ABSTRACT Introduction Cereblon (CRBN), the substrate receptor of the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase has been extensively studied due to its involvement in many biological processes. It has also been identified as the target for immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). CRBN ligands are also important components of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), special bifunctional constructs capable of targeted degradation of aberrantly acting proteins using the cell's ubiquitin-proteasome machinery. Areas covered Due to upsurge of the PROTAC technology, the patenting activity of new CRBN ligands has been on the rise in the last 5 years. The present review covers two broadly defined areas of CRBN ligand design. One covers 'thalidomide-like' molecules representing modifications of various parts of classical IMiDs. The other areas – non-thalidomide-like compounds – are compounds that are structurally distinct from the classical IMiDs. Efforts toward creating new CRBN ligands reflected in non-patent literature are briefly discussed with emphasis on the rational, crystallography-driven approaches. Expert opinion The chemical space of CRBN ligands which is related to the classical IMiDs (thalidomide/lenalidomide/pomalidomide) is comprehensively covered by the current patent literature. The promising area of research is in the identification of non-thalidomide-like chemotypes capable of binding to CRBN. Rational, crystallography-driven approaches currently exploited in academia will significantly aid in this endeavor.


At present, with the acceleration of rural urbanization, people's market demand for new building materials is also increasing, and the research and development of new PVC/fine sand imitation stone composite materials are also in continuous progress and development. The purpose of this article is to analyze the feasibility of developing new PVC/fine sand imitation stone composite materials to promote rural urbanization and propose the application of more new PVC/fine sand imitation stone composite materials to our urbanization construction. In, we first conducted research on the new PVC/fine sand imitation stone composite material and rural urbanization, and then, we conducted research on the various properties of the new PVC/ fine sand imitation stone composite material and the development of rural urbanization. The research results show that the new PVC/fine sand imitation stone composite material has at least 400% improvement in compressive performance compared with the traditional PVC material, and it is also better than the traditional PVC material in terms of the material expansion and contraction performance, which is more conducive to the application our rural urbanization is under construction.


This study applied the partial least squares (PLS) approach using the SmartPLS computer program to examine the impact of consumption values (i.e. functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value and epistemic value) on consumer environmental concern about green products. The views of individuals from the general public in the Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia, were gathered through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. This was completed by 200 respondents who adopted a green lifestyle and were committed to buying green products such as organic vegetables at least once a week. The empirical results obtained via the PLS approach revealed that social value had the most significant effect on consumer environmental concerns regarding green products. This finding showed the significant influence of peer opinion on individuals' acceptance of green products and their impressions when purchasing such products. The next important factor is the epistemic value related to the purchasing of green products. The results of this study provided novel insights into consumer environmental concern regarding green products within the Malaysian context. In addition, the study provides important information for companies in encouraging them to emphasize the social and epistemic value of their products in order to boost consumer environmental concern related to green products and sustainable development. The results from this study could be used to assist manufacturers in producing green products that will be attractive to consumers.


This paper explores two important themes in the implementation of RFID in supply chain management: (1) analyzing differences between actual (perceived) and potential (expected) key benefits to see if there are benefit shortfalls for the key performances; and (2) performing a two-dimensional expectation-perception analysis (EPA) for the purpose of identifying competitive niche and strategically allocating and adjusting the company's resources. Empirical data were collected through surveys of executives of selected Taiwan based companies who had experienced RFID adoption in the supply chain practices. Finally, managerial implications and suggestions were provided for companies and industries that may be considering the adoption of RFID in SCM.


Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of moderate (MPI) and high (HPI) levels of protein intake on energy utilization in 12 healthy young male adults who were confined to a metabolic unit for 56 days. The amount of energy supplied was adjusted so that the subjects could maintain a relatively constant body weight, which was used as the criterion to see whether the body was under an energy balance. All foods were supplied in conventional style. In the first experiment, six young men were given a diet of 1.18 g (MPI) and 1.74 g (HPI) protein/kg of body weight/day in consecutive periods. In the second experiment, another six young men were studied at a protein intake of 1.08 g (MPI) and 2.00 g (HPI)/kg/day. The results indicate that both energy intake and energy expenditure are independent of protein intake. The average gross energy intake of the subjects was between 2,300 to 3,240 kcal/day, corresponding to a light-to-moderate grade of energy expenditure. The efficiency of energy utilization did not differ significantly between the moderate and high levels of protein intake in adults.


Interactions between consumers and humanoid service robots (HSRs; i.e., robots with a human-like morphology such as a face, arms, and legs) will soon be part of routine marketplace experiences. It is unclear, however, whether these humanoid robots (compared with human employees) will trigger positive or negative consequences for consumers and companies. Seven experimental studies reveal that consumers display compensatory responses when they interact with an HSR rather than a human employee (e.g., they favor purchasing status goods, seek social affiliation, and order and eat more food). The authors investigate the underlying process driving these effects, and they find that HSRs elicit greater consumer discomfort (i.e., eeriness and a threat to human identity), which in turn results in the enhancement of compensatory consumption. Moreover, this research identifies boundary conditions of the effects such that the compensatory responses that HSRs elicit are (1) mitigated when consumer-perceived social belongingness is high, (2) attenuated when food is perceived as more healthful, and (3) buffered when the robot is machinized (rather than anthropomorphized).


This study was designed to compare the values of some hematological parameters in some farm animals estimated by Automated Analyzer and Manual method estimation. The blood samples were collected randomly from five animals from each of the following species; cow, sheep and goat (5 sample for each). The blood samples were divided into two parts, the first were used for manual estimation and the second was analyzed by automated hematology analyzer.. The blood profile showed no significant variation ( p; < 0.05) in White Blood Cells (WBC), Red Blood cells (RBC) between all animals groups. The results of this study showed significant differences that revealed decreased in the Hemoglobin (HB) (20 g/dl) and (20.5g/dl) in cow and sheep respectively and increased of Package Cell Volume(PCV)  (33.33%) . However, goat revealed significant increase in Package Cell Volume  and Hemoglobin (6.04%and 21g/dl).


BACKGROUND
Pregnancy can be a stressful time for many women; however, it is unclear if higher stress and depressive symptoms are associated with poorer diet quality during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE
The aims for this narrative review were to (1) synthesize findings of original, peer-reviewed studies that examined associations of stress and/or depressive symptoms with diet quality during pregnancy; (2) review the measurement tools used to assess stress, depressive symptoms, and diet quality; (3) identify current gaps in the extant literature; and (4) offer recommendations for future research.

METHODS
A search strategy was used to identify peer-reviewed manuscripts published between January 1997 and October 2018, using the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection. The search was updated December 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed title, abstract, and full-text of the studies that met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and a quality assessment was conducted.

RESULTS
Twenty-seven observational studies were identified in this review (21 cross-sectional and 6 longitudinal). In 22 studies, higher stress and/or depressive symptoms were associated with poorer diet quality or unhealthy dietary patterns; 5 studies found no association. Findings are mixed and inconclusive regarding the relationship among stress, depressive symptoms, and food groups related to diet quality and frequency of fast-food consumption.

CONCLUSIONS
The current data suggest stress and depressive symptoms may be a barrier to proper diet quality during pregnancy; however, variability in the assessment tools, timing of assessments, and use of covariates likely contribute to the inconsistency in study findings. Gaps in the literature include limited use of longitudinal study designs, limited use of comprehensive diet-quality indices, underrepresentation of minority women, and lack of multilevel theoretical frameworks. Studies should address these factors to better assess associations of stress and/or depressive symptoms with diet quality during pregnancy.


In optical computing machines, many parameters of light beams can be used as data carriers. If the data are carried by optical vortices, the information can be encoded by the vortex topological charge (TC). Thus, some optical mechanisms are needed for performing typical arithmetic operations with topological charges. Here, we investigate the superposition of a single-ringed (zero-radial-index) Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beam with an off-axis Gaussian beam in the waist plane. Analytically, we derive at which polar angles intensity nulls can be located and define orders of the optical vortices born around these nulls. We also reveal which of the vortices contribute to the total TC of the superposition and which are compensated for by the opposite-sign vortices. If the LG beam has a TC of m, TC of the superposition is analytically shown to equal [m/2] or [m/2] + 1, where [] means an integer part of the fractional number. Thus, we show that the integer division of the TC by two can be done by superposing the LG beam with an off-axis Gaussian beam. Potential application areas are in optical computing machines and optical data transmission.


This paper presents an investigation, involving experiments, which shows that current network intrusion, detection, and prevention systems (NIDPSs) have several shortcomings in detecting or preventing rising unwanted traffic and have several threats in high-speed environments. It shows that the NIDPS performance can be weak in the face of high-speed and high-load malicious traffic in terms of packet drops, outstanding packets without analysis, and failing to detect/prevent unwanted traffic. A novel quality of service (QoS) architecture has been designed to increase the intrusion detection and prevention performance. Our research has proposed and evaluated a solution using a novel QoS configuration in a multi-layer switch to organize packets/traffic and parallel techniques to increase the packet processing speed. The new architecture was tested under different traffic speeds, types, and tasks. The experimental results show that the architecture improves the network and security performance which is can cover up to 8 Gb/s with 0 packets dropped. This paper also shows that this number (8Gb/s) can be improved, but it depends on the system capacity which is always limited.


