Leg 80 of the DSDP-IPOD program drilled a transect of four core holes (548–551) across the continent-ocean boundary at Goban Spur, a prominent southwest-trending structural high on the Irish continental slope. Multichannel seismic-reflection profiles show that, during rifting, continental basement rocks of Goban Spur were broken up by northwest-trending listric normal faults to form a series of half-graben basins. Two of these half-grabens were sampled during Leg 80 (Sites 548 and 549). Site 550 was located on the adjacent oceanic crust of Porcupine Abyssal Plain. Site 551 was located on transitional crust at the foot of Goban Spur. The objectives were lo analyze the structural, the depositional, and the paleoenvironmental development of this sediment-starved passive continental margin. At Sites 548 and 549, basement comprises continental Hercynian metasediments of Devonian age; at Sites 550 and 551, the basement is tholeiitic basalt. The oldest syn-rift sediments (Barremian age, or perhaps late Hauterivian) were penetrated at Site 549, lying uuconformably below Aptian? strata. Seismic sequence analysis reveals that Aptian? strata also overlie this unconformity farther northeastward in the basin. An unconformity above the Aptian? section marks the end of rifting and the beginning of sea-floor spreading. An Albian age for the initiation of sea-floor spreading was corroborated at Site 550 where abyssal late Albian chalks rest upon and are interbedded with oceanic basalts, indicating an initial water depth of ∼2,000 m. As sea-floor spreading progressed, Goban Spur subsided rapidly, so that by Cenomanian time, bathyal to abyssal chalks were accumulating at deeper sites. After two periods of partial stagnation in the Aptian-Albian and in the Turonian, chalk deposition in well-oxygenated environments took place at all sites, modified chiefly by shifts in deep-circulation patterns and the calcite compensation depth (CCD), by periodic influx of terrigenous detritus during low stands of sea level (especially in the Cenozoic), and by frequent displacement of older carbonates from the slope to abyssal sites. A number of major unconformities correspond to those most often reported from other widespread locations in the North Atlantic Basin and on surrounding continental shelves and coastal plains. Several unconformities are preserved undisturbed in our cores and can be correlated with sea-level fluctuations, with paleoceanographic events, and with tectonic movements. A thick Quaternary section at Site 548 records prominent fluctuations of glacial-inter-glacial paleoclimates. An even thicker Paleogene section at Site 549 provides unusually well-preserved and uninterrupted sequences suitable for detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic studies.


Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior of case carburized 20MnCr5B boron micro alloyed steel is carried out to judge its suitability for truck transmission gears. RCF tests were conducted in a nut cracker type test rig. The failure criterion is the formation of a single pit. Vibration based data acquisition system was established for specimen failure monitoring. Failure was identified by performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis of the time domain acceleration signals from the accelerometer that indicates the failure of the specimen. RCF life testing was limited to a range of 2000 to 3000 MPa contact stress. S-N curve was plotted using contact stress levels and the corresponding RCF lives from experimental results. The equation for the S-N curve was obtained as σ N 0.0652 = 6941, where σ is the contact stress in MPa and N is the number of survival cycles.


We present in this paper a time-domain Discontinuous Galerkin dissipation-free method for the transient solution of the three-dimensional linearized Euler equations around a steady-state solution. In the general context of a non-uniform supporting flow, we prove, using the well-known symmetrization of Euler equations, that some aeroacoustic energy satisfies a balance equation with source term at the continuous level, and that our numerical framework satisfies an equivalent balance equation at the discrete level and is genuinely dissipation-free. Moreover, there exists a correction term in aeroacoustic variables such that the aeroacoustic energy is exactly preserved, and therefore the stability of the scheme can be proved. This leads to a new filtering of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. In the case of P1 Lagrange basis functions and tetrahedral unstructured meshes, a parallel implementation of the method has been developed, based on message passing and mesh partitioning. Three-dimensional numerical results confirm the theoretical properties of the method. They include test-cases where Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities appear and can be eliminated by addition of the source term.


The evolving field of optics for information and communication is currently seeking directions to expand the data rates in all concerned devices, fiber-based or on chips. We describe here two possibilities where the new concept of PT-symmetry in optics [1,2] can be exploited to help high data rate operation, considering either transverse or longitudinal aspects of modal selection, and assuming that data are carried using precise modes. The first aspect is transverse multimode transport. In this case, a fiber or a waveguide carries a few modes, say 4 to 16, and at nodes, they have to undergo a demux/mux operation to add or drop a subset of them, as much as possible without affecting the others. We shall consider to this end the operation as described in ref. [3] : if a PT-symmetric "potential", which essentially consists of a transverse gain-loss profile with antisymmetry, is applied to a waveguide, it has a very different impact on the different modes and mode families in the waveguide. One can in particular find situations where only two modes of the passive waveguide to be analyzed may enter into a gain regime, and not the other ones. From this scheme and others [4], we will discuss what is the road left towards an actual device, either in dielectrics or in case plasmonics is envisioned [5], i.e. with rather constant losses, but the possible advantage of miniaturization. The second aspect is longitudinal mode selection. The special transport properties of PT-symmetric Bragg gratings are now well established. In order to be used within a data management system, attention has to be paid to the rejection rate of Bragg gratings, and to the flatness of their response in the targeted window. To this end, a slow modulation of both real and imaginary parts of the periodic pattern of the basically PT-symmetric waveguide can help, in the general spirit of "apodization", but now with more parameters. We will detail some aspects of the designs introduced in [6] , notably their ease of implementation in established optoelectronic fabrication platforms. To conclude these considerations, the perspectives offered by the combination of transverse multimode systems and PT-symmetric type of periodicity will be discussed. [1] C. M. Bender and S. Boettcher, "Real spectra in non-Hermitian Hamiltonians having PT-symmetry," Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5243 (1998). [2] J. Čtyroký, V. Kuzmiak, and S. Eyderman, "Waveguide structures with antisymmetric gain/loss profile," Opt. Express 18, 21585-21593 (2010). [3] H. Benisty, A. Lupu, A. Degiron, "Transverse periodic PT symmetry for modal demultiplexing in optical waveguides," Phys. Rev. A 91, 053825 (2015). [4] N. Rivolta, B. Maes, "Symmetry recovery for coupled photonic modes with transversal PT symmetry", Opt. Letters, 40, 16, 3922-3925, (2015) [5] A. Lupu, H. Benisty, A. Degiron, "Switching using PT symmetry in plasmonic systems: positive role of the losses," Opt. Express 21, 21651-21668 (2013). [6] A. Lupu, H. Benisty, A. Lavrinenko, "Tailoring spectral properties of binary PT-symmetric gratings by using duty cycle methods," JSTQE 22, 35-41 (2016).


Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a disfiguring and incurable disease characterized by skin-homing malignant T cells surrounded by immune cells that promote CTCL growth through an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Preliminary data from our phase I clinical trial of anti–programmed cell death ligand 1 (anti–PD-L1) combined with lenalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory CTCL demonstrated promising clinical efficacy. In the current study, we analyzed the CTCL TME, which revealed a predominant PD-1+ M2-like tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) subtype with upregulated NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways and an aberrant cytokine and chemokine profile. Our in vitro studies investigated the effects of anti–PD-L1 and lenalidomide on PD-1+ M2-like TAMs. The combinatorial treatment synergistically induced functional transformation of PD-1+ M2-like TAMs toward a proinflammatory M1-like phenotype that gained phagocytic activity upon NF-κB and JAK/STAT inhibition, altered their migration through chemokine receptor alterations, and stimulated effector T cell proliferation. Lenalidomide was more effective than anti–PD-L1 in downregulation of the immunosuppressive IL-10, leading to decreased expression of both PD-1 and PD-L1. Overall, PD-1+ M2-like TAMs play an immunosuppressive role in CTCL. Anti–PD-L1 combined with lenalidomide provides a therapeutic strategy to enhance antitumor immunity by targeting PD-1+ M2-like TAMs in the CTCL TME.


Establishment of technical design specifications for the re-design of technical systems, which are not derived from customers needs, relies heavily on designers intuition and experience. The very few methods proposed in the literature for the establishment of such technical design specifications hinders the learning process in conceptual design subjects. The objective of this article is to propose a structured method for identification of technical design specifications based on the function-behavior-state (FBS) model applied on redesign tasks. The method is being taught to students on the course of methodical design in order to develop their abilities on the identification of technical specifications without relying on previous knowledge on the system and relying more on detailed observation. This method is based on the observation and identification of the different states taken by the attributes of the entities conforming the system (i.e., flows-function carriers-environment). A small scale preliminary study was conducted in order to validate the initial performance of the proposed method. Eight groups made up of undergraduate mechanical engineering students with basic knowledge in conceptual design were instructed to identify technical design specifications. The redesign task was to create an automated solution for replacing the manual production process at small food manufacturing companies. Four groups of students had to establish the specifications using their experience while the other four groups had to use the proposed method. Initial results showed for the proposed method a 36% increase in the number of identified specifications.


O-type hot subdwarf (sdO) stars are evolved objects linking the asymptotic giant branch and extended horizontal branch phases with the dying low-mass white dwarfs. However, their exact evolutionary state and inner structure has not yet been constrained. Our aim was to discover possible sdO pulsators, so that asteroseismologic techniques could be used to unveil their inner structure and evolutionary state. We performed fast CCD photometry in search of pulsators within a sample of 56 sdOs in the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the period 2003– 2006. We obtained two very promising sdO pulsator candidates that remain to be confirmed due to the low amplitude of their oscillations.


