Loanword Allocation in Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, like many other languages in contact, has adapted foreign words to meet the needs of its daily life vocabulary and activity. In addition to the lexical need filling, Kinyarwanda borrowed foreign words not only out of need for foreign words but also for prestige. This work has discussed and analysed how French and English loanwords have been allocated to key areas of influence and the nominal class system of Kinyarwanda. The data were collected from various sources, including publications, conversation, newspapers, Bible literature, school text books, commercial posters, hoardings. The study has analyzed loanwords from French/English deceptive cognates in a bilingual context. This is a challenging task for other researchers who will have to deal with the complexity of deceptive cognate loanwords.


Despite the difficulty of large-scale organisational change, it is clear that the last 18 years of Conservative government has seen some major changes in both the structures and cultures of government department. This paper examines why and how departments change when they do. Although ministers frequently have explicit intentions to change the cultures of departments, the often fail. The paper suggests that major, cultural reorientations of departments occur at moments when external and internal pressure combine to create 'windows of opportunity'. Such circumstances enable ministers, with strategic intentions, to impose a new direction on the department. Therefore, their departure from office does not signal the restoration of the old departmental line. This process we call a critical juncture.


Ag/Ag2S hybrid nanostructures have recently received much attention, because of their synthetically tunable plasmonic properties and enhanced chemical stability. Sulfidation of pregrown Ag nanocrystals is a facile process for making Ag/Ag2S nanostructures. Understanding the sulfidation process can help in finely controlling the compositional and structural parameters and in turn tailoring the plasmonic properties. Herein we report on our study of the structural and plasmonic evolutions during the sulfidation process of Ag nanocubes, which is carried out at both the ensemble and single-particle levels. Ensemble extinction measurements show that sulfidation first causes the disappearance of the high-order triakontadipolar plasmon modes, which have electric charges located on the sharp vertices and edges of Ag nanocubes, suggesting that sulfidation starts at the vertices of Ag nanocubes. As sulfidation goes on, the dipolar plasmon peak gradually red-shifts, with its intensity first decreasing and then increasing. Electron microscopy characterizations reveal that sulfidation progresses from the outer region to the center of Ag nanocubes. The cubic shape is maintained throughout the sulfidation process, with the edge length being increased gradually. Single-particle scattering measurements show that the dipolar plasmon peak red-shifts and decreases in intensity during sulfidation. An additional scattering peak appears at a shorter wavelength at the late stage of sulfidation. The difference in the sulfidation behavior between ensemble and single-particle measurements is understood with electrodynamic simulations. During ensemble measurements, the Ag core is increasingly truncated, and it becomes a nanosphere eventually. Sulfidation stops at an intermediate stage. During single-particle measurements, Ag nanocubes are completely transformed into Ag2S, leading to the observation of the shorter-wavelength scattering peak.


Summary We studied the role of various markers of lipid metabolism, hemostasis and inflammation in a two year follow-up of 3000 patients with angina pectoris, during which time 106 patients experienced myocardial infarction or sudden coronary death. Low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I were most strongly associated with increased coronary risk. The relative risk per standard deviation increase was 0.68 for HDL cholesterol (95% confidence interval 0.55 to 0.84) and 0.66 for apoA-I (0.54 to 0.81). These associations were independent of other coronary risk factors, other lipid measurements, hemostatic factors, and C-reactive protein (CRP). The associations of total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, apoB, and lipoprotein(a) with coronary events were not independent of HDL cholesterol or hemostatic factors. We conclude that HDL cholesterol or apoA-I, hemostatic risk factors, and CRP are important prognostic markers of coronary events in secondary prevention.


ABSTRACT Wildlife tourism is a huge global market, the revenue from which can promote local livelihoods and tourist education, enact conservation, and improve animal welfare. Such benefits arise if wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) prioritise ethical deliverables above financial profit, but recent work has shown that the majority of WTAs have substantial negative animal welfare and conservation impacts. In the absence of global regulatory authorities, tourist revenue has become the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes acceptable use of animals in WTAs. Tourists, however, are not adequate assessors of WTAs' animal welfare and conservation impacts: they lack the specialist knowledge required and are subject to a number of psychological biases that obscure the ethical dimensions of decisions to attend particular WTAs. This inadequacy is evidenced, and compounded, by overwhelmingly positive reviews on TripAdvisor (the industry-leading review site), even for WTAs with objectively poor ethical standards. Our suggested solution is to empower tourists by presenting unequivocal assessments of WTAs' animal welfare and conservation impacts, hosted in the fora that tourists already use to make their travel decisions. We would thereby promote a subjective norm that tourists should consider and limit their individual negative impacts when choosing which WTAs to visit.


This thesis proposes and implements a structured methodology to aid in chain design and the evaluation and decision making processes that accompany it. It focuses on how to design the entire chain from start to finish, so that the consumer gets a product that he/she wants, i.e. concentrating on product attributes rather than on the delivery of the product . The novel protein food (NPF) case from the PROFETAS program was used to develop the methodology. Two attributes of quality were investigated with the qualitative model. Some insights obtained from this model were: the generic supply chain for a food product constitutes the following links: primary production, ingredient preparation/processing, product processing, distribution and retailing and consumer processing. This entire chain from primary production up to and including consumer processing influences the final product; but the relative contribution of the links varies according to the goal for which the chain is being designed and optimised. Chains have to be designed for a specific end product as the chain pathway changes and the relative contribution of the links changes with the product. Chain design also changes with the goal. A linear programming model was developed to design a supply chain for the NPF with lowest cost of manufacture. Exergy analysis was used to study the environmental impact of the NPF chain. These models were combined with multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) to give a structured methodology to aid in the design, evaluation and decision making processes of chain design. Variables in each link of the chain were screened to generate potential supply chains (alternatives) and these were evaluated with two MCDM models and ranked. The goals used to evaluate the alternatives are the quality of the product, the cost and the environmental load. The most important factor in the choice of these models was the ease with which they could handle a mix of quantitative and qualitative information, quantify the qualitative information and generate an overall value for each alternative and generate a preference order. The methodology was successful in focussing the decision makers' attention to the issues on hand. The stepwise process made the decision making process transparent and easy to review and audit.


The current system of journal metrics adopted by most Western countries appears to marginalize many Asian and Latin American authors. Impact factors (both at the author and journal levels) rely heavily on citation indices which, understandably, favor Western authors. Of course, impact factors are used heavily in research funding decisions. Creative solutions are explored in this paper for Asian countries experiencing these problems. Keywords: journal metrics, impact factor, citation indices.


We aimed to describe the natural history of left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-supported patients with preimplantation significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in a single-center retrospective analysis of LVAD-implanted patients (2008–2019). TR severity was assessed semiqualitatively using color-Doppler flow: insignificant TR (iTR) was defined as none/mild TR and significant TR (sTR) as ≥moderate TR. Included were 121 LVAD-supported patients of which 53% (n = 64) demonstrated sTR preimplantation. Among patients with pre-LVAD implantation sTR and available echocardiographic data, 55% (n = 26) ameliorated their TR severity grade to iTR during the first-year postsurgery and 55% (n = 17) had iTR at 2-year follow-up. On univariate analysis, predictors for TR severity improvement post-LVAD implantation were preimplant lack of atrial fibrillation, reduced inferior vena cavae diameter, and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. In patients who failed to improve their TR severity grade, we observed a deterioration in right ventricular (RV) function (pulmonary artery pressure index 2.0 [1.7, 2.9], a decline in RV work index 242 [150, 471] mm Hg·L/m2) and higher loop-diuretics dose requirement. At a median of 21 (IQR 8, 40) months follow-up, clinical LVAD-related complications, heart failure-hospitalizations, and overall survival were similar among patients who improved versus failed to improve their TR severity-grade post-LVAD implantation. In conclusion, LVAD implantation is accompanied by a reduction in TR severity in approximately 50% of patients. In patients who failed to improve their TR severity grade, progressive RV dysfunction was observed. Overall, an isolated LVAD implantation in patients with sTR does not adversely affect survival.


1. The circadian flight-activity of individual, sugar-fed Aedes aegypti females has been studied, using the flight-sound as an indicator of activity. 2. The activity appears to be controlled by an endogenous rhythm with a period of 22-24 hr. in constant dark and about 26 hr. in constant light. 3. Both light-on and light-off have phase-setting effects. Under favourable conditions, peaks of activity occur 13-14 hr. after light-on and 22-23 hr. after light-off. Both these peaks persist in constant dark following an LD 4:20 regime. 4. The total amount of flight-activity is correlated with the duration of light (70 lux) in the 24 hr. period.


Drug addiction which entails cardiovascular risks unknown or misknown to physicians, currently involves an increasing number of miscellaneous drugs, existing in manifold forms. There appears to be no bounds on the way of intake. All territories of the body may be affected with more or less severity. In young people, the cardiac, coronary, cerebral and peripheral vascular systems are generally involved. Two illicit drugs, cannabis and cocaine, showing a permanent increase in misuse, prevail. This drug addiction comes along with intercurrent pathologies which have their own vascular toxicity, especially HIV infection. Moreover, the advent of new illicit substances emphasizes the complexity of the clinical presentations. These complex situations have a real social and medical impact. We are currently in a phase of permanently increasing risk of cardiovascular complications. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved are intertwined and complicated by the frequent association of polytoxicomania or by the effects excipients added to these drugs: direct vascular toxicity, angeitis, arterial and venous thrombosis. Arsenic, a common component of these drugs, is also found in cigarettes; arsenic toxicity mainly affects the lower limbs. Treatment of these complications is non-specific; the ideal solution being weaning which, unfortunately in this peculiar population of patients, may entail serious complications due to the misuse of substitution products.


urpose. Organizational citizenship behaviour is a concept used to describe all the productive and constructive acts and attitudes of workers that are not part of the definition of their formal work. Employees do something out of their own free will that respects their friends, which helps the companyas a whole. This paper states that how effectively monitoring the various dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviour can inculcate an effective employee engagement in the organization. Study design. Exploratory research has been conducted comprising of 84 respondents from public and private sector banks in Kolkata. Findings. The findings revealed that organizational citizenship behaviour is having a significant relationship with employee engagement. The dimension conscientiousness which has more influence on employee engagement and courtesy has least influence on employee engagement.There exists no significant difference of organizational citizenship behaviour among the employees with respect to ownership of the bank, gender of employees, experience and with respect to various dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviour. Implications for practice. This study focusses thatif the organization follow a proactive strategy for inculcating organizational citizenship behaviour i.e. stimulus-organism-response behaviour model which in turn will enhance employee engagement in the organization. Originality. The literature review reveals that no study has been conducted based on this area in banking sector in India.


Conflicting data have been published about osteoporosis and bone turnover markers in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of this study was to determine bone mineral density (BMD) of the lateral lumbar spine in a group of male patients with AS and to investigate the relationship between clinical parameters and markers of bone turnover.Thirty-two consecutive AS patients with a mean disease duration of 14.8 years and 32 control subjects were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was used to determine the activity of disease. BMD was determined for the lateral lumbar spine in both patients and control groups. Serum osteocalcin and urinary N-telopeptide were measured as bone turnover markers in patient and control groups.Although the mean values of lumbar BMD in AS patients tended to be lower than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. Osteoporosis was observed in 11 (34.3%) of AS patients and in 2 (6.2%) of the control group. Osteocalcin levels were significantly higher in AS patients in comparison with control subjects (p < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis according to the activity of the disease, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and N-telopeptide levels were significantly higher in the severely active group when compared with that in mild or moderate disease groups. Active AS patients compared with the control group had significantly lower BMD and significantly higher N-Telopeptide levels (p < 0.05). The levels of BASDAI scores and N-telopeptide values correlated significantly with each other.The incidence of osteoporosis is high in AS patients, and patients with active disease are especially at risk for developing osteoporosis. The monitoring of bone turnover markers and disease activity indices may help to predict patients at risk. Prophylactic and therapeutic strategies are needed to struggle against bone loss in patients with this disabling condition.


As the traditional way of Web service retrieval is not intelligent enough that people have to select the results manually, and the query description of the service is simple that computer cannot understand users' potential semantic and personalized requirements, a Semantic Web based multi-agent system for the Web service retrieval is studied to solve the above problems. The framework of the multi-agent system for the Web service retrieval is proposed in this paper. The functions and the structure of each agent are mainly discussed and the interaction mechanism of these agents is designed. Keywords-Web service; semantic Web; agent; ontology


This essay presents a critical evaluation of the concepts of string theory and its impact on particle physics. The point of departure is a historical review of four decades of ST within the broader context of six decades of failed attempts at an autonomous S-matrix approach to particle theory. The central message, contained in sections 5 and 6, is that string theory is not what its name suggests, namely a theory of of objects in spacetime whose localization is string- instead of point-like. The result is corroborated by the failure of the conformal embedding view: whereas the "target space" of the chiral theory (higher dimensional vector or spinor indices of currents) becomes string theories spacetime, the one-dimensional source space does not describe a string embedded in the target spacetime but rather enriches the "inner" space over each point (spin, masses). Hence string theory solves a problem which enjoyed some popularity in the 60s namely the construction of infinite component fields.


The article presents the author's attempt to apply the ideas of Lev S. Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology to the analysis of the nature of religious consciousness. Cultural-historical psychology is offered as an adequate alternative to such fields as cognitive religious studies and evolutionary psychology of religion, because it does not ignore and does not reduce the social and cultural determinants of mental development. Based on the ideas of Lev S. Vygotsky and his studies of magical thinking and semiotic mediation of mental functions, the author from the psychological point of view considers religion as a special system of historically formed cultural (semiotic) means that contribute to mastering one's own mental functions and behavior. It is suggested that these semiotic tools be referred to as religious or supernatural mental tools. The following groups of these tools are distinguished: 1) religious objects (natural or artificial); 2) religious actions (rituals); 3) religious images (objectified or subjective); 4) religious meanings (concepts). The nature of religious consciousness viewed through the lens of cultural-historical psychology by Lev S. Vygotsky is revealed by the author in a number of provisions: religious consciousness is a mental functional system resulting from the process of assimilation, mainly verbal semiotic means of a particular religious tradition; religious consciousness is constituted as dynamic systems of meaning that integrate the believer's intellectual and affective processes; religious consciousness is social in origin and is formed in activity; semiotic mediation of mental functions and human behavior is the mechanism to form religious consciousness. Further work on the application of Lev S. Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology to the analysis of religious consciousness must include the development of experimental research methodology, the advancement of experimental hypotheses, and the consideration from the perspective of this approach of explanatory models and facts obtained in other approaches – cognitive religious studies and evolutionary psychology of religion.


Background. It is known that bronchial stump fistula (BSF) is general causes of efficacy decrease of surgical treatment of pulmonary cancer. Stratification of patients with local distributed and disseminated cancer forms of any localization is scientifically proved and it allows to determine heterogenicity of patients' group in relation to the nearest and remote prognosis as well as to work out volumes of surgical treatment into practice. Methods. Stratification data of risk factors of bronchial stump failure (BSF) development in 575 patients, who underwent primary pneumonectomy in this article were presented. Control group (CG) consisted of 477 patients, 390 patients of them had different tumors of the lungs and 87 patients had purulent diseases of the lungs. The main group (MG) consisted from 98 patients. Formation of risk groups depending on localization of disease showed that in the planning of left sided PE minimum risk was determined in 258 (67,9%) patients, mean risk - in 83 (21,8%) and maximum risk - in 39 (10,3%) patients. Results. An incidence of BSF after PE in patients of CG accounted for minimal risk 1,3%, at an average – 16,0%, and maximal – 32,3%, in its turn, an implementation of factor estimation of risk degree of development of BSF after PE in MG allowed to reduce an incidence of this complication until 0,0%, 2,6% and 9,1% respectively. Conclusion. Peculiarities of a tactics of surgical intervention in PE must be determined strong in accordance with risk degree of development of BSF and, depending on the latter, include various in their efficacy of hermetization as well as work volume of accomplishment methods of suturing bronchus stump and consolidation of suture line.


Abstract This paper describes an Open University eSTEeM project that gathered the experiences of computing and information technology tutors who teach an undergraduate module called Web Technologies with the intention of understanding more about how they and their students can be best supported. Twelve distance learning tutors were interviewed by two interviewers. The interviews were transcribed and then thematically analysed. It was discovered that some tutors hold the view that some of their students struggle to understand aspects of the technologies that are being taught. It was also apparent that tutors have very different approaches when using certain tools to teach web technologies to students. The paper concludes by summarising key findings, presenting potential enhancements and suggesting further research directions.


Human cancer genome profiling is becoming increasingly effective at revealing novel recurrent genomic aberrations, but it remains challenging to identify the underlying driver genes. Here we describe an oncogenomic cDNA screen used to identify genes involved in liver tumorigenesis. Using array CGH analysis, we first identified recurrent focal amplicons present in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Next, we assayed their tumorigenic potential by introducing pools of cDNAs corresponding to genes found in focal amplicons into sensitized liver progenitor cells. We identified 18 genes that promote tumor formation, including known oncogene Ccnd1 and co‐amplified Fgf19, which we show cooperate during tumorigenesis. These two closely linked genes are co‐amplified and co‐overexpressed in 15% of human HCC. Knockdown of either Ccnd1 or Fgf19 inhibited colony formation of amplified human HCC cell lines and inhibited tumorigenicity. Knockdown in non‐amplified human cell lines was without phenotypic effect. Downstream analysis revealed that FGF‐19 leads to the activation of β‐catenin and increased levels of CyclinD1. These results show that gene amplification predicts response to both Ccnd1 and Fgf19 inhibition, and that oncogenomic cDNA screens are an effective new tool to identify therapeutic strategies that are directly linked to cancer genotypes. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(23 Suppl):A39.


In the Orienteering Problem (OP), a set of nodes is given, each with a profit. The goal is to determine a tour, limited in length, that visits a subset of nodes and maximizes the sum of the collected profits. In this paper, the Orienteering Problem with Stochastic Weights (OPSW) is used to reflect uncertainty in real-life applications. This problem is approached by the Two-Stage Orienteering Problem (TSOP). Hereby, the problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic model with recourse for the OPSW where the capacity constraint is hard. An existing heuristic for this TSOP is described and tested on 29 problem instances. The computational results are presented in detail.


The simultaneous measurements of the third-order intermodulation and output power under two-tone excitation have been implemented on a MESFET operated in large-signal mode for load impedances spanning quasi-entirely the Smith chart, using a six-port reflectometer with variable test port impedance. An experimental comparison between single-tone and two-tone output power and power-added efficiency was performed. The experimental results show that the load-pull of the output power capability and power-added efficiency by a twotone test are more accurate than the single-tone characterization for multi-carrier Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA's) design.


We describe an X/15 translocation which was balanced in a phenotypically normal mother [46,X,t(X;15)(p22;q15)] and unbalanced in her phenotypically abnormal daughter [46,X,der(X),t(X;15)(p22;q15)mat]. A third case involves a balanced X/21 translocation in a girl with a multiple congenital anomaly-retardation syndrome [46,X,t(X;21)(p11;p11?)]. 5-BrdU acridine orange banding on lymphocytes revealed late replication of the normal X chromosome in the mother and of the normal or abnormal X chromosome in the two other cases. Our findings are only partially consistent with previous observations. All X-inactivation patterns can be explained by random inactivation and subsequent selection against specific cell lines. Furthermore, the findings in our patient with X/21 translocation support the hypothesis of the existence of one inactivation center on Xq.


In order to allow users to access Internet services privately, anonymizing networks like Tor uses a series of routers to hide the client's IP address from the server. These networks, however, have been marred by users employing this anonymity for abusive purposes such as defacing popular web sites. Usually, web site administrators rely on IP-address blocking in order to disable access to misbehaving users, but it is impractical if the abuser routes through an anonymizing network. In order to avoid this, administrators bar all known exit nodes of the anonymizing network, thereby denying anonymous access to all the users (whether misbehaving or not). To solve this issue, we introduce Nymble, a system where servers blacklist misbehaving users, thereby blocking users without affecting their anonymity. Nymble is thus agnostic to varied definitions of misbehavior. Servers can block users for any reason, and the privacy of blacklisted users is not affected in any case.


Memorization is worst-case generalization. Based on MacKay's information theoretic model of supervised machine learning, this article discusses how to practically estimate the maximum size of a neural network given a training data set. First, we present four easily applicable rules to analytically determine the capacity of neural network architectures. This allows the comparison of the efficiency of different network architectures independently of a task. Second, we introduce and experimentally validate a heuristic method to estimate the neural network capacity requirement for a given dataset and labeling. This allows an estimate of the required size of a neural network for a given problem. We conclude the article with a discussion on the consequences of sizing the network wrongly, which includes both increased computation effort for training as well as reduced generalization capability.


Using independent data from the Centers for Disease Control, the author tests a key assumption of previous research on gay and lesbian incomes: that same-sex unmarried partner households are, indeed, gay or lesbian. The author shows that this independent data suffers from less severe underreporting of same-sex unmarried partner households than the 1990 Decennial Census. Furthermore, individual level information on sexual behavior and family planning is used to show that these households exhibit sexual behavior that is systematically different from married and different-sex couples and that is consistent with a large body of public health and HIV literature on gay men and lesbians. Finally, the author replicates, confirms, and extends previously published Census-based results on the household income penalty faced by gay male couples, showing that these results are not an artifact of deficient data. He finds similar results for lesbian couples. (JEL "J1", "J3") Copyright 2004 Western Economic Association International.


Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Dancers, who are often required to perform complex and repetitive movements of the spine, are thought to be vulnerable to LBP. However, there is limited available evidence concerning the prevalence, experience, impact, or factors associated with LBP in this population. Therefore, the overarching aim of this thesis was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with LBP in dance. Methods This thesis consists of five discrete but interrelated studies. Study one systematically synthesises the available evidence for the prevalence of, and risk factors for, LBP and injury in dance populations. Studies two and three investigates the prevalence and risk factors for LBP in multiple pre-professional and professional contemporary dance and classical ballet cohorts. Lifetime prevalence of LBP is determined using a cross-sectional study design. Monthly prevalence, duration, and impact of LBP episodes are investigated prospectively. Multivariable logistic regression is used to examine for individual and demographic factors associated with LBP. Studies four and five investigate the interaction between dance, LBP, and spine kinematics. To do so, they employ three-dimensional motion analysis and a multi-segment spine marker set. Posture as well as clinical and functional movement tasks common in LBP assessment are examined in dancers and non-dancers with and without LBP. Results The systematic review supported that dancers appear vulnerable to the experience of LBP. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of available research, and an absence of multivariable statistical analysis, clarity regarding the prevalence and risk factors for LBP remains limited. The need for multi-site epidemiological studies that employ definitions sensitive to the nature of LBP and that use appropriate statistical methods to investigate risk factors for LBP within dance populations was identified. The cross-sectional study revealed 74% of pre-professional and professional dancers had a history of LBP. Prospectively, 52% of dancers experienced activity limiting LBP and 24% suffered from LBP that was chronic in duration. Prior experience of LBP preceded the experience of future episodes of LBP (adjusted odds ratio: 3.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.44, 11.00; p < 0.01). There was no association between personal or demographic factors and LBP. With respect to spine kinematics, female dancers presented with a flatter upper lumbar spine posture (p< 0.01, ηp2 = 0.15) in the sagittal plane and increased upper lumbar (p=0.04, ηp2=0.08) and lower thoracic (p=0.02, ηp2=0.09) frontal plane range of motion than non-dancers. However, there was no interaction between these measures and LBP. During walking gait, female dancers with recent LBP displayed a moderate reduction in transverse plane ROM for the lower lumbar spine (effect size (ES)=-0.65, 95% CI: -1.24, -0.06, p=0.03), and a moderate increase in lower thoracic transverse plane ROM (ES=0.62, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.21, p=0.04) compared to asymptomatic dancers. Conclusion Dancers are vulnerable to the experience of LBP. However, there is considerable variation in the time-course and impact of LBP episodes. History of LBP predicts future episodes, which supports that LBP is rarely limited to a single episode. Beyond this, the factors associated with LBP are complex and not easily discerned. With respect to movement, an altered movement strategy during walking gait suggests that female dancers with LBP may compensate for reduced mobility in painful regions by increasing mobility in other regions. However, these movement strategies are subtle, and the overall number of biomechanical differences was limited. Whether this indicates dance training protects against biomechanical changes normally associated with LBP, or suggests dancers are intrinsically different to non-dancers requires further consideration.


Cu-MgF 2 nanoparticle cermet films with the copper volume fraction of vol.10%-30% were prepared by rf magnetron co-sputtering deposition and analyzed by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-varying four-wi re technique. Microstructure analysis shows that the cermet films are made of m ainly amorphous MgF 2 matrix with embedded fcc-Cu nanoparticles. The a verage si ze of Cu nanoparticles increases from 11.9nm to 17.8nm as Cu content rises fro m vol.10% to vol.30%. The results of electrical conductivity from 50 to 300K sho w that when Cu volume fraction is between 15 and 20%, the film shows a percolati on threshold q C M , and the electric conductivity changes~e ight orders. T he active energies of doping and the intrinsic conductivity of the cermet films and their contributions to the film electrical conductivity are discussed. Based on the percolation theory, the percolation threshold of Cu-MgF 2 cerm et film is discussed as well.


Multi-objective meta-heuristics permit to conceive a complete novel approach to induce classifiers, where the properties of the rules can be expressed in different objectives, and then the algorithm finds these rules in an unique run by exploring Pareto dominance concepts. Furthermore, these rules can be used as an unordered classifier, in this way, the rules are more intuitive and easier to understand because they can be interpreted independently one of the other. This work describes a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm that handles with numerical and discrete attributes. The algorithm is evaluated by using the area under ROC curve and comparing the performance of the induced classifiers with other ones obtained with well known rule induction algorithms. The approximation sets produced by the algorithm are also analyzed following multi-objective methodology.


Background: Small RNAs are able to suppress expression of any gene through the endogenous RNA interference pathway and have been used to identify therapeutic targets in a variety of pathological conditions. In this project, we aimed to optimise a lentiviral inducible-knockdown small hairpin RNA (shRNA) system for efficient in vivo cancer target validation, using polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), an essential cell-cycle protein, as a proof-of-concept target. Methods: An inducible shRNA construct targeting PLK1 or a control construct was transduced into the colon carcinoma cell line SW620. Inducible shRNA expression (marked by turbo-RFP) was monitored by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in vitro and by spectrum CT in vivo. PLK1 gene expression was quantified by real-time PCR and protein expression was quantified by Western blotting in vitro or IHC ex vivo. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assays. Xenografts were established by subcutaneous injection of PLK1 inducible-knockdown cells into nude mice. Growth inhibitory effect was assessed by calliper measurement of tumour size and correlated with ex vivo assessment of gene and protein knockdown, and of cell proliferation as measured by Ki67 staining. Results: Cell viability assays demonstrated that concentrations of 2ug/ml of doxycycline or less did not result in cell death over an assay period of 7 days in both wild-type cells and cells transduced with a control shRNA construct. Following doxycycline treatment, PLK1 inducible-knockdown cells showed dose- and time-dependent shRNA induction with an increase in the level of shRNA expression and the percentage of positive cells. PLK1 down-regulation correlated with induction of shRNA expression reaching 80% gene knock-down and 60% protein knock-down 72 hours post-induction. The optimal delivery route of doxycycline via measurement of turbo-RFP induction and PK/PD measurements was assessed in vivo. In tumour-bearing mice treated with doxycycline, there was a decline in tumour growth rate in the PLK1 knockdown group compared with the control group. Ex vivo analysis showed significantly lower PLK1 gene and protein expression in the doxycycline-treated group compared with the control group which correlated with lower rates of cell proliferation in the treated group. Conclusion: The results support the anti-tumour effects of PLK1 down-regulation and confirm an efficient target validation methodology for cancer target screening using a lentiviral inducible-knockdown shRNA system. Citation Format: Yinfei Yin, Rajendra Kumari, Siddharth Subramaniam, Peter King, Sue Watson, Philip Mallinder, Anna Grabowska. In vivo oncology target screening using a lentiviral inducible- shRNA knockdown system. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3205. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3205


The launch of JWST opens a new window for studying the connection between metal-line absorbers and galaxies at the end of the Epoch of Reionization. Previous studies have detected absorber–galaxy pairs in limited quantities through ground-based observations. To enhance our understanding of the relationship between absorbers and their host galaxies at z > 5, we utilized the NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy to search for absorber-associated galaxies by detecting their rest-frame optical emission lines (e.g., [O III] + Hβ). We report the discovery of a Mg ii-associated galaxy at z = 5.428 using data from the JWST ASPIRE program. The Mg ii absorber is detected on the spectrum of quasar J0305–3150 with a rest-frame equivalent width of 0.74 Å. The associated galaxy has an [O III] luminosity of 1042.5 erg s−1 with an impact parameter of 24.9 pkpc. The joint Hubble Space Telescope–JWST spectral energy distribution (SED) implies a stellar mass and star formation rate of M * ≈ 108.8 M ⊙, star-formation rate ≈ 10 M ⊙ yr−1. Its [O III] equivalent width and stellar mass are typical of [O III] emitters at this redshift. Furthermore, connecting the outflow starting time to the SED-derived stellar age, the outflow velocity of this galaxy is ∼300 km s−1, consistent with theoretical expectations. We identified six additional [O III] emitters with impact parameters of up to ∼300 pkpc at similar redshifts (∣dv∣ < 1000 km s−1). The observed number is consistent with that in cosmological simulations. This pilot study suggests that systematically investigating the absorber–galaxy connection within the ASPIRE program will provide insights into the metal-enrichment history in the early Universe.


This paper explores a model-driven method for systematic literature reviews (SLRs), for use where the empirical studies found in the literature search are based on qualitative research. SLRs are an important component of the evidence-based practice (EBP) paradigm, which is receiving increasing attention in information systems (IS) but has not yet been widely-adopted. We illustrate the model-driven approach to SLRs via an example focused on the use of BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) in organizations. We discuss in detail the process followed in using the model-driven SLR method, and show how it is based on a hermeneutic cycle of reading and interpreting, in order to develop and refine a model which synthesizes the research findings of previous qualitative studies. This study can serve as an exemplar for other researchers wishing to carry out model-driven SLRs. We conclude with our reflections on the method and some suggestions for further research.


Various movement disorders associated with cerebral infarction have been introduced. However patients with anterior cerebral artery territory infarction presenting with hemichoreoballism have never been reported. We present a 64-year-old man with hemichoreoballism and frontal al ien hand syndrome on his right hand. Diffusion weighted brain MRI revealed hyperintensities in anterior two third of corpus callosum and superior frontal gyrus. Hemichoreoballism was improved after one day treated by clonazepam. We report the case with hemichoreoballism after anterior cerebral artery territory infarction. J Korean Neurol Assoc 23(2):271-273, 2005


The flow in the regenerative flow pump (RFP) is usually featured by unsteady flow fluctuation and complex interference efficacy. Two pump models with various blade arrangements were investigated in this study to explore the transient flow and the pressure fluctuation characteristics by computational fluids dynamics (CFD) simulation and experimental validation. The results illustrate that the average pressure variation of the impeller and channel across the impeller's rotating direction is in consistence with the mass exchange flow and the circulation number in the pump. Furthermore, the inlet and outlet pressure are analyzed respectively in the time and frequency domain, showing that the head coefficient fluctuates periodically with the fluctuating number equal to the blade number. The dominant frequencies of the two pump models are primarily BPF and its harmonics. Additionally, the pressure fluctuation spectrum and the fluctuating amplitude at dominant frequency in each component of RFP are extracted to reveal the effects of the blade arrangement on the pressure fluctuation characteristics, where the fluctuating amplitude in the model with staggered blades was reduced significantly compared to the model with symmetrical blades. This could be attributed to the more uniform distribution of the internal flow, the less stronger pressure fluctuation, and the better modulation pattern of the RMS pressure. This work reveals the pressure fluctuation characteristics inside the RFP, and the design approach of increasing the circumferential uniformity could serve as a reference for the pressure fluctuation reduction and vibration and noise improvement of PRFs.


The concentration of homovanillic acid and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the major metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine, respectively, were studied in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 34 newborn infants. No significant difference was found in the levels of MHPG and homovanillic acid between preterm and term infants. Apneic preterm infants had significantly higher levels of MHPG than nonapneic prematures. Theophylline did not change the levels of these metabolites in CSF. There was a progressive rise of MHPG levels in CSF in preterm infants as their postnatal age increased. We suggest that idiopathic apnea of prematurity is not associated with depletion of catecholamine stores in the central nervous system. Theophylline does not seem to relieve apnea by stimulation of the central adrenergic system.


An association of the heat-labile antigens detected by the Lior serotyping scheme with ability to protect infant mice against gastrointestinal colonisation with Campylobacter jejuni has been established. Overall, 39 (57%) of 68 infant mice challenged with a heterologous strain of the same Lior serotype as the vaccine strain were protected, compared with 40 (85%) of 47 infants protected against a homologous challenge. In contrast, none of the infant mice challenged with a strain carrying the same heat-stable antigens (i.e., of the same Penner serotype as the vaccine strain) were protected.


Introductory . In continuation of previous investigations of the spectra of the lighter elements, the present paper gives an account of the spectrum of doubly ionised oxygen. The lines have been observed mainly with suitably strong discharges in vacuum tubes, and have been distinguished from those of O II by the usual method of comparing the intensities of the lines under the action of different discharges. Most of the stronger lines have been measured with considerable accuracy on plates taken with a 10-ft. concave grating, or with a large quartz spectrograph. As was expected, the spectrum is generally similar to that of N II, and the terms so far determined are in entire accordance with Hund's theory. Notation. It has been found that the system of numeration used for the terms of N II is not conveniently adaptable to certain other spectra, and in the present communication a modified form which seems likely to be of more general application, has been adopted. In particular, it has seemed desirable to assign the same prefix to all terms which arise from the same electron configuration. A convenient procedure, which has already been followed to some extent by others, is to use the orbital designation of the "series electron" as a prefix, with small italic letters for electron orbits, as distinct from the capital letters used for terms. Thus, 3 s 3P2 will indicate that the 3P term in question is due to a configuration in which the series electron occupies a 31 orbit. Combination possibilities are then shown by the application of the ordinary selection rule for azimuthal quantum numbers to the electron symbols, in addition to the inner quantum number rule applicable to the term symbols. For example, a 2s 1p1 might combine with a 3p 1 P 1, but not with a 3 s 1P1 or 3 d 1D2 term. In this way it becomes unnecessary to "dash" any of the term or electron symbols in connection with the simpler spectra.


A case study of 2 patients with venous congestion of the orbit due to different etiologies is presented. Both the children demonstrated orbital pain, proptosis, chemosis and conjunctival injection. In one case early diagnosis left to complete recovery by conservative treatment in a patient with a pyogenic cavernous sinus thrombosis. In the other case a traumatic carotid sinus cavernous fistula could be treated successfully using transvasculary navigated detachable balloons.


In cultured oligodendrocytes isolated from perinatal rat optic nerves, we have analyzed the expression of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits as well as the effect of the activation of these receptors on oligodendrocyte viability. Reverse transcription-PCR, in combination with immunocytochemistry, demonstrated that most oligodendrocytes differentiated in vitro express the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunits GluR3 and GluR4 and the kainate receptor subunits GluR6, GluR7, KA1 and KA2. Acute and chronic exposure to kainate caused extensive oligodendrocyte death in culture. This effect was partially prevented by the AMPA receptor antagonist GYKI 52466 and was completely abolished by the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), suggesting that both AMPA and kainate receptors mediate the observed kainate toxicity. Furthermore, chronic application of kainate to optic nerves in vivo resulted in massive oligodendrocyte death which, as in vitro, could be prevented by coinfusion of the toxin with CNQX. These findings suggest that excessive activation of the ionotropic glutamate receptors expressed by oligodendrocytes may act as a negative regulator of the size of this cell population.


Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) is a dominantly inherited cancer syndrome which affects thyroid C cells, and with variable frequency, the adrenal medulla, parathyroid and enteric autonomic ganglia. The syndrome is due to germline mutation in the receptor tyrosine kinase gene, RET. We have recently shown an unexpected correlation between one particular RET mutation, cys634-->arg, and the probability of parathyroid involvement in families with MEN 2A. Here we use haplotype analysis in the families to show that this correlation is not explained by a single founder chromosome which carries both the cys634-->arg mutation and a separate allele conferring susceptibility to parathyroid abnormality, but is probably due to the cys634-->arg mutation itself. The results also indicate that new mutations to MEN 2 are not infrequent.


The most significant challenge in the 21st century is to prepare professionals to communicate technical information well through writing and speaking in the professional context. Research and studies on TC started to emerge in various aspects, but there is still scarcity in studies on curriculum design of TC. This paper explored the needs of curriculum design for TC at vocational colleges. The study was conducted in two steps: online questionnaires (n = 580) for students and semi-structured interviews (n=8) for English instructors at vocational colleges in the Central Part of China. The results showed that the manufacturing students had been taught less related TC skills in English subject, especially oral TC skills; however, the skills they most want to improve are team communication skills and oral TC skills. The findings also indicated that the current existing English courses in TVET institutions are irrelevant to TC skills on the one hand, but both the students and English instructors highly valued the importance of the TC module on the other hand. The findings from the current study serve as a basis for the curriculum design for TVET students. Further, this study may also contribute to the under-researched issue of English language learning in TVET institutions.


The authors present a novel respiratory impedance estimator to minimize the error due to breathing. Its practical reliability was evaluated in a simulation using realistic signals. These signals were generated by superimposing pressure and flow records obtained in two conditions: (1) when applying forced oscillation to a resistance-inertance-elastance (RIE) mechanical model; (2) when healthy subjects breathed through the unexcited forced oscillation generator. Impedances computed (4-32 Hz) from the simulated signals with the estimator resulted in a mean value which was scarcely biased by the added breathing (errors less than 1% in the mean R, I and E) and had a small variability (coefficients of variation of R, I, and E of 1.34, 3.5, and 9.6%, respectively). The results suggest that the proposed estimator reduces the error in measurement of respiratory impedance without appreciable extra computational cost.<<ETX>>


This paper describes the evolution of the urban and rural population in the 11 administrative regions of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and to establish the role of the new municipalities. The number of municipalities grew from 270 during 1940-50 to 505 during 1960-70; in the same period the annual population growth in urban areas increased from 3.72% to 5.56%. The great urbanization process in Sao Paulo began after 1940; before the date 56% of the population lived in rural areas. The growth of urbanization during the period 1940-70 was prompted mainly by the decline in the production of coffee together with a great expansion of industry, leading to a massive movement of workers from the coffee fields to the newly industrialized areas. Improvements in the road and railway system greatly contributed to these changes. This situation has brought under attack, on the part of legislators, the old criteria used to define urban and rural population in Brazil, criteria still based on an ancient law which does not take into consideration the activities carried out by the population in a specific area.


The mechanisms that guide organ-specific metastases are not fully established. The aberrant expression of carbohydrates may play a fundamental role in defining the molecular mechanisms for metastases to distant organs and facilitate positive interactions within the target organ. The purpose of the present study was to determine the glycomic profile of a variant of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line that colonizes the bone and to ascribe mechanistic functions mediated by carbohydrates that might correlate with clinical bone metastases. The carbohydrate expression profiles of osteolytic MDA-MET breast cancer cells and non-osteolytic parental MDA-MB-231 cells were determined. MDA-MET cells were derived from MDA-MB-231 cells by in vivo selection of metastatic bone lesions following intracardiac inoculation. The two related breast cancer cell lines expressed distinct carbohydrate profiles; MDA-MET cells displayed an increased expression of alpha (2,6) linked sialic acid, N-beta1-6 GlcNAc, and sialylated Lewis-A antigen, and decreased expression of Galbeta1,3GalNAc as detected using a combination of lectins and anti-carbohydrate antibodies. Microarray analysis demonstrated an increased expression of glycosyltransferase genes, correlative for the distinct glycomic phenotype. The altered glycomic phenotypes of MDA-MET cells include effects on the differential binding to bone marrow endothelial cells, enhanced ECM binding and an increase in invasive potential. These data suggest that the glycomic phenotype of MDA-MET cells is associated with a select set of accumulated functions that collectively impact on the bone metastases and bone colonization capacity of breast cancer cells.


Mutations in the myostatin gene lead to double-muscling in cattle indicating that it is a negative regulator of the total number of muscle fibres. Myostatin expression was analysed by RT-PCR in three developing bovine muscles. It decreased during differentiation in Semitendinosus and Biceps femoris, and increased in the late differentiating Masseter during gestation. A combination of in situ hybridisation and immuno-histochemical detection of myosin heavy chains (MHC) allowed us to locate the expression in myofibres containing only developmental MHC at different stages and in fast IIA fibres at the end of gestation. In vitro, myostatin was undetectable during proliferation, peaked at the onset of fusion and decreased during terminal differentiation. It was not detected in myotubes by in situ hybridisation. The inhibition of differentiation by BrdU prevented the decrease in expression. Our results show that the peak in myostatin expression coincides with early differentiation indicating a regulatory role in cattle myogenesis.


Microbial biofilms are multicellular aggregates embedded in an exopolymeric matrix that contribute to survival in environmental niches such as rock surfaces in streams, plant roots, or the middle ear or teeth in the human body. Intense research effect has gone into identifying molecular mechanisms used by bacteria to build and regulate biofilms. In an earlier issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Houot et al. (12a) reported on the identification of three different phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) pathways that control biofilm formation by Vibrio cholerae. This study highlights how important the PTS is in controlling biofilm formation. While other studies with different bacterial species have shown that a mutation in a gene for a component of the PTS affects biofilm formation (1, 19, 22), these studies have not yet done a thorough analysis of which components of the PTS affect biofilm formation and whether phosphorylation of these proteins is required for regulation. The PTS can transport a variety of sugars, and this report highlights the importance of studying the role of the PTS in different growth media to reveal the full extent to which the PTS affects biofilm formation. Along with the recent work demonstrating how the PTS system can influence virulence gene expression in some bacterial species (14, 24, 27), the finding that the PTS has a profound effect on biofilm formation may be bringing out a renaissance in research on this sugar transport system that was first described in the 1960s.


This study examined the relation of anger and sadness to heart rate and cortisol in 4-month-old infants' (n = 56) response to a goal blockage. The blockage occurred during a contingency learning procedure where infants' response no longer produced a learned interesting event. Anger and sadness were the major emotional expressions to the blockage. The two emotional expressions were differentially related to heart rate and cortisol. Anger was related to increased heart rate, but not cortisol, whereas sadness was related to increased cortisol, but not heart rate. Along with other work, the present results support the view that infant anger in response to goal blockage involves autonomic as opposed to adrenocortical activation as a consequence of an expectation of control over the event. In contrast, sadness in response to goal blockage involves adrenocortical as opposed to autonomic activation stemming from the absence of an expectation of control.


Hydrogen economy became one of the main directions in EU's Green Deal for making Europe climate neutral in 2050. Hydrogen will be produced with the use of renewable energy sources or it will be obtained from coking plants and chemical companies. It will be applied as ecological fuel for cars and as a mix with methane in gas distribution networks. Works connected with all aspects of hydrogen infrastructure are conducted in Poland. The key problem in creating a hydrogen system is hydrogen storage. They ought to be underground (RES) because of their potential volume. Three types of underground storages are taken into account. There are salt caverns, exploited gas reservoirs and aquifers. Salt caverns were built in Poland and now they are fully operational methane storages. Oli and Gas Institute – National Research Institute has been collaborating with the Polish Oil and Gas Company since 1998. Salt cavern storage exists and is used as methane storages. Now it is possible to use them as methane-hydrogen mixtures storages with full control of all operational parameters (appropriate algorithms are established). Extensive study works were carried out in relation to depleted gas reservoirs/aquifers: from laboratory investigations to numerical modelling. The consortium with Silesian University of Technology was created, capable of carrying out all possible projects in this field. The consortium is already able to undertake the project of adapting the depleted field to a methane-hydrogen storage or, depending on the needs, to a hydrogen storage. All types of investigations of reservoir rocks and reservoir fluids will be taken into consideration.


Abstract In text, images, merged surveys, voter files, and elsewhere, data sets are often missing important covariates, either because they are latent features of observations (such as sentiment in text) or because they are not collected (such as race in voter files). One promising approach for coping with this missing data is to find the true values of the missing covariates for a subset of the observations and then train a machine learning algorithm to predict the values of those covariates for the rest. However, plugging in these predictions without regard for prediction error renders regression analyses biased, inconsistent, and overconfident. We characterize the severity of the problem posed by prediction error, describe a procedure to avoid these inconsistencies under comparatively general assumptions, and demonstrate the performance of our estimators through simulations and a study of hostile political dialogue on the Internet. We provide software implementing our approach.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review published research on using interactive read-alouds in the instruction of English language learners (ELLs). In particular, this paper emphasizes the practical application of research findings to help classroom teachers and other educators make instructional decisions that promote both effective and equitable instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

For this literature review, the authors conducted a systematic keyword search of multiple electronic databases to identify relevant research studies. Once studies were identified, the authors used a qualitative content analysis method (Guba and Lincoln, 1981; Holsti, 1969; Lincoln and Guba, 1985) to identify themes.

Findings

The findings were grouped into three distinct categories: pedagogy, language and culture. While many aspects of effective interactive read-alouds are similar for ELLs and mainstream students, this paper highlights elements of interactive read-alouds that are different or especially important for ELLs.

Originality/value

This review, unlike the 2,000 potentially relevant studies initially identified, considers the interplay of pedagogy, language and culture when using interactive read-alouds with ELLs. The explicit focus on practical classroom application makes this literature review useful for both researchers and practitioners.


Two new chalcogenide glassy domains were explored by substituting Ga for In or Pb in compositions from the GeSe2-Ga2Se3 tie line in the Ge-Ga-Se ternary diagram. The thermal, optical and mechanical properties of these glasses were determined and the effect of the substitutions on these properties was assessed. It is shown that addition of lead tends to destabilize the glasses while the addition of indium tends to stabilize them. Both elements induce a systematic increase in the onset of transmission values and in the densities when substituted to gallium. The glasses synthesized represent good potential candidates for the production of glass-ceramics with photovoltaic or nonlinear properties.


