Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory containment measures led to lockdowns and severely diminished social interaction, with older adults being one vulnerable group. Socially assistive robots (SARs) could prove to be an effective intervention. Objectives To explore the experiences of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with a SAR during the first lockdown in Belgium. Methods Inductive thematic analysis was used. After a two-week interaction period with robot James®, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Results Four people were interviewed (median: 86 years; range: 70–90 years; 2 men, 2 women). Four themes were identified. The first theme described the robot as a companion, alleviating feelings of loneliness and social isolation. The second theme explored the robot in light of meaningful activity. The third theme detailed the technical aspects of the robot and the fourth theme described notable barriers and areas of improvement. Conclusion The study demonstrated the potential of SARs during the first lockdown period in Belgium. The robot proved to be promising in terms of alleviating feelings of loneliness and social isolation. It was found to be both motivating and facilitating in terms of meaningful activity. Significance The study provided valuable insights for the care of lonely and occupationally deprived older adults.


[1] The paleoecological disturbances recorded during the Early Toarcian warming event (183 Myr ago), including marine anoxia, sea level rise, seawater acidification, carbonate production crisis, and species extinctions, are often regarded as past examples of Earth's possible responses to the rapid emergence of super greenhouse conditions. However, physical mechanisms explaining both the global and local expressions of paleoenvironmental events are still highly debated. Here we analyze the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic consequences of increases in atmospheric pCO2 levels at a multiscale resolution using a fully coupled ocean–atmosphere model (FOAM). We show that, in association with stronger high-latitude precipitation rates and enhanced continental runoff, the demise of polar sea ice due to the global warming event involved a regional freshening of Arctic surface seawaters. These disturbances lead to progressive slowdowns of the global oceanic circulation accountable for widespread ocean stratification and bottom anoxia processes in deep oceanic settings and epicontinental basins. In agreement with very negative oxygen isotope values measured on fossil shells from the NW Tethys, our simulations also show that recurrent discharges of brackish and nutrient-rich Arctic surface waters through the Viking Corridor could have led to both vertical and geographical gradients in salinity and seawater δ18O in the NW Tethyan seas. Locally contrasted conditions in water mass density and rises in productivity rates due to strong nutrient supplies could partly explain the regional severity of the anoxic event in the restricted Euro-boreal domains, as it has been previously suggested and modeled regionally.


Anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) is an attractive alternative for the treatment of high-strength phenol wastewater, but the effects of sludge retention time (SRT) on the performance and membrane fouling are still unclear. The results indicated that the AnCMBR was successfully employed to treat high-strength wastewater containing 5 g phenol L−1. The removal efficiencies of phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reached over 99.5% and 99%, respectively, with long SRT and short SRT. SRT had no obvious effect on the performance of the AnCMBR treating high-strength phenol wastewater with long time operation. The strong performance robustness of AnCMBR benefited from the enrichment of hydrogenotrophic methanogens and syntrophic phenol-degrading bacteria. However, the decline of SRT led to a more severe membrane fouling in the AnCMBR, which was caused by the small size of sludge flocs and high concentration of protein in the biopolymers. Therefore, this work presented a comprehensive insight to the feasibility and robustness of the AnCMBR for treating high-strength phenol wastewater.


Harriet Martineau's 'freely translated and condensed' version of Auguste Comte's Positive Philosophy (1853) made a significant contribution to the scholarly conversation on positivism in Britain. The translation of Continental philosophy into English during the mid-nineteenth century enabled translators to rewrite and rethink the original text for their home audience according to their own political and social agenda. Yet the idea of translation can be broadened to include translating philosophical ideas into different genres in order to broaden the readership – to popularise and, to some minds, bastardise the philosophy. The translation of philosophy into literary fiction arguably bridges the gap between scholarly integrity and popularisation that Eliot feared; indeed, both Eliot and Martineau, as established translators, vividly understood their power to manipulate and mould foreign philosophies through both their literal translations and their fiction. This paper examines the translational role of Eliot's Middlemarch (1877) and Martineau's Deerbrook (1839) in reproducing, reshaping and popularising Comte's positivism within the British public mind.


Conditional distribution reflects the dependency link among random variables, but two-dimensional random variables Conditional Distribution has some limitations. In order to rich the content of conditional distribution this paper gives the extension of conditional distribution and examples in the case of continuous random variables. For the given definition of conditional distribution of three-dimensional continuous random variables, it also gives the proof. This article obtains the extension strictly in accordance with the definition of two-dimensional random variables and it uses the theory of conditional probability to get the proof. So it can get conditional distributions after changing the condition to enrich the contents of the conditional distribution.


Background; Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and is considered the leading cause of visual impairment in working-aged adults worldwide. The duration of DM and hyperglycemia have been associated with DR, so this study was done to ascertain role of glycemic control in the development of diabetic retinopathy. Objective; To compare the frequency of DR in in type II diabetes having controlled and un-controlled diabetes. Subjects and Methods; A total of 175 type 2 diabetic patients presenting in Diabetes OPD aged 35 – 65 years were selected in this cross-sectional study from Diabetes outdoor clinic of Nishtar Hospital Multan. Patients underwent any form of retinal surgery / laser therapy, on ACE-inhibitors or ARBs, having cataract were excluded from our study. All patients had undergone retinal imaging using Non Mydriatic Fundus Camera (NIDEK ® Model # AFC-330) and collected data was analyzed by SPSS version 22. Results; Of these 178 study cases, 73 (41.0 %) were male patients while 105 (59.0 %) were female patients. Mean age of our study cases was 50.39 ± 8.25 years. Mean age of the male patients was noted to be 57.36 ± 5.25 years while that female patients was 45.54 ± 6.24 years (p=0.000). Mean body mass index of our study cases was 26.12 ± 1.85 kg/m 2 and obesity was present in 45 (25.3 %) of our study cases. Mean disease duration was 6.23 ± 3.28 years and 92 (51.7%) had duration of illness more than 5 years. Of these 178 study cases, 112 (62.9%) were illiterate and 66 (37.1%) were literate. Diabetes was controlled in 79 (44.4%) while it was un-controlled in 99 (55.6%) of our study cases. Diabetic Retinopathy was noted in 69 (38.8%) of our study cases. Diabetic retinopathy was 22.8% patients with controlled diabetes and 51.5% in patients with un – controlled diabetes. Conclusion; Very high frequency of diabetic retinopathy was noted in our study among diabetic patients having un-controlled diabetes as compared with those having controlled diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy was significantly associated with control of diabetes, residential status and prolonged disease duration. National health authorities must launch a mega awareness campaign at national level for awareness of diabetic patients leading to good glycemic control which will protect them from future hardships. Keywords; Diabetic retinopathy, controlled diabetes, frequency.


The concept and prototypical implementation of a flexibly integrated production planning and scheduling system called FIPS (flexible integration of production system) is described. It consists of three major parts: a feature-recognizing system (FREDOS) that evaluates the 3-D-BREP (boundary representation) geometrical description of a part in terms of generic features that correspond to the execution of a basic manufacturing operation; a static process planning system (SSM) that identifies all combinations of manufacturing resources that are suited to produce the part; and a dynamic resource-allocation system (DRS) that decides online which of the possible resources has to be used in order to execute a manufacturing order. The assignment strategies may be individually specified by the application using the specification language SORC. A description is given of the basic ideas behind these systems along with a short overview of their implementation.<<ETX>>


Introduction: Recommended child-feeding practices such as exclusive breastfeeding for six months, prolonged breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding have been proven to reduce prevalence of malnutrition. Declining socioeconomic environment may be putting children from urban poor families at risk of malnutrition due to poor feeding practices and increased risk of morbidity. Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess child feeding practices and morbidity prevalence among Harare urban families living in low socieconomic districts. Methods: A health facility based cross sectional study was conducted in Harare in five clinics serving low socio economic communities from July to August 2012. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire assessing WHO indicators for infant and young child feeding (IYCF) was used to interview primary caregivers on child-feeding practices. Secondary outcomes assessed was prevalence of diarrhea, influenza, malaria, measles, fever, and cough. Data were analysed using vSPSS-21 statistical software. Results: A total of 218 infant and caregiver pairs attending growth monitoring at the clinics were enrolled in the study. Seventy-five percent of the children were below two years of age. There was a high prevalence of early introduction of complementary foods (81.4% before 6 months of age). About half (49.2%) of the infants had 4 or more meals per day. A significant proportion (74.4%) had been weaned onto family meals. Fifty-three (24%) of the children had been sick with diarrhea, 59% influenza , 1% malaria , 1% measles, 23% fever and 53% with a cough during the 1 month recall period. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of inadequate infant feeding practices and morbidity in low resource communities in Harare. There is need to design child-feeding interventions for the urban community targeting all family members involved in decision-making.


A new gamma and X-Ray simulation module has been integrated to the CIVA software and completes the already available UT and ECT modules. This module is based on a combination of NDT radiographic modules developed at the CEA LETI and at EDF R&D. Direct radiation is calculated from an analytical appro ach (ray tracer and Beer-Lambert law for the attenuation) while the scattered radiation is s imulated by Monte-Carlo modelling. Different types of sources, gamma or X-rays, and differ ent detectors can be simulated. The X ray module uses the same dedicated Graphical User Interfa ce mutual to UT and ECT techniques. It helps to simulate control of specimens whe re the geometry can be imported from a CAD tool and also to put in evidence the presence of defects (with canonical geometries or also defined from a CAD tool). In this article, after a description of the different models used, the X-Ray simulation possibilities are illustrated on different practical ap plications.


