Recent years have seen a large increase in the number of reported framework materials, including the nowadays-ubiquitous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Many of these materials show flexibility and stimuli-responsiveness, i.e. their structure can undergo changes of large amplitude in response to physical or chemical stimulation. We describe here a toolbox of theoretical approaches, developed in our group and others, to shed light into these materials' properties. We focus on their behavior under mechanical constraints, temperature changes, adsorption of guest molecules, and exposure to light. By means of molecular simulation at varying scale, we can now probe, rationalize and predict the behavior of stimuli-responsive materials, producing a coherent description of soft porous crystals from the unit cell scale all the way to the behavior of the whole crystal. In particular, we have studied the impact of defects in soft porous crystals, and developed a methodology for the study of their disordered phases (presence of correlated disorder, MOF glasses, and liquid MOFs).


Most large carnivore species are in global decline. Conflicts with people, particularly over depredation on small and large livestock, is one of the major causes of this decline. Along tropical deforestation frontiers, large felids often shift from natural to livestock prey because of their increased proximity to human agriculture, thus increasing the likelihood of conflicts with humans. On the basis of data from 236 cattle ranches, we describe levels of depredation by jaguars Panthera onca and pumas Puma concolor on bovine herd stocks and examine the effects of both landscape structure and cattle management on the spatial patterns and levels of predation in a highly fragmented forest landscape of southern Brazilian Amazonia. Generalized linear models showed that landscape variables, including proportion of forest area remaining and distance to the nearest riparian forest corridor, were key positive and negative determinants of predation events, respectively. We detected clear peaks of depredation during the peak calving period at the end of the dry season. Bovine herd size and proportion of forest area had positive effects on predation rates in 60 cattle ranches investigated in more detail. On the other hand, distance from the nearest riparian forest corridor was negatively correlated with the number of cattle predated. The mean proportion of cattle lost to large felids in 24 months for the region varied according to the herd class size (<500: 0.82%; 500–1500: 1.24%; >1500: 0.26%) but was never greater than 1.24%. The highest annual monetary costs were detected in large cattle ranches (>1500 head of cattle), reaching US$ 885.40. Patterns of depredation can be explained by a combination of landscape and livestock management variables such as proportion of forest area, distance to the nearest riparian corridor, annual calving peak and bovine herd size.


A key challenge to the industrial application of nanotechnology is the development of fabrication processes for functional devices based on nanomaterials which can be scaled up for mass production. In this report, we disclose the results of non-thermal radio-frequency (rf) atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) based deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles on a flexible substrate for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Operating at 190 °C without a vacuum enclosure, the APP method can avoid thermal damage and vacuum compatibility restrictions and utilize roll-to-roll processing over a large area. The various analyses of the TiO2 films demonstrate that superior film properties can be obtained by the non-thermal APP method when compared with the thermal sintering process operating at 450 °C. The crystallinity of the anatase TiO2 nanoparticles is significantly improved without thermal agglomeration, while the surface defects such as Ti(3+) ions are eliminated, thus providing efficient charge collecting properties for solar cells. Finally, we successfully fabricated a flexible DSSC with an energy conversion efficiency of 4.2% using a transparent plastic substrate. This work demonstrates the potential of non-thermal APP technology in the area of device-level, nano-enabled material manufacturing.


Pharmacokinetics of two theophylline (CAS 58-55-9) sustained release preparations (T: Bronchoretard Capsules/R: Capsule formulation from the US market) were investigated in an open randomised two-way crossover design. The capsules of the test formulation were opened and administered on a tablespoonful of apple sauce. Nineteen asthmatics aged 6 to 12 years participated in this study. Following individual dosing of 100-300 mg theophylline twice a day, a pharmacokinetic profile for 24 h was derived after seven days of multiple dosing. All relevant parameters for rate (Cmax ss, Cmin ss, Cav ss, plateau time, peak-trough fluctuation, nocturnal excess, tmax ss) and extent of absorption (AUCss) were calculated for both formulations. With long plateau times (T: 17.3 h) and small peak-trough fluctuations (T: 49.0%), established quality criteria for high quality theophylline preparations were fulfilled by the test formulation. Furthermore, symmetrical peaks resulted after morning and evening administration of the test formulation. In conclusion, smooth and predictable concentration/time profiles were achieved, enabling an efficacious and safe therapy of asthma. This individual mode of administration allows not only a perfect dose titration in young asthmatics, but is also helpful to patients who have difficulty in swallowing large dosage forms.


Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by intravascular hemolysis, venous thrombosis, and bone marrow failure. The lack of GPI-anchored complement regulatory proteins, such as CD55 (DAF) but especially CD59 (MIRL), results in complement-mediated hemolysis and hemoglobinuria, which are major clinical manifestations of PNH and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Recent results from a pilot study in patients with PNH, using a humanized monoclonal antibody (eculizumab) that binds to human complement C5 and inhibits terminal complement activation, suggested that blocking complement activation is a new potential therapeutic option for PNH that could control hemolysis, reduce transfusion dependency, and possibly reduce the risk of thrombosis (N Engl J Med, 350:552, 2004). RNA aptamer inhibitors of human complement protein C5 have already been identified using a combinatorial RNA library and an in vitro selection method (SELEX) (Immunopharmacology, 42:219, 1999). We previously synthesized a known C5-binding aptamer (TCTCATGCGCCGAGTGTGAGTTTACCTTCGT) and found that it inhibited human serum hemolytic activity (Blood, 102:510a, 2003). However, since C5 is critical not only for complement activation, but also for proper regulation of inflammatory processes, prolonged C5 inhibition could have undesired side effects that would limit its utility in PNH. Terminal complement proteins C8 and C9 represent potentially better targets, since CD59 inhibits C9 binding to the C5b8 complex, and is critically important in protecting erythrocytes from complement-mediated lysis. Individuals deficient in C9 are usually healthy, although inherited deficiencies in other complement proteins typically lead to various degrees of illness. Thus, C8 or C9 may be the ideal targets to protect PNH erythrocytes from complement-mediated lysis without adverse side effects. Using the SELEX procedure against purified C8 and C9 proteins, high affinity, nuclease-resistant RNA ligands were identified that bind specifically to C8 or C9. After 6 rounds of SELEX, C8 aptamers bound C8 with a Kd of 1 nM and a Bmax of 83%, and inhibited human serum hemolytic activity similar to or greater than C5 aptamers. After 16 rounds of SELEX, C9 aptamers bound C9 with a Kd of 12 nM and a Bmax of 58%, and also inhibited human serum hemolytic activity similar to or greater than C5 aptamers. C8 aptamers after 6 rounds, and C9 aptamers after 16 rounds, of SELEX have been cloned, sequenced, and categorized. All ten C8 aptamer clones had a similar sequence, while nine C9 aptamer clones had two families of similar sequences (n=5 and n=3, respectively). These clones are currently been synthesized for testing in both the binding and hemolytic inhibition assays. Selected high-affinity and high inhibitory aptamers will be modified in preparation for future in vivo studies in PNH. The development of blocking RNA aptamers, using the SELEX procedure against terminal complement proteins C8 and C9, represents a novel potential therapeutic option for patients with PNH.


This book is the last in the series of books written in the early 2000s that develops curriculum theory in the area of technology education. These books are the result of the research project Technology and Enterprise education in Russia (1996-2005) that was focused on conceptualising new approaches towards teaching and learning and developing new ways of developing school practice. Technology education: Year 7 book is the last one in the series. This book discusses specificities of approaches towards the project method in technology education for Year 7 school students in compulsory schooling. It includes an analysis of teaching strategies for project realisation in Year 7 and provides recommendations on the ways the learning process could be organised. It is designed for technology teachers, university students and academics in university education faculties, as well as for lecturers in in-service teacher training systems.


Background Smoking has consistently been associated with increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, no studies have been performed investigating the effect of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (i.e. passive smoking) on RA risk. Objectives The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of passive smoking on the risk of developing the two major subsets of RA, defined by anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) status. Methods A population-based case-control study using incident cases of RA was performed in Sweden, and the study population in this report was restricted to include never smokers (589 cases, 1764 controls). The incidence of RA among never smokers who had been exposed to passive smoking was compared with that of never smokers who had never been exposed, by calculating the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval employing logistic regression. Results No association was observed between exposure to passive smoking and RA risk (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.8–1.2 for ACPA positive RA, and OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.7–1.2 for ACPA negative RA). No suggestion of a trend between duration of passive smoking and RA risk was observed. Conclusions No association was observed between exposure to passive smoking and RA risk, which may be explained by a threshold below which no association between smoke exposure and RA occurs. Acknowledgements The EIRA study was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Council for Health, Working life and Welfare, King Gustaf V:s 80-year foundation, the Swedish Rheumatism Foundation, Stockholm County Council, the insurance company AFA, the EU-supported AutoCure and BeTheCure projects, and from the COMBINE (Controlling chronic inflammatory diseases with combined efforts) project. Disclosure of Interest None declared


CONTEXT
Premarital haemoglobin screening is an important strategy for the control of Sickle Cell Disease.

AIMS
To determine the prevalence and pattern of sickle cell disease among premarital couples and to assess their attitude to the risk of sickle cell anaemia in their offspring.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN
A cross sectional descriptive study using interviewer administered questionnaire and haemoglobin screening to collect data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Systematic sampling of every third premarital couples attending the General outpatient Clinic of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, between November 2010 and October 2011 was used to select the subjects for the study.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
SPSS version 16 was used for statistical analysis of data from 212 premarital couples or 424 subjects.

