We investigated the characteristics of laser ablation phenomena in supercritical fluids by optical emission and shadowgraph imaging. In comparison with laser ablation in liquid H2O, the optical emission of a laser ablation plasma produced in supercritical H2O had a longer lifetime and a larger transport length. It was found in supercritical CO2 that laser ablation plasmas with bright optical emissions were produced at a mass density of approximately 300 kg/m3. A clear correlation between the optical emission intensity and the density fluctuation was not observed in our experimental results, which were obtained in a regime deviated from the critical point. Bubblelike hollows were observed by shadowgraph imaging in both supercritical H2O and CO2. The dynamics of the bubblelike hollows were different from the dynamics of a cavitation bubble induced by laser ablation in a liquid medium but relatively similar to the dynamics of ambient gas in gas-phase laser ablation.


PURPOSE
To investigate tear film optical quality dynamics by analyzing the postblink temporal changes of objective scatter index (OSI).

METHODS
A total of 109 myopic subjects without symptoms of dry eye and 32 myopic subjects diagnosed with dry eye disease were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The right eye for each subject was analyzed. Serial measurements of OSI were performed for 20 seconds in the interval of 0.5 second using a double-pass instrument, and 10 successive seconds of nonblinking immediately after a blink was selected to analyze the tear film optical quality dynamics. The tear breakup time (TBUT) was also measured. The mean OSI in 10 successive seconds and the correlation coefficient between OSI and time were analyzed.

RESULTS
For subjects without symptoms of dry eye, 109 eyes were divided into two categories based on the correlation coefficient between OSI and time: category A (without positive correlation) and category B (with positive correlation). Categories A and B were further divided into four categories based on the mean OSI for 10 seconds: category A1 (36.7%, lower than 1.00); category A2 (33.0%, equal to or greater than 1.00); category B1 (13.8%, lower than 1.00), and category B2 (16.5%, equal to or greater than 1.00). Dry eye subjects were set as category C for comparison. There was no significant difference in the TBUT among the five categories (A1, A2, B1, B2, C) except between category C and category A1 (P < 0.01) and category C and category A2 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Dynamic changes of OSI after blinking showed variations even in clinically asymptomatic subjects, and four categories of tear film were proposed based on the optical quality dynamics. The procedure using serial measurements of OSI as a noninvasive and objective method may have potential applications for detecting preclinical phase of dry eye disease in asymptomatic subjects.


The aim of the study is to evaluate the concrete shear strength and structural behavior of two general beams and eight shape memory alloys (SMAs)-reinforced beams under the flexural test. This work compares the existing reference formula for concrete shear strength with test result to provide the basic data for the design of highly intelligent reinforced concrete (hereinafter, HIRC) beams. The evaluation of the concrete shear strength was performed with effective depth (d=65, 70, 80), SMA diameter change (o=2.0, 2.5) as the main variables of the specimens. For the relationship between the effective depth and the Vexp/Vcal, the test result shows that the concrete shear strength gradually approaches 1.0 as the effective depth length increase. For the AIJ formula, the specimens are approached evenly for comparison between Vexp/Vcal and the by-product (garnet, fly-ash) reinforced specimen; however, other formulas indicate a deviation.


ABSTRACT The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) LAT gene is the only viral gene abundantly transcribed during latency. LAT null mutants created with strains McKrae and 17syn+ are impaired for both in vivo spontaneous and in vivo-induced reactivation. Thus, LAT is essential for efficient in vivo-induced and spontaneous reactivation. Different investigators have studied two LAT mutants containing aStyI-StyI region deletion corresponding to LAT nucleotides 76 to 447. One mutant, dLAT371 (parent strain, McKrae), had parental high frequencies of spontaneous reactivation. In vivo-induced reactivation was not examined. The other mutant, 17ΔSty (parent strain, 17syn+), had parental frequencies of in vitro reactivation following cocultivation of explanted ganglia but reduced frequencies of in vivo-induced reactivation. Spontaneous reactivation frequency was not reported for 17ΔSty. These combined results suggested the possibility that in vivo spontaneous reactivation and in vivo-induced reactivation may map to different regions within the LAT domain. We now report that dLAT371 has in vivo-induced reactivation frequencies of the parent and that 17ΔSty has reduced frequencies of in vivo spontaneous reactivation. Thus,dLAT371 demonstrated the parental phenotype for both in vivo spontaneous and -induced reactivation while the apparently identical 17ΔSty was impaired for both in vivo spontaneous and -induced reactivation. These results suggest that one or more differences between the genetic backgrounds of McKrae and 17syn+ result in different in vivo reactivation phenotypes of otherwise identical deletion mutations and that McKrae may have compensating sequences sufficient to overcome the loss of theStyI-StyI region of the LAT transcript.


Multiple-instance learning (MIL) is a unique learning problem in which training data labels are available only for collections of objects (called bags) instead of individual objects (called instances). A plethora of approaches have been developed to solve this problem in the past years. Popular methods include the diverse density, MILIS and DD-SVM. While having been widely used, these methods, particularly those in computer vision have attempted fairly sophisticated solutions to solve certain unique and particular configurations of the MIL space. In this paper, we analyze the MIL feature space using modified versions of traditional non-parametric techniques like the Parzen window and k-nearest-neighbour, and develop a learning approach employing distances to k-nearest neighbours of a point in the feature space. We show that these methods work as well, if not better than most recently published methods on benchmark datasets. We compare and contrast our analysis with the well-established diverse-density approach and its variants in recent literature, using benchmark datasets including the Musk, Andrews' and Corel datasets, along with a diabetic retinopathy pathology diagnosis dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that, while enjoying an intuitive interpretation and supporting fast learning, these method have the potential of delivering improved performance even for complex data arising from real-world applications.


Protein sequence database search programs may be evaluated both for their retrieval accuracy—the ability to separate meaningful from chance similarities—and for the accuracy of their statistical assessments of reported alignments. However, methods for improving statistical accuracy can degrade retrieval accuracy by discarding compositional evidence of sequence relatedness. This evidence may be preserved by combining essentially independent measures of alignment and compositional similarity into a unified measure of sequence similarity. A version of the BLAST protein database search program, modified to employ this new measure, outperforms the baseline program in both retrieval and statistical accuracy on ASTRAL, a SCOP-based test set.


Among other measurement techniques applied for the assessment of leaf area index, direct methods are still valued as the most accurate measures and often implemented as calibration tools. Even though more attention has been given to indirect measurements of tree crown properties in forest ecosystems over the last decades, the present study was designed to discuss the direct (destructive) and indirect (non-destructive) methods used for the assessment of crown measures in the stands defoliated from 20 to 90%. The stands with similar stand characteristics and representing relatively wide range of defoliation served as an appropriate target for the assessment of foliage mass variations.
Overall, this study showed that the foliage mass or its surface area and defoliation at the stand level can be determined by the conventional methods used for the assessment of defoliation in forest monitoring programme as well as the PAR transmission methods. The findings showed that needle surface area decreased with the increase of tree defoliation; however, the changes of branch and stem surface areas were insignificant. Otherwise, the branch and shoot area contribute significantly to the total vegetation surface area at least in Scots pine stands. This study also strengthened the idea that the indirect measurement of vegetation area index underestimated vegetation area index at least in Scots pine stands defoliated less than 60%. The multivariate regression models were developed using tree diameter at breast height and tree crown defoliation ranges to estimate needle surface area. Keywords: Pinus sylvestris, crown defoliation, needle area index, regression model


The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARalpha) has been implicated in fatty acid regulation of gene transcription. Lipogenic gene transcription is inhibited by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We have used the PUFA-sensitive rat liver S14 gene as a model to examine the role PPARalpha plays in fatty acid regulation of hepatic lipogenic gene transcription. Both PPARalpha and the potent peroxisome proliferator, WY14643, inhibit S14CAT activity in transfected primary hepatocytes. WY14643 and PPARalpha target the S14 T3 regulatory region (TRR, -2.8 to -2.5 kilobases), a region containing 3 T3 response elements (TRE). Transfer of the TRR to the thymidine kinase (TK) promoter conferred negative control to the TKCAT gene following WY14643 and PPARalpha treatment. Gel shift analysis showed that PPARalpha, either alone or with RXRalpha, did not bind the S14TRR. However, PPARalpha interfered with TRbeta/RXRalpha binding to a TRE (DR+4). Functional studies showed that co-transfected RXRalpha, but not T3 receptor beta1 (TRbeta1), abrogated the inhibitory effect of PPARalpha on S14 gene transcription. These results suggest that WY14643 and PPARalpha functionally interfere with T3 regulation of S14 gene transcription by inhibiting TRbeta1/RXR binding to S14 TREs. Previous studies had established that the cis-regulatory targets of PUFA control were located within the proximal promoter region of the S14 gene, i.e. between -220 and -80 bp. Finding that the cis-regulatory elements for WY14643/PPARalpha and PUFA are functionally and spatially distinct argues against PPARalpha as the mediator of PUFA suppression of S14 gene transcription.