Image processing play a vital role in blood vessel extraction from the fundus image. Retinal vessel segmentation is important for the detection of eye diseases and plays an important role in automatic retinal disease screening systems. Automatic detection and analysis of the vasculature can assist in the implementation of screening programs for vessel diameter measurement in relation with diagnosis of hypertension, and computer-assisted laser surgery. Segmentation retinal anatomical structures are the first step in any automatic retina analysis system. Detection of large vessels is relatively easy due to their strong contrast against background in the images but detection of small vessels is much more difficult due to their low contrast in the images. The proposed method uses a new filter to extract the thin vessels. Also the proposed method has been tested with various set of retinal images. The images used for retinal analysis were collected from DRIVE database. Key Terms: Retina, Hypertension, Segmentation, Blood Vessel, Detection.


Summary form only given. We present a relatively fast optical coherence tomography (OCT) system equipped with a special software package to render 3D images of the tissue. The OCT system is capable of producing transversal as well as longitudinal images from the retina in vivo. A powerful superluminiscent diode at 860 nm is used, with the system delivering 140 /spl mu/W power to the eye.


The VICTORIA model of radionuclide behavior in the reactor coolant system (RCS) of a light water reactor during a severe accident is described. It has been developed by the USNRC to define the radionuclide phenomena and processes that must be considered in systems-level models used for integrated analyses of severe accident source terms. The VICTORIA code, based upon this model, predicts fission product release from the fuel, chemical reactions involving fission products, vapor and aerosol behavior, and fission product decay heating. Also included is a detailed description of how the model is implemented in VICTORIA, the numerical algorithms used, and the correlations and thermochemical data necessary for determining a solution. A description of the code structure, input and output, and a sample problem are provided.


This study aims to analyze the effect of credit risk, capital adequacy, liquidity risk on financial performance and corporate value in conventional government-owned commercial banks.The research data was obtained from the financial statements of 2012-2017 Bank Rakyat Indonesia(BRI), the State Bank of Indonesia (BNI), Bank Mandiri, and the State Savings Bank (BTN) (Persero) Tbk, with a total sample of 96. The data were analyzed using PLS (Partial Least Square) through software SmartPLS 3.0. The results of this study indicate that credit risk(NPL), Capital adequacy (CAR), liquidity risk (LDR) have a significant effect on financial performance (ROE), meanwhile there has no significant effect to corporate value (PER), liquidity risk (LDR) has a significant effect on corporate (PER), financial performance (ROE) has a significant effect on corporate value (PER).


Success in the world of business such as banking is depend on the right management and the decision making. In order to be able to make informed decisions, financial information is clear, complete and accurate. The Information in bank financial statements as an effort to assist various parties concerned to know the financial development of a bank, both internal and external in assessing the financial condition of a bank. The problem studied in this research is how the financial performance at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk based on liquidity ratio and profitability ratio.

This study aims to determine the financial performance of PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk based on analysis of  liquidity ratio and profitability ratio. The conclusion of this research that the result of financial ratio analysis of banking on liquidity ratio analysis of condition of financial performance at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk based on cash ratio and loan to deposit ratio can be said good. While quick ratio is good and banking ratio is not good. In the results of profitability ratio analysis of financial performance condition based on gross profit margin, net profit margin, return on asset, return on equity and BOPO can be said good and overall have fulfilled the criteria or are above the standard set by Bank Indonesia.

It is suggested that the management of PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk always strive to maximize the increase of total deposits and total assets and capital in an effort to meet the amount of credit disbursed which continues to increase high every year for liquidity ratios that have not met the criteria or the standard set by Bank Indonesia is banking ratio and maximizes the total assets and paid-in capital in an effort to increase profitability for profitability ratios that tend to fluctuate annually and especially on net profit margin ratios that tend to decrease annually.


Talise is an area with a fairly high construction activities at the present time. The condition of the buildings in this area is susceptible to damage. This problem is mainly caused by constructing many buildings without considering the structure of subsurface. The purpose of this study is to determine the classification and types of rock below the surface through the analysis of shear wave velocity to a depth of 30 m (Vs30) instudy area. The method used in this research wasRefraction Mikrotremor (Remi) that records a shear wave propagationhappening below the surface. Data processing was performed using Surface Wave Analysis Wizard and WaveEq (Surface Wave Analysis) programs.The interpretation of 6 tracks shows that the greater depth obtained, the greater value range of shear wave velocity happened. The results of this study werethe form of classification and subsurface rock types with 4 different study sites, namelyAbadi field, Jabal Nur field, Mapolda Sulteng, and School of Model Terpadu Madani. The former study site is classified astype E (soft soil), while the others are classified as type D (stiff soil). Keywords: Refraction mikrotremor (ReMi), shear wave velocity, Vs30, classification of rock.


Purpose: This study has three main purposes: first, to examine the effect of transactional leadership on knowledge sharing and innovative work behavior. Second, to examine the effect of knowledge sharing on innovative work behavior. Third, to examine the mediating role of knowledge sharing in the relationship between transactional leadership and innovative work behavior. Research design, data and methodology: The quantitative method is considered appropriate for this study, and a questionnaire is used to collect data from a total of 107 employees who participated in the study. The SmartPLS-SEM version 3.0 is used to analyze data. Results: The results reveal that transactional leadership has a positive and significant effect on knowledge sharing. However, transactional leadership directly has no significant effect on innovative work behavior. In addition, knowledge sharing positively and significantly affects innovative work behavior. This finding demonstrates that knowledge sharing becomes an essential mediator of transactional leadership and innovative work behavior in distribution market. Conclusions: This study makes a novel contribution by unboxing the limited understanding of the effect of transactional leadership on innovative work behavior mediated by knowledge sharing in the lens of social exchange theory. Also, this study highlights that transactional leader develops bonding and willingness among employees to share their knowledge to foster innovative work behavior.


Spermatogenesis in two millipedes Phyllogonostreptus nigrolabiatus and Gonoplectus malayus has been studied with phase contrast and cytochemical techniques. The process is the same in both species. The Golgi bodies of the early spermatid secrete acrosomal vacuoles which in turn unite to form a large proacrosome. This in turn forms the acrosome. The mitochondria react positively for tryptophan, tyrosine, phospholipides, succinic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase. The Golgi bodies contain carbohydrates (1:2 glycol groups), phospholipids, tyrosine, tryptophan and acid phosphatase. The acrosomal vacuoles, the proacrosome, and the acrosome did not show positive reactions in any of the technique employed, including that of PAS.The centriole contains carbohydrates and acid phosphatase; it is PAS positive. The mature sperm is a compressed cell with a piano-convex nucleus.


In near-Earth space, the magnetosphere, energetic electrons (tens to thousands of kiloelectron volts) orbit around Earth, forming the radiation belts. When scattered by magnetospheric processes, these electrons precipitate to the upper atmosphere, where they deplete ozone, a radiatively active gas, modifying global atmospheric circulation. Relativistic electrons (those above a few hundred kiloelectron volts), can reach the lowest altitudes and have the strongest effects on the upper atmosphere; their loss from the magnetosphere is also important for space weather. Previous models have only considered magnetospheric scattering and precipitation of energetic electrons; atmospheric scattering of such electrons has not been adequately considered, principally due to lack of observations. Here we report the first observations of this process. We find that atmospherically-scattered energetic (relativistic) electrons form a low-intensity, persistent "drizzle", whose integrated energy flux is comparable to (greater than) that of the more intense but ephemeral precipitation by magnetospheric scattering. Thus, atmospheric scattering of energetic electrons is important for global atmospheric circulation, radiation belt flux evolution, and the repopulation of the magnetosphere with lower-energy, secondary electrons.


There remains great interest in strategies to increase the efficacy of radiation therapy in cancer patients. Glucose depletion occurs commonly in certain regions of bulky solid tumors, owing to high glucose metabolism combined with poor perfusion caused by a disorganized blood vasculature. Evidence suggests that cancer cells located in glucose-deprived regions are resistant to therapeutic killing. Agents that sensitize glucose-deprived cancer cells might offer useful adjuvants for tumor radiotherapy. In an earlier study, we demonstrated that rodent cells which are genetically deficient in the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle (OPPC) display a heightened response to hydroxyethyldisulfide (HEDS), a thiol-specific oxidant that can radiosensitize cells by blocking the redox-dependent function of DNA repair protein Ku. Since glucose is the chief substrate of the OPPC, and the OPPC is responsible for detoxifying HEDS, we reasoned that glucose deprivation should phenocopy the effects of OPPC deficiency in enhancing radiosensitization by HEDS. To test this prediction, we compared the effects of HEDS treatment in human colon cancer cell lines HCT116 or HT29, which are radiation sensitive or resistant, respectively. In both cell lines, HEDS was detoxified by OPPC-mediated conversion to mercaptoethanol (ME) in high-glucose media but not in low-glucose media. Consistent with the decrease in cellular bioreductant activity by glucose depletion, HEDS greatly decreased free glutathione levels under low-glucose conditions. Similarly, HEDS greatly decreased the free thiol content of total proteins and impaired the Ku DNA binding activity in low-glucose conditions. Most significantly, in clonogenic cell growth assay, the cytotoxic effects of HEDS were greatly increased under low glucose conditions, when added by itself to HCT116 cells but particularly when added in combination with irradiation to HCT116 or HT29 cells. Together, our findings indicate that glucose depletion enhances the ability of HEDS to radiosensitize cancer cells. More broadly, our findings suggest the potential to use HEDS in a novel strategy to enhance killing of radioresistant regions of tumors that are characterized by a glucose-depleted state. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1392.


