Alyssum kaynakiae is an endemic biennial species growing in Southwest Anatolia, Turkey. In this study, the morphology of this taxon was revised, and its anatomical, palynological, and karyological characteristics were analysed for the first time. Alyssum kaynakiae has been considered part of the traditional Alyssum sect. Gamosepalum. Alyssum kaynakiae has diploid chromosome number 2n=16. It has a primary structure in the root and stem, collenchyma located under the epidermis in the root and under the cortex layer in the stem, and vascular bundles varying between 9 to 11. Leaves are isolateral, stomata are at the same level as the epidermis, and both sides of the leaves have lepidote hairs. Its palynological features are compatible with the Brassicaceae family, with its pollen type being tricolpate, its pollen shape being prolate, and its ornamentation being reticulate.


The paper reports on a research project in progress that aims at shedding light on the internal dynamics of learners' and tutors' adult professional learning, its context and its occasions, in the course of an undergraduate and postgraduate distance learning programme of studies run by the Open University of Cyprus and the Hellenic Open University. The proposed project aspires to present an illuminative view of the 'fine-grained' processes that are at work during the organisation and the delivery of the courses. The final purpose is to inform the organisation, design, implementation and further development of distance-learning courses in higher education, and contribute towards their future reorganization. The research hopes to illuminate the above issues by giving voice to the experiences and perceptions of learners' and tutors' as they embark on an undergraduate and postgraduate programme of studies at the two case study universities, the OUC and the HOU. The main activities implemented concern both theoretical and empirical investigations. The relevant literature is reviewed and, drawing on this, interview protocols are designed and data collected and analysed. Eight tutors (8) and twenty four (24) learners are the key unit of analysis. Data is also collected through each university's documentation of the two programmes.


The petroleum hydrocarbon contaminant from oil industry can enter the soil and badly influence local environment. We take a groundwater system polluted by refinery's discharged oil as research object in this paper. Firstly, we collect soil and groundwater samples in this area and perform soil column leaching experiments. The experiment results show that the pollution sources are sewage tank and canal seepage, leakage caused by production accidents, and non-point leaching of polluted soil layer and waste pits. The petroleum contaminants are mainly in three forms, i.e. emulsified oil, dissolved oil and adsorbed oil. There are three pollution mechanism including direct infiltration through limestone, infiltration through two-layer mediums, and the secondary pollution of groundwater. Keywords-Petroleum hydrocarbon; Pollution mechanism; Groundwater; Aquifer; Soil column leaching experiment


In her article "Optics and Power in the Novel" (1999), Dorrit Cohn expressed concern over the emergence of a new visual metaphor among those usually called upon to comment on the workings of narrative. While elements of visual imagery, from windows to mirrors, had pervaded the language of criticism as purely descriptive tools, the motif of the panopticon deviated from this hermeneutic function and brought with it a negatively charged, politically fraught metaphorics of the gaze. Devices metaphorically borrowed from the sciences of light should remain "neutral," and be given no critical weight in the apprehension of narrative forms. In the context of the collection title The Distinction of Fiction, this warning suggested that criticism would be well advised to keep to literature and its own devices. Far from adopting such a view, this paper will argue in favour of a closer exploration of the optics of fiction. Bringing into focus British novels of the past twenty-five years, from Jeanette Winterson's GUT Symmetries to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and Jenni Fagan's The Panopticon, I will show that optics and the study of light offer a privileged area for fiction to engage with and question the political, ideological and ethical underpinnings of scientific discourse. By working with optical devices, fiction acknowledges the prominent role played by the scientific gaze in fashioning visual experience, creating new technologies of seeing, and metaphorically embodying knowledge. It also inscribes the language of optics within a wider cultural context, showing that the history of the analysis and capture of light cannot be set apart from human endeavours to understand, produce and use power. Meanwhile, the role of optics in the scientific revolution of the 20th century, and the need for contemporary science to uncover what cannot be seen, bring forth a redefinition within fiction of the heuristic power of imagination.


The formation of surface Li-Sb alloy and its electronic structures are investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). From the information on core-level shift of Sb 3d and Li 1s XPS spectra, the presence of charge transfer from Li to Sb is confirmed, while the chemical composition of formed alloy is estimated as Li(3)Sb. The density of states from valence band XPS shows a significant nonrigid part of band structures, suggesting strong covalent bonding between Li and Sb.


The greengram is highly susceptible to Mungbean yellow mosaic virus, (MYMV)
which causes 90% yield loss. The MYMV is transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia
tabaci) in a persistent manner. Most of the management strategies are
through chemical pesticides as vector control. It was hypothesized to control
whiteflies with a good alternative to pesticides. In this study, Azadirachtin
loaded in silica nano particle and Annosquamosin plant biomolecule were
studied for its efficacy against Bemissia tabaci. Azadirachtin loaded in silica
nanoparticles at 500ppm showed cent per cent mortality of adult Bemisia
tabaci followed by 90% mortality in Annosquamosin extract at 5 hrs of
incubation. Thus, Azadirachtin loaded in silica nanoparticles can be used
as a better alternative to the highly toxic chemical pesticides..


In systems displaying a bulk first-order transition the order parameter may vanish continuously at a free surface, a phenomenon which is called surface-induced disorder. In the presence of surface-induced disorder the correlation lengths, parallel and perpendicular to the surface, diverge at the bulk transition point. In this way the surface induces an anisotropic power-law singular behavior for some bulk quantities. For example, in a finite system of transverse linear size L, the response functions diverge as ${L}^{(d\ensuremath{-}1)z+1},$ where d is the dimension of the system and z is the anisotropy exponent. We present a general scaling picture for this anisotropic discontinuity fixed point. Our phenomenological results are confronted with analytical and numerical calculations on the two-dimensional q-state Potts model in the large-$q$ limit. The scaling results are demonstrated to apply also for the same model with a layered, Fibonacci-type modulation of the couplings for which the anisotropy exponent is a continuous function of the strength of the quasiperiodic perturbation.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) help orchestrate cellular growth and survival through post-transcriptional mechanisms. The dysregulation of miRNA biogenesis can lead to cellular growth defects and chemotherapeutic resistance and plays a direct role in the development of many chronic diseases. Among these RNAs, miR-21 is consistently overexpressed in most human cancers, leading to the down-regulation of key tumor-suppressing and pro-apoptotic factors, suggesting that inhibition of miR-21 biogenesis could reverse these negative effects. However, targeted inhibition of miR-21 using small molecules has had limited success. To overcome difficulties in targeting RNA secondary structure with small molecules, we developed a class of cyclic β-hairpin peptidomimetics which bind to RNA stem-loop structures, such as miRNA precursors, with potent affinity and specificity. We screened an existing cyclic peptide library and discovered a lead structure which binds to pre-miR21 with KD = 200 nM and prefers it over other pre-miRNAs. The NMR structure of the complex shows that the peptide recognizes the Dicer cleavage site and alters processing of the precursor to the mature miRNA in vitro and in cultured cells. The structure provides a rationale for the peptide binding activity and clear guidance for further improvements in affinity and targeting.


Due to the depletion of resources for traditional energy, as well as due to the gradual abandonment of nuclear power in a number of countries, the world pays great attention to energy conservation and energy efficiency, one of the main sources of which is renewable energy, which includes wind energy. Wind power is the most developed renewable energy industry (excluding hydro), which affects its economic characteristics. Thus, onshore wind power plants are characterized by one of the lowest indicators of the cost of electricity production among alternative types of generation. However, offshore wind power plants are still inferior to some types of renewable energy sources and are twice the level of traditional thermal power plants. In this article, the authors consider the state and prospects of development of the world wind energy. The distribution of installed capacity of wind power plants by regions of the world is analyzed and the shares of countries in the total installed capacity are determined. The leading countries were identified as well as the reasons for the rapid growth of wind generation in these countries along with the measures of state support. The state and prospects of wind power development in Russia are considered, and it is also noted that the Russian Federation has significant potential in the field of wind power development, which makes it possible to make optimistic forecasts regarding the provision of electricity to remote areas of Russia. The technical electric power potential of wind energy is about 17.1 TW/year, which is an order of magnitude higher than the amount of electricity generated by all power plants in the country in 2018. The scientific increment is to identify the key problems facing the domestic wind power industry.


An 8KV-1.2KA directly light triggered thyristor was successfuly developed by employing a defect density controlled new process and novel multi-stage amplifying gate structure. The 8KV-1.2KA units exhibit 2.8 volts on-state voltage at 4000A, minimum light triggering power of 1.5mW for 3KV/µs dv/dt capability and more than 300A/µs di/dt capability Turn-off time is less than 450µs. A more than fifteen to seventeen overdriving factor was also achieved, with an optimized light triggering system, consisting of novel press pack package and newly developed GaAlAs high power LED.


