Rice is a very important food in the world, a staple food for more than half of the world's population, especially Asia. People in Asia plant rice crops, more than 90% of the world's rice crops which are grown. In the current technological era the conditions of agricultural crops such as rice can be monitored rapidly from the air. This study aims to classify the age of rice plants based on cartesian coordinate position vectors from the extracted basic, red, green, and blue color spectrum of reflectance. The research was done by taking the image of rice plants based on age classification and Furthermore, the extracted values of each spectrum is normalized and then be plotted on cartesian coordinate The result obtained from this research is the position vector of normalized RGB values be able to differentiate the age classification of rice plant. The each vector position represented a single group of age classification. The three vector units i.e. red, green and blue figure every axis on the 3 dimensional Cartesian coordinates. This research concluded that the 3-dimensional position vector method of cartesian coordinates, can classify the age of rice plants.


To evaluate the degree of compliance with pharmacological therapy, and to identify predictors of non-compliance in outpatients from a cardiology referral center in São Paulo, Brazil, we studied 485 outpatients 230 (47.4 percent) males and 255 (52.6 percent) females, through an interview guided by a questionnaire during medical consultation. The ages ranged between 17 and 86 (mean 54, standard deviation 15) years. Heart disease and socioeconomic factors (residence, means of transport, educational level and professional status) were studied. In addition, we examined the drugs prescribed including: difficulties in taking them; the source of supply, and the patient's knowledge of the drugs. Assessment of compliance was based on the patients' response. The patients' answers were compared with the prescription and progress notes. Errors were recorded if the patient reported using one or more nonprescribed medicines. Compliance with therapy was recorded if the patient said the prescription was taken correctly without interruption and without error. The variables with significant differences in univariate analysis were further analyzed by multivariate log-linear regression analysis. Noncompliance occurred in 286 (59 percent) of the patients, and was predicted by the reported difficulty in taking medication (P < 0.001), and by the lack of knowledge of medication names (P < 0.001). Thus, noncompliance with medical therapy was common. The main predictors of non-compliance were the reported difficulty in taking medication and inability to identify medicines' names.


Homological algebra of modules over posets is developed, as closely parallel as possible to that of finitely generated modules over noetherian commutative rings, in the direction of finite presentations and resolutions. Centrally at issue is how to define finiteness to replace the noetherian hypothesis which fails. The tameness condition introduced for this purpose captures finiteness for variation in families of vector spaces indexed by posets in a way that is characterized equivalently by distinct topological, algebraic, combinatorial, and homological manifestations. Tameness serves both theoretical and computational purposes: it guarantees finite presentations and resolutions of various sorts, all related by a syzygy theorem, amenable to algorithmic manipulation. Tameness and its homological theory are new even in the finitely generated discrete setting of $\mathbb{N}^n$-gradings, where tame is materially weaker than noetherian. In the context of persistent homology of filtered topological spaces, especially with multiple real parameters, the algebraic theory of tameness yields topologically interpretable data structures in terms of birth and death of homology classes.


The paper presents the process of measuring the vibration signals of the WZ12-1 platform and analyzes the reason causing the serious vibrations of the WZ12-1 platform. First, the method for arranging the test points on the WZ12-1 platform is described. Then, the signals are collected under two different conditions. Finally, by examining the captured signals, we ascertain the cause leading to the excessive vibrations of the WZ12-1 platform. The paper provides a guide to measure and analyze the vibration signals of offshore platforms, which is highly significant for assuring the safety of offshore platforms.


Only studies in the UK on individuals dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospital have been published, to date. Cremation law requires collection of clinical information that can improve understanding of deaths in both hospital and community settings. Age, sex, date and place of death, occupation, comorbidities and where infection acquired was recorded for all deaths from COVID-19, between 6 April and 30 May, for whom an application was made for cremation at a South Wales' crematorium. Of 752 cremations, 215 (28.6%) were COVID-19 (115 (53.5%) male and 100 (46.5%) female). Median age was 82 years (youngest patient 47 and the oldest 103 years). Over half the deaths (121/215: 56.3%) were over 80 years. Males' odds of dying in hospital, rather than the community were 1.96 times that of females (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.03–3.74, P = 0.054) despite being of similar age and having a similar number of comorbidities. Only 21 (9.8%) of 215 patients had no comorbidities recorded. Patients dying in care homes were significantly older than those dying in hospital (median 88 years (interquartile (IQ) range 82–93 years) vs. 80 years (IQ range 71–87 years): P < 0.0001). Patients dying in hospital had significantly more comorbidities than those dying in care homes (median 2: IQ range 1–3 vs. 1: IQ range 1–2: P < 0.001). Sixty three (29.3%) of infections were hospital acquired and a further 55 (25.6%) acquired in care homes. In a series, of hospital and community deaths, persons over 80 with an average two comorbidities predominated. Men were more likely to die in hospital. Half the infections were acquired in hospitals or care homes with implications for management of the pandemic.


Intra-city travel is a significant part of urban life and a fully functional intra-city transit system will help in reducing the number of private vehicles on the road, thus reducing pollution and traffic congestions. A robust urban transit system helps in the physical expansion of city limits, making education, job, and medical facilities accessible to people living in city fringe areas. This will help in depopulating the Central Business District areas and optimization of real estate cost. Heavy Rail Based Metro Transit system has improved living conditions in Metropolitan cities. The High Capital Investment required for setting up a metro system necessitates the requirement of alternate Transit systems for Medium and smaller cities. This paper delves into this important area of suggesting an alternate urban transit model for Tier II and Tier III Indian cities. In this paper, modifications were suggested in the Metro Neo specification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs [10], to make it more cost-effective (to construct and maintain), agile, and with scope to harness new technologies as they become commercially viable in the future. Elevated or dedicated Busways with Full Diesel Hybrid Buses comprising an Energy Storage system (Li-ion battery pack) and a diesel power pack are suggested as the rolling stock for the transit system. This suggested rolling stock will be not only cost effective but also environmentally friendly. In the future, the Diesel Power Packs in the buses can be replaced with Hydrogen Fuel Cells or additional batteries to enable full electric and non-fossil fuel operation. The need for further research in developing cost-optimized structures in the Construction of viaducts and bus stations is felt and details in these areas have been highlighted. The suggested system will have the flexibility of a Bus Rapid Transit system and shall have some advantages of a metro system. Even in big cities with a full-fledged Metro system, the suggested modified Metro Neo system can act as a feeder system from faraway places. The paper proposes essential features of a transit system that is robust in present and is future-ready.


Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques have developed remarkably since first described. CPR is now both a default treatment and a public expectation. However, anticipated outcomes are not matched by reality. The differences between in- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are often not recognised and almost never taught. 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders developed to provide the ability to opt-out of this treatment. Nevertheless, CPR is still inappropriately used in settings where reversibility and likelihood of benefit are not meaningfully considered or discussed with the patient. Further, treatment escalation is a continuum, so resuscitation orders present a false dichotomy of 'do' or 'do not' resuscitate. Asking patients about their goals, and only offering treatments aligned with those goals, allows consideration of the burden of treatment and the likelihood of success. Shared decision models improve communication and patient autonomy. Tools are available to help clinicians with the difficult conversation and document the outcomes. Now, in both our training and practice, it is time to move beyond the stark and often irrelevant choice between CPR and 'Not for Resuscitation'.


Ferrierite (FER framework topology) is a well-known aluminosilicate zeolite mineral. An understanding of the structure and properties of FER remains important because of its role as a catalyst in commercial reactions. For example, it is important in the petrochemical industry, where it has been used as a shape selective catalyst for the production of isobutene. The thermal behavior of this phase (in its high silica form) was recently studied by Bull et al [1], while its compressibilty has never been investigated before. The high pressure (HP) behavior of synthetic high silica zeolite ferrierite (FER) was investigated by means of in-situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, with the aim to understand the P-induced deformation mechanism. The microporous material was synthesized starting from pure silica and pyridine and propyl-amine as structure directing agents. Here we report the preliminary results on the compressibility of the as-synthesized phase. The study of the compressibility of the calcinated one will be carried out in the following steps of the project. The crystal structure of ferrierite is built up of rings of fivecorner-shared SiO4 tetrahedra (known as five-membered ringsor 5MRs) building units, which form layers in the ab plane. The layers are connected to form a matrix of 10MR channels running parallel to the c axis, which are intersected by 8MR channels running parallel to the b axis. Six-membered rings connect the 10MRs alongthe c axis direction. The HP diffraction experiments were performed at BM01a beamline (ESRF), at the fixed wavelength of 0.71 Å, using a modified Merril-Basset DAC and a mixture of methanol:ethanol:water (16:3:1) as P-transmitting medium. The powder patterns were collected from Pamb to 6.2 GPa. Some patterns were also measured upon pressure release up to Pamb, to check the reversibility of the compression effects. The unit cell parameters were refined by means of Rietveld method. The main results of this study are: 1) No complete X-ray amorphization is observed up to about 6.6 GPa; 2) No abrupt change of the elastic behavior is observed in the whole pressure range. Between Pamb and 6.2 GPa the reduction of the cell parameter are 4%, 5% and 6% for a, b and c respectively, accounting for a volume reduction of about 14 %. 3) The P-induced effects on the as-synthesized Si-ferrierite cell parameters are completely reversible. 4) The bulk modulus obtained using a second order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state and data weighted by the uncertainties in P and V was K0 = 30.1(3) GPa. This compressibility is one of the highest when compared with the other natural and synthetic zeolites studied with "penetrating" aqueous media [2, 3] and is very similar to that of SAPO-34 [4], another microporous material studied at HP in its as-synthesized form containing the organic template.