Currently, airports worldwide are making efforts to generate profits in the aspect of commercial viability. They make profit through non-aeronautical revenue, rather than aeronautical revenue. Therefore, the importance of airport duty-free shops is growing. This implies that the importance of airport duty-free shops and the necessity for greater growth has also emerged. This paper seeks to investigate the effects of sales promotions of airport duty-free shops by testing a conceptual model that considers price, coupon, free gift, point, satisfaction, value, image, and behavioural intentions simultaneously. For this testing, structural equation modeling was applied to data collected from duty-free shop customers at Incheon International Airport in 2011. It was found that there were significant relationships between the variables, except in three paths. Price and coupon were found as significant drivers of satisfaction, which was directly related to value, image, and behavioural intentions. The identified sales promotion factors that influence duty-free shop customers' behavioural intentions are potentially useful for analyzing the possible trends and changes in duty-free shop customers' buying behaviour in the future, and suggesting industrial guidelines for improving the operation of airport duty-free shops.


In the present study,the ploidy level of five populations of Actinidia chinensis and A.deliciosa with overlapping distributions in transitional regions ranging from the western China plateau to the middle-eastern China hilly mountains and six populations of pure A.chinensis individuals and one population with only A.deliciosa were detected,according to the geographical distribution data and our previous extensive survey of the wild populations of A.chinensis and A.deliciosa in China.Furthermore,the morphological traits were depicted and analyzed.The results showed:(1)A.chinensis possessed diploid and tetraploid,while A.deliciosa possessed tetraploid,pentaploid and hexaploid.(2)There was significant(p0.05) difference of the longitude and latitude distribution between A.chinensis and A.deliciosa.A.chinensis distributed westward,and A.deliciosa located eastward in the longitudinal distribution.As to the latitudinal distribution,A.chinensis and A.deliciosa situated from northerly to southerly.The longitudinal and latitudinal distribution among the ploidy races of the two species were also significantly different(p0.05).The distribution of the diploid,tetraploid,and hexaploid races was in the direction from east to west in the longitude,and from north to south in latitude.(3)There was significant difference(p0.05) among the altitudinal distribution of the ploidy races of A.chinensis and A.deliciosa.The distribution of diploid race was in the lowest elevation,tetraploid race in the middle elevation,and the hexaploid in the highest elevation.However,there was no significant difference(p0.05) between the altitudinal distribution of the tetraploid individuals and the hexaploid individuals by LSD test.This result for kiwifruit is beneficial to lay a preliminary research base to the cytotype distribution research fields and the collection,evaluation,innovation and sustainable use of kiwifruit germplasm resources,especially to provide the basic data and scientific basis to breeding of new kiwifruit varieties.


To be a leader in coiled tubing technology today requires not only state of the art technology but also professionally trained operators and engineers. The coiled tubing service line within the petroleum industry is experiencing an exponential growth in technology. For example, the use of coiled tubing is frequently encountered in combination with other service lines such as drilling, cementing, stimulation, logging, well testing, et al. As demonstrated above, coiled tubing services are very much multi-disciplinary. Typically, oilfield personnel have achieved their skill level from hard work and hands-on experience. However, in today's industry, hands on training cannot keep pace with the developments of coiled tubing related services. Due to the immeasurable costs associated with job failures attributed to human error or incompetence, it is essential that personnel receive the proper training to elevate them to the level of competence required. One of the most outstanding accomplishments pertaining to coiled tubing training has been the implementation of coiled tubing simulators. A coiled tubing training simulator serves much the same purpose as a flight simulator does in the aeronautical industry. Students can run a coiled tubing unit and execute a real life well scenario while being challenged by a multitude of complications involving stripper leaks, BOP failures, tight hole, parted pipe, stuck pipe, etc. The main components of a coiled tubing simulator are the student station, graphics display, sound system, instructor facility and the main multi-tasking I/O computer. In addition to operating the main control consoles, the students are responsible for defining and graphically installing, function testing and pressure testing the proper surface equipment, coiled tubing string and BHA configurations required for the particular scenario. During a job simulation, the instructor can activate a multitude of problem situations that the student will need to respond to properly, to accomplish the pre-defined objectives. All of this training can be done in an accident free environment without the loss of well production or equipment. In one week of training a student may experience many different well control procedures that in the past may have taken years to experience. The authors' intent of this paper will be to discuss the rapid growth of the coiled tubing industry and the demand for competent operations and engineering personnel required to implement emerging technologies. Secondly the advantages and process of implementing a competence based progression program to meet the personnel demand will be reviewed. Thereafter, the synergistic benefits derived from the utilization of a coiled tubing simulator to provide accelerated training and assess personnel competence levels will also be discussed. Lastly, an outline of a comprehensive coiled tubing training program, developed to compliment a competence based progression approach will be presented.


Modelling techniques have previously predicted the observed behaviour of perfectly manufactured QMS mass filters. These methods are extended to examination of the behaviour of imperfect QMS filters; this examination considers the behaviour of QMS filters with one rod displaced radially inward as this is a simple manufacturing defect that arises when a rod does not fit correctly into the mounting. The results demonstrate the well known, but poorly documented property, that exchanging the connections of a poorly performing QMS device sometimes improves performance. This is shown to arise because only a displacement of a y-rod produces a large effect. The results also show that displacement of a y-rod may produce a spurious additional peak known as a precursor. More detailed investigation suggests that precursors are not separate peaks but are formed because a section of the main peak is removed causing an apparent double peak. Finally results confirm that adjustment of the voltage applied to a displaced rod can be used to significantly improve the QMS behaviour. A small change by a fraction alpha in the position of a single rod may be compensated by a change of 2 x alpha in the voltage applied to that rod.


The results of long-term follow-up survival of Oxford III (Biomet) design unicompartmental implant poorly studied since this effective method had been implemented in practice. We prospectively studied and analyzed the long-term outcome of 400 Oxford III (Biomet) unicompartmental implants from 320 patients with the mean age of 69 years (48 to 82) at the time of surgery. Average follow-up was 9.3 years (5 to 15). When analyzing the fifteen-year longterm results of arthroplasty Knee Society score significantly increased from 56.2 (41 to 93) before surgery to 88.6 (61 to 97) (p = 0.036) after surgery, and the functional parameters – from 59.2 (45 to 94) to 88.2 (55 to 98) (p = 0.023), respectively; the average score of Oxford Knee score system improved from the average of 25.8 points (12 to 39) to 40.1 points (28 to 54). Revision arthroplasty was performed in 21 patients (5.25%). Five patients underwent total knee arthroplasty. Minimally invasive unicompartmental arthroplasty using Oxford III (Biomet) design showed satisfactory long-term clinical results.


In the framework of superstatistics it has been shown that one can calculate the entropy of nonextensive statistical mechanics. We follow a similar procedure; we assume a Γ(χ(2)) distribution depending on β that also depends on a parameter p(l). From it we calculate the Boltzmann factor and show that it is possible to obtain the information entropy S=k∑(l=1)(Ω)s(p(l)), where s(p(l))=1-p(l)(p(l)). By maximizing this information measure, p(l) is calculated as function of βE(l) and, at this stage of the procedure, p(l) can be identified with the probability distribution. We show the validity of the saddle-point approximation and we also briefly discuss the generalization of one of the four Khinchin axioms. The modified axioms are then in accordance with the proposed entropy. As further possibilities, we also propose other entropies depending on p(l) that resemble the Kaniakadis and two possible Sharma-Mittal entropies. By expanding in series all entropies in this work we have as a first term the Shannon entropy.


The main purpose of this manuscript is to review the resistance against antibiotics and efflux pumps, one of the mechanisms important in resistance against antibiotics. As a definition, the resistance against antibiotics is accepted as the capability of a microorganism to resist the activity of antimicrobials, which were successfully used to kill the microorganism once. Antibiotic resistance is characterized by several antibiotic susceptibility tests. The wide consumption of antibiotics; the over prescription of antimicrobial drugs by medical doctors; unnecessary, incorrect and inadequate self-medication by the patient and use of several antimicrobial agents either to support a healthy growth or therapeutic purposes in animals consumed as food triggered severe antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the resistance against antimicrobials became a considerable, wide-spread issue in all around the world and the studies have been initiated to overcome the resistance against antibiotics. There are several different mechanisms, which could lead bacteria to be resistant overtime. One of the mechanism of action, which leads to antibiotic resistance, is efflux pumps. Several efflux pump inhibitors were discovered until now, but since some of them are highly cytotoxic, they have very limited use. Understanding efflux pumps and discovering new inhibitors against these pumps could probably save the future of human beings.


Introduction Cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is becoming the most commonly implemented and standard treatment for depression. Up to date, only a few numbers of studies have investigated the potential relationship between CBT and the change of inflammatory biomarkers in individuals of depression. And the results are inconsistent among studies. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive, systematic review of the association between CBT and changes of peripheral inflammation of individuals with depression, and clarify the alterations of inflammatory cytokines pre-CBT and post-CBT treatment by meta-analysis, anti-inflammatory. Methods and analysis This study will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A systematic search of predetermined terms will be conducted with electronic databases of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO from inception to July 2021. Database searches will be supplemented by expert contact, reference and citation checking, and grey literature. Primary outcomes of interest will be validated measures for levels of inflammatory cytokines pre-CBT and post- CBT treatment in individuals with depression. Hedges' g will be used to represent the effect size. Systematic review registration The protocol of current meta-analysis has been registered at the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/tr9yh). Ethics and dissemination Formal ethical approval is not required by the National Ethical Review Board in China as primary data will not be collected. The results alterations of peripheral inflammatory cytokines pre-CBT and post-CBT treatment in individuals with depression will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and inform the most up-to-date evidence of the roles of CBT treatment for depression.