In Senghor's Shadow: Art, Politics, and the Avant-Garde in Senegal, 1960-1995. By Elizabeth Harney. Objects/Histories. Critical Perspectives on Art, Material Culture, and Representation, a series edited by Nicholas Thomas. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2004. Pp. xxv, 316; 78 black and white illustrations, 14 color plates. $99.95 cloth, $26.95 paper. This chronologically based work traces the shifting efforts of Senegalese artists to negotiate spaces for artistic expression vis-a-vis the suffocating control of Senghorian negritude, European modernist primitivizing, postmodernist tension between fetishizing difference and globalization, and general neglect under Abdou Diouf's presidency. The major premise is that the contemporary Senegalese artistic milieu cannot be easily pigeonholed, and that the circumstances of this particular "art-culture system" must be considered.1 Artistic practices such as recuperation represent at once a rebellion against the Frenchinspired "high art" practices of the Ecole de Dakar, a reclamation of modernist bricolage from Europe, and a means of connecting with Senegalese society through familiar and locally significant materials.2 The text begins with a summary of the various permutations of negritude, its origins, and its relationship to the visual arts. Senghor's vision of negritude is understood as reclaiming the terms with which Europe denigrated Africa and using these terms as the source of a new national identity for Senegal's heterogeneous population. Hamey suggests that Senghor's reluctance to break ties with France was a result of the specific historical relationship between coastal Senegal and its former colonizer. The Ecole de Dakar-a school usually defined in terms of a group of artists who produced visual translations of Senghor's philosophy-is reinterpreted in terms of the creation of a new national identity, presenting an aura of political legitimacy to the West, and as a patronage system that was exploited in various ways by Senegalese artists. Harney points out that prominent artists such as Papa Ibra Tall and Iba N'Diaye responded to negritude and European modernism as individuals, rather than blindly following the party line. The earliest avant-garde movements, such as the Laboratoire Agit-Art and the Village des Arts, rebelled against the Ecole de Dakar in the early 1970s in an effort to carve out spaces in which artists could experiment with new techniques and modes of expression. Harney points out that many of these artists still benefited from the system that they criticized. As negritude of necessity participated in modernist discourse to debunk that very same intellectual structure, so too did the Senegalese avant-garde ulatimately participate in the discourse of Senghorian negritude. It must be said that the material on Laboratoire Agit-Art is much stronger than that on the Village des Arts, although it is assumed that this is simply a result of the fact that Agit-Art existed much longer than the Village. …


Charles Davenport Coxe, the descendant of a prominent New Jersey family, likely inspired by the exploits of a small detachment of U.S. Marines in the spring of 1805 in Libya, accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Corps that fall, leading to an unanticipated (but coveted) diplomatic career. A few years earlier, Coxe had lobbied for consular appointments in France. Now, arriving aboard a U.S. warship in Tunis harbor, he found himself ordered ashore by his ship's commander to replace the late American chargé d'affaires. While exploiting the commercial opportunities of his consular post, Coxe also became directly involved in the politics of the region, notably the seizure of American ships by both the Barbary regencies as well as European powers. In 1810, he exercised considerable diplomatic skill in avoiding a clash between Tunis and the United States over the contested ownership of a commercial vessel. Coxe departed Tunis in 1815, returning to the United States and the family home in New Jersey, although not without hope of reclaiming one of his former positions. That story, however, will unfold in part two of this piece, in the Winter 2023 issue of NJ Studies.


AbstractThe paper presents the results of the experimental investigation of the structure of the fuel, rapeseed oil and diesel fuel sprays obtained by analysing their optical density. The results are obtained by investigating a conventionally designed fuel supply system and a high-pressure common rail system. The experimental data on the velocity and length of fuel sprays are given. The study has shown that when high pressure fuel supply systems are used, the fuel spray is increased by about three times, while its area is increased up to 50% and homogeneity is also higher. As a result, selfignition delay time is reduced and the combustion process is intensified. The methods, taking into consideration the specific character of using the alternative types of fuel and high pressure systems, which have been tested in the experimental conditions, are suggested for calculating the time of self-ignition delay. The applied methods allow us to reduce the error of determining self-ignition delay time up to five per...


Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with interstitial deletion of a segment of the long arm of chromosome 5q [del(5q)] is characterized by bone marrow erythroid hyperplasia, atypical megakaryocytes, thrombocythemia, refractory anemia, and low risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared with other types of MDS. The long arm of chromosome 5 contains two distinct commonly deleted regions (CDRs). The more distal CDR lies in 5q33.1 and contains 40 protein-coding genes and genes coding microRNAs (miR-143, miR-145). In 5q-syndrome one allele is deleted that accounts for haploinsufficiency of these genes. The mechanism of erythroid failure appears to involve the decreased expression of the ribosomal protein S14 (RPS14) gene and the upregulation of the p53 pathway by ribosomal stress. Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (Fli1) is one of the target genes of miR145. Increased Fli1 expression enables effective megakaryopoiesis in 5q-syndrome.


Background. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are commonly used for assessing pancreatic lesions. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield and accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in a single tertiary institution. Methods. Consecutive patients who underwent EUS-FNA of the pancreas at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, from January 2015 to March 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Endoscopic findings and FNA results were analysed. For patients who subsequently underwent surgical resection of pancreatic lesion, EUS-FNA diagnoses were compared to histopathological findings of surgical specimens to determine its diagnostic accuracy. Results. One hundred twelve EUS-FNA were performed in 99 patients within the study time period and were included for analysis. Sixty-six (66.7%) pancreatic lesions were solid in nature and 33 (33.3%) were cystic. The overall diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA was 70.5% (n = 79). On multivariate analysis, more passes of needle were associated with a higher diagnostic yield (odds ratio = 2.000, P = .049). 57.1% (n = 64) of EUS-FNA results had an impact on management. Sixteen patients with diagnostic EUS-FNA subsequently underwent surgery for resection of the pancreatic lesion. Upon correlation to the histopathological findings of surgical specimens, there were 12 true-positive, 2 true-negative, 0 false-positive, and 2 false-negative cases. Sensitivity was 85.7%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100%, and negative predictive value was 50%. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA was 87.5%. Conclusion. EUS-FNA is accurate and reliable for diagnosing pancreatic lesions.


SUMMARY Winter hydroponic growth of several lettuce cultivars under glass showed considerable inhibition (up to 47 %) of growth after 6 wk exposure to concentrations of NO (+ NO2; 450 nl 1' in total) typical of emissions from propane burners used for direct heating and CO2 enrichment. After a further 4 wk under similar conditions, however, these growth depressions were replaced by a swing into benefit so that, by harvest, pollutant-exposed lettuces were bigger and had faster assimilation rates than those growing in clean CO2 ched air. This adaptation may partly be explained by enhanced use of N02-derived N by lettuce leaves, a consequence of increased nitrate reductase (NaR) activities and amounts of associated NaR proteins, despite adequate nitrate also being available in the hydroponic fluid. Rates of NaR activity in the roots, by contrast, were depressed by NO (+ NO2) pollution. NaR activities were highest in early afternoon in clean or polluted air but these daily patterns did not coincide with the content of NaR-associated proteins determined by ELISA. Other mechanisms of modulating NaR activity must therefore be responsible.


Intrigued by recent reports on the surprisingly excellent activity of a range of cobalt, iron, copper and nickelbased catalysts in the Suzuki biaryl cross-coupling of simple arylboronic acids with aryl halides, we undertook a reexamination of the syntheses of representative examples of the reported pre-catalysts and their application to the catalytic reaction. A reported PNP-Fe pincer complex, in our hands, proved to be a mixture of starting materials; a mono-Schiff base cobalt complex in fact the bis-ligated adduct and a monomeric copper (II) PNP pincer complex a dior oligomeric copper(I) species. In our hands, neither these complexes, nor any other of the selected pre-catalysts investigated, showed any activity in a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of an electronically-activated aryl bromide with phenyl boronic acid. Meanwhile, switching the nucleophile to the BuLi-activated phenyl boronic pinacol ester gave some promising activity with cobalt pre-catalysts.


By using commutator methods, we show uniform resolvent estimates and obtain globally smooth operators for self-adjoint injective homogeneous operators $H$ on graded groups, including Rockland operators, sublaplacians and many others. Left or right invariance is not required. Typically the globally smooth operator has the form $T=V|H|^{1/2}$, where $V$ only depends on the homogeneous structure of the group through Sobolev spaces, the homogeneous dimension and the minimal and maximal dilation weights. For stratified groups improvements are obtained, by using a Hardy-type inequality. Some of the results involve refined estimates in terms of real interpolation spaces and are valid in an abstract setting. Even for the commutative group $\R^N$ some new classes of operators are treated.


We assessed correlation between the elimination of methotrexate administered in dose 3 g/m2 during consolidation phase and the early complications in 129 children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Among 500 chemotherapy cycles included in the analysis the elimination of methotrexate was delayed in 66 (13.2%) cycles in 43 (33.3%) of patients. Influence of methotrexate on selected liver and renal function tests was analyzed. We made an attempt of early identification of patients with high risk for delayed methotrexate elimination and subsequent toxicities.


In this paper, nonlinear and nonlocal thermo-elastic behavior of a microtube reinforced by Functionally Distributed Carbon Nanotubes, with internal and external piezoelectric layers, in the presence of nonlinear viscoelastic-Hetenyi foundation, and axial fluid flow inside the microtube is studied. Nonlinear partial differential equations governing the system are derived using Reddy's third-order shear deformations theory along with the Von-Karman theory including the effect of fluid viscosity. Then, the equations are converted to time-dependent ordinary nonlinear equations using the Galerkin method. Afterward, the governing equations of the microtube's lateral displacements are solved using the multiple scales method. The analysis of the piezoelectric's parametric resonance is performed by obtaining trivial and nontrivial stationary solutions and plotting characteristic curves of the frequency response and voltage response. At the end, the effect of different parameters including the flow velocity, excitation voltage, parameters of the foundation, viscosity parameter, thermal loading and nanotubes' volume fraction index on the nonlinear behavior of the system, under parametric resonance condition, is investigated.


Lymphatic Capillaries: Invisible but Essential. The lymphatic vascular system plays an important role in the maintenance of tissue fluid homeostasis and in the mediation of the afferent immune response. It consists of a dense network of blind ending, thin-walled lymphatic capillaries and collecting lymphatics that drain lymph via the thoracic duct to the venous circulation. The technique of fluorescence micro-


An investigation of the structural and dynamic properties of the C-terminal fragment of the human protein VASP (VASP 336-380) has been performed. Full length VASP has been shown to be tetrameric in solution, and the C-terminal 45 residues of the protein have been suggested to be responsible for the oligomerization. We have expressed and purified a C-terminal fragment of the human VASP protein from residue 336-380. It was found to form a stable domain in its own right. The fragment was shown by CD spectroscopy to form a helical structure, stable under a wide range of temperature and pH conditions. A (15)N-HSQC-experiment exhibits only one set of peaks, suggesting a high degree of symmetry for a putative oligomer. Measurements of the rotational correlation time tau(C) of the molecule and analytical ultracentrifugation data show VASP (336-380) to be entirely tetrameric in solution. The secondary structure was confirmed from a (15)N-NOESY-HSQC experiment and is completely alpha-helical. We conclude that VASP (336-380) forms a tetramer in solution via a coiled coil arrangement and is solely responsible for tetramerization of full-length VASP.


William of Conches, one of the most brilliant masters of the first half of the twelfth century, has long been associated with the so called School of Chartres, that reputedly unique centre where there emerged a humanistic study of classical texts, a rationalistic reading of the work of Nature secendum physicam, a daring approach to the Scriptures, and a Platonically inspired poetry. Although the concept of the School of Chartres seems to have outlived its usefulness, it is still often (for better or worse) used as a short-hand term to characterize exciting intellectual innovations in the twelfth century. One of the fiercest opponents of this concept, Sir Richard Southern, does not consider it superfluous to reprint his earlier, controversial essays in this latest book from 1995. As is well-known, in these essays Southern tried to explode the myth, kept alive by generations of scholars, of the School of Chartres. His claim, to which he still adheres, is !... Zie: Introduction


Objectives: Within the field of gambling research, an emerging body of literature has begun to examine the associations between neighborhood context and gambling outcomes (i.e., gambling participation and problems). Previous research has been heavily focused on objective measures of neighborhood influence with few studies examining subjective (i.e., perceived) neighborhood attributes as they relate to gambling outcomes. This study aimed to expand knowledge of the effects of neighborhood characteristics on gambling patterns and problems. Methods: Using data derived from the fourth wave of an epidemiological community sample (n = 1862), this study explores the associations between perceived neighborhood contextual factors and gambling participation and problems. Results: Our findings reveal that community participation was positively related to gambling participation, even after accounting for control variables (i.e., sex and social support). Perceived neighborhood disorder was positively associated with problem gambling. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of looking beyond individual risk factors for gambling outcomes. Population-based interventions for gambling problems may benefit from understanding how neighborhood contexts come into play.


Afzelia africana and Crescentia cujete are underutilized seeds that have been suggested to have good nutritional content. Their utilization for food and other purposes can however be limited by the presence of some anti-nutritional, anti-physiological and toxic substances. Hence, proximate (moisture, protein, lipid, fibre, ash and NFE) and some anti-nutritional contents (alkaloids, phytate, tannins, saponins and flavonoids) of Afzelia africana and Crescentia cujete seeds were investigated. Collected seeds were milled and air dried before analyses. Milled seeds were analysed for proximate composition and anti-nutrients using standard procedures. All proximate contents varied significantly (P<0.05) except for lipid content. Results showed that A. africana seed had the highest ash (4.13%), protein (13.89%) and nitrogen free extract (59.20%) contents, while C. cujete had the highest moisture, lipid and fibre content. The proximate composition of both seeds varied significantly (P<0.05) except for lipid. Alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids contents were also considerably high for both seeds investigated. The contents of phytates, tannins and flavonoids varied significantly (P<0.05) between both seeds. Crescentia cujete had the highest phytate, tannin and saponin contents while A. africana had the highest alkaloid and flavonoid contents. Since Afzelia africana and Crescentia cujete seeds had relatively high percentage contents of carbohydrate (59.20 and 49.86, respectively) and lipids (16.10 and 17.00, respectively), the seeds could be said to have potentials to serve as good sources of energy for livestock and animal production. The high composition of phytochemicals in the two seeds studied also implies the seeds could be useful for medicinal purposes.


The present study determined whether morphological differentiation of placental villous cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblast during primate pregnancy was developmentally regulated and whether oestrogen has a role in this process. Placental volumetric composition of the cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast was determined by the test-point counting method on days 45-54, 60, 100, and 170 of gestation (term=184 days) in untreated baboons, on day 60 after placental oestrogen production was prematurely elevated by administration of aromatizable androstenedione or oestradiol, and on day 170 after oestrogen production was suppressed by administration of aromatase inhibitor CGS 20267. Cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast volumes and oestrogen levels increased (P< 0.01) with advancing gestation. Due to the rise in syncytiotrophoblast volume (12-fold) exceeded that of the cytotrophoblast (threefold), the mean (sem) ratio of syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast volumes increased (P< 0.001) from 3.4 (0.5) ml on day 60 to 12.1 (2.8) ml on day 170. Androstenedione administration elevated serum oestradiol levels threefold (P< 0.01) and increased the ratio of syncytiotrophoblast: cytotrophoblast volumes on day 60 by 50 per cent (P< 0.03) to that normally observed on day 100. However, the ratio of trophoblast volumes was unaltered in oestradiol-treated and CGS 20267-treated baboons. It is concluded that there is a developmental increase in morphological differentiation of the placental villous trophoblast during primate pregnancy and that androstenedione potentially via its conversion to oestrogen has a role in this process.


Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone with a critical role in plant defense against pathogen infection. Despite extensive research over the past 30 year or so, SA biosynthesis and its complex roles in plant defense are still not fully understood. Even though earlier biochemical studies suggested that plants synthesize SA from cinnamate produced by phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), genetic analysis has indicated that in Arabidopsis, the bulk of SA is synthesized from isochorismate (IC) produced by IC synthase (ICS). Recent studies have further established the enzymes responsible for the conversion of IC to SA in Arabidopsis. However, it remains unclear whether other plants also rely on the ICS pathway for SA biosynthesis. SA induces defense genes against biotrophic pathogens, but represses genes involved in growth for balancing defense and growth to a great extent through crosstalk with the growth-promoting plant hormone auxin. Important progress has been made recently in understanding how SA attenuates plant growth by regulating the biosynthesis, transport, and signaling of auxin. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the biosynthesis and the broad roles of SA in regulating plant growth during defense responses. Further understanding of SA production and its regulation of both defense and growth will be critical for developing better knowledge to improve the disease resistance and fitness of crops.


Purpose of reviewBeyond their crucial role in host defence against invading pathogens, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are now known to be key mediators of the 'sterile' innate immune response triggered by tissue injury. Here, we will review recent evidence examining the role of TLRs in determining the fate of the transplanted organ. Recent findingsExperimental studies have delineated a crucial role for TLRs in the pathogenesis of ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Following transplantation, experimental models and observational human studies have confirmed TLRs as mediators of IRI but also suggest that TLRs modify the subsequent adaptive alloimmune response, which determines whether an organ is rejected or accepted. SummaryAs a key determinant of organ damage following ischaemia-reperfusion and as a modulator of the adaptive alloimmune response, we propose that TLR-mediated innate immune responses represent a potential therapeutic target to improve organ outcomes following transplantation.


Assessment and management of landslide risk require the knowledge of landslide run-out distance and velocity. However, the landslide volume as the basis for calculating landslide run-out distance and velocity is governed by slip surface development during rainfall. Thus, it is necessary to understand how rainfall characteristics influence landslide run-out and velocity. This paper presents a parametric study to clarify the effect of rainfall intensity on landslide run-out and velocity of two steep volcanic cut-hillslopes in West Java, Indonesia. The landslide volumes were estimated from the potential sliding surface obtained from slope stability analysis under a rainfall infiltration. The landslide run-out and velocity were then calculated using an energy conservation formula in a lumped mass model. This study shows that the slip surface developed at a different depth in each slope, depending on the rainfall intensity. As a result, the landslide run-out and velocity of both cut-hillslope are significantly different and, in general, decrease to reach a constant value with increasing rainfall intensity. Thus, the results of this study can be used as a guideline to assess the rainfall-induced landslide movement, especially in cut-hillslopes.


Clinical chemotherapy for cancer is limited by the physiological barrier of tumors, resulting in low drug delivery to tumors, poor efficacy of drugs and inability to block tumor metastasis. Here we developed an intelligent switchable nitric oxide (NO)-releasing nanoparticle, IPH-NO, which loads a photosensitizer (IR780) and the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (PTX) into NO donor-S-nitrosated human serum albumin (HSA-NO). NO exhibits two effects based on its concentration: enhancement of chemotherapy by increasing the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect at low concentrations and direct killing of cancer cells at high concentrations. IPH-NO can slowly release NO in the presence of glutathione to boost tumor vascular permeability and improve drug accumulation. Near-infrared light irradiation was utilized to induce a quick release of NO that can directly kill cancer cells at high concentrations. This combination of phototherapy and NO gas therapy activated by NIR together with chemotherapy showed significant effects in tumor inhibition. Furthermore, IPH-NO blocked tumor metastasis by inhibiting epithelial mesenchymal transition. PH-NO provides a novel strategy to control NO release at tumor site for drug accumulation and combination therapies, consequently potentiating the anticancer efficacy and inhibiting tumor metastasis.


Abstract The purposes of this research were (1) to study the context of Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 Schoolconcerning child-centered instructional management; (2) to develop strategies for development of child-centeredinstructional management in line with the context of Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 School; and (3) todetermine the strategy for development of child-centered instructional management in line with the context ofBodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 School. This study employed the mixed research methodology involving both the quantitative and qualitativeresearch methodologies. Also employed were the SWOT Analysis, balanced scorecard indicators, and Delphitechnique to identify success factors. The research population consisted of 150 teachers and educationalpersonnel of Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 School. Seven steps of data analysis were undertaken by theresearcher. Research findings were as follows: 1. The context of Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 School included the child-centered instructionalmanagement which was in line with several strategies at different levels. The school also maintained schoolenvironment that was clean, comfortable and pleasant. 2. Strategies for development of child-centered instructional management were developed by adoptingthe top three strategies out of the eight strategies mentioned in the survey of the research sample. The top threestrategies were compiled, concluded and transformed into the practice level and could be ranked based onimportance as follows: (1) Authentic Learning, (2) Learning by Oneself, and (3) Balanced Learning,respectively. 3. The strategy for development of child-centered instructional management for Bodindecha (SingSinghaseni) 2 School that was in line with the school context should be an integrated strategy for developmentof child-centered instructional management. Also, from data analysis results, no significant correlation was found between gender of respondents and each of the strategies except Strategy 4: Cooperation Learning (P = .05); while educational level ofrespondents correlated significantly at the .05 level with Strategy 1: Aythentic learning, Strategy 2: BalancedLearning, Strategy 6: Constructivist Learning, and Strategy 7: Teaching for Thinking. On the other hand, nosignificant relationship was found between work experience of respondents and any strategy. It was recommended that teachers should collaborate with students on developing learning media, andthat future research should be conducted on curriculum development based on the ranking of key performanceindicators. Keywords: The Strategy Development, Child-Centered Education, Bodindeacha (Sing Singhaseni) 2 School


Within the last few years Colombian industries have been forced into the need of using conventional cathodic protection units (based on transformers) due to the low quality energy within the electrical grid and to the high rate of lightnings and electric shocks from the atmosphere. This paper shows controlled rectifiers for applications on cathodic protection, by developing the modeling of the system and developing a PWM modulation implementation as a control alternative.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the significance of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in serum for detecting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients at risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD).

METHODS
Individuals with T2DM (n = 9489) were recruited from the Kailuan Company between 2006 and 2007 for the first phase of this community-based prospective cohort study. For the second phase of the study, the original cohort was recruited for follow-up (at two years from each subject's original enrollment date (baseline)). The total followed-up subjects (n = 2802; 2344 males, 458 females, 22-88 years old) were categorized into quartiles according to baseline measurements of serum hsCRP levels (less than or equal to 0.30, > 0.30-0.60, > 0.60-1.92 and > 1.92 mg/L) and used to determine the relationship between change in incidence rates of NAFLD and predictive value of baseline serum hsCRP levels by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS
Twenty-nine percent (n = 813) of the followed-up subjects developed NAFLD. The incidence (%) of NAFLD at the two-year follow-up had increased in conjunction with the level of serum hsCRP detected at baseline (quartile 1: 22.5%, 2: 27.3%, 3: 32.1%, and 4: 34.3%; all, P less than 0.01). It was found that the subjects in the highest quartile had an increased risk of NAFLD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.42-2.28, P less than 0.01), as compared with those in the lowest quartile. Moreover, when the regression model was adjusted for baseline factors of age, sex, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting serum glucose, and body mass index, the risk of NAFLD remained significantly higher for the highest quartile (vs. the lowest quartile; OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.16-1.91, P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSION
Serum hsCRP levels may be predictive of development of NAFLD in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The risk of NAFLD increases in parallel with increasing levels of serum hsCRP.


This paper proposes multiple subcarrier multiple access (MSMA), a multiple access method for perfectly synchronized concurrent data collection from a group of passive backscatter wireless sensor tags, and its experimental evaluation. By achieving less than $128~\mu \text{s}$ synchronization error, backscatter communications can be applied to the structural health monitoring of artifacts, such as civil structures and machinery. In MSMA, each sensor tag uses a dedicated subcarrier frequency to produce a modulated backscatter. The sensor data is superposed onto the subcarrier with either an analog or digital modulation. The inevitable harmonics among the subcarriers, stemming from the backscatter principle, can be rejected by numerically calculating the harmonic replicas and subtracting them from the observed signal using a software defined receiver. A frame-based signal processing in the receiver results in no relative synchronization error among subcarriers, even after the interference rejection. Because the interference rejection can be performed before the demodulation and decoding, the concurrency can be secured irrespective of the choice of modulation method. We developed a prototype of MSMA using LabVIEW communications software defined radio environment, and prototype sensor tags using discrete electrical parts. The performance and limitations of MSMA using digitally modulated subcarriers are evaluated both in wired and wireless environments with up to four backscatter sensors. It is confirmed that the interference rejection can achieve about 7 dB processing gain. An experiment to measure the vibration of a bridge under weekday traffic with four sensors revealed the results obtained by MSMA and wired sensor agree well.


The motions of vortices around single cylinders and around pairs of cylinders in relative sinusoidal flow are investigated in this paper. Using simultaneous flow visualization and force measurements, the vortex motions are related to the fluid-induced lift and in-line forces. For the single cylinder, several repeatable patterns of vortex shedding are identified within particular ranges of flow amplitude. The process of pairing of vortices from a previous half cycle with those in a present half cycle is fundamental to all the patterns. Visualization is shown to be more effective in a reference frame which is fixed with respect to the undisturbed fluid rather than with respect to the cylinders. For this reason, the examples of vortex motions are taken from a rig in which vertical cylinders are oscillated in a tank of fluid. By oscillating a pair of cylinders over a range of gaps, orientations and amplitudes, it is found that the vortex-shedding patterns identified for a single cylinder can synchronize either in phase or in antiphase between the two cylinders. Such observations help to explain how lift and in-line forces are influenced by cylinder proximity and in some cases these forces are significantly magnified. Force coefficients are evaluated for both the single cylinder and the pair of cylinders.


Abstract Construction and optimization methods of spherical hexagonal–pentagonal geodesic grids are investigated. The objective is to compare grid structures on common ground. The distinction between two types of hexagonal–pentagonal grids is made. Three conventional grid optimization methods are summarized. In addition, three new optimization methods are proposed. Six desirable conditions for an ideal grid are described, and the grid optimization methods are organized in view of such conditions. Interval uniformity, area uniformity, isotropy, and bisection of cell faces are systematically investigated for optimized grids. There are compensations of preferable grid features in each optimization method, and an optimal method cannot be decided based only on the research of grid features. It is suggested that grid optimization methods should be selected based on research of numerical schemes.


We present the designs of novel optode based probes integrating light detection and light-pulsing electronics in a single CMOS chip with functional blocks such as a fast pulse-laser driver and synchronized single-photon detection circuit, while exploiting the null/small source-detector distance (ns-SDD) configuration which features the highest sensitivity to deep tissue. With the perspective of simplifying the output, photon counts are accumulated in a counter on-chip and transmitted as an analog signal mimicking the signal one would get from normal linear analog photodetectors. Development of a single optode, incorporating source and detectors very close to each other within the assembly, eliminates the use of optical fibers and could yield a completely novel near infrared system (NIRS) architecture where time-domain photon-counting approach is utilized to quantify changes in the number of photons scattering back to nearly where they came from.


This paper investigates how to design feedback controls supporting TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) based on modern control theories. The present paper studies a simplified version of this problem: the linearized version of the well-known AIMD (Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease) dynamic model under the assumption that the network information is known. Since we formulate the feedback control design problem as state-space models without assuming its structure in advance, we get three interesting and important results that have not been observed in the previous studies on the congestion control problem: In order to fully support TCP, we need a PD-type (Proportional-Derivative) state-feedback control structure in terms of queue length (or RTT: Round Trip Time) which backs up the conjecture in the networking literature that the AQM RED is not enough to control TCP dynamic behavior, where RED can be classified as a P-type AQM (or as an output feedback control for the AIMD model); In order to fully support TCP in the presence of delays, we derive delay-dependent feedback control structures to compensate for delays explicitly from the knowledge of RTT, capacity and number of sources, where all existing AQMs including RED, REM/PI and AVQ are delay-independent controls; In order to analyze different AQM structures in a unified manner, rather than comparing them via simulations, we propose a PID-type mathematical framework using integral control action. As a performance index to measure the deviation of the closed-loop system from the equilibrium, we use a LQ (linear quadratic) cost of the transients on state and control variables such as queue length, aggregate rate, jitter in the aggregate rate and congestion measure. Stabilizing gains of the proposed feedback control structures are obtained minimizing the LQ cost. Then, the impact of the control structure on performance is discussed from the study of the stabilizing gain design for the proposed mathematical framework. All results are extended to the case of multiple links and heterogeneous delays.