Aims. KiSS1 is a metastasis suppressor gene associated with inhibition of cellular chemotaxis and invasion attenuating the metastasis in melanoma and breast cancer cell lines. Along the KiSS-1 gene at least 294 SNPs have been described; however the association of these polymorphisms as genetic markers for metastasis in breast cancer studies has not been investigated. Here we describe two simple PCR-RFLPs protocols to identify the rs5780218 (9DelT) and the rs12998 (E20K) KiSS1 polymorphisms and the allelic, genotypic, and haplotypic frequencies in Mexican general population (GP) and patients with benign breast disease (BBD) or breast cancer (BC). Results. The rs5780218 polymorphism was individually associated with breast cancer (P = 0.0332) and the rs12998 polymorphism shows statistically significant differences when GP versus case (BC and BBD) groups were compared (P < 0.0001). The H1 Haplotype (G/-) occurred more frequently in BC group (0.4256) whereas H2 haplotype (G/T) was the most prevalent in BBD group (0.4674). Conclusions. Our data indicated that the rs5780218 polymorphism individually confers susceptibility for development of breast cancer in Mexican population and a possible role as a genetic marker in breast cancer metastasis for H1 haplotype (Wt/variant) in KiSS1 gene must be analyzed in other populations.


Introduction. Renal neoplasms are a common disease. Differential diagnostics of different tumor subtypes for prognosis and treatment is necessary given that some of them, like renal cell oncocytomas, are benign, and others, like chromophobe renal cell carcinomas, are malignant. Unfortunately, the histological similarity between these tumors makes accurate diagnostics difficult. In some cases, additional diagnostic methods such as immunohistochemistry should be used. The aim of our study is to analyze the histological characteristics of chromophobe renal cell carcinomas and renal oncocytomas, in order to specify their pathognomonic features, allowing for the confirmation of the diagnosis.

Materials and methods. We used data from histories of disease and histological postoperative material of 198 patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and renal oncocytoma. After the diagnosis was confirmed, we described the histological features of the tumors and calculated their relative prevalence amongst the renal oncocytoma and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma tissues. To conclude, we identified the histological features that are more likely to be present in the case of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

Conclusions. Chromophobe renal cell carcinomas are present in 31 % of our samples. Tumors are more prevalent in patients in their sixth and seventh decade. Most chromophobe renal cell carcinomas are unilateral.

Chromophobe renal cell carcinomas have a polymorphic histological structure. The classic variant of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is more common than the eosinophilic one. A mixed variant of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is present in a minority of cases. The most common features of ChRCC are solid and alveolar growth patterns, clear and reticular cytoplasm, raisinoid nuclei.

After comparing the relative prevalence of various histological features in renal oncocytomas to those present in chromophobe renal cell carcinomas, we are able to ascertain that chromophobe renal cell carcinomas tend to exhibit the following features significantly more often than renal oncocytomas: differing nuclear size, raisinoid nuclei, reticular cytoplasm, clear cytoplasm.

The particular features mentioned in the preceding paragraph, can be present on a small subset of the tumor tissue, and are thus, often missed during analysis, which can lead to misdiagnosis. In order to mitigate this risk, we recommend analyzing a big sample of tumor tissue and using additive methods such as immunohistochemistry with biomarkers CD 10 (56C6), CD 68 (KP1), Cytokeratin 7 (OV-TL 12/30), CD117/c-kit, Vimentin (Vim3B4), S-100 (4C4.9).


Mannion AF, Muntener M, Taimela S, Dvorak J. A randomized clinical trial of three active therapies for chronic low back pain. Spine. 1999 Dec 1; 24:2435-48.

Question: In patients with chronic low back pain (LBP), what is the relative efficacy of physiotherapy, muscle conditioning using training devices, and aerobics/stretching for pain and disability?

Design: Randomized (unclear allocation concealment), unblinded, controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.

Setting: A hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.

Patients: 148 patients who were <65 years of age (mean age, 45 years) and had continual or recurrent low back pain for 3 months that was serious enough to cause absence from work or require medical attention. Other inclusion criteria were the ability to …


The EV Plus demonstration program provides an opportunity to evaluate battery life while gaining expertise in managing Ni-MH battery technology under real-world conditions. Since individual customers use the vehicles, Honda developed a battery service and evaluation system that is convenient to customers, yet not burdensome to dealer service. This paper discusses the method of detection of low battery capacity, the technique used to convey this information to users, the bench evaluation system of returned batteries, and explains how the analysis is utilized to enhance the EV Plus' battery control strategy.


Segments of the petroleum industry are actively exploring the Tertiary rocks of offshore Oregon and Washington; several wells are being drilled and others are projected. It is noteworthy (1) that amphibole and pyroxene occur in sandstone beds of one of the potential reservoir formations under conditions that require an authigenic origin and (2) that the rocks have not been metamorphosed. These minerals, which usually are presumed to have formed in conditions of much higher temperatures than those of diagenesis, are found in the Spencer Formation of late Eocene age at Corvallis, Oregon. The best-preserved examples of these minerals are found in a graded sedimentation unit rich in molluscan fossil fragments, basic volcanic glass, and zeolitic concretions. The marine shell f agments are replaced by thomsonite which contains many idiomorphic crystals and tangled needles of actinolite and clinopyroxene. Reconstruction of the diagenetic environment suggests a formation temperature near 140°F., solutions somewhat less saline than sea water, a pH of slightly less than 7.0, and an Eh near -0.2. Formation of thomsonite, actinolite, clinopyroxene, and rare analcime, rather than a suite such as clinoptilolite or heulandite, orthoclase, and abundant analcime, is thought to have been caused by a supply of basic volcanic glass and molluscan calcite rather than acid glass and soda-rich brines. End_of_Article - Last_Page 647------------


Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluation and comparison of intermaxillary tooth size discrepancy among Class I, Class II division 1, and Class III subjects using Bolton's analysis. Materials and Methods: The pre-treatment casts were selected from the records of patients attending the Department of Orthodontics of Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai. The sample consists of 180 pre-treatment casts with both sexes evenly distributed with 60 casts in each type of malocclusion, i.e., Class I, Class II div 1, and Class III malocclusion. The sample was selected according to angles classification. All patients were Indian nationals, between the age group of 12 to 20 years and Bolton's analysis done on all the casts. Results: Statistically no significant difference in all types of malocclusion except anterior Bolton's discrepancy in Class III. Conclusion: Mean Bolton's anterior ratio for angles Class III subjects was significantly greater than for Class I and Class II subjects. When Bolton's overall ratio was compared there was no statistically significant difference among Class I, Class II div 1, and Class III malocclusions.


The Authors report a case of an incidentally discovered mandibular cyst in a 40-year-old man. X-ray examination revealed an intramandibular symmetric radiolucency extending from the right II molar to the left II one; it was not connected to the root apices of residual teeth, but contained three sopranumerary tooth buds in incisive area. Histology showed a cyst lined-up by stratified squamous epithelium, with focal orthokeratinization. The clinico-radiographic and histologic findings were consistent with a median mandibular cyst, unusually large; the presence of medially located denticles inside the cyst strongly suggested an odontogenic origin.


This Review gives a brief introduction to hydrogels formed through click chemistry for applications in tissue engineering. Specifically, we focus on three representative click chemistry mechanisms: Diels-Alder reactions, azide-alkyne cycloaddition, and thiol-ene chemistry. Apart from that, we also discuss photoinitiated chain growth polymerization, which also has fast kinetics. The chemical mechanisms of these reactions, along with their advantages and disadvantages, are presented. These gelation methods are compared and contrasted with other methods of forming hydrogels. Further, we offer an insight on the fabrication of click chemistry hydrogels from a material selection perspective. Commonly used materials from both synthetic and naturally derived polymer families were selected and discussed with their special features and drawbacks in fabricating hydrogels used in tissue engineering applications. At the end, the impact of cross-linking mechanisms and hydrogels properties on the host response is discussed. In conclusion, click reactions are modular and stereospecific. These reactions proceed rapidly with high selectivity, which means they have the potential to be formed in situ with minimal interference on biological processes. In order to achieve optimal hydrogels for tissue engineering applications, it is important to consider different design principles and material fabrication strategies to develop optimal hydrogels for regenerative medicine applications.


Data on molecular design of various types of mononuclear complexes of Schiff bases are generalized. Factors for variation of fine structure of Schiff-base ligand systems (metallocycle sizes and their number, nature of donor centers, aldehyde and amine fragments, co-ligands) are examined. A systematization of Salen complexes is offered. Electronic configurations of p- and d-metals in the coordination and organometallic compounds are taken into account in a series of chelate structures. Non-standard structures are emphasized, including various ligand chelates and molecular complexes.


