Plastic waste is generated every day and it is estimated about 15000 tons per day in India.(as per government survey) .The waste plastic which is available in the open gets mixed in a number of ways and goes in with the food of the animals. Thus affecting the humans, animals, earth and environment. Natural Break down and degeneration of plastics takes a very long time in the earth. According to statistics every year about 63% waste plastic is either filled in land or in the natural environment, and some gets mixed and filled in the ocean and water bodies like rivers and lakes.Pyrolysis is a technology used to heating substance in the absence of oxygen that dissolves all these type of waste plastic [1]. The heating temperature should be around 4500C. In this study, paralysis process is used to attain the required temperature, where all the types of waste plastic is being converting to fuel. It works like other fuels like petrol, diesel, and kerosene. By implementing this concept, some amount of waste plastic can be reduced (about 70-80% of waste plastic) and can roughly provide about 50% oil for diesel vehicles. Tests have shown that this fuel does not emit sulfur dioxide and generates about 5% residue as carbon block.


Sixty-two patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis were treated topically with a 2% ketoconazole foaming gel or with a 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate lotion in a single-blind study for 4 months. Changes in the number of Pityrosporum ovale were scored by a mycologist. The investigator rated the severity of erythema, scaling and itching of the patients' scalp, eyelashes, nasolabial folds and thorax. In addition, both the investigator and the patients evaluated the treatments globally. At the end of treatment, the response rate for ketoconazole 2% foaming gel was significantly higher than that for betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% lotion according to the global evaluation by the physician (89 vs. 62%, p less than 0.05) and the patient (89 vs. 65%, p less than 0.05). Ketoconazole was also superior to betamethasone with reference to the evolution of the symptoms, irrespective of their localization. This efficacy manifested itself by a significant reduction of the number of P. ovale on the scalp in the ketoconazole group (p less than 0.001) compared to the betamethasone group, in which the count was hardly changed during therapy. The treatment was also better tolerated in the ketoconazole group (5 vs. 16 patients with side-effects, p less than 0.001). It is concluded that ketoconazole 2% foaming gel offers an excellent alternative to local corticosteroids in the treatment of seborrhoeic dermatitis.


RESULTS: Mastectomy with staged DIEP flap reconstruction is costlier ($14,104.80 versus $3,216.93), but more effective (29.96 versus 24.87) compared to staged implant reconstruction. This resulted in an ICER of 2141.00, which favored DIEP flap reconstruction, indicating a dominant strategy. In one-way sensitivity analysis, DIEP flap reconstruction was the more cost-effective strategy if the cost was less than $257,444.13. Monte Carlo analysis showed a confidence of 99.99% that DIEP flap reconstruction is more cost-effective.


Poland has seen the process of tax law reform going on for many years. The economic and political transformation at the turn of the 20th century determined the fundamental trends of the transformation of this area of law. A novelty in the Polish tax legislation is the need of incorporating, or aligning with, the legal standards required through the membership in the European Union. However, this law harmonisation process fails to address the whole of Polish tax law. This book covers the fundamental areas of taxation and tax law in Poland. It explores the tax theory, general tax law, and specific taxes supplying the central and self-government budget revenues. The authors also seek to highlight selected issues of the operation and evolution of Polish tax law.


Abstract. Recent studies have demonstrated atmospheric deposition as an important source of bioreactive compounds to the ocean. The South China Sea (SCS), where aerosol loading is among the highest in the world, however, is poorly studied, particularly on the in situ response of phytoplankton community structures to atmospheric deposition. By conducting a series of microcosm bioassays at different hydrographical locations and simulating different aerosol event scales, we observed both positive and negative responses to the input of East Asian (EA) aerosol with high nitrogen (N) and trace metal contents, in terms of biomass, composition and physiological characteristics of phytoplankton communities. High levels of aerosol loading relieved phytoplankton nitrogen and trace metal limitations in SCS, and thus increased total phytoplankton biomass, enhanced their physiological indicators (e.g. photosynthetic efficiency) and shifted phytoplankton assemblages from being dominated by picoplankton to microphytoplanton, especially diatoms. However, under low levels of aerosol loading, the composition shift and biomass accumulation were not apparent, suggesting that the stimulation effects might be counterbalanced by enhanced grazing mortality indicated by increased abundance of protist grazers. Trace metal toxicity of the aerosols might also be the reason for the reduction of picocyanobacteria when amended with high EA aerosols. The magnitude and duration of the deposition event, as well as the hydrographical and trophic conditions of receiving waters are also important factors when predicting the influence of an aerosol deposition event. Our results demonstrated different responses of phytoplankton and microbial food web dynamics to different scales of atmospheric input events in SCS and highlighted the need for achieving an accurate comprehension of atmospheric nutrient on the biogeochemical cycles of the oceans.


One of Abraham Flexner's legacies was the concept of a professional faculty community responsible for teaching, scholarly work, and the creation and nurturing of the academic environment in medical schools. Dramatic shifts in society, health care, and educational practice have occurred over the century since Flexner's report, and these shifts have resulted in changes and challenges for medical school faculty. Fundamental principles that were articulated in Flexner's work remain relevant today: medicine is a profession, and as such is responsible for the education of the next generation of physicians; and the essential work of the medical school is the education of current and future generations of physicians. Medical schools must reconsider and restate the required characteristics and work of faculty members. Furthermore, we must develop a core faculty with primary responsibility for the educational program, the teaching of students, and the creation and nurturing of the academic environment. Enhancing the diversity of the faculty community, providing necessary faculty development, and further clarifying the forms of scholarly work in medicine are three ways that individual schools and national organizations can advance the educational mission through support of the faculty.


The phase transition-like behaviour of bulk polaron is investigated. We find that there exists a certain critical temperature Tc and the phase transition behaviour below Tc is different from that above Tc.


The arterial-venous differences for methionine and cysteine and their metabolites, glutathione, taurine and sulfate, were measured across the splanchnic organs, the liver, the kidney and the hindlimb of fed rats. Methionine and cysteine were released into the blood by the splanchnic organs and removed by the liver. These results indicate that more than half of the sulfur amino acids taken up by the liver were used for synthesis of glutathione for export into the plasma. The kidney removed about half of the glutathione exported by the liver, presumably due to action of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and dipeptidase, and released to the circulation a comparable amount of cysteine. Taurine, presumably from deconjugation of bile acids, was released into the plasma by the splanchnic organs; taurine was also released by the liver. The hepatosplanchnic release of taurine into the plasma indicates that the liver is the major site of taurine biosynthesis; taurine was removed by the kidney for excretion in the urine. A small amount of methionine was removed by the kidney, and the hindlimb released a small amount of glutathione and methionine into the plasma. The splanchnic organs seemed to remove substantial sulfate from the plasma in addition to that provided by the diet, and a net release of sulfate from the liver was observed. The relative roles of the various tissues in sulfate production and removal was not clear from these studies, due to the large variability in the arterial-venous differences observed.


Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a complex, etiologically heterogeneous myocardial disease, which is one of the main causes of heart failure and heart transplantation. In 2016, experts from the European working group proposed a new definition of cardiomyopathy, which includes intermediate variants with a change in phenotype in carriers of mutations from subclinical form to the full manifestations of the disease. The classification of DCM was supplemented with intermediate phenotypes with the inclusion of a hypokinetic form with reduced contractile function without ventricular dilatation and variants with predominant dilation or arrhythmogenicity. Pathological architectonics of DCM consists of many genetic determinants that interact with numerous environmental factors. Clinical manifestations depend not only on the malignancy and penetrance of the gene mutation, but also on a number of other causes — epigenomic factors, age, toxic effects, environmental aggressiveness, pregnancy, and the effects of other acquired diseases. The article summarizes the current epidemiological data and ideas about specific molecular changes with an unfavorable prognosis. For clarity, we present clinical observations of familial DCM with mutations in the RBM20 and LMNA genes.


Building on the recently published quantum-mechanically derived force field (QMDFF) and its empirical valence bond extension, EVB-QMDFF, it is now possible to generate a reliable potential energy surface for any given elementary reaction step in an essentially black box manner. This requires a limited and pre-defined set of reference data near the reaction path and generates an accurate approximation of the reference potential energy surface, on and off the reaction path. This intermediate representation can be used to generate reaction rate data, with far better accuracy and reliability than with traditional approaches based on transition state theory (TST) or variational extensions thereof (VTST), even if those include sophisticated tunneling corrections. However, the additional expense at the reference level remains very modest. We demonstrate all this for three arbitrarily chosen example reactions.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the highest degree of malignancy and the worst prognosis. The Shuganhuazheng formula (SGHZF) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of TNBC, but the mechanism of SGHZF in the treatment of TNBC remains unclear. In this study, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of SGHZF against TNBC were preliminarily determined based on in vivo experimental verification and network pharmacology. In terms of therapeutic effects, the antitumour effect was verified by measuring and calculating tumour volume, and the expression of proto-oncogene c-Myc was verified by PCR. In terms of the mechanism, potential therapeutic targets were identified by overlapping the SGHZF-related and TNBC-related targets. After comprehensively analysing the results of the protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO) function, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, Akt and HIF-1α were selected for verification by using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. The results of the study indicated that SGHZF can inhibit breast tumour growth in mice and that the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Akt and HIF-1α expression.