RESULTS
The prevalence of HbAA and HbAS were 72.64% or 308/424 and 26.4% or 112/424, respectively, while HbSS was 0.94% or 4/424. In 95.3% of the couples there was no risk of offspring inheriting sickle cell anaemia. An equal percentage of males (χ2 = 24.704; df = 6; P = 0.000) and females (χ2 = 12. 684; df 6; P = 0.048) (67.9% or 144/212) would call-off their marriage if there was risk of their offspring being HbSS.

CONCLUSIONS
Three quarters of the premarital couples had HbAA, while one quarter had Sickle cell trait. A very low percentage of the couples (2.8%) had 1:4 risk of their offspring inheriting SCA (HbSS). About 2/3 of the subjects would call-off the marriage if there was risk of their offspring inheriting SCA.


ABSTRACT Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of cell growth and proliferation. Impaired regulation of their activity leads to various diseases such as cancer, heart hypertrophy and chronic inflammation. Consequently, a number of CDKs are considered as targets for drug discovery. We review the development of inhibitors of CDK2 as anti-cancer drugs in the first part of the paper and in the second part, respectively, the development of inhibitors of CDK9 as potential therapeutics for heart hypertrophy. We argue that the above diseases are systems biology, or network diseases. In order to fully understand the complexity of the cell growth and proliferation disorders, in addition to experimental sciences, a systems biology approach, involving mathematical and computational modelling ought to be employed.


This study explored interactive effects of multiple emotions on performance (outcomes) in three male elite skeet shooters. Recalled emotional experiences associated to successful and poor performances and to current (actual) performances were measured using the aggregated Emotional State Profile-40 scale (ESP-40; Hanin, 2010b). Current performance involved 20 series of 25 shots. The results provide support for the practical utility of ESP-40 in the assessment of interactive effects of four emotion categories on performance. Recalled measures were instrumental in the prediction of current performances. The utility of ordinal logistic regression-based estimation is discussed.


In this paper, we introduce a new method to reduce the inter-channel crosstalk in visible light communication (VLC) systems using the synchronizing pulses transmitted through the power lines. Synchronizing pulses are simultaneously transmitted to multiple VLC transmitters and receivers through the 220V power line. Each VLC transmitter modulates an LED and each VLC receiver demodulates the signal light in the time slot that is allocated with reference to the synchronizing pulses. This method is very simple and effective to prevent the inter-channel crosstalk in VLC systems for sensor networks because every VLC system can easily get the synchronizing pulses from the nearby power line.


This thesis explores how life is made to work. This means, firstly, understanding how life enters the relations of production and how it is made to expend energy and produce value. Secondly, this means understanding the arrangements and practices that make life work in the sense of reproducing it, maintaining it and preventing it from falling apart.
This theme was explored through an ethnographic study of coliving - a purpose-built accommodation for professionals and entrepreneurs - which strives to create conditions most conducive to professional success. The thesis analysed the ways in which personal and domestic life is redesigned and rearranged in relation to the ideals of productivity and how new ways of living can simultaneously offer mutual support and assistance among workers while also normalising practices of overworking, precarity and (self)exploitation. This research is pertinent to debates about the impact of work and economic practices on contemporary life and argues that academic and political debates must go beyond the focus on work-life balance and address the multiple pressures on personal and domestic life both within and outside of the workplace.
The thesis develops a series of wider theoretical arguments and recommendations for future research. Firstly, it is argued that to understand the preference for modifying personal and domestic life, social analysis must go beyond ideological and discursive factors. It should consider the combination of discourse, attributes of the job situation, and characteristics of social reproduction that together produce a particularly intense commitment to work. Secondly, the thesis argues that in addition to focusing on how life is balanced with or colonised by work, the social analysis should focus on the social and material arrangements that maintain working lives. Thirdly, it argues for the importance of studying reflective and evaluative operations undertaken by social actors that question but ultimately reproduce intensive work-lives.


The efficiency of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer in rice was improved by air-drying of the suspension-cultured cells. The suspension-cultured rice calli showed less efficient transformation mediated by Agrobacterium than usual calli cultured on the solid medium. However, simple air-drying of the calli suspension-cultured for 10 to 15min increased the transformation frequency 10-fold or more. The suspension cultures were established from the calli derived from mature rice seeds and subcultured every week. The frequency of transformation varied with the period of suspension culture and the size of the callus. The calli suspension-cultured for 4 weeks showed a higher transformation frequency than the control (not suspension-cultured), and the highest frequency was as high as 20%. However, the frequency was dramatically lowered by the extension of suspension-culture period up to 7 weeks or more. The transformation occurred frequently in the callus 1 to 2mm in diameter. Plant regeneration was observed in transformed calli suspension-cultured for 1 to 12 weeks, but plants abnormal in morphology and seed fertility were regenerated from the calli suspension-cultured for 7 weeks. In conclusion, rice calli suspension-cultured for less than 4 weeks were useful as targets of transformation mediated by Agrobacterium.


Valosine-containing protein (VCP), also known as p97 or cdc48 in yeast, is a highly abundant protein belonging to the AAA ATPase family involved in a number of essential cellular functions, including ubiquitin-proteasome mediated protein degradation, Golgi reassembly, transcription activation, and cell cycle control. Altered expression of VCP has been detected in many cancer types sometimes associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, VCP mutations are causative of some neurodegenerative disorders. In this paper we report the discovery, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of substituted 2-aminopyrimidines, representing a new class of reversible VCP inhibitors. This class of compounds, identified in a HTS campaign against recombinant VCP, has been progressively expanded and manipulated to increase biochemical potency and gain cellular activity.


A technique referred to as 'linked-column immunoassay clean-up', was developed for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in a range of dry cereal-based pet foods and wild bird food. In addition a method also based on clean-up using immunoaffinity columns was used for the determination of fumonisin mycotoxins in samples known or suspected to contain maize. One hundred samples of pet foods consisting of 35 samples of domestic bird seeds and 15 samples of wild bird food were examined for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 and ochratoxin A. Twenty samples of these samples were also examined for fumonisins B1 and B2. Limits of detection were about 0.5 micrograms/kg for each aflatoxin and ochratoxin A and 3 and 8 micrograms/kg for fumonisins B1 and B2 respectively. Eighty-four percent of the samples contained no measurable concentrations of mycotoxins. A low level of aflatoxin B1 was found in a sample of cat food and a concentration of 370 micrograms/kg aflatoxin B1 in one sample of peanuts marketed for wild birds. Ochratoxin A was detected in 10% of samples but in low concentrations, the highest of 7 micrograms/kg occurring in a sample of bird food. Fumonisins were found in 30% of the 20 samples tested with a maximum of 750 micrograms/kg total fumonisins being found in a sample of cat food. Five samples each of dog and cat foods were examined for mould count and fungal species as received and after storage under controlled simulated damp conditions. Mould counts in all 10 samples examined were very low when received. The samples in which moisture content had been increased contained visible mould after storage. Penicillium, Eurotium and Aspergillus were the predominant species. However, no ochratoxin A or aflatoxins were detected in these spoiled samples.


Characterization of Ceiba aesculifolia (CA) fibers by various techniques is herein reported. The seed pods were collected, and the fibers surrounding the seeds were characterized or treated in an oven at 100 °C prior to characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with a differential scanning calorimeter (TGA-DSC). The SEM micrographs showed that the natural material is comprised of tubes of external diameter of approximately 27 μm and a mean wall thickness of about 0.62 μm. The results also indicated that the tubes begin to decompose at approximately 220 °C.


During the design process of a product, a variety of design variables are gradually determined – this happens either intentionally when design decisions are made, or unintentionally when design variables are determined by limitations brought about by circumstances. At the same time, product development in teams complicates the design process if the interdependencies of design decisions are not transparent. If decisions are made at the wrong time, or not at all, the design may not end up being coherent with the product's overall purpose, which negatively impacts the final result of the development. To address this problem, the present paper presents the ACD³-framework, a newly developed product development mapping tool that visualizes where design decisions can be coherently made through a clear structure, while allowing flexibility so as not to inhibit a design organization's innovation and creativity. To map the interrelationship between several design aspects at once, the framework is made up of three dimensions of design (the D³ in ACD³): levels, perspectives and activities. The three dimensions provide a systemic and systematic framework that organises design work at different abstraction levels within a common structure. From this foundation, two coherent models that together make up the framework are derived: the ACD³-matrix and the ACD³-process. These models are useful for planning and carrying out the right activities, at the right level in the organization, at the right stage of the development work


This paper explores the testing complexity of several classes of programs, where the testing complexity is measured in terms of the number of test data required for demonstrating program correctness by testing. It is shown that even for very restrictive classes of programs, none of the commonly used test criteria, namely, having every statement, branch, and path executed at least once, is nearly sufficient to guarantee absence of errors.


The subventricular zone is one of the 2 germinal niches of the adult brain where neural stem cells (NSC) generate new neurons and glia throughout life. NSC behavior is controlled by the integration of intrinsic signals and extrinsic cues provided by the surrounding microenvironment, or niche. Within the niche, the vasculature has emerged as a critical compartment, to which both neural stem cells and transit-amplifying progenitors are closely associated. A key function of the vasculature is to deliver blood-borne and secreted factors that promote proliferation and lineage progression of committed neural progenitors. We recently found that, in contrast to the established role of soluble cues, juxtacrine signals on vascular endothelial cells maintain neural stem cells in a quiescent and undifferentiated state through direct cell-cell interactions. In this perspective, we discuss how, through these apparently opposing signals, the vascular niche might coordinate stem cell decisions between maintenance and proliferation.


Ultrasonography is a convenient and widely-used technique to view the longitudinal muscle motion as it is non-invasive and real-time. However, the estimation of longitudinal muscle motion, in sense of dense deformation field, was paid little attention to previously. In this report a primal-dual algorithm was used to estimate the motion of gastrocnemius muscle (GM) in longitudinal direction. Then a color encoding scheme and the mean velocities (mm/s) of frame-wise motion field were adopted to show the synchronous activities. The preliminary results, on 600 frames of ultrasound muscle images in motion, demonstrated that the proposed estimation method are helpful to study of the contraction of muscle in longitudinal direction, providing motion details both spatially and temporally.


Abstract In 2014, the Obama administration announced that the United States would almost entirely adopt the global ban on antipersonnel (AP) mines, despite longstanding military and political opposition. To explain this puzzling outcome, I expand upon recent accounts of rhetorical entrapment in which norm-promoting actors seek to compel change in a target actor by exploiting tensions between the target's words and actions. Tracing US policy change over the past 25 years, I show how transnational civil society and domestic political elites strategically deployed factual and normative claims to draw US officials into an iterative debate concerning the humanitarian harm of AP mines. Successive US administrations have sought to mitigate external critique by gradually conceding to the discursive framing of pro-ban advocates without endorsing the international treaty prohibiting the weapons. These rhetorical shifts stimulated a search for alternative technologies and incremental changes to military doctrine, tactics, and procurement that constrained US policy choices, culminating in the effective abandonment of AP mines despite ongoing military operations around the globe.


Opal content and diatom assemblages were analysed in core GeoB4905-4 to reconstruct siliceous productivity changes in the eastern Gulf of Guinea during the last 40 000 yr. Opal and total diatom accumulation rates presented low values over the considered period, except during the Last Glacial Maximum and between 15 000 calendar years Before Present (15 cal. ka BP) and 5.5 cal. ka BP, the so-called African Humid Period, when accumulation rates of brackish and freshwater diatoms at the core site were highest. Conversely, accumulation rates of windblown diatoms exhibited an opposite pattern with higher values before and after the African Humid Period and greatest values during Heinrich Events, the Younger Dryas and since 5.5 cal. ka BP. Our results demonstrate that siliceous productivity in the eastern Gulf of Guinea was directly driven by the nutrient load from local rivers, whose discharges were forced by precipitation changes over western Equatorial Africa and/or modification of the fluvio-deltaic systems forced by sea level changes. Precipitation in this region is controlled by the West African monsoon which is, in turn, partly dependent on the presence and intensity of the Atlantic Cold Tongue (ACT). Our results therefore suggest that the ACT was weakened, warmer trade winds were less vigorous, and cloud convection and precipitation were greater during the AHP though centennial-to-millennial timescale dry events were observed at ∼10 cal. ka BP, ∼8.5 cal. ka BP and ∼6 cal. ka BP. Conversely, the ACT was more intense, trade winds were more vigorous and African climate was more arid during H1, the Younger Dryas and after 5.5 cal. ka BP into the present.


Presented paper is a part of the dissertation thesis titled as "A proposal to develop Complex Logistics Strategy for industrial companies. The result of the thesis will be a methodology for developing a Complex Logistics Strategy for industrial companies in Slovakia. The main aim of the paper is to present some trends and strategies in Logistics and clarify the need of resolving the issue of Logistics Strategy based on the theoretical knowledge, case studies and analysis of current state of Logistics Strategies in industrial companies in Slovakia and other European countries.


In this work, we present a novel framework built to sim-plify 3D asset generation for amateur users. To enable interactive generation, our method supports a variety of input modalities that can be easily provided by a human, in-cluding images, text, partially observed shapes and combinations of these, further allowing to adjust the strength of each input. At the core of our approach is an encoder-decoder, compressing 3D shapes into a compact latent representation, upon which a diffusion model is learned. To enable a variety of multimodal inputs, we employ task-specific encoders with dropout followed by a cross-attention mechanism. Due to its flexibility, our model naturally supports a variety of tasks, outperforming prior works on shape completion, image-based 3D reconstruction, and text-to-3D. Most interestingly, our model can combine all these tasks into one swiss-army-knife tool, enabling the user to perform shape generation using incomplete shapes, images, and textual descriptions at the same time, providing the relative weights for each input and facilitating interactivity. Despite our approach being shape-only, we further show an efficient method to texture the generated shape using large-scale text-to-image models.


Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to any constellation of clinical symptoms that are compatible with acute myocardial ischemia. ACS is divided into ST- elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina (UA). STEMI results from complete and prolonged occlusion of an epicardial coronary blood vessel and is defined based on ECG criteria..NSTEMI usually results from severe coronary artery narrowing, transient occlusion, or microembolization of thrombus and/or atheromatous material. NSTEMI is defined by an elevation of cardiac biomarkers in the absence of ST elevation. The syndrome is termed UA in the absence of elevated cardiac enzymes. History, physical examination, ECG, biochemical markers, ECHO all remain important tools to make an appropriate diagnosis The management of ACS should focus on rapid diagnosis, risk stratification, and institution of therapies that restore coronary blood flow and reduce myocardial ischemia.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Unplanned hospitalization following ureteroscopy (URS) for upper urinary tract stones is associated with patient morbidity and increased healthcare costs. We examined risk factors for infection-related hospitalizations for stone treatment in a statewide quality improvement (QI) collaborative. METHODS: Reducing Operative Complications from Kidney Stones (ROCKS) is a QI initiative from the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC). For patients with urinary stones undergoing URS, trained abstractors prospectively record standardized data elements in a web-based registry including patient and stone characteristics, surgical details and complications. We identified all patients undergoing primary URS between June 2016 and October 2017. We determined the proportion hospitalized with an infection-related complication. These patients underwent chart review to obtain clinical data related to the hospitalization. Multivariable (MV) logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for infection-related hospitalization. RESULTS: 1817 URS procedures from 11 practices were analyzed. 43 (2.4%) patients were hospitalized with an infection-related complication associated with fever and/or bacteriuria (Figure 1). Median time to admission was 4 days, with median length of stay 3 days (range 1-33). Of these patients, 9 (20.9%) did not have a pre-procedure urinalysis or urine culture. Of patients with a positive urine culture during hospitalization (n=26), isolated pathogens included 16 (61.5%) gram-negative, 5 (19.2%) gram-positive, 4 (15.4%) yeast, and 1 (3.8%) with gram-positive and -negative cocci. On MV analysis, significant factors (p<0.02) associated with infection-related hospitalization included patient comorbidity, history of recurrent urinary tract infection, stone size, intra-operative complication, and fragmentation without complete fragment removal. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 1 in 40 patients are hospitalized with an infection-related complication following URS for urinary stones. One in five patients did not have a urinalysis or urine culture prior to URS, and our findings serve to inform the development of a QI protocol with the aim to reduce infection-related morbidity after URS. Figure. No caption available. Source of Funding: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan


The Sami people, an indigenous people in Scandinavia, and their cultural practice of reindeer herding have been divided across the northern parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and north-western Russia, since the national borders were established in the 1700-1800s. In Sweden and Norway, trans-border reindeer herding (TBRH) has been regulated by several bilateral agreements, but from 2005 the countries have failed to negotiate a new convention for TBRH. As a consequence, different opinions regarding what regulations are in fact, or should be, in force today result in a conflicting situation for those who practice TBRH. In a collaboration with Saarivuoma reindeer herding community (RHC), I use social impact assessment as a tool to investigate how impacts from previous and present TBRH regulations are perceived today. I used Kooiman's interactive governance framework to analyse how these impacts relate to first order of governance. The results show that for Saarivuoma RHC bilateral conventions of TBRH have meant that they had to adapt to a static and rigid reindeer herding practice, which lowered their problem-solving capacity. Since 2005 they have instead followed regulations in the Lapp codicil from 1751. This meant a more dynamic and flexible reindeer herding practice and regaining of cultural traditions, and thus an increased capacity for problem-solving. Failed negotiations between Sweden and Norway could be seen as a governing failure. However, failed negotiations instead led to increased problem-solving capacity for Saarivuoma RHC, illustrating that the institutional level has hampered rather than helped the operational level to solve societal challenges facing reindeer herding.


A new method of fault diagnosis is proposed. This method is called the complex fault diagnosis of based on federated kalman filter (FKF) and neural network (NN). It uses Kalman filter to estimate the measurable parameters' variations of car engine multi-sensor, and processes fault signal by information reconstruction, and then trains and corrects noise error by neural networks. According to these, it can diagnoses automobile engine fault. The simulation results show that the method is feasible and effective.


The late nineteenth and late twentieth centuries shared more than globalization and economic convergence. The trend toward globalization in both centuries was accompanied by changes in the distribution of income as inequality rose in rich countries and fill in poor ones. Between one-third and one-half of the rise in inequality since the 1970s in the United States and other member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been attributed to global economic forces, about the same as a century earlier. It appears that the inequality produced by global economic forces before First World War was responsible in part for the retreat from globalization after the war. What does this retreat imply for the future? Will the world economy once again retreat from globalization as the rich OECD countries come under political pressure to cushion the side effects of rising inequality?


We have observed the GC region at 255 and 154 MHz with the GMRT. From the 255 MHz map we detect 28 compact sources, and an anti-correlation of their deconvolved sizes with angular distance from the GC is observed. This is the first direct indication of scatter broadening for a statistically large sample of extragalactic sources in the region and we discuss its implications in determining the properties of the screen. Our multifrequency observations at 255 and 154 MHz in tandem with previous observations of the GC shows that the 7' halo in Sgr A complex is a non-thermal source rather than a mixture of thermal and non-thermal electrons as was proposed before.