The similarity form of the scalar-variance spectrum at high Schmidt numbers is investigated for nonstationary turbulence. Theoretical arguments show that Batchelor scaling may apply only at high Reynolds numbers. At low Reynolds numbers, Batchlor scaling is not possible unless the turbulence is stationary or the enstrophy decays asymptotically as t. When this latter condition is satisfied, it is shown from an analysis using both the Batchelor and Kraichnan models for the scalar-variance transfer spectrum that the k power law in the viscous-convective subrange is modified. Results of direct numerical simulations of high Schmidt number passive scalar transport in stationary and decaying two-dimensional turbulence are compared to the theoretical analysis. For stationary turbulence, Batchelor scaling is shown to collapse the spectra at different Schmidt numbers and a k viscous-convective subrange is observed. The Kraichnan model is shown to accurately predict the simulation spectrum. For nonstationary turbulence decaying at constant Reynolds number for which the enstrophy decays as t, scalar fields for different Schmidt numbers are simulated in situations with and without a uniform mean scalar gradient. The Kraichnan model is again shown to predict the spectra in these cases with different anomalous exponents in the viscous-convective subrange. ©1998 American Institute of Physics. @S1070-6631 ~98!01205-7#


An exclusive analysis of the 4-body final states $\mathrm{\Lambda + p + \pi^{+} + K^{0}}$ and $\mathrm{\Sigma^{0} + p + \pi^{+} + K^{0}}$ measured with HADES for p+p collisions at a beam kinetic energy of 3.5 GeV is presented. The analysis uses various phase space variables, such as missing mass and invariant mass distributions, in the four particle event selection (p, $\pi^+$, $\pi^+$, $\pi^-$) to find cross sections of the different production channels, contributions of the intermediate resonances $\mathrm{\Delta^{++}}$ and $\mathrm{\Sigma(1385)^{+}}$ and corresponding angular distributions. A dominant resonant production is seen, where the reaction $\mathrm{\Lambda + \Delta^{++} + K^{0}}$ has an about ten times higher cross section ($\mathrm{29.45\pm0.08^{+1.67}_{-1.46}\pm2.06\,\mu b}$) than the analogous non-resonant reaction ($\mathrm{2.57\pm0.02^{+0.21}_{-1.98}\pm0.18\,\mu b}$). A similar result is obtained in the corresponding $\Sigma^{0}$ channels with $\mathrm{9.26\pm0.05^{+1.41}_{-0.31}\pm0.65\,\ mu b}$ in the resonant and $\mathrm{1.35\pm0.02^{+0.10}_{-1.35}\pm0.09\,\mu b}$ in the non-resonant reactions.


SIR,-The patient and persistent efforts of Drs. H. C. Trowell, R. F. A. Dean, and J. N. P. Davies (October 11, p. 791) in Uganda to locate the exact nutritional origin of kwashiorkor deserve our respect and admiration. The value of milk in the treatment of the acute disease had already been recognized, but Dr. Dean's results appear to show tlat it is the protein which is the effective curative agent. These findings, coupled with our knowledge of the social and dietary habits of native populations,' appear at first sight to incriminate protein deficiency as the cause of kwashiorkor. Having left this field of work some time ago, I feel Idiffident about commenting on the observations of those whose minds are refreshed by constant bedside contact with the disease. At the same time they have, with your editorial support, committed themselves deeply to a point of view which, if correct, will make the eradication of this disease a wellnigh hopeless problem in this generation. If, as they contend, kwashiorkor has its origin in protein deficiency, what chance is there of supplying this deficiency in our time ? With the prevalence of animal trypanosomiasis in West Africa there is no possibility of establishing herds to provide sufficient meat or milk there for many years. Even if Dr. Dean's' hopes are justified and vegetable protein solved the problem, it would take years of effort to switch the population on to the cultivation of soya beans for their dietary staple. May I therefore put forward a few points to show that the vitamin-deficiency theory of the origin of kwashiorkor should not be discarded for the moment? Would not a clinician who examined a case of rickets find plenty of evidence of " malignant malnutrition " and protein deficiency at the florid stage ? And yet rickets has been abolished in this country at very little cost by vitamin supplements. The fact is that any form of disease which leads to inanition is likely to end-in a syndrome of protein deficiency. It may be argued that in kwashiorkor we know the diet is defective in protein. But are our standards valid ? Do not some of the finest physical specimens of the human race come from the same region where kwashiorkor flourishes ? It is possible that the kwashiorkor seen in Uganda differs from that seen elsewhere, although it is equally possible that each of us, blinded by his own prejudice, sees in kwashiorkor that which he sets out to observe. I am intrigued, for example, by an important omission in the description of the hair in kwashiorkor in Uganda. In West Africa the most startling feature-to me-was the fact that the hair was falling out and could be pulled out painlessly in bunches. This gave a moth-eaten appearance to the scalp. This symptom, which impressed me as characteristic of severe kwashiorkor, is either of no significance to the Uganda observers or else does not occur in the local disease. The authors do not mention the resemblance between the patterns of the kwashiorkor dermatosis and that of gaol " pellagroid." Here again I was interested-possibly to the point of prejudice-in the similarity of the two dermatoses. The pellagroid which occurs in gaols and asylums can be prevented, as Landor and Pallisterl showed, by the addition of minute amounts of yeast to the diet. This has been amply confirmed. In one gaol in West Africa I found that the bitter local spinach was first boiled and then squeezed to get out a bitter principle. The water in which it was boiled was thrown away and the spinach was then added to the rest of the boilin).g stew. By merely stopping this practice the incidence of the orogenital pellagroid fell to vanishing point. Now the pattern of the adult pellagroid is complete in the rash of kwashiorkor. The Uganda observers ignore the significance of this and describe the evolution of the ras!h as if it could be accounted for by chance traumata. Here again it may be a question of prejudice or-to put it more mildly-point of view. I saw in this pattern of the kwashiorkor rash the imprint of ariboflavinosis. Possibly I was prejudiced by the fact that 12% of the poorer classes in Lagos from whom we got our kwashiorkor cases showed this evidence of riboflavin deficiency. Once more, does the kwashiorkor of Uganda differ from that of West Africa in its background of ariboflavinosis ? Dr. Trowell mentions the sudden de4th which is such a tragic and mysterious feature of kwashiorkor. Williams2 has already described this in association with fatty liver in West African cases. I' described it in my own cases and pointed out that Sebrell' had also noted the association of yellow liver and sudden unexpected death in his experimental dogs-which brings us back again to ariboflavinosis. Finally, in spite of his belief in protein deficiency, Dr. Dean records that a diet of low protein content cleared up the synMptoms in one of his cases even though the blood protein was not raised. In 1946 I saw a good deal of malnutrition in post-war Germany. I saw many cases of nutritional oedema, some of whom were children. But I saw no skin lesions remotely resembling pellagra or pellagroid in adults and no case of kwashiorkor in children. It will be readily admitted that the whole population was suffering from inadequate protein and calories. Why were there no cases of kwashiorkor ? I have not found that riboflavin cures kwashiorkor. It would be as unreasonable to expect a cure from riboflavin or the B2 complex as it would be to expect a cure of rickets by vitamin D. The protein diets used so successfully by Dr. Dean also contained adequate amounts of the vitaminB2 complex. While the authors have put forward strong arguments in favour of a primary deficiency of protein in the diet, I feel the question is not yet finally settled. It is still possible that a daily vitamin supplement supplied by food yeast would prevent kwashiorkor. Because the cost of such a supplement is negligible, and the technique of production and distribution not very difficult, it deserves further consideration.-I am, etc.,


An efficient, low-cost solution-chemical route to nanophase cobalt as dense films and sponges has been developed. Co(NO3)2·6H2O and Co(OAc)2·4H2O were mixed with triethanolamine in methanol, and the solution was evaporated in air to a viscous liquid. Heating at 10 C min-1 to 470 and 500 C yielded highly porous sponges consisting of 3-6 and 9-11 nm sized face centered cubic (fcc) cobalt crystallites, respectively. Spin-coating on alumina and aluminum substrates with a 1 M Co-precursor solution and subsequent heating at 10 C min-1 to 500 C yielded dense films of <20 nm sized fcc cobalt crystallites. The microstructural and compositional evolution process on heating to form the cobalt metal was studied by TGA, DTA, and FT-IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, TEM-EDS, and SEM-EDS. The C, N, and O contents could be kept low, 0.5, 0.02, and 0.2 wt %, respectively, at 700 C, but the carbon content could also reproducibly be adjusted to up to 13 wt % C in excess, by varying the precursor composition.


Since its inception in 2002, the water footprint (WF) has brought new insight into the direct and indirect (or supply chain) uses of water in the production and consumption of goods and services. Today, this emerging field is mainly represented by two distinct communities following distinct WF approaches: the water resources management community which follows guidelines from the WF Network, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) community which focuses on assessing impacts from water use. This thesis seeks to harmonize WF assessments by combining and contrasting methods and objectives from both communities with the overarching goal of informing water decision-making by (1) considering limits to water resources within a river basin (the "Nature" domain), and (2) considering water use in production systems (the "Production" domain). Following this proposed framework to combine WF assessments (Chapter 2), I assess how each approach may address water management for agricultural production in Southern Amazonia (Mato Grosso, Brazil), a region that has dramatically increased its soybean and cattle production through deforestation. In Chapters 3 and 4, I respectively measure andmodel theWF of cropland and cattle to highlight on-farm water use strategies for agricultural production (the volumetric WF assessment phase). Chapter 5 focuses on the Xingu Basin of Mato Grosso for which I assess water scarcity of current and future agricultural production (the volumetric WF sustainability assessment phase). Finally, in Chapter 6, I integrate existing water use in LCA methods to highlight water use efficiencies through impact assessment (the WF impact assessment phase). Results show different land and water management options for crops and cattle in Southern Amazonia, but also demonstrate that water use for future production could reach sustainable limits, should cropland irrigation and cattle confinement become more widespread. Moreover, the role of water vapour supply to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration is stressed as an important process that could affect future water availability due to the importance of moisture recycling on regional precipitation. This research provides context on the role of land management on water resources, while combining water decisions affecting both production systems and resource limits imposed by the water cycle.


The present work was carried out to investigate the effects of crude aqueous extracts of the stem with leaves and roots of Heliotropium indicum Linn on blood pressure in Wistar rats. Crude aqueous extracts were obtained by decoction of Heliotropium indicum stem with leaves and roots. A phytochemical screening of extracts has been made by thin layer chromatography. The pharmacological effect of the extracts was assessed by administration to L-NAME-induced hypertensive Wistar rats. Blood pressures were measured by carotid catheterization. The chemical screening revealed the presence of many secondary metabolites such as coumarins, flavonoids, anthocyanics, lignans, saponins, tannins, terpenes and triterpenes in both extract. Alkaloid were detected only in the root extract. 7-days administration of L-NAME induced an increasis of rat mean arterial pressure (MAP) from 1063 mmHg to 1342 mmHg. Administration of both extracts significantly decreased the MAP from 1342 mmHg to respectively to 108 1 mmHg for the stem with leaf extract and to 1212 mmHg for the root extract . These results provide a support for the use of this plant in traditional medicine.


BACKGROUND
Noninvasive fetal aneuploidy detection by use of free DNA from maternal plasma has recently been shown to be achievable by whole genome shotgun sequencing. The high-throughput next-generation sequencing platforms previously tested use a PCR step during sample preparation, which results in amplification bias in GC-rich areas of the human genome. To eliminate this bias, and thereby experimental noise, we have used single molecule sequencing as an alternative method.

METHODS
For noninvasive trisomy 21 detection, we performed single molecule sequencing on the Helicos platform using free DNA isolated from maternal plasma from 9 weeks of gestation onwards. Relative sequence tag density ratios were calculated and results were directly compared to the previously described Illumina GAII platform.

RESULTS
Sequence data generated without an amplification step show no GC bias. Therefore, with the use of single molecule sequencing all trisomy 21 fetuses could be distinguished more clearly from euploid fetuses.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows for the first time that single molecule sequencing is an attractive and easy to use alternative for reliable noninvasive fetal aneuploidy detection in diagnostics. With this approach, previously described experimental noise associated with PCR amplification, such as GC bias, can be overcome.


On First view there seem to be many possible instances of knowers who lack knowledge of their knowledge. A self-deceiver seems capable of knowing his own faults without knowing that he knows them. A philosopher seems capable of knowing that there are physical objects around him without knowing that he has such knowledge. Deep-rooted insecurity seems capable of preventing a mathematician from knowing that he has just made a genuine discovery. A child seems capable of acquiring knowledge before acquiring the concept 'knowledge' and hence before being able to know that he knows.


Abstract : To sustain itself as the world's premier land power, the U.S. Army needs the capability to support expeditionary forces by projecting a minimal basing footprint with reduced logistical burdens. Strategically sited Contingency Bases (CBs) allow the Army's expeditionary forces to rapidly respond and attack the enemy throughout the joint area of operations (JOA). Strategic conditions will be analyzed through the lens of eight OE variables political, military, economic, social, information, infrastructure, physical environment, and time (PMESII-PT). The Army has neither a well-grounded methodology nor the tools to enable this type of strategic decision-making capability. Decision makers require reliable information about the situational dynamics of the operational environment to anticipate the impacts that siting and operating CBs will have on the local context, and to consider the effects of the site on the operation of CBs. The capability to anticipate CB impacts and resources draws upon the local population, which will becomes particularly important for engagement operations when CBs will have a longer duration of use and interaction with the local populace. This report considers access of building materials required for the construction of CBs and develops a methodology to acquire reliable information that can be replicated in other locations through the world. This work then validates the developed methodology with a case study of Maiduguri, Nigeria.


In this paper, the application of super resolution (SR, restoring a high spatial resolution image from a series of low resolution images of the same scene) techniques to GaoFen(GF)-4, which is the most advanced geostationaryorbit earth observing satellite in China, remote sensing images is investigated and tested. SR has been a hot research area for decades, but one of the barriers of applying SR in remote sensing community is the time slot between those low resolution (LR) images acquisition. In general, the longer the time slot, the less reliable the reconstruction. GF-4 has the unique advantage of capturing a sequence of LR of the same region in minutes, i.e. working as a staring camera from the point view of SR. This is the first experiment of applying super resolution to a sequence of low resolution images captured by GF-4 within a short time period. In this paper, we use Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) to solve the ill-conditioned problem of SR. Both the wavelet transform and the curvelet transform are used to setup a sparse prior for remote sensing images. By combining several images of both the BeiJing and DunHuang regions captured by GF-4 our method can improve spatial resolution both visually and numerically. Experimental tests show that lots of detail cannot be observed in the captured LR images, but can be seen in the super resolved high resolution (HR) images. To help the evaluation, Google Earth image can also be referenced. Moreover, our experimental tests also show that the higher the temporal resolution, the better the HR images can be resolved. The study illustrates that the application for SR to geostationary-orbit based earth observation data is very feasible and worthwhile, and it holds the potential application for all other geostationary-orbit based earth observing systems.


The Josephson equations are derived by means of the weakly coupled two-level quantum system model given by Feynman. Adopting a simplified version of Ohta's model, starting from Feynman's model, the strict voltage–frequency Josephson relation is derived. The contribution of Ohta's approach to the comprehension of the additional term given by the classical external system is recognized. Extension of the model to double-barrier Josephson junctions and multilayered systems is finally briefly commented on.


Yarsagumba is an endoparasitic fungus growing on insect larvae found in the high Himalayan region of Nepal, which is a very expensive and better income source for local peoples. The study was conducted randomly selecting 80 households of two rural municipalities namely Talkot and Saipal who are involved in Yarsagumba collection to assess the impact of Yarsagumba on the livelihood of local people of Bajhang district. The surveyed result revealed that climate change has highly affected the harvesting of Yarsagumba. Its selling price is affected by market value fluctuation. Yarsagumba plays a significant role in the livelihood of the local peoples. The surveyed data comparing the last five years (2068 to 2072) shows that the highest income was found to be NRs. 139,200 per household per season in the year 2068. The market price, trade, and marketing channels of Yarsagumba are unclear and commercial trading takes place illegally because of fear of being charged higher taxes. The temperature and humidity play an important role in the abundance and formation of Yarsagumba. The study showed that 43.8% of respondents perceived change in temperature and rainfall pattern over 10 years, and 73.7% of respondents perceived that temperature and rainfall affected Yarsagumba collection.


We report on the design considerations of stationary-head multi-track magnetic recorders. We focus on the particular reasons for adopting the rate 8/10, DC-free recording code, the full-response detection method, and the clock recovery circuitry. Implementation issues of the channel chip, particularly related to cost and power consumption, are addressed. A new multi-track phase-lock loop (PLL) has been developed, in order to improve the recorder's robustness against time-base variations. >


This paper describes the usefulness of the group of multivariate techniques belonging to ordination for the analysis of ecotoxi cological data sets. It is argued that although ecotoxicologists often gather multivariate data sets, they usually do not evaluate them w ith techniques that can handle multivariate data. Ordination techniques enable the researcher to extract an underlying structure out of a data set (eg. differences in composition of macro-invertebrate community between sites) and, if measured, relate this structure to explanator y variables (eg. concentrations of toxicants at the same sites). Five example data sets are presented to illustrate the underlying theory a nd the possibilities of ordination techniques. Two methods are presented, one based on weighted summation (eg. Principal Component Analysis, PCA) an d one on weighted averaging (eg. Correspondence Analysis, CA). These techniques differ in the shape of the modelled response (lin ear versus unimodal) as the type of data they model (absolute versus relative). Results of these two methods are illustrated using a data set comprising levels of different PCB congeners measured in the blood of Adelie penguins in three periods. After this the constrai ned forms of PCA and CA are discussed, ie. constrained means that they are able to optimally display the differences in species compositi on (here levels of PCB congeners) due to explanatory variables (here period). Further examples illustrate the use of covariables, contin uous and nominal explanatory variables, supplementary explanatory variables and forward selection of explanatory variables. Finally, two examples of Principal Response Curves (PRC) analyses are given. PRC is a technique that is especially developed to analyse time-series i n which a control or reference is present. The PRC results are discussed for a designed experiment and a monitoring data set. The paper ends with a discussion focussing on the comparison between ordination techniques and other multivariate techniques used in the field of e cotoxicology.


Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) produced from traffic-loaded urban areas, combustion processes during industrial processes, and dust resuspension during mechanical disturbances may cause considerable health hazards when it is inhaled, owing to an enhanced accumulation of this particulate material in the lung. While the in-plane airway structures of human lungs are usually used in numerical models, a 3D out-of-plane layout that can geometrically represent triple bifurcations airways of the so-called Weibel model is developed in the present study with the presence of fine particles inside. For in-plane airways, the centerlines of all generations always lie on the same plane. In contrast, 3D out-of-plane is typical of the centerline of each descendant generation that rotates 90 ° to the centerline of its grandmother generation. Given three different breathing conditions, ranging between 15 L min –1 and 60 L min –1 , the sizes of the deposition particles considered herein vary from 0.3 µ m to 0.75 µ m. The numerical results are discussed in terms of the airflow patterns (e.g., streamlines and velocity contours and vectors), the particle deposition patterns, deposition fractions (DFs) in different sections of the lung, the correlation between Stokes number and total DFs, and the correlation between the total DFs and the PM 2.5 diameters. The predictions in Generations 8 to 12 (G8–G12) reveal that deposition fractions (DFs) increase with respiration frequency and intensity. It is also observed that the more anterior the bronchus is, the more significant the particle deposition is, regardless of the respiratory state. Also, the total DF tends to increase as the particle size decreases. This will lead to the development of subsequent tracheal atrophy.


ABSTRACT
 A new basal sauropodornorph dinosaur, Arcusaurus pereirabdalorum, sp. nov., is named and described on the basis of a partial, disarticulated but associated skull and dispersed cranial and postcranial elements from at least two individuals. Arcusaurus is part of a distinctive local fauna from the upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) in the Senekal District, Free State, South Africa. It can be diagnosed by various details of the premaxilla, nasal, and dentary in the skull and the shape of the distal caudal vertebrae. The taxon displays an unusual mix of characteristics. It lacks several synapomorphies of Plateosauria (Phteosaurus + Massospondylus and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor) but does display other derived characteristics that are otherwise known only from less inclusive clades within Plateosauria. In a cladistic analysis a position outside Plateosauria as the sister group of the clade of Efraasia + more-derived sauropodomorphs is supported; however, this position was not found to be a significantly better explanation of the data as a relatively derived position within Plateosauria. If the basal position for Arcusaurus is accepted, then a divergence from other sauropodomorphs in the middle Norian and a ghost lineage up to 35 Ma is implied. No other non-plateosaurian sauropodomorphs are known from the Jurassic, making Arcusaurus a potentially relictual taxon in the Early Jurassic.


Since 1993 a campaign to eradicate Brucella ovis from sheep in Tyrol, using a combination of serological test and culling, is underway. During the pilot survey from 1990 until 1992 out of 812 tested rams, 85 (10%) seroreactors were identified by ELISA. In the year 1995 2263 rams were tested by ELISA, 80 (3.5%) seroreactors could be identified. As the topographical distribution shows the disease is still concentrated in defined areas. The paper discusses the values of the serological tests and reports about the experience in eradication.


Two triterpenoids were isolated from the roots of Peganum nigellastrum Bunge. Their structures were elucidated as 3α-acetoxy-27-trans-caffeoyloxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid methyl ester (1) and 3-oxotirucalla-7, 24-dien-21-oic acid (2) on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. 1 is a new triterpene ester and 2 is a known compound isolated for the first time from genus Peganum.


Serum ribonuclease activity increased after bilateral nephrectomy or hydronephrosis in the rat. This increase could be shown to occur 40 minutes after bilateral nephrectomy and was not abolished by either simultaneous adrenalectomy, pancreatectomy, evisceration or cortisone administration in single or repeated doses. As a similar enzyme was found in the urine, it is suggested that the increased serum activity is due to nonexcretion by the kidneys. The results also indicate that the increased activity did not originate from the digestive tract, pancreas or lymphoid tissues, and that stress did not play a major role in the phenomenon.


ABSTRACT Mateo, Z.R.P. and Siringan, F.P., 2016. Morphological and sedimentological signatures of Late Holocene prodelta lobes in Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. Delta switching is an integral part of coastal evolution and may be caused by a combination of autogenic and allogenic factors. We present offshore signatures of modern and ancient prodelta deposits that document delta switching in the bayhead region of Lingayen Gulf, NW Philippines. Prodelta lobes of prograding systems are marked by areas of shoaling of about 6 m within 95 years, with around 30% clay, whereas abandoned deltas are manifested as areas of deepening of around 3 m with as much as 80% sand. The sorting and kurtosis of the mud fraction further categorize recent and current sedimentary environments and processes such as erosional and shoreface environments and areas dominated by sediment plume and normal offshore deposition. High-resolution subbottom profiles reveal the stacked and truncated nature of different prodelta lobes associated with the latest four tectonically induced delta-switching events. This documented succession of well-preserved deltaic units in a semienclosed basin illustrates the sensitivity of tropical coastal sedimentary environments to autogenic and allogenic factors such as tectonism, sea-level, and monsoonal climate changes.


Understanding the effects of vegetation on soil moisture is vital to the ecosystem restoration in water-restricted areas. For this study, the effects of introduced revegetation and natural revegetation on soil water (0–1.8 m) were investigated in the Chinese Loess Plateau, which was based on an in situ vegetation removal experiment and two years of soil moisture monitoring. The results indicated that under introduced revegetation, pasture grassland had lower soil moisture but higher temporal variations over the growing season. Compared with abandoned farmlands and native grasslands under natural revegetation, pasture grasslands revealed greater negative effects on deep soil moisture (1–1.8 m), which was difficult to recover following soil desiccation. In contrast, for abandoned farmlands and native grasslands, the surface soil moisture (0–0.4 m) was mainly impacted, which was easily replenished through rainfall events. These outcomes implied that natural revegetation, rather than introduced revegetation, should be the first choice in water-limited regions toward the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems.


Model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithms for low-dose X-ray CT are computationally expensive. To address this problem, we recently proposed the world-first deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for low-dose X-ray CT and won the second place in 2016 AAPM Low-Dose CT Grand Challenge. However, some of the texture were not fully recovered. To cope with this problem, here we propose a deep residual learning approach in directional wavelet domain. The proposed method is motivated by an observation that a deep convolutional neural network can be interpreted as a multilayer convolutional framelets expansion using non-local basis convolved with data-driven local basis. We further extend the idea to derive a deep convolutional framelet expansion by combining global redundant transforms and signal boosting from multiple signal representations. Extensive experimental results confirm that the proposed network has significantly improved performance and preserves the detail texture of the original images


It is generally accepted that performance-based design has to be reliability-based. Seismic performance evaluation is based on nonlinear dynamics and reliability theory taking into account uncertainties during analysis. Considering the economic importance of jacket type offshore platforms, the present research aims to assess the seismic performance of offshore steel platforms. In this study, three platforms located in the Persian Gulf were modeled using three dimensional structural modeling tools. Each platform was modeled and analyzed using both rigid and pinned connections. Reliability analysis was performed in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines using the results of incremental dynamic analysis for the three platforms. The results showed that platforms possessing rigid connections provide the desired confidence level of FEMA for the performance level of collapse prevention while only one platform with pinned connections was able to provide the desired confidence level.


The US Department of Energy (DOE), under its Surplus Facilities Management Program (SFMP), is responsible for cleanup activities at the Weldon Spring site, Weldon Spring, Missouri. The site consists of a raffinate pits and chemical plant area and a quarry. This baseline risk evaluation has been prepared to support a proposed response action for management of contaminated bulk wastes in the quarry. The quarry became chemically and radioactively contaminated as a result of various wastes that were disposed of there between 1942 and 1969. This risk evaluation assesses potential impacts on human health and the environment that may result from exposure to releases of contaminants from the quarry under current site conditions. Risk assessment is a key component of the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process, as identified in guidance from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); this process addresses sites subject to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986. Response actions at the Weldon Spring quarry are subject to CERCLA requirements because the quarry is listed on the EPA's National Priorities List. The DOE is also responsible for complying with the requirements of the Nationalmore » Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, which requires federal agencies to consider the environmental consequences of a proposed action as part of the decision-making process for that action. Although this document has not been prepared to fulfill specific NEPA requirements, the analyses contained herein --- along with the analyses provided in the remedial investigation, feasibility study, and other supporting documents --- are intended to meet the environmental assessment requirements of NEPA.« less


Tomorrow, advanced all-terrain robotic applications have to be able to cope with various situations and perform many different tasks in a dynamic and changing environment. Furthermore, finding concrete applications in a wide range of user oriented industrial products, such systems, embedding several computing units, have to cope with an increasing demand of interactivity and to support number of noncritical pieces of hardware and software. This whole set of different capabilities needs to be performed reliably and safely over long time periods. To this aim not only advanced programming techniques, but also appropriate control architectures are required. For these reasons, Robosoft proposes both a set of hardware and software components developed from our own experience in the field of automatic transportation of people and goods, which can be easily adapted to robotic solutions for outdoor risky interventions.


Pollination is one problem with intensive seedless watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) production under unfavorable environmental conditions (low solar radiation and temperature) due to the lowered activity of pollinating insects, such as the bee (Apis mellifera L.). An alternative to overcome these problems is the use of plant growth regulators. For this reason, experiments were conducted for 2 years in plastic greenhouses in the fields of Almeria, southwestern Spain, to evaluate the production and quality of 'Reina de corazones' triploid watermelon grafted onto RS841 rootstock (Cucurbita maxima x Cucurbita moschata). Two phytoregulators were used for the development of the ovary: 1-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-3-phenylurea (CPPU) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Concentrations of CPPU evaluated were 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg-L -1 . An application of 0.6 mL was applied to each ovary in addition to 4, 6, 8, or 12 mg.L -1 of 2,4-D to the foliar mass at a proportion of 1000 L·ha -1 . '. Results showed that the production and number of fruit obtained with CPPU treatments were similar to what is obtained by using bees for fruit pollination. Maximum production was reached at concentrations of 100-200 mg·L -1 . '. Average production was 32% to 83% higher than results from 2,4-D at 8 mg·L -1 . '. The number of fruit per plant was 33% to 35% higher as well. In the first assay, a positive correlation was also observed between production and CPPU concentration. CPPU treatments had a lower accumulation of sugars than those with 2,4-D; nevertheless, both treatments showed values of commercially acceptable soluble solids.


Summary
Tobacco plants grown for 12 h at 25 °C in light of 10800 lux alternating with 12 h at 20 °C in darkness were reliable sources of mesophyll protoplasts, which were very susceptible to infection with tobacco rattle virus. Increasing the photoperiod or the light intensity decreased susceptibility to infection, and increasing or decreasing the photoperiod increased the fragility of the protoplasts. Ease of infection with raspberry ringspot virus seemed to parallel that with tobacco rattle virus. The optimum defined environment gave protoplasts that were at least as suitable for infection experiments as the best from glasshouse grown plants.


A solar telescope, borne by a balloon larger than a Boeing 747, was successfully launched to an altitude of 120,000 feet, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) announced on 23 October. NCAR, working with a team of research partners, indicated that the test clears the way for long-duration polar balloon flights beginning in 2009 to capture unprecedented details of the Sun's surface. "We hope to unlock important mysteries about the Sun's magnetic field structures, which at times can cause electromagnetic storms in our upper atmosphere and may have an impact on Earth's climate," said Michael Knolker, director of NCAR's High Altitude Observatory and a principal investigator on the project known as Sunrise. "This is a very economical way of rising above the atmosphere and capturing images that cannot be captured from Earth."


Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is one of the leading separation technologies for analysis of water-soluble analytes. CE has many advantages over the more established methods such as liquid chromatography and gel electrophoresis particularly in rapid analysis, require very little sample, use less or no toxic organic solvent, high peak efficiency and ease of automation. Despite the many attractive advantages of CE, CE users continue to seek improvements particularly on detection sensitivity, resolution and selectivity. This paper presented several simple approaches to improve detection sensitivity using simple sample preconcentration called field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) and chromatographic-based ZipTip C18 pre-concentrator. Also, some improvements in the resolution of complex peptides mixture when using two strategies namely, capillary coating and manipulation of the hydrophobicity of peptides using perfluorinated acids as background electrolyte (BGE), which have anionic conjugate base forms with hydrophobic character. As test compounds, standard peptide mixture and proteins digests were used for these studies. The results showed that FESI has significantly enhanced the detection signal of peptide standards and bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digests. As for the use of ZipTip C18 pre-concentrator, selective enhancement in detection signal was particularly notable on the late migrating peptides. Coating the capillary proved to have little changes on the CE of peptides when used in conjunction with acidic BGE. Electropherograms of BSA tryptic peptides in pentafluoropropionic acid (PFPA) and heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) showed interesting profile, with notable resolution improvement for peptides with close similarity in electrophoretic mobilities.


Ferrocyanide was detected histologically in adult rat testes by the Prussian blue reaction from 3 min to 3 hr following intravenous injection. Ferrocyanide appeared in the lumen of the testicular blood vessels almost immediately following injection. After 10 min, ferrocyanide was detected in most seminiferous tubule walls and, 20 to 30 min later, Prussian blue deposits were localized in the lumen and epithelium ofsome seminiferous tubules. The results suggest that the continuity of the extratubular and intratubular ferrocyanide compartments is interrupted in part by tubular wall structures. Possible explanations for the intratubular diffusion of ferrocyanide are discussed.


A series of donor-acceptor-substituted alkynes, 2 a-f, was synthesized in which the length of the π-conjugated polyyne spacer between the N,N-diisopropylanilino donor and the 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene (TCBD) acceptor was systematically changed. The effect of this structural change on the optoelectronic properties of the molecules and, ultimately, their third-order optical nonlinearity was comprehensively investigated. The branched N,N-diisopropyl groups on the anilino donor moieties combined with the nonplanar geometry of 2 a-f imparted exceptionally high solubility to these chromophores. This important property allowed for performing INADEQUATE NMR measurements without (13) C labeling, which, in turn, resulted in a complete assignment of the carbon skeleton in chromophores 2 a-f and the determination of the (13) C-(13) C coupling constants. This body of data provided unprecedented insight into characteristic (13) C chemical shift patterns in push-pull-substituted polyynes. Electrochemical and UV/Vis spectroscopic studies showed that the HOMO-LUMO energy gap decreases with increasing length of the polyyne spacer, while this effect levels off for spacers with more than four acetylene units. The third-order optical nonlinearity of this series of molecules was determined by measuring the rotational averages of the third-order polarizabilities (γrot ) by degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM). These latter studies revealed high third-order optical nonlinearities for the new chromophores; most importantly, they provided fundamental insight into the effect of the conjugated spacer length in D-A polyynes, that can be exploited in the future design of suitable charge-transfer chromophores for applications in optoelectronic devices.


Food tourism provides a conceptual vehicle for pursuing a more culturally aware tourism agenda. Findings from participant observation and in-depth tourist interviews visiting sites affiliated to two Scottish food tourism initiatives illustrate how analysis of such places can contribute to work on postmodern touristic consumptive activity and embodied experience. Food tourism research writes the body into tourism, thereby moving discourses away from dominant concepts of visualism towards non-representable forms of knowledge. However, the research also found that in order to meet an increasing demand for experiences that bring producer and consumer together, viewing windows are being installed at sites that sanitize the experience. Therefore, the concept of `new' postmodern forms of tourism activity is problematized by addressing the implications surrounding this paradoxical situation of `post/modernity'; where a (post) tourist is encouraged to internalise a place through its food, yet is simultaneously subject to a form of regulated `tourist gaze' reminiscent of more `Fordist' and modernist modes of tourism experience.


This study deals with the question of advocacy coalition formation and maintenance, in the specific case of Food Secure Canada (FSC), a pan-Canadian alliance of non-profit organizations and individuals working together to advance food security and food sovereignty in Canada. Using theoretical frameworks from literature on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and Resource Mobilization Theory, this dissertation provides a case study of FSC. Examining food civil society organizations in Canada from the 1970's onward, this study provides insights on the social, economic and political context that surrounded the formation of FSC as an advocacy coalition. Through review of existing reports and documents produced by FSC and 21 semi-structured interviews this project provides insights into the role of coalition building and
maintenance. The study provides insights on how advocacy coalitions form, maintain unity and deal with internal differences and how they utilize resources in overcoming organizational challenges. This study also explores how FSC built consensus around its three goals -zero hunger, a sustainable food system, and healthy and safe food - between 2001-2006 and how it managed to stir its Policy Framework of food security to food sovereignty between 2006-2012. This case study, will contribute to the literatures on food policy and advocacy coalitions with a focus on the role of coalition building and maintenance in the policy making process.


: Measuring the purity in the metal powder is critical for preserving the quality of additive manufacturing products. Contamination is one of the most headache problems which can be caused by multiple reasons and lead to the as-built components cracking and malfunctions. Existing methods for metallurgical condition assessment are mostly time-consuming and mainly focus on the physical integrity of structure rather than material composition. Through capturing spectral data from a wide frequency range along with the spatial information, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) can detect minor differences in terms of temperature, moisture and chemical composition. Therefore, HSI can provide a unique way to tackle this challenge. In this paper, with the use of a near-infrared HSI camera, applications of HSI for the non-destructive inspection of metal powders are introduced. Technical assumptions and solutions on three step-by-step case studies are presented in detail, including powder characterization, contamination detection, and band selection analysis. Experimental results have fully demonstrated the great potential of HSI and related AI techniques for NDT of powder metallurgy, especially the potential to satisfy the industrial manufacturing environment.


A good game comes from an original and unique scenario. Game development must precede with the game's scenario because this is where the contents of the game are expressed. Scenario planing brings the result of the game scenario. scenario planning is the draft for game development. The circumstances of gaming today, from the company which produce games to the academic world which educate game development, do not have planning for their game scenarios. A habit that many Korean game developers have is to just insert a rough scenario into a game or even worse no proper form for one at all. The Purpose of this book is to simply search for a scenario planning method and suggest the contents for game planning. paper, we researched technical considerations in initial game software planning, focusing on platform, game engine, game service, network infrastructure.


In the last years new relational systems between citizens and Institutions have been arising. One of the main effects of such transformation is an increasing citizen engagement in designing public services. The motivations, modes, and effects concerning this practice are relevant research topics addressing political, social, and economic issues. In this paper the authors present the SPAC3 project, as it involved the citizens in the design process. The project aims to allow families of the Municipality of Bergamo Italy to access services and information dedicated to them in a more effective way. Here, the authors will focus on the analysis carried out in the project, by pointing out the methodology and the main achieved outcomes, and the features of the identified solution. In the end, the SPAC3 project has been a good opportunity to think about the complex relationship between citizens and Institutions in order to strengthen it.


Summary: The cohesive zone model is used for the numerical simulation of crack growth in homogeneous specimens made of two different grades of polyethylene (PE) as well as in PE-bimaterials. The material data and the shapes of the cohesive function are deduced from experimental data by Ivankovic et al., Eng. Fract. Mech. 71, 2004, 657–668 and Ting et al., Polym. Eng. Sci. 46, 2006, 763–777. Fracture toughness parameters are evaluated from the simulated load versus displacement curves. The results show a significant influence of the arrangement of the two PE-grades in the bimaterial specimens, caused by both the different material properties and the different characteristic parameters of the cohesive function.


Aspect languages provide different mechanisms to control when an aspect should apply based on properties of the execution context. They however fail to explic- itly identify and cleanly capture a property as basic as that of reentrancy. As a result, aspect developers have to resort to low-level and complex pointcut descriptions that are error prone and hamper the understandability of aspect definitions. We analyze the issue of aspect reentrancy, illustrate how current languages fail to properly support it, and define a new linguistic construct to control aspect reentrancy. Considering aspect reentrancy from the start in the design of an aspect language simplifies the task of aspect programmers by raising the level of abstraction of aspect definitions.


Merang OP, Lahjie AM, Yusuf S, Ruslim Y. 2020. Productivity of three varieties of local upland rice on swidden agriculture field in Setulang village, North Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 49-56. Swidden agriculture field is a dry land used by traditional farmers to cultivate some varieties of local upland rice intercropped with vegetables, tubers, and fruits. This rotational cultivation system utilizes the land for planting such food crops in one year period before it is left for fallow periods for years. This study aimed to assess the productivity of local upland rice varieties (i.e. Langsat rice, Telang Usan rice, and Pimping rice) cultivated on swidden agriculture field in regard to the fallow periods. This study was conducted in Setulang village, Malinau District, North Kalimantan Province and employed purposive sampling method using interviews of selected respondents and field observation. Among three varieties of rice in this study, Langsat rice had the longest fallow period with 17 years while Pimping rice had the shortest fallow period with 13 years, with the maximum production were 2,635 kg ha and 1,670 kg ha, respectively. Meanwhile, Telang Usan rice reached the maximum production on fallow period of 15 years with the total production of 2,208 kg ha. Overall, of the three types of rice planted, the results show that the longer the fallow period, the higher the rice production and the shorter the fallow period, the lower the production. Each type of rice has a different amount of production, although it is planted during the same fallow period .


