There are many type vehicles in army. They are jeep and truck by basic type. Recently many countries are developing new conceptual military vehicles. And they try for export of those military vehicles to another countries. Also Korea Army is developing military tactical and combat vehicles, and considering various necessary factors for export. But as easing the cold war system tension and reducing of defense budget, decrease in quantity of military vehicles. We think this trend is accelerative. Therefore Government(Military) and defense industry make every effort to increasing sales and productions. In this study, I'll inquire '2013~2017 basic plan for defense industry promotion' for strengthen the power of international competitiveness , and then suggest the increasing method for productions of military vehicles.


The incorporation of mechanophores into networked thermoset polymers, such as epoxy, is notably missing from the mechanochemistry literature, which focuses more on traditional thermoplastic and elastomeric polymers. In this work, we develop novel approaches for direct covalent grafting of photoactive mechanophore units into an epoxy matrix (a two-part network polymer), to create a self-sensing thermoset network nanocomposite, linked by both epoxide and mechanophore bonds. Two routes of grafting mechanophore units into an epoxy system to form a self-sensing nanocomposite were explored, including grafting of the mechanophore precursor molecule cinnamamide to the epoxy resin, with subsequent hardener addition and ultraviolet curing to form the mechanically sensitive cyclobutane rings, and the separate grafting of the solution-made mechanophore di-cinnamamide to the epoxy resin to allow for maximum cyclobutane concentration in the formed nanocomposites. Under a compressive force, the cyclobutane rings in the mechanophore units break, increasing the overall fluorescence, which can then be correlated with the applied stress. The goals of this work included detecting early damage by fluorescence spectroscopy, environmental robustness, and retention of the mechanical and thermal properties of the composite. Overall, there was successful formation of self-sensing nanocomposites and achievement of the early damage detection functionality. This systematic work additionally aims to provide further fundamental understanding of mechanochemistry as a whole.


The recent individualization in customer demand and fluctuation in business environment require manufacturing systems to follow the changing small trends promptly. This paper proposes Flow Oriented Approach, a method to design manufacturing system information, to accelerate diversified autonomous improvement activities performed by personnel from many departments. Based on this approach, raw data generated and used in manufacturing system are categorized according to work objectives, combined to messages, and made to flow through the system on autonomous decentralized system architecture. A tool on this architecture is also proposed for personnel to use manufacturing information selectively and promptly. This approach makes it possible to process data variously and extract useful information for improvement activities without disturbing on-line operation, in comparison with information sharing by shared files. The proposed approach has been applied to actual manufacturing systems and evaluated in several improvement activities.


Chronically elevated sympathetic neural activity is a characteristic of many disease states. Tonic chemoreflex activation has been implicated in the development of sympathetic overactivity; however, other reflexes may also contribute. For example, in an animal model, stimulation of pulmonary baroreceptors induces a reflex increase in sympathetic neural activity. In humans, pulmonary pressure has been shown to be related to basal sympathetic activity in pulmonary hypertension; however a critical step in determining a causal link is to establish whether changing pulmonary pressure alters sympathetic outflow. In this pilot study, we exposed thirteen healthy humans (5 females, 28 [ ± 7] years) to high altitude hypoxia (HA; 4383m), a setting known to increase both pulmonary pressure and sympathetic activation, before selectively lowering pulmonary pressure via inhalation of the pulmonary vasodilator nitric oxide. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA; Microneurography), blood pressure (BP; Photoplethysmography), heart rate (HR; Electrocardiogram), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SPO2; Pulse oximetry) were continually measured during ambient air breathing (Amb) and during a 6‐minute inhalation of nitric oxide (iNO; 40ppm in 21% O2). Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and stroke volume (SV) were determined via cardiac ultrasound. iNO reduced PASP (−23 ± 12%) and PVR (−21 ± 16%) compared to Amb (Table 1). iNO also reduced MSNA burst frequency (−18 ± 18%), burst incidence (−16 ± 17%) and total activity (−21 ± 20%) compared to Amb. MSNA changes during iNO were not related to changes in SPO2 (r = −0.16, P = 0.61) or MAP (r = −0.28, P = 0.35). Our data demonstrate that selectively reducing pulmonary pressure reduces sympathetic nerve activity in healthy humans; therefore, this provides evidence for a causal link in the relationship between pulmonary pressure and basal sympathetic activity. Further investigation is warranted to establish whether elevated pulmonary pressure is a mechanism contributing to chronically elevated sympathetic outflow in disease.