The seven-day DI experiment provided an opportunity to study the effects of decreased proprioceptive, tactile and support afferentation on the vestibular function and visual-manual tracking. Before and after immersion, six subjects participated in videooculographic evaluation of the static torsion otolith-cervicoocular reflex (OCOR) in response to head inclination at 30 degrees in the frontal plane and dynamic vestibular-cervicoocular reactions to head longitudinal rotations at 0.125 Hz. In addition, the hand-eye motor coordination of tracking a jerky (sinusoidal) or smooth (linear) movement of point targets along the horizontal or the vertical was evaluated based on the data of electrooculography and records of manipulations with the joystick during immersion. The computerized test was performed in virtual spectacles dsplaying images of visual stimuli and hand motor acts. Computed parameters included latent reaction time, amplitude, speed and time of eye and hand movements, and gains of optooculomotor reactions and manual tracking as a ratio of eye/hand to visual stimulus speed. Testing was fulfilled before the experiment, in 3 hrs. of immersion, on days 3 and 6 of staying in the bath, in the initial hours after immersion, and on day 3 of recovery. It was shown that removal of support and minimization of proprioceptive afferentation had a profound effect on the ocular tracking rather than hand pursuance of visual stimulus. Accuracy of manual tracking was better comparing with the eye tracking in all the subjects. This was the first time when we observed changes in the peripheral vestibular system in two out of 6 subjects, i.e. inversion of static torsion OCOR and positional nystagmus on the background of converted reflex which did not mar the parameters of oculo-manual tracking.


We study a monomer-dimer mixture on a honeycomb lattice as a simplified model for a spin ice in two dimension. In a low monomer-density region, an effective description is given by the dual sine-Gordon theory. On the other hand, in intermediate and high monomer-density regions, the Potts lattice-gas theory can be adopted. Based on these, we extract a renormalization-group flow diagram, which includes stable and unstable fixed points corresponding to M5 and M6 in the minimal models of the conformal field theory. We carry out numerical transfer-matrix calculations to determine the phase diagram, and we provide evidence to check our prediction.


Peripheral occlusive disease is characterized by impairment of microcirculatory function in poststenotic vascular segments, independently from etiology and stage of the disease. The microcirculatory disorder results in impairment of the rheologic properties of blood, stagnation and maldistribution of nutritional flow; as a consequence local hypoxia and tissue acidosis will occur. Treatment of arterial occlusive disease in patients not amenable to surgery, therefore has to abolish the microcirculatory disorder. The vasoactive drug Buflomedil is well tolerated when administered at recommended dose and free from effects on the central hemodynamics. However, Buflomedil improves microvascular perfusion and function. This beneficial effect is the composite outcome of the drugs effect on red cell flexibility, platelet aggregation, oxygen need and redistribution of microvascular blood flow.


Flow cytometric nuclear DNA content analysis was performed on 106 bronchoscopically-obtained specimens from 67 patients with primary lung cancer. Brushing, curettage and biopsy samples in which tumor cells were identified by microscopic examination were considered suitable for analysis. The incidence of DNA aneuploidy in small cell carcinoma (77.8%) was higher than that in any other histological type of lung cancer. Intratumoral heterogeneity was found to affect the detectability of DNA aneuploidy, suggesting that care must be taken to obtain adequate samples of tumor cells and to consider intratumoral heterogeneity. These results indicate that this method can be used for nuclear DNA content analysis not only in cases of resectable lung cancer but also for unresectable lung cancers and may provide useful biological information in the clinical management of all types of lung cancer.


The Hedgehog cell‐cell signaling pathway governs critical processes in the embryonic development of most animals, in adult stem cell maintenance, and in cancer. The pathway is activated by the secreted Hedgehog morphogen, such as the prototypical vertebrate homologue, Sonic hedgehog (SHH). SHH is generated in the endoplasmic reticulum of signal‐producing cells, as a hydrophobic protein uniquely modified with palmitate at the N‐terminus and with cholesterol at the C‐terminus. These lipid modifications, which are critical for SHH function, render SHH strongly attached to the plasma membrane; yet the SHH morphogen must travel through the extracellular space, to reach responding cells located far away. I will present our recent work aimed at elucidating the biochemical mechanisms that allow the lipidated SHH morphogen to be released in diffusible form from producing cells, and then be delivered to its receptor, the tumor suppressor membrane protein Patched1, on the surface of responding cells.


Let f be an essential map of Sn−1 into itself (i.e., f is not homotopic to a constant mapping) admitting an extension mapping the closed unit ball B n into Rn. Then, for every interior point y of Bn, there exists a point x in f −1(y) such that the image of no neighborhood of x is contained in a coordinate half space with y on its boundary. Under additional conditions, the image of a neighborhood of x covers a neighborhood of y. Differential versions are valid for quasianalytic functions. These results are motivated by game-theoretic considerations.


Wireless sensor node is popular methods used to create mobile network. The  approach for the mobile users to collect data over a long communications. Wireless Sensor Network designs consist of static nodes which are closely positioned completed a sensing area on clustering of nodes and mobile data are collecting. A clustering algorithms done clustering and data aggregation for sensor network. A WSN lifetime is dependent on the energy of individual sensor nodes therefore efficient utilization of each node's energy is a vital issue.Dual cluster heads are implemented by using the load balancing algorithm for the saving the energy of nodes . Multiple cluster heads and sink also used in this approach to reduce energy Consumption of each nodes. Data aggregation from the all nodes given to the sink and node life time increased then whole  network life time also increased.


A visual prosthesis based on electrical stimulation of the visual cortex with an array of penetrating electrodes is expected to produce pixelized visual images consisting of punctate spots of light (phosphenes). We measured reading speed in subjects viewing text with optically simulated phosphene fields in order to obtain estimates of the following design parameters for such an electrode array: pixel number, pixel spacing, and visual-field size. Comparisons were made between scanning the text with eye movements and scanning the text with head movements. The results indicate that a 25 x 25 array of pixels representing four letters of text projected on a foveal visual field of 1.7 degrees is sufficient to provide reading rates near 170 words/min with scrolled text and near 100 words/min with fixed text.


SY5555 dry syrup (powder to be dissolved before use) was clinically used in pediatric patients. The following results were obtained: 1. The subjects were 6 pediatric patients including 1 case each with pharyngitis, tonsillitis, lacunar tonsillitis and impetigo contagiosa and 2 cases with scarlet fever. The drug was administered at a daily dose of 14.5-29.0 mg/kg divided into 3 dosages. The clinical results were excellent in 5 cases and good in 1 case with an efficacy rate of 100%. 2. Identified bacteria included 3 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 2 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes and 1 strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Five strains were eradicated but 1 strain still remained with an bacteriological eradication rate of 83.3%. 3. No side effects were observed throughout the study period. In laboratory test results, elevated eosinophil count was observed in only 1 case. 4. Patients' compliance was good in general. 5. Based on the results mentioned above, the drug was considered to be a useful new oral antibiotic in the pediatric field.


Models created with molecular dynamics simulations are used to compare the organization and dynamics of cholesterol (Chol) molecules in three different environments: (1) a hydrated pure Chol bilayer that models the Chol bilayer domain, which is a pure Chol domain embedded in the bulk membrane; (2) a 2-palmitoyl-3-oleoyl-d-glycerol-1-phosphorylcholine bilayer saturated with cholesterol (POPC-Chol50) that models the bulk membrane; (3) a Chol crystal. The computer model of the hydrated pure Chol bilayer is stable on the microsecond time scale. Some structural characteristics of Chol molecules in the Chol bilayer are similar to those in the POPC-Chol50 bilayer (e.g., tilt of Chol rings and chains), while others are similar to those in Chol crystals (e.g., surface area per Chol, bilayer thickness). The key result of this study is that the Chol bilayer has, unexpectedly, a dynamic structure, with Chol mobility similar to that in the POPC-Chol50 bilayer though slower. This is the major difference compared to Chol crystals, where Chol molecules are immobile. Also, water accessibility to Chol-OH groups in the Chol bilayer is not limited. On average, each Chol molecule makes 2.3 hydrogen bonds with water in the Chol bilayer, compared with 1.7 hydrogen bonds in the POPC-Col50 bilayer.


The great cabin of the warship Vasa was adorned as a palace like room rather than aships cabin, containing over seventy wooden sculptures. The herm pilasters andconsole heads possibly held symbolic meaning, as did the exterior sculptures of theship. Why was so much money spent on the cabin? Who was its intended audience?How was the great cabin decorated and why? A study of the archaeological remainswithin their wider maritime and decorative historical context, can give the reasons for the designing and building of this highly decorative and expensive cabin.


Objective The objective of this study is to measure the level of knowledge and practice of diabetic foot self-care and determine the factors that affect the level and knowledge and practice of diabetic foot self-care among among patients with diabetes.. Methodology Three hundred thirty adult patients with diabetes at the outpatient clinics were given self-administered questionnaires on knowledge and practice of diabetic foot self-care. The scores were computed based on their answers. A score of >70% was gauged as good, 50 to 70% as satisfactory and <50% as poor. Results Of the subjects, 82.7% had good foot care knowledge, 22.4% had good foot self-care practice, and 71% had satisfactory practice score. Patients who received diabetes education were twice as likely to have a good knowledge score (OR 2.41, 95% CI, 1.09 to 5.32; p=0.03). Compared to patients who received diabetes care in private clinics, those who attended the charity outpatient clinic were nearly three times as likely to have a good knowledge score (OR 2.8, 95% CI, 1.32 to 5.96; p=0.007). Patients with known diabetes for more than ten years and those with a family history of diabetes were 50% less likely to have good practice scores (OR 0.50, 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.90; p=0.021 and OR 0.49, 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.83; p=0.008, respectively). Conclusion The current state of foot care knowledge in Filipino respondents with diabetes is good but the level of foot self-care practice is only satisfactory.


Hypoxic microenvironment is a hallmark of solid tumors, especially glioblastoma. The strong reliance of glioma-propagating cells (GPCs) on hypoxia-induced survival advantages is potentially exploitable for drug development. Methods: To identify key signaling pathways for hypoxia adaptation by patient-derived GPCs, we performed a kinase inhibitor profiling by screening 188 small molecule inhibitors against 130 different kinases in normoxia and hypoxia. Potential kinase candidates were prioritized for in vitro and in vivo investigations using a ranking algorithm that integrated information from the kinome connectivity network and estimated patients' survival based on expression status. Results: Hypoxic drug screen highlighted extensive modifications of kinomic landscape and a crucial functionality of c-MET-PI3K. c-MET inhibitors diminished phosphorylation of c-MET and PI3K in GPCs subjected to hypoxia, suggesting its role in the hypoxic adaptation of GPCs. Mechanistically, the inhibition of c-MET and PI3K impaired antioxidant defense, leading to oxidative catastrophe and apoptosis. Repurposed c-MET inhibitors PF04217903 and tivantinib exhibited hypoxic-dependent drug synergism with temozolomide, resulting in reduced tumor load and growth of GPC xenografts. Detailed analysis of bulk and single-cell glioblastoma transcriptomes associates the cellular subpopulation over-expressing c-MET with inflamed, hypoxic, metastatic, and stem-like phenotypes. Conclusions: Thus, our "bench to bedside (the use of patient-derived GPCs and xenografts for basic research) and back (validation with independent glioblastoma transcriptome databases)" analysis unravels the novel therapeutic indications of c-MET and PI3K/Akt inhibitors for the treatment of glioblastoma, and potentially other cancers, in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment.


The security in transport has become a crucial issue internationally, especially after the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and even more recently. Maritime, along with aviation, is considered a sensitive and of high-risk transport sector, in terms of security. Moreover, topics related to safety in maritime transport have become very important over the past decades mostly because of the numerous maritime accidents putting in danger both human lives and the environment. Taking into account the global dimension of maritime transport along with the fact that the participation of Asia in the world trade during the past decade has been substantial, this paper examines the current maritime safety and security practices in the two areas. Although Europe and Asia comprise two completely different worlds, the need for enhanced safety and security in maritime transport is common in both areas. This can only be achieved through the application of high standards and regulations setting the prerequisites for safe and secure navigation. In this direction, a significant number of Directives, Regulations and Initiatives on maritime safety and security have been introduced by international and European organizations, such as the International Maritime Organization, (I.M.O.), the International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) and the European Union (EU). In the framework of this analysis, the levels of compliance of European and Asian countries, regarding the international legislation, is examined while special emphasis is given on the problems and difficulties encountered during the implementation processes. Furthermore, a number of recommendations aiming to enhance the existing levels of safety and security in maritime transport in both examined area is provided.


Numerical simulations have been performed to study hydrogen interstitial diffusion and ferroelectric degradation in lead titanate films. The computational method consists of two parts: hydrogen diffusion property calculations using density functional theory (DFT) and ferroelectric property calculations using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The hydrogen interstitial diffusion path and the activation energy have been obtained using DFT calculations. With the obtained diffusion properties, the distributions of hydrogen impurities have been calculated using Fick's second law and used as input to MD simulations, with various diffusion times and hydrogen surface concentrations. It has been found that magnitudes of remnant polarization and coercive electric fields decrease with increasing the diffusion time and the hydrogen surface concentration. The distribution of hydrogen impurities is another critical factor to ferroelectric responses. Compared to a uniform distribution of hydrogen impurities, the nonuniform distribution diminishes the ferroelectric properties more severely. A heavily defective region due to the nonuniform hydrogen distribution reduces the effective film thickness and induces the in-plane ferroelectric domain formations.


Three electrophoretically atypical creatine kinase (CK) bands were found simultaneously in the serum of a patient with terminal carcinoma of the colon. The atypical CKs were found at the cathodal side of CK-MB (CK-X1), at a sample application point (CK-X2), and at the anodal side of CK-MM (CK-X3) on agar plates. Our data seemed to suggest that CK-X1 was predominantly a CK-IgA/beta-lipoprotein complex, CK-X3 was a CK-IgG complex, and CK-X2 was macromolecular, different from both CK-X1 and CK-X3. The light chains of IgA and IgG were both of the lambda type. All native isoenzymes comprising these atypical CKs were identified as MM type. There was no change of the electrophoretic pattern of serum CK isoenzymes throughout the course of the study.


We report on experimental and theoretical studies of a photorefractive ring resonator pumped by a 1.06 µm beam and injected with a weak, external, seeding beam. The competition between the two dominant gratings that form inside the photorefractive crystal leads to characteristic periodic oscillations in the intensity of the resonating beam, which originate from the frequency difference between the pump beam and the unidirectional oscillation beam. We show that such a system can be treated as a driven nonlinear oscillator.


Metamorphic parallel mechanisms can change into multiple configurations with different motion types and mobility, which consequently yield different solutions of inverse dynamics when crossing singularity. Thus, a unified solution of inverse dynamics to cross singularity becomes important. This solution relies on the consistency condition, the first indeterminate form, and this paper proposes an additional condition by extending into the second indeterminate form. This paper presents unified dynamic models of a 3-(rR)PS metamorphic parallel mechanism to pass through singularities. The analysis is carried out on all three configurations of the 3-(rR)PS metamorphic parallel mechanism. The dynamic models are established using Lagrange formulation, and three conditions to cross singularities are employed. The first condition is based on the consistency condition where the uncontrollable motion should be reciprocal to the wrench matrix. The denominator of inverse Jacobian is its determinant whose value is zero at singularities. This singularity can be discarded by compensating the numerator to be zero. Both the numerator and denominator are null, and this indeterminate form becomes the second condition. Both conditions are sufficient for inverse dynamics of one configuration to pass through singularity, but not for other configurations. Therefore, the second indeterminate form is proposed to be the third condition to be fulfilled. Consequently, the 11th-degree polynomial is required for path planning. The results are presented and confirmed by ADAMS simulation.


This research paper deals with the synthesis of biodegradable composites of black gram with resorcinol-formaldehyde as crosslinker. Acid, base and water resistance properties of the composites were also done. Biodegradation studies of the samples were done using soil composting method. Different stages of biodegradation were characterized using scanning electron microscopic studies.


A detailed geochemical soil sampling programme was carried out during the field season of 1982 on a known sulphide mineralisation. The aim of the programme is to evaluate soil sampling as a prospecting tool in arctic environments. Previous work by Kunzendorf & Sørensen (1982) on the soil of the nearby Qaqarssuk carbonatite complex has shown prom ising results for selected elements. The programme also included the collection of rock samples from areas without soil cover. Bedrock is exposed over 5 per cent of the sampling area. The survey was carried out as a part of GGU's resource evaluation programme in West Greenland (Secher, this report). It also forms part of the current investigation of geochemi cal methods in mineral exploration in Greenland. A total of 1059 soil samples were collected from two areas, both representing soil-covered contacts between bedrock gneiss and Cu-Ni sulphide mineralised norite. In addition a total of 112 rock samples were collected. All samples collected during the programme will be analysed for relevant trace elements. The sampled areas are situated about 65 km east of Sukkertoppen, central West Green land, near the locality Sitdlisigssanguit nunat. The sulphide occurrence was found by the Kryolitselskabet Øresund, who named the locality 'Fossilik'. The two soil sampling areas were covered with regular grids, constructed with the use of a theodolite and with a point density of 25 m. Areas 1 and 2 are 450 x 225 m and 112.5 x 87.5 m, respectively. In


In this paper, we propose a hybrid feature selection method in which Principal Components Analysis is combined with optimized k- Means clustering technique. Our approach hierarchically reduces the redundancy of features with high explanation in PCA for choosing a good subset of features critical to improve the performance of classifiers. Based on this result, we evaluate the performance of intrusion detection by using a nonparametric density estimation approach based on Parzen-Window and k-Nearest Neighbor classifiers over data sets with reduced features. The experiment with KDD Cup 1999 data set show several advantages in terms of computational complexity and our method achieves significant detection rate which shows possibility of detecting successfully attacks.


A series of cationic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors that can be utilized as fluorescent chemosensors for carbon dioxide capture were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Activation energy barriers for the reactions of the cationic NHC precursors and hydrogen carbonate (HCO3(-)) based on intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) profiles as well as proton affinity of the precursors were compared. The calculated proton affinity of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazol-2-yliene was in good agreement with experimental one within the margin of error. We clarified main factors to lower the activation energy barrier based on the correlation among the number of N-heterocyclic functional group, aromatic ring size, and structural characteristics for the candidate compounds. On the basis of the results, it was verified that some of our model systems spontaneously generate NHCs without any specific catalyst.


The level of awareness and acceptance of products from native bamboo species from many countries is low. Efficient promotion through establishment of its working properties is essential. In this study, bamboo culms from plantations in Ghana were extracted, processed, dried, planed and glued. Test samples were prepared using ASTMD 14394 and 1666-87. These were planed with two cutting angles and three feed speeds at a spindle speed of 5,200rpm. The surface qualities of the planed samples were evaluated and graded according to ASTM D 1666-87. The samples were further used for sanding tests using five grit sizes of sand papers and belt sander. A second sanding operation with grit size 250 was performed manually to finally prepare the surfaces of the prototype products for the application of wood finishes. Results revealed that surface planing quality increased with decreasing cutting angle and feed speed. Sandpaper P60 eliminated all torn/chipped grain defects while the highest percentage surface quality for each species was recorded with P150 followed by P120 and P100. The ease of planing and sanding was classified as moderately easy to slightly difficult. Laminated wood members for panel door production were prepared and sanded and fixed together using dowels and 'Woodchem' adhesive. A good quality laminated bamboo panel door was produced. Bamboo utilization for door manufacturing is recommended for enhanced marketing.


In this work, we investigate cross-lingual BN features in hybrid ASR systems under a two-level DNNs framework. The firstlevel DNNs are bottleneck feature extractors and the secondlevel DNNs serve as not only acoustic models but also feature combination modules. Different feature configurations, including the bottleneck dimensionality, the need of delta processing and the necessity of concatenation with standard features of target-language, are first studied. Further experiments are done to evaluate the cross-lingual generalization in a more holistic manner using optimized features. We then analyze the effects of adding more training data on the BN feature extractors. Performance improvement can be obtained when more data available. Finally, two different approaches of utilizing data from non-target languages are experimentally compared. It is shown that these two approaches have similar performance with each other, and the two-level DNNs architecture benefits from either of them.


Social representations theory offers a useful framework to analyse the construction of lay explanations of social risks The current study used this theoretical framework to investigate lay explanations of the COVID-19 outbreak Risk psychology generally focuses on individual perceptions and cognitive errors or the notion of the fallibility of human information processing According to Moscovici, society is not a source of information, but of meanings People, on topics of interest, construct questions and look for answers, rather than merely perceiving and processing obtained information Social psychologists, therefore, cannot be interested in risk responses as erroneous or correct, nor as false, deficient, or biased Instead, they must be concerned with how social awareness of risk is built, in other words, how and why people need to co-construct social representations of such a risk To identify the structure and content of COVID-19 SRs, we used a non-probabilistic sample composed by social sciences and humanities and life sciences students (N = 124) To access the structure of COVID-19 SRs, we employed the method of hierarchical evocation The free association task was completed by participants' justification of their association choices to avoid the lexical ambiguity that could come from this kind of data To access the content of COVID-19 SRs, we utilized both open and closed questions made up starting from the following dimensions: informative sources and participants' networks of interaction;anchoring and objectivation processes;expectations and emotions related to the object


SUMMARY The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) was designed for simulation, forecasting, and future assessments, such as the effects of climate change. The most recent version of SRM uses the Microsoft Windows operating system and operates efficiently in the PC environment. A formalized algorithm for assessing the effects of climate change on runoff is included in the model. SRM parameters are predetermined from actual measurements or from hydrological experience and, therefore, calibration is not necessary. This deterministic approach allows the parameters to be altered with regard to a changed future climate. SRM variables of daily temperature, precipitation, and snow covered area are also easily acquired. SRM allows contributions of snow, rain, and glacier ice to be separately computed for a present year and for a future climate-changed year. In basins with a significant glacier melt component, such as the Illecillewaet Basin in British Columbia, the glacier runoff component increases as the climate warms. Of course, when the glacier volume is depleted to a certain point, the glacier area will start to decline and the valuable glacier melt component will also be diminished.


Nuclear pores in cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were examined by using the freeze-fracture technique. Nuclear pore diameters in actively growing cells appear to be exclusively of the normal diameter (75 to 115 nm), whereas some pore diameters in abnormally small G1-arrested cells produced by nitrogen starvation are unusually wide (120 to 160 nm). There may be a correlation between nuclear pore size and nuclear envelope size, the larger pores tending to occur in the smaller envelopes. The finding suggests that nuclear pore diameter may not function in regulating the flow of informational molecules from nucleus to cytoplasm, but may be implicated in regulating the flow of substrates into the nucleus.


In the title compound, 2'-deoxy-7-propynyl-7-deazaadenosine, C14H16N4O3, the torsion angle of the N-glycosylic bond is anti [chi = -130.7 (2) degrees ]. The sugar pucker of the 2'-deoxyribofuranosyl moiety is C2'-endo-C3'-exo, 2T3 (S-type), with P = 185.9 (2) degrees and tau(m) = 39.1 (1) degrees , and the orientation of the exocyclic C4'-C5' bond is -ap (trans). The 7-substituted propynyl group is nearly coplanar with the heterocyclic base moiety. Molecules of the nucleoside form a layered network in which the heterocyclic bases are stacked head-to-tail with a closest distance of 3.197 (1) A. The crystal structure of the nucleoside is stabilized by three intermolecular hydrogen bonds of types N-H... O, O-H... N and O-H... O.


Information on the molecular structure of tetracyanoethylene and its mononegative ion is used to derive the electron affinity of tetracyanoethylene from the experimentally determined threshold energy for photodetachment of electrons from the negative ions. The resultant electron affinity of 2.3(± 0.3) eV is 0.6(± 0.4) eV less than a value derived by the magnetron surface ionization technique. Relative electron affinities for the strong electron acceptor organic molecules, which are known from charge-transfer spectra, are placed on an absolute scale using the photodetachment result for tetracyanoethylene.


This thesis examines the process and outcomes of a case study evaluation of a midwifery curriculum, which utilised an enquiry based learning (EBL) approach as one teaching and learning strategy. This new curriculum was written to address some of the educational recommendations made by the Fitness for Practice (UKCC 1999) publication in preparing students to be fit practitioners at the point of registration. A multiple data source approach to this case study of a midwifery curriculum evaluation was used in terms of method and participant groups over a three- year period. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to analyse the data sets generated through student reflections as part of their portfolio assessments, questionnaires, interviews and field notes from observation. Participant groups included a total of 26 students on both a diploma and degree programme, 10 tutors, 26 mentors and 2 practice facilitators supporting these students, and were based at a university in the South East of England attached to five NHS trusts in the area. The research exploring the concept of effectiveness of an EBL approach was examined from five identified constructs of effectiveness which were inductively formulated from a sample of student reflections. These were further explored through yearly questionnaires followed up by interviews with 9 participants contributing to the evaluation. An EBL approach appears to have the ingredients to develop and enhance skills of confidence in learning and competence in practice. However the effectiveness of an EBL strategy requires preparation of both mentors in practice and tutors for academic support before implementation. Maturity and some life experience, before commencing the programme and personal attributes of motivation appear to be key elements in effective learning through an EBL strategy. In addition reflection plays a key role in developing the participant both from a personal and professional perspective as a lifelong learner. EBL is perceived as a tool through which participants are empowered to challenge and transform practice in terms of communication skills and perceived essential skills of intuition and empathy developed as a by-product of the process. Difficulties in assessing such skills have been discussed. In addition assessment processes in determining levels of critical thinking, reasoning and reflection and their competent application in practice, as a product of an EBL strategy, require further development.


3D graphics application is widely used in consumer electronics which is an inevitable tendency in the future. In general, the higher abstraction level is used to model a complex system like 3D graphics SoC. However, the concerned issue is that how to use efficient methods to traverse design space hierarchically, reduce simulation time, and refine the performance fast. This paper demonstrates a system-level design space exploration model for a tile-based 3D graphics SoC refinement. This model uses UML tools which can assist designers to traverse the whole system and reduces simulation time dramatically by adopting SystemC. As a result, the system performance is improved 198% at geometry function and 69% at rendering function, respectively. key words: design space exploration, system-on-a-chip (SoC), SystemC, UML, 3D graphics


A physiological problem-oriented approach to the numerical modelling of haemodynamic problems is presented. Numerical procedures based on two different approaches (1) the finite volume method (FVM), and (2) the finite element method (FEM), are described. Both methods employ the full three-dimensional time-dependent Navier-Stokes and continuity equations. and can accommodate non-Newtonian fluid behaviour. In the FVM code. motion of the wall is allowed by using a transient grid ding technique, which requires either a prescribed wall movement or a given pressure-radius relationship. While in the FEM code, the wall motion is predicted by solving the equations governing the motion of a linearly elastic, incompressible. isotropic solid undergoing small deformations. Pulsatile flow predictions using the FVM. for a canine peripheral arterial bifurcation with known geometry are shown, with comparable high frequency multi-channel I)oppier ultrasound velocimetric data obtained in vivo. Effects of upstream and downstream flow conditions on the velocity and wall shear stress distributions are discussed.


Background:
The indoor air quality is among other things determined by air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are associated with health effects. The severity of these health effects depends on the kind and part of the specific chemicals within the VOC group. Since the 90th the expected health risk has been evaluated by means of the VOC sum concentration under the assumption of a fixed composition with a clear defined part of every single VOC. The question is whether the VOC sum and whether the share of individual VOCs have been changed over the recent years.

Methods:
Indoor VOCs were measured within the frame of epidemiological studies from 1994 until 2008. Additionally, a large number of apartments were investigated depend on inquiries by physicians, health offices, or inhabitants in a period from 2009 to 2014. The human health risk was assessed both based on currently valid criteria and based on adapted criteria considering potential composition of the VOC pattern.

Results:
A substantial reduction in the sum of VOCs (about 60%) could be demonstrated caused by a clear decreasing trend of aromatics and alkanes. No such changes could be observed for cycloalkanes, chlorinated hydrocarbons and terpenes. The resulting pattern of VOC is quite different compared with the start situation in 1994. The part of terpenes at the VOC sum increased by two from approximately 25% (1994) to 55% (2014). Due to the decrease of the VOC sum, the human health risk might be underestimated if the VOC sum is the only criterion.

Conclusions:
Based on our findings special attention should be paid to groups of VOCs and/or single VOCs.


