A finite element model is developed for the process of squeeze casting of metal matrix composites in cylindrical molds. The fluid flow and the heat transfer are fundamental phenomena in squeeze casting. To describe heat transfer in the solidification of molten aluminum, the energy equation written in terms of temperature and enthalpy are applied in an axisymmetric model which is similar to the experimental system. A 1-D flow model simulates the transient metal flow. A direct iteration technique was used to solve the resulting nonlinear algebraic equations, using a computer program to calculate the enthalpy, temperature and fluid velocity. The cooling curves and temperature distribution during infiltration and solidification were calculated for pure aluminum. Experimentally, the temperature was measured and recorded using thermocouple wire. The measured time–temperature data were compared with the calculated cooling curves. The resulting agreement shows that the finite element model can accurately estimate the solidification time and predict the cooling process.


This essay is a comment on the research program launched by Frank Adloff and Sighard Neckel. My comment is specifically focused on their research agenda as outlined in their trend-setting article, 'Futures of sustainability as modernization, transformation, and control: A conceptual framework'. The comment is also addressed more generally to the research program of the Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies 'Futures of Sustainability'. I raise three issues: the first relates to the very idea of the future; the second concerns the notion of social imaginaries and the third question is focused on the idea of social transformation.


Abstract Phorbol myristate acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C activator, stimulates ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in mammary gland explants derived from 12-14 day pregnant mice. The calcium ionophore A23187 similarly stimulates ODC activity. Maximally stimulatory concentrations of TPA and A-23187 produce additive responses. The prolactin (PRL) stimulation of ODC activity is nonadditive to that caused by TPA, A23187 or TPA plus A23187. These observations are compatible with the thesis that the stimulation of ODC activity by PRL may occur via an activation of protein kinase C.


This paper demonstrates an inertia-activated cell sorting method to separate cells based on their surface protein expression by using inertial microfluidics. Target cells are immune-specifically reacted with antibody-coated microbeads and then separated from nontarget cells. As a proof of concept, separation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells from U937 lymphoma cells was achieved with 97.6% target cell recovery rate, 95% nontarget cell rejection ratio, 73.8% purity, and an enrichment ratio of 93 at a total flow rate of 8.75 mL h−1 without using any external forces.


This review-essay examines Martin Jay's The Eclipse of Reason: On Late Critical Theory with a view toward understanding the stakes of its interpretative approach to intellectual history. I show how Jay's book aims to provide much more than a mere history of reason (although it does this admirably), for it seeks to legitimate and resuscitate an idea of reason in the face of more than one hundred years of anti-rationalist thought. I contend that Jay offers Habermas's intersubjective rationality ("late Critical Theory") as both an alternative to, but also in some sense a continuation of, the dominant forms of subjectivist and objectivist rationality Jay documents in his book. According to the logic of Jay's account, then, Habermas represents in some sense the fulfillment of the history of Western rationality. My only critique of an otherwise excellent and fascinating study is that Jay's Frankfurt School-centric narrative effectively inhibits a larger discussion of Habermas's relevance to recent and current debates about the direction of philosophy. An elaboration specifically of the post-structuralist critique of reason would have greatly enhanced our understanding of the place of "late Critical Theory" in the intellectual landscape of our time.


An investigation to determine the comparative value of pain-relieving drugs conducted on 94 private patients who had undergone orthopedic surgery was started 48 hours postoperatively and continued for three days. Four substances were used: dextro propoxyphene hydrochloride, 1 00 mg.; codeine phosphate, 65 mg.; meperidine hydrochloride, 100 mg.; and placebo. Capsules were administered at four-hour intervals. Intensity of pain was scored and interrogation of patients was done by a physician. The drugs were found to be significantly more pain-relieving than was the placebo. The analgesic effectiveness of the drugs in the doses used was indistinguishable. The over-all analgesic effectiveness of drugs and placebo- was similar to that found by other workers. A separate study on placebo effect showed that the patients discriminated more accurately between analgesics and placebos on the first day of study than on subsequent days.


AbstractThis paper investigates the relationship between street properties and cognitive maps. It is focused on the question of how human cognition of the built environment is affected by street properties. Building on the foundations of Kevin Lynch's studies of environmental perception (Lynch 1960) and recent configuration measurement techniques of the built environment, it addresses an important question that Lynch has left unresolved: Why do people have more complete recollections of some parts of the urban environment, and not others?This paper proposes an analytical measurement framework based on graph theory to compare the results of cognitive maps with objective spatial properties of the corresponding built environment. In order to test our hypothesis, street geometry is measured and defined based on graph theory in two selected areas with similar geometries in Kenmore, Boston and Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA. Cognitive maps are then collected based on specifically designed map drawing surveys. Final...


STATa is a pivotal transcription factor for Dictyostelium development. dutA is the most abundant RNA transcribed by RNA polymerase II in Dictyostelium, and its functional interplay with STATa has been suggested. This study demonstrates that dutA RNA molecules are distributed as spot‐like structures in the cytoplasm, and that its cell type‐specific expression changes dramatically during development. dutA RNA was exclusively detectable in the prespore region of slugs and then predominantly localized in prestalk cells, including the organizer region, at the Mexican hat stage before most dutA transcripts, excluding those in prestalk O cells, disappeared as culmination proceeded. dutA RNA was not translated into small peptides from any potential open reading frame, which confirmed that it is a cytoplasmic lncRNA. Ectopic expression of dutA RNA in the organizer region of slugs caused a prolonged slug migration period. In addition, buffered suspension‐cultured cells of the strain displayed reduced STATa nuclear translocation and phosphorylation on Tyr702. Analysis of gene expression in various dutA mutants revealed changes in the levels of several STATa‐regulated genes, such as the transcription factors mybC and gtaG, which might affect the phenotype. dutA RNA may regulate several mRNA species, thereby playing an indirect role in STATa activation.


Accepted March 20, 2018 This research investigates the influence of using role-play as teaching technique in teaching English speaking at ninth grade students of SMP NEGERI 9 BEKASI. There are two variables, they are teaching technique of role-play as independent variable and students' speaking skill as dependent variable.The population consists of 62 students from all classes (2 classes). This research used population sample because the amount of sample is same with the amount of population. By simple random sampling technique, the writer determined 1 class as experimental class and the other class as control class. The research method used quasi experimental research. The research design used post test only. Instruments consist 3 indicators with 4 sub indicators for each. Test used oral technique of students speaking skill in role-play.The result of instrument test is validity. it determines higher than 0,275 of pearsons correlation standard. The instrument is also reliability. It determines higher than 0,5000 of alpha scale. The normality test with Kolmogorov-Smirnov is lower than 0,240. it means that the population is normality. The result of hypothesis test with R-square is 0,743. It determines that the influence is 74,3 % by using role-play technique. The writer concludes that there is significant influence of using roleplay towards students' English speaking skill at ninth grade of SMP NEGERI 9 BEKASI.


The research examines the dependence of gross regional product on payroll and fixed assets compar‑ ing the economies of the Ural Economic Region with a view of reviewing the prospects of the regional economic systems to improve their efficiency. The methodological foundations of the work cover re‑ gional economics and research in the field of economic‑mathematical modelling of regional economic processes. The information base of the research includes socioeconomic indicators of regions forming the Ural Economic Region for 2005–2016. The authors apply the methods of economic‑mathematical modelling; system, logical, statistical, correlation and regression, and economic analysis. As a result of the research, the authors build statistically significant production functions of the seven regions of the Ural Economic Region and determine key efficiency indicators of using labour and capital resources during GRP creation. The authors arrive at the conclusion that the regions under consideration have a common economic problem field, appeared as a consequence of significantly deteriorated fixed assets, a decrease in both population and number of people employed in the economy. It implies that the labour resources maintain GRP growth in these regions. Regional government authorities should definitely take this fact into account during the indicative planning, development and revision of regions' socioeco‑ nomic development programmes.


Objective This study aims to evaluate the relationships between viral clearance and blood biochemical index of 94 discharged patients with COVID-19 infection in Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, enrolled from Jan 5 to Feb 13, 2020.Methods The clinical, and laboratory findings were extracted from the electronic medical records of the patients. The data were analysed and reviewed by a trained team of physicians. Information on clinical symptoms and signs, medical treatment, virus clearance and laboratory parameters including interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were collected.Results COVID-19 mRNA clearance ratio was identified significantly correlated with the decline of serum creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Furthermore, COVID-19 mRNA clearance time was positively correlated with the length of hospital stay in patients treated with either IFN-α + lopinavir/ritonavir or IFN-α + lopinavir/ritonavir+ ribavirin.Conclusions Therapeutic regimen of IFN-α+lopinavir/ritonavir and IFN-α + lopinavir/ritonavir + ribavirin regimens might be beneficial for treatment of COVID-19. Serum LDH or CK decline may predict a favorable response to treatment of COVID-19 infection.


Significant generation of hot-carrier induced donor and acceptor interface states in PMOSFET's is observed for the first time from gate-to-drain capacitance Cgd^*s. Plotting the change ΔCgd^*s against gate bias reveals two peaks, attributed to donor and acceptor states. A voltage on the drain displaces the donor peak by approximately the amount of the applied voltage, but the acceptor peak shifts by a fixed amount.