This paper emerges in response to the recent initiative by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) to mandate the inclusion of specific, clinically based mental health curriculum into qualifying social work programs across Australia. Whilst the authors affirm the importance of an emphasis of mental health in social work education, we further suggest that the professional repositioning of social work in mental health must be informed by critical/postmodern theoretical approaches. If social work is to engender and maintain its unique and vital role in problematising simplistic, depoliticised and individualising constructions of mental health and illness, we need to promote more contextualised and holistic understandings of people's experiences. The paper concludes by offering an example of critical mental health curriculum.


Introduction Partial results of a dissertation of the Graduate Program in Nursing, Federal University of Parana - Brazil. Objective To analyse the health indicators of a hospital worker in the year 2011. Methods Retrospective epidemiological study conducted at a university hospital in southern Brazil whose data was collected through the database Monitoring System of Occupational Health Nursing (SIMOSTE) which consists of a technological tool developed by nursing researchers, with support from the Foundation to support research in São Paulo, aimed at monitoring the health of workers in a hospital environment. Results Women (80.8%) and workers aged 31 to 40 years (34.2%) had more records of absences from work. The total absence corresponded to 2478 days, and 1526 (61.6%) relative to the nursing staff. The highest average absence was observed among nursing technicians (M = 2.63 days) and work sector with the highest proportion of registers was the Intensive Care Unit (23.2%). The workload was the biological prevalent (39.4%) and is also the main cause of attrition reported for 15 of the 23 occupational categories. Diseases of the respiratory system were the most away (19.62%) and also in higher frequency registries (19.62%). The highest number of days of sick leave (360 days) was due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue and the damage resulting from mental and behavioural disorders on average 5.76 days away. Nurses had 33 days of leave for respiratory diseases and an average of 4.71 days away from external causes. The nursing staff had more absences due to mental and behavioural disorders (162 days) with an average of 10.13 days. Other health workers were farthest from diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (263 days). Conclusions To know the health profile of the worker helps in developing policies and strategies for promoting worker health.


This study considers the importance of comprehensive pipeline network plans with exploring the determinants of vertical integration in Japan's natural gas distribution utilities from the perspective of transaction cost economics. Japan's natural gas industry is reliant on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) that normally requires regasification prior to consumption. Unbundling of the industry has not been enforced and while some local distribution utilities purchase gas via pipelines that is regasified by the seller, others choose LNG from tank trucks with subsequent regasification occurring inhouse (vertical integration). Estimating the determinants of vertical integration in terms of transaction cost economics, I deduce the cause of poor pipeline networks in Japan. This study found that local distribution utilities prefer to purchase natural gas via pipelines when there are neighboring wholesalers or utilities. Hence, a broad pipeline network has never been constructed because local distribution utilities construct point-to-point pipelines to neighboring utilities or wholesalers. This indicates that without pipeline network planning by the government, comprehensive infrastructure policies, or financial support, a broad pipeline network will not be built throughout the country.


Tongue gestural target classification is of great interest to researchers in the speech production field. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have shown superiority to standard feature extraction techniques in a variety of domains. In this letter, both CNN-based speaker-dependent and speaker-independent tongue gestural target classification experiments are conducted to classify tongue gestures during natural speech production. The CNN-based method achieves state-of-the-art performance, even though no pre-training of the CNN (with the exception of a data augmentation preprocessing) was carried out.


Edge computing is a novel computing paradigm moving server resources closer to end-devices. It helps unleashing the full potential of high-performance access networks with respect to ultra-low latency and transfer rate and improve resilience to problems at core networks and data centers. Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), is a standard solution by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for access network-level edge computing. MEC, operating at access network level, is an ideal solution for the most cases. However, there are still some challenges to address: first is related to the vulnerability to access network problems and the second is about the high load inflicted to access networks and MEC servers. This is a particular issue in massive-scale Internet of Things (IoT) use cases, where numerous sensors may produce high amounts of data, or where critical system functionalities must be ensured also during access network problems. In this paper, we study the feasibility of bringing some edge functions to the local level as virtualized and dynamically deployable components utilizing local hardware capacity. For the study, we have implemented a local edge networking prototype based on local microservices, called nanoservices, implemented using Docker containers and deployed using Docker Swarm-based orchestration. Since IoT networks typically consist of constrained-capacity devices, our focus is in optimizing the resources of the proposed nanoservices.


The investment behaviour of individuals is unconsciously influenced by their thoughts, emotions, personal beliefs or past experiences to the degree that even individual investors with considerable knowledge may diverge from logic and reason. These influences, which can be classified as behavioural finance biases, may affect the manner in which risk is perceived and understood. This study aims to establish the relationship between the behavioural finance biases and the risk tolerance of individual investors within Gauteng, South Africa. This study also aims to identify the behavioural finance biases that drive individual investment decisions. Positive, statistically significant relationships were established between the behavioural finance biases and individual investor risk tolerance. Furthermore, the investment decisions of individual investors are driven to a rather great extent by the behavioural finance biases. The significance of these findings will contribute to facilitate the more practical and accurate profiling of individual investors' risk tolerance to ensure the successful implementation of investment strategies not only within South Africa, but also internationally.


A 4times4 Gb/s microring modulator cascade, which can directly convert data from a parallel electrical bus to a multiple-wavelength optical signal in a single silicon-on-insulator waveguide, is demonstrated and characterized. The integrity of the modulated optical signal is verified using Q-factor extrapolations. In addition, the frequency characteristics and crosstalk, in terms of total harmonic distortion, are quantified. A transparent translator from electronics to optics such as this is crucial for the development of large-scale high-bandwidth interconnects based on photonic integrated circuits


By treatment of 2-hydroxymuconic acid with a partially purified 4-oxalocrotonate decarboxylase 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate could be obtained. Both forms of 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate, the keto as well as the enol form could be isolated.


This article discusses issues related to the now famous novelistic cycle by Marcel Proust (1871-1922) titled In Search of Lost Time (A la recherche du temps perdu), and its reception as a major canon of modern literature in the 20th century. Based on critics who were coeval with the launching of the novel (its volumes were published between 1913 and 1927), I intend to introduce the readers in the debates that sought to ascribe to Proust the role of a herald of literary modernism. Thus, I will present a number of theme debates by Proust contemporaries that engaged him and his work not only in literary, artistic and aesthetic disputes, but also in broader social and cultural discussions regarding the French Third Republic. By looking into specific historiographical sources, along with a broader set of bibliographical references, I attempt to show that the disputes in which Proust and his novel were involved concerned not only the literary and aesthetic debate, but also the broader context and historical idiosyncrasies that permeated the French society and culture.


Abstract.
 In light of local population declines and poor calf survival, we investigated visual obstruction as potential elk (Cervus elaphus) calf hiding cover at birth sites. We hypothesized that female elk would use hiding cover (i.e., visual obstruction) in order to conceal their calves at the birth site and reduce vulnerability to predation. Selection of hiding cover has been well documented at calf bedding sites subsequent to parturition; however, because of variably reported results from prior studies, it is unclear whether hiding cover is selected at the immediate birth site. We estimated visual obstruction of hiding cover, measured understory vegetation height, and categorized the dominant form of hiding cover at 65 birth sites and 116 random sites within the Black Hills, South Dakota. We found no significant differences in visual obstruction, vegetation height, or selection of dominant hiding cover categories between birth and random sites within forest and grassland systems. We surmise that selection of birth sites with greater visibility was used as a strategy to increase detectability of potential human and puma (Puma concolor) disturbances, which may be hindered by understory vegetation or woody debris that obstructs visibility. This may explain why we did not detect any selection for hiding cover; thus, understory cover for calves may not be a driving factor for selection of birth sites.


Emerging large-scale scientific applications have a critical need for high bandwidth and predictable-performance network service. The OptlPuter project is pioneering a radical new type of distributed application paradigm that exploits dedicated optical circuits to tightly couple geographically dispersed resources. These private optical paths are set up on demand and combined with end resources to form a distributed virtual computer (DVC). The DVC provides high-quality dedicated network service to applications. In this article we compare the OptIPuter's approach (DVC), which exploits network resources to deliver higher-quality network services, to several alternative service models (intelligent network and asynchronous file transfer). Our simulations show that there are significant differences among the models in their utilization of resources and delivered application services. Key takeaways include that the OptlPuter approach provides applications with superior network service (as needed by emerging e-science applications and performance-critical distributed applications), at an expense in network resource consumption. The other approaches use fewer network resources, but provide lower-quality application service


Increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients has been attributed to long-standing chronic inflammation, with the contribution of genetic alterations and environmental factors such as the microbiota. Moreover, accumulating data indicate that IBD-associated CRC (IBD-CRC) may initiate and develop through a pathway of tumorigenesis distinct from that of sporadic CRC. This mini-review summarizes the current knowledge of IBD-CRC, focusing on the main mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis, and on the important role of immunomodulators and biologics used to treat IBD patients in interfering with the inflammatory process involved in carcinogenesis.


Melatonin is a pleiotropic signal molecule that plays critical roles in regulating plant growth and development, as well as providing physiological protections against various environmental stresses. Nonetheless, the mechanisms for melatonin-mediated pollen thermotolerance remain largely unknown. In this study, we report that irrigation treatment with melatonin (20 µM) effectively ameliorated high temperature-induced inactivation of pollen and inhibition of pollen germination in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. Melatonin alleviated reactive oxygen species production in tomato anthers under high temperature by the up-regulation of the transcription and activities of several antioxidant enzymes. Transmission electron micrograph results showed that high temperature-induced pollen abortion is associated with a premature degeneration of the tapetum cells and the formation of defective pollen grains with degenerated nuclei at the early uninuclear microspore stage, whilst melatonin protected degradation of organelles by enhancing the expression of heat shock protein genes to refold unfolded proteins and the expression of autophagy-related genes and formation of autophagosomes to degrade denatured proteins. These findings suggest a novel function of melatonin to protect pollen activity under high temperature and support the potential effects of melatonin on reproductive development of plants.


Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB), but reports have been inconsistent. We genotyped the VDR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI in 1139 case patients and control subjects and 382 families from The Gambia, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The transmission-disequilibrium test on family data showed a significant global association of TB with SNP combinations FokI-BsmI-ApaI-TaqI and FokI-ApaI that were driven by the increased transmission to affected offspring of the FokI F and ApaI A alleles in combination. The ApaI A allele was also transmitted to affected offspring significantly more often than expected. Case-control analysis showed no statistically significant association between TB and VDR variants. BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI showed strong linkage disequilibrium. The significance of the family-based associations found between TB and FokI-BsmI-ApaI-TaqI and the FA haplotype supports a role for VDR haplotypes, rather than individual genotypes, in susceptibility to TB.


Five copepod species, Acantocyclops robustus, Macrocyclops albidus, Mesocyclops annulatus, Thermocyclops sp. (all Cyclopoidea) and Argyrodiaptomus bergi (Calanoidea), were evaluated under laboratory conditions as potential predators of preparasites of the mermithid nematode Strelkovimermis spiculatus. Adults of all five copepod species consumed 70-100% of the preparasites within 24 h. Copepodids and adults of M. annulatus predated upon 93 and 100% of the nematode pre-parasites, respectively. An average of 197 pre-parasites was daily predated upon by an adult M. annulatus. Copepod density affected prevalence and intensity of S. spiculatus on mosquito larvae. Prevalence and intensity of S. spiculatus on Aedes aegypti larvae was reduced from 98% and 2.8 nematodes per larva in control containers free of copepods to 61.4% and 1.4 nematodes per larva in containers with 50 M. annulatus females per l.


Different selective gabaa -ligands are in development to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. The Central Nervous System (cns) effects of various selective and non-selective (partial) gabaa agonists were investigated, using several pharmacodynamic measurements. Comparison in selectivity is only reliable at equipotent doses for the intended clinical effect. For novel compounds, these data are not available, but selectivity may also be determined by comparing the effects on different cns-parameters. The full agonist lorazepam was compared to another full agonist midazolam, the α1-selective zolpidem and to three novel α2,3selective (partial) agonists, tpa023, mk-0343 and sl65.1498. All studies had placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over designs. Slopes of the linear relationships between Δ (change from baseline) body sway and Δspv, and between Δvas alertness and Δspv, were compared among compounds. Effect-relationships were also semiquantitatively compared to the pharmacological characteristics of the compounds, estimated from in vitro literature data. Slopes of both relationships did not differ clearly between lorazepam and midazolam. For sl65.1498, slopes were similar to those of lorazepam. In contrast, tpa023 and mk-0343 differed clearly from lorazepam, for both relationships. Compared to these compounds, zolpidem showed relatively high reductions in vas alertness, although effect-relationships were not significantly different from those of lorazepam. These results support the selectivity of some subtype-selective partial gabaa agonists. The therapeutic relevance of these differences remains to be established. Comparisons of relative effect profiles can provide meaningful insights into the selectivity of different (partial) agonists, relatively independent of dose levels. 114 pharmacological differences of gabaergic compounds: a pharmacodynamic characterization


In eukaryotes, the interaction of DNA with proteins and supramolecular complexes involved in gene expression is controlled by the dynamic organization of chromatin inasmuch as it defines the DNA accessibility. Here, the nuclear distribution of microinjected fluorescein-labeled dextrans of 42 kDa to 2.5 MDa molecular mass was used to characterize the chromatin accessibility in dependence on histone acetylation. Measurements of the fluorescein-dextran sizes were combined with an image correlation spectroscopy analysis, and three different interphase chromatin condensation states with apparent pore sizes of 16-20 nm, 36-56 nm and 60-100 nm were identified. A reversible change of the chromatin conformation to a uniform 60-100 nm pore size distribution was observed upon increased histone acetylation. This result identifies histone acetylation as a central factor in the dynamic regulation of chromatin accessibility during interphase. In mitotic chromosomes, the chromatin exclusion limit was 10-20 nm and independent of the histone acetylation state.


Twenty cases of avulsion fractures of the apophyses of the pelvis and proximal femur were reviewed. Most occurred in male adolescents engaged in active sports. Pain, often with little external evidence of trauma, was the most frequent presenting symptom. Conservative, nonsurgical treatment was successful in all the patients. The radiographic appearance of each type of apophyseal injury is demonstrated. Recognition of the initial deformity and of the patterns of repair is important to avoid unnecessary evaluation (tomography, radionuclide scans) and inappropriate therapy. While productive changes with healing are most likely to occur in the region of the ischium, any of the other sites may heal with abundant bone and may mimic neoplasm. In the proper clinical setting, bony changes at these sites should prompt the radiologist to consider a traumatic etiology.


Introduction: There is limited data on the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) findings of lung lesions in coal worker9s pneumoconiosis and its utility to rule out lung cancer from progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) lesions. Aims and objectives:In this preliminary study, we wanted to report the FDG-PET features of PMF lesions and to determine the ability of PET-CT to differentiate pure PMF in coal workers from PMF-associated lung cancer. Methods: Six male retired coal miners potential PMF lesions, who were referred to our clinic to rule out lung cancer, were enrolled. Diagnostic workup including bronchoscopy and/or transthoracic lung biopsy were performed to confirm pathological diagnosis. PET-CT was also performed to rule out lung cancer Results: Patients were all males, aged between 63 and 82 (mean age: 74.3 +/- 7.4). They had a mean underground coal mining history of 27 years (20-33 years). All but two were exsmokers with a mean 57.5+/-34.6 packyears of smoking history.Two were nonsmokers. All lesions were pathologically confirmed as PMF/ anthracosis. All patients had right upper lobe lesions and two patients had bilateral upper lobe lesions. FDG-PET scans identified metabolically active lesions in all patients. Mean standardized uptake values (SUVs) of abnormalities depicted on PET scan were 4.2 to 11.0 (mean +/- SD, 6.88+/-2.63), which were >3.0 on all occasions. Conclusions: We conclude that FDG PET can identify PMF lesions as hypermetabolic lesions even without associated malignancy and thus PETCT has a limited role in ruling out cancer in exminers with a PMF lesion in case of suspicion of a possible concurrent lung cancer.


Terahertz absorption spectra and dispersion of biologically important substances such as sugar, water, hemoglobin, lipids and tissues are studied. The characteristic absorption lines in the frequency range of a terahertz spectrometer (0.1—3.5 THz) are found. The refraction indices and absorption coefficients of human tooth enamel and dentine are measured. The method of terahertz phase reflection spectroscopy is developed for strongly absorbing substances. Simple and reliable methods of time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy are developed.


In this paper, we study the problem of conflict detection and resolution for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms. Specially, we propose a distributed conflict detection and resolution method for multi-UAVs in formation based on consensus algorithm and strategy coordination. When encountering threat swarms, the UAVs in one swarm act as one unit and are together treated as one control object. Each swarm in conflict selects three candidate collision avoidance maneuvers from the preset strategy pool, generates the corresponding planned trajectories with an uncertainty trajectory modeling, and then broadcasts and shares them. All of the swarms in conflict coordinate and determine an optimal combination of strategies. When a collision is imminent, the primary strategy is activated. Each swarm adopts a "leader–follower" strategy, where the leader UAV is regarded as the controller and flies independently, and the others follow the leader UAV. During motion, a decentralized consensus algorithm is adopted for agents to converge to their positions for the desired formation and to maintain a stable geometric configuration. A temporal and spatially integrated conflict-detection model is improved, especially for UAV swarms. A token-allocation strategy is especially improved for distributed coordination to resolve the partial knowledge of the airspace condition. Damping of the coordination is proposed to address data dropouts and transmission delays. Two typical scenarios are conducted to test the methodology proposed in this paper. The simulation result demonstrates the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed methodology.


This chapter focuses on a key debate in the philosophy of social science: whether it is possible to separate facts and values in social science research. It first considers normative and empirical theory in political research before discussing the ways in which the values of the researcher influence the research process. It then examines Thomas Kuhn's arguments concerning paradigms and how they change through scientific 'revolutions', along with their implications for the possibility of value-free social inquiry. It looks at an example of how the notion of 'paradigm' has been applied to a specific area of inquiry within politics: the study of development. It also compares Kuhn's paradigms with Imre Lakatos' concept of 'scientific research programmes'.


Restoration of native grasslands is challenging due to high soil phosphorus levels. Cultivation of plants with high phosphorus (P) absorption is an optimal solution to remove and decrease P from the soil. It has been demonstrated that native grassland taxa (species) of the genus Ptilotus have significant P-uptake. In a glasshouse study, Ptilotus macrocephalus and Ptilotus polystachyus were tested for their ability to reduce the amount of soil phosphorus that was readily available. Lupinus albus , a third species with a reputation for high phosphorus uptake, served as a comparison species, and a further treatment included Phoslock ® , a soil additive that could bind soil phosphorus into insoluble forms. The findings revealed that phosphorus in the soil was absorbed at a high level via Ptilotus macrocephalus and Ptilotus polystachyus showed a maximum reduction of P (-2.58 and -2.55 ppm). It is argued that several years of planting and harvesting these plants will offer a workable method for lowering soil phosphorus levels. However, this only happened at high concentrations of 1500 g/m 2 and when soil phosphorus concentrations were very high. Despite, the Phoslock ® 's effectiveness in lowering soil-accessible phosphorus. At concentrations often observed in former agriculture paddocks, it proved less effective. The study's findings have improved our existing comprehension of reclaiming abandoned grassland.