The availability of data on the movement of cattle within the United Kingdom has inspired a substantial number of models of infectious disease dynamics; a proportion of these models use techniques based upon network analysis, and have been deployed to investigate economically
significant diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and foot and mouth disease. We model the movements of UK cattle as a directed network, with animal holdings as nodes, and movements of animals as edges. Within this framework, a range of models may be considered, from a simple static
network based upon all movements (sampled from a fixed number of days), to a more realistic and more complex dynamic model where the network changes every day. Whilst the former may be analysed with a far broader range of techniques, we demonstrate using stochastic simulation that
they fail to adequately capture the aspects of network structure that drive the dynamics of disease
processes. As a contrast to these network models of disease transmission, we also simulate the spread of disease, but modelling the dynamics at the level of individual cattle, rather than farms -hence providing a more detailed picture of disease spread. Comparing the output of these individualbased models to the output of network-based models is challenging (since the latter do not account for the disease status of individuals, and the former do not neatly describe the disease status of holdings); we discuss some approaches to making this commparison, and show how it may aid the interpretation of network-based models of animal diseases


When a new approach to the delivery of health care services at GSH was developed, it was recognized that the staff nurses needed to be well informed and accepting of the importance of this new model and their impact on its success. The use of educational sessions to acquaint all staff, even those not directly affected initially, was essential. And, the use of a normative-reeducative approach to change implementation by administration built on the initial success of the continuing education program by providing multiple opportunities for collaboration and communication at all staff levels. This combination of the educational program with follow-up strategies addressed a number of recommendations in the research on the transfer of continuing education to nursing practice. The information gleaned by the use of the questionnaires to determine the knowledge level and attitudes of staff members on the Connection Delivery Model emphasized how critical their acceptance of this change was. By gaining staff nurse support and influence, it was possible to advance the program and assist patients through the provision of care across a continuum of services.


While many scholars rightfully have critiqued the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) as falling short of achieving the ultimate goal of equal employment opportunities for women, this Article reveals one of the PDA's most important successes. By recognizing pregnant women as a given in the workplace, the PDA launched a quiet revolution in the way that judges make causal attributions for adverse employment outcomes. Specifically, the PDA provided judges with the conceptual tools that were needed to help shift causal attributions to an employer, rather than attributing a pregnant woman's struggles in the workplace to her own decision to become a mother. Because our notions of responsibility follow our notions of causation, this shift in causal attribution enabled judges to more easily identify employers as legally responsible for the misfit between the conventional workplace and working women's lives. While this causal attribution shift has been incomplete, it at least laid the foundation for ongoing conversations about how the law might achieve even deeper structural and organizational transformations in the workplace looking forward. By revealing the PDA's causation transformation story, this Article seeks to shore up that foundation for future efforts at designing workplaces more fully around a caregiving worker norm.


During the early design stage, it is essential to produce quick and reliable results. Regarding the calculation of forces acting on a rudder in the propeller slipstream, potential flow solvers are often used for this purpose due to their low computational effort. The drawback of these solvers is that viscous effects as drag or flow separation cannot be calculated. To overcome this drawback, the coupling of an inviscid three dimensional boundary element method with a viscous two dimensional boundary layer method is presented. The inflow from the propeller and the propeller rudder interaction is calculated using a lifting line approach. The inviscid calculation of the rudder forces is done with a boundary element method and the viscous rudder forces are calculated with the boundary layer method. Two different approaches are presented for the coupling. The results calculated with the implemented methods are compared to reverse open water model tests.


Fine-tuning a pre-trained neural language model with a task specific output layer is the de facto approach of late when dealing with document classification. This technique is inadequate when labeled examples are unavailable at training time and when the metadata artifacts in a document must be exploited. We address these challenges by generating document representations that capture both text and metadata in a task agnostic manner. Instead of traditional auto-regressive or auto-encoding based training, our novel self-supervised approach learns a soft-partition of the input space when generating text embeddings by employing a pre-learned topic model distribution as surrogate labels. Our solution also incorporates metadata explicitly rather than just augmenting them with text. The generated document embeddings exhibit compositional characteristics and are directly used by downstream classification tasks to create decision boundaries from a small number of labels, thereby eschewing complicated recognition methods. We demonstrate through extensive evaluation that our proposed cross-model fusion solution outperforms several competitive baselines on multiple domains.


The edema inducing activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes from snake venoms and porcine pancreas was investigated using mouse paw as experimental model. All ten PLA2 enzymes exhibited potent edema inducing activity. PLA2, however, is generally not the major edema inducing component of snake venom. Chemical modification studies indicated that enzymatic activity of PLA2 was required for its edema inducing activity. All PLA2 enzymes examined displayed a rapid onset edema which was suppressed by pretreatment of the mice with antihistamine. Dexamethasone pretreatment also inhibited edemas elicited by some PLA2 enzymes.


Discusses the properties of magnetic field sensors based on semiconductors such as Hall generators and magnetoresistors, and on magnetic metals, such as permalloy and the recently discovered 'giant magnetoresistance' metallic multilayers. Some emphasis is placed on the comparison between sensors made using these different technologies. Applications of magnetic field sensors in magnetic recording technology and in position sensing are discussed briefly. Typically a sensor has to detect the difference between a high and a low value of field, around an average, which is of the order of 10-3 T in recording applications, but can exceed 0.1 T in position sensors.


Two experiments were conducted to study the kinetics of Zn absorption and Zn transporter mRNA levels in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers to investigate the main site of Zn absorption in the small intestine, the absorption mechanisms, and whether those transporters were involved. In experiment 1, we compared Zn absorption in 3 segments and at different post-perfusion time points, and found that Zn absorption increased linearly within 30 min and was higher (P < 0.05) in the ileum than in the other 2 segments. In experiment 2, intestinal loops were perfused with solutions containing 0, 0.077, 0.154, 0.308, 0.616, 1.232, or 2.464 mmol/L of ZnSO(4) . 7H(2)O, and Zn concentrations in perfusates were determined at 30 min after perfusion. The mRNA levels of transporters in 3 intestinal loops from the control group and the 0.616 mmol of Zn/L group were analyzed. The kinetic curves showed that Zn transported to the duodenum and jejunum depended on a saturable carrier-mediated process. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) value was higher in the duodenum than in the jejunum (1.44 +/- 0.33 vs. 0.51 +/- 0.17 mM, P = 0.012). Similarly, the maximum absorption velocity (J(max)) value was greater in the duodenum than in the jejunum (5.32 +/- 1.46 vs. 2.57 +/- 0.39 nmol/min per cm, P = 0.069), whereas absorption in the ileum occurred with a nonsaturable diffusion process and had a diffusive constant (P) of 5.72 x 10(-3) +/- 1.1 x 10(-4) cm(2)/min. Moreover, the mRNA levels of metallothionein, zinc transporter 1, and Zn transporter 5 were lower in the ileum than in the duodenum or jejunum in the Zn-supplemented group, further indicating that Zn absorption in the ileum occurred mainly by a nonsaturable diffusive pathway. The Zn fluxes were significantly higher (P < 0.005) in the ileum than in the other 2 segments at different Zn concentrations. This research suggests that the ileum is the main site of Zn absorption and that the mechanism involved is nonsaturable diffusion, which is different from that in the other 2 segments, depending on the regulation of Zn transporter expression.


Islamophobia is in vogue and is a hot topic of discussion both in academia and outside. Islamophobia appears in the daily life in various forms like, public humiliations, physical attacks, throwing abusive words etc. On the other hand, both in media and literature Muslim names and characters are misrepresented and quite often presented as dangerous beings. Some believe that this wide spread of Islamophobia is a recent phenomenon especially triggered by terror attacks of Sep 11. However, a historic analysis will expose Islamophobia of early centuries and can find that it was never less fierce than the surge of Islamophobia we find in current media and literature. This paper is attempting to find a tradition of Islamophobia beginning with 7th century Arabic and Greek writings distorting Islam and its prophet to English plays of 14th century


Polysemes are words that have multiple meanings. They exist in all languages as in Arabic جناح عين صوت جدول and English base, plant, system, present, left. A sample of Arabic and English polyseme translation errors was collected from homework-assignments and exams to explore the difficulties that student-translators have in translating English and Arabic polysemes. Data analysis showed that the students made more errors in translating Arabic polysemes to English than English polysemes to Arabic. They made more errors in translation polysemous compounds than single-word polysemes and the equivalent compounds had collocation errors. The students utilized different faulty strategies in translating polysemes, especially in source texts which have one-to-many equivalents (system, affairs). They tend to overgeneralize the equivalent they know to all contexts (develop, system), not the one suitable for a particular context/domain (*chemical plants; under president). They resorted to literal translation, i.e., word for word translation rather than using fixed formulaic equivalents that are dissimilar in structure to the source polyseme. They also overgeneralized the same equivalent to all contexts (develop, system; association), although each shade of meaning has a different equivalent. Faulty translation of polysemic words may be due to inadequate L1 competence such as the availability of different regional Arabic designations for 'parliament' and the different designations used in American and British English for (وكيل وزارة الخارجية الامريكي); lack of proficiency in EFL, i.e. limited vocabulary knowledge; unfamiliarity with specialized meanings (*chemical plants) and commonly used equivalents for 'affairs; resources'; lack of world knowledge (exchange programs; الاتحاد الأوروبي) and others. The study recommends that translation instructors develop students' vocabulary knowledge, word knowledge accuracy, schemata and world knowledge, metacognitive skills, i.e., thinking processes while translating, word and context analysis skills, i.e., using semantic and structural contextual clues to figure out the meaning of polysemes; and identifying the domain in which a polyseme is used.


