulated material and micronised powder were used in analytical studies which involved assessment of polymorphic purity and crystallinity (domain size and strain) using high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction, determination of powder surface energetics using inverse gas chromatography (IGC), electrostatic charge and adhesion measurements. The supercritically-processed powders showed low surface energy, low strain, higher crystallinity and higher polymorphic purity than both granulated and micronised powders and resulted in reduced agglomeration, electrostatic charge and adhesion of this powder.


More than ninety percent of the latex produced in India is converted into ribbed smoked sheets (RSS) which is the oldest method of processing, widely adopted by rubber growers due to its simplicity and  minimal cost of processing. The country has established over 500 group processing centers under rubber producer's society with an aim of producing quality rubber sheets. Sheet rubber processing involves various stages viz. sieving, bulking, standardization, coagulation of latex, sheeting, dripping and drying in a smoke house. Firewood is used as fuel in the biomass furnace attached to the smoke house, which is a traditional practice of drying in the rubber processing industry. Bioenergy generated during the treatment of latex processing effluent is also used in smoke houses as alternative energy. In order to monitor the energy efficiency in a conventional smoke house, heat balance and pollution level were studied. The smoke house (5.46 x 3.35 x 4.64 m) temperature at different points was monitored for heat loss assessment and heat distribution pattern in upper, middle and lower convective zones. The temperature was found to vary between 43 to 63 o C during the entire smoke drying process. It was observed that drying RSS of 750 kg per batch in the smoke house consumed 3550 MJ for the required moisture content of 0.5 % within 70 h (4 days) during non-rainy hours. Out of the total heat energy supplied, only 858.5 MJ (24.2 %) of the input heat was utilized and the rest was lost in stored energy, 420 MJ (12%) walls and door loss, 881 MJ (25.1%) exhaust loss, 1240 MJ (34.5%) moisture in fuel, 106.5 MJ (3.0%) and the rest 42.6 MJ (1.2%) being unaccountable. Isothermal contour was drawn for the temperature distribution inside the smoke house at different altitude points. Higher temperature was maintained at the upper convective zone, which led to maximum heat loss through chimneys. Average daily biogas generated was 10 cum from 5000 liters of effluent processed and the biogas fuel was retrofitted in the smoke furnace for an average of 4 hours as heat supplement (703 MJ). Firewood reduction of 26 kg (19.8%) was achieved with alternate biogas fuel for the drying process. The composition of exhaust gas emission was found to be CO 2 (5.5 %), CO(8.5 %), O 2 (14 %) and SOx and NOx (<1 %), the greenhouse gases leading to global warming. Altering air supply and providing proper insulation in the smoke house are recommended for considerable reduction of heat loss and greenhouse gases. Switching over to cleaner, renewable energy sources for drying RSS is also recommended for environmental sustainability in rubber processing industries . Keywords: b iogas, e mission, h eat balance, RSS, r ubber processing, s moke house, t emperature


Image compression using memoryless vector quantization (VQ), in which small blocks (vectors) of pixels are independently encoded, has been demonstrated to be an effective technique for achieving bit rates above 0.6 bits per pixel (bpp). To maintain the same quality at lower rates, it is necessary to exploit spatial redundancy over a larger region of pixels than is possible with memoryless VQ. This can be achieved by incorporating memory of previously encoded blocks into the encoding of each successive input block. Finite-state vector quantization (FSVQ) employs a finite number of states, which summarize key information about previously encoded vectors, to select one of a family of codebooks to encode each input vector. In this paper, we review the basic ideas of VQ and extend the finite-state concept to image compression. We introduce a novel for-mulation of the state and state-transition rule that uses a perceptually based edge classifier. We also examine the use of interpolation in conjunction with VQ with finite memory. Coding results are presented for monochrome images in the bit-rate range of 0.24 to 0.32 bpp. The results achieved with finite memory are comparable to those of memoryless VQ at 0.6 bpp and show that there are significant gains to be obtained by enhancing the basic VQ approach with interblock memory.


This book is targeted at a broad audience, but in a nutshellto anyone who wants to learn more about survivability of web content. Ensuring survivability of web content has become a hot topic in recent years, and people at different levels in your organization need to understand web content survivability in different ways. This book is for anyone who may have recently heard the term web content survivability for the first time and needs to know what it is and how it helps them. This book is also for security analysts, designers, developers, and all manner of IT professionals. The goals of the book range from just wanting to be able to cut through the hype, to evaluating real-time and distrusted systems against the time, energy, and expense required to leverage them. We have attempted to fill this book with a broad range of resources and information. This book explains some of the nuts and bolts of web content survivability and how organizations can satisfy the survivability of distributed system in case any fault might be occurred. The question then arises, what do you do when a altered web content has been detected?


Abstract— NWA 1950 is a new lherzolitic shergottite recently recovered from Morocco and is the first sample of this group found outside Antarctica. Major constituent phases of NWA 1950 are olivine, pyroxenes, and plagioclase glass ("maskelynite") and the rock shows a two distinct textures: poikilitic and non‐poikilitic typical of lherzolitic shergottites. In poikilitic areas, several‐millimeter‐sized pyroxene oikocrysts enclose cumulus olivine and chromite. In contrast, pyroxenes are much smaller in non‐poikilitic areas, and olivine and plagioclase glass are more abundant. Olivine in non‐poikilitic areas is more Fe‐rich (Fa29–31) and shows a narrower distribution than that in poikilitic areas (Fa23–29). Pyroxenes in non‐poikilitic areas are also more Fe‐rich than those in poikilitic areas that show continuous chemical zoning suggesting fractional crystallization under a closed system. These observations indicate that pyroxene in non‐poikilitic areas crystallized from evolved interstitial melts and olivine was re‐equilibrated with such melts. NWA 1950 shows similar mineralogy and petrology to previously known lherzolitic shergottites (ALH 77005, LEW 88516, Y‐793605 and GRV 99027) that are considered to have originated from the same igneous body on Mars. Olivine composition of NWA 1950 is intermediate between those of ALH 77005‐GRV 99027 and those of LEW 88516‐Y‐793605, but is rather similar to ALH 77005 and GRV 99027. The subtle difference of mineral chemistry (especially, olivine composition) can be explained by different degrees of re‐equilibration compared to other lherzolitic shergottites, perhaps due to different location in the same igneous body. Thus, NWA 1950 experienced a high degree of re‐equilibration, similar to ALH 77005 and GRV 99027.


