The Annual Molecular Techniques Workshop was established in 1996 to provide hands-on training for physiologists in molecular biology. From the early workshops it emerged that students lacked both a theoretical background in molecular biology, not just techniques, and essential skills in accurately pipetting small volumes. Students also struggled to grasp the potential applications of the techniques during the 10 days of the workshop. To address these issues, several changes were made. The most significant development was a rearrangement of the techniques into a 3-phase project. In phase I, RNA for a specific gene (P2X2) was extracted from a target tissue. Phase II saw the gene cloned into an expression vector. In phase III, the gene was expressed in heterologous cells and functional assays performed. Students were also sent an introductory text (1) in advance and since 2004, a second more detailed book (2) has been made available during the course. Other changes were the inclusion of a daily debriefing session (2002), provision of a detailed post-course report with the data generated during the course (2003), and introduction of an additional phase which appears to have resolved the issue of pipetting small volumes (2004). Students also leave with a CD containing the lab protocols so that they can customise them in consultation with detailed lab protocol manuals (3, 4). Funding is in place for two more workshops and demand for the 16 places each year is increasing: 35 applicants in 2002, 47 in 2003 and 51 in 2004. Given that about half the applicants each year are physiology graduates of the post-genomic era from top flight academic institutions, it is a matter of concern that most applicants state that they lack a background in basic molecular biology and that training is not available in their immediate research environment. The course has changed substantially over the last five years, but the techniques are essentially the same. A feedback survey (5) of past students showed that most were currently using molecular techniques in their research and could now critically assess literature which was previously unintelligible. Gonick L & Wheelis M (1991). The Cartoon Guide to Genetics. Harper Collins.


Ocean sludge exerts a very big environmental load to local sea area. Here, attention was paid to micro-bubble technology for application to the purification of the sludge. The important point in this technique is to activate the bacteria existing in the area by micro-bubbles. We had developed a method for decomposing the sludge by using of microorganisms in an aerobic state by micro-bubble. Here, we have also a technique for purification by using "coagulants". So, we proposed the experimental way which hydrogen sulfide is reduced at first by using "coagulants" and then the nutrients will be reduced by activating microorganisms. Here, we used the detergents including enzyme as the microorganism activator. Our research object in this paper is to check the purification performance for sludge by our proposed experimental system. From the results of our experiments, we succeeded in reducing the time needed to purify the sludge, and we obtained the very good performance.


High performance trajectory tracking for multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a fast growing research area due to the increase in popularity and demand. In many applications, the multirotor UAV dynamics would change in-flight resulting in performance degradation, or even instability, such that the control system is required to adapt its parameters to the new dynamics. In this paper, we developed a real-time identification approach based on Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and the Modified Relay Feedback Test (MRFT) to optimally tune PID controllers suitable for aggressive trajectory tracking. We also propose a feedback linearization technique along with additional feedforward terms to achieve high trajectory tracking performance. In addition, we investigate and analyze different PID configurations for position controllers to maximize the tracking performance in the presence of wind disturbance and system parameter changes, and provide a systematic design methodology to trade-off performance for robustness. We prove the effectiveness and applicability of our developed approach through a set of experiments where accurate trajectory tracking is maintained despite significant changes to the UAV aerodynamic characteristics and the application of external wind. We demonstrate low discrepancy between simulation and experimental results which proves the potential of using the suggested approach for planning and fault detection tasks. The achieved tracking results on figure-eight trajectory is on par with the state-of-the-art.


A new ultrasound system has been developed based on advances in transducer material technology. It permits the same piezoceramic element to be used for conventional pulse echo ultrasound imaging as well as for continuous wave high intensity focused ultrasound for tissue ablation. This intracavity device is presently used for prostate tissue ablation. Ultrasound visualization of the prostate guides the probe placing the ultrasound beam focus in the appropriate tissue region. A large volume tissue ablation of demarcated size is produced by using both the linear and sector motions of the transducer.<<ETX>>


Laser-induced fluorescence (FE) and vibrationally resolved dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectra of a 1:1 water complex of p-fluorophenol (pFP) have been measured in a supersonic jet expansion. The hydrogen bond stretching fundamental (σ01) of the complex appears in the FE spectrum as a doublet with band maxima at 155 and 161 cm-1. Emission spectra recorded upon excitations of the two components reveal that a Fermi resonance between σ1 and a combination involving a low-frequency intramolecular mode of pFP (mode 11) and a bending mode of water at the hydrogen bonded interface (mode ρ1) is responsible for the observed splitting. The DF spectra of the Franck-Condon active 6a01 band (000 + 427 cm-1) of pFP reveals signatures of hydrogen bond induced vibrational energy relaxation (VER) predominantly from the bright (6a01) to a dark (9b1) level in S1. The relative intensities of the emission bands from the locally excited and relaxed levels indicate that VER for excitation up to this level occurs at a time scale similar to the fluorescence decay time of the complex. However, complete VER at a much faster time scale occurs for excitation beyond 822 cm-1 above S1 origin.


Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is an autonomic dysfunction characterized by orthostatic symptoms including an increase in heart rate of at least 30 beats per minute (bpm) or reaching above 120 bpm soon after a postural change (Busmer, 2011). Symptoms include, but are not limited to, dizziness, nausea, palpitations, sweating, and fatigue. Twenty-five percent of those with POTS are unable to work (Busmer, 2013). One common pharmacologic treatment is beta-blockers (Lai et al 2009). There is little research into non-pharmacologic treatments, including exercise. The purpose of this case study was to determine if physical activity alleviates physical (heart rate) and psychological (depression and anxiety) symptoms of a patient with POTS. Following eight weeks of physical activity, the patient still met the diagnostic criteria of POTS. However, her quality of life improved based on the WHOQOL-100 AND HADS scores, and she reported being able to perform more tasks at home without feeling heart palpitations. The case study showed an improvement in quality of life for the participant with POTS, but minimal changes in heart rate response following standing post-intervention.


The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of breakfast and caffeine on performance, mood and cardiovascular functioning in the late morning and after lunch. Forty-eight subjects were tested at 07.45 and subjects then assigned to one of the four conditions formed by combining caffeine and breakfast conditions. Subjects in the caffeine condition were given a dose of 4 mg/kg, the caffeine manipulation being double blind. At 11.15 subjects were given another coffee (subjects remained in the same caffeine condition) and had lunch at 12.30. Performance was examined prior to lunch (11.30) and after lunch (14.00). Effects of breakfast on recognition memory (lower false alarm rate) and logical reasoning (reduced accuracy) were found in the late morning but not after lunch. However, a semantic processing task was performed more slowly by the breakfast group after lunch. Caffeine improved performance on a sustained attention task, the logical reasoning task and semantic memory task. Subjects given caffeine also reported greater alertness and feelings of well-being, whereas the effects of breakfast on mood changed from the late morning to early afternoon. Few interactions between breakfast and caffeine conditions were obtained.


This paper highlights an algorithm that computes, if possible, a nearly completely decomposable (NCD) partitioning for a given Markov chain using a speciied decomposability parameter. The algorithm is motivated by search for connected components (CCs) of an undirected graph. The nestedness of the NCD partitionings for increasing values of the decomposability parameter is demonstrated on the Courtois matrix. The relation among the degree of coupling, the smallest eigenvalue of the coupling matrix and the magnitude of the subdominant eigenvalue of the block Gauss-Seidel (BGS) iteration matrix induced by the underlying NCD partitionings is investigated on the same matrix. Experimental results that appear elsewhere show that the partitioning algorithm may be used successfully in two-level iterative solvers such as block successive over-relaxation (BSOR) and iterative aggregation-disaggregation (IAD).


This paper presents two types of active seismic-response control systems with variable structural characteristics, developed with the objective of ensuring that the safety and function of buildings are not impaired by large earthquakes. The systems are characterized by the active seismic-response control of large-scale civil engineering structures during large earthquakes, using only nominal amounts of energy. One system is the non-resonant active variable stiffness (AVS) system. The results of applying this system to an actual building and confirming its effectiveness through seismic observation are given. Additionally, the results from a simulation analysis evaluating the effectiveness of the system if applied to a high-rise building are also included. Then a brief outline is given of the other system, the active variable damping (AVD) system.


While quite a lot of publications concern the nature of training general language teachers, much less attention has been devoted to educating LSP practitioners. Increasing teachers' awareness of the nature of specialised languages methodology and of the possible tools to be exploited during the teaching process is essential for educating better professionals. The paper shows the adoption of a research-based approach with the aim of building individual teaching style. Student teachers in a graduate teacher training programme at a middle-sized public university in Poland conducted field research within a selected domain, diagnosed the context, conducted needs analyses, evaluated coursebooks, developed digital materials and provided peer-feedback.


It is suggested that, after attachment of influenza virus to the cell, the viral coat disintegrates. With fusion of virus to the cytoplasmic membrane, the latter undergoes dissolution. Rupture of the viral core permits release of nucleoprotein directly into the cytoplasm. Stages in the process are illustrated.