A dependency bug is a software fault that manifests itself when accessing an unavailable asset. Dependency bugs are pervasive and we all hate them. This paper presents a case study of dependency bugs in the Robot Operating System (ROS), applying mixed methods: a qualitative investigation of 78 dependency bug reports, a quantitative analysis of 1354 ROS bug reports against 19553 reports in the top 30 GitHub projects, and a design of three dependency linters evaluated on 406 ROS packages. The paper presents a definition and a taxonomy of dependency bugs extracted from data. It describes multiple facets of these bugs and estimates that as many as 15% (!) of all reported bugs are dependency bugs. We show that lightweight tools can find dependency bugs efficiently, although it is challenging to decide which tools to build and difficult to build general tools. We present the research problem to the community, and posit that it should be feasible to eradicate it from software development practice. ACM Reference Format: Anders Fischer-Nielsen, Zhoulai Fu, Ting Su, and Andrzej Wąsowski. . The Forgotten Case of the Dependency Bugs: On the Example of the Robot Operating System. In . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 10 pages.


Process-generated and administrative datasets have become increasingly important for labour market research over the past ten years. Major advantages of this data are large sample sizes, absence of retrospective gaps and unit non-responses. Nevertheless, the quality and validity of the information remain unclear. This paper contributes to this subject, focusing on the variation of research results due to alternative data cleansing procedures. In particular, the paper uses the general set up for data cleaning proposed by Wunsch/Lechner (2008) in evaluating the outcome of training programmes in Germany. First results are limited to the sensitivity of the construction of the sample populations used for the counterfactual analysis. The results emphasize that sample construction seems to be robust to the scenario used for the data cleansing.


The Web content and digitization patterns of twenty-three tribal college libraries from the Great Plains region were examined to determine what types of services, programs, digital resources, and social media were promoted on their websites.  The results of this study differed from a previous 1998 study by Kaya, which found that tribal libraries merely support the institutions and are 'not recognized as an integral part of the activities of a tribal college, that is, as an equal partner in the academic endeavor' (p. 245). Kaya noted that the success of students enrolled in tribal colleges was not contingent upon libraries and the resources they provide.  Findings of this study indicate that today, the library is an integral part of the tribal college and the surrounding communities they serve and they promote lifelong learning and literacy in the community.


Finasteride, a competitive and specific inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase, is widely used in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. We demonstrate here that finasteride, when administered in an in vivo experimental system, caused ventral prostate regression. Intraprostatic dihydrotestosterone levels decreased, whereas testosterone levels increased in a dose-dependent manner following finasteride treatment. Finasteride also inhibited the expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-I receptor genes in the ventral prostate. Finasteride significantly increased IGF binding protein-3 and slightly decreased IGF binding protein-2, -4, and -5 gene expression. Because IGFs are potent mitogens for prostate epithelial cells, this newly described activity of finasteride may contribute to its antiproliferative properties, particularly with regard to the inhibition of prostate growth seen clinically and in animal models.


Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has persisted for over 2 years worldwide and has long-term effects on the health and quality of life of convalescents. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome, primary observed in children is currently increasingly recognized in adults. Immunopathology might play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A); therefore, the occurrence of MIS-A in non-immunocompetent patients is a significant challenge in diagnosis and treatment. Case presentation: We described a 65-year-old patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) who suffered from MIS-A after COVID-19 and was successfully treated with high doses of immunoglobulins and steroids. Conclusion: Our study presents for the first time a case of MIS-A in a hematological patient with a broad spectrum of symptoms reflecting multiorgan damage and suggests the long-term consequences of MIS-A as persistent immune dysregulation involving T-cell response.


The objective of this study was to investigate and characterize the geometric thinking and understanding of four pre-service middle and secondary mathematics teachers while considering their spatial ability levels. To investigate the differences, if any, that existed among these pre-service middle and secondary teachers with different spatial ability levels and understanding geometry, pre- and post-test designs were employed using Mayberry's (J. Mayberry. An investigation of the Van Hiele levels of geometric thought in undergraduate pre-service teachers, Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1981) protocol. Four contrasting cases in terms of spatial ability scores are examined using the van Hiele model to provide a description of geometric understanding. The study participants were chosen using the Purdue visualization of rotations test (ROT; G.M. Bodner and R.B. Guay, The Purdue visualization of rotations test, Chem. Educ. 2 (1997), pp. 1–18) from among a pool of pre-service middle and secondary mathematics teachers at a major research university in the southeast United States. The results were supportive of previous research in this area. Learners with low spatial abilities are more challenged geometry learners. While learners identified with mid-range spatial abilities showed the most change in van Hiele levels after instruction, the low spatial ability student showed the least amount of change. The student with high spatial ability showed some change after instruction. It was identified that instructional activities that afford opportunities for fostering spatial abilities must be included in pre-service programmes so that future teachers have a mathematical foundation from which to teach geometry.


Background/Purpose: The automatic identification of brain tumor types is important for advancing remedy and boosting survival of patients. In nowadays, magnetic resonance imaging is only used to effectively explore a variety of brain cancer. Since manual categorization of brain cancer requires experts and is only suitable restricted collection of clear MRI pictures, study of Convolutional Neural Network model for automatic diagnosis of brain tumor and how neural network technics are applied in images to detect tumor is proposed in this review paper.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Various Scholarly articles and websites are referred and studied to gather information for this review paper.
Findings/Result: Convolutional neural network and its different layers in image processing.
Originality/Value: This review-based research article is a brain tumor study detection implementing a Cnn Architecture as well as the research gaps and research Agenda.
Paper type: Literature Review


Practical real world datasets with plentiful categories introduce new challenges for unsupervised domain adaptation like small inter-class discriminability, that existing approaches relying on domain invariance alone cannot handle sufficiently well. In this work we propose MemSAC, which exploits sample level similarity across source and target domains to achieve discriminative transfer, along with architectures that scale to a large number of categories. For this purpose, we first introduce a memory augmented approach to efficiently extract pairwise similarity relations between labeled source and unlabeled target domain instances, suited to handle an arbitrary number of classes. Next, we propose and theoretically justify a novel variant of the contrastive loss to promote local consistency among within-class cross domain samples while enforcing separation between classes, thus preserving discriminative transfer from source to target. We validate the advantages of MemSAC with significant improvements over previous state-of-the-art on multiple challenging transfer tasks designed for large-scale adaptation, such as DomainNet with 345 classes and fine-grained adaptation on Caltech-UCSD birds dataset with 200 classes. We also provide in-depth analysis and insights into the effectiveness of MemSAC.


The association of torsade de pointes and a prolonged electrocardiographic QT interval is well described. A prolonged QT interval may be congenital or acquired in several ways--by the use of anti-arrhythmic agents exemplified by quinidine, by the presence of hypocalcaemia or hypokalaemia, by the use of psychotropic drugs, and by the presence of intrinsic cardiac disease or bradycardias. Possibly less well appreciated is the potential for drastic weight loss to prolong the QT interval, as the present case report illustrates. A young woman weighing 244 pounds lost 24 pounds in two weeks with a consequent prolongation of QTc interval from pre-diet value of 0.57 seconds to 0.72 seconds at admission, when severely symptomatic paroxysms of torsade de pointes were recorded. Successful therapy with lignocaine and prompt re-feeding suppressed the arrhythmia and, three days later, the QTc was reduced to almost its pre-diet state. A (UK) DHSS report offers guidelines in the use of very low calorie diets. This case suggests that a pre-diet electrocardiogram should be carefully assessed for QT prolongation before initiation of dieting to achieve serious weight loss.


Symmetries have been successfully used in the design of two-dimensional digital filters. This results in a reduction of the required optimization and in better response characteristics of the filters designed. Since the number of parameters of a filter increases by an order of magnitude for every increase by one of the filter dimensionality, the use of symmetries in the design of multidimensional filters is essential. This paper introduces various multidimensional symmetries and applies them to the computer-aided design of some useful three-dimensional digital filters.


Today, Function-as-a-Service is the most promising concept of serverless cloud computing. It makes possible for developers to focus on application development without any system management effort: FaaS ensures resource allocation, fast response time, schedulability, scalability, resiliency, and upgradability. Applications of 5G, IoT, and Industry 4.0 raise the idea to open cloud-edge computing infrastructures for time-critical applications too, i.e., there is a strong desire to pose real-time requirements for computing systems like FaaS. However, multi-node systems make real-time scheduling significantly complex since guaranteeing real-time task execution and communication is challenging even on one computing node with multi-core processors. In this paper, we present an analytical model and a heuristic partitioning scheduling algorithm suitable for real-time FaaS platforms of multi-node clusters. We show that our task scheduling heuristics could outperform existing algorithms by 55%. Furthermore, we propose three conceptual designs to enable the necessary real-time communications. We present the architecture of the envisioned real-time FaaS platform, emphasize its benefits and the requirements for the underlying network and nodes, and survey the related work that could meet these demands.