Infectious diseases caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other highly pathogenic enveloped viruses, have threatened the global public health. Most antiviral drugs act as passive defenders to inhibit viral replication inside the cell, while a few of them function as gate keepers to combat viruses outside the cell, including fusion inhibitors, e.g., enfuvirtide, and receptor antagonists, e.g., maraviroc, as well as virus inactivators (including attachment inhibitors). Different from fusion inhibitors and receptor antagonists that must act in the presence of target cells, virus inactivators can actively inactivate cell-free virions in the blood, through interaction with one or more sites in the envelope glycoproteins (Envs) on virions. Notably, a number of protein- and peptide-based virus inactivators (PPVIs) under development are expected to have a better utilization rate than the current antiviral drugs and be safer for in vivo human application than the chemical-based virus inactivators. Here we have highlighted recent progress in developing PPVIs against several important enveloped viruses, including HIV, influenza virus, Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), and the potential use of PPVIs for urgent treatment of infection by newly emerging or re-emerging viruses.


The first thing I should point out to the reader is that I have reviewed this book not as an expert in Cainozoic geology but as someone whose interest in the subject matter stems largely from a desire to understand the landscape of an area in which I live and work. I do, however, have a professional interest in understanding the origin, evolution and properties of the soils of the region, so that my perspective on this book is from two directions.

The introductory chapter of the book begins with a summary of the solid geology of the region. It continues with a summary of the Cainozoic geology and is rounded off with a synopsis of Cainozoic stratigraphy and a brief outline of methods of geochronology. Most who will use this book will probably consult a chapter here and there, but all would do well to read the introductory material on the Cainozoic, since it is undoubtedly a well-constructed overview that sets the scene for latter chapters. The second chapter is concerned with applied geology. This chapter is comprehensive in its coverage including industrial mineral resources, hydrogeology, ground and coastline stability, siesmicity, land-use, planning considerations and more. …


BACKGROUND
Non-pharmacological approaches to PD disease management seem to be a growing and promising field of investigation. Indeed interesting new perspectives are forthcoming from studies on physical rehabilitation and on physical exercise.

AIM
To qualitatively describe the rehabilitation experience of Parkinson Disease patients taking part in a multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation treatment (MIRT) consisting of four weeks of physical therapy and exercise, with three daily sessions, five days a week.

DESIGN
Data from a qualitative observational study with patients' interviews were analyzed.

SETTING
PD inpatients of a Neurorehabilitation Department.

POPULATION
Convenient sample of 27 PD patients (13 male, 14 female), mean age 70.3±8.5 and mean disease duration 8.25±6.9 years; Hoehn-Yahr stage 3, hospitalized for the 4-week MIRT.

METHODS
Verbatim transcriptions of 27 semi-structured interviews were analysed using the Grounded Theory methodology.

RESULTS
Depressive symptoms were present in 55.5% of the patients measured by Geriatric Depression Scale: mild (N.=8; 30.0%), moderate (N.=6; 22.2%), severe (N.=1; 3.7%). The core category Efficacy of active living identified the becoming conscious of the usefulness of a proactive lifestyle to counterattack disease degeneration. The category Satisfaction described patients' satisfaction upon MIRT, resulting in a perceived enhanced functionality (coherently with quantitative functional parameters improvement at discharge) and a rediscovered autonomy. The category Future described the intention to continue the rehabilitation prescription at home embracing a more dynamic lifestyle. Of interest is that the majority in the interview used body related terms and described perceived changes through the body itself. Verbs of perception (to see, to feel, to perceive) were used in a spontaneous way by all inpatients. The inpatients experienced not only through their mind but also by means of body perceptions how a proactive lifestyle could become a means of disease control.

CONCLUSIONS
The positive subjective response to rehabilitation described qualitatively in this study, opens perspectives for tailoring interventions focusing also on patients' self, self-efficacy and perceived efficacy of active living.

CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT
Patients' proactive disposition may widen the perspective on patients' motivation to rehabilitation. A multidisciplinary intervention may act both on physical and subjective disease aspects; paying attention to patients' subjective feedbacks could contribute reliably to guide for medical decisions in managing tailored and detailed interventions.