Dear Sir, The occurrence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a well-known side-effect of steroid therapy [1, 2]. In particular, treatment with high doses of glucocorticoid has been related to liver steatosis and more recently to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) [3, 4]. We report a case of steatohepatitis induced by methylprednisolone therapy in a patient with an exacerbation of ulcerative colitis (UC). A 25-year-old man with a 10-year history of UC was admitted for the occurrence of bloody diarrhoea (8–10 bowel movements a day) and abdominal pain. Examination showed abdominal tenderness. Three stool cultures for parasites and bacteria were negative. Blood examinations showed normal ALT (32 U L; normal values 5–45) and AST (27 U L; normal values 10–45), and increased ERS (45 mm, normal values <10 mm) and C reactive protein (CRP-22 ng mL; normal values <5 ng mL). An abdominal ultrasound examination was then performed with no evidence of liver diseases. Colonoscopy showed left colitis with marked mucosal hyperaemia with small punctate ulcers, and biopsies showed severe chronic inflammation with presence of multiple crypt abscesses, epithelial flattening and ulceration consistent with UC exacerbation. Methylprednisolone therapy 40 mg day showed an improvement in symptoms within a few days with two daily bowel movements of formed stool without blood. Then he was dismissed. Therapy was tapered to 16 mg in 4 weeks. After 40 days blood examination showed an increase in ALT value (106 U L). AST remained normal (41 U L). ERS and CRP were normal (8 mm at first hour and 3 ng mL, respectively). An abdominal ultrasound examination was then repeated with the evidence of fat infiltration consistent with liver steatosis. Hepatitis virus (HAV, HBV, HCV, HEV, HGV, CMV and EBV) and antibodies against mitochondria, smooth muscle and nuclear antigens were not detected by serological tests. Liver biopsy showed macrovescicular hepatocellular fat accumulation, periportal inflammation and mild fibrosis (Fig. 1). The patient denied a history of alcohol abuse and the intake of hepatotoxic drugs and a diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was made [5]. He stopped the steroid treatment in 2 weeks and ALT value gradually decrease to normality. An abdominal ultrasound examination performed after 3 months showed an improvement in liver morphology with reduction in fat infiltration. Serological test for virus and autoantibodies were retested in the hypothesis of previous false negative results due to steroid therapy and were confirmed negative. The patient refused to participate in a second liver biopsy. After 6 months abdominal ultrasound showed a normal liver. Now, he is in remission with a 5-ASA maintenance therapy, with normal values of ALT and AST. Previously, steroid treatment has been related to steatohepatitis and fatal liver failure in two patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus [3] and in our case steatohepatitis appears after starting steroid treatment in UC. Although drug discontinuation seems effective to induce remission of this condition a careful follow-up of patients submitted to steroids has to be performed because of the possibility of development of liver failure.


We investigate a classification problem using multiple mobile agents capable of collecting (partial) pose-dependent observations of an unknown environment. The objective is to classify an image over a finite time horizon. We propose a network architecture on how agents should form a local belief, take local actions, and extract relevant features from their raw partial observations. Agents are allowed to exchange information with their neighboring agents to update their own beliefs. It is shown how reinforcement learning techniques can be utilized to achieve decentralized implementation of the classification problem by running a decentralized consensus protocol. Our experimental results on the MNIST handwritten digit dataset demonstrates the effectiveness of our proposed framework.


The data of Mechanik on the amount and distribution of human marrow spaces have been summarized in two short tables suitable for clinical use. The reliability of the data is discussed.


Multiphoton excitation of fluorophores has recently found widespread use across the range of fluorescence measurement techniques. Measurement of the multiphoton excitation cross section as a function of wavelength is an important parameter in the characterization of existing fluorophores and development of new indicators for these applications. We describe a technique that addresses some typically encountered problems when making this measurement. The desire for efficient excitation naturally suggests the use of a short pulse laser system (e.g., 100 femtosecond pulse duration) however the. chromatic dispersion of the laser pulse in the experimental system may lead to significant uncertainties in the temporal properties of the excitation pulse. We find that the use of a picosecond Ti:Sapphire laser, with its smaller spectral bandwidth can reduce this potential source of error. A second factor to be considered is the separation of different order effects e.g., two photon excitation and three photon excitation. In a "frequency domain" approach, we slowly modulate (~100Hz) the intensity of input laser pulse train and analyze the emission signal in terms of the amplitude and phase of the harmonics of this modulation. Thus for example we expect a signal in the third harmonic if three photon excitation is present. The system is implemented in a microscope using a photomultiplier and analogue to digital converter in the detection system. The picosecond pulse train is modulated using a Pockels cell. Results on commonly used fluorophores for two and three photon excitation will be presented.


A key assumption in ecomorphological studies is that morphology-function relationships are invariant due to underlying biomechanical principles. We tested the hypothesis that morphology-performance relationships are invariant across different seasons by examining how a key performance trait, bite force, and two aspects of morphology (head shape and dewlap size) changed seasonally in the field and in the laboratory in the green anole lizard Anolis carolinensis. We found that not only did bite force change seasonally (up to 80% within the same individual), but relationships between morphology and bite force are highly plastic. Of the three traits examined (bite force, head shape, and dewlap area), only head shape did not change seasonally. We noted opposing trends for how bite force and dewlap area changed seasonally; whereas dewlap areas were large in the spring, and small in the winter, bite forces were low in the spring and high in the winter. This pattern occurred because of a tradeoff at the individual level: individuals in the spring with large dewlaps and high bite forces diminish their dewlaps (but not bite force), whereas individuals with small dewlaps and low bite forces in the spring increase their bite forces (but not dewlap size). We also show that this trend was apparent both in the field (comparing different individuals) and the laboratory (comparing the same set of individuals under standardized conditions). Finally, seasonal changes were not consistent among individuals for either bite force or dewlap area, as individuals changed seasonally in proportion to their initial state. These findings cast doubt on the widely held view of invariant morphology-performance relationships, and offer a cautionary note for eco-morphological studies.


There are several options for downloading health and fitness applications. However, it's probably easiest, safest, and most common to use the App Store for iOS applications and Google Play for Android. You can search both by app name or type and can read about an app before you download it. You can find out what the app does (although not necessarily the exact information it collects), see sample screens—and sometimes videos of how an app operates--read user reviews, link to the developer's website and link to other comparable apps.


To measure the antibiotic activity in interstitial fluid of volunteers, an area of skin 1 cm2 was denuded and covered with a chamber that was subsequently filled with saline. After the administration of an antibiotic, the portion that was not bound to protein was diffused out of the vascular space and equilibrated with the fluid in the chamber. At hourly intervals, the fluid was removed and immediately frozen, and the chamber was refilled. Serum was obtained simultaneously. Antibiotic activity was measured by the cup-plate and agar-well diffusion techniques. Volunteers were given each of the following antibiotics on separate days: cephalexin, ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, nafcillin, and flucloxacillin. Antibiotics with lower percentages of protein binding diffused into the fluid of the skin window better than antibiotics with high percentages of protein binding. Flucloxacillin, 95% of which is bound to protein, had no detectable fluid levels in the skin window. The results suggest that the ability of antibiotics to diffuse into the interstitial fluid is related to the percentage of free drug in serum.


In this work, ZrO2-promoted Cu–Al2O3 catalysts prepared by the co-precipitation method were used for the hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,2-propanediol in a fixed-bed reactor. These catalysts were fully characterized by BET, ICP, N2O chemisorption, XRD, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, XPS, TEM and TGA. The relationship between the catalytic activity and the metal–support interaction was studied in detail. The experimental results showed that the addition of ZrO2 to Cu–Al2O3 could greatly enhance glycerol conversion and 1,2-propanediol selectivity. This improvement was related to the increase in the acidity and Cu dispersion on the catalytic surface. The optimal 20ZrCu–Al2O3 catalyst attained 97.1% glycerol conversion and 95.3% 1,2-propanediol selectivity. Furthermore, the effects of process parameters like solvent, reaction temperature, operating pressure, glycerol concentration and liquid flow rate on glycerol hydrogenolysis together with the catalyst stability were deeply investigated. Compared with the Cu–Al2O3 catalyst, the ZrO2-promoted Cu–Al2O3 catalyst had better stability and potential for practical application, which was likely due to the high Cu dispersion and strong interaction between copper and zirconium species.


When non-solid matter (e.g., liquids or gas) is under constant volume V and density rho (e.g., in rigid box), spatial positions for their constituents are restricted by these conditions. We recently focus on the role of constraint in classical statistical thermodynamics, and find how spatial constraint connects with equilibrium properties for crystalline solids, which has not been clarified so far. The present study extend the idea to non-solid matter under NVT ensemble in classical systems. We provide explicit representation of canonical average of radial distribution function in terms of spatial constraint, which can be well characterized by a single special microscopic state on configuration space called projection state for non-solid matter. We demonstrate that the special microscopic state can be numerically constructed for a finite number of particles.


This study was conducted to identify the nature of a glycogen-associated compound that had been shown to inhibit glucose-6 phosphatase in vitro. Glycogen was purified from the liver of fed rats by potassium hydroxyde digestion and ethanol precipitation. It inhibited glucose-6 phosphatase in microsomes isolated from rats deprived of food for 48 h. Two glycogen-associated fractions were purified by anion-exchange chromatography on DOWEX 1 (200–400 mesh). These fractions inhibited microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase activity in vitro (80 { 2 and 76 { 3% of control, respectively). After chromatography, glycogen was no longer inhibitory (101 { 3% of control). Because glycogen is associated with endoplasmic reticulum membranes in the liver, we tested the hypothesis that lipids could be involved in the inhibitory process. Lipids were extracted from glycogen by Folch's method and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The glycogen-associated fractions did not contain complex lipids but contained unsaturated fatty acids, which had been shown previously to inhibit glucose-6-phosphatase in vitro. Because the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in both fractions quantitatively accounted for the inhibition of glucose-6 phosphatase observed, and because noninhibitory chromatographed glycogen reconstituted with equivalent amounts of pure unsaturated fatty acids inhibited the enzyme as glycogen did, we conclude that unsaturated fatty acids likely constitute the glycogen-associated compound that inhibits glucose-6 phosphatase activity. J. Nutr. 127:2289–2292, 1997.


The formula is rather better known than suggested, especially in theoretical statistics. For example one might see John Riordan "Derivatives of composite functions" (Bull. Amer. Math. Soc, 52 (1946) 664-7) who treats, as generalizations, particular cases of derivatives of functions of many functions, and a function of a function of a function. Applications of the formula in statistics are given by E Lukacs (Amer. Math. Monthly, 62 (1955), 340-348). Moreover, I. J. Good in "The Multivariate Saddlepoint Method and Chi-Squared for the Multinomial Distribution" (Annals of Math. Stat., 32 (1961) 540) treats the case of the multivariate derivative of a vector function. The applications in statistics include the formula for the relation between cumulants and moments (Lukacs, loo. cit.) and the development of multivariate Taylor expansions for estimators defined implicity, such as the bivariate derivatives of f with respect to x, y where, in terms of the Psi-function,


A tooth is impacted when its apex is formed but does not erupt as expected during the physiological timeframe of eruption. The frequency with which the upper canine is impacted in the sample examined varies from 1% to 5% of the population in the second decade of life. The most frequent causes of inclusion of the upper canine are: lack of resorption or precocious loss of the root of the deciduous, agenesis of the lateral, an anomaly in its shape, lack of space in the arch, presence of a mechanical obstacle to the eruption, and lastly due to hereditary factors. When dental impaction is suspected, radiographic examination is indicated to evaluate the effect that the impacted element is having in the context of the osseous structure and to evaluate its relationships with adjacent teeth, the presence of mechanical obstacles, the placement of the inclusion and its orientation in space, how well developed the root is, and any anomalies in its shape. In addition to the classic orthopantomography (OPT), endoral radiography, teleradiography, can be used in order to obtain three-dimensional and life-size images, techniques of computed tomography (CT). In particular, cone beam CT, obtains this type of image using a radioactive dose comparable to that obtained summarizing the classic radiographic examinations requested by an orthodontist and moreover less that that administered when using classic multi-layer spiral CT medical equipment. This case report describes the diagnostic iter and orthodontic-surgical treatment of a patient with enclosure of the right upper canine.


Intrinsic viscosities [η] and Huggins' constants k are generally determined by means of one of the following equations:

((1))

((2))

((3))

It was proven in an earlier paper that eq. (1) is an insufficient approximation of eq. (2) in the usual range ηr = 1.2–2.0. In this paper it is shown that eqs. (2) and (3) can lead to different Staudinger indexes (difference up to 30%). Huggins' constant k can vary from one equation to the other by as much as 300%. The experimental test of theoretical relationships between [η], k, and other molecular constants can lead to errors of the same magnitude. Values of [η] and k in pure and mixed theta solvents are discussed. It is moreover shown that eq. (2) is an inadequate approximation of eq. (3). Therefore eq. (3) is the only one which should be used.


We report on our efforts in design and construction of a compact Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV)-pump-probe microscope. The goal is the observation of formation of nanostructures, induced by a femtosecond (fs)-laser pulse. The unique interaction processes of fs-laser radiation with matter open up new markets in laser material processing and, therefore, are actively investigated in the last decade. The resulting "sub 100 nm"-structures offer vast potential benefits in photonics, biotechnology, tribological surface design, plasmonic applications and production of nanoparticles. Focused fs-laser radiation causes a local modification resulting in nanostructures of high precision and reproducibility. However the formation dynamics is not well understood. Research in this field requires high temporal and spatial resolution. A combination of fs-laser and EUV-microscope provides a tool for "in situ"-observation of the formation dynamics. As exemplary structures to be investigated, we use nanojets on thin gold films and periodic surface structures (ripples) on dielectrics. In the future, the EUV-pump-probe microscope can become a versatile tool to observe physical or biological processes. Microscopy using EUV-light is capable of detecting structures on a scale down to several tens of nanometers. For detailed investigations a compact EUV-microscope has been realized utilizing OVI Balmer-alpha radiation at 17.3 nm coming from a discharge produced oxygen plasma. As optical elements a grazing incidence elliptical collector and a zone plate with a width of outermost zone of 50 nm and a spectral filter to avoid chromatic aberrations are used. The detector is a fast gated microchannel plate with a pore size of 2 microns contacted by a low impedance transmission line. The expected spatial resolution of the setup is better than 100 nm and the time resolution is better than 1 ns. The newly developed EUV-microscope is a powerful tool for a wide field of investigations that need high time and spatial resolutions simultaneously.


Background: Atomic physics and nuclear matter physics are often exclusively studied. However, atomic properties are a direct function of nuclear properties. Establishing a mathematical relationship between nuclear and atomic properties could serve the interest of nuclear and atomic engineers. Nuclear - and atomic-based instrumentation engineering and nuclear medicine (and perhaps atomic medicine) applications could be the benefits.
Objectives: The research is undertaken to 1) link nuclear property, the mass-radius of the nucleon, and ionization energy of hydrogen via the derivation of appropriate equation and 2) determine the mass-radii of the nucleons and some leptons.
Methods: Theoretical and computational methods.
Results and Discussion: As applicable to the previous results in the literature, the larger the mass of the elementary particles, the longer the radii. For the particles investigated, the order of the radius is muon (m-)<proton (p+)< neutron (n)< tauon (t-) corresponding to increasing mass, m-<p+< n<t-. The values of the mass radii were respectively » 0.1240, 1.1012, 1.1027, and 2.0855 fm.
Conclusion: Nuclear properties such as the radius of any nucleon (ΓN) can be mathematically linked to atomic properties such as the ionization energy of hydrogen via equation which shows that ΓN is inversely proportional to the ionization energy of hydrogen and directly proportional to the rest-mass of the particle.


The aim of this study is to adapt the Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale, which was developed by Fibel and Hale (1978) and revised by Hale et al. (1992) into Turkish in terms of adaptation, reliability and adaptation. This study modelled by survey is a scale adaptation study. The scale was adapted into Turkish culture in terms of language equivalence, reliability and validity. The population of the study consisted of the students of the Kazim Karabekir Faculty of Education, Faculty of Literature, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Theology of Atatürk University. All students in the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Literature, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Theology and the 4th grade students who are subject to the pedagogical formation program were tried to be reached and as a result, the research was conducted with 1450 students. The results have shown that the scale had language validity and translation period was implemented successfully. According to exploratory factor analysis's results, the structure was consisted of three factors21 items, which explained 46, 6% of variance. According to study results, it is determined that the adapted version of the scale is used as a reliable and valid instrument to assess the generalized expectancy for success of Turkish university students. The scale is also used to determine sub-dimensions e.g. individual expectancy, social interaction and failure as well as the generalized expectancy for success.


ABSTRACT As listening conditions worsen (e.g. background noise increases), additional cognitive effort is required to process speech. The existing literature is mixed on whether and how cognitive traits like working memory capacity moderate the amount of effort that listeners must expend to successfully understand speech. Here, we validate a dual-task measure of listening effort (Experiment 1) and demonstrate that for normal-hearing young adults, effort increases as steady-state masking noise increases, but working memory capacity is unrelated to the amount of effort expended (Experiment 2). We propose that previous research may have overestimated the relationship between listening effort and working memory capacity by measuring listening effort using recall-based tasks. The present results suggest caution in making the general assumption that working memory capacity is related to the amount of effort expended during a listening task.


This paper is about the transformation of urban morphology and the emergence of new commercial architecture in Seoul during the Japanese colonial occupation period. While Japanese administrators used urban planning as a most decisive tool for colonial management, Japanese retailers introduced the department store for expanding their market territory. The intent of this paper is three-fold: first, to examine the urban morphology of a new business and commercial centre in Seoul, review the Japanese urban planning intervention, and describe the spatial distributions of new types of commercial architecture; second, to look specifically at the spatial configurations of the department stores and compare them with those in Tokyo; and finally to discuss how these commercial buildings had significant spatial impact on the development of architecture and urbanism in Seoul.


Program theory reconstruction is an often-overlooked aspect of social intervention research. In this paper, we argue that intervention research benefits if the research design is informed by the specific intervention's program theory (i.e., the idea of how the intervention is supposed to lead to the intended outcomes). The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive and accessible guide to program theory reconstruction in research on social interventions and to provide arguments as to how program theory reconstruction can be used to benefit intervention studies. First, we summarize what program theory is and its role in intervention research. Second, we provide a direct "how-to" for researchers, practitioners, and students who may be unfamiliar with the methods of program theory reconstruction but are interested in undertaking a program theory reconstruction. Finally, we conclude with how program theory reconstruction can benefit intervention research.


We present a non-extensive version of the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model which is based on the non-extentive statistical mechanics. This new statistics is characterized by a dimensionless non-extensivity parameter $q$ that accounts for all possible effects violating the assumptions of the Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics (when $q\rightarrow1$, it returns to the Boltzmann-Gibbs case). Using this q-Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model and including two different Polyakov-loop potentials, we discussed the influence of the parameter $q$ on chiral and deconfinement phase transition, various thermodynamic quantities and transport coefficients at finite temperature and zero quark chemical potential. We found that the Stefan-Boltzmann limit is actually related to the choice of statistics. For example, in the Tsallis statistics, the thermodynamic quantities $\frac{\epsilon}{T^{4}}$, $\frac{p}{T^{4}}$ and $\frac{s}{T^{3}}$ all increase with $q$, exceed their usual Stefan-Boltzmann limits and tend to a new $q$-related Tsallis limit at temperature high enough. Interestingly, however, due to a surprising cancellation, the high temperature limit of $c_{s}^{2}$ is still its SB limit $1/3$. In addition, we found some similarities between the non-extensive effect and the finite-size effect. For example, as $q$ increases (size decreases), the criticality of $\frac{c_{v}}{T^{3}}$ and $c_{s}^{2}$ gradually disappears. Besides, in order to better study the non-extensive effect, we defined a new susceptibility and calculated the response of thermodynamic quantities and transport coefficients to $q$. And found that their response patterns are different.


