Background/Context Research exploring suspension and expulsion practices suggests that teachers may play a key role in perpetuating racial disproportionality in school discipline by interpreting student behavior through racialized and racist lenses and by viewing the behavior of students of color as an affront to their authority, resulting in more frequent punishing of Black and Latino students. The problem may be compounded for novice teachers, who are likely to teach in high-poverty, high-"minority" schools where discipline is a pronounced concern for educators. Research Questions/Focus of Study To illuminate the role of race in novice teacher interpretations of classroom management, this research explored the following questions: (a) How do novice in-service teachers narrate classroom management and disciplinary moments from their practice? (b) What do their narratives of these moments reveal about how they might negotiate racial difference in the classroom? Research Design This study employs narrative analysis of classroom management stories (N = 51) shared by novice teachers participating in a 10-week hybrid online/in-person professional development course focused on race, class, and gender equity in urban schools. Specifically, this article analyzes how race is discussed in these narratives. Findings Teachers in this study tended to share stories either about "managing race"—narratives about deescalating racial tension or reproaching transgressors of racial colorblindness—or "race-ing management"—stories that read race into incidents in such a way as to reveal latent racial dynamics. These patterns aligned with teachers' self-identified racial backgrounds, with teachers who expressed a more tenuous racial identity or who described themselves as White tending to focus on managing race, and those who expressed a strong minority racial identity tending to focus on race-ing management. Recommendations To address issues of racial proportionality and justice in student discipline and to retain an experienced teacher workforce in under-resourced schools, I offer two key recommendations. First, we must innovatively support novice teachers in reversing insidious trends by offering structured opportunities for critical reflection on management through the lens of identity. In this way, novice teachers can analyze the implicit beliefs at work in their understandings. Furthermore, school leaders and other professional development facilitators must make clear to novice teachers that their competence is not being questioned when we ask them to engage in critical reflection. I discuss specific ways to approach this and offer recommendations for future research.


Here we propose a novel fractal-graph approach to complement the usual graph-theoretic methods which are critically limited when applied to large networks with their continued growth and dynamic characteristics. This fractal-graph approach uses the sometimes hidden underlying order inherent in typical networks and focusses on their global properties. This allows a prescription both for the growth of these complex networks and a framework for characterizing them in new ways.


Crystal structures of Klebsiella pneumoniae pullulanase (KPP) in complex with α-cyclodextrin (α-CD), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) were refined at around 1.98-2.59 Å resolution from data collected at SPring-8. In the structures of the complexes obtained with 1 mM α-CD or γ-CD, one molecule of CD was found at carbohydrate-binding module 41 only (CBM41). In the structures of the complexes obtained with 1 mM β-CD or with 10 mM α-CD or γ-CD, two molecules of CD were found at CBM41 and in the active-site cleft, where the hydrophobic residue of Phe746 occupies the inside cavity of the CD rings. In contrast to α-CD and γ-CD, one β-CD molecule was found at the active site only in the presence of 0.1 mM β-CD. These results were coincident with the solution experiments, which showed that β-CD inhibits this enzyme more than a thousand times more potently than α-CD and γ-CD. The strong inhibition of β-CD is caused by the optimized interaction between β-CD and the side chain of Phe746. The increased Ki values of the F746A mutant for β-CD supported the importance of Phe746 in the strong interaction of pullulanase with β-CD.


The physiological and biochemical activity of plant–microbial associations enables them to determine the mobility, bioavailability, and accumulation of heavy metals in plant tissues. These abilities are the basis for the use of plants and their associated microorganisms in the development of approaches that ensure both the prevention of the ingress of toxic metals into food crops and the extraction of pollutants from polluted soils by using phytoremediation technologies. Whether plant–microbial complexes are used successfully depends on the knowledge of how specific organisms interact with heavy metals. We evaluated the effect of copper ions on common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) inoculated with three plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) of the genus Azospirillum. We analyzed the growth variables of 14-day-old wheat seedlings, the content of photosynthesis pigments, the activity of plant oxidoreductases, and the accumulation of copper by plant tissues. All strains more or less compensated for copper toxicity to seedling development and increased metal accumulation in roots and shoots. Copper affected the photosynthetic apparatus of the inoculated plants, primarily by decreasing the content of chlorophyll b. An analysis of the activity of plant oxidoreductases (peroxidases and phenoloxidases), which are involved in the physiological responses of plants to pollutant stress, showed strain-specific dependence and a significant effect of copper on the inoculated plants. Overall, the obtained results clearly show that the effect of Azospirillum on the physiological and biochemical status of wheat is diverse. The compensatory effect of bacteria on copper toxicity and the simultaneous increase in metal accumulation in plant tissues can be considered as mutually exclusive crop-production aspects associated with the growing of food plants in heavy-metal-polluted areas.


The penetration of α-chymotrypsin and/or pancreatic lipase into dead cells of soybean cotyledons, of yeast and of algae was studied using the enzymic activity as a parameter. In addition a fluorescent antibody technique was applied for the localization of α-chymotrypsin within the soybean cells. The digestibility of unheated, EDTA-treated substrate was similar to that of the heated substrate. Since EDTA-treatment increases the permeability of the cell wall and cell membrane of the plant cell without denaturing proteins contained in the cells, we concluded that heating affected mainly the barrier formed by the cell wall, thus permitting a better passage of big molecules (enzymes). Leakage of β-amylase (mol. weight 61,700) from soybean occurred only after treatment with EDTA. This confirmed that EDTA enhances the permeability of the cell wall. α-Chymotrypsin (mol. weight 24,000) and pancreatic lipase (mol. weight 38,000) penetrated unheated sections, whereas amylopectin (mol. weight 50,000-1,000,000) did not penetrate unheated cotyledons. Apparently the greater dimension of amylopectin compared with α-chymotrypsin and lipase accounts for its lack of entry into unheated soybean cotyledons. However, when we applied the fluorescent antibody technique to localize α-chymotrypsin within the cells from unheated sections, we used antibodies (γ-globulins) having a mol. weight of 150,000. They entered the unheated sections and produced a positive result of the experiment. Consequently the size of the molecules as indicated by the molecular weight, is not the reason why amylopectin did not penetrate the unheated cotyledons. Moreover, this shows that α-chymotrypsin probably opens a way for the entry of globulins. Therefore the entry of proteolytic enzymes is not an inert process. This is conceivable as the enzymes are big molecules with catalytic activity. Unheated non-EDTA-treated soybean (with plasmodesmata) was slightly penetrated by α-chymotrypsin, whereas unheated non-EDTA-treated yeast and algae (both without plasmodesmata) were not penetrated at all. Furthermore, in soybean material (unheated or heated) α-chymotrypsin enhanced the penetration of lipase; this effect was absent in the case of yeast. The results obtained strongly suggest that plasmodesmata are a way in dead plant cells for penetration of enzymes.


A simple electronic servo circuit which improves the long term frequency stability of an internal-mirror two-mode (633 nm) He-Ne laser has been developed. Because the thermal expansion of a laser cavity is quadratic in the heater current the effective gain of a thermal servo circuit depends on the room temperature. The presented circuit, which eliminates frequency drifts caused by room temperature variations, employs the feedback signal originating from the heater current. The frequency separation between modes from two thermally stabilized lasers can be kept constant within ±5 MHz although the surrounding temperature for one of the lasers decreases about four degrees.


Radiative lifetimes of excited levels in Mg III, Ca III, K IV, K V, Ca V, and Ge I have been measured by means of the beam-foil technique in order to test the validity of recent theoretical methods to calculate lifetimes for heavier atoms and ions. Good agreement with theoretical lifetimes is obtained.


The coordination complexes of the crystalline structure of cellulose ethers/Eu(III) with fluorescence emission, viz CMC/Eu(III), MC/Eu(III), and HEC/Eu(III), were synthesized and characterized. Results showed the emission spectra of Eu3+ ions in these coordination compounds, which originates from electric dipole transition. The main emission peak at 615 nm generated from 5D07F2 transition of Eu3+ ions. Their absorption and excitation spectra were different, because the effect of the high polarity of water and having both hydrogen bond donor and acceptor properties on the excited molecule is different from the effect on the ground state of the molecule. Our study demonstrated that the Degree of Substitute (DS) of CMC could influence the fluorescence intensity (FI) of CMC/Eu(III). The emission intensity of CMC/Eu(III) varies with the DS of CMC. For example, when the DS of CMC was 0.89, the FS (fluorescent spectra) of solid CMC/Eu(III) displayed three emission peaks Eu(III): the strongest emission peak at 615 nm (5D07F2 transition) and other two weaker peaks at 583 nm (5D07F1 transition) and at 652 nm (5D07F3 transition), respectively. The concentration of Eu(III) could also affect the FI of these coordination complexes. The FI of the coordination complexes peaked at 615 nm all reached maximum when Eu3+ concentration was at 5% (wt/wt). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 743–747, 2005


This study examined changes in cultural perceptions and communication of 47 occupational therapy students and 39 international graduate students following 5 peer teaching activities. The peer-teaching activities were designed on the premise that positive contact between people of equal status improves intercultural competency, and included social exchanges, interviews, feedback on practice teaching, and role-playing. Changes in intercultural competency were measured with pre- and post administration of the Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), as well as questionnaires and journals. Significant positive change between pre- and post-test scores on the CCAI (p<.0002) was found for the 86 participants. When stratified into 3 subgroups (international students and occupational therapy students with and without international travel experience), changes were more pronounced. Occupational therapy students with international travel experience benefited the most from the peer-teaching activities (p<.002) and international graduate students benefited as well (p<.009). Occupational therapy students without international travel experienced no significant change. The findings indicate that peer teaching activities significantly impacted cross-cultural communication for students with prior international travel experience and confirm the importance of contextual learning.


