We treated three cases of ascending-arch-descending aortic aneurysm with annuloaortic ectasia by performing graft replacement. The patients included a 34 year old female, a 34 year old male and a 42 year old male. In one case the aneurysm was atherosclerotic and of type I and II + IIIb dissection in the other two cases. During the operation we were able to utilize normothermic selective cerebral perfusion during construction of the left common carotid artery. Specially, normothermic partial F-F bypass and normothermic selective cerebral perfusion to the left common carotid artery were used during graft replacement from the descending aorta to the left common carotid artery. This was followed by regular hypothermic total ECC and hypothermic cerebral selective perfusion during subsequent graft replacement of the innominate artery and a modified Bentall's operation. This new protocol in which normothermic cerebral perfusion is utilized during the procedure on the left common carotid artery and hypothermic perfusion is utilized only during the subsequent procedure on the innominate artery permits significant shortening of the cardiac arrest time and cerebral perfusion time compared with when only hypothermic perfusion is used. This significant shortening contains obvious benefits in the areas of cardiac and brain protection.


This essay deals with the many connections between Brazil and China, as it examines the fundamental drivers of this accretive friendship. Brazil, like China, is a rapidly growing economic giant with a large resource base. Brazil has experienced an average growth of 7 per cent and China of 10 per cent. These growth rates require large amounts of energy sources, natural resources and raw materials. Both countries are positioned to benefit from increased rapprochement: China needs Brazil to supplement its rising commodities needs, and Brazil needs China to finance its industrial and manufacturing investments. Today, China is Brazil's leading trade partner, replacing the United States and emerging as a viable ally at a time of waning hegemonic control. As large oil deposits lie 150 miles off the Brazilian coast, China is attentive to Brazil's wishes, as well as to its desires to rightly develop the trillion dollar oil boom that is currently taking place.


In this paper, the performance of filter bank transceivers in the presence of a dispersive time-variant channel is investigated. It is well known that filter bank transceivers can be adapted to the channel transfer function to yield intersymbol interference (ISI) cancellation. When the channel is time variant, several problems arise, since the transceiver should be changed whenever the channel evolves. In this paper, we will allow both the transmitter and the receiver to change and satisfy the interference-free condition, under the assumption of a zero-padded block transmission. In this case, the optimum transmitter-receiver pair can be computed by using a singular value decomposition (SVD) of the channel matrix. A fast receiver adaptation based on SVD tracking is presented. Simulation results show that minimum performance loss with respect to the optimum receiver can be achieved for our reduced complexity receiver


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #1099

Background: Efforts are now focused on increasing access to genetic counseling and testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations to address cancer disparities in African American women; however, limited empirical data are available on the effects of these services. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of genetic counseling among African American women at increased risk for hereditary disease. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between February 2003 and November 2006. Participants were African American women (n=139) at increased risk for having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutation. The effects of genetic counseling, including culturally tailored (CTGC) versus standard (SGC) counseling, on changes in risk perception and psychological functioning were evaluated. Results: Women who participated in genetic counseling had a significantly greater likelihood of reporting reductions in perceived risk compared to non-participants (P=0.03). Women who received BRCA1/2 results also had a significantly greater likelihood of reporting decreases in cancer worry (P=0.03). Similar effects were found among women who had a high prior probability of having a BRCA1/2 mutation (P=0.03) and those affected with cancer (P=0.04). There were no differences in CTGC and SGC in study outcomes. Discussion: African American women may experience some benefit from receiving BRCA1/2 test results. Participation in counseling and receiving test results may be especially beneficial to African American women who have high prior probability of having a BRCA1/2 mutation and those affected with cancer. Continued efforts should be made to increase access to genetic counseling and testing among African American women at increased risk for hereditary disease.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 1099.


During their maturation, ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) are decorated by hundreds of chemical modifications that participate in proper folding of rRNA secondary structures and therefore in ribosomal function. Along with pseudouridine, methylation of the 2′-hydroxyl ribose moiety (Nm) is the most abundant modification of rRNAs. The majority of Nm modifications in eukaryotes are placed by Fibrillarin, a conserved methyltransferase belonging to a ribonucleoprotein complex guided by C/D box small nucleolar RNAs (C/D box snoRNAs). These modifications impact interactions between rRNAs, tRNAs and mRNAs, and some are known to fine tune translation rates and efficiency. In this study, we built the first comprehensive map of Nm sites in Drosophila melanogaster rRNAs using two complementary approaches (RiboMethSeq and Nanopore direct RNA sequencing) and identified their corresponding C/D box snoRNAs by whole-transcriptome sequencing. We de novo identified 61 Nm sites, from which 55 are supported by both sequencing methods, we validated the expression of 106 C/D box snoRNAs and we predicted new or alternative rRNA Nm targets for 31 of them. Comparison of methylation level upon different stresses show only slight but specific variations, indicating that this modification is relatively stable in D. melanogaster. This study paves the way to investigate the impact of snoRNA-mediated 2′-O-methylation on translation and proteostasis in a whole organism.


Abstract Family with sequence similarity 46, member C (FAM46C) is a highly conserved non-canonical RNA polyadenylation polymerase that is abundantly expressed in human and mouse testes and is frequently mutated in patients with multiple myeloma. However, its physiological role remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that FAM46C is specifically localized to the manchette of spermatids in mouse testes, a transient microtubule-based structure mainly involved in nuclear shaping and intra-flagellar protein traffic. Gene knockout of FAM46C in mice resulted in male sterility, characterized by the production of headless spermatozoa in testes. Sperm heads were intermittently found in the epididymides of FAM46C knockout mice, but their fertilization ability was severely compromised based on the results of intracytoplasmic sperm injection assays. Interestingly, our RNA-sequencing analyses of FAM46C knockout testes revealed that mRNA levels of only nine genes were significantly altered compared to wild-type ones (q < 0.05). When considering alternate activities for FAM46C, in vitro assays demonstrated that FAM46C does not exhibit protein kinase or AMPylation activity against general substrates. Together, our data show that FAM46C in spermatids is a novel component in fastening the sperm head and flagellum. Summary Sentence Non-canonical RNA polyadenylation enzyme FAM46C is specifically expressed in the manchette of spermatids in mouse testes and plays an essential role in spermiogenesis by fastening the sperm head and tail together.


The paper describes our proposed methodology for the six basic expression classification track of Affective Behavior Analysis in-the-wild (ABAW) Competition 2022. In Learing from Synthetic Data(LSD) task, facial expression recognition (FER) methods aim to learn the representation of expression from the artificially generated data and generalise to real data. Because of the ambiguous of the synthetic data and the objectivity of the facial Action Unit (AU), we resort to the AU information for performance boosting, and make contributions as follows. First, to adapt the model to synthetic scenarios, we use the knowledge from pre-trained large-scale face recognition data. Second, we propose a conceptually-new framework, termed as AU-Supervised Convolutional Vision Transformers (AU-CVT), which clearly improves the performance of FER by jointly training auxiliary datasets with AU or pseudo AU labels. Our AU-CVT achieved F1 score as $0.6863$, accuracy as $0.7433$ on the validation set. The source code of our work is publicly available online: https://github.com/msy1412/ABAW4


Lieb-Robinson bounds show that the speed of propagation of information under the Heisenberg dynamics in a wide class of nonrelativistic quantum lattice systems is essentially bounded. We review works of the past dozen years that has turned this fundamental result into a powerful tool for analyzing quantum lattice systems. We introduce a unified framework for a wide range of applications by studying quasilocality properties of general classes of maps defined on the algebra of local observables of quantum lattice systems. We also consider a number of generalizations that include systems with an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space at each lattice site and Hamiltonians that may involve unbounded on-site contributions. These generalizations require replacing the operator norm topology with the strong operator topology in a number of basic results for the dynamics of quantum lattice systems. The main results in this paper form the basis for a detailed proof of the stability of gapped ground state phases of frustrationfree models satisfying a local topological quantum order condition, which we present in a sequel to this paper.Lieb-Robinson bounds show that the speed of propagation of information under the Heisenberg dynamics in a wide class of nonrelativistic quantum lattice systems is essentially bounded. We review works of the past dozen years that has turned this fundamental result into a powerful tool for analyzing quantum lattice systems. We introduce a unified framework for a wide range of applications by studying quasilocality properties of general classes of maps defined on the algebra of local observables of quantum lattice systems. We also consider a number of generalizations that include systems with an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space at each lattice site and Hamiltonians that may involve unbounded on-site contributions. These generalizations require replacing the operator norm topology with the strong operator topology in a number of basic results for the dynamics of quantum lattice systems. The main results in this paper form the basis for a detailed proof of the stability of gapped ground state phases of frust...


A disabled child who requires an assistive device, like a wheelchair or prosthetics, often waits many months to use very expensive commercial devices that are less than ideal. However, as the popularity of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Maker online communities increases, disabled children and their caregivers can instead take design back into their own control, by engaging in user-initiated design (UID). By learning from other DIY/Makers and their design tutorials, disabled children and their caregivers can custom make assistive devices at a fraction of the cost. What remains to be addressed are the barriers that prevent them from participating in these online communities; preliminary research has identified some barriers, including poor tutorial design and lack of perceived skill. Thus the purpose of this research paper was to further analyze popular online communities in order to make recommendation on how to increase disabled participation, further enabling them to practice UID.


Glaucoma is a disease characterized by degeneration of the optic nerve (optic disc). Elevated intraocular pressure has long been thought to be the primary etiology, but the relationship between intraocular pressure and optic nerve damage varies among patients, suggesting a multifactorial origin. For example, some patients with clearly elevated intraocular pressure will show no optic nerve damage, while other patients with marginal or no pressure elevation will, nonetheless, show optic nerve damage. The association between glaucoma and other vascular disorders such as diabetes or hypertension suggests vascular factors may play a role in glaucoma. Specifically, it has been hypothesized that reductions in blood flow to the optic nerve may contribute to the visual field defects associated with glaucoma.


We study heat conduction in one-dimensional (1D) anharmonic lattices analytically and numerically by using an effective phonon theory. It is found that every effective phonon mode oscillates quasi-periodically. By weighting the power spectrum of the total heat flux in the Debye formula, we obtain a unified formalism that can explain anomalous heat conduction in momentum conserved lattices without on-site potential and normal heat conduction in lattices with on-site potential. Our results agree very well with numerical ones for existing models such as the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model, the Frenkel-Kontorova model and the ϕ4 model etc.


Graft copolymerization of different vinyl monomers onto chitosan (Cs) and its derivatives can alter their properties and consequently expands their potential applications. In this study, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCs) was prepared and characterized. Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid sodium salt (AAs) onto CMCs was accomplished by using ammonium persulphate (APS)-induced free radical polymerization in aqueous medium under nitrogen atmosphere. Occurrence of grafting was confirmed and the effects of [AAs], [APS], reaction time, and temperature on the extent of grafting were studied. The influence of grafting yield on the structure and dynamics was also investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray scattering (2D-WAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dielectric spectroscopy. Preliminary study, using dielectric spectroscopy, was carried out to the CMCs-g-AAs copolymer with grafting percent - 2900%, as an example, in a wide range of temperature (from 299 to 473 K) and frequency (from 1 x 10 -2 to 1 × 10 5 Hz). One relaxation process with Arrhenius type was detected. This process has the characteristics of a secondary relaxation process related to local chain dynamics with activation energy of 53 ± 3 kJ/mol.


Lacunes or lacunar infarcts are small fluid-filled cavities associated with cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). They contribute to the development of lacunar stroke, dementia, and gait impairment. The identification of lacunes is of great significance in elucidating the pathophysiological mechanism of cSVD. This paper proposes a semi-automated 3D multi-scale residual convolutional network (3D ResNet) for lacunar infarcts detection, which can learn global representations of the anatomical location of lacunes using two multi-scale magnetic resonance image modalities. This process requires minimal user intervention by passing the potential suspicious lacunes into the network. The proposed network is trained, validated, and tested using five-fold cross-validation using data, including 696 lacunes, from 288 subjects. We also present experiments on various combinations of multi-scale inputs and their effect on extracting global context features that directly influence identification performance. The proposed system shows its capability to differentiate between true lacunes and lacune mimics, providing supportive interpretations for neuroradiologists. The proposed 3D multi-scale ResNet identifies lacunar infarcts with a sensitivity of 96.41%, a specificity of 90.92%, an overall accuracy of 93.67%, and an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 93.67% over all fold tests. The proposed system also achieved a precision of 91.40% and an average number of FPs per subject of 1.32. The system may be feasible for clinical use by supporting decision-making for lacunar infarct detection.


Conventional scholarly wisdom supports the notion that the Colonial Office did little more than coordinate and review the proposals of others during the administrative occupation of Africa. Consequently, historians in various ways, and in varying degrees have come to accept that the Colonial Office and its staff had little to do with policy formation and implementation. Using Nigeria during the years 1898 1914 as a case study. Dr. Cartland's revisonist work reduces these interpretations. He establishes that, no matter what the subject under discussion, it was the Colonial Office's view and not the colonial governor's, the Treasury's, nor the Crown Agents' that prevailed. Furthermore, John Carland makes it clear that the Colonial Office staff did their work not out of any sense of imperial mission but because they were members of the Home Civil Service protecting their territory. They were an early-twentieth-century administrative manifestation of the territorial imperative."


Based on the monthly observed temperature and precipitation data of 55 meteorological stations in Xinjiang from 1961 to 2015, using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was adopted. The results show that: In recent 55 years, precipitation and temperature in Xinjiang have an increasing trend, with the change rates of 8.90mm/10a and 0.39℃/10a, respectively. The warming characteristics were obviously stronger than that of humidification, forming the spatial and temporal differences and complexity of dry and wet changes. From 1961 to 1987, it was in the alternate period of drought and drought alleviation, and 1987-1996 was in the drought relief period. Among them, 1997 and 2008 were the more serious drought years, and the proportion of drought stations was 82% and 78% respectively. EOF1 reflects that the overall dry and wet changes in the study area were weakening, and there was a drying trend; EOF2 was a reverse change in the northern and Southern Xinjiang; EOF3 shows that the East Tianshan had a drying trend, while the western part of Southern Xinjiang has the trend of drought alleviation. The spectra of wavelet coherence and cross wavelet transform showed that the SPEI values in Xinjiang have resonance periods of different time scales with the Atlantic multi-year intergenerational oscillation (AMO), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Pacific interdecadal oscillation (PDO), but in different time domain correlation has certain differences, illustrate the atmospheric circulation index was one of the factors influencing the region year SPEI.


Ocular drainage zone tissue, obtained during surgery from patients with glaucoma, was examined. Chemiluminescence has revealed changed amplitude of the flash and the value of its total light volume. Increased intensity of peroxide chemiluminescence evidences enhanced processes of lipid peroxidation in the tissue and a reduced antioxidant level. Histochemical study of acid phosphatase has discovered destabilization of lysosomal membranes, more marked during an acute attack of glaucoma.


We examine how financial institutions react to various events surrounding the passage of Taiwan's Financial Holding Company Act in June 2001. Empirical results indicate that the financial system experiences significant abnormal returns along the legislative process. Smaller firms have significantly higher abnormal returns, thus lending no support for the hypothesis that larger firms benefit more from the Act. Further analysis shows that the significance of market value is replaced by a significant securities industry effect, thereby consistent with the observation that Taiwan's securities firms are generally smaller in market values and are potential target firms for financial holding companies. Copyright 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation 2008 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd


Several techniques, including chemical and physical approaches, have been previously developed to differentiate between animal fibers. Since all animal fibers are comprised of essentially the same keratin, they cannot be effectively distinguished by existing physical or chemical technique. A fuzzy neural pattern recognition system is developed to classify two typical animal fibers: mohair and merino. Two multilayer networks are used, with the unsupervised network being used for automatic feature extraction and the supervised network serving as the classifier based on the information extracted from unsupervised network. It is found that this hybrid network can accurately classify the two fibers and the accuracy improves with the increase in the features being extracted from the unsupervised network.


We demonstrate a-axis YBa2Cu3O7-x/PrBa2Cu3O7-x/YBa2Cu3O7-x trilayers grown on (100) LaAlO3 substrates with improved interface smoothness. The trilayers are synthesized by ozone-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. The thickness of the PrBa2Cu3O7-x layer is held constant at 8 nm and the thickness of the YBa2Cu3O7-x layers is varied from 24 nm to 100 nm. X-ray diffraction measurements show all trilayers to have >95% a-axis content. The rms roughness of the thinnest trilayer is < 0.7 nm and this roughness increases with the thickness of the YBa2Cu3O7-x layers. The thickness of the YBa2Cu3O7-x layers also affects the transport properties: while all samples exhibit an onset of the superconducting transition at and above 85 K, the thinner samples show wider transition widths, {\Delta}Tc. High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals coherent and chemically sharp interfaces, and that growth begins with a cubic (Y,Ba)CuO3-x perovskite phase that transforms into a-axis oriented YBa2Cu3O7-x as the substrate temperature is ramped up.


Much of conventional organizational thinking and practice has been dominated by a belief in stability, with change deemed a disruptive and temporary aberration in the larger scheme of things. This mindset ignores the dynamic, living complexity of organizational life and very likely leads to static management approaches which hinder and sometimes even destroy an organization's effectiveness by restricting its ability to adapt to turbulent and chaotic events. The Chinese notion of shi is embedded in the ancient Chinese appreciation of reality, which saw change and transformation as an endless flow and an essential feature of the universe; shi is implied by the process of change and can be made to act in one's favor. As a strategy, shi offers us salutary lessons in modern organizational research and practice: rather than merely trying to control every chain of management and avoid chaos and uncertainty by relying on planning and modeling, organizations should also maintain a tentative and alert sensibility concerning the inherent potential of the changing situation, and should be carried along by it as it evolves.


A method to estimate the time of observation employed at US Cooperative Observer Network stations has been developed using rapid update cycle model analyses. This method uses the day‐to‐day variability in model temperature biases to estimate observation schedules on a time scale of weeks, making it ideal for use in 'real‐time' applications. Observation time estimates from a two‐category system (morning and 'non‐morning') and three‐category system (morning, afternoon and midnight) were both evaluated. The performance of the two‐category system was compared with existing techniques that employ this system on monthly time scales. The results were comparable, showing dependence on season and climatological characteristics, but reveal an ability to reach high levels of accuracy (>90% of stations have observation schedules correctly estimated) over similar time periods (10–50 days). To our knowledge, the evaluation of three‐category estimation performance for the time scales investigated has not been documented. Accuracy remained high for morning and midnight stations (>90%), and decreased for stations with afternoon observation schedules (85–65%). Additionally, the three‐category estimation technique was extended to four categories in order to identify observers who shift temperature records temporally. The accuracy of detecting shifted records within the context of the four‐category estimation technique was comparable to the performance of the three‐category system, with shifted observations correctly identified more than 75% of the time in most cases. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society


By differentiation the authors mean making changes, from small changes to larger ones, which enable children to learn from the school curriculum, designed for their age group, with their peers in an inclusive schooling system. Curricula in each country differ, but all have been created with the educational needs of children as a priority, to equip them socially and academically to function as a member of their community. In each country the curriculum for all children is likely to be the best guide for teaching the majority of children with Down syndrome of all ages, provided that the curriculum is used flexibly and can be differentiated. A minority of children with highly individual needs may benefit from a reduction in the breadth of their curriculum, making it more focused for meeting their highly specific learning needs. However, differentiation of the curriculum enables children with Down syndrome to learn with their typically developing peers and progress forward in all aspects of their development, as other children do, using the same curriculum as a guide.


The aim of this study was to analyze maternal stress in families of individuals with autism. We proposed a multi-factorial and global model based on the Double ABCX model of family stress (McCubbin & Patterson, 1983) in which, the factor aA (stressor) interacts with bB (social support) and cC (perception of stress or, in our study, sense of coherence, SOC) to produce the dependent factor xX (level of stress). Thirty-nine mothers with children diagnosed on Autistic Spectrum disorders completed four questionnaires relating to the factors. The data were statistically analyzed using path analysis. The results showed that the empirical data fitted the theoretically proposed model well. There existed a direct and positive relationship between stressor and stress. Social support and SOC had a direct and negative relationship to stress, and functioned as modulating variables.


The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) that manages inter-domain routing on the Internet lacks security. Protective measures using public key cryptography introduce complexities and costs.
To support authentication and other security functionality in large networks, we need public key infrastructures (PKIs). Protocols that distribute and validate certificates introduce additional complexities and costs. The certification path building algorithm that helps users establish trust on certificates in the distributed network environment is particularly complicated.
Neither routing security nor PKI come for free. Prior to this work, the research study on performance issues of these large-scale distributed security systems was minimal. In this thesis, we evaluate the performance of BGP security protocols and PKI systems. We answer the questions about how the performance affects protocol behaviors and how we can improve the efficiency of these distributed protocols to bring them one step closer to reality.
The complexity of the Internet makes an analytical approach difficult; and the scale of Internet makes empirical approaches also unworkable. Consequently, we take the approach of simulation. We have built the simulation frameworks to model a number of BGP security protocols and the PKI system. We have identified performance problems of Secure BGP (S-BGP), a primary BGP security protocol, and proposed and evaluated Signature Amortization (S-A) and Aggregated Path Authentication (APA) schemes that significantly improve efficiency of S-BGP without compromising security. We have also built a simulation framework for general PKI systems and evaluated certification path building algorithms, a critical part of establishing trust in Internet-scale PKI, and used this framework to improve algorithm performance.


The dissipation of turbulence in the weakly collisional solar wind plasma is governed by unknown kinetic mechanisms. Two candidates have been suggested to play an important role in the dissipation, collisionless damping via wave–particle interactions and dissipation in small-scale current sheets. High resolution spacecraft measurements of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum provide important constraints on the dissipation mechanism. The limitations of popular fluid and hybrid numerical schemes for simulation of the dissipation of solar wind turbulence are discussed, and instead a three-dimensional kinetic approach is recommended. We present a three-dimensional nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation of solar wind turbulence at electron scales that quantitatively reproduces the exponential form of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum measured in the solar wind. A weakened cascade model that accounts for nonlocal interactions and collisionless Landau damping also quantitatively agrees with the observed exponential form. These results establish that a turbulent cascade of kinetic Alfvén waves that is terminated by collisionless Landau damping is sufficient to explain the observed magnetic energy spectrum in the dissipation range of solar wind turbulence.


The United Nations (UN) has now been involved with the 'Question of Antarctica' for 20 years. Divisions within the international community about the most appropriate form of management for Antarctica, which was presented to the UN as a region of global importance, have never completely disappeared, even if the restoration of a consensus approach during the mid-1990s was based upon a broader appreciation of the merits of the Antarctic Treaty System. Both Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and non-Consultative Parties, pointing to the regime's enduring intrinsic qualities, have adopted an unyielding attitude towards Treaty outsiders advocating a more democratic, accountable, and transparent regime. Even so, the critical lobby, led by Dr Mahathir's Malaysian government, has never gone away. Initially, the 'Question of Antarctica' was discussed at the UN on an annual basis, but since 1996 it has been placed on a triennial reference. Following the most recent session in late 2002, the topic is scheduled to be placed on the UN's agenda again in 2005. This article reviews critically the key themes characterising the UN's involvement in the 'Question of Antarctica' since 1983, while using successive Polar Record articles on individual UN sessions to provide a framework of reference and an informed basis for further research on the topic.


Obtaining information on expectations among dental students regarding their career planning was the main purpose of this observational online survey. The questionnaire was designed with 18 items in five different languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Data were collected on nationality, age, sex, country of residence, university attended, semester, expected year of graduation and expectations about future career. More than 3000 participants (n = 3851, 2863 females 74.34% and 988 males 25.66% with a sex ratio of 0.35) participated in the survey. Almost one-third (31.29%) of the participants plan to start their own practice at least three years after vocational training, a quarter (25.76%) after three, and only 12.59% after one year. A positive influence of the family in the decision to start a practice was observed in 50.07% of the sample with a statistically significant difference regarding sex (p < 0.01). Almost one-third of the participants did not wish to work in an institution run by private equity or insurance companies, while 21.79% would work in that environment (p < 0.01). European dental students desire mainly to become self-employed and start their own practice. New professional practices also offer them options for their future career that they have not yet decided on or thought about.


This report looks at how the economic crisis has unfolded in Canada and what will be the impacts on economic wellbeing. The shortfall is estimated to be approximately $12,000 ($2007) per capita. In other words, given no economic crisis, GDP per capita in Canada would have likely been $1,736 higher on average each year over the 2008-2014 period. Between October 2008 – the month at which employment peaked in Canada – and May 2009, net employment fell by 362,500 persons. The negative effects of unemployment go well beyond loss of income. Roughly 60 per cent of the newly unemployed, compared to about 40 per cent in recent years, receive regular EI benefits, reflecting the concentration of employment losses among long term full-time employees (e.g. auto workers). Based on the experience of the recession of the early 1990s, we should expect an increase of about 4 percentage points in the after-tax poverty rate, which would reach 13.2 per cent in 2010.


To the Editor.— Chanin ("Influenza: Vaccines or Amantadine?" 237:1445, 1977, and "Amantadine for Prophylaxis and Treatment of A-2 Influenza," 236:2050, 1976) champions the use of amantadine hydrochloride as an alternative to influenza immunization. I agree that amantadine has a place in the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza A and have recommended its consideration during the influenza season for elderly and chronically ill persons who failed to receive influenza vaccine and for persons in institutions such as nursing homes when influenza is actually introduced into that setting. Nevertheless, amantadine is no substitute for influenza immunization. It has its own deficiencies, including side reactions as described in the Food and Drug Administration Bulletin (6:30-31, 1976), higher cost, and a 10% to 20% rate of failure to protect. No one knows what long- and short-term side effects would be identified if amantadine were extensively used among children because there have been no important


The case can be taught to MBA/PGDM students to give them experiential learning in the course on entrepreneurship. The case can be used to specifically make the student understand the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the male-dominated business sector and recognize the entrepreneurial competencies needed to run a business.

Entrepreneurship.

Shany Jalal, Promoter and Managing Director of Servicecare Pvt. Ltd., and the protagonist of the case proud owner of Servicecare Pvt. Ltd. reminisced the circumstances that drove her to start the business venture in Bangalore, India. At the age of 17, a personal setback instilled in Shany a strong desire to become self-reliant and independent. Backed with a degree in hotel management and a meager loan amount of INR 10,000 provided by her father on certain terms and conditions, Shany deep dived into the soft facility management sector business way back in the year 1999 and since then there has been no turning back. Today, Shany Jalal is proud that her venture by starting a proprietorship company "Service Care", and later converted it into a Private Limited Company, "Servicecare Private Limited" in 2011. Shany Jalal was proud that her venture is a name to reckon with in Bangalore. She has had a team of 4,200 employees, which operates Pan India, providing top-notch corporate cleaning solutions. Her motto was not to compromise on quality and she continues to provide the highest level of service to her esteemed clients, some of them even dating back to the days of inception. Her determination powered by a strong value system is what keeps the company a cut above the rest. Being in the soft facilities management service for almost 20 years, Shany Jalal feels she has achieved her dream. Today, she is a highly successful woman entrepreneur. As she retraces her career path, she owes her success earned through years of dedication, commitment, hard work and timely intervention of some kind-hearted individuals. Since 2011, the company witnessed an average growth of 41% year on year. Though there was stiff competition from domestic and multinational property management companies, Shany sailed through. However, in the global pandemic of 2020, when her business was impacted, Shany realized that to sustain organizational growth, she had to integrate technology with service. She contemplated ways and means of integrating technology with services to meet the clients' demands. However, Shany believes that to sustain organization growth, technology must be integrated with service. She is currently contemplating ways to introduce and integrate technology with services to efficiently and effectively meet clients' demands.

1. Understand the gender issues in India and its impact on women entrepreneurs. 2. Analyse the ecosystem that supports supported women entrepreneurs in creating a new venture. 3. Identify the leadership traits and style, entrepreneurial competencies and capacities of the women entrepreneur in this case. 4. Recognize the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the facilities management business sector. 5. Explore various options of integrating technology to improve facilities management services provided to the clients.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email email@example.com to request teaching notes.

Shany was able to face the challenges that came her way successfully with grit and courage. She was able to expand her business. Her business helped lighten the lives of many people as she provided a means of livelihood to the underprivileged. Shany was also able to motivate her husband to start a business venture and stood by him. She encouraged women to stand on their own feet especially motivating women to set up their own businesses. She is also in constant touch with other like-minded women entrepreneurs who share similar experiences in handling crises. This gives her more insight to take proper decisions.

Women entrepreneur, Facilities management services, Technology supported services

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.


Significant phase-noise improvement is demonstrated using a self-injection technique on a fully integrated 0.18-μm CMOS divide-by-3 (1/3) injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD). The self-injection is realized with an odd-to-even harmonic converter followed by a feedback-amplifier. The self-injection 1/3 ILFD shows superior injection efficiency due to the increased self-injection signal which results in substantial phase noise reduction. The phase noise is improved by 14.77 dB at 1-MHz offset when the self-injection loop is enabled. The core of the 1/3 ILFD occupies 0.048-mm2 area and dissipates 18.2-mW from a 1.8-V power supply. The phase-noise reduction technique can be implemented for other kinds of ILFDs.


This article–a unique collaboration between political philosophy and empirical analysis–applies the problem of the second best to the subject of global governance reform. The problem of the second best raises a concern about an "approximation trap" where steps intended to move closer to an ideal instead generate outcomes that are worse than the unreformed system. The solution, we argue, is "second-best theorizing," identifying a package of objectives worth protecting so long as the first-best ideal remains elusive. Our second-best theorizing involves ideal elements that one can approximate, deviant elements that one must defend so long as the ideal is unattainable, a substantive floor so that reforms do not make things worse, and a meta-requirement that wholesale institutional change take the form of a "constructive vote of no-confidence." We then apply these criteria, suggesting reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our example of the Kantian ideal, our second-best criteria, and their application to the WTO are real examples. Yet our larger objective is to demonstrate the problem of the second best as it applies to global governance, thus their development is mainly illustrative. Readers need not share either the first or second-best objectives to agree with the larger point. So long as efforts to approximate an ideal (e.g. economic growth, Pareto welfare improvements, etc.) can fall prey to the approximation trap, our endorsement of the superiority of second-best theorizing applies. In fact, one of our goals is to prompt second-best theorizing around a range of proposals to reform the global order, to make global capitalism more normatively defensible and politically sustainable.


Using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as a two-dimensional support, we have succeeded in selective anchoring of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles at separate sites. Photogenerated electrons from UV-irradiated TiO(2) are transported across RGO to reduce silver ions into silver nanoparticles at a location distinct from the TiO(2) anchored site. The ability of RGO to store and shuttle electrons, as visualized via a stepwise electron transfer process, demonstrates its capability to serve as a catalyst nanomat and transfer electrons on demand to adsorbed species. These findings pave the way for the development of next generation catalyst systems and can spur advancements in graphene-based composites for chemical and biological sensors.


Understanding variables that affect production of unsaturated polyester polyols based on dimer fatty acids Unidyme®14 and Unidyme®18 with ethylene glycol and 1,4-butane diol that were synthesized via the polycondensation reaction mechanism. We studied a fast way to determine molecular weight, which usually takes a lot of time and is not very economical and ecological. Among the experimental controlled parameters for each polyol synthesis a special attention was paid to these products viscosity, color, molecular weight, acid and hydroxyl value parameters of extremely commercial importance. The Unidyme®14 dimer fatty acid, having a dimer acid percentage of 94%, induces the polyols based on them to be products of relatively commercial relevance. As for the Unidyme® 18 dimmer fatty acid, its dimer percentage is 81,8%. Unidyme®18 its based polyols commercial interest is specially relevant not only when a lower cost is a relevant factor, but also when its trimmer content is important to confer non-crystallinity properties to the final end product. Also, flexible polyurethane foams were developed (1250-2000 molecular weight) polyol polyester and tested regarding oil absorption capacity.


It is shown that generically the Riemann tensor of a Lorentz (or positive definite) metric on an n-dimensional manifold (n>or=4) determines the metric up to a constant factor and hence determines the associated torsion-free connection uniquely. The resulting map from Riemann tensors to connections is continuous in the Whitney Cinfinity topology (1957) but, at least for some manifolds, constant factors cannot be chosen so as to make the map from Riemann tensors to metrics continuous in that topology. The latter map is, however, continuous in the compact open Cinfinity topology so that estimates of the metric and its derivatives on a compact set can be obtained from similar estimates on the curvature and its derivatives.


- Plate from low carbon steel was took from oil pipelines, and coated with two layers, the first layer was done by sherardizing process at 400 o C for variable periods (15, 30, 60, 120, 240)min, the second layer was applied by polypyrrole (PPY). The results showed that the thickness of sherardizing layer paint is increased when increasing treatment time (15, 30, 60, 120, 240 min). The corrosion performance was evaluated by using polarization method. In addition, it was examined morphological surface of paint layers by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the presence of polypyrrole layer with sherardized coatings, showned significantly increase in corrosion resistance, and coating of low carbon steel by using polypyrrole the conductive polymer with sherardizing process, drastically reduced from the corrosion current density values, as well as the corrosion rate of low carbon steel. The corrosion rate of the the polymer conductive coatings (PPY) on low carbon steel without sherardizing coating (as received) is 19.5 mpy while incorporation of PPY and sherardizing gives corrosion rate of 0.00371 mpy. How to cite this article: S.I. A.H. Ataiwi, and G. A. Mahdi "Corrosion Protection of carbon steel by Zn/PPY coating as layers in 3.5% NaCl," Engineering & Technology Journal, Vol. 35, No. 8, pp. 821-830, 2017.


INTRODUCTION
The quality of life is a multidimensional concept, which is best expressed by the subjective well-being. Evaluation of the quality of life is the basis for measuring the well-being, and the determination of factors that determine the quality of life quality is the basis for its improvement.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate and assess the determinants of the perceived quality of life of group distinguishing features which characterize demographic and socioeconomic factors.

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the population in Serbia aged over 20 years (9479 examinees). The quality of life was expressed by the perception of well-being (pleasure of life). Data on the examinees (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics) were collected by using a questionnaire for adults of each household. To process, analyze and present the data, we used the methods of parametric descriptive statistics (mean value, standard deviation, coefficient of variation), variance analysis and factor analysis.

RESULTS
Although men evaluated the quality of life with a slightly higher grading, there was no statistically significant difference in the evaluation of the quality of life in relation to the examinee's gender (p > 0.005). Among the examinees there was a high statistically significant difference in grading the quality of life depending on age, level of education, marital status and type of job (p < 0.001). In relation to the number of children, there was no statistically significant difference in he grading of the quality of life (p > 0.005).

CONCLUSION
The quality of life is influenced by numerous factors that characterize each person (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individual). Determining factors of the quality of life are numerous and diverse, and the manner and the strength of their influence are variable.


With the fast development of Chinese insurance market and the quickening process of globalization of the world economy,more and more English policies and wordings are coming up and the communication with the international insurance companies is much closer.Undoubtedly,to realize the insurance texts accurately and to manage the language features is very important to the insurance industry.Through the analysis of some English insurance policies and wordings,the stylistic characteristics of Insurance English are generalized at lexical and syntactic levels.At lexical level,Insurance English is mainly demonstrated with the following characteristics:the frequent use of archaic words,loan words,official words and technical words.Their characteristics at syntactic level are more complex,which are analyzed in terms of complicated long sentences,conditional adverbial clauses,restrictive attribute clauses,sentences with modal verbs and passive voice.


Analyzing an unpublished script of Schiller's adaptation of Goethe's "Egmont", David John examines the collaboration between the two playwrights as a means of addressing questions on the roles of text and performance. Performance, he asserts, not text, constitutes the essence of dramatic and theatrical experience. John argues that shifting the focus from the text to the efficacyof the performance requires broadening of our concept of performance beyond what occurs on stage and its critical reception to include the daily life of the society tht provides its context. It follows from this semiotic approach that there can be no fixed text or understanding of "Egmont" or of Goethe himself - only multiple images. John's exploration of image includes literary motifs, acting, staging and social role playing, with particular reference to Goethe's development as an artist and cultural icon.


The present paper mainly focuses on the generation and development of lee vortices for the low Froude number density stratified flow passing over an isolated obstacle. A series of laboratory experiments were carried out by towing-tank equipments to simulate the airflow passing over a large terrain. Based on the similarity principle, the Froude number of the stratified flow, the stratified condition, and the rotation parameter are chosen in the specified scope. Our studies show that the lee vortices can appear in the non-rotational and rotational cases. For the non-rotational fluid, the lee vortices generate only under the condition of strong stratification and the small Froude number (0.1<Fr<0.3). However, the lee vortices can be formed under the condition of relatively strong stratification and the proper Froude number (0.1<Fr<0.5) for the rotational fluid. The results of the divided experiments including non-rotational and rotational cases show that the formation mechanism of lee vortices is different for non-rotational flow and rotational flow. The lee vortices are created by the tilting term of perturbation velocity for the non-rotational flow, but for the rotational flow, the β-effect associated with the horizontal convergence and divergence of the horizontal perturbation velocity is more important.


SUMMARY A low power impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) receiver for DC-960 MHz band is proposed in this paper. The proposed receiver employs multiple DC power-free charge-domain sampling correlators to eliminate the need for phase synchronization. To alleviate BER degradation due to an increased charge injection in a subtraction operation in the sampling correlator than that of an addition operation, a comparator with variable threshold (=offset) voltage is used, which enables an additiononly operation. The developed receiver fabricated in 1.2 V 65 nm CMOS achieves the lowest energy consumption of 17.6 pJ/bit at 100 Mbps in stateof-the-art correlation-based UWB receivers.


Conditions for the acylation of bovine prothrombin by maleic anhydride are worked out. The reaction is shown to modify not more than 95% of amino groups. The changes in hydrodynamic and electrophoretic properties testify about structural changes of prothrombin as a result of the modification of free amino groups. The activation of maleyl-prothrombin to maleyl-thrombin took place in 25% sodium citrate only in the presence of thrombin and the Xa factor. The increase of modified amino groups in prothrombin resulted in the decrease of the activity of generated maleyi-thrombin. The main fraction of maleyl-thrombin with free alpha-amino groups had a sedimentation coefficient of 2.1 S and possessed a residual esterase activity.


During the planetary formation process, mutual collisions among planetesimals take place, making an impact on their porosity evolution. The outcome of these collisions depends, among other parameters, on the tensile strength of the colliding objects. In the first stage of this work, we performed impact experiments into dust samples, assembled with material analogous to that of the primitive Solar System, to obtain highly compressed samples that represent the porosities measured in chondritic meteorites. In the second stage, we obtained the tensile strengths of the compressed dust samples by the Brazilian Disk Test. We found a correlation between the tensile strength and the volume filling factor of the compressed dust samples and obtained the corresponding critical fragmentation strength in mutual collisions and its dependence on the volume filling factor. Finally, we give prescriptions for the catastrophic disruption threshold as a function of the object size, for different values of the volume filling factor that can be utilized in collisional models.


Psychotic symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) are relatively common, and in addition to being a disturbance to patients' daily lives, they have consistently been shown to be associated with poor outcome. Our understanding of the pathophysiology of psychosis in PD has expanded dramatically over the past fifteen years, from an initial interpretation of symptoms as dopaminergic drug side effects to the current view of a complex interplay of extrinsic and disease-related factors. The present article reviews the unique clinical features of psychosis as expressed in PD, associated risk factors, and current theories behind its pathogenesis, including medications, visual processing deficits, sleep disturbances, genetics, and neurochemical and structural abnormalities. Finally, we review both traditional and emergent management strategies for PD psychosis, including antipsychotic agents, cholinesterase inhibitors, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and other pharmacological and psychological interventions.


The utilization of hybridized INS/GNSS systems for space launcher applications presents big advantages with respect to the conventional navigators (as INS alone) used in such applications. However, for its integration it is necessary to cope with some challenging facts when using a GNSS receiver in a space launcher: the extreme dynamics as accelerations and jerks caused by the own launcher propulsion and the separation of the different stages, the environmental conditions caused by engines vibration, the rapidly changing environment caused by fast altitude increments, the launcher continuously rotating in roll and its effects on satellite visibility, the changing elevation angles, etcetera. In the frame of the project NAVIGA-VNE, SENER Aeroespacial (as project prime and Data Fusion design authority - DF), Deimos Space (as GNSS receiver design authority), and AVIO as the final integrator, are jointly working on the development of the Vega-C Navigation Equipment (VNE), an INS/GNSS navigation system aimed for the precise estimation of the PVT trajectory and attitude of AVIO's VEGA-C space launcher. The objective of this paper is the description of the tools developed to support the VNE GNSS and Data Fusion and verification. It is overviewed the elements of the environment that have been modelled. Then a description of the GNSS performance model integrated in the Data Fusion Functional Engineering Simulator (DF-FES) tool is performed, focusing on the geometrical and signal propagation, the way the receiver logic has been simulated and the error models that have been included for the generation of the simulated GNSS raw observations. It is also explained how the GNSS model has been validated using a semi-analytical GNSS simulator that has also been developed in the frame of this project from tools already available at Deimos Space. After that, the integration of the performance model with other elements of the DF-FES is described; focusing on the iteration of the GNSS model with the integrated GNSS PVT estimator also developed by Deimos Space (also known as Navigation Processor or NAVPRO), which among other features integrates a velocity estimator based on Time Difference Carrier Phase (TDCP) algorithm. Finally, some relevant results of the GNSS performance model, with NAVPRO PVT output and DF PVT output will be included.


Abstract Superficial fungal infections are a major epidemiological issue with increasing prevalence and are a common global problem. This article describes experimental therapy of superficial fungal skin infection using low‐temperature plasma. Groups of guinea pigs were artificially infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes SK 3286 dermatophyte and treated with plasma produced by a DC cometary discharge with an inserted grid. The course of infection was a week shorter and milder in animals treated by plasma than that in nontreated animals, the significant lowering of dermatophytic germs also occurred in the treated group. The exposure to plasma causes no harm to experimental animals. The results allow for the development of a new dermatophytoses therapy by low temperature plasma treatment.


[1] The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) started the GEWEX Continental-Scale International Project (GCIP) in 1995. The goals of GCIP were to understand the hydrology and water balance of the Mississippi River Basin. Results from GCIP have already been published in two previous special issues of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, in 1996 and 1999. GCIP held its grand finale conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in May 2002. Participants at that conference along with the scientists funded through the GCIP program were invited to contribute papers to the final GCIP special section in JGR-Atmospheres. This special section, GCIP-3, presents the current state-of-the-art in our understanding of (1) water and energy budget studies, (2) warm season precipitation, (3) predictability and prediction systems, (4) land surface hydrology models, (5) coupled land-atmosphere models, (6) soil moisture, and (7) climate and water resources applications. The research areas cover observations, modeling, process studies, and water resources applications. [2] GCIP has now transitioned into the GEWEX America Prediction Project (GAPP). The mission of GAPP is to demonstrate skill in predicting changes in water resources on timescales up to seasonal and annual, as an integral part of the climate system. [3] The program manager for both GCIP and GAPP is Richard Lawford, of the Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The quality and quantity of science in the three JGR-Atmospheres special sections are due to his leadership and tireless efforts and those of his colleagues, including John Leese, Paul Houser, Eric Wood, Dennis Lettenmaier, Jin Huang, and Jared Entin. Jin Huang is the coordinator of the GCIP-3 special section. [4] The GCIP-3 special section will be printed in two parts. Part 1 is printed in this issue. Part 2 will be printed on 27 November 2003 in issue D22.


Optimization of engineered biological systems requires precise control over the rates and timing of gene expression. Optogenetics is used to dynamically control gene expression as an alternative to conventional chemical-based methods since it provides a more convenient interface between digital control software and microbial culture. Here, we describe the construction of a real-time optogenetics platform, which performs closed-loop control over the CcaR-CcaS two-plasmid system in Escherichia coli. We showed the first model-based design approach by constructing a nonlinear representation of the CcaR-CcaS system, tuned the model through open-loop experimentation to capture the experimental behavior, and applied the model in silico to inform the necessary changes to build a closed-loop optogenetic control system. Our system periodically induces and represses the CcaR-CcaS system while recording optical density and fluorescence using image processing techniques. We highlight the facile nature of constructing our system and how our model-based design approach will potentially be used to model other systems requiring closed-loop optogenetic control.


This study examined whether certain patient characteristics are associated with the prescribing of self-monitoring of blood glucose for patients with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin and have well-controlled blood glucose. Against recommendations, one-third of the patient sample from a large health network in North Carolina (N = 9,338) received a prescription for testing supplies (i.e., strips or lancets) within the prior 18 months. Women, African Americans, individuals prescribed an oral medication, nonsmokers, and those who were underweight or normal weight all had greater odds of receiving such a prescription. These results indicate that providers may have prescribing tendencies that are potentially biased against more vulnerable patient groups and contrary to guidelines.


An epitope motif, TX(1)TX(2)T, of mucin-2 glycoprotein was identified by means of a mucin-2-specific monoclonal antibody, mAb 994, raised against a synthetic mucin-derived 15-mer peptide conjugate. For determination of the epitope sequence recognised with highest affinity by mAb 994, a combinatorial approach was applied using the portioning-mixing technique excluding Cys. Antibody binding of libraries was most profound when Gln was at the X(1) position. Analytical characterisation of the TQTX(2)T library was conducted by amino acid analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and electrospray ionisation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI-FTICR) mass spectrometric methods. Control libraries were prepared by mixing 19 individual peptides corresponding to the TQTX(2)T sequence. Thus, mixtures of 6, 10 and 19 pentapeptides were analysed and compared with the combinatorial mixture. MALDI-TOFMS was able to detect only partially the components in the 6- and 10-member mixtures, but failed to characterise a more complex 19-member mixture. In contrast, ESI-FTICRMS resolved all mixtures of higher complexity and provided direct identification at monoisotopic resolution, such as for a peptide library containing 'isobaric' lysine and glutamine (Delta m = 0.0364 Da). The results of this study suggest that ESI-FTICRMS is a powerful tool for characterisation of combinatorial peptide libraries of higher complexity.


An in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the abrasive wear resistance of high-strength denture teeth (HS teeth). Eight types of specimen were used in the experiments; 3 types of HS teeth, 3 types of conventional plastic denture teeth (PL teeth), porcelain teeth and metal teeth. Sliding-induced wear tests were conducted by sliding the samples on a metal plate. The abrasive wear resistance of the samples was evaluated in terms of wear depth, weight loss and SEM observation. Comparison of wear depth showed that abrasive wear resistance of HS teeth was 4.7 times that of PL teeth, 0.7 times that of porcelain teeth and 8.3 times that of metal teeth. In terms of weight loss, the corresponding values were 3.3-fold, 0.2-fold and 11.4-fold, respectively.


The ways in which members of the armed forces have behaved in past and present conflicts raise questions on the correct ethical behavior of soldiers. Apparently, the end does not justify the means, and critical voices are right to react with concern to military misbehavior, as has been publicized lately. The subject of military ethics, situated within military science, deals with the question of ethically correct behavior of soldiers. The aim of this article was to present an overview of the various fields of military ethics and to show their interrelationship, as well as making suggestions on how to fill these formal aspects with content.


In this thesis, we consider the two-layered fluid flow problem in a circular pipeline. The justification of the model we shall employ, namely the stratified flow model will be discussed. Our mathematical model is built from first principles, the conservation relations of mass, momentum and energy will be analysed and applied to the various flow configurations. We start by considering the simplest case possible, i.e. the planar axial interface and then extend the model by considering first, the motion of a travelling jump in the pipe section and second, to allow a small interfacial gradient. The stability of the steady flow configuration is investigated using a linear stability method. This method starts off by assuming a travelling wave solution for the perturbation and then observing whether there is growth (unstable) or decay (stable) in this perturbed state. A stability map is provided to indicate the various possible scenarios for the travelling perturbation wave.


: This study on the performance of state-owned enterprises in Serbia has shown that the state has great difficulties managing the enterprises that are in its portfolio and under its control. The adaptation of state-owned enterprises to exogenous shocks unfolds at a slow pace and is faced with many problems. The institutional environment for the strategic restructuring of the state sector is not in the service of strengthening the efficiency of its business operation. The study has shown that the economic performance of state-owned enterprises exerts a direct influence on economic growth, the budget, government balance sheets, and debt. While healthy enterprises (the ones conducting their business successfully) are valuable state-owned property, enterprises with a loss or over indebted enterprises are obligations which demand intervention through the injection of additional capital or through other forms of help from the state. The main goal of restructuring state-owned enterprises is to improve responsibility and efficiency. The array of measures for improving efficiency ranges from modifications of the legal framework and corporate governance of socially owned enterprises (including corporatization and separation of activities) to the sale of property to the private sector or complete privatization. Reforms are aimed at improving the transparency and responsibility of state-owned enterprises, not just for the purpose of efficiency but also for the purpose of harmonization with the ethical and deontological requirements.


What characterizes any phenomenological approach is the attempt to conceptualize in as close connection with the actual experience of the phenomena as possible. Thus, we have to look for the intentionality in the psychosis, the wild and chaotic structuring of meaning as angst. For psychosis basically has to do with angst in a sense that has been explicated by existentialism, psychoanalysis and phenomenology. The seemingly meaningless expressions of intentionality in psychosis are not so very surprising on the background of Merleau-Ponty's explications of corporeal intentionality. In his close investigations of intentionality in perception, the body, and language Merleau-Ponty laid open a structuring of meaning which, however incoherent it may be, is sociocultural structuring and which we never escape in our own experience and practice. It is possible to apply different kinds of phenomenological understanding and conceptualization in accord with Merleau-Ponty's philosophical position. We may distinguish between a structural, a generative and a dialectic understanding of human experience and practices. The application of these approaches implies a constructive criticism of traditional phenomenological views of psychosis and points towards a new understanding of intentionality in psychosis.


ABSTRACT Football fan participation within the context of the English Premier League (EPL) has diversified through the rise of fan channels hosted on YouTube. As a pioneer within this participatory new media landscape, AFTV (formerly Arsenal Fan TV) is the most prominent example within the genre having amassed over one million YouTube subscribers. Drawing data from the comments posted under 36 post-match reaction fan interviews, this article analyzes the uses and functions of banter or mock impoliteness. Within the UK cultural context banter is understood as language used primarily in male-to-male bonding interactions where ego maintenance is a high interactional priority. We subsequently propose four thematic classifications of banter discourse; personal banter, legacy banter, impersonal banter and banter violation. We ask whether football fan channels such as AFTV should be seen as a source of financial income for the operators, entertainment for rival supporters or as of genuine interest and value to Arsenal fans.


Deregulation of polyamine transport in L1210 cells overexpressing ornithine decarboxylase leads to a lethal accumulation of spermidine. We now provide evidence that over-accumulation of natural and synthetic polyamines, but not putrescine, rapidly induces apoptosis, as shown by hypercondensation of peripheral chromatin and internucleosomal cleavage, followed by nuclear fragmentation. Polyamine oxidation is not responsible for the apoptosis observed. Thus, abnormally high polyamine pools could be an important physiological trigger of apoptosis.


Cardiocondyla spp. are small, inconspicuous ants, native to the Old World. Until recently, Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890 was a little known species recorded almost exclusively from the semi-arid subtropics of North Africa, the Middle East, and neighboring islands. In contrast, Cardiocondyla nuda Mayr, 1866 was considered a cosmopolitan tramp species, spread broadly around the world through human commerce. A recent taxonomic reanalysis by B. Seifert, however, found genuine C. nuda restricted to Australia, New Guinea, and Western Oceania, and that published records of 'C. nuda' from outside this region were based on misidentifications of other species, notably C. mauritanica. In addition, Cardiocondyla ectopia, known from North America, was found to be a junior synonym of C. mauritanica. Here, I examine theworldwide spread of C. mauritanica. I compiled published and unpublished C. mauritanica specimen records from >250 sites, documenting the earliest known records for 47 geographic areas (countries, island groups, major islands, and US states), including several for which I found no previously published records: Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, Grenada, Saba, and Saudi Arabia. Cardiocondyla mauritanica is found primarily in semi-arid and urban environments. Cardiocondyla mauritanica shows an apparently continuous distribution and geographic variation in morphology from northwest Africa to India suggesting that C. mauritanica is native throughout this subtropical expanse. Old World records of C. mauritanica far from this range come from Ascension, Zimbabwe, and several Indo-Pacific islands. The sole temperate record of C. mauritanica comes from Ukraine. Cardiocondyla mauritanica was first found in the New World in 1967, and has spread through the southwestern US, northern Mexico, Florida, and the West Indies. Part of the success of C. mauritanica in exotic locales may relate to its ability to co-exist with dominant invasive ants, such as the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868).


An (NH4)2S2O8-promoted cross-coupling of thiols/diselenides and sulfoxides to construct unsymmetrical disulfides/selenosulfides is disclosed. Control experiments demonstrate that (NH4)2S2O8 acts as an acid and an oxidant, while both ionic and radical routes are involved in the reaction. The KIE experiments reveal that C-H bond cleavage of sulfoxides was involved in the turnover-limiting step.


Retirement planning is a widely promoted activity to enhance wellbeing for aging populations. However, there is limited follow-up data to understand the antecedents of multi-dimensional retirement planning activities, the resources such activities produce or the explanatory mechanisms. This research draws on recent theorizing, which suggests that retirement planning may play a mediating role in explaining how pre-retirement antecedents are transformed into retirement resources. Antecedents, planning and retirement resources were examined using 3 waves of follow-up data collected in 2006, 2008, and 2014. Four hundred thirty-five people originally employed in 2008 and retired by 2014 participated in the study. Health, income, and a positive retirement attitude (T1) were the strongest predictors of retirement planning (T2), but job satisfaction and occupation also played smaller predictive roles. Financial planning (T2) predicted health, psychosocial, and financial resources in retirement (T3). However, health, lifestyle, and psychosocial planning played a minimal role in explaining retirement resources, and only financial planning demonstrated noteworthy evidence of mediation. Findings can help to inform policy decisions by identifying those at greatest risk of not planning, and to isolate the factors most likely to explain the longer-term effects of planning. Understanding which resources are predicted by different domains of planning will also help inform the targeting of interventions.


We have proposed to use the electrostatic capacitance of through-silicon-vias (TSV) in the silicon interposer as the decoupling capacitor. Because the electrostatic capacity of the TSV acts as a decoupling capacitor, it is enabled to decrease the power distribution network (PDN) impedance. Therefore, the dependency to the PDN impedance in the effect of the layout and the shape of the TSV capacitor was analyzed. By introducing the 3-D electromagnetic field simulator, precise PDN impedance analysis was carried out. As a result, TSV functions enough as a decoupling capacitor. PDN impedance of the silicon inter-poser with TSV-decoupling capacitor decrease compared with that of the silicon interposer without TSV. Especially, PDN impedance of the silicon interposer with 200-micrometer pitch TSVs shows PDN impedance without the resonance peak from the low-frequency region to the high frequency area.


Abstract Development of in vitro plant regeneration method from Brassica explants via organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis is influenced by many factors such as culture environment, culture medium composition, explant sources, and genotypes which are reviewed in this study. An efficient in vitro regeneration system to allow genetic transformation of Brassica is a crucial tool for improving its economical value. Methods to optimize transformation protocols for the efficient introduction of desirable traits, and a comparative analysis of these methods are also reviewed. Hence, binary vectors, selectable marker genes, minimum inhibitory concentration of selection agents, reporter marker genes, preculture media, Agrobacterium concentration and regeneration ability of putative transformants for improvement of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Brassica are discussed.


To investigate their mental disorders prevalence, the Self-Report Psychiatric Screening Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Religious Life Inventory were mailed to 750 religious ministers. From the 207 who answered, 40 were randomly chosen and invited to a diagnostic interview using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) and an open interview using the Severity of Psychosocial Stressors Scale (DSM-III-R Axis IV). During the month before the interview, mental disorders prevalence was 12.5%, and 47% received a psychiatric diagnosis when the lifetime period was considered. Their main diagnoses were Depressive Disorders (16.4%), Sleep Disorders (12.9%) and Anxiety Disorders (9.4%). Intrinsic religious orientation was associated with positive mental health, and quest orientation scores were significantly higher in the group with a larger probability of mental disorder symptoms and diagnoses. Financial problems, problems with church members and with other pastors, leadership conflicts, marital difficulties, doctrinal problems in the church, and overwork were the main identified stressors.


This paper is a study of some of the basic properties of the metric half-space topology, a topology on a set which is derived from a metric on the set. In the first it is found that in a complete inner product space, the metric half-space topology is the same as one defined in terms of linear functionals on the space. In the second it is proven that in Rn the metric half-space topology is the same as the usual metric topology. In the third theorem it is shown that in a certain sense the nature of the metric halfspace topology generated by a norm on the space determines whether the norm is quadratic, that is to say, whether or not there exists an inner product on the space with the property that |x|^2=(x,x) for all x in the space.


Reversible collapse of the xylem in the smallest vein orders of red oak leaves buffers major veins from cavitation over time scales relevant to stomatal responses. We report a novel form of xylem dysfunction in angiosperms: reversible collapse of the xylem conduits of the smallest vein orders that demarcate and intrusively irrigate the areoles of red oak (Quercus rubra) leaves. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy revealed gradual increases in collapse from approximately −2 MPa down to −3 MPa, saturating thereafter (to −4 MPa). Over this range, cavitation remained negligible in these veins. Imaging of rehydration experiments showed spatially variable recovery from collapse within 20 s and complete recovery after 2 min. More broadly, the patterns of deformation induced by desiccation in both mesophyll and xylem suggest that cell wall collapse is unlikely to depend solely on individual wall properties, as mechanical constraints imposed by neighbors appear to be important. From the perspective of equilibrium leaf water potentials, petioles, whose vessels extend into the major veins, showed a vulnerability to cavitation that overlapped in the water potential domain with both minor vein collapse and buckling (turgor loss) of the living cells. However, models of transpiration transients showed that minor vein collapse and mesophyll capacitance could effectively buffer major veins from cavitation over time scales relevant to the rectification of stomatal wrong-way responses. We suggest that, for angiosperms, whose subsidiary cells give up large volumes to allow large stomatal apertures at the cost of potentially large wrong-way responses, vein collapse could make an important contribution to these plants' ability to transpire near the brink of cavitation-inducing water potentials.


Objective The aim of this work is to assess the relationship between significant paravalvular leak (SPL) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on anaemia and their impact on prognosis. Methods Observational analytic study developed at two university hospitals, including all consecutive patients who underwent TAVI during a 10-year period (2009 to 2018). A logistic regression model was created to determine independent predictors of anaemia at 3 months. Time to event outcomes were analysed with Cox regression. Median follow-up was 21.3±21.9 months. Results 788 patients were included. 5.3% had SPL. SPL was an independent predictor of anaemia 3 months after TAVI (OR: 8.31, 95% CI: 2.06 to 33.50). SPL and anaemia at 3 months were independently associated with long-term mortality (HR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.16 to 2.85; HR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.39 to 3.08). Conclusion SPL is an independent predictor of anaemia at 3 months after TAVI, a condition that doubles long-term mortality. Our findings could explain in part the worse prognosis of SPL after TAVI. Further pathophysiological studies are necessary to explain this association.


Extraskeletal osteosarcoma are rare malignant mesenchymal neoplasms of soft tissues representing around 1% of all soft tissue. The exact mechanism of tumorigenesis of primary breast osteosarcoma is still unclear. However, most of the cases develop without a recognized etiologic factor. Primary osteosarcoma of the breast is often initially misdiagnosed as breast fibroadenoma. Different imaging modalities and pathology play important role in differentiating breast osteosarcoma from other benign and malignant lesions of the breast resulting in dramatic change in the management.


Proactive tile-based virtual reality (VR) video streaming employs the current tracking data of a user to predict future requested tiles, then renders and delivers the predicted tiles to be requested before playback. The quality of experience (QoE) depends on the overall performance of prediction, computing (i.e., rendering) and communication. All prior works neglect that users may have privacy requirement, i.e., not all the current tracking data are allowed to be uploaded. In this paper, we investigate the privacy-aware VR streaming. We first establish a dataset that collects the privacy requirement of 66 users among 18 panoramic videos. The dataset shows that the privacy requirements of 360$^{\circ}$ videos are heterogeneous. Only 41\% of the total watched videos have no privacy requirement. Based on these findings, we formulate the privacy requirement as the \textit{degree of privacy} (DoP), and investigate the impact of DoP on the proactive VR streaming. First, we find that with DoP, the length of the observation window and prediction window of a tile predictor should be variable. Then, we jointly optimize the durations for computing and transmitting the selected tiles as well as the computing and communication capability, aimed at maximizing the QoE given arbitrary predictor and configured resources. From the obtained optimal closed-form solution, we find a resource-saturated region where DoP has no impact on the QoE and a resource-unsaturated region where the two-fold impacts of DoP are contradictory. On the one hand, the increase of DoP will degrade the prediction performance and thus degrade the QoE. On the other hand, the increase of DoP will improve the capability of computing and communication and thus improve the QoE. Simulation results using two predictors and a real dataset validate the analysis and demonstrate the overall impact of DoP on the QoE.


Developed a platform to render 3D model of mechanical products dynamic based on PaaS considering small and medium company not have enough fund to build website for advertising products.The platform has a 5 layers architecture,applying X3D to display 3D model,SAI used to realize interaction dynamic.Thinking about the characteristic that mechanical product contain much non-structure data,files of X3D and 3D model that can be index via Production table were not keep in database for saving space.The platform render 3D models quickly,interactive strongly,can advertise production powerfully.


Abstract It is necessary to quantify forest canopy characteristics to assess crown fire hazard, prioritize treatment areas, and design treatments to reduce crown fire potential. A number of fire behavior models such as FARSITE, FIRETEC, and NEXUS require as input four particular canopy fuel parameters: 1) canopy cover, 2) stand height, 3) crown base height, and 4) canopy bulk density. These canopy characteristics must be mapped across the landscape at high spatial resolution to accurately simulate crown fire. Currently no models exist to forecast these four canopy parameters for forests of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, a region that supports millions of acres of loblolly, longleaf, and slash pine forests as well as pine-broadleaf forests and mixed species broadleaf forests. Many forest cover types are recognized, too many to efficiently model. For expediency, forests of the Savannah River Site are categorized as belonging to 1 of 7 broad forest type groups, based on composition: 1) loblolly pine, 2) longleaf pine, 3) slash pine, 4) pine-hardwood, 5) hardwood-pine, 6) hardwoods, and 7) cypress-tupelo. These 7 broad forest types typify forests of the Atlantic Coastal Plain region, from Maryland to Florida.


The vast majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in sub-Saharan Africa are undiagnosed and untreated with impaired quality of life and markedly increased mortality rates. PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that becomes increasingly common as people age. Diagnosis remains predominantly clinical based on motor symptoms: tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. In developed countries, it is well recognized and very few patients will not be diagnosed and treated. However, in developing countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, evidence suggests that most patients are undiagnosed, and even if they are diagnosed, they do not have access to sustainable, affordable, drug treatment and medical supervision. There is a lack of awareness, both within the general population and also among healthcare professionals, and many patients seek help from traditional healers. Even if they are diagnosed, treatment is often too expensive, and supplies are sporadic. There is a great need to increase awareness of PD within the general population and the fact that the symptoms are treatable. Education of healthcare workers about PD is also important, but a major challenge is there are few doctors and even fewer neurologists. Awareness raising and training will be to no avail, unless the problem of an affordable, reliable supply of drug treatment can be tackled.


This study proposes the cohesive zone model (CZM) for predicting fatigue damage growth in notched carbon-fiber-reinforced composite plastic (CFRP) cross-ply laminates. In this model, damage growth in the fracture process of cohesive elements due to cyclic loading is represented by the conventional damage mechanics model. We preliminarily investigated whether this model can appropriately express fatigue damage growth for a circular crack embedded in isotropic solid material. This investigation demonstrated that this model could reproduce the results with the well-established fracture mechanics model plus the Paris' law by tuning adjustable parameters. We then numerically investigated the damage process in notched CFRP cross-ply laminates under tensile cyclic loading and compared the predicted damage patterns with those in experiments reported by Spearing et al. (Compos. Sci. Technol. 1992). The predicted damage patterns agreed with the experiment results, which exhibited the extension of multiple types of damage (e.g., splits, transverse cracks and delaminations) near the notches.


The purpose or this study is to carefully and critically examine the methodologies and preconceptions of Bronislaw Malinowski. Because Malinowski was very influential in the field of anthropology and the social sciences in general, his methodologies and preconceptions are not peculiar to him alone. As a matter of fact a whole "school"--the so-called "functional school"--was built up around Malinowski. Moreover, the tradition which Malinowski typifies is symptomatic of fundamental developments which were/are taking place in all fields of inquiry. That is, the basic problems which confronted Malinowski and with which he struggled are similar to those facing economists, philosophers, psychologists, historians, political scientists, sociologists--all cultural investigators. For example, the problem of evaluation is universal. Thus, this thesis will have a wider orientation than that indicated by the title


I study the response of a particle detector coupled to quantized massless complex scalar field in four dimensional Minkowski spacetime through nonlinear Lagrangian. I find that as in the real scalar field: the particle detector will not respond when it is in inertial motion; If accelerated in its own frame reference, it does respond and feel the same temperature. But different from the real scalar field case, the detector's transition amplitude is concerned with particle-antiparticle creation, and the response of the detector is (1/α2 + η2)/24π2 times of that in real scalar field, with 1/α the accelerator of the detector and e the energy gap between the detector's two energy level. It is due to the nonlinear property of the coupling Lagrangian. Whether the total charge of the system constructed by the particle detector and vacuum is conserved is also considered and analyzed.


Cognitive buildings, being aware of their own performance, actively learn and adapt to the environment, enhancing comfort and safety of occupants. While the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, machine learning, reasoning, and augmented reality into cognitive building concepts has made substantial progress, the integration of structural health monitoring (SHM) and control systems into cognitive buildings has received little attention. In this paper, a semantic model for describing SHM and control systems associated with cognitive buildings is proposed. The semantic model, formally describing SHM and control systems components as well as interrelations between the components, serves as a basis to document, to manage, and to optimize cognitive buildings. Through the semantic model, a laboratory test structure, mimicking a cognitive building, and a prototype SHM and control system, which is installed on the laboratory test structure, are described using building information modeling (BIM). Both the cognitive building and the SHM and control system are physically implemented in the laboratory for validation tests. The results clearly demonstrate the ability of the semantic model to formally describe SHM and control systems associated with cognitive buildings.


The life-history of Aeshna viridis Eversm. has been studied at a peat-pit in southern Sweden by means of regular sampling. Larvae from some samples from late summer to early spring have been experimentally subjected to constant artificial day-lengths of I3, I4.5, I6 and I9.5 hours at a temperature of 20°C. The results of experiments suggest that the rapid transition of photoperiod in autumn and spring is most important in the regulation of the life-cycle, which in the population studied had a duration of 2-3 years. A comparison is made between the seasonal regulation in Aeshna viridis and that in some other species. The causes of the phenological differences between certain types of spring and summer species and the differences in life-history of Aeshna species at different latitudes are discussed.


Arterial calcifications of medium and large arteries are frequent in dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism [1]. In spite of their spectacular radiological appearances, the arterial calcifications rarely lead to ischaemic changes. In some patients a rare syndrome with a poor prognosis and difficult treatment can develop. It is characterized by progressive ischaemic skin necrosis, secondary to calcification of arterioles and small dermo-hypodermic arteries and is termed calciphylaxis [2]. Skin lesions, often on finger tips and sometimes around the thighs, ankles, buttocks, or trunk, begin as superficial patches with burning pain that progress to deep necrotic lesions and eschar formation [3]. Its pathogenesis is uncertain and the aetiology is probably multifactorial. Several factors have been reported as causal factors: hyperparathyroidism, persistent or transient hyperphosphataemia, vitamin D treatment, calcium salt administration, steroid therapy in renal transplant recipients, and prot C and S deficiencies [2-5]. Hyperparathyroidism and persistent or transient hyperphosphataemia appear to be the more common factors in calciphylaxis development. This is supported by the cutaneous lesions which heal after parathyroidectomy [5,6] and phosphate reduction. However, some patients develop calciphylaxis and have normal parathyroid hormone levels [3,6]. We report a case of calciphylaxis in a haemodialysis patient with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism, severe diffuse calcifications of arteries of several sizes, and functional prot S deficiency.


An area of 2000 km² in the arid western cordillera of Bolivia was geologically and hydro-geologically surveyed for the purpose of determining locations for borehole drilling in the framework of groundwater reconnaissance. Vertical geoelectrical resistivity soundings were applied to identify areas at depth in which aquifers with a sufficient thickness of fresh groundwater can be expected. A chemical and isotopic inventory of the regionally occurring groundwater revealed the presence of meteorically-recharged fresh and thermal waters as well as highly mineralized waters from fumaroles and a deep reservoir. Due to their chemical and isotopic composition, the latter group shows influences of juvenile water. Carbon fourteen dating performed on the fresh and thermal waters indicates that they were recharged during the last pluvial phase, about 10,500 years ago. The occurrence of these fossil waters explains the discharge of up to 200 l/s from some springs in a now-arid climate with mean precipitation of 100 mm/y and essentially no groundwater recharge. Extremely low contents of tritium of about 0.1 TU confirm the ¹⁴C age determinations.


This study assesses the sustainability of crop production system in Gediz Basin, Turkey and develops forward-looking scenarios for optimal utilization and sustainable allocation of its resources using the water, energy, and food (WEF) Nexus holistic systems approach. Gediz basin data for the year 2014 are used to analyze the current situation and to develop future scenarios, including climate change, urbanization, changes in water sources, and technological developments in the field of agricultural production. The study results indicate that reduction in land availability as a consequence of urbanization and increased water scarcity due to climate change are inevitable. Moreover, sustainably maintaining current levels of agricultural production requires that serious consideration be given to the selection of drought resistant varieties and new farming practices, such as direct planting to reduce energy use and drip irrigation systems to save water.


Because human resources is considered as the most valuable factor of production, capital and the main source of any organization competitive advantage, human resources improvement is very important. If an organization wants to make progress in their affairs and not fall behind the competition should have expert human resources with sufficient knowledge and ability. The instrument that used for this purpose to help managers is empowerment process. Movement an in order to empower employees need to improve and optimize the organization, improving and training of managers and ultimately improving and training of employees. In this paper, we have investigated and rated the effective factors in the employees' empowerment of cultural heritage and tourism organization of Qazvin Province by using AHP hierarchy method. For this purpose, initially the existing concepts in empowerment and the effective factors have been studied. Then a questionnaire has been developed and designed to identify effective factors in the studying statistical population. Then, we considered reliability and nineteen factors of empowerment by using SPSS15 software that finally used to rank the affective factors on the empowerment of hierarchical techniques (AHP). Ranking factors results indicate that training, encourage and ability and skill of the staff placed on the first to third order, respectively and also access to information factors placed on the nineteenth order. Managers have done some plans in order to empower employees with respect to the weight of each factor and its importance in its impact on the empowerment of employees empower staff, to be effective with empowerment of employees to achieve the objectives of the organization.


The mafic-ultramafic, alkaline Montana Blanca-Milocho pluton, which is part o f the northernmost outcrop of the Basal Complex of the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, is spatially associated to the Jablitos alkaline-carbonatitic complex. Alkaline clinopyroxenites occurring in the periphery o f both intrusive bodies bear strong petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical similarities. However, the study o f a possible genetic relationship between them was so far hindered by the complete absence of geoclironological data. High apatite abundances in these rocks has allowed the application o f the fission track techniques as a geoclironological tool. Nevertheless, in samples were perovskite occurs the lack o f U in apatite, the K-Ar method had to be used. The 25 and 29 Ma fission tracks central ages obtained are well in agreement with theexpected emplacement age o f these shallow intrusive rocks, and also with published and new K-Ar ages. Thus, a genetic relationship between these ultramafic alkaline clinopyroxenites is here proposed.


Clustering is defining inter relationship of an ordered data and grouping data systematically. The systems using clustering provide the grouped information to the users. The complex metadata description generated on the basis of predefined ontologies serve as perfect input data for clustering. In this paper, we propose an approach for clustering ontology based metadata. Main contribution of this paper is the definition of evaluation function to measure ontology based metadata and study using this evaluation function within hierarchical clustering algorithm.


Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is implicated in vascular diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as abdominal aortic aneurysms, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and atherosclerosis. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying TSP-1 expression are not fully elucidated. In this study, we found that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) inhibited oxidative stress-induced TSP-1 expression and migration in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Activation of PPARδ by GW501516, a specific ligand for PPARδ, significantly attenuated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced expression of TSP-1 in VSMCs. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of PPARδ and treatment with GSK0660, a selective PPARδ antagonist, reversed the effect of GW501516 on H2O2-induced expression of TSP-1, suggesting that PPARδ is associated with GW501516 activity. Furthermore, JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase), but not p38 and ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), mediated PPARδ-dependent inhibition of TSP-1 expression in VSMCs exposed to H2O2. GW501516- activated PPARδ also reduced the H2O2-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, concomitant with inhibition of VSMC migration. In particular, TSP-1 contributed to the action of PPARδ in the regulation of H2O2-induced interleukin-1β expression. These results suggest that PPARδ-modulated downregulation of TSP-1 is associated with reduced cellular oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting H2O2-induced phenotypic changes in vascular cells.