An autonomous robot that can monitor a construction site should be able to be can contextually detect its surrounding environment by recognizing objects and making decisions based on its observation. Pixel-wise semantic segmentation in real-time is vital to building an autonomous and mobile robot. However, the learning models' size and high memory usage associated with real-time segmentation are the main challenges for mobile robotics systems that have limited computing resources. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents an efficient semantic segmentation method named LNSNet (lightweight navigable space segmentation network) that can run on embedded platforms to determine navigable space in real-time. The core of model architecture is a new block based on separable convolution which compresses the parameters of present residual block meanwhile maintaining the accuracy and performance. LNSNet is faster, has fewer parameters and less model size, while provides similar accuracy compared to existing models. A new pixel-level annotated dataset for real-time and mobile navigable space segmentation in construction environments has been constructed for the proposed method. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency that are necessary for the future development of the autonomous robotics systems.


The paper presents a new methodology to evaluate functionality and resilience of a road network during extreme events such as earthquakes. A critical review of different existing indices that evaluate the performances of a road network is given, making a comparison between the indices and emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses with respect to the new proposed methodology. The main parameters are the interdependence between the road and building networks, the capacity to store vehicles in the road network, and the accessibility of the network from various traffic sources. The proposed methodology was implemented in software based on the PEOPLES framework. Finally, the proposed methodology has been tested using two case studies: (i) the transportation network of L'Aquila town subjected to the 2009 Italian earthquake; and (ii) the road network of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay affected by an earthquake with a return period of 2450 yrs.


The authors describe the stick utilization of Veirs modified as modelling intracanalicular facilitating canaliculo suture lachrymal and avoiding its estenose. The technique consists in the stick introduction of Veirs modified in the lumen canalicular by the lacrimal point, in direction to the lachrymal sack. To follow the distal terminations and near of canaliculo hurt are identified and the lateral and medial region of the mucosa canalicular are sutured mouth to mouth, with points separated of polivicryl 8.0, letting well the wound edges, around of the stick. The wound reconstruction is completed by plans. Mononylon thread 6.0 of the stick that is externalized by the lachrymal point will be fastened to the eyelid skin in right angle. The stick remains for 4 to 6 weeks in the canalicular lumen.


We re-examine numerically the diffusion of a deterministic, or ballistic single file with preassigned velocity distribution (Jepsen's gas) from a collisional viewpoint. For a two-modal velocity distribution, where half the particles have velocity +/-c, the collisional statistics is analytically proven to reproduce the continuous time representation. For a three-modal velocity distribution with equal fractions, where less than 12 of the particles have velocity +/-c, with the remaining particles at rest, the collisional process is shown to be inhomogeneous; its stationary properties are discussed here by combining exact and phenomenological arguments. Collisional memory effects are then related to the negative power-law tails in the velocity autocorrelation functions, predicted earlier in the continuous time formalism. Numerical and analytical results for Gaussian and four-modal Jepsen's gases are also reported for the sake of a comparison.


Abstract To comprehend some of the fundamental concepts of statistical analysis, itis important to appreciate the importance of the distribution of data points in the sample that is drawn to represent the population. Furthermore, one must understand the classification of data types. Data type and the distribution pattern of their values influence the choice of appropriate statistical tests. Emphasis will be placed on the normal, or Gaussian, distribution. This is an important distribution to understand because the assumption of this distribution underlies the use of many common statistical tests. The purpose of this article is to familiarize the clinician with some basic biostatistical concepts without delving into the statistical theory or debate associated with these concepts. There will be no presentation of mathematical formulas. The interested reader is referred to several texts, which will provide greater depth and rigor for those seeking additional knowledge. These texts were chosen specifically for their general readability and clarity and are referenced at the end of the article.


BACKGROUND
Heat-related illness (HRI) is an occupational health risk for many outdoor, and some indoor, workers.

METHODS
Emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospitalization (IH) data for 2007-2011 from nine southeast states were analyzed to identify occupational HRI numbers and rates, demographic characteristics, and co-morbid conditions.

RESULTS
There were 8,315 occupational HRI ED visits (6.5/100,000 workers) and 1,051 IHs (0.61/100,000) in the southeast over the study period. Out-of-state residents comprised 8% of ED visits and 12% of IHs. Rates for both, ED visits and IHs were significantly elevated in males and blacks. Younger workers had elevated rates for ED visits, while older workers had higher IH rates.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to evaluate occupational HRI ED visits and IHs in the southeast region and indicates the need for enhanced heat-stress prevention policies in the southeast. Findings from this study can be used to direct state health department tracking and evaluation of occupational HRI.


Plasticity in the timing of life history events and their impact on individual fitness, particularly the timing of and size at metamorphosis in animals with complex life cycles such as anuran amphibians, has long been of interest to ecologists. For different studies on life history plasticity to be comparable, there must be clearly defined and commonly agreed transition points, but it is unclear how consistently this is being performed in studies using anuran amphibians. In a review of 157 published studies, I found considerable variation in defining the end point of the larval phase. While a slight majority used the emergence of the forelimbs as the conclusion of the larval phase, some used a period within the developmental phase of metamorphic climax and others used the resorption of the tail. Studies included in this review, that assessed the same life history variable at two different developmental stages, reported some differences in results depending on which developmental stage was used. Recent evidence also shows that metamorphic climax is itself a period which can vary with environmental conditions, but, even in studies that included part or all of metamorphic climax in the larval phase, the treatment of individuals during metamorphic climax was not reported. Therefore, I argue that life history studies on anuran amphibians should distinguish the following phases: larval, metamorphic climax, juvenile, adult; that the end of the larval phase is best defined in ecological studies by forelimb emergence and that conditions under which individuals undergo metamorphic climax should be fully described.


The problem of state estimation using nonlinear additive Gaussian noise measurements is addressed. A geometric model for the posterior state density is assumed based on a multidimensional Haar basis representation. An approximate reduced statistics (ARS) algorithm, suggested by the parameter estimator of Kulhavy is then developed, using successive minimization of relative entropy between model densities and an approximate posterior density. The state estimator thus derived is applied to a bearings-only target tracking problem in a multiple sensor scenario.


Background: Sepsis is fatal presentation which affects many systems with possible progression to organ dysfunction and organ failure. Among these organs liver plays an important role in the prognosis of this syndrome. This study investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and normobaric oxygen (NBO) therapies on liver damage and oxidative stress in an experimental sepsis model.

Materials and Methods: Forty males Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups as sham group (n=10), control (Sepsis+Cefepime) group (n=10), HBO (Sepsis+Cefepime+HBO) group (n=10), and NBO (Sepsis+Cefepime+NBO) group (n=10). Five days after sepsis induction, animals were sacrificed. The oxidative stress parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) for antioxidant response were measured in liver tissue. Neutrophil migration using myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and its contribution to liver damage was evaluated.

Results: While MDA levels in HBO group were found to be lower than those in the control group, and comparable to those in the sham group, no difference was detected in the MDA levels between the control and NBO groups. SOD levels in NBO group were detected to be significantly higher than the control group. GSH-Px enzyme activity in HBO and NBO groups was at similar levels. Even though MPO levels in HBO group appeared to be lower than the control group, the difference did not reach statistical significance. When MPO levels and histopathological examination were evaluated, it was observed that neither HBO nor NBO administration in addition to antibiotherapy provided decrease in neutrophil infiltration which has an important role in liver damage.

Conclusion: The benefit of HBO in the treatment of sepsis in addition to the use of antibiotics has also been confirmed to be successful in this study. Furthermore the data obtained from NBO applications in this study, is thought to be potentially useful for sepsis treatment.


This contribution is focused on bismuth species in the coordination sphere of transition metals. In molecular transition metal complexes, three types of Bi-M bonding are considered, namely dative Bi→M interactions (with Bi acting as a donor), dative Bi←M interactions (with Bi acting as an acceptor) and covalent Bi-M interactions (M = transition metal). Synthetic routes to all three classes of compounds are outlined, the Bi-M bonding situation is discussed, trends in the geometric parameters and in the coordination chemistry of the compounds are addressed, and common spectroscopic properties are summarized. As an important part of this contribution, the reactivity of bismuth species in the coordination sphere of transition metal complexes in stoichiometric and catalytic reactions is highlighted.


This research investigated the role of branding in the video game industry and how perceived brand differentiation influenced brand loyalty among members of Generation Y in the Netherlands. It aims to fill a gap in branding literature investigating the importance of brands in the video game industry. The video game industry is characterized by an oligopolistic structure with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft remaining as the three main video game console manufacturers in the contemporary market. The present study investigated to what extent the target demographic perceives the three brands as differentiated and to what extent this influences their loyalty towards these brands. A quantitative method was used employing a questionnaire in order to assess participants' opinions about the brands. Statistical analysis allowed for investigating the linear relationship between perceived brand differentiation and brand loyalty. Results show that there is a relationship between the two concepts, meaning that when a participant scores higher on the differentiation scale indicating more differentiation of the brand, it is likely that participants score higher on the loyalty scale. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the strength of the perceived brand differentiation score could account for nearly 50 percent of the score of brand loyalty for all three brands, indicating a high degree of relatedness between the two concepts. The results also stress that there is a certain causality among brand sources that compose brand equity, implying that marketers can focus their attention on multiple steps in gradually building brand equity.
 For firms operating in the video game industry, it turns out to be viable to focus on differentiating a brand from the competition in terms of software offered on the console and offering advantages that competing brands do not offer. This is likely to increase brand loyalty among Generation Y consumers in the Netherlands.