BIOVENTING DEGRADATION RATES OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS AND DETERMINATION OF SCALEUP FACTORS Alamgir Akhtar Khan Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Professor Richard G. Zytner Petroleum hydrocarbons are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that need to be removed from soil after a spill due to their toxic and carcinogenic characteristics. Bioventing has the potential to be an effective bioremediation technology for contaminated soil, yet many challenges exist when extending results from the laboratory to the field. Understanding scale dependent phenomena is difficult, because most laboratory studies were completed at the micro-scale and limited work has been done on the larger scale. Accordingly, the main aim of the current study was to determine petroleum hydrocarbons degradation rate coefficients at the medium scale (mesoscale), which is considered a bridge between the micro and field scales, and to determine the scale-up factor. Refinement of a previously developed correlation by incorporating scale-up effects was also an additional goal. Bioventing conditions were simulated in a bench scale reactor holding 4 kg of soil on a dry weight basis that was spiked with synthetic gasoline. Five different types of soils were tested, with each soil amended with water and nutrients. Preliminary testing with the meso-scale system showed the appropriateness of the experimental system for conducting reliable bioventing treatments. Evaluation of the experimental data showed two stage hydrocarbon degradation with a fast rate of degradation in the initial 8 d and then a slower rate for remaining 22 d of the treatments. Using statistical analysis, correlations were developed which suggest a significant positive effect of the initial population of petroleum degrading bacteria and a negative impact of increasing fractions of organic matter on the rate of hydrocarbon degradation in the soil. Results also exhibited a positive impact of increasing silt and a negative effect of increasing clay on the hydrocarbon degradation rate constant. In general, higher rates of degradation were observed at the meso-scale tests when compared with the results determined through a micro-scale correlation. Comparison of micro-scale and meso-scale correlations also suggested a scale-up factor (SF) of approximately 2.


Anonymity systems such as Tor aim to enable users to communicate in a manner that is untraceable by adversaries that control a small number of machines. To provide efficient service to users, these anonymity systems make full use of forwarding capacity when sending traffic between intermediate relays. In this paper, we show that doing this leaks information about the set of Tor relays in a circuit (path). We present attacks that, with high confidence and based solely on throughput information, can (a) reduce the attacker's uncertainty about the bottleneck relay of any Tor circuit whose throughput can be observed, (b) exactly identify the guard relay(s) of a Tor user when circuit throughput can be observed over multiple connections, and (c) identify whether two concurrent TCP connections belong to the same Tor user, breaking unlinkability. Our attacks are stealthy, and cannot be readily detected by a user or by Tor relays. We validate our attacks using experiments over the live Tor network. We find that the attacker can substantially reduce the entropy of a bottleneck relay distribution of a Tor circuit whose throughput can be observed-the entropy gets reduced by a factor of 2 in the median case. Such information leaks from a single Tor circuit can be combined over multiple connections to exactly identify a user's guard relay(s). Finally, we are also able to link two connections from the same initiator with a crossover error rate of less than 1.5% in under 5 minutes. Our attacks are also more accurate and require fewer resources than previous attacks on Tor.


4298 Accumulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor, p27, is prognostic for patient outcome in prostate cancer. In order to determine how p27 loss influences tumor progression, we studied the rate and frequency of tumor progression in sibling pairs of p27 +/+ or p27 −/− transgenic mice that are predisposed to prostate tumor development by prostate-specific expression of the SV40 Large T Antigen (LT). Transgenic mice expressing intact LT, but lacking both copies of p27, developed prostate tumors earlier than p27 +/+ mice (T½ = 29 weeks for p27 −/− mice, 48 weeks for p27 +/+ mice). Epithelial cell proliferation rates were 38% higher in p27 −/− mice at 12 weeks, and 78% higher at 26 weeks of age, even when areas of tumor were excluded from counting. On the other hand, apoptotic rates were similar at all time points. We took advantage of the androgen-responsive transgenic promoter to control the onset of oncogene-driven proliferation by castrating sexually immature animals for 21 days, followed by testosterone supplementation. We found that proliferation and cdk2 kinase activity were equally suppressed in castrate p27+/+ and p27−/− animals, and that there was no detectable expression of the LT transgene. However, 5 days after testosterone supplementation, with similar high level induction of LT expression and high proliferation rates in both genotypes, cdk2 activity was significantly higher in the p27−/− prostates. We are performing similar analyses in older mice to clarify whether elevated cdk2 kinase activity is a consistent feature of LT-expressing p27−/− mice and whether this property underlies the more rapid proliferation and tumor progression seen in p27 deficient animals. In order to test whether loss of p27 alone can substitute for the proliferative contribution LT makes by inactivating Rb family members (Rb, p107, and p130), we generated sibling pairs of p27 +/+ and p27 −/− mice that over-express an analogous transgene, differing by a 3 amino acid substitution disrupting the conserved Rb binding site, and which is unable to inactivate the Rb pathway, but which inactivates the p53 pathway. Mice from this mutant line have high levels of transgene expression, but proliferation rates were only minimally increased above that seen in non-transgenic prostates. Tumors did not arise within 52 weeks of observation, regardless of p27 status. In summary, we find that p27 loss collaborates with oncogene-induced tumor development in the prostate, but that loss of p27 does not provide the proliferative impetus sufficient for oncogenesis. Serial analyses are planned to study the relationship between cyclin-dependent kinase activity, proliferation, and tumor progression in this model .


Building safe storage for the products of the oil industry is quite a different problem from making the storage already in use safe from fires started by lightning. The latter problem is discussed with some principles to be observed. Details of construction are so varied that it is difficult to give general rules. A record of several hundred installations over a period of about three years is given. Work with small models in the laboratory has been successful in some cases. It is unwise to rely too much on work of this kind, however. Since the seat of the charge under a storm cloud is largely on pipe lines, tanks, and other metal parts in the oil fields, lightning devices should be securely attached to these structures. A network of pipe lines at or near the surface makes a better ground for towers than a single shaft driven vertically downward to permanent moisture.


A main task of industrial designers is the shaping and transformations of ideas or fuzzy notions into abstract or materialized equivalents. These sketches, models or other representations can be described as the sum of form and shape aspects, aesthetics, intuitive qualities as well as technical and sustainable functionalities. The designer must understand the elements involved in this synthesis of form giving and design. Successful designers compose these characteristics carefully and join them together to form and shape artefacts into a harmonious and balanced whole, while simultaneously manoeuvring within implicit and explicit mechanical and functional aspects. With the emergence of 3D computational design, the industrial design process shifted from traditional analogue physical representations of ideas or artefacts to digital virtual realities. This shift is creating pre-dominance of digital design over the idiosyncrasies of analogue craftsmanship of the designer. Loss of control, immediacy, manual dexterity and skills due to constraint in electronic interfaces (keyboard-mouse-monitor) and programmer's directions, gave way to alienation of the physical material world. With every new generation of design students, the widening gap is transforming intuitive design qualities and skills into virtual data processing inertia. We follow two paths in our attempt to bridge this gap. The first is a set of experiments that aim to measure the effectiveness and other qualities of various shaping techniques. Knowledge about learning curves, quality of the design results and the focus of particular methods enables decisions about 'the right' curriculum for Design students. The second path is the creation of a hybrid design tool where designers are engaged and in which the intuitive and imaginative skills are stimulated, explored and triggered. This paper explores the distinctions between the analogue and digital representation tools, explain our laboratory experiments, testing results, educational embedding and creative opportunities that emerge from hybrid design tools. For our testing experiments, we used seven (7) haptic representational configurations and set-ups, and involved over 150 test subjects per experiment to map results. In these configurations we measure the performance of form giving and shaping techniques Bridging the Design Gap: Towards an Intuitive Design Tool. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257003084_Bridging_the_Design_Gap_Towards_an_Intuitive_Design_Tool [accessed Apr 18, 2017].


Since 2011, there have been numerous reports of excessively large quantities of Sargassum seaweed accumulating along coastal areas and beaches of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Africa, creating devastating impact on the coastal ecosystem and local economies. Satellite data have shown that record-setting Sargassum blooms are to be expected. Large masses of Sargassum are already swamping beaches causing serious challenges for the tourism and fisheries industries. Apart from being unsightly, the decomposition of large masses of seaweed produces a foul sulfurous odor, attracts insects, entwine marine animals, interferes with tourist activities and obstructs boat engines and fishing equipment. Interventions to manage the large influx of Sargassum include mechanical collection with the use of cane and front-end loaders, as well as manual raking and piling of the seaweed along the shorelines. However, these have proven to be ineffective. The use of heavy equipment also poses serious threats to the stability of the coastline and existing marine life. As an alternative, the Scientific Research Council, Jamaica has embarked on research and development activities which seeks to evaluate Sargassum seaweed for its potential uses. The micro and macro nutrients content of Sargassum collected from various sites along Jamaica's costal lines were evaluated. Preliminary analysis revealed crude protein of 3.89%, fat of 0.15 ± 0.01%, total carbohydrates of 62.59 ± 0.35% and fiber of 17.72 ± 0.24% for the dried Sargassum (Sargassum natans and fluitans) sample. The samples also contained significant amounts of essential minerals and trace elements such as; calcium (454,000 ± 1734 mg/kg), potassium (286,66.7 ± 1537 mg/kg), magnesium (9866.7 ± 642.9 mg/kg), sodium (8,933.3 ± 251.7 mg/kg), iron (267.7 ± 8.5 mg/kg), manganese (43.8 ± 0.5 mg/kg), zinc (5.51 ± 0.02 mg/kg), and selenium (0.27 ± 0.04 mg/kg). Heavy metal analysis also revealed elements such as mercury (0.0084 ± 0.0001 mg/kg), cobalt (1.53 ± 0.03 mg/kg), cadmium (˂ 2.41 mg/kg), chromium (1.53 ± 0.4 mg/kg), lead (˂ 3mg/kg), and arsenic (65.5 ±2.17 mg/kg), with all except arsenic being below acceptable levels. The aim of the studies is to utilize the Sargassum in a way that is environmentally friendly and economically viable.