Background:Acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) occur in deployed military personnel, yet little is known about the cardiovascular (CV) risk profile of deployed US military service members who experience ACS. Stress and socioeconomic status (SES) as risk factors for ACS in service members deployed in ongoing Overseas Contingency Operations have not been considered. Research Objective:To compare CV risk factors between service members who experienced ACS and healthy service members who did not experience ACS while deployed while controlling for nontraditional CV risk factors. Subjects:Deployed service members who experienced ACS (n = 93) and matched controls who did not experience ACS (n = 137). Methods:Healthy controls and ACS cases were matched on rank, area of operations, and ethnicity to control for confounding effects of SES, combat stress exposure, and ethnicity. Results:Acute myocardial infarction occurred in 81.7% of the cases, and 18.3% had unstable angina. Most major CV risk factors were different between the 2 groups except blood sugar and history of dyslipidemia. In a univariate conditional logistic regression model, all CV risk factors except blood sugar were significant predictors of ACS. In a multivariate logistic regression model, older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.40), higher total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (OR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.65-4.97), and family history of premature coronary artery disease (OR, 4.83 [95% CI, 1.64-14.26]) independently predicted ACS in deployed service personnel. Conclusion:Controlling for SES, combat stress exposure, and ethnicity, traditional CV risk factors remain independent predictors of ACS in deployed service members.


ABSTRACT Whole heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae is used as an immunotherapeutic agent in tuberculosis (TB), but the compound(s) that triggers its immunostimulatory ability is not known. Here, we show that among different subcellular fractions, the cell wall skeleton induced a prominent expression of gamma interferon in splenocytes from both non-TB and TB M. vaccae-treated mice.


Abstract : Non-state actors are indigenous social, political, and military organizations who often receive international support. The military arms of non-state actors do not rotate at a prescribed time; rather they fight from their own homes for a conflict's duration and upon conclusion of the conflict, non-state threat members become the political and social leaders who emerge to lead local and federal governments. Rather than commit troops, external national supporters provide money and technical support that are not easily if at all traceable back to their sources. Such arrangements allow both the non-state threat and their supporters to continually confront and attrite a common opponent frequently without global awareness and world opinion turning against them. Conversely, opponents to these groups often rotate both units and individual combatants into and out of the battle zones at prescribed times. Short deployments do not optimize the opposition's abilities to isolate the spread and erode the influence of the nonstate actors. Due to this inability, the non-state actors often persist and eventually win. In order to win, non-state threats have taken on social and economic agendas that have gained them constituencies and subsequent legitimacy that rivals their host nation. The restoration of the host nation's capabilities and credibility to improve the social and economic living conditions of its people facilitates the isolation and erosion of the non-state threat's constituency. U.S. current military missions must therefore be pushed down in conjunction with host nation activities to the local levels adjacent to the non-state threats. These combined local actions must be expanded beyond current military and security means alone to include social and economic means. This new triple bottom line focus facilitates competition between the host nation and the non-state threat for the loyalty of the local constituent base.


Background The mucoactive effects of hypertonic saline should promote exacerbation resolution in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Objectives To determine the effects of hypertonic saline inhalation during hospitalisation for exacerbation of CF on length of stay, lung function, symptoms, oxygenation, exercise tolerance, quality of life, bacterial load and time to next hospitalisation. Methods 132 adults with an exacerbation of CF were randomised to inhale three nebulised doses a day of either 4 mL 7% saline or a taste-masked control of 0.12% saline, throughout the hospital admission. The primary outcome measure was length of hospital stay. Results All participants tolerated their allocated saline solution. There was no significant difference in length of stay, which was 12 days in the hypertonic saline group and 13 days in controls, with a mean between-group difference (MD) of 1 day (95% CI 0 to 2). The likelihood of regaining pre-exacerbation FEV1 by discharge was significantly higher in the hypertonic saline group (75% vs 57%), and the number needed to treat was 6 (95% CI 3 to 65). On a 0–100 scale, the hypertonic saline group had significantly greater reduction in symptom severity than the control group at discharge in sleep (MD=13, 95% CI 4 to 23), congestion (MD=10, 95% CI 3 to 18) and dyspnoea (MD=8, 95% CI 1 to 16). No significant difference in time to next hospitalisation for a pulmonary exacerbation was detected between groups (HR=0.86 (CI 0.57 to 1.30), p=0.13). Other outcomes did not significantly differ. Conclusions Addition of hypertonic saline to the management of a CF exacerbation did not reduce the length of hospital stay. Hypertonic saline speeds the resolution of exacerbation symptoms and allows patients to leave hospital with greater symptom resolution. Trial registration number ACTRN12605000780651.