Space division multiple access (SDMA) is a promising candidate for improving channel capacity in future wireless communication systems. Since the discrimination performance of the user in the spatial domain depends on the array arrangement, an optimum element arrangement for SDMA should be defined. The pattern of antenna array is determined by array geometry. Two-dimensional spatial filters that can be implemented by microstrip technology are capable of filtering the received signal in the angular domain as well as the frequency domain. This paper focuses on various geometry of eight and nine elements antenna array using circularly patch elements


Background: The emergency caused by COVID-19 Pandemia has resulted in a complete suspension and consequent delay of common planned surgery such total hip replacement in patients affect by osteoarthritis. At the same time, the issue of the quarantine imposed changes to the normal lifestyle of these patients. The purpose of our study is to evaluate how the presence of these two factors affect the quality of live of patients living in the Italian red zone. Methods: From outpatient pre-operative assessment we collect data about: demographic data, WOMAC score, NRS (Numeric rating scale 0-10), PCS SF12 and MCS SF12 score. Selected patients were therefore contacted by telephone call and re-assess using the same score. In addition, patients were asked if they intended to undergo the planned surgery again despite the current emergency. Results: 14 patient have been recruited for the study. Male/female ration was 10/4, mean age was 70 years. Pre operative outpatient assessment mean WOMAC score was 44,86 (SD ± 8,52) , mean NRS was 8,07 (SD ± 1,33), PCS SF12 was 30,33 (SD ± 5,0) and MCS SF12 was 40,95 (SD ± 3,51). At re-evalutation the mean WOMAC score was 32,86 (SD ± 17,88) , mean NRS was 5,79 (SD ± 3,66), PCS SF12 was 39,9 (SD ± 3,70) and MCS SF12 was 50,14 (SD ± 6,86). Conclusion: The exceptionale pandemic from Covid-19 has profoundly changed our lifestyle, impacting normal daily activities but also on regular surgical activity in patients affected by osteoarthritis. Our study suggested that the lifestyle changes imposed by the situation led to an improvement of clinical score. This shows how an exceptional event can affect many aspects of daily life.


The article is devoted to the issues of geological correlation of oil and gas deposits of the Riphean and Vendian North-Aldan PR and the zone of junction with the Predpatom PR (Eastern Siberia). According to the data of geophysical studies of wells, reference horizons are identified and their geophysical and lithological characteristics are given. The boundaries of the Vendian and Riphean sedimentary complexes have been clarified. Correlation profiles are constructed. The results of the work allowed us to detail the schemes of dissection of the Turukhano-Irkutsk-Olekminsky Vendian carbonate sediments in the North part of the Aldan anteclise.


We continue our research on minimization problems and related problems for automata w.r.t. to different error profiles, now considering nondeterministic finite automata (NFAs) as inputs. Here the error profiles are almost-equivalence and E-equivalence. We show that the minimization problems and their underlying equivalence problems become PSPACEcomplete in most cases. The obtained results nicely fit to the known ones on ordinary NFA minimization, and show a significant difference to the previously obtained results on deterministic finite state machines.


End-to-end models in general, and Recurrent Neural Network Transducer (RNN-T) in particular, have gained significant traction in the automatic speech recognition community in the last few years due to their simplicity, compactness, and excellent performance on generic transcription tasks. However, these models are more challenging to personalize compared to traditional hybrid systems due to the lack of external language models and difficulties in recognizing rare long-tail words, specifically entity names. In this work, we present novel techniques to improve RNN-T's ability to model rare WordPieces, infuse extra information into the encoder, enable the use of alternative graphemic pronunciations, and perform deep fusion with personalized language models for more robust biasing. We show that these combined techniques result in 15.4%–34.5% relative Word Error Rate improvement compared to a strong RNN-T baseline which uses shallow fusion and text-to-speech augmentation. Our work helps push the boundary of RNN-T personalization and close the gap with hybrid systems on use cases where biasing and entity recognition are crucial.


The tunnel boring machine (TBM) is used extensively to mechanically excavate tunnels. To optimize the mechanical drilling and work safely, an estimate of the geology to be drilled is necessary. We consider using the elastic waves produced by the TBM cutting wheel to obtain seismic-while-drilling (SWD) information for predicting the geology ahead of the drilling front. This method uses accelerometers mounted on the TBM together with geophones located along and outside the tunnel, similar to the technique successfully used to drill oil and geothermal wells. Study of noise and the resolution of the signal produced by the large-diameter cutting head shows that nonstationary noise separation can be achieved by locating sensors at the front and rear ends of the tunnel. The (higher) resolution in front of the TBM is limited by pilot delays, while the (lower) lateral resolution is limited by the radial dimension of the TBM. Analysis of seismic data acquired in a field test shows that P- and S-wave arrivals have a wide frequency band and high amplitude in seismic traces measured 700 m away from the drilling front. In comparison with SWD applications in wells, tunnel SWD technology has the advantage of allowing direct access to the tunnel front, which makes it easy to connect the TBM reference sensors for while-drilling monitoring. This method can be successfully applied without interfering with drilling activity to monitor tunnel excavation continuously, reduce risks, and optimize drilling.


A branch & bound approach for the assembly-phase of the incremental construction algorithm of the software package FlexX is presented. For this a local bound for partial solutions has been implemented which estimates the best score achievable for the considered solutions. This estimation is based on scoring values which single components can achieve in certain regions of the active site as well as distance constraints deduced from the composition of the considered partial solution. Furthermore, a timeand space-bounded search strategy specific to the addressed problem has been developed. The implemented algorithm was tested on a dataset containing 169 complexes. In 116 of these cases the calculation was finished in a reasonably defined time frame while the calculation for the remaining complexes was not completed in this period of time. For all calculated complexes, the best solution shows a score better or equal to the solution of standard-FlexX. This, however, is not always associated with an improvement of the RMSD between the calculated placement of the ligand and the crystal structure. The presented algorithm is applicable for thorough virtual screening of small sets of ligands comprising up to nine rotatable, acyclic bonds. Furthermore, the method gives important insights to the k-greedy method and can be used for scientific assessment of new scoring functions within FlexX.


Abstract Purpose To supplement the quantitative portrait of Ukrainian Economics discipline with the results of gender and author ordering analysis at the level of individual authors, special methods of working with bibliographic data with a predominant share of non-English authors are used. The properties of gender mixing, the likelihood of male and female authors occupying the first position in the authorship list, as well as the arrangements of names are studied. Design/methodology/approach A data set containing bibliographic records related to Ukrainian journal publications in the field of Economics is constructed using Crossref metadata. Partial semi-automatic disambiguation of authors' names is performed. First names, along with gender-specific ethnic surnames, are used for gender disambiguation required for further comparative gender analysis. Random reshuffling of data is used to determine the impact of gender correlations. To assess the level of alphabetization for our data set, both Latin and Cyrillic versions of names are taken into account. Findings The lack of well-structured metadata and the poor use of digital identifiers lead to numerous problems with automatization of bibliographic data pre-processing, especially in the case of publications by non-Western authors. The described stages for working with such specific data help to work at the level of authors and analyse, in particular, gender issues. Despite the larger number of female authors, gender equality is more likely to be reported at the individual level for the discipline of Ukrainian Economics. The tendencies towards collaborative or solo-publications and gender mixing patterns are found to be dependent on the journal: the differences for publications indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science databases are found. It has also been found that Ukrainian Economics research is characterized by rather a non-alphabetical order of authors. Research limitations Only partial authors' name disambiguation is performed in a semi-automatic way. Gender labels can be derived only for authors declared by full First names or gender-specific Last names. Practical implications The typical features of Ukrainian Economic discipline can be used to perform a comparison with other countries and disciplines, to develop an informed-based assessment procedure at the national level. The proposed way of processing publication data can be borrowed to enrich metadata about other research disciplines, especially for non-English speaking countries. Originality/value To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale quantitative study of Ukrainian Economic discipline. The results obtained are valuable not only at the national level, but also contribute to general knowledge about Economic research, gender issues, and authors' names ordering. An example of the use of Crossref data is provided, while this data source is still less used due to a number of drawbacks. Here, for the first time, attention is drawn to the explicit use of the features of the Slavic authors' names.


Precise spatiotemporal datasets of artificial impervious surfaces (AISs) are essential for evaluating urbanization processes and associated soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. However, spatially explicit studies on SOC stocks based on high-quality AIS data remain deficient, which affects the accuracy of urban SOC budgets. In this study, we used 30-m Landsat images and a subpixel-based model to accurately evaluate and quantify the annual AIS of Kaifeng, an ancient city in China that experienced intensive urbanization from 2000 to 2020. Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics were further estimated and spatially exhibited based on the SOC densities (SOCD) of different land covers observed in the field. Our results demonstrate that Kaifeng experienced drastic AIS expansion from 2000–2020, both in total area (an increase of ~154.35%) and density (described by mean AIS abundance, 0.56 vs. 0.72). Spatially, AIS mainly sprawled to the west, and infilling was observed in the old town. Moreover, the expansion of AIS in Kaifeng has resulted in a total of 0.08 Tg of SOC loss over the past 20 years, and the study area has acted as a clear carbon source. The greatest SOC losses occurred during 2010 — 2015, mainly in the west — with >30% (~0.024 Tg) of the total loss occurring between 2010 and 2015. This study provides new insights into urban growth through the mapping of growth patterns in terms of both outward sprawl and infill. We also provide a novel means of presenting the spatial patterns of urbanization-induced SOC dynamics using subpixel AIS maps.


The author of this book on global energy systems is a foreign affairs columnist with the New York Times. This book deals with global systems and focuses on three themes the author says are pushing the world in what he calls the energy-climate era: global climate change; the emergence of new, globally connected middle classes in China, India, Russia, and elsewhere; and worldwide population growth. The book is recommended if you want to understand the workings of the worldwide energy system and how it interacts with population growth and change.


[3]Radialenes are the smallest carbocyclic structures with unusual topologies and cross-conjugated π-electronic structures. Here, we report a novel [1+1+1] cycloaddition reaction for the synthesis of aza[3]radialenes on the Ag(111) surface, where the steric hindrance of the chlorine substituents guides the selective and orientational assembling of the isocyanide precursors. By combining scanning tunneling microscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, we determined the atomic structure of the produced aza[3]radialenes. Furthermore, two reaction pathways including synergistic and stepwise are proposed based on density functional theory calculations, which reveal the role of the chlorine substituents in the activation of the isocyano groups via electrostatic interaction.


According to the conventional wisdom the word accent distinction in Swedish (dialects) is maintained chiefly by a difference in the timing of the word accent gesture (Gårding, 1973). Gothenburg Swedish, however, does not obey to the norm since both pitch height and timing contribute to the word accent distinction in this dialect (Segerup, 2004). In Gothenburg Swedish both word accents have a fall on the stressed vowel, which makes the pitch contours strikingly similar (Segerup, 2004). Up until now the material investigated has consisted of contrastive words in which the stressed vowel is phonologically long. In the present production study we proceed with word-pairs where the stressed vowel is phonologically short for a comparison. The acoustic analysis involves measurements of fundamental frequency (F0) and segments' duration of five speakers' production of seven word-pairs altogether. The results show a significant difference in the duration of the short stressed vowel between accent 1 and accent 2. Further, that word accent has effects on the vowel duration


Some factors that prevent wound healing delay healing. Therefore, evaluation and monitoring of wounds is an important intervention. The use of scales in wound assessment is one of the factors that facilitate nursing care and increase the visibility of nursing functions. This descriptive and comparative study was conducted to evaluate wound healing in episiotomy and cesarean section incisions with the REEDA (Redness, Edema, Ecchymossıs, Discharge, Approximation) scale. The population of the study consisted of patients hospitalized in the gynecology and obstetrics clinic of a university hospital between 20.06.2019 and 02.08.2019, and the sample consisted of a total of 107 women, 53 of whom had a vaginal delivery with episiotomy and 54 who had a cesarean section. Research data were collected using the Patient and Wound Diagnosis Form, the REEDA Scale, and the Numerical Rating Scale. Statistical evaluation of the data was done using IBM SPSS 22 program and R programming language. On the 1st follow-up day of the study, it was determined that the REEDA scale total scores were higher in the episiotomy group and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was observed that the total scores of the scale did not create a significant difference between the groups on the 3rd and 7th follow-up days (p>0.05). In episiotomy incisions, the sub-subscale scores of the scale were higher on all follow-up days for redness, on the 1st and 3rd follow-up days for edema, and on the 1st follow-up day for discharge (p<0.05). The sub-subscale scores in cesarean section incisions were found to be higher and statistically significant on the 3rd and 7th follow-up days for ecchymosis and on the 7th follow-up day for discharge and approximation (p<0.05). According to REEDA scale scores, it was determined that the healing process in cesarean section wounds was longer than in episiotomy incision wounds.


Our research aims at observing a distant collaborative mediated learning situation. In the activity we study, two actors are asked to co-conceive a procedural text with the help of three types of resources: a video showing actions to describe, a chat and a text editor. During this activity, traces become visible. Traces concern interactions between participants and interactions between participants and artefacts. We qualify properties of traces and their uses, and we show that traces' mobilisation by participants brings activity's distribution to light.


We reflect state-owned enterprises' (SOE) leverage within the standard debt sustainability assessment framework. Based on company data and the interest coverage ratio as a measure of debt at risk, aggregate baseline projections and fan charts gauge SOE debt as a contingent liability to the public sector. We find that SOE leverage in the People's Republic of China has grown to a large liability that deserves the urgent attention it has been receiving from the authorities. While there is no room for complacency, there is no need for panic either; even if authorities had to step into mop up as much as 20% of SOE debt at risk gone bad, this would appear to be manageable at roughly 2.7% of the gross domestic product in 2016 or 5.5% by 2021. These findings are reflective of discretionary assumptions about future developments in the SOE sector and the broader economy—including baseline conditions premised on preventive government action to slow borrowing—that are adjustable to reflect analysts' prerogatives and expectations.


This paper describes thermal capacity and thermal inertia of an underfloor heating system supplied from a heat pump. A MATLAB/SIMULINK based thermal model of the system have been developed and presented with detailed mathematical equations. For this purpose, experimental results and actual measurements are used to model the energy storage and temperatures. The parameters used for the model are temperature, power and energy consumption, time constant and real-time. Hence, this model can be used to find building temperature variations, heat energy production, electrical energy consumption, instantaneous power, coefficients of performance on a real-time scale based on different control strategies used for demand side management. The developed model in SIMULINK includes the effect of thermal storage in the underfloor heating arrangement as well as the thermal mass of the building itself. Heat loss calculations were carried out to develop this model. The paper also employs different control strategies for operating the developed model.


Background 0.1% of chest films and 1% of chest CT show incidental pulmonary nodule(s). While some of these are acted on immediately, others are followed up where the nodules are small and there are no risk factors (never smokers, age <35 years, other malignancies). Fleischner Society recommends interval CT follow-up of pulmonary nodules [MacMahon H et al, Radiology 2005], but whether we adhere to these is uncertain and presently we report our practices based on this. Methods Over a 4-year period to July 2009, 145 of all cases discussed at our lung multidisciplinary (MDT) meeting had a pulmonary nodule(s). They are either considered for immediate action or subsequent follow-up. Mean (SD, range) year age for this cohort was 65 (11.04, 37 to 86) of which 82 were male and 63 female. Nodules were classified as single or multiple, and by initial size of the largest nodule where multiple. Results Of the 145 cases, 97 had single nodule and 48multiple. Of these, respectively (n=absolute number) these were =4 mm (13), >4–6 mm (20), >6–8 mm (22), >8 mm (87) with do data in three. There were no follow-up data for 14, of whom 7 had refused subsequent follow-up, 4had been discussed at MDT but no more proposed, and three died. Where there were data for follow up, 69 (53%) followed Fleischner's guidelines on case selection and recommended interval scanning and 62 (47%) did not usually but not exclusively due to delayed imaging intervals. Classification by initial nodule size and whether appropriate follow-up or not and sub-divided by whether malignant or not is shown in the enclosed Abstract P157 table 1 (n=119, six still on active follow-up). Figures include those managed with PET scans whether under taken immediately (11) or later during follow-up (34). Of the entire cohort 28 had malignant disease of which 16 underwent surgery and 12 had an input through oncology. Of these, five had been identified as malignant because of increased size (2) or number (2) or because the nodule was persistent (1) but none had change in attenuation. Other cases where concerns were raised were benign (n=10) but were similarly being considered due to multiplicity of nodules (3), uncertainty (1) and a persistent opacity (1) but exact reasoning was not available in the five others.Abstract P157 Table 1 Appropriate timing Outcome ≤4 mm >4–6 mm >6–8 mm >8 mm Totals Yes Benign 4 4 4 30 42 Malignant 1 3 1 16 21 No Benign 6 10 14 19 49 Malignant – – – 7 7 Conclusion Data show that we conform to the Fleischner guidelines in approximately half the cases and these identified 15 who required further specific investigation and of which five had malignant disease. Although this is a small number of those followed up it supports the practice of follow-up but which still needs to better protocol driven.


Context: Labor induction with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) vaginal tablet results in shorter induction delivery interval and decreased rate of failed induction of labor and reduced caesarean section rate. However, higher doses may be associated with uterine hyper stimulation. It is therefore necessary to determine the safe dose of PGE1 for labor induction. Aims: To assess the maternal and neonatal outcome with use of 25 mg vaginal misoprostol for induction of labor. Settings and Design: A retrospective analysis conducted in an obstetric department of a tertiary care teaching institute. Materials and Methods: The sample consists of women with singleton term pregnancy, with Bishop's score <6 compared with women with spontaneous onset of labor. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical significance was assessed at 5% level of significance. Chi-square test, with correction for continuity where applicable, was carried out to compare proportions across subgroups or between induction and spontaneous onset groups. Results: The rate of vaginal delivery was higher among spontaneous onset group compared with induction group (χ2 (1) = 30.3, P < 0.001). The induction delivery interval of vaginal delivery was less than 24 h in 91.85% of women. Neonatal intensive care unit admission frequency was similar among both groups (χ2 (1) = 0.14, P = 0.704). The induction group was with less frequency of meconium staining than the control group (χ2 (1) = 8.05, P = 0.0046). Conclusion: Our study showed a higher rate of vaginal delivery with induction delivery interval less than 24 h in a majority of women with better neonatal and maternal outcomes.