Starting from some remarks on a hypothetical imitative relationship between the Cypria and, respectively, Theognis and Callimachus, the paper adopts the concept of literary contamination in the analysis of two sympotic epigrams by Palladas of Alexandria ( AP 11.54 and 55), which are interrelated and can be connected with both archaic lyric (especially Anacreon) and epic poetry. The paper also stresses the importance of the indirect tradition of fragmentary verse as a literary source for Late Antique poetry.


Mining user behaviors over high speed links is important for applications such as network anomaly detection. Previous work focuses on monitoring anomalies such as extremely frequent users occurring in a short timeslot such as 1 minute. Little attention has been paid to detect users with stealthy behaviors such as persistent frequent and co-occurrence behaviors over a long period of time at the timeslot granularity (e.g., 1 minute granularity level). Unlike frequent users, persistent users do not necessarily occur more frequently than other users in a single timeslot, but persist and occur in a larger number of timeslots. Due to limited computation and storage resources on routers, it is prohibitive to collect massive network traffic in a long period of time. We develop an end-to-end method for solving challenges in both long-term online traffic collection and offline user behavior analysis. To achieve this goal, we design a user embedding (UE) method to fast build compact sketches of user-occurrence events over time. To reduce the estimation error introduced by Bloom Filter, we model UE as a sampling method and propose methods to accurately mine a variety of user behaviors from user-occurrence events rebuilt from UE sketches. In addition, we introduce another new embedding method reversible UE (RUE) to detect persistent frequent behaviors when monitored users' IDs are not given in advance for offline analysis. We conduct extensive experiments on real-world traffic, and the results demonstrate that our methods significantly outperform state-of-the-art methods.


Public health nurses (PHNs) have the opportunity and professional obligation to be at the forefront of the fight to eliminate health disparities based on the practice principle of social justice. The overall purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the stage of the moral development in a convenience sample of practicing public health nurses (PHNs) and the differences in moral development stage across selected demographic variables (age, gender, race/ethnicity, level ofentry into professional nursing, highest level of education, years practicing as an RN, years practicing in a public health department, self identified political views, primary language, and region of California.) The sample consisted of 196 PHNs from four regions in the state of California. A demographic data survey and the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT-2) developed by Rest et al. (1999) to identify the stage ofmoral development based on Kohlberg's 6 stages were administered to participants. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way and two-way ANOV A were used to achieve the specific aims. Results demonstrated that participants scored at either stage 4 or 5 out of6 possible stages. The following significant relationships were found between DIT scores and demographic variables. A significant relationship was noted between higher scores on the DIT-2 and being less than 50 years ofage, having more liberal political views, and having English a primary language. Future studies arc needed to accommodate a larger, more diverse sample size to compare gender and educational differences. Additional longitudinal studies examining the moral development and characteristics ofregistered nurses who self-select as career PHNs arc indicated to examine the complex relationships between these factors.


A pot culture experiment was conducted during 1995–1996 and 1996–1997 crop seasons. None of the VAM fungi affected the nodule number, nodule dry weight and nitrogenase activity significantly during any of the crop seasons except Glomus mosseae which increased the nitrogenase activity. Rhizosphere fungal population significantly reduced by inoculation with different VAM fungi, while bacterial and Azotobacter population significantly increased with the mycorrhizal inoculation. Rhizosphere actinomycetes population had no effect by inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi except Glomus mosseae which increased population during 1995–1996 crop season, while G. fasciculatum and G. constrietum increased actinomycetes population during 1996–1997 crop season.


Significance Pore domains of ion channels form the ion conduction pathway and thus control the identity and flux of ions across the membrane. Flux-dependent inactivation suggests that these two functions are connected, with allosteric linkage between the selectivity filter and inner gate. This study uses solution NMR to investigate structural and dynamic features of ion selectivity and coupling between the gates in the small bacterial channel NaK. NaK is a nonselective cation channel and is homologous to several eukaryotic channels that are not well modeled by KcsA. Our results show a previously unexpected dynamic coupling between the selectivity filter and inner gate in NaK. This suggests that such transmembrane communication is widespread and occurs through distinct mechanisms in diverse channels. Flux-dependent inactivation that arises from functional coupling between the inner gate and the selectivity filter is widespread in ion channels. The structural basis of this coupling has only been well characterized in KcsA. Here we present NMR data demonstrating structural and dynamic coupling between the selectivity filter and intracellular constriction point in the bacterial nonselective cation channel, NaK. This transmembrane allosteric communication must be structurally different from KcsA because the NaK selectivity filter does not collapse under low-cation conditions. Comparison of NMR spectra of the nonselective NaK and potassium-selective NaK2K indicates that the number of ion binding sites in the selectivity filter shifts the equilibrium distribution of structural states throughout the channel. This finding was unexpected given the nearly identical crystal structure of NaK and NaK2K outside the immediate vicinity of the selectivity filter. Our results highlight the tight structural and dynamic coupling between the selectivity filter and the channel scaffold, which has significant implications for channel function. NaK offers a distinct model to study the physiologically essential connection between ion conduction and channel gating.


China's innovative drugs to the market limited by the government-related policies, facing new drug pricing, medical insurance directory, centralized purchasing three checkpoints, of which Development and Reform Commission is responsible for the pricing of new drugs, the Ministry of Health and Social Security is responsible for the directory and Centralized purchasing which determine whether new drugs can enter the hospital for sale. These three checkpoints are the three mountains that press on the drug companies, restricting and compressing the existence of innovative drugs. This has led to low market returns and even the loss of pharmaceutical companies, which have severely hit the enthusiasm of Chinese enterprises in developing innovative drugs. This article analyzes the status of innovative drugs in the market and analyzes the barriers to market based on the impact of new drug pricing, health insurance catalogs and centralized purchasing on the price formation mechanism of innovative drugs, then reflecting and putting forward corresponding suggestions.


Three strains of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), two from Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and one from infectious mononucleosis (IM) were used to transform separate cultures of the same batch of primary marmoset leukocytes, and the viruses released from the transformants were compared. The three viruses shared properties of the transforming biotype of EBV, namely, stimulation of DNA synthesis and immortalization of cord blood leukocytes, and failure to induce "early antigen" in lymphoblast lines. All viruses produced more virus in transformed marmoset cells than in transformed human cells, as measured by the number of EBV genomes detected by complementary RNA/DNA hybridization, by virus capsid antigen expression, or by released virions and biologically active virus. Reference human sera and sera from primary EBV infections were used to compare the three virus strains in a virus neutralization test based on inhibition of stimulation of DNA synthesis. Specimens taken late in convalescence from patients with mononucleosis and sera from marmosets experimentally infected with virus from a patient with mononucleosis neutralized the homologous virus, as well as the two virus strains isolated from patients with BL. This finding indicates that viral antigens that elicit neutralizing antibodies are shared among the strains. However, in certain sera the neutralizing-antibody titer against one strain was consistently higher than against another strain. Furthermore, sera taken early after onset of IM contained low levels of neutralizing antibody against IM-derived virus, but failed to neutralize BL-derived virus. These latter findings suggest the existence of heterogeneity among surface antigens of EBVs. The results emphasize the biological and antigenic similarity of EBV isolates from BL and IM and do not suggest major subtype variations. It remains to be determined whether antigenic diversity such as described or virus genome variation detectable by other means is epidemiologically significant.


We study two-person zero-sum games, where the payoff function is a polynomial expression in the actions of the players. This class of games was introduced by Dresher, Karlin, and Shapley in 1950. We show that the value of the game, and the corresponding optimal strategies, can be obtained by solving a single semidefinite programming problem. In addition, we show how the results extend, with suitable modifications, to a general class of semialgebraic games


Background: The clinical characteristics of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) depend on the formulation used. Objective: To evaluate whether switching BoNTA formulations affects patient satisfaction. Methods: Forty patients enrolled and all were satisfied or extremely satisfied with Allergan BoNTA (BoNTA–Allergan) treatment in the glabellar¡crow's feet¡forehead area(s) in the preceding 6 months. Once improvement from this previous treatment had started to diminish, treatment was replicated using Ipsen BoNTA (BoNTA–Ipsen) at a 1:2.5 dose ratio. Results: The incidence of patients rating treatment as effective or very effective in making them look younger, look rested, and look less stressed was significantly higher with BoNTA–Allergan than BoNTA–Ipsen – 83% versus 36%, 90% versus 39%, and 83% versus 33%, respectively – even though evaluations were performed a mean of 20 weeks after BoNTA–Allergan treatment and only 16 weeks after BoNTA– Ipsen treatment. The incidence of patients who were satisfied or extremely satisfied was 100% (BoNTA–Allergan) versus 31% (BoNTA–Ipsen). BoNTA–Allergan was preferred by 69% of patients. Conclusions: Efficacy, satisfaction, and product preference ratings strongly favor the use of BoNTA–Allergan over BoNTA–Ipsen in the treatment of upper facial lines. Many patients who are satisfied with BoNTA–Allergan treatment become less satisfied if they are switched to BoNTA– Ipsen.


clinical case reconstructed by Guido Majno (1975) from the Hippocratic records describes a wrestler who visits the iatreion (out-patient clinic) to be treated for a shoulder dislocation. With less invasive procedures no longer working to tighten the dislocation, the clinic adopts the drastic measure of inducing wound contraction by poking a hot needle through the skin of the armpit, and "in this way the cavity, into which the humerous is mostly displaced, is best scarred over and cut off" In Greek medicine circa 400 B.C.E., familiarity with wound contraction after burn injury already was commonplace. Closure of cutaneous wounds involves three processes: epithelization, connective tissue deposition, and contraction. The contribution of each process varies according to the type of wound. In general, epithelization results in resurfacing of the wound; connective tissue deposition results in replacement of damaged dermis; and contraction brings the margins of open wounds together (Peacock, 1984; Clark, 1988; Mast, 1992). In mammals with loose skin (meaning loosely attached to the underlying tissue layer), wound contraction leads to wound closure with little scarring or loss of function. In humans, whose skin is more firmly attached to underlying tissues, the consequences of contraction are less beneficial, ranging from minimal cosmetic scar in some cases to loss of joint motion or major body deformation in others. Consequently, a distinction has been made between contraction as a normal process of wound closure, and contracture as the abnormal result of the contraction process where signifcant scarring or loss of function occurs (Hunt and Dunphy, 1979). The pathologic consequences of tissue contraction include a variety of conditions ranging from contracture of the fibrous capsule surrounding breast implants to constricture of hollow organs (e.g., the esophagus) after injury (Skalli and Gabbiani, 1988; Rudolph et al., 1992). In contemporary cell biology, research on wound contraction focuses on the wound fibroblast. Skin fibroblasts normally are sessile and quiescent, but shortly after cutaneous wounding, they become activated. Activated fibroblasts migrate to the fibronectin-fibrin wound interface, proliferate, and synthesize a new collagen-containing matrix called granulation tissue. Around the same time, wound contraction begins. Once the wound defect is replaced, the expanded fibroblast population stops dividing and regresses and extracellular matrix remodeling commences (Peacock, 1984; Clark, 1993). Despite the importance of wound contraction for wound


Abstract The outbreak of corruption scandals involving elected officials has raised criticism concerning the quality of parliamentary representation in Romania. The public image of the legislature rapidly became that of a 'reactionary gathering of criminals', persons who use public office in order to cover abuses of power and office. The core contestation of the legislature aimed above all at the usage by parliament of its constitutional privileges and immunities in order to postpone / impede criminal investigations against members of the legislative. Starting from the analysis of the parliamentary speeches of the members of parliament (MPs) under criminal investigation on corruption charges, this paper focuses on the evolving dynamic of acceptance and contestation with respect to the implementation of anticorruption policies. The paper highlights, based on the analysis of the justifications put forward on the occasion of parliamentary hearings, the gradual configuration of a trans-partisan division within the legislature, promoting countervailing, 'anti-anticorruption' discourses, which pit 'anticorruption' and democratic representation against each other.


The dispersion curves of the phonons propagating in polycrystalline suspensions of hard-sphere colloids are measured by Brillouin scattering and calculated by band structure techniques. Acoustic-like and optical-like experimental phonon dispersion relations are attributed to the interplay of the solvent matrix mode with the single-sphere vibration eigenmodes in these lattice structures.


A sensitivity analysis of the turbulent momentum and sensible heat fluxes as functions of wind speed and temperature gradients in the surface layer was made on the basis of Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The sensitivity of parameterized fluxes to the choice of a number of universal functions found in the literature was examined. The relative standard deviations of sensible heat fluxes calculated using these universal functions are in the range of 10 to 20%. Differences between the minimum and maximum values of the heat fluxes generally are 30 to 50% of the mean values. Smaller differences are found in the calculation of momentum fluxes. These results demonstrate the difficulty in defining an optimal universal function that would be applicable to all conditions. The uncertainties originating from the choice of wind and temperature roughness lengths and displacement height were also analyzed. These uncertainties are very important when a complex surface is characterized by single values of roughness length and displacement height. Among the surface parameters, the largest error is caused by the uncertainty in estimating the wind and temperature roughness lengths. In the parameterization of the surface layer, the most frequently used model (that of BUSINGER et al., 1971) gives roughly the same result for the turbulent diffusion coefficient for sensible heat and the sensible heat flux as the mean of all the universal functions considered. However, the turbulent diffusion coefficient for the momentum and the momentum flux calculated using the BUSINGER et al. (1971) function gives substantially lower values than the average of the universal functions considered.


Discrimination against Roma is a reality across Europe. The extent to which stereotyped, discriminatory beliefs of this minority group are reflected or reinforced by news media has received only limited attention. This study investigates media framing of Roma and explains variation in how European news media frame Roma in diagnostic and prognostic terms. We content analysed 825 news articles from newspapers in the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom for the period 2010–2012. Results show that attention for Roma is clustered around key-events and differs considerably between countries. Our analyses of frame variation, based on multilevel modelling, indicate a duality in the use of frames, with Roma being both portrayed as victims and perpetrators. Variation in these portrayals could be ascribed mainly to sources and newspaper types. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors that account for problem-emphasizing portrayals of Roma in European countries.


Visual classifiers are part of many applications including surveillance, autonomous navigation and scene understanding. The raw data used to train these classifiers is abundant and easy to collect but lacks labels. Labels are necessary for training supervised classifiers, but the labeling process requires significant human effort. Techniques like active learning and group-based labeling have emerged to help reduce the labeling workload. However, the possibility of collecting label noise affects either the efficiency of these systems or the performance of the trained classifiers. Further, many introduce latency by iteratively retraining classifiers or re-clustering data. We introduce a technique that searches for structural change in hierarchically clustered data to identify a set of clusters that span a spectrum of visual concept granularities. This allows us to efficiently label clusters with less label noise and produce high performing classifiers. The data is hierarchically clustered only once, eliminating latency during the labeling process. Using benchmark data we show that collecting labels with our approach is more efficient than existing labeling techniques, and achieves higher classification accuracy. Finally, we demonstrate the speed and efficiency of our system using real-world data collected for an autonomous navigation task.


Adultery is a very bad deed and a big sin for the Adulterer in Islam. However,   In this modern era, many muslims still do it. Nevertheles, Muslims know about the prohibition of adultery.  This paper is aimed to explore further the interpretation of adultery according to Ash-Shabuni in the tafsir book of  Shafwatu Tafasir. This study used a library research method.  The data collection method is based on literature from scientific books related to the problem of adultery. The results of the research according to Ash-Shabuni revealed that Adultery for unmarried adulterers ( ghairu muhsan ) were beaten a hundred times and exiled for a year while adultery for married offenders ( muhsan ) was stoned to death.


BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES This study was performed to investigate the association between the dietary intake of fish and shellfish, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the middle-aged Korean female patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). SUBJECTS/METHODS A cross-sectional analysis was performed with 356 female patients (means age: 55.5 years), who were recruited from the Huh's Diabetes Clinic in Seoul, Korea between 2005 and 2011. The dietary intake was assessed by a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and analyzed using the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis program (CAN-Pro) version 4.0 software. RESULTS In a multiple regression analysis after the adjustment for confounding factors such as age, BMI, duration of diagnosed T2D, alcohol consumption, fiber intake, sodium intake, and total energy intake, fish and shellfish intake of the subjects was negatively associated with triglyceride and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Omega-3 PUFAs intake was negatively associated with triglyceride, systolic blood pressures, diastolic blood pressures, and PWV. The multiple logistic regression analysis with the covariates showed a significant inverse relationship between the omega-3 PUFAs consumption and prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia [OR (95% CI) for greater than the median compared to less than the median: 0.395 (0.207-0.753)]. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the consumption of fish and shellfish, good sources of omega-3 PUFAs, may reduce the risk factors for CVD in the middle-aged female patients with T2D.


Measurements of pavement surface texture were conducted on the test cells at the MnROAD research facility. The testing was performed using a mobile, line-laser-based, texture profiler that provides results in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. In addition to common texture metrics–for example, mean profile depth (MPD)–a variety of other metrics are calculated and reported. This includes the texture level in third-octave wavelength bands (the texture spectrum) and metrics that can distinguish between upward and downward oriented texture (for example, skew). These texture metrics are combined with other pavement surface characteristics measured on the same MnROAD test cells into a single database. The other surface characteristics are coefficient of rolling resistance (CRR), roughness, friction, and tire-pavement noise. Using the results in the database, multivariable linear regression analyses are conducted to investigate the dependency of the CRR on the other surface characteristics. The performance of the various regression analyses is compared and variable combinations yielding good performing models for CRR are presented. Among the conclusions is that many possible combinations of surface characteristic variables are shown to be eligible for a model to predict CRR.


This research develops the notion of environmental fit and flexibility and illustrates the importance of such fit empirically using survey data from 101 manufacturing firms. Two dimensions of environmental dynamism are identified and the fit between them and different approaches to flexibility are assessed. Hierarchical regressions provide evidence that flexibility is a stronger predictor of performance in more dynamic environments. Specifically, presence of the unpredictability or the volatility aspects of environmental dynamism each warrant the use of different types of manufacturing flexibility strategies. Statistical results are interpreted with the caveat that while implemented capability must be used to study performance effects, this study uses perceived importance scales for flexibility.


ABSTRACT MafA is a transcription factor that binds to the promoter in the insulin gene and has been postulated to regulate insulin transcription in response to serum glucose levels, but there is no current in vivo evidence to support this hypothesis. To analyze the role of MafA in insulin transcription and glucose homeostasis in vivo, we generated MafA-deficient mice. Here we report that MafA mutant mice display intolerance to glucose and develop diabetes mellitus. Detailed analyses revealed that glucose-, arginine-, or KCl-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells is severely impaired, although insulin content per se is not significantly affected. MafA-deficient mice also display age-dependent pancreatic islet abnormalities. Further analysis revealed that insulin 1, insulin 2, Pdx1, Beta2, and Glut-2 transcripts are diminished in MafA-deficient mice. These results show that MafA is a key regulator of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo.


Background The Cognitive Functioning Self-Assessment Scale (CFSS) was developed to allow the self-assessment of perceived cognitive functioning. It has been tested with satisfactory reliability and validity but was not available for the Chinese population. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Chinese version of the CFSS for community-dwelling adults. Methods A cross-sectional study of a sample of 1,002 Chinese adults from the general population was conducted online (July–August 2022). The Chinese version of the CFSS with 18 items was created through translation, cognitive debriefing, and psychometric evaluation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the first half of the randomly split sample. A model derived from EFA was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the second half of the sample. The model fits were further evaluated with and without subgrouping by age, gender, and education level. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α) and McDonald's omega hierarchical coefficients (ωH). Results EFA (n = 460) revealed a three-factor solution, including spatio-temporal orientation, attention, and memory, which explained 51% of the total variance. The second-order CFA (n = 510) demonstrated a good fit: CFI = 0.951, TLI = 0.944, RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.040. A second-order multiple-group analysis showed that the structure was invariant by age, gender, and education level. The total CFSS score was significantly associated with the Chinese version of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (r = 0.56, p< 0.001) and the Chinese version of the seven-item General Anxiety Disorder (r = 0.53, p<0.001). The internal consistency reliability was satisfactory, with α = 0.94 and ωH = 0.84. The item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.58 to 0.72. Conclusion The Chinese version of the CFSS possesses good item characteristics, satisfactory validity, and reliability for assessing self-reported cognitive functioning among community-dwelling adults. It is a feasible and appropriate self-assessment instrument to examine cognitive functioning in the Hong Kong Chinese population, which contributes to monitoring and developing strategies to prevent and manage cognitive impairment and disorders for the public's cognitive health and well-being.


Two things have influenced organizational development more than any other: the coffee machine and the computer. The reason for this is that they mediate social relationships. Computers are also being used more and more within every type of organization in an attempt to make the organization faster, more cost efficient, and more competitive. With the adoption of such technology we need to recognize that computers encapsulate social values and can consequently be seen as instruments of power. Within the area of safety critical systems, such as a medical information system, it is vital that, when specifying and capturing requirements about the system, the technical and social values are identified and made explicit. In this paper an outline of a modeling framework will be presented that allows for the encapsulation and analysis of the social and technical aspects of an organizational information system. A modeling language and notation will be constructed and used to construct and analyze both the static and dynamic models of organizations and organizational behavior. The construction and analysis is achieved through the use of concepts such as role and responsibility. The conceptual modeling framework is then applied to a case study. This case study is based upon an accident and emergency department of an inner-city hospital situated within the center of Dublin, Ireland.


Cancer is the result of genetic and other changes that lead to alterations in normal cellular function, resulting in unlimited growth and expansion that occur both locally and at distant sites within the body. Advances in the science and technology of medical imaging and radiation therapy are complex, computer-driven, and more profound and rapid than ever before. A wide variety of imaging platforms is currently used for both clinical assessment and preclinical studies. A current trend in the clinical practice of oncology is to use a combination of modalities to assess tumors, particularly staging and evaluation of therapeutic response. Recent years have seen a tremendous explosion in both the number and the quantity of imaging techniques that can be applied in the quantitative characterization of cancer. Relevant techniques that have been developed report on tumor cellularity, vessel perfusion and permeability, hypoxic fractions, and cellular and molecular signatures. MRI is currently one of the more powerful techniques available in medical imaging, and quantitative MRI technique can be moved from bench to bedside. This book is from the series entitled "Imaging in Medical Diagnosis and Therapy," edited by Dr. William R. Hendee. The goal of this book is to provide a 1-volume overview of the theoretic and experimental essentials of MRI. This book consists of 5 parts with 22 chapters. Part 1 deals with the physical basis of MRI and has 4 chapters related to biology and imaging of cancer, MRI physics, hardware and data acquisition of MRI, and image formation. Part 2 discusses the characterization of tissue properties with endogenous contrast mechanisms and has 5 chapters dealing with quantitative measurement of T1, T2, T2*, and proton density; arterial spin labeling techniques; diffusion MRI; magnetization transfer and chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging in cancer; and MR spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging of tumor physiology and metabolism. Part 3 addresses the characterization of tissue properties with exogenous contrast agents and has 5 chapters handling contrast agents for T1-weighted MRI, nanoparticles for T2and T2*-weighted MRI, dynamic contrast MRI, dynamic susceptibility MRI, and MR angiography. Part 4 covers imaging processing in cancer, with 5 chapters related to MRI of tissue oxygenation status, clinical assessment of the therapeutic response of tumors with MRI, image segmentation, spatial and temporal image registration, and synthesis of multiparametric data. Part 5 is dedicated to emerging trends and has 3 chapters dealing with MRI in radiation therapy planning, molecular and cellular imaging, and hyperpolarized MRI of cancer. This book presents a range of quantitative MRI methods for assessing tumor biology, including biophysical and theoretic explanation of the most relevant MRI techniques as well as examples of these techniques in cancer applications. A more quantitative (and potentially more pathologically specific) approach to tissue modeling is necessary to separate the contrast due to magnetization transfer from that due to relaxation. A goal of quantitative studies of chemical exchange saturation transfer is to isolate the underlying biophysical changes that occur in pathology. There have been several studies that quantified metabolite concentration or exchange by determining signal ratios of multiple agents for chemical exchange saturation transfer. It is of note that there is no dedicated chapter on quantification of MRI. Images are clear and instructive, although the paper is not glossy. References are updated. I recommend this special book to trainees and radiologists using advanced MRI and to basic scientists and physician scientists using MRI.


Tight seal whole-cell recordings of the light-induced current (LIC) were made from photoreceptors in dissociated Drosophila ommatidia. In dark-adapted cells dim light evokes discrete events (quantum bumps) 4‒10 pA in amplitude at resting potential ( ‒ 55 mV). Flash responses scale linearly with light intensity up to an intensity of at least 100 absorbed photons. The dependence of the LIC's reversal potential on [Ca0] suggests that the channels are primarily permeable to Ca2+ (PCa:PNa ca. 25:1). The current‒voltage relation of the LIC is inwardly rectifying up to reversal potential ( + 10 mV in 0.5 mM Ca0) and then becomes outwardly rectifying. The time to peak increases by up to five times over the range ‒80 to + 60 mV. Raising [Ca0] shortens the time to peak and lessens its dependence on holding potential. It is suggested that there is a sequential positive and negative feedback mediated by Ca2+ ions entering the cell during the light response. In support of this hypothesis, raising [Ca0] during the response first greatly enhances the LIC and then inhibits it. Hyperpolarizing the cell (which will increase the electromotive force for calcium) during the response also results in a transient increase in conductance followed by inhibition. The transient increase in particular can be so rapid (1‒3 ms) that the site of action may be at the channel itself.


Combination the theories of Factors Neural Networks, the network defense situation niching model is defined. And the networks defense situation extraction, comprehension and display is divided from the model. The factors rattan, net and the niching situation chart of defense situation are got through formalization analysis. The simulation experiments and results are given, the results proof that the model is useful for networks defense simulation research and training.


The time of flowering in Arabidopsis is controlled by multiple endogenous and environmental signals. Some of these signals promote the onset of flowering, whereas others repress it. We describe here the isolation and characterization of two allelic mutations that cause early flowering and define a new locus, EARLY BOLTING IN SHORT DAYS (EBS). Acceleration of flowering time in the ebs mutants is especially conspicuous under short-day photoperiods and results from a reduction of the adult vegetative phase of the plants. In addition to the early flowering phenotype, ebs mutants show a reduction in seed dormancy, plant size, and fertility. Double mutant analysis with gibberellin-deficient mutants indicates that both the early-flowering and the precocious-germination phenotypes require gibberellin biosynthesis. Analysis of the genetic interactions among ebs and several mutations causing late flowering shows that the ft mutant phenotype is epistatic over the early flowering of ebs mutants, suggesting that the precocious flowering of ebs requires the FT gene product. Finally, the ebs mutation causes an increase in the level of expression of the floral homeotic genes APETALA3 (AP3), PISTILLATA (PI), and AGAMOUS (AG) and partially rescues the mutant floral phenotype of leafy-6 (lfy-6) mutants. These results suggest that EBS participates as a negative regulator in developmental processes such as germination, flowering induction, and flower organ specification.


Globally, individuals and communities that are marginalized based on their identities are at heightened risk for exposure to traumatic stress and socioeconomic hardship. Marginalization and disproportionate risk for many types of adversities correspond with disparities in physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. Together, the 12 empirical studies, one systematic review, and commentary in this special issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress highlight the impact of discrimination and disproportionate adversity among groups marginalized based on race, ethnicity, nativity, caste, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, and medical status. Although most studies in this issue focus on the United States, the articles that focus on disparities and risk factors in India, El Salvador, Uganda, and Burundi provides a multicontinent global perspective. The global perspective, including the impact of the global pandemic, invites further examination of how disproportionate exposure to traumatic stress and adversity are associated with inequitable burden and health disparities worldwide. This special issue further highlights the developmental and multigenerational burden of systemic marginalization by including studies of children, young adults, adults, and parent-child dyads. Pathways for change and intervention are illustrated through a liberatory consciousness perspective, with one study utilizing liberatory media skills (e.g., positive media images and messages) to mitigate the adverse effects of trauma exposure on at-risk young adults of color. Worldwide, research on the effects of trauma, stress, and adversities must examine contextual factors (e.g., economic hardship), marginalization (e.g., discrimination, identity factors), and the differential impact on health among individuals and communities.