This research explains the role of APIP in carrying out, its functions and duties to achieve the target of Regional Medium Term Plan (RPJMD) 2016-2020. Inspectorate of Banjarbaru City as an element of local government oversight is required to act as an institution capable of improving the quality of supervision on the way of regional development, so as to realize good governance and clean governance. Quoted from the RENSTRA Inspektorat Banjarbaru City there are still strategic issues that can hamper the implementation of the vision mission RPJMD mission in Inspectorate Banjarbaru City. These strategic issues include many findings and recommendations of the results of the investigation that have not been followed up, the lack of strict sanctions on the management of performance andinternal control is not good, the quality of public services should still be improved, supervision procedures have not run well, commitment and motivation APIP still needs to be improved. In addition, the Inspectorate of Banjarbaru City has limited resources so it must be able to work efficiently and effectively. as well as the non- implementation of Risk-Based Audit approaches for all functional functional officials. Through an effective internal control system and effective RSP audit implementation is expected to assist APIP's role in implementing the RPJMD 2016- 2020 to reduce strategic issues and mitigate risk to acceptable limits.Keywords:Risk Based Audit (RBA), Government Internal Control System (SPIP), Inspectorate, Good Governance(GC), Clean Governance (CG), Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus (APIP)


These sumptuous motets for combined voices and instruments are outstanding examples of the German-Venetian polychoral style as practiced around 1600 in northern Germany.


Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are an inevitable environmental pollutant due to their wide range of applications in the industrial sector. Deliberate or unkempt disposal of materials containing EDCs has also significantly contributed to its ecological exposure. Several natural and synthetic chemicals are recognized EDCs which at low doses are capable of eliciting abnormal responses in the body, this is a threat to life for both human and animal health. Due to the hormone-like nature of most of the EDCs, they have the ability to disrupt the hormone signaling pathways leading to alteration of typical functioning of the endocrine system. These will eventually results in dysfunctions in key life processes such as growth and reproduction. Owing to serious health issues attached to EDC exposure in the ecosystem, continuous research is ongoing and inevitable for excellent conclusions, proper documentation, and formulation of regulatory policies toward maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The buildup of endocrine disruptors in organisms can be through the food chain, which may negatively impact ecosystems and organisms at low concentrations. This review discusses the sources, possible mechanisms of action and summarizes the adverse health effects of endocrine disruptors, as well as makes recommendations to alleviate the effects of the EDCs and their negative impact on animals and human health.


This book includes elastic and plastic buckling of spherical shells under various kinds of loading conditions. The first part of the book presents the analytical, numerical, and experimental results of moderately thick and thin hemispherical metal shells into the plastic buckling range illustrating the importance of geometry changes on the buckling load. In the second part of the book, the Southwell's nondestructive method for columns is analytically extended to spherical shells subjected to uniform external pressure acting radially. Subsequently by finite element simulation and experimental work shown that the theory is applicable to spherical shells with an arbitrary axi-symmetrical loading too.


Abstract Grazing flows over Helmholtz resonators may result in self-sustained flow oscillations at the Helmholtz acoustic resonance frequency of the cavity system. The associated pressure fluctuations may be undesirable. Many solutions have been proposed to solve this problem including, for example, leading edge spoilers, trailing edge deflectors, and leading edge flow diffusers. Most of these control devices are "passive", i.e., they do not involve dynamic control systems. Active control methods, which do require dynamic controls, have been implemented with success for different cases of flow instabilities. Previous investigations of the control of flow-excited cavity resonance have used mainly one or more loudspeakers located within the cavity wall. In the present study, oscillated spoilers hinged near the leading edge of the cavity orifice were used. Experiments were performed using a cavity installed within the test section wall of a wind tunnel. A microphone located within the cavity was used as the feedback sensor. A loop shaping feedback control design methodology was used in order to ensure robust controller performance over varying flow conditions. Cavity pressure level attenuation of up to 20dB was achieved around the critical velocity (i.e., the velocity for which the fundamental excitation frequency matches the Helmholtz resonance frequency of the cavity), relative to the level in the presence of the spoiler held stationary. The required actuation effort was small. The spoiler peak displacement was typically only 4% of the mean spoiler angle (approximately 1′). The control scheme was found to provide robust performance for transient operating conditions. Oscillated leading edge spoilers offer potential advantages over loudspeakers for cavity resonance control, including a reduced encumbrance (especially for low-frequency applications), and a reduced actuation effort.


▪ Abstract This review describes some of the important developments in the numerical investigation of transition to turbulence in wall-bounded and free shear flows during the past decade. The evolution of numerical techniques and models as well as the advances in our theoretical understanding of the physics of laminar-turbulent transition that were achieved using these tools are described. For wall-bounded flows, particular emphasis is placed on investigations studying various scenarios of "bypass transition" in flows that are asymptotically stable. A brief review of investigations into receptivity and control of transitional flows is included.


In the environment surrounding the pharma industries (1) declining productivity in research and development in pharma industries, (2) spreading of 3Rs in animal testing, and (3) diversifying of modalities, the regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies in US and EU are paying attention to the microphysiological system (MPS) to actively incorporate cutting-edge technologies into the evaluation assays used for approval applications for drug research and development. MPS generally refers to an in vitro culture system in which a culture environment close to that of a living body (in vivo) is reconstructed in a created minute space using a microfluidic device. Currently, many products have been put into practical use by US and EU companies and are sold all over the world. This time, the trends of MPS as a drug development tool, especially case of safety assessment, issues for implementation to pharma, and future perspectives are described in this article.


Weather calamities partly attributable to global climate change are increasingly affecting the central part of Vietnam. Such shocks add to adversities like pest outbreaks and the Avian Flu. In addition, the recent hike in food prices adds additional burden to the often food-deficit farm households in the mountainous areas of Thua Thien Hue province. Thua Thien Hue is one of three Vietnamese provinces where a large scale household panel survey was undertaken in the context of the DFG research project "Impact of Shocks on the Vulnerability to poverty: Consequences for Development of Emerging Southeast Asian Economies". Data were collected in a panel survey from 239 households in the mountain stratum of Thua Thien Hue province. Using a mathematical programming model including risk following the concept of typical farm households the effect of risks on household food security and the probability to fall into poverty is analyzed. The model represents the main economic components of rural households in the mountainous upland of Thua Thien Hue province such as farm and forest based income generating activities. External climatic shocks are incorporated in the model by means of a MOTAD approach which models risk-averse behavior. Extensions of the model will allow capturing the dynamic nature of changes in natural resources such as forest land and soil fertility. Furthermore demographic changes and household dynamics as well as changes in asset positions will be included in future versions of the model. Results are expected to be useful for the design of policies which aim at reducing vulnerability to poverty while taking into consideration households' medium- and long-term economic development.


We explore the plasma matter content in the innermost accretion disk/jet in M87* as relevant for an enthusiastic search for the signatures of anti-matter in the next generation of the Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT). We model the impact of non-zero positron-to-electron ratio using different emission models, including a constant electron to magnetic pressure (constant βe model) with a population of non-thermal electrons as well as an R-beta model populated with thermal electrons. In the former case, we pick a semi-analytic fit to the force-free region of a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulation, while in the latter case, we analyze the GRMHD simulations directly. In both cases, positrons are being added at the post-processing level. We generate polarized images and spectra for some of these models and find out that at the radio frequencies, both of the linear and the circular polarizations are enhanced with every pair added. On the contrary, we show that, at higher frequencies, a substantial positron fraction washes out the circular polarization. We report strong degeneracies between different emission models and the positron fraction, though our non-thermal models show more sensitivities to the pair fraction than the thermal models. We conclude that a large theoretical image library is indeed required to fully understand the trends probed in this study, and to place them in the context of a large set of parameters which also affect polarimetric images, such as magnetic field strength, black hole spin, and detailed aspects of the electron temperature and the distribution function.


Post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is increasing given to improve breast cancer outcomes but can increase complication rates following implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR). Little, however, is known about the impact of PMRT on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of IBBR, especially in the context of mesh-assisted techniques.

 2108 consecutive women undergoing IBBR at 81 UK centres were prospectively recruited between 2014 and 2016. Demographic, operative, oncological and 3-month complication data were collected, and patients who consented received post-operative questionnaires. An 18-month questionnaire assessed PROs using the validated BREAST-Q. The effect of IBBR on PROs was investigated using mixed-effects regression models adjusted for clinically relevant confounders and including a random effect to account for potential clustering by centre.

 1693 iBRA participants underwent mastectomy for malignancy, of whom 1187 (70%) consented to receive the 18-month questionnaire and 732 (43%) completed it. Patients undergoing PMRT (n=214) reported significantly worse scores across 3 BREAST-Q domains: satisfaction with breasts (-6.27 points, p=0.008, 95% confidence interval (CI)[-10.91,-1.63]), satisfaction with outcome (-7.53 points, p=0.002, CI[-12.20,-2.85]) and physical well-being (-6.55 points, p<0.001, CI[-9.43,-3.67]). Overall satisfaction was worse in the PMRT group (OR 0.497, p=0.002, CI[0.32,0.77]). Use of biological mesh did not ameliorate the impact of PMRT on patient satisfaction (interaction term p-values [0.173 - 0.826]).

 PMRT adversely affects PROs of IBBR. This should be discussed with patients considering IBBR, especially if PMRT is anticipated or indications are borderline, to enable informed decisions regarding oncological and reconstructive options.

 PMRT: post-mastectomy radiotherapy, PRO: patient-reported outcome

 This multicentre, prospective cohort study of 732 patients undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction demonstrates worse 18-month patient-reported outcomes in women who received post-mastectomy radiotherapy than those who did not. These data should be discussed with patients to help them make informed decisions about reconstructive surgery.


The effects of various agonist and antagonists of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO) production was investigated in mice. Pretreatment of animals with bromocryptine or quinpirole, agonists of dopamine D2 receptors caused a blunting of both the TNF-alpha and NO responses to LPS injected intraperitoneally. Sulpiride, an antagonist of dopamine D2 receptors, decreased the LPS-induced TNF-alpha plasma levels in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited the LPS-induced NO production by peritoneal macrophages. Bromocryptine or quinpirole blunted both the TNF-alpha and NO response to LPS. SCH-23390, an antagonist of dopamine D1 receptors did not alter LPS-induced TNF-alpha production, but inhibited LPS-induced NO production. These results indicate that while the D2 subtype of dopamine receptors is involve in the modulation of both LPS-induced TNF-alpha and NO production, dopamine D1 receptors only regulate the production of NO. Since several drugs possess effect on dopamine D2 receptors, the present observations may be of clinical relevance.


Stack Overflow accumulates an enormous amount of software engineering knowledge. However, as time passes, certain knowledge in answers may become obsolete. Such obsolete answers, if not identified or documented clearly, may mislead answer seekers and cause unexpected problems (e.g., using an out-dated security protocol). In this paper, we investigate how the knowledge in answers becomes obsolete and identify the characteristics of such obsolete answers. We find that: 1) More than half of the obsolete answers (58.4 percent) were probably already obsolete when they were first posted. 2) When an obsolete answer is observed, only a small proportion (20.5 percent) of such answers are ever updated. 3) Answers to questions in certain tags (e.g., node.js, ajax, android, and objective-c) are more likely to become obsolete. Our findings suggest that Stack Overflow should develop mechanisms to encourage the whole community to maintain answers (to avoid obsolete answers) and answer seekers are encouraged to carefully go through all information (e.g., comments) in answer threads.


Purpose of reviewTo review the latest developments in the surgical management of common peripheral vestibular disorders. Recent findingsAlthough surgery is indicated mainly for patients with Meniere's disease, other less common disorders such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, semicircular canal dehiscence, perilymphatic fistulae, fistulae of semicircular canals, VIII nerve vascular compression, chronic vestibular neuronitis, and dizziness following sudden sensorineural hearing loss may require surgical intervention when conservative management has failed. SummarySurgery for vestibular disorders is less often indicated at present. Office-administered intratympanic gentamicin and steroid treatment have been found to be effective for control of vertigo in Meniere's disease. Side-effects of this treatment are overall acceptable. Surgery may be considered for Meniere's disease patients with good hearing who have failed intratympanic steroid treatment. Surgery is indicated for patients with debilitating dizziness associated with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, semicircular canal dehiscence, vascular loop compression, and perilymphatic fistulae.


Purpose To investigate whether emotional labor is associated with suicidal ideation in Korean firefighters. Materials and Methods Data were obtained from the Firefighter Research: Enhancement of Safety & Health (FRESH) Study, which was designed to investigate the effects of job characteristics on mental and physical health among Korean firefighters. A total of 18101 firefighters were chosen from a nationwide sample. The Korean Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS) was used to evaluate exposure to emotional labor, which consisted of five sub-factors: emotional demand and regulation, overload and conflict in customer service, emotional disharmony and hurt, organizational surveillance and monitoring, and lack of a supportive and protective system in the organization. Results Firefighters who were in the risk group were more likely to experience suicidal ideation than those in the normal group for each of the five sub-scales of emotional labor. The estimated mean values for suicidal ideation in the risk group were significantly higher than those in the normal group: 1.667 (95% CI: 1.344–2.069) for emotional demand and regulation, 1.590 (95% CI: 1.243–2.033) for overload and conflict in customer service, 2.409 (95% CI: 1.954–2.969) for emotional disharmony and hurt, 2.214 (95% CI: 1.832–2.676) for organizational surveillance and monitoring, and 1.665 (95% CI: 1.387–1.999) for lack of a supportive and protective system in the organization. Conclusion These results suggest that experience and exposure to chronic and excessive emotional labor might play a crucial role in the development of suicidal ideation among firefighters.


Result of rubella haemagglutination inhibition antibody test on 300 Thai women of childbearing age in upper socioeconomic group showed that 25% were susceptible to rubella. The high frequency of susceptibility in this group of women would be of considerable public health problem, should rubella become epidemic again. The introduction of immunization against rubella in this group of women was also discussed.


Objectives To develop a score for assessment of patients' symptoms in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS): the EULAR SS Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Methods Dryness, pain, somatic and mental fatigue were identified as the main symptoms of patients with primary SS, in studies developing the Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and Sicca Symptoms Inventory (SSI). It was suspected that a single 0–10 numerical scale for each domain was sufficient to assess these symptoms. These four scales were gathered to form the ESSPRI. 230 patients, from 12 countries completed the ESSPRI, SSI and PROFAD questionnaires and a 0–10 patient global assessment (PGA). Correlations between each symptom and PGA were obtained. Multiple regression modelling, using PGA as 'gold standard' was used to select domains and estimate their weights. Results PGA had good correlation with dryness, limb pain, fatigue and mental fatigue (r=0.49–0.59, all p<0.0001), but correlated less well with individual dryness features. In multivariate analysis, dryness, limb pain and fatigue, but not mental fatigue, were significantly associated with PGA; weights derived from the regression were identical for these three domains. Thus, ESSPRI was redefined as the mean of the three scales: dryness, limb pain and fatigue. Lastly, ESSPRI significantly correlated with PGA (r=0.70), PROFAD (r=0.73) and SSI (r=0.66). Conclusion ESSPRI is a very simple index designed to measure patients' symptoms in primary SS. It has good construct validity and is well correlated with SSI and PROFAD. ESSPRI should now be validated for use as an outcome measure in clinical trials.


Background Rapid pacing rates induce alternations in the cytosolic calcium concentration caused by fluctuations in calcium released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). However, the relationship between calcium alternans and refractoriness of the SR calcium release channel (RyR2) remains elusive. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate how ryanodine receptor (RyR2) refractoriness modulates calcium handling on a beat-to-beat basis using a numerical rabbit cardiomyocyte model. We used a mathematical rabbit cardiomyocyte model to study the beat-to-beat calcium response as a function of RyR2 activation and inactivation. Bi-dimensional maps were constructed depicting the beat-to-beat response. When alternans was observed, a novel numerical clamping protocol was used to determine whether alternans was caused by oscillations in SR calcium loading or by RyR2 refractoriness. Using this protocol, we identified regions of RyR2 gating parameters where SR calcium loading or RyR2 refractoriness underlie the induction of calcium alternans, and we found that at the onset of alternans both mechanisms contribute. At low inactivation rates of the RyR2, calcium alternans was caused by alternation in SR calcium loading, while at low activation rates it was caused by alternation in the level of available RyR2s. Conclusions/Significance We have mapped cardiomyocyte beat-to-beat responses as a function of RyR2 activation and inactivation, identifying domains where SR calcium load or RyR2 refractoriness underlie the induction of calcium alternans. A corollary of this work is that RyR2 refractoriness due to slow recovery from inactivation can be the cause of calcium alternans even when alternation in SR calcium load is present.


The A-site-ordered/disordered manganese perovskites, RBaMn2O6/ R0.5 Ba0.5MnO3 (R = Y and rare earth elements), are reviewed. RBaMn2O6 displays remarkable features: (1) the charge/orbital order (CO) transition at relatively high temperatures far above 300 K, (2) a new stacking variation of the CE-type CO with a fourfold periodicity along the c-axis, (3) the presence of structural transition possibly accompanied by dx2−y2 orbital order and (4) electronic phase segregation. These novel structural and electromagnetic properties are discussed in terms of the structural characteristic that the MnO2 square sublattice is sandwiched by two types of rock-salt layer, R O and BaO, with different lattice sizes. Such structure introduces a strong frustration to the MnO2 sublattice and gives a new perturbation to the competition of multiple degrees of freedom among charge, orbital, spin and lattice. In R0.5Ba0.5MnO3 with a primitive cubic perovskite cell, on the other hand, the magnetic glassy states are dominant as the ground state. A peculiar behaviour, steplike ultrasharp magnetization and resistivity changes, has been observed in Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3.


Neural computing has been identified as a computing alternative in the post-Moore's Law era, however much of its attention has been directed at specialized applications such as machine learning. For scientific computing applications, particularly those that often depend on supercomputing, it is not clear that neural machine learning is the exclusive contribution to be made by neuromorphic platforms. In our presentation, we will discuss ways that looking to the brain as a whole and neurons specifically can provide new sources for inspiration for computing beyond current machine learning applications. Particularly for scientific computing, where approximate methods for computation introduce additional challenges, the development of non-approximate methods for neural computation is potentially quite valuable. In addition, the brain's dramatic ability to utilize context at many different scales and incorporate information from many different modalities is a capability currently poorly realized by neural machine learning approaches yet offers considerable potential impact on scientific applications.


Endemic foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) presents a global economic challenge to the livestock industry. The progressive control pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD) specifies successive steps through which a country/region can reduce FMD virus circulation and impact. These steps are reliant on understanding and obtaining knowledge on FMD epidemiology, to inform development of appropriate disease interventions like vaccination and quarantine programs. Currently, Uganda and Tanzania are in the early stages of the PCP-FMD. This review was undertaken to determine FMDV serotype distribution in Uganda and Tanzania between 2003 and 2015. The paper also presents the vaccine strains used in both countries for the same period viz avis the circulating topotypes. The review highlights four (O, A, SAT 1 and SAT 2) and five (O, A, SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3) serotypes that occurred in Uganda and Tanzania respectively in the thirteen year period. Observations revealed that reported circulating serotypes O and A in the two countries belonged to similar topotypes, East African 2 (EA-2) and AFRICA respectively. The SAT 1 viruses in Tanzania belonged to topotype I and differed from the Ugandan SAT 1s that belonged to topotype IV. Similarly, the SAT 2s in both countries belonged to different topotypes: IV in Tanzania and I in Uganda. This review additionally, underscores the spatial distribution of FMDV serotypes in Uganda and Tanzania and highlights regions in both countries that had high serotype diversity. The paper recommends definitive disease diagnoses, molecular serotype characterisation and matched vaccination deployment for improved disease control.