Zeolite is one of the most useful natural resources in Indonesian chemical industries. Natural zeolite has been explored greatly so that the quantity getting lesser and lesser. The synthetic one has been greatly used in industries but in Indonesia, it is rarely produced, generally it is imported. There are many advantages of zeolite X, i.e. as a catalyst, adsorbent, gas separation, ion exchanger, petrochemical, and detergent. Due to these advantages, it is necessary to run this experiment. The objectives of this experiments is determining optimal operating conditions of synthesizing zeolite X from alum and waterglass with two independents variables, they are operating temperature, and NaOH 50%/waterglass ratio. The method used in determining the optimal condition of each variables is Response Surface Methodology (RSM). X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was employed in product characterization. Product is also tested as an Fe adsorbent. From this experiment obtained empirical model fitted to the experiment results, while the optimal conditions which deliver maximum Fe adsorption percentage is at operating temperature and NaOH 50%/waterglass ratio 92.3 o C and 1.85, respectively. © 2006 CREG. All rights reserved.


Qualitative composition of the population of Bacillus brevis was found to depend on growth conditions. Under optimum aeration conditions for growth of the culture and biosynthesis of gramicidin C, the population was polymorphous and contained cells and spores of different age. No spores and prospores were found in the culture in conditions of weak and strong aeration. The population consisted only of young, intensively coloured cells with homogeneous or weakly differentiated content in conditions of strong aeration. Cells with the differentiated protoplasm containing large, distinctly seen vacuoles were found in conditions of weak aeration. Gramicidin C was synthesized by young cells with basophilic homogeneous or weakly differentiated protoplasm.


This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for improving power efficiency of display devices. In some implementations, a display controller receives data indicative of a plurality of pixel values included in an image frame and derives a plurality of initial component color subfields. The display controller then derives a composite color subfield including a plurality of common composite color intensity values assigned to respective pixel blocks. Each pixel block is associated with a plurality of pixels. The display controller derives a plurality of updated component color subfields based on the initial component color subfields and the composite color subfield.


The marine algae Gelidium amansii is one of the important edible marine red algae having many biomedical applications. In this study, the red algae of Gelidium amansii were analysed for their antibacterial activity and antifungal activity against organisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus. The antimicrobial susceptibility test for the isolates by agar well diffusion method using following acetone, ethanol, and methanol-toluene. The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and Minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) using the following extracts. The results are showing the antibacterial and antifungal activity of red algae is good.


: The oxygen-transport function of blood in hyperoxia and acute disturbances of the acid-alkali condition was studied in "oxygenator--desoxygenator" as a model. It has been established that in acidosis there occurs decreased intensity of glycolysis in erythrocytes, accumulation of 2,3 diphosphoglyceric acid which decreases affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen. It does not occur in alcalosis.


Background: Intracranial aneurysm wall degradation can be associated with lipid infiltration. However, the relationship between lipid infiltration and aneurysm rupture has not been explored quantitatively. To investigate the correlation between lipid infiltration and aneurysm rupture, we utilized patient-specific simulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transport to analyze lipid infiltration in the cerebral aneurysm wall. Methods: Sixty-two aneurysms were analyzed. Patient blood pressure, plasma LDL concentration, and three-dimensional angiographic images were obtained to simulate LDL transport in aneurysms. Morphological, hemodynamic, and lipid accumulation parameters were compared between ruptures and unruptured groups. Multivariate logistic regression was also performed to determine parameters that are independently associated with rupture. Results: Size ratio, wall shear stress, low shear area, relative residence time, area-averaged LDL infiltration rate, and maximum LDL infiltration rate were significant parameters in univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that only average LDL infiltration remained as a significant variable (P < 0.05). The prediction model derived showed good performance for rupture prediction (AUC, 0.885; 95% CI, 0.794–0.976). Conclusions: Ruptured aneurysms showed significantly higher LDL infiltration compared to unruptured ones. Our results suggested that lipid infiltration may promote aneurysm rupture. Lipid infiltration characteristics should be considered when assessing aneurysm rupture risk.


Abstract The aim was to investigate the antibacterial activity of various acids and adhesives with and without antibacterial components against Streptococcus mutans. The antibacterial activities of 35% phosphoric acid (Ultra-Etch), 37% phosphoric acid with benzalkonium chloride (Etch-37), adhesive with chlorhexidine (Peak Universal Bond) and without any agent (PQ1) were investigated by agar-diffusion test. The inhibition-zones were measured after 48 h of incubation. For the tooth-cavity model test; cylindrical cavities were prepared on occlusal dentin surfaces of human molars and divided into four groups (n = 10 cavity/group). Group 1: Ultra-Etch + Peak Universal Bond, Group 2: Ultra-Etch + PQ1, Group 3: Etch-37 + PQ1 were applied. The fourth group without any agent application served as control. The teeth were immersed in 5.8 × 106 cfu/ml of S. mutans solution to infect the cavities for 72 h before the application of the groups. After 72 h, dentin chips were collected from the cavity walls with burs for bacterial counting. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA, Bonferroni and Dunnett C tests (p < 0.05). Ultra-Etch and Etch-37 performed similar antibacterial activities in agar-diffusion test. Both acids showed better antibacterial activity compared to adhesives (p < 0.05). The antibacterial activity of PQ1 and Peak Universal Bond was observed to be inactivated by light-polymerization. According to the tooth-cavity model; Group I, II, and III demonstrated reduction in bacterial number and there was no significant difference between them. Antibacterial component additions in etchant and adhesive did not show superior antibacterial activity against S. mutans in both in vitro tests.


An adequate initial structure plays an important role in achieving a high-quality hyper-numerical-aperture (NA) catadioptric objective for an immersion lithography tool. A multi-step alternative grouping design method is innovated to achieve a feasible aspherical initial structure of the hyper-NA objective. The objective is first divided into three groups: the object-side group (G1), the middle group (G2), and the image-side group (G3), and then each group is designed separately. To guarantee the effective connection of these separate groups, G1 and G2 or G2 and G3 are connected as G12 or G32 on the object or image side with an aspherical structure. Then, through ray tracing in the forward path and the reverse path, G2 will be recalculated to a new aspherical structure, and the hybrid iterating process will be adopted to get a better G2 and to better connect the whole system. Finally, G1 and the new G2 and G3 are connected as a feasible aspherical initial structure of the hyper-NA catadioptric objective, which can be considered a good starting point for further optimization. A high-performance catadioptric objective with a hyper-NA of 1.35 was designed by the proposed method.