A new coordination polymer, formulated as {[Co2(μ8-abtc)(betib)]·DMF}n (1) (abtc, 3,3′,5,5′-azobenzenetetracarboxylate; betib, 1,4-bis(2-ethylimidazol-1-yl)butane), was synthesized with 3,3′,5,5′-azobenzenetetracarboxylic acid and flexible betib ligand. Complex 1 was immersed in methanol to obtain {[Co2(μ8-abtc)(betib)]·H2O}n (2). The complexes were characterized by IR spectra, elemental analyses, single-crystal and powder X-ray diffractions, and thermal analyses. X-ray results demonstrated that complexes 1 and 2 had a porous 3D framework with sqc5381 net. Complex 2 was activated at 105 °C (2a), and CO2 and iodine adsorption properties of 2a were studied. The CO2 uptake capacity of 2a was 52.94 cm3/g (10.40%). Moreover, complex 2a encapsulated 30.34 and 21.98% iodine in the vapor phase and solution, respectively, which corresponded to 1.975 and 1.42 molecules of iodine per formula unit, respectively.


In areas located near large rock cliffs, risk reduction by early warning monitoring systems highligts potentiality but also critical issues and limits. The paper examines two rock slope failures that occurred in a short time from each other near inhabited areas in the Italian Alps. The viscous behavior of the rock mass was reconstructed through data processing from ground-based Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR), and elaboration of acceleration and speed curves. Landslides types and underlying complexity associated with rock detachment mechanisms suggest the identification of precautionary alarm thresholds for collapse forecasting. The analysis of financial outlay, both for mitigation works and for monitoring activities, highlight the adequacy and the opportunity to combine passive systems, like embankments or rockfall drapery meshes, with a reliable monitoring network for early warning.


Background : Overdenture supported by dental implant was the acceptable and predictable treatment to enhance retention and stability of dental prosthesis.  This article described the use of two separated implants with stud attachments supported overdenture following mandibular reconstruction with vasculalized fibular bone graft. Objective : To study installation of two separated implants into fibular bone in order to support overdenture. Design : Descriptive study Setting : Dental Department of Srinagarind Hospital. Result : The clinical result was satisfied.  The overdenture supported by dental implant into fibular bone could improved oral function by enhancing retention and stability of the denture.  One year  e xamination presented no bone destruction around implant fixtures and upper natural teeth. Conclusion : Overdenture supported by dental implant for patient in whom retention Problem, especially patient with mandibular reconstruction was the treatment option to improve both functional and mental status.  Furthermore two seperated implant with stud attachments was alternative treament with simplified technice and less costly. Keywords : (1) Bone graft (2) Dental implant (3) Overdenture


As an emerging category of fluorescent metal nanoclusters (NCs), protein-based NCs are considered as one of the promising candidates for the biomedical applications because of their luminescent properties and inherent biocompatibilities. Protein-capped silver NCs impregnated onto graphene oxide (GO) sheets can be internalized into the K562 cell, a human erythroleukemic cell line, and the Ag NCs/GO assembly can act as a synergistic drug carrier for Imatinib, a first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Further, Ag NCs adsorbed on GO have a great potential to be used as X-ray computer tomography (CT) imaging contrasting agents, and CT images show significant contrast enhancement of bone tissues in mice models. Overall, this assembly can exhibit great potential in the field of biomedical application and therapeutic studies.


If heterogeneous ad hoc battlefield networks are to scale to hundreds or thousands of nodes, then they must be automatically split into separate network domains. Domains allow routing, QoS and other networking protocols to operate on the fewer nodes. This division greatly reduces the overall overhead (e.g., routing overhead with n nodes that goes from O(n/sup 2/) to O(nlogn) and allows protocols to be tuned to more homogenous conditions (K. Manousakis et al., 2002). Domain generation (or clustering) can be done using either the local or global information. The two approaches are complementary since local domain generation reacts faster, requires less overhead, and is more robust while the global domain generation provides better overall domains. While the most existing work has concentrated on the local distributed solutions, this paper reports on the new global domain generation techniques. In particular we concentrate on the design of good cost functions and efficient optimization algorithms. We show that the simple "intuitive" cost functions do not produce good domains; rather we need complex functions with multiple parameters depending on the design goals (e.g., low overhead or low delay). Although existing optimization algorithms are too slow to be useful in a large dynamic network, we show that a modified simulated annealing algorithm with well chosen cooling schedule, state transition probabilities, and stop criteria produces good quality domains in acceptable time.


Abstract. In this study the consistency between MAX-DOAS measurements and radiative
transfer simulations of the atmospheric O4 absorption is investigated
on 2 mainly cloud-free days during the MAD-CAT campaign in Mainz, Germany,
in summer 2013. In recent years several studies indicated that measurements
and radiative transfer simulations of the atmospheric O4 absorption can
only be brought into agreement if a so-called scaling factor (<1)
is applied to the measured O4 absorption. However, many studies,
including those based on direct sunlight measurements, came to the opposite
conclusion, that there is no need for a scaling factor. Up to now, there is
no broad consensus for an explanation of the observed discrepancies between
measurements and simulations. Previous studies inferred the need for a
scaling factor from the comparison of the aerosol optical depths derived from
MAX-DOAS O4 measurements with that derived from coincident sun
photometer measurements. In this study a different approach is chosen: the
measured O4 absorption at 360 nm is directly compared to the O4
absorption obtained from radiative transfer simulations. The atmospheric
conditions used as input for the radiative transfer simulations were taken
from independent data sets, in particular from sun photometer and ceilometer
measurements at the measurement site. This study has three main goals: first
all relevant error sources of the spectral analysis, the radiative transfer
simulations and the extraction of the input parameters used for the
radiative transfer simulations are quantified. One important result obtained
from the analysis of synthetic spectra is that the O4 absorptions
derived from the spectral analysis agree within 1 % with the corresponding
radiative transfer simulations at 360 nm. Based on the results from
sensitivity studies, recommendations for optimised settings for the spectral
analysis and radiative transfer simulations are given. Second, the measured
and simulated results are compared for 2 selected cloud-free days with
similar aerosol optical depths but very different aerosol properties. On 18 June,
measurements and simulations agree within their (rather large)
uncertainties (the ratio of simulated and measured O4 absorptions is
found to be 1.01±0.16). In contrast, on 8 July measurements and
simulations significantly disagree: for the middle period of that day the
ratio of simulated and measured O4 absorptions is found to be 0.82±0.10,
which differs significantly from unity. Thus, for that day a
scaling factor is needed to bring measurements and simulations into
agreement. Third, recommendations for further intercomparison exercises are
derived. One important recommendation for future studies is that aerosol
profile data should be measured at the same wavelengths as the MAX-DOAS
measurements. Also, the altitude range without profile information close to
the ground should be minimised and detailed information on the aerosol
optical and/or microphysical properties should be collected and used. The results for both days are inconsistent, and no explanation for a O4
scaling factor could be derived in this study. Thus, similar but more
extended future studies should be performed, including more measurement
days and more instruments. Also, additional wavelengths should be included.


Objectives: Conduction block (CB) from focal neuropathy is often associated with weakness and fatigue in affected muscles. Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE) provides an excellent model to examine the relationships between electrophysiologically defined CB and quantitative measurement of weakness and fatigue. Methods: Eight healthy control subjects (47 ± 14 years) and nine patients (53 ± 3 years) with clinical and electrophysiological features of UNE with CB were studied. All underwent bilateral, ulnar motor nerve conduction studies recording from the first dorsal interosseous muscle as well as quantitative measurement of strength and fatigue of the first dorsal interosseous with a custom dynamometer. Results: Strength and fatigue were similar in the dominant and nondominant hands of control subjects and unaffected limb in patients. Varying degrees of conduction block (14-62%, mean 36%) and conduction slowing (31 m/s ± 7) were observed in those with UNE. CB was associated with significant reductions in strength (42%) and fatigue (23%) on a timed fatigue task. The reductions in strength (r = 0.74) and fatigue (r = 0.60) were strongly correlated with the degree of CB. Conclusions: CB in UNE defined by electrophysiological criteria was strongly correlated with weakness and fatigue in the first dorsal interosseous. Fatigue may be simply related to the reduction in strength, but activity or frequency dependent CB may also contribute.


Topical administration is a simple and comfortable form of cutaneous administration of drugs. However, in this route of administration the drug needs to overcome the barrier posed by the skin to reach an effective concentration. For this reason, many topical formulations are developed with a cationic component. The promotion of absorption occurs due to the disruption of the stratum corneum. But this cationic component has also high irritating potential to the skin. The biotherapics are medicines prepared from a toxic product or etiologic agent, following the homeopathic pharmacopoeia technique, and they are used mainly in cases of hipersensitization. In this experiment, high dilutions (HD) obtained from a cationic formulation were prepared and evaluated considering cell viability in "in vitro" mouse fibroblast (L929) culture cells model by a colorimetric MTT assay. No signs of toxicity were observed, which demonstrates the safety of these HD preparations to the healthy cells. The effectiveness of these HD was also investigated in cells damaged by cationic formulations. The results demonstrated that the HD 30c was the most effective preparation in preventing the cell damage caused by the tested irritating product, increasing cell viability from 56.6% (damaged cells) to 100% (similar to negative control group, p>0.05). These results provide evidence of the positive action of high dilutions against the exposure to a cytotoxic agent.