Research in the social sciences often includes hypotheses concerning interactive or nonlinear effects on a given outcome latent variable. When it comes to estimating such effects, however, there is lack of consensus on how to do so properly, particularly when performing structural equation modeling (SEM). A plethora of methods have been proposed and discussed, including those de-scribed in Algina and Moulder (2001), Jaccard and Wan (1995), Joreskog and yang (1996,1997), Yang-Jonsson (1997,1998), Klein and Moosbrugger (2000), Klein and Muthen (2002), Marsh,Wen, and Hau (2004), Ping (1996a, 1996b), Schumacker and Marcoulides (1998), and Wall and Amemiya (2001, 2003). Most approaches to latent variable interactions are based on a product indicator methodology originated by Kenny and Judd (1984) that requires a level of technical and computational sophistication that renders them quite inaccessible to the average practitioner. The focus of this chapter is on the discussion of a technically straightforward approach using latent variable scores to estimating interactive and nonlinear effects within SEM. The next section, we will first describe LVS approach in a theoretical framework and in succeeding section, the approach will demonstrate in a practical manner using an empirical data. To illustrate how latent variable scores can be used to estimate nonlinear relationship between latent variables we will use Reading comprehension model as an example.


Abstract Intertextuality, an important concept in semiotics, refers to the property texts have of being full of snatches of other texts. This paper analyzes specific and generic intertextuality of Chinese courtroom discourse. In the analysis of specific intertextuality, it is found that 1) "specific and exact news source" and "implicit news source" are indicated in the trials, while "seemingly real news source" is not found in the data; 2) "direct reporting", "indirect reporting", and "narrative report of speech act" are used in the trials, while "free indirect reporting" is not indicated. The analysis of generic intertextuality shows that courtroom discourse, especially the subgenre "evidence-producing", is not only a mixture of different genres but also of different styles.


An investigation was made of a method for designing adaptive cruise control (ACC) so as to achieve a headway distance response that feels natural to the driver while at the same time obtaining high levels of both string stability and ride comfort. With this design method, the H∞ norm is adopted as the index of string stability. Additionally, two norms are introduced for evaluating ride comfort and natural vehicle behavior. The relationship between these three norms and headway distance response characteristics was analyzed, and an evaluation method was established for achieving high levels of the various performance characteristics required of ACC. An ACC system designed with this method was evaluated in driving tests conducted on a proving ground course, and the results confirmed that it achieved the targeted levels of string stability, ride comfort and natural vehicle behavior.


We found a K562 subclone (K562YO) that highly expressed the c-kit gene. K562YO had a higher capability of erythroid differentiation by hemin and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) than its parent K562 (KIT-). We obtained the transfectant expressing c-kit by introducing c-kit cDNA into K562 (KIT-). The differentiation of the transfectant was similar to that of the parent cell. Thus the difference described above was not due to the expression of c-kit. Next, we investigated the effects of stem cell factor (SCF) on the differentiation of the K562 cell expressing c-kit. SCF did not enhance the cell growth of K562YO. On the other hand, SCF suppressed induction of benzidine-positive cells when c-kit-positive cells were treated with hemin and Ara-C, especially at a low concentration. Furthermore, c-kit mRNA and protein were down-regulated during erythroid differentiation. SCF also downregulated the c-kit proteins. Our results suggest that the SCF/c-kit signals could act negatively for erythroid differentiation of the K562 cells expressing c-kit. K562YO is also useful for studying the mechanism that controls the expression of the c-kit gene because there is a K562 counterpart cell line that does not express this gene.


This article reviews literature concerning the conflict prevention strategies in some African countries. The article acknowledges that there have been numerous efforts: mediation, negotiations and military involvement employed in ensuring that the conflicts do not break out or are reignited on the continent. Nonetheless, the conflicts have remained a continental problem. This work argues that despite the commitment to preventing the conflicts on the continent, unless human needs are satisfied, the efforts may as well go to waste. Thus, using the Human Needs Theory, this paper argues that the frustration of human needs has a direct relationship with conflicts outbreak. The paper recommends adopting the Human Needs Theory to conflict prevention strategies as critical for proper diagnosis of the conflict triggering factors on the continent.


Life-histories of organisms are closely associated with their ontogenetic trajectories that result from an interplay between genes and environment. Ontogeny supplies the organisms with a potential to generate a variety of phenotypes, an emergent property that is essential for species to survive in various environments and/or to establish self-sustaining populations in novel environments. Topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva) is one of the most invasive species in Europe. Life-history traits of three populations of topmouth gudgeon from habitats exposed to disturbances of different intensity were analysed in this study. The main aim was to execute the first statistical test of the hypothesis of alternative ontogenies and invasive potential. To test this hypothesis, quantitative life-history traits, such as absolute and relative fecundity, size of oocytes, size at maturation, and annual gonadosomatic index variation in the three populations of topmouth gudgeon were examined and evaluated statistically. Two of three quantitative parameters of life-history traits support the hypothesis, whereas the third one remains equivocal but not enough to falsify it.


This paper presents evidence on a national-level electricity ladder which sees countries transition toward coal and natural gas, and finally nuclear power and modern renewables such as wind power, for their electricity needs as they develop. The extent to which countries climb the electricity ladder is dependent on energy endowments. The results imply that the environmental implications of economic development differ in countries with different energy resource endowments. An effective global carbon mitigation strategy will require developing countries to leapfrog the middle rungs of the electricity ladder.


Cloud computing adoption provides various advantages for companies. In particular, hybrid cloud shares the advantages of both the public and private cloud technologies because it combines the private in-house cloud with the public on-demand cloud. In order to obtain benefits from the opportunities provided by the hybrid cloud, organizations want to adopt or develop novel capabilities. Maturity models have proved to be an exceptional and easily available method for evaluating and improving capabilities. However, there is a dire need for a robust framework that helps client organizations in the adoption and assessment of hybrid cloud. Therefore, this research paper aims to present a taxonomy of the challenging factors faced by client organizations in the adoption of hybrid cloud. Typically, such a taxonomy is presented on the basis of obtained results from the empirical analysis with the execution of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. From the review of literature and empirical study, in total 13 challenging factors are recognized and plotted into four groups: "Lack of Inclination," "Lack of Readiness," "Lack of Adoption," and "Lack of Satisfaction." The AHP technique is executed to prioritize the identified factors and their groups. By this way, we found that "Lack of Adoption" and "Lack of Satisfaction" are the most significant groups from the identified challenging factors. Findings from AHP also show that "public cloud security concern" and "achieving QoS" are the upper ranking factors confronted in the adoption of hybrid cloud mechanism by client organizations because their global weight (0.201) is greater than those of all the other reported challenging factors. We also found out 46 practices to address the identified challenges. The taxonomy developed in this study offers a comprehensive structure for dealing with hybrid cloud computing issues, which is essential for the success and advancement of client and vendor organizations in hybrid cloud computing relationships.


This paper discusses the Chinese Learner English Corpus and presents the preliminary results of itsanalysis.The last 20 years have witnessed the revival of corpus linguistics,which is characterized by theempirical approaches for quantitative and qualitative analysis of large collections of natural texts in authenticuse.As a performance-based approach,corpus linguistic studies have attracted the attention of a growingnumber of applied linguists.Over recent years learner English corpora have been widely reported,becausethe analysis of the learners' language in real use may shed light on the nature of inter-language.Languagelearning is viewed as a process in which the learners actively engage themselves in observation,hypothesisformulation about the target language rules,and experimentation of such hypothesis in their attemptedcommunication in the target language.This paper discusses the principles of CLEC development,principlesof tagging,and measures taken to ensure the consistency in machine-aided human tagging.Based on theresults of statistical analysis of CLEC and a contrastive analysis against native English speaker corpora,errors of Chinese learners of English,over-use and under-use of collocates,and their possible causes arediscussed.Implications of the research findings in English language teaching and learning and in data-driven instruction are also presented.


1. Welcome to Electronic Commerce. Electronic Commerce Framework. Electronic Commerce and Media Convergence. The Anatomy of E-Commerce Applications. Electronic Commerce Consumer Applications. Electronic Commerce Organization Applications. Summary. 2. The Network Infrastructure for Electronic Commerce. Market Forces Influencing the I-Way. Components of the I-Way. Network Access Equipment. The Last Mile: Local Roads and Access Ramps. Global Information Distribution Networks. Public Policy Issues Shaping the I-Way. Summary. 3. The Internet as a Network Infrastructure. The Internet Terminology. Chronological History of the Internet. NSFNET: Architecture and Components. National Research and Education Network. Globalization of the Academic Internet. Internet Governance: The Internet Society. An Overview of Internet Applications. Summary. 4. The Business of Internet Commercialization. Telco/Cable/On-Line Companies. National Independent ISPs. Regional-Level ISPs. Local-Level ISPs. Service Providers Abroad. Service Provider Connectivity: Network Interconnection Points. Internet Connectivity Options. Logistics of Being an Internet Service Provider. Summary. 5. Network Security and Firewalls. Client-Server Network Security. Emerging Client-Server Security Threats. Firewalls and Network Security. Data and Message Security. Challenge-Response Systems. Encrypted Documents and Electronic Mail. U.S. Government Regulations and Encryption. Summary. 6. Electronic Commerce and World Wide Web. Architectural Framework for Electronic Commerce. World Wide Web (WWW) as the Architecture. Web Background: Hypertext Publishing. Technology behind the Web. Security and the Web. Summary. 7. Consumer-Oriented Electronic Commerce. Consumer-Oriented Applications. Mercantile Process Models. Mercantile Models from the Consumers Perspective. Mercantile Models from the Merchants Perspective. Summary. 8. Electronic Payment Systems. Types of Electronic Payment Systems. Digital Token-Based Electronic Payment Systems. Smart Cards and Electronic Payment Systems. Credit Card-Based Electronic Payment Systems. Risk and Electronic Payment Systems. Designing Electronic Payment Systems. Summary. 9. Interorganizational Commerce and EDI. Electronic Data Interchange. EDI Applications in Business. EDI: Legal, Security, and Privacy Issues. EDI and Electronic Commerce. Summary. 10. EDI Implementation MIME, and Value-Added Networks. Standardization and EDI. EDI Software Implementation. EDI Envelope for Message Transport. Value-Added Networks (VANs). Internet-Based EDI. Summary. 11. Intraorganizational Electronic Commerce. Internal Information Systems. Macroforces and Internal Commerce. Work-flow Automation and Coordination. Customization and Internal Commerce. Supply Chain Management (SCM). Summary. 12. The Corporate Digital Library. Dimensions of Internal Electronic Commerce Systems. Making a Business Case for a Document Library. Types of Digital Documents. Issues behind Document Infrastructure. Corporate Data Warehouses. Summary. 13. Advertising and Marketing on the Internet. The New Age of Information-Based Marketing. Advertising on the Internet. Charting the On-Line Marketing Process. Market Research. Summary. 14. Consumer Search and Resource Discovery. Search and Resource Discovery Paradigms. Information Search and Retrieval. Electronic Commerce Catalogs or Directories. Information Filtering. Consumer-Data Interface: Emerging Tools. Summary.


The nonequilibrium solidification of liquid Al72.9Ge27.1 hypoeutectic alloy is accomplished by using single-axis acoustic levitation. A maximum undercooling of 112K (0.16TL) is obtained for the alloy melt at a cooling rate of 50 K/s. The primary (Al) phase displays a morphological transition from coarse dendrite under a normal conditions to equiaxed grain under acoustic levitation. In the (Al)+(Ge) eutectic, the (Ge) phase exhibits a conspicuous branched growth morphology. Both the primary (Al) dendrites and (Al)+(Ge) eutectics are well refined and the solute content of the primary (Al) phase is extended under acoustic levitation. The calculated and experimental results indicate that the solute trapping effect becomes more intensive with the enhancement of bulk undercooling.


Utilization of long-chain alcohols (LCOH) as diet-composition markers in sheep consuming six diets composed of improved pasture species (Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens) with heather–gorse components (Erica spp., Calluna vulgaris and Ulex gallii) was evaluated. Twenty-four adult cross-bred sheep were housed in individual stalls. Diet composition was estimated from LCOH concentrations, combined or not with alkanes and long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) data using least-squares procedures. Prior to calculations, faecal concentrations were corrected using mean treatment (faecal recovery 1, FR1) recoveries and mean recoveries across diets (FR2). Estimates were compared with those obtained without faecal correction (FR0) and known values. Large differences between plant species and plant parts were found in LCOH patterns and total LCOH concentrations. LCOH provided complementary information to that given by alkanes and LCFA. Even-chain LCOH comprised the largest fraction, representing on average 0·894 of total concentrations. Faecal recovery was incomplete and tended to increase with carbon-chain length (CCL) in a curvilinear manner (FR = −7·872 + 0·580 × CCL − 0·010 × CCL2; P < 0·001; r2 = 0·752). Diet composition influenced (P < 0·001) LCOH recovery, although variability within (CV of 9·0%) and between (CV of 13·3%) diets was low. Accuracy of estimates was influenced (P < 0·001) by faecal-correction method and markers used, and the best estimate was obtained combining LCOH and alkanes. Improvement in estimate accuracy can be achieved if suitable correction of LCOH faecal concentrations is performed prior to calculations. Results indicated that LCOH showed lower dependence than alkanes and LCFA on the use of accurate faecal-correction data.


Agriculture remains the source of livelihood in Africa. However, this sector is plagued by high level of wastage in food chain. In Kenya it is estimated that close to 50% of Kenya's agricultural produce, be it crop, fish or even livestock is lost in post-harvest maneuvers. This is largely due to poor post-harvest processing and storage. These are energy intensive which compound the situation. Energy challenge is multi-faceted ranging from technology to financing and accessibility. This paper looks at energy financing and analyses the various options available for the agricultural sector in Kenya. The paper further compares financing approach in the developed countries and the lessons learnt and opportunities. The results of this study show that project finance is the preferred model of financing among REP financiers, while REP developers mainly prefer corporate finance. Based on the cost of implementation, project finance is mostly only a viable option for financing large-scale REPs, which as the results of this study show, delivers minimal benefits for sustainable economic development. This is mainly because large SEPs are mostly gridconnected. It is recommended that in developing countries, public institutions and legal systems should consider having the stability, ability, and reliability over the medium to long term to put in place and enforce laws and private sector regulation in general, as well as supportive incentives for renewable energy in particular.


An arteriographic and histological study of the arterial blood supply of 35 navicular bones, from 19 adult horses with no clinical or radiographical signs of navicular disease, is described. The arteries enter the navicular bone from four directions: distal, proximal, medial, and lateral. The navicular bone can be divided into areas which receive arteries from one, two, or three directions, whereas the distal supply covers the largest part of the navicular bone. The distal arteries enter the navicular bone through the nutrient foramen which contains loose connective tissue, nutrient vessels and myelinated nerves. At least 77 per cent of the nutrient foramina contains synovial membrane. Twelve per cent of the arteries in the navicular bone show histological changes. Thickening of the intima with or without splitting of the internal elastic membrane and hyalinization, fibrosis and hypertrophy of the media were observed.


The article reviews a clinical case of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with early onset. This case study shows current approaches to the diagnosis of this form of AD and the management of this group of patients. It is reasonable to use Acathinol memantin in patients with early onset of AD. The drug is characterized by a minimal number of side effects and a limited spectrum of contraindications.


The robustness of autonomous robotic systems to unanticipated circumstances is typically insufficient for use in the field. The many skills of human user often fill this gap in robotic capability. To incorporate the human into the system, a useful interaction between man and machine must exist. This interaction should enable useful communication to be exchanged in a natural way between human and robot on a variety of levels. This report describes the current human-robot interaction for the Stanford HUMMINGBIRD autonomous helicopter. In particular, the report discusses the elements of the system that enable multiple levels of communication. An intelligent system agent manages the different inputs given to the helicopter. An advanced user interface gives the user and helicopter a method for exchanging useful information. Using this human-robot interaction, the HUMMINGBIRD has carried out various autonomous search, tracking, and retrieval missions.


The STEM space is very complex – the term has different meaning in different contexts, the STEM subjects do not have equivalence, projects may be after school or in the curriculum, assessment is problematic, the goals of STEM are multiple, and so on. This complexity makes it difficult to generalize about the nature of STEM and of STEM teaching. However, there is a body of research about good teaching practice, which results in effective learning, and can be applied to the range of STEM activities. This presentation will select some principles of teaching and learning, derived from research, and elaborates on the implications of their application to STEM teaching.The STEM space is very complex – the term has different meaning in different contexts, the STEM subjects do not have equivalence, projects may be after school or in the curriculum, assessment is problematic, the goals of STEM are multiple, and so on. This complexity makes it difficult to generalize about the nature of STEM and of STEM teaching. However, there is a body of research about good teaching practice, which results in effective learning, and can be applied to the range of STEM activities. This presentation will select some principles of teaching and learning, derived from research, and elaborates on the implications of their application to STEM teaching.


We present here our results on surface micro-structuring via nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation of Titanium and Stainless Steel cathode samples. Laser based surface micro-structuring leading to formation of self-assembled micro-tips can potentially enhance field emission efficiency of such surface treated cathodes. Microstructure of the laser treated surfaces has been observed under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and SEM images were further analyzed using software attached with Optical Microscope. To study the effect of laser fluence on developed surface microstructure, the target surface was irradiated in different regions with laser beams at varying laser fluence levels ranging from 2-10 J/cm 2 for a period of 1 to 15 minutes corresponding to 600 to 9000 laser pulses. Mean height of the generated micro-cones was observed to increase from 17 to 30µm on increasing number of irradiating laser pulses from 3000 to 9000 in case of Stainless Steel samples. In case of laser treated Titanium average periodicity of generated self-assembled micro-cones decreased from 10.8μm to 6.5μm when laser fluence was increased from 5 to 10J/cm 2 with a total of 600 laser pulses used for irradiating the sample. Copyright © 2013 VBRI press.


Genistein is one of the most studied phytocompound in the class of isoflavones, presenting a notable estrogenic activity and in vitro and/or in vivo benefits in different types of cancer such as those of the bladder, kidney, lung, pancreatic, skin and endometrial cancer. A big inconvenience for drug development is low water solubility, which can be solved by using hydrophilic cyclodextrins. The aim of this study is to theoretically analyze, based on the interaction energy, the possibility of a complex formation between genistein (Gen) and three different ramified cyclodextrins (CD), using a 1:1 molar ratio Gen:CD. Theoretical data were correlated with a screening of both in vitro and in vivo activity. Proliferation of different human cancer cell lines, antimicrobial activity and angiogenesis behavior was analyzed in order to see if complexation has a beneficial effect for any of the above mentioned activities and if so, which of the three CDs is the most suitable for the incorporation of genistein, and which may lead to future improved pharmaceutical formulations. Results showed antiproliferative activity with different IC50 values for all tested cell lines, remarkable antimicrobial activity on Bacillus subtilis and antiangiogenic activity as revealed by CAM assay. Differences regarding the intensity of the activity for pure and the three Gen complexes were noticed as explained in the text. The data represent a proof that the three CDs can be used for furtherer research towards practical use in the pharmaceutical and medical field.


There is increasing interest in the problematic behaviour of consumers in budgetary and financial terms. Behavioural change models can help put in place social marketing initiatives in this respect. This paper reveals that the strategies for change used by consumers are fundamentally approach and avoidance strategies. It proposes a model to define the role of decisional balance in the way these strategies are used. This model is applied to groups made up of consumers in similar situations and on a trajectory towards change. The dimensions of change in the transtheoretical model (precontemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance) served as the basis for forming these groups, in line with previous research that adopted this orientation rather than a series of successive and distinct phases in the change process. Our findings have direct implications for our understanding of behavioural change and social marketing actions in this area of study.


A virus with characteristics similar to the pox group was isolated in tissue culture from bovine skin and oral lesions typical of pseudocowpox. The properties of this agent, certain of which differ from vaccinia virus, suggest that the isolate is the etiologic agent of the pseudocowpox syndrome.


Automated vehicles (AVs) introduce a new challenge to human-computer interaction (HCI): pedestrians are no longer able to communicate with human drivers. Hence, new HCI designs need to fill this gap. This work presents the implementation and comparison of different interaction concepts in virtual reality (VR). They were derived after an analysis of 28 works from research and industry, which were classified into five groups according to their complexity and the type of communication. We implemented one concept per group for a within-subject experiment in VR. For each concept, we varied if the AV is going to stop and how early it starts to activate its display. We observed effects on safety, trust, and user experience. A good concept displays information on the street, uses unambiguous signals (e.g., green lights) and has high visibility. Additional feedback, such as continuously showing the recognized pedestrian's location, seem to be unnecessary and may irritate.


Introduction Endometriosis is one of the common, gynaecological disorders associated with chronic pelvic pain and subfertility affecting ~10% of reproductive age women. The clinical presentation, etiopathogenesis of endometriosis subtypes and associated risk factors are largely unknown. Genome-Wide Association (GWA) Studies (GWAS) provide strong evidence for the role of genetic risk factors contributing to endometriosis. However, no studies have investigated the association of the GWAS-identified single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) with endometriosis risk in the Indian population; therefore, one-sixth of the world's population is not represented in the global genome consortiums on endometriosis. The Endometriosis Clinical and Genetic Research in India (ECGRI) study aims to broaden our understanding of the clinical phenotypes and genetic risks associated with endometriosis. Methods and analysis ECGRI is a large-scale, multisite, case–control study of 2000 endometriosis cases and 2000 hospital controls to be recruited over 4 years at 15 collaborating study sites across India covering representative Indian population from east,north-east, north, central, west and southern geographical zones of India. We will use the World Endometriosis Research Foundation Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonisation Project (WERF-EPHect) data collection instruments for capturing information on clinical, epidemiological, lifestyle, environmental and surgical factors. WERF-EPHect standard operating procedures will be followed for the collection, processing and storage of biological samples. The principal analyses will be for main outcome measures of the incidence of endometriosis, disease subtypes and disease severity determined from the clinical data. This will be followed by GWAS within and across ethnic groups. Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health and all participating study sites. The study is also approved by the Health Ministry Screening Committee of the Government of India. The results from this study will be actively disseminated through discussions with endometriosis patient groups, conference presentations and published manuscripts.


At the end of the 20th century the sustainability concept was mainly a basis for developing policies consistent with a continued use of resources into the future without causing environmental crisis. But the situation has evolved, and the global economic crisis in 2009 was the ultimate consequence of short-term economic thinking. We need a new form of economic development, addressing the needs of the present without undermining the needs of the future. Sustainable development requires us to take a long term view of the economy, rather than adopting short term fixes. A concept of sustainability includes sustainable economic growth and development, economic stability, competitiveness, healthy environment and sound environmental practices, an innovative and knowledge-based economy, income security and employment stability, as well as respect of cultural experiences of societies. The aim of the conference Managing Sustainable Growth was analyse various aspects of sustainable economic growth and development and to offer researchers and professionals the opportunity to discuss the most demanding other issues of sustainability.


Our recent research on the integrated micro biosensor systems was presented in this paper. Monolithic ISFET (ion-sensitive field-effect transistor) pH sensor and microelectrode amperometric immunosensor based on the micro/nano fabrication technology were studied. The Monolithic ISFET sensor, including the differential ISFET/REFET sensing device and the signal-processing circuit integrated on a single chip, was fabricated by standard CMOS and MEMS technology. Amperometric immunosensors were prepared based on MEMS technology with different microelectrode system and novel antibody immobilization methods. Both kinds of the sensors show attractive advantages, such as miniaturization, compatibility with CMOS techniques, easy to be designed into micro array and enables relatively rapid, reliable and inexpensive field-analysis.


In Myanmar, dengue fever (DF)/dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children. From Pyinmana Hospital in 2004 and Mandalay Children Hospital in 2006, 160 patients diagnosed clinically to have DHF/dengue shock syndrome (DSS) were examined for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG levels. A focus reduction neutralization test was also used to determine primary or secondary dengue virus (DENV) infection. By using IgM‐capture ELISA, 139 cases were confirmed as DENV infections. Of these IgM‐positives, 94 samples were collected 7–24 days from the onset of illness, to which 13 (14%) and 81 (86%) were determined to be primary and secondary DENV infections, respectively. The 13 primary DENV infection cases were spread among the various severity groups (DHF grade I–IV and DSS) and represented age groups ranging from <1 year of age to 9 years of age. The patients in these primary infection cases showed a remarkably high IgM with a low IgG titer response compared with the secondary infection cases. No significant differences were observed in IgG titers with clinical severity. The data obtained in this study suggest that primary DENV infection cases exist certainly among DHF/DSS cases in Myanmar, and that additional mechanism(s) aside from the antibody‐dependent enhancement mechanism could have influenced the clinical severity in DHF/DSS cases. J. Med. Virol. 85:1258–1266, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Invariant object recognition is one of the most fundamental cognitive tasks performed by the brain. In the neural state space, different objects with stimulus variabilities are represented as different manifolds. In this geometrical perspective, object recognition becomes the problem of linearly separating different object manifolds. In feedforward visual hierarchy, it has been suggested that the object manifold representations are reformatted across the layers, to become more linearly separable. Thus, a complete theory of perception requires characterizing the ability of linear readout networks to classify object manifolds from variable neural responses. A theory of the perceptron of isolated points was pioneered by E. Gardner who formulated it as a statistical mechanics problem and analyzed it using replica theory. In this thesis, we generalize Gardner's analysis and establish a theory of linear classification of manifolds synthesizing statistical and geometric properties of high dimensional signals. [..] Next, we generalize our theory further to linear classification of general perceptual manifolds, such as point clouds. We identify that the capacity of a manifold is determined that effective radius, R_M, and effective dimension, D_M. Finally, we show extensions relevant for applications to real data, incorporating correlated manifolds, heterogenous manifold geometries, sparse labels and nonlinear classifications. Then, we demonstrate how object-based manifolds transform in standard deep networks. This thesis lays the groundwork for a computational theory of neuronal processing of objects, providing quantitative measures for linear separability of object manifolds. We hope this theory will provide new insights into the computational principles underlying processing of sensory representations in biological and artificial neural networks.


Abstract:To his last days, Joo Cabral claimed as a badge of honour his status as an anti-lyric poet, assessing correctly the momentous contribution of this aspect of his poetry to Brazilian and world literature. The critical bibliography on Cabral has followed suit, paying particular attention to Cabral's anti-lyricism, but it should also be noted that a significant portion of Cabral's poetry does not, in fact, turn its back on the lyric. Instead, it is in dialogue with — and perhaps confronts — certain significant aspects of the lyric, achieving 'um lirismo de tenses [a lyricism of tensions] (Joo Alexandre Barbosa). This paper explores the particular lyricism of Cabral's poetry about eros and love by sketching a chronological development from Pedra do sono (1942) to Sevilha andando (1992) and by examining in some detail the strategies of a few representative poems. It argues that an important portion of Cabral's poetry, including a number of his most luminous poems, can best be understood in the context of the lyrical tradition, to which they make a strikingly original contribution.


tle jaw could be niade with less restrainit aind pain than formerly. More thani a montlh after he had ceased in his attendailce, he called upoin me to show that hie could open his mllouth nlearly as freely, and that he could nlow masticate his food as efficienltly as he had cver done in. his lifetime ; all remains of effused blood h.ad beenl absorbed; the originial swellinig at the lower part of tlle masseter was much as whenl I first examiiined it, and though lie seemed delighted with the great improvement which had beeni effected, there was still, as it appeared to me, such a degree of rigidity, that lie couild not gape to such an extenlt as, doubtless, he could have done in his earlier days. I recommended him to move the jaw freely and frequently, aiid, having since heard nothing more of the case, presume that the improvement has beni permanient. At the present time, when each day may be said to bring forth its niew list of muscles, teindons, anid other textures, wlhich have been divided by the modem, so called, sub-cutaneous operatiomis, it is not easy to say which muscle has or has not been cut across, during the zealous attempts now going forward in all parts of Europe to remedy, by the combined inifluence of a small knife and machinery, the numerous deformities and distortions to which the human frame is liable, amid therefore with reference to the case above detailed, I will only say that I am not aware of the masseter muscle having been divided under similar circumstances; for examples of permanent contraction of this muscle, independent of aniy tetanic affection, are not often met with in practice. In my own experience I have met with several instances of permanent inability to open the mouth to such an extemit as to permit the patient to masticate ; but I cannot say that my attention was particularly attracted by the apparent rigidity of any single muscle, and wlhether the remedy, which was of such service in this case, may prove equally so in others, I will not venture to assert, but I feel assured that in many instances the division of one or more muscles, either by sub-cutanieous or sub-mucous incision, would be productive of more decided benefit, than the rude and even painful method of forcibly separatiilg the jaws by a dilator, which I have seen practised by others, and have resorted to myself. Now-a-days, when we have proof that most of the tendons and muscles surrounding a joint may be cut across with impunity, the proposal ofdividing one or both masseter muscles, in such cases as that which has given rise to these observations, may, I think, be entertainied with every degree of reason; even the temporal muscle might be separated from the coronoid process by a proceeding somewhat similar to that above described, or, should it be thought advisable, the internal pterygoid might be similarly treated. Both muscles last named may be incised to any desirable extent, either through the mouth or by a sub-cutaneous wounid, but, in operating on the pterygoid, considerable care would be necessary to avoid the inferior maxillary nerve, as well as the internal maxillary artery. I imagine, however, that it would seldom be requisite to interfere with this muscle, but I think it not at all improbable that some of tile readers of this Journal may, ere long, meet with opportumiities of testing the efficiency of the practice which I have already applied to the masseter. Dover-street, Piccadilly, Jan. 20, 1841.


This study is carried out to find out types and functions of hedges in Hillary Clinton?s interview entitled Expanding the U.S. - Indonesian Dialogue. Hillary Clinton is one of the inspiring women nowadays. Considering her existence to inspire people especially women, this pragmatics study attempts to find the types, functions, and type in relation to each function in Clinton?s utterances. The theory that is applied to find type of hedges is the taxonomy of hedges by Salager-Meyer (1997), while the theory of multiple functions by Jennifer Coates (1996) is applied to find functions of hedges. It is found that Clinton?s utterances contain a lot of hedges, classified into seven types and four functions of hedges. The most frequent type is Introductory Phrases. The second most frequent is approximators of degree, quantity, frequency and time. The following are modal auxiliary, adjectival, adverbial, excluding nominal phrases, compound hedges, "if" clauses, and modal lexical verbs. In addition, noun as one of types of hedges that could not be found. Furthermore, functions of hedges that appear the most is expressing doubt, which is followed by searching for the right word, avoiding playing the expert, sensitivity to other?s feeling, and expressing confidence. In addition, it is found that one type can have more than one function depending on the context. Besides, the findings reveal certain types of hedges are used in relation to each function. Although, the result reveals that Hillary uses hedges to express doubt the most frequently, it can not be concluded that she is lack of confidence. This might due to her role as the representative of United of States that she has to be careful in giving statements.


Genotoxicity studies conducted in animals are a key component in carcinogenicity risk assessment, offering advantages over in vitro methods by accounting for chemical/drug dispositional effects and intact homeostatic mechanisms. In vivo genotoxicity assays can be classified as either those measuring DNA damage (rodent micronucleus (MN), unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS), Comet assay), or mutations (Hprt loci, Pig-a, transgenic rodent models). Currently, in vivo genotoxicity tests measuring DNA damage are more widely used in safety evaluation and risk assessment, although both the rodent MN and UDS assays have relatively high false-negative rates. The Comet assay shows better predictivity; however, further refinements in protocol and data evaluation criteria are needed. Technological advancements in measuring DNA damage in peripheral blood (MN and Comet assays, DNA adducts) allow monitoring for genotoxicity in a surrogate tissue across several species. Mutagenicity assays are useful for understanding the relevance of DNA damage, and although endogenous gene assays (e.g., Hprt, Pig-a), as well as genomic technologies are not widely used for risk assessment, they hold promise as genotoxicity biomarkers given their application across species. Transgenic rodents with exogenous reporter genes have been used successfully to assess mutagenicity; however, these models are expensive and not widely used. Although much progress has been made in the refinement and application of in vivo genotoxicity testing, only through the comprehensive integration of chemical/drug disposition, dose–response, and mode-of-action (MoA) data, with extrapolations to human use and/or exposure, will cancer risk to exposed populations be more accurately predicted.


Waves with periods shorter than the inertial period exist in the atmosphere (as inertia-gravity waves) and in the oceans (as Poincaré and internal gravity waves). Such waves owe their origin to various mechanisms, but of particular interest are those arising either from local secondary instabilities or spontaneous emission due to loss of balance. These phenomena have been studied in the laboratory, both in the mechanically-forced and the thermally-forced rotating annulus. Their generation mechanisms, especially in the latter system, have not yet been fully understood, however. Here we examine short period waves in a numerical model of the rotating thermal annulus, and show how the results are consistent with those from earlier laboratory experiments. We then show how these waves are consistent with being inertia-gravity waves generated by a localised instability within the thermal boundary layer, the location of which is determined by regions of strong shear and downwelling at certain points within a large-scale baroclinic wave flow. The resulting instability launches small-scale inertia-gravity waves into the geostrophic interior of the flow. Their behaviour is captured in fully nonlinear numerical simulations in a finite-difference, 3D Boussinesq Navier–Stokes model. Such a mechanism has many similarities with those responsible for launching small- and meso-scale inertia-gravity waves in the atmosphere from fronts and local convection.


Studies of the efficacy of antihistamines in treating human upper airway pathology are difficult to design and conduct. In part, this is the result of a lack of objective measures of the nasal response. The purpose of this study was to develop a monkey model for the objective evaluation of antihistamine effectiveness and, using this model, to study the efficacy of cetirizine. Computer-assisted active anterior rhinomanometry was used to assess nasal airway resistance (NAR) before and after a nasal histamine provocation in conscious rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). To establish dose-response relationships for oral antihistamines in monkeys, we measured the suppression of wheal-and-flare reactions by two such agents, oral cetirizine (CET) 0.1 to 1 mg/kg and chlorpheniramine (CHL) 0.07 to 0.2 mg/kg. The decreases in wheal sizes were maximal 60 to 120 minutes after CET 1.0 mg/kg (90%), and after CHL 0.2 mg/kg (70%). The four monkeys were challenged intranasally with increasing histamine doses (0.5, 1, 5, and 10 mg). The NAR was measured 15 minutes after each dose. At least three days later and 90 minutes after oral pretreatment with either CET 1 mg/kg or CHL 0.2 mg/kg, the intranasal challenges were repeated. Postchallenge NAR data are given as the percent increase from the baseline NAR values. The four monkeys studied had coefficients of variation of 13%, 15%, 16%, and 26% respectively for baseline studies. Mean percent increases in NAR +/- standard deviation were 14% +/- 0.4%, 47% +/- 10.0%, 45% +/- 3.0%, and 72% +/- 6.0% after intranasal challenge with 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 mg of histamine, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


An efficient method-of-moments (MoM) technique for analyzing non-periodic antenna arrays of identical elements with fixed orientation is presented. The proposed method, which uses macro basis functions (MBFs), is based on a compact representation of the interactions between MBFs. These interactions are expressed via a low-order harmonic-polynomial function after an explicit pre-computation of the reaction integrals in a very limited set of relative positions. This is possible for arrays of arbitrary size thanks to three transformations- subtraction of the far-field expression for the interactions, phase correction and modified radial distance- applied successively to the pre-computed interactions. After obtaining the harmonic-polynomial expressions, the computation time for the reaction integral between two MBFs is independent from the complexity of the antenna array element.


[1] Significantly older 14C ages by 2500–7900 years are found for sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) when compared to ages of codeposited surface-dwelling foraminifera in the southern Okinawa Trough. This age discrepancy increases with rising sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum. A progressive shift in TOC δ13C toward more negative values with rising sea level reflects an increasing fractional contribution of terrestrial organics (soil organics, plant debris, and/or fossil organics) to the buried organic pool. Organic matter previously stored on the East China Sea shelf during sea level lowstand and riverine material from Taiwan may be the sources that cause the δ13CTOC to shift to more terrestrial values. During the Holocene when sea level is above −40 m, δ13CTOC values stabilize within a narrow range (−22.3 to −22.8‰) while age discrepancies continue to increase and less chemically weathered sediments are deposited. The increase in age discrepancy between TOC and foraminifera in the Holocene may be due to a wetter climate that drove higher rates of physical weathering on Taiwan and greater transport rates of fossil organic C-bearing lithogenic sediment to the ocean. The climate impact on the relative delivery of fossil and nonfossil TOC in depositional settings influenced by fluvial sources should be considered in interpretations of sedimentary C isotope records.


The addition of surfactants to polymer-based thermal interface materials applied to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of chip surfaces in contact has attracted attention for the microelectronic processing technology. In the present study, the mechanism by which a long-chain surfactant affects heat transfer across the interface between solid surface and polymer liquid was investigated by non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation. We constructed a system where tetracosane was used as a solvent and contained alcohol molecules as a surfactant, and they were placed between two flat silica surfaces under a thermal gradient. The effect of the hydrophilicity of silica surface, the concentration of the surfactant, and chain length of the surfactant on silica−liquid interfacial thermal resistance Rb were examined. Alcohol surfactant molecules preferred to adsorb onto the hydrophilic silica (Si−OH) surface due to hydrogen bonding between alcohol and silanol hydroxyl groups. It was found that Rb reduced not only with the adsorption amount of alcohol molecules but also with the chain length of alcohol. The van der Waals interaction contribution was dominant for solid−liquid and liquid−liquid heat conduction near the interface. The hydroxyl terminals of alcohol molecules were vertically adsorbed onto the Si−OH surface due to hydrogen bonds, which produced a heat path from silanols to the hydroxyl groups of alcohol. Furthermore, heat was also exchanged between alcohol hydroxyl and alkyl groups via intramolecular interaction and between the alcohol alkyl groups and nearby solvent molecules via van der Waals (vdW) intermolecular interaction. This resulted in an efficient heat path from solid surface silanols to liquid bulk. As the alcohol chain length increased without changing the number of adsorbed alcohol molecules, the heat transfer through this heat path increased, which led to a decrease in Rb. These results provided insight toward the guiding principle for the molecular design of complex surfactants to enhance the interfacial heat transfer.


In Drosophila puparium is a cuticular mould of external structures formed by the larval cells and can, therefore, preserve traces of developmental defects which appeared in embryogenesis. In this way ontogenetic relationship between embryonic defects and developmental defects in adult individuals can be established. The normal pattern of segmentation in puparia of Drosophila melanogaster was established by comparing segmentation defects in adult flies and corresponding puparia. Boundaries of segment and compartments have been determined, imaginal rudiments of abdominal segments (nests of histoblasts) and rudiments of trachea have been localized on puparia.


Background and aims Appliance of electric pulses induces red blood cells (RBCs) membrane poration, membrane aminophospholipid perturbation and alteration of the normal flip-flop process, resulting in various shape changes of the RBCs. We studied morphological and water permeability changes of RBCs bombarded with electrons in an alternating current circuit. Methods We used three venous blood samples of 100 mL and an alternating current device. The harvested blood was divided into four experimental sets to be used for various exposure times: 0 hours (control RBCs), 0.5h, 3h and 6h (electric-stimulated RBCs). Following the electric current each of the four sets were further divided into three samples: one for the assessment of the echinocytes/RBCs ratio, another for the electron microscopy study of ultrastructural changes induced by the alternating electrical current and a larger third one for determining water permeability of RCBs by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and morphological measurements. Results There is a small but statistically significant effect of the RBC exposure to alternating electric current on cell diameters. Exposure to electric current is positively and strongly correlated with the percentage of echinocytes in a duration-dependent manner. There is a strong and statistically significant correlation between electric current exposure and permeability to water as measured by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Conclusion Following interactions between electric current and RBC membrane, certain modifications were observed in the erythrocyte structure. We attribute the increased cell size to a higher permeability to water and a decreased tonicity. This leads to the transformation of the RBCs into echinocytes.


The growing demand for lightweight, renewable, and excellent thermal insulation materials has fueled a search for high performance biomass materials with good mechanical compressibility and ultralow thermal conductivity. We propose a fabrication method for making a lightweight, anisotropic, and compressible wood aerogel with aligned cellulose fibers by a simple chemical treatment. The wood aerogel was mainly composed of highly aligned cellulose fibers with a relative crystallinity of 77.1%. The aerogel exhibits a low density of 32.18 mg/cm3 and a high specific surface area of 31.68 m2/g due to the removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the wood. Moreover, the multilayer structure of the aerogel was formed under the restriction of wood rays. Combined with a nanoscale pore, the aerogel presents good compressibility and an ultralow thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/mK. These results show that the wood aerogel is a high quality biomass material with a potential function of thermal insulation through optimizing structures.


We explain briefly why Compton scattering from a crystal gives a featureless continuous x-ray background while Bragg scattering from the same crystal produces sharp diffraction peaks. It is shown that the answer lies at the heart of quantum mechanics, namely the uncertainty and the complementarity principles.


LiFePO4/C composites are prepared from amorphous FePO4 · xH2O and are modified with NiO (0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04 mol) by using a solid-state reaction process with a spex milling system. The crystalline structure and the morphology of synthesized powders have been characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The XRD patterns indicate a complete solid solution for all the NiO-doped LiFePO4/C composites. The SEM images show that the sizes of the particles produced are distributed in the range of 200 − 300 nm. The electrochemical performances have been evaluated by using an impedance measurement and a galvanostatic charge/discharge test. The initial properties and impedance measurement reveal different improvements for different amounts of NiO doping in LiFePO4/C. A maximum capacity of 158.8 mAh/g at 0.1 C has been achieved LiFePO4/C doped with NiO at 0.01 mol. The present work reveals that the newly processed composite of LiFePO4/C doped with a small amount of NiO may be a promising material for using in a lithium-ion battery.


To classify Web objects into predefined semantic structure is called the Web Page classification. One of the most essential technique for Web Mining is the automatic web page classification given that the web is a huge repository of various information including images, videos etc. And there is a need for categorization web pages to satisfy user needs. The classification of web pages into each category exclusively relies on man power which cost much time and effort. To alleviate this manually classification problem, more researchers focus on the issue of web pages classification technology. In this paper, we proposed Random Forest Classifier (RF) based on random forest method for multicategory web page classification. The proposed RF classifier can classify web pages efficiently according to their corresponding class without using other feature selection methods. We compared the accuracy of the proposed approach to decision tree classifier using in the same Yahoo web pages. The experiments have shown that the proposed approach is suitable for the multi-category web page classification.


This research paper conceptualises the determinants of school choice by parents in selected secondary schools in urban Zambia. It empirically examines the extent school choice is determined by the following parameters: the school's academic performance; parents' socio-economic status; location of parents and moral and religious values of the schools. The rational choice and free market theories underpinned the conceptualisation of the determinants of school choice. Convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. The study was done in Lusaka district based on the fact that it is the most urbanised town in the country. The study used both simple random sampling and purposive sampling to select respondents. 120 parents responded to questionnaires, 8 parents were interviewed to crosscheck other parents' responses in the questionnaires. Interviews were also used to generate data from 6 head-teachers and 1 key informant at District Education Office. Multiple and single regression analysis were used to establish the significance of the factors of school choice under investigation. Key among the findings that show a departure from global literature in the context of Zambia is that of moral and religious values which was rated second and most significant determinant of School choice. Equally, school academic performance is the biggest determining factor in parents' school choice. In the third place was Parents' socio-economic status. Location of parents was however established to be insignificant as a determinant of school choice. The paper recommends that government should work at issues that enhanced school academic performance and discipline in schools such as intensifying monitoring and supervision especially in public schools so as to increase preference for such schools, Therefore, the study recommends for future research on examination of determinants of school choice should focus on primary level in both rural and urban settings.


A new species, Oxytropis ocrensis , is described from Central Apennines (Italy). This species is morphologically closely related to O. halleri group ( O. xerophila , O. halleri and O. korabensis ) occurring in the Alps and Albania, from which it differs by longer calyx, larger lateral calyx teeth, long hairs on calyx teeth, smaller keel limb and larger diameter of stem under the inflorescence. The taxonomic relationships of the new species with the hitherto known species of O. halleri group are examined and discussed.


Isolated DC-DC converter in data centers are now required to have a high step-down ratio and be suitable for high-power applications. As such DC-DC converters, LLC resonant converters have been attracting attention. However, the LLC resonant converter generates a large resonance voltage at the resonator, so the resonance inductor and resonance capacitor must be large in size. Recently, a previous study proposed a secondary-side resonance LLC converter to reduce the resonant voltages of the passive components. Nevertheless, this LLC converter requires a resonant capacitor in parallel with the rectifier to achieve boost mode operation, which complicates the circuit operation and design. Therefore, we have considered the use of the magnetizing inductance of the coupled transformer of the current doubler rectifier as a method to realize the boost mode operation. In this paper, we propose a new method of boost mode operation for LLC resonant converter using secondary-side resonance and the current doubler rectifier.


Much of today's CRT photocomposition is being processed through computer systems from typed OCR input or from magnetic tapes. Both approaches have some attraction for publishers who may have the capability of preparing such input within their own editorial offices, or from available computerized master files of data. Advantages of these procedures and some problems which have been encountered are discussed. The importance of personnel selection and training, attention to details of specifications, and equipment maintenance are emphasized. With careful programming, data files can frequently be converted into typesetting language, selecting and rearranging material to meet a publisher's needs.