Abstract An accurate understanding of the anatomy of the levator palpebrae superioris aponeurosis (LPSA) is critical for successful blepharoplasty of aponeurotic ptosis. We investigated the macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of the LPSA. This prospective live gross anatomy study enrolled 200 adult Chinese patients with bilateral mild ptosis undergoing elective blepharoplasty. Full-thick eyelid tissues and sagittal sections from the eyelid skin to the conjunctiva were examined with Masson trichrome staining or antismooth muscle actin (SMA) immunohistochemistry. Gross anatomy showed that the space between the superficial and deep layers of the LPSA could be accessed after incising the overlying superficial fascia, by retracting the white line. Adipose layers were clearly observed in 195 out of 200 patients with bilateral mild ptosis, among which 180 cases had the superficial layer connected to the uncoated adipose. Fifteen cases had the superficial layer connected to the smoothly coated layer, and 5 cases had the superficial layer directly connected to the deep loose fiber, almost without adipose. In previously untreated patients, the LPSA space was located beneath the intact orbital septum. In those with previous surgeries, it was beneath the superficial layer of the LPSA, underlying the destructed orbital septum. Cadaveric histology showed that the deep layer of the LPSA extended into the anterior layer of the tarsal plate and the superficial layer reflexed upward in continuity with the vertical orbital septum. An occult space existed between the 2 layers of the LPSA, with a smooth lining on the deep layer. The superficial layer of the LPSA was SMA-immunonegative but the deep layer was slightly immunopositive for SMA. An occult anatomic space exists between the superficial and deep layers of the LPSA, in proximity to the superior tarsal plate margin. Recognition of the more anatomically significant LPSA deep layer may help improve the aesthetic outcome of blepharoplasty.


Surface-wave propagation on coated or uncoated conducting wires, rods, or tubes has been shown to provide low attenuation, moderate field extent, low dispersion, and high power-handling at frequencies from 100 GHz to 1 THz. Typical conductors are copper, aluminum, or stainless steel. Uncoated conductors provide the lowest loss, while conductors coated with a thin layer of low-loss dielectric (such as Teflon, polystyrene, or polyethylene) have the smallest field extent. The guided mode is the TM01, often referred to as the Sommerfeld mode. The properties of the guided wave were theoretically analyzed by King and Wiltse in 1962, and measured results were obtained at 105 and 140 GHz. In the last two years the work has been rediscovered, and now four different research groups have reported new results. While the earlier work was conducted in the search for long, low-loss transmission lines (100 meters to 1 kilometer), the current applications are for lengths about 1 meter long, as might be used in probes. The recent results will be summarized, and an optimized design will be presented, along with general curves of attenuation, field extent, and power handling capability from 100 GHz to 1 THz.


The conditions of some biochemical and functional systems of the rat organisms at daily intramuscular injections of obsidan (0.05 mg/100 g body weight) for one month were studied to evaluate the effect of obsidan on the adrenergic-dependent adaptive reactions. It was shown that the procedure of injections itself (the control group of animals receiving injections of sodium chloride isotonic solution) is stress leading to a decrease of beta-adrenergic-dependent reactions and an increase of alpha-adrenergic-dependent ones. The combination of this stress with the pharmacological effect of obsidan is characterized by a decrease of adrenaline release in blood, a reduction of manifestations of alpha-adrenergic reactions, a decline of lipid energy substrates consumption level.


Background In the MACRO study, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were randomised to first-line treatment with 6 cycles of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) plus bevacizumab followed by either single-agent bevacizumab or XELOX plus bevacizumab until disease progression. An additional retrospective analysis was performed to define the prognostic value of tumour KRAS status on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and response rates. Methodology/Principal Findings KRAS data (tumour KRAS status and type of mutation) were collected by questionnaire from participating centres that performed KRAS analyses. These data were then cross-referenced with efficacy data for relevant patients in the MACRO study database. KRAS status was analysed in 394 of the 480 patients (82.1%) in the MACRO study. Wild-type (WT) KRAS tumours were found in 219 patients (56%) and mutant (MT) KRAS in 175 patients (44%). Median PFS was 10.9 months for patients with WT KRAS and 9.4 months for patients with MT KRAS tumours (p = 0.0038; HR: 1.40; 95% CI:1.12–1.77). The difference in OS was also significant: 26.7 months versus 18.0 months for WT versus MT KRAS, respectively (p = 0.0002; HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.23–1.96). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that KRAS was an independent variable for both PFS and OS. Responses were observed in 126 patients (57.5%) with WT KRAS tumours and 76 patients (43.4%) with MT KRAS tumours (p = 0.0054; OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.18–2.64). Conclusions/Significance This analysis of the MACRO study suggests a prognostic role for tumour KRAS status in patients with mCRC treated with XELOX plus bevacizumab. For both PFS and OS, KRAS status was an independent factor in univariate and multivariate analyses.


A comprehensive approach to NDE and SHM characterization error (CE) evaluation is presented that follows the framework of the 'ahat-versus-a' regression analysis for POD assessment. Characterization capability evaluation is typically more complex with respect to current POD evaluations and thus requires engineering and statistical expertise in the model-building process to ensure all key effects and interactions are addressed. Justifying the statistical model choice with underlying assumptions is key. Several sizing case studies are presented with detailed evaluations of the most appropriate statistical model for each data set. The use of a model-assisted approach is introduced to help assess the reliability of NDE and SHM characterization capability under a wide range of part, environmental and damage conditions. Best practices of using models are presented for both an eddy current NDE sizing and vibration-based SHM case studies. The results of these studies highlight the general protocol feasibility, emphasize the importance of evaluating key application characteristics prior to the study, and demonstrate an approach to quantify the role of varying SHM sensor durability and environmental conditions on characterization performance.


Abstract Programmed chromosomal inversions allow bacteria to generate intra-population genotypic and functional heterogeneity, a bet-hedging strategy important in changing environments. Some programmed inversions modify coding sequences, producing different alleles in several gene families, most notably in specificity-determining genes such as Type I restriction-modification systems, where systematic searches revealed cross phylum abundance. Yet, a broad, gene-independent, systematic search for gene-altering programmed inversions has been absent, and little is known about their genomic sequence attributes and prevalence across gene families. Here, identifying intra-species variation in genomes of over 35 000 species, we develop a predictive model of gene-altering inversions, revealing key attributes of their genomic sequence attributes, including gene-pseudogene size asymmetry and orientation bias. The model predicted over 11,000 gene-altering loci covering known targeted gene families, as well as novel targeted families including Type II restriction-modification systems, a protein of unknown function, and a fusion-protein containing conjugative-pilus and phage tail domains. Publicly available long-read sequencing datasets validated representatives of these newly predicted inversion-targeted gene families, confirming intra-population genetic heterogeneity. Together, these results reveal gene-altering programmed inversions as a key strategy adopted across the bacterial domain, and highlight programmed inversions that modify Type II restriction-modification systems as a possible new mechanism for maintaining intra-population heterogeneity.


Objective: This study was designed to investigate the effect of sedation on maternal hypotension in preoperatively anxious parturients underwent urgent category-1 Cesarean section (C/S) under spinal anesthesia (SA). Material and Methods: After ethics committee approval, data of 1824 parturients underwent C/S were reviewed from the surgical database and patient charts. Parturients with high preoperative anxiety scores (VAS-A)≥70) underwent C/S under SA with thiopental 2 mg/kg (if necessary additional 50 mg) sedation until reaching Ramsay sedation score≥3 (Group S, n=49), and without any other type of sedation (Group NS, n=53) were included in the study. All parturients received SA with hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% 2.5 mL. Hemodynamic parameters and maximum systolic arterial pressure (SAP) reductions (%) from the baseline were recorded. Maternal hypotension (SAP≥30% decrease or <100 mmHg) and bradycardia (heart rate <55 beats/min) incidences, required ephedrine (5mg IV bolus) and atropine (0.5 mg IV bolus) doses, and newborn Apgar scores were also analyzed. Results: Fifty-nine parturients' data (Group S: 29 and Group NS: 30) were analyzed. The maximum SAP reductions were 23±12.8% and 30.8±16.1% in Groups S and NS, respectively (p=0,044). Hypotension was observed in 5 (17,2%) parturients of Group S and 15 (50%) of Group NS (p=0.012, 95% CI 0,14-0,82; relative risk=0,344). Ephedrine requirement was 17±4,4 mg and 25±7,4 mg in Groups S and NS, respectively (p=0,04). Incidence of bradycardia, required atropine dose and newborn Apgar scores were similar in both groups (p>0,05). Conclusions: The maximum SAP reduction, hypotension incidence and required ephedrine doses were lower in thiopental sedation used preoperatively anxious parturients who underwent category-1 C/S under SA.


Context and
Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in postmenopausal
women and dyslipidemia has important contributing factor. The objective of the study was to evaluate
low-dose estrogen plus progestogen therapy
(EPT) + simvastatin for vasomotor symptoms and lipid and lipoprotein
profiles. Design and Setting: Clinical
trial was conducted in a private clinical research center. Methods: Two hundred forty symptommatic
postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia were randomized to one of three
treatment groups: A) 1 mg estradiol/ 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate (E2/NETA) +
20 mg simvastatin; B) E2/NETA + placebo; or C) 20 mg simvastatin + placebo.
Lipid and lipoprotein profiles and menopausal symptoms were evaluated after
16 weeks. Results: Total cholesterol, LDL
cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol decreased (P cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, Apo B and ApoB/Apoa1
(P Conclusions: Thus in postmenopausal women with
dyslipidemia, the association of E2/ NETA low-dose with simvastatin relieved climacteric symptoms similar to that observed with isolated E2/NETA and improved lipid and lipoprotein profile similar to the
isolated use of simvastatin. The use of
E2/NETA alone decreased menopausal symptoms, but did not improve
dyslipidemia.


Insect phenoloxidase (PO) belongs to the type 3 copper protein family and possesses oxidoreductase activities. PO is typically synthesized as a zymogen called prophenoloxidase (PPO) and requires the proteolytic activation to function. We here cloned full-length cDNA for 3 previously unidentified PPOs, which we named OfPPO1a, OfPPO1b, and OfPPO3, from Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Gunée), in addition to the previously known OfPPO2. These conceptual PPOs and OfPPO2 all contain two common copper-binding regions, two potential proteolytic activation sites, a plausible thiol-ester site, and a conserved C-terminal region but lack a secretion signal peptide sequence at the N-terminus. O. furnacalis PPOs were highly similar to other insect PPOs (42% to 79% identity) and clustered well with other lepidopteran PPOs. RT-PCR assay showed the transcripts of the 4 OfPPOs were all detected at the highest level in hemocytes and at the increased amounts after exposure to infection by bacteria and fungi. Additionally, we established an Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system to produce recombinant O. furnacalis PPO proteins for future use in investigating their functions. These insights could provide valuable information for better understanding the activation and functioning mechanisms of O. furnacalis PPOs.


This paper presents a neural system intended to aid the control center operator in the task of fault section estimation. Its analysis is based on information about the operation of protection devices and circuit breakers. In order to allow the diagnosis task, the protection system philosophy of busbars, transmission lines, and transformers are modeled with the use of two types of neural networks: the general regression neural network and the multilayer perceptron neural network. The tool described in this paper can be applied to real bulk power systems and is able to deal with topological changes without having to retrain the neural networks.


In this contribution, the bit error rate (BER) degradation caused by a carrier frequency offset between the transmitter and receiver carrier oscillator is investigated for single carrier (SC) and multi carrier (OFDM) signaling. For both modulation formats a carrier frequency offset results in a rotation and an attenuation of the transmitted symbols. In addition, this impairment gives rise to inter-symbol interference (ISI) and destroys the orthogonality between the carriers of the multi carrier signal which yields inter-carrier interference (ICI). The analysis shows that for SC transmission the BER degradation is dominated by the reduction of the useful signal component, provided that the carrier frequency offset is small with respect to the SC symbol rate. For OFDM transmission, a comparison of the different interferences reveals that the BER degradation is determined by the ICI.


As the proportion of older people in the population rises, health services must continue to develop to meet their special needs. This includes accident and emergency (A&E) services which work at the interface between primary and secondary health care for individuals of all ages. This literature review aimed to answer the following questions: 1) What are the characteristics and special needs of older people in A&E? 2) Which of the current literature describes, evaluates or advocates service initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of older people in A&E? 3) What are the policy implications of the literature reviewed for British A&E services?


To both patients and physicians it seems natural to attribute adverse premenstrual phenomena to cyclic fluctuations of hormones produced by the ovary. This seems so plausible that, although the endocrine mechanism that causes premenstrual syndrome remains unknown, the condition itself is often treated with hormonal substances. Psychosocial factors are thus considered to be of only secondary importance. They may play a role as a contributing factor, to the 'real' cause of premenstrual syndrome they are not an essential ingredient. The aim of this review article is to examine how strong the evidence is for the possible existence of an endocrine factor as the causative agent in premenstrual syndrome. Using an epidemiological approach we conclude that the continuing search for the responsible mechanism that causes premenstrual syndrome may very well be an endocrine 'Holy Grail'. Human behavior cannot be understood within a single (hormonal) frame of reference. Cyclical ovarian activity is only one of the etiological factors in premenstrual syndrome. Unravelling the pathogenesis of premenstrual syndrome requires a multidisciplinary approach.


Abstract New records of copepods are listed from artificial containers and shallow waterbodies in the Florida Keys. Mesocyclops ogunnus is reported from the United States for the first time. Metacyclops cf. gracilis is reported from the Florida Keys for the first time. New collection records are presented for 12 other species. Mesocyclops ogunnus is an Old World species, and this is the third record in the Neotropics; it may have the potential to compete with the North and Central American native Mesocyclops edax. The non-native copepod species found in central and southern Florida are generally associated with plants and soils. A review of literature on introduced copepods found in South Florida is presented.


This sourcebook and guide is designed to help teachers plan and implement their own effective social studies programs. Covers a philosophy for teaching, emphasizing that no single method of instruction is sufficient to achieve all goals and objectives of elementary social studies instruction. Offers a comprehensive view of lesson planning. Explores instructional approaches. Considers contents sources (for civic education, geography, history). Discusses learning tools (reading, writing, the expressive arts). Explains how to select instructional resources. Includes recommendations within a developmental framework that highlight both grade-appropriateness and adaptations for other grade levels. Addresses topical issues: constructivism, decision-making strategies, critical thinking skills, thematic planning, cooperative learning, and alternative assessment methods. Includes a "classroom sketch" and "classroom connection" in each chapter. Contains "technology sampler" boxes with starting points for exploiting computers as crucial planning and instructional tools. For prospective elementary school social studies teachers.


The present study is an attempt to analyze the executive guaranty of arbitration at international law within internal Iranian law and the international law. The present research findings show that within internal law in case the arbitration verdict is not carried out voluntarily then its obligatory administration is under the support of law and has legal executive guaranty. But arbitration privilege at administration stage is not limited to the fact that any arbitration verdict is to be performed without any questioning but a significant aspect of this privilege is to prevent the administration of a verdict which is altered or creased and openly against the facts or the law. In international law the international commerce chamber arbitration system is the most important international trade arbitration system in contemporary period and has always been the influential forerunner in international arbitration and has had a significant role in the development and expansion of arbitration method of settling international trade disputes. Both the chamber arbitration rules and arbitration verdicts which are issued under the chamber arbitration framework are among the most important legal resources in terms of international arbitration and are considered as the constructive and formative factors of international arbitration procedure. It should be mentioned that commerce chamber arbitration organization lacks the executive tools to execute the arbitration verdicts. But in spite of that on the basis of arbitration rules article 35 the arbitration authority and the chamber arbitration court makes attempts to execute the verdict and the purpose is mostly the official measures rather than judicial or administrative. Principally, the execution of arbitration verdicts depend on state rules and regulations where from the identification and administration of verdict is requested.


This paper reports the analytical calculation of entropy generation due to unsteady heat and mass transfer flow of an incompressible, electrically conducting, and viscous fluid past an infinite vertical porous plate along with porous medium of time dependent permeability with radiative heat transfer and variable suction. The fluid and the plates are in a state of solid body rotation with constant angular velocity about the z-axis normal to the plates. Solution of an oscillatory boundary layer flow bounded by two horizontal flat plates, one of which is oscillating in its own plane and the other at rest, is developed by asymptotic expansion in order of epsilon for velocity, temperature and magnetic fields. The influences of the chemical reaction parameter, the thermal and mass Grashof numbers, heat generation/absorption and Hartmann number on total entropy generation were investigated, reported and discussed. A parametric study of all parameters involved was considered, and a representative set of results showing the effects are illustrated. Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics , Volume 15 (November, 2009), pp 461 - 468


DNA computing is a hot research topic in recent years. Formalization and verification using theories(�-calculus, bioambients, �-calculus and etc.) in Computer Science attract attention because it can help prove and predict to a certian degree various kinds of biological processes. Combining these two aspects, formal methods can be used to verify algorithms in DNA computing, including basic arithmetic operations if they are to be included in a DNA chip. In this paper, we first introduce a newly-designed algorithm for solving binary addition with DNA, which contributes to a unit in DNA computer processor, and then formalize the algorithm in �-calculus(a formal method well suited for describing protein interactions) to show the correctness of it in a sense, and a sensible example is provided. Finally, some discussion on the described model is made, in addition to a few possible future improvement directions.


Twenty-five syndactylous Angus cattle, characterized pathologically, were reported from 16 herds in 10 states from 1979 to 1994. Twenty-one (84%) had all 4 legs syndactylous, 3 (12%) had 3 legs syndactylous, and 1 (4%) had 2 legs syndactylous. All syndactylous cattle walked with considerable difficulty. Hooves of aged animals became curled and bent laterally or medially. Affected hooves had the appearance of a truncated cone, the base of which was located at the coronary band. Most hooves were fused completely with no indication of dual anlage. An occasional hoof had a distal notch, and other hooves had a dorsally located groove indicating dual embryonic origin. Lateral dewclaws were enlarged in most cases. Radiographs and dissections of limbs of 19 animals revealed a consistent pattern of fusion in most affected calves. Lesions included 1 or more of the following: disappearance of the large metacarpal and metatarsal intertrochlear notches, horizontal fusion of 1 or more carpals and tarsals, fusion of proximal sesamoids, 1 distal sesamoid, and fusion of paired phalanges. Evidence of a genetic cause consisted of 11 syndactylous calves among 70 offspring of 4 3/4 sib families, 8 preterm syndactylous fetuses among 148 preterm fetuses and 13 calves in progenies of 19 animals tested for possible heterozygosity, and 5 syndactylous calves from matings of an Angus syndactylous bull with 1 Angus and 4 Holstein syndactylous cows. Data were consistent with recessive inheritance at a single locus. Angus cattle with sydactytly had a larger number of affected limbs than did syndactylous Holsteins and their Angus crosses, suggesting existence of 2 recessive alleles. The allele of Holsteins (sy H) appeared to influence phenotypic expression in a dominant pattern over the Angus allele (sy A). Both sy A and sy H alleles acted as reccessives to the normal SY allele. Phenotypic effects on limb development were most dramatic in calves with the sy A/sy A genotype.


Th e muscles of the cephalic region and pectoral girdle of Denticeps clupeoides are described and compared with those of other otocephalans (= clupeomorphs + ostariophysans). In general, the confi guration of the cephalic and pectoral girdle muscles of Denticeps seems to correspond to the plesiomorphic condition for extant otocephalans, the main exceptions being: the dilatator operculi, which is rather small and is to a great extent covered in lateral view by the preopercle; the arrector dorsalis, which is not divided into two well-diff erentiated, separate sections; the protractor pectoralis, which is missing. Comments on the homologies, plesiomorphic states and evolution of the cephalic and pectoral muscles within the Otocephala are given.