Background: Neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus and diabetes is the highly prevalent non-communicable life-style disorder until the date. Diabetic neuropathy (DN) presents a clinical challenge, with chronic disabling pain, neurological dysfunction, and impaired quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the evidence base for DN descriptively and report the current state of published articles indexed in PubMed. Materials and Methods: Descriptive exploratory study through a literature search was carried out to identify 9 time-points in the timeline from 1970-2010, with 5-year intervals in order to identify the scientific trend for the evidence-base in DN. The number of obtained citations were classified and analyzed under the names of search filters of PubMed namely - text availability, publication date, species, article type, language, gender, journal categories, age, and subject areas. The numbers for categories and subcategories of search filters were considered for comparison and analysis. Descriptive analysis using the frequencies on Microsoft Excel 2010 worksheet was carried out. Results: Although overall number of articles was less, there was an exponential increase in number of articles in DN over the 40 years. After comparison for various categories and sub-categories, there was a greater prevalence of abstract available articles, human studies, reviews, English language, MEDLINE journals, Middle-age population and cancer, with nearly equal gender representation. Conclusion: This study explored the existing research articles indexed in PubMed utilizing a quantitative approach reflected the status of current practice-based evidence. Future analyzes on DN should address diabetes-specific and age-specific influences on evidence.


Abstract An allozyme analysis was conducted to determine the population genetic structure of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum [L.] Rich. var. distichum) and pondcypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium [Nuttall] Croom) and the level of genetic differentiation between these two taxa. Approximately 400 individuals of both varieties and apparent morphological intermediates were sampled from 21 locations across the geographic range of Taxodium distichum and 11 enzyme loci assayed by starch gel electrophoresis. Although baldcypress populations contain higher levels of genetic variation among sub-populations, populations of both varieties have approximately the same levels of heterozygosity. Populations of baldcypress and pondcypress were found to differ on the basis of varying allele frequencies of one locus, PGI-2, which appears to be semi-diagnostic as a varietal indicator. A correlation was observed between the allele frequencies of this locus and a ratio of bark thickness to diameter (BT/D). Baldcypress exhibits higher frequencies of PGI-2 allele "1" and lower BT/D ratios, whereas pondcypress has higher frequencies of PGI-2 allele "3" and higher BT/D ratios. An apparent clinal gradient was observed in the spatial distribution of both BT/D ratios and PGI-2 phenotypes within a few populations. The apparent existence of gene flow (whether it is presently occurring or has occurred in the recent past) and the possibility of clinal variation within populations suggest that these two taxa are best regarded as varieties of the same species.


ABSTRACT The relationship between dinitrogenase-driven H2 production and oxygenic photosynthesis was investigated in a unicellular cyanobacterium, Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, using a novel custom-built photobioreactor equipped with advanced process control. Continuously illuminated nitrogen-deprived cells evolved H2 at rates up to 400 µmol ⋅ mg Chl−1 ⋅ h−1 in parallel with uninterrupted photosynthetic O2 production. Notably, sustained coproduction of H2 and O2 occurred over 100 h in the presence of CO2, with both gases displaying inverse oscillations which eventually dampened toward stable rates of 125 and 90 µmol ⋅ mg Chl−1 ⋅ h−1, respectively. Oscillations were not observed when CO2 was omitted, and instead H2 and O2 evolution rates were positively correlated. The sustainability of the process was further supported by stable chlorophyll content, maintenance of baseline protein and carbohydrate levels, and an enhanced capacity for linear electron transport as measured by chlorophyll fluorescence throughout the experiment. In situ light saturation analyses of H2 production displayed a strong dose dependence and lack of O2 inhibition. Inactivation of photosystem II had substantial long-term effects but did not affect short-term H2 production, indicating that the process is also supported by photosystem I activity and oxidation of endogenous glycogen. However, mass balance calculations suggest that carbohydrate consumption in the light may, at best, account for no more than 50% of the reductant required for the corresponding H2 production over that period. Collectively, our results demonstrate that uninterrupted H2 production in unicellular cyanobacteria can be fueled by water photolysis without the detrimental effects of O2 and have important implications for sustainable production of biofuels. IMPORTANCE The study provides an important insight into the photophysiology of light-driven H2 production by the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. strain ATCC 51142. This work is also of significance for biotechnology, supporting the feasibility of "direct biophotolysis." The sustainability of the process, highlighted by prolonged gas evolution with no clear sign of significant decay or apparent photodamage, provides a foundation for the future development of an effective, renewable, and economically efficient bio-H2 production process. The study provides an important insight into the photophysiology of light-driven H2 production by the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. strain ATCC 51142. This work is also of significance for biotechnology, supporting the feasibility of "direct biophotolysis." The sustainability of the process, highlighted by prolonged gas evolution with no clear sign of significant decay or apparent photodamage, provides a foundation for the future development of an effective, renewable, and economically efficient bio-H2 production process.


Rainfall events and inter‐event spell properties were analysed in this study using observed daily rainfall sequences for Adelaide and Melbourne in Australia. First and higher order transitional probabilities of dry and wet days were also estimated. Various statistical moments of spells were estimated and compared between Adelaide and Melbourne. Six theoretical distributions were fitted to the dry and wet spells. These were geometric, compound geometric, generalized Pareto, logarithmic series, Polya and truncated negative binomial distributions. The probability of longer dry spells was found to be higher in Adelaide than in Melbourne. Mean dry spell length was found to be highest in summer, where 7 days and 5.5 days were observed in February in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively. Mean wet spell length was observed to be longer in Adelaide than in Melbourne during autumn and winter. The study revealed that dry and wet spells in Adelaide and Melbourne are best fitted by geometric and compound geometric distributions. The Polya distribution was also found to fit the Melbourne dry spell lengths and Adelaide wet spell lengths. The Implications of dry spell properties for urban water management (for example water sensitive urban design) are also discussed. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society


In this study, digital higher-order spectral analysis and frequency-domain Volterra system models are utilized to yield a practical methodology for the identification of weakly nonlinear time-invariant systems up to third order. The primary focus is on consideration of random excitation of nonlinear systems and, thus, the approach makes extensive use of higher-order spectral analysis to determine the frequency-domain Volterra kernels, which correspond to linear, quadratic, and cubic transfer functions. Although the Volterra model is nonlinear in terms of its input, it is linear in terms of its unknown transfer functions. Thus, a least squares approach is used to determine the optimal (in a least squares sense) set of linear, quadratic, and cubic transfer functions. Of particular practical note, is the fact that the approach of this paper is valid for non-Gaussian, as well as Gaussian, random excitation. It may also be utilized for multitone inputs. The complexity of the problem addressed in this paper arises from two principal causes: (1) the necessity to work in a 3D frequency space to describe cubically nonlinear systems, and (2) the necessity to characterize the non-Gaussian random excitation by computing higher-order spectral moments up to sixth order. A detailed description of the approach used to determine the nonlinear transfer functions, including considerations necessary for digital implementation, is presented. >


Digital rectal examination is used to evaluate the distal rectum and other organs, including the prostate gland. It may be combined with fecal screening for occult blood loss, and annual performance has been recommended for asymptomatic individuals over age 40 years for cancer screening. In this study, documentation of digital rectal examinations was assessed through a review of hospital medical records of a randomly selected group of 100 patient discharges (55 females and 45 males) from a total of 896 patients admitted through a hospital emergency room to a medical clinical teaching inpatient unit of a university hospital during a six-month period. In this group, 26% were admitted for a gastrointestinal disorder, but only 17% of all hospitalized patients had rectal examinations done by the medical resident house staff and/or attending medical staff directly responsible for the care of these patients. Occult blood testing was done in 15 patients. Pelvic and breast examinations were rarely documented. The majority of rectal examinations (ie, 13 of 17) were 'same sex' examinations, appeared to be used largely for testing or confirmation of grossly visible blood loss and were never confirmed by attending staff. The presence or absence of nursing staff during examinations was not documented. The prostate examination was normal in one patient but not documented in the other 44 males (ie, 26 patients over age 60 years). In conclusion, rectal examinations (as well as breast and pelvic examinations) were rarely documented in the medical teaching unit by medical resident house staff or their attending staff.


Enzymatic deglycosylation has been used in attempts to crystallize several glycoproteins with the aim of overcoming the problems resulting from heterogeneity and flexibility of the attached glycan chains. An endoglycosidase preparation from Flavobacterium meningosepticum, comprising the enzymes endo F and PNGase-F, was used in experiments on the mammalian binding proteins lactoferrin and haemopexin. Significant differences were found in the susceptibility of different proteins to deglycosylation. For human lactoferrin (Lf) and its recombinant N-terminal half-molecule (Lf(N)), deglycosylation was rapid and complete, and was essential for obtaining high-quality crystals of both apo-Lf and Lf(N); for bovine Lf, however, complete deglycosylation did not occur. Similarly, for rabbit haemopexin the carbohydrate chain on the C-terminal domain was easily removed, but the three chains on the N-terminal domain proved more resistant and their removal led to some fragmentation of the protein. Nevertheless, this approach provided the only means of crystallizing the C-terminal domain and is likely to be useful for other glycoproteins.


Low yields in avocado are often associated with vigorous vegetative growth. Orchard management practices reducing vigorous growth of avocado can increase production. The influence of rootstocks and cultivars, root rot control, fertilisation, irrigation, physical and chemical tree growth manipulation and other factors influencing avocado fruit production, are discussed.