In the past, pre-large fast-updated sequential pattern trees (pre-large FUSP tree) were proposed for efficiently mining large sequences for record insertion and deletion, respectively. In this paper, we thus proposed a maintenance approach for efficiently maintaining pre-large FUSP trees and effectively deriving desired large sequences when data in databases are modified. Experimental results also show that the proposed algorithm has a better performance in execution time.


The ability of Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea to perform N-glycosylation underlies the importance and possible antiquity of this post-translational protein modification. However, in contrast to the relatively well-studied eukaryal and bacterial pathways, the archaeal N-glycosylation process is less understood. To remedy this disparity, the following study has examined 56 available archaeal genomes with the aim of identifying glycosyltransferases and oligosaccharyltransferases, including those putatively catalyzing this post-translational processing event. This analysis reveals that while oligosaccharyltransferases, central components of the N-glycosylation pathway, are found across the range of archaeal phenotypes, the N-glycosylation machinery of hyperthermophilic Archaea may well rely on fewer components than do the parallel systems of nonhyperthermophilic Archaea. Moreover, genes encoding predicted glycosyltransferases of hyperthermophilic Archaea tend to be far more scattered within the genome than is the case with nonhyperthermophilic species, where putative glycosyltransferase genes are often clustered around identified oligosaccharyltransferase-encoding sequences.


Bare-root daughter plants of strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) were inoculated with Colletotrichum acutatum, the cause of crown rot, root rot, and fruit rot of strawberry in California. Plants were subsequently dipped in fungicide solutions or washed with running tap water immediately before planting in Summer and Fall 2002 and Fall 2004. Fungicide treatments reduced plant dieback by up to 92% in fruit production fields. Plants treated with azoxystrobin, the premixtures of boscalid + pyraclostrobin and cyprodinil + fludioxonil had 50% to 92% reduction in disease incidence, increased canopy size by more than 100%, and produced significantly higher marketable yields in all planting dates than the inoculated plants that were not treated with the fungicides. Chlorothalonil and captan also significantly reduced disease incidence but did not consistently increase marketable yield compared with the untreated, inoculated control. The effects of propiconazole and trifloxystrobin were inconsistent in reducing disease incidence. Water wash did not reduce root and crown disease incidence but significantly increased marketable yields by 13% over the untreated, inoculated controls in one of two plantings. No pretransplant treatments provided protection against fruit and foliar infection; thus, in-season fungicide applications would be necessary for disease control in commercial production fields if environmental conditions favored disease development.


We report evidence for the simultaneous production of J/ψ and ϒ mesons in 8.1  fb^{-1} of data collected at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab pp[over ¯] Tevatron Collider. Events with these characteristics are expected to be produced predominantly by gluon-gluon interactions. In this analysis, we extract the effective cross section characterizing the initial parton spatial distribution, σ_{eff}=2.2±0.7(stat)±0.9(syst)  mb.


BACKGROUND
Breast cancer is the leading form of cancer in women, which is also hormone-dependent. Depend-ing on the receptor expression these cancers are subdivided to different forms; among the receptors, estrogen, progesterone, and Her2 are important. Targeting breast cancer (BC) has been difficult due to their varied nature; however, various Phyto-compounds, especially those are having estrogen-like properties, has been proven to be effective.

OBJECTIVE
The present review is aimed to provide a detailed description of various Phytocompounds inhibiting breast cancer proliferation and progression; emphasize has been given to the role of phytoestrogens with their molecular mechanism of action.

METHODS
The data were collected from reputed databases such as PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct, Eu-rekaselect etc. Data on the phytoestrogens were collected using individual names and "phytoestrogens" as keywords. Arti-cles published in journals, which are not indexed by Thomson Reuters (SCI/SCIE/ESCI) are omitted.

RESULTS
Natural products are important drug candidates against multiple forms of breast cancer. In addition to the initiation and proliferation events, these molecules inhibit epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis of BC. Phy-toestrogens are an important class of compounds which has known estrogenic potential; studies have also indicated the anticancer potentials of these molecules in cell culture and animal models of BC.

CONCLUSION
Natural plant compounds, especially, phytoestrogens are promising anti-breast cancer agents by inducing cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy-mediated cell death. However, more clinical studies are necessary to up these mole-cules are commercial drug molecules.


Background. Exposure to armed conflict and forced displacement constitute significant risks for mental health. Existing evidence-based psychological interventions have limitations for scaling-up in low-resource humanitarian settings. The WHO has developed a guided self-help intervention, Self Help Plus (SH+), which is brief, implemented by non-specialists, and designed to be delivered to people with and without specific mental disorders. This paper outlines the study protocol for an evaluation of the SH+ intervention in northern Uganda, with South Sudanese refugee women. Methods. A two-arm, single-blind cluster-randomised controlled trial will be conducted in 14 villages in Rhino Camp refugee settlement, with at least 588 women experiencing psychological distress. Villages will be randomly assigned to receive either SH+ with enhanced usual care (EUC), or EUC alone. SH+ is a five-session guided self-help intervention delivered in workshops with audio-recorded materials and accompanying pictorial guide. The primary outcome is reduction in overall psychological distress over time, with 3 months post-treatment as the primary end-point. Secondary outcomes are self-defined psychosocial concerns, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, feelings of anger, interethnic relations, psychological flexibility, functional impairment and subjective wellbeing. Psychological flexibility is a hypothesised mediator, and past trauma history and intervention attendance will be explored as potential moderators. Discussion. This trial will provide important information on the effectiveness of a scalable, guided self-help intervention for improving psychological health and wellbeing among people affected by adversity. Trial Registration: ISRCTN50148022; registered 13/03/2017.


Compared to the number of genes available for study of both younger and older divergences, few genes have yet been identified that can strongly resolve phylogenetic splits of Mesozoic age ( approximately 65-250 mya). Thus, reconstruction of Mesozoic-age phylogenies, exemplified by basal divergences within the major orders of holometabolous insects, is likely to be especially dependent on combining multiple lines of evidence. This study tests the potential of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene for reconstructing Mesozoic-aged divergences within the insect order Lepidoptera and its ability when combined with a second, previously analyzed nuclear gene (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, PEPCK) to strongly resolve these relationships. 18S sequences were obtained for 21 taxa, representing major clades of Lepidoptera plus outgroups from the other "panorpoid orders. A well-corroborated morphology-based "test phylogeny was used to evaluate the effects of partitioning the 18S gene according to variable versus conserved domains, paired versus unpaired sites in the secondary structure, and transition versus transversion substitutions. Likelihood and unweighted parsimony analyses of the 18S data recover the "test phylogeny" almost completely, with no improvement of agreement or support provided by any form of weighting or partitioning. No conflict in signal between 18S and PEPCK was detected by the partition homogeneity test. Combined parsimony analysis yielded strong bootstrap support for nearly all relationships, much higher than for either gene alone, thereby also providing strong evidence on several hypotheses about the early evolution of lepidopteran-plant interactions. These genes in combination may be widely useful for resolving insect divergences of comparable age.


Context . Galaxy clusters provide a multitude of observational data across wavelengths, and their structure and morphology are of considerable interest in cosmology as well as astrophysics. Aims . We develop a framework that allows the combination of lensing and non-lensing observations in a free-form and mesh-free approach to infer the projected mass distribution of individual galaxy clusters. This method can be used to test common assumptions on the morphology of clusters in parametric models. Methods . We make use of the lensing reconstruction code S a WL ens 2, and expand its capabilities by incorporating an estimate of the projected gravitational potential based on X-ray data that are deprojected using the local Richardson–Lucy method and used to infer the Newtonian potential of the cluster. We discuss how potentially arising numerical artefacts can be treated. Results . We demonstrate the feasibility of our method on a simplified mock Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) halo and on a cluster from a realistic hydrodynamical simulation. We show how the combination of X-ray and weak lensing data can a ff ect a free-form reconstruction, improving the accuracy in the central region in some cases by a factor of two.


Abstract Objectives. The deformability of erythrocytes is their ability to change shape in order to pass through the capillaries. Th is is necessary for quality of microcirculation and sufficient delivery of oxygen to the tissues. Th e aim of our study was to investigate the possible spontaneous changes in the erythrocyte deformability during day and evaluation of the possible direct effects of melatonin (hormone involved in regulation of biorhythms) on the erythrocyte deformability. Methods. Samples of capillary blood were taken from 12 healthy volunteers in the morning (8:00) and early in the evening (16:30). Determination of erythrocyte deformability was done based on the measurement of their filtrability. It was measured immediately aft er the sample collection and 2-hour lasting incubation without or with melatonin (2000 μmol/L). Results. Erythrocyte deformability was significantly lower in the morning (filtrability index: 0.68±0.01 morning vs. 0.71±0.01 early evening, p<0.05). Th e incubation of blood samples with melatonin did not have impact on deformability. Conclusions. We suggest the presence of diurnal changes in erythrocyte deformability with worse values in the morning that may contribute to higher risk of ischemic attacks in the morning hours. Direct in vitro effect of melatonin on deformability was not observed, but possible in vivo effects cannot be excluded.


The specimens involved in this paper include 3 males,2 females captured from Lu Quan County,China and are deposited as the anatomic examples in order to observe the arterial system under the surgical microscope.The results are as follows:The arterial system indicates evolutionary position of the animal.The characters of this animal are different from other animals,particular in primates,on the following respects:1.There are three branches on arcus aortae (anonyma,left common carotid and subclavian arteries),which are similar to the A type shown in the other primates;2.Stapedial artery including the superior branch (the thick one) and the inferior branches (the slendr one) are observed;3.Willis circle exist;4.Four branches originated from subclavian artery,whick are the vertebral branch,suprascapular branch,deep cervical and costo-cervical trunk;5.There are two trunks resulted from axillary artery,I.e.the common trunks consisting of thoraco-acromial,the lateral thoracic arteries,and those consisting circumflex humerus artery and subscapular artery;6.Brachial artery gives off only a branch,accompanied by ulnar nerves in the anterior arm,which becomes slender ulnar artery;7.In the anterior arm,brachial artery continue to become the mediana artery,instead of dividing into radial and ulnar arteries;8.Mediana artery gives off as four arteriae digitales palmares communes and no true palmar arch exists.But the most ulnaris arteries by the ulna communicate with the descend slender ulnar artery following the ulnar nerves;9.Common iliac artery was not observed,but the distal end of the abdominal aorta divided into the external and internal iliac arteries;10.Being smaller and slender,ischiac artery distribute in the muscules of posterior aspect of the thigh;11.From femoral artery,two branches are arisen directly.It correspond to its supplying area of the blood,the deep femoral artery existing in the human;12.In order to supply the blood of plantar area,saphenous artery continue to form posterior tibial artery;13.Dorsal pedes artery comes from anterior tibial artery.


In nowadays, hand gestures can be used as a more natural and convenient way for human computer interaction. The direct interface of hand gestures provides us a new way for communicating with the virtual environment. In this paper, we propose a new hand gesture recognition method using self-organizing map (SOM) with datagloves. The SOM method is a type of machine learning algorithm. It deals with the raw data sampled from datagloves as input vectors, and builds a mapping between these uncalibrated data and gesture commands. The results show the average recognition rate and time efficiency when using SOM for dataglove-based hand gesture recognition. A series of tasks in virtual house illustrate the performance of our interaction method based on hand gesture recognition.


Mentoring programs for beginning teachers are designed to retain good teachers by providing them with psychological support and instructional assistance and introducing them to the cultures of the school and the district. Being a mentor also figures prominently in veteran teachers' professional development. An examination of the literature reveals that veteran teachers frequently characterize working closely with beginning teachers as a source of new ideas about curriculum and teaching. Mentors report that mentoring has forced them to be reflective about their own beliefs about teaching, students, learning, and teaching as a career, and provided them with opportunities to validate the experience they have gained over the years. Prospective mentors, however, need early training-and ongoing support as mentors. A major pitfall for mentoring programs is failing to understand the role of mentoring within the broader context of beginning teacher induction; e.g., it is inappropriate to view the primary role of mentors to be the remediation of weak teachers. Moreover, if beginning teachers are not adequately committed to teaching, mentoring may actually lead them out of a teaching career rather than into one. (Contains 19 references.) (ND) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Promises and Pitfalls 1 Promises and Pitfalls for Mentors of Beginning Teachers


Nine members of the Neotropical treeboa genus Corallus occur from Guatemala to south-eastern Brazil and recent studies have provided an inconclusive picture about the relationship between morphology and trophic ecology in these snakes. To construct a more complete picture, we conducted the first study of morphology and diet to consider all nine species. Using adult specimens from museum collections, we examined several morphometric and meristic variables and their possible relationship to Corallus diets. Broadly, we found three basic morphologies within the genus: a short, narrow head and a slender body (C. cookii, C. grenadensis, C. hortulanus, and C. ruschenbergerii), useful for exploiting a wide variety of prey; a relatively stout body with a long, wide head (C. batesii, C. caninus, and C. cropanii) associated with feeding on larger mammalian prey; and an intermediate morphology, found in C. annulatus and C. blombergii, which may be indicative of endotherm generalists. These morphological and dietary patterns exhibit a strong degree of congruence with a recent molecular phylogeny of Corallus and highlight a heretofore unexamined ecological diversification within Corallus. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109, 466–475.


This review highlights the latest research studies about the use of lignocellulosic nanocellulose-based composites in the applications of wastewater treatment and waste-oil remediation. Three types of composites are described, including nanocellulose-based aerogels, nanocellulose-based membranes, and new wood-based morph-genetic materials. The fabrication and modification techniques to prepare these composites are introduced. The effectiveness and efficiency of these composites in the adsorption of heavy metal ions, dyes, and micropollutants, separation of oil and water, and catalytic degradation of organic pollutants are discussed, respectively. In addition, the challenges and opportunities of nanocellulose-based composites in these areas and the future research directions of lignocellulosic nanocellulose composites for wastewater treatment and waste-oil remediation are addressed.


Aim of the study was to compare the distinct types of progressive hematoxylin stains and to optimize the protocols of hematoxylin and eosin staining of blood vessels, heart, liver and spleen. Material and methods . Heart (ventricles), abdominal aorta, liver (right lobe) and spleen (left part) of the Wistar rats were excised, fixed in 10% neutral phosphate buffered formalin for 24 h, washed in tap water for 2 h, dehydrated in ascending ethanol series (70 % 80 %, and 95 %) and isopropanol, embedded into paraffin and then sectioned (5 pm) using rotary microtome. Staining was performed using Mayer's, Gill's, or Carazzi's hematoxylin during 2, 5, or 15 minutes and 1 % alcoholic/aqueous eosin for 2 minutes without differentiative solution. Results were assessed by three independent histologists. Results. All examined progressive hematoxylin stains had their distinctive features. Mayer's hematoxylin demonstrated the most intensive nuclear staining; however, staining for 15 minutes could lead to the bluing of cytoplasm and extracellular matrix. In contrast, Gill's hematoxylin was characterized by less intensive nuclear staining and achieved clear blue-violet shade only after 15 minutes of staining. Carazzi's hematoxylin showed balanced coloration of nuclei and cytoplasm/ extracellular matrix and did not change the red/pink shades of eosin, yet the intensity of nuclear staining was less as compared to Mayer's hematoxylin. Short-term (2 minutes) staining was insufficient to reach intensive nuclear staining. Conclusion. The optimal hematoxylin and eosin staining protocol is to use eosin for 2 minutes following staining by Carazzi's hematoxylin for 15 minutes (for aorta), Carazzi's or Gill's hematoxylin for 15 minutes or Mayer's hematoxylin for 5 minutes (for liver), Carazzi's or Gill's hematoxylin for 15 minutes (for heart), and Carazzi's hematoxylin for 5 minutes (for spleen).


The purpose of the ICRH start-up antenna on MFTF-B is to heat the plasma and control the ion distribution as the density increases during start-up. The antenna, consisting of two center fed half turn loops phased 180/sup 0/ apart, has been designed for 1 MW of input power, with a goal of coupling 400 kW into the ions. To vary the heating frequency relative to the local ion cyclotron frequency, the antenna is tunable over a range from 7.5 to 12.5 MHz. The thermal requirements common to low duty cycle ICRH antennas are especially severe for the MFTF-B antenna. The stress requirements are also unique, deriving from the possibility of seismic activity or JxB forces if the magnets unexpectedly quench. Considerable attention has been paid to contact control at high current bolt-up joints, and arranging geometries so as to minimize the possibility of voltage breakdown.


In long-term daunorubicin treated rabbits increased myocardial accumulation of 99Tcm-pyrophosphate and 99Tcm-gluconate of a varying degree were recorded, visible at gamma camera examination in more than half of the animals. Chronic cardiomyopathy morphologically and topographically different from the ischemic myocardial injury was demonstrated in most animals at light microscopic examination. The myocardial abnormalities were classified in qualitative and quantitative scores and compared with the degree of isotope accumulation. The rabbits receiving a large single dose of daunorubicin had slightly increased isotope accumulation in the myocardium but no histopathologic changes.


the present study analyzes brain hemodynamic concentration of frontal cortex during four cognitive mental tasks. The analysis procedure consists of three sequential steps. First, the strong brain activation regions have been investigated thoroughly from all subjects in order to find a proper electrode location that generates important brain stimuli. Second, a feature extraction method that is based on wavelet transforms and denoising technique for extraction of important task-relevant features. Finally, support vector machines have been using in the classification of mental tasks with wavelet input coefficients. By applying the methodology for 4-subjects in average we achieved 92 % classification rates. However, the results depend on the type of the task that subject were performing. It is expect that the proposed method can be a basic technology for brain-computer interface by combining wavelets with support vector machines.


Liu, L. Y. and Li, H. 2013. Review: Research progress in amur grape, Vitis amurensis Rupr. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 565-575. Vitis amurensis Rupr., which originates in China and has several important traits, such as cold- and disease-resistance, is now commercially cultivated in China. Vitis amurensis has a strong root system and high growth vigor allowing it to survive temperatures as low as -40°C without the need to bury its vines, saving inputs in vineyard management. During growth, V. amurensis vines have high resistance to many diseases, such as grape white rot and grape anthracnose, and are thus often used as a disease-resistant stock as well as the most powerful cold-resistant rootstock to breed materials for novel cultivars. As a wine grape, the fruit fragrance and distinctive taste are unique for making high quality red and sweet wines, which have a brilliant ruby red color, fine fragrance, and a full-bodied and distinctive taste. Vitis amurensis grapes and the wines made from them contain abundant bioactive natural substances, which have important effects on lowering human blood pressure, antioxidation, anti-aging, cardiovascular disease prevention, etc. The present article addresses research progress and the utilization of V. amurensis achieved in the past decades. Further studies are proposed.


In base of the empiric work developed in an organization of the energetic sector and the notions of habit in Geoffrey Hodgson and of habitus in Pierre Bourdieu, this article presents part of the ques- tion: What's the role that plays the workers habitus in the formation of habits that reflect a transfor- mation of the organizational culture? In this direction, it's discussed the affinity between the workers habitus and the cultural development, as factor that strengthens the arrangements of these and contributes to the formation of habits. Also we trace some participant elements in the configuration of habits that constitute the cultural features of organization.


This paper gives insights about examinations of plasmonic nanoparticles and particularly gold nanostar as sign enhancer and contrast agent for clinical imaging and the optical properties of (NPs) of different volume and morphology and the encompassing medium were stood out from affirm that the gold nanostars are the best shape that can Scatter the light, thusly obtaining better and all the most clear clinical imaging. Stars formed gold nanoparticles have a greater surface comparative with its volume and contact surface cross section than spherical and rods shaped nanoparticles, and accordingly act even more firmly as a radiation enhancer. At that point the wavelength of the (SPR) is in the body tissues transparence window, the laser can impact gold nanostars more profound inside the human body. Mathematical outcomes exhibit that the gold nanostar has more powerful Scattering cross section conversely with sphere and rod shaped gold nanoparticles. The largest nanostar displayed better contrast properties for imaging applications, for instance, confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography.


Unraveling the spatiotemporal organization and dynamical interactions of receptors in the plasma membrane remains a key challenge for our mechanistic understanding of cell signal initiation. A paradigm of such process is the oligomerization of TNF receptor CD95 during apoptosis signaling, where molecular configurations are yet to be defined. Here, we scrutinize proposed oligomerization models in live cells, establishing a molecular sensitive imaging toolkit including time-resolved FRET spectroscopy, quantitative STED microscopy, confocal Photobleaching Step Analysis and FCS. CD95 interactions were probed over molecular concentrations of few to ∼ 1000 molecules/µm2, over ns to hours, and molecular to cellular scales. We further established high-fidelity monomer and dimer controls for quantitative benchmarking. Efficient apoptosis was already observed when ∼ 8 to 17% monomeric CD95 oligomerize to dimers/trimers after ligand binding. Our multiscale study highlights the importance of molecular concentrations, of the native environment, and reveals a minimal oligomerization model of CD95 signal initiation.


Nuclear fusion reactions of D-D are examined in an environment comprised of high density cold fuel embedded in metal lattices in which a small fuel portion is activated by hot neutrons. Such an environment provides for enhanced screening of the Coulomb barrier due to conduction and shell electrons of the metal lattice, or by plasma induced by ionizing radiation (\ensuremath{\gamma} quanta). We show that neutrons are far more efficient than energetic charged particles, such as light particles (${e}^{\ensuremath{-}},{e}^{+}$) or heavy particles ($p,d,\ensuremath{\alpha}$) in transferring kinetic energy to fuel nuclei (D) to initiate fusion processes. It is well known that screening increases the probability of tunneling through the Coulomb barrier. Electron screening also significantly increases the probability of large vs small angle Coulomb scattering of the reacting nuclei to enable subsequent nuclear reactions via tunneling. This probability is incorporated into the astrophysical factor $S(E)$. Aspects of screening effects to enable calculation of nuclear reaction rates are also evaluated, including Coulomb scattering and localized heating of the cold fuel, primary D-D reactions, and subsequent reactions with both the fuel and the lattice nuclei. The effect of screening for enhancement of the total nuclear reaction rate is a function of multiple parameters including fuel temperature and the relative scattering probability between the fuel and lattice metal nuclei. Screening also significantly increases the probability of interaction between hot fuel and lattice nuclei increasing the likelilhood of Oppenheimer-Phillips processes opening a potential route to reaction multiplication. We demonstrate that the screened Coulomb potential of the target ion is determined by the nonlinear Vlasov potential and not by the Debye potential. In general, the effect of screening becomes important at low kinetic energy of the projectile. We examine the range of applicability of both the analytical and asymptotic expressions for the well-known electron screening lattice potential energy ${U}_{e}$, which is valid only for $E\ensuremath{\gg}{U}_{e}$ ($E$ is the energy in the center of mass reference frame). We demonstrate that for $E\ensuremath{\le}{U}_{e}$, a direct calculation of Gamow factor for screened Coulomb potential is required to avoid unreasonably high values of the enhancement factor $f(E)$ by the analytical---and more so by the asymptotic---formulas.


A trend is emerging towards the activation of distribution networks, which have only been passive until now. The main purpose is to use the existing infrastructure more efficiently. Due to the vast number of low and medium voltage networks this can only be achieved with autonomous decentralized grid monitoring and usage management systems. The most sophisticated task is the autonomous determination of remaining transfer capability. The authors wish to contribute a novel approach for solving this problem based on the online approximation of operational constraints in the domain of complex nodal power.


This study deals with the static and dynamic stability analyses of simple tapered columns with constant volume. The crosssections of column taper are the regular polygons whose depths are varied with the parabolic functional fashion. The hingedhinged end constraint is chosen as the boundary condition of the column. The non-dimensional ordinary differential equation governing free vibrations of such column subjected to an axial load is derived and solved numerically. From numerical results, the relationships between natural frequencies and section ratios are obtained, from which the configurations of dynamic optimal shapes of columns and the strongest columns are extracted.


Ages of paleoearthquakes (events), i.e., evidence of earthquakes inferred from the geologic record, provide a critical constraint on estimation of the seismic hazard posed by an active fault. The radiocarbon calibration program OxCal (4.0.3 and above; Bronk Ramsey 2007, 2001) provides paleoseismologists with a straightforward but rigorous means of estimating these event ages and their uncertainties. Although initially developed for the chronologic modeling of archaeological data from diverse sources ( e.g. , radiocarbon, historical knowledge, etc.), OxCal is readily adaptable to other disciplines requiring chronological modeling, such as paleoseismology (Fumal et al. 2002; Lindvall et al. 2002; Kelson et al. 2006; Noriega et al. 2006; Lienkaemper and Williams 2007; Yen et al. 2008).