Energy consumption in buildings has become a real concern for scientists and seeking to reduce this consumption is essential. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for more than 50% of this consumption. One of the solutions to reduce this excessive consumption is to detect and diagnose faults that can appear instantaneously and quickly with fault diagnostic detection systems (FDD) based on artificial intelligence. The paper presents a strategy based on a data-driven approach for the detection and diagnosis of sensor faults that may appear in the Air Handling Unit (AHU) systems. A Decision Tree, Random Forest and SVM algorithm were used to detect and diagnose temperature sensor faults occurring in the AHU. The comparison between these methods shows that the Random Forest gives the best result with 96% accuracy.


This mini-review covers the literatures of the determination of gallium, indium, and thallium by instrumental analysis with computer-assisted searching over the period of 1994 to 2003. Some papers appearing in the early of 2004 are also included. Because the rapid progress in the instrument has been made, these new papers are prioritized in selection in the similar papers. The contents are considered to be separation and preconcentration, spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, electroanalyses, atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and so forth.


In the last decade, there has been an emergent attention in the utilization of existing power distribution lines for broadband power line communications (BPLC). PLC technology is becoming more widely adopted because of its excellent fit with smart grid and in-home network applications, with no infrastructure cost. However, PLC not only has a limited spectrum (<; 30 MHz) and limited coverage (<; 1 mile) due to power line cable attenuation but also has some time-varying channel impairments, including multipath fading and RF noise. We investigate a quasi-stationary OFDMA-based BPLC local area network (LAN) for the smart home network or small-scale smart grid (also termed micro-grid) services over indoor power lines, where every nodes are assumed to be equipped an impedance matching circuit (IMC); then, since plug-in or switchoff of nodes do not change the network topology anymore, link budgets of the overall BPLC network are easily estimated even with some channel variations (RF noise, etc) and so its resource management with reliability and flexibility is possible. In this paper, we focus on the cluster-based medium access control (MAC) layer design and resource management of the two types of OFDMA-based BPLC LANs: centralized (AP-based) LAN and distributed (ad-hoc based) LAN.


Introduction: Podoplanin (PDPN) is a well-conserved mucintype transmembrane glycoprotein. According to various studies, podoplanin expression is seen in various human cancers and it also encourages the progression of the tumour. A high PDPN expression, specifically in oral cancers, shows a significant relation to the metastasis of lymph nodes and poor patient survival, suggesting its substantial role in identifying the malignant transformation of a lesion by its expression in initial oral tumourigenesis. Only few studies have mentioned the use of podoplanin marker in detection of malignant transformation of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMDs). Most malignant transformations are seen in cases of oral leukoplakia. This study will help in early diagnosis of malignant transformation of leukoplakia by showing an increased expression of podoplanin thereby resulting in better treatment and prognosis of the disease. Aim: To evaluate immunoexpression of podoplanin in leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma and also to correlate it with the clinicopathological characteristics of leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) and the survival of OSCC patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study will be conducted in the Oral Pathology Department at Sharad Pawar Dental College, Wardha, Maharashtra, India. Surgically operated OSCC cases from year 2005-2019 in this Institute will be retrieved from the archival of the department. Ninety samples in total will be taken for the study which will be further divided into three groups, consisting of 30 samples in each group as follows: leukoplakia, OSCC and normal oral mucosa (control). Immunohistochemical staining will be carried out, and podoplanin (PDPN) immunoexpression with different clinical characteristics of leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma will be assessed. Broder's grading system will be used for histopathological grading of all cases of OSCC. The Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test will be used to statistically analyse the data.


Nikita Khrushchev's proposal to give parents of non-Russian children the choice of whether to send their children to a school with education in their own tongue, or to a Russian school, was first advanced at the end of 1958. It immediately provoked a furious response from leaders of the non-Russian republics of the multi-national Soviet Union, and was an issue contributing to political purges in Azerbaijan and Latvia in 1959. In this article, Jeremy Smith uses documents from archives in four Soviet republics to analyze the responses from the republics. Smith shows that republic leaders were mostly agreed on an alternative solution to the question of language of instruction, and pursued different strategies both to oppose the introduction of the reform and to obstruct its implementation once it was passed. The episode also underlines the uncertainty involved in center-periphery relations in the USSR.