Visual markers, in particular QR codes, have become widely adopted in museums to enable low cost interactive applications. However, visitors often do not engage with them. In this paper we explore the application of visual makers that can be designed to be meaningful and that can be created by visitors themselves. We study both the use of these markers as labels for portraits that link to audio recordings and as a mechanism for visitors to contribute their own reflections to the exhibition by drawing a marker and linking an audio comment. Our findings show visitors appreciated the use of the aesthetic markers and engaged with them at three levels -- physical placement, aesthetic content and digital content. We suggest that these different levels need to be considered in the design of future visiting systems, which make use of such markers, to ensure they are mutually supporting in shaping the experience.


The present study examined whether early adolescent females' school grades, educational aspirations, educational expectations, and the discrepancy between their aspirations and expectations could be predicted by maternal depressive symptoms. Of special interest was the potential moderating role of family structure, that is, whether the girls living in single-mother households were more vulnerable to the effects of maternal depressive mood state than were the girls living in intact, two-parent families. Questionnaire data were gathered from 44 mother-daughter dyads. Analyses indicated that for the single-mother/daughter subsample only, maternal depression scores predicted daughters' educational expectations over and above the effects of key parenting practices and level of maternal education. Possible reasons for the moderating effect of family structure, and the significance of examining academic-related perceptions among early adolescent girls are discussed Themes including daughters serving as emotional confidantes to their mothers and mother-daughter emotional interreactivity are considered


Preface. List of Contributors. Some Current Challenges in Crystal Engineering A. Nangia, et al. Structural and Crystallographic Aspects of Supramolecular Engineering. Structure-Property Relations, Polymorphism and Crystal Growth J. Bernstein. The Computer Prediction of the Assembling of Organic Molecules into Crystals: A Perspective A. Gavezzotti, G. Filippini. Molecular Networks: An Approach to Coordination Polymers C. Kaes, M.W. Hosseini. The Prediction and Production of Polar Molecular Materials: From Markov's Theory to Crystal Growth J. Hulliger, et al. NMR Spectroscopy and the Development of Structural Models for Crystalline Supramolecular Solids - Applications to p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes J.A. Ripmeester. Crystal Engineering of Purely Organic Molecular Magnets: What Can ab initio Computations Tell Us? J.J. Novoa, et al. Hysteresis and Memory Effect in Supramolecular Chemistry O. Kahn, et al. Tunable Nitroxide Free Radical Ligands: From Zero- to Two-Dimensional Metal-Radical Networks P. Rey, D. Luneau. Examples of Supramolecular Coordination Compounds and Their Supramolecular Functions S. Decurtins, et al. Manganoporphyrin TCNE Electron Transfer Complexes - Structure Function Correlations J.S. Miller, E.J. Brandon. Dithiadiazolyl Radicals as Molecular Bricks for High Tc Organic Magnets G. Antorrena, et al. Host-Guest Interactions for Tuning the Magnetic Coupling in Metal Ion Clusters G.L. Abbati, et al. Exotic Crystal Structures and Magnetic Properties of Nitronyl Nitroxide Cation Radical Salts. Collapse of Spin-Gap Ground State in Distorted Antiferromagnetic Kagome Lattices K. Awaga, et al. Conductivity, Chirality and Conductivity in Layer Molecular Magnets P. Day. Molecular Conductors and Magnets: Structure-Property Relationships M. Kurmoo, et al. Hybrid Materials Formed by Two Molecular Networks. Magnetic Conductors, Magnetic Multilayers and Magnetic Films M. Clemente-Leon, et al. Interplay of Conductivity and Magnetism in BETS-Derived Compounds. (BETS = bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene) P. Cassoux, H. Kobayashi. The Flexibility of Molecular Components as a Tool in the Construction of Conducting and Magnetic Systems M. Fourmigue, B. Domercq. Hydrogen Bonding and Transport Properties of Molecular Conductors E. Canadell. Insight into the Behavior of M(TCNQ)n (n 1, 2) Crystalline Solids and Films: X-Ray, Magnetic and Conducting Properties H. Zhao, et al. Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) Derivatives as Versatile Building Blocks: From Metals to Spin Ladders C. Rovira. Novel Hyper Electron-Accepting Molecules for Development of Organic Materials F. Wudl, et al. Low-Dimensional Organic Superconductors k-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]X, where X Br0.5Cl0.5, Br0.7Cl0.3 and Br0.9GBP/YYGBP0.1 R.P. Shibaeva, et al. Tetrathiafulvalenes: Building Blocks in Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry J. Becher, et al. A New Range of Functionalised Tetrathiafulvalenes and Their Cation Radical Salts: Synthetic and Solid State Studies M.R. Bryce, et al. New Tetrathiafulvalenes for Advanced Materials A. Gorgues, et al. Metal Phosphonate Langmuir-Blodgett Films: Magnetic Monolayers and Organic/Inorganic Dual Network Assemblies G.E. Fanucci, et al. Supramolecular Engineering of Conducting Thin Films by Covalently Hinging Electroactive Molecular Surfactants T. Bjornholm, et al. Subject Index.


EEG recordings from 5 different brain areas of freely moving rats were performed under controlled vigilance stage conditions. Effects of antidepressant and neuroleptic drugs were assessed following their intraperitoneal injection. Quantification of the drug effects was achieved by analysis of variance following on-line fast-Fourier transformation of the EEG signal. This resulted in so-called drug profiles. From the individual antidepressant and neuroleptic drug profiles, an antidepressant and neuroleptic drug class profile was calculated. Using the absolute power for the calculation of the antidepressant and neuroleptic drug class profiles gave a better discrimination between the two drug class profiles than using the relative power. The antidepressant and neuroleptic drug class profiles derived from the n. amygdala and hippocampus did not show significant differences. The antidepressant and neuroleptic drug class profiles showed significant differences (p less than 0.05) in rather small frequency bands from the n. caudatus (16-14 Hz), n. accumbens septum (19-24 and 27-31 Hz) and cortex (10-20 Hz).


A large amount of non-renewable resources is used in buildings. A façade, as an interface between the internal and external environment, has crucial impacts on the energy demand and of the indoor environmental quality in a building. Adaptive façade technologies represent a valuable opportunity to reduce the impact of energy use in buildings while improving the environmental quality. This paper presents the implementation of an inverse method to evaluate the potential of adaptive insulation materials. The method is implemented within a bespoke tool that combines multi-objective optimisation coupled with building performance simulation (BPS). A possible configuration of an adaptive insulation wall is proposed, adopting an actively controllable thermal transmittance on the outer and inner surface of an opaque construction. The energy saving and thermal comfort improvements of adopting the adaptive insulation is evaluated with a south-oriented reference cellular office room in a temperate climate. It is found that the proposed adaptive insulation construction could save 25-35% of energy, and improve the indoor thermal comfort by 40-60%, compared to static insulation solutions. This method and the bespoke tool are also useful for evaluating the performance of other adaptive technologies.


Any design challenge could be solved by identifying systemic complexity in the issue before following any problem-solving process. Designers approach problems in different forms but historically worked effectively to build a template or phase sequence. The design process can be used by designers virtually in any project which plays a crucial role in designing innovative architectural projects for many architects. Many studies were conducted to analyze, review, compare and recommend several creative approaches to problem management that allow designers to recognize their work and propose new solutions. However, there are not many studies on the stages to follow to undergo a comprehensive design process in architecture. This study aims to review the various stages involved in the design process. Firstly, it addresses the conceptualization phase of design critically examining the creativity and ideation process with creative and strategic thinking. Secondly, it discusses the representation of the design process expressing through storyboards and animatic, computer-aided design and building information modeling, and virtual reality and augmented environments. Thirdly, it discusses design assessment stage where the techniques for assessment of creativity in design and simulation for analyzing users' perspective is explained. In the conclusions of the paper, a discussion has been made on an inter-relationship between the various stages in the design process and its relevance for a comprehensive understanding of the architectural integrative design process to address any design challenge both as a studio project for architecture students or in live projects by the practicing architects.


Jet mills are common devices used in industry for the fine milling of dry particulate materials. The size reduction is caused by repeated impaction events between particles. Although many parameters affect the performance of a jet‐mill, only a few of them have been investigated by researchers to date. Furthermore, the published investigations test only a few materials. In order to bridge the knowledge gaps which exist, a new experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to enable experiments involving as many influencing parameters as possible. The new apparatus enables changing of the material feeding, mass flow rate, air flow rate, nozzle parameters (velocity, diameter, angle, number and shape), grinding chamber height and the classifier orientation. In this paper, preliminary experimental results concerning a number of the aforementioned parameters and their effect on the mill performance are presented.


Horns of bovids are remarkably diverse. This diversity may reflect functional differences associated with the use of horns as intraspecific weapons. I use measurements from museum specimens and behavioral data from the literature to examine the relationship between morphology of horns of males and fighting behavior in 21 species of bovids, representing 11 of the 12 bovid tribes. A high correlation between morphology of horns and fighting behavior was found. In particular, a short horn reach and undeveloped catching arch is associated with stabbing behavior; a long horn reach, with wrestling and fencing behavior; a well-developed catching arch, with wrestling behavior; and robust, recurved horns, with ramming behavior. A phylogeny of bovid tribes suggests that these features of morphology of horns and fighting behavior are rapidly evolving and frequently convergent.


This paper presents a reconfiguration control strategy for Network Control Systems that makes use of a Fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno Model Predictive Control. The dynamic behaviour of a Network Control System is modelled by using a real-time implementation of the scheduling algorithm. Here, this is applied for a magnetic levitation system, as a plant that is also modelled using a Fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno approach. Thus, this paper covers several design issues, like for instance, how to model a computer network, a plant, and a reconfiguration control strategy, as well as how the reconfiguration control strategy is modified using the Fuzzy approach.


