West Africa was colonized by Britain, France and Portugal. It resulted in the creation of the Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone zones in the sub-region. The Anglophone and Francophone have engaged themselves in rivalry exemplified by Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire who command high level of respect in their respective camps and this often created tension between the two countries before the outbreak of the horrific socio-political debacle that permeated the Liberian landscape. However, in spite of their differences, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire initiated, coordinated and handled peace talks by leading other member-states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in their desire to put a halt to the genocide taking place in Liberia. This article, therefore, explores the diplomatic efforts of the ECOWAS' member-nations to restore peace in the war-torn country. These pacific settlement initiatives were in two phases: the pre-ECOMOG formation and the post-ECOMOG creation diplomacy. The paper underscores the belief of the West African leaders in restoring and sustaining peace and security in the sub-region thereby revealing their sense of brotherhood and unity.


Between 1976 and 1988, we treated 13 perforations of the thoracic esophagus, excluding ruptured carcinoma and intraoperative wounds, by mechanical sutures without exclusion. The delay between perforation and treatment ranged from eight to 168 hours, more than 24 hours in 11. The length of perforation was 0.5 to 15.0 centimeters. Suture was covered with a flap in ten instances; an antireflux procedure was associated with five instances. No digestive ostomies were performed. There was one death; a patient who was comatose upon arrival. The results of this small series suggest that myotomy exposing the mucosa and a flap are two essential elements of the technique; perforations of less than 6 centimeters, even when seen late, may be treated by primary surgical closure.


This article presents the surgical technique of using the autologous cancellous bone and marrow grafts for filling defects following cyst removal in the mandible, and reports long-term results.


A myriad of recent activities can be seen towards dynamic workflow composition for processing complex and data intensive problems. Meanwhile, the simultaneous emergence of the grid has marked a compelling movement towards making datasets and services available for ubiquitous access. This development provides new challenges for workflow systems, including heterogeneous data repositories and high processing and access times. But beside these problems lie opportunities for exploration: The gridpsilas magnitude offers many paths towards deriving essentially the same information albeit varying execution times and errors. We discuss a framework for incorporating QoS in a dynamic workflow composition system in a geospatial context. Specific contributions include a novel workflow composition algorithm which employs QoS-aware apriori pruning and an accuracy adjustment scheme to flexibly adapt workflows to given time restrictions. A performance evaluation of our system suggests that our pruning mechanism provides significant efficiency towards workflow composition and that our accuracy adjustment scheme adapts gracefully to time and network limitations.


Status of the KEK TRISTAN project, the Phase I of which has been approved since 1981, is reported with an emphasis on its accelerator design and construction. The design of accelerator complex has mostly been fixed. Construction of accelerator enclosure and production of accelerator components are under way with a target day for the first e+ e- collisions in 1986.


BACKGROUND
A hemolytic-uremic syndrome associated with methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria is seen during the first weeks of life. A molecular defect in the CbIC mutation has been found. This report describes a new case with this association.

CASE REPORT
A girl, the second in this family, was born at term: her birth weight was 2,100 g, height was 47 cm and head circumference 31.5 cm. She was admitted at 32 days of age with hemolytic anemia and fragmencytosis, renal failure and thrombocytopenia. The renal failure required peritoneal dialysis followed by hemofiltration. The signs of pancytopenia of central origin and liver failure seen at that time raised the possibility of an intracellular defect of B12 metabolism. Chromatography of the amino acids and organic acids in the urine and plasma revealed homocystinemia, hypomethioninemia, homocystinuria and methylmalonic aciduria. The deficient B12 metabolism was confirmed in fibroblasts which showed deficits in both methyl and adenosyl-cobalamin synthesis. The metabolic disturbances were completely resolved after intravenous administration of hydroxy-cobalamin (2,000 micrograms per day) and folinic acid (25 mg per day) for 5 days. But the neurological abnormalities persisted, with retinitis pigmentosa and major leukodystrophic changes seen by MRI, and the infant died one month later.

CONCLUSION
This new case emphasizes the importance of systematically screening all cases of neonatal hemolytic-uremic syndrome for this autosomal recessive disorder.


The biosynthesis of lasiodiplodin (1) and its (5S)-5-hydroxylated derivative (2) were investigated by the administration of 13C-labeled acetates to Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The labeling patterns of biosynthetically 13C-labeled 1 and 2 were determined by 13C-NMR and INADEQUATE spectra, demonstrating the octaketide origins of 1 and 2. Taking into account the biosynthetic study of resorcylic acid lactones, the involvement of highly reduced acyl intermediates in the biosynthesis of lasiodiplodins was presumed; thus, we synthesized 2H-labeled hypothetical acyl intermediates of 1, 9-hydroxydecanoic acid (4) and its N-acetylcysteamine thioester (SNAC, 5). When L. theobromae was incubated with 5 mM of a 2H-labeled intermediate, the 2H-label from the intermediate was incorporated at the expected position of 1. These incorporation studies revealed that 1 was produced via a pathway which closely resembles that of resorcylic acid lactone biosynthesis.


From January 1992 through December 1993, 31 patients underwent myocardial revascularization with the inferior epigastric artery (IEA) graft. There were one emergency case and four coronary reoperation cases. IEA grafts were taken down through the left side paramedian incision and dilated with papaverine hydrochloride solution. The distal anastomoses were made to left anterior descending (3 cases), diagonal (14 cases), obtuse marginal (9 cases), postero-lateral (I case) and right coronary artery (4 cases). The proximal anastomoses were made to the aorta (22 cases), the hood of a new vein graft (4 cases) and the hood of an old vein graft (4 cases). When IEA was not long enough to reach the ascending aorta, it was anastomosed to the internal thoracic artery (2 cases) or the gastroepiploic artery (1 case) graft. There was one hospital death, and early patency rate (within one month) was 90% (19/21). The postoperative angiography performed at 1.3 years or 2 years showed excellent IEA graft patency. These results suggested that the IEA is suitable as a coronary artery bypass graft. Further long-term patency must be evaluated.


An effort was devoted to the detailed characterization and stability analysis of D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) and catalase (CAT) in the permeabilized cells, involved in a summary of our previous works. It was observed that the culture conditions, the permeabilization treatments, the enzyme leakage and pH value of solution except the enzyme expression levels, displayed a significant effect on the enzyme stability. About 96% of the CAT activity in the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-permeabilized cells was inhibited when treated with sodium azide (0.8 M, 30 min), while no visible effect on the activity and stability of DAAO was detected. Though, almost 100% of the CAT activity in the CTABpermeabilized cells could be eliminated by the alkali treatment (pH 11.5, 30 min), both the activity and stability of DAAO were slightly impaired. The half-life of DAAO could be up to 15.5 days by treating the CTAB-permeabilized cells with 1% glutaraldehyde (GLA). Additionally, it was noted that the gene sources and expression hosts might play an important role on the stability of DAAO and CAT in permeabilized cells. Key words: Pichia pastoris , D-amino acid oxidase, catalase, stability, permeabilized cells.


The underpinning logic of value co-creation in service logic is analysed. It is observed that three of the ten foundational premises of the so-called service-dominant logic are problematic and do not support an understanding of value-co-creation and creation that is meaningful for theoretical development and decision making in business and marketing practice. Without a thorough understanding of the interaction concept, the locus and nature of value co-creation cannot be identified. Based on the analysis in the present article it is observed that a unique contribution of a service perspective on business (service logic) is not that customers always are co-creators of value, but that under certain circumstances the service provider gets opportunities to co-create value together with its customers. Finally, the three problematic premises are reformulated accordingly.


Extensive investigations in different laboratories have resulted in many contributions to the question of the pathogenesis of mammary gland cancer in mice. This tumor occurs under only two conditions: (1) "hereditary predisposition," many workers having established (Tyzzer, J. A. Murray, Slye. etc.) that by proper selection strains of mice can be bred in which mammary carcinoma occurs in a definite proportion of the females, ranging from 100 per cent in some strains to none in others; (2) hormonal stimulation of the mammary gland. This latter effect has been attributed to folliculin for the following reasons, ( a ) In strains highly susceptible to mammary cancer the tumors occur spontaneously only in the females, ( b ) If, however, the latter are completely deprived of estrogenic activity by castration before the establishment of ovarian function, they remain cancer-free (Lathrop and Loeb, 50: Cori, etc.). ( c ) When subjected to continuous estrogenic therapy, males of these high-cancer strains also develop mammary cancer, the incidence sometimes being as high as 100 per cent (Lacassagne, 36; Bonser, Burrows, Cramer, etc.).

The mechanism of the action of folliculin has been widely discussed. We shall examine first the arguments for and against its role in the production of mammary cancer. Later we shall discuss the question whether certain pituitary hormones may not also play a part. Finally, attempts to prevent mammary carcinoma by means of the male hormone will be considered.


For decades the computer mouse has been used as the most common input device for laptops and computers alike. However for speeches a presentation remote with a laser pointer was used because they allowed the presenter more freedom. With the emergence of small and lightweight inertial sensors, a new type of presentation remotes becomes popular. These remotes use inertial sensors to move a digital pointer allowing presenters to show things on more than one screen or use enhancement methods like highlighting a region. Using inertial sensors however proves to be a difficult task and can lead to problems with the usability of such devices. When developing such systems, the designer faces the problem that no method for quantifying the usability of pointing devices based on inertial sensors is available. In the paper at hand, we propose an evaluation method consisting of three different tests to assess the manageability, speed and precision of digital pointing devices for a measurable comparison. Additionally, we conducted an evaluation to show that our tests reflect the subjective assessment from the users. Our quantitative test results showed a strong correlation to the qualitative subjective assessment from the users.