This study employs cooperative learning to create an Educational Board Game Design Course. The curriculum of activities required pre-service teachers to work cooperatively in learning-groups to complete a prototype of a board game. Group discussion via an Online Interactive Platform supported the process of the participants as they carried out the curriculum of activities. A questionnaire enabled an understanding of the pre-service teachers' learning performances. The results showed that each group could completely design games that operate smoothly and have relevance to academic subjects. Pre-service teachers' self-efficacy enhanced after the cooperative learning process. Control over game difficulty levels and the skill of teaching game directions need strengthening in the future. Besides, providing more specific learning content is necessary for any future course.


Background: Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is an entry point for the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child and accessing VCT benefit from PMTCT services. Even though, some pregnant women clearly know the benefits /advantages of PMTCT services, they are not willing to test and access the services. Hence, this study was aimed to assess the willingness of pregnant women attending antenatal care towards VCT/PMTCT at Adare general hospital in southern Ethiopia. Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa Adare hospital, southern Ethiopia from February to April/2018. A total of 338 randomly selected pregnant women who were attending antenatal care clinic were included. Data was collected using structured and pretested questionnaire; entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 computer software. Important descriptive and logistic models were used for data analysis assuming statistical significance at p < 0.05. Result: A total of 338 mothers were interviewed with a response rate of 100%. The willingness towards voluntary HIV counseling and testing among study participants was 82.2%. Participants who attended primary and High school and above were 3.9 (AOR= 3.87, 95% CI- 1.705, 8.782) and 9.5 times (AOR 9.53 at 95% CI- 3.155, 28.76); those who had good knowledge about VCT/PMTCT were 3.47 times (AOR=3.47, 95% CI-1.721, 7.003); women who followed two to three ANC visit, were 5.1 times more likely have willingness towards VCT/PMTCT (AOR 5.11 at 95% CI -1.095, 23.81) more likely willing to be tested than their counterparts respectively. Conclusion: Willingness towards voluntary HIV counseling was encouraging however it needs advancement. Since boosted knowledge and awareness promote willingness to VCT/PMTCT uptakes, initiation of community-based information dissemination, increased quality of ANC service, and empowering women to be educated could be effective in order to promote high VCT and PMTCT program uptakes


Adenoviral vectors have been widely used for gene therapy, but they are limited both by the presence of a humoral immune response that dramatically decreases the level of transduction after reinjection and by their requirement for target cells to express appropriate receptors such as Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR). To overcome both limits, we encapsulated adenovectors using bilamellar DOTAP:chol liposomes. Electron micrography (EM) showed that these liposomes efficiently encapsulated the vectors, allowing CAR-independent adenovector transduction of otherwise resistant cells. DOTAP:chol-encapsulated adenovectors encoding LacZ or alpha(1)-antitrypsin inhibitor (AAT) were also functionally resistant ex vivo and in vivo to the neutralizing effects of human anti-adenoviral antibodies, unlike other liposomal systems. Hence, bilamellar DOTAP:chol liposomes may be useful for applications using adenovectors in which the target cells lack adenoviral receptors or in which the recipient already has or develops a neutralizing antibody response that would otherwise inactivate readministered vector.


The key components of fiscal policy for a fair and effective tax framework are the implementation of tax reform through a mixture of immediate measures to increase revenue. The Greek income tax system underwent important structural reforms. There was an urgent need to immediately increase the state budget revenues and in the framework of the rescue program of the Greek economy there was a series of legislative interventions. Measures were taken in 2012 to curb the downward trend in revenues, such as expansion of the tax base, reduction of tax exemptions, reduction of taxable income resulting from the restraint of public expenditure due to the adjustment of special payroll. Low levels of growth tend to be one of the main reasons for preventing the collection of personal income taxes. There is a negative correlation between the percentage of tax revenues from personal income taxes and economic growth. From 2020 major tax changes have been implemented with relief for employees, retirees, families with children, property owners. This study indicates that prerequisites for a successful tax reform include a holistic approach to the tax system, the evaluation and measurement of concrete reform proposals, as well as the possibility of achieving the objectives and choosing the appropriate timeframe for the adoption of the tax reform in connection with the economic crisis. Also, it provides the financial impact of measures for the taxation undertaken of personal income from 2009 to 2020.


Auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) observations from the ISIS 1 topside sounder receiver were compared with visual auroral observations from the network of Alaskan all-sky camera stations. The goal was to relate AKR source region encounters to specific auroral forms on the same magnetic field line. Thirty-eight simultaneous data sets were identified and analyzed. In general, intense AKR was associated with bright auroral arcs, and conditions of weak or no AKR corresponded to times when either no aurora or only a faint arc or weak diffuse aurora was observed. Five cases, when both intense AKR and bright visual aurora were present, were analyzed in detail. Complete electron density Ne contours, from the satellite altitude down to the F region ionization peak, were obtained along N-S traversals of the AKR source region. In addition, the ISIS 1 orbital tracks were projected down the magnetic field lines to the auroral altitude and compared to auroral features on a map derived from the all-sky camera images. Density cavities (regions where Ne < 100 cm−3) were encountered on each of these passes. In one case the cavity extended in altitude down to just below 2000 km. The latitudinal extent of these cavities ranged from 3° to almost 30°. A variety of situations relating AKR to the visual aurora were identified, and both spatial (within about 100 km at the satellite altitude) and temporal (within about l min) correlations were identified. In addition to confirming that a density cavity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the generation of AKR, the present results indicate that even the combination of a density cavity on an auroral-arc field line is not always sufficient for AKR generation. Thus additional constraints must be satisfied in order to generate intense AKR from density cavities. These constraints most likely involve the characteristics of the energetic electron distribution function and possibly also latitudinal Ne gradients.


The hole expansion ratio (HER) is an important material property which defines the extent of edge formability of sheet metals. The stress states observed at the hole edge after the hole expansion test are similar to those seen during traditional uniaxial tensile deformation. This observation has provoked research, directed at ascertaining a correlation between the HER and tensile properties. In order to account for the forming behaviour of complex materials like titanium, a highly robust model that takes into account the material formability in all sheet-processing directions must be considered. The R programming language was used in this research to build a model fitting expression capable of predicting the HER as well as generating a regression model equation for titanium alloys, based on their thickness and Erichsen index number. The proposed regression model equation for predicting HER of titanium alloys exhibited an excellent statistical significance (p= 0.00076), indicating the robustness of the model fitting expression to predict HER values of titanium alloys. An accompanying adjusted R squared value of 0.9987 for the generated regression model equation also shows how well the regression line fits the data for accurate prediction of the HER of titanium alloys. A numerical validation analysis of the strength of the relationship derived between the predicted and the experimental HERs gave a correlation coefficient of 0.9884. This result shows a strong linear relationship between the experimental and predicted HER values of the titanium alloys with an average absolute error of 8.8%.


Generalized Coherent States (GCS) are constructed (and discussed) in order to study quasiclassical behaviour of quantum spin models of the Heisenberg type. Several such models are taken to their semiclassical limits, whose form depends on the spin value as well as the Hamiltonian symmetry. In the continuum approximation, SU(2)/U(1) GCS when applied give rise to the well-known Landau-Lifshitz classical phenomenology. For arbitrary spin values one obtains a lattice of coupled nonlinear oscillators. Corresponding classical continuum models are described as well. 1. In what follows our main aim is to provide a semiclassical description of quantum spin models of the Heisenberg type. For the sake of simplicity we confine ourselves to considering Heisenberg ferromagnets (and antiferromagnets) with uniaxial anisotropy of the following form:


Telephone traffic of busy hour is one of indicators of load capacity of telecommunication network, which has a significant meaning to dilate and modify the network. A good performance of predicting the monthly busy hour traffic load is cared about by the mobile operators. As a promising learning theory,support vector machine (SVM) has been studied and applied in a wide area, such as financial markets and weather forecast. In this paper, we use SVM to forecast monthly busy hour traffic load of two regions in Xinjiang. A good result has been achieved via an improved grid search method for the search of hyper-parameter of SVM.


From our initial screening of applications, we assess that the 10% to 15% of applicants whom we will interview are all academically qualified to complete our residency training program. This initial screening to select applicants to interview includes a personality assessment provided by the personal statement, Dean's letter, and letters of recommendation that, taken together, begin our evaluation of the applicant's cultural fit for our program. While the numerical scoring ranks applicants preinterview, the final ranking into best fit categories is determined solely on the interview day at a consensus conference by faculty and residents. We analyzed data of 819 applicants from 2005 to 2017. Most candidates were US medical graduates (62.5%) with 23.7% international medical graduates, 11.7% Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), and 2.1% Caribbean medical graduates. Given that personality assessment began with application review, there was excellent correlation between the preinterview composite score and the final categorical ranking in all 4 categories. For most comparisons, higher scores and categorical rankings were associated with applicants subsequently working in academia versus private practice. We found no problem in using our 3-step process employing virtual interviews during the COVID pandemic.