The decision-making of supplier distribution is based on the principle of the trade-off between costs and profits. It is a dynamic and continuous adjustment and optimization process, which is restricted by many factors. The reasonable distribution of suppliers is not only an important means to cope with the increasingly fierce competition pattern and the complex market environment, but also an effective way to coordinate the long-term and short-term strategies of enterprises and improve the efficiency of supply chain management. Generally speaking, it is more convenient for closer suppliers to interact with enterprises due to their location advantages. For distant suppliers, the frequency of interaction with enterprises may be reduced, resulting in a higher degree of information asymmetry, which may affect transaction costs. Admittedly, the supplier distribution decision may also be affected by product quality, product prices, supplier reputation, technical level, logistics costs, information costs and other factors. In fact, in addition to these explicit factors that affect transaction costs, the influence of the implicit factor of trust culture on transaction costs between enterprises and suppliers cannot be ignored.As a "lubricant", trust culture plays an important role in supplier layout and optimal management. This paper uses text analysis to embed trust culture into the analysis framework of supplier selection decision-making. Based on the theory of new institutional economics, this paper examines the impact of trust culture as an important part of informal institution on supplier distribution decision. The results show that compared with suppliers without trust-oriented culture, suppliers with trust-oriented culture are more dispersed, and the weighted average distance increases by 12%. This phenomenon is more obvious in the samples with low dialect diversity and high transportation convenience. Further heterogeneity test results show that, in the samples of fierce market competition, low supplier concentration, and manufacturing enterprises, trust culture has a greater impact on the supplier distribution decision.The possible innovations of this study are as follows: Firstly, it focuses on the important role of trust culture as a deep cultural factor in supply chain management, enriching and expanding the literature in this field. Previous studies focus on the economic consequences of supplier selection, such as the production and operation of enterprises, the quality of accounting information, financing decisions and so on. Based on the background of "dual circulation" strategy, this paper supplements the existing literature from the perspective of the influencing factors of supplier selection. Secondly, as an informal institution, trust culture is embedded into the decision-making model of supplier selection, and the mechanism of trust culture in informal institution on supplier selection decision-making is analyzed theoretically. It helps to clarify the reasons why trust culture plays a role in the economic activity, and provides new evidence for the governance role of culture. Finally, trust culture is conducive to optimize the supply chain management of enterprises, and has an important reference value for the further understanding of enterprise supplier layout and optimal management, especially for the supply chain management and optimization under the "dual circulation" strategy.


Different methods have been applied to recycle pistachio's green hulls, the most important of which are siloing and drying pistachio hulls (using industrial dryers). In both methods, hulls should lose their initial moisture content, which constitutes a considerable portion of their weight. The high moisture content takes more time and energy during the drying process. The initial dewateringof hulls - pretreatment - could greatly contribute to improving the drying process. For this purpose, a prototype of continuous press with a tapered screw design was developed and tested for dewatering pistachio green hulls prior to feeding into a dryer. Results showed that the apparatus dewatered 27% of the hull moisture content. In order to study the effects of screw speed and pistachio variety on the moisture removal, a completely randomized design including three rotational speeds (26.41, 32.52, and 50.24 rpm) and three varieties (Kaleh-ghuchi, Fandoqi, and Ahmad-Aqa'e) was performed in three replications. According to the results, the maximum and minimum moisture removal were obtained in Kaleh-ghuchi (13.13%) and Ahmad-Aqa'e (5.72%) varieties, respectively. Moreover, the minimum and maximum dewatering were observed at speeds of 32.51 and 26.41 rpm, respectively. Economic appraisal showed that the profit gained from marketing this dried hull could be 30 thousands IR per one ton of pistachio. The 40-percent reduction in the drying time of hulls after pressing decreases production costs by 240 thousands IR per each ton of hull. key word s: Pistachio, Green Pistachio Hull, Dryer, Press.


Successful achievement of program outcomes is the primary goal of nursing education programs. Electronic portfolios are a contemporary method by which to measure student achievement, assess curricular efficacy, and evaluate program integrity in nursing education. The authors outline the sequential process of understanding, introducing, and integrating electronic portfolios into a curriculum.

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/projects/ireport/articles/e-portfolio/Using Electronic Portfolios to measure student achievement.pdf


Articles in this special issue, revised from an American Folklore Society "forum" in October 2005, seek to answer the question "Why is there no 'Grand Theory' in folkloristics?" The collective answer is that American folklorists don't care much for theory: having left behind the past orientation of their predecessors, they prefer to focus on the actualities of vernacular practice. The American conception of folklore moves its professionals away from the abstract towards the concrete towards situated interaction among human beings. American folklorists are more likely to accept method than theory, their theoretical insights have turned into method. Their master Dell Hymes advocated starting "from community definitions of situation, activity, purpose, genre, and discover [ing] validly the ways in which communicative means are organized in terms of them." That program is method, not theory. Communities do indeed make their own definitions of situation and the rest; so do folklorists, with the result that it's easy to see the point at which "folklore" entered the vocabulary of their community. Attempts to frame an American Grand Theory now encounter the dissolution of folklore as a distinct field of study. Because folklore can't be separated from other human activities, except as a product of one moment in the thinking of a certain interpretive community, the term could well be turned over to traditional artists and those who "interpret their traditions before audiences outside of customary performance contexts." Begetting this collection of essays was an American Folklore Society forum in October 2005, which asked the question, "Why is Journal of Folklore Research, Vol. 45, No. 1, 2008 Copyright © 2008 Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana University


Steady, supersonic, dissipative, three-dimensional, axisymmetric flow is considered. A system of Burgers-type equations is shown to govern the flow field. In inviscid regions the Whitham theory gives the limiting form. Dissipative effects ultimately engulf the inviscid zone and at sufficiently large distances from the body the flow is governed by linear dissipative theory. The flow field is divided into zones based on the presence or absence of nonlinearity and dissipation. Estimates and criteria which describe the extent of these zones are given.


Vancomycin has been demonstrated to be an extremely effective antibiotic for the treatment of staphylococcal infections. Striking results have attended its use in staphylococcal bacteremia and endocarditis, clinical situations in which high mortality rates might otherwise be expected.1,2The efficacy of vancomycin relative to other drugs is not yet fully known. In a previous report from this laboratory,3vancomycin was found to be effective in the treatment of staphylococcal infections after bacteriostatic antibiotics, such as novobiocin, chloramphenicol, and erythromycin, in various combinations had failed. Moreover, evidence was obtained which indicated that vancomycin might be curative when other bactericidal drugs had been ineffective. The present study was undertaken to extend these observations by the use of vancomycin for the treatment of staphylococcal infections after therapy with another bactericidal antibiotic had proved unsuccessful. In order to approximate similar bacteriological conditions for comparative purposes, only those patients were selected for vancomycin


ABSTRACT The amino acid l-serine is required for pharmaceutical purposes, and the availability of a sugar-based microbial process for its production is desirable. However, a number of intracellular utilization routes prevent overproduction of l-serine, with the essential serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) (glyA) probably occupying a key position. We found that constructs of Corynebacterium glutamicum strains where chromosomal glyA expression is dependent on Ptac and lacIQ are unstable, acquiring mutations in lacIQ, for instance. To overcome the inconvenient glyA expression control, we instead considered controlling SHMT activity by the availability of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (THF). The pabAB and pabC genes of THF synthesis were identified and deleted in C. glutamicum, and the resulting strains were shown to require folate or 4-aminobenzoate for growth. Whereas the C. glutamicum ΔsdaA strain (pserACB) accumulates only traces of l-serine, with the C. glutamicum ΔpabABCΔsdaA strain (pserACB), l-serine accumulation and growth responded in a dose-dependent manner to an external folate supply. At 0.1 mM folate, 81 mM l-serine accumulated. In a 20-liter controlled fed-batch culture, a 345 mM l-serine accumulation was achieved. Thus, an efficient and highly competitive process for microbial l-serine production is available.


Experience with 29 000 cases in which the oesophageal obturator airway has been used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation indicates its safety, efficacy, and ease of use. Blood gases, fractional inspired oxygen, and pH were measured in 18 patients given both the oesophageal obturator airway and the endotracheal tube; there was no significant difference between the two. The former was found to be inserted more rapidly and reliably; moreover, paramedical staff are quickly trained to use it. It is concluded that the oesophageal obturator airway provides the technique of choice whenever ideal conditions and facilities--and trained staff--for endotracheal intubation are not immediately available.


The role of cardiac glycosides for conversion of atrial fibrillation to simus rhythm is controversially discussed. In a prospective study, 45 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (of 15 patients each). Group I received oral digoxin, three times 0.125 mg up to twice 0.25 mg daily; group II oral digoxin twice 0.125 mg and quinidine hydrogen sulphate 750-1000 mg daily; group III oral digoxin three times 0.125 mg and flecaimide 200-300 mg daily. During a mean observation period of 11 months, digoxin alone was significantly less effective (p < 0.05) in reducing or suppressing paroxyms of atrial fibrillation than digoxin plus quinidine or flecainide. The use of digoxin remains a mainstay of treatment for rate control in atrial fibrillation. To convert atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, however, the addition of a type I or III antiarrhythmic agent is necessary.


Directional modulation (DM) is an emerging technology for securing wireless communications at the physical layer. This promising technology, unlike the conventional key-based cryptographic methods and the key-based physical layer security approaches, locks information signals without any requirements of keys. The locked information can only be fully recovered by the legitimate receiver(s) priory known by DM transmitters. This paper reviews the origin of the DM concept and, particularly, its development in recent years, including its mathematical model, assessment metrics, synthesis approaches, physical realizations, and finally its potential aspects for future studies.


Experimental and computational studies were performed to understand the electronic structure of ternary perovskites (ASnO(3), A = Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd), pyrochlores (RE(2)Sn(2)O(7), RE = Y, La, Lu; Cd(2)Sb(2)O(7)), and defect pyrochlore oxides (Ag(2)Sb(2)O(6)) containing the main group ions Sn(4+) and Sb(5+). In all compounds, the lowest energy states in the conduction band arise primarily from the antibonding Sn/Sb 5s-O 2p interaction. In the alkaline-earth stannate perovskites (BaSnO(3), SrSnO(3), and CaSnO(3)) the conduction bandwidth decreases strongly in response to the octahedral tilting distortion triggered by the decreasing size of the alkaline-earth cation. This in turn leads to a corresponding increase in the band gap from 3.1 eV in BaSnO(3) to 4.4 eV in CaSnO(3). The band gap of CdSnO(3) is relatively small (3.0 eV) considering the large octahedral tilting distortion. The origin of this apparent anomaly is the mixing between the empty Cd 5s orbitals and the antibonding Sn 5s-O 2p states. This mixing leads to a widening of the conduction band and a corresponding decrease in the band gap. The participation of the normally inert A-site cation in the electronic structure near the Fermi level can be considered an inductive effect, as it utilizes substitution on the A-site to directly modify the electronic structure of the SnO(3)(2)(-) framework. While the pyrochlore structure is more complicated, the energy level and width of the lowest energy conduction band can be analyzed in a manner similar to that utilized on the perovskite structure. The Sn-O-Sn and Sb-O-Sb bonds are highly distorted from linear geometry in pyrochlore, leading to a relatively narrow conduction band and a wide band gap. In Cd(2)Sb(2)O(7) and Ag(2)Sb(2)O(6) the Cd(2+) and Ag(+) ions exhibit a strong inductive effect that widens the conduction band and lowers the band gap significantly, very similar to the effect observed in the perovskite form of CdSnO(3).


Background Surgical stress, liberation of cytokines associated with re-perfusion injury, and long standing use of immunosuppressive medications in children recipients of orthotopic living related liver transplantation (OLRLT) pose cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular adverse effects vary from left ventricular wall thickening, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to resting ECG abnormalities, asymptomatic ST depression following increased heart rate and ventricular arrhythmias. Aim of work To assess cardiovascular structural and functional changes in children recipients of OLRLT. Methods We assessed cardiac structure and function in 25 children recipients of orthotopic living related liver transplantation by conventional 2-D, M- mode echocardiography and Doppler. Results Mean age +/- SD at transplantation and at enrollment in study were 6.3+/ 4.5yrs and 13.5 +/- 5.6 yrs respectively. All children were on tacrolimus, as a single immunosuppressive medicine in only 3, and in association with steroids, azathioprine or mycofenolate mofitel as a double therapy (12 children), triple therapy (10 children). Echocardiography showed significant interventricular septal hypertrophy (mean thickness 0.89) in 21, 24 had pulmonary hypertension (mean mPAP +/-36.4), and early diastolic dysfunction Tei index (mean +/- 0.40). However Cardiac function was generally preserved. A child developed severe aortic stenosis that necessitated catheter dilatation and was reversed over 12 months after discontinuation of tacrolimus. Discontinuation of tacrolimus reversed pulmonary hypertension, diastolic dysfunction and hypertrophy of left ventricle and/or interventricular hypertrophy. Conclusion Asymptomatic cardiac adverse effects are common following OLRLT. We encountered pulmonary hypertension, increased cardiac mass, aortic stenosis and diastolic heart failure among our studied population. Findings are reversed within 12 months of discontinuation of tacrolimus.


Down's syndrome screening in the second trimester using a variety of combinations of maternal serum markers has become an established part of antenatal care over the past decade.1 The methodology of calculating Down's syndrome risk using statistical models2 based on the Gaussian distribution functions of the various markers used is often considered daunting, and many screening centres rely on specific screening computer software to undertake the relevant calculations. Such software is often a closed system which does not allow the user to check or change any of the parameters within the model. It is clear from a recent UK NEQAS survey of Down's syndrome screening laboratories (Spencer, Ellis, Seth, 1997, unpublished data) that many centres are unsure what method of calculating risk and what population parameters are used in their software, and how appropriate these are for the population being screened. This confusion has led to uncertainty over the reliability of the risk estimates produced in Down's syndrome screening programs.3


The social protest that engulfed Italy in the 1970s found a theoretical analysis in the work of the operaisti.

Through a series of concepts, they outlined a new revolutionary practice that aimed to return to a more authentic reading of Marxism. This article focuses on the notion of 'refusal of work' and the ancillary concept of 'appropriation' and examines how these theoretical tools emerged out of radical protest in factories and were put forward by the operaisti as a central plank of a revolutionary strategy for the working class


The majority of human energy metabolism occurs in skeletal muscle mitochondria emphasizing the importance of understanding the regulation of myocellular mitochondrial function. The transcriptional co-activator PGC-1α has been characterized as a major factor in the transcriptional control of several mitochondrial components. Thus, PGC-1α is often described as a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis as well as a central player in regulating the anti-oxidant defense. However, accumulating evidence suggests that PGC-1α is also involved in the complex regulation of mitochondrial quality beyond biogenesis, which includes mitochondrial network dynamics and autophagic removal of damaged mitochondria. In addition, mitochondrial ROS production has been suggested to regulate skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, which may also be influenced by PGC-1α. This review aims to highlight the current evidence for PGC-1α-mediated regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function beyond the effects on mitochondrial biogenesis as well as the potential PGC-1α-related impact on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Novelty: • PGC-1α regulates mitochondrial biogenesis, but also has effects on mitochondrial functions beyond biogenesis. • Mitochondrial quality control mechanisms, including fission, fusion and mitophagy, are regulated by PGC-1α. • PGC-1α-mediated regulation of mitochondrial quality may affect age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin sensitivity.


5 Abstract - The study examined the presence of the relative age effect (RAE) and association between birth quartile and anthropometry, biological maturation and physical and techni- cal performance of young Brazilian soccer players. The sample included 119 male players, 74 of U-15 category and 45 of U-17 category, which were divided into quartiles according to the birth year. Biological maturation was assessed using the method of skeletal age of Fels. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, stature and subcutaneous adiposity. Physical fitness assessment included strength tests in the lower limbs, speed, aerobic endurance and anaerobic power. Technical skills included ball control, dribbling and kicking accuracy. Overall, 65.5% of soccer players were born on the first half of the year (c 2 = 8.069, p = 0.04); however, in the analysis by category, there was no significant difference in the distribution of birth dates for quartile when compared with the reference population (U-15: c 2 =6.322, p=0.10; U-17: c 2 =2.339, p=0.50). MANCOVA revealed no significant differences between anthropometry, biological maturation and physical and technical performance in both competitive categories. These results suggest that there is a higher proportion of young Brazilian soccer born on the first months of the year, but that RAE does not necessarily constitute an advantage under the anthropometric, physical and technical standpoint. The process of biological maturation of individuals should be considered by coaches in the selection of athletes.


Professional development for STEM instructors and facilitating change in their instruction requires understanding current practices along with what motivates or causes them to change their teaching practice. Teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of change in how courses were delivered in-person or online, but it also provided opportunities for instructors to change the teaching method used in the courses, potentially shifting towards more student-centered practices. Some commonly cited barriers to faculty changes were removed or lowered during this time and instructors had to think about their teaching due to the nature of the pandemic. Opportunity for change was present which could provide lessons for professional development and STEM reform efforts. This article reports on the analysis of experienced introductory STEM instructors' syllabi before, during, and after the full Covid-19 pandemic academic year 2020-21. Focus group interviews were also conducted to explore how teaching was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings suggest that little changed in instructional strategies, and that the experience likely reinforced teaching practices from prior to Covid. There was no indication of intent to improve or change instruction in anyway. Take aways for professional development and teaching reform with experienced STEM faculty are discussed.


Cells and their surrounding microenvironment exist in dynamic reciprocity, where bidirectional feedback and feedforward crosstalk drives essential processes in development, homeostasis, and disease. With the ongoing explosion of customizable biomaterial innovation for dynamic cell culture, an ever-expanding suite of user-programmable scaffolds now exists to probe cell fate in response to spatiotemporally controlled biophysical and biochemical cues. Here, we highlight emerging trends in these efforts, emphasizing strategies that offer tunability over complex network mechanics, present biomolecular cues anisotropically, and harness cells as physiochemical actuators of the pericellular niche. Altogether, these material advances will lead to breakthroughs in our basic understanding of how cells interact with, integrate signals from, and influence their surrounding microenvironment.


Despite the widespread use of molecular biology techniques, standardized methods for the measurement of HIV-1 proviral DNA are currently lacking and several discordant results are still present in different studies. To assess the clinical meaning of the proviral DNA load, a study group comprising seven different laboratories was set up to standardize a HIV-1 proviral DNA quantification method able to assess the DNA proviral load of the most relevant circulating HIV-1 subtypes. Reference samples (24 cellular samples infected with HIV-1 clade B, and 40 samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells containing different concentrations of plasmids expressing different HIV-1 clades) were distributed and tested blindly. All laboratories employed hTERT gene as housekeeping gene and primers within the gag gene to quantify different HIV-1 clades. Inter-laboratory results did not differ statistically but showed only minor variations concerning HIV-1 DNA amounts and different HIV clades, with a good agreement among the laboratories participating in the study. Since test standardization represents a key step for future application in clinical practice, further studies of the patients' samples are in progress to establish the real meaning and utility of the proviral DNA load for clinical management of HIV-1 infected patients.


The cGAS–STING pathway displays important functions in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity following the detection of microbial and host-derived DNA. Here, we briefly summarize biological functions of STING and review recent literature highlighting its important contribution in the context of respiratory diseases. Over the last years, tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of STING activation, which has favored the development of STING agonists or antagonists with potential therapeutic benefits. Antagonists might alleviate STING-associated chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Furthermore, pharmacological activation of STING displays strong antiviral properties, as recently shown in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection. STING agonists also elicit potent stimulatory activities when used as an adjuvant promoting antitumor responses and vaccines efficacy.