Sutras & Bardos: Essays & Interviews on Allen Ginsberg, the Kerouac School, Anne Waldman, The Postbeat Poets & the New Demotics.Jim Cohn (Boulder, CO: Museum of American Poetics Publications, 2011)It is a cliche, of course, to say "the Beats go on." For several decades now, cultural critics, biographers, and reviewers have echoed the cry "the Beats go on." Behind the banner newspaper headlines and the slick magazine stories about the Beats and their cultural descendants, there is an unmistakable germ of truth. On blogs, as well as in bookstores, bohemian haunts, and college classrooms, the writers of the Beat Generations - plural - go on and on and on with little sign of diminution or atrophy. Perhaps no one in the United States today understands and appreciates the poetic durability and the cultural elasticity of the Beats better than Jim Cohn, the author of Sutras & Bardos: Essays & Interviews on Allen Ginsberg, the Kerouac School, Anne Waldman, The Postbeat Poets & the New Demotics.Born in Highland Park, Illinois in 1953 - three years before the publication of Howl, four years before the publication of On the Road - Cohn came of age in the aftermath of the initial flowering of the first wave of Beat Generation writers in the mid-1950s. Old enough to have experienced the 1960s, and yet young enough to have been shaped early in life by the development of digital technology and the computer, he is a pivotal figure linking generations and schools of thought.Drawn almost instinctively to Allen Ginsberg's poetry and to his personality, Cohn studied with Ginsberg at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and worked as his teaching assistant in 1980. Ginsberg has been a lifelong influence on Cohn's poetry, his teaching, and his sense of citizenship, along with pivotal figures such as Anne Waldman, Amiri Baraka, and a slew of other poets from Walt Whitman and Ezra Pound to Ted Berrigan. Cohn pays homage to these figures in his new, refreshing book that brings together twenty essays and five interviews, many of them previously published in journals and reviews such as Logos, The Arts Paper and Paterson Literary Review and newly revised for inclusion in Sutras & Bardos.Cohn's book has several distinctive characteristics that make it appealing, and even compelling, reading. It is intensely personal and deeply autobiographical with the author's own dreams, reflections, and journeys in search of poetry, poets, and the poetic. "In Valparaiso, I visited Pablo Neruda's home, high on a steep hillside," Cohn writes in an essay on the 150th anniversary of the publication of Leaves of Grass (24). At the same time, Sutras & Bardos is profoundly theoretical. "Form is an extension of emptiness," the author writes. "Poems take place in a space nothing can fill" (21). Elsewhere, he notes that literary movements have "porosity, or openness, such that certain poets are viewed interchangeably" (172).Scholars and students of the Beats will probably find his terms useful, though they may also find some of them, such as "porosity," new and perhaps even unusual. Cohn always defines his terms. Sutras, he explains in the introduction to the book, are "a distinct Eastern literary form that employs minimal syllabary and is unambiguous, pithy, comprehensive, continuous and without flaw." Bardos, he adds, are "the intermediate or intimate transitional or in-between or liminal states after death and before one's next birth." There is plenty of food for thought here.Cohn is also generous in his appreciations of writers, including his own contemporaries and near contemporaries such as Eileen Myles, Ingrid Swanberg, David Cope, Gary Gach, Marc Olmstead, Eliot Katz, and Antler, the pen name for Brad Burdick, the author of Factory, published by City Lights, and a former poet laureate of Milwaukee whom Ginsberg described as "one of Whitman's poets and orators to come. …


The purpose of this study was to clarify the precise effect of argatroban on the inhibition of cytokine secretion induced by thrombin on synovial cells. The efficiency of thrombin inactivation by thrombin inhibitors was evaluated in human synovial fluids (SFs). In SFs from 13 osteoarthritis (OA) and 11 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, thrombin, Factor Xa (FXa), plasmin activity, IL-6, MMP-3, VEGF, and D-dimer concentrations were measured. Tissue factor (TF) activity or IL-6, MMP-3, and VEGF secretion of human synovial cells with or without thrombin and argatroban were measured. The efficiency of thrombin inactivation in SFs was compared for thrombin inhibitors: argatroban, antithrombin III (ATIII), or heparin cofactor II (HCII). In SFs, thrombin, FXa, plasmin, D-dimer, IL-6, and MMP-3 were significantly higher in RA than in OA. In synovial cell experiments, TNF-alpha and thrombin enhanced TF activity on the cell surface, and IL-6, MMP-3, and VEGF secretion were enhanced by thrombin. Increased TF activity, and IL-6, MMP-3, and VEGF secretion induced by thrombin were inhibited by argatroban. In SFs, argatroban inactivated thrombin more effectively than ATIII or HCII. Since thrombin plays an important role in the disease activity of OA and RA, it is a potential therapeutic molecular target. Argatroban was the most effective anticoagulant to inhibit thrombin activity in SF. Intra-articular injection is ideal administration because it can deliver high dose of argatroban without high risk of systematic complication.


The aim of this study is to evaluate lifelong learning institution administrators' opinions on the concept of lifelong learning within the scope of metaphor analysis. The study was structured by the qualitative research approach and, descriptive analysis, content analysis and constant comparison technique were employed during the process of interpretation of the data. The study group was composed of 417 lifelong learning institution administrators from all regions of Turkey participated in the "Workshop on Basic Principles of Adult Education" held in Antalya by the Ministry of National Education, General Directorate of Lifelong Learning. The metaphors expressed by the administrators under the study were structured in 86 categories under 6 themes including necessity, man-made, health, continuity, life and instructive. Accordingly, it can be said that lifelong learning institution administrators consider the concept of lifelong learning as necessary for human, beneficial for human beings and an indispensable element for human life.


There has been increasing needs for cost-effective and high performance thin film deposition techniques for photovoltaics. Among all deposition techniques, roll-to-roll printing of nanomaterials has been a promising method. However, the printed thin film contains many internal imperfections, which reduce the charge-collection performance. Here, direct pulse laser crystallization (DPLC) of photoactive nanoparticles-inks is studied to meet this challenge. In this study, copper indium selenite (CIS) nanoparticle-inks is applied as an example. Enhanced crystallinity, densified structure in the thin film is resulted after DLPC under optimal conditions. It is found that the decreased film internal imperfections after DPLC results in reducing scattering and multi-trapping effects. Both of them contribute to better charge-collection performance of CIS absorber material by increasing extended state mobility and carrier lifetime, when carrier transport and kinetics are coupled. Charge carrier transport was characterized after DPLC, showing mobility increased by 2 orders of magnitude. Photocurrent under AM1.5 illumination was measured and shown 10 times enhancement of integrated power density after DPLC, which may lead to higher efficiency in photo-electric energy conversion.


Fifty three mutants derived from Dharwad Early Runner (DER), a true breeding variant from a cross between two Valencia varieties of groundnut were evaluated for taxonomic, productivity and quality traits for assessing its suitability to ascertain marker-trait association. Mutants were confirmed for subspecific changes. Sixteen independent mutants shared common taxonomic shift from DER type to that of ssp. hypogaea var. hypogaea. Seventeen and nine mutants showed taxonomic shift to ssp. fastigiata var. fastigiata and ssp. fastigiata var. vulgaris, respectively. Four mutants had a shift from var. fastigiata to var. vulgaris. Significant shifts both in positive and negative direction were observed for most of the productivity and quality traits along with resistance to late leaf spot and rust. Since these mutants are derived from a common source (Dharwad Early Runner), those contrasting for any trait are expected to differ for a small genomic region. Role of transposons being significant in groundnut mutations, genotyping such mutants with transposon-specific markers might reveal marker-trait associations useful for groundnut improvement.


In operational networks, nodes are connected via multiple links for load sharing and redundancy. This is done to make sure that a failure of a link does not disconnect or isolate some parts of the network. However, link failures have an effect on routing, as the routers find alternate paths for the traffic originally flowing through the link which has failed. This effect is severe in case of failure of a critical link in the network, such as backbone links or the links carrying higher traffic loads. When routing is done using the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol, the original weight selection for the normal state topology may not be as efficient for the failure state. In this paper, we investigate the single link failure issue with an objective to find a weight setting which results in efficient routing in normal and failure states. We engineer Tabu Search Iterative heuristic using two different implementation strategies to solve the OSPF weight setting problem for link failure scenarios. We evaluate these heuristics and show through experimental results that both heuristics efficiently handle weight setting for the failure state. A comparison of both strategies is also presented.


In this communication, the theory of field-free line (FFL) formation in a magnetic field is investigated. It is shown that an FFL can be generated by only three Maxwell coil pairs. By varying the applied currents, the FFL can be arbitrarily rotated, while keeping the coils static in space. For translation, additional Helmholtz coil pairs can be used. These findings enable efficient realization of a field generating unit for a recently developed imaging method named magnetic particle imaging.


About health, there are many works pointing to the importance of the religiosity and spirituality to cope of the diseases and the adherence of the treatment. Considering the clinic interest of this theme for the psychologist's work in hospitals and, especially in Oncology, it is suggested a critical analyses of the literature about spiritual/religious coping and cancer. The realized research indicated that the main studies relate the following themes: quality of life, resilience, cultural and professional aspects. More researches must be done in order to give bases to a professional intervention, mainly in Pediatric Oncology, because this area is poorly explored.


Transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) signaling is involved in glioma development. The monoclonal antibody fresolimumab (GC1008) can neutralize all mammalian isoforms of TGF-β, and tumor uptake can be visualized and quantified with 89Zr-fresolimumab PET in mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the fresolimumab uptake in recurrent high-grade gliomas using 89Zr-fresolimumab PET and to assess treatment outcome in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma treated with fresolimumab. Methods: Patients with recurrent glioma were eligible. After intravenous administration of 37 MBq (5 mg) of 89Zr-fresolimumab, PET scans were acquired on day 2 or day 4 after tracer injection. Thereafter, patients were treated with 5 mg of fresolimumab per kilogram intravenously every 3 wk. 89Zr-fresolimumab tumor uptake was quantified as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). MR imaging for response evaluation was performed after 3 infusions or as clinically indicated. Results: Twelve patients with recurrent high-grade glioma were included: 10 glioblastomas, 1 anaplastic oligodendroglioma, and 1 anaplastic astrocytoma. All patients underwent 89Zr-fresolimumab PET 4 d after injection. In 4 patients, an additional PET scan was obtained on day 2 after injection. SUVmax on day 4 in tumor lesions was 4.6 (range, 1.5–13.9) versus a median SUVmean of 0.3 (range, 0.2–0.5) in normal brain tissue. All patients showed clinical or radiologic progression after 1–3 infusions of fresolimumab. Median progression-free survival was 61 d (range, 25–80 d), and median overall survival was 106 d (range, 37–417 d). Conclusion: 89Zr-fresolimumab penetrated recurrent high-grade gliomas very well but did not result in clinical benefit.


Budesonide is BCS class II drug (solubility 0.0457 mg/ml) with oral bioavailability of 10-20%. Solid dispersions of budesonide was prepared by solvent evaporation technique using Soluplus® in different ratios. These were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter, scanning electron microscopy and powder x-ray diffraction studies. FTIR studies confirmed the lack of interaction between drug and Soluplus®. Saturation solubility studies in different media such as water, 0.1 N HCl and phosphate buffer pH 7.4 were performed. A 9 fold increase in solubility in phosphate buffer was observed. Invitro dissolution studies revealed 90 % release whereas plain drug showed 38.75% release in 90 min. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) rectal suppositories were prepared using the solid dispersion bymoulding technique and compared with plain drug suppositories. The suppositories were examined for various properties. The dissolution time at 37°C was found to be 12 min and softening time was 10-12 min. The breaking test revealed that the suppositories had sufficient mechanical strength. The suppositories with solid dispersion exhibited 92 % release in 90 min in phosphate buffer pH 7.4 while plain drug suppositories displayed 68 % release. Thus we may conclude that improved saturation solubility and invitro dissolution of budesonide in presence of Soluplus® will result in its improved bioavailability.


Introduction and importance: The simultaneous occurrence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and choroidal melanoma is extremely rare, and diagnosis of choroidal melanoma in RRD patients is challenging. As a result, choroidal masses in RRD patients tend to be overlooked, resulting in delayed treatment. The authors report a rare case presenting with simultaneous choroidal melanoma and RRD, and the authors review the related literature. Case presentation: A 45-year-old Thai man who presented with inferior RRD and choroidal elevation in the left eye was examined using fundoscopy and ultrasonography. The presumptive diagnosis was simultaneous RRD and haemorrhagic choroidal detachment (CD). Vitrectomy and external drainage were attempted but were unsuccessful in draining fluid from the presumed haemorrhagic CD. Although the retina was reattached, the choroidal elevation remained unchanged. After being lost to follow-up, the patient returned later with severe proptosis in the left eye. MRI findings suggested a presumptive diagnosis including choroidal melanoma and choroidal metastasis, which choroidal melanoma was later confirmed through histopathological examination after exenteration. Clinical discussion: Important clinical clues were provided for distinguishing between choroidal melanoma and haemorrhagic CD in cases of coexisting RRD. Conclusions: In the differential diagnosis of RRD with suspicious choroidal elevation, the possibility of the presence of choroidal melanoma should be considered. In particular, in cases where haemorrhagic CD fails to drain during surgery, the possibility of underlying choroidal melanoma should be investigated.


Abstract. The fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active
radiation (FAPAR) is a critical land surface variable for carbon cycle
modeling and ecological monitoring. Several global FAPAR products have been
released and have become widely used; however, spatiotemporal inconsistency
remains a large issue for the current products, and their spatial
resolutions and accuracies can hardly meet the user requirements. An
effective solution to improve the spatiotemporal continuity and accuracy of
FAPAR products is to take better advantage of the temporal information in
the satellite data using deep learning approaches. In this study, the latest
version (V6) of the FAPAR product with a 250 m resolution was generated from
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance
data and other information, as part of the Global LAnd Surface Satellite
(GLASS) product suite. In addition, it was aggregated to multiple coarser
resolutions (up to 0.25∘ and monthly). Three existing global FAPAR
products (MODIS Collection 6; GLASS V5; and PRoject for On-Board Autonomy–Vegetation, PROBA-V, V1) were used to
generate the time-series training samples, which were used to develop a
bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) model. Direct validation
using high-resolution FAPAR maps from the Validation of Land European Remote
sensing Instrument (VALERI) and ImagineS networks revealed that the GLASS V6
FAPAR product has a higher accuracy than PROBA-V, MODIS, and GLASS V5, with
an R2 value of 0.80 and root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of 0.10–0.11
at the 250 m, 500 m, and 3 km scales, and a higher percentage (72 %) of
retrievals for meeting the accuracy requirement of 0.1. Global spatial
evaluation and temporal comparison at the AmeriFlux and National Ecological
Observatory Network (NEON) sites revealed that the GLASS V6 FAPAR has a
greater spatiotemporal continuity and reflects the variations in the
vegetation better than the GLASS V5 FAPAR. The higher quality of the GLASS
V6 FAPAR is attributed to the ability of the Bi-LSTM model, which involves
high-quality training samples and combines the strengths of the existing
FAPAR products, as well as the temporal and spectral information from the
MODIS surface reflectance data and other information. The 250 m 8 d GLASS V6 FAPAR product for 2020 is freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6405564
and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6430925 (Ma, 2022a, b) as well as at the University of Maryland for 2000–2021
(http://glass.umd.edu/FAPAR/MODIS/250m, last access 1 November 2022).


These policies and procedures accomplish two objectives. The most important objective is the protection of patient confidentiality. A secondary objective is to establish the hospital's reputation as an institution that cares about its patients and a place where celebrity patients can feel their confidentiality is secure. Failure to meet these objectives may expose the hospital to liability for breach of its patients' confidentiality and will certainly erode the hospital's reputation in its community.


Dr. Baukje Kothuis was a Postdoc in the STW-MFFD program at the Faculty of Technology, Policy & Management, TU Delft in the project 'Integrated design'. Currently she works at the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences as a researcher in the NWO Program 'Integral & sustainable design of ports in Africa' and for TU Delft and Texas-based universities as an independent consultant and co-PI in the NSF-PIRE research and education exchange program 'Coastal Flood Risk Reduction' to develop partnerships for international research and education.


OBJECTIVE
To document the most important postoperative adenotonsillectomy morbidities, with an emphasis on prolonged hospitalization and readmissions.

DESIGN
Retrospective chart analysis.

METHODS
We reviewed 2067 cases of adenotonsillectomies performed at our institution over a period of 6 years.

RESULTS
Of these cases, 1927 patients had undergone tonsillectomy by electrocautery and adenoidectomy by suction-coagulator, of whom 9.3% required admission. The incidence of admissions owing to bleeding was 1.7%, whereas admissions owing to respiratory and gastrointestinal complications represented 3.7% and 5.2%, respectively. Compared with the literature and our institution's previous results, these morbidity values were found to be either comparable or significantly lower (p < .05).

CONCLUSION
We attribute this improvement to our use of electrocautery-based techniques not only for tonsillectomy but also for adenoidectomy.


The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that consumption of fossil fuels and their products has contributed about 65% of the global greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, it is expedient to look for alternative energy sources for an eco-friendly environment. The EPA recommended using biomass energy as a promising stabilization option to alleviate global climate change.  This study focused on developing composites fuel briquettes from a blend of carbonized corncob and banana stalk. Carbonization was carried out at 380 oC, while 60 min was adopted as the residence time. Briquettes were manufactured at different blending ratios (90CC:10BS, 80CC:20BS, 70CC:30BS, 60CC:40BS and 50CC:50BS of corncob: banana stalk, respectively) and compaction pressures (50, 70 and 90 kPa) using gelatinized starch as binder. The manufactured briquettes' calculated and actual calorific values varied between 18.98-22.07 MJ/kg and 20.22-23.12 MJ/kg, respectively, while shatter indices were in the range of 38.22-89.34%. The compressed and relaxed densities of the fuel briquettes were in the range of 0.32-1.39 g/cm3 and 0.22-1.02 g/cm3, respectively. The relaxation ratio and water resistance properties varied between 1.11- 2.21 and 11-23 min, respectively. Analyses of the results revealed that compaction pressure, blending ratio, and particle size substantially affect the combustion and physico-mechanical characteristics of the manufactured fuel briquettes. When optimum combustion and physico-mechanical properties are required, a sample made from 90CC:10BS (S1) is recommended for use. The fuel briquettes manufactured in this study possess the required thermal and physico-mechanical properties of solid fuel; therefore, it is recommended for different applications.


We reported upregulation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) transporter (5-HTT) protein in peripheral arteries from deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. We hypothesized that upregulated 5-HTT may be generally elevated in hypertensive models and, as a consequence, a higher basal concentration of 5-HT, the 5-HT metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and an increased 5-HT uptake would occur in peripheral arteries of hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats. We examined 3 hypertension models: DOCA-salt rats, N&ohgr;-nitro-l-arginine (LNNA) rats, and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) in our study (systolic blood pressure [mm Hg]: DOCA (D)=197±6, SHAM(D)=112±4, LNNA (L)=228±9, SHAM(L)=128±2, SHR=172±7, and Wistar-Kyoto [WKY]= 121±3). High-pressure liquid chromatography measurements showed lower basal 5-HT concentrations in aorta from DOCA-salt and LNNA rats compared with their SHAM rats but not in SHR compared with WKY. In all of the 5-HT-uptake studies, we used arteries isolated from rats treated with the monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor pargyline to minimize 5-HT metabolism. Exogenous 5-HT was taken up by aorta, and this was inhibited by the 5-HTT inhibitor fluoxetine (1 &mgr;mol/L) or fluvoxamine (1 &mgr;mol/L). Total 5-HT uptake and 5-HTT–dependent active 5-HT uptake were decreased in aorta from DOCA-salt and LNNA rats compared with SHAM rats, but this was not observed in SHRs compared with WKYs. Western analysis revealed similar expression of 5-HTT in aorta from WKYs and SHRs as opposed to an upregulated 5-HTT in aorta from DOCA-salt and LNNA-hypertensive rats. Our study suggested that an altered serotonergic system by impaired 5-HTT function might play a role in blood pressure regulation in DOCA-salt and LNNA-hypertensive rats.


An accurate knowledge of the neutron fluxes in MNSRs core after any reconfiguration is of paramount importance to achieving reliable results in RNAA regardless of the methodology used for determining the elemental concentrations. A plethora of reliable analytical results can therefore be exclusively linked to a fruitful assessment of the stability, reproducibility and the extent of thermalization of the neutron fluxes for RNAA. Hence, two different matrix standards NIST SRM 1571, Orchard leaves representing a biological standard and NIST SRM 1632, Coal representing an environmental standard, were analyzed in order to test the performance of GHARR – 1 neutron fluxes after configurational changes to the core in the single comparator mode. The precision and trueness of the results were generally found to be within 6% at 99% confidence interval of certified values - confirming the suitability of GHARR – 1 neutron fluxes in RNAA after core changes


A new voltage-mode second order universal active-RC filter with multiple inputs and single output using fully differential current conveyors (FDCCII) is presented. This filter is based on first order allpass sections which use minimum passive components. Proposed voltage-mode filter can be easily cascaded to get higher order filter characteristics because of having high-input and low-output impedances. The circuit simultaneously provides the basic filter characteristics, namely high-pass (HP), band-pass (BP), low-pass (LP), all-pass (AP) and notch (NO) without needing any additional inverting active element. It has low sensitivity to the passive components. SPICE simulation results are given to verify theoretical analysis.


A study of the effect of inadequate resolution on the apparent size of small objects has led to a simple correction procedure which will be of most value to users of electron microscopes. The technique involves a resolution assessment by means of the shape of the image of a sharp edge, reduced to a single parameter. Deconvolution is avoided by guessing the form of the spread function, for which two alternatives are examined and a criterion to assist making the correct choice is suggested. Experimental results show the correction procedure to be of value, yet serve to confirm that reliable measurements can only be guaranteed when the instrument is operated at a resolution many times smaller than object dimension.


Abstract Ovarian cancer (OV) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. One major reason of the high mortality of the disease is due to platinum-based chemotherapy resistance. Increasing evidence reveal the important biological functions and clinical significance of zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) in OV. In the present study, the relationship between the zinc finger protein 76 (ZNF76) and clinical outcome and platinum resistance in patients with OV was explored. We further analyzed ZNF76 expression via multiple gene expression databases and identified its functional networks using cBioPortal. RT-qPCR and IHC assay shown that the ZNF76 mRNA and protein expression were significantly lower in OV tumor than that in normal ovary tissues. A strong relationship between ZNF76 expression and platinum resistance was determined in patients with OV. The low expression of ZNF76 was associated with worse survival in OV. Multivariable analysis showed that the low expression of ZNF76 was an independent factor predicting poor outcome in OV. The prognosis value of ZNF76 in pan-cancer was validated from multiple cohorts using the PrognoScan database and GEPIA 2. A gene-clinical nomogram was constructed by multivariate cox regression analysis, combined with clinical characterization and ZNF76 expression in TCGA. Functional network analysis suggested that ZNF76 was involved in several biology progressions which associated with OV. Ten hub genes (CDC5L, DHX16, SNRPC, LSM2, CUL7, PFDN6, VARS, HSD17B8, PPIL1, and RGL2) were identified as positively associated with the expression of ZNF76 in OV. In conclusion, ZNF76 may serve as a promising prognostic-related biomarker and predict the response to platinum in OV patients.


The recommendations in the final report of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy that was released in March 2002 are presented.


The implementation of population containment has proven effective to reduce the number of deaths and avoid overrunning hospitals. However, the restrictive measures of containment and distancing have impacted society far beyond health. In this article, we briefly present four research projects in social sciences and humanities that are currently being conducted at the UCLouvain. The first study, focused on health psychology and emotions, has shown the existence of individual barriers to adopting hygiene and distance behaviors. The second research project on mental health explores the consequences of containment on the mental health of Belgians. The third study, in the field of management and organizational sciences, describes the resilience of companies in crisis situations. Finally, the last study deals with law and discusses the importance of collective responsibility and the need for clear rules to enforce freedom-restricting measures.


Abstract Efficient market hypothesis asserts movements in asset prices are due to significant changes in information. The financial crisis of 2007-2009 originated from subprime mortgages in the United States and affected African countries through local stock markets. This study evaluates the Nigerian stock market efficiency in the pre and post financial meltdown of 2007-2009. GARCH models under three error distributional assumptions were used. The data covers January 2010 to December 2016 divided into pre and post meltdown. Findings indicate that in the pre and post meltdown, the Nigerian stock market is inefficient in the weak form while using the meltdown as event window, the market is efficient in the semi-strong form. It was recommended that prompt release of financial information by quoted firms should be on-line real time and mandatory to discourage rumour and speculative activities. Authority should not only spell out punishments but should be strict and firm about it.


BACKGROUND: Anthracycline based treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality amongst older patients or those with significant co-morbidities. Furthermore, for patients with previous anthracycline exposure or preexisting cardiac disease anthracyclines pose an increased risk of cardiotoxicity. For such patients intensive treatment options are limited. The FLAG (fludarabine, cytarabine and filgrastim) regimen is a non-anthracycline based chemotherapy useful for relapsed/refractory AML and as initial therapy for "fit" eligible patients. We present our experience using FLAG as first line therapy in a cohort of newly diagnosed AML patients with advanced age, significant co-morbidities or preexisting cardiac disease. METHODS: A single institution retrospective chart review was undertaken of patients treated with FLAG as frontline therapy from 2004 – 2013 with follow-up until June 2014. All patients were considered ineligible for standard '3+7' treatment by the attending physician. RESULTS: Over the study period 56 patients received FLAG. Due to patient refusal or induction complications bone marrow assessments to ascertain remission status were not performed in 10 patients – to minimize bias these patients were evaluated for toxicity and overall survival (OS) but excluded from complete remission (CR) and relapse free survival (RFS) analysis. Of the 56 patients, 68% were males. The median age was 69 (21 – 80) with 79% aged ≥ 60 and 43% aged ≥ 70. Fifty-five percent (31) of the patients had primary AML and cytogenetics were favorable in 5% (3), intermediate in 66% (37), poor-risk in 21% (12) and failed in 7% (4). Forty-six percent (26) were treated with FLAG due to preexisting cardiac disease and others due to advanced age (20%), poor performance status (16%), co-morbidities (16%) or previous anthracycline exposure (2%). The ages of patients treated with FLAG due to cardiac disease or other reasons was similar (63.5 years vs. 66.9 years, p=0.27). Amongst patients with cardiac disease a pre-chemotherapy cardiac evaluation revealed wall motion abnormalities in 39% and an ejection fraction (EF) ranging from 33% - 81% with a borderline (≤ 50-51%) EF in 46%. Febrile neutropenia was observed in 82% (46) of patients, 27% (15) required intensive care support and the induction mortality was 16% (9). Amongst patients evaluated for a CR (46/56), 48% (22/46) obtained a CR. Although a CR was seen in 100% (3/3), 46% (15/33) and 37% (3/8) of patients with favorable, intermediate and poor-risk cytogenetics respectively there was no statistically significant difference (p=0.22) between groups. A CR was obtained in two additional patients following a second course of FLAG for an overall CR rate of 52% (24/46). Of these 24 patients, 8 (33.3%) received no additional treatment while 16 (66.7%) received consolidative chemotherapy. Of 10 eligible patients, 4 proceeded to an allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) including two with preexisting cardiac disease. Of patients not transplanted 50% (10/20) eventually relapsed. There was no difference in relapse rates for those receiving FLAG for age/co-morbidities vs. cardiac disease (60% vs. 40%, p= 0.66) or for patients age The median OS for the 56 patients was 278 days with 1 and 2 year survivals of 44% and 22% respectively. The median OS for patient's age Conclusions: The FLAG regimen is a non-anthracycline based regimen that may serve as an alternative to the standard '3+7' induction for AML in older adults or those with significant co-morbidities including preexisting cardiac disease. It is associated with comparable remission rates and overall survival in older patients. In addition, it may allow some patients with preexisting cardiac disease to proceed to allo-SCT. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Data from the Malang City Health Office shows the increasing number of refill drinking water depots in the city of Malang until 2013 there were 163 drinking water depots scattered in each Malang Subdistrict. The purpose of this study was to determine the contamination of Escherichia coli refill drinking water in drinking water depots in Malang. The samples taken were 20 refill drinking water depots in Malang. Sampling is done by simple random sampling. Escherichia coli examination using the Most Probable Number Test. Of the 20 samples tested, 2 samples met the requirements of drinking water quality according to PERMENKES and 18 other samples containing the number of coliform bacteria exceeding the maximum limit of 0 per 100 ml of water. There were Escherichia coli in 10 samples while 8 other samples contained other coliform bacteria.


For pt.I see ibid., vol.21, p.1421 (1988). Structural aspects and the molecular dynamics of carnauba wax are reported. X-ray diffraction results show that it crystallises in an orthorhombic unit cell. DSC and proton spin-lattice measurements as a function of temperature revealed a premelting solid-solid transition at 335 K. The percentage of carbon atoms in methyl and methylene groups is approximately 12% less than in beeswax, whereas it has a much higher ester and carbonyl content. The average chain length in carnauba wax is 50 carbon atoms. Spin-spin relaxation measurements revealed that the reorientational-translational motion of the chains is much more hindered than in beeswax. The motional parameters associated with the reorientations of the methyl groups have been isolated and compared with these parameters for similar motions in Fischer-Tropsch waxes and beeswax. Spin-lattice relaxation measurements in the rotation frame showed that the activation energy for the dangling motion of the chain ends is approximately 20% higher than in beeswax. The liquid content of the wax has also been determined as a function of temperature by employing a simple pulse technique.


Although the overall aims of university engineering education in the U. S. A. and the U. K. are broadly similar, the means of achieving these aims in the two countries are rather different. This paper discusses teaching methods and philosophies in the Department of Electronics at the University of Southampton and compares them with attitudes in the U. S. A. First, high-school curricula in the U. K. are reviewed, as they determine the quality of students at university entry. Then, the probable future pattern of industry, and the aims of a university education are discu sed. The courses devised to train both "systems" and "device" engineers, including the all-important laboratory training, are outlined together with examination and assessment techniques. Postgraduate activities include a new type of postgraduate Master's degree course in semiconductor product technology and industrial techniques.


The existence of mixed pixels is a major problem in remote-sensing image classification. Although the soft classification and spectral unmixing techniques can obtain an abundance of different classes in a pixel to solve the mixed pixel problem, the subpixel spatial attribution of the pixel will still be unknown. The subpixel mapping technique can effectively solve this problem by providing a fine-resolution map of class labels from coarser spectrally unmixed fraction images. However, most traditional subpixel mapping algorithms treat all mixed pixels as an identical type, either boundary-mixed pixel or linear subpixel, leading to incomplete and inaccurate results. To improve the subpixel mapping accuracy, this paper proposes an adaptive subpixel mapping framework based on a multiagent system for remote-sensing imagery. In the proposed multiagent subpixel mapping framework, three kinds of agents, namely, feature detection agents, subpixel mapping agents and decision agents, are designed to solve the subpixel mapping problem. Experiments with artificial images and synthetic remote-sensing images were performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed subpixel mapping algorithm in comparison with the hard classification method and other subpixel mapping algorithms: subpixel mapping based on a back-propagation neural network and the spatial attraction model. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other two subpixel mapping algorithms in reconstructing the different structures in mixed pixels.


Protein phosphatases and phosphatase inhibitors were used to examine the role of protein phosphorylation in the regulation of norepinephrine secretion in digitonin-permeabilized PC 12 cells. The addition of an exogenous type 2A protein phosphatase caused as much as a 70% decrease in Ca'+-dependent norepinephrine secretion. In the presence of okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of type 2A protein phosphatases, phosphatase 2A had no effect on secretion. The addition of exogenous calcineurin, a Ca'+-calmodulin-stimulated phosphatase, also caused decrease in Ca2+-dependent secretion, but on a molar basis it was less effective than phosphatase 2A. Two phosphatase inhibitors, l-naphthylphosphate and sodium pyrophosphate, caused 75100% increases in the amount of norepinephrine secreted in the absence of Ca2+ without affecting the amount of norepinephrine secreted in the presence of Ca2+. This stimulation of Ca2+-independent secretion by 1-naphthylphosphate and pyrophosphate suggests that there is a slow rate of Ca2'-independent phosphorylation and that phosphorylation triggers seeretion. Unlike the results obtained in the presence of ATP, secretion in the presence of adenosine-5'-O-(3thiotriphosphate), ATPrS, was not affected by the addition of type 2A protein phosphatase or by the addition of phosphatase inhibitors. These results are consistent with secretion in these permeabilized cells being regulated by a Ca2' -stimulated phosphorylation.


The travelling waves that can develop in a chemical system in which there is an ionic autocatalytic reaction, with a quadratic rate law, are considered when a constant (dimensionless) current I is applied. The equations for the travelling waves are discussed in detail from which it is seen that the structure and the propagation speed of these waves depend on both the magnitude and direction of the current as well as on the parameter δB, the ratio of diffusion coefficients of autocatalyst and substrate. An initial‐value problem, whereby the electric current is switched on after travelling waves in the absence of the electric field have become fully developed, is set up and solved numerically, with particular attention being paid to the long‐time structures which are formed. These are seen to depend crucially on whether δBgreater than 1 or δB less than 1. For δB greater than 1 there is a transition from essentially kinetic front waves to Kohlrausch electrophoretic fronts as I is varied. For δB less than 1, both kinetic waves and Kohlrausch fronts are seen as well as an additional type of wave where a much enhanced reaction takes place.


This investigation studied the resulting nanostructure and transport properties of ionic membranes composed of sulfonated copolymers with thermoplastic and elastomeric blocks. Poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) (SIBS) of different number average molecular weight (Mn) and polystyrene weight fraction were sulfonated to various levels of ion exchange capacity. The solvent-casted membranes were characterized using several techniques including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-, thermogravimetric analysis, and small-angle X-ray scattering. These techniques were used to evaluate the thermal and physical properties of the membranes, which in turn, allowed for the comparison of resulting morphologies and selectivities. In addition, counter-ion substitution (Mg+2, Ca+2, Ba+2) was used to crosslink the sulfonated polymers to further influence their selectivity. Vapor permeabilities were measured at 308 K using dimethyl methyl-phosphonate, a chemical compound similar to Sarin Gas, and water, to evaluate the selectivity of the membranes and their potential application for chemical and biological protective clothing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


Abstract : On September 11, 2001, the world changed in ways not fully appreciated at the time. Dozens of terrorist attacks and bombings on civilian targets had been experienced in many countries in the second half of the 20th Century, including several in Europe (Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the United Kingdom; the Red Army Faction (RAF) in Germany; the Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA) in Spain; and the Algerian Islamist Movement (MIA) in France). Some non-European countries had been targets for ongoing terrorism for decades due to fundamental religious differences, especially Israel. And even the United States had experienced two major domestic terrorist attacks in the 1990s; the World Trade Center (1993) bombing that killed 6 and injured at least 1,040 others, and the Oklahoma City bombing (1995) that killed 168 and injured 680 others. However, there had never been an attack planned and carried out by terrorists trained in another country against civilians in the U.S. that resulted in such an enormous loss of life (2,992 dead or missing) in one coordinated series of events. What also made this attack unique was the scope of the damage done in less than one hour by only 19 terrorists, based on careful and creative planning and a commitment to a religious belief in their cause. 'Nine-eleven' became the worldwide expression for a new form of international terrorism that set the stage for a massive investment of U.S. resources in a conflict unlike anything seen before.


It is clear to everyone that understanding students' learning styles and preferences can benefit both students and teachers. Learning styles play a significant role in the lives of learners. When students recognize their own learning style, they will be able to integrate it into their learning process. As a result, the learning process will be easier, faster, more enjoyable and more successful.The present study aims to identify:1. Iraqi EFL students' learning styles.2. The differences between the learning styles of Iraqi students3. The relationship between the Iraqi EFL students' learning styles and their academic performance.4. The relationship between the academic performance of Iraqi EFL students and the three types of learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic).This study is a correlation study and the sample of this study is fifty students in the second grade of the Department of English-College of Basic Education at Tikrit University during the academic year 2020/2021. The data is gathered using a questionnaire to assess students' learning styles and students' averages from the previous year in all subjects to determine academic performance. According to the findings of the study, the visual learning style is more dominant than the kinesthetic and auditory styles. There is a negative correlation between students' learning styles and their academic performance, and the Pearson Correlation coefficient indicates a moderately negative relationship between learning styles and academic performance. In the light of these results, some conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further studies are presented.


Resistive switching in Graphene Oxide (GO) based RRAM has been studied in combination with various commonly used electrodes e.g. Al, Cu, Ni and Ti. For the first time, coexistence of different reproducible switching directions has been observed in the Al/GO/Pt and the Ti/GO/Pt RRAM cells. These switching directions are correlated to the underlying switching mechanisms as revealed by field dependence, temperature dependence and area dependence. Our observation also suggests that both oxygen related functional groups absorption/release and electrode metal ions diffusion play important roles in bipolar resistive switching of GO.


An effective method for the synthesis of address modifiers in sequential circuits is described. The method, based on serial decomposition, substantially reduces the address modifier circuit complexity for a given microprogram memory size. It can be used effectively for PMS based designs and for full custom designs. The method was implemented in C++ on a PC. It was tested on standard finite state machine (FSM) benchmarks. Results indicate that for a wide range of cases the method gives a substantial (more than 50%) reduction of required ROM capacity, which may result in a saving of the silicon area in the actual full custom implementation.<<ETX>>


In recent years, deep neural networks have been successfully used for machine failure diagnosis. However, changes in data distribution related to variations in diverse working environments adversely impact the troubleshooting performance. Consequently, cross-domain adaptation, which minimizes inconsistencies in data distribution, is an important issue. We propose an adversarial domain adaptation-based interpolation method that minimizes domain discrepancy by mixing the data and creating a continuous space between different distributed domains using two regularizations. Data interpolation algorithms generate data that interpolate regions through mutual and coherent reconstructions between labeled and target data. This ensures data transformation diversity and creates a continuous latent space. The generated data achieve the two goals of domain invariance and improved class classification performance, through categorical and domain-based regularization. Extensive experiments upon public and real-world equipment datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves an approximately 10%–15% improvement in classification performance when compared to conventional methods at various levels of domain portability and data complexity. Experimental results show that the proposed method is an effective solution that can be applied to actual industrial sites.