Organizations are facing unprecedented challenges in the 21st century and OD plays a significant role in creating effective responses to these changes. Not only has it been applied in the USA but gains popularity in dynamic Asian region under the megatrend of globalization and information technology. This paper gains insight from Asia Organization Development (OD) Network Summit and discusses future potential application of OD to educational systems.


Background and AimDrought is the main factor limiting Mediterranean forest ecosystem productivity. Root systems are responsible for water uptake but intraspecific variability in root morphology is poorly understood, mainly due to sampling complexity. The main aim of this study was to gain knowledge on the adaptive relevance of rooting traits for a widespread conifer using a non-invasive high-throughput technique.MethodsGround-Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize variability in coarse root features (frequency, depth, and diameter) among populations of the Mediterranean pine Pinus halepensis evaluated in a common garden. GPR records were analysed in relation to aboveground growth and also climate variables at origin of populations.ResultsGenotypic variability was detected for root traits among 56 range-wide populations categorized into 16 ecotypes. Root diameter of populations decreased eastward within the Mediterranean basin. Root frequency, but not depth and diameter, decreased following a northward gradient. Genotypic variation in root traits varied with climatic variables at origin such as summer to annual precipitation ratio, summer temperature and solar radiation. Particularly, root frequency increased with aridity, whereas root depth and diameter were maximum in ecotypes occupying the thermal midpoint of the species distribution range.Conclusion GPR is a high-throughput phenotyping tool that allows detection of intraspecific variation in root traits of Aleppo pine and its dependencies of eco-geographic characteristics at origin, thereby informing on the adaptive relevance of root systems for the species. It is also potentially suited for inferring population divergence in resource allocation above and belowground in forest genetic trials.


Composite materials have an increasing demand in industrial applications like aerospace, marine and structural applications due to their high strength to weight ratio and high stiffness. Composite materials are very sensitive to hygrothermal environments, which seriously limit their applications to composite structures because composite structures are commonly exposed to moisture at elevated temperatures. The moisture absorption and high temperature will weaken the mechanical behaviours of the matrix, fiber and interface of them and further result in mechanical property reduction of composites. This decrease in mechanical properties can be reduced by reinforcing the composite with carbon nanotubes (CNT) because of its high elastic and tensile strength, these mechanical properties of the composites are significantly increase interfacial interactions between nanotubes and polymer matrices.
In the present study, samples of glass/epoxy (GE) composites and Multi walled carbon nanotubes filled glass/epoxy (MWCNT GE) composites are conditioned in normal water and sea water for 7, 10 weeks. After conditioning the samples for 7, 10 weeks respectively, the tensile strength (ASTM D3039 / D3039M), hardness were measured and compared with that of un-conditioned samples. In the as fabricated condition, CNT (0.2%)- glass/epoxy composite showed the highest strength among all the other composites fabricate and the ultimate strength showed. Conditioned at sea water for 10 weeks shows better results in all mechanical properties like ultimate tensile strength and hardness than conditioned at normal water.


The separation of aromatic/olefin mixtures is a difficult task in the petrochemical industry, since the boiling points of these hydrocarbons are very similar. This work aims to use deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for the extraction of toluene from 1-hexene by liquid–liquid extraction. A total of 53 DESs were studied qualitatively and quantitatively using the COSMO-RS approach to separate the binary mixture of toluene and 1-hexene. The selectivity, capacity, and performance index of all DESs were evaluated by calculating the activity coefficient at infinite dilution. The σ-profile and σ-potential of each component were interpreted to evaluate the interactions between the different species. We then selected three DESs for experimental validation, namely benzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride:triethylene glycol BzTPPCl:TEG (1:8), tetrabutylammonium bromide:triethylene glycol TBABr:TEG (1:3), and tetrabutylammonium bromide:ethylene glycol TBABr: EG (1:4). Experimental liquid–liquid equilibrium data were obtained for the ternary mixtures {1-hexene (1) + toluene (2) + DES (3)} at T = 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. Based on the selectivity data and the solute distribution ratio, the feasibility of different DESs as extractive solvents was tested. Finally, 1H NMR was performed to elucidate the extraction mechanism. No DES was found in the raffinate phase, indicating minimal cross-contamination.


Didymopanax morototoni (Aubl.) Dcne. et Planch, (caixeta), is a native forest tree with economical importance in Brazil. It has a large natural distribution, with rapid growth and is a pioneer species. But the seeds of that species have a low rate of germination. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the pre-treatments on the germination capacity. The following treatments were tested: immersion of seed in water for 8 h; chemical scarification with HCl and H 2 SO 4 a 70%; washing with water and alcohol + water (1:1) at different times (15, 30 and 45 min.) and mechanical scarification. In vitro germination tests were also carried out. Seeds without test were inoculated in the WPM medium solidified with agar (6 g/l) in presence of kinetin and gibberelic acid on the concentration of 0; 0,1; 0,5; 1,0 mg/l, plus hydrolysed casein on the concentration of 250 mg/l. The incubation was at de 25 ±1°C, in germination chambers under photoperiod of 16 hours light under14, 3 μE.m-². s-¹ or in the darkness. The germination was improved by the pre-treatments rinsed in water or water plus alcohol in 45 minutes. The addition of kinetin and gibberelic acid allowed an improvement in the germination of 40 to 70%. The results confirmed that there was a partial dormancy due to teguments and point out to possible presence of inhibitory substances in them which can be removed by washing the seeds.


Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features dominate the mid-infrared spectra of star-forming galaxies and can be useful to calibrate star formation rates and diagnose ionized states of grains. However, the PAH 3.3 μm feature has not been studied as much as other PAH features since it is weaker than others and resides outside of Spitzer capability. In order to detect and calibrate the 3.3 μm PAH emission and investigate its potential as a star formation rate indicator, we carried out an AKARI mission program, AKARI mJy Unbiased Survey of Extragalactic Survey (AMUSES) and compare its sample with various literature samples. We obtained 2 ∼ 5 μm low resolution spectra of 20 flux-limited galaxies with mixed SED classes, which yields the detection of the 3.3 μm PAH emission from three out of 20 galaxies. For the combined sample of AMUSES and literature samples, the 3.3 μm PAH luminosities correlate with the infrared luminosities of star-forming galaxies, albeit with a large scatter ( 1.5 dex). The correlation appears to break down at the domain of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), and the power of the 3.3 μm PAH luminosity as a proxy for the infrared luminosity is hampered at log[LPAH3.3/erg/sec ] > ∼42.0. Possible origins for this deviation in the correlation are discussed, including contributions from AGN and strongly obscured YSOs, and the destruction of PAH molecules in ULIRGs. Subject headings: galaxies: star formation


: There are many things that influence marital satisfaction. One of the factors is loyalty to the partner. Therefore, efforts are needed to prevent infidelity to maintain marriage. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sexual satisfaction with the husband's intention of infidelity. The method used is a quantitative method in the form of a survey. Respondents in this study were men who were husbands with a minimum age of 5 years of marriage and domiciled in Makassar City. A total of 100 respondents participated in this study. Data was collected using a sexual satisfaction scale and an infidelity intention scale. The data analysis used is product-moment correlation. The results of the hypothesis test showed a correlation value of r = -0.769 with a significance value of p = 0.000 (p <0.005), which means that there is a significant relationship between sexual satisfaction and the intention of cheating on a husband. A negative correlation value indicates a negative relationship between the intention of infidelity and sexual satisfaction in the husband. This means that the higher the sexual satisfaction, the lower the intention of infidelity. Conversely, the lower the husband's sexual satisfaction, the higher the intention of infidelity. The findings in this study have implications for married couples, especially wives, to pay more attention to sexual satisfaction in their marriage to maintain the quality of their marriage.


In this work, we present the first study about the interactions of mitochondria-damaging Pt(IV) prodrugs with cytochrome c. We synthesized a cisplatin-based Pt(IV) prodrug bearing a lipophilic hydrocarbon tail and anionic dansyl head group. The amphiphilic structure facilitates its accumulation in the mitochondria of cancer cells, which was validated using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) and fluorescence imaging. Accordingly, this Pt(IV) prodrug is able to trigger mitochondrial damage and apoptosis. Overall, the Pt(IV) prodrug exhibits superior therapeutic effects against a panel of human cancer cells compared to cisplatin. It also overcomes drug resistance in ovarian cancer. Notably, HPLC analysis indicates that cytochrome c accelerates reduction (or activation) of the Pt(IV) prodrug in the presence of the electron donor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). More interestingly, additional studies indicate that cytochrome c was platinated by the reduced product of Pt(IV) prodrugs, and that empowers the proapoptotic peroxidase activity.