The genome of CK/CH/SD09/005, an isolate of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), was characterized to enable the further understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of IBV in China. Twenty-five pairs of primers were designed to amplify the full-length genome of CK/CH/SD09/005. The nucleotide sequence of CK/CH/SD09/005 was compared with reference IBV strains retrieved from GenBank. The phylogenic relationship between CK/CH/SD09/005 and the reference strains was analyzed based on S1 gene sequences. The complete genome of CK/CH/SD09/005 consisted of 27691 nucleotides (nt), excluding the 5' cap and 3' poly A tail. The whole-genome of CK/CH/SD09/005 shared 97 - 99% nucleotide sequence homology with the GX-NN09032 strain, which was the only complete genome that was closely related to CK/CH/SD09/005. When compared with all reference strains except GX-NN09032, CK/CH/SD09/005 showed the highest similarity to ck/CH/LDL/091022 and SDIB821/2012 (QX-like) in the replicase gene (Gene 1) and 3'UTR, with a sequence identity rate of 97% and 98%, respectively. However, CK/CH/SD09/005 exhibited lower levels of similarity with ck/CH/LDL/091022 and SDIB821/2012 in S-3a-3b-3c/ E-M-5a-5b-N with a sequence identity of 72% - 90%. CK/CH/SD09/005 showed the highest level of nucleotide identity with Korean strain 1011, and Chinese strains CK/CH/LXJ/02I, DK/CH/HN/ZZ2004 and YX10, in ORF 3c/E (97%), 5a (96%), 5b (99%) and N (96%), respectively. ORFs 3a, 3b and M of CK/CH/SD09/005 exhibited no more than 90% homology with the reference strains, excluding GX-NN09032. The phylogenic analysis based on the S1 gene revealed that CK/CH/SD09/005 and 39 published strains were classified into seven clades (genotypes). CK/CH/SD09/005 was distributed in clade IV with several isolates collected between 2007 and 2012. CK/CH/SD09/005 showed 66% - 69% and 72% - 81% nucleotide identities with the IBV strains of other six clades in the S1 and S2 subunits, respectively. More over, multiple substitutions were found throughout the entire S gene of CK/CH/SD09/005, while insertions and deletions were located within the S1 gene. These results indicated that CK/CH/SD09/005 is a novel variant that may be derived from the QX-like strains that are prevalent in China. Multiple genetic mechanisms, including recombinations, mutations, insertions and deletions, are likely to have contributed to the emergence of this IBV strain.


In this paper, we describe a method used to determine the optical properties, namely, the effective scattering and absorption coefficients, employing an optimized three-dimensional-printed single integrating sphere. The paper consists of two parts, and in Part 1, the theoretical investigation of an optimized measurement and the evaluation routine are presented. Using an analytical and a numerical model for the optical characterization of the integrating sphere, errors caused by the application of a non-ideal sphere (the one with ports or baffles) were investigated. Considering this research, a procedure for the precise determination of the optical properties, based on Monte Carlo simulations of the light distribution within the sample, was developed. In Part 2, we present the experimental validation of this procedure.


Compensation for composite second-order (CSO) distortion due to the interplay of fiber chromatic dispersion and self-phase modulation in externally modulated amplitude modulated subcarrier multiplexing (AM-SCM) systems employing optical-phase conjugation (OPC) is investigated. The simulation results show that significant reductions (>20 dB) of fiber-induced CSO may be achieved using OPC, which results in an increase of the transmission distance in AM-SCM video distribution systems operating near 1550 nm. In addition, a comparison with another compensation technique, the phase modulation technique, is established, showing that OPC is much less sensitive to variations in the fiber length. However it is also calculated that for practical implementation of the OPC-based compensation technique, 25 to 30 dB reduction in the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) associated with the OPC will be required.


Water pollution has become one of the important issues in Malaysia which occurs frequently especially in the rivers of Selangor. One of the indicators of pollution is the pH of the water. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to design a LoRa-Cloud-based water pollution sensor hub to monitor the real-time water quality. Sensor devices for pH (SEN0161-V2), and temperature and humidity (DHT11) were used to accurately detect water pH, and air temperature and humidity, respectively. REYAX RYLR896 Long Range Low Power (LoRa) transceiver module enabled the transmission of sensor data from the sensor node to the gateway node, while NodeMCU ESP8266 enabled transmission of sensor data to the Cloud. Ubidots IoT platform was used to monitor the real-time sensor data. A 3 W power supply was continuously supplied to the prototype and autonomy was guaranteed with the addition of monocrystalline solar cells. The performance of the prototype device was tested based on the monitoring function, and the overall pH level of Taman Metropolitan Batu Park Lake was slightly alkaline as the pH of the lake water ranged from 7.32 to 9.08 with data updating every 5 minutes on the Ubidots dashboards. The LoRa-Cloud-based water pollution sensor hub was successfully developed to monitor the real-time water quality through the Ubidots IoT platform.


Prevalence of osteoporosis is more than 50% in older adults, yet current clinical methods for diagnosis that rely on areal bone mineral density (aBMD) fail to detect most individuals who have a fragility fracture. Bone fragility can manifest in different forms, and a "one‐size‐fits‐all" approach to diagnosis and management of osteoporosis may not be suitable. High‐resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR‐pQCT) provides additive information by capturing information about volumetric density and microarchitecture, but interpretation is challenging because of the complex interactions between the numerous properties measured. In this study, we propose that there are common combinations of bone properties, referred to as phenotypes, that are predisposed to different levels of fracture risk. Using HR‐pQCT data from a multinational cohort (n = 5873, 71% female) between 40 and 96 years of age, we employed fuzzy c‐means clustering, an unsupervised machine‐learning method, to identify phenotypes of bone microarchitecture. Three clusters were identified, and using partial correlation analysis of HR‐pQCT parameters, we characterized the clusters as low density, low volume, and healthy bone phenotypes. Most males were associated with the healthy bone phenotype, whereas females were more often associated with the low volume or low density bone phenotypes. Each phenotype had a significantly different cumulative hazard of major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) and of any incident osteoporotic fracture (p < 0.05). After adjustment for covariates (cohort, sex, and age), the low density followed by the low volume phenotype had the highest association with MOF (hazard ratio = 2.96 and 2.35, respectively), and significant associations were maintained when additionally adjusted for femoral neck aBMD (hazard ratio = 1.69 and 1.90, respectively). Further, within each phenotype, different imaging biomarkers of fracture were identified. These findings suggest that osteoporotic fracture risk is associated with bone phenotypes that capture key features of bone deterioration that are not distinguishable by aBMD. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).


This themed collection is bound together by some foundational observations which have been well documented in earlier research. European post-war welfare systems face challenges related to aging populations, globalization, migration, changing patterns of family and gender roles. The post-war model of welfare dependent on the idea of stable heterosexual families, with male breadwinners and women carers is giving way to more individualized and mobile systems. The four articles and commentary in this issue provide glimpses of the issues within this field that unite contexts as diverse as the Nordic countries, Brazil and the United States. They explore the intersection of welfare, religion and gender charting gendered problems in welfare provision in relation to religious organisation, affiliation and identity. This issue provides examples of how the exhaustion of women and welfare systems is interconnected and the understanding of this crucial to any attempts to reform welfare systems to enhance social inclusion or reduce exclusion.


An increasing number of lecture recordings are available to complement face-to face and the more conventional content-based e-learning approaches. These recordings provide additional channels for remote students and time-independent access to the lectures. Many universities offer even complete series of recordings of hundreds of courses which are available for public access and this service provides added value for users outside the university. The lecture recordings show the use of a great variety of media or modalities (such as video, audiom lecture media, presentation behaviour) and formats. Insofar, none of the existing systems and services have sufficient retrieval functionality or support appropriate interfaces to enable searching for lecture recordings over several repositories. This situation has motivated us to initiate research on a lecture recording indexing and retrieval system for knowledge transfer and learning activities in various settings. This system is built on our former experiences and prototypes developed within the MISTRAL research project. In this paper we outline requirements for an enhanced lecture recording retrieval system, introduce our solution and prototype, and discuss the initial results and findings.


Synovial fluid (SF) is an ultrafiltrate of blood plasma found in diathrodial joints that contributes to low- friction and low-wear joint articulation. SF normally contains high molecular mass (M/r) hyaluronan (HA), secreted in response to mechanical and biological cues from local cell populations, and a major contributor to the fluid's biophysical properties. During joint pathology, the composition of SF, including HA M/r, is decreased, resulting in decreased viscosity and altered biophysics. The overall motivation of this dissertation work was to contribute to the understanding of synovial fluid physiology, including fluid movement during flexion, post- injury rheology, lubricant homeostasis, and biophysical properties. The objectives were to determine 1) SF movement and joint capsule strain due to flexion, 2) the rheological and biomechanical properties of mixtures of SF and blood, 3) the mechanisms of lubricant homeostasis in normal and injured joints, and 4) the molecular determinants of the biophysical properties of SF and to utilize them to control those properties in solutions of HA and in OA SF. 1) Ev vivo and in vivo imaging of rabbit joints were used to determine that flexion of the knee shifts SF from anterior to posterior, and the joint capsule undergoes proximal-distal tension and circumferential shortening relative to the femur axis. 2) Dilution with SF altered the coagulation torque profile of blood over time, resulting in a decreased maximum torque generation and clot mechanical stiffness. 3) In vivo in the adult rabbit, endogenous secretion of high-M/r HA after washout replenished in SF over time, secretion rates were diminished after ACLT, and HA loss from the SF occurred in a M/r-dependent manner leading to decreased residence times of HA at day 7 after ACLT, likely due to subsynovial cell infiltration. 4) The importance of HA binding proteins to OA SF viscosity was demonstrated, with protein removal resulting in significant viscosity decreases. Modification of HA with inter-[alpha]-inhibitor heavy chains increased the viscosity of HA solutions and OA SF. Major contributions of this work include to understanding the structural physiology of the joint, molecular homeostasis in SF, the effects of injury on joints, and clinical implications for joint disease


RATIONALE
Single-site clinic-based studies suggest an increasing prevalence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease, but systematic data are lacking.

OBJECTIVES
To describe prevalence and trends for NTM lung disease at four geographically diverse integrated heath care delivery systems in the United States.