This paper presents the emissivity data of different Indian soils at various moisture levels in the frequency range 0.6GHz to 1.2 GHz. Emissivity values are calculated in the laboratory from the measured values of real part of dielectric constant by using coaxial line method. Loss factor values are also determined. An empirical relation is formulated for calculating the soil moisture content from emissivity values which are also in good agreement with other reported radiometric measurements.


This article aims ats evaluating the results of the process of digital inclusion among the supposedly included users of digital inclusion points, promoted by programs and projects of the Government and its partners, after having gone through qualification processes, workshops and other forms of mediation. The evaluation has as base the identification of variables that better explain the inclusion process and a multivariete analysis of these variables. Thus, factors had been identified that would allow to detect factors that have an impact in the inclusion process, such as the context of the user, his or her demographic profile, the social conditions, the use of and access to information and comunication technologies ICTs, but also the evaluation, use and search of information by the user. An example is the search and employment of the information for the welfare of the community. In this study changes were detected to the degree in which explanations of variable or indicators are considered for the user to feel included, such as: sex, color/race, access to broadband Internet, infrastructure, available cellular telephone, available digital information in the Internet and social nets and a computer at home. The multivariate analysis selected that the determining factors of digital inclusion are in constant change, as the ownership of cell phone, a fixed telephone and computer at home. It was evidenced that the ones that say they are digitally included were people who believe that Internet changed their lives, know and use the Internet, participate in relationship sites, have the habit of reading the press and news in the WEB. In the study, the issues of schooling and range of income and geographic region continue to determine whether users feel included. Because of the universalization of cellular phones, this represents little to the included ones, which is different from having a computer at home. These results must be seen to the light of the research universe, of people of a disfavoured class, living in places with little telecommunications infrastructure, where the satellite is the most viable means to provide broadband Internet.


Cloud computing is an elastic computing model that the users can lease the resources from the rentable infrastructure. Cloud computing is gaining popularity due to its lower cost, high reliability and huge availability. To utilize the powerful and huge capability of cloud computing, this paper is to import it into data mining and machine learning field. As one of the most influential and open competition in machine learning area, Netflix Prize attached with mass storage had driven thousands of teams across the world to attack the problem, among which the final winner was BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos team, who bested Netflix's own algorithm for predicting ratings by 10%. Their solution is an ensemble of a large number of models, each of which specializes in addressing a different aspect of the data. Among such different models, k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) are reported to be two most important and successful models. As a result, we build two predictors based on such two model respectively with the order to testify their performance based on cloud computing platforms. The results show that KNN can achieve root mean square deviation (rmse) with 0:9468 after the Global Effect (GE) data preprocessing, which is better than the Cinematch's performance with rmse being 0:951. The rmse for RBM algorithm is about 0:9670 on the raw dataset, which can be further improved by KNN model.


Background Prevalence of DM in patients with gout is high, but the influence of glucocorticoids (GC) and inhibitors IL-1β on their carbohydrate metabolism has not been investigated thoroughly. Anti-inflammatory effects connected with IL-1 inhibition are supposed to decrease the risk of DM [1]. Objectives To compare the effects of a single injection of canacinumab or betametazone on glucose metabolism and pro-inflammatory cytokine serum levels in patients with gout. Methods Open-label prospective randomized study of 40 patients with gout (37 m, 3 f), mean age 51,3±11,3 years, was performed. Inclusion criteria: crystal-proven gout, acute arthritis. Exclusion criteria: infections, sub- or decompensation of DM and use of anti-diabetic drugs. 20 patients received one dose of canakinumab 150 mg subcutaneously, 20 patients received one dose of betametazone 7 mg intraarticular. Basal and postprandial glucose (PPG) level was performed 120 min before injection and 24, 48 h and 14, 90 days after injection. Cytokine level was detected using of "xMAP" technology (Human Grp I Cytokine 27-plex panel) and on the analyzer "BioPlex-200" (Bio-Rad, the USA) before injection and 14 and 90 days after injection. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was determined by borate affinity assay. Results At baseline, glycemic levels (basal, PPG), HbA1c and cytokines in both groups were identical. Glycemic level ≥6,1 mmol/l and or PPG ≥11,1 mmol/l was detected in all patients injected betametazone in 24 hours, in 6 patients in 48 hours, in 4 patients in 14 days and in 3 patients in 90 days after the injection. There were no patients in study who were injected canacinumab with glycemic level ≥6,1 mmol/l and/or PPG ≥11,1 mmol/l. HbA1c level in a betametazone group in 90 days increased (from 5,83±0,49% to 6,01±0,60%), and on the contrary, in a canacinumab group decreased (from 5,75±0,55% to 5,61±0,50%), but the difference was not accurate. In a canacinumab group serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6 positively decreased on 14th and 90th days of study. Serum level of other cytokines in groups during the study did not change fundamentally. Conclusions In patients with gout who take intraarticular injections of GC, the risk of DM progression can be underestimated. In contrast, canacinumab taking can be connected with decreasing the risk of DM through the influence on the levels of IL-1β and IL-6. To study the influence of the medicines on carbohydrate metabolism further research is needed. References Noe A., Howard C., Thuren T. and al. Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Characteristics of Single-dose Canakinumab in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Clin Ther. 2014;36(11):1625-37. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), principal component analysis (PCA) and minimum classification error (MCE) have been used to derive data-driven temporal filters in order to improve the robustness of speech features for speech recognition. In this paper, the criterion of maximum mutual information (MMI) is proposed for constructing the temporal filters, and detailed comparative analysis among these various approaches are presented and discussed. Experimental results show that the MMI-derived temporal filters significantly improve the recognition performance of the original mel frequency cepstrum coefficients (MFCC) features compared to LDA/PCA/MCE-derived filters. Also, while the MMI-derived filters are combined with the conventional temporal filters, cepstral mean and variance normalization (CMVN), the recognition performance can be further improved.


The coherent organisation of thematic material into large-scale structures within a composition is an important concept in both traditional and cognitive theories of music. However, empirical evidence supporting their perception is scarce. Providing a more nuanced approach, this paper introduces a computational model of hypothesised cognitive mechanisms underlying perception of large-scale thematic structure. Repetition detection based on statistical learning forms the model's foundation, hypothesising that predictability arising from repetition creates perceived thematic coherence. Measures are produced that characterise structural properties of a corpus of 623 monophonic compositions. Exploratory analysis reveals the extent to which these measures vary systematically and independently.


Twenty mango cultivars (Mangifera indica Linn) collected from Gir region of Saurashtra were examined by ISSR markers. Of the 50 primers screened, 21 primers gave reproducible, polymorphic DNA amplification patterns, and were selected to construct a DNA fingerprinting map to distinguish the genotypes of mango. According to the banding patterns obtained with 21 selected primers, all cultivars tested in this study except Jamadar and Kesar were distinguished from each other and showed ample genetic diversity, indicating that ISSR-PCR was an effective method for cultivar identification of mangoes. Based on 125 selected bands, all Gir mango landraces tested were clustered into a three big groups with 'Kaju' and 'Khodi' in first group, Dudh Pendo, Sopari, Jamadar, Kesar and Ashadhiya in second group,  while the third cluster was composed of Agargato,  Amir Pasand, Pethal, Gajariyo, Chhappaniyo, Alphanso, Neelum, Jamrukhiyo, Kavasji Patel, Giriraj, Amrutiyo, Dasheri and Deshi based on UPGMA analysis, indicating that some Gir landraces had a close relationship with each other, while some were drastically dissimilar from other landraces.

 Key words: Mangifera indica L., Genetic diversity, ISSR markers, Mango landraces.


Machine reading has recently shown remarkable progress thanks to differentiable reasoning models. In this context, End-to-End trainable Memory Networks (MemN2N) have demonstrated promising performance on simple natural language based reasoning tasks such as factual reasoning and basic deduction. However, the task of machine comprehension is currently bounded to a supervised setting and available question answering dataset. In this paper we explore the paradigm of adversarial learning and self-play for the task of machine reading comprehension. Inspired by the successful propositions in the domain of game learning, we present a novel approach of training for this task that is based on the definition of a coupled attention-based memory model. On one hand, a reader network is in charge of finding answers regarding a passage of text and a question. On the other hand, a narrator network is in charge of obfuscating spans of text in order to minimize the probability of success of the reader. We experimented the model on several question-answering corpora. The proposed learning paradigm and associated models present encouraging results.


Easy detachment is as important as reliable an attachment to climbing robots in achieving stable climbing on vertical surfaces. To deal with the difficulty of detachment occurring in wheeled and track-type climbing robots using bio-inspired spines, a novel climbing robot utilizing spiny track and dual-rail mechanism is proposed in this paper. The spiny track consists of dozens of spiny feet, and the movement of each spiny foot is guided by the specially designed dual-rail mechanism to achieve reliable attachment and easy detachment. First, the design of the climbing robot and the dual-rail mechanism are presented. Then, the dual-rail model is constructed to analyze the attaching and detaching movements of the spiny feet, and a mechanical model is established to analyze the force distribution on the spiny track. Finally, a robot prototype is developed, and the analysis results are verified by the experiment results. Experiments on the prototype demonstrated that it could climb on various rough vertical surfaces at a speed of 36 mm/s, including sandpaper, brick surfaces, concrete walls with pebbles, and coarse stucco walls.