Drosophila visuomotor processing has been intensively studied in recent years, leading to a qualitative understanding of individual neural circuits. However, the collective operation of these circuits during naturalistic behaviors, in which flies encounter a mixture of complex visual stimuli—including those caused by their own actions—remains unexplored. In this study, we developed an integrative model of Drosophila visuomotor processing, wherein multiple visuomotor circuits interconnect through an efference copy (EC) mechanism. To derive the model experimentally, we analyzed the wingbeat responses of flying Drosophila to individual, rotating visual patterns. We then combined these models to build an integrative model for superposed visual patterns, using three different strategies: the addition-only, the graded EC, and the all-or-none EC models. We compared orientation behaviors of these models with those of flying Drosophila that rotates their body freely in response to complex visual patterns. Results of these experiments support the all-or-none EC model, in which the amplitude of the flight turn is unimpeded by the background scene, irrespective of the visual environment. Together, our "virtual fly" model provides a formal description of vision-based navigation strategies of Drosophila in complex visual environments and offers a novel framework for assessing the role of constituent visuomotor neural circuits in real-world contexts.


Although many clinical aspects of diabetes were already known in the second half of the XIXth century, its pathogenesis remained mysterious. The German Medical School of Strasbourg, rich of numerous eminent teachers and researchers such as A. Kussmaul and B. Naunyn in the 1880ies, represented by this time one of the leading centers in diabetes research. The studies of Joseph Freiherr Von Mering on phloridzin-induced glycosuria are an example between others, but the discovery by Oskar Minkowski of the pancreatic origin of the disease undoubtedly stands as the most famous. This discovery was partly indebted to luck since Von Mering and Minkowski were studying a problem of digestive absorption of lipids, but it was greatly due to the excellent clinical and experimental training of Minkowski, as well as his operatory skill. These works, initially criticized by some authors, turned out to stimulate in several countries researchs on the isolation from pancreas of an hypoglycemic substance. Several investigators gave up or failed near the end, which was reached in 1921 by F. Banting and C. Best, subsequently opening the therapeutic era of diabetology.


A polymer of four amino acids, L-lysine, L-glutamic acid, L-tyrosine and L-alanine, prepared from their respective N-carboxy-amino acid anhydrides, has been approved by the regulatory agencies in the United States and forty other countries as a drug/vaccine against the exacerbating-remitting type of multiple sclerosis. The drug, Copolymer 1 (Cop1), is called Copaxone by the industry. It is a specific drug for multiple sclerosis and is not active against other autoimmune diseases. Thus, it serves as a prototype of specific drugs/vaccines against autoimmune diseases. In the case of Cop1, this is due to its immunological cross-reaction with the myelin basic protein, a substance in the myelin sheath of the brain that seems to be the main cause of the autoimmune phenomenon in multiple sclerosis. From the point of view of polymer chemistry, it is of interest that Copaxone is the first drug of a polymeric nature approved for treatment of a disease. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Return channel interactivity is a digital TV feature that leads to a bidirectional information flow. This article presents an analysis of four technological alternatives for the digital terrestrial TV platform return channel subsystem, to be deployed in Brazil. Major aspects taken into account for choosing the most suitable alternative are highlighted, such as the performance and cost factors, in light of the country's regional social and economic differences, the conditions under which the broadcast and telecommunication services are rendered, and the coverage as well as the availability of the main networks that support such services. Deployment cost estimates related to the selected alternative - WiMAX - are also presented by considering the coverage arrangements that best satisfy Brazil's singularities, the TV signals coverage and the demographic conditions of each Brazilian municipality.


The process used by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to evaluate drugs used in England and Wales has been hit with a barrage of criticism on the eve of its decision on interferon beta as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

The institute has been accused of being uncooperative, uncommunicative, and biased towards health economic data. In addition, some critics say that it treats patients, their support groups, and pharmaceutical companies with disdain.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society has attacked NICE for acting unfairly in planning to ban interferon beta from the NHS and is supported in its plea to make the drug freely available to suitable patients by six other organisations, including the Association of British Neurologists and the Royal College of Nursing.

The institute has "failed procedurally" and is "deeply flawed," they claim. It has severely restricted how many people can be heard in the appeal …


OBJECTIVE
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common and frequent orthopedic disease with strong genetic determinants. The disruption of the intervertebral disc extracellular matrix has been found to play a key role in the development of LDH, suggesting that abnormal matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may promote the degradation of the disc matrix. MMP-9, an important member of the MMP family, is a good candidate for the LDH susceptibility gene. The present study aimed to investigate the association of common variants in the MMP-9 gene with the risk, severity, and clinical characteristic variables of LDH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fourteen tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) entirely covering the region of the MMP-9 gene were analyzed in a sample of 845 patients and 1751 healthy controls.

RESULTS
The SNP rs17576 was found to be significantly associated with susceptibility to LDH (OR = 0.77, p = 0.0002), which was also confirmed by haplotype-based analyses (rs79845319-rs17576-rs45437897, global p < 0.001). Our results indicated that the A allele of rs17576 reduced the risk of LDH by ∼23% on average. Furthermore, the G allele of rs17576 was found to correlate with more severe grades of disc degeneration.

CONCLUSION
Our results provide additional evidence supporting an important role of the MMP-9 gene in the pathogenesis of LDH.


Abstract Colonies of Culicoides nubeculosus and C. variipennis were established at Winches Farm Field Station, St. Albans. Both species of midge were found to be susceptible to infection with Onchocerca cervicalis microfilariae. Infection was achieved either by engorging through a chick skin membrane on a suspension of microfilariae in blood, or by feeding upon a horse naturally infected with O. cervicalis microfilariae. A large proportion of the microfilariae ingested by the midges penetrated into the haemocoel and migrated first to the thoracic flight muscles and then to the head. Larval development occurred during migration and 3rd stage (infective) larvae of O. cervicalis reached the head of infected midges (kept at 23°C.) 14–15 days after engorgement.


Circular dichroism spectra, thermal transition profiles and proteolytic susceptibility showed that different regions in the multidomain protein fibronectin exhibit different sensitivity against urea denaturation. A 70-kDa fragment obtained by cathepsin D treatment which comprises the N-terminal part of the fibronectin chains, exhibited in 8M urea a spectrum, at 20 degrees C, identical to that of the native fragment and its thermal unfolding was shifted to lower temperatures by only 10 degrees C. The central portions of the fibronectin chains were remarkably unfolded under the same conditions as clearly demonstrated by the spectra and transition profiles of a cathepsin D-raised 125/140-kDa fragment which originates from this region. When fibronectin or its fragments were exposed to 4 or 8M urea at 4 degrees C and the urea subsequently dialysed off, the spectra and transition curves recorded were very similar to those of the native proteins. Nevertheless, this treatment introduced local conformational changes which resulted in the creation of three new cleavage sites for chymotrypsin. The most prominent one was found to be located in the central part of the middle region and no sites were created in the N-terminal 70-kDa region. In the conjunction with sequence information [Petersen et al. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 137-141] it may be concluded that the disulfide rich domains, made up by regions of internal homology of types I and II in the N-terminal portion of fibronectin, exhibit a remarkable conformational stability, whereas the disulfide free middle region which contains type III domains, is much less stable. Some domains in this region are particularly sensitive to urea denaturation and are irreversibly affected already by 4M urea at 4 degrees C. Therefore, the use of high urea concentrations for the elution of fibronectin from affinity columns may lead to an at least partially irreversible unfolding of some domains and a loss of functions associated with these structural elements.


The concept of the waveguide invariant is revisited and a simple relationship between the range of source and the quasi-period of the acoustic interference spectrum in the frequency domain (Ω-interference spectrum) is derived. Then a method for a broadband source ranging in shallow water using a single receiver and a broadband guide source, requiring no modeling and no knowledge about the ocean environment, is proposed. The method is validated by simulation and verified with the experimental data.


We aimed to identify the progress of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific gene set. Using the HCC data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we found that 10 genes were gradually up-graduated with the progress of HCC and associated with survival and classed as HCC-unfavorable gene set, while 29 genes were gradually down-graduated and associated with survival and classed as HCC-favorable gene set. Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) was used to score individual samples against the two gene sets. ROC curve analysis showed both of HCC-unfavorable GSVA score and HCC-favorable GSVA score were reliable biomarkers for diagnosing HCC, tROC curve analysis and univariate/multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses indicated that HCC-unfavorable GSVA score was an independently prognostic biomarkers. Moreover, the results were validated in an external independent data set. In addition, according to mutation and methylation analysis, we proposed that the aberrant expression of HCC-unfavorable gene may be driven by hypomethylation, not mutation.


In recent years, increasing deployment of face recognition technology in security-critical settings, such as border control or law enforcement, has led to considerable interest in the vulnerability of face recognition systems to attacks utilising legitimate documents, which are issued on the basis of digitally manipulated face images. As automated manipulation and attack detection remains a challenging task, conventional processes with human inspectors performing identity verification remain indispensable. These circumstances merit a closer investigation of human capabilities in detecting manipulated face images, as previous work in this field is sparse and often concentrated only on specific scenarios and biometric characteristics. This work introduces a web-based, remote visual discrimination experiment on the basis of principles adopted from the field of psychophysics and subsequently discusses interdisciplinary opportunities with the aim of examining human proficiency in detecting different types of digitally manipulated face images, specifically face swapping, morphing, and retouching. In addition to analysing appropriate performance measures, a possible metric of detectability is explored. Experimental data of 306 probands indicate that detection performance is widely distributed across the population and detection of certain types of face image manipulations is much more challenging than others.


We systematically study the investigation of the influence of nuclear deformations of the cluster and daughter nuclei on the exotic cluster decay half-lives of heavy nuclei by the WKB method and the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition. Even if the deformations of both cluster and daughter in the half-live values of cluster decays improve the results, considering the deformation of clusters is more efficient than the deformation of daughter for the heavy cluster decay half-live calculations. Moreover, taking into account of angle orientations of daughter and cluster provides a positive contributions to the results as well. The results would be useful for experimental researches in half-lives of exotic decays of some heavy nuclei and radium isotopes.


Abstract The DC electrical properties of fully and partially saturated, poorly cemented Permo-Triassic sandstone samples have been measured in the laboratory and the results analysed using three popular models. The results of this work, undertaken on samples from the Wildmoor Formation, indicate that the Permo-Triassic sandstone of the UK is a typical shaly sandstone, which cannot be satisfactorily modelled using the simple conventional relationships proposed by Archie for application in the oil industry to non-shaly formations. Application of the more sophisticated models of Waxman-Smits and Hanai-Bruggeman more faithfully model the electrical response of the sandstone. In addition, the derived parameter estimates are better able to characterize the electrical properties of the rock and correlate better with other independently determined hydraulic properties. Application of these models in groundwater investigations will therefore lead to better and more useful estimates of hydraulic parameters. More importantly, this knowledge will allow more accurate quantitative interpretation of electrical monitoring of the vadose zone.


For image spam filtering, the Optical character recognition(OCR) based methods often achieve a better performance due to the more complex structure of recognizing corresponding text. However, applying traditional OCR techniques usually introduced shortcomings like the expensive computational cost, vulnerability to image noises and artificial interferences, especially for Chinese image spam filtering. So, by optimizing recognition procedure of traditional OCR, we propose the idea of pseudo-OCR more suitable for Chinese image spam filtering. During which discriminating the potential image spam character features from ham ones is sufficient, instead of recognizing them. What's more, a novel Chinese key-point based character feature specific for pseudo-OCR is also devised and extracted using a carefully designed algorithm, which outperforms classic corner detection methods in finding such key-points. Experiment results show that our proposed system usually has a better performance than traditional OCR based method while maintaining a low false positive rate.


Cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) allows the measurement of gastric electrical activity. An association of EGG with gastrointestinal motility disorders has been shown. Abnormalities of electrical rate or rhythm are accepted as the most important parameters in EGG. However, the reliability of the magnitude of electrical amplitude in the assessment of motility is discussed controversially. Therefore in a prospective study we investigated the relation between amplitude and antral contractions by means of ultrasonography. 8 healthy volunteers (4 men, 4 women, 24-31 years) ingested 400 ml carbonated mineral water after an overnight fast at two separate study days. Over a period of 10 min preprandial and 10 min postprandial small and intense antral contractions were measured employing sagittal antral planimetry. Simultaneous amplitudes were determined during contractions and at 1 min intervals (average amplitude) by cutaneous electrogastrography. Data were analyzed by Wilcoxon's rank sum test and Spearman rank correlation test. The coefficient of variation of the postprandial/preprandial amplitude ratio was nearly two times greater between subjects than between recordings in the same subject, which reflects a moderate intraindividual reproducibility. We found a significant increase in the average amplitude postprandially (p < 0.05). Although postprandial contractions (n = 243) predominated preprandial contractions (n = 127) significantly (p = 0.02), no significant correlation between the number of contractions and the average amplitude existed (R = 0.1; p = 0.7). Moreover the average amplitude did not differ from amplitudes during intense and small contractions significantly (p = 0.7; p = 0.1). The magnitude of the amplitude measured by EGG does not correlate with the mechanical gastral activity significantly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Halogen-hydride interactions between Z-X (Z = CN, NC and X = F, Cl, Br) as halogen donor and H-Mg-Y (Y = H, F, Cl, Br, CH(3)) as electron donor have been investigated through the use of Becke three-parameter hybrid exchange with Lee-Yang-Parr correlation (B3LYP), second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), and coupled-cluster single and double excitation (with triple excitations) [CCSD(T)] approaches. Geometry changes during the halogen-hydride interaction are accompanied by a mutual polarization of both partners with some charge transfer occurring from the electron donor subunit. Interaction energies computed at MP2 level vary from -1.23 to -2.99 kJ/mol for Z-F···H-Mg-Y complexes, indicating that the fluorine interactions are relatively very weak but not negligible. Instead, for chlorine- and bromine-containing complexes the interaction energies span from -5.78 to a maximum of -26.42 kJ/mol, which intimate that the interactions are comparable to conventional hydrogen bonding. Moreover, the calculated interaction energy was found to increase in magnitude with increasing positive electrostatic potential on the extension of Z-X bond. Analysis of geometric, vibrational frequency shift and the interaction energies indicates that, depending on the halogen, CN-X···H interactions are about 1.3-2.0 times stronger than NC-X···H interactions in which the halogen bonds to carbon. We also identified a clear dependence of the halogen-hydride bond strength on the electron-donating or -withdrawing effect of the substituent in the H-Mg-Y subunits. Furthermore, the electronic and structural properties of the resulting complexes have been unveiled by means of the atoms in molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. Finally, several correlative relationships between interaction energies and various properties such as binding distance, frequency shift, molecular electrostatic potential, and intermolecular density at bond critical point have been checked for all studied systems.


Abstract The coherent-nuclear reaction a+A → a+A is in the small-angle region dominated by the onephoton-exchange mechanism, often referred to as the Primakoff effect. In this region information about the electromagnetic decay a → a+ γ can be obtained. Well-known examples are the twophoton decays of the piand eta-mesons. Also decays of charged hadrons can be studied. For charged hadrons the one-photon-exchange amplitude comes with a Coulomb-phase factor and a Coulomb-form factor, which depend on the ratio between transverseand logitudinal-momentum transfers, the latter being fixed. At the peak of the cross-section distribution, where the two momentum transfers are equal, the form factor could cut down the cross-section value by as much as 40%. Consequently, a determination of a radiative-decay rate that relies on the peak value becomes sensitive to a proper treatment of the Coulomb-form factor.


: We examine the impact of temperature shocks and climate change on household financial behaviour in Viet Nam. To do so, we first estimate the effect of temperature on household borrowing and savings using Vietnamese longitudinal data that matches satellite reanalysis temperature data with household information over the period 2008 to 2016. We find that an additional day with an average temperature of greater than 30°C, relative to the number of days in the 18–22°C range, is associated with a 6.3 per cent decrease in household savings and a 1.4 per cent increase in household borrowing. In the case of household savings, we find that the effects of temperature shocks are more pronounced on informal savings than formal savings. Further, total agricultural production and rice production are mechanisms through which temperature shocks influence household savings and borrowing. Specifically, by reducing the level of agricultural production, (hot) temperature shocks decrease household savings and increase household borrowing. Our estimates suggest that over the next century, under the conventional trajectory in which countervailing measures are not adopted to address climate change, climate change will be responsible for an additional 0.124 standard deviation decrease in household savings and a 0.102 standard deviation increase in household debt.


Neurogenesis in the vertebrate brain comprises many steps ranging from the proliferation of progenitors to the differentiation and maturation of neurons. Although these processes are highly regulated, the landscape of transcriptional changes and progenitor identities underlying brain development are poorly characterized. Here, we describe the first developmental single-cell RNA-seq catalog of more than 200,000 zebrafish brain cells encompassing 12 stages from 12 hours post-fertilization to 15 days post-fertilization. We characterize known and novel gene markers for more than 800 clusters across these timepoints. Our results capture the temporal dynamics of multiple neurogenic waves from embryo to larva that expand neuronal diversity from ∼20 cell types at 12 hpf to ∼100 cell types at 15 dpf. We find that most embryonic neural progenitor states are transient and transcriptionally distinct from long-lasting neural progenitors of post-embryonic stages. Furthermore, we reconstruct cell specification trajectories for the retina and hypothalamus, and identify gene expression cascades and novel markers. Our analysis reveal that late-stage retinal neural progenitors transcriptionally overlap cell states observed in the embryo, while hypothalamic neural progenitors become progressively distinct with developmental time. These data provide the first comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic time course for vertebrate brain development and suggest distinct neurogenic regulatory paradigms between different stages and tissues.


Although plasma virus load is invaluable for monitoring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, key pathogenesis events and most viral replication take place in lymphoid tissues. Decreases in virus load associated with therapy occur in plasma and tissues, but persistent latent infection and ongoing viral replication are evident. Many unanswered questions remain regarding mechanisms of HIV-associated lymphocyte depletion, but partial CD4(+) cell reconstitution after therapy likely reflects retrafficking from inflamed tissues, increased thymic or peripheral production, and decreased destruction. Rapid establishment of latent infection and the follicular dendritic cell-associated viral pool within lymphoid tissues suggest that only early intervention could substantially alter the natural history of HIV. If therapy is started prior to seroconversion, some individuals retain potent HIV-specific cellular immune responsiveness that is suggestive of delayed progression. Although complete virus eradication appears out of reach at present, more attention is being directed toward the prospect of boosting HIV-specific immune responses to effect another type of "clinical cure": immune-mediated virus suppression in the absence of therapy.


Review of the unilateral-bilateral literature cannot identify the factors that optimize the efficacy of right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (RUL), and we should not confuse hunches with facts. With the exception of stimulus dosing, there is little experimental support that the conditions suggested by Dr. J.-O. Ottosson affect RUL efficacy. The theoretical position that eliciting a full, maximally generalized seizure provides the basis for optimal efficacy also lacks experimental support and is imprecise. Further, the conditions proposed to optimize RUL efficacy also augment its side effect profile. We do not know whether an optimal form of RUL will retain cognitive advantages if compared to optimal bilateral ECT. We also lack a clinically useful marker that an optimal form of RUL has been delivered. Under these conditions, it seems appropriate that the choice of electrode placement be made on an informed case-by-case basis.


Videoconference technology allows interactions between citizens and their governments to be
managed without systematic co-presence. It is a relatively discrete innovation, which has been
introduced into bureaucracies all over the world, but still remains underanalyzed and as a
consequence, underestimated in terms of its impact. This article analyzes the introduction and
institutionalization of remote hearings in French courtrooms to shed light on the emergence of
videoconferencing technology as a new way of organizing trials, changing the format by which
justice is carried out. The article reviews the existing literature, outlines the theoretical framework
and methodology, and then presents the results, primarily concerning the history of the introduction
of videoconferencing in French jurisdictions. Four main points of discussion emerge: the way in
which videoconferencing is designed and the reasons put forward to justify its suitability in the
judicial sector; its relationship with the efficiency programs underway in the justice system as part
of wider New Public Management reform; the tensions and friction points between a pragmatic
approach to innovation and the traditional judicial approach; and finally the case of personal
appearance as an example of adjustments operated on judiciary standards by the introduction of
videoconferencing. We close by considering videoconferencing as an instrument of public action,
that is, a technological tool that has progressively realized a public policy objective, in this case
reducing the need to escort detained personnel.


Several concurrency control policies for distributed systems have been proposed both by theorists and practitioners. We present an abstract framework for concurrency control policies for the serial model. This framework supports a wide range of policies and permits the integration of different policies within the same application. It is shown how the framework is instantiated for several policies: strict two-phase locking, strict timestamping, optimistic and local timestamping. The framework defines a uniform interface for distributed concurrency control policies, such that a smooth replacement of policies during development is possible.


Abstract The ice-nucleating abilities of monodispersed airborne particles between 0.01 and 0.12 μm in diameter were determined at different temperatures for silver iodide, silver iodide/sodium chloride, 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene and phloroglucinol, using the NCAR ice nucleus counter. The aerosol particles were studied as condensation and ice-forming nuclei concurrently to explain the mode of ice nucleation in clouds. Ice nucleation by contact only was operating in the cloud chamber of the NCAR counter for particles of silver iodide and 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene. Particles of phloroglucinol and silver iodide/sodium chloride mixed particles formed ice by contact and/or by condensation freezing.


The Eastern enlargement of the European Union has intensified calls for the reconstruction of a common European remembrance of the continent's multiple totalitarian legacies. Various political initiatives to condemn, along with counter-attempts to re-legitimize, the legacy of communism have emerged at the pan-European level. Each aspires to leave an imprint on the symbolic moral order and the legal regime of the broader European community. This article builds a conceptual framework for understanding the contestation of political and juridical regulation of the transnational remembrance of totalitarian communist regimes in Europe. Critically engaging the concept of cosmopolitanization of memory, it is argued that mnemonic identity in Europe is being transformed via new claims on "European memory." These claims are being made by various East European actors seeking recognition of the region's particular historical legacies as part of the pan-European normative verdict on twentieth-century totalitarianisms.


A 16-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital due to sudden pale face and chest pain for half-an-hour. He could not express properly because of hypophrenia. Other examinations revealed congenital cataract in the right eye, as well as nystagmus and generalized hypotonia. He had signs of ataxia, and, though without deformity in any limb, was unable to complete the straight-line walking test. Five years ago, the boy was abandoned to a welfare home. The caretaker of the welfare home complained that the boy had several times of episodic hyperpnea, every 1–2 h, each lasting for about 10–40 s, during the night sleep. Ultrasonography of liver, cholecyst, pancreas, spleen, kidney and heart showed no abnormal findings. Electrocardiogram showed sinus arrhythmia.


The sustainable development of regional enterprises is negatively affected by uncertainty arising from external factors of the current economic crisis. Due to resultant inconsistencies in their interaction, these entities may experience reduced inno- vativeness. Therefore, it becomes necessary to derive synergies from the diversified regional resources of industrial enterprises, science and education. The research aims to develop an approach to the high-tech transformation of regional enterprises based on innovative factors of the 5th and 6th technological waves by integrating analogue and digital interactive process models. The proposed method for investigating enterprise interactivity uses quality indicators for regulating the consistency and direction of their functional subsystems. An evaluation of the developed model revealed new possibilities for improving the quality of man- agement in the emerging high-tech intersectoral regional complex (HTIRC) according to a transformation process sustainability criterion. For this purpose, relevant subsystems are defined along with additional change management quality indicators and functions. In order to apply the method, practical recommendations concerning the regulatory structure of the complex are pro- vided. The developed models are useful when making decisions regarding critically unstable organisations. Conditions regulating the transition from the 3rd and 4th to the 5th and 6th technological waves were considered using the corresponding statistical indicators. In order to accelerate this transition process, the amplitude indicators of certain functions and subsystems can be adjusted accordingly. The applied models and methods are effective for analysing and regulating the sustainability of innovative transformations in HTIRC enterprises. Continuing research will focus on developing this method by assessing the coordination of functional effects in terms of the synergy between technologies and organisational methods combining analogue and digital approaches (e.g., vector factor analysis, step- and generalised functions).


Aerospace safety-critical software development demands a rigorous verification and validation process, for instance the use of MC/DC (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage) as requirements' coverage criteria. Although the MC/DC may reduce the number of test cases, the definition of test cases is still demanding in terms of effort, given the quantity of requirements that a critical system may have. We propose an approach to generate MC/DC test cases automatically from requirements written in XML format. The requirements include system functionalities expressed by state transitions triggered by Boolean expressions. We developed a prototype that implements the proposed approach and used it in an example of a real avionic system. The proposed approach was found to be very useful to reduce time and effort during the definition of test cases.


Many studies have attempted to investigate the drivers of preventive behaviour. This study contributes to this strand of literature by examining the association between higher insurance deductibles in the Swiss health system and preventive behaviour that allows for maintaining a good diet, exercising and limiting/abstaining from smoking and alcohol consumption. To conduct our study, we made use of the 2017 Swiss Health Survey and employed an ordered probit model with each prevention aspect as a dependant variable. Our results show that, except for alcohol consumption, higher insurance deductibles were significantly associated with higher behavioural prevention. Our study also highlighted how numerous other factors influenced prevention and offered some guidance for public policies to further incentivise prevention decisions.


The interaction between plants and frugivores is crucial to ecosystem function and community diversity. However, little is known about the interaction between plants and frugivorous bird species in urban green spaces. We observed interactions between plants and frugivorous birds in the Guilin Botanical Garden for one year and determined the structure and characteristics of the interaction network. We also analyzed the impact of species traits on their network roles. Interactions between 14 frugivorous birds and 13 fruit plant species were recorded in the study area. Autumn interactions comprised 38.79% of the overall network, and winter interactions comprised 33.15%. The modularity (Q, z-score) of the network was higher in autumn; the weighted nestedness (wNODF, z-score) and interaction evenness (E2, z-score) of the network were higher in winter; the connectance (C, z-score) and interaction diversity (z-score) of the network were higher in spring; and the specialization (H2′, z-score) of the network was higher in summer. The observed network showed lower C, lower interaction H2, lower E2 , lower wNODF, higher H2′ and higher Q when compared to the random networks. The bird species most important to network stability were Hemixos castanonotus, Parus venustulus, and Pycnonotus sinensis. The most important plant species were Alocasia macrorrhiza, Cinnamomum camphora, and Machilus nanmu. Of all the bird and plant traits included in this study, only plant color had a significant impact on species strength, with black fruit having a higher species strength. Our results suggest that interaction networks in urban green spaces can be temporally complex and variable and that a network approach can be an important monitoring tool for detecting the status of crucial ecosystem functions.


Biotechnology has become a necessity, not only in research, but also in the culture and breeding of lilies. Various methods in tissue culture and molecular breeding have been applied to the production of commercially important lily species and cultivars. However, scientific research data of such species and varieties that have potential in the northern climate is scarce. In this work, different biotechnological methods were developed and used in the production and culture of a diversity of lily species belonging to different taxonomic groups. The aim was to test and develop further the existing methods in plant biotechnology for the developmental work and the production of novel hardy lily cultivars for northern climates. Most of the plant material was started from seeds, which provided genetic variability and new material for breeding. Different features in seed structure were studied with light microscopy and SEM, and different parameters affecting germination were tested. Several tissue culture protocols were also compared with different species using both solid and liquid media. Molecular biological methods were used in assessing genetic background of traditionally grown lilies. Somatic embryogenesis in callus differentiation of callus cultures was studied, and gene expression behind differentiation processes was analyzed with various molecular biological methods. Particle bombardment system was used in genetic transformation. In addition, protoplast isolation methods from various tissues were tested. The main results indicate that many tissue culture methods can be used in research and in mass production with all tested species. Especially in a large-scale production, temporary immersion system is promising. In addition to the conventional bulb scale material, seeds were found to be a suitable starting material for genetic variability required for production of new cultivars, and in the preservation of natural populations. RAPD techniques proved a suitable method for revealing phylogenetic relations of different lily species and cultivars. Methods in DNA and RNA isolation, cloning and analysis were optimized for lily material. In addition, particle bombardment system was successfully used for genetic transformation of lily callus. In the future, more information is needed to understand better the germination and differentiation processes, focusing especially in the genes, their products and function. In addition, the large and still mostly unknown lily genome is a challenge for research in the future. However, the currently presented results provide good opportunities for further developmental work and research of hardy lily species.


Background: Although tracheal stenosis occurs in relapsing polychondritis (RP), no studies exist that have clarified correlations between quantitative airway measurement and spirometry in RP patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the trachea and spirometric values in patients with RP. Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study, and written informed consent was waived. Twenty-six patients with RP underwent spirometry and chest computed tomography (CT) at full inspiration and end-expiration. On inspiratory and expiratory chest CT images, CSA at the intrathoracic trachea was measured for all CT slices, and the mean and minimum tracheal CSA were obtained. Correlations between the tracheal CSA and spirometric values were assessed by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Results: Tracheal CSA measurements for inspiratory and expiratory scans were significantly correlated with FEV1, FEV25-75%, and peak flow values (ρ = 0.51-0.86, p < 0.01). During each inspiratory or expiratory phase, the minimum tracheal CSA achieved a higher correlation coefficient with spirometric values than the mean CSA. Conclusion: Tracheal dimensions for both inspiratory and expiratory CT are significant predictors of pulmonary function in patients with RP. The narrowest tracheal dimension likely determines the severity of airflow limitation in RP.


The remaining habitat of Black Crested Macaques in Sulawesi is limited only in conservation areas, and therefore it is an urgent need to map its habitat suitability model. This work can be achieved by application of Geographic Information System (GIS). Data observation was conducted in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Batuputih Nature Recreation Park from July to September 2009. The model was then extrapolated to Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Duasudara Nature Reserve, Batuputih Natural Recreation Park, and Batuangus Nature Recreation Park. Modelling of Black Crested Macaque's habitat was conducted by spatial identification of their encounter points toward habitat and disturbance factors. Habitat suitability model of Black Crested Macaque was Y = (2.399xFc road ) + (2.399xFc river ) + (2.399xFc NDVI ) + (2.399xFc elevation ) + (1.142 xFc building ) + (0.957xFc slope ). Cumulative score was divided into threeclasses namely high suitability habitat, medium suitability habitat, and low suitability habitat. Tangkoko Nature Reserve has highest rate of high suitability habitat whereas Duasudara Nature Reserve has lowest rate of high suitability habitat. Tangkoko Nature Reserve forms the best suitable habitat for Black Crested Macaque whereas both Duasudara Nature Reserve and Batuangus Nature Recreation Park are the least suitable habitat for species. Keywords: model, habitat, Black Crested Macaque.


The rights of Nature, a concept recognised by several courts, legislatures and international governance institutions, is being promoted by some non-governmental organisations, scientists, attorneys, Indigenous peoples, local communities, and others. In this article we propose a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands, consistent with the 1982 World Charter for Nature. Recognition of these rights supports the provision of ecosystem services essential to human well-being and to other life on Earth. Further, such rights could reinforce efforts to reduce wetland loss and deterioration, thereby slowing climate destabilisation and biodiversity declines. Because world scientists have warned that biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and climate destabilisation, which intensify wetland loss, constitute global emergencies, new approaches are required to ensure that wetlands are protected and their benefits to people sustained. The proposed Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands states that wetlands possess rights to: exist; their ecologically determined location in the landscape; natural, connected and sustainable hydrological regimes; ecologically sustainable climatic conditions; naturally occurring biodiversity; regeneration and restoration; integrity of structure, function and evolutionary processes; fulfil natural ecological roles in the Earth's processes; and be free from pollution and degradation. Recognition of these rights is seen as an essential step in efforts to stop wetland loss and deterioration.


We present a framework for a wireless health monitoring system using wireless networks such as ZigBee. Vital signals are collected and processed using a 3-tiered architecture. The first stage is the mobile device carried on the body that runs a number of wired and wireless probes. This device is also designed to perform some basic processing such as the heart rate and fatal failure detection. At the second stage, further processing is performed by a local server using the raw data transmitted by the mobile device continuously. The raw data is also stored at this server. The processed data as well as the analysis results are then transmitted to the service provider center for diagnostic reviews as well as storage. The main advantages of the proposed framework are (1) the ability to detect signals wirelessly within a body sensor network (BSN), (2) low-power and reliable data transmission through ZigBee network nodes, (3) secure transmission of medical data over BSN, (4) efficient channel allocation for medical data transmission over wireless networks, and (5) optimized analysis of data using an adaptive architecture that maximizes the utility of processing and computational capacity at each platform.


An insight on diversity and relationships among germplasm is important in any breeding program for crop improve¬ment. The main objectives of our study were to: (i) determine the level of genetic diversity within mid altitude maize inbred lines resistant to weevils, aflatoxin accumulation and drought, (ii) to suggest potential heterotic groups using their genetic structures and distance based on cluster analysis with the aim to generate broad based source germ¬plasm for mid altitude maize breeding program with combined traits of importance against Aflatoxin accumulation. In this study, 25 SSR markers were used to finger print forty two maize inbred lines to assess the genetic diversity, genetic relationships, and their population structure. A total of 184 alleles were identified at all the loci with an aver¬age of 7.36 and a range between two and 19 alleles per locus. The major allele frequency varied from 0.17 to 0.90 with an average of 0.49 while the minor allele frequency varied from 0.10 to 0.83 with an average of 0.51. The gene diversity values varied from 0.18 to 0.92 with an average of 0.65. Average heterozygosity percentage of the inbred lines was 4%, ranging from 0% to 2%, indicating the low level of heterozygosity within the inbred lines. The aver¬age polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.61. A dendrogram constructed using unweighted Neighbour Joining algorithm suggested three heterotic groups among the inbred lines. The three heterotic patterns based on the SSR markers need to be verified by field testing to confirm what appears to be promising alternative heterotic patterns. The fixed pattern detected using SSR markers could potentially contribute towards effective utilization of the inbred lines for the exploitation of heterosis and formation of genetically diverse sources population.


1 Bardwick PA, ZvaiflerNJ, Gill GN,Newman D, Greenway GD, Resnick DL. Plasma cell dyscrasia with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, and skin changes (the P.O.E.M.S. syndrome). Report of two cases and a review of the literature. Medicine (Balitmore) 1980;59:311-22. 2 Nakanishi T, Sobue I, Toyokura Y, et al. The Crow-Fukase syndrome: a study of 102 cases. Neurology 1984;34:712-20. 3 Barrier JH, Le Noan H, Mussini JM, Brisseau JM. Stabilisation of a case of P.O.E.M.S. syndrome after tamoxifen administration. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1989;52:286. 4 Berkovic SF, Scarlett JD, Symington GR, Dennet X, Woodruff RK. Proximal motor neuropathy, dermato-endocrine syndrome and IgG kappa paraproteinaemia. Arch Neurol 1986;43:845-8. 5 Narasimhan P. Tamoxifen in the treatment of refractory lymphoma. N Engl J Med 1984;311:1258-9. 6 Kelly JJ, Kyle RA, Miles JM, Dyck PJ. Osteosclerotic myeloma and peripheral neuropathy. Neurology 1983;33:202-10. 7 Delauche MC, Clauvel JP, Seligman M. Peripheral neuropathy and plasma cell neoplasias;


abstract:Postcolonialism has been an all-encompassing discourse that has significantly transformed our ways of looking at the narration of coloniality in the writings of the erstwhile colonies. While it focuses primarily on the literatures in the Englishes (including our own English), the literatures in the bhashas (Indian language literatures) seem to have eluded the postcolonial scholarship. My paper interrogates basic questions involving the perceptions about and the reception of the bhashas. Does Indian English literature represent the Indian experience? Is it alone postcolonial, not the other literatures of India? My paper aims at addressing these anxieties of postcolonialism in theory and practice is in relation to the literatures of India, the bhasha literatures—some of which are more than a thousand years old. It will historicize the complicity between the colonial condition and narration, focusing on major Odia writers like Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918) and Manoj Das (b. 1934).


Predictive maintenance is the way to improve asset management in every manufacturing industry. While handling advance costlier machinery in the industry, the predictive maintenance knowledge will be essential to protect the machinery before gets degradation performance. Recently, the emergence of business in manufacturing industry deals with good systems, regular intervals maintenance process, predictive maintenance (PdM), machine learning (ML) approaches are extensively applied for handling the health standing of business instrumentation. Now the digital transformation towards I4.0, data techniques, processed management and communication networks; it's doable to gather huge amounts of operational and processes conditions information generated type many items of kit and harvest information for creating an automatic fault detection and diagnosing with the aim to attenuate period of time and increase utilization rate of the parts and increase their remaining helpful lives. The predictive maintenance is inevitable for property good producing in I40. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent advancements of metric capacity unit techniques wide applied to PdM for good producing in I4.0 by classifying the analysis consistent with metric capacity unit algorithms, ML class, machinery and instrumentation used device employed in information acquisition, classification of knowledge size and kind, and highlight the key contributions of the researchers and so offers pointers and foundation for additional analysis. In this research paper we constructed a Random Forest model to predict the failure of the various machine in manufacturing industry. It compares the prediction result with Decision Tree (DT) algorithm and proves its superiority in accuracy and precision.


Six years after tubal sterilization 16 of 208 women reported serious regret. The desire for another child in a new relationship was given as the main reason for later regret, although other causes were also reported. No association between age, parity, time or type of tubal sterilization and later regret was demonstrated. However, a greater proportion of regretters than of the remainder had been recommended the sterilization by a doctor at abortion application. The regretters had undergone more abortions before their sterilization, and the study revealed more unstable marriages with consequently less support from the spouse at sterilization in the regretting group. Post-sterilization regret is discussed within the framework of life events and social support.