In this paper a new Active Queue Management (AQM) strategy based on Nonlinear Generalized Minimum Variance (NGMV) control is proposed for TCP/AQM networks. The NGMV control is a model free method which only requires output of the system. Cost function of this method involves weighted output error and weighted control signal terms. The NGMV controller is implemented in order to minimize the cost function which results in a decrease in the jitter (the variance of delay). The numerical simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.


BACKGROUND
In this study, we both investigated coronary flow velocity in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and tested the hypothesis of differing coronary flow reserve (CFR) of coronary arteries perfusing left ventricular regions with nonuniform myocardial hypertrophy by measuring the relative CFR.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Coronary flow velocity was assessed in left anterior descending coronary (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) arteries in 18 patients with HOCM and marked hypertrophy only in the ventricular septum, in 13 patients without obstruction (HCM), and in 9 age- and sex-matched normal subjects at rest, during rapid atrial pacing, and after dobutamine infusion (5 to 30 microg/kg per minute). Relative CFR was estimated as the ratio between absolute CFR of the LAD and absolute CFR of the LCX (LAD/LCX(CF)). At the peak of rapid atrial pacing and during dobutamine stress, LAD/LCX(CF) was reversed in HOCM patients (from 1.25+/-0.11 to 0.82+/-0.07 and 0.79+/-0.06, respectively), whereas it remained unchanged in control subjects (from 1.0+/-0.1 to 1.0+/-0.05 and 1.0+/-0.05, respectively; P<.001). In HCM patients, LAD/LCX(CF) at rest was 1.10+/-0.11, whereas during rapid atrial pacing and dobutamine stress, it was 0.92+/-0.08 and 0.90+/-0.09, respectively. Relative CFR was 0.62+/-0.05 in HOCM patients and 1.05+/-0.05 (P<.001) in normal subjects. There was an inverse correlation between relative CFR and peak systolic outflow tract gradient (r2=.74, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Regional distribution of hypertrophy in some patients with HOCM resulted in regional impairment of coronary flow. Relative CFR can be used to estimate regional disturbances of coronary flow and may help in patient selection for new interventional therapeutic techniques.


Meta-programming is the act of using one system or language to reason about another one. Reflection describes systems that have access to and change a causally connected representation of themselves, hence leading to self-extensible systems . Up to now, most of the reflective languages have been implemented in the same paradigm. In this paper, we propose \emphsymbiotic reflection as a way to integrate a meta programming language with the object-oriented language it reasons about and is implemented in. New to this approach is that any element of the implementation language can be reasoned about and acted upon (not only the self representation), and that both languages are of different paradigms. Moreover, every language implementer that is faced with the problem of allowing the base language to access the underlying meta-language has to solve the problem of enabling entity transfer between both worlds. We propose a uniform schema, called upping/downing, to this problem that avoid explicit wrapping or typechecking. We illustrate this with SOUL (the Smalltalk Open Unification Language), a logic programming language in symbiotic reflection with the object-oriented language Smalltalk. We show how SOUL does logic reasoning directly on Smalltalk objects, and how to use this to implement type snooping


The present article investigates the question of building energy monitoring systems used for data collection to estimate the Heat Loss Coefficient (HLC) with existing methods, in order to determine the Thermal Envelope Performance (TEP) of a building. The data requirements of HLC estimation methods are related to commonly used methods for fault detection, calibration, and supervision of energy monitoring systems in buildings. Based on an extended review of experimental tests to estimate the HLC undertaken since 1978, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the Monitoring and Controlling System (MCS) specifications have been carried out. The results show that no Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) methods have been implemented in the reviewed literature. Furthermore, it was not possible to identify a trend of technology type used in sensors, hardware, software, and communication protocols, because a high percentage of the reviewed experimental tests do not specify the model, technical characteristics, or selection criteria of the implemented MCSs. Although most actual Building Automation Systems (BAS) may measure the required parameters, further research is still needed to ensure that these data are accurate enough to rigorously apply HLC estimation methods.


Fused fiber couplers were fabricated by controlling the coupler waist profile, and the wavelength and the polarization dependences against the waist profile were investigated experimentally. In case of the strongly fused coupler, the coupling is a little stronger for the -polarized light than the -polarized light, and the wavelength dependence increases with fusing more strongly in spite of the shorter effective coupler length. In case of the weakly fused coupler having a dumbbell profile with a narrow neck, the wavelength and the polarization dependences increase rapidly with narrowing the neck, and the wavelength dependence and the coupling become much larger for the -polarized light. The wavelength dependence becomes smallest around a dumbbell profile with the aspect ratio of 1.94.


The Spectrum efficiency for 5G networks can be achieved by Filter Bank Multi Carrier / Orthogonal Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (FBMC / OQAM) that avoids the usage of guard band. FBMC is very sensitive to Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) and Timing Offset (TO). This paper proposes Zadoff-chu sequence based preamble or pilot is used to design the FBMC frame for synchronize more with receiver to achieve sufficient channel estimation and phase tracking which reduces the carrier frequency and timing synchronization. This method helps to control the out of band emissions and create non-orthogonal waveforms to investigate the overall system performance such as Bit Error Rate (BER) over AWGN channels. The performance metrics such as Complementary Cumulative Distribution Curve (CCDF) for FBMC signal with different multicarrier to analyze the Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) is obtained by simulation. The simulation result proves that FBMC outperforms well when compared with other multicarrier systems


: Filmmakers increasingly depend on trailers as advertising and to generate word-of-mouth (WOM). This paper investigates the extent to which trailers influence WOM in the pre-release context by testing a conceptual model separately on the three most popular movie genres. Where viewers perceive greater understanding of the movie from the trailer, the prospect of liking it is significantly increased. This leads to a substantial increase in their intent to generate WOM and ultimately their willingness to pay to see the movie. These novel findings lead to practical impacts for studios hoping to stimulate consumer interest, with wider contributions to advertising theory.


From 1973 through 1978, the Center for Disease Control identified ten deaths caused by ruptured ectopic pregnancy after attempted legal abortions for those pregnancies. The women ranged in age from 18 to 31 years, seven were black, three were white, and five were nulliparous. The estimated gestational age was 16 menstrual weeks or earlier. In seven cases tissue obtained at abortion was sent for outside microscopic pathological examination; attempts to contact four of the patients when no products of conception were found were unsuccessful. An important factor in preventing fatal ectopic pregnancy for women who have legal abortions is the identification of products of conception at the time of the abortion procedure while the patient is still available for reexamination and recurretage.


In atoms and molecules, the electrons screen the nucleus from the external electric field. However, if the frequency of the electric field reaches the energy of atomic or molecular transition, the electric field at the nucleus may be resonantly enhanced by many orders in magnitude. In this paper, we study the mechanisms of screening or enhancement of electric field acting on the nuclei in solid states. We show that in dielectric crystals the phonon oscillations of the lattice play crucial role for determining the electric field on nuclei in the MHz-THz region. As an application, we propose an experimental scheme for measuring nuclear electric dipole moment in a solid state based on the coherent excitation of acoustic phonons.


In order to investigate antimicrobial activities of clavulanic acid/amoxicillin (CVA/AMPC) against freshly isolated clinical strains obtained in 1995, beta-lactamase activities and minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) were determined including those of the control drugs. The results are summarized as follows; 1. Detection frequencies of beta-lactamase producing strains were as follows: methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus (MSSA, 90.0%), Haemophilus influenzae (22.0%), Moraxella subgenus Branhamella catarrhalis (100.0%), Escherichia coli (100.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae (100.0%) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (14.0%). It appeared that beta-lactamases produced by these strains were mostly penicillinase or enzyme of similar that. 2. Antimicrobial activities of CVA/AMPC against beta-lactamase producing strains were stronger than those of AMPC, and MIC90 of CVA/AMPC against benzylpenicillin (PCG)-insensitive or resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae was lower than those of sultamicillin, cefaclor and cefpodoxime. 3. CVA showed strong beta-lactamase inhibitory effect against M.(B.) catarrhalis of direct and indirect pathogenicity. We can expect CVA/AMPC to negate or decrease the influence of indirect pathogenicity.


The paper presents new approach to study spatial and temporal variability of bioclimatic conditions. The new Universal Thermal Climate Index UTCI was applied in this purpose. UTCI bases on multi-note human heat balance Fiala model and it represents heat stress in man caused by meteorological conditions. The seasonal and regional variability of bioclimate was assessed on an example of selected European cities: Kolobrzeg, Warsaw, Świeradow, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana and Milan. Daily meteorological data (air temperature, vapour pressure, wind speed and total cloud cover) for the period 1991-2000 was used in this purpose. Annual course of UTCI values and the frequency of UTCI categories are discussed. Significant regional differences between studied cities were found. The results confirm frequent occurrence of unfavourable thermal conditions in Mediterranean region in summer months. However, heat stress was frequently observed in summer in all compared stations. Spatial variability in detail local scale was studied on the examples of selected regions of Poland (Mazovia Lowland, Warsaw). The results show that occurrence of strong heat stress depends not only on general meteorological conditions but also on land use. The greatest heat stress is observed mostly in urbanised areas especially in the central parts of cities and inside industrial districts.


This paper explores the usefulness of prosody in automatically compressing dialogue acts from meeting speech. Specifically, this work attempts to compress utterances by preserving the pitch contour of the original whole utterance. Two methods of doing this are described in detail and are evaluated subjectively using human annotators and objectively using edit distance with a human-authored gold-standard. Both metrics show that such a prosodic approach is much better than the random baseline approach and significantly better than a simple text compression method.