PURPOSE
We assessed changes in advanced cancer incidence and cancer mortality in eight randomized trials of breast cancer screening.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Depending on published data, advanced cancer was defined as cancer > or = 20 mm in size (four trials), stage II+ (four trials), and > or = one positive lymph node (one trial). For each trial, we obtained the estimated relative risk (RR) and 95% CI between the intervention and control groups, for both breast cancer mortality and diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. Using a meta-regression approach, log(RR-mortality) was regressed on log(RR-advanced cancer), weighting each trial by the reciprocal of the square of the standard error of log(RR) for mortality.

RESULTS
RR for advanced breast cancer ranged from 0.69 (95% CI, 0.61 to 0.78) in the Swedish Two-County Trial to 0.97 (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.25) in the Canadian National Breast Screening Study-1 (NBSS-1) trial. Log(RR)s for advanced cancer were highly predictive of log(RR)s for mortality (R(2) = 0.95; P < .0001), and the linear regression curve had a slope of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.76 to 1.25) after fixing the intercept to zero. The slope changed only slightly after excluding the Two-County Trial and the Canadian NBSS-1 and NBSS-2 trials.

CONCLUSION
In trials on breast cancer screening, for each unit decrease in incidence of advanced breast cancer, there was an equal decrease in breast cancer mortality. Monitoring of incidence of advanced breast cancer may provide information on the current impact of screening on breast cancer mortality in the general population.


INTRODUCTION
Preserving the remnant during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is considered beneficial for graft healing, but it might increase the technical difficulties and complications. This study was to compare outcomes of using the technique of remnant preservation during the ACL reconstruction versus the standard procedure with the debridement of remnant.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
We searched PubMed and EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials comparing the outcomes of ACL reconstruction both with and without remnant preservation. The risk of bias was assessed in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed to compare results.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Six randomized controlled trials with 346 patients were included. Statistically significant differences in favor of using technique of remnant preservation were observed for Lysholm Score, arthrometer measurements, and tibial tunnel enlargement. There was no significant difference between remnant technique of preservation and the standard procedure with respect to the IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee) grade, IKDC score, Lachman Test, Pivot-shift Test, range of motion (ROM), and the incidence of the cyclops lesion.

CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that ACL reconstruction with technique of remnant preservation cannot provide superior clinical outcomes compared with the standard procedure.


CONTEXT
Bariatric surgery is increasingly popular but may lead to metabolic bone disease.

OBJECTIVE
The objective was to determine the rate of bone loss in the 24 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

DESIGN AND SETTING
This was a prospective cohort study conducted at an academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS
The participants were adults with severe obesity, including 30 adults undergoing gastric bypass and 20 nonsurgical controls.

OUTCOMES
We measured bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and proximal femur by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at 0, 12, and 24 months. BMD and bone microarchitecture were also assessed by high-resolution peripheral QCT, and estimated bone strength was calculated using microfinite element analysis.

RESULTS
Weight loss plateaued 6 months after gastric bypass but remained greater than controls at 24 months (-37 ± 3 vs -5 ± 3 kg [ mean ± SEM]; P < .001). At 24 months, BMD was 5-7% lower at the spine and 6-10% lower at the hip in subjects who underwent gastric bypass compared with nonsurgical controls, as assessed by QCT and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (P < .001 for all). Despite significant bone loss, average T-scores remained in the normal range 24 months after gastric bypass. Cortical and trabecular BMD and microarchitecture at the distal radius and tibia deteriorated in the gastric bypass group throughout the 24 months, such that estimated bone strength was 9% lower than controls. The decline in BMD persisted beyond the first year, with rates of bone loss exceeding controls throughout the second year at all skeletal sites. Mean serum calcium, 25(OH)-vitamin D, and PTH were maintained within the normal range in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Substantial bone loss occurs throughout the 24 months after gastric bypass despite weight stability in the second year. Although the benefits of gastric bypass surgery are well established, the potential for adverse effects on skeletal integrity remains an important concern.


Altered gastric physiology in albino rats fed with aqueous extract of Gnetum africana and Talinum triangulare (water leaf) was investigated in gastric hydrochloric acid secretion for the period of 7, 21 and 28 days. The results of mean acid output in the test group that received Gnetum Africana extract alone was significantly increased P <0.05 on day 7 as compared with control group which was same on days 21 and 28. However, the mean acid output was significantly de- creased, P <0.05 when compared with control on day 7 and 21 respectively. In the test group that received Gnetum afri- cana and Talinum triangulare extract there was significant decrease in gastric Hydrochloric acid after days 7 and 21 and more significantly decreased in 28 days, P < 0.01 as compared with control. But there was decrease mean hydrochloric acid output in Gnetum africana and Talinum triangulare mixture than Gnetum africana alone. It is concluded that increase consumption of Gnetum africana has the tendency of increasing gastric Hydrochloric acid secretion and likely associated pathology; gastric ulcer.


Abstract Few studies have investigated at the same time how physicochemical, volatile, and sensory characteristics affect coffee liking. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of geographical origin and variety on physicochemical parameters and volatile compounds composition of mono‐origin and mono‐variety coffees. Check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) method was used with the aim of identifying the drivers of coffee liking. Moisture content, bulk density, solubility index, color parameters, and phenols and caffeine content were useful parameters for discriminating Robusta from Arabica variety, but not samples from different origins. The hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses performed on the headspace compositions showed a quite sharp ability to group the samples based on their variety. Based on CATA results, roasted attribute, related to the presence of pyrazines, was considered a positive driver of coffee liking unlike grassy and acidic attributes (associated to the presence of acids and aldehydes, respectively). Findings from this study can be a useful tool for coffee manufacturers for a winning market strategy, helping them in the choice of the most suitable raw materials and process conditions in order to produce a well‐balanced beverage by enhancing all the possible positive drivers of acceptability and reducing the negative ones.


The radiation pressure produced by two-laser fields on a two-level atom is obtained. These results show that the radiation pressure produced by two-laser fields with appropriate detunings with atom is much greater than that produced by a single-laser field. This great radiation pressure is possible to be applied to isotope separation by laser deflection of an atomic beam.


There is constant pressure to improve evaluation of animal genetic resources in order to prevent their erosion. Maintaining the integrity of livestock species as well as their genetic diversity is of paramount interest for long-term agricultural policies. One major use of DNA techniques in conservation is to reveal genetic diversity within and between populations. Forty-one microsatellites were analysed to assess genetic diversity in nine Swiss sheep breeds and to measure the loss of the overall diversity when one breed would become extinct. The expected heterozygosities varied from 0.65 to 0.74 and 10.8% of the total genetic diversity can be explained by the variation among breeds. Based on the proportion of shared alleles, each of the nine breeds were clearly defined in their own cluster in the neighbour-joining tree describing the relationships among the breeds. Bayesian clustering methods assign individuals to groups based on their genetic similarity and infer the number of populations. In STRUCTURE, this approach pooled the Valais Blacknose and the Valais Red. With BAPS method the two Valais sheep breeds could be separated. Caballero & Toro approach (2002) was used to calculate the loss or gain of genetic diversity when each of the breeds would be removed from the set. The changes in diversity based on between-breed variation ranged from -12.2% (Valais Blacknose) to 0% (Swiss Black Brown Mountain and Mirror Sheep); based on within-breed diversity the removal of a breed could also produce an increase in diversity (-0.6% to + 0.6%). Allelic richness ranged from 4.9 (Valais Red) to 6.7 (Brown Headed Meat sheep and Red Engadine Sheep). Breed conservation decisions cannot be limited to genetic diversity alone. In Switzerland, conservation goals are embedded in the desire to carry the cultural legacy over to future generations.


Abstract Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) also called as encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis, is a sporadically occurring rare neuro-cutaneous syndrome, characterized by vascular malformation with capillary venous angiomas involving face, choroidal layer of eye globe and leptomeninges responsible for ophthamological as well as neurological signs and symptoms. Authors report an interesting case, a six year old girl, who presented with seizures, facial port wine stain and normal psychomotor development. CT scan showed left cerebral hemiatrophy, left frontal and parieto occipital calcification with cortical calcification in left high frontal convexity. Cranial MRI scan also confirmed finding of left cerebral hemiatrophy and also revealed presence of gyriform cortical calcification, prominent flow voids seen in left basal ganglia. Her seizure is well controlled with antiepileptic medication. The pertinent literature is reviewed and management of such cases is discussed briefly.


The National Grid Company has just over a years experience in running the England and Wales Grid System as a plc in a market led environment. The industry has been restructured for privatisation with NGC Holdings, owner of NGC plc, being jointly owned by the 12 Regional Electricity Companies. The successful flotation of the 12 Regional Electricity Companies at the end of 1990 included the businesses and assets of NGC. Here, the author describes the structure and operation of the NGC as part of the privatised UK electricity supply industry.


We report on the discovery of an optical jet - Rosette HH2 - in the Rosette Nebula. The jet system bears unique features for residing at the center of a giant HII region, and its energy source is visible with apparently very low extinction along the line of sight. Unlike most other Herbig-Haro jets, this jet indicates a high-excitation origin, and its extended portion shows a seemingly intact structure,instead of normally a shocked working surface, which is attributed to photoablation.


a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells hold the efficiency world record around 27%, yet their market penetration is delayed. One concern is the migration of passivating hydrogen away from the interface, that some suspect may speed up the degradation of their performance. Mitigating the performance degradation necessitates the understanding of the structural evolution of a-Si:H/c-Si structures, with a focus on hydrogen migration. To this end, we have developed the SolDeg structural simulation platform that is capable of capturing extremely slow degradation processes. SolDeg integrates molecular dynamics methods that optimize the Si structure with femtosecond time steps, with the nudged elastic band method that captures the defect generation on time scales extending to gigaseconds. The molecular dynamics layer of SolDeg requires a high quality Si-H interatomic potential. While classical parametric interatomic potentials have been used extensively, the recent development of machine-learning driven interatomic potentials ignited the ambition of achieving DFT-level accuracy with classical molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper we report the development of the first machine-learning driven Gaussian Approximation Potential (GAP) to describe Si-H interactions. This potential will be used in the SolDeg platform to determine the performance degradation of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells.