Abstract The compressive stability of anti-symmetric angle-ply laminated plates with particular reference to the degrading influence of membrane-flexural coupling is reported in this paper. A specific configuration of anti-symmetric laminate is dealt with in the paper and this takes the form [θ/-θ]n whereby 2n is the total number of plies in the laminated stack. With regard to compressive buckling the paper gives an indication that anti-symmetric laminates with 8 plies or more will yield performance levels which are almost identical to their symmetric counterparts. The degree of membrane-flexural coupling in the laminated composite plates is varied, essentially, by changing the ply angle and also by altering the number of plies in the laminated stack, for a given composite material system. The coupled compressive buckling solutions are determined using the finite strip method of analysis. In order to provide an adequate level of flexibility in the analysis procedure and to ensure a high level of accuracy of solution, the buckling displacement fields of the strip formulation are those which are described in a multi-term form. Results are given for anti-symmetric angle-ply laminated plates subjected to uniaxial and biaxial compression and these have been obtained from fully converged finite strip structural models. Validation of the finite strip formulation is indicated in the paper through comparisons with exact solutions where appropriate. The natural half-wavelength of the compressive buckling mode of the composite plates is shown to be significantly influenced by variation in the ply angle. Increasing the number of plies in the laminated system is seen to reduce the degree of coupling and the critical stress levels are noted to tend towards the plate orthotropic solutions. The ply angle corresponding to the optimised, compressive buckling stress for any particular laminate is noted in the paper to be influenced by the support boundary conditions at the plates unloaded edges.


Students enter courses in engineering with intuitions about physical phenomena. Through coursework they build on their intuition to develop a set of beliefs about the subject. Often, their understanding of basic concepts is incomplete and their explanations are not "correct". Concept inventories are assessment tools designed to determine the degree to which students understand the concepts of a subject and to identify the bases for misunderstandings. A cooperative effort between faculty at the Universities of Wisconsin and Illinois has been undertaken to develop a concept inventory for heat transfer. The process initiated with student identification of the conceptual problems rather than with faculty perceptions of student misunderstandings. Students then explored areas of conceptual difficulty and phrased questions that would test understanding of the concepts. Students working together with faculty developed a concept inventory for heat transfer. The presentation will report on the experience with using student groups and the resulting concept inventory.


CEL-I is a Gal/GalNAc-specific C-type lectin isolated from the sea cucumber Cucumaria echinata. This lectin is composed of two carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs) with the carbohydrate-recognition motif QPD (Gln-Pro- Asp), which is generally known to exist in galactose-specific C-type CRDs. In the present study, a mutant CEL-I with EPN (Glu-Pro-Asn) motif, which is thought to be responsible for the carbohydrate-recognition of mannose-specific Ctype CRDs, was produced in Escherichia coli, and its effects on the carbohydrate-binding specificity were examined using polyamidoamine dendrimer (PD) conjugated with carbohydrates. Although wild-type CEL-I effectively formed complexes with N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-PD but not with mannose-PD, the mutant CEL-I showed relatively weak but definite affinity for mannose-PD. These results indicated that the QPD and EPN motifs play a significant role in the carbohydrate-recognition mechanism of CEL-I, especially in the discrimination of galactose and mannose. Additional mutations in the recombinant CEL-I binding site may further increase its specificity for mannose, and should provide insights into designing novel carbohydrate-recognition proteins.


Exosomal miRNAs are used as novel non-invasive biomarkers for detection strategies of human disease. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential clinical value of exosomal miRNAs for myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis and treatment. Differentially expressed miRNAs were obtained from normal cardiomyocytes, MI cardiomyocytes and adjacent normal cardiomyocytes using miRNA microarray analysis. Exosomes were isolated by centrifugation and identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and western blot. The expression of miR-328-3p in exosomes was then verified by qRT-PCR. Cell apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry and TUNEL analysis. The MI severity was confirmed by masson's trichrome staining and echocardiography. MiR-328-3p was significantly increased in the MI cardiomyocytes and adjacent normal cardiomyocytes. We further confirmed miR-328-3p increasing in the exosomes from MI cardiomyocytes, which can be taken into normal cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, exogenous exosomal miR-328-3p increased apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and promoted MI. Genes regulated by miR-328-3p are mainly enriched in Caspase signaling, which is an important apoptosis regulating signaling pathway. Additionally, Caspase-3 inhibitor, Z-DEVD-FMK, reversed apoptosis and MI promoting function of miR-328-3p. Exosomal miR-328-3p is a potential novel diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for MI, and Z-DEVD-FMK could reverse the apoptosis progression induced by miR-328-3p.


The second half of the Homeric line Il. 24.58 ('´Eκτωρ μeν ϑνητoς τe γυναικα τe ϑησατo μαζoν) was explained by ancient grammarians in different ways. By means of notions of ellipsis, pleonasm, and substitution they interpreted the words. Not before Eustathius are found the beginnings of an explanation based on the idea of the whole and the part and which is very close to the modern notion of the σχημα καϑ' oλoν και κατα μeρoς, although is erm never was in use. In the second part of this paper the annotation of the scholium, repeated in Eustathius, that the Stoics detected here a solecism, is discussed. This annotation has never been used in treatments of Stoic theory of language and is a very precious addition to the very few cases of solecism known to us as having been noticed by them. With the help of many other texts it is possible to come to the conclusion that the Stoics objected to the use of the middle voice ϑησατo = eϑηλασατo in connection with a baby child, instead of the active form. Very probably they called this type of solecism eπικυματισμoς, 'fluctuation'.


Internet as a new media, nowadays, has function in providing the information without limit. Internet usage in education especially use in the college can support the academicians to gather the information from a website that specially designed by the University. In this research the writer use a quantitative descriptive approach that aims to search the influence of the usability, the information quality and the service interaction quality of Riau University library's website regarding to the user satisfaction using a questionnaire as a tool in collecting data that the queries formed by instrument of method named WebQual 4.0. Population in this research is all of students of Riau University totally sample to 100 correspondents which are selected by using a combination between cluster sampling and accidental sampling technique. The writer uses a multiple linear regression in analyzing data and a statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) software version 20 for Windows in processing data. The result shows there is a simultaneously positive effect between the usability, the information quality and the service interaction variables to user satisfaction. Parsially, the usability and the information quality variables shows the positive effect but insignificantly against to user satisfaction and the service interaction quality variable of Riau University library's website shows the positive effect and significantly influence the user. Counting the satisfactory of Riau University students to this research instrument shows that the dominant answer are satisfied, but the time accuracy of updating information and fulfillment for services shows unsatisfied. Keywords: Information Quality, Library's Website, New Media, Service Interaction Quality, Usability, User Satisfaction, WebQual 4.0


Viral safety of human plasma products plays a key role in their safe uses. Solvent- detergent (SD) virus-inactivation method has gained widespread popularity in the manufacture of biological products. This treatment which inactivates lipid -enveloped viruses effectively consists of incubation of a plasma protein solution in the presence of a non-volatile organic solvent and a detergent. In this study, IgMenriched immunoglobulin was incubated at 24 °C for 6 h under slow stirring in the presence of tri(nbutyl) phosphate (0.3% w/w ) as solvent and tween 80 (1% w/w) as detergent. After completion of the inactivation process and removal of the solvent-detergent , the ability of SD -treatment to remove Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus (a lipid-enveloped virus) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus (a non-enveloped virus) were evaluated by "virus spiking studies" using a scaled down process. Reduction factor of 4 log was obtained for the SD-treatment of IgM-enriched immunoglobulin spiked with IBR virus. No virus inactivation was observed in the SD-treated IgM-enriched immunoglobulin, spiked with Foot-and -Mouth Disease virus. It was concluded that treatment of IgM -enriched immunoglobulin with TNBP-TWEEN 80 may be considered as an efficient lipid-enveloped virus inactivation step in the manufacture of this product.


Spatially resolved thermal profiling of a semiconductor optical amplifier enables measurement of the gain and saturation characteristics without recourse to direct optical measurements. We observe the spatial onset of gain saturation, quantify both the saturated and unsaturated gain, and accurately predict the optical output power. Effects such as suboptimal operating conditions are identified. Since this method is independent of optical measurements, it is ideal for use with integrated devices.


The word Islam as a verbal form is derived from the infinitive Arabic trilateral root of silm, salamet (peace and security). Therefore, if its nature has been peace and salvation, how can we interpret Jihad verses? The subject of this article focuses on this point. In this article, the writer discusses the subject and the impact of this apparent paradox on the direction of Islam according to Quranic verses. The interpretation of Jihad that the writer intends to explore best fits the religion which in its nature is peace and


Precise identification of exotic whiteflies is a prerequisite to curb the invasive potential on to a new geographical location and to evolve effective management strategies. Conventionally, whitefly taxonomy is based on the description of the fourth‐instar nymph or puparium, however, in the current investigation egg to adult morphology along with morphometrics of rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin was critically analyzed and various morphological characteristics were illustrated. The morphometric analysis revealed that in the immature life stages of the pest, the length: width ratio decreased with each successive life stage, such as the egg, first, second, third, and fourth instar (2.472 ± 0.071, 1.913 ± 0.020, 1.550 ± 0.045, 1.297 ± 0.034, and 1.174 ± 0.058 mm), respectively. Across different nymphal instars, the shape of lingula was greatly modified from tongue‐like to triangle‐shaped. The number and distribution of compound pores also vary among the different nymphal stages. The ultra‐structures of the antenna through electron‐microscopy depicted finer details of sensory cones. The modulation in the shape and the structural arrangement of microtrichia on the plate was illustrated. The study indicated accurate diagnosis of various stages of RSW for effective interception of goods at quarantine stations and thus preventing the entry of exotic pests into the country.