[1] Surface current observations from a high-frequency radar network deployed in southern San Diego are decomposed according to their driving forces: pure tides and their neighboring off-band energy, local winds, and low frequency. Several superposed ocean responses are present as a result of the complicated bottom topography and relatively weak winds off southern San Diego, as opposed to coastal regions where circulation can be explained by a dominant forcing mechanism. This necessitates an application of a statistical decomposition approach. Surface currents coherent with pure tides are calculated using harmonic analysis. Locally wind-driven surface currents are estimated by regression of observed winds on observed surface currents. The dewinded and detided surface currents are filtered by weighted least-squares fitting assuming white noise and three colored signal bands: low-frequency band (less than 0.4 cycles per day) and near-tidal peaks at the diurnal (K1) and semidiurnal (M2) frequencies. The spatial and temporal variability of each part of the decomposed surface currents is investigated in terms of ocean response to the driving forces. In addition, the spatial correlations of individual components exhibit Gaussian and exponential shapes with varying decorrelation length scales.


Overexposure to naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater and soil can cause a variety of cancers and has been associated with developmental effects, neurotoxicity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.1 In this issue of EHP, researchers provide new evidence of arsenic's ability to elevate blood pressure, potentially leading to hypertension and more serious clinical outcomes.2

Globally, 200 million people are estimated to drink water exposing them to arsenic at concentrations above the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 10 µg/L.3 An estimated 35–77 million of these people reside in Bangladesh alone,4,5 where nearly all rural households rely on groundwater for drinking water.6

Widespread arsenic exposure via drinking water in Bangladesh has been called the "largest mass poisoning of a population in history."10

To gain insight into the link between arsenic exposure and changes in blood pressure, researchers based at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York Langone Medical Center analyzed data for 10,853 individuals participating in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS), a long-term prospective cohort study. These individuals were exposed to low to moderately high levels of arsenic from nearly 6,000 contaminated wells in an area of Bangladesh outside the capital of Dhaka.7 (Senior author Yu Chen, an associate professor of population health at New York University, says the cohort has since been expanded to cover a wider area, including data from 11,000 wells.)

"We are trying to reveal the mechanisms that link arsenic exposure and cardiovascular disease," says first author Jieying Jiang. "We think that increasing blood pressure level might be one of those mechanisms." Other potential mechanisms include atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular stiffness, which are interrelated and associated with blood pressure, Chen notes.

"The issue with arsenic and hypertension has always been a little more controversial than other outcomes," says Ana Navas-Acien, coauthor of a 2012 review of the subject.8 She explains that many earlier studies were cross-sectional in design, meaning arsenic exposure and incidence of hypertension were examined at a single point in time, so observed associations were harder to interpret. "If you look at our systematic review, you can see there was a tendency for saying that yes, there is an association, but it was not a clear yes," she says. "This study definitely clarifies that [association]. It shows it's extremely important to have prospective data."

Working with a field staff of more than 100 people, the authors of the current study analyzed blood pressure readings taken from each cohort member four times between October 2000 and March 2009, with the initial measurements serving as a baseline. To assess arsenic exposure, they tested well water and urine samples collected at each of the four visits.

The results showed positive associations between arsenic exposure, whether measured in well water or urine samples, and annual increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These associations were stronger among participants who were oldest at baseline.2

Even when controlling for age, sex, smoking status, educational status, and diabetes history, the researchers saw an average annual increase in systolic blood pressure of 0.43 mmHg for participants exposed to medium-low levels of arsenic in groundwater (12–62 µg/L), 0.54 mmHg for those exposed to medium-high levels (62–148 µg/L), and 0.48 mmHg for those exposed to high levels (above 148 µg/L), as compared with the control group, which was exposed to levels below 12 µg/L. The authors speculate that baseline blood pressure could have already been affected significantly by past arsenic exposure, such that only a limited increase could be further observed.2

The results thus reveal a nonmonotonic dose response, in which individuals exposed to the highest arsenic levels in the study often had a smaller increase than those exposed to medium-high levels.2 In vitro research has shown arsenic to have a nonlinear effect on blood vessel formation and tumor growth.9

In any case, while the observed increases are moderate enough that they don't point directly to clinical outcomes at the individual level, Navas-Acien says that across a broadly exposed population such as Bangladesh's, they could translate to more people with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. "If even a small portion of cardiovascular disease can be due to arsenic," Chen agrees, "that may mean a lot of numbers."


Nearfield acoustic holography in a moving medium is a technique which is typically suitable for sound sources identification in a flow. In the process of sound field reconstruction, sound pressure is usually used as the input, but it may contain considerable background noise due to the interactions between microphones and flow moving at a high velocity. To avoid this problem, particle velocity is an alternative input, which can be obtained by using Laser Doppler Velocimetry in a non-intrusive way. However, there is a singular problem in the conventional propagator relating the particle velocity to the pressure, and it could lead to significant errors or even false results. In view of this, in this paper nonsingular propagators are deduced to realize accurate reconstruction in both cases that the hologram is parallel to and perpendicular to the flow direction. The advantages of the proposed method are analyzed, and simulations are conducted to verify the validation. The results show that the method can overcome the singular problem effectively, and the reconstruction errors are at a low level for different flow velocities, frequencies, and signal-to-noise ratios.


This paper explores one of the main sources of Nietzsche's knowledge of physiology and considers its relevance for the philosophical study of history. Beginning in 1881, Nietzsche read Der Kampf der Theile im Organismus by Wilhelm Roux, which exposed him to a dysteleological account of organic development emphasising the excitative, assimilative and auto-regulative processes of the body. These processes mediate the effects of natural selection. His reading contributed to a physiological understanding of history that borrowed Roux's description of physiological processes. This physiological description of history proceeded from the similarity between the body's mediation of its milieu and history's mediation of the past.


Physical activity (PA) in children/adolescents of both genders from a rural community in Mozambique was estimated by accelerometry and by questionnaire and was compared with PA of Portuguese youth. Total PA, moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and very vigorous (VVPA) were evaluated. Mozambican boys were more active than girls. Intensity of PA declined significantly with age. Survival activities, such as household tasks, were the predominant mode of PA. Compared with Portuguese children/adolescents, Mozambicans had significantly higher total PA; showed less decline of PA with age and engaged in fewer minutes at higher intensity PA. Environmental factors likely explain documented differences.


Abstract : We hypothesized that inflammation results in detectable alteration of body odor and that traumatic brain injury (TBI) might similarly produce volatile metabolites specific to injury. Using an animal model, we first trained biosensor mice to distinguish between urine odors from lipopolysaccharide-treated and control mice. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a general elicitor of inflammation. Trained biosensors could distinguish between the odors of LPS-treated and control mouse urine. Chemical analyses further demonstrated that LPS-induced inflammation results in alteration of urine volatiles. Importantly, urine samples collected many days following LPS-administration were discriminable. Thus, odor differences were not produced by acute effects of LPS-treatment (e.g. dehydration); nor were they likely related to changes in cytokines which typically occur within hours of LPS exposure and return to normal within 24 hours. We similarly demonstrated odor alteration due to treatment with LPS in humans. Urine samples collected from humans receiving a small dose of LPS (or control) were subjected to discrimination tasks by a human sensory panel as well as chemical analyses. Both assays suggested that treatment with LPS results in a detectable alteration of urine volatiles. Odor changes resulting from TBI were also evaluated using an animal model. Because both LPS and TBI elicit inflammatory processes and LPS-induced inflammation induces body odor changes, we hypothesized that (1) TBI would induce a distinct change in body odor and (2) this change would resemble the change induced by LPS. Mice receiving surgery and lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) or surgery without brain injury were employed as urine donors. Biosensors trained to discriminate LPS-treated mouse odors from control odors did not generalize this learned response to LFPI (TBI) urine.


ABSTRACT We have used a random hexamer phage library to delineate similarities and differences between the substrate specificities of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) proteases (PRs). Peptide sequences were identified that were specifically cleaved by each protease, as well as sequences cleaved equally well by both enzymes. Based on amino acid distinctions within the P3-P3′ region of substrates that appeared to correlate with these cleavage specificities, we prepared a series of synthetic peptides within the framework of a peptide sequence cleaved with essentially the same efficiency by both HIV-1 and FIV PRs, Ac-KSGVF↓VVNGLVK-NH2 (arrow denotes cleavage site). We used the resultant peptide set to assess the influence of specific amino acid substitutions on the cleavage characteristics of the two proteases. The findings show that when Asn is substituted for Val at the P2 position, HIV-1 PR cleaves the substrate at a much greater rate than does FIV PR. Likewise, Glu or Gln substituted for Val at the P2′ position also yields peptides specifically susceptible to HIV-1 PR. In contrast, when Ser is substituted for Val at P1′, FIV PR cleaves the substrate at a much higher rate than does HIV-1 PR. In addition, Asn or Gln at the P1 position, in combination with an appropriate P3 amino acid, Arg, also strongly favors cleavage by FIV PR over HIV PR. Structural analysis identified several protease residues likely to dictate the observed specificity differences. Interestingly, HIV PR Asp30 (Ile-35 in FIV PR), which influences specificity at the S2 and S2′ subsites, and HIV-1 PR Pro-81 and Val-82 (Ile-98 and Gln-99 in FIV PR), which influence specificity at the S1 and S1′ subsites, are residues which are often involved in development of drug resistance in HIV-1 protease. The peptide substrate KSGVF↓VVNGK, cleaved by both PRs, was used as a template for the design of a reduced amide inhibitor, Ac-GSGVFΨ(CH2NH)VVNGL-NH2. This compound inhibited both FIV and HIV-1 PRs with approximately equal efficiency. These findings establish a molecular basis for distinctions in substrate specificity between human and feline lentivirus PRs and offer a framework for development of efficient broad-based inhibitors.


In this paper I analyze the profound change in America's attitude toward international law and in its domestic approach to civil liberties since September 11th. The trials of 'unlawful enemy combatants' by military commissions are analyzed against the background of the relevant precedent (the Quirin case) and of a historical reconstruction of the status of unprivileged combatants in the laws of war. Subsequently the relevant Supreme Court landmark rulings (Hamdi, Rasul, Hamdan) and the executive and legislative reactions to these rulings are analyzed. Further I try to explain the mechanisms behind the growing executive power, congressional compliance and the insidious alignment of the judiciary in the U.S. Finally I argue that the moral principles underlying Western Legal Culture require a limited form constitutional cosmopolitanism.