OxCal employs Bayesian statistics as a means of incorporating all available chronological constraints. When radiocarbon ages are calibrated to calendar ages, the results can be expressed as probability distributions, which are often irregular and multimodal as shown in Figure 1. These distributions can be tightened by including additional chronological information. Stratigraphic order, the timing of the most recent event, and historical constraints are inputs to the model. Applying the stratigraphic order as a constraint is particularly powerful where calibrated age distributions overlap, in which case the modeling calculations reweight the distributions to reflect the knowledge that overlying layers must be younger.

This paper is intended as a primer for paleoseismologists or those modeling paleoseismic data. The current version of OxCal contains an option for additional output that is useful for seismic hazard modeling, such as mean and median values of age for paleoearthquakes (events); mean recurrence interval; and probability density functions for a variety of variables, including earthquake age, interval between events, and the average of all intervals. The standard deviation of the last quantity models the uncertainty …


Poly(ethylene) (PE) films were treated with a carbon dioxide (CO2) plasma to study the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups at the surface. Modified and nonmodified films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle measurements. During the CO2 plasma treatment, the PE surface is etched and oxidized, yielding films with a very hydrophilic surface. The oxygen incorporation at the surface is fast and can be described by a combination of a zero-order incoraporation and a first-order etching process. Several oxygen functionalities such as carboxylic acid (approximately 14% of the oxygen persent), ketone/aldehyde (25%), and hydroxyl/epoxide (5-9%) groups were introduced at the surface by the plasma treatment. This was shown by using derivatization reactions for specific functional groups followed by XPS analysis. The wettability of the plasma-treated surface decreased when the films were stroed for prolonged periods of time in air. This aging process could not be completely reversed by immersion of the films in water.


The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN is expected to collide protons at a centre-of-mass energy of $14\,{\rm TeV}$ and to reach an unprecedented peak instantaneous luminosity of $5 \times 10^{34}\,{\rm cm}^{-2} {\rm s}^{-1}$ with an average number of pileup events of $140$. This will allow the ATLAS and CMS experiments to collect integrated luminosities of up to $3000\,{\rm fb}^{-1}$ during the project lifetime. To cope with this extreme scenario the CMS detector will be substantially upgraded before starting the HL-LHC, a plan known as CMS Phase-2 Upgrade. In the upgrade the entire CMS silicon pixel detector will be replaced and the new detector will feature increased radiation hardness, higher granularity and capability to handle higher data rate and longer trigger latency. In this report the Phase-2 Upgrade of the CMS silicon pixel detector will be reviewed, focusing on the features of the detector layout and on the development of new pixel devices.


Three experiments explored preschoolers' and adults' understanding of the distinctive semantic functions of adjectives (i.e., to name properties) and count nouns (i.e., to name object kinds). In Experiment 1, we modeled a familiar adjective (e.g., "blue") syntactically as either an adjective (e.g., "This is a blue one") or a count noun (e.g., "This is a blue") and applied it to a target object (e.g., a blue creature). In Experiments 2 and 3, we marked the adjective phonologically as either an adjective (e.g., "This is a blue bird") or a part of a count noun (e.g., "This is a bluebird") and applied it to a target object (e.g., a blue bluebird). In all experiments, participants then had to extend the expression they heard to either an object of a different kind with the same property as the target (e.g., a different creature or bird colored blue) or an object of the same kind with a different property (e.g., the same creature or bird colored red). Four-year-olds and adults, but not 3-year-olds, who heard the adjective version were more likely than those who heard the count noun version to choose the object with the same property. Thus, by the age of four years, children treated a word's lexical category, cued syntactically or phonologically, as a powerful cue to its meaning.


This is an empirical research study of contemporary court room practices in Scottish sexual offence cases where the complainer is a young female under the age of 17 years old. The data was collected primarily by means of in-court observation of 94 sexual offence cases heard in courts across Scotland over a three year period. The data includes both contested criminal trials where evidence was led, and also 'guilty plea' cases where the accused pled guilty in advance of a trial and no evidence was led, but where there was a plea in mitigation by the defence on behalf of the accused. This study explores how the question of young female sexuality is perceived in the court room. Sexual offence cases involving young complainers constitute a key site for investigating a series of ambivalences about the sexuality of young women and girls, wherein it is simultaneously seen as a source of danger and a focus of protection. Specifically, the study is concerned with the use of sexual evidence. It describes the trial processes of examination and cross-examination, and the giving of evidence by young female complainers. In particular, it documents the ways in which sexual evidence is introduced by means of representations that draw on images of female sexuality. By so doing it shows the ways in which ideas about young female sexuality pervade the court room in the processing of sexual offence cases. In searching for the ideological basis of contemporary court room rhetoric in such cases, the study locates the late 19th century as a time when prevailing ideas about young female sexuality became incorporated into legislation which raised the female 'age of consent' and created a set of statutory sexual offences which, virtually unchanged, forms the cornerstone of contemporary sexual offence legislation in Scotland.. In addition to documenting sexual evidence, the study is also concerned with the use to which such evidence is put in the trial. Centrally, it examines the relationship between the images of young female sexuality to the crucial legal questions of the relevance, admissibility and deployment of evidence, and the substantive elements of the sexual crimes and offences which are the subject of the criminal trial. Currently, Scottish legislation limits the use of sexual history and sexual character evidence concerning the complainer, unless such evidence is deemed relevant to issues in the trial and it is against this development that the use of such evidence is assessed.


When the shaft is shortened and reaches neither of the vertices of the two pairs of wings, a reversed Müller-Lyer illusion is observed: a shaft between inward-pointing wings appears to be longer than a shaft between the outward-pointing wings. In this paper it is examined whether this illusion can be explained in terms of figure—ground organization. A circle was used as the focal area, instead of a shaft or a pair of dots, so that the figure—ground character could be seen more definitely in this focal area. The apparent size of the focal circle was measured under different conditions with three variables (enclosure, wings direction, and depth). The focal circle appeared to be largest in the condition where the circle should appear most readily as a hole, ie in the single, wings-in, space condition. The circle appeared to be smallest in the condition where the circle should appear most readily as a disc, ie in the separate, wings-out, object condition. This is consistent with an explanation of the usual, as well as the reversed, Müller-Lyer illusion in terms of figure—ground organization theory.


I use three decades of county-level data to estimate the effects of federal unemployment benefit extensions on economic activity. To overcome the reverse causality coming from the fact that benefit extensions are a function of state unemployment rates, I only use the within-state variation in outcomes to identify treatment effects. Identification rests on a differences-indifferences approach which exploits heterogeneity in county exposure to policy changes. To distinguish demand and supply-side channels, I estimate the model separately for tradable and non-tradable sectors. Finally I use benefit extensions as an instrument to estimate local fiscal multipliers of unemployment benefit transfers. I find (i) that the overall impact of benefit extensions on activity is positive, pointing to strong demand effects; (ii) that, even in tradable sectors, there are no negative supply-side effects from work disincentives; and (iii) a fiscal multiplier estimate of 1.92, similar to estimates in the literature for other types of spending. JEL Classification Numbers: E62; J65; J68


Remote projects have their unique problems that are caused mainly by the remoteness of the project itself thus the loose control over communications and management. This is due to a number of reasons such as lack of management skills, human resources and infrastructure. Little research was undertaken particularly in the gulf region regarding this issue and it has highlighted few unique communications and management problems. This paper investigates the current problems that the Saudi Electric Company (SEC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) experiences regarding the management of its' remote construction sites. It discusses the opinions of contractors and the SEC's supervision teams regarding the weaknesses in the present communications and management practices. The study found systematic project management problems that have profound negative impact on remote projects' performance and process. The paper suggests that some of these problems can be sorted out by the use of Advanced Computer based Management Systems (ACMS) and these would improve some project management practices. However, organizational barriers may hinder the potentiality of these systems thus changes to the organization's management system and practices should be carried out to achieve full benefits.


Seeds from the African legume shrubGriffonia simplicifolia contain several lectins. Among them the tetrameric lectin GS I-B4 has strict specificity for terminal αGal residues, whereas the closely related lectin GS I-A4 can also bind to αGalNAc. These two lectins are commonly used as markers in histology or for research in xenotransplantation. To elucidate the basis for the fine difference in specificity, the amino acid sequences of both lectins have been determined and show 89% identity. The crystal structure of GS I-B4, determined at 2.5-Å resolution, reveals a new quaternary structure that has never been observed in other legume lectins. An unexpected loss of both Ca2+ and Mn2+ ions, which are necessary for carbohydrate binding in legume lectins, may be related to a particular amino acid sequence Pro-Glu-Pro in the metal binding loop. Comparison with demetallized concanavalin A reveals a different process for the loss of metal ions and for the subsequent loss of carbohydrate binding activity. The GS I-A·αGalNAc and GS I-B·αGal complexes were constructed using homology modeling and docking approaches. The unusual presence of an aromatic amino acid at position 47 (Tyr in I-A and Trp in I-B) explains the strong preference for α-anomeric sugars in both isolectins. Alteration at one amino acid position, Ala106in I-A versus Glu106 in I-B, is the basis for the observed specificities toward αGalNAc and αGal.


Emmanuel Dabney, one of the Civil War Institute Summer Conference speakers, is a park ranger at Petersburg National Battlefield. At the Summer Conference, "The War in 1864," he will give a lecture titled, "Catching Us Like Sheep in a Slaughter Pen": The United States Colored Troops at the Battle of the Crater. In anticipation of the Institute, Emmanuel Dabney answered questions on intepretation, Petersburg, and the future of the Civil War. His responses will be posted in a three-part series. [excerpt]


Modernity is very attractive. In spite of our sometimes parochial defence of primordial primitive cultural practices, we still do always admit the superiority of modern technologies and the culture they proliferate. Ibibio masquerade theatre cannot shy away from the advantages that the new technologies of cultural representation offer. It can only negotiate with them. This is thrust of our essay.


Bibliometrics and citation analysis are popular forms of analyzing medical literature based on article impact as determined by the number of citations an article has received from other publications. Many bibliometric studies published within the past 10 years have assembled lists of highly cited papers, top 100 papers, or citation classics of specialties, subspecialties, and specific morbidities. For pediatric epilepsy, there is only 1 study that bibliometrically examines articles in this subspecialty. Although bibliometrics generally examines trends in the literature, we used bibliometrics as a methodology for determining a core set of pediatric epilepsy articles with the highest impact (ie, citation count) that could be used as an introductory reading list for residents, fellows, and early career epileptologists. Therefore, we searched Web of Science to identify the 100 top-cited pediatric epilepsy articles and develop 10 topic areas into which we sorted each article. These recommended articles could be used as essential readings for pediatric epilepsy.


This study provided a descriptive and quantitative comparative analysis of data from an assessment protocol for adolescents referred clinically for gender identity disorder (n = 192; 105 boys, 87 girls) or transvestic fetishism (n = 137, all boys). The protocol included information on demographics, behavior problems, and psychosexual measures. Gender identity disorder and transvestic fetishism youth had high rates of general behavior problems and poor peer relations. On the psychosexual measures, gender identity disorder patients had considerably greater cross-gender behavior and gender dysphoria than did transvestic fetishism youth and other control youth. Male gender identity disorder patients classified as having a nonhomosexual sexual orientation (in relation to birth sex) reported more indicators of transvestic fetishism than did male gender identity disorder patients classified as having a homosexual sexual orientation (in relation to birth sex). The percentage of transvestic fetishism youth and male gender identity disorder patients with a nonhomosexual sexual orientation self-reported similar degrees of behaviors pertaining to transvestic fetishism. Last, male and female gender identity disorder patients with a homosexual sexual orientation had more recalled cross-gender behavior during childhood and more concurrent cross-gender behavior and gender dysphoria than did patients with a nonhomosexual sexual orientation. The authors discuss the clinical utility of their assessment protocol.


The antidepressant efficacy of isocarboxazide is well established; however, the clinical use early became restricted and today the use of isocarboxazide in Denmark is very limited. Isocarboxazide is safe when keeping a low tyramine-containing diet and avoiding concomitant treatment with certain drugs. The risk of developing oedema can be reduced by vitamin B6 treatment. Normal dosage isocarboxazide may be prescribed for all patients because isocarboxazide is not metabolized through the CYP2D6 enzyme complex like most other antidepressants. It is recommended to include isocarboxazide in the official treatment algorithms for patients who are resistant to conventional antidepressant therapy and electroconvulsive therapy.