Abstract : This report describes the results of a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a high-frequency skywave radar used to determine the track, movement, size, and intensity of hurricanes from ocean gravity waves. Experimental data were collected using the Wide Aperture Research Facility (WARF), a high-resolution skywave radar capable of forming a 1/2 deg. beam at 15 MHz, located in central California. The data were collected for hurricanees Anita, Babe, Caroline, and Eloise in the Gulf of Mexico, and Hurricane Kate in the Pacific Ocean. One or more position estimates were made from radar-derived surface wind direction maps covering a 2 deg. of latitude radius for each hurricane, and agreement to within 10 to 40 km of the National Hurricane Center Best Tracks was found. Both day and night measurements were made, as well as one- and two-ionospheric-hop measurements extending out to ranges of 2800 to 4000 km. The first WARF-measured track was generated for hurricane Anita from 20 independent position estimates over a 5-day period. WARF measurements of the ocean wave spectrum and surface currents were made during hurricanes Anita and Babe. A parametric wave model developed elsewhere was used to compute wind speeds. Preliminary WARF wind-speed measurements show agreement to within 1 to 2 m/s when compared with winds measured by aircraft and at several offshore oil platforms. (Author)


The sensory functions of cilia are dependent on the enrichment of ciliary resident proteins. While it is known that ciliary targeting signals (CTSs) specifically target ciliary proteins to cilia, it is still unclear how CTSs facilitate the entry and retention of ciliary residents at the molecular level. We found that non-ciliary membrane reporters can passively diffuse to cilia via the lateral transport pathway and the translocation of membrane reporters through the ciliary diffusion barrier is facilitated by importin binding motifs/domains. Screening known CTSs of ciliary membrane residents uncovered that fibrocystin, photoreceptor retinol dehydrogenase, rhodopsin and retinitis pigmentosa 2 interact with transportin1 (TNPO1) via previously identified CTSs. We further discovered that a novel ternary complex, comprising TNPO1, Rab8 and CTS, can assemble or disassemble under the guanine nucleotide exchange of Rab8. Our study suggests a novel mechanism in which TNPO1/Rab8/CTS complex mediates selective entry and retention of cargos within cilia.


Within the past four months I have had occasion to observe five cases of herpes zoster treated with ACTH. Three of the patients were over 50 years of age. All had relief of pain by the time they had received the third injection of ACTH. Usually 10 to 15 mg. was given at six-hour intervals. The relief had continued for two to four months, to the time of writing. One was a case of herpes zoster ophthalmicus. The course of the disease as far as the skin picture is concerned was unaltered.


Little is known about mechanisms involved in skin-specific homing of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Chemokine/chemokine receptor interactions have been implicated in the homing of lymphoma cells to various tissue sites. We investigated tissue samples and tumor cell suspensions of patients with CD30(+) CTCL (n = 8) and CD30(-) CTCL (mycosis fungoides, n = 6; Sézary syndrome, n = 6) for expression of the chemokine receptors CCR3, CCR4, and CCR8 and the CCR3 ligands eotaxin/CCL11, monocyte chemoattractant protein 3 (MCP-3)/CCL7, and RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted)/CCL5. Of 8 CD30(+) CTCLs, 7 expressed CCR3, 4 CCR4, and none CCR8. CCR3 expression was not found in skin tissue samples from 12 CD30(-) CTCLs. Coexpression of CCR3 and CD30 was demonstrated by flow cytometry in tumor cell suspensions. Internalization experiments demonstrated functionality of CCR3 expressed by freshly isolated tumor cells. Actin polymerization as well as migration in response to eotaxin was demonstrated in a CD30(+) cutaneous lymphoma cell line. CCR3 ligand eotaxin/CCL11 was detected in lesional skin of CD30(+) CTCL by immunohistochemistry, preferentially in tumor cells. Eotaxin/CCL11 expression in tumor cells was confirmed by intracellular immunofluorescence. Analysis of cytokine expression pattern of CCR3-bearing infiltrating cells showed a predominance of interleukin-4 (IL-4) but not interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) protein expression,1 consistent with a T-helper 2 (Th-2) profile. These results suggest that expression of CCR3 and its ligand eotaxin/CCL11 plays a role in the recruitment and retention of CD30(+) malignant T cells to the skin.


Summary form only given. High voltage pulsed power supply with high repetitive rate has found wide applications in industry, and military such as plasma source for ion implantation, microwave generator and high pulsed power laser. The conventional pulsed power supply is limited by gas switch with short lifetime and low repetitive frequency. In recent years Marx generator based on solid state switches has proposed. It has dual functions by combining high repetitive rate from semiconductor switch with voltage adder from Marx generator principle. The solid state switches can be MOSFET , IGBT or SCR. This all-solid-state pulsed power supply has multifold advantages.


Photo-oxidation of water in a system consisting of perfluorinated p-terphenyl (F-OPP-3) as a photosensitizer, O2 as an oxidative quencher and benzene as a hydroxyl radical scavenger is mechanistically studied by laser flash photolysis and γ-ray and pulse radiolysis. The radical cation of F-OPP-3 (F-OPP-3˙+) is formed via the oxidative quenching of its excited singlet state by O2. The decay of F-OPP-3˙+ observed in transient spectroscopy is enhanced by the addition of water to the system, indicating that F-OPP-3˙+ plays a crucial role in the one-electron oxidation of water.


Rhoads and Dick have recorded their observations in routine physical examination of patients on whom tonsillectomy had been done and found that 75 per cent had considerable tonsil tissue left. The tonsil-grasping forceps. In the past five years, I have had to do a vast number of secondary tonsillectomies on patients who have been referred to me by their physicians for this purpose. Most of these patients were troubled by tonsil tabs, which had been permitted to remain in situ at the primary operation. These stubs hypertrophy and the focal infection is continued more intensively. This probably explains the continuation of the symptoms after tonsillectomy. To eliminate this condition I have devised a new tonsil-grasping forceps to facilitate grasping these small tonsil tabs, regardless of their location. When they are held securely by this instrument, they are easily removed by the Eaves snare. The instrument is simple. It is a


ABSTRACT Infectious diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with vaccines playing a critical role in preventing deaths. To better understand the impact of low vaccination rates and previous epidemics on infectious disease rates, and how these may help to understand the potential impacts of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a targeted literature review was conducted. Globally, studies suggest past suboptimal vaccine coverage has contributed to infectious disease outbreaks in vulnerable populations. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a decline in vaccination uptake and a reduced incidence in several infectious diseases; however, these rates have increased following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions with modeling studies suggesting a risk of increased morbidity and mortality from several vaccine-preventable diseases. This suggests a window of opportunity to review vaccination and infectious disease control measures before we see further disease resurgence in populations and age-groups currently unaffected.


Maternal mortality is a serious health concern, with casualties amounting to 295,000 in  2017.[1] As of present, about 25% of all maternal deaths fall under a condition known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), which is defined as abnormal bleeding of more than 500 – ml post child birth; 80% of all PPH cases are attributed to an atonic uterus. Consequently, a stepwise progression is observed to achieve haemostasis, starting from compression therapy to uterotonics like oxytocin followed by uterine balloon tamponade and even surgical intervention as the last line of treatment.[2]
In their study, Dalton et al. introduce The Jada System, a novel intrauterine vacuum induced haemorrhage control device and evaluate its safety and effectiveness. [3] This novel innovation uses low- level intrauterine vacuum to assist physiological forces, collapse the uterine cavity and occlude blood vessels to control excessive bleeding. Moreover, the study showcased successful definitive treatment in 94% of the patients within an average of 3 minutes, minimal low-grade adversities, 98% investigators deeming it easy to use and majority recommending it for future treatment.[3]
The Jada System's rapid and early use renders it an exceptional treatment to PPH in comparison with alternatives like balloon tamponade that can only be used after a significant blood loss. Furthermore, with a success rate of 87%, the balloon tamponade can take up to 24 hours to control bleeding and carries numerous risks like rupture of the overfilled balloon, infections, cervical tears and vaginal lacerations. [4]
While tackling maternal mortality with the help of The Jada System, it is imperative to recognize that 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries, therefore  coherent and competent approaches to maternal health care must be introduced to developing countries around the world.[1] Pakistan is one such low-middle income country that reported a Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 140 per 100000 deaths in 2017.[1] Additionally, in a 2002 study, Jafarey outlined lack of management, scarcity of medications, services, skills and blood banks to accommodate excessive blood loss as the major causes of continued maternal deaths due to PPH (52.9%) in the country.[5]
Considering The Jada System's high success rate in managing PPH, low - middle income countries like Pakistan can invest in the local production of this device in a cost- efficient manner. Such an incentive can prove to be a feasible and swift solution to obstetric emergencies in the region.


Fluids and other deformable materials have highly mutable shapes, which are visibly influenced by both intrinsic properties (e.g. viscosity) and extrinsic forces (e.g. gravity, object interactions). How do we identify a liquid's intrinsic properties across profound variations in shape caused by extrinsic factors? Previous findings suggest we are surprisingly good at matching viscosity across large variations in shape ("liquid constancy"). Here we ask which visual cues enable us to do this. Somehow the visual system abstracts features that are common to different instances of a liquid, while suppressing large differences in shape caused by extrinsic factors.

In this study we tried to specify which geometric features observers use to achieve liquid constancy. We simulated eight variations of pouring liquids with seven different viscosities ('test stimuli'). Each variation was influenced by a different noise force field, like gusts of wind that changed the way the liquid flowed, leading to substantial shape differences over time. Observers adjusted the viscosity of another variation ('match stimulus') until it appeared to be the same material as each test. We tested several time offsets to create volume differences between test and match stimuli. The experiment was performed with static and one-second moving stimuli. We find that observers show a high degree of constancy in matching the viscosity across the different variations. However, volume differences between test and match stimulus, especially with static stimuli, caused large effects of over- and under-estimation of viscosity.

We then analyzed the 3D shapes of the samples to extract a wide range of shape measurements related to viscosity. We find that a number of cues related to curvatures, periodic movements of the liquids, and the way they spread out predict aspects of the observer's performance, but that humans achieve better constancy than the cues predict.


