In this paper, we present the design of a cryptographic core compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and based on FPGA. We have addressed several security problems that remain yet problematic concerning the implementation of the 802.15.4 security suites and the access control list (ACL). The cryptographic core consists of three components: a compact AES-CCM architecture, a content-addressable memory (CAM) that implements an access control list (ACL) and a modular exponentiation unit based on Montgomery arithmetic. The modular exponentiation core can be used to perform key agreement based on a variant of the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange (DHKE). The core has been synthesized in a Spartan-6 xc6slx75-3csg484 FPGA built on a 45 nm process. The total logic usage of the FPGA was 71 %.


Translation memories (TMs) used in computer-aided translation (CAT) systems are the highest-quality source of parallel texts since they consist of segment translation pairs approved by professional human translators. The obvious problem is their size and coverage of new document segments when compared with other parallel data. In this paper, we describe several methods for expanding translation memories using linguistically motivated segment combining approaches concentrated on preserving the high translational quality. The evaluation of the methods was done on a medium-size real-world translation memory and documents provided by a Czech translation company as well as on a large publicly available DGT translation memory published by European Commission. The asset of the TM expansion methods were evaluated by the pre-translation analysis of widely used MemoQ CAT system and the METEOR metric was used for measuring the quality of fully expanded new translation segments.


In this article, the authors describe certain interpretive issues raised by the newly enacted HSA rules, and make suggestions as to how these issues can be resolved by the IRS in a manner that supports the legislative goals underlying these new rules and helps ensure that HSAs will be successful. Their principal suggestion is that the IRS must interpret the HSA rules in a way that is consistent with common practice (and common sense) for health care plans. While the HSA rules clearly do require high-deductible health plans, the HSA rules do not require that insurers and employers change the core mechanics of their health plans in ways that will make HSAs unattractive to most people. If the IRS goes beyond merely requiring an increase in deductibles and requires other changes to the way health plans operate, the authors submit that HSAs will not be broadly accepted by consumers in the marketplace and financial institutions are unlikely to even offer HSA accounts.


Background: Lichen planus is a relatively common chronic inflammatory disease affecting skin and mucous membranes, separately or together. It frequently involves the oral cavity, with or without concomitant cutaneous compromise. Microscopically, while skin presents well characteristic aspects, oral mucosa can present variations related to local characteristics of the mucosa in the oral cavity. Objectives: To compare histopathological alterations of oral lichen planus and cutaneous lichen planus with the study of the inflammatory infiltrate components. Methods: 59 biopsies (29 of OLP and 30 of CLP), formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded were studied. Semi-quantitative analysis of both epidermal and dermal alterations was performed using the hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff stains. Results: For CLP the classic aspects of orthokeratosis, wedge shaped hypergranulosis and saw tooth rete ridges were observed. Such aspects differ from those of OLP in which orthokeratosis and thickened granular layer happen less frequently; instead, acquisition of those layers is observed in places where they are usually absent. Basal cell vacuolar alteration and effacement of the epithelium-conjunctive limit prevailed in both locations (skin and oral mucosa) and lymphocytes and histiocytes were the inflammatory cells present in all cases. Conclusions: Classic alterations as compact orthokeratosis, wedge shaped hypergranulosis, saw tooth rete ridges acanthosis and basal cell vacuolar alteration associates to lymphocytes in superficial band-like pattern are diagnostic of CLP. However, for OLP, the particular own characteristics of oral mucosa in the biopsied place should be considered; also, subtler alterations of horny (light orthokeratosis) and granular (presence where it is usually absent) layers should be valued . Wedge shape pattern of hypergranulosis is rarely seen in OLP. Saw tooth rete ridges acanthosis is not frequently seen in OLP, however, basal cell vacuolar alteration is always present and associated to band-like lymphocitic infiltrate. Plasma cells can accompany lymphocytes in OLP, however, they are absent in CLP. Lichen planus


This essay examines the views of Plato and Marx on the nature of man. For Plato, the human essence is the man-idea that inhabits the world of fixed and immutable archetypes, not subject to time. This idea justifies and gives purpose to man in existence, who is an incomplete representation of this archetype. According to this view, evolution is a progressive approximation of man's consciousness of himself. The passage of man through the material world is to provoke in him reminiscence of the truths that were once contemplated. For Marx, humans are productive beings. He creates himself up while engaging in activities to produce the things he needs to survive. All of those activities happen within and are affected by the context of production. The rural man is different from the urban man because they perform different activities to produce what they need to live. Unlike animals, which produce by instinct, man imagines what he wants to produce and often produces more than he needs to live. This leads to the idea of freedom. For Marx, man is free when he has control over his own life. Having control over one's life is to have control over one's productive activity and the products of one's activity. My purpose in this essay is to show that there is some similarity in the views on human nature of Plato and Marx.


In this Feature Article we describe recent progress in covalent surface patterning by microcontact chemistry. Microcontact chemistry is a variation of microcontact printing based on the transfer of reactive "ink" molecules from a microstructured, elastomeric stamp onto surfaces modified with complementary reactive groups, leading to a chemical reaction in the area of contact. In comparison with other lithographic methods, microcontact chemistry has a number of advantageous properties including very short patterning times, low consumption of ink molecules, high resolution and large area patterning. During the past 5 years we and many others have investigated a set of different reactions that allow the modification of flat and also spherical surfaces in an effective way. Especially click-type reactions were found to be versatile for substrate patterning by microcontact chemistry and were applied for chemical modification of reactive self-assembled monolayers and polymer surfaces. Microcontact chemistry has already found broad application for the production of functional surfaces and was also used for the preparation of DNA, RNA, and carbohydrate microarrays, for the immobilization of proteins and cells and for the development of sensors.


Milonni (preceding Comment, Phys. Rev. A 45, 2138 (1992)) raises objections to my work (Phys. Rev. A 42, 1476 (1990)) on Keldysh-like methods in photoionization. His results are shown to follow from procedures that are inappropriate to the strong-field environment of the Keldysh method. These procedures lead to physical inconsistencies. My technique is verified to be rigorous and unique.


In this paper we examine certain properties of the Dow Jones and the Nikkey indices, investigating the existence of stochastic and deterministic nonlinear structures. Using the detrended fluctuation analysis, we construct a local measurement of randomness which identifies some extreme events and their impact on the randomness of the systems. Our results suggest no evidence of chaos in the data. In fact, GARCH processes explain most of the nonlinear dependence in the Dow Jones daily returns and the estimated Kolmogorov entropy for the Nikkey index diverges, conversely to what one would expect if the data followed a chaotic dynamics.


As a basic operation of signal processing, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) has a strict demand with executing speed. However, the current widely used fast Fourier transform (FFT) which can greatly accelerate DFT can't still adapt to the required speed when the data amount is tremendous. There is an awareness of that parallel schemes can be an efficient way to accelerate the FFT computing. In this paper, a parallel FFT course and its scheduling scheme in multi-machines environmentwere introduced. How to do further optimization on this scheme for the optimal accelerating rate was discussed, and some basic principles were pointed out.


Abstract 1852 Introduction: Secondary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute leukemias are some of the most serious adverse side effects in the treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as those therapies affect the DNA methylation profile of different tissues. New data suggest that abnormalities in the DNA methylation profile would contribute to secondary leukemogenesis. In general, secondary MDS has a worse prognosis than de novo MDS. Azacitidine (AZA) is an hypomethylating agent approved in Europe for the treatment of MDS, based on the AZA-00 clinical trial. No secondary MDS was included in this trial. Until its approval in May 2009, AZA was used in Spain under compasionate use in clinical trials. Materials and Methods: Retrospective, longitudinal, multicenter Spanish study of data, promoted by the Hematology and Hematotherapy Andalusian Asociation and the Andalusian Group of MDS, on the course and management of patients treated with AZA under compasionate use. We present the analysis of clinical data of the 30 patients with Secondary MDS included in the registry. Results: Median age at diagnosed was 76 years. Male/female ratio: 13/17. ECOG performance status score 0–1 was 60%. The most frequently used initial dose of AZA was 75 mg/m2 in cycles of 28 days, administered subcutaneously (80%). The mean received cycles was 6. Overall response to treatment was 46.6% (International Working Group 2006 criteria): 16% complete response, 3.3% complete medullary response, 6.6% partial response and 20% hematological response. In addition, 23.3% had stable disease. AZA was generally tolerated well. The 3–4 grade adverse events documented in these patients were: Neutropenia (26%), thrombocytopenia (33%), anemia (20%), febrile neutropenia (3%), rash (6%), lumbar pain like colic type (3%) and subcutaneous reaction at the injection area (6%). Similar response ranges were found in patients with primary and secondary MDS, both within the registry as well as in the published literature. Conclusion: Our results show that patients with secondary MDS respond to AZA in the same manner as the primary patients do, although their prognosis is traditionally worse. These favorable results in secondary MDS suggest that these patients respond to the hypomethylating treatment, probably by the DNA methylation alterations involved in the leukemogenesis. More data from this registry and from different clinical trials are needed to confirm these data, and complete answers with survival analyses. Disclosures: Garcia: Celgene : Research Funding.