Abstract 1. The swimming activity of 6 specimens of an Astyanax mexicanus' river population was tested with regard to its time control under various light-dark(LD)cycles and under constant conditions. 2. Activity is classified into three different forms according to the special experimental arrangement: surface activity, bottom activity and the sum of both (total activity). 3. All applied LD-cycles act as socalled forcing signals (Zeitgeber) and entrain the activity. 4. The maximum values of surface activity correspond to the dark phases of a LD-cycle, those of bottom activity to the light phases. This inversity causes a less strong entrainment of the total activity up to a loss of a significant oscillation in extreme cases. 5. This inverse pattern is kept the more stronger the more the period length of a LD deviates from 24 h. In the range of resonance about 24 h there is a greater flexibility with regard to the phase relation of the maximum values. 6. Activity reacts very sensitive to the differential parameter of the forcing signal. Therefore, no phaseangle difference occurs between forcing and forced signal. Moreover, the system needs no swing-in time to become entrained when starting a LD. 7. After transition from LD to DD (= constant darkness) the forced signal does not die away immediately, but damps out within one or a few cycles with decreasing amplitude and unchanged frequency. 8. In nearly all applied LDs a non-synchronized circadian rhythm can be observed in addition to the entrained frequency, which is dominant. 9. Also, in DD a freerunning circadian rhythm is detectable. 10. We suggest the model that first a passive system with a nearly unlimited range of entrainment controls activity. In contrary to extremely passive systems, it is able to oscillate. Moreover, it acts like a linear system with respect to frequency transfer: In the tested cases, output and input frequency are equal. In addition, activity is under control of an endogenous circadian oscillator. Its effects are overlapped under forcing conditions, but they become obvious under constant conditions. Furthermore, nonstationary processes are features of this circadian rhythm. The proper ties of a passive and a circadian system alone do not explain the flexible patterns in the range of resonance. Therefore, a time-dependent controller is demanded to control the phase relation of the maxima.


A new case of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) suffering ischemic heart disease is reported. The patient was successfully operated on in our Institution and the bibliographic search showed only another case of such an association of diseases successfully treated by surgery. This patient proves that coronary artery surgery procedures are possible when OI complicates the cardiac ischemic syndrome.


Online Travel Platforms are virtual two-sided marketplaces where guests search for accommodations and accommodation providers list their properties such as hotels and vacation rentals. The large majority of hotels are rated by official institutions with a number of stars indicating the quality of service they provide. It is a simple and effective mechanism that contributes to match supply with demand by helping guests to find options meeting their criteria and accommodation suppliers to market their product to the right segment directly impacting the number of transactions on the platform. Unfortunately, no similar rating system exists for the large majority of vacation rentals, making it difficult for guests to search and compare options and hard for vacation rentals suppliers to market their product effectively. In this work we describe a machine learned quality rating system for vacation rentals. The problem is challenging, mainly due to explainability requirements and the lack of ground truth. We present techniques to address these challenges and empirical evidence of their efficacy. Our system was successfully deployed and validated through Online Controlled Experiments performed in Booking.com, a large Online Travel Platform, and running for more than one year, impacting more than a million accommodations and millions of guests.


This study demonstrates how the intermode coupling in the hydronium ion (H3O+) is modulated by the composition of the first solvation shell. A series of rare gas solvated hydronium ions (H3O+Rg3, where Rg = Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) is examined via reduced-dimensional anharmonic vibrational (RDAV) ab initio calculations. We considered six key vibrational normal modes, namely: a hindered rotation, two H-O-H bends, and three O-H stretches. Between the O-H stretches and the H-O-H bends, the first is more sensitive to solvation strength. Our calculations revealed that the Fermi resonance between the first overtones of O-H bends and the fundamentals of O-H stretches led to complex spectral features from 3000 to 3500 cm-1. Such an interaction is not only sensitive to the type of rare gas messengers surrounding the H3O+ ion, it also exhibits an anomalous H → D isotope effect. Although it is accepted that visible combination tones (∼1900 cm-1) arise from the complex coupling between the hindered rotation and the H-O-H bends, the origin of their intensities is not yet clearly understood. We found that the intensity of these combination tones could be much stronger than their fundamental H-O-H bends. Within our theoretical framework, we tracked the combination tone's intensity back to the asymmetric O-H stretches. This simple notion of intensity borrowing is confirmed by examining eight complexes (H3O+·Rg3 and D3O+·Rg3) with spectral features awaiting experimental confirmations.


This paper explores the issue of prisoners' rights. The conditions of incarcerated people in jails and prisons include psychological and physical deterioration brought on by their condition of confinement. The one sanction that has been debated extensively in the United States is the death penalty. Yet there are numerous losses or deprivations short of death that we might impose on legal offenders. In addition to broader issues such as the nature of rights and the basic moral rights possessed by individuals, issues specific to the rights of serious legal offenders are distinguished and discussed. The latter issues include whether offenders forfeit all or some of their moral rights, whether their retained rights are less stringent, whether the state has any obligation to facilitate exercise of their retained rights, and what specific rights prisoners retain or acquire.


The 1-azido-2-chloro-4-nitrobenzene was prepared by nucleophilic substitution between 2-chloro-4-nitro-1-(trifluoromethylsulfinyl)benzene and sodium azide, and its structure was characterized by NMR spectrum and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n, Z = 8 and Mr = 198.57. A cultivation process of the single crystal of unstable aryl azide was provided. The group of trifluoromethyl sulfinyl was found for the first time to be a new excellent leaving group of aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions.


Surround View fisheye cameras are commonly deployed in automated driving for 360$^\circ$ near-field sensing around the vehicle. This work presents a multi-task visual perception network on unrectified fisheye images to enable the vehicle to sense its surrounding environment. It consists of six primary tasks necessary for an autonomous driving system: depth estimation, visual odometry, semantic segmentation, motion segmentation, object detection, and lens soiling detection. We demonstrate that the jointly trained model performs better than the respective single task versions. Our multi-task model has a shared encoder providing a significant computational advantage and has synergized decoders where tasks support each other. We propose a novel camera geometry based adaptation mechanism to encode the fisheye distortion model both at training and inference. This was crucial to enable training on the WoodScape dataset, comprised of data from different parts of the world collected by 12 different cameras mounted on three different cars with different intrinsics and viewpoints. Given that bounding boxes is not a good representation for distorted fisheye images, we also extend object detection to use a polygon with non-uniformly sampled vertices. We additionally evaluate our model on standard automotive datasets, namely KITTI and Cityscapes. We obtain the state-of-the-art results on KITTI for depth estimation and pose estimation tasks and competitive performance on the other tasks. We perform extensive ablation studies on various architecture choices and task weighting methodologies. A short video at https://youtu.be/xbSjZ5OfPes provides qualitative results.


Exfoliative toxin was isolated from strain DI of Staphylococcus aureus using carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxylapatite chromatography. This purified toxin was compared with that produced by strain TA. The specific biological activity of the two toxins was the same, but they were serologically distinct. These strains have different loci (plasmid or chromosomal) for toxin production; differences were seen in molecular weight and amino acid composition. N-terminal amino acid sequences from the two strains showed significant homology using a single unit alignment shift.


One of the polymer materials that can be a mixture of asphalt is Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which is a material that is widely used in making toys and making footwear. This large amount of toys and footwear production waste has only become rubbish and has not been utilized optimally. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate polymers themselves belong to elastomeric polymers which have flexible properties such as rubber, smooth, flexible, resistant to low temperatures, are not easily cracked and are resistant to water. The use of polymer material as a mixture of asphalt has been widely carried out considering that asphalt modification with polymeric materials is known from several tests showing that it has better resistance to deformation and overcoming cracks, so that road construction can be produced more durable and can reduce maintenance and repair costs Street. In this study the use of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate waste on asphalt mixes has a pretty good effect, this is seen from the results of marshall tests that can meet the requirements.


A senior paediatric neuropathologist adopted a "preconceived and blinkered approach" when appearing as an expert witness in six "shaken baby" court cases, a fitness to practise panel heard this week.

The UK's General Medical Council (GMC) has accused Waney Squier, who worked as a consultant at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, of acting outside her competence, failing to take account of other experts' views, and misleadingly citing research that did not in fact support her conclusions. She denies the allegations.

Squier, 67, is also accused of providing an expert report for an appeal without disclosing that GMC …


The aim of the present study was to address the unresolved question of the risk of neoplasms among people with intellectual disability (ID). A total of 2173 individuals with ID from a large, representative, nation-wide population study conducted in Finland in 1962 were followed-up for cancer incidence between 1967 and 1997. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were defined as ratios of observed to expected numbers of cancer cases. Expected rates were based on national incidence rates. The observed number of cancers in the cohort (173) was close to what was expected [SIR = 0.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.8-1.0]. There was a significantly reduced risk of cancers of the prostate (SIR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.0-0.5), urinary tract (SIR = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.1-0.7) and lung (SIR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4-1.0). The risk was increased in cancers of the gallbladder (SIR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.1-5.8) and thyroid gland (SIR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.0-4.8). The risks of lung and gallbladder cancer were lowest and highest, respectively, in those subjects with profound and severe ID, a group who also had significantly elevated SIRs for brain cancer (SIR = 3.46, 95% CI = 1.5-14.4) and testicular cancer (SIR = 9.9, 95% CI = 1.2-35.6). The incidence of cancer among people with ID was comparable with the general population, despite their low prevalence of smoking and apparently decreased diagnostic screening activity. Nevertheless, a few types of cancer carry a higher risk in the population with ID, possibly because of conditions typical among this group, such as gallstones or oesophageal reflux.


Hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, is regulated by bile acid returning to the liver. In the bile duct-ligated rats, however, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity is known to increase in spite of the elevated serum bile acids. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the bile acid synthesis and biliary hydrophobicity to solve the paradoxical phenomenon. Male Wister rats (250-350 g) were divided into two groups, bile duct-ligated group and sham-operated group. Rats were sacrificed on the Days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 after the operation. Cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity, biliary bile acid composition, and biliary hydrophobicity were analyzed. Hepatic and serum total bile acid concentrations and serum 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol levels were also determined. Bile duct ligation caused significant increases in hepatic and serum bile acid concentrations on Day 1, which persisted for 14 days after the bile duct ligation. Activities of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase increased to 3.2-fold of the preoperative value on Day 2, remained significantly high until Day 7, and then decreased to the basal value on Day 14. The serum 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol level essentially behaved in a similar fashion to that of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity with a significant (P < 0.01) positive correlation. beta-Muricholic acid was predominant in bile until Day 7 (71 vs 10% in the controls on Day 4; P < 0.05) with a concomitant decrease in the proportion of cholic acid. Biliary bile acid became less hydrophobic and hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity significantly correlated with the hydrophobicity of biliary bile acids (n = 55, r = 0.54, P < 0.01). There were no significant correlations between the activity of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and total bile acid concentrations in serum, liver, or bile. The increased cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity is accompanied by the decreased biliary hydrophobicity, which may be a rationale for the paradoxical increase in bile acid synthesis in spite of the accumulation of bile acids in the serum and liver during obstructive jaundice in rats.


Structural health monitoring is a fast growing area used to assess the state of various structures such as aircraft, building, bridge, wind turbine, pipe, automobile through appropriate data processing and interpretation. This article presents a novel technique of optimising the conventional optical fibres used for structural health monitoring, in order to improve their mechanical properties, and handling during the manufacturing process by micro-braiding the optical fibres. This study investigates and compares the tensile properties of the both micro-braided optical fibre and conventional optical fibres through uniaxial tensile tests. Experimental results show 85% improvement in strain at failure for the micro-braided optical fibre when compared to the optical fibres. Moreover, interfacial shear strength comparison, of the braiding yarn, between optical fibres and micro-braided optical fibre (carried out through micro-bond test) has also been conducted. In addition, the effect of embedding both micro-braided and conventional optical fibre in composite was also investigated by three-point bend test. Overall, the mechanical performance of the composite was not affected by the presence of micro-braided optical fibre. This article will also discuss the process and the advantage of micro-braided optical fibre for structural health monitoring.


The giant Pinedale gas field in the Green River Basin of Wyoming produces from a 5500 to 6000 ft (1700–1800 m) interval of Upper Cretaceous and lowermost Tertiary sediments. The reservoir comprises discontinuous, lenticular fluvial sands intercalated with overbank sand, silt, and mud. Average porosity in reservoir sandstone is <10% with permeability in the micro-Darcy range. A typical well may have 50 channel sand packages, bundled into 15 to 20 frac stages and commingled. Modeling to date has focused on the interaction of complex fluvial sand geometry with hydraulic fractures, increasing pore pressure with depth, and variable water saturation. Although natural fractures have been recognized, their demonstrable impact to production is localized. Despite significant compaction and cementation, we can demonstrate good correspondence of core and log petrophysical properties to facies. Because of this, it is desirable to use facies to populate reservoir models. A multi-step approach was used to populate small (approximately one square mile [2.6 sq km]) "sector" models of different parts of the field. Logs were used to determine facies via neural nets and petrophysical cutoffs. Facies were distributed via object modeling, and then petrophysical properties were distributed within facies using sequential Gaussian simulation. Gross channel ribbons and bar objects were placed first, guided by interpolated V-shale, which is a proxy for sand correlation. Detailed facies bodies were then distributed within those elements. Because net/gross, sand thickness, sand correlation, and overbank character change throughout the section, different zones were modeled using different body dimensions in consideration of analogs. In dynamic reservoir simulation, acceptable history matches were attained despite the architectural complexity using production data, bottom-hole pressure, production logging tools, and distributed permanent pressure gauges. These models were used to help assess incremental recovery related to increased well density.


Micronutrient deficiency is a serious public health concern in most of the developing countries which leads to malnutrition syndromes. The micronutient deficiencies which are of greatest public health significance include iron deficiency, vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorder. National Pilot Programme on Control of Micronutrient Malnutrition was launched in 1995 and the department of biochemistry and nutrition of the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Calcutta was entrusted to co-ordinate the activities. It presently covers five eastern and north-eastern states. Baseline situation analysis was conducted mainly on iron deficiency anaemia, iodine deficiency disorder and vitamin A deficiency. Comparing with WHO cut off figures, point prevalence of anaemia in various age groups was found to be high. Bitot's spot was mainly noted in the age group of 6-71 months. Nightblindness was found in the children of the age group of 24-71 months. High prevalence of nightblindness in pregnant women is a point of concern. Action needed to control micronutrient deficiency includes: Intervention strategies, extensive nutrition and health education, to support the problem specific programmes, to stregthen various state government programmes and strengthen role of NGOs.


A fuzzy logic based load frequency controller model for power systems is developed and simulated in this paper. The proposed simulation model is compared with the classical regulating systems in order to verify and show the advantages of the model and controller developed. The design process of the proposed fuzzy logic controller is given in detail step by step to show a direct and simple approach for designing fuzzy logic controllers in power systems. After the simulation it was observed that the fuzzy logic control came back to normality and continued stable after 20sec unlike the normal approach which didn't come back to stability though continued at a steady state after about 15sec. Both were distorted after 10secs.


Lactate oxidation by freeze-dried cells of Hansenula anomala was studied in the presence of exogenous electron acceptors, potassium ferricyanide (PF) and phenazine metosulfate (PMS). The product of oxidation is pyruvate. The apparent Michaelis constants for lactate, PF and PMS are 1.2, 0.6 and 0.05, respectively. The pH optimum of lactate oxidation is 8.0. The freeze-dried cells of the yeast are inactivated by 5 mM bromopyruvate by 50% within 1.5 min. Treatment of the intact cells with ultrasound activates them. The respiratory function of the cells is characterized with a KM(app.) of 0.05 mM in the presence of lactate. PF has no effect on respiration. A scheme is proposed for lactate oxidation by the cells with damaged membranes whose amount after lyophilization is 10--20%.


We have synthesized crystalline SiC powders and obtained their IR extinction spectra when embedded in KBr and CsI matrices. These spectra are not compatible with purely spherical grains. By contrast, they quantitatively support the assumptions that 1) the bulk optical constants of the grains are identical with those of thin films, and very nearly independent of crystal polytype, as measured by Spitzer et al. (1959) and 2) the granulometry is a continuous distribution of ellipsoids. All of this also applies to previously published laboratory SiC spectra. Within this framework, we can predict the spectra of the same powders if freely suspended in vacuum. Finally, using linear combination of these, it is possible to closely fit the various spectral shapes exhibited by the IRAS/LRS data for C-rich stars.


BACKGROUND
Metformin was approved by FDA in 1994 for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Due to its interaction with the AMP kinases enzyme system, it showed multiple effects on other organ systems of the body. Despite being the drug of the first choice for type II diabetes it became a popular drug for PCOS and currently, various trials are proving its anticancer effects. Though not approved by FDA it is also responsible for weight loss. The study aims to investigate the effect of metformin on the weight of healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic animal models. The study was performed at Animal House, Faculty of Pharmacy Ziauddin University Karachi.

METHODS
It was a pre-clinical experimental study conducted at Ziauddin University Karachi from August 2019 to December 2019. 36 male Albino rats were divided into 6 groups such with 6 rats in each group. Out of six three were healthy models (i.e., groups 1, 2, and 3) and the remaining three were diabetic models (i.e., Group 4, 5, and 6). Diabetes was induced in groups 4,5 and 6 by using the diabetogenic drug Streptozotocin. In Group 1 and 4, 0.5 ml normal saline was administered, 50 mg/kg (5 mg/100g) metformin diluted in 0.5 ml distilled water was administered in Group 2 and 5 followed by administration of 80 mg/kg (8 mg/100g) metformin diluted in 0.5ml distilled water in Group 3 and 6. the protocol was followed twice a day for 42 days. The weight of all the groups was calculated before and after drug intervention.

RESULTS
Metformin-induced weight loss was observed in healthy treated groups at both doses, however, there was no significant difference in weight loss in diabetic treated and untreated groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Metformin showed weight lowering properties in healthy treated subjects, after induction of diabetes we found weight loss in diabetic untreated and treated groups which suggests that hyperglycaemia may cause weight loss but when metformin corrects the hyperglycaemic profile it does not lead to an increase in weight.


One of the main problems in open wireless networks is the inability of authenticating the identity of a wireless client or Access Point (AP). This issue is a concern because, a malicious entity could masquerade as the legal AP and entice a wireless client to establish a connection with a Rogue AP. Previous work by the authors has developed the algorithms used in this work but, in contrast to prior work, there was no analysis or experimentation with Rogue AP attacks. Our purpose in this work is to detect injection type of Rogue AP activity by identifying whether a frame is genuinely transmitted by the legal AP or not. To this end, an identity profile for the legal AP is built by fusing multi-layer metrics, using the Dempster-Shafer algorithm. The results show high detection results with low false alarms for detecting Rogue AP attacks without requiring configuration from an administrator.