This paper demonstrates a method for performing timing recovery for digital magnetic recording systems using cross correlation. Estimates of the written data are cross correlated with the incoming samples to derive phase error information. Retimed sample values are found via interpolation using the incoming samples and phase-error information. Results are compared to the decision-directed timing-recovery method commonly found in digital magnetic recording systems and it is shown that the cross-correlation timing-recovery method yields a lower bit-error rate for the same amount of mistiming in the incoming samples.


Insulin resistance is a core defect in Type 2 diabetes, occurring in peripheral organs (skeletal muscle and adipose tissue) leading to decreased glucose uptake and utilisation and in liver leading to increased hepatic glucose production. As long as the beta-cell can compensate for this by producing more insulin, glucose tolerance remains normal. However, as insulin resistance worsens, the beta-cell starts to fail to compensate leading to impaired glucose tolerance and then frank diabetes. The exact pathophysiology of insulin resistance is not clear but it probably involves a combination of genetic and environmental factors. These factors may result in changes in the number of insulin receptors, their affinity for insulin or a defect in post-receptor signalling or a combination of these. Insulin resistance also affects lipid metabolism such that there is increased production of triglycerides from the liver, which in turn both amplifies insulin resistance and exacerbates atherogenesis. The promotion of atherosclerosis by insulin resistance means that patients with Type 2 diabetes are at particularly high risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, treatment of insulin resistance with thiazolidinediones has the potential to offer improvements both in glycaemic control and in cardiovascular events.


It is known that the development and distribution of strain associated with normal faulting is
influenced by the process of fault growth within mechanically layered and heterogeneous sedimentary
rocks. Fault displacement is often partitioned between discontinuous throw on slip surfaces and zones
of distributed strain, which in some cases can be the result of folding associated with normal faulting.
The amount of ductile deformation can vary significantly along the strike of a normal fault array as a
result of various processes, such as fault-tip propagation and fault interaction and linkage. In this
study we investigate the influence of mechanical stratigraphy, fault geometry and fault mechanical
interaction on the variability and distribution of ductile strain in the rock volume surrounding normal
faults. We show that mechanical competence contrasts can control the manner in which strain is
accommodated and, hence the overall patterns of secondary fault and fracture systems within normal
fault-related folds. This can have consequences on the way in which disruption of an associated shale
smear occurs, impacting the sealing properties of the fault zones. Also, we show that folding can be
generated by different mechanisms that vary in importance in time and space along a normal fault
array. Mechanical properties of the host rocks, together with the spatial configuration of the faults
control the mechanical interaction between faults, exerting an influence on the variability of ductile
strain within the volume of deformation surrounding normal faults. Specifically, conjugate normal
faults that intersect within layers with low compressibility have geomechanical characteristics
favorable for migration of stress concentrations near the upper fault tips which generate higher
propagation/slip ratios and the development of lower amplitude folds, or no folding. The host rock
lithology and the overlapping normal fault configuration at the time of interaction controls the three-dimensional
relay ramp geometries and associated strains within relay ramps. Normal faults within
mechanically competent rocks tend to develop relay ramps with tabular geometries, that have larger
aspect ratios and smaller fault-parallel shear strains compared to those developed in mechanically
incompetent rocks. Fault-normal shear strain within ramps can be the result of the development of
asymmetric displacement gradients on the overlapping faults as a result of mechanical interaction
between surface-breaking normal faults. The probability of a relay ramp bounded by surface-breaking
normal faults to be completely breached depends not only on the accumulated ramp shear strains and
the ratio between throw and separation of the bounding faults, but also on how the throw is partitioned
between the interacting faults. Also, we argue that the style of breaching, dominantly through the
upper part of the relay ramps, is influenced by the stress interaction between the overlapping faults
and the Earth's free surface


Integration host factor (IHF) is a DNA-bending protein that binds to an upstream activating sequence (UAS1) and, on a negatively supercoiled DNA template, activates transcription from the ilvPG promoter of the ilvG-MEDA operon of Escherichia coli. The transcriptional initiation site of the ilvGMEDA operon is located 92 bp downstream of UAS1. Activation is still observed when the orientation of the upstream IHF binding site is reversed. This manipulation places the IHF binding site on the opposite face of the DNA helix, directs the IHF-induced DNA bend in the opposite direction, and presents the opposite face of the nonsymmetrical, heterodimeric, IHF molecule to the downstream RNA polymerase. Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor, LEF-1, is a DNA-bending, lymphoid-specific, mammalian transcription factor that shares no amino acid sequence similarity with IHF. When the IHF site in UAS1 is replaced with a LEF-1 site, LEF-1 activates transcription from the downstream ilvPG promoter in E. coli as well as it is activated by its natural activator, IHF. These results suggest that specific interactions between IHF and RNA polymerase are not required for activation. The results of DNA structural studies show that IHF forms a protein-DNA complex in the UAS1 region that, in the absence of RNA polymerase, alters the structure of the DNA helix in the -10 hexanucleotide region of the downstream ilvPG promoter. The results of in vitro abortive transcription assays show that IIIF also increases the apparent rate of RNA polymerase isomerization from a closed to an open complex. We suggest, therefore, that IHF activates transcription by forming a higher-order protein-DNA complex in the UAS1 region that structurally alters the DNA helix in a way that facilitates open complex formation at the downstream ilvPG promoter site.


This study analyzes the behavior of E-Kinerja users at the Maros Veterinary Center  using the UTAUT Model. E-Kinerja is a tool to assess the performance of employees with the status of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) online in all work units of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to prove that the determinants of the use of E-performance (performance expentancy, effort expentancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions) influence the intention to behave on users (behavioral intention). The number of respondents in this study were 42 ASN in various ranks and classes. The results of the study show that the level of ASN's acceptance of E-Kinerja received a positive response. This can be seen from each average value of the variables in the range of 3.54 - 4.34 (on a scale of 1 to 5) on the questionnaire that has been distributed. In addition it was also found that Social Influence has a positive influence on Behavioral Intention in the use of E-Kinerja. Whereas Habit has a positive influence on Use Behavioral in the use of E-Kinerja in BBVet Maros. As for the Performance Expentancy, Effort Expentancy, and Facilitating Conditions variables on Behavioral Intention, as well as the Facilitating Conditions and Behavioral Intention variables on Use Behavioral, no positive effect was found.


As the world is aware, the trend of generating energy sources has been changing from conventional fossil fuels to sustainable energy. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the ratio of renewable energy sources should be increased, and solar and wind power, typically, are driving this energy change. However, renewable energy sources highly depend on weather conditions and have intermittent generation characteristics, thus embedding uncertainty and variability. As a result, it can cause variability and uncertainty in the power system, and accurate prediction of renewable energy output is essential to address this. To solve this issue, much research has studied prediction models, and machine learning is one of the typical methods. In this paper, we used a bagging model to predict solar energy output. Bagging generally uses a decision tree as a base learner. However, to improve forecasting accuracy, we proposed a bagging model using an ensemble model as a base learner and adding past output data as new features. We set base learners as ensemble models, such as random forest, XGBoost, and LightGBMs. Also, we used past output data as new features. Results showed that the ensemble learner-based bagging model using past data features performed more accurately than the bagging model using a single model learner with default features.


Home Automation (HA) products based on IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee, both low power wireless communication standards, are starting to appear on the market. Most of these products use the 2.4GHz Industrial Scientific Medical (ISM) band, sharing the wireless spectrum with several other ubiquitous technologies such as Bluetooth, cordless phones, microwaves ovens and WiFi. The potential for cross technology interference exists and it is a looming threat to the success of new HA products based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. We developed a ZigBee Home Automation line of products for the Belgium market and therefore decided to evaluate the robustness of our products in the face of cross technology interference in the crowded 2.4 GHz band. We exposed our product, in a controlled laboratory setting, to increasing levels of WiFi interference and measured its performance. This paper summarizes our findings and presents recommendations and a methodology to measure and avoid WiFi interference while deploying and installing ZigBee based products in a home setting. While ZigBee products can successfully withstand interference from microwave ovens and Bluetooth devices, they are still vulnerable to high load WiFi traffic. ZigBee and WiFi can peacefully coexist in the home environment as long as certain basic precautions are taken.


Field experiment was conducted during the dry season of 2011 at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Teaching and Research Farm, Ikorodu, to evaluate the effects of different mulch materials on the growth and yield of okra. Three different organic mulch materials (dry grasses, banana leaves and wood shavings) were compared with control (with no mulch material) laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated three times. Results showed significant effects of mulch materials on the number of leaves, plant height at 4 and 6 weeks after planting (WAP), and number of flowers at 50% flowering, number of pods per plant at harvesting; while there was non-significant difference among the treatments on weight of harvested pods per plant. Therefore, it was concluded that Lagos okra farmers could applied organic mulch to obtain maximum okra growth and yield. (Sanni, K. O. and Eleduma, A. F. Responses of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (l.) moench) to different organic mulch materials in humid rainforest south western agro ecological zone Nigeria. Nat Sci 2014;12(1):93-95). (ISSN: 1545-0740). http://www.sciencepub.net/nature . 14


Purpose: Examine the penetrance (defined by high transferrin saturation [TS]) of C282Y and H63D in the U.S. population. Methods: 5171 participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1992 to 1994. Results: 77.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3, 95.1) of men and 51.9% (95% CI, 0, 84.2) of women with C282Y homozygosity had high TS. The associations of H63D homozygosity with high TS were stronger in people aged 50 years or older than in younger persons. Among Mexican-Americans, simple H63D heterozygosity was associated with high TS. Conclusions: The associations between HFE genotype and high TS may vary by sex, age, and ethnic group.


We study both global as well as local (Nielsen-Olesen) strings in de Sitter space. While these type of topological defects have been studied in the background of a de Sitter metric previously, we study here the full set of coupled equations. We find only "closed" solutions. The behaviour of the metric tensor of these solutions resembles that of "supermassive" strings with a curvature singularity at the cosmological horizon. For global strings (and the composite defect) we are able to construct solutions which are regular on the interval from the origin to the cosmological horizon if the global string core lies completely inside the horizon. PACS numbers: 04.20.Jb, 04.40.Nr, 11.27.+d Typeset using REVTEX ∗email@example.com †email@example.com ‡email@example.com


Ketoprofen solid dispersion was prepared by the solvent fusion method using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as carrier to improve physicochemical characteristics and dissolution profile of ketoprofen. The prepared solid dispersions were evaluated for the flowability, solubility and dissolution behaviour. Flowability studies of powders showed that solid dispersion technique improve flow properties compared with the physical mixtures. Solid dispersion technique found to be effective in increasing the aqueous solubility of ketoprofen. The dissolution of ketoprofen and polymers (PVP) were investigated by UV spectroscopy in phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) using a standard USP II dissolution apparatus. In vitro dissolution studies showed that in the dispersion system containing ketoprofen:PVP in the ratio of 1:1.5 gives faster dissolution rate of ketoprofen than the physical mixtures. Finally, solid dispersion of ketoprofen:PVP prepared in 1:1.5 ratio showed excellent physicochemical characteristics and was optimised.


The objective of this study was to determine the effect of thinning on the annual ring structure and the cross-sectional dimensions of tracheids in plantation-grown Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis). Annual ring width, earlywood width and latewood width increased significantly after thinning. The width of the band of nonflat latewood tracheids in the annual ring increased more than that of flat latewood tracheids. Thinning did not significantly affect latewood percentage. The average radial diameter of both earlywood and latewood tracheids increased after thinning. After thinning, average wall thickness of earlywood tracheids increased, while that of latewood tracheids decreased. Cell wall percentage in earlywood was not influenced significantly by thinning, but latewood cell wall percentage decreased. The changes of the average radial tracheid diameter, the average wall thickness of tracheids and cell wall percentage from earlywood to latewood within a growth ring became more gradual after thinning. However, thinning did not affect significantly the cell wall percentage of the whole growth ring. This study suggests that thinning has little effect on wood density of the whole growth ring in Japanese larch.


Insulators are the most common equipment in power systems, and the failure of insulators would be the direct threat to the stability and safety of the system. With the advantages of being non-contact and non-destructive, infrared imaging technology is efficient for monitoring and evaluating the thermal condition of insulators. Detecting the position of the insulator string in an infrared image is a crucial step for automatic diagnosis, thus an efficient and robust representation of insulator string is necessary. This paper proposes a novel method for insulator strings detection, and presents an appearance representation for insulator strings in infrared image based on Binary Robust Invariant Scalable Keypoints (BRISK) and Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD). We name this feature generation method Binary Feature Pooling. A classification model based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is integrated into multi-scale sliding window framework for locating insulator string in infrared image. Then redundant regions are merged by non-maximum suppression and shape prior knowledge constraints. The classification accuracy of the proposed method is 89.1026% on our standard infrared insulator dataset, and insulator strings under various conditions can be successfully detected. The results show that this method can detect multiple insulator strings in infrared images with low resolution and complex background.


Recent progress in COVID-19 vaccination campaigns has provided real hope for people around the world to successfully end the pandemic, decrease fatality rates and lift social distancing rules for timely economic recovery. Even though several RCT and single-country case studies have shown the high efficacy of the developed vaccines, little is known about how vaccination will result in lower cases and higher economic activity at the macro level. Quantifying the speed of these effects using observational data is of great relevance for policymakers as they grapple with decisions on vaccine distribution and equity, costly containment and social distancing measures, healthcare planning and expenditures, and macroeconomic policy support.

With this article, we aim to contribute to the pandemic literature by measuring the effect of vaccination rates on new cases and macroeconomic activity indicators using daily real-world observational data from 314 regions/states in 17 countries. Our results show that: (i) vaccination has a delayed containment effect which increases over time; (ii) the effects on changes in economic activity are transitory after large initial rises—that is, vaccination has permanent level effects; and (iii) the effect of the second vaccine dose is only present for new cases while being insignificant for economic activity.


Hypocrisy and double standards characterise the behaviour of industrialised countries towards poorer countries in world trade. This briefing paper identifies eight broken promises made by the rich to the poor. At the forthcoming World Trade Organisation summit in Doha, the biggest global meeting on trade since Seattle, WTO members must end the cycle of broken promises and build the foundations of a more equitable world trading system.


To slow down the increasing environmental degradation, design for sustainable behaviour (DfSB) has emerged in sustainable design aiming to promote behavioural change through design innovations to reduce environmental and social impacts from the demand side or consumer side. This paper presents a practice-based journey to investigate the process and results of the application of social-psychological theories into sustainable design. Focusing on the behaviour-related impacts of products and services during the use stage, a Design Behaviour Intervention Model (DBIM) is developed through the analysis and synthesis of the social-psychological theories and behaviour-changing strategies. The DBIM indicates that an in-depth study of consumer behaviour is the preliminary step in DfSB, which determines the application of design strategies and potentially the effectiveness of design interventions. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of the model. The results show that consumer behaviour insights offer rich resources to assist designers in sustainable design innovation. Product-based design suggestions and a proposed solution highlight that the application of DBIM coupled with consumer involvement throughout the design process could produce desirable and sustainable patterns of household fridge use. Finally, the structured consideration of behavioural change and their possible application in DfSB are discussed.


Hybrid wind-wave farms are emerging as a solution to make the wave energy cost competitive and the wind energy more dispatchable. Harnessing the combined wind-wave energy resources involves an appropriate understanding of the site and the conversion technology. In this paper, a case study is used to demonstrate an integrated approach for the resource estimation in the ocean and the selection of energy conversion technology at the intended site for a hybrid wind-wave farm. The assessment and characterization of the wind and the wave resources are carried out in terms of the wave power flux, the wind power density, the wave mean directionality and the other related parameters. The wave energy conversion technology requires a more detailed investigation as compared with that of the wind technology because of its variability in terms of the size and the operating principle for each technology. The power performance comparison is made for six commercial wind turbines with different rated power. Six pre-commercial wave energy conversion technologies are evaluated for their power performance and the hydrodynamic performance in terms of capture width ratio. An 80 MW hybrid wind-wave farm with 50% mix of each resource is proposed to better demonstrate the integrated approach for the intended coastal site in the Illawarra region of Australia.


This essay resists Anna Clark's theoretical framework of using "twilight moments" in order to understand the rape of enslaved peoples. Clark's framework of twilight moments endeavors to provide a vocabulary that explains prohibited sexual acts that were pursued in private or as an open secret without scrutiny. Based on this framework, she suggests that the rape of enslaved peoples can be understood in such a manner. By looking at the sexual abuses against African-American men under American Slavery, I argue that the conceptualization of twilight moments requires an element of mutual consent—an agreement that could not exist while slaves were considered an owner's chattel. Rather, I argue that these sexual violations must be considered on their own terms in order to do justice to the grim histories created by American racialized law and sensibilities.


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CONTEXT
Growing evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to methyl mercury through the maternal diet could have great influence on the neurological and physical development of neonates and young children.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this review was to evaluate the clinical repercussions of maternal exposure to methyl mercury during pregnancy on the health of fetuses, neonates, and children up to 8 years of age.

DATA SOURCES
The Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Dialnet Plus databases were searched for articles published in English or Spanish from 1990 to 2020.

STUDY SELECTION
Original articles published in English or Spanish from 1990 to 2020 were eligible for inclusion. All study designs were eligible. Animal studies were excluded. Two authors independently screened studies for inclusion. From the 971 records initially identified, 19 studies were included in the systematic review.

DATA EXTRACTION
PRISMA guidelines were followed. Outcomes extracted included maternal dietary exposure to methyl mercury during pregnancy, possible health repercussions in offspring up to 8 years of age, and quantitative measurement of mercury in a biological sample. All studies met the requirements established for assessing both study quality and risk of bias.

RESULTS
Prenatal exposure to mercury was consistently associated with lower birth weight, but only one study reported a negative association with length at birth. Higher mercury levels were also related to lower scores in various neuropsychological and developmental tests.

CONCLUSION
The literature shows clear evidence of the adverse effects of maternal methyl mercury exposure on anthropometric variables and cognitive or physical development in children. It is noteworthy, however, that mercury toxicity may sometimes be mitigated by other essential nutrients in the maternal diet, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids.


Traffic control has been a serious issue since human civilization. The modern world demands mobility. Cars represent the main method of mobility, but today's congested highways and city streets don't move fast, and sometimes they don't move at all. The India has 70% mobility on the road mode, hence the major problems created in large cities are the traffic congestion, wastage of valuable time in developed countries. For this need to solve the major problem of traffic, to achieve the strategic goal of reducing the congestion and improving the safety of the road users, main aim is to design the best traffic system that will be flexible and adoptive. Intelligent traffic systems (ITS), sometimes called intelligent transportation systems, apply communications and information technology to provide solutions to this congestion as well as other traffic control issues. The intelligent transport system (ITS) takes the first step towards meeting this challenge by providing effective, reliable and meaningful knowledge to motorists in time through signals. Problems like high traffic congestion, low transportation efficiency, low safety and endangered environment can be solved through innovative and sophisticated ways of handling latest techniques. In this paper various factors required to reduce traffic problem at various intersections are studied in details and implemented them for reducing the traffic problem form the data collected through traffic surveys at one congested points of Pune city & Design of signals for one junction is carried out.


This study is aimed at evaluating the antibacterial and anticandidal activity of coconut oil, fermented and unfermented coconut water and palm kernel oil (PKO) on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Corynebacterium sp. and Candida albicans. The coconut water was fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the pH, sugar and alcohol contents were determined before and after fermentation. The plant materials were screened for antimicrobial phytochemicals. The antimicrobial activity of the coconut water, coconut oil and palm kernel oil and the antibiotic susceptibility of the organisms were done on Muiller Hinton agar using disc diffusion method. The plasmids of the organisms were cured using 10% sodium dodecyl sulphate. The pH and ethanol content of the fermented coconut water were higher than the unfermented while the sugar content decreased after fermentation. There were no phytochemicals detected in the coconut water whereas all the phytochemicals were detected in the PKO while only reducing sugar and steroids were absent in the coconut oil. All the bacteria exhibited multi-drug resistance. After plasmid curing, there were reductions in the resistance indicating that the resistance is plasmid mediated. There was a reduction in the percentage antibiotic resistance of Corynebacterium sp. which was 60 and 0% before and after curing respectively. The PKO was more effective in inhibiting the bacteria and Candida sp. than coconut oil but were all resistant to the coconut water. PKO and coconut oil may thus be used as natural substitutes to control E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and Candida sp.

 Key words: Bacteria, antimicrobial, resistance, coconut water, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, phytochemicals.


This article aims to perform the logistic viability analysis of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou for West Africa using the AHP multicriteria method. This port contributes largely in the country's economy through customs and tax revenues, the formation of the Gross Domestic Product and also in international trade. Four criteria (quality of infrastructure and services, equipment productivity, and logistics cost of cargo) were modeled. With the result, the port infrastructure criterion is most important, followed by the port equipment criterion. Showing the importance of each port logistics viability criterion (infrastructure, service, equipment, cost), the alternative long-term logistics viability is preferable to the medium-term and short-term. The application of the AHP shows in its result that for long-term port logistics viability, it is preferable to invest more in modern and quality infrastructure and equipment.


Most existing research on the job shop scheduling problem has been focused on the minimization of makespan (i.e., the completion time of the last job). However, in the fiercely competitive market nowadays, delivery punctuality is more important for maintaining a high service reputation. So in this paper, we aim at solving job shop scheduling problems with the total weighted tardiness objective. Several dispatching rules are adopted in the Giffler-Thompson algorithm for constructing active schedules. It is noticeable that the rule selections for scheduling consecutive operations are not mutually independent but actually interrelated. Under such circumstances, a probabilistic model-building genetic algorithm (PMBGA) is proposed to optimize the sequence of selected rules. First, we use Bayesian networks to model the distribution characteristics of high-quality solutions in the population. Then, the new generation of individuals is produced by sampling the established Bayesian network. Finally, some elitist individuals are further improved by a special local search module based on parameter perturbation. The superiority of the proposed approach is verified by extensive computational experiments and comparisons.


Metastasis is responsible for the majority of death in cancer patients. Of the different steps in the metastasis cascade, the postdissemination phase is perhaps one of the least understood. Many factors, both from the disseminated tumor cells and the microenvironment, impact the success of the metastatic outgrowth. In this article, we discuss the interactions between colonizing cancer cells and immune cells in the period between vascular arrest in a secondary organ and metastatic outgrowth. We address the ambiguity in the findings of current research regarding the role of immune cells in regulating the metastatic microenvironment, and their hand in determining cancer cell fate.


As similarly observed in nutrient-poor media at 37°C, Escherichia coli forms small rods in nutrient-rich media at temperatures near 8°C, the minimum temperature of growth. A study was initiated to identify proteins required to facilitate the small rod morphology at low temperature. E. coli contains three nonessential SPOR domain proteins (DamX, RlpA, and DedD) that have been demonstrated to bind to the septal ring. In contrast to the normal growth and small rod morphology of damX and rlpA null mutants at 10°C, the dedD null mutant exhibited reduced growth and formed filamentous cells. The presence of plasmid-encoded DedD restored growth and small rods. Plasmid-encoded FtsN, an essential SPOR domain protein that functions to stabilize the septal ring and to initiate septation, in the dedD null mutant resulted in increased growth and the formation of shorter chained cells. However, plasmid-encoded DedD failed to restore growth and cell division of cells lacking FtsN at 10°C. In contrast to cell division protein DedD, RodZ is a cell elongation protein particularly required for growth at 30°C. However, the rodZ null mutant grew similarly as the wild type strain and produced cocci in LB broth at 10°C. Moreover at 10°C, the concerted deletion of dedD and rodZ resulted in severe inhibition of growth accompanied with the formation of swollen prolate ellipsoids due to a block in septal ring assembly and cell elongation. The data indicate the cellular requirement of both FtsN and DedD for septation as well as RodZ for cell elongation to maintain the small rod morphology at temperatures near 8°C. In comparison to the growth and small rods of the wild type in M9-glucose minimal media at 37°C, the dedD null mutant grew at the same rate and produced elongated cells while the rodZ null mutant grew at a slightly slower rate and produced cocci. The data indicate that DedD and RodZ are also required to maintain the small rod morphology in nutrient-poor media, but there is a higher cellular requirement of DedD for growth and cell division in nutrient-rich media at low temperature.


Identifying optimum athletic race track surfacing for greyhounds to reduce risk of injuries is a challenging practice as there are several single and coupled variables that should be considered as risk factors. To study the impact of bend and straight sections, surface type and camber, on biomechanics of galloping quadrupeds, an inertial measurement unit (IMU).
 has been used to measure the associated galloping accelerations. The IMU was sewn into a pocket located on the back of the greyhounds racing jacket positioned between the two forelegs. Simultaneous kinematics were performed using high frame rate (HFR) videos for calibrating IMU data. The results showed that there were lower G-forces on galloping on grass than wet sand which is consistent with the mechanical behavior of grass (grass is softer than wet sand). Moreover, galloping around the bend had higher G-forces than galloping along the straight section suggesting an excessive force is applied on the greyhound's limbs due to centrifugal force. A cambered bend assisted the greyhounds in having a smoother gait and lower G-forces when compared to a flat bend. The results reported in this paper will not only be beneficial for the welfare of racing greyhounds, but will also contribute in the simulation of legged locomotion for bio-inspired engineering and robotics.


Weddellite (calcium oxalate dihydrate) and calcite (anhydrous calcium carbonate phase) are components of concretions in the renal sac of the ascidian tunicate Molgula manhattensis. The presence of weddellite along with urate in the concretions suggests a resemblance to human kidney stones, although, unlike the latter, the concretions in Molgula do not seem to be pathologic deposits.


When developing procedures such as tools, methods and frameworks to support the development of new products, one of the challenges is ensuring their successful implementation. This paper describes a study of the development and use of such design-procedures with primary focus on the new product development process-model, its supporting methods and handling of knowledge. Semi-structured interviews with 20 participants have been carried out to understand the use of procedures. All the interviews were conducted in a company, which develops large complex equipment for oil rigs. The findings suggest that a complex understanding of procedures and reasons for divergence needs to be adopted, where implicit as well as explicit procedures are recognised and managed. Three distinct types of implicit procedures were uncovered through the study: 1) historical implicit procedures; 2) social interpretations of explicit procedures and; 3) implicit procedures supporting needs that are not catered for by the explicit procedures. In this understanding, a procedure can be any kind of method, tool or framework used to support design engineers. Furthermore, the study discusses a variety of recommended actions, depending on the type of procedure and the reason for non-conformance. Recommendations for corrective actions are proposed and feedback from managers directly involved in developing and applying the procedures are collected, to evaluate them.


Modem science prides itself in being concerned only with the rational and the useful; it mistrusts the uncontrolled imagination and is disdainful of the fairy tales in which our ancestors rejoiced. This haughty attitude, however, is of recent date. In its youth, science expressed itself in art and poetry and knew the intoxication of magic. Only after it had reached adulthood and had to pay the penalty of its social influence did it begin to shun glamor and suffer from inhibitions. If you will permit me, I shall try this evening to liberate myself from these inhibitions, to recover some of the naivet6 of the past. When the modem scientist tires of his austere textbooks and professional articles, he can, if he wishes, seek relief and entertainment in the many strange tales found in the early annals of all fields of scientific endeavor. The astronomer can discover romance in the fanciful and poetical cosmogony of the ancients, the chemist in the weird imaginings of alchemy, the zoologist and botanist in the legendary creatures which enliven the lore of all people and give such festive and mysterious atmosphere to medieval books and tapestries. Furthermore, these quaint documents often yield facts of scientific value. The star which guided the wise men to Bethlehem, the prehistoric drawings of animals now extinct, the list of plants and flowers in the old herbals and in Shakespeare; all have found some place in the fabric of modem science. Alone of biological sciences, microbiology appears at first sight to be without a remote and fanciful past. Its founder, Leeuwenhoek, was an acute, industrious and factual-but unromantic-bourgeois. For a century after him, microbiologists continued to work earnestly on problems of description and classification. Then Pasteur and Koch taught them to harness their skill and energy to the practical affairs of mankind in an effort to make their profession respected in the scientific community. The most diligent search discloses nothing but businesslike statements in the microbiological literature of Europe and America. It is true that a few years ago Dr. Paul Clark was bold enough to take advantage of his presidential address to give before our Society an essay entitled "Alice in Virusland", which he adorned with nonsense verses and delightful cartoons. But probably as a form of atonement, the Society of American Bacteriologists exacted a fine of one dollar of those of its members so frivolous as to wish to own a copy of this nontechnical document. I shall not be as bold as Dr. Clark, nor do I have his skill as a versifier. I shall try, nevertheless, to show you that the lore of primitive civilizations, the poems, novels, drama and arts of all times yield much material that microbiology can legitimately claim as belonging to its past. These traces of the


tional treatment, secondary infection, multiple episodes of hospitalization for pulmonary infection and raised serum IgE levels. One case had occasional vesicles, bullae and crusted plaques over both the extremities. Genetic study was possible in only one of them, who was found to have pathogenic homozygous deletions of exon 15–18 in DOCK8, following which he underwent bone marrow transplant (BMT) but he succumbed to a lower respiratory tract infection 2 months after BMT. The other patients received intermittent, multiple courses of antibiotics, oral/topical steroids and ciclosporin with variable responses. Our study highlights the various characteristics, presentation and management of this rare syndrome in children. Knowledge of these manifestations in skin of colour will facilitate early identification and contribute to optimal care of the patients as representative data are limited in literature.


Introduction Plethysmographic Specific Airways Resistance (sRaw) is measured during tidal breathing from the relationship between simultaneous measurements of airflow and change of plethysmographic pressure without need for airway occlusion.1 sRaw has been shown to be useful for discriminating lung disease in young children. It has previously been shown that breathing frequency (BF) can have a marked impact on measured values on sRaw,2 and recent recommendations have suggested BF should be maintained at 30–45 bpm.3 However, we hypothesise that the true impact of breathing pattern may relate more to pattern of breathing and flows attained than breathing frequency per se. Aim To determine the influence of flow and breathing frequency on specific effective airways resistance (sReff) measurements. Methods 12 healthy adults (age 17–56 year) performed repeated measures of sReff in the plethysmographic body box (V5.01, Cardinal Health) at either 30 bpm or 60 bpm at low flows (ie, quiet, natural breathing) or high flows (ie, forced breathing) in a random order. Paired t-tests were used to determine the impact of flow and BF on sReff. Results There was a significant increase in sReff (mean difference: 0.3 kPa·s (95% CI of the difference: 0.2 to 0.4) p<0.0001) when flows were doubled from approximately ±1 l/s to ∼±2 l/s, while maintaining a constant BF. By contrast, when BF was doubled while maintaining a constant flow there was no significant change in sReff (mean difference: 0.06 kPa·s (95%CI of difference: 0 to 0.1), p=0.21) (Abstract P126 Figure 1).Abstract P126 Figure 1 Within-subject changes in sReff when (A) flows are doubled but breathing frequency remains constant at 30 bpm, and (B) when flows remain relatively constant but breathing frequency is doubled. Conclusion The true impact of breathing pattern on sRaw relates more to flows attained than to breathing frequency. To facilitate improved repeatability and minimise inter-subject and inter-centre variability, it is essential that subjects are encouraged to breathe quietly and naturally during plethysmographic recordings of sRaw. Software adaptations that allow accurate display of flows during data collection and analysis are required before guidelines pertaining to flow can be generated.


Previous findings on the preconditions of teachers' collaboration are inconsistent. This might be related to the research methods used to assess the teachers' collaborative practice. Retrospective assessments by self-report on a relatively general level prevail. The validity of these self-reports is limited, however. In contrast, time-sampling methods have the potential to investigate collaborative practice specifically and longitudinally as a day-to-day process over time validly. But to date, no research on collaborative activities in schools based on time-sampling methods is available. In this study, we extended the current state of research by analysing the variability and preconditions of teachers' collaboration at four secondary schools over three weeks based on time-sampling data collected by a newly developed online practice log. Recorded were collaborative activities outside of teaching with a focus on administrative and organisational tasks and on school subject-specific tasks. The results revealed that teachers' collaborative activities varied significantly between weekdays, showing a linear decrease from Monday to Friday, regardless of the content of collaboration. Collaboration that focused on administrative-organisational tasks seemed to be quite stable over the weeks and was hardly influenced by teachers' individual characteristics. Instead, collaborative activities that focused on school subject-specific tasks varied significantly between weeks; moreover, they were influenced by teachers' leadership role and gender. The results indicate that rather stable routinised patterns of day-to-day collaboration over the weeks decrease the influence of teachers' individual characteristics. Hence, by collecting data that is closer to content-specific day-to-day collaborative activities, time-sampling methods can be seen as a driver for new insights.


Seismic networks often tend to overestimate the magnitude of earthquakes, because those stations within the network that do not detect a particular event are ignored in the conventional magnitude-averaging procedure. By assuming a normal distribution of worldwide magnitudes for any given event, it is possible to establish a simple statistical model that includes the additional information that event magnitudes at nondetecting stations must be below a certain threshold value. In this paper, maximum likelihood estimation is applied to determine event magnitude based on this model. The advantages and limitations of the technique are discussed using both simulated and real data. It is found that the maximum likelihood method, when applied properly, has the potential to yield a significant improvement in network magnitude estimates compared to the conventional averaging technique.


In the observations over the patients subjected to operations on the limbs under thiopental narcosis and in the experiments on white rats exposed to a shockogenic trauma (by Kennon's method) it has been found that the prophylactic injection of 1--2 mg/kg dose of dibazol rises the non-specific resistance of the body. The hormones of the pituitary-adrenal system have been found to hold an important place in the mechanism of the effect of dibazol.


Background:
Adolescent obesity is associated with high cardiovascular and metabolic risk.
Western diet and reduced physical activity are strong environmental
determinants. The "Health Production" model posits that individuals born with a
certain amount of health stock, which depreciates over life, but can be
augmented by individual behaviors, including exercise and dieting. Objective:
To study the association between health production and obesity in a random
sample of 1692 Chilean adolescents (14.8 ± 0.7 years old), and to study the
effect of gender and socioeconomic characteristics on health production.
Method: We used an indicator that considered the quality of food intake and
physical activity, establishing three categories: good (GHP), intermediate
(IHP) and poor health producers (PHP). Multivariate analysis was used to
study the odds of obesity and good health production. Results: There was 31%
of GHP, 32% of IHP and 38% of PHP. Obesity (Adj. OR: 1.59; 95%CI: 1.04 - 2.42)
and abdominal obesity (Adj. OR: 2.24; 95%CI: 1.35 - 3.40) were significantly
higher in the PHP group, compared to the GHP and IHP group. Health production
was significantly associated with socioeconomic factors and gender. Female
sex and coming from a less wealthy household significantly reduced the odds of
good health production. Conclusions: Poor health production in adolescence, as
defined by food intake and physical activity, depreciates individuals' "health stock", increasing the risk of
obesity. In our sample, health production was strongly associated with socio-economic factors and gender.


BACKGROUND Despite its therapeutic relevance, the relationship between chronic sputum production (SP) and airway bacterial infection in COPD remains poorly defined. We hypothesize that the risk of future events differs between patients with and without chronic bacterial infection within those categorized as bronchitic phenotype in stable COPD METHODS We prospectively evaluated 638 patients with stable COPD for ≥ 6 weeks, > 10 PY and GOLD II-IV seeking care in pulmonary tertiary hospitals in 8 European countries and included in the PROMISE cohort. SP and microbiology were assessed at baseline and each semi-annual visit for a median observation time of 24 months RESULTS At baseline, spontaneuous sputum samples were obtained in 241 (65.0%) of the 371 patients reporting chronic bronchitis. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were isolated in 54 (30.7%) and ruled out in 122 cases with representative sputum specimens. The annual deterioration of dyspnea scores and lung function, health-related QoL, peripheral oxygenation and exercise capacity were similar in patients with and without chronic bacterial airway infection. Conversely, patients with SP presented higher annual exacerbation rates, irrespective of the presence or absence of chronic bacterial airway infection. In the multivariable regression analysis, SP with positive (OR 2.39, p=0.004) and negative (OR 1.58, p=0.032) microbiology, and FEV1% pred (OR 0.99, p=0.0093) but not age adjusted Charlson score (OR 0.92, p=0.091) remained independently associated with frequent exacerbations (≥2/year) CONCLUSION Spontaneous SP is associated with higher exacerbation rates independently of chronic bacterial airway infection.


Background and importance There have only been 175 cases of hypomagnesaemia associated with prolonged use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) reported to FEDRA (Spanish Pharmacovigilance, Adverse Reaction Data) since commercialisation of PPIs, despite the alert published by AEMPS in 2011. Aim and objectives To detect hypomagnesaemia in patients admitted to an acute geriatric hospital and look for a relationship with chronic PPI treatment, and to determine the frequency of this adverse effect with respect to all hospitalised patients and the electrolyte alterations that may be related. Material and methods A retrospective study was conducted during the first half of 2019 in admitted patients treated with magnesium in an acute geriatric 160 bed hospital. Demographic data were collected (age, sex). Hypomagnesaemia (<1.9 mg/dL) associated with chronic PPI treatment was reviewed, and risk factors such as concomitant treatment with loop diuretics and/or thiazide diuretics, and/or potentially related electrolyte alterations (hypokalaemia (<3.7 mEq/l) and hypocalcaemia (<8.4 mg/dL)) were assessed. The frequency of the adverse event was determined from the total number of patients admitted receiving treatment with PPIs. Results There were 67 patients receiving magnesium treatment and 5 were excluded as it was unrelated to PPI treatment. The included patients had a mean age of 83.96 years (26 men and 36 women) and had been receiving PPI treatment for a mean of 9.17 years. Forty-nine patients (79.03%) received concomitantly a diuretic. In 12 patients (19.35%) clinically significant low magnesium levels were found (< 1.2 mg/dL), 6 of them (9.67%) critical (<0.9 mg/dL). We recorded14 patients (22.58%) with hypokalaemia and 11 (17.74%) with hypocalcaemia. Of the 2301 admitted patients, 1960 were being treated with a PPI (85.18%) and hence the frequency of hypomagnesaemia related to PPIs in our study population was 1/31 patients treated. FEDRA will be notified of these results. In 41 (66.12%) there was a change in treatment: 35 (56.45%) switched to ranitidine and in 6 (9.67%) the PPI was discontinued. Conclusion and relevance In our study, hypomagnesaemia was a frequent adverse effect (≥1/100 to ≤1/10). This adverse effect was underrated, which means that it is still considered infrequent. We believe that more studies are needed that can quantify the frequency within the patient's healthcare continuity. References and/or acknowledgements https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4230950/ No conflict of interest.


A coupled-PLLs network suitable for phased-array systems is presented. The proposed structure uses phase-frequency detectors, instead of analogue multipliers, to achieve up to ±180° phase shift between output signals. This improvement makes it possible to extend the scanning angle from ±30° off the normal achieved through current coupled-oscillators to ±90°.


When steady currents flow in solid conductors, the current distributions are not known in advance, and a 3D finite-element analysis of the magnetostatic fields must also involve an analysis of the currents. To find the currents, either of two potentials can be used: the electric scalar potential or a vector potential T for the current density. The scalar potential has the disadvantage of producing a current density that is only approximately solenoidal, and is therefore incompatible with Ampere's Law for the magnetic field. The vector potential gives solenoidal currents. It may conveniently be found by applying the T-/spl Omega/ edge element method, an existing method for eddy current problems, in one of two ways: setting the frequency so low that the DC solution is obtained; or solving first for T, then for /spl Omega/. Either way, both the current distribution and the magnetic field are obtained, and the solution is ideally suited for subsequent transient analysis. Results from three test problems confirm the validity of the method. >


National Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation (NSF) has turned recent actions by Congress and the priorities of a new president into an array of programs to strengthen the scientific work force, tackle pressing societal problems, and foster collaborations across disciplines. The initiatives are made possible by the brightest budget picture in NSF's 60-year history. Some $3 billion from the one-time stimulus package, combined with a 6.5% boost to its regular 2009 budget, has brought spending to a record $9.5 billion this year. Its 2010 budget, excluding stimulus funds, would rise by 8.5%, to just over $7 billion, if Congress approves President Barack Obama's request.


Peste des petit ruminants (PPR), a viral disease of sheep and goats, invaded Kenya through Turkana district in 2006. Kenya had remained uninfected with PPR despite bordering countries (Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia) that were reported endemic with the disease. This study evaluated the small ruminants' pastoral management practices of Turkana pastoral herders as part of a participatory risk assessment looking at the social cultural and small stock husbandry activities that may facilitate exposure of sheep and goats to possible Peste des petit ruminants (PPR) infective herds or animals. The social cultural and small stock husbandry activities were represented by 62 variables in Peste des petit ruminants risk assessment questionnaire which were analyzed using factor analysis. The risk assessment questionnaire was developed as a Likert scale based on summated rating scale format. The risk assessment questionnaire was applied to 142 villages (Adakars) across six administrative divisions in north and west of Turkana District. Factor analysis extracted 7 factors that accounted for 45.3% of the variance in the reworked 49 variables analyzed. These extracted factors were thus taken as the salient factors that explained small ruminant pastoral management practices of Turkana pastoral herders as follows: 1 indiscriminate mixing of vulnerable small stock groups with high risk groups within herds; 2 introduction of new animals into the herds; 3 share watering sources leading concentration of vulnerable young stock in one point; 4 foreign livestock from across international borders grazing in local pastures; 5 nomadism and transhumance; 6 local culture of borrowing and loaning of livestock; 7 sick dams left to nurse their young kids and lambs. These seven management factors were evaluated in a regression analysis of PPR as predictors of PPR outbreak in last one and two years. The results are presented in a subsequent paper.


The lymphatic system, composed of initial and collecting lymphatic vessels as well as lymph nodes that are present in almost every tissue of the human body, acts as an essential transport system for fluids, biomolecules and cells between peripheral tissues and the central circulation. Consequently, it is required for normal body physiology but is also involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, most notably cancer. The important role of tumor-associated lymphatic vessels and lymphangiogenesis in the formation of lymph node metastasis has been elucidated during the last two decades, whereas the underlying mechanisms and the relation between lymphatic and peripheral organ dissemination of cancer cells are incompletely understood. Lymphatic vessels are also important for tumor-host communication, relaying molecular information from a primary or metastatic tumor to regional lymph nodes and the circulatory system. Beyond antigen transport, lymphatic endothelial cells, particularly those residing in lymph node sinuses, have recently been recognized as direct regulators of tumor immunity and immunotherapy responsiveness, presenting tumor antigens and expressing several immune-modulatory signals including PD-L1. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries in this rapidly evolving field and highlight strategies and challenges of therapeutic targeting of lymphatic vessels or specific lymphatic functions in cancer patients.


The paper investigates the impact of the reliability of electric energy consumption volumes forecasts on the performance of SE "NPC Ukrenergo" in the long-term perspective; it proved that artificially low residential electricity tariffs and cross-subsidisation form institutional conditions for abuse by commercial consumers, who seek to use electric energy as if they were residential consumers in order to reduce their own costs; it validates that such a situation distorts data on the volume of electric energy consumed by different groups of consumers and, therefore, impairs reliability of forecasts build on such data; it proved that it is practical to abandon the practice of cross-subsidisation in the power sector and to switch to market price formation.


Purpose: Some physician assistant (PA) program directors believe paying clinicians and administrators for clinical sites is fair and necessary, while others regard such practices as undermining traditional altruistic motivations for precepting. The purpose of this study was to assess PA program directors' attitudes on this topic and describe current practices and future plans regarding compensation to clinical sites. Methods: A cross‐sectional descriptive survey was sent to directors of PA programs with continuing and provisional accreditation status in 2012. Results: Seventy‐eight (48%) of the 163 program directors surveyed participated in the study. Although most respondents indicated that paying for clinical sites was not an acceptable practice, almost half believed it would be acceptable if there were standards and definitions for equitable and fair payments. Despite the finding that most respondents' programs do not pay for clinical sites, nearly half anticipate their programs will be paying for clinical sites in three years, and the cost of such payments will be passed on to students in the form of increased tuition or separate fees. Many indicated a concern that paying for clinical sites may result in monopolies and bidding wars. Conclusion: While paying clinical sites may be effective for recruitment and retention of clinical sites, most program directors are concerned about the expanded role economics will have for their program. Agreed‐upon standards and definitions for fair and equitable payment practices may alleviate some of these concerns. However, the potential effects on students and programs identified in this study necessitate additional research to fully assess what implications this may have on PA education and the profession.


We present faster-than-native alternatives for the full AVX512-VP2INTERSECT instruction subset using basic AVX512F instructions. These alternatives compute only one of the output masks, which is sufficient for the typical case of computing the intersection of two sorted lists of integers, or computing the size of such an intersection. While the na\"ive implementation (compare the first input vector against all rotations of the second) is slower than the native instructions, we show that by rotating both the first and second operands at the same time there is a significant saving in the total number of vector rotations, resulting in the emulations being faster than the native instructions, for all instructions in the VP2INTERSECT subset. Additionally, the emulations can be easily extended to other types of inputs (e.g. packed vectors of 16-bit integers) for which native instructions are not available.


African traditional art is apparently an egalitarian venture. So are the products of these arts. What may have eluded the cursory observer, but not lost on the researcher, are the subtle nuances and tonalities of that art as they delineate social categories and individuals. This is the subject of this paper, which seeks to establish the nexus between art and political leadership by an exploration of the example of the Alake of Abeokuta. The paper illustrates that leaders in autochthonous African communities were great patrons of the arts, and more important, conceived of the arts as a major field of experience in the business of political governance. Thus, it establishes the need to reappraise the cultural values of contemporary political leadership in African countries
(J Cultural Studies: 2002 4(1): 185-214)
.


The intermediate filament (IF) composition of muscle cells of various sources is still a controversial issue. In the present study, the IF composition of bovine Purkinje fibres (PFs), atrial and ventricular myocardium, and gastric smooth muscle (SM) has been compared using biochemical and immunocytochemical methods. The Mr of the major IF subunit protein in all four tissues was 55,000. In two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis gels of Triton-treated ordinary atrial and ventricular myocardium and the gastric muscular wall, two or three isoelectric isoforms were seen, whereas in PFs up to seven isoforms caused by phosphorylation were observed. In immunofluorescence studies antibodies against the Mr 55,000 subunit of PFs and gastric SM, respectively, both showed identical reactivity with PFs, atrial and ventricular myocytes, gastric SM cells and some SM cells in intramyocardial and gastric muscular wall blood vessels. A small amount of vimentin (Mr 57,000) was also detected in 2-D gel electrophoresis in all four tissues as well as in immunoblotting of PFs with antibodies to vimentin. Immunofluorescence studies using both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to vimentin showed that vimentin was present in the endothelium and SM cells of both intramyocardial and gastric muscular wall vessels, sometimes together with desmin in the vascular SM cells, but was never seen in PF, atrial, ventricular or gastric SM cells proper. As expected, vimentin was present in interstitial tissue, i.e., fibroblasts and capillaries. However, interestingly, the monoclonal antibodies, which recognized different antigenic determinants of vimentin, did not give identical staining patterns. Especially the staining of the vascular SM cells differed. Since this staining pattern did not change upon denaturation and unmasking experiments, it seems that the organization of vimentin in different mesenchymal cell types varies. Vimentin was also detected in isolated PFs but here it was located solely in the contaminating interstitial tissue. Thus, desmin is the sole IF protein expressed in PFs, in atrial and ventricular myocytes and in gastric SM cells proper; vimentin alone being present in the interstitial tissue cells, whilst in vascular SM cells desmin and vimentin are coexpressed in various proportions. The variation in number of isoforms of desmin and the heterogeneity in staining of mesenchymal tissues with monoclonal vimentin antibodies probably indicates that the IF cytoskeletons are differently organized in various cell types, even though they contain IFs of the same class.


Abstract The research objective is to study how Romanian and Dutch organizations' business models have changed under COVID-19 conditions. The role of digitalization in adapting business models and business practices is studied. The theoretical background reviews literature about business models and their dimensions. Literature review investigated digitalization in Romanian and Dutch organizations. Research questions were: To what extent do Romanian and Dutch organizations use: • more digital methods in their offer to their clients now than before the crisis? • more digital methods in their business processes now than before the crisis? • more digital methods in communicating with their clients now than before the crisis? To what extent are there any significant differences between Romanian and Dutch organizations regarding the use of digital methods? Using qualitative and quantitative methods, conclusions show that Romanian and Dutch organizations adapted their business models to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis by applying digitalization in their value creation and value delivery using different digital methods. The frequency and choice of specific digital methods are in line with digitalization levels of Romania and The Netherlands as per the DESI index. In both countries, digitalization helped business models resilience although the level of digitalization in the organization's country were significantly different.


Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) achieve state-of-the-art performance in various graph-related tasks. However, the black-box nature often limits their interpretability and trustworthiness. Numerous explainability methods have been proposed to uncover the decision-making logic of GNNs, by generating underlying explanatory substructures. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive review of the existing explanation methods for GNNs from the perspective of graph generation. Specifically, we propose a unified optimization objective for generative explanation methods, comprising two sub-objectives: Attribution and Information constraints. We further demonstrate their specific manifestations in various generative model architectures and different explanation scenarios. With the unified objective of the explanation problem, we reveal the shared characteristics and distinctions among current methods, laying the foundation for future methodological advancements. Empirical results demonstrate the advantages and limitations of different explainability approaches in terms of explanation performance, efficiency, and generalizability.


In the Great Australian Facts & Firsts series Dr Karl gives us quirky, factual details about nature, science and people. Dr Karl rampages on, doing what he does best writing about scientific discovery and endeavours from an expert point of view. the ability to popularise science and clarify scientific jargon is what gives this author best-selling status. And he doesn't just let us in on the facts behind the success stories he sometimes lets us in on the disasters. these books are wonderful for children : they contain great stories and give invaluable information to use in school!


Epidemiological data have shown an association between tuberculosis and an increased risk for the development of lung cancer. It is believed that the rate of development of bronchogenic carcinoma is higher in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis than in the individuals without respiratory disease. The incidence of co-existent lung cancer and tuberculosis is accounted from 1% to 16%. Several factors are involved in neoplastic transformation, one of which is infectious agents, though correlation between tuberculosis-related chronic inflammation and the development of lung cancer is not fully understood. The intense inflammatory response to mycobacteria, which is characterized by the release of inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor, interferon-gamma and interleukins, that occurred in granulomas during the active tuberculosis can cause damage to the lung tissue. Matrix metalloproteinases, which can promote lung remodeling in tuberculosis, are also involved in the process of damage to the extracellular matrix of the lung tissue. In addition, the regeneration process contributes to the development of fibrosis, which is also a factor for the development of lung cancer. The role that scars can play in the pathogenesis of the tumor process is unclear. However, neoangiogenesis, which is a necessary part of tissue regeneration, is crucial for tumor growth. Several studies show that post-tuberculosis lung cancer is not of bronchial origin, but rather arises from the scar tissue. Moreover, enhanced cell proliferation during the recovery process in chronic inflammation can lead to metaplasia and subsequent changes, such as dysplasia, which are regarded as precancerous conditions. Recent studies have shown that the mpb64 gene, characteristic of Mbt-L, has been detected in the tuberculosis tissue specimens, lung cancer tissue specimens, and co-existence of both. Cytogenetic analysis of lung cancer and dysplastic lesions of the bronchi showed that in these pathologies a deletion of the short arm on chromosome 3 is often noted, the critical gene on which is FHIT. The latter encodes a small mRNA and a small protein of the same name, involved in the processes of apoptosis and regulation of transcription. According to some reports, lung cancer may arise from the claviform cells as a result of mutations under the influence of various exogenous and endogenous factors, including chronic inflammation. Recent studies have found that scar carcinoma was represented by adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of varying degrees of differentiation. The tumor nodule in tuberculoma was associated with its fibrous capsule and represented by the same histological variants. However, in fibrocavernous tuberculosis, the formation of squamous cell carcinoma was noted, and, notably, in most cases, its occurrence was associated with active inflammatory process in the cavity wall. Conclusion. It can be stated that chronic inflammation, pneumosclerosis, disrupted immunological control and intercellular regulatory interactions contribute to the accumulation of genetic rearrangements and mutations leading to malignant transformation


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) caused by different etiologic factors in China and the relationship between the phenylalanine and mental development of patients with HPAs who were diagnosed by neonatal screening and early treated.

METHODS
Two hundred and twenty-three patients with HPA detected by neonatal screening programs were refered to us at the age of (41 +/- 27) days after birth. The differential diagnosis was performed by BH(4) (20 mg/kg) loading test, urinary pterin analysis and dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) activity determination respectively. The control of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism, growth and mental development were evaluated in all treated patients. Related gene mutation analysis was performed in some patients

RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-nine of 223 patients (57.8%) were diagnosed as phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency (PAHD), 64 patients (28.7%) as BH(4) responsive PAHD, 30 patients (13.5%) as 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin synthase deficiency (PTSD). One hundred and forty-nine patients were followed at age of 4 m - 2 y in our clinic. The 136 of 149 patients were treated according to different etiology at the age of 1.6 m (0.5 - 3.5 m) after birth. Thirteen patients were followed up without the need for treatment. All patients had normal growth development. One hundred and eight (79.4%) of 136 treated patients had normal mental development. The negative correlation (r = -0.439, P < 0.01) between IQ and average Phe levels were observed in 58 patients. Twenty-eight patients were able to go to primary school or even university. Nine kinds of PTS gene mutations were found in 9 cases with PTSD, among which 286G-->A and 259C-->T were most commonly seen, accounting for 45%. Seven kinds of PAH gene mutations were found in 13 cases with BH(4) responsive PAHD with the R241C (43.8%) mutation being the most frequent one.

CONCLUSION
The differential diagnosis should be quickly made in all HPA patients detected by neonatal screening. Near 80% patients early treated had normal mental development. The good control of blood Phe level is a key factor for mental development.


Economies in knowledge-based societies grow faster than in previous agricultural and industrial societies. This growth is based on the information and communications technology (ICT) development. The production function of ICT industries shows increasing returns to scale. The network effect of ICT development causes increasingly accelerated production and consumption values as the market gets larger in all supply and demand aspects. Thus, ICT development is the fundamental driving force of the faster economic growth, accelerated by increasing returns to scale and the network effect. Early investment in ICT achieves steep economic growth. The definition and characteristics of a knowledge-based society are given, and the nature, causes, and patterns of the faster acceleration of it are explained.


Purpose: The paper reviews some theoretical approaches that have been adopted for understanding the drivers and achievements of the Chinese professional project and the challenges it faces for the future, as a complement and a contrast to previous histories of China and to studies of other developing economies. Design/methodology/approach: Based mainly on evaluating the information as obtained from the interviews in mainland China, in Hong Kong and in London reported by Macve (2020), complemented by other published histories. Findings: China remains a paradox. Since the "reform and open" policy began in 1978 it has been transformed from one of the poorest countries to one of the economically most powerful in just some 40 years. However it remains (per capita) a "developing country"/"emerging economy" and ideologically a Communist country. While the accounting profession in the USA and UK has developed "from the bottom up" over more than a century and a half, the Chinese profession has effectively been created "from the top down" in under 25 years. The paper outlines alternative theorizations of the major stages in this achievement, in the context of the continuing rapid growth of China's economy and its stock markets, and of the overseas expansion of its manufacturing and increasingly service-oriented base. Research limitations/implications: Space has restricted the analysis here to a general overview. Application of Gramsci's hegemony theory is argued to be inappropriate in the context of understanding China's professional project. Instead, this study is framed within the neo-institutional theory of "linked ecologies" originally developed to examine "Western" developments and extended to the emergence of glocalization, while offering a comparison with related theorization of Russia's post-Communist development. Further theoretical development outside the Western neo-liberal context is called for. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates how accounting and auditing's development in this globally significant context has differed from that in other developing and transitional economies, reflecting in particular the proactive agency of the state. Given China's economic power, fuller understanding of the interrelated factors shaping its development is important for understanding the likely future shaping of the worldwide profession.


Extracellular vesicles, including microvesicles and exosomes, are lipidic membrane‐derived vesicles that are secreted by most cell types. Exosomes, one class of these vesicles that are 30–100 nm in diameter, hold a great deal of promise in disease diagnostics, as they display the same protein biomarkers as their originating cell. For exosomes to become useful in disease diagnostics, and as burgeoning drug delivery platforms, they must be isolated efficiently and effectively without compromising their structure. Most current exosome isolation methods have practical problems including being too time‐consuming and labor intensive, destructive to the exosomes, or too costly for use in clinical settings. To this end, this study examines the use of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) capillary‐channeled polymer (C‐CP) fibers in a hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) protocol to isolate exosomes from diverse matrices of practical concern. Initial results demonstrate the ability to isolate extracellular vesicles enriched in exosomes with comparable yields and size distributions on a much faster time scale when compared to traditional isolation methods. As a demonstration of the potential analytical utility of the approach, extracellular vesicle recoveries from cell culture milieu and a mock urine matrix are presented. The potential for scalable separations covering submilliliter spin‐down columns to the preparative scale is anticipated.


constant action are most apt to be affected, such as the cervical and the eye-muscles. On account of the frequency of implication of the muscles innervated from the bulb, the disease has also been called " asthenic bulbar paralysis." Sensation is unaltered. Both sexes are about equally affected, but the disease comes on at an earlier age in women (average 24 years) than in men (average 35 years). Not unfrequently it has followed upon some acute affection, such as influenza, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, otitis media; occupation, syphilis, alcohol, neuropathic inheritance seem to play no special part in its causation. The mode of onset is usually gradual, and the muscles first affected are those innervated by the bulbar nuclei;


The present study was aimed to evaluate the phytochemical, antidiabetic, and cytoprotective properties of Ber- beris aristata DC. (Berberidaceae) root extracts. After phytochemical evaluation of various extracts of B. aristata roots, the ethanol extract was found to be rich in phytochemicals with the presence of alkaloid determined by the thin layer chromatography; hence ethanol extract was selected for further study. Administration of ethanol extract of B. aristata roots in diabetic rats showed dose dependent reduction in hyperglycemia. The levels of serum total cholesterol, triglyc- eride, AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), serum creatinine and blood urea were signifi- cantly decreased in diabetic rats when compared with diabetic control rats.


The anatomy of the distal phalanx of the human finger was studied in preserved and fresh specimens and the fascia was related to associated structures as a mechanism for prehension. Particular attention was directed to the lateral interosseous ligaments of the distal phalanx and their possible function during gripping with the digital pulp.


Even though CT scans are considered the gold standard to characterize a renal mass, sometimes they can be misleading, showing a solid renal mass as a cystic one. Tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma (TcRCC) is a rare and recently discovered RCC variant which radiologically may look like a Bosniak type II to IV, even if it has solid features. We describe a case of a patient with left kidney TcRCC initially diagnosed as a renal cyst, who finally underwent radical nephrectomy showing a large, solid neoplasm. Due to its unusual CT appearance, TcRCC can be confused with cystic lesions and several other benign or malignant entities. Ultrasound can be a useful aid for the characterization of these renal tumors.


Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry has been used successfully for the analysis of a wide range of analytes such as chiral local anaesthetics, sulphonated reactive dyes and endogenous neurotransmitters and neuropeptides.The partial filling technique was used in CE-MS for chiral separation of bupivacaine and ropivacaine using the non-volatile selector β-cyclodextrin. By only partially filling the capillary with selector and using capillaries coated with polyacrylamide to suppress the electroosmotic flow, introduction of the selector into the mass spectrometer was avoided. An impurity of 0.25% of the R-enantiomer of ropivacaine in the S-form could be detected.The partial filling technique was developed further using CE employing two different selectors in separate plugs in the capillary. This enhanced the separation efficiency and offered greater flexibility in controlling the separation.By using transient-isotachophoresis (tITP)-CE-MS it was possible to concentrate and detect classical neurotransmitters and neuropeptides with masses ranging from 104 Da to 1642 Da. γ -Aminopropyltriethoxysilane coated capillaries were used to minimize adsorption of the peptides onto to capillary surface. Endogenous dopamine, glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), acetylcholine, methionine-enkephalin and substance P 1-7 were detected in the striatum of marmoset monkey.Sulphonated dyes obtained from single textile fibres were analysed using CE-MS. Capillary electrophoresis was found to be a good way of removing the excess amounts of glucose present in the sample that would otherwise interfere with the electrospray ionisation. Automatic function switching, originally developed for use together with liquid chromatography, was found to be a great method for acquiring MS/MS data when doing infusion experiments saving both time and sample without decreasing the quality of the MS/MS data. It was also found to be a more time efficient way than using the precursor ion scanning mode on the Q-TOF to obtain precursor ion data.


Heterogeneous traffic flow contains the mixed operation of the different vehicle classes such as cars, trucks and buses. Previous study has indicated that the overall stability of the heterogeneous traffic flow is governed by a weighted mean of stability parameters corresponding to each vehicle class and is not affected by the order in which a vehicle class is put into the system, for example either car or truck. However, it has been recently reported that the effect of mixed composition on traffic flow dynamics is also determined by the car-following vehicle type, that is either car following a car or car following a truck. This paper aims at investigating analytically how different car-following combinations (i.e. the following type) influence the overall stability of heterogeneous traffic flow dynamics. More specifically, we will consider the four types of car-following behaviour such as car–car, car–truck, truck–car, and truck–truck. The effect of such car-following types on the overall linear stability condition of the heterogeneous traffic flow will be studied using a generalised multi-class car-following model in which the optimal speed function is not only dependent on the the space headway between two consecutive vehicles as in previous study of Mason and Woods [1997. "Car-following Model of Multispecies Systems of Road Traffic." Physical Review E: 2203–2214] but also on the and the relative speed between those two consecutive vehicles.


Funding for this program was provided through the National Soil Conservation Program, under Federal-Provincial Agreements on Soil and Water Conservation and Development in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.


In human epilepsy, the amygdala is often a primary focus for seizures. To analyse the status epilepticus‐induced alterations in the amygdaloid circuitries which may later underlie epileptogenesis, we studied the amygdaloid damage in kainic acid and perforant pathway stimulation models of status epilepticus in the rat. We also studied the damage to inhibitory GABAergic neurons. In both models, the medial division of the lateral nucleus, the parvicellular division of the basal nucleus and portions of the anterior cortical and medial nuclei were damaged. In the kainate model, where the seizure activity was more severe, the accessory basal nucleus, amygdalohippocampal area, posterior cortical nucleus and periamygdaloid cortex were also damaged. Two weeks after kainate‐induced seizures, 56% of the GABA‐immunoreactive neurons remained in the lateral nucleus (P < 0.05) and 25% in the basal nucleus (P < 0.01). Further analysis showed that one subpopulation of damaged GABAergic neurons was immunoreactive for somatostatin (48% remaining in the lateral nucleus, P < 0.01; 33% in the basal nucleus, P < 0.01). In the perforant pathway stimulation model, the damage to somatostatin neurons was milder. According to our data, the initial insult, such as status epilepticus, selectively damages amygdaloid nuclei. The loss of inhibition may underlie the spontaneous generation of seizures and epileptogenesis. On the other hand, many amygdaloid output nuclei (magnocellular and intermediate division of the basal nucleus, the central nucleus) remained relatively undamaged, providing pathways for seizure spread and generation of seizure‐related behavioural manifestations such as motor convulsions and fear response.


We report a case of acute pancreatitis after an elective screening colonoscopy. A 51-year-old male with a left ventricular assist device for end-stage nonischemic cardiomyopathy and a family history of colorectal cancer was admitted for an expedited heart transplant evaluation. He underwent screening colonoscopy during this admission which was technically uncomplicated apart from requiring slight maneuvering at the splenic flexure. The following day, the patient developed acute epigastric pain and one episode of emesis. Subsequent laboratory evaluation revealed a significantly elevated lipase level and cross-sectional imaging consistent with acute pancreatitis. With no evidence of gallstones, alcohol use, and hypertriglyceridemia, the acute pancreatitis was deemed to be a complication of colonoscopy. The presumed mechanism of the pancreatitis was due to mechanical trauma from insufflation and abdominal pressure, applied to at the splenic flexure, which is in close proximity to the pancreatic tail. The patient was treated with supportive care (intravenous fluid, analgesia, and pancreatic rest) and improved significantly over a three-day period.


An Fe-berthierine occurs in a buried laterite from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) in southwestern Minnesota. It formed beneath a lignitic horizon in which reducing solutions percolated through a laterite comprising gibbsite, kaolinite and goethite. Morphologic differences suggest 2 separate conditions of Fe-berthierine formation. Early forms of Fe-berthierine include radial bladed or radial blocky crystallites coating pisoids, along with alteration of kaolinite at crystal boundaries. These morphologies formed in the vadose zone. Later forms precipitated under subaqueous conditions as macroscopic, pore-filling cement. The large size of the later-formed Fe-berthierines enabled microprobe characterization. This 1st reported occurrence of Mg-free berthierine has a structural formula close to an idealized Fe-berthierine: Fe2Al2SiO5(OH)4. Apart from their chemistry, the unique feature of the Minnesota Fe-berthierines is their formation in an exclusive nonmarine depositional environment. They formed in situ as part of a lateritic weathering profile developed on a broad, low relief peneplain. Physical evidence of formation under nonmarine conditions includes the presence of 1) scattered lignitic fragments; 2) concretions forming casts and molds of woody material; and 3) a nonmarine fossil (Unio sp. undet). Chemical evidence includes siderites collected from the berthierine-bearing horizon having stable isotope values indicating freshwater formation.