The use of formic acid for storage of hydrogen fuel is enabled by an iron compound that catalyzes dehydrogenation The large-scale use of hydrogen (H2) as a clean transportation fuel—one of the great ambitions in the "hydrogen economy" (1)—must overcome several engineering issues. The flammability of H2 presents a safety hazard, and storing it under pressure, even with absorbent materials, adds unwanted weight to vehicles. One solution to this storage problem is to "carry" H2 in more stable chemical compounds that have a high hydrogen content. Ideally, these compounds are liquids at room temperature for easy delivery and release H2 with only a small release of heat to avoid energy losses. Small organic molecules such as alcohols (for example, methanol) or formic acid (HCOOH) fulfill these criteria. The release of H2 (and CO2 as a by-product) from HCOOH does not proceed spontaneously, and suitable catalysts are required for its dehydrogenation. On page 1733 of this issue, Boddien et al. (2) report a molecular iron complex that catalyzes H2 formation from HCOOH both at high rates and for many catalytic cycles.


The scale-up of a supercritical water oxidation process, based on recent advancements in kinetic aspects, reactor configuration and optimal operational conditions, depends on the research and development of simulation tools, which allow the designer not only to understand the complex multiphysics phenomena that describe the system, but also to optimize the operational parameters to attain the best profit for the process and guarantee its safe operation. Accordingly, this paper reports a multiphysics simulation with the CFD software Comsol Multiphysics 3.3 of a pilot plant reactor for the supercritical water oxidation of a heavily PCB-contaminated mineral transformer oil. The proposed model was based on available information for the kinetic aspects of the complex mixture and the optimal operational conditions obtained in a lab-scale continuous supercritical water oxidation unit. The pilot plant simulation results indicate that it is not feasible to scale-up directly the optimal operational conditions obtained in the isothermal lab-scale experiments, due to the excess heat released by the exothermic oxidation reactions that result in outlet temperatures higher than 600°C, even at reactor inlet temperatures as low as 400°C. Consequently, different alternatives such as decreasing organic flowrates or a new reactor set-up with multiple oxidant injections should be considered to guarantee a safe operation.


Research focuses on renewable energy-based smart grids to meet appropriate energy demands in a world where climate change and power management are becoming more significant. The smart grid is a modernized autonomous power network that can efficiently transmit electricity, save money and resources, and improve the stability of the local grid. As a result, a multi-level inverter (MLI) that is connected to the smart grid is provided in this work. To meet the requirements of the smart grid network, the inverter is controlled using a model predictive control algorithm with increased levels with the main objectives of controlling the injected power generated by the renewable source, improving the quality of the current waveform, lowering THD, and eliminating the shift phase between the current and the grid voltage.


The Senate "pay-as-you-go," or PAYGO, rule generally requires that any legislation increasing direct spending or reducing revenues be offset. A motion to waive the rule requires an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the membership (i.e., 60 Senators if no seats are vacant). Beginning in 1993, six points of order under the PAYGO rule have been raised against an entire bill or an amendment. Of these six points of order, four were sustained and two fell upon the adoption of a waiver motion.


A detailed description of the operational WSR-88D rainfall estimation algorithm is presented. This algorithm, called the Precipitation Processing System, produces radar-derived rainfall products in real time for forecasters in support of the National Weather Service's warning and forecast missions. It transforms reflectivity factor measurements into rainfall accumulations and incorporates rain gauge data to improve the radar estimates. The products are used as guidance to issue flood watches and warnings to the public and as input into numerical hydrologic and atmospheric models. The processing steps to quality control and compute the rainfall estimates are described, and the current deficiencies and future plans for improvement are discussed.


This paper considers the vibration Problem of vehicle driveline which consists of two propeller shafts and the center bearing. The excessive vibration occurs at the center bearing when the vehicle starts to run. Using the kinematic constraints at the universal joint between two propeller shafts, we developed an one d.o.f model which describes the radial motion of the center bearing. We found out that the vibration occurs at the specific vehicle speed corresponding to the natural frequency of the model. Comparing the simulation results with test results we also show that the vibration at low vehicle speed is caused primarily by the feint angle and secondarily by the mis-aligned yoke flange rather than by the unbalance.


The purpose of this research is  to analyze the effect of Institutional Ownership on Tax Avoidance with 5 control variables, which are Profitability, Leverage , Company Size, Sales growth and Fixed Asset Intensity. This research uses quantitative approach with secondary data obtained from financial reports published on the IDX website in 2016-2019. The population of this research is manufacturing companies in the Mining sector and Basic Industry and Chemicals . The sample selection method used is purposive sampling with 43 sample companies. The results of the research prove that Institutional Ownership has a negative effect on Tax Avoidance


One of the greatest advances in the treatment of cardiac disease in the last 15 years has been the development of practical and clinically successful prosthetic valves. In this monograph, Sauvage and his coauthors have reviewed in detail the structural mechanics and hydraulics of the normal and diseased aortic valve with a view towards understanding the necessary requisites for developing a satisfactory prosthetic replacement. By measurement and experiment, the mathematics are developed that illustrate how marvelously well the design of the normal aortic valve suits the function it serves. Because of the beauty and simplicity of the natural aortic valve, first attempts at developing a prosthetic valve were directed at duplicating the central flow, mechanically perfect design. These attempts have been frustrated by the lack of a material that will withstand the interminable (60 × 60 × 24 × 365 × 3 score and 10) flexing without fatigue and failure.


Similarly to optical fibers silica-based planar waveguides can exhibit the property of photosensitivity when illuminated with UV light. UV-induced changes of refractive index in Ge-doped silica allow for adding new functionality to these components including wavelength filtering with help of Bragg gratings, phase adjustment, wavelength tuning, direct UV-writing of waveguides and birefringence compensation. Bragg gratings imprinted in waveguide core in the same way as done in fibers, allow for building demultiplexers, add-drop filters, dispersion compensators, frequency lockers and other grating assisted devices. In this paper we present the background of the photosensitivity in germanosilica, methods for its improvement as well as technology for fabrication of advanced low dispersion Bragg gratings for 40 Gbps and beyond. We also demonstrate some fabricated wavelength selective devices for WDM communication systems.


The icing of transmission conductor seriously threatens the safe operation of power grids. Slippery lubricant-infused porous surface (SLIPS) has shown great potential for anti-icing applications. However, aluminum stranded conductors have complex surfaces, and the current SLIPSs are almost prepared and studied on small flat plates. Herein, the construction of SLIPS on the conductor was realized through anodic oxidation and the anti-icing mechanism of the slippery conductor was studied. Compared to the untreated conductor, the SLIPS-conductor reduces the icing weight by 77% in the glaze icing test and shows very low ice-adhesion strength (7.0 kPa). The excellent anti-icing performance of the slippery conductor is attributed to the droplet impact dynamics, icing delay, and lubricant stability. The dynamic behavior of water droplets is most affected by the complex shape of the conductor surface. Specifically, the impact of the droplet on the conductor surface is asymmetric and the droplet can slide along the depression in low-temperature and high-humidity environments. The stable lubricant of SLIPS increases both the nucleation energy barriers and the heat transfer resistance, which greatly delays the freezing time of droplets. Besides, the nanoporous substrate, the compatibility of the substrate with the lubricant, and the lubricant characteristics contribute to the lubricant stability. This work provides theoretical and experimental guidance on anti-icing strategies for transmission lines.


In the present era called the information age, also known as the digital age, healthcare managers have to deal with many challenges besides trying to adapt to the rapidly changing micro and macro-environment affected by the pandemic. Currently, digitalization and hybrid work ecosystem are on the rise requiring healthcare managers to effectively use self knowledge management tools to lead themselves and be able to lead their staff members by inspiring, encouraging and motivating them transforming their staff members creating value for all. However, there is insufficient research on the relationship of leadership styles and personal knowledge management. The aim of this study is to determine the mediating role of personal knowledge management in the effect of self-leadership on transformational leadership. The study was carried out with scales of self-leadership, transformational leadership and personal knowledge management. Scales were validated by factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships. The research universe consisted of the public healthcare managers working in Istanbul. It was found that the validity and the reliability of the research scales were high. According to the research findings; the self-leadership and transformational leadership perceptions of healthcare managers working in public institutions are high. The results obtained demonstrate the existence of a partial mediation effect of personal knowledge management on the positive effect of self-leadership on transformational leadership.


Women who live alone in the United States maintain connectedness in ways that are not fully understood. The purposes of this study were to (1) describe midlife women's definitions of themselves and how these are related to living alone; (2) identify the role of connections in relation to self; and (3) describe how self-definition is related to well-being. Van Manen's interpretive phenomenology and Riessmann's method of narrative analysis were used to examine the role of connections and well-being. Living alone was a core component of self. Outside connections supported the women's well-being. Women's future concerns included disability and financial viability. Directions for further study include examining the concepts of mattering and belonging in relation to women's emotional health.


Visualization is a powerful tool to derive insights from massive, noisy, and possibly inconsistent datasets. We propose a method for the visualization of conflict networks that show a set of actors together with hostile or conflictive relations on the systemic level. Our method highlights the most involved actors, reveals the opposing groups, provides a graphic overview of the conflict structure, and allows for smooth animation of the dynamics of a conflict. The visualization technique can deal with potentially complex network structures and distinguishes visually between bilateral and multilateral conflicts.


+is work presents a distributed generation system (DG) that combines system of a wind turbine (WT) and photovoltaic (PV) using a unified power quality conditioner (UPQC). Along with providing active power (AP) to the utility grid, Wind-PV-UPQC improves PQ indicators, for example, voltage drops/surges, harmonics of grid voltages, and PF. Since Wind-PV-UPQC depends on dual compensation scheme, the parallel converter works as a sinusoidal voltage source, while the series converter works as a sinusoidal current source. In this way, a smooth transition from grid operation to island operation and vice versa can be achieved without load voltage transitions. In addition, in order to overcome the problems through abrupt solar radiation or wind speed variations, a faster power balance is achieved between the wind turbines, the PV array, and the grid, as FFCL pursue the production of the current references of series converter. Consequently, the dynamic reactions of the converter currents and the voltage of dc bus are enhanced. A comprehensive analysis of flow of the AP through the converters is done to ensure a proper understanding of how Wind-PV-UPQC works. Finally, the simulation results are shown to estimate the dynamic and static performance of Wind-PV-UPQC in conjunction with the power distribution system.