Background: CR and CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) are associated with prolonged overall survival (OS) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients (pts) treated with curative-intent, induction therapy. For AML pts treated with azacitidine (AZA), response (CR, partial response, marrow CR, or hematologic improvement) is also associated with prolonged OS. We evaluate whether patients given AZA for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or AML had longer OS if they achieved CR. We also compare the effect size of CR on OS between AZA regimens and 7+3. Patients and Methods: We analyzed four SWOG studies: S1117 (n=277) was a randomized Phase II study comparing AZA to AZA+lenalidomide or AZA+vorinostat for higher-risk MDS and CMML pts (median age 70 years, range 28-93); S0703 (n=133) treated AML pts not eligible for curative-intent therapy with AZA+mylotarg (median age 73 years, range 60-88). We analyzed the 7+3 arms of S0106 (n=301 were randomized to 7+3, median age 48 years, range 18-60) and S1203 (n=261 were randomized to 7+3, median age 48 years, range 19-60). CR was defined per 2003 International Working Group criteria. In S1117 CR was assessed every 16 weeks and patients remained on therapy until disease progression. In S0703, S0106, and S1203 CR was assessed following 1-2 induction cycles; patients not achieving CR (S0106) or CRi (S0703 and S1203) were removed from protocol treatment. OS was measured from date of study registration. To avoid survival by response bias, we performed landmark analyses of OS. We present results based on the study-specific landmark date that 75% of pts who eventually achieved a CR had done so (S1117 144 days, S0703 42 days, S0106 44 days, S1203 34 days). Pts who did not achieve CR by this date were analyzed with pts who never achieved CR. Pts who died or were lost to follow-up before this date were excluded from analyses. As a sensitivity analysis we also analyzed based on the 90% date; results were not materially different. Log-rank tests were used to compare survival curves and Cox regression models were used for multivariable modeling including baseline prognostic factors age, sex, performance status, white blood cell count, platelet count, marrow blast percentage, de novo disease (versus antecedent MDS or therapy-related disease), study arm (for S1117 only), and cytogenetic risk (IPSS criteria for S1117, SWOG criteria for S0703, S0106, and S1203). The following analysis considers morphologic CR only. S0106 treated CR with incomplete count recover (CRi) pts as treatment failures (S0703 and S1203 did not) and CRi was not defined for S1117. Hematologic improvement was only defined for S1117 patients. Results: In univariate analysis, CR was significantly associated with prolonged survival among MDS pts treated with azactidine on S1117 (HR=0.55, p=0.017), confirming the results seen in AML pts treated with azacitidine (and mylotarg, S0703, HR=0.60, p=0.054) and 7+3 (S0106 HR=0.44, p Conclusion: Adjusting for pt characteristics, achievement of morphologic CR was associated with a 60% improvement in OS, on average, compared to that seen in pts who don9t achieve a CR, regardless of whether pts were treated with 7+3 or AZA containing regimens, and suggesting that value CR is similar of whether pts receive more or less "intensive" therapy for these high grade neoplasms. Support: NIH/NCI grants CA180888 and CA180819 Acknowledgement: The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the important contributions of the late Dr. Stephen H. Petersdorf to SWOG and to study S0106. Disclosures Othus:Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. Sekeres:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Erba:Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Gylcomimetics: Other: DSMB; Juno: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Ariad: Consultancy; Jannsen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, DSMB, Speakers Bureau; Celator: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.


Although dairy products play a significant role in human nutrition, they may cause a risk to the consumers. This study intends to determine the microbial contamination level in selected milk products concerning Bacillus cereus enterotoxigenic genes. Three hundred plant-origin flavoured cheese, flavoured yogurt, flavoured drinking yogurt, kareish (skim milk cheese), soft cheese, and Ras (Romy) cheese (50 samples for each) were randomly collected from retail markets at different districts in El Fayoum Governorate, Egypt. The microbiological analysis and the molecular identification of Bacillus cereus by multiplex PCR were applied and revealed potential risks associated with consumption of the tested milk products (white soft, Ras, and kareish cheeses). In all analysed cheeses (white soft, Ras and kareish) a high contamination level with coagulase positive staphylococci (20.0 %, 22.0 % and 20.0 %) and coliform bacteria (76.0, 86.0, and 88.0 %) was detected. The highest percent (78.0 %) of fungi was found in kareish cheese samples. Bacillus licheniformis was the most aerobic spore forming bacteria detected in kareish cheese (23.7 %) and flavoured drinking yogurt (17.0 %) samples. The highest prevalence (8.0%) of Bacillus cereus was recorded in the flavoured drinking yogurt and white soft cheese samples. The (nhe) was the most detected gene (100.0 %) in all of the examined samples. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) between nhe and ces genes in all investigated samples except in flavoured drinking yogurt samples. Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were not detected. This survey is one of the very few surveys that describe the safety and quality status of plant-origin flavoured cheeses and flavoured drinking yogurt, particularly in Egypt.


The Formula One Championship (F1) is one of the biggest sports businesses in the world. But, however, it seems to astonish that only very few scholarly articles analyze the F1 business. The aim of this study is to contribute to closing two gaps in the existing literature: it contributes (1) to the (sports) economic analysis of the F1 business and (2) to the literature on competitive balance in non-team sports. Like competitive balance in team sport leagues, also for F1 racing three dimensions can be distinguished: (a) race-specific competitive balance, (b) within-season competitive balance, and (c) between-season competitive balance. In addition to classical tools and data, some new and F1 specific indicators, like average lead changes or leading distance, are employed. Also, pitfalls induced especially by the used data source or calculation method are highlighted.


Purpose: We reported a young female patient with bilateral acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) whose visual function was improved without any treatment. Subject: A 20-year-old woman presented with vision loss in her left eye. High myopia was detected two days later with the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 0.9 in the right eye and 0.2 in the left eye. A blood test was positive for antinuclear antibody but showed no systemic inflammation. Neither relative afferent pupillary defect nor abnormal brain MRI finding was detected. Visual field testing showed bilateral blind spot enlargement by Goldmann perimetry and sensitivity loss (MD values of -2.40 dB, P < 5% for the right and -8.74 dB, P < 0.5% for the left) with a Humphrey Field Analyzer (Central 30-2). No abnormal findings were detected in the ophthalmoscopic and angiographic tests. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) revealed attenuation of the photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment junction (IS/OS) line in the left eye and attenuated cone outer segment tip (COST) line in the right eye. Reduced amplitudes in both eyes detected by multifocal electroretinograms (mfERG) resulted in a diagnosis of AZOOR. One month later, the left BCVA was improved to 1.0. About 9 months later, BCVA was 1.2 in both eyes and improved MD values were also observed (-1.79 dB, P < 10% for the right and -1.48 dB for the left) in the Humphrey testing. While no change in the SD-OCT finding was seen in the right eye, a marked improvement was observed in the left eye. Improved amplitudes were also found by mfERG in both eyes. Conclusion: Recovery of visual function is not always seen in AZOOR. Our present case showed improved visual function without recurrence in the natural course and indicated that visual function could be improved without any treatment in some patients with AZOOR.


Background: Active labour market policies (ALMP) are relatively new government programmes for Central European countries. The Visegrad Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) have enjoyed economic growth since 1989, when Soviet Union influence decreased. Second event, which triggered their rapid growth, was the membership in the European Union of all V4 countries in 2004. The most important and still unsolved problem among these countries is the unemployment. In many economies, both developed and developing, we can assume that proper labour market policy can be a source of legitimacy for governments (King and Rothstein 1994, p. 291). This article addresses the question about the value of ALMP in relationship between government performance on the one hand and citizen satisfaction and trust in government on the other. Research aims: The aim of the study is to compare three main categories of ALMP (public employment services, training schemas, employment subsidies) in the V4 member states and analysis of their impact to legitimacy of governments according to the three hypotheses: (1) the trade-off hypothesis, (2) the synergy hypothesis and (3) the independence hypothesis. Methodology: The adopted research method was an analysis of the reports of the public sector in the Visegrad Group countries, as well as foreign and national literature studies. Key findings: The analysed research results clearly show a different approach in performance of ALMP in the V4 member states. Well performed active labour market policy (for example signified by low unemployment rate) is a source of legitimacy for governments according to the synergy hypothesis.


In this article we define the notion of fuzzy normed linear space valued sequence space lFp (X), 1 ≤ p ∞ in a fuzzy normed linear space X and discuss some of its properties like completeness, monotone, solidness, convergence free and symmetricity. Also we prove some inclusion results.


Abstract Artificial snow crystals were grown in a diffusion chamber Of parallel-plate design which afforded accurate control of the crystal growth conditions. Observations were made at small excesses of vapor density over ice equilibrium (Δρ = 0.015 − 0.169 gm m−3) within the temperature range −8 to −24C. Crystal type was found to be primarily determined by the magnitude of the vapor density excess, in apparent contrast with the situation at supersaturations with respect to water where growth habit is a function of temperature. Transitions between crystal types were noted to be gradual rather than abrupt.


The 3 He gas shortage for neutron detection has caused an increase in research efforts to develop viable alternative technologies. 3 He neutron detectors cover areas ranging from 10–1000 cm 2 in cylindrical form factors and are ideal for many nuclear applications due to their high intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency (> 80%) and gamma-ray discrimination (GRR ≤ 1 x 10 -6 ) capabilities. Neutron monitoring systems for nuclear security applications include Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM's), backpack, briefcase, and hand-held sensors. A viable replacement technology is presented here and compares three neutron detectors, each with different neutron absorber materials, to current 3 He standards. These materials include Li and/or B silica aerogels, LiF impregnated foams, and metallic Li foils. Additionally, other neutron absorbing materials were investigated in this work and include LiF coated Mylar, B foils, BN coated carbon foam, and BN coated plastic honeycomb. From theoretical calculations, the Li foil material showed the greatest promise as a viable 3 He alternative, thus a majority of the research efforts were focused on this material. The new neutron detector was a multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) constructed using alternating banks of anode wires and 95% enriched 6 Li foils sheets spaced 1.63 cm apart. In total, six anode banks and five layers of foil were used, thus an anode wire bank was positioned on each side of a suspended foils. Reaction products from the 6 Li(n,α) 3 H reaction were able to escape both side of a foil sheet simultaneously and be measured in the surrounding gas volume concurrently. This new concept of measuring both reaction products from a single neutron absorption in a solid-form absorber material increased the intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency and gamma-ray discrimination compared to coated gas-filled detectors. Three different sizes of Li foil MWPC neutron detectors were constructed ranging from 25–1250 cm 2 and included detectors for RPM's, backpacks, and hand-held systems. The measured intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of these devices was approximately 54%, but it is possible to exceed 80% efficiency with additional foils. The gamma-ray discrimination abilities of the detector exceeded 3 He tubes by almost three orders of magnitude (GRR = 7.6 x 10 -9 ). AN INVESTIGATION OF AEROGEL, FOAMS, AND FOILS FOR MULTI-WIRE PROPORTIONAL COUNTER NEUTRON DETECTORS


Infestation by ticks is responsible for significant economic losses to the cattle industry in several regions, including Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state. Losses may be derived from animal stress, weight loss and skin damage, as well as from costs with treatment. The indiscriminated use of pesticides against these parasites has resulted in high levels of genetic resistance to several drugs, representing a problem for disease control. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the susceptibility of field specimens of Rhipcephalus (Boophilus) microplus to the acaricides used in the control of the parasite. Female ticks obtained from 42 farms in different counties of RS were submitted to the engorgeted female immersion test, to estimate the resistance of the parasite to the drugs. Amitraz in combination with chlorpyriphos was the most efficient drug, acting effectively in ticks from 100% of the tested farms (11/ 11). Associations of cypermethrin-chlorpyriphos-citronelol were efficient in ticks from 61% of the farms (25/41) and cypermethrin-ethion in 37% (10/27). Cypermethrin alone was efficient in 20,7% (6/29) and Amitraz. one of the most used products, was efficient in ticks from only 14,2% (6/42) of the farms. These results demonstrate that most drugs used in the control of R. B. microplus in the state present low efficacy, as measured by in vitro tests. The low drug efficacy is probably derived from the genetic resistance developed by the parasites due to the indiscriminated and inadequate use of these acaricides in the field.


To the Editor:

Breast cancer is a frequently diagnosed solid tumor in women worldwide (1). MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs that regulate protein expression, are potential biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of response to treatment in breast cancer (2). We recently reported a paper-based method to extract miRNAs from plasma and circulating tumor cells (3). Here, we applied this method to plasma of patients with breast cancer and age- and gender-matched healthy controls, after treating the plasma with a commercial exosome isolation kit employing a nonspecific precipitation step; we compared the miRNA expression profiles from the plasma with and without the use of the precipitation method.

After informed consent and institutional approval, we obtained peripheral blood samples from 9 patients with breast cancer and 9 healthy controls. Plasma was isolated by centrifugation at 3000 g for 10 min and stored at −80 °C. All plasma samples were visually inspected to exclude any discernible hemolysis. Then, 60 μL of Total Exosome Isolation reagent …


In school education, it is important to encourage students to improve their social skills. Umegaki et al. (2016b) have developed an instructional model known as the Acquisition of Social Knowledge in Sport (ASKS) Model for facilitating improvement in social skills in the context of physical education. They consider that the ASKS Model with heterogeneous team organization would improve social skills that would be applicable to daily life outside of physical education classes and help students to maintain these social skills. However, no previous study has examined whether the ASKS Model would be effective for homogeneously organized teams. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the type of team organization that would be most effective for the ASKS Model by comparing physical education classes with the ASKS Model based on homogeneous teams and heterogeneous teams. The study focused on physical education classes for male students in the second year of junior high school. The classes included those without the ASKS Model, those with the ASKS Model based on homogeneous teams, and those with the ASKS Model based on heterogeneous teams. A formative evaluation of friendship-building and the KiSS-18 questionnaire on paper were administered before and after each class. The study confirmed two points: First, the ASKS Model appeared to be effective when heterogeneous teams were organized. Second, the effectiveness was suggested to be improved when heterogeneity of motor skill was maintained rather than heterogeneity of social skills.


Most successes in robotic manipulation have been restricted to single-arm robots, which limits the range of solvable tasks to pick-and-place, insertion, and objects rearrangement. In contrast, dual and multi arm robot platforms unlock a rich diversity of problems that can be tackled, such as laundry folding and executing cooking skills. However, developing controllers for multi-arm robots is complexified by a number of unique challenges, such as the need for coordinated bimanual behaviors, and collision avoidance amongst robots. Given these challenges, in this work we study how to solve bi-manual tasks using reinforcement learning (RL) trained in simulation, such that the resulting policies can be executed on real robotic platforms. Our RL approach results in significant simplifications due to using real-time (4Hz) joint-space control and directly passing unfiltered observations to neural networks policies. We also extensively discuss modifications to our simulated environment which lead to effective training of RL policies. In addition to designing control algorithms, a key challenge is how to design fair evaluation tasks for bi-manual robots that stress bimanual coordination, while removing orthogonal complicating factors such as high-level perception. In this work, we design a Connect Task, where the aim is for two robot arms to pick up and attach two blocks with magnetic connection points. We validate our approach with two xArm6 robots and 3D printed blocks with magnetic attachments, and find that our system has 100% success rate at picking up blocks, and 65% success rate at the Connect Task.


Low order implicit time integration schemes play a key role for time integration in several fields of computational mechanics, such as for the heat equation or inelastic constitutive equations, respectively. Embedded Runge-Kutta (RK) methods provide an attractive methodology by means of an adaptive time step size control. According to Fehlbergs suggestion, only one extra function calculation is required to estimate the local error of the embedded method. In the present paper, this methodology is applied to several prominent low order implicit RK-schemes, such as the first order implicit Euler-method, the second order trapezoidal rule and the second order Ellsiepen method. Its advantages are stability and comparatively low computational cost, however, they require the solution of a nonlinear system of equations. This paper presents a general approach for the construction of third order Runge-Kutta methods by embedding the above mentioned implicit schemes into the class of ELDIRK-methods. These will be defined to have an explicit last stage in the general Butcher array of Diagonal Implicit Runge-Kutta (DIRK) methods, with the consequence, that no additional system of equations must be solved. The main results – valid also for non-linear ordinary differential equations – are as follows: Two extra function calculations are required in order to embed the implicit Euler-method and one extra function calculation is required for the trapezoidal-rule and the Ellsiepen method, in order to obtain the third order properties, respectively. The methodology is applied to two different goal functions in terms of the standard global error, that is, a time point goal function and a time integrated goal function. Two numerical examples are concerned with a parachute with viscous damping and a two-dimensional laser beam simulation. Here, we verify the higher order convergence behaviours of the proposed new ELDIRK-methods, and its successful performances for asymptotically exact global error estimation of so-called reversed embedded RK-method are shown


Abstract Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have great potential to contribute to numerous application fields of biomedicine, which are highly dependent on their physicochemical properties, such as size and shape. Due to the final characteristics, nanoparticles (NPs) are primarily affected by different factors of reaction conditions; the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of manipulating the main physical parameters of the Turkevich method to optimise the fabrication of citrated capped AuNPs in a spherical shape, desirable final size, and efficiency. For this purpose, various experiments of citrate‐capped spherical AuNPs synthesis were designed to study the roles of a wide range of initial pH values and temperature of reaction, Na3Cit/HAuCl4 molar ratio, and two order reagent additions, method I and method II, in the final characterisations and reaction efficacy. Prepared NPs synthesised with different experiments were characterised by dynamic light scattering, UV‐Visible, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, NPs obtained from optimised synthesis conditions were more detailed using UV‐Visible, transmission electron microscopy, and XRD. The findings indicated that the final size and synthesis efficacy of citrated capped spherical AuNPs were significantly affected by all studied synthesis parameters and the order addition of reagents. The higher initial reaction temperature and Na3Cit/HAuCl4 Molar ratio provided a smaller particle size with desirable synthesis efficacy. Besides, final optimised NPs were provided in cubic crystal structures, and each NP's single crystal was obtained. In sum, our findings indicated that optimising synthesis conditions could improve size distribution, morphology, crystallite size, and structures of final NPS, as well as efficiency, which is a principal factor associated with future cost‐effective productions on large scales. Further studies are needed in this regard.


Instability of `explosion' type in a superconductor carrying a transport current is studied theoretically. Such instability arises if there is no stable normal state of the superconductor due to its adiabatic conditions or strong dependence of the resistivity on the temperature. It is shown that the superconductivity destruction results from the propagation of the temperature wave of `explosion' type with rapidly increasing temperature of the normal region. The boundary between the normal and superconducting regions moves with a constant velocity. Group-theoretical analysis of the problem allows one to obtain analytical formulae for the wave propagation velocity. Analytical results are confirmed by a direct numerical simulation of the instability development. The results obtained may be of importance for studying the cryostability of both conventional and high-temperature superconductors.


We examined two of humanity's present-day challenges, climate change and chronic diseases, in relation to the co-benefits that green spaces provide to human health and the environment. The reduction of several chronic diseases and associated symptoms, including anxiety, obesity and cardiovascular disease, has been associated with the presence of and access to green space. Green spaces also contribute to a number of environmental health benefits and have been shown to reduce the likelihood of flooding, improve air quality and provide cooling and shade. These co-benefits address both the symptoms of several chronic diseases and associated risk factors along with the environmental and health impacts of climate change. This article explores how to maximize the co-benefits of green spaces through two examples of multi-sectoral collaborations. With these two examples, we have provided a model of collective collaboration that aims to address complex issues, such as climate change and chronic diseases, through the common intervention of green spaces.