The swelling of Lalpha-phases from the block copolymer polyethylenoxide-b-polydimethylsiloxane-polyethylenoxide (EO)15-(PDMS)15-(EO)15 in water/glycerol mixtures is reported. At low and medium polymer concentrations (<60%), the block copolymer forms a turbid vesicular dispersion in water. With time, the small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) and the large multilamellar vesicles (MLV) separate into a two phase L1/Lalpha-system. The turbid dispersions of the Lalpha-phase below 60% of the compound become more and more transparent with increasing glycerol and at 60% of glycerol become completely clear. Replacement of water by the solvent glycerol thus lowers the turbidity of the dispersion and swells the interlamellar distance between the bilayers. A 20% aqueous L1/Lalpha-dispersion can thus be transformed into a single birefringent transparent Lalpha-phase. The swelling of the Lalpha-phase in water and the decrease of the turbidity of the dispersion by the addition of glycerol is explained by the matching of the refractive index of the solvent to the refractive index of the bilayers of the block copolymer. The matching of a refractive index lowers the Hamaker constant in the DLVO theory between the bilayers and therefore decreases the attraction between the bilayers what allows them to swell to a larger separation. The microstructures in the phases were determined by cryo- and FFR-TEM. The interlamellar distance between the bilayers was determined by SAXS measurements. The viscous properties of the Lalpha-phases were determined by oscillatory rheological measurements. In comparison to other Lalpha-phases from normal surfactants, the Lalpha-phases from the block copolymer (EO)15-(PDMS)15-(EO)15 have low shear moduli. This is probably due to the high flexibility of the poly dimethylsiloxane block in the bilayers what can be recognized on the non-spherical shapes of the SUV's.


OBJECTIVE
We report the cases of two patients with the complete CREST variant (calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, oesophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, telangiectasia) of systemic sclerosis (SSc) who developed autoimmune hepatitis.

RESULTS
Our findings suggest that autoimmune hepatitis can be considered to be one of the liver manifestations associated with SSc. Our data also indicate that, because liver involvement may precede skin manifestations, evaluation for SSc is appropriate when autoimmune hepatitis is noted, and that the evaluation should include clinical examination, testing for antinuclear antibodies (especially for anticentromere antibodies) and nailfold capillaroscopy.

CONCLUSIONS
From a practical point of view, our two cases emphasize that suspicion of autoimmune hepatitis in SSc patients presenting with cytolytic hepatitis will help to achieve both accurate diagnosis and optimal management.


Apolipoprotein-B (APOB) containing lipoproteins are causative for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Whether the vasculature is the initial responding site or if atherogenic-dyslipidemia effects other organs simultaneously is unknown. We set out to discover how the liver responds to a dyslipidemic insult through the creation of inducible mouse models based on human familial hypercholesterolemia mutations and in vivo tracing of APOB. An acute transition to atherogenic APOB-lipoprotein plasma levels resulted in rapid accumulation of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver. Single cell RNA-seq and flow cytometry disclosed that multiple immune cells have the ability to engulf APOB-lipoproteins. However bulk RNA-seq of the liver revealed an inflammatory Kupffer cell-specific transcriptional program that could not be activated by a western diet alone. Depletion of Kupffer cells through clodronate liposomes or CD8 T cell targeting rapidly raised plasma lipoprotein levels, indicating that these liver macrophages help restrain and buffer atherogenic lipoproteins, whilst simultaneously secreting pro-atherosclerotic factors into plasma. Our results place Kupffer cells as a key gateway in organizing systemic responses at the initiation of atherosclerosis.


This article is devoted to the investigation of phase composition and microstructure of the higher cooled aluminum-germanium alloys. The formation of non-equilibrium germanium solid solutions is shown. The influence of the rate of cooling and the germanium percentage on the phase composition of alloys is shown.


A total of 7898 non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli were isolated from various clinical materials. Pseudomonas (7526) was the most common among them. Alcaligenes faecalis (273), Acinetobacter sp. (93) and Flavobacterium (6) were the other non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli. Most of them were found in urine and pus cultures, however they were also isolated from sputum, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid. Gentamicin was the most effective antibiotic in vitro. Fifty four per cent of Pseudomonas, 100% of Acinetobacter, and 70% of Alcaligenes faecalis were inhibited by tobramycin.


ABSTRACT Meiotic oocytes lack classic centrosomes and, therefore, bipolar spindle assembly depends on clustering of acentriolar microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) into two poles. However, the molecular mechanism regulating MTOC assembly into two poles is not fully understood. The kinase haspin (also known as GSG2) is required to regulate Aurora kinase C (AURKC) localization at chromosomes during meiosis I. Here, we show that inhibition of haspin perturbed MTOC clustering into two poles and the stability of the clustered MTOCs. Furthermore, we show that AURKC localizes to MTOCs in mouse oocytes. Inhibition of haspin perturbed the localization of AURKC at MTOCs, and overexpression of AURKC rescued the MTOC-clustering defects in haspin-inhibited oocytes. Taken together, our data uncover a role for haspin as a regulator of bipolar spindle assembly by regulating AURKC function at acentriolar MTOCs in oocytes. Summary: Haspin kinase is a regulator of meiotic bipolar spindle assembly, which is mediated by acentriolar microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), and acts by regulating the localization of AURKC to the MTOCs in mouse oocytes.


Background: To evaluate the usability of mycelium-based materials for construction, first tests were carried out to determine their suitability for thermal insulation. Different substrate compositions were tested for various physical properties. The compositions and experimental setups used are described in the "Methods" section. Results: Materials based on fungal mycelium were found to have promising properties for use in the construction sector. Their thermal conductivities are comparable to those of commercially available ecological insulation materials. As material properties turned out to be dependent on the substrate used for the production of mycelium materials, further optimisation is required. Conclusion: For first preliminary tests [1] to study the performance of mycelium-based materials, different additives (beech wood, rice husks, coffee silver skin, perlite rock) were added to a base substrate to determine their influence on physical properties. Compared to the characteristics of conventional thermal insulation materials, the test results obtained are rather promising and confirm suitability of mycelium-based materials for building. However, further systematic studies are needed to investigate options to improve major properties and to ensure reproducibility of mycelium materials with largely homogeneous properties.


Superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O thick films were prepared on ysz substrates by the screen-printing technique. The thick films which were sintered under flowing helium and then annealed in oxygen showed relatively high Jc values ( approximately 600 A cm-2 at 77 K in zero magnetic field) over a sintering temperature range from 920 to 960 degrees C. This Jc value is approximately six times as large as that of the film prepared in flowing oxygen.


The aim of this study was to examine what roles media gave women and men during the civil war in Syria. It focuses on what the Swedish news television (TV4) chose to show to the public. With the use of a qualitative analysis and tools like Fairclough CDA (critical discourse analysis) and feminism theories, this study discovered that TV4 gives stereotypical roles to the genders. Women are portrayed mostly as victims and are sourced for how the war affects them and their family. Men, on the other hand, are seen as active and warrior-like and speak to how the war affects their people beyond just their family and personal situation. These gender rolls are common, however, this analysis also relived TV4 publicizing some strong and powerful women as well.


The paper deals with acute poisoning among children in Voivodina from the point of view of frequency, characteristics and regional differences. The histories of the poisoned children aged 0-16 years, who were hospitalized in all eleven in-patient clinics in Voivodina during 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989, were analysed. Acute poisoning in children accounted for 2.4% of hospital morbidity. The most frequent causes of poisoning were medicaments (60.6%), pesticides (8.7%), ethanol (6.34%), organic solvents (5.7%) and all other substances (18.35%). Poisoning occurred more often among boys than among girls (53.47%). The average age of the poisoned was 4.7 years. The average age of the poisoned girls was significantly higher than that of the poisoned boys. Poisoning usually took place during a "game", but a major number of poisonings was suicidal. There were great regional differences as regards the course of poisoning, sex and average age of the poisoned, circumstances of poisoning and period in which it happened. The children's age and circumstances of poisoning point to the absence of preventive measures or their failure.


In 1990, the Child and Adolescents' Statute was passed in Brazil which led to important changes in shelter homes for children who have been removed due to child maltreatment. However very few studies have been conducted on this population since this policy change; the goal of this study is to assess the multidimensional life satisfaction, stressful life events and social network of children living in shelters compared with those living with their families. The sample consists of 155 children ages 7–16 years living in shelters and 142 children living with their families. Data were collected using a structured interview, the Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale, the Stressful Life Events Inventory and the Five Field Map. The shelter sub-sample had many at-risk characteristics; they also had significantly greater average scores on stressful life events and social support network, while they had lower than average scores on multidimensional life satisfaction. Factors that significantly contributed to predicting life satisfaction were stressful life events, social support network and conflicts with family members. The findings highlight differences between children living in shelters compared to those living with their families; this article also discusses the policy implications of these findings for child welfare practice in Brazil. Correspondence:


This article describes the behavior of people involved in business relations, which seeks to meet individual needs as well as those of organizations. The need manifested through actions or inactions at individual or organizational level leads to enforcement of a guilty, capable of being sanctioned. If the guilt of the physical person is represented or guided by internal stimuli, so also the guilt of the organization or enterprise is represented by the satisfaction of the needs, of its needs, carried out legally or apparently legal by its organs. Unlike the typical entrepreneur's typology, the entrepreneur who adopts illicit business behavior plans, focuses, sets goals, allocates resources, creates products or services tailored to obtain the illicit outcome, observes as a rule the plan for increasing the number of victims, identifies new channels to attract potential victims, creates an apparent brand to capture and determine the victim to accept the illicit offer as an auction.


The interleaver stages of digital communication standards show a surprisingly large variation in throughput, state sizes, and permutation functions. Furthermore, data rates for 4G standards such as LTE-Advanced will exceed typical baseband clock frequencies of handheld devices. Multistream operation for Software Defined Radio and iterative decoding algorithms will call for ever higher interleave data rates. Our interleave machine is built around 8 single-port SRAM banks and can be programmed to generate up to 8 addresses every clock cycle. The scalable architecture combines SIMD and VLIW concepts with an efficient resolution of bank conflicts. A wide range of cellular, connectivity, and broadcast interleavers have been mapped on this machine, with throughputs up to more than 0.5 Gsymbol/second. Although it was designed for channel interleaving, the application domain of the interleaver extends also to Turbo interleaving. The presented configuration of the architecture is designed as a part of a programmable outer receiver on a prototype board. It offers (near) universal programmability to enable the implementation of new interleavers. The interleaver measures 2.09 m in 65 nm CMOS (including memories) and proves functional on silicon.