The paper describes the marketing mix modeling results for companies in nonfood retailing. The main objectives of the research are to demonstrate the viable way of making effective recommendations for optimizing the media strategy by modeling offline and online traffic to the stores based on econometric modeling and to develop a decision support system, which enhance the effective growth of business KPIs and an effective decision-making process. Econometric modeling, deeper data analysis, decision support were implemented on the data of one of the main retailers in Ukraine in a period before the full-scale Russian invasion. Estimating the impact of different communication channels on business results made basis for ROI calculations and optimization of media investments allocation among media channels by periods, video durations, type of advertising and with optimal weekly media pressure. ROMI calculation was based on the results of regression modeling, which estimate the level of traffic and sales generated by each media channel. The information-analytical decision support system based on an interactive dashboard has been developed for improvement of day-by-day business planning and management. The developed framework of regional strategy selection facilitates to the formation of a strategic vision on a regional scale and improves the quality of a regional media strategy.


The crude methanolic extract of the bark of Manilkara zapota (Molina) Standley (Family: Cucurbitaceae), was evaluated for its possible anti-inflammatory activity and determination of total flavonoids content growing in Bangladesh. The anti-inflammatory activity was studied using carrageenan and histamine-induced rat paw edema test at different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) of the methanol extract. At the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight, the extract showed a significant anti-inflammatory activity both in the carrageenan and histamine-induced oedema test models in rats showing 59.72% and 60.0% reduction in the paw volume comparable (P<0.01) to that produced by the standard drug indomethacin (62.50% and 65.16%) at 4h respectively. The percentage inhibition of the oedema paw volume by the 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract was also statistically significant (P<0.05; P<0.01) compared favorably with the indomethacin treated animals at 1, 2 and 3 h in both models. The total flavonoids content were calculated as quite high in methanolic extract (169.37 mg/g of quercetin equivalent). Acute toxicity test showed that the plant might be safe for pharmacological uses. Therefore, the obtained results tend to suggest the acute anti-inflammatory activity as well as total flavonoids content from the methanolic extract of the bark of Manilkara zapota and thus provide the scientific basis for the traditional uses of this plant part as a remedy for pain and inflammations.


Abstract We describe and evaluate a group therapy program targeting depression among elderly residents (N=303) of subsidized high-rise apartments in Nashville, TN. This eclectic program was comprised of 12 sessions (a total of 24 hours) that included modules on exercise and preventive health behaviors, cognitive and re-motivation therapy, reminiscence and grief therapy, and social skills development. Our multivariate regression analyses of pre-post measures using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) showed that the effects of the group therapy varied by race, age, and level of initial depression among the participants. The program was effective in reducing depression, but only among Caucasian women who reported at least moderate depression prior to the program, and it yielded greater benefits for women between 55 and 75 years of age.


Background: Aneuploidy is a common feature of human tumors, often correlating with poor prognosis. Several proteins involved in the mitotic spindle checkpoint are thought to play a major role in aneuploidy suppression. Specifically, the cohesin proteins that regulate sister chromatid separation and Separase, the endopeptidase that cleaves Rad21 to remove cohesion and allow timely cell cycle progression are thought to play key roles in maintaining normal cellular ploidy and preventing accumulation of abnormal cellular karyotypes. Studies using a transplant model showed that over expression of Separase in diploid mouse mammary epithelial cells resulted in the rapid accumulation of aneuploidy, and when transplanted in mice, there was rapid development of mammary tumors. It was also shown before that a sub set of human breast cancers show significant over expression of Separase, suggesting a possible role of Separase in the development and/or progression of breast cancer. Material and Methods: Using genetically engineered mouse models we studied the direct effect of Separase over expression in the mouse mammary epithelium. Two separate mammary gland specific promoters, WAP and MMTV, were used to drive Separase expression in the mouse mammary gland. The role of loss of p53 combined with over expression of Separase was studied by crossing the Tg-MMTV and WAP-Separase mice with p53 knockout mice in the same genetic background. Results: We found that over expression of Separase in the mouse mammary epithelium resulted in aberrant proliferation as early as day one lactation. The increase in proliferation was more acute in a p53 heterozygous background. Also, the Separase over expressing mice showed a significant delay in involution compared to wild type mammary epithelium and an accumulation of DNA damage. In a p53 heterozygous background, some of these mice developed spontaneous mammary tumors over a period of 7-12 months. Ongoing studies are evaluating the histopathological nature of these mammary tumors. Discussion: Previous studies suggested that Separase is over expressed in a sub set of human breast cancers. An understanding of the specific biological pathways involved in the initiation and progression of cancer in the mammary epithelium from aberrant expression of Separase can establish Separase as a novel diagnostic marker for breast cancer screening. Our studies suggest that Separase over expression in the mammary epithelium results in accumulation of aberrant proliferation and delayed involution post lactation, as well as results in the accumulation of DNA damage. These factors combined with loss of a key tumor suppressor like p53 can lead to genetic instability and breast cancer development. Further classification of the sub type of breast cancer in this animal model using array analysis can help establish Separase as a new prognostic marker in breast cancer research. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-03-05.


A putative protein kinase gene (PfPK2) has been isolated from the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum by using a mixed oligonucleotide pool which corresponds to a highly conserved region of serine/threonine protein kinases. The complete nucleotide sequence of 5 kb suggests the existence of a second transcriptional unit besides that of the PfPK2 gene, separated by a highly (A+T)-rich region and transcribed in a different orientation. No intron sequence exists in PfPK2. The predicted amino acid sequence of PfPK2 contains features characteristic of eukaryotic serine/threonine protein kinases. Within its putative catalytic domain it shares 33%, 30%, and 28% amino acid identities with rat calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, human protein kinase C, and bovine cAMP-dependent protein kinase, respectively. Outside the catalytic domain, however, PfPK2 has no homology with regulatory domains of other protein kinases, indicating PfPK2 might be modulated by signals different from those of higher eukaryotes or might be associated with other regulatory subunits. Using a specific antiserum raised in rabbits against a recombinant fragment of the protein expressed in Escherichia coli, PfPK2 was found to be expressed in a stage-specific fashion and mainly localized in the parasitic membrane.


In order to adequately characterize the fatigue response of the various membranes with surrounding multilayer surfacing layers on orthotropic steel decks and collect the necessary parameters for FE modeling, the details of the cyclic Membrane Adhesion Tester (MAT) are introduced. The fatigue damage in membrane interface is related to the amount of dissipated work computed by using the measurement of actuator load and piston deformation during the loading cycle. The dissipated work, which is equivalent to the lost part of the total potential energy of the membrane, has been utilized to explain the incremental damage during the testing. Furthermore, using the experimental data obtained from MAT, ranking of the bonding characteristics of various membrane products is demonstrated as well as the role of other influencing factors, such as the types of substrate and test temperatures.


This paper proposes an optimal control approach for a robust control design problem of the neutral type time‐delay systems, taking parameter uncertainties and state delay into account. The robust control design problem can be equivalently transformed into an optimal control problem, and the amount of plant uncertainties is indirectly reflected in the performance index. By introducing algebraic manipulations and appropriate uncertainty descriptions, the uncertain dynamical system can not only achieve stability, but can also reach the guaranteed level of performance. A suitable linear state feedback control law is characterized via Lyapunov stability theory to ensure quadratic stability and performance robustness of the closed‐loop system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This study aimed to evaluate of the hardened properties (mortar consistency, setting time, absorption properties, drying shrinkage, and bond strength) of the basalt powder sludge mortar recycling a basalt powder sludge occurred during the manufacture process of basalt stone as a replacing material for the sea-sand used to cement filling compound for surface preparation. The hardened mortar made of the basalt powder sludge showed an enhanced performance or similar with the properties of normal mortar used to cement filling compound for surface preparation. But, the drying shrinkage was increased more than a normal cement mortar in the hardened mortar made of the basalt powder sludge since curing 8 - 9days. And the bond strength is low in the hardened mortar used the basalt powder sludge. On the whole, properties of the hardened mortar used the basalt powder sludge correspond to the required minimum quality criterion in the KS F 4716 `cement filling compound for surface preparation`.


The use of terrestrial photogrammetry for characterizing changes and damage in rock masses was investigated. Repeat photogrammetry surveys of hard rock pillars were conducted and compared to calculate material loss and damage. Damage measured from photogrammetry was then compared to stresses predicted by Displacement Discontinuity modelling and was found to agree well with current empirical damage-stress relationships. Observed damage profiles were also input into Boundary Element models to correlate predicted stress concentrations with locations of observed damage. Modelled stress concentration locations and magnitudes agreed well with observed damage locations and stress magnitudes from the literature, respectively. Geological structures were characterized from photogrammetry models and used to generate Discrete Fracture Networks, which in turn provided inputs for Distinct Element numerical models. The observed damage was then used to calibrate numerical models which, pending additional calibration, can be used to improve understanding of pillar strength.