Summary.  Dual agonist stimulation of platelets with thrombin and convulxin results in generation of coated‐platelets, a sub‐population of cells known formerly as COAT‐platelets (collagen and thrombin). Coated‐platelets retain several procoagulant proteins on their surface and express phosphatidylserine (PS). In this report, we utilize a new methodology to demonstrate that coated‐platelets also release microparticles. Platelets were prelabeled with 2.5 μm Bodipy‐maleimide and then stimulated with convulxin plus thrombin. Microparticles, 0.3–0.5 μm in diameter, were observed by fluorescence confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy was also used to demonstrate that microparticles were positive for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa, glycoprotein Ib, CD9, and PS, but negative for fibrinogen and thrombospondin. Furthermore, microparticles released from Bodipy‐labeled platelets were observed by flow cytometry, and activation with convulxin plus thrombin produced 15 ± 5 microparticles per coated‐platelet. In contrast, platelets stimulated with thrombin or convulxin alone produced few microparticles. Phenylarsine oxide and diamide, both of which potentiate the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and coated‐platelet production, significantly increased the number of microparticles released per coated‐platelet.


Gestational hypertension (GH) is a common complication of pregnancy which mandates close attention as some patients develop preeclampsia. Limited data exist regarding left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in patients with GH. The purpose of the study was to measure echocardiographic indices of LV diastolic function in GH patients and compare to these of healthy pregnant women. We studied 27 patients with GH (blood pressure ≥140/90 arising de novo after the 20th week of pregnancy without evidence of proteinuria) and 27 healthy pregnant women after the 20th week of gestation. Patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study. The two groups did not differ significantly regarding age (32.6±1.2 vs 29.8±1.2 years, p=0.11) and week of gestation (33.3±1.0 vs 34.2±1.0, p=0.49), but did so regarding body surface area (1.92±0.04 vs 1.82±0.03 m2, p=0.04), a difference mostly due to the higher weight values in the GH group. A detailed echocardiographic study was performed, including mitral inflow variables, pulmonary venous flow profile, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) of mitral annular motion and color M-mode derived velocity of early diastolic flow propagation (Vp). Log transformations were employed for some variables in order to meet normal distribution. An analysis of covariance of echo parameters by fitting group as a fixed effect and age, week, and body surface area as covariates was applied to detect significant group differences. Results are expressed as means±SE. GH patients had significantly longer E-wave deceleration time [log10(DT): 2.28±0.01 vs 2.23±0.01, p=0.0271], longer duration of atrial reversal [log10(ARdur): 2.03±0.01 vs 1.98±0.01, p=0.0037] and lower Vp [log10(Vp): 1.76±0.02 vs 1.83±0.02, p=0.0172]. Atrial reversal duration equal to or longer than A-wave duration strongly indicates presence of GH. All other variables did not differ significantly between groups (20.2±0.7 vs 20.4±0.7 cm/sec, p=0.85 for Ea). Patients with GH exhibit differences in selected indices of LV diastolic function compared to healthy pregnant women, possibly reflecting some degree of LV diastolic dysfunction. Echocardiographic study of LV diastolic function could aid in the diagnostic evaluation and follow-up of these patients. Further studies are required to assess possible prognostic implications.


EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the preferred initial treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring sensitive EGFR mutations. Sadly, remission is transient, and no approved effective treatment options are available for EGFR-TKI-advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLCs. Although immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) induces sustained cancer remission in a subset of NSCLCs, ICI therapy exhibits limited activity in most EGFR-mutant NSCLCs. Mechanistically, the strong oncogenic EGFR signaling in EGFR-mutant NSCLCs contributes to a non-inflamed tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), characterized by a limited number of CD8+ T cell infiltration, a high number of regulatory CD4+ T cells, and an increased number of inactivated infiltrated T cells. Additionally, EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients are generally non-smokers with low levels of PD-L1 expression and tumor mutation burden. Promisingly, a small population of EGFR-mutant NSCLCs still durably respond to ICI therapy. The hope of ICI therapy from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials is reviewed in EGFR-mutant NSCLCs. The challenges of application ICI therapy in EGFR-mutant NSCLCs are also reviewed.


In this work the Eu ion was used as optical probe, by considering its hypersensitive transitions to follow changes in the local environment. Eu ions were incorporated into gel via dissolution of soluble species into the initial precursor TiO2 sol. The TiO2/Eu films were spin-coated on glass wafers. A spectroscopic study of the Eu impurity in function of the heat treatment provided to the TiO2 matrix was done. Anatase nanophase was obtained after heat treatment at 600°C for 1h and it was detected by X-ray diffraction. An absorption band located in the UV region between 300-360 nm is due to the band gap of the titania host. Results of emission and excitation spectra at room temperature of Eu inserted in the TiO2 matrix are presented. The ratio of the F2/F1 transitions was calculated. The evolution of this ratio was interpreted in terms of the Eu symmetry site change when the nanocrystalline TiO2 phase was obtained.


This paper presents results of research conducted to characterize exhaust emissions for diesel engines typically used in forklift operation. Emissions characterization involved three fuels (MIL-F-46162A(MR), MIL-F-46162B(ME), and EPA DF-2 (Phillips Reference Fuel) and four engines, tested under a variety of steady-state conditions. Gaseous, particulate and unregulated emissions were included in the emissions characterization. Unregulated emissions included sulfur dioxide, sulfate, aldehydes, organic sulfides, odor, phenols, and nitroaromatics. In addition, selected engine malfunctions were evaluated to determine the effect on emissions. Results of this study, actual ambient measurements during diesel forklift operation in storage igloos and modeling studies will allow the U.S. Army to determine emission limits for diesel vehicles intended for use in enclosed areas.


According to the development of mobile communications, many people have been offered high qualify of the application services using portable terminals. But those works nay have many vulnerabilities and have the limit of excutaions. Because the application services are provided in mobile network and the performance of portable terminals is lower than that of base stations. To improve these problems, in this paper, we propose one-time proxy signature scheme that can reduce the computational ctsost on a user and prevent a proxy agent`s dishonesty. The proposed scheme is based on the KBLK scheme [2] which applied the fail-stop signature scheme [1]. It is constructed that a proxy signer can sign only one message with a proxy key and we add anonimity to it for the user`s identity protection in mobile communication like a M-commerce.


The present study deals with the experimental investigation of buried concrete pipes. Concrete pipes are buried in loose and dense conditions of gravelly sand soil and subjected to different surface loadings to study the effects of the backfill compaction on the pipe. The experimental investigation was accomplished using full-scale precast unreinforced concrete pipes with 300 mm internal diameter tested in a laboratory soil box test facility set up for this study. Two loading platforms are used namely, uniform loading platform and patch loading platform. The wheel load was simulated through patch loading platform which have dimensions of 254 mm *508 mm, which is used by AASHTO to model the wheel load of a HS20 truck. The pipe-soil systems were loaded up to pipes collapse. Pipes were instrumented with strain gauges to measure circumferential strains, in addition to dial gauges, for measurements of the pipe vertical deflections and settlement of the loading platforms. The test results indicated that flexure governed the buried pipe behavior. Flexural cracks formed slightly before the ultimate load. A comparison of soil backfill, between a loose and dense compaction, showed that the dense backfill improve largely the pipe installation and the strength ofpipe-soil system


Several authors have changed employment since this paper was written. Those authors and their new locations are: David Dolberg, Mobil Oil Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Jan Helgesen, CGG Norge, Hovik, Norway; Tore Hakon Hanssen, Fortum Petroleum, Oslo, Norway; Ingrid Magnus, Norsk Hydro ASA, Bergen, Norway; Girish Saigal, Norsk Hydro ASA, Oslo, Norway; and Bengt K. Pedersen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Lavrans Field lies offshore Norway on the western extreme of Halten Terrace, 15 km south of Smorbukk Field (Figure 1). Exploration in this area has been extremely active, yielding two large gas and condensate discoveries within Petroleum License 199—Lavrans Field to the east and Kristin Field to the west. Combined reserves are approximately 1200 million barrels oil equivalent of gas and condensate. Unique conditions have come together to provide hydrocarbons and preserved porosity at depths greater than 5 km. Figure 1.
Lavrans and Kristin fields relative to Smor-bukk. Field outlines (rose) are drawn on the map of the Base Cretaceous Unconformity. View is to the north.

Hydrocarbon-bearing sandstones at Lavrans have a thickness of 600 m. These reservoirs consist of shallow-marine deposits of Jurassic age. Although the facies can be laterally extensive, the overprint of diagenesis makes prediction of reservoir quality difficult. Seismic inversion provides insight to porosity variations away from limited well control. Thus, seismic inversion can be a valuable tool for reservoir characterization prior to field development. This study developed out of a need to better understand the significance of seismic amplitude variations over the crest of Lavrans Field (Figure 2). Hypotheses examined to explain amplitude variations were fluid effects, porosity, pressure changes, or processing and illumination artifacts. Figure 2.
Cross-line 3185 is a dip line through well 6406/2-2. Seismic anomalies are seen below the Top Ile Formation. Understanding the meaning of these amplitudes was a primary motivation …


Dopamine dyshomeostasis has been acknowledged to be among the determinants of nigrostriatal neuron degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Several studies in experimental models and postmortem PD patients underlined increasing levels of the aldehydic dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), which is highly reactive towards proteins. DOPAL has been shown to covalently modify the presynaptic protein αSynuclein (αSyn), whose misfolding and aggregation represent a major trait of PD pathology, triggering αSyn oligomerization in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we demonstrated that DOPAL elicits αSyn neuronal accumulation and hampers αSyn clearance at synapses and the soma. By combining cellular and in vivo models, we provided evidence that DOPAL-induced αSyn buildup lessens neuronal resilience, compromises synaptic integrity, and overwhelms protein quality control pathways, specifically at neuronal projections. The resulting progressive decline of neuronal homeostasis leads to dopaminergic neuron loss and motor impairment, corroborating the αSyn-DOPAL interplay as an early event in PD neurodegeneration.