Highly engineered designs increasingly require the use of improved materials and sophisticated manufacturing techniques. To obtain optimal performance from these engineered products, improved weld properties and joint reliability are a necessarily. This requirement for improved weld performance and reliability has led to the development of high-performance welding systems in which pre-programmed parameters are specified before any welding takes place. These automated systems however lack the ability to compensate for perturbations which arise during the welding process. Hence the need for systems which monitor and control the in-process status of the welding process. This report discusses work carried out on weld penetration indicators and the feasibility of using these indicators for on-line penetration control.


A catalogue of smut fungi known in Poland is presented, incorporating the current nomenclature and classificatory system for the species. The species
now known from Poland number 174, classified in 30 genera and 14 families. The Polish collections of Anthracoidea Bref. on Carex fuliginosa (= misnamed C.
sempervirens), C. hartmanii, C. humilis, C. michelii and C. sempervirens are revised. Anthracoidea buxbaumii Kukkonen, A. humilis Vanky and A. michelii Vanky
are records new for Poland. Anthracoidea sempervirentis Vanky, previously poorly known, is considered to be fairly common in the Tatra Mts. All species of
Anthracoidea are fully documented with voucher specimens, original descriptions and SEM micrographs, and their distribution in Poland is mapped


Pedestrian re-identification (Re-ID) is a very challenging and unavoidable problem in the field of multi-camera surveillance in smart transportation. Among many ways to solve this problem, keep it simple and straightforward (KISS) metric learning (KISSME) stands out since it has unbeatable advantages in running time while maintaining highly acceptable matching rate. It can be used to realize effective pedestrian Re-ID in an open world. Although it has achieved highly acceptable performance in some applications, it encounters a small sample size (S3) problem that causes too small eigenvalues of its covariance matrix, thus resulting in an instability issue. Its large eigenvalues are overestimated; while its small ones are underestimated. In order to solve this problem, we use an orthogonal basis vector to generate virtual samples to overcome the S3 problem. The resulting algorithm named KISS+ is experimentally shown to have the eigenvalues of its covariance matrix significantly larger than those of the original KISSME. In order to show its advantage in pedestrian Re-ID, this work uses multi-feature fusion to extract more discriminant features, and obtain a low-dimensional expression of features through dimension reduction. Experiments based on several well-known databases show that our method can improve the matching rate, while maintaining the advantage of fast computation. Compared with deep learning algorithms, our algorithm does not achieve their matching rate, but it is highly suitable for real-time pedestrian Re-ID of an open world due to its simplicity, easy operation and fast execution.


We discuss here our experience with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in 446 HIV-positive patients. MAC was found in 13 cases (2.9%): 10 males, 3 females, age range 21-47 years. Infection was disseminated in 10 cases and limited to the lung in 3. CD4+ cells were, on average, 48 per microliters. At clinical onset, all patients suffered from fever and weight loss, 10 from anemia, and 5 from diarrhea. MAC was found in its disseminated form in cultures of blood (10 patients), stool (5 patients) and urine (1 patient). Broncho-alveolar lavage seemed to be the most specific diagnostic method for lung infection. Twelve patients were treated with a multi-drug regimen consisting of an association of 4 or 5 antibiotics, selected on the basis of antibiogram, from the following: clofazimine, rifabutin, ciprofloxacin, ethambutol, isoniazid, amikacin and piazofolin. Mean survival of patients was 91.7%, 83.4%, 71.8% and 58.4% at 4, 5, 6 and 7 months of treatment respectively. Although the mean survival of the treated group is similar to that of untreated patients, multi-drug therapy seems to improve quality of life inasmuch as it brings temperature to normal and enables weight gain. Dissemination was never observed after treatment in patients with pulmonary infection only.


Research and development programmes directed towards the evolution of micromachines, such as electrostatic micromotors and fluidically driven micro-pumps, having dimensions in the sub-millimetre range when embedded within a planar substrate, have been growing rapidly and vigorously over the past 20 or so years. During the 1990s, major advances were made in the miniaturisation of electromechanical devices through the adoption of planar silicon technology as used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. This technology was commonly referred to as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMSs). At first sight, it may seem irrational to pursue energy efficiency in devices that are so small that the powers involved are measured in milliwatts but in fact as a proportion of useful output the losses at the MEMS scale can be massive. In particular, the frictional problems associated with bearings, and the losses generated are much more severe than in their macro-scale counterparts. The frictional (in relative terms) force associated with a micro-sized moving part or micro-bearing can actually become more than the motive force developed by the machine [1-3], in which case the device is useless. Because of this gross inefficiency, the accumulated losses in millions of micro-machines, in millions of watches, for example, is by no means insignificant, thus needlessly wasting an awful lot of energy. Energy is predicted to become increasingly scarce this century, so even micro-device efficiency may be critical to the maintenance of an advanced civilisation.


Semantic Question Answering (SQA) removes two major access requirements to the Semantic Web: the mastery of a formal query language like SPARQL and knowledge of a specific vocabulary. Because of the complexity of natural language, SQA presents difficult challenges and many research opportunities. Instead of a shared effort, however, many essential components are redeveloped, which is an inefficient use of researcher's time and resources. This survey analyzes 62 different SQA systems, which are systematically and manually selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, leading to 72 selected publications out of 1960 candidates. We identify common challenges, structure solutions, and provide recommendations for future systems. This work is based on publications from the end of 2010 to July 2015 and is also compared to older but similar surveys.


Air -mass thunderstorm rainfall is a major source of water in the rangeland areas of the southwestern United States. These thunderstorms occur during the summer months and produce intense afternoon and evening rains of short duration and limited areal extent. For small (100 square miles and less) watersheds in the southwest, air -mass thunderstorms produce the major flood peaks (Osborn & Hickok, 1968), therefore, knowledge of occurrence frequencies of these thunderstorms is essential in predicting flood sediment transport for small watersheds in the southwest.


Climate science is increasingly using (i) ensembles of climate projections from multiple models derived using different assumptions and/or scenarios and (ii) process-oriented diagnostics of model fidelity. Efforts to assign differential credibility to projections and/or models are also rapidly advancing. A framework to quantify and depict the credibility of statistically downscaled model output is presented and demonstrated. The approach employs transfer functions in the form of robust and resilient generalized linear models applied to downscale daily minimum and maximum temperature anomalies at 10 locations using predictors drawn from ERA-Interim reanalysis and two global climate models (GCM; GFDL-ESM2M and MPI-ESM-LR). The downscaled time series are used to derive several impact-relevant Climate Extreme (CLIMDEX) temperature indices that are assigned credibility based on 1) the reproduction of relevant large-scale predictors by the GCMs (i.e., fraction of regression beta weights derived from predictors that are well reproduced) and 2) the degree of variance in the observations reproduced in the downscaled series following application of a new variance inflation technique. Credibility of the downscaled predictands varies across locations and between the two GCM and is generally higher for minimum temperature than for maximum temperature. The differential credibility assessment framework demonstrated here is easy to use and flexible. It can be applied as is to inform decision-makers about projection confidence and/or can be extended to include other components of the transfer functions, and/or used to weight members of a statistically downscaled ensemble.


The selective manipulation of complex amine architectures has received great attention in recent years with widespread applications including inter alia drug discovery. Inspired by an enzymatic copper amine oxidase process, a synthetic quinone co-factor mediated general platform for the construction of α-fully substituted primary amines from abundant α-branched primary amine starting materials is described. This procedure pivots on the efficient generation of reactive ketimine intermediates in situ which are primed to react with carbon-centered nucleophiles such as organomagnesium and organolithium reagents, and TMSCN. Extension to reverse polarity photoredox catalysis enables reactivity with electrophiles. Subsequent oxidative hydrolysis releases the unprotected α-fully substituted primary amine product. This efficient, broadly applicable and scaleable amine-to-amine synthetic platform was successfully applied to library and API synthesis and in the late stage functionalization of drug molecules.


Thin tantalum films generated by glancing angle deposition serve as functional optical layers, for instance as absorption layers for ultra-thin infrared sensors. They consist of nano-rods whose dimensions and distribution influence the optical properties of the thin film. Serial sectioning by a focused ion beam combined with scanning electron microscopy of the slices generates stacks of highly resolved images of this nano-structure. Dedicated image processing reconstructs the spatial structure from this stack such that finally, 3D image analysis yields geometric information that can be related to the optical performance.


Protein hydrogels represent ideal materials for advanced cell culture applications, including 3D-cultivation of even fastidious cells. Key properties of fully functional and, at the same time, economically successful cell culture materials are excellent biocompatibility and advanced fabrication processes allowing their easy production even on a large scale based on affordable compounds. Chemical crosslinking of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) in a water-in-oil emulsion with isoparaffinic oil as the continuous phase and sorbitan monooleate as surfactant generates micro-meter-scale spherical particles. They allow a significant simplification of an indispensable and laborious step in traditional cell culture workflows. This cell passaging (or splitting) to fresh culture vessels/flasks conventionally requires harsh trypsinization, which can be omitted by using the "trans-ferry-beads" presented here. When added to different pre-cultivated adherent cell lines, the beads are efficiently boarded by cells as passengers and can be easily transferred afterward for the embarkment of novel flasks. After this procedure, cells are perfectly viable and show normal growth behavior. Thus, the trans-ferry-beads not only may become extremely affordable as a final product but also may generally replace trypsinization in conventional cell culture, thereby opening new routes for the establishment of optimized and resource-efficient workflows in biological and medical cell culture laboratories.


Learning assessment and school performance, systemic and legitimised practices in almost all Latin American countries are becoming consolidated as an essential and prioritised strategy for monitoring the quality and distribution of the education supplied by each system and country in this region. This article analyses and compares results of national and international assessment processes and school performance in primary and secondary school pupils of Latin American countries, since such analysis provides important information and criteria for improving the quality of these educational systems. The review and studies point to the fact that there have been serious problems in terms of the quality and equity of education in this region for a number of years and there are still no signs of significant advances or clear trends as far as this issue is concerned. The learning assessment and school performance rates of most of these Latin American children and youths are still well below the expected level and what is regarded as a pre‑requisite for the full inclusion and social mobility of citizens. This general panorama takes on specific emphasis and undertones in the education of each of these countries, namely in the area or subject under analysis, among other variables.


In this paper, super-resolution imaging is described and evaluated for x-ray tomography and is compared with standard tomography and upscaling during reconstruction. Blurring is minimized due to the negligible point spread of photon counting detectors and an electromagnetically movable micro-focus x-ray spot. Scans are acquired in high and low magnification geometry, where the latter is used to minimize penumbral blurring from the x-ray source. Sharpness and level of detail can be significantly increased in reconstructed slices to the point where the source size becomes the limiting factor. The achieved resolution of the different methods is quantified and compared using biological samples via the edge spread function, modulation transfer function, and Fourier ring correlation.


This paper concedes to the notion that the protection of African traditional knowledge systems at the regional level is urgently required. The disharmony and tension between the two existing, recognised and funtional regional organisations - Organisation Africaine de la Propriete Intellectuelle (OAPI) and African Regional Industrial Property Organisation (ARIPO) has contributed to the delay in the creation of harmonized laws protecting African traditional knowledge systems. Nonetheless, it is imperative to seek an appropriate porotection mechanism and emphasise the opinion that regional protection mechanisms should reflect the needs and customary ways of traditional peoples. Harmonisation of regional protection mechanisms will ensure the protection of African indigenous products including traditional knowledge, genetic resources, folklore, brands and values. The bottom up approach advocating legal and knowledge pluralism is an unavoidable feature of African communities and should be considered in establishing a regional legal framework. The coming together of African nations help to ensure that emerging international law gives recognition to their position on various intellectual property issues and there is increased awareness and coordination among these nations.


Atenolol {or 4-[2-hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy]phenylacetamide} crystallizes with 4-aminobenzoic acid to give the salt {3-[4-(aminocarbonylmethyl)phenoxy]-2-hydroxypropyl}isopropylammonium 4-aminobenzoate monohydrate, C14H23N2O3(+) x C7H6NO2(-) x H2O. In the crystal structure, the water molecule, the carboxylate group of 4-aminobenzoate, and the hydroxy and ether O atoms of atenolol form a supramolecular R3(3) (11) heterosynthon. Three other types of supramolecular synthons link the asymmetric unit into a two-dimensional structure.


Potential radiation impacts from launch of the Ulysses solar exploration experiment were evaluated using eight postulated accident scenarios. Lifetime individual dose estimates rarely exceeded 1 mrem. Most of the potential health effects would come from inhalation exposures immediately after an accident, rather than from ingestion of contaminated food or water, or from inhalation of resuspended plutonium from contaminated ground. For local Florida accidents (that is, during the first minute after launch), an average source term accident was estimated to cause a total added cancer risk of up to 0.2 deaths. For accidents at later times after launch, a worldwide cancer risk of up to three cases was calculated (with a four in a million probability). Upper bound estimates were calculated to be about 10 times higher.


Abstract Objective: Current extended-release (ER) formulations of psychostimulants used for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) provide an extended duration of ADHD symptom control; however, the onset of efficacy can be protracted and variable, leaving the early morning untreated. The primary objective was to characterize the single-dose pharmacokinetics and tolerability of HLD200, an evening-dosed, delayed-release (DR) and ER formulation of methylphenidate (MPH), in healthy adults and in adolescents and children with ADHD. Methods: The pharmacokinetics and tolerability of a single, oral evening dose of HLD200 (54 mg) were evaluated in two single-center open-label studies: the first in healthy adults (n = 12) and the second in adolescents (n = 18) and children (n = 11) with ADHD. Primary pharmacokinetic endpoints were the rate and extent of MPH absorption (Cmax and area under the curve [AUC]) and time to peak concentration (Tmax). These parameters were calculated using noncompartmental analysis. Results: HLD200 produced a pharmacokinetic profile characterized by an 8- to 10-hour delay in MPH release, followed by a period of extended controlled release, resulting in an ascending absorption profile that coincided with the early morning and afternoon. Mean values (coefficient of variation [CV]%) of weight-adjusted pharmacokinetic parameters were similar in adults and in adolescents and children with ADHD: Cmax ([ng/mL]/[mg/kg]) was 9.1 (35.2), 8.8 (34.5), and 7.4 (30.1); AUC0–t ([ng · h/mL]/[mg/kg]) was 126.5 (35.5), 129.4 (34.8), and 129.7 (27.3); and Tmax (hours) was 15.6 (11.1), 17.1 (14.5), and 17.7 (14.1), respectively. Intersubject variability in the mean time to achieve ascending plasma MPH concentrations of 2, 3, 4, and 5 ng/mL was low (CV: 7.8%–17.7%). Conclusions: Evening-dosed HLD200 produces the intended DR and ER pharmacokinetic profile that provides a consistent predictable delay in initial MPH release until the early morning, followed by extended release across the day. The body weight-adjusted pharmacokinetics of HLD200 were similar between adults and adolescents and children with ADHD.


High—resolution radio—tracking was used to study the habitat affinities of Dipodomys merriami, D. ordii, and D. spectabilis in an area of mixed shrubs and grasses in central New Mexico. Detailed habitat maps were examined to place the locations of stops in one of seven habitat classes, and preferences were identified by comparing the number and duration of stops with that expected if habitat use were proportional to habitat abundance. Neither Dipodomys merriami nor Dipodomys ordii used habitats in the available proportions. Both stopped more frequently at burrow locations beneath Larrea, the dominant shrub, and also used sand dunes more than expected. Dipodomys merriami avoided grassy areas entirely. These two species also used significantly different mixes of habitats. Analyses limited to stops either in the open or beneath shrubs showed that D. ordii preferred the shrubs and that D. merriami had no relative preference for either habitat. Limited observations of D. spectabilis showed that they avoided shrubby habitats. These results support the hypothesis that habitat selection facilitates coexistence between Ord's and Merriam's Kangaroo rats. However, the adequacy of this mechanism to account fully for the coexistence of these species is questioned. An alternative, nonequilibrium hypothesis is proposed, which is based on the assumptions that neither species has a clear competitive advantage in the mixture of habitats where they coexist, and that the course of the interaction is frequently disturbed by migration from nearby, allopatric populations.


The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of immune resistance in dogs successively infested with Amblyomma cajennense nymphs. Five animals were submitted to four consecutive infestations with A. cajennense nymphs, at fourteen-day intervals. For each infestation, 50 nymphs were used per animal and data on the parasitic and non-parasitic periods were recorded. The average recovering rate of engorged nymphs in the successive infestations were 52.0, 29.2, 9.6 and 12.8%, respectively, with a significant reduction (p<0.05) of this parameter from the second infestation onwards. The modal drop-off day of engorged nymphs was Day 4 of parasitism in all infestations. The average mortality rates of nymphs seen on the first, second, third and fourth infestations were 3.6, 3.2, 2.0 and 2.8%, respectively, with no significant differences among them (p<0.05). In addition, no significant differences were seen among the ecdysis rates for specimens recovered from successive parasitic challenges. The study results suggest that the acquired resistance of infested dogs had a negative effect on recovery rate of A. cajennense nymphs; however, it did not affect the other biological parameters evaluated.


Abstract: Malonate is an effective inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase in preparations from brain and other organs. This property was reexamined in isolated rat brain mitochondria during incubation with L‐glutamate. The biosynthesis of aspartate was determined by a standard spectrofluorometric method and a radiometric technique. The latter was suitable for aspartate assay after very brief incubations of mitochondria with glutamate. At a concentration of 1 mM or higher, malonate totally inhibited aspartate biosynthesis. At 0.2 mM, the inhibitory effect was still present. It is thus possible that the natural concentration of free malonate in adult rat brain of 192 nmol/g wet weight exerts an effect on citric acid cycle reactions in vivo. The inhibition of glutamate utilization by malonate was readily overcome by the addition of malate which provided oxaloacetate for the transamination of glutamate. The reaction was accompanied by the accumulation of 2—oxoglutarate. The metabolism of glutamate was also blocked by inclusion of arsenite and γ‐vinyl‐γ‐aminobutyric acid but again added malate allowed transamination to resume. When arsenite and γ‐vinyl‐γ‐aminobutyric acid were present, the role of malonate as an inhibitor of malate entry into the mitochondrial interior could be determined without considering the inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase. The apparent Km and Vmax values for uninhibited malate entry were 0.01 mM and 100 nmol/mg protein/min, respectively. Malonate was a competitive inhibitor of malate transport (Ki= 0.75 mM).


Drug-induced eosinophilic lung disease commonly presents as a simple pulmonary eosinophilia-like syndrome consisting of transient pulmonary infiltrates, peripheral eosinophilia, and mild pulmonary symptoms that disappear promptly upon withdrawal of the offending medication. However, a more fulminant presentation most resembling acute eosinophilic pneumonia has been recently described. We present a patient with BAL-confirmed eosinophilic pneumonia (EP) and respiratory failure after a trazodone overdose. This is the first case of EP associated with trazodone and only the third drug-mediated EP reported to precipitate respiratory failure.


Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a strong and independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that can be quantified in CT scans showing the heart. CAC lesions are defined as lesions in the coronary arteries with image intensity above 130 HU. The use of a threshold may lead to under- or over-estimation of the amount of CAC and, hence, to incorrect cardiovascular categorization of patients. This is especially pronounced in CT scans without ECG-synchronization where lesions are more subject to cardiac motion and partial volume effects. To address this, we propose a method for quantification of CAC without a threshold. A set of 373 cardiac and 1181 chest CT scans was included to develop the method and a set of 21 scan-rescan pairs (42 scans) was included for final evaluation. Assuming that the attenuation of CAC is superimposed on the attenuation of the artery, we aimed to separate the CAC from the coronary arteries by employing a CycleGAN to generate a synthetic image without CAC from an image containing CAC and vice versa. By subtracting the synthetic image without CAC from the image with CAC, a CAC map is created. The CAC-map can subsequently be used to identify and quantify CAC. The ground truth, i.e. the true amount of CAC, can not be established, therefore, in this work the results generated by the method are compared with clinical calcium scoring in terms of reproducibility. The average relative difference between the calcium scores in scan-rescan pairs of scans was 50% with the proposed method and 86% for the conventional method. Moreover, the correlation between CAC pseudo masses in scan-rescan pairs was 0.92 with the proposed method and 0.89 with conventional calcium scoring. Our proposed method is able to identify and quantify CAC lesions in CT scans without using an intensity level thresholding. This might allow for more reproducible quantification of CAC in CT scans made without ECG synchronization, and, therefore, it might allow more accurate CVD risk prediction.


Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) has been shown to play a crucial role in CD4+ T regulatory cells (CD4+Tregs) expansion and suppressive function. Increasing evidence has also demonstrated its role in a variety of immune regulatory cell subtypes such as CD8+ T regulatory cells (CD8+ Tregs), B regulatory cells (Bregs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). In solid organ transplantation, regulatory immune cells have been associated with decreased ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), improved graft survival, and improved overall outcomes. However, despite TNFR2 being studied in the context of autoimmune diseases, cancer, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, there remains paucity of data in the context of solid organ transplantation and islet cell transplantation. Interestingly, TNFR2 signaling has found a clinical application in islet transplantation which could guide its wider use. This article reviews the current literature on TNFR2 expression in immune modulatory cells as well as IRI, cell, and solid organ transplantation. Our results highlighted the positive impact of TNFR2 signaling especially in kidney and islet transplantation. However, further investigation of TNFR2 in all types of solid organ transplantation are required as well as dedicated studies on its therapeutic use during induction therapy or treatment of rejection.


In the last decade increasing attention has been focussed upon the newer and creative areas of marketing such as consumer behaviour, new product development and the communications interchanges between producers and consumers. More recently, the subject of distribution has been receiving a wider conceptual treatment as "marketing logistics" than had been afforded to it earlier by operational researchers searching for optimum rather than acceptable solutions. Managers have come to realise that, not only can substantial cost savings be achieved in the physical distribution area but that the distribution function complements the selling activity at the interface between the company and its customers. In the case of consumer goods these customers are the channel intermediaries such as wholesalers, cash and carry operators, independent and multiple retailers as well as the voluntary chains.


This paper reports the progress toward a fast and reliable microwave imaging setup for tissue imaging exploiting near-field holographic reconstruction. The setup consists of two wideband TEM horn antennas aligned along each other's boresight and performing a rectangular aperture raster scan. The tissue sensing is performed without coupling liquids. At each scanning position, wideband data is acquired. Then, novel holographic imaging algorithms are implemented to provide three-dimensional images of the inspected domain. In these new algorithms, the required incident field and Green's function are obtained from numerical simulations. They replace the plane (or spherical) wave assumption in the previous holographic methods and enable accurate near-field imaging results. Here, we prove that both the incident field and Green's function can be obtained from a single numerical simulation. This eliminates the need for optimization-based deblurring which was previously employed to remove the effect of realistic non-point-wise antennas.


The authors show that the medical pneumologic practice meets cases in which, after the accumulation and interpretation of the clinical and paraclinical investigation results and after leaving aside the sets of the improbable, no certain diagnosis can be established. The possible reasons of this failure are: the physician's lack of experience in a radiographic chapter, lack of endowment of that medical unit, patient's refusal to be examined or the atypical evolution of the disease. The authors present two such cases, in which, due to the above-mentioned reasons, no certain diagnosis could be established.


Through the detailed investigation of the syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of one grammatical construction, that containing the conjunction let alone, we explore the view that the realm of idiomaticity in a language includes a great deal that is productive, highly structured, and worthy of serious grammatical investigation. It is suggested that an explanatory model of grammar will include principles whereby a language can associate semantic and pragmatic interpretation principles with syntactic configurations larger and more complex than those definable by means of single phrase structure rules.*


【This paper proposes the human arm motion tracking algorithm based on the signal processing for surface EMG (electromyogram) sensors attached on both upper arm and shoulder. The signals acquired by using surface EMG sensors are processed with choosing the maximum in a short period, taking the absolute value, and filtering noises out with a low-pass filter. The processed signals are directly used for the motion generation of virtual arm in real time simulator. The virtual arm of simulator has two degrees of freedom and complies with the flexion and extension motions of elbow and shoulder. Also, we show the validity of the suggested algorithms through the experiments.】


We investigate the feasibility of UV lasing without inversion at a wavelength of 253.7 nm utilizing interacting dark resonances in mercury vapor. Our theoretical analysis starts with radiation-damped optical Bloch equations for all relevant 13 atomic levels. These master equations are generalized by considering technical phase noise of the driving lasers. From the Doppler broadened complex susceptibility we obtain the stationary output power from semiclassical laser theory. The finite overlap of the driving Gaussian laser beams defines an ellipsoidal inhomogeneous gain distribution. Therefore, we evaluate the intra-cavity field inside a ring laser self-consistently with Fourier optics. This analysis confirms the feasibility of UV lasing and reveals its dependence on experimental parameters.


Tumor metastasis is a major challenge in cancer research, because of its systemic nature and the resistance of disseminated tumor cells to existing therapeutic agents. It is estimated that >90% of mortality from cancer is attributable to metastases. ABSTRACT Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) induces myelocytomas, which can metastasize to multiple organs in diseased chickens. Although metastasis is the primary cause of death in such cases, the mechanism for it remains unclear. Here, we found that interaction between ALV-J surface protein (SU) and doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell proliferation. We found that ALV-J can activate EMT in infected cells. Subsequently, proteomics analysis revealed that DCLK1, a well-established putative tumor stem cell marker, which is highly expressed in ALV-J-infected DF-1 cells and chickens, might be a potential factor mediating EMT. Furthermore, using immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation, we verified that SU interacts with DCLK1. Functional studies suggested that overexpression of DCLK1 increased viral replication and promoted cell proliferation by accelerating the progression of cells from the G0/G1 phase to the S phase of cell cycle, whereas RNA interference of DCLK1 reduced viral replication and arrested cell proliferation by retarding cell cycle progression from the late G1 phase into the S phase in ALV-J-infected cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that the increased accumulation of DCLK1 promotes EMT by increasing the expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, MMP2, and transcription factor Snail1 and decreasing the expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin. These results suggest that ALV-J SU interacts with DCLK1, and accelerates cell proliferation, leading to increased viral replication and ultimately activating EMT, which paves the way for tumor metastasis. IMPORTANCE Tumor metastasis is a major challenge in cancer research, because of its systemic nature and the resistance of disseminated tumor cells to existing therapeutic agents. It is estimated that >90% of mortality from cancer is attributable to metastases. We found that ALV-J can activate EMT, which plays a critical role in cancer metastasis. Subsequently, we identified a tumor stem cell marker, DCLK1, in ALV-J infected cells, which interacts with surface protein (SU) of ALV-J to promote virus replication, activate EMT, and accelerate cell proliferation enabling ALV-J to obtain metastatic ability. Understanding the process of participation of ALV-J in EMT and the route of metastasis will help elucidate the mechanism of virus-induced tumor metastasis and help identify promising molecular targets and key obstacles for ALV-J control and clinical technology development.


The model used to represent musical instrument sounds plays a crucial role in the quality of sound transformations. Ideally, the representation should be compact and accurate, while its parameters should give flexibility to independently manipulate perceptually related features of the sounds. This work describes a source-filter model for musical instrument sounds based on the sinusoidal plus residual decomposition. The sinusoidal component is modeled as sinusoidal partial tracks (source) and a time-varying spectral envelope (filter), and the residual is represented as white noise (source) shaped by a time-varying spectral envelope (filter). This article presents estimation and representation techniques that give totally independent and intuitive control of the spectral envelope model and the frequencies of the partials to perform perceptually related sound transformations. The result of a listening test confirmed that, in general, the sounds resynthesized from the source-filter model are perceptually similar to the original recordings.


The present paper considers single-input single-output non-coherent Rayleigh fading channels in which the memory is modelled by a Gauss-Markov process, and in which the magnitude of the input signal is constrained in an arbitrary manner. A contribution is made to the understanding of such channels by proving that, for any given input magnitude distribution, it is optimum from a capacity perspective to choose the phase of the input independent and identically distributed, with a distribution which is uniform over the interval [-pi, pi). In particular, if the capacity of such a channel can be achieved with an input distribution f, then it is also achievable by an input distribution f' having the same magnitude distribution and a phase distribution with the above property.


One-dimensional (1D) semiconducting oxides have attracted great attention for dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs), but the overall performance is still quite limited as compared to TiO2 nanocrystalline DSCs. Here, we report the synthesis of aggregated TiO2 based nanotubes with controlled morphologies and crystalline structures to obtain an overall power conversion efficiency of 9.9% using conventional dye without any additional chemical treatment steps. The high efficiency is attributed to the unique aggregate structure for light harvesting, optimized high surface area, and good crystallinity of the nanotube aggregates obtained through proper thermal annealing. This study demonstrates that high efficiency DSCs can be obtained with 1D nanomaterials, and provides lessons on the importance of optimizing both the nanocrystalline structure and the overall microscale morphology.


Summary

Differences in size selectivity of commercial (40 mm diamond mesh, 40D), larger mesh (48 mm diamond mesh, 48D), and square mesh codends (40 mm square mesh, 40S) for hake (Merluccius merluccius), greater forkbeard (Phycis blennoides), blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus) and four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) were investigated in the Aegean Sea. The study was conducted using the covered codend method. Data were analysed taking between-haul variations into account. Results showed that changing from a 40D to 48D codend significantly improved mean L50 values, with increases of about 22% for hake, 8% for greater forkbeard, 20% for blackbelly rosefish, and 11% for four-spot megrim (P = 0.000). A change from diamond to square mesh configuration with the same 40 mm netting also significantly increased the mean L50 values, with 45% for hake, 36% for greater forkbeard, and 25% for blackbelly rosefish (P = 0.000). For four-spot megrim the mean L50 value was about 10% lower, but this difference was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Despite the increases in L50 values, this study concludes that the selectivity of the 48D and 40S codends is still not sufficient to release fish smaller than length at first maturity for these four species.


To the Editor.— The case report by Drs Benisch and Peison, which appeared in the JanuaryArchives(113:71-72, 1977), described the occurrence of an apocrine hidrocystoma on the right shoulder, and the authors mentioned that this was only the third reported case to arise outside of the head and genitalia. I wish to report a case of an apocrine hidrocystoma that occurred on the right scapula. Report of a Case.— A 42-year-old man, whom I saw on Dec 6, 1976, had a lesion for an estimated three to four years that was said to come and go and to be tender at times. Clinically, a bluish-black, deep-seated cystic nodule, 1.5 cm in diameter, was located on the right scapula. The nodule was believed to be an epidermoid cyst with hemorrhage, and during excision, several milliliters of a watery brown fluid were expelled from the lesion. Histopathological examination revealed a typical


The benefits of project-based learning environments are well documented; however, setting up and maintaining these environments can be challenging due to the high cost and expertise associated with these platforms. To alleviate some of these roadblocks, the existing eBlock platform which is composed of fixed function building blocks targeted to enable nonexperts users to easily build a variety of interactive electronic systems is expanded to incorporate newly defined integer-based building blocks to enable a wider range of project possibilities for middle school STEM projects. We discuss various interface possibilities, including initial usability experiments, and summarize our overall experiences and observations in working with local middles school students utilizing the eBlock platform.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous vesicles secreted by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and play a vital role in intercellular communication. EVs are classified into several subtypes based on their origin, physical characteristics, and biomolecular makeup. Exosomes, a subtype of EVs, are released by the fusion of multivesicular bodies (MVB) with the plasma membrane of the cell. Several methods have been described in literature to isolate exosomes from biofluids including blood, urine, milk, and cell culture media, among others. While differential ultracentrifugation (dUC) has been widely used to isolate exosomes, other techniques including ultrafiltration, precipitating agents such as poly-ethylene glycol (PEG), immunoaffinity capture, microfluidics, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) have emerged as credible alternatives with pros and cons associated with each. In this review, we provide a summary of commonly used exosomal isolation techniques with a focus on SEC as an ideal methodology. We evaluate the efficacy of SEC to isolate exosomes from an array of biological fluids, with a particular focus on its application to adipose tissue-derived exosomes. We argue that exosomes isolated via SEC are relatively pure and functional, and that this methodology is reproducible, scalable, inexpensive, and does not require specialized equipment or user expertise. However, it must be noted that while SEC is a good candidate method to isolate exosomes, direct comparative studies are required to support this conclusion.


We analyze a class of Krylov projection methods but mainly concentrate on a specific conjugate gradient (CG) implementation by Smith, Peterson, and Mittra [IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propogation, 37 (1989), pp. 1490--1493] to solve the linear system AX=B, where A is symmetric positive definite and B is a multiple of right-hand sides. This method generates a Krylov subspace from a set of direction vectors obtained by solving one of the systems, called the seed system, by the CG method and then projects the residuals of other systems orthogonally onto the generated Krylov subspace to get the approximate solutions. The whole process is repeated with another unsolved system as a seed until all the systems are solved. We observe in practice a superconvergence behavior of the CG process of the seed system when compared with the usual CG process. We also observe that only a small number of restarts is required to solve all the systems if the right-hand sides are close to each other. These two features together make the method particularly effective. In this paper, we give theoretical proof to justify these observations. Furthermore, we combine the advantages of this method and the block CG method and propose a block extension of this single seed method.


We report on the optical properties of infrared (IR)-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) that are defined as . Because supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in IR-bright DOGs are expected to be rapidly growing in the major-merger scenario, they provide useful clues for understanding the coevolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies. However, the optical properties of IR-bright DOGs remain unclear because the optical emission of a DOG is very faint. By combining ∼105 deg2 images of the optical, near-IR, and mid-IR data obtained from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey, the VISTA VIKING survey, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey, respectively, 571 IR-bright DOGs were selected. We found that IR-bright DOGs show a redder (g − z)AB color than do other populations of dusty galaxies, such as ultraluminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs) at a similar redshift, with a significantly large dispersion. Among the selected DOGs, star formation (SF)-dominated DOGs show a relatively red color, while active galactic nucleus (AGN)-dominated DOGs show a rather blue color in optical. This result is consistent with the idea that the relative AGN contribution in the optical emission becomes more significant at a later stage in the major-merger scenario. We discovered eight IR-bright DOGs showing a significant blue excess in blue HSC bands. This blue excess can be interpreted as a leaked AGN emission that is either a directly leaking or a scattered AGN emission, as proposed for some blue-excess Hot DOGs in earlier studies.


The results from accelerated atmospheric corrosion test methods do not generally correspond very well to corrosion behaviour under practical conditions. The aim of the present investigation is to increase the understanding of the influence of temperature, wetness and sulfur dioxide concentration in the air. Special attention is given to the extent to which results from accelerated tests differ from the results of outdoor exposures. Carbon steel and zinc have been exposed outdoors at four different test sites and to climate chamber test procedures. The study includes corrosion attack measured as mass loss of test plates and corrosion product characterization by x-ray diffraction. The investigation shows that studying corrosion with regard to both mass loss and corrosion products formed during climate chamber exposures and field exposures, valuable knowledge is obtained about improvements of accelerated test methods.


OBJECTIVES
Our aim was to conduct a survey about urinary symptoms and to find out if questioning patients about symptoms is helpful for the GP to make medical decisions concerning prostate problems among middle-aged men.

METHODS
Twelve hundred randomly chosen men aged 55--65 years from the general population in north-west Stockholm, Sweden were sent a questionnaire consisting of symptom questions focusing on prostate problems based on the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS). A subset of 120 respondents were asked to answer the same questions again and to participate in a urological examination including urodynamics and ultrasonography. The main outcome measures were the prevalence of urinary symptoms and the relationship between the symptom score and objective measures.

RESULTS
A response rate of 86% was obtained in the questionnaire study. Twenty-one per cent of the respondents stated that they had general problems related to urination. Among individual symptoms, post-void dribbling and a weak stream were most common. Among the men examined at the Urological Department, the average prostatic volume was found to be 40 cm(3). Three out of four were assessed to have infravesical obstruction. No correlation between subjective symptoms and objective measurements of either a statistical or clinical significance was found.

CONCLUSIONS
Urinary symptoms are common among middle-aged men. Further, an enlarged prostate and/or infravesical obstruction is often found in the ageing man. Information obtained by asking prostate-specific symptom questions cannot, however, serve as the foundation for the GP to find those men whose problems would be solved by actions directed at the prostate.


Analysis of the stocks of Drosophila melanogaster and of interstock hybrids with different male reproductive activity revealed positive connection between this index and the activity of esterase-6 in the reproductive system: ejaculatory duct, paragonies and ejaculatory bulb. X-chromosomes and chromosome 3 participate in genetic control of interstock differences of both sexual and esterase-6 activity.


This article reports on the Ohio Quality Assurance Project, a two year demonstration. The project developed a model quality assurance system for in-home supportive services funded by Title III of the Older Americans Act including home health aide, personal care, homemaker, transportation and escort, home delivered meals, chore and home maintenance services. Using four planning and service areas in the state of Ohio comprising over 40 countries, the project developed, implemented and evaluated quality assurance standards and monitoring activities for Older Americans Act services. In addition, a second part of the project included in-depth case studies with consumers receiving in-home care.