Simple green synthesis of metal nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was prepared by using Raphanussativus leaf extract. This extract acts as reduce and stabilizing agent. The formation of silver NPs was confirmed and characterized by XRD, UV–visible absorption spectrum, TEM, and FTIR. The luminescence enhancement and quenching of Eu3+and Sm3+ ions were observed in the presence of silver NPs. The luminescence enhancement is owing to arise in the electric-dipole transition with alteration of the field around Ln3+ ions. Nonlinear studies in femtosecond (fs) and picosecond (ps) time scales have been studied by using the Z-scan technique. Third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of silver nanoparticles was obtained with Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing (DFWM) in the fs regime. The lifetimes of lanthanum complexes were increased by the concentration of silver NPs and decreased for further silver. The high enhanced luminescence and nonlinear studies of green synthesized silver nanoparticles can be used in optics and bio applications.


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is highly prevalent the world over. An estimated 7% to 10% of the global adult population is affected. In Brazil, the incidence of chronic bronchitis is 12.7% among individuals over the age of 40. Economic studies have great relevance in devising policies for dealing with diseases of such high prevalence. The majority of data related to the costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is culled from national health databases. There have been only a few studies evaluating the direct public health costs of the disease. In analyzing those studies, one can conclude that a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient generates a direct annual expenditure of 1200 to 1800 USD. However, the cost is correlated with the severity of the disease. Patients suffering from the more severe forms can require as much as double that expenditure, and early diagnosis is therefore vital. The most cost-effective strategy is early detection of the disease, in concert with anti-smoking campaigns. In the most advanced stages of the disease, the greatest costs are incurred due to hospitalization. In such cases, correct treatment of the acute exacerbations of the disease is crucial to minimizing costs. The average cost of a hospital stay in Brazil is 2761 Brazilian reals, which is equal to that of one full year of outpatient treatment. Antibiotic therapy accounts for only a small fraction of the total cost of treating such acute exacerbations. The use of more efficacious antibiotics may represent a more cost-effective strategy for reducing the rate of treatment failure. Economic analysis should allow for the identification and implementation of the most cost-effective strategies for treating this disease.


ABSTRACT The paper presents individual differences, which are found in studies of information retrieval with emphasis on models of personality traits, cognitive and learning styles. It pays special attention to those models which are most often included in studies of information behaviour, information seeking, perceptions of IR systems, etc., but also brings forward some models which have not yet been included in such studies. Additionally, the relationship between different individual characteristics and individual's chosen profession or academic area is discussed. In this context, the paper presents how investigation of individual differences can be useful in the design of IR systems.


Visual Abstract Spinal neuronal mechanisms regulate recovered involuntary micturition after spinal cord injury (SCI). It was recently discovered that dopamine (DA) is synthesized in the rat injured spinal cord and is involved in lower urinary tract (LUT) activity. To fully understand the role of spinal DAergic machinery in micturition, we examined urodynamic responses in female rats during pharmacological modulation of the DA pathway. Three to four weeks after complete thoracic SCI, the DA precursor L-DOPA administered intravenously during bladder cystometrogram (CMG) and external urethral sphincter (EUS) electromyography (EMG) reduced bladder overactivity and increased the duration of EUS bursting, leading to remarkably improved voiding efficiency. Apomorphine (APO), a non-selective DA receptor (DR) agonist, or quinpirole, a selective DR2 agonist, induced similar responses, whereas a specific DR2 antagonist remoxipride alone had only minimal effects. Meanwhile, administration of SCH 23390, a DR1 antagonist, reduced voiding efficiency by increasing tonic EUS activity and shortening the EUS bursting period. Unexpectedly, SKF 38393, a selective DR1 agonist, increased EUS tonic activity, implying a complicated role of DR1 in LUT function. In metabolic cage assays, subcutaneous administration of quinpirole decreased spontaneous voiding frequency and increased voiding volume; L-DOPA and APO were inactive possibly because of slow entry into the CNS. Collectively, tonically active DR1 in SCI rats inhibit urine storage and enhance voiding by differentially modulating EUS tonic and bursting patterns, respectively, while pharmacologic activation of DR2, which are normally silent, improves voiding by enhancing EUS bursting. Thus, enhancing DA signaling achieves better detrusor-sphincter coordination to facilitate micturition function in SCI rats.


In article features of working conditions of conductors were examined. The analysis of disease of the given category of workers is carried out depending on features household and sanitary--hygienic conditions in which there passes their working activity. Researches on the organization of a rational healthy meal of conductors and development balanced on a chemical compound and power value of diets of a hot meal are executed. Some variants of realization of a meal for conductors are offered, in view of them modern hygienic requirements.


Introduction Neutropenia is an abnormality in neutrophil count which lessens to lower than 1500 / microL (<1.5×109/L). Early recognition and treatment are needed in neutropenia cases. Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) belongs to Asteracea family which often is referred as "star among medicinal species". Recently, valuable effects of chamomile in multitherapy, cosmetics and nutrition has been published in several papers. The phytochemical analysis exhibited flavonoids, essential oils, cumarins and sesquiterpene lactones derivatives like matricin and chamazulene in the plant. The aim of this research wasevaluation of chamomile essential oil on granulocyte count in patients with neutropenia. Methods and Results Essential oil of chamomile was collected consecutively via Clevenger method.  85 people were participated in the clinical trial and divided into three groups. 15 healthy people as control group received chamomile drop, 35 neutropenia patients induced by chemotherapy received chamomile drop as treatment group and 35 neutropenia patients induced by chemotherapy did not receive the drop as non-treated group. Blood sampling was done at the time of the admission and every other day for 10 consecutive days after chamomile drop consumption. Granulocytes, polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and white blood cells (WBC) were counted after every sampling. The average of WBC, PMNs and granulocytes numbers were significantly raised in control and treatment group with P<0.05 90±11/ 3520±611, 1.14±0.83/ 17.37±22.8 and 150±0.07/ 1537±305, respectively. In non-treated group the WBC, PMNs and granulocyte were 40±72, 7.91±22.96 and 190±48, respectively.        Conclusion Consumption of chamomile drop significantly increased the level of WBC, PMNs and granulocyte in control and treatment groups in comparison to non-treated group. As the result, chamomile essential oil could be considered as an adjuvant in neutropenia or other immune system deficiencies. Key words Matricaria chamomilla, Neutropenia, PMNs, granulocyte, matricin


Intercropping food crops in oil palm plantations is a popular practice among oil palm farmers in Nigeria. However, farmers are not guided by economic rationale for the choice of food crops and oil palm. The study there for generated optimal farm plans in the dynamic decision environment of the farmers using a recursive linear programming model for oil palm/food crops enterprise combinations in Edo and Delta States of Nigeria. The model integrates technical and economic constraints with farmers' objectives. The seven crop combinations identified were Oil palm/plantain (OP),Oilpalm/cocoyam(OC),Oilpalm/cassava/maize(OCAM),Oilpalm/cassava/cocoyam(OCAC),Oilpalm/p lantain/cocoyam(OPC),Oilpalm/maize/cocoyam(OMC)andOilpalm/plantain/cocoyam /maize (OPCM). Four situations: Resource Endowment of the Farmers (REFs), No Capital Borrowing and No Labour Hiring (NCLH), Labour Hiring (LH), Capital Borrowing and Labour Hiring (CBLH) were the variations in the plans. With the present REFs, optimal farm plan gave a farm income of N89,590 from 1.06 hectares OC with the use of Average Annual Quarterly Labour (AAQL) of 39 mandays and Average Annual Capital Requirement (AACR) of N67,880. The NCLH gave a total farm income of N77,885.3 from 1.15 hectares in the first year made up of 0.500ha of OC and 0.654ha of OMC using AAQL of 79 mandays and AACR of N150,561.The farm income increased by an average of 69.8% yearly in 5  years. The LH only, gave a total farm income of N423,255.7 from 1.4 hectares made up of 0.43ha of OC and 0.93ha of OMC using AAQL of 75 mandays and AACR of N150,561.The total farm income increased by an average of 69% yearly in 5 years .The CBLH from the first year gave a farm income of N101,335 from 4.06 hectares made up of 1.55 ha of OC and 2.51 ha of OMC using AAQL of 30.73 mandays and AACR of N569,508.The total farm income increased by an average of 112% yearly in 5 years. Oilpalm/cocoyam entered as a basic activity within the 5 years developed plans. Capital borrowing and labour hiring are essential prerequisites for faster acreage development. Consequently, the alternative farm plans developed will incorporate intercropping as an improved substitute to the existing mixed cropping practices. Intercropping of food crops in oil palm is profitable with potentials for growth if land is increased and capital is reinvested.


Special edition from the past NEW YORK CITY, April 13, 1844 - In an unprecedented feat of human ingenuity and artistic audacity, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe of Fordham today reported a purely imaginary feat of science and technology as a fait accompli , creating a near-riot outside the offices of The New York Sun . The stir was caused by citizens who sought to purchase a special edition containing the fallacious report of a hot air balloon's crossing of the Atlantic. By making facts of physical philosophy the basis and central concern of an adventure tale, Mr. Poe has invented science fiction . The seriousness and high-mindedness of this fictional mode will soon undoubtedly allow it to take its place among the most highly esteemed and prestigious genres of literature. Countless unsuspecting readers were duped by Poe's report, which claimed the paper's front page with the large-type headline, "Astounding News! By Express Via Norfolk! Signal Triumph!" The article described in minute and technically plausible detail the flying apparatus allegedly invented and flown by well-known aviator Mr. Monck Mason. In all instances the author of the report was careful to explain the principles of aeronautics, meteorology, navigation and mechanics upon which the unexpected phenomena observed by his protagonists relied.


Deploy a scalable solution by ensuring high availability and disaster recovery using Configuration Manager Overview Deploy highly available Configuration Manager sites and roles Backup, restore, and copy Configuration Manager to other sites Get to grips with performance tuning and best practices for Configuration Manager sites In Detail Microsoft Configuration Manager is both extensive and complex, and for many, it is the primary tool for Enterprise management. With each new release, Configuration Manager continually proves itself to be the ultimate solution for managing both clients and mobile devices. This book covers in detailed and easy-to-understand steps how to set up highly available Configuration Manager roles and backend services such as SQL, DNS, and AD. You will learn how to plan for high availability, what kind of roles there are, and how they scale. The book starts by examining what needs to be taken into account when planning for high availability before moving on to focus on the different roles and how they can be set up. The book will also go through different scenarios as well as various backup and recovery procedures. You will learn how to identify bottlenecks within the different components and create sample design scenarios for high availability on Configuration Manager. The book will also look at the different high availability options and how to deploy them. What you will learn from this book Discover the different availability options for Windows roles Set up backup and recovery options with Configuration Manager Understand the planning for high availability hardware and SQL layouts Set up high availability AD, ADCS, DNS, DHCP, and SQL server Set up high availability Configuration Manager roles Create sample design scenarios Identify bottlenecks within Windows Server Approach This book is a step-by-step tutorial that guides you through the key steps in implementing best solutions for high availability and performance tuning. It is split into two distinct approaches: client and site side HA and optimization. Who this book is written for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager is for IT professionals and consultants working with Configuration Manager who wish to learn the skills to deploy a redundant and scalable solution.


The thesis addresses the matter of Etruscan self-representation in the Late Roman Republic, down to and including the early years of Augustus' Principate, and the effect different dynamics of self-representation had on the development of Roman perceptions of Etruscans in that period. Its main focus is to investigate the degree of agency that can be attributed to individuals of Etruscan origins in actively influencing and shaping contemporary perceptions of Etruscans as a group.

Individuals of Etruscan origins are identified either by continuing ties to a centre in Etruria, or by active claims to Etruscan heritage. Supporting evidence can be gleaned, with some degree of caution, from epigraphy and onomastics. Self-representation of individuals both in the city of Rome and in Etruria is considered, concentrating in particular on centres in Northern Etruria because of their higher degree of cultural conservativeness. A reflection on theoretical approaches considers different models for ethnic integration and assimilation, as well as the definition of 'ethnicity' as a concept in antiquity, that could be applied to the present period and topic.

The main avenues for self-representation of individual of Etruscan origins are then identified as: active intervention in Roman politics, including the Civil Wars; contribution to religious tradition, with particular emphasis on divinatory practices; elite dynamics in Etruscan municipia; contributions by poets of known Etruscan origins to Late Republican and Augustan-period literature. Each of these is explored separately, addressing evidence from ancient sources, archeology and material culture, and epigraphy. The conclusions highlight a much higher degree of agency of individuals of Etruscan origins in shaping perceptions of Etruscan than posited in previous literature, as well as a much greater complexity in the building of multiple identities (nested or parallel), mutual acculturation between Etruria and Rome, and common stereotypes of Etruscans in Rome in the Late Republican period.

Reactions to the cultural environment, as well as patterns of allegiance to Roman political factions, appear to have a high degree of variation between different communities, families, and even individuals. At the same time, evidence is present for an active contribution of individuals of Etruscan origins to commonplace ideas about Etruscans in the field of religion and cultural traditions. An active choice appears to be made by individuals to highlight or downplay their Etruscan origins, real or purported, depending on context and their current political needs. Augustan cultural policies aiming to equate Rome with Italy as a 'Roman-culture' block opposed to a generally Oriental one perceived as hostile facilitate this process, allowing for legitimisation of traditions attributed to the Etruscans that can now be perceived as part of a communal 'old-Roman' Italy-wide cultural heritage.


Numerical prediction capability has been improved over the decades, but progress of prediction for high-impact weather (HIW) was unsatisfactory. One reason of low predictability for HIW is lack of observation data. The National Institute of Meteorological Research (NIMR) has been performed observation program for improvement of predictability, and reduction in social and economical cost for HIW. As part of this observation program, summer intensive observation program (ProbeX-2009) was performed at the observation-gap areas from 25 August to 6 September 2009. Sounding observations using radiosonde were conducted in the Gisang2000 research vessel (R/V) from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) over the West Sea and the Eardo R/V from the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) over the South Sea. Observation System Experiment (OSE) is carried out to examine the effect of ProbeX-2009 data. OSEs using Korea Local Analysis and Prediction System (KLAPS) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are conducted to investigate the predictability for a short time forecast. And, OSEs using WRF/3DVAR system and WRF forecast model are conducted to study the predictability for an extended time. Control experiment (K_CTL and CNTL) used only GTS observation and experiment (K_EXP and SWEXP) used ProbeX-2009 data from two system are performed. ETS for 3hr accumulated rainfall simulated by KLAPS-WRF shows that K_EXP is higher than K_CTL. Also, ETS for 12hr accumulated rainfall of SWEXP from 3DVAR-WRF is higher than CNTL. The results indicate that observation over the ocean has positive impact on HIW prediction.


The complex trans-[Pt(NH3)2(mura)2] 1 (mura = 1-methyluracilate), a compound of very low water solubility, is markedly solubilised in the presence of acid or suitable metal salts due to protonation and metal binding to the exocyclic oxygen atoms, respectively. The perchlorate salt trans-[Pt(NH3)2(Hmura)2][ClO4]2·2H2O 2 has been characterised by X-ray analysis. With Ag+, 1 formed heteronuclear species of varying stoichiometries, e.g. Pt2Ag3 3, the composition of which can be further varied by the presence of alkali metal salts. The complex trans-[{Pt(NH3)2(mura)2}2AgNa(H2O)4][ClO4]2·6.5H2O 4 appears to be the first structurally characterised example of a nucleobase complex containing three different metal ions. Tetranuclear cations of 4 are arranged in the crystal in such a way as to permit both intermolecular hydrogen bonding between NH3 ligands and O2 sites of mura nucleobases and π stacking between adjacent trans-[Pt(NH3)2(mura)2] entities. This feature is radically different from that observed in related di- and tri-nuclear complexes derived from cis-(am)2PtII. With mercury(II) salts initially binding to exocyclic oxygen atoms of the mura ligand takes place, followed by metal binding to the C5 atoms of both uracil ligands of 1.


Smoothing fingerprint ridge orientation involves a principal discrepancy. Too little smoothing can result in noisy orientation fields (OF), too much smoothing will harm high curvature areas, especially singular points (SP). In this paper we present a fingerprint ridge orientation model based on Legendre polynomials. The motivation for the proposed method can be found by analysing the almost exclusively used method in literature for orientation smoothing, proposed by Witkin and Kass (1987) more than two decades ago. The main contribution of this paper argues that the vectorial data (sine and cosine data) should be smoothed in a coupled way and the approximation error should not be evaluated employing vectorial data. For evaluating the proposed method we use a Poincare-Index based SP detection algorithm. The experiments show, that in comparison to competing methods the proposed method has improved orientation smoothing capabilities, especially in high curvature areas.


We investigated the effects of the immunoactive peptides, FK 156 and FK 565, on functions of mouse macrophages. FK 156 and FK 565 given parenterally or orally to mice enhanced spreading of peritoneal macrophages, phagocytosis of latex particles and intracellular killing of bacteria by peritoneal macrophages. FK 156 and FK 565 also enhanced the production of superoxide anion and lysosomal enzyme activities of macrophages. The peptides also activated mouse spleen macrophages, and the kinetics of this activation differed from that of the peritoneal macrophages. In addition, both drugs directly enhanced the production of superoxide anion by mouse peritoneal macrophages treated in vitro and enhanced the functions of peritoneal macrophages of athymic nude mice. Both these phenomena suggest that direct activation might be one of the mechanisms of macrophage activation by the peptides.


Cryptococcus neoformans commonly causes opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients, especially in patients with AIDS. CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia in AIDS indicates an increased risk of opportunistic infection and a decline in immunological function. Idiopathic CD4 T-lymphocytopenia (ICL) is characterized by depletions in the CD4+ T-cell subsets, without evidence of HIV infection. Immunodeficiency can exist in the absence of laboratory evidence of HIV infection, and T-cell subsets should be evaluated in patients who present with unusual opportunistic infections. We report a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis and lung cancer in a patient with persistently low CD4+ cell counts, without evidence of HIV infection.


Why do ward sisters no longer see clinical education as an integral part of their function? Clinical education should be seen in a new light and again become part of the ward sister's daily activities — without necessarily increasing her work load. The clinical situation provides many opportunities for experiential learning, encouragement to apply theory, serving as a role model, shaping the student through supervision, problem solving, and using records and ward rounds as teaching aids.


Currently most commercial nuclear power stations are based on thermal reactor designs called burner reactors which are. net consumers of fissile material. These power stations form one part of a larger system that generates electricity from uraniura. However, in addition to producing energy, such systems also consume energy, in the form of various fuels, during construction and operation. This thesis describes the use of energy analysis to determine the total energy required by these systems. A number of factors are shown to influence energy consumption and, in particular, the effect of extracting uranium from different sources is studied in detail. For ores, an important inverse relationship between energy use and ore grade is investigated and quantified. The physical limit at which the energy input to the system is equal to its output is shown to correspond to an average grade of 15 parts per million of "triuranium octoxide". Analysis of proposals for extracting uranium from seawater indicates that the only schemes giving a positive energy balance are'costly ($500/lb U308) and limited to low production rates. The effects of feedback within fuel systems are analysed and. the results are used to formulate an economic model in which nuclear electricity prices determine uranium ore costs as well as vice versa. The model demonstrates-that, with present'techniques, the average 6 economic limit to ore grade is 50 ppm U308 with subsequent resources, on current assessment, of only 107 tonnes U308. This contradicts most traditional studies which, by assuming fixed, non-dependent fuel costs, suggest an ore grade limit of less than 4 ppm U308 and economically recoverable resources in excess of 1010 tonnes U308.


Confidential text corpora exist in many forms, but do not allow arbitrary sharing. We explore how to use such private corpora using privacy preserving text analytics. We construct typical text processing applications using appropriate privacy preservation techniques (including homomorphic encryption, Rademacher operators and secure computation). We set out the preliminary materials from Rademacher operators for binary classifiers, and then construct basic text processing approaches to match those binary classifiers.


of the axles. Some trials were made to determine the tractive force of this locomotive. It was coupled directly to one of the ordinary steam-locomotives of the Birmingham Tramway Company, and set to haul the latter. The brakes on the steam-locomotive were then gradually tightened until it was brought to rest, when the spring balance indicated a pull of a ton and a half; the current through the motor at that time being 2o0 amperes. Previous trials on the line had shown that the maximum pull was required on a six-percent grade, where it amounted to i,8oo pounds: so the electric locomotive has a margin of over 50 per cent of tractive power above that actually required in the ordinary working of the line. While it is to be hoped that the experiments in Birmingham will succeed, yet storage-batteries have hardly reached that state of perfection that they can compete, as far as expense goes, with steam-engines. While it is still a very doubtful question whether they are more economical than hotses for street-car work, it would seem a mistake to bring them in direct competition with steam.


Adequate supply of N nutrition is essential in banana production and is an indirect indicator of chlorophyll content, as considerable amount of it is incorporated in green pigment. Traditional methods of N determination are expensive and lengthy or require high technology instruments, affecting its timely determination. This study assessed N nutrition of banana leaf tissue through traditional Kjeldahl's method and regressed with chlorophyll content, each by spectrophotometry and SPAD-502. Fully grown suckers identical in appearance were randomly selected from thirty banana growing sites of district Naushehroferoze. Kjeldahl's N content was between 1.80 and 4.60 % with 60% samples falling under low, 3% under high and remaining were sufficient in N nutrition. There was strong, linear and significant relationship of chlorophyll determined by SPAD with chlorophyll "a" (r = 0.81) and total (r = 0.86) by spectrophotometry. In case of Kjeldahl's N, similar relationships were developed with chlorophyll content determined by SPAD meter (r = 0.85), chlorophyll "a" (r = 0.79) and total (r= 0.80) by spectrophotometry. Coefficient of determination explained 72% contribution of chlorophyll content by SPAD, and 63% and 64% ("a" and "total", respectively) by spectrophotometry to the total N content in leaf tissue. While, chlorophyll determination by SPAD meter explained 67%, 19% and 74% to spectrophotometric chlorophyll "a", "b" and "total", respectively. This study recommends that both the techniques of chlorophyll determination are closely associated with each other; however, spectrophotometric chlorophyll determinations have an edge over SPAD readings. Under spectrophotometric determination, chlorophyll "a" is the major portion of total chlorophyll associated with both N and SPAD values.


The genes responsible for many X-linked and autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency diseases have been identified during the past two years. Now we can diagnose more than a dozen primary immunodeficiency diseases by genetic methods as well as immunological ones. We describe here two patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) and with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) the diagnoses of which were confirmed by genetic analysis. A patient with LAD showed a missense mutation of the CD18 gene from C to T at nucleotide position 605 resulting in a proline178-->leucine substitution. The mutation of the other allele has not yet been analyzed, because few CD18 mRNAs were translated from the mutated DNA. Another patient with XLA had a missense mutation of Btk gene at position 1204 of C to T resulting in a change of leucine358-->phenylalanine. In view of the mutation of the Sac I restriction site from GAGCTC to GAGTTC we can easily differentiate patients and the carrier from normal persons by the amplification of genomic Btk DNA. Through these studies unknown functions of these genes will be clarified in the near future.


Krylov subspace methods are a ubiquitous tool for computing near-optimal rank $k$ approximations of large matrices. While"large block"Krylov methods with block size at least $k$ give the best known theoretical guarantees, block size one (a single vector) or a small constant is often preferred in practice. Despite their popularity, we lack theoretical bounds on the performance of such"small block"Krylov methods for low-rank approximation. We address this gap between theory and practice by proving that small block Krylov methods essentially match all known low-rank approximation guarantees for large block methods. Via a black-box reduction we show, for example, that the standard single vector Krylov method run for $t$ iterations obtains the same spectral norm and Frobenius norm error bounds as a Krylov method with block size $\ell \geq k$ run for $O(t/\ell)$ iterations, up to a logarithmic dependence on the smallest gap between sequential singular values. That is, for a given number of matrix-vector products, single vector methods are essentially as effective as any choice of large block size. By combining our result with tail-bounds on eigenvalue gaps in random matrices, we prove that the dependence on the smallest singular value gap can be eliminated if the input matrix is perturbed by a small random matrix. Further, we show that single vector methods match the more complex algorithm of [Bakshi et al. `22], which combines the results of multiple block sizes to achieve an improved algorithm for Schatten $p$-norm low-rank approximation.


Hyperimmunoglobulin D and periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) is an autosomal recessive auto-inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent febrile attacks with lymphadenopathy, abdominal distress, skin eruptions and joint involvement. We discuss the case of a 15-year-old Japanese girl who had presented with periodic fever, hepatosplenomegaly and intractable diarrhea from seven weeks of age. At first, undifferentiated autoimmune disorder was suspected, and she was treated with prednisolone and, in turn, with immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and rituximab or with plasma exchange. However, these trials failed to relieve her symptoms, and so she was transferred to our hospital when she was 15 years old. Her parents and elder brother had no history of recurrent fever, prolonged abdominal pain or diarrhea of unknown origin. The patient had extremely elevated levels of mevalonic aciduria and had homozygosity as a novel mutation in the MVK gene (G326R). Finally, HIDS was diagnosed. She was treated with simvastatin, which resulted in a moderate decrease of the urinary mevalonic acid concentration and good clinical course. This is the first case in which homozygosity for the mutation of the MVK gene has been reported in an Asian patient, and indicated a need for differentiation.


Errors in Figure and Funding/Support Paragraph: There were several errors in the Original Investigation by Reuland et al1 titled "Effect of Combined Patient Decision Aid and Patient Navigation vs Usual Care for Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Vulnerable Patient Population: A Randomized Clinical Trial." A typo has been fixed in the Conclusions paragraph of the abstract, 2 rounding errors have been corrected in Figure 2, and additional Funding/Support information has been added in the end matter. The article has been corrected online.


Abstract. Significant undeveloped brackish groundwater resources
exist within the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System (Gulf Coast Aquifer System)
near Houston, Texas, USA. As the development of these frontier resources is
imminent, an improved understanding of the impact development may have on
the availability of the resource and land subsidence is needed. In this
region, land subsidence is caused by the depressurization of the aquifer and
compaction of the many clay lenses in the subsurface. The Gulf Coast Aquifer
System in the study area includes three primary water bearing units (from
shallow to deep): the Chicot (Pleistocene and Pliocene) and Evangeline
(Pliocene and Miocene) aquifers, and the Jasper aquifer (Miocene). Although
there has been much research and data supporting the causal relation between
water-level decline and subsidence in the areas of fresh groundwater
development, little data exists to inform on the potential subsidence
impacts upon deeper brackish groundwater development. Data were compiled,
and multiple hydrologic parameters were utilized to improve the
understanding of the brackish resources within the study area. Geophysical
logs were compiled and analysed to refine the aquifer stratigraphy,
determine the binary classification of sand and clay, and estimate the
groundwater salinity. These data were used to develop a MODFLOW groundwater
flow model to estimate the risk of compaction and land subsidence upon the
development of brackish zones within the Jasper aquifer. Compiled data
detailing the total clay thickness, clay bed thickness, and clay bed
location were input into the model along with a hypothetical stress to
predict compaction within the Jasper aquifer across the study area while
incorporating the observed heterogeneity in clay properties. Using the
results from the model simulations and two other risk performance measures
(depth of burial and surface flood risk), the total subsidence normalized
risk score was estimated. The results of this study confirm the potential
for compaction in the Jasper aquifer and for land subsidence to occur upon
development. Areas with the highest risk are located in the up-dip, inland
areas, near where the aquifer becomes fresh and is currently used for
municipal supply. The results will inform water managers and planners in the
Houston area on the future availability of brackish groundwater resources.


Semantic prosody, an important factor in the study of modern collocation, plays an important role in the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL). By using retrieving function of online corpora and software, AntConc3.2.4w, this research compares the collocation and prosodies of two synonyms, "tiao" (choose) and "xuan" (select), in a large scale Chinese corpus BLCU Corpus Center (BCC) and an interlanguage corpus HUAYU. It is found that in the corpus of native speakers, "xuan" sometimes collocates abstract and negative nouns while "tiao" appears with concrete and neutral ones. However, foreign learners are confused by these synonyms, always using them with concrete and neutral nouns. This research also proves that the application of semantic prosody can enrich the content of lexical research and innovate vocabulary teaching methods in TCFL.