X-ray absorption was used as an index to detect the quality of mango based on its relationship with density, moisture content, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and pH. A regression equation was obtained between the computed tomography (CT) number and the physicochemical properties based on the principle of X-ray absorption capacities of the fruit. The CT numbers of intact mangoes were positively correlated with density, moisture content, and titratable acidity. The soluble solids and pH were inversely related with CT number. The results suggest that CT number measurements on intact fruit can be used as a nondestructive indicator of the quality of mango.


Aim was to study the prevalence of gastrointestinal tract pathology and the state of intestinal biocenosis among bronchial asthma patients.Materials and methods: 93 patients with asthma in the exacerbation stage who had diseases of the gastrointestinal tract were examined. Instrumental, immunological, bacterial studies of the respiratory and digestive organs were carried out.The results of our study indicate a relationship between the development of bronchial asthma and gastrointestinal pathology due to negative environmental effects, stress, glucocorticosteroid therapy, changes in general and local protective reactions against a background of a chronic disease involving organ barriers with an autoimmune pathogenesis mechanism in the pathological process.


Andaman and Nicobar Islands situated in the Bay of Bengal are having a total geographical area of 8249 Sq. Km. Out of which 7171 Sq. Km. (92%) is forest area. These forests are well known for their unique biodiversity of flora and fauna. These islands are also recognized for native aboriginal tribes as well as convicts and other migrant population settled over here since many years. They have provided healthcare facilities by Andaman & Nicobar Administration through district hospital, primary healthcare centres, community healthcare centres etc. Even though, the native tribes and other peoples are still having trend to consult traditional folk healers for common ailments as well as snake bite and centipede bites as it a significant health concern among them. All over India, many ethnic tribal groups have systematically exploited the plant resources and their uses in different diseases. But, ethnic groups of Bay Islands remain unexploited due to inaccessibility and other unfavourable conditions of these Islands. Hence a review was made on medicinal plants used in snake bite and centipede bite with their therapeutic preparation, route of administration and other details as per the folk healers of these islands. It was noted that, in a total 40 plant species are used in the management of snake bite and centipede bite in these islands. Folk healers mostly practice the application of leaves with paste on site area and very few preparations are administered internally.


Abstract Methods that accurately estimate animal abundance or density are crucial for wildlife management. Although numerous techniques are available, there have been few comparisons of the precision and cost-effectiveness of different approaches. We assess the precision and cost of three methods for estimating densities of the Endangered Grevy's zebra Equus grevyi. We compare distance sampling and photographic capture–recapture, and a new technique, the random encounter model (REM) that uses camera-trap encounter rates to estimate density. All three methods provide comparable density estimates for Grevy's zebra and are preferable to the common practice of raw counts. Photographic capture–recapture is the most precise and line-transect distance sampling the least precise. Line transects and photographic capture–recapture surveys are cost-effective in the first year and REM is most cost-effective in the long-term. The methods used here for Grevy's zebra may be applied to other rangeland ungulates. We suggest that for single species monitoring programmes in which individuals can be identified, photographic capture–recapture surveys may be the preferred method for estimating wildlife abundances. When encounter rates are low, distance sampling lacks the precision of the other methods but its cost advantage may make it appropriate for long-term or multi-species monitoring programmes. The REM is an efficient and precise method of estimating densities but has high initial equipment costs. We believe REM has the potential to work well for many species but it requires independent estimates of animal movements and group size.


In the middle of the growing use of mass media in Indonesia, with the presence of internet and social media, but television is still the most popular media compared to other mass media. Metro TV is one of the television stations that is concerned with the quality of their program. This research talks about audience responses to President's Corner Program on Metro TV. The aim of research is to analyze the response of the audience to President's Corner using 3 dimensions of response, which are cognitive, affective and behavioral. This research use S-O-R theory as the main theory, and other supporting theory such as responses theory, the theory of mass communications effect, television and television program. The methodology used is descriptive quantitative using questioners distributed to 70 respondents with a total population of 229 residents of residents of Maharaja RW 14, Depok. The Scale used is the Likert scale. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that the response of the audience to President's Corner program is good, with cognitive average value at 4,17, affective 3,82, and behavior at 3,42.Keywords:Response, audience, television's program, quantitative, descriptive


Medicinal and aromatic plants are biological, cultural and industrial resources. The diversity from which they stem is in peril, though. The manner in which they are patented and exploited by the bioindustry upon their modification is controversial. It disregards interests of countries and communities that provide them. This is affected by the global regulative framework, devised pursuant to the neo-liberal policies that steer globalization. Patent law is part of that framework. Reformulation of ethical principles, policies and laws should lead to integrative protection of ecological, cultural and commercial interests. The Convention on Biodiversity should do just that. Its implementation is hampered by conflicts with said framework, and particularly patent law. Some of the issues may be resolved politically, for example in the course of the Doha Development Agenda, but fundamental issues remain. This article addresses the context of these problems, some initiatives to rebut them, suggests alternative routes for their resolution, and concludes that diligence is required in respect of legal change when we are in the thick of peril and progress


Alemtuzumab is a highly effective monoclonal antibody therapy for some B-cell disorders, and has been suggested as a possible therapeutic agent for treatment of myeloma. Monoclonal antibody therapeutic efficacy is closely associated with the expression level of the therapeutic target, as demonstrated by the lack of efficacy of single-agent rituximab in CLL. However, there are conflicting reports about the expression levels of CD52, the target for alemtuzumab, in plasma cell disorders. The aim of this study is to assess a large series of cases of plasma cell and B-cell disorders, utilising a standard approach to allow comparison of the target molecule. Plasma cells were assessed from patients with myeloma at presentation or relapse (n=106), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS, n=34), and from normal controls (n=19). In addition, B-cells were assessed from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL, n=87), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, n=10), follicular lymphoma (FCL, n=9), Waldenstroms macroglobulinaemia (WM, n=20), and also from normal bone marrow (n=37). Normal and neoplastic B-cells showed expression of CD52 (>20% of cells above the CD3-control levels) in all patients except for 1/10 DLBL. B-CLL and WM are known to show responses to single-agent alemtuzumab therapy, and these two disorders had the highest levels of expression. In contrast, B-progenitor cells in normal bone marrow are unaffected by alemtuzumab, and proliferate during alemtuzumab treatment in CLL patients. The levels of CD52 expression by normal B-progenitors were 3-fold lower than CLL/WM. In DLBL and FCL, the B-cells showed very similar levels of CD52 expression to normal B-progenitors, on average 2.8-fold lower than CLL. All plasma cells, whether neoplastic (CD19− or CD19+56+) or normal (CD19+56−), showed much lower levels of expression than normal and neoplastic B-cells. Plasma cell CD52 expression was detectable in 68% of normal controls (13/19), 50% of MGUS patients (17/34), and only 43% of myeloma patients (46/106). Expression was uni-modal in all cases. There was significantly lower expression of CD52 by myeloma plasma cells than by their normal counterparts (median 2.4-fold decrease, P=0.03). Neoplastic plasma cell CD52 expression showed a high degree of inter-patient variation, but fewer than 10% of myeloma patients (7/106) had CD52 expression at a similar level to CLL cells. Neoplastic plasma cell CD52 expression was approximately 6-fold lower than that of normal B-progenitors, and nearly 20-fold lower than that of CLL cells. In summary, CD52 expression is not detectable above control levels in a significant proportion of myeloma patients. In cases with detectable CD52 expression, the antigen is at a much lower level than is present on normal B-progenitors, which actively proliferate during alemtuzumab therapy. The risk of immunosuppression due to depletion of residual normal B/T-cells must also be considered. As alemtuzumab efficacy appears to correlate with CD52 expression levels, myeloma is highly unlikely to respond to alemtuzumab as a single agent except in rare cases. However, alemtuzumab is more likely to be effective in the IgM immunosecretory disorders which show strong CD52 expression.


a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t The diffusion maps framework is a kernel-based method for manifold learning and data analysis that models a Markovian process over data. Analysis of this process provides meaningful information concerning inner geometric structures in the data. Recently, it was suggested to replace the standard kernel by a measure-based kernel, which incorporates information about the density of the data. Thus, the manifold assumption is replaced by a more general measure assumption. The measure-based diffusion kernel utilizes two separate independent datasets. The first is the set by which the measure is determined. This measure correlates with a density that represents normal behaviors and patterns in the data. The second set consists of the analyzed data points that are embedded by the metastable states of the underlying diffusion process. This set can either be contiguous or discrete. In this paper, we present a data discretization methodology for analyzing a contiguous domain. The obtained discretization is achieved by constructing a uniform grid over this domain. This discretization is designed to approximate the continuous measure-based diffusion process by a discrete random walk process. This paper provides a proved criterion to determine the grid resolution that ensures a controllable approximation error for the continuous steady states by the discrete ones. Finally, the presented methodology is demonstrated on analytically generated data.


Land-use change remains a major driver of biodiversity loss, and projecting extinction rates for different scenarios of habitat conversion is a key concern in conservation research (Pereira et al. 2010; Wright 2010; de Baan et al. 2013). Species–area relationships (SARs) have been one of the main models used to develop such projections, but they have been criticized recently for overestimating extinctions (He & Hubbell 2011). One problem is that classic projections are based on the assumption that all natural areas converted to human-dominated areas, such as agriculture and forestry, become completely hostile to biodiversity (Pereira et al. 2012). However, there is a growing recognition that many species are not constrained to fragments of their native habitat and that the matrix can play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity (Prugh et al. 2008; Karp et al. 2012). Recently a comparison of 2 models that incorporate the wider landscape context, the countryside SAR (Pereira & Daily 2006) and the matrix-calibrated SAR was conducted by Koh and Ghazoul (2010). Here we show that the results of that comparison are incorrect and that in contrast with their results, the countryside SAR outperforms both the matrix-calibrated SAR and classic SAR projections in projecting tropical bird extinctions.

The countryside SAR classifies species into functional groups with particular affinities for different habitats in the landscape. The richness of each functional group Si is given by

(1)

where hij is the affinity of functional group i to habitat j, Aj is the area of habitat j in the landscape, m is the number of habitat types, and ci and zi are the usual parameters of the classic SAR. Affinity can be interpreted as the proportion of area of habitat j that is usable by functional group i, so that 0 ≤ hij ≤ 1.

Consider a completely native landscape where habitat conversion takes place. Assuming there is a single functional group (i.e., dropping the subscript i in Eq. 1), the proportion of species remaining after habitat conversion is

(2)

where is the original area of the native habitat, is the area of habitat j after conversion, Snew is the new number of species in the landscape, and Sorg is the original number of species. The original area of native habitat equals the sum of the new areas of all habitats, . Furthermore, we assume that species have maximum affinity for the native habitat, h1 = 1.

Koh and Ghazoul (2010) proposed instead the matrix-calibrated SAR, which gives the proportion of species remaining as

(3)

where pj is the proportional area of habitat j relative to the total converted area (area of the matrix), , and σj is the sensitivity of the taxon to the transformed habitat (σ1 = 0).

To compare the performance of different species–area models in projecting species extinctions, Koh and Ghazoul examined birds in 20 biodiversity hotspots in the world. For each hotspot they estimated the proportion of native habitat remaining and the proportion converted to disturbed forest, agricultural land, and urban area. For each hotspot, they estimated the number of species extinct or threatened with extinction as all endemic bird species in each hotspot classified as extinct, critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable by the IUCN. Threatened species are included because they are expected to become extinct when species richness reaches an equilibrium with the amount of remaining habitat. Next they estimated sensitivities, σj, and affinities, hj, through the use of a database of studies of how many species disappear locally when natural habitat is converted to each type of human-dominated landscape.

For the countryside SAR, the affinity for habitat k can be derived from such a database with Eq. 2,

(4)

if one assumes full habitat conversion ( and ). For the matrix-calibrated SAR, it is not possible to derive such an expression for full habitat conversion because Eq. 3 always tends to zero when . Instead Koh and Ghazoul assumed:

(5)

This shows that affinities and sensitivities are related because . Unfortunately, Koh and Ghazoul calculated the affinities simply as and ignored the exponent z. Using this incorrect calculation of affinities they found that the best projections of endemic bird extinctions are with the matrix model, followed by the classic SAR, and that the countryside SAR has the worst performance. We recalculated the projections of extinction rates with the data from Koh and Ghazoul, the z value they used (0.35), and the correct estimate of habitat affinities. We found that the countryside SAR outperformed both the matrix-calibrated SAR and the classic SAR in this data set (Table(Table1,1, Fig.Fig.11).

Table 1

Goodness of fit of the classic species–area relationship (SAR), countryside SAR, and matrix-calibrated SAR projections of bird extinctions in 20 biodiversity hotspots (z = 0.35).a

Figure 1

Comparison of observed and projected number of extinct and threatened endemic bird species in 20 biodiversity hotspots (dashed line, perfect fit between projections and observations). Modified from Koh and Ghazoul (2010).

There might be other data sets where the matrix-calibrated SAR outperforms the countryside SAR; more research is needed to compare the different SAR models. The countryside SAR is particularly suitable to describe diversity patterns in multi-habitat landscapes even when the original cover or species composition is not known. The results of 2 recent studies show that the performance of the countryside SAR is better than the classic SAR in describing bird (Guilherme & Pereira 2013) and plant (Proenca & Pereira 2013) diversity in such landscapes.


We evaluate a well known protein docking application in the bioinformatic field, Fourier Transform Docking (FTDock) (Gabb et al., 1997), on a Blade with two 3.2GHz cell broadband engine (BE) processor (Kahle et al., 2005). FTDock is a geometry complementary approximation of the protein docking problem, and uses 3D FFTs to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. FTDock achieves a significant speedup when most time consuming functions are offloaded to SPEs, and vectorized. We show the performance impact evolution of of-loading and vectorizing two functions of FTDock (CM and SC) on 1 SPU. We show total execution time of FTDock when CM and SC run in the PPU (bar 1), CM is off loaded (bar 2), CM is also vectorized (bar 3), SC is offloaded (bar 4) and SC is also vectorized (bar 5). Parallelizing functions that are not offloaded, using OpenMP for instance, on the dual-thread PPE helps to increase the PPEpipeline use and system throughput, and the scalability of the application.


If medicine is an art as well as a science, then surely it is not an art for art's sake. Tracing the philosophical roots of medicine to humanism and scientific determinism, Robin (p 2273) concludes that the proper concern of man is man and that of the physician is to help his patient toward a contented and self-sufficient life. Although there does not seem to be anything startling in this conclusion, it carries practical implications that are not obvious at first sight. For instance, it may not be apparent, as Robin points out, that diagnosis is not an end in itself but a means to good treatment. The latter can sometimes be achieved without making a minutely precise diagnosis, particularly if the diagnostic technology is expensive, bothersome, and perhaps even hazardous. The diagnosis may not even be relevant to the patient's central problem. Treatment, too, may be irrelevant to contentment


Blind video quality assessment (BVQA) algorithms are traditionally designed with a two-stage approach - a feature extraction stage that computes typically hand-crafted spatial and/or temporal features, and a regression stage working in the feature space that predicts the perceptual quality of the video. Unlike the traditional BVQA methods, we propose a Video Multi-task End-to-end Optimized neural Network (V-MEON) that merges the two stages into one, where the feature extractor and the regressor are jointly optimized. Our model uses a multi-task DNN framework that not only estimates the perceptual quality of the test video but also provides a probabilistic prediction of its codec type. This framework allows us to train the network with two complementary sets of labels, both of which can be obtained at low cost. The training process is composed of two steps. In the first step, early convolutional layers are pre-trained to extract spatiotemporal quality-related features with the codec classification subtask. In the second step, initialized with the pre-trained feature extractor, the whole network is jointly optimized with the two subtasks together. An additional critical step is the adoption of 3D convolutional layers, which creates novel spatiotemporal features that lead to a significant performance boost. Experimental results show that the proposed model clearly outperforms state-of-the-art BVQA methods.The source code of V-MEON is available at https://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~zduanmu/acmmm2018bvqa.


To explore the phylogenetic history of the murine paired Ig-like receptors of activating (PIR-A) and inhibitory (PIR-B) types, we isolated PIR homologues from a rat splenocyte cDNA library. The rat (ra) PIR-A and raPIR-B cDNA sequences predict transmembrane proteins with six highly conserved extracellular Ig-like domains and distinctive membrane proximal, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions. The raPIR-B cytoplasmic region contains prototypic inhibitory motifs, whereas raPIR-A features a charged transmembrane region and a short cytoplasmic tail. Southern blot analysis predicts the presence of multiple Pira genes and a single Pirb gene in the rat genome. Although raPIR-A and raPIR-B are coordinately expressed by myeloid cells, analysis of mRNA detected unpaired expression of raPIR-A by B cells and raPIR-B by NK cells. Collectively, these findings indicate that the structural hallmarks of the Pir gene family are conserved in rats and mice, yet suggest divergence of PIR regulatory elements during rodent speciation.


The mountainous area of Armenia has been a steppe throughout the Holocene with a rich history of fire events throughout this period. Previous research has found that changes in fire are linked to shifts between Poaceae grasslands and semi-arid Chenopodiaceae steppes. However, the climate and human drivers of these fires has yet to be fully explored in an area where agriculture has been practiced for almost 8,000 years. To elucidate these changes, we performed and compiled macro-charcoal analysis on four wetland sediment cores from the Kasakh Valley, Armenia. We aimed to understand fire frequency, intensity, size, and drivers of these events. In addition, we utilize a paleotemperature molecular biomarker branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), a pollen climate reconstruction for temperature and precipitation, and the vast amount of archaeological data to help us untangle these changes. Early results suggest fires increase as temperature rose during the early Holocene and continue to increase with temperature during the Mid-Holocene despite an increase in agriculture during the Early Bronze Age. Between 4000 2000 cal. BP fires are small and almost disappear from the record. During this period these declines appear to be driven both by temperature fluctuations and an increase in regional mobile pastoralism resulting in declining biomass. Over the last 2000 years, humans appear to be the primary driver of fires with an increase in large intense events that are local to the watershed.


Testosterone and its metabolites—estrogen and dihydrotestosterone— are involved in the brain sex differentiation during the perinatal period by binding to androgen receptors (AR) or estrogen receptors (ER). However, in the presence of flutamide (FLU), testosterone that is metabolized to estrogen will only bind to ER. Blockade of AR using FLU during the perinatal period could alter the levels of estrogen, which in turn, may modulate the sex differentiation of the brain. This study tested perinatal androgen deprivation on estrogen levels and in turn, its effects on sexual motivation paradigm in male rats.


New toroidal field (TF) coils theoretically optimized for high field tokamak reactors are designed. We had developed a tokamak with force-balanced coils (FBC's) which are helical hybrid coils combining TF coils and a center solenoid (CS) for a reduction of the net electromagnetic force in the direction of major radius. Recently, the FBC concept was extended by the virial theorem of the magnetic field energy and working stress in the coils and their supporting structure. The poloidal rotation number N of the helical coil, which satisfies the uniform stress condition and is named as a virial-limit coil (VLC), is determined by the theorem while it requires a low aspect ratio A for strong toroidal fields. In order to minimize stray fields, the FBC winding is modulated so that its winding direction is nearly vertical and more horizontal in the outer and inner sides of torus, respectively. Thus the configuration of VLC with high elongation /spl kappa/, large triangularity /spl delta/ and low aspect ratio is similar to that of CS and TF coil systems in conventional tokamaks, while it can generate strong toroidal fields with much reduced volume of coils and their supporting structure. After the optimal procedure, the maximum working stress in VLC can be reduced to about one third of that in TF coils.


Background Our previous study demonstrated that Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is overexpressed in the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), in cultured SSc fibroblasts and preclinical models of SSc in a TGF-β dependent manner. We showed that Hsp90 is a new regulator of canonical TGF-β signalling and its inhibition prevents stimulatory effects of TGF-β on collagen synthesis, and prevents dermal fibrosis in three different preclinical models of SSc [1]. Objectives To assess Hsp90 in circulation of SSc patients and characterize its potential association with skin changes and SSc-related features. Methods A total of 40 patients (36 females; mean age 53.9; disease duration 5.0 years; dcSSc/lcSSc =9/31) who met the EULAR/ACR 2013 criteria for SSc and 39 healthy individuals matched by age and sex were included in this study. Plasma Hsp90 levels were measured by ELISA (eBioscience, Vienna, Austria). ANA, ENA complex, ESR and CRP were evaluated. SSc-related manifestations were obtained from the Czech Registry of SSc patients. Interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, oesophageal dysmotility, cardiac and renal involvement, nailfold capillaroscopy and Raynaud's phenomenon were recorded. Skin changes were assessed using the modified Rodnan skin score and EUSTAR SSc activity score was determined. Data are presented as median (IQR). Results Hsp90 plasma levels were comparable between SSc patients and healthy controls (10.8 (9.2-15.5) vs. 10.1 (8.2-12.8) ng/ml, p=0.250) and between patients with diffuse cutaneous (dc)SSc and limited cutaneous (lc)SSc (11.6 (9.3-15.8) vs. 10.4 (8.6-15.6) ng/ml, p=0.710). Of particular interest, the levels of Hsp90 positively correlated with EUSTAR SSc activity score (r =0.418, p=0.007). Furthermore, Hsp90 plasma levels negatively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (r = - 0.457, p=0.004; r = - 0.346, p=0.033; r = - 0.444, p=0.005, respectively). In addition, only in patients with dcSSc, Hsp90 levels positively correlated with the modified Rodnan skin score (r =0.742, p=0.022). Using Bonferroni's correction (p<0.01), relations between Hsp90 and EUSTAR SSc activity score, FVC and DLCO were approved. The presence of autoantibodies (ANA, anti-centromere, anti-Scl70), a pathological capillaroscopic pattern (early, active, late), and the individual clinical symptoms of SSc did not significantly affect Hsp90 plasma levels. Conclusions We demonstrate that plasma levels of Hsp90, in contrast to local upregulation in fibrotic skin, are comparable between SSc patients and healthy controls. However, increased plasma levels of HSP90 in SSc patients are associated with higher disease activity, deteriorated parameters of lung involvement, and, particularly in dcSSc patients, with skin involvement. These data further highlight the role of Hsp90 as a regulator of fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis in SSc. References Tomcik M et al. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibition targets canonical TGF-β signalling to prevent fibrosis. Ann Rheum Dis.2014;73(6):1215-22. Acknowledgements Supported by MHCR023728. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The aim of this work is to build a model able to simulate a hydrothermal electric power market based on simple bids to a power exchange. The model studies the behavior of different market agents in a short-term horizon and delivers information about spot prices, use of water, and other relevant variables. Initially, a thermoelectric market is simulated through a static model based on Cournot concepts. The addition of hydroelectric power stations and time dependencies is made later, using a dynamic programming algorithm to build a dynamic model. In each stage and state of the dynamic programming, a Nash-Cournot equilibrium is determined to assess the behavior of the thermoelectric power stations (static model). Different strategies that firms can follow and the consequences of each one of them are analyzed. Market power mitigation effects of physical and financial bilateral contracts are also investigated. A case study with data on the Chilean power system is presented and analyzed.


The Tarim Basin is the largest undeveloped petroliferous basin in China. Sediments in the basin range from Precambrian to Tertiary in age and from marine carbonate to non-marine clastic in depositional environment. Investigations indicate that there are potential structural, stratigraphic and unconformity traps for oil and gas in the basin. Applying one and two dimensional basin modelling systems to the well data and cross section, a number of different geologic scenarios such as sedimentary compactions, diagenesis, unconformities, faults, thermal maturation, hydrocarbon generation, expulsion, migration and accumulation are modeled. The modelling results in the basin reveal: (1) there is a vast amount of source rock which is thermally mature or overmatured, (2) there are multiple peaks of hydrocarbon generation and a continuous expulsion process in the basin's history, (3) the Carboniferous rocks which have undergone severe diagenesis are the major oil-producing rocks in both structural and lithological reservoirs in the Paleozoic strata; while the isolated clastic sediments are the major traps in the younger strata, (4) oil in the stratigraphic reservoirs comes mainly from the adjacent source rocks, and, (5) diagenesis and faulting are the major controlling factors for the hydrocarbon accumulations in the Paleozoic reservoirs.


and normal saline into the bronchi. In the next year they also published an analysis of cases.of pulmonary abscesses; including those which were complicated with bronchitis. Ewart Martin (Edinburgh), in 1824, published his experiences of bronchoscopy in relation to lung diseases, and gave results of treatment, some cases lhaving extended over one and a half years. Howarth, in 1925, published, in association with Cassidy, a case of abscess of the lung and bronchiectasis treated by bronchoscopic aspiration and lavage. Owing to successive researches and inventions, these methods have now become much simplified, and are part of the usual routine of the laryngologist. Success in this country has been largely associated with becoming accustomed to using the largest endoscopic tubes which can be safely employed in each case. Endobronchial therapy now offers a wide and expandinig field for further research work.


Social enterprises are emerging as a new area of public policy: several countries seek to stimulate private sector contribution to development outcomes, and social enterprises could be important players in that agenda. However, those seeking a middle ground between for-profit and non-profit sectors to enable social enterprise have found legal frameworks to be lacking. This has triggered a range of legal developments over the past ten years, with a number of countries seeking to implement appropriate legal frameworks that can support and stimulate the development of social enterprise. These legal frameworks can both define social enterprise as well as to structure it, through the creation of new legal forms and regulations. The objective of this study is to analyze various definitions and forms under which social enterprises operate in five countries and the implications for public policies. The study is based on literature review and a small number of interviews clustered around Italy, Malaysia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and United States, where social enterprise has attracted government`s interest. The study analyzes how the government operationalized its engagements with social enterprises. It takes a historical perspective to understand the legal forms available to, and adopted by, social enterprises, and the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches.


The clinical and pathological features of three cases of sclerosing stromal tumors are presented. Two of these were discovered during pregnancy. Two occurred as unilocular cysts. Ligandin, a probable indication of steroidogenesis in the gonad, was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in all cases, supporting the suggestion that these tumors have an endocrine potential.


We describe a novel abrasive jet cleaning system for removing scale from production tubulars. By careful selection of abrasives we can remove the mineral growth without damage to the steel. We also describe a field test for the system where it ran back to back with mills, an impact hammer and water jetting tools. The abrasive selection is a critical parameter in the performance of the system. Pure water jets will clean certain soft scales, although they tend to lift the growth off the tubular in large pieces which are not conducive to good hole cleaning. Some water jetting systems use acid to soften the scale, but this limits the applicability of the system. The use of sand as an abrasive is common for certain jetting applications, however this can damage the tubing of jewellery. We discuss the selection of the Sterling Beads to clean the scale without damaging the steel. We also describe the first field test of the system, where it was run in a well to clean Aragonite scale from 2 3/8 in. tubing. Numerous milling and tools had been tried, but all had failed to clean the tubing, and most had been destroyed. As had other mechanical and water jetting systems. The new abrasive jetting system using Sterling Beads was run and cleaned the tubing at a high penetration rate with minimal damage to the plastic coating which had originally coated the production tubing and no damage to the steel itself.


cence were investigated. Tissue and sperm samples from normal bulls, unilaterally vasoligated bulls and bulls in which one epididymis was ligated distal to the caput epididymidis were examined using fluoresceinconjugated immune globulins. The globulins were obtained from antisera against spermatozoa from bull cauda epididymidis, ejaculated spermatozoa, plasma from the cauda epididymidis and seminal plasma. In mature spermatids, acrosomal immunofluorescence was homogeneous. After spermatozoa had traversed the first half of the caput epididymidis, the apical body was especially prominent. Specific immunofluorescence of the post-nuclear cap, cytoplasmic droplet, midpiece, and principal piece was not observed except in presumably senescent spermatozoa from spermatocoeles. Non-ciliated, antigen-secreting cells were detected by their immunofluorescence in the epithelium of the efferent ducts within the proximal caput epididymidis. These secretory cells produce sperm-coating proteins which are antigenically similar to certain components of seminal vesicle fluid. Immunofluorescence of the apical cytoplasm and stereocilia in the proximal caput epididymidis indicated that this epithelium probably absorbed sperm-specific proteins emanating from the testis. Immunofluorescence in the apical cytoplasm of the epithelium lining the corpus and proximal cauda epididymidis was suggestive of secretory activity. Similar fluorescence in the epithelium of the vas deferens may have resulted from the absorption of proteins.


— This paper deals with the traditional Malay healing ritualistic ceremony known as Main Puteri . This non-invasive intervention uses the vehicle of performance to administer the healing process. It employs the performance elements of Makyung, that is, music, movements/dance and dramatic dialogue to heal psychosomatic maladies. There are two perspectives to this therapeutic healing process, one traditional and the other scientific. From the traditional perspective, the psychosomatic illness is attributed to the infestations/possessions by malevolent spirits. To heal such patients, these spirits must be exorcised through placating them by making offerings. From the scientific perspective, the music (sonic orders), movements (kinetic energy) and smell (olfactory) connect with the brain waves to release the chemicals that would activate the internal healing energy. Currently, in Main Puteri, the therapeutic healing ritual is no longer relevant as modern clinical medicine has proven to be more effective. Thus, Main Puteri is an anachronism in today's technologically advanced Malaysia.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated the necessity of using sterile water in humidifiers for avoiding respiratory tract infections during nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) therapy.

METHODS
Water in a convection-type humidifier (Sirius; Heinen and Löwenstein GmbH; Bad Ems, Germany) was labeled with (99m)Tc-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid. Low-flow (2 L/min, 4 L/min, or 6 L/min) and high-flow (31 to 46 L/min) rates were applied, rates typical for nCPAP. Heat and moisture exchange filters were placed behind the start of the tube to measure any radioactive aerosol.

RESULTS
We demonstrated that no radioactive aerosols were produced, either with low or high flows.

CONCLUSIONS
The convection-type humidifier produces water vapor but does not aerosolize the water. We conclude that bacteria, other microorganisms, or even solutes that may be contained in the water cannot be transported into the air and thus will not be deposited in the lung. In order to avoid respiratory tract infections, sterile water is not required, at least in this particular humidifier. We suggest that nonsterile tap water is probably a safe alternative.


Predicting the arrival time of a transit vehicle involves not only knowledge of its current position and schedule adherence, but also traffic conditions along the remainder of the route. Road networks are dynamic and can quickly change from free‐flowing to highly congested, which impacts the arrival time of transit vehicles, particularly buses which often share the road with other vehicles, so reliable predictions need to account for real‐time and future traffic conditions. The first step in this process is to construct a framework with which road state (traffic conditions) can be estimated using real‐time transit vehicle position data. Our proposed framework implements a vehicle model using a particle filter to estimate road travel times, which are used in a second model to estimate real‐time traffic conditions. Although development and testing took place in Auckland, New Zealand, we generalised each component to make the framework compatible with other public transport systems around the world. We demonstrate the real‐time feasibility and performance of our approach in real‐time, where a combination of R and C++ was used to obtain the necessary performance results. Future work will use these estimated traffic conditions in combination with historical data to obtain reliable arrival time predictions of transit vehicles.


In this original and provocative study, Myriam Chancy reads the catastrophic history of the Caribbean in the narrative and visual fictions of a number of remarkable women artists, disclosing hitherto uncharted maps of time and voice and remembrance. A work of studied insight, engaged criticism, and graceful sentences, it will alter not only the frames in which Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic are represented, but the very conditions for a gendered and transnational inquiry into the Caribbean present. – David Scott, Columbia University; Editor,


We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the structure, dynamics, and transport properties of nano-confined water between parallel graphite plates with separation distances (H) from 7 to 20 Å at different water densities with an emphasis on anisotropies generated by confinement. The behavior of the confined water phase is compared to non-confined bulk water under similar pressure and temperature conditions. Our simulations show anisotropic structure and dynamics of the confined water phase in directions parallel and perpendicular to the graphite plate. The magnitude of these anisotropies depends on the slit width H. Confined water shows "solid-like" structure and slow dynamics for the water layers near the plates. The mean square displacements (MSDs) and velocity autocorrelation functions (VACFs) for directions parallel and perpendicular to the graphite plates are calculated. By increasing the confinement distance from H = 7 Å to H = 20 Å, the MSD increases and the behavior of the VACF indicates that the confined water changes from solid-like to liquid-like dynamics. If the initial density of the water phase is set up using geometric criteria (i.e., distance between the graphite plates), large pressures (in the order of ~10 katm), and large pressure anisotropies are established within the water. By decreasing the density of the water between the confined plates to about 0.9 g cm(-3), bubble formation and restructuring of the water layers are observed.


The influence of strain on diffusion and nucleation has been studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and effective-medium theory for Ag self-diffusion on strained and unstrained (111) surfaces. Experimentally, the diffusion barrier is observed to be substantially lower on a pseudomorphic Ag monolayer on Pt(111), 60 meV, compared to that on Ag(111), 97 meV. The calculations show that this strong effect is due to the 4.2% compressive strain of the Ag monolayer on Pt. It is shown that in general isotropic two-dimensional strain as well as its relief via dislocations have a drastic effect on surface diffusion and nucleation in heteroepitaxy and are thus of significance for the film morphology in the kinetic growth regime.


When the devices in modern integrated circuits shrink to dimensions below 100 nm the discrete nature of the charge of impurities and carriers starts to exert its influence. In this paper we describe a parallel mesh-particle approach to the simulation of sub-100 nm FETs when the impurities and the carriers are treated as individual charges. The mesh-based solution of the Poisson equation has advantages when devices with complex shapes and boundaries have to be simulated, but introduces problems related to the convergence of the parallel solvers and in resolving the short-range interparticle forces. We found that the parallel multigrid solvers have superior convergence properties for discrete charge simulations, uniformly damping the short- and long-range components of the residuals. We developed an economical approach to analytically correct the erroneous short-range component of the interparticle forces derived from the mesh-based solution. The mesh-particle approach is illustrated and verified in the simulation of a dual-gate MESFET with a channel length of 80 nm.


We examined the racial distribution of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) mortality in a unique multiracial community. Mortality rates for SAH among the residents of Los Angeles County were calculated from death certificate data (1985–1998). Residential postal zones were classified into three strata as a measure of socioeconomic status. The number of SAH deaths was 2,897. The age-adjusted SAH mortality rate was 1.9 in whites, 2.7 in Hispanics, 3.0 in Asians and 3.7 in blacks. In those younger than 70 years of age, the SAH mortality rate among blacks was 2.2 times that of whites and 1.8 times that of Hispanics and Asians. The SAH mortality rate declines after age 70 in blacks. The SAH mortality rate was higher in women than in men in all races and it was highest in elderly Asian women (23.5 per 100,000). An inverse relationship was observed between income and SAH mortality rates in all racial groups except whites.


This report details the work performed on Phase I of an overall two-phase program. The aim of Phase I is to select a room-temperature lithium (Li) rechargeable couple that offers high energy density (60-90 Wh/1b), good rate capability (C/6-C/1), and low-temperature operability. Among the four cathode systems investigated - V205, Tis2, v2s5 and LixCo02 - the Li/V2O5 couple emerged as the best performer capable of meeting the performance goals above. The other three cathode systems were dropped from further development during the course of the program because of their general instability with ester-based electrolytes, especially the methyl formate (MF)-based electrolyte. The MF-based electrolyte was selected because of its superior conductivity which is essential for rate capability and low temperature operability.


Background: Multiple publications have highlighted the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a cause of hand infections. We hypothesized that these publications have shifted the empiric treatment of hand infections. The aim of this study was to identify the current standard of care, the most common causative bacteria, and factors leading to extended length of stay for hand infection patients at a suburban hospital to improve treatment and establish an optimized care protocol. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis was conducted to identify all patients admitted for hand infections over an 8-year period. A comprehensive chart review of each patient's hospital course was completed. Results: A total of 70 patients were included. Maximum white blood cell count ≥ 12 was associated with a significantly longer hospital length of stay (9.1 days versus 5.4 days) compared to WBC values < 12 (P < 0.05). Also, 11 out of 23 (47.8%) underwent two or more incision and drainages (I&D's), compared with patients with maximum WBC < 12. Vancomycin use as an empiric antibiotic was widespread (68 patients, 97.1%), despite only 14 (20%) having MRSA positive cultures. Univariate analysis identified a significant increased likelihood for increased length of stay (P < 0.05) and rise in creatinine (P < 0.05) in patients with an initial vancomycin trough level > 20. Conclusions: This analysis of hand infection treatment in a suburban hospital demonstrates the incidence of MRSA hand infections may not be universally high across institutions. Each hospital should review its own data to optimize hand infection treatment and its associated costs.


The aim of the present study was to detect Eimeria spp. in eared doves (Zenaida auriculata) from Brazil. Two hundred and fourteen birds were trap-capture in different regions of Londrina city, Paraná state, Southern Brazil. Fecal samples were collected, and DNA extraction was performed. A nested PCR based on the subunit I of the cytochrome c oxidase gene of the Eimeria mitochondrial genome was used to detect the DNA presence of this coccidian in eared dove feces. From 214 birds, 171 (79.9%) were positive for Eimeria spp. There was significantly difference of positivity between the site of capture. When analyzing the genders, the numbers of positive males were 84/103 (81.5%) and females 87/111 (78.4%). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study with molecular prevalence of Eimeria sp. in Z. auriculata. Further studies should be done to identify the species of Eimeria that infect eared doves Z. auriculata.


Web search engine companies require power-hungry data centers with thousands of servers to efficiently perform searches on a large scale. This permits the search engines to serve high arrival rates of user queries with low latency, but poses economical and environmental concerns due to the power consumption of the servers. Existing power saving techniques sacrifice the raw performance of a server for reduced power absorption, by scaling the frequency of the server's CPU according to its utilization. For instance, current Linux kernels include frequency governors i.e., mechanisms designed to dynamically throttle the CPU operational frequency. However, such general-domain techniques work at the operating system level and have no knowledge about the querying operations of the server. In this work, we propose to delegate CPU power management to search engine-specific governors. These can leverage knowledge coming from the querying operations, such as the query server utilization and load. By exploiting such additional knowledge, we can appropriately throttle the CPU frequency thereby reducing the query server power consumption. Experiments are conducted upon the TREC ClueWeb09 corpus and the query stream from the MSN 2006 query log. Results show that we can reduce up to ~24% a server power consumption, with only limited drawbacks in effectiveness w.r.t. a system running at maximum CPU frequency to promote query processing quality.