Two simultaneous operations for off-pump CABG (OPCAB) and abdominal vascular surgery were performed safely and effectively. [Case 1] A 52-year-old man was admitted with the right intermittent claudication and angina pectoris. Coronary angiography and aortography showed 90% stenosis of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and the right external iliac artery. The patient underwent 1 CABG using left internal thoracic artery (ITA) without cardiopulmonary bypass and abdominal aorta--the right external iliac bypass simultaneously. Bleeding volume during the operation was only 150 ml. The operation time was 3 hours 50 minutes. [Case 2] A 57-year-old man was referred from the other hospital with complaints of abdominal aortic aneurysm. He had the history of 4 stroke attacks caused by idiopathic aldosteronism. Preoperative coronary angiography and aortography showed severe 3 vessels disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. First, we harvested bilateral ITAs, the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) and saphenous vein (SV). The complete revascularization (left ITA-LAD, right ITA-1st diagonal branch, GEA-seg. 4 posterodescending branch, SV graft-posterolateral branch) was performed on the beating heart. Then we repaired the abdominal aortic aneurysm (56 mm in diameter) using a Gelsealed Y-graft. The operative course was uneventful. The operation time was 6 hours 15 minutes. These cases suggested that OPCAB technique combined with abdominal vascular surgery reduced operation time and prevented complication in the patient with the risk of brain trouble.


BACKGROUND
Historically, management of pancreatic cancer has been determined based on whether the tumor was amenable to resection and all patients deemed resectable received curative intent surgery followed by adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy (CT) ± RT. However, patients who undergo resection with microscopic (R1) positive margins have inferior rates of survival. The purpose of this study is to identify patients who have undergone pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer, determine the surgical margins, types of adjuvant therapies given and patterns of failure. Our hypothesis was that in patients who have surgery without pre-operative therapy, there is a high rate of R1 resections and subsequent local recurrence, despite adjuvant therapy.

METHODS
Seventy-one patients with curative resections for pancreatic cancer between 2003 and 2015 were reviewed. Tumor stage, margin status, distance to closest margin, receipt of adjuvant therapy and length of survival were collected. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received adjuvant CT + RT (n=37) or CT alone (n=37). Patients were further divided based on whether resection was R1 (n=29) or R0 (n=42). Wilcoxon survival tests and Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to determine the effects of CT + RT vs. CT alone, stratified by surgical margin status.

RESULTS
Of the 29 patients (39%) who had R1, 15 received CT + RT and 14 received only CT. Patients who received CT + RT experienced a significantly longer period of PFS (13 vs. 7.5 mos, P=0.03) than patients who received CT alone. However, there was no significant difference found in time to death post cancer resection between CT + RT vs. CT alone (P=0.73). Of the 42 patients with R0, 21 received CT + RT and 21 received CT. There was a trend towards increase in PFS in patients treated with CT + RT (25 vs. 17 months, P=0.05), but there was no significant increase in time to death compared to patients treated with CT alone (P=0.53. Of the 36 patients with CT + RT, 21 had R0 and 15 had R1. Patients with R0 were more likely to have longer PFS (25 vs. 13 months, P=0.06), but there was no significant difference in time to death compared to patients with CT alone (P=0.68).

CONCLUSIONS
After curative resection, the addition of RT to CT improves PFS in both R0 and R1 settings. However, patients with R1 have significantly worse PFS and OS compared to patients with R0 and even aggressive adjuvant therapy does not make up for the difference. The paradigm has shifted and now for patients with resectable pancreatic cancers we recommend neoadjuvant CT + RT to improve RT targeting and treatment response assessment and most importantly, improve chances of obtaining R0.


A survey of tinea capitis conducted under the auspices of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology showed that laboratories contributing to a voluntary scheme for reporting have recently been seeing a different pattern of scalp ringworm. The survey was conducted among 92 medical mycology laboratories across 19 European countries by postal questionnaire comparing the years 1987 with 1997. The survey shows an overall increase in the numbers of cases caused by anthropophilic infections, which, in 1997, were the dominant causes of scalp infection; the greatest increase was seen in laboratories covering urban populations and in African Caribbean children living in Europe. While the commonest infection remains Microsporum canis, the largest overall increase has been in Trichophyton tonsurans, which in 1997 was the second commonest cause of infection overall and the commonest in urban populations. The pattern of change is not uniform in Europe and while some cities have reported large increases in T. tonsurans others, e.g. in France, have seen more cases of infection due to T. soudanense and M. audouinii. While these figures do not necessarily reflect changes in the underlying prevalence of infection, the trends are important to recognize as the control measures for anthropophilic tinea capitis differ from those used in zoophilic infections. In particular there is a need for an increased level of surveillance and more advice on control given to primary care physicians, dermatologists and school health authorities.


Periodic small-signal analysis is a recently developed approach for AC and noise analysis of linear periodically-varying circuits. This paper presents several new approaches to characterizing the transfer functions, noise, and distortion of communication circuits using this new technique. A receiver is used as an example, but the techniques presented are applicable to a wide variety of circuits, including mixers, samplers, sample-and-holds, chopper-stabilized amplifiers, multipliers and switched-capacitor filters.


The study of labor market stratification, in particular income inequality, is at the core of comparative political economy, and it has gained even more attention with the recent rise in labor market inequality. Scholarship in the last couple of decades has provided important insights into the political and institutional determinants of these changes as well as differences in inequality across countries (e.g., Iversen, 1999; Wallerstein, 1999; Moene and Wallerstein, 2001, 2003; Pontusson et al., 2002; Bradley et al., 2003; Rueda, 2008). Besides the influence of left partisanship and strong unions, the centralization of wage bargaining has been identified in this literature as a crucial variable mitigating wage inequality (Wallerstein, 1999). Yet, it is hard to explain wage setting in isolation from the forces that shape the demand and supply of different types of labor. In the economic literature, skill-biased technological change is regarded as a key driver of demand for trained workers, which helps explain the rise in wage dispersion since the 1980s (Acemoglu, 2002; Machin and Van Reenen, 2007; Goldin and Katz, 2008). On the supply side, scholars have become interested in the role of educational institutions, in particular vocational training. In addition to some explorative empirical analyses, Estevez-Abe et al. (2001) provide an initial theoretical argument about why the prevalence of occupational skills, which raises the qualification of those at the bottom of the income distribution, should be associated with less inequality. Bradley et al. (2003) provide a more systematic test of the role of vocational training as a determinant of inequality, but they do not find a significant effect. This non-finding, as we will show OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – REVISES, 6/9/2011, SPi


This article begins with a guiding framework for how we might think about environmental justice (EJ), from a sociological standpoint. The next section argues that, if we would like to move societies closer to a state of environmental justice, then future EJ research and activism might move in a much more transformative and radical direction. The need for this kind of analysis and action is illustrated in a discussion of the problem and promise of "crisis." Crises represent policy failures in the eyes of mainstream scholars and observers, but this article views many such phenomena as the result of routine functions of our policy-making apparatus and market-based political economies. When we view environmental inequalities in such a light, one might then reach the conclusion that transformative and radical ways of thinking and being are required to address these situations.


Identifying the molecular role of a target protein is becoming a pressing issue in structural bioinformatics. As the number of uncharacterised proteins accumulate and structural genomics initiatives pick up pace reliable and accurate approaches are required to make sense of the growing structural data in the most effective manner. This study aims to improve the characterisation and cataloguing of functionally important regions in proteins to improve the transfer of information from structure to functional annotation. This is of great importance as effective and accurate annotations are a pre-requisite to unlocking the biological information encoded within the genomes of organisms. A novel and automatic method is presented which identifies residues interacting with metal ions. The aim has been to focus the approach such that it is capable of the prediction of interactions even when reliable side-chain information is unavailable. The results demonstrate that a combination of sequence and structural features can be combined to achieve adequate predictions in both crystal structures as well as low resolution fold recognition models. The findings of the metal binding study are used to extend the approach and predict larger interaction regions found in DNA binding proteins. These important class of proteins are of particular interest given their fundamental control over biological processes. The results highlight effective classification is possible of both residues forming DNA contacts as well as the discrimination of DNA binding from non-DNA binding proteins. Crucially, DNA binding predictions are shown for a genome-wide study of Sacchromyces cerevisiae. The final study of the thesis focuses the attention on the alternative problem of improving the quality of protein structure predictions from fold recognition. The results indicate that site classification provides an effective basis by which protein models can be assessed: this in turn leads to the development and benchmarking of a new method which significantly improves the quality of protein models.


In this Letter we deal with 2D direct numerical simulations of concentrated vortex dipoles. We show that various initial dipolar vorticity distributions evolve towards a specific family of dipoles parametrized by the dipole aspect ratio a/b, where a is the radius of the vortices based on the vorticity polar moment in half a plane and b is the separation between the vortex centroids. This convergence is achieved through viscous effects. The considered Reynolds numbers Re=Γ/ν are Re=3000 and Re=15000. Moreover, all the dipoles of this family are quasi-steady solutions of the Euler equations. Their scatter plots and drift velocities are given for a/b<0.3.


The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) shows aggregative traits in nymph marching bands and swarm formations through mutual olfactory attraction of conspecifics. However, olfactory preference in different nymph stages in gregarious locusts is not sufficiently explored. In this study, we found that the nymph olfactory preference for gregarious volatiles exhibited obvious variations at different developmental stages. The gregarious locusts show attractive response to conspecific volatiles from the third stadium. Transcriptome comparison between third‐ and fourth‐stadium nymphs showed that the G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways are significantly enriched. Amongst the genes present in GPCR pathways, the expression level of calmodulin in locust brains significantly increased from the third‐ to the fourth‐stadium nymphs. Amongst the four octopamine receptors (OARs) belonging to the GPCR family, only OAR α1 showed similar expression patterns to those of calmodulin, and knockdown of OAR α1 reduced the expression level of calmodulin. RNA interference of calmodulin decreased locomotion and induced the loss of olfactory attraction in gregarious locusts. Moreover, the activation of OAR α1 in calmodulin‐knockdown locusts did not induce olfactory attraction of the nymphs to gregarious volatiles. Thus, calmodulin as a downstream gene of octopamine‐OAR α1 (OA‐OAR α1) signalling mediates olfactory attraction in gregarious locusts. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the mechanism of OA‐OAR α1 signalling involved in olfactory attraction of gregarious locusts.


ABSTRACT: Since the dawn of capitalism, corporations have been regarded by the law as separate legal "persons." Corporate "personhood" has nonetheless remained controversial, and our understanding of corporate personhood often influences our thinking about the social responsibilities of corporations. This essay, written in honor of Prof. Thomas Donaldson, explores the tension in recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Delaware Chancery Court about what corporations are, whose interests they serve, and who gets to make decisions about what they do. These decisions suggest that the law does not unequivocally support Donaldson's vision of corporations as "moral" persons.


Purpose of review To highlight the evidence supporting the role of altered commensal gut flora in human disease. While the contribution of the indigenous gut microbial community is widely recognized, only recently has there been evidence pointing to indigenous flora in disease. Recent findings This review discusses recent evidence pointing to the role of altered commensal gut flora in such common conditions as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Recent studies document the intricate relationship between the vast population of microbes that live in our gut and the human host. Since increased intestinal permeability and immune activation are consequences of an altered host–gut microbial relationship, what are the clinical effects of this shift in relationship? Summary We focus on the example of an abnormal expansion of gut microbial flora into the small bowel or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and discuss the effects of bacterial overgrowth on the human host in acute pancreatitis, bacterial gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatic encephalopathy, and fibromyalgia and burn injury. The identification of the underlying role of altered commensal gut microbiota in these and other human diseases could lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that would improve clinical outcome.


Three TGFB isoforms, TGFB1-3, are present in mammalian cells. The presence of four TGFB isoforms has been reported in avian species, though the sequence of TGFB4 was not conclusively determined. Our previously published data show that TGFB4 is actually the chicken ortholog of TGFB1. We mapped TGFB1 but not TGFB4 to linkage group E25C31 on GGA32 next to RYR1 forming a conserved segment with human chromosome HSA19q13.1-q13.2 and, therefore, being definitely the ortholog of human TGFB1. We, therefore, suggest that what was once called chicken "TGFB4" is actually TGFB1. Thus, in the evolutionary lineages of birds and mammals there are only three TGFB isoforms.


The topic concerns the revitalization of a place by the introduction of a new building whose functionality and architectural uniqueness renew and/or develop the place. To put the problem in a broader perspective - the introduction of a building with a non-threatening function and an attractive form makes a declining or stagnant place suddenly appealing again. This applies to both, the built and natural environment. The restauration of both often requires similar revitalization activities and supporting elements.The presented issue is a part of a broader study that concerns architecture as the fine art of building, covering the topic of sustainability in architectural and urban design. The so-called "human factor" is an essential element for shaping a place. It is an element of urban and architectural design of new places. By creating new and different workplaces in declining or stagnant districts, also by introducing unusual architectural forms or materiality, a place can become attractive to users. Previously declining built or natural environment - suddenly become a desirable, growing place. Contemporary international research conducted by neuroscientists confirms the importance of the desire for beauty in ones surroundings. Thus, architectural beauty becomes a vital and economically significant factor in the shaping of the built and natural environment.Present processes of revitalization are usually supported by emphasising elements that make up the "human factor". It involves balancing the functionality and beauty of an object as important in creating a PLACE in architecture.The topic is presented on the example of architecture of the following buildings:-Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Białołęka, 2006 is located on the edge between urban and landscape areas, on the right bank of the Vistula escarpment. The architectural form reflects the natural landscape. Traditional materiality blends with the context nearly perfectly. -The small buildings of the Cultural Center, 2013, on the outskirts of Warsaw, create a contrast of geometry and materiality to the high-rise blocks of flats. In its shape and material there is a longing for tradition expressed in a balanced, non-intrusive way.-The Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, 2017. The university building for artistic education was tasked to create a PLACE in a declining district. It impresses with its simplicity and its materiality of the traditional material – brick that is presented in a new, changed form. - Stone Pavilion Golędzinow, 2020 is a small building that tells Warsaw residents about nature conservation. The buildings form was created in the image of a post-glacial fossil. It is an object which shape and materiality seems as if taken directly from the natural world. - Press Glass offices in Konopiska, 2021, built in an unexpected place for this type of building. It is located in a former wasteland which was turned into a golf course. The building is intended to promote the excellence of glass - it reflects the green surroundings, and its form builds the uniqueness and beauty of architecture.The co-author of this publication is the designer of the first and fifth example.


Let Xr be the moduli space of SLn, SUn, GLn, or Un-valued representations of a rank r free group. We classify the algebraic singular stratification of Xr . This comes down to showing that the singular locus corresponds exactly to reducible representations if there exist singularities at all. Then by relating algebraic singularities to topological singularities, we show the moduli spacesXr generally are not topological manifolds, except for a few examples we explicitly describe.


An historical approach to language is crucial to both our understanding
of language development and of how emotions are conceptualized,
not only as they are in our present day but also how they have been
conceptualized throughout time and what the underlying mechanisms
are that shape these conceptualizations. The main aim of the present
study will be to examine how important philosophers of the Scottish
enlightenment conceptualized DESIRE metaphorically.
The forces of creation behind conceptualizations in language have
been explained in different ways. One was presented by George Lakoff
in 1987, he claimed, with reference to research made by a group of
psychologists; the Ekman group, that conceptualizations of emotions
can be explained physiologically. His illustrating example is a study
on the concept of ANGER in modern American-english. The suggestion
is that the reason that the most important conceptualizations of
ANGER are ANGER IS THE HEAT OF A FLUID IN A CONTAINER
and ANGER IS FIRE is due to the fact that our body temperatures
in fact rise as we get angry. As a consequence, claims where
made that this theory would be culturally independent, the physiological
theory was not believed to be contradicted by any conceptualizations
in any language across the world and neither through historical
time. (Gevaert 2007:3


Male mice castrated on day 0 after birth were pretreated daily with testosterone propionate (TP, 4 micrograms/g body weight), 17 beta-estradiol (E2, 0.2 micrograms/g body weight) or vehicle for 21 days starting from day 20. In another experiment, male mice were castrated on day 25; two pituitaries from 60-day-old females were immediately grafted under the capsule of the left kidney in one group. The castrated mice with or without grafts were pretreated daily with TP (4 or 20 micrograms/g body weight) for 36 days starting from day 25, and the left kidney was removed on day 60. Daily TP injections (4 micrograms/g body weight) were started again at 30 days after the end of pretreatments to examine androgen-induced proliferation, and incorporation of 5-[125I]iodo-2'-deoxyuridine into the whole seminal vesicles was used as an index of proliferation. In the neonatally castrated mice, both TP and E2 pretreatments given during the prepubertal period significantly increased seminal vesicle weight even long after the end of the pretreatments. However, androgen-induced proliferative response found in the neonatally castrated adult mice (poor response; long duration with a low peak) was changed to that found in mice castrated at adulthood (good response; short duration with a high peak) by the TP pretreatment only but not at all by the E2 pretreatment. In the mice castrated on day 25, a pharmacological dose of TP or TP plus hyperprolactin could not enhance or change the adult castration type of androgen-induced proliferation induced by physiological prepubertal androgens, although both treatments significantly enhanced the prepubertal growth of the seminal vesicles.


Analysis of Human Development Indicators In Libya Alrubaie.Falah.K.Ali - Economics-faculty of Economics–derna-Omar Almukhtar university- Libya Summary This study aimed to diagnose the nature of the challenges facing human development in Libya in the future, in light of the trend towards privatization and economic reform and retreat of the role of the state and public sector, and the economic recession that dominated the Libyan economy since the mid-nineties yet, and how to maintain the gains made by, and address the shortage of quality aspects of the recipe given sustainability, after it became successful achievements in the areas of health and education are threatened with exposure to significant setback.The only way to meet those challenges is to intensify efforts to raise the level of the three dimensions of human development: the formation of human capacities, human use of this capacity, raising the level of human well-being and the granting of these indicators priority in the allocations of investment, and to keep raising the living standard of citizens while working to develop and improve constantly, and keenness to achieve justice in the distribution of incomes, and an evaluation and follow-up continuing to achieve human development consistent with the rates of international and national particularities and the advancement of the education sector in the context of economic restructuring to give priority to the aspects of quality and focus on the quality of education its various dimensions, and keep up with economic and social developments and changes and build modern health policy with the task of accurate diagnosis of the problems of the health sector, and the diagnosis of pros and cons current horizontal expansion in health services, policy and the reality of the pharmaceutical and medical supply and the proposed alternatives, and the reality of policy alternatives and spending in the health sector, and interest in the maintenance of the gains distributive and social justice in the provision of housing for all social groups, particularly those on low income, together with adherence to appropriate staffing resources, the need to develop a national strategy for the advancement of the status of women Jamahiriya, containing among other proposals, foremost of the establishment of social programmes to reduce the negative effects of economic restructuring programmes on the status of women, creation of a national fund for the advancement of women in order to improve their quality of life and ensure that aspects of the economic and social security through expansion of programmes investment loans and loan subsidies and housing programs marriage and custody and training programmes and rehabilitation


In this article, the authors examine cross-cultural variations in how people discount the future. Specifically, they predict that people from Western cultures are relatively less patient and therefore discount the future to a greater degree than do people from Eastern cultures, and thus Westerners value immediate consumption relatively more. Furthermore, on the basis of regulatory focus theory, the authors predict that when Easterners are faced with the threat of a delay in receiving a product (i.e., a prevention loss), they are more impatient, whereas when Westerners are faced with the threat of not being able to enjoy a product early (i.e., a promotion loss), their impatience increases. This enhanced impatience manifests in preference for expedited consumption of a product purchased online in two studies. In both studies, the authors used a priming methodology on "bicultural" Singaporean participants; the results support the predictions. In the second study, they also found evidence in support of the process-based explanation for the interaction between culture and message framing.


The distribution of western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus in the alimentary tract of Culex tarsalis (Coquillett), following blood feeding, was examined using autoradiography. Following engorgement on chicks circulating radiolabeled virus, WEE virus in all mosquitoes was concentrated at the margins of the abdominal midgut, adjacent to the epithelium. Thirty percent of mosquitoes also contained small amounts of virus in the foregut, ventral diverticulum, and/or thoracic midgut. Mosquitoes imbibing labeled virus in hanging drops containing washed blood cells and sucrose showed an altered distribution of WEE virus. Virus was not concentrated adjacent to the abdominal midgut epithelium, and all mosquitoes contained large amounts of WEE virus in most regions of the thoracic alimentary tract. These findings may help explain the increased thresholds of infection associated with artificial feeding techniques and indicate that artificial blood meals may alter the sites of initial arbovirus infection within the alimentary tract of mosquito vectors.


Botryosphaeria species are amongst the most widespread and important canker and dieback pathogens of trees worldwide, with B. dothidea as one of the most common Botryosphaeria species. However, the information related to the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species causing trunk cankers is still poorly investigated. In this study, the metabolic phenotypic diversity and genomic differences of four Chinese hickory canker-related Botryosphaeria pathogens, including B. dothidea, B. qingyuanensis, B. fabicerciana, and B. corticis, were systematically studied to address the competitive fitness of B. dothidea. Large-scale screening of physiologic traits using a phenotypic MicroArray/OmniLog system (PMs) found B. dothidea has a broader spectrum of nitrogen source and greater tolerance toward osmotic pressure (sodium benzoate) and alkali stress among Botryosphaeria species. Moreover, the annotation of B. dothidea species-specific genomic information via a comparative genomics analysis found 143 B. dothidea species-specific genes that not only provides crucial cues in the prediction of B. dothidea species-specific function but also give a basis for the development of a B. dothidea molecular identification method. A species-specific primer set Bd_11F/Bd_11R has been designed based on the sequence of B. dothidea species-specific gene jg11 for the accurate identification of B. dothidea in disease diagnoses. Overall, this study deepens the understanding in the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species, providing valuable clues to assist in trunk cankers management.


Investigation of graduate attributes (GAs) and professional standards (PSs) within faculty curriculum development are rare, despite university importance. Examining learning objectives and assessment with PSs and accreditation, this project sought learning and teaching improvements through developing a cross discipline quality assurance process, aligning learning and assessment with PSs and GAs. This paper describes the results of interviews with those responsible for teaching and learning in four faculties at an Australian University. The results indicate that curriculum developers are often unable to align the GAs and PSs that creates challenges for an assurance of students' learning.


The linear response theory is used to obtain the exact relation between the magnetic constant of a medium and the equilibrium photon distribution function. The magnetic permeability of the degenerate ideal Bose-gas of charged particles is examined.


Oral and written feedback have been found to be useful in learning English as a Second Language (L2). Yet it is not clear what form of feedback L2 learners prefer. This study therefore investigated 47 Saudi female university students' attitudes to both oral and written feedback. The data was collected by an online questionnaire consisting of three constructs: a) attitudes to written feedback; b) attitudes to oral feedback; and c) attitudes to written versus oral feedback. In terms of the first, the results showed that most participants expressed positive attitudes to written feedback, which they would be happy to receive on all the mistakes they make in their writing. Most participants were also positive about oral feedback and wanted their teacher to correct all their speaking errors, including errors of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. However, participants did not want to be corrected in front of other students as this could make them nervous. Overall, most participants agreed that oral feedback helped them improve their English skills more than written feedback. But despite such a positive attitude, most participants still found oral feedback embarrassing. Knowing students' perceptions of corrective feedback (CF) is vital, because negative attitudes to feedback could harm the language learning process.


Twenty one Zaraibi kids , aged 4-5 months and weighed on average 9.5 ±0.2 kg were divided into three groups, seven kids in each. The experiment was beginning after the end of weaning period and lasted 5 months (May, June , July, August and September). Kids in the 1 st group were fed the basal ration (concentrate feed mixture plus Barseem hay without additives (Control), while those in the 2 nd and 3 rd groups were fed the same basal ration supplemented daily with crushed 2 gram from Nigella or Curcumin per one kg CFM, respectively. Nigella sativa (Nigella) and Curcumin addition to the diet of kids during months of the hot summer season comparison with control group improved significantly the final LBW at the end of 5 months by 5.56 and 4.8 kg and increased significantly average daily body gain (DBG) of kids by 62.2 and 54.25 g, respectively. Supplementation improved the animal immunity function i.e. total protein and globulin concentrations as well as thyroid hormonal levels (T4 & T3) and decreased the factor related to heart disease (total cholesterol and total lipids), glucose and cortisol levels in the blood plasma. At the same time, liver and kidney functions were not affected negatively by supplementati on either with Nigella or Curcumin. Supplementation the diet of growing goats increased also significantly the Hb values and RBC'S count as well as the concentrations of Na, K, and Pi.


The charge transport behavior of barium fluoride nanocrystals has been investigated by in situ impedance measurement up to 23 GPa. It was found that the parameters changed discontinuously at each phase transition. The charge carriers in BaF2 nanocrystals include both F− ions and electrons. Pressure makes both the F− ions diffusion and electronic transport more difficult. The defects at grains dominate the electronic transport process. Pressure could make the charge–discharge processes in the Fm3m and Pnma phases more difficult. The electron conduction plays a dominant role in the transport process. In the Fm3m and Pnma phases, the electron transference number increases with increasing pressure.


Play therapy is a treatment modality in which the therapist engages in play with the child. Its use has been documented in a variety of settings and with a variety of diagnoses. Treating within the context of play brings the therapist and the therapy to the level of the child. By way of an introduction to this approach, a case is presented of a six-year-old boy with oppositional defiant disorder. The presentation focuses on the events and interactions of a typical session with an established patient. The primary issues of the session are aggression, self worth, and self efficacy. These themes manifest themselves through the content of the child's play and narration of his actions. The therapist then reflects these back to the child while gently encouraging the child toward more positive play. Though the example is one of nondirective play therapy, a wide range of variation exists under the heading of play therapy.


Business angels are one of the main sources of financing for innovative start-up companies. In this regard, it has been discussed in the existing literature that policy-makers and stakeholders are in great need for a tool to measure the level and scale of the development of the business angel market. It has been also mentioned that business angel activity in different countries is highly heterogeneous. However, so far in the existing literature the comparison of the level of business angel activity in the countries of Northern Europe has not been made. Therefore, the aim of our research is to compare the level of the visible business angel market activity in Northern European countries. To conduct a comparative assessment of the business angels' activity, we used the Business Angel Activity Index calculation methodology developed by us. In this methodology, we justified the set of indicators and the weight of indicators for the calculation of the composite index. We have discovered that in 2016 – 2017 Estonia and Finland demonstrated the highest level of business angel activity among the countries of Northern Europe. We have also established that population size, the size of economy and GDP per capita rate in the Northern European countries are not the main factors that have a considerable impact on the level of business angel activity. Moreover, we confirm that business angel activity in the countries of Northern Europe is highly heterogeneous. We have also found that high scores of the ratio of the number of business angels to the working population in particular countries do not guarantee high level of business angel investment activity in these countries. The paper also discusses the number of factors ensuring high business angel activity.


Serum tumor marker CA15-3 is widely used in follow-up for assessment of breast cancer prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels among healthy females and patients, to assess differences with tumor stage and grade, and to determine the relationship with estrogen and progesterone receptor expression. One hundred and thirty six Jordanian females were enrolled in this study: Forty-five were healthy females; seventy-two were diagnosed with breast cancer and nineteen diagnosed with benign breast lesions. Elevated serum CA15-3 level was significantly observed among breast cancer patients (37.95±6.65) compared to both healthy (14.97±0.8) and benign females (12.30±1.55), but no significant association was detected between serum CA15-3 level and age of cancer onset, menarche age, menopause age, parity and BMI. Decreased CA15-3 level was significantly associated with hormone therapy and oral contraceptive consumption among breast cancer patients. Significantly elevated CA15-3 serum levels were found among grade II, III and stage II and III breast cancer females compared to normal healthy females. Elevated CA15-3 serum levels were also found among ER+/PR+ (54.242±7.89) and ER+/PR- (37.08±8.22) compared to healthy control females.


This paper presents an image-based visual feedback control for stabilizing the motion of biped walking robot. The appropriate flexibility around ankle joints are given mechanically, and then the zero moment point (ZMP) can be detected by using only vision sensor mounted on the robot in the proposed approach. In the paper, the image-based visual feedback control is designed for getting compliant and stable contact between foot sole and ground, and ZMP stabilizer by using rotational motion around center of gravity is simultaneously implemented for dynamically balanced motion in the image-based visual feedback manner. The control performance of the proposed method is evaluated by several experimental results.


The renaissance of phenotypic screening leads to the discovery of biologically active small molecules resulting in a high need to quickly and efficiently identify their protein target. This is most commonly done by a preparation of an affinity probe for the target pull-down, which requires time-consuming structure-activity relationship studies to identify proper position for an attachment of an affinity anchor with necessary linker. We set out to circumvent this step altogether and prepare stochastic conjugates that would enable fast target identification without prior structural information or testing of suitable linker attachment position. We suggest that they could be used also for the identification of unknown targets of phenotypically active compounds as well as off-targets of established active compounds. To test the new approach, we selected several model protein targets – glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII, also known as prostate specific membrane antigen, PSMA) expressed in prostate cancer, fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in tumor stroma, and aspartic protease family, specifically pepsin, cathepsin D and HIV protease. For each, we stochastically modified their corresponding known biologically active small-molecule inhibitors using a linker with a photoactivatable diazirine group. Resulting reaction mixture contained various inhibitor isomers, whose biologic activity was not compromised by the position of the linker attachment as well as those where it was. Afterwards, the reaction mixtures were conjugated to N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymers (called iBodies) carrying biotin and a fluorophore, which were used as fully synthetic antibody mimetics. In all cases, stochastic polymer conjugates were able to pull-down the corresponding target protein from cell lysates. For the GCPII conjugate, we then analyzed the pulled-down proteins by mass spectrometry, which clearly identified GCPII as the target protein of the conjugate, even with no prior knowledge needed. For GCPII and FAP, which are cell surface receptors, those same conjugates were able to visualize the proteins on cells both in confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. On a model case of GCPII we decided to identify the position of the "productive" linker attachment so that it would allow rational synthesis for future use. Using HPLC, we separated the reaction mixture into several fractions, each enriched in a specific linker attachment position. As expected, the fractions differed in binding properties compared to the whole mixture. The position of the linker attachment was determined by mass spectrometry for selected active and inactive fractions. The identified linker positions and activity of the compounds corresponded to the known mode of binding of the small molecule into the active site of GCPII. Polymer conjugates prepared from the most favorable fraction had improved binding properties. This "improved" conjugate allowed more efficient isolation and subsequent identification of GCPII by mass spectrometry. These results show that stochastic modification of bioactive small molecule combined with the avidity effect on iBodies allowed us to avoid lengthy structure-activity-relationship studies and enabled identification of protein target and its visualization using a single conjugate. This technology might contribute to fast and facile identification of protein targets of phenotypically active small molecules. This work was supported by Grant No. GA16-02938S from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, InterBioMed Project LO 1302 from the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, and by the Charles University, project GA UK No. 1510-243-250045. Citation Format: Kristyna Blazkova, Petr Simon, Tomas Knedlik, Petra Dvořakova, Anna Březinova, Libor Kostka, Vladimir Subr, Jan Konvalinka, Pavel Sacha. From bioactive small molecule to an identified protein target: A new method combining stochastic photomodification with a synthetic antibody mimetic [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B147.


Assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass is a critical element in the evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disease. However, most non-invasive methods used for the quantitative measurements of LV volume and mass have important intrinsic limitations. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D echo) is a new technique capable of acquiring volumetric images without cardiac or respiratory gating. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a system for rapid LV volume and mass measurements with the use of RT3D echo images. To this end, in 11 explanted sheep hearts, the left ventricle was instrumented with a latex balloon and filled with known volumes of saline solution. Two independent observers made volume calculations from images acquired with RT3D echo. In addition, 21 open-chest sheep were imaged with RT3D echo for LV mass calculation. Anatomic LV mass was determined after removing the heart. A strong correlation was observed between the actual LV volumes and those calculated from the RT3D echo images (r = 0.99; y = 1.31 + 0.98x; standard error of the estimate = 2.2 mL). An analysis of intraobserver and interobserver variabilities revealed high indexes of agreement. A strong correlation was observed between actual LV mass and that calculated from RT3D echo images (r = 0.94; y = 14.4 + 0.89x; standard error of the estimate = 8.5 gm). Thus RT3D echo images allow rapid and accurate measurements of LV volume and mass. This technique may expand the use of cardiac ultrasonography for the quantitative assessment of heart disease.


Abstract Objectives. The FoxP2 gene, located on 7q31, encodes a transcription factor. It was first discovered through investigations of a large multigenerational family (the KE family) with a rare severe speech and language disorder (Fisher et al., Nat. Genet. 1998;18:168; Lai et al., Nature 2001;413:519). Subsequent studies gave powerful and convincing functional evidence to the connection between FoxP2 and language disorder (; Groszer et al., Curr Biol 2008;18:354; Vernes et al., New Engl J Med 359(22):2337). Language disorder is commonly considered as a core symptom of schizophrenia and some other mental diseases; thus, we decided to investigate whether the FoxP2 gene played a significant role in schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder in a sample set recruited from the Chinese Han population. Methods. In this study, we focused on 12 SNPs in the FoxP2 gene and carried out case–control studies in 1135 schizophrenia patients, 1135 unrelated major depression patients, 1135 unrelated bipolar disorder patients and 1135 unrelated normal controls recruited from the Chinese Han population. Results. We found rs10447760 was significantly associated with schizophrenia (allelic P = 0.00069) and major depression (allelic P = 0.0011). Conclusions. Our study indicated that the rare variant rs10447760 in FoxP2 may play an important role in schizophrenia and major depression in the Chinese Han population.


As a country which has now become the main driving force of the economy of ASEAN, Indonesia not only has the responsibility to maintain the stability of the leadership of the economy. But also give concrete solutions and take action so that ASEAN is no longer experiencing economic crisis. As well as the views of the current state of contemporary, reducing the risk of slowing global economy as still the continued economic crisis in Europe. Each country has the right to present policy options cannot be dipkasa uniformly in the handling of the impact of the recession. The role of Indonesia in the present policy line towards the AEC, analyzed its effectiveness maintain regional economic stability associated components supporting Indonesia's domestic economy. The Problem of perception in intermestik, between the reality in the domestic and foreign expectations against Indonesia, should make Indonesia not to run against a variety of things that are actually quite trapping many parties in Indonesia in facing the economic growth rate of Indonesia itself. Do the optimization of economic growth over reducing inequality in the domestic economy, will be the key to how Indonesia can play a role in economic balance in the region.


In this paper, 300 mm high resistivity (HR) SOI UNIBONDtrade material is evaluated using RF component and millimeter wave (MMW) function realized in advanced 65 nm HR SOI CMOS technology. The goal is to investigate the insulating behavior, in term of resistivity homogeneity all over the wafer, of 300 mm wafer provided by SOITEC and to offer a benchmarking with well known 200 mm material. For this purpose a methodology based on high frequency measurement is proposed.


Although a large proportion of the population contract cancer, the risk is not uniform. In a small group (an estimated five per cent) with hereditary predisposition, the risk of cancer is high (often as high as 50 per cent) in every child of an affected parent. Another, considerably larger group consists of individuals at high risk (though how high is unknown), where a combination of hereditary and environmental factors is probably involved. In all likelihood, it is this group which would benefit most from general recommendations as to preventive measures. The study of such individuals will enhance our knowledge of the source of their vulnerability, thus facilitating the understanding of tumorigenic mechanisms in general, and on the basis of such knowledge improve the prospect of general and specific screening programmes, prevention and treatment.


A series of bridged bisnitramide energetic compounds was designed and synthesized based on amino/nitro-functionalized furazans with methyl-NNO-azoxy, 1,2,4-oxadiazole and 3-hydrazino(imino)methyl side-chain groups. For comparison, 4-(methyl-azoxy)-3-nitraminofurazan as a direct nitration product and the corresponding ammonium salt were also prepared. All new compounds were thoroughly characterized by IR, NMR, elemental analyses, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two of them were further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Heats of formation and detonation properties were calculated by using Gaussian 03 and EXPLO 5 programs, respectively. Energetic evaluation indicates that these compounds have potential to compete with the traditional explosive TNT and in some cases approach high explosive PETN. In addition, these results show that the combination of alkyl-bridging moiety and furazan ring expand the options for the design of new energetic materials with varying sensitivities.


Graphical Abstract Abstract The methodology for atomic scale calculations of electrocatalysis in order to identify mechanisms and estimate reaction rates is reviewed. These include: (1) the application of an external electrical field or potential in density functional theory calculations, (2) the thermochemical model for estimating the onset potential of an electrochemical reaction, and (3) calculations of transition paths in atomic scale models of the electrical double layer. Hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction as well as CO and N electrochemical reduction to form methane and ammonia are taken as examples. Calculations of reaction rates based on the estimation of the activation energy of elementary steps from minimum energy paths and transition state theory have been shown to provide accurate estimates of rates even for complex reactions and competing reaction mechanisms. There is room, however, for further improvements and some of those are also mentioned at the end of this mini-review.