Family involvement in education is highlighted as a key factor to boost students' success. In this paper, we analyze ninth-graders' discourses on how they see family participation in school-related activities. data derive from 38 biographical interviews involving students from eight public schools from North Portugal. Following a narrative approach, findings emphasize that active involvement of parents make up a fundamental dimension for the consolidation of educational projects. data reveal that mothers play a leader role in the educational setting, while fathers' lack of participation can impact negatively on students' trajectories. In addition, research indicates that an extended family can emerge as crucial to the maintenance of a schooling project.


This work reports two di5erent ways of study providing potentially important information about nanoparticle !lms. The !rst study is about conductance noise in PbS nanoparticle !lms. Monocrystalline and single-sized PbS nanoparticles are synthesized via the gas-phase and deposited electrostatically onto semiconducting (GaAs) and on isolating (SiNx) substrates with planar electrode contacts. Low frequency current noise of one monolayer thick !lms are measured at various voltages, exhibiting di5usion noise characteristics, which indicates a random walk (di5usion) phenomenon of electrons between the particles. In the second part of the paper, a new method is proposed which would be is able to predict the particle size of conductive nanoparticle !lms in situ, during deposition. The method could be used for the measurement of the time-derivative of conductance uctuations during deposition. c 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.


Endophytes habitat plant tissue without causing any infections to plants, promoting plant growth and also act as defend mechanism from stressed condition of environment. An endophytic bacterium showing fluorescent green pigment while growing around Tinospora cardifolia stem tissue sample was screened for antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium verticillioides, Curvularia lunata and Alternaria alternata. The isolate showed broad-spectrum antagonism against all test fungi. Microscopic examination of the co-cultures showed morphological alterations of fungal hyphae and spores in comparison to the fungal culture grown alone. The bacterial isolate was identified on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Pseudomonas sp. The isolate also showed multiple plant growth-promoting activities of phosphate solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and production of IAA-like auxins, siderophores, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). The bacterial isolate significantly increased the shoot length, root length and dry weight of maize plants in comparison to uninoculted plants in pots under natural conditions. The studies revealed the potential of the endophytic Pseudomonas sp. strain TCA1 to be used as plant growth-promoting microbial inoculant for disease control in agriculture.


An extrinsic parameters calibration method of multi-cameras with non-overlapping fields of view (FOV) using laser scanning is presented. Firstly, two lasers are mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator and can scan objects freely by the projected line-structured light. Then, controlling the movement of the manipulator, the line-structured light is projected into the field of view of one of the multi-cameras, and the light plane equation in the camera coordinate frame is calibrated by the target. The manipulator is moved several times in small amplitude to change the position of structured light in the field of vision of the camera and to continue to calibrate the light plane. The light plane equation of line-structured light in the manipulator coordinate frame are solved by the hand-eye calibration method. Secondly, with the help of the light planes, projected into the field of vision of other cameras to be calibrated, the light plane equation in the camera coordinate frame is calibrated, and the external parameters between the camera coordinate frame and the manipulator coordinate frame are calculated, so that the calibration of the external parameters of multiple cameras can be realized. The proposed method connects the non-overlapping multi-cameras by the laser scanning. It can effectively solve the problem of multi-camera extrinsic parameter calibration under the conditions of long working distance and complex environment light.


This paper is about point-wise estimation of building density from remote sensing optical imagery using deep learning methods. Convolutional neural network (CNN) based deep learning approaches are used for this work. Pre-trained VGG-16 and FCN-8s deep architectures are adapted to the problem and fine-tuned with additional training. Estimated values are used to generate building heat maps in urban areas. Comparative simulation results of the two architectures reveal that accurate density estimation is possible without the need for detailed maps of building locations during supervised training.


To control the interaction between tetrakis(3,5 di-t-butylphenyl)porphyrin (TBPP) molecules and substrates, 5-(4-methylthiophenyl)-10,15,20-tris(3,5-di-t-butylphenyl)porphyrin (MSTBPP) molecules were tailored; one of the four di-t-butylphenyl groups of TBPP molecules was replaced by a methylthiophenyl group. By means of non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) operated in the force feedback control mode, the conformation of MSTBPP molecules deposited on an Au(111) substrate was investigated. It was found that the methylthiophenyl group introduced into the TBPP molecules enhanced the attractive interaction between the molecule and the substrate. This interaction seems to improve the spatial resolution of NC-AFM.


The occurrence of depression is higher in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) than that in the general population. The mechanism described in previous studies mainly focused on inflammation and stress, which not only exists in CLD, but also emerges in common chronic diseases, leaving the specific mechanism unknown. This review was to summarize the prevalence and risk factors of depression in CLD including chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and to point out the possible underlying mechanism of this potential link. Clarifying the origins of this common comorbidity (depression and CLD) may provide more information to understand both diseases.


An important step toward the advent of nuclear fusion as a future power source is the development of plasma-facing materials that can function as designed for a long period of time. While ITER and other devices including Wendelstein 7-X and the Joint European Torus will provide insight into divertor and first wall performance, a dedicated device to advance the understanding of material performance in the representative plasma environments is needed. The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment has been proposed as a linear plasma device to generate and to direct fusion reactor-like plasma energy and particle flux at the target materials with electron temperatures of 1–15 eV and electron densities of $10^{20}$ – $10^{21}\,\,\text{m}^{-3}$ . Given that the requirements for radio frequency (RF) heating on-axis field are no greater than 2.5 T and the warm bore diameters must be between 60 cm and 1.5 m, the conceptual design was developed for the experiments on a set of superconducting magnets carried out using commercially available NbTi superconductors. This conceptual design evaluated the cryogenic heat loads, mechanical loads, and quench protection to ensure that the current design is compatible with current technologies. In addition, an alternative evaluation of this design relative to ReBCO high-temperature superconducting magnets determined the conditions under which these technologies could be advantageous.


Purpose Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a common and aggressive form of brain tumor. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA modification plays multiple roles in many biological processes and disease states. However, the relationship between m6A modifications and the tumor microenvironment in GBM remains unclear, especially at the single-cell level. Experimental Design Single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing data were acquired from the GEO and TCGA databases, respectively. We used bioinformatics and statistical tools to analyze associations between m6A regulators and multiple factors. Results HNRNPA2B1 and HNRNPC were extensively expressed in the GBM microenvironment. m6A regulators promoted the stemness state in GBM cancer cells. Immune-related BP terms were enriched in modules of m6A-related genes. Cell communication analysis identified genes in the GALECTIN signaling network in GBM samples, and expression of these genes (LGALS9, CD44, CD45, and HAVCR2) correlated with that of m6A regulators. Validation experiments revealed that MDK in MK signaling network promoted migration and immunosuppressive polarization of macrophage. Expression of m6A regulators correlated with ICPs in GBM cancer cells, M2 macrophages and T/NK cells. Bulk RNA-seq analysis identified two expression patterns (low m6A/high ICP and high m6A/low ICP) with different predicted immune infiltration and responses to ICP inhibitors. A predictive nomogram model to distinguish these 2 clusters was constructed and validated with excellent performance. Conclusion At the single-cell level, m6A modification facilitates the stemness state in GBM cancer cells and promotes an immunosuppressive microenvironment through ICPs and the GALECTIN signaling pathway network. And we also identified two m6A-ICP expression patterns. These findings could lead to novel treatment strategies for GBM patients.


We investigate the evaporation of a two-dimensional droplet on a solid surface. The solid is flat but with smooth chemical variations that lead to a space-dependent local contact angle. We perform a detailed bifurcation analysis of the equilibrium properties of the droplet as its size is changed, observing the emergence of a hierarchy of bifurcations that strongly depends on the particular underlying chemical pattern. Symmetric and periodic patterns lead to a sequence of pitchfork and saddle-node bifurcations that make stable solutions to become saddle nodes. Under dynamic conditions, this change instability suggests that any perturbation in the system can make the droplet to shift laterally while relaxing to the nearest stable point, as is confirmed by numerical computations of the Cahn-Hilliard and Navier-Stokes system of equations. We also consider patterns with an amplitude gradient that creates a set of disconnected stable branches in the solution space, leading to a continuous change of the droplet's location upon evaporation.


Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is one of several proinflammatory cytokines produced during infection, sepsis, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) that serves to initiate the host inflammatory response and to integrate nonspecific immunity. Many of IL-1's biologic effects are beneficial to the host in times of stress, but when produced for extended periods of time or in excessive quantities, IL-1 contributes to morbidity and mortality. In fact, excessive IL-1 production has been directly linked to the development of hypotension, shock, multi-organ system failure, hematologic dyscrasia, and death in patients and animals with sepsis, SIRS, and septic shock. Recent research interest has focused on IL-1 inhibition to improve outcome in sepsis and septic shock. This article will review the role for IL-1 in sepsis and septic shock, and the function and status of the IL-1 receptors and IL-1 receptor antagonist in modulating IL-1 actions. The results of investigations of IL-1 inhibition in animal models and in human subjects with sepsis and septic shock will also be reviewed.


In this paper we perform a numerical study on the interesting phenomenon of soliton reflection of solid walls. We consider the 2D nonlinear Schrodinger equation as the underlying mathematical model and we use an implicit-explicit type Crank-Nicolson finite element scheme for its numerical solution. After verifying the perfect reflection of the solitons on a vertical wall, we present the imperfect reflection of a dark soliton on a diagonal wall.