ABSTRACT Where does the quality of an artwork reside? Is it in the work or in the perceiver and her culture? Belief in the former can be called aesthetic realism, the latter aesthetic antirealism. Nanay suggests that Cutting is an antirealist because he has found that multiple brief exposures to an artwork enhance viewers' judgments of it. In fact, Cutting is agnostic on the distinction, but as a scientist is unable to discern how quality might be objectively measured in art.


In recent decades the issue of Intellectual property rights (IPRs) protection has been at the center of public policy debates. Today, IP rights are recognized as an important economic mechanism, an 'intellectual currency' of sorts, that encourages research and development (R&D), creation and innovation in several significant ways. So innovation is important for economic growth, but IPR protection is important for innovation, this way IPR protection becomes important for the economic growth too. The aim of the paper is to make a review of the empirical studies done by different scholars, to show evidence of the relation that exists between IPR protection and economic growth, in developed and developing countries. What happens when strengthening the IPR protection for these countries? At the end the paper concludes that the relationship between intellectual property and economic growth is not so clear. IPR protection impacts on growth rates will differ across countries, depending on their level of development. Not all empirical studies conclude in a positive impact between IPR protection and growth.


Existing literature on digital signage is growing but has not always emphasized the cognitive processes of the audience. This research aims to address this gap by studying how young women in Singapore cognize commercial digital signage in shopping malls and what cause them to do so. Using cognitive ethnography and taking the situated action approach, our findings suggest a comprehensive list of factors, both external and internal, that influence young women's cognition of commercial digital signage in both positive and negative ways. The research's practical implications are discussed.


Clone pTB16 has been isolated by differential screening of a human glioma cDNA library. Northern blot analysis has shown that pTB16 expression is several times (greater than 11-fold) higher in gliomas than in a primitive neuroectodermal tumor. This observation was supported by in situ hybridization and extended to nine other gliomas. Expression was virtually absent in adenocarcinoma cells metastasized to brain. Malignant gliomas showed stronger hybridization than benign gliomas, while blood capillaries did not show hybridization. pTB16 mRNA was also shown to be expressed in established glioma cell lines and at high levels in epileptic foci, indicating that expression of the gene may be limited to certain cell types and that its upregulation is not merely a consequence of cellular proliferation. Nucleotide sequence analysis identified pTB16 as the human counterpart for rat testicular sulfated glycoprotein 2 (SGP-2), whose function in the reproductive system remains unknown. Although SGP-2 transcripts, and hence pTB16, were recently shown to be increased in neurodegenerative diseases such as scrapie in hamsters and Alzheimer disease in humans, our observations with brain tumors and epilepsy are suggestive of a role for pTB16 in neuropathologies in general and support the hypothesis of its involvement in tissue remodeling and cell death.


Ontario regulations can necessitate expensive leachate treatment plants in large landfills. Lower-cost technologies may suit rural landfills due to lower waste toxicity and less proximity to residents. One low-cost technology is a trickling filter using tire chips or mixed broken glass (MBG) as filter media instead of non-renewable aggregate.

Aerobic fixed-bed reactors using river-rock gravel, crushed rock, tire chips,and MBG as filter media were compared. COD treatment of stabilized leachate in Phase 1 was limited (max. 21%). Activated sludge was added in Phase 2, and MGB removed 30% COD, 88% BOD₅, 38% NH₃-N, 99% BOD₅, and 90-98% TSS from a stronger synthetic leachate. NH₃-N removal improved, while TS removal remained limited.

All media types performed similarly, suggesting that tire chips and MBG could be used to treat low-to-medium-strength leachate in a trickling filter.


Global convergence to rst-order critical points is proved for two trust-region SQP-lter algorithms of the type introduced by Fletcher and Leyyer (1997). The algorithms allow for an approximate solution of the quadratic subproblem and incorporate the safeguarding tests described in Fletcher, Leyyer and Toint (1998). The rst algorithm decomposes the step into its normal and tangential components, while the second replaces this decomposition by a stronger condition on the associated model decrease.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are cellular indicators of stress. In plants, they function as secondary messengers in response to environmental stress. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is an important enzyme directly involved in the scavenging of ROS. In this study, we aimed at identifying the function of the Brassica napus thylakoid APX (tAPX). Germination efficiencies of seeds of B. napus plants over expressing tAPX were higher than those of the seeds of the control plants; this was true both on Murashige and Skoog medium with 300 mM mannitol and with 150 mM NaCl. Further experiments showed that 40-day-old seedlings of the control plants turned yellow, withered, and subsequently died, when treated with 150 mM NaCl for 12 days. In contrast, transgenic plants over expressing tAPX survived this treatment and had at least three green leaves at the end of the experiment. When 40-dayold seedlings were withheld water for 10 days, followed by a 2 day recovery, the control plants exhibited smaller leaves and shorter stems in comparison to tAPX-over expressing plants. In addition, compared with control plants, tAPX-overexpressing plants show reduced hydrogen peroxide accumulation and increased APX relative activity. Our results demonstrate that tAPX plays an important role in resistance to salt stress and drought in plants.


Hydrogen production by non-thermal plasma (NTP) assisted direct decomposition of hydrogen sulfide was carried out in a novel dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with the inner electrode made of sintered metal fibers (SMF) also functioning as catalyst. The discharge gap between the electrodes and the gas residence time in the discharge was optimized to achieve hydrogen production in an economically feasible manner. Typical results indicate that hydrogen production can be achieved at 160 kJ/mol H-2 (2 kWh/m(3) or 1,6 eV/molecule), which is less than the energy demand during the steam methane reforming (4.3 kWh/m(3) or 3.6 eV/ H-2), the conventional method of hydrogen production.


Tolerance of ambiguity of the military members very often determines their professional culture, which helps them fulfil professional duties. Tackling situations that are complicated, working well in unpredictable circumstances, dealing with uncertainty in a positive and constructive manner, feeling comfortable in unfamiliar situations — all of these are components of the competence of tolerance of ambiguity, one of the twenty competences for democratic culture, suggested by the Council of Europe. Working under circumstances of uncertainty may be implemented in different situations of the professional activity such as training paratroopers for jumping with a parachute, organizing the work of the military school under different circumstances, finding a solution in extreme situations, even in speaking a foreign language, etc. The authors support the ideas of T.V. Kornilova that tolerance of ambiguity is usually analyzed in two directions: acceptance of ambiguous conditions and avoiding ambiguity, trying to achieve clearness; the second aspect is focused on the variable intolerance of ambiguity. Most of the cadets believe that they are ready for fulfilling their professional duty in unfamiliar situations. A special questionnaire was offered for selfassessment to two groups of respondents, being cadets of the 4th and 5th year of study in Ryazan Guard Higher Airborne Command School named after General of the Army V. F. Margelov. The descriptors of tolerance of ambiguity were taken from Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture. The results of the study show that the scores of self-assessment of tolerance of ambiguity of the 4th year cadets are a bit higher than the same scores of the 5th year cadets. Observation and interviews of the cadets show that the cadets of the 5th year of study are thinking about their future perspectives in professional activity and family life. The situation of uncertainty about the future influences their general scores of tolerance of ambiguity. Keywords—tolerance of ambiguity; cadets; military school; self-assessment; peer assessment


In this paper, a flexible scheme with exclusive-OR (XOR) coding is suggested for improving error performance in two-way relay networks. The sources, exchanging their packets through relay(s), encode multiple packets into one packet and the encoded packet helps correct decoding of actual packets exchanged between sources. We also employ orthogonal frequency division multiplexing in the considered two-way relay network to counteract the frequency selective fading nature of wireless channels. The proposed scheme serves to attain frequency diversity gain and numerical results show that this scheme gives better coded bit error ratio performance than the conventional scheme.


The wide application of blog provides the management teaching with newtools and platforms. Based on the research of blog assisted teaching of management course ,this paper analyzes the advantage and application of blog's management course ,and puts forward some thoughts


The kinetic behavior and chemical equilibria for the transesterification of methyl acetate with ethanol to ethyl acetate and methanol catalyzed by an ionic liquid 4-(3-methyl-1-imidazolio)-1-butanesulfonic acid hydrogen sulfate ([HSO3-bmim]HSO4) were studied experimentally. The relationship of chemical equilibrium constants versus temperature was obtained from kinetic experimental data. The effects of temperature, initial molar ratio of ethanol to methyl acetate, and catalyst concentrations were investigated. Based on the reaction mechanism, an ideal homogeneous (IH) and two nonideal homogeneous models (NIH-1, NIH-2) were proposed to correlate the reaction kinetic data. The activity coefficient of the catalyst was considered in NIH-2 but not in the NIH-1 model. The nonideal homogeneous model NIH-1 was the best model to describe the kinetics of the transesterification reaction, and the accuracy of the reaction kinetic model is not improved by considering the effects of catalyst on the activities of the reactants and products.


A new type of integration robot of arm and leg has been developed. Its cross gait of walking quickly on the barrier-free road was designed and planned. Gait optimization algorithm based on the energetic optimum was put forward, which can optimize the robot cross gait, and get the corresponding optimization parameters of walking gait. The simulation results show that the robot has the very good exercise continuity and stability on the basis of low energy consumption when it adopts the optimized cross gait.


One of the most popular today stochastic tool for estimating future movements of financial markets and forecasting daily returns, are GARCH-type processes. In order to use such a model in practice it is necessary to estimate its parameters. There are different ways to do it, but in applications the pseudo maximum likelihood (PSD) estimation is commonly used. Important advantage of this method is that it requires minimum of a priori information concerning probability distributions of innovation processes. The author analyzes the consistency and asymptotic normality properties of PSD estimator for GARCH processes.