METHODS
We abstracted mycobacterial culture results from electronic laboratory databases and linked to other datasets containing clinical and demographic information. Possible cases were defined as a single positive NTM pulmonary isolate, and definite cases were defined as two positive sputum cultures, or one positive culture from a bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy. Annual prevalence was calculated using United States census data; average annual prevalence is presented for 2004-2006. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the annual percent change in prevalence.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 28,697 samples from 7,940 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 3,988 (50%) were defined as possible cases, and 1,865 (47%) of these were defined as definite cases. Average annual (2004-2006) site-specific prevalence ranged from 1.4 to 6.6 per 100,000. Prevalence was 1.l- to 1.6-fold higher among women relative to men across sites. The prevalence of NTM lung disease was increasing significantly at the two sites where trends were studied, by 2.6% per year among women and 2.9% per year among men. Among persons aged greater than or equal to 60 years, annual prevalence increased from 19.6 per 100,000 during 1994-1996 to 26.7 per 100,000 during 2004-2006.

CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease is changing, with a predominance of women and increasing prevalence at the sites studied.


Water availability in Mount Ciremai National Parks (MCNP) is influenced by sustainability of the vegetation. Therefore, tree regeneration around the water springs area needs to be investigated to maintain the sustainability of water springs ecosystem in the future. The purpose of this study was to analyzed and identify natural seedlings of tree regeneration around the water springs area Seda Block MCNP. The collections of vegetation and abiotic data was carried out on 9 sample plots measuring 3 m × 3 m which is purposively placed around water springs. Result show that vegetation in water springs dominate by seedlings Ficus sp., Ficus hemsleyana, and Trevesia sundaica. Shannon-Weiner diversity index in this location was moderate, but evenness and dominance index classified as high and low, respectively. Overall, seedling of trees dominated by orthodox seed-type and shade tolerant plant. The vegetation in this study dominated by plants categorized least concern (LC) based on IUCN red list. Microclimatic of study site affects 58.89% on abundance and distribution of tree seedlings. Therefore, the springs are in the Seda Block MCNP needs to be conserved and maintain its natural vegetation.
Keywords: Mount Ciremai National Park, eco-hydrology, canonical correspondent analysis, conservation


An effective approach for the determination of lanthanide energetics, as demonstrated by application to the third ionization energy (in the gas phase) for the first half of the lanthanide series, has been developed. This approach uses a combination of highly correlated and fully relativistic ab initio methods to accurately describe the electronic structure of heavy elements. Both scalar and fully relativistic methods are used to achieve an approach that is both computationally feasible and accurate. The impact of basis set choice and the number of electrons included in the correlation space has also been examined.


The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently unclear. Recent studies have suggested a correlation between vitamin D and PD. Vitamin D and its analogs have protective effects in animal models of PD, but these studies have not clarified the mechanism. Parthanatos is a distinct type of cell death caused by excessive activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1), and the activation of PARP1 in PD models suggests that parthanatos may exist in PD pathophysiology. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) is a potential inhibitor of PARP1 in macrophages. This study aimed to investigate whether calcitriol treatment improves PD models and its effects on the parthanatos pathway. A 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced cell model and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) subacute animal model were selected as the in vitro and in vivo PD models, and calcitriol was applied in these models. Results showed that parthanatos existed in the MPP+-induced cell model and pretreatment with calcitriol improved cell viability, reduced the excessive activation of PARP1, and relieved parthanatos. The application of calcitriol in the MPTP subacute animal model also improved behavioral tests, restored the damage to dopamine neurons, and reduced the activation of PARP1-related signaling pathways. To verify whether calcitriol interacts with PARP1 through its vitamin D receptor (VDR), siRNA, and overexpression plasmids were used to downregulate or overexpress VDR. Following the downregulation of VDR, the expression and activation of PARP1 increased and PARP1 was inhibited when VDR was overexpressed. Coimmunoprecipitation verified the combination of VDR and PARP1. In short, calcitriol can substantially improve parthanatos in the MPP+-induced cell model and MPTP model, and the protective effect might be partly through the VDR/PARP1 pathway, which provides a new possibility for the treatment of PD.


This book provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on the occurrence and distribution of arsenic and iron problems in water supplies in North Lakhimpur sub-division of Lakhimpur district, Assam. With groundwater-based water supply and irrigation projects being implemented across India, this book is an attempt to address the groundwater contamination of arsenic and iron in a regional context. A comprehensive analytical and statistical analysis of distribution of pH, arsenic and iron in groundwater in seven development blocks of North Lakhimpur sub-division of Lakhimpur district, Assam has been presented in this book. The water sources, selected for this study, have been in use for a long time for meeting drinking water needs and other domestic purposes. The focus of the study is on the rural areas rather than urban areas, due to the particular difficulties associated with applying mitigation measures in scattered rural communities. Sporadic occurrence of arsenic in groundwater has been observed in the study area. It is hoped that the book can be used as a reference while carrying out regional-scale studies of groundwater quality in near future.


SUMMARY

Arracacha virus A (AVA), a previously undescribed virus, is common in arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza; Umbelliferae) in the Huanuco region of the Peruvian Andes. AVA was not transmitted by Myzus persicae, but was transmitted by inoculation of sap to 38 species from 10 families out of 63 species from 12 families tested. AVA was best propagated and assayed in Chenopodium quinoa and Nicotiana clevelandii in which it caused severe diseases. Sap from infected C. quinoa was occasionally infective after dilution to 10-4 but not 10-5, after 10 min at 65 °C but not 70 °C, and after 15 days at 20 °C.

In neutral phosphotungstate, AVA has isometric particles c. 26 nm in diameter with a hexagonal profile, some of which were either fully or partially penetrated by the negative stain. Up to 50–200 E2601cm units of purified virus was obtained from 1 kg of infected N. clevelandii leaf by extraction in 0.05 M phosphate buffer at pH 7.5 containing 0.05 M ethylene diaminetetra-acetate, and clarification with chloroform, followed by differential precipitation with ammonium sulphate and three cycles of differential centrifugation. Purified virus sedimented as three components with sedimentation coefficients (S20w°) of 50 S, 92 S and 125 S and E260/E280 ratios of 0.65, 1.50 and 1.85 respectively. At equilibrium in CsCl gradients, buoyant densities of the 50, 92 and 125 S components were 1.32, 1.45 and 1.52 g/cm3 respectively. From the sedimentation coefficients and buoyant densities, the nucleic acid contents of the 92 S and 125 S components were estimated at 30–35% and 43–44% respectively. Only the 125 S component seemed to be infective but its infectivity was greater when mixed with the 92 S component. All three components contained a single protein with a molecular weight of 53 000. AVA was not serologically related to any of 33 other morphologically similar viruses. Although the vector is unknown, its properties suggest that it is a member of the nepovirus group.

The cryptogram of AVA is */*: */43–44 +*/30–35: S/S:S/*.


With the recent increase of multimedia content using JPEG and MPEG, low cost, low power consumption and high performance processors for multimedia application are desirable. In particular, single chip multiprocessor architecture having simple processor cores that will attain good scalability and cost effectiveness is attracting much attention. To exploit full performance of single chip multiprocessor architecture, multigrain parallel processing, which exploits coarse grain task parallelism, loop parallelism and instruction level parallelism, is attractive. This paper describes a multigrain parallel processing scheme for JPEG encoding on a single chip multiprocessor and its performance. The evaluation shows that an OSCAR type single chip multiprocessor having four single-issue simple processor cores gave a 3.59 times speed-up against sequential execution time.


In this thesis 9-12 % Cr steels, used for high-temperaturecomponents in fossil-fired power plants are considered. Thecreep strength of thees steels depend on their microstructurethat consists of a matrix of tempered lath martensite withdensely distributed precipitates. The mechanical properties arestrongly influenced by precipitates present in the matrix andthe more densely distributed they are the higher is thehardening effect. These particles nucleate, grow and coarsenduring use in power plants, leading to a degradation ofmechanical properties. In this thesis the nucleation andcoarsening behaviour of the precipitates in the Cr steels aresimulated by new models and the results are compared withtransmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of testedmaterials.A model of the nucleation of MX, which mainly isvanadium-nitrides, is presented. MX precipitates are assumed tonucleate on dislocations during annealing. The model takes intoaccount the full multicomponent thermodynamical behaviour ofthe system as well as the strain energy caused by a puredilatoric strain and the shape of the nucleus. The calculationsyield a critical size and shape represented by an oblatespheroid with a radius of a few nanometers and a thickness ofan atomic layer. This is in agreement with TEM observations ofsupercritical particles.A new coarsening model, which takes into account themulticomponent effects, is presented and it has been tested ondifferent systems to validate the model. Four different carbides, Cr7C3, Mo6C, VC and NbC, in austenitic matrix as well asγ ' in ternary Ni-base super-alloy systems (Ni-Al-Mo)were compared with measurements from literature. TiC-particles in austenitic stainless steel, ASTM 316Ti,were considered. The simulations were performed taking intoaccount iron and 7 alloying elements. The measurements wereperformed with TEM on samples that had been heat-treated at900° C. MX and M23C6in a 9 % Cr steel were investigated with energyfiltering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) andcompared with simulations. The used samples had been heattreated for various periods of time at 600 and 650° Cfor up to 26 000 h.The agreement of the simulations with the experiments wasgood in all cases when reasonable values of the interfacialenergy, the only adjustable parameter, were chosen.Coarsening simulations were also performed to investigatethe influence of changes in composition on the coarsening rate.For MX, in a 9 % Cr steel, the coarsening rate is almostindependent of the V/Nb ratio but highly dependent on theN-content. Also the effect on the coarsening rate for M23C6by adding Co to a Cr steel was investigated bysimulation. Co is known to increase the resistance totempering. The results show that a final average radius of thecarbides after 30 000 h at 600° C decreases with 30 % witha Co addition of 10 mass %.Keywords:Cr steels, nucleation, coarsening, model,DICTRA, precipitates, carbides, carbo-nitrides, MX, VN, M23C6, TiC, TEM, EFTEM, Curie-temperature