In this paper, we evaluate various aspects of packet data transmission in terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) networks giving particular emphasis on the performance of applications transmitting data between a number of radio terminals and a fixed server. The utilization of such applications is constantly increasing in public safety networks and so does the need to dimension and configure TETRA networks to meet their reliability, delay and loss requirements. Without an efficient radio resource management (RRM), one operator can exhaust the capacity of others. This study tackles an efficient scheduling to provide maximum system throughput and proportional fairness in accordance with operator capacity share through adaptive resource allocation scheme. We refer to this new scheme as multi-operators time division generalized processor sharing scheme (M-TDGPS). It employs both adaptive rate allocation to maximize the resource utilization and GPS techniques to provide fair services for each operator. The performance analysis of this scheme is derived using the GPS performance model and compared with the normal static rate M-TDGPS scheme. The simulation results show that the proposed adaptive rate M-TDGPS scheduling scheme improves both system utilization (throughput) and average delays. Keywords-adaptive rate scheduling; GPS; multi-operator; utilization; TETRA


The MMS-2B wear machine was used to study abrasion wear of work rolls in cold rolling by simulating emulsion cooling during the cold rolling process. The work roll materials used were 4%Cr, same as those in industrial production. The surface SEM scanning photographs were taken every 30 minutes until the friction experiment finished, and erosive appearance of emulsion on the work roll surface could be seen in the photos. The corrosive wear of the work roll surface is discussed. Findings show that the main causes of stress corrosion and pitting corrosion are uneven microstructure on the work roll surface and a large number of dislocation accumulations, which form microscopic cells. Water in steel rolling emulsion is the main conductive medium of electrochemistry reaction, and this intensifies the corrosive wear.


Selenium (Se) is an ideal doping agent to modulate the structure of carbon materials to improve their sodium storage performance but has been rarely investigated. In the present study, a novel Se-doped honeycomb-like macroporous carbon (Se-HMC) is prepared by a surface crosslinking method using diphenyl diselenide as the carbon source and SiO2 nanospheres as the template. Se-HMC has a high Se weight percentage above 10%, with a large surface area of 557 m2 g-1. Owing to the well-developed porous structure in combination with Se-assisted capacitive redox reactions, Se-HMC exhibits surface-dominated Na storage behaviors, thus presenting large capacity and fast Na storage capability. To be specific, Se-HMC delivers a high reversible capacity of 335 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, and after an 800-cycle repeated charge/discharge test at 1 A g-1, the capacity is stable with no dramatic loss. Remarkably, the capacity remains 251 mA h g-1 under a very large current density of 5 A g-1 (≈20 C), demonstrating an ultrafast Na storage process. As far as we know, such a good rate performance has been rarely achieved for carbon anodes before.


The importance of ornament in the emergence and development of abstract art has long been underestimated. Pioneers like Kandinsky and Mondrian looked upon it as a sin in which abstraction should not indulge. Ornament, with its history dating back thousands of years in all world cultures, was secreted in the development of modern nineteenth-century painting, but surreptitiously began to influence abstract art as a formal and methodical element. This book is an in-depth study of this major theme in twentieth-century art history. The catalogue features four artists who help to highlight the role of ornament in the history of art: Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Henri Matisse and Frank Stella. The study begins with the innovative pictorial conception of Philipp Otto Runge, whose early nineteenth-century paintings featured the last genuine form in the history of ornament, the arabesque. The arabesque was influential in Symbolism (Maurice Denis, Paul Gauguin) and Jugendstil (Henry van de Velde, Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann), and on painting's move towards abstraction (Kandinsky, Frantisek Kupka, Adolf Hoelzel). It is argued that this resulted, on the one hand, in a non-figurative, geometric structure of lines (Mondrian), and on the other, in the swirls of Matisse and Jackson Pollock. Side by side with the "royal way" of Cubism, arabesque abstraction therefore opens up a second doorway to the world of non-figurative art. In addition to this line of enquiry, the authors examine theoretical findings on the theme of ornament, and what it reveals about the relation between abstraction and figurative art (Malevich, Kandinsky, Paul Klee). Significant influences also result from modern artists' preoccupation with exotic ornamentation found in distant cultures: Matisse & the Orient and Oceania, Ad Reinhardt & Asian culture, or American painting & pre-Columbian ornament (Josef Albers, Barnett Newman). In also considering Minimalism, new media, digital technology, the Renaissance and the Rococo, the book celebrates the impact of ornament on abstract art, as well as showcasing a remarkable array of masterpieces.


The literature on alcohol and stress in human subjects carried out since 1981 is reviewed. The review covers selected aspects of the interaction of alcohol and stress. (1) Most of the review focuses on the role of stress on alcohol ingestion. Retrospective research based on data from the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated an increase in alcohol consumption with anxiety in certain groups of, as yet not well characterized, individuals. For example, although still insufficiently documented, stress does not appear to play a significant role in alcohol ingestion by women and the elderly. By contrast, stress does appear to play a role in the control of alcohol ingestion by adolescents. Prospective studies employing questionnaire-interview formats generally support an effect of stress on alcohol ingestion. However, studies employing male college aged social drinkers did not find a correlation between levels of stress and ingestion of alcohol. Alcoholics also differ in the reasons for drinking alcohol, but generally ingest alcohol to lessen anxiety/stress. It is clear that the Tension Reduction Hypothesis as originally postulated is no longer adequate. Many new models based on an interaction of alcohol and stress have been proposed to explain the control of alcohol consumption. Considering the multidimensionality of factors that appear to contribute to the control of alcohol ingestion, it is unlikely that a single model could possibly be relevant to alcohol ingestion under all conditions. More likely different models may be relevant to alcohol consumption under specific conditions, or for specific populations. (2) Alcohol has been reported to decrease anxiety in agoraphobics. The self-medication by agoraphobics may contribute significantly to their alcohol abuse. (3) Alcohol has also been reported to decrease tremor of the hands in stressed subjects as well as in patients with essential tremor. (4) Although a number of studies have employed electrodermal activity in studies aimed at the interaction of alcohol and stress, the results have been rather inconsistent. (5) The controversy on the purported beneficial effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system persists. A number of studies have shown a J- or U-shaped relationship between alcohol ingestion and incidence of coronary heart disease. Alcohol may also influence stress-induced changes in blood pressure. Although a number of studies have demonstrated lower blood pressure in individuals ingesting less than two drinks per day compared with abstainers or heavy alcohol imbibers, the evidence is not conclusive. (6) It is not clear whether the interaction of alcohol and stress involves alterations in plasma catecholamines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Chronic renal failure whatever its etiology is a progressive disease, associated with important morbidity and mortality. Most patients will require renal replacement therapies (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or transplantation). An early follow up by nephrologists, an optimal control of hypertension and of the glomerular hyperfiltration syndrome, might allow slowing the rate of evolution of nephropathies. At least, this approach allows to delay complications of renal failure and to improve the patient survival. Guidelines based on scientific studies are presently available to approach the treatment of chronic renal failure.


A prospective randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study investigated the effects of two angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on urinary albumin excretion in nondiabetic patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. At the end of a 4-week placebo run-in period, 36 patients were randomly allocated to receive a 12-week course of treatment with quinapril (10, 20, or 40 mg) once daily or captopril (25, 50, or 75 mg) twice daily. Seventeen patients in each group completed the study. The mean change in mean blood pressure for patients taking quinapril (mean dose 32 mg/24 h) was -5 mm Hg (P = .002), and for patients taking captopril (mean dose 132 mg/24 h), -9 mm Hg (P = .002). The baseline urinary albumin excretion rate in both groups was (mean +/- EEM) 57 +/- 7 micrograms/min. Fifteen patients in the quinapril group and 12 patients in the captopril group had baseline albumin excretion rates of more than 20 micrograms/min. Mean urinary albumin excretion decreased in patients treated with quinapril from 55 to 33 micrograms/min (mean decrease 22 micrograms/min, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1 to 43 micrograms/min; P = .031) and with captopril from 59 to 41 micrograms/min (mean decrease 18 micrograms/min, 95% CI, 3 to 32 micrograms/min; P = .025). No significant modifications were observed in serum lipid concentrations, serum and urinary electrolytes, and magnesium or phosphorus metabolism. Mean urinary calcium excretion decreased in the quinapril-treated group (from 219 to 188 mg/24 h; P = .023) but not in the captopril group (from 264 to 267 mg/24 h).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Isoelectric focusing of proteins in a silica nanofluidic channel filled with citric acid and disodium phosphate buffers is investigated via numerical simulation. Ions in the channel migrate in response to (i) the electric field acting on their charge and (ii) the bulk electroosmotic flow (which is directed toward the cathode). Proteins are focused near the low pH (anode) end when the electromigration effect is more significant and closer to the high pH (cathode) end when the electroosmotic effect dominates. We simulate the focusing behavior of Dylight labeled streptavidin (Dyl-Strep) proteins in the channel, using a relationship between the protein's charge and pH measured in a previous experiment. Protein focusing results compare well to previous experimental measurements. The effect of some key parameters, such as applied voltage, isoelectric point (pI), bulk pH, and bulk conductivity, on the protein trapping behavior in a nanofluidic channel is examined.


An iron-containing mesoporous molecular sieve, or Fe-MCM-41, was successfully synthesized the via sol–gel technique using silatrane and FeCl3 as the silicon and iron sources, and was characterized using various techniques. Many factors were investigated, namely, reaction temperature and time, calcination rate, and iron amount in the reaction mixture. It was found that the optimum conditions in which to synthesize Fe-MCM-41 was to carry out the reaction at 60 °C for 7 h using a 1 °C min−1 calcination rate and a 550 °C calcination temperature. The catalytic activity and selectivity of styrene epoxidation using hydrogen peroxide showed that the selectivity of the styrene oxide reached 65% at a styrene conversion of 22% over the 1%wt catalyst. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper focuses on analyzing and differentiating between lattice linear problems and algorithms. It introduces a new class of algorithms called (fully) lattice linear algorithms . A property of these algorithms is that they induce a partial order among all states and form multiple lattices . An initial state locks in one of these lattices. We present a lattice linear self-stabilizing algorithm for minimal dominating set.