To develop a feasible perfusion-type bioartificial liver device, perfusion of hepatocyte-nonparenchymal cell (NPC) cocultures with medium supplemented with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) was carried out. On day 1 of culture, perfusion at a constant shear stress of 1.3 dyn/cm2 enhanced ammonia metabolic and urea synthetic activities of hepatocytes. These enhanced activities were sustained up to day 7 only when growth factors were present. In contrast, no beneficial effects of growth factors on these activities were observed in static cultures. In perfusion cultures, three-dimensional cell aggregates were formed. On the surface of these aggregates, flattened cell layers composed mainly of NPCs were found, and the central cluster of cell aggregates was composed of round-shaped hepatocytes and reticulin fibrils. These observations strongly suggested that the reconstruction of different types of liver cells and connective tissues formed tissue-mimicking cell aggregates in the perfusion culture that was able to modulate the liver-specific functions of hepatocytes. Thus, perfusion culture conditions of the hepatocyte--NPC coculture system should be appropriately designed to induce suitable reconstruction of the cultured cells for use as a bioartificial liver device.


Nowadays, the world is facing problem of lowering petroleum fuel stocks and its environmental impact. Physic nuts (Jatropha curcas L.) is a plant that can be used as biodiesel feedstock. Extention problem of physic nuts cropping area and its role as biodiesel source is still limited due to low economical value and low productivity. This paper elucidates source and sink and their correlation to productivity based on research. Research strategies are directed to study increase biological yield (biomass) and economical yield (seed and oil content) of physic nut. The yield can be increased by synergizing between source and sink. Alleviating source could be done by increasing the ability of plant in increasing photoshinthesis rate, arranging canopy architecture, and prolonging the age leaves especially during seed development. Sink process could be optimized through promoting number of female flower, number of seeds, and increasing seed init iat ion and development. The source and sink improvement can be implemented through genotype selection for breeding materials. Cultivation technology improvement can be conducted plant optimum spacing and population arrangement, prunning, fert ilizing, waterBuletin Tanaman Tembakau, Serat & Minyak I ndustri 7(1), April 2015:52−68 ISSN: 2085-6717, e-I SSN: 2406-8853 Mastur: Sinkronisasi source dan sink untuk peningkatan produkt ivitas biji pada tanaman jarak pagar 53 ing/ irrigation, and plant growth regulator application to support productive canopy as assimilat supplier, and also enlarge seed capacity and strength as main sink trough optimum use assimilate for seed and lipid biosynthesis. Therefore, it will be achieved high productivity of physic nuts as a consequences of high biomass and high harvest index.


Explainability of machine learning (ML) techniques in digital pathology (DP) is of great significance to facilitate their wide adoption in clinics. Recently, graph techniques encoding relevant biological entities have been employed to represent and assess DP images. Such paradigm shift from pixel-wise to entity-wise analysis provides more control over concept representation. In this paper, we introduce a post-hoc explainer to derive compact per-instance explanations emphasizing diagnostically important entities in the graph. Although we focus our analyses to cells and cellular interactions in breast cancer subtyping, the proposed explainer is generic enough to be extended to other topological representations in DP. Qualitative and quantitative analyses demonstrate the efficacy of the explainer in generating comprehensive and compact explanations.


In an increasingly market-driven economy, Catholic health care is confronted with the challenge of maintaining adequate care of the poor. To do this, Catholic health care decision makers must reach consensus on the priority that must be given to mission-oriented activities. This commitment must be economically measurable to ensure that decision makers' personal socioeconomic philosophies do not dictate priorities. A clear consensus on ministry values also is essential when Catholic organizations choose corporate partners and interact with other groups in society. Catholic health care's collective economic behavior will fail to give a meaningful societal witness to Christian values if ministry values are not demonstrated in the services that are provided. Moreover, if decision makers do not make a prior allocation of resources for the poor and mission-oriented activities, the organization will drift from its fundamental goals and instead provide services on the basis of their ability to make money.


Corethrellids are hematophagous flies that locate their frog hosts by using their calls as an auditory cue. The attractiveness of frog calls to these insects has been associated with the complexity of the vocalisation or an evolutionary relationship between the fly and frog species. We investigated the possible preferences of a local Corethrella fauna for the calls of six anurans, three species of the genus Boana (Hylidae) and three Physalaemus (Leptodactylidae) species in the Atlantic Rainforest of southern Brazil. We recorded loops of the natural advertisement calls of the different frog host species, which we broadcast from acoustic traps consisting of modified CDC (Center for Disease Control) traps fitted with a speaker under the collecting system, but without a source of light. Nine species of hematophagous flies were captured during 360 h of trapping. Three of the species captured were new to Brazil, and two could not be identified and may represent new taxa. Two corethrellid species contributed 75% of the individuals captured and were present in all the acoustic traps, while three species were attracted to only one trap. The median richness and abundance of corethrellids varied significantly in relation to the different calls broadcast by the traps. These differences in the abundance and species richness of Corethrella in the traps indicate that the frog calls vary in their attractiveness to the hematophagous flies. A model‐based analysis using mvabund also indicated that the frog species and genera that produced the calls used in an acoustic trap were a significant factor determining the composition of the Corethrella assemblages captured in that trap. The variation found in the Corethrella communities of southern Brazil may be explained not only by the acoustic traits of frog vocalisations but also by differences in the morphological and ecological characteristics of the frog species.


Effects of Manganese exposure to pregnant rats on the growth and development of their offsprings were as follows: (1) the gain of body weight and brain weight in the high dose Mn-exposed offspring was significantly lower but the ratio of brain to body weight was significantly higher; (2) in Morris Water Maze Test, the average latency to find the hidden platform in the high dose Mn-exposed offsprings was obviously reduced during the first 5 days. But on the non-platform test day, a much longer length of swimming in the quadrant in which the hidden platform was located previously, although no difference was found for the total distance between them; (3) the immunoreactivity of glial fibrillary acid protein and the average density of its products in hippocampus of both the low and high dose Mn-exposed groups, especially of the high dose one, was significantly higher than that of the control group.


The pancreas is a mixed (exocrine and endocrine) glandular organ that is important for food digestion and glucose homeostasis. Developmental anomalies or disorders that affect normal pancreas homeostasis may cause various life-threatening diseases such as pancreatitis, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and pancreatic cancer. In the past two decades, an increasing number of studies have begun to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating mammalian pancreas organogenesis. The information extracted from these studies should be valuable both, to better understand the etiology of some pancreatic diseases, and to design new therapeutic tools to cure those diseases. A recent study reported expression of the homeodomain transcription factor Prox1 in the presumptive pancreatic region of mouse embryos. This finding raised the possibility that, similar to other tissues, proper pancreas development requires the function of Prox1. The studies described in this book sought to uncover the role of Prox1 during mouse pancreas organogenesis.


characteristics of the syringes with excessive or variable friction of the plunger in the syringe barrel. Similar complaints regarding plunger friction have been expressed by surgical and rheumatological colleagues during joint injections and tissue infiltration. Several more serious failures were also reported. There were 35 reports of breakage of the syringe nozzle which had occurred during injection of drugs including vasopressor agents and during inflation of cuffs of airway devices. There were 29 reports of reflux of drug within the syringe around the plunger. On one occasion this was during injection of suxamethonium for rapid sequence intubation. Reflux had also occurred several times during injection of propofol, sometimes with loss of a substantial portion of the dose. On 12 occasions a syringe simply stuck; on one occasion this nearly resulted in the re-siting of an epidural because it was initially thought that the epidural catheter was blocked. These reports appear to confirm an initial impression that the poor handling characteristics of this product have caused problems in anaesthetic practice, with the potential to put patients at risk. Although the reports of serious failures constitute only a small proportion of total syringe uses, several colleagues commented that the overall performance of these syringes regularly interferes with their clinical practice. They also commented that they have not experienced these shortcomings with other makes of syringes, though we have no comparative data to confirm or deny this. These syringes are considered by several colleagues to be particularly unsuitable for use in specific areas of anaesthetic practice, for example when needing to draw up and inject drugs in emergency situations, for giving accurate doses to small children, for titration of small volumes, and in placement of nerve blocks. The manufacturers are aware of our concerns. As a result, the nozzle was strengthened in 2005, although nozzle breakage has continued to occur. We understand that the company is continuing to develop their product. We have been assured that we are the only organisation to have reported problems with these syringes, but this surprises us. It has not been possible to identify other sites using this product outside our immediate locality.


We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented with an abdominal aortic aneurysm and invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Synchronous surgical treatment was deemed necessary because of the iliac extension of the aneurysm. Radical cystectomy preceded the repair of the abdominal aortoiliac aneurysm and the bilateral cutaneous ureterostomy.


Generation Expansion Planning (GEP) with load uncertainty is modeled in this paper using chance constrained programming, and new iterative solution algorithms identifying the stressed and nonstressed buses in the system are developed for solving this model. The algorithms use a risk-based approach to dynamically allocate risk at each bus depending on the response of the system to the load behaviour. Computational results for the IEEE 30and 118bus systems are presented and compared with previous approaches. It is observed that expansion solutions meeting the required reliability at lower cost are obtained using this approach.


Dimethyl ether reaction kinetics at high temperature were studied in two different flow reactors under highly dilute conditions. Pyrolysis of dimethyl ether was studied in a variable-pressure flow reactor at 2.5 atm and 1118 K. Studies were also conducted in an atmospheric pressure flow reactor at about 1085 K. These experiments included trace-oxygen-assisted pyrolysis, as well as full oxidation experiments, with the equivalence ratio (ϕ) varying from 0.32 ≤ ϕ ≤ 3.4. On-line, continuous, extractive sampling in conjunction with Fourier Transform Infra-Red, Non-Dispersive Infra-Red (for CO and CO2) and electrochemical (for O2) analyses were performed to quantify species at specific locations along the axis of the turbulent flow reactors. Species concentrations were correlated against residence time in the reactor and species evolution profiles were compared to the predictions of a previously published detailed kinetic mechanism. Some changes were made to the model in order to improve agreement with the present experimental data. However, the revised model continues to reproduce previously reported high-temperature jet-stirred reactor and shock tube results. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 32: 713–740, 2000


Quantum computing is expected to have transformative influences on many domains, but its practical deployments on industry problems are underexplored. We focus on applying quantum computing to operations management problems in industry, and in particular, supply chain management. Many problems in supply chain management involve large state and action spaces and pose computational challenges on classic computers. We develop a quantized policy iteration algorithm to solve an inventory control problem and demonstrative its effectiveness. We also discuss in-depth the hardware requirements and potential challenges on implementing this quantum algorithm in the near term. Our simulations and experiments are powered by IBM Qiskit and the qBraid system.


Infections of the skin and soft tissues (SSTI) are clinical entities with variable presentations, causes, and levels of clinical severity. They are frequent in emergency departments. The most common pathogen in the Western World is Staphylococcus aureus. SSTI may provide a hint to underlying pathologies such as diabetes and other states of immune compromise. Here we present a 41-year-old non-diabetic male patient with pain and swelling of the left forefoot but not any recent trauma. Microbiology identified streptococci. The medical history was positive for intravenous heroin abuse. The diagnosis of forefoot phlegm due to drug addition was confirmed. Treatment was realised by a combination of intravenous antibiosis and drainage. Intravenous drug addiction is a significant risk factor for SSTI.


In data-driven optimization, the sample performance of the obtained decision typically incurs an optimistic bias against the true performance, a phenomenon commonly known as the Optimizer's Curse and intimately related to overfitting in machine learning. Common techniques to correct this bias, such as cross-validation, require repeatedly solving additional optimization problems and are therefore computationally expensive. We develop a general bias correction approach, building on what we call Optimizer's Information Criterion (OIC), that directly approximates the first-order bias and does not require solving any additional optimization problems. Our OIC generalizes the celebrated Akaike Information Criterion to evaluate the objective performance in data-driven optimization, which crucially involves not only model fitting but also its interplay with the downstream optimization. As such it can be used for decision selection instead of only model selection. We apply our approach to a range of data-driven optimization formulations comprising empirical and parametric models, their regularized counterparts, and furthermore contextual optimization. Finally, we provide numerical validation on the superior performance of our approach under synthetic and real-world datasets.


The information technologies help solve the most difficult problems, qualitatively change the provided educational services and create conditions for comfortable living and development for each inhabitant in particular, and the city's community as a whole. In the context of the implementation of these projects, the procedures for the selection and acquisition of a profession are important, taking into account the personal characteristics of applicants and the needs of the city's community. The decision-making process for choosing a future specialty starts even while studying at school, and is actualized during the selection of external independent evaluation subjects. Another important step in this chain is the choice of an educational institution for further education and specialization. The paper proposes an information technology of personalized choice of profession in accordance with the needs of a person and the requirements of the labor market in a smart city, which is presented in the form of five consecutive functional stages: determination of professional inclinations and abilities; monitoring of the urban labor market; a choice of the future profession; a choice of educational institution; formation of an individual learning trajectory. The models and methods of information technology support of personalized choice of a profession are described, in particular: model of data analysis for determination of professional inclinations and abilities of a person on the basis of the results of vocational guidance tests have been developed, which made it possible to optimize the process of determining the professional peculiarities of a person; the methods of monitoring the labor market of the city; using the methodology of constructing data hypercube, the method of analysis of educational activity in educational institutions in the city acquires the further development. The main characteristics of the developed one-page information technology web application are presented which combines all stages of training specialists in a holistic system taking into account the needs of a person and the requirements of the labor market in a large city.


The effect of different dietary purines on the metabolism of serum and urinary uric acid, allantoin, creatinine, urea nitrogen and urea was examined in the rat. Experimental diets were synthetic and they were given ad libitum during a 6-day experimental period. The results were compared with the renal morphological changes. The results obtained were as follows: Hypoxanthine, inosine, guanosine and guanine were readily converted to uric acid and allantoin, whereas adenine was metabolized quite differently from other purines. In particular, the intake of adenine exhibited a decrease of the uric acid excreted in the urine. Furthermore, an increase of creatinine, urea nitrogen and urea in the serum as well as a reduction in their urine excretion were observed in rats fed on the adenine diet. Adenine produced a nephrotoxic condition as reflected in the histological changes. From these observations, it is concluded that although the administered purines are closely related structurally, they are metabolized in so many different ways that some of the metabolites, particularly of adenine, may cause a potential nephrotoxicity.


Abstract Observation of an overcast of low cloudiness on a Denver Cyclone day revealed a circular area of clearing or "eye" at the approximate center or the mesoscale circulation. The eye passed close to an automated observing station, providing a time series of data that shows the relationship of the circulation to the cloud-free area. Conditions present in the lower troposphere are examined and compared to conclusions from recent modeling results that suggest the causes of the Denver Cyclone.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the occurrence of hearing loss and to establish audiometric profiles and patterns of hearing impairment in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF).

METHODS
A retrospective study examined the relationship between the different stages of CRF and corresponding audiologic findings in those patients. Twenty-three subjects (46 ears) in the age range of 25 to 60 years were included in the study. These subjects were arranged into groups ranging from the second to fifth stages of CRF. Audiologic assessment in each subject was performed using a battery of tests, which included pure-tone audiometry, transient otoacoustic emission (TOAE), distortion product otoacoustic emission, and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA).

RESULTS
Significant differences in the degree of hearing loss were observed among patients with different stages of CRF. It was noted that almost all (95.65%) patients with CRF did not pass the TOAEs. It was important to notice that none of the patients with CRF showed findings on BERA that pointed to retrocochlear involvement. Thus, the present study found that most patients (65.21%) had a cochlear pathology.

CONCLUSIONS
We observed that (a) there is a high incidence of hearing loss among patients with CRF; (b) the methods of treatment (hemodialysis and conservative treatment) may not influence the impact of the disease on hearing; (c) levels of serum electrolytes and biochemical constituents of blood do not seem to correctly reflect the audiologic status of a CRF patient; and (d) hearing loss in patients with CRF has a distinct audiologic pattern. Given that CRF involves hearing loss, routine audiologic assessment in patients with this condition is essential.


Summary Because of recent studies suggesting that awareness is still a major issue in anaesthetic practice, we reviewed 8372 incidents reported to the Anaesthetic Incident Monitoring Study. There were 81 cases in which peri‐operative recall was consistent with awareness. There were 50 cases of definite awareness and 31 cases with a high probability of awareness. In 13 of the 81 incidents, the patients appeared to receive adequate doses of anaesthetic drugs. Where the cause could be determined, awareness was mainly due to drug error resulting in inadvertent paralysis of an awake patient (n = 32) and failure of delivery of volatile anaesthetic (n = 16). Less common causes included prolonged attempts at intubation of the trachea (n = 5), deliberate withdrawal of volatile anaesthetic (n = 4) or muscle relaxant apnoea with inadequate administration of hypnotic (n = 3). An objective central nervous system depth of anaesthesia monitor may have prevented 42 of these incidents and an improved drug administration system may have prevented 32. On the basis of these reports, we have developed guidelines that may have prevented the majority of these incidents.


In this paper, we first prove a theorem which gives considerably better bound for 0 ≤ t ≤ 1/2 than Gaussian tail inequality (or tail bound for normal density) and thus is a refinement of Gaussian tail inequality in this case. Next we present an interesting result which provides a refinement of Gaussian tail inequality for t > √ 3. Besides, we also prove an improvement of Gaussian tail inequality for 0 < t ≤ 1/2. Finally, we present a more general result which includes a variety of interesting results as special cases.


Due to the low incidence of breast cancer in males there are not many reports in the literature. In this study we analyzed results of treatment in 65 breast cancer males, who had been treated in one institution. Radical surgery was performed in 45 patients. Lymph node metastases were found in 25 patients (55.5%), the tumor was usually moderately differentiated (21 pts - 46.7%). Median survival after radical surgery was 73 months compared to 38 months for nonsurgical patients (p < 0.0001). In the group of males after radical surgery the results of 5-, 10- and 15-year survival rates were 69.8, 59.7 and 31.3% respectively. Comparable analysis of two subgroups of patients with favorable (T1 or T2, N0, grade I or II) and unfavorable (T3 or N+ or grade III) prognostic factors was also performed. In the first subgroup the 5-, 10- and 15-year survival rates were 90, 77.4 and 62%, compared to 61.8, 23.1 and 23. 1% for the second subgroup. The multivariate analysis showed grading and node status as the strongest parameters influencing survival. Relative risk of death was over 3 times higher for nodal metastases and near 3 times higher for high grade carcinomas (p < 0.01), compared to patients without metastases and low grade of tumor. Similar analysis was performed when 45 males were compared to 500 selected women, with similar clinical parameters (age, node status, grading). Again, data indicated grading and lymph node status as the strongest prognostic factors. It was not unlikely, that gender had some influence on prognosis, when relative risk of death for males was over 1.5 times higher than for females, but this result was not clearly significant (p < 0.1 ). The question, whether male breast cancer prognosis is worse then in female remains open. Multiinstitutional prospective studies are needed in this area.


A series of cerous phosphate (CP) catalysts with different crystal structures were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at different temperatures (120, 140, 160, 180 and 200 °C) and their performances for the dehydration of glucose into 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) were also thoroughly investigated. These catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption, SEM, in situ DRIFT, NH3-TPD and XPS. The results indicate that changing the temperature of synthesis will lead to a transformation of the crystal phase and morphology from 120 °C (nanoparticles, hexagonal structure) to 200 °C (nanorods, monoclinic structure); also, the different crystal phases possess different surface Ce4+ amounts and acidities. A good linear correlation is found between the Lewis acid content and the surface Ce4+ amount among these CP catalysts, and very good linearity is also displayed between the Lewis acid amount and the conversion of glucose or the selectivity of HMF, which indicates that Lewis acidity plays an important role in the dehydration of glucose to HMF. CP120, which has a hexagonal crystal structure, exhibits the best catalytic activity (97% conversion of glucose and 61% yield of HMF) because it has the highest amounts of Lewis acid and total acid.


Both cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are active during physiologic and pathologic processes such as cancer metastasis and wound repair. We have systematically studied cytokine-mediated MMP regulation. Cytokine-mediated proteinase induction and activation were initially investigated in organ-cultured human skin followed by determination of underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms using isolated skin cells. In this report we demonstrate that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) synergistically induce pro-MMP-9 in human skin as well as isolated dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes. Furthermore, TNF-alpha promotes proteolytic activation of pro-MMP-9 by conversion of the 92-kDa pro-MMP-9 to the 82-kDa active enzyme. This activation occurred only in skin organ culture and not by either isolated fibroblasts or keratinocyte, although the pro-MMP-9 activation could be measured in a cell-free system derived from TNF-alpha-activated skin. The cytokine-mediated induction of pro-MMP-9 in dermal fibroblasts was evident by increased mRNA. At the transcription level, we examined the cytokine-mediated transactivation of the 5'-region promoter of the human MMP-9 in dermal fibroblasts. The results demonstrated that TNF-alpha and TGF-beta could independently stimulate the 5'-flanking 670-base pair promoter. A TGF-beta-response element (-474) and an NF-kappaB-binding site (-601) were identified to be the cis-elements for TGF-beta or TNF-alpha activation, respectively. Taken together, these findings suggest a specific mechanism whereby multiple cytokines can regulate MMP-9 expression/activation in the cells of human skin. These results imply roles for these cytokines in the regulation of MMP-9 in physiologic and pathologic tissue remodeling.


This year's Honors Ceremony, held on 5 December 2012, celebrated 82 AGU geophysicists for their profound contributions and breakthrough achievements. These outstanding scientists were honored for their persistence, dedication, pursuit of excellence, and scientific statesmanship. Their work continues to advance science and to communicate it better; it inspires and guides the scientific community as they seek to expand and deepen knowledge for the benefit of humanity.


Factors that affect the reliability and accuracy of blood pressure measurements are reviewed, and new technologies for measuring blood pressure are discussed. Blood pressure measurements obtained in an office, hospital, or clinic are subject to variation and error. Reasons for variations include the wrong cuff size, improper inflation or deflation technique, and patient apprehension ("white-coat syndrome"). Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) involves the use of a fully automated standard arm cuff that is inflated at predetermined intervals by a small battery-powered pump unit. The most reliable ABPM method is the oscillometric method, which detects subtle changes in air pressure within the cuff system caused by fluctuations of the brachial artery. The process for interpreting 24-hour ABPM data is still evolving. Twenty-four-hour ABPM has been shown to eliminate white-coat hypertension and is also useful for assessing patients whose blood pressure is inappropriately high in the absence of end organ damage, monitoring persons at risk of developing hypertension because of their race or family history, determining a medication's 24-hour effect on blood pressure, and assessing the early-morning rapid rise in blood pressure, which has been linked to an increased risk of nonembolic stroke and myocardial infarction. ABPM enables identification of patients whose blood pressure is elevated in the office but normal at home, allows more appropriate screening of patients for clinical trials, gives reproducible values, and enables evaluation of drug duration and action.


This article examines the consequences of shifts in the terms of engagement with the state – since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008 – for small-scale UK arts-based community organisations. Through an engagement with the accounts of key stakeholders from three case study organisations, the article considers the nature and extent of organisational changes in four main respects: the activities undertaken, the people and groups engaged, the income streams accessed and understandings of role or mission. Having outlined the variable fates of each organisation over this period, the article illuminates how the effects of austerity and associated policy shifts have served to mitigate against organisations' ability to sustain arts-based work with disadvantaged groups, resist neoliberal 'enterprise' agendas or maintain a practical commitment to community development aims.


Background: In Japan, tacrolimus is used to treat patients diagnosed with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC); however, there are few studies on the efficacy of tacrolimus treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze the short- and long-term outcomes of tacrolimus treatment in patients with refractory UC and to identify the prognostic factors associated with treatment outcomes. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from 52 patients diagnosed with refractory UC who were treated with tacrolimus at our hospital from 2009 to 2014. Patients had to have a Lichtiger clinical activity index (CAI) of ≥5 points at baseline. Response was defined as a CAI reduction of ≥4, and remission was defined as a CAI of ⩽4. CAI was calculated at baseline and 2 and 12 weeks following tacrolimus administration. The cumulative non-colectomy rate and the sustained remission rate among patients who achieved remission after 12 weeks were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate analysis was used to identify the prognostic factors of remission at 2 and 12 weeks, the cumulative non-colectomy rate, and the sustained remission rates. Results: Of the 52 patients (mean age, 38.5 yr), 17 were female. The mean duration of disease was 5.1 years. At baseline, the mean CAI and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were 9.9 and 1.46 mg/dL. Thirty-four patients had pancolitis and 18 had left-sided colitis. In terms of steroid response, 28, 22, and 2 patients were classified as steroid-resistant, steroid-dependent, and steroid-intolerant, respectively. Concomitant treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid, azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine, and prednisolone was administered to 43, 28, and 24 patients, respectively. Twenty-five patients had previously undergone cytapheresis, and 30 patients had previously received infliximab. Two weeks after tacrolimus treatment, CAI and CRP levels significantly decreased from 9.9 to 6.1 and from 1.46 to 0.43 mg/dL, respectively. After 2 weeks, the response and remission rates were 54% and 37%, respectively, and after 12 weeks they were 40% and 37%, respectively. Younger age was significantly associated with a higher remission rate at 2 weeks, whereas previous infliximab treatment was significantly associated with lower remission rate at 12 weeks. The 1-, 3-, and 5-years cumulative non-colectomy rates were 59%, 57%, and 53%, respectively, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-years sustained remission rates were 73%, 43%, and 35%, respectively. Concomitant treatment with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine was significantly associated with higher rates of sustained remission. Previous treatment with infliximab and pancolitis significantly increased the risk of colectomy. Conclusions: Approximately 40% of the Japanese UC patients treated with tacrolimus achieved remission after 12 weeks. However, 60% of these patients experienced a flare-up, and 50% of all patients required a colectomy within 5 years. Previous treatment with infliximab and pancolitis UC were significantly associated with poor outcomes following tacrolimus treatment, whereas concomitant treatment with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine was associated with favorable outcomes.


Starting from the second law of thermodynamics applied to an isolated system consisting of the system surrounded by an extremely large medium, we formulate a general nonequilibrium thermodynamic description of the system when it is out of thermal and mechanical equilibrium with the medium. Our approach allows us to identify the correct form of the Gibbs free energy and enthalpy. We also obtain an extension of the classical nonequilibrium thermodynamics due to de Donder in which one normally assumes thermal and mechanical equilibrium with the medium; see text. We find that the temperature and pressure differences between the system and the medium act as thermodynamic forces, which are normally neglected in the classical nonequilibrium thermodynamics. The Prigogine-Defay ratio is found to be greater than 1 merely due to the lack of equilibrium with the medium, even though we do not consider any internal order parameters. This shows that these forces should play an important role in relaxation processes. We then apply our approach to study the general trend during structural relaxation in glasses and establish the phenomenology behind the concept of the fictive temperature and of the empirical Tool-Narayanaswamy equation on firmer theoretical foundation.


There is an increasing shortage of human donor hearts for transplantation. One potential solution is using hearts from a suitable animal source, such as the pig. A committee of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation has reviewed the current status of research into xenotransplantation. Furthermore, the committee considered what results in the pig-to-nonhuman primate experimental model would justify a clinical trial of xenotransplantation, and the criteria for selecting patients to be entered in the trial. This review emphasizes initial patient selection issues, although the committee's overall conclusions and recommendations are summarized. Although the current experimental results do not presently justify initiating a clinical trial, the committee concluded that xenotransplantation theoretically has immense potential, and that research in this field should be encouraged and supported. Human cadaveric organ donation will still be of the highest priority for the foreseeable future.


This case report involves a 59-year-old woman with a traumatic right intertrochanteric hip fracture below a previous Birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR). This woman had almost an identical fracture on the left hip 3 years before which was treated with a proximal femoral locking compression plate. Of note periprosthetic fractures following hip resurfacing are usually subcapital and treated with a revision or conservative management. We present an unusual surgical problem that has occurred twice in the same patient and has been treated effectively on both occasions using proximal femoral plating. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no other reports of bilateral periprosthetic fractures being treated in this way.


In overcoming the enforcement of Criminal Law Against Drug Users In Central Java Police. The problems studied are: Criminal law policy contained in the Narcotics Act and Psychotropic Act in the prevention of narcotics and psychotropic crime, Law enforcement against the perpetrators of narcotic crime and psychotropic in Central Java Police, Efforts to overcome drug crime in Central Java Police. know and analyze the criminal law policy as well as the perpetrators as stated in Narcotics Law and Psychotropic Law in Central Java Regional Police. The results of a trial or conspiracy to commit Narcotics and Narcotics Precursor as stipulated in the narcotics law with the same imprisonment as a person committing a crime or violation of the provisions of this narcotic law, for example an experiment to provide narcotics class 1, shall be subject to imprisonment of a minimum of 4 (four) years and a maximum of 12 (twelve) years and a fine of at least Rp800.000.000,00 (eight hundred million rupiah) and a maximum of Rp8,000,000,000.00 (eight billion rupiah ). While law enforcement with non-penal efforts focus more on preventive properties (prevention / penangkalan / penegindalian) before the crime occurred. Given that non-penal crime prevention efforts are more of a preventive measure for the occurrence of crime, the main target is the conducive factors causing the crime. The effort of prevention, Police of Central Java, includes: Prevention efforts, prevention efforts and obstacles faced by Central Java Police According to AKBP Sunarto, SH that efforts to overcome narcotics abuse have obstacles and obstacles in the rehabilitation of drug addicts where there is no place that can accommodate victims of narcotics abuse to do rehabilitation in the city of Semarang. Keywords: Law Enforcement, Drug Users


ABSTRACT The author argues that the return of Crimea to Russia, events in and around Ukraine, and associated tendencies in Russian domestic politics have created a new reality for Russian society. Many liberals consider declining Russian influence in the world a necessary condition of internal liberalization, while many of those who favor an independent role for Russia in the world and the strengthening of its influence are proponents of an authoritarian or even Stalinist internal regime. As a result, Russians face the unpalatable choice between a democratic Russia that has been reduced to a junior partner of the West and a strong Russia with a dictatorial nationalist regime that is a threat to all its neighbors. The author proposes a third option that would meet the aspirations of the majority by combining a normal moderate patriotism with an equally moderate liberalism.


ABSTRACT Objective: The objective was to compare two screening strategies for dementia in an urban primary care clinic, serving a low-education, minority community composed largely of Latino and African American patients. Method: Two hundred and fifty-seven patients underwent two-stage patient-based screening (PBS) and informant-based screening (IBS) followed by a diagnostic evaluation. In the first stage, PBS included brief tests of episodic memory (Memory Impairment Screen), semantic memory (Animal Fluency), and executive function (Reciting Months Backwards). For IBS, the first stage consisted of the short Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, administered to a family member or friend. Patients who screened positive in the first stage of either strategy underwent testing with the picture version of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test with Immediate Recall to identify memory impairment. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were computed for various cutoffs of each test and combination of tests. Dementia was diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition (DSM–IV) criteria without access to the screening test results. Results: We identified 66 patients (25.7%) with previously undiagnosed dementia. Sensitivity was the same (77%) for both strategies but specificity was higher for IBS than for PBS (92% versus 83%). IBS's higher specificity makes it the preferred strategy if a knowledgeable informant is available. Conclusion: Unrecognized dementia is common in primary care. Case-finding can be improved using either PBS or IBS two-stage screening strategies.


As the services in elastic optical networks (EONs) are bandwidth-intensive, unpredictable and dynamic, increasing network factors are emerging to affect the performance of network survivable planning and operation from network capacity to efficiency. Most of the traditional protection and restoration approaches may become before long inefficient due to the improvement of a particular network performance metric always at the expense of others. We argue that it would be more beneficial for comprehensive optimization of network performance to consider main network metrics jointly. Moreover, the highly dynamic features of EONs call for the new generation of machine learning-based solutions that are flexible and adaptable to cope with the dynamic nature of services to perform analytics. In this paper, we investigate the problem of global optimization of network performance under survivable EON environment. Specifically, a criterion, named the whole network cost-effectiveness value with survivability (WCES), is defined to measure the overall network performance by balancing the interaction among main network metrics. Then we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) -based heuristic with the objective of improving overall network performance, in which two agents are utilized to provide working and protection schemes converging toward better survivable routing, modulation level and spectrum assignment (S-RMLSA) policies. Numerical results show that the proposed criterion can efficiently measure the overall network performance, and the double-agent DRL-based heuristic can greatly improve WCES while ensuring the network survivability and paying the acceptable extra consumption of request blocking probability.


In this thesis, original applications of the Density Overlap Region Indicator (DORI), a density dependent bonding descriptor capable of simultaneously capturing covalent and noncovalent interactions, are discussed. The use of scalar fields, such as DORI, were generally restricted to visualizing bonding situations in static gas phase molecules. Here, DORI is pushed out of its comfort zone and used to probe systems prone to electronic and geometric fluctuations, or those constrained by their condensed phase environments. The applications to challenging chemical systems highlighted within demonstrate the capabilities of DORI as a formidable tool that can be beneficial in many facets of chemistry. Molecules in the excited state are difficult to analyze using popular bonding descriptors, primarily because the required information (orbitals) are not given by standard computational methodologies. DORI, which relies exclusively on the electron density and its derivatives, overcomes previous limitations and permits the characterization of excitation processes (charge transfer, excimer, Rydberg, ...) through visual and numerical signatures. Using DORI, the evolution of covalent and non-covalent excited state interactions where used to rationalize photoemission in BODIPY-derivatives. Certain BODIPY substituents formnon-covalent intramolecular interactions in the excited state, which are crucial for stabilizing the Sx - S0 intersection and prompting nonradiative decay. This application demonstrates that DORI is ideally suited for characterizing excited state phenomena. Dynamical fluctuations represent another domain beyond the standard usage of bonding descriptors. Highly fluxionalmolecules, such as molecular machines or proteins, have complex multi-dimensional conformational spaces that are generally explored using a handful of geometrical collective variables (bond lengths, angles, etc.), or dimensionality reduction algorithms. DORI's covalent and non-covalent patterns are exploited as alternative sets of descriptors, which are simpler than geometrical parameters because electronic and geometrical fluctuations can be captured by a single-dimensional variable. DORI is also synergistically used alongside dimensionality reduction algorithms to reveal enhanced descriptions of the conformational spaces of a molecular rotor and a photoswitch. Thus, cost effective bonding descriptors are well adapted and beneficial in analyzing electronic and geometrical fluctuations requiring extended mapping of conformational spaces. Finally, DORI allows for simultaneous visualization of covalent and non-covalent interactions, and is thus particularly suited to investigate their interplay, notably present in dense environments of high-pressure crystals and in protein-ligand cavities. Using actual experimental electron densities of an organic crystal, DORI exposes pressure-induced disruptions of intramolecular delocalization and identifies the directional non-covalent interactions that cause these perturbations. Similarly, the scalar field pinpoints the specific non-covalent proteinligand interactions which modify the covalent regions of the ligand and facilitate the reactive process. Overall, the examples presented in this thesis demonstrate the versatility of DORI in translating complex chemical behavior into intuitive representations, greatly extending the range of applications that benefit from visual bonding descriptors.


The pattern of organ toxicity after single injections of the antitumor agent titanocene dichloride (TDC) in ED90 (40 mg/kg) and LD10 (60 mg/kg) doses to female mice was investigated by analyzing various blood chemical parameters and the composition of urine at intervals between 30 min and 16 days after administration. Whereas the serum levels of electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, total bilirubin and cholesterol did not alter, marked and simultaneous increases in serum concentrations of the enzymes GLDH, GOT and GPT occurred pointing to cellular damage within liver parenchyma; these lesions were apparently reversible within 8 and 16 days after application of TDC even at the LD10 dose. Moreover, glucose concentration decreased immediately after TDC administration, obviously stimulating a regulative output of glucagon and cortisol; these effects were also reversible within 4 to 8 days after TDC administration. No hints to nephrotoxicity induced by TDC became manifest in the present study.


Studies of 806 strains of cultures isolated from pathological material demonstrated the possibility of using microtest systems MMTE1 and 2 (ALLERGEN Research and Production Plant in the town of Stavropol) and ENTEROtest 1 and 2 and ENTEROtest 16 for identification of enterobacteria and NEFERMtest, STAPHYtest, STREPTOtest, and ANAEROtest for the identification of respective groups of microorganisms at practical microbiological laboratories (Lachema, Czechia). The microtest kits are easy to use and fit for mass screenings; they permit simultaneous testing in 9 to 23 biochemical tests. Use of these test kits allows species identification of 63.3 to 80.7% cultures making use of biochemical activity tables and indexes recommended in instructions for the use of microtest kits and 85.6 to 96.1% cultures making use of IDENT computer software. Introduction of microtest kits in the practical activity of microbiological laboratories will appreciably improve the quality of microbiological investigations and allow the use of automated microbiological systems.


This thesis studies the motivations behind Constitutional Court justices' decisions, and investigates whether the compositional change of the Court significantly influenced the decisions justices make. By using an original and comprehensive dataset, I measure the Constitutional Court justices' ideal points in a two dimensional ideology space. I then question whether justices' ideologies and background characteristics are significant determinants of their votes and dissents in annulment action cases between 2002 and 2016. The findings suggest that the more restrainist and liberal a justice is, the more likely she will vote for the unconstitutionality. The empirical analyses also show that ideology is a significant determinant of justices' dissenting votes and conditional upon the majority decision. An equally important question this thesis seeks to answer is whether the impact of justices' ideologies on their votes has been significantly different after the Court's compositional change. I show that the activist-restrainist dimension was not a significant determinant of justices' votes but became significant after the 2010 Constitutional Amendments. The analyses also show that the probability of voting for the unconstitutionality of annulment action cases between 2010 and 2016 is significantly lower than the cases between 2002 and 2010


We calculated the elastic strain relaxation in wurtzite GaN–AlN–GaN semiconductor–insulator–semiconductor (SIS) structures. Elastic strain tensor components, elastic energy, the density of the misfit dislocations, and the other parameters of the system were obtained as functions of the AlN layer thickness. Theoretical values of the elastic strain relaxation are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data extracted from the capacitance‐voltage (C‐V) characteristics of GaN–AlN–GaN SIS structures. Our results confirm that the gradual relaxation process starts from 30 A AlN film thickness. The uniform contributions to the elastic strain tensor components decrease by approximately an order of magnitude when the film thickness increases from 30 to 100 A. Commensurate with this decrease is an increase in a nonuniform contribution of the misfit dislocations. The dislocation interactions lead to redistribution of dislocations within the 30–60 A range of AlN film thicknesses.


Thin square membranes including a deep circular corrugation are realized and tested for application in a strain-based pressure sensor. Package-induced stresses are reduced and relief of the residual stress is obtained, resulting in a large pressure sensitivity and a reduced temperature sensitivity. Finite element method simulations were carried out, showing that the pressure-deflection behaviour of the structure is close to that of a circular membrane with clamped edge but free radial motion.


Frac Hit is an inter-well communication event where an offset well is affected by the pumping of a hydraulic fracturing treatment in a new well. Close well spacing, increased fracture density (number of fracs per well), and larger fracture treatments increase the chance of a Frac Hit. This paper demonstrates how a Geographic Information System (GIS) was used in the Barmer Hill oil reservoir to quantify the risks of a Frac Hit on a well by well basis.
 The Aishwarya Barmer Hill (ABH) field (<1 mD/cp) overlies the prolific Aishwarya Fatehgarh (AF) field (>3 Darcy's). The AF field was developed first with 71 wells. All of these wells for AF reservoir penetrated through shallower ABH reservoir at an average spacing of ∼100 m. The ABH field development plan calls for 1000 m long horizontal laterals with a ∼180 m distance between the wells to efficiently drain the entire ABH structure. The hydraulic fractures planned in ABH wells had an average fracture half-length of ∼100 m with 10 stages per well. With the spacing equal to the fracture half length, the likelihood of a Frac Hit between ABH horizontal wells was high. The presence of the nearby AF wells only added to the risk.
 GIS enabled software was used to evaluate the risk magnitude and the observations were used to prepare a mitigation plan. All the well trajectories for both reservoirs were mapped inside the 3D reservoir structure. As a first case, a potential strike zone (PSZ) with a radius equal to the frac half-length was generated around the planned ABH wells. Wells were considered at risk if a PSZ intersected another well or another PSZ. Then all of the planned hydraulic fractures were mapped in 3 dimensions using the known fracture propagation azimuth (from appraisal well micro-seismic data) and the simulated fracture dimensions (Half-lengths & heights) using fully 3D frac modeling software.
 The procedure clearly identified the cases (well/stage) which had a high potential for a Frac Hit. After identifying the high-risk cases, appropriate steps were taken to minimize the risk. The available options were to change the well trajectory, modify the fracture location (shift or remove stages), or propose additional surveillance.
 The Frac Hit phenomena is a sub-surface integrity related concern which has been reported on in many technical papers. This work proposes a method for quantifying and minimizing the risks using a GIS platform. A method for categorizing the various risk cases based on well spacing, perforation and fracture initiation points is proposed. This method was studied for the ABH wells during the well planning phase and shall be applied in order to minimize Frac Hit risks. The information provided could also be directly utilized for in-fill development project for tight fields.


A patient presented with incessant supraventricular tachycardia due to a concealed accessory pathway. The His bundle electrocardiogram showed a large discrete accessory pathway potential following ventricular activation and resulting in retrograde atrial activation. Percutaneous catheter ablation in the region of the accessory pathway potential left nodal conduction intact but prevented retrograde activation of the atria. Symptomatic tachycardia has not recurred. Direct endocardial recording of accessory pathway potentials is rare hut may offer the opportunity for catheter ablation.


From the mid 20th century onwards, researchers in various disciplines – philosophy, philology, artificial intelligence, and psychology – have developed systems for the graphical representation of declarative knowledge. The resulting diagrams consist of polygons and lines linking them to represent the underlying structure of the knowledge concerned. The polygons symbolize various kinds of nodes (objects, concepts, events, actions, etc.). AbSTRACT


Due to the late response to process condition changes. forging processes are normally exposed to a large number of defective products. To achieve online process monitoring. multichannel tonnage signals are often collected from the forging press. The tonnage signals contain significant amount of real time information regarding the product and the process conditions. In this paper, a methodology is developed to detect profile changes of multichannel tonnage signals for forging process monitoring and to classify fault patterns. The changes include global or local profile deviations, which correspond to deviations of a whole process cycle or process segment(s) within a cycle, respectively. The principal curve method is used to conduct feature extraction and discrimination of tonnage signals. The developed methodology is demonstrated with industry data from a crankshaft forging processes.


 Abstract — The main objective of the study is focused in producing slag based geopolymer concrete obtained with the addition of alkali activator. Test results indicated that the reaction of silicates in slag is based on the reaction potential of sodium hydroxide and the formation of alumino-silicates. The study also comprises on the evaluation of the efficiency of polymer reaction in terms of the strength gain properties for different geopolymer mixtures. Geopolymer mixture proportions were designed for different binder to total aggregate ratio (0.3 & 0.45) and fine to coarse aggregate ratio (0.4 & 0.8). Geopolymer concrete specimens casted with normal curing conditions reported a maximum 28 days compressive strength of 54.75 MPa. The addition of glued steel fibres at 1.0% V f in geopolymer concrete showed reasonable improvements on the compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural properties of different geopolymer mixtures. Further, comparative assessment was made for different geopolymer mixtures and the reinforcing effects of steel fibres were investigated in different concrete matrix .


In the context of enabling a comprehensive ICT infrastructure for the Smart Grid including Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and Demand Side Management (DSM), the coexistence of narrowband and broadband access and indoor powerline communication systems is essential, since neither the customers accept performance loss of their private indoor networks, nor the Meter Reading Operator or Distribution System Operator can operate its Smart Grid components efficiently. Therefore, in this paper a coexistence testbed is introduced in order to investigate the influence of narrowband and broadband access systems on the customers indoor networks. Even though their operating frequencies do not overlap, also common narrowband powerline communication systems using the CENELEC A band can cause a significant performance decrease on an OFDM-based broadband powerline communication system, which operates in the frequency range of 2 MHz to 30 MHz, when using the same mains. These effects are investigated in detail and the results show the spectral behavior of the interacting systems, their performance data and coexistence with other systems. It is shown that the performance decrease on the BPLC system can be nearly nullified by introducing an additional filter.


In April 2010, Malaysia embarked on a new economic model (NEM) to transform the economy towards High-Income status by 2020. Knowledge and innovation are the bedrock of this development strategy. Indeed, moving to High-Income status would require economic growth in Malaysia to be sustained by higher productivity growth, which in turn relies heavily on knowledge, innovation, and efficient allocation of resources. Yet, it is not clear from policy discussions in Malaysia, that the mechanisms through which innovation penetrates a society and ultimately drives economic growth are widely understood.Fostering innovation, beyond the traditional fixation on R&D and funding, requires making the right trade-offs in the allocation of resources and creating an overall environment and culture that enable the emergence, nurturing, implementation and fruition of ideas. This calls for bold societal reforms that are cross-cutting in nature, along the lines, but well beyond, the eight Strategic Reform Initiatives (SRIs) suggested in the NEM.This book offers a timely and comprehensive assessment of the innovation capacity of Malaysia, rigorously gauging the readiness of the country in transforming into a human capital-centric, innovation-led economy. Drawing on a series of empirical tools and methodologies, as well as the "Malaysia Vision 2020 Model" (MV20 model) developed in Khazanah Research and Investment Strategy (KRIS), the book adopts a holistic, integrated approach to evaluating the spheres of the Malaysian economic system that are critical to unleashing the innovation potential. These include the education sector, the labour market, the product market and the knowledge production sector, as well as the functioning of public institutions. In each of these spheres, the book articulates what it will take for Malaysia to achieve its Vision 2020.


We will discuss several methods for measuring the tunes in the Tevatron. These methods can be separated into three classes: active, passive and hybrid. In the active method, the beam is tickled in order to obtain a frequency response. In the passive method, a Schottky detector which uses a resonant stripline is used to measure the Schottky spectrum of the beam. In the hybrid method, we tickle the beam using kickers, or the Tevatron Electron Lens (TEL) in order to bring the tune signal above the noise floor of the Schottky detectors. An automatic tune fitting algorithm is also under development which allows us to measure the tune without human intervention.


As one of the basic inventory cost models, the (Q, r) inventory cost model of dual suppliers with random procurement lead time is mostly formulated by using the concepts of "effective lead time" and "lead time demand", which may lead to an imprecise inventory cost. Through the real-time statistic of the inventory quantities, this paper considers the precise (Q, r) inventory cost model of dual supplier procurement by using an infinitesimal dividing method. The traditional modeling method of the inventory cost for dual supplier procurement includes complex procedures. To reduce the complexity effectively, the presented method investigates the statistics properties in real-time of the inventory quantities with the application of the infinitesimal dividing method. It is proved that the optimal holding and shortage costs of dual supplier procurement are less than those of single supplier procurement respectively. With the assumption that both suppliers have the same distribution of lead times, the convexity of the cost function per unit time is proved. So the optimal solution can be easily obtained by applying the classical convex optimization methods. The numerical examples are given to verify the main conclusions.


The turnover and metabolism of the individual C apolipoproteins (C-II, C-III1, and C-III2) were studied following the injection of 125I-labeled VLDL into 15 normal and hyperlipoproteinemic subjects. The C apolipoproteins from very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were separated by analytical isoelectric focusing, and subsequent densitometric scanning and radioassay of the stained bands yielded values for specific activity. In 13 of 15 subjects, kinetics of C-II, C-III1, and C-III2 were best described by a one-pool model, whereas two subjects showed biexponential kinetics. The specific activity-time curves for VLDL and HDL were super-imposable, indicating rapid exchange of all C apolipoproteins in hyperlipidemic as well as in normal subjects. In each subject the half-life was similar for C-II, C-III1, and C-III2, which suggests similar synthesis and catabolic mechanisms for each C apolipoprotein. The mass of exchangeable C-II (range 1.0-5.8 mg/kg), C-III1 (2.6-20 mg/kg), and C-III2 (2.0-13 mg/kg) increased with plasma triglyceride concentrations. Values for flux of C-II were 1.0-2.8 mg/d per kg, for C-III1 1.6-5.6 mg/d per kg, and for C-III2 1.2-3.1 mg/d per kg, but they were not related to levels of plasma triglyceride. However the irreversible fractional catabolic rates were inversely related to C apolipoprotein (and triglyceride) mass, suggesting that expansion in C apolipoprotein pool size is related to slower removal, due to the longer residence time of triglyceride-rich VLDL particles in plasma. This was confirmed by similar findings for B apolipoprotein kinetics in VLDL carried out simultaneously.


In 2005 Salem State College upgraded a nine year old email system to Novell's GroupWise. In addition, the College had recently implemented a One Card, web portal, and student administration systems.As we moved forward with these initiatives, we hoped to establish formal user management policies. An IT audit identified a number of problems which needed to be addressed. In the past each IT system was isolated, so users could have different usernames in each system and there were no policies for adding or removing users from these systems. We found: End users with different usernames in each system Users who were deceased or no longer employed Users added or removed from systems without authorization from Human Resources (HR) Users who were not authenticated before they were given College credentials (email address, ID card, etc.) We suspect these challenges/opportunities might exist at other institutions of higher education. With very little time and no budget, we developed EMS, the Employee Management System, a homegrown system designed to authenticate new users, issue usernames, communicate status changes with trusted systems, and continually audit the list of users.Cooperation within IT, and with HR, has helped to make EMS the central point of contact for all IT resources. This system is a work in progress and we are now looking at how this system might be used in other areas.This presentation will include a demonstration of EMS, discussions on where we are, where we are going, and lessons learned along the way.


The paper describes a non-trivial effect of realization of the electrical transport in a stochastic model of Josephson junction due to correlated colored noises. It is shown that the cross-correlation plays an important role: by controlling the correlation between the thermal and external noises, a reversal for the net voltage can be induced. It is shown that the behavior of the dc voltage versus the dc current can be manipulated by controlling the noise intensities and strength of cross-correlation. At zero dc current the strength of cross-correlations plays a role of control parameter; an increase in this parameter leads to voltage growth. Frequency content of noises is a critical parameter at small noise intensity: a reversal for the voltage can be realized by controlling the autoand cross-correlation times of thermal and external noises. It is found that correlated noises promote the occurrence of negative conductance at small positive values of dc bias. At the same time the voltage does not assume the opposite sign of the dc bias at negative values of one due to cross-correlation between noises. It is shown that an increase in noise strength at a small friction coefficient leads to regimes which correspond to a normal, Ohmic-like transport behavior. The dependence of the voltage versus the amplitude of the ac current at small positive dc bias depicts a quasiperiodic series of windows of noise-induced anomalous regimes: negative conductance appears and disappears as the ac-amplitude strength increases.


The accompanying illustration shows a heart weighing 480 gm., which in situ was lying free on the left lung. No pericardium was visible except a triangular-shaped flap, which blended with the epicardium over the right side of the heart and was attached at the apex and near the emergence of the major arteries. The posterior portion of the heart was entirely devoid of pericardium. There was one other curiosity in the chest wall, namely, unequal fat deposit over the sternum; the right side scantily, the left side richly padded. It was thought that the continued beat of the uncovered heart against this portion of the chest might have interfered with the blood supply and contributed to the fracture of a rib before the patient's death. The patient, aged 56, had general paralysis. The heart action was never attended by any known clinical irregularity, though there was no pericardial fluid. No


The construction of noble metal-free materials with remarkable activity and high stability via a simple, green, efficient, and low-cost method remains a crucial task for addressing the problem of water contamination. Herein, ultrathin NiCo2O4 nanosheets were in situ assembled on the surface of BiOCl single-crystal nanosheets with a vertical orientation to form a well-defined hierarchically porous structure. Notably, the obtained BiOCl@NiCo2O4 nanoplates displayed outstanding catalytic activity in the reductive conversion of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). On account of their special morphology, plentiful porosity, and good stability, the as-prepared composite could finish the reduction reaction within 280 s with a large rate constant (kapp) of 7.18 × 10−3 s−1. The BiOCl@NiCo2O4 nanoplates possessed excellent recyclability, and the original activity could be maintained even after seven consecutive cycles. Furthermore, the resultant BiOCl@NiCo2O4 could also act as a hyperactive catalyst for the reductive discoloration of organic dyes (rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, Congo red, and methyl orange). Our strategy, therefore, promotes the development of low-cost and high-performance noble metal-free catalysts to treat water pollution.


For many years, the benthic foraminifer Melonis pompilioides has been used as an important deep-water index species indicating deposition in abyssal environments. However, uncertainties about the character and importance of its morphological features have caused problems in species identification, which in turn have produced paleobathymetric interpretations that differ from those based on seismic, sedimentary, and stratigraphic data. Incorrect identifications of Melonis pompilioides and the probably automatic assignment of an abyssal environment to sections containing this species have led to controversy and, at times, to serious questions regarding the reliability of this genus for paleoenvironmental interpretations. An attempt has been made to rectify the problems of identification of Melonis pompilioides and related forms so that micropaleontologists can accurately and consistently identify specimens from the Melonis species complex and can recognize misidentifications by others. Characteristics such as pores, umbilical size, sutures, apertures, and height/width ratios were studied and evaluated. Other studies have shown that depth of water may not be the single or dominant factor controlling the distribution of this species and that discretion should be used in establishing a paleoenvironmental determination. End_of_Article - Last_Page 533------------


As part of the search for alternatives to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) attention has (re)turned to laser methods. We describe our experience with the currently available endoscopic beam deflection devices, particularly the Prolase II. 25 patients, generally with medical reasons to avoid TURP, and with proven bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) due to benign prostatic enlargement (BPH) underwent prostatic laser coagulation. Average age was 72 years (range 57-84), mean prostatic size by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) was 48 g (15-100), average pretreatment peak flow rate (FR) was 7.6 ml/s (4.56-12.4). All patients were markedly symptomatic. Patients underwent clinical examination, Prostate specific antigen assay (PSA = 3.75, range 0.1-10.2), and TRUS preoperatively to exclude prostate cancer. After cystoscopic assessment the prostate was lasered according to the device manufacturers recommendations and clinical experience. A suprapubic catheter (SPC) and urethral catheters were inserted, the urethral for 24 hours. If voiding was satisfactory the SPC was removed after 24-48 hrs. Alternatively the patient was discharged and assessed at weekly intervals for SPC removal. Mean duration of SPC drainage was 11 days. Total mean impatient stay was 4.5 days (2-13) during a mean of 2 admissions. Blood loss was minimal and there were no other significant complications. At a minimum follow up of 3 months mean peak FR was 15.3 ml/s (9-31). Symptom scores (IPSS) fell from a mean of 21 to 10 by 3 months after treatment. There was an initial period of irritability for up to 12 weeks but symptomatic improvement was noted in all.


The distribution of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the human genome has important consequences for the design of experiments that infer susceptibility genes for complex disease using association studies. Recent studies have shown a non-random distribution of human meiotic recombination associated with intervening tracts of LD. Little is known about the processes, patterns and frequency of reciprocal meiotic recombination in humans. However, this phenomenon can be better understood by the fine structure analysis of several genomic regions by mapping hotspots and characterizing regions with variable LD. Here, we report clustered hotspot activity with intervening blocks of LD within the human PGM1 gene (1p31) using data derived from meiotic and population studies. Earlier work has suggested a high recombination rate in two regions within the PGM1 gene, site A (exons 4-8) and site B (exons 1A-4). Sequencing of eight individuals across 6 kb of targeted regions in site B identified 18 informative SNPs. Individuals from three distinct populations, Caucasian (n=264), Chinese (n=222) and Vietnamese (n=187), were genotyped, and haplotypes were determined using estimate of haplotypes, ldmax and Arlequin. Allelic association and haplotype analysis in these samples revealed variable recombination rates across PGM1, demonstrating the presence of: (i) three hotspots and (ii) three haplotype blocks. The spatial arrangement of haplotype blocks was identical in all populations studied. The pattern of association within PGM1 represents a region decomposed into small blocks of LD, where increased recombination activity has disrupted the ancestral chromosome. Additionally, crossovers in phased data mapped preferentially to regions where LD collapses, which also overlap with sequence motifs.


In this research, we examine how manipulating the type of information processing mode (cognitive vs. affective) at a different point of time elicits the unique effects of process and outcome simulation on the evaluation of RNPs. Our findings indicate that in an instant evaluation scenario, outcome simulation under a cognitive mode or process simulation under an affective mode is more effective in increasing the evaluation of RNPs. However, a reversal of this result pattern emerged (i.e., outcome under an affective mode or process simulation under a cognitive mode is more effective) after we introduce a distant future time frame.