The World Bank Group (WBG) has focused on reducing the environmental impacts of its internal operations and improving corporate environmental practices since 2002, when the WBG President announced WBG's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The objective of this document is to summarize the actions WBG has taken thus far to reduce environmental impacts from internal operations and present an action plan to further integrate sustainability into WBG's internal operations. Although this work focuses on the environmental impact associated with WBG daily operations, the links between WBG policies and actions related to environmental management and the financial/social considerations are significant. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) footprint and World Bank corporate responsibility teams facilitate the sustainability commitment of the WBG and monitor and track its progress. These teams provide technical information and research support to a dedicated group of champions throughout the WBG who implement emission reduction activities. Budget for these activities flows primarily through the environment department, the general services department, and IFC facilities management and administration. The environment department and IFC facilities management each resource one staff member to provide back-up research support and to monitor and report on environmental metrics, with building engineers and managers and project officers from across the WBG contributing.


Background
 Loss of immune surveillance is thought to contribute to disease progression and treatment resistance in a range of malignancies including multiple myeloma (MM). Understanding the degree and pattern of immunological abnormality present within the bone marrow microenvironment at the time of MM diagnosis is vital if we are to utilize emerging immunological therapeutic strategies successfully in MM. While immune checkpoint inhibition in the relapsed refractory setting has been disappointing, early intervention before immune subversion mechanisms have become established may enable more effective restoration of immunological disease control.
 Method
 Bone marrow samples from 18 patients with newly diagnosed, untreated, myeloma (NDMM) and 9 age matched bone marrow controls were labelled with metal-antibody conjugates and assessed by time of flight cytometry using the CyTOF platform. Expression of 36 protein targets including markers of proliferation, degranulation and cytokine production alongside phenotyping and viability markers were measured at the single cell level.
 Differences in the abundance and function of distinct cellular populations were assessed using the unsupervised, automated CITRUS algorithm with the goal to identify novel cell populations.
 Results
 We observed a decrease in three key populations in NDMM; CD4 T cells with an effector phenotype (CD4EF), CD8 T cells with an IL2 producing effector phenotype (CD8EF), and dendritic cells. The expected elevation in malignant plasma cells was also seen and characterized. Interestingly CD8 T cells with a cytotoxic phenotype were not decreased.
 The dendritic cell (DC) population contained two distinct subpopulations characterized by their level of CD16 expression. The CD16 positive population (DC16) expressed a range of activating receptors and cytokines while the CD16 negative population (DCTOL) exhibited strong Ki67 expression. Within NDMM samples the DC16 population had stronger expression of PDL1 (p=0.0349) and loss of TIM3 (p=0.0122) and 2B4 (p=0.0148) compared to controls suggesting that this subset is less functionally active in NDMM. The DCTOL population had a similar increase in PDL1 (p=0.0065) and loss of TIM3 (p=0.0165) but also had a shift towards CD107a (p=0.0014) and perforin (p=0.0196) expression, suggesting a tolerogenic role for this subset in myeloma.
 Within the CD4EF subset NDMM samples exhibited reduction in Ki67 (p=0.0054) compared to controls, suggesting that the decrease in population abundance might be due to loss of proliferation. Furthermore, the NDMM population had increased expression of TGFβ (p=0.0027) and FoxP3 (p=0.0409) suggesting that those cells that are present may have a regulatory role.
 The CD8EF population also showed reduction of Ki67 (p=0.0494) in NDMM compared to control samples. This was accompanied by a loss of DNAM1 (p=0.0096), suggesting a loss of co-stimulatory capacity, alongside elevations in TGFb (p=0.0022) suggesting a pro-tumor cytokine shift.
 A broad spread of cellular abundance levels was noted in NDMM compared to controls which led us to investigate whether differences in cell population abundance was associated with survival. This was seen for the CD8EF population, with higher abundance correlating with longer survival (r=0.6643, p=0.0026). Individuals with higher abundance of both the CD8EF population and the DC16 population had a reduction in relapse and death in the first 36 months following diagnosis (p=0.0366).
 Conclusions
 This data demonstrates that even at the early time point of myeloma diagnosis there is evidence of both numerical and functional defects in key cell populations involved in antigen presentation and anti-tumor activity.
 We propose that ineffective antigen presentation by PDL1 expressing DC populations results in poorly proliferative CD8 and CD4 effector populations with pro-tumor cytokine production. The high FoxP3 expressing CD4 population may also have a regulatory role.
 This data highlights PDL1 as an important therapeutic target in NDMM where it may have a role in restoring immune surveillance at an early disease time point.
 Harnessing emerging deep profiling technology to identify patterns of immunological change across multiple cellular subsets within one individual may enable us to identify immune signatures which predict outcome and response to treatment.

 Seymour: Celgene: Research Funding. Cavenagh:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Gribben:Kite: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria; Cancer Research UK: Research Funding; Medical Research Council: Research Funding; Unum: Equity Ownership; Wellcome Trust: Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; NIH: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria.


One of the genotypic features responsible for sex-chromosome meiotic drive and sterility in Drosophila melanogaster males has now been defined clearly. Separation of a significant fraction of X euchromatin from the X pairing site causes either meiotic drive or sterility, depending on whether the separation occurs alone or in combination with rearrangements involving the Y chromosome. The relationship between X-chromosome integrity and the latespermatid developmental breakdowns responsible for meiotic drive and sterility is still not understood. X-Y pairing is important for some aspect of spermatogenesis in addition to its role in X-Y disjunction. Transcriptional inactivation and meiotic timing are two possibilities that are worth exploring, and there are likely to be others. With molecular probes for genes active in spermatogenesis becoming available, ideas such as the pairing dependence of transcriptional inactivation should become amenable to direct tests. It is hoped that an increased use of molecular methods will shed new light on this fascinating genetic problem.


In recent years, legal and social pressures in favor of environmental affairs have increased in several countries, including Brazil. If, before, concerns were mainly focused on large polluting companies, nowadays, the agricultural sector is also influenced by this matter. Considering this scenario, this study aims to identify which are the main factors that lead rural producers to perform the milk run process. In order to evaluate this process, questionnaires were sent to 398 farmers (residents in Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais States), producers of soybean, coffee, tobacco, beans and strawberry. We analyzed both environmental and legal issues. In order to achieve the objective proposed, a quantitative approach was adopted, using multiple regression analysis. In the regression model estimated, it was observed that, in the process of collecting packaging, three questions were related to environmental awareness: i) handling pesticides and current legislation, ii) adoption of new technology and practices, and iii) risks to human health. Empirical findings in environmental awareness receive strong interference of factors relating to the handling of pesticides and current legislation.


Several models have been proposed for the intermediate state which occurs when superconductivity is destroyed in type I wires by a current. Experimental testing of these models has, so far, only been possible through measurements of the resistance and the intermediate state core radius during the transition. We describe an experiment in which a wire specimen is placed along the axis of solenoid whose inductance is monitored as a steadily increasing direct current destroys superconductivity in the wire. The change in inductance of the solenoid is a function of the intermediate state structure, and the experimental results are compared with theoretical values obtained on the basis of the various models. Our results appear to favour the model presented by Baird and Mukherjee in 1971.


In industry assembly lines, parts feeding machines are widely employed as the prologue of the whole procedure. They play the role of sorting the parts randomly placed in bins to the state with specified pose. With the help of the parts feeding machines, the subsequent assembly processes by robot arm can always start from the same condition. Thus it is expected that function of parting feeding machine and the robotic assembly can be integrated with one robot arm. This scheme can provide great flexibility and can also contribute to reduce the cost. The difficulties involved in this scheme lie in the fact that in the part feeding phase, the pose of the part after grasping may be not proper for the subsequent assembly. Sometimes it can not even guarantee a stable grasp. In this paper, we proposed a method to integrate parts feeding and assembly within one robot arm. This proposal utilizes a specially designed gripper tip mounted on the jaws of a two-fingered gripper. With the modified gripper, in-hand manipulation of the grasped object is realized, which can ensure the control of the orientation and offset position of the grasped object. The proposal in this paper is verified by a simulated assembly in which a robot arm completed the assembly process including parts picking from bin and a subsequent peg-in-hole assembly.


Because the plastic work on load-load line displacement cannot be calculated for FFCT(front face compact tension) specimen,NDR technique cannot be directly applied to a fracture toughness test. Based on the interactive method,a technique was developed which could be used to estimate the fracture toughness of ductile material by FFCT specimen. Based on low-pressure rotor steels, the accuracy of the interactive method was proved. At last, the interactive method was used to determine the J resistance curve for A508-III steel. The fracture toughness estimation is solved by the interactive method based on the 1/2 FFCT specimen in the present study.


Examination of Holocene Bahamian oolites by scanning electron and light microscopy has revealed the morphology and orientation of aragonite crystals in the lamellar oolitic envelope, and their modification by the boring activities of endolithic algae. The voids produced by these algae are found in progressive stages of being lined and filled with precipitated microcrystalline aragonite, which is similar to the process of micrite envelope formation in molluscan and other skeletal carbonate grains, as described by Illing (1954) and Bathurst (1966). Areas in the outer portion of the ooliths that contain algal borings filled in with micrite are shown to represent the crypto-crystalline unoriented lamellae described by Newell and others (1960). The oriented prismatic layers in Bahamian oolites, on the other hand, contain minute aragonite crystals with their c-axes oriented roughly parallel to the layers, as suggested by Newell and others (1960) and Cloud (1962). Similar scanning electron microscope techniques when applied to the study of Holocene and ancient carbonate sediments will clarify our understanding of the micritization process.