Objectives NanoDisk–amphotericin B (ND-AMB) is a protein-phospholipid bioparticle containing a "super aggregate" form of antifungal AMB. While lipid-based formulations of AMB, including liposomal AMB (L-AMB), are safer than the deoxycholate (DOC) solubilized form (DOC-AMB), the potency of lipid-based formulations is attenuated. We have developed an AMB-based therapy that is both well tolerated and fully efficacious. Methods Potency was determined using broth culture growth-inhibition assays and candidacidal kinetics by quantitative culture plating. Toxicology studies were performed in healthy mice. Efficacy was assessed using both immune-competent and leukopenic murine models of systemic Candida albicans infection. Results ND-AMB C. albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus minimum inhibitory concentrations were fourfold and sixfold lower, respectively, than that observed for L-AMB. ND-AMB exhibited candidacidal activity at 0.125 mg/L, 16-fold lower than L-AMB. In mice, ND-AMB produced no statistically significant kidney or liver toxicity at 15 mg/kg, the highest dose tested. When evaluated in immune-competent mice infected with C. albicans, ND-AMB was at least as effective as DOC-AMB or L-AMB. In a leukopenic model of candidiasis, the 50% effective dose of ND-AMB was around threefold lower than L-AMB. Conclusion These results indicate that ND-AMB exhibits a more favorable safety profile while maintaining uncompromised antifungal properties compared to both DOC-AMB and L-AMB. ND-AMB is a promising therapy for the treatment of invasive fungal infections.


In the financial market, almost all traded derivatives only involve two parties. The aim of this thesis is to design and evaluate financial contracts involving multiple parties. This is done by utilising and extending concepts from game theory, financial mathematics and backward stochastic differential equations. The thesis is divided into two parts: multi-player stochastic competitive games and multi-person financial contracts. The first part of the thesis proposes two novel classes of multi-period multi-player stopping games: the multi-player redistribution game and the multi-player affine game. Both formulations are generalisations of the classic two-player Dynkin game, with a focus on designing the dependence between the payoffs of all players and their stopping decisions. These games are shown to be weakly unilaterally competitive, and sufficient conditions are given for the existence of optimal equilibria (a new solution concept motivated by financial applications), individual values and coalition values. The second part of the thesis introduces the notion of multi-person financial contracts by extending the two-person game option. These contracts may involve an arbitrary number of parties and each party is allowed to make a wide array of decisions, which then determines the settlement date as well as the payoffs. The generalised Snell envelope is introduced for the valuation of multi-person contracts and sufficient conditions for the existence of unique and additive arbitrage prices are provided. Finally, a new class of multi-dimensional reflected backward stochastic differential equations are proposed to model multi-person affine game options under market friction.


We give a complete classification of exceptional surgeries on hyperbolic alternating knots in the 3-sphere. As an appendix, we also show that the Montesinos knots M (-1/2, 2/5, 1/(2q + 1)) with q at least 5 have no non-trivial exceptional surgeries. This gives the final step in a complete classification of exceptional surgery on arborescent knots.


Objective: This study aimed to examine the individual differences and factors affecting balance and gait control during walking (i.e., dynamic equilibrium) in healthy young adults subjected to unilateral caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS). Methods: Sixty-six participants completed questionnaires related to motion sickness. All participants were subjected to the head-up tilt test (HUT), which assesses orthostatic dysregulation, followed by inner ear stimulation with cold water (20°C) for 60 s. Subsequently, all participants performed a 6 m walking test with their eyes open. Results: CVS resulted in horizontal nystagmus. The measured distance of sway from the centerline on the goal line ranged from 0 to 600 cm. Both motion sickness and orthostatic dysregulation (OD) were associated with the distance of sway from the centerline. Conclusions: Autonomic dysfunction affects the dynamic equilibrium and might cause individual gait differences. Further study is warranted to quantify the autonomic function and clarify individual variations in dynamic equilibrium, after unilateral CVS.


An excel-based model was developed to evaluate economic and environmental benefits of the solar-powered compaction garbage bins in public areas in Australia. Input data were collected from Brisbane and Wollongong City councils, and Sydney Olympic Park. The results demonstrate that solar-powered compaction garbage bins would provide environmental benefits in all scenarios. However, results of the economic analysis of the three studied areas varied significantly. The unique situation of Sydney Olympic Park made implementation in that facility particularly appealing. A lower monthly rental cost is needed for the implementation of this novel waste management practice.


A hybrid fluorescent pigment composed of fluorescent yellow X-10GFF (FY-10G) and palygorskite (PLG) was prepared by semi-dry grinding. The effects of the physically adsorbed water content and grinding time on the environmental stability of FY-10G/PLG hybrid fluorescent pigments in terms of acid, ethanol and ultraviolet irradiation are discussed in detail. The incorporated FY-10 G molecules are mainly trapped on the external surface and the groove of PLG. Due to the host–guest interaction between PAL and FY-10G, the emission spectrum of the FY-10G/PLG hybrids shifts to a greater wavelength compared with that of FY-10G, but the physically adsorbed water content and grinding time have no effect on the position of the emission spectrum except for its intensity. A larger, physically adsorbed water content and appropriate grinding time may effectively prevent the aggregation and breakage of the bundles of PLG and facilitate FY-10 G molecules to enter into the groove of PAL. This increases the environmental stability of the as-prepared hybrid pigments.


There is a stereotype that takes for granted that a native speaker is by nature the best person to teach his/her foreign language. This assumption leaves little room for non-native teachers. A comparison of these two kinds of teachers is made following Medgyes' 3 dimensional framework: native/non-native, non-native/ non-native and native/native. The aim of this article is to analyze their differences in order to prove that non-native teachers have some advantages which should be taken into account.


We propose a possible route to achieve high thermoelectric efficiency in molecular junctions by combining a local chemical tuning of the molecular electronic states with the use of semiconducting electrodes. The former allows to control the position of the HOMO transmission resonance with respect to the Fermi energy while the latter fulfills a twofold purpose: the suppression of electron-like contributions to the thermopower and the cut-off of the HOMO transmission tails into the semiconductor band gap. As a result a large thermopower can be obtained. Our results strongly suggest that large figures of merit in such molecular junctions can be achieved.


This introduction paper provides the context for the Symposium. It begins with a brief account of the ways in which the Internet is being held responsible for poisoning democracy, then unpacks the nexus of the three main terms of the title of this Symposium: democracy, education and technology. The conceptual aspects of this nexus are inextricable from the technical aspects. That is why it is appropriate that this Symposium integrates together papers that might seem primarily conceptual and papers that are more focused on technical issues of how to design to support deeper reflection and collective intelligence. This paper ends with a justification of the need to take an expanded 'design based research' approach to the issue of how education and technology relate to democracy. What we need now is not so much contemplative knowledge of relationships between abstract concepts but engaged knowledge that supports collective technology design, where we, ourselves, or the nature of human subjectivity and human subjectivities, are understood to be part of that technological design based research project.


Automated Planning techniques can be leveraged to build effective decision support systems that assist the human-in-the-loop. Such systems must provide intuitive explanations when the suggestions made by these systems seem inexplicable to the human. In this regard, we consider scenarios where the user questions the system's suggestion by providing alternatives (referred to as foils). In response, we empower existing decision support technologies to engage in an interactive explanatory dialogue with the user and provide contrastive explanations based on user-specified foils to reach a consensus on proposed decisions. To provide contrastive explanations, we adapt existing techniques in Explainable AI Planning (XAIP). Furthermore, we use this dialog to elicit the user's latent preferences and propose three modes of interaction that use these preferences to provide revised plan suggestions. Finally, we showcase a decision support system that provides all these capabilities.


The aim of this study is to represent simultaneously changes in the spatial distribution of the Atlantic forest during the last 17,000 years. To characterize such changes, here we focused on three different forest physiognomies, evergreen, semi‐deciduous, and Araucaria, and we provide a list of indicator taxa for each class retrieved from the original published datasets. A review of the published fossil pollen records allowed us to classify regional behaviors in three main areas of distribution, north of 15°S, between 15° and 23°S and south of 23°S latitude that correspond to three climatic geographical barriers. Statistical probability density function method was used to illustrate changes in forest physiognomies throughout the three distribution areas. We show that the three modern barriers also functioned through the past. Asynchronous patterns of forest physiognomies are linked to an antiphasing pattern of monsoon precipitation between the northern and central area, whereas in the southern area, it is linked to the frequency and intensity of the polar advection in the subtropics. Our results attest to strong climate forcing on forest distribution between the late glacial and the interglacial period. They call into question the common reference to the last glacial maximum as a major (and sometimes as the only) driver of forest‐related vicariance and genetic diversity patterns, but suggest that instead, orbital cycles were the main drivers of the successive expansion/contraction of the Atlantic forest throughout the Quaternary.


ABSTRACT High spatial resolution images available by satellites such as Ikonos, Quickbird, and WorldView-2 provide more information for remote sensing applications, such as object detection, classification, change detection, and object mapping. The presence of shadow reduces the amount of information that can be extracted and consequently makes these applications more difficult or even impossible. In this article, a shadow restoration approach for high-resolution satellite images is proposed. The approach detects the shadow area and segments the image into regions according to the land surface type. Then, shadow restoration is carried out for each region based on the degree of correspondence between shadow and neighbouring non-shadow regions. The proposed approach is applied to study areas from Ikonos and WorldView-2 satellite images. A comparison to the standard approaches for shadow restoration is performed, and an accuracy assessment is carried out by visual inspection and land-cover classification. The results show that the enhanced shadow regions using the proposed approach have better appearances and are highly compatible with their surrounding non-shadow regions. In addition, the overall accuracy is higher than those of the standard approaches.