Issues of scale play a crucial role in the governance of social-ecological systems. Yet, attempts to bridge interdisciplinary perspectives on the role of scale have thus far largely been limited to the science arena. This study has extended the scale vocabulary to allow for the inclusion of practice-based perspectives on scale. We introduced "dimensions," used to describe the bare aspects of phenomena, such as time, space, and power, structured by scales and levels. We argued that this extension allows for a clearer understanding of the diversity of dimensions and scales that can be used to explore social-ecological systems. We used this scale vocabulary in a practical case study to elicit perspectives on dimensions, scales, and cross-dimensional dynamics from change agents in Dutch social-ecological systems. Through a visual interview method based in the extended scale vocabulary, our participants identified a large diversity of dimensions they saw as instrumental to understanding insights and lessons about effecting systems change. These dimensions were framed by a large number of scales to describe cross- dimensional interactions. The results illustrate the value of practice-based perspectives for the development of scale theory. We also argue that the introduction of dimensions in the scale vocabulary is useful for clarifying scale theory aimed at linking different disciplines and sectors, and that the framework and methods based on it can also provide clarity for practical scale challenges.


This paper explores a new method to improve computer-aided translation (CAT) systems based on translation memory (TM) by using pre-computed word alignments between the source and target segments in the translation units (TUs) of the user's TM. When a new segment is to be translated by the CAT user, our approach uses the word alignments in the matching TUs to mark the words that should be changed or kept unedited to transform the proposed translation into an adequate translation. In this paper, we evaluate different sets of alignments obtained by using GIZA++. Experiments conducted in the translation of Spanish texts into English show that this approach is able to predict which target words have to be changed or kept unedited with an accuracy above 94% for fuzzy-match scores greater or equal to 60%. In an appendix we evaluate our approach when new TUs (not seen during the computation of the word-alignment models) are used.


ABSTRACT In Japan, there is a group of women who are notoriously known as "rotten women" because of their fantasies that perceive male homosocial relationships as homoromantic or homosexual. These transformative homoerotic fantasies are central to Boys Love culture. These "rotten women" or fujoshi engage with Japanese popular media using Boys Love literacies that challenge normative notions of male intimacy. In this paper, I examine Boys Love literacies, which bear intertextual and potentially queer qualities, and the impact these have on readers. I interrogate how an audience, immersed in heteronormative Japanese media, learn these non-normative literacies that I am positioning as a set of new literacies. I analyse Boys Love literacies embedded in fanworks, particularly women's fan comics, and highlight how these serve as pedagogical tools in understanding the logics of these nuanced literacies. I argue that these comics serve as critical affective mediums that impart the queer and intertextual characteristics of Boys Love culture that challenge heteronormative engagements with Japanese popular media. This paper highlights a kind of cultural literacy production and dissemination that operate on a grassroots level and is produced by young actors who actively explore the queer potential of Japanese media.


ABSTRACT Lassa fever (LF) is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by Lassa virus (LASV), a human hemorrhagic fever-causing mammarenavirus. A notable sequela of LF is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that can develop in about 33% of the patients. Animal models of LF-associated SNHL have been limited in size and scope because LASV is a biosafety level 4 (BSL4) pathogen that requires its handling in a high biocontainment laboratory. In this report, we describe the development of an alternative arenavirus hearing loss model by infecting outbred Hartley guinea pigs with a virulent strain (rP18) of the Pichinde virus (PICV), which is a guinea pig-adapted mammarenavirus that has been used as a surrogate model of mammarenaviral hemorrhagic fevers in a conventional (BSL2) laboratory. By measuring auditory brainstem response (ABR) throughout the course of the virulent rP18 PICV infection, we noticed that some of the animals experienced an acute but transient level of hearing loss. Cochleae of hearing-impaired animals, but not of controls, had demonstrable viral RNA by quantitative RT-PCR, indicating the presence of virus in the affected inner ear with no overt histopathological changes. In contrast, neither the outbred Hartley guinea pigs infected with a known avirulent strain (rP2) of PICV nor those that were mock-infected showed any evidence of hearing loss or viral infection of the inner ear. This is the first report of an immunocompetent small animal model of mammarenavirus-induced hearing loss that can be used to evaluate potential therapeutics against virus-induced hearing impairment under a conventional laboratory setting.


Jack bean urease has been used as a good catalyst for hydrolysis of urea in various applications such as biotechnology and biomedical engineering. The wide range of applications require proper understanding of the thermal inactivation of the enzyme. Consequently, the theoretical analysis of the enzyme kinetic of the thermal inactivation is required. In this paper, a new iterative method proposed by Daftardar-Gejiji and the Jafari method is applied to analyse the kinetic of thermal inactivation of jack bean urease (EC126.96.36.199). The kinetics of the urease consist of three-reaction steps and included the Arrhenius equation for temperature-dependent rate constants as well as the temperature change in the initial heating period. The approximate analytical solutions are verified with results of numerical method using Runge-Kutta with the shooting method, and good agreements are established between the results of the methods. From the analytical investigation, it is established that the molar concentration of the native enzyme decreases as the time increases while the molar concentration of the denatured enzyme increases as the time increases. The time taken to reach the maximum value of the molar concentration of the native enzyme is the same as the time taken to reach the minimum value of the molar concentration of the denature enzyme. It is hoped that the information given in this theoretical investigation will assist in the kinetic analysis of thermal inactivation of the experimental results over handling rate constants and molar concentrations. MSC 2010: 35A15


Growing economic inequality, corporate influence in politics, an eroding middle class. Many Americans leave it to politicians and the media to debate these topics in the public sphere. Yet other seemingly ordinary Americans have decided to enter the conversation of wealth in America by donning ball gowns, tiaras, tuxedos, and top hats and taking on the imagined roles of wealthy, powerful, and completely fictional characters. Why? In No Billionaire Left Behind, Angelique Haugerud, who embedded herself within the "Billionaires" and was granted the name "Ivana Itall," explores the inner workings of these faux billionaires and mines the depths of democracy's relationship to political humor, satire, and irony. No Billionaire Left Behind is a compelling investigation into how satirical activists tackle two of the most contentious topics in contemporary American political culture: the increasingly profound division of wealth in America, and the role of big money in electoral politics. Anthropologist and author Angelique Haugerud deftly charts the evolution of a group named the Billionaires-a prominent network of satirists and activists who make a mockery of wealth in America-along with other satirical groups and figures to puzzle out their impact on politics and public opinion. In the spirit of popular programs like The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, the Billionaires demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of economics and public affairs through the lens of satire and humor. Through participant observation, interviews, and archival research, Haugerud provides the first ethnographic study of the power and limitations of this evolving form of political organizing in this witty exploration of one group's efforts to raise hope and inspire action in America's current political climate.


We investigated the modification of microstructure and the change in GMI profile in a weak field-annealed amorphous ribbon as a function of the annealing time. The FWHM of x-ray diffraction patterns decreased in 8 h annealed samples, suggesting the reduction of the amorphous phase in the surface layer. Auger electron spectroscopy represented the compositional depth profile, where the oxide layer was heavily enriched in B and Si contents, balanced by a depletion of these elements in the underlying materials. The reduction of B and Si content decreases the crystallization temperature of the depletion layer, resulting in the formation of crystal or crystallites during annealing in air. The sharp change of GMI profiles was observed for the annealed samples over 1 h, but there was hysteresis in the GMI profile for increasing and decreasing field for the 1 h annealed sample. As the annealing time increased, the peak in the antiparallel field region to annealing field disappeared. Eventually, the GMI-valve in parallel field region was revealed in a 8 h annealed sample.


The ALTO project (in Spanish, A Linguistic Atlas of Western Tseltal) provides new data on the dialectal variation in Tseltal - a Western Mayan language spoken in the Chiapas Highlands (South West Mexico). ALTO addresses a wide array of phonological, inflectional and lexical issues in Tseltal. In this study, we analyze rearticulated vowels (VhV, V'V), elicited from two speakers in each of the seventeen areas which make up the dialectal network where Tseltal is currently spoken. Beyond the dialectal areas that seem prevalent on the linguistic evolution of rearticulated vowels, the main classes of realizations of these complex nuclei are described according to a scale of neutralization ranging from the rearticulation to the simplification of the complex syllable nuclei. These classes of phenomena highlight (in terms of structural complexity and areal distribution) the structural properties of the s.c. rearticulated or interrupted vowels, particularly marked in languages across the world. Acoustic measures of the duration, harmonic-to-noise ratio, spectral center of gravity, fundamental frequency (F0) and formants (F1-F3) are detailed according to cardinal levels of vowel aperture (low versus high). The results show that rearticulated vowels tend to be extra-long, that the hiatus slot is not characterized by any specific place of articulation, and that rearticulation does not involve any modification of formants nor F0 patterns on nuclei. The results also show that asymmetric properties may be found between low and high rearticulated vowels, as well as between degrees of neutralization for both subclasses of complex nuclei (VhV versus V'V). The authors conclude that rearticulated vowels have generic properties that make them closer to long vowels than to 'tautosyllabic hiatus'. However, this categorization still has to be further investigated insofar as rearticulated vowels, according to the dialectal varieties and speakers' interpretation of phonological patterns in complex nuclei, tend to be realized either as a hiatus with glide insertion, a vowel chain with inner onset, or as simple long or short vowels. They turn out to qualify less properly as interrupted or rearticulated vowels than as a transitional class between long vowels and hiatus.