Radiological findings A lateral radiograph (fig 1) showed distension of the anterior recess of the tibiotalar joint capsule, indicating joint disease. The joint was not aspirated. Intravenous gadolinium-diethylene triamino pentacetic acid (IV Gd-DTPA) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the distension of the anterior recess consisted predominantly of synovial thickening around a minor effusion (fig 2). Effusions were present in all the tendon sheaths posteriorly and in tibialis anterior (fig 3).


3 CHILEAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 76(1) JANUARY-MARCH 2016 3 ULY-SEPTEMBER Atriplex nummularia Lindl. represents a cost-effective alternative for improving salt-affected soils in arid and semiarid environments due to its high adaptability to salinity and water deficiency. This study aimed to investigate soil physical-chemical changes in response to A. nummularia cultivation under field condition. Additionally, we quantified its biomass yield and phytoextraction potential. Two treatments were evaluated: soil cultivated with Atriplex under two crop densities (1 × 1 and 2 × 2 m), and a control (bared soil) with four replicates. The samples were taken at three soil depths (0-5, 15-20, and 40-45 cm). In general, dry biomass yield for leaves, stems and roots, as well as the bulk density and the hydraulic conductivity of the soil were sensitive to crop densities. Thus, the use of A. nummularia can be recommended for phytoremediation of salt-affected soils, as well as to improve soil physical condition. When it comes to salt phytoextraction per area, we recommend planting A. nummularia at a 1 × 1 m crop density. The greater accumulation of salts was observed in leaves, as observed for Na (82% roughly). However, in order to improve soil physical conditions, we suggest the management of A. nummularia under 2 × 2 m crop density. Pruning was fundamental to increase the biomass yield and, consequently, the phytoextraction of specific ions, e.g., Na, Cl. It was responsible for 83% and 88% of the total dry biomass at 1 × 1 and 2 × 2 m crop density, respectively.


A review and discussion of creating nurse residency programs employing the recommendations from accrediting bodies to demonstrate organizational value. Utilizing an accredited framework to create nurse residency programs demonstrates organizational impact and value by ensuring evidence-based structures and plans are incorporated to accomplish patient safety and other organizational goals, meet healthy workplace goals, decrease turnover and improve nursing job satisfaction. Analysis includes a description of the Institute of Medicine report, nurse recruitment and retention, and associated costs; and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Program guides to developing the residency program. An example curricula and exploration of improvement indicators supports the conclusion that a successful transition to practice for nurses prepares them with both confidence and competence to deliver quality patient care.


The current interest in organizational culture, identity, image and reputation and in organizational discourse points towards the pressure on contemporary organizations to focus attention on the symbolic dimensions of their activities. The phenomenon of branding, while originally portrayed as a marketing tool, can also be understood as an exercise in management of meaning. Branding does not only inform external stakeholders, such as customers and investors, about the values of the organization. It also potentially instructs and directs organizational members. In this sense, branding can be viewed as a management and leadership practice. Drawing on a longitudinal case study, this paper illustrates how these practices are played out in the particular context of a management consulting firm and explores the relationship between branding and organizational identity and identification. The study highlights the shortcomings of the strategic marketing perspective on brands and the need for further empirical studies that examine the role of branding from different perspectives and in different empirical contexts.


We consider the ground state of vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate. We show that turning on a weak optical periodic potential leads to a transition from the triangular Abrikosov vortex lattice to phases where the vortices are pinned by the optical potential. We discuss the phase diagram of the system for a two-dimensional optical periodic potential with one vortex per optical lattice cell. We also discuss the influence of a one-dimensional optical periodic potential on the vortex ground state. The latter situation has no analog in other condensed-matter systems.


Superior mesenteric artery syndrome is a life-threatening rare acquired upper gastrointestinal disorder due to mechanical compression of third part of duodenum by the acute angulation of Superior mesenteric artery, leading to obstruction. Acute loss of intervening mesenteric fat as a result of a variety of debilitating conditions is believed to be the etiologic factor causing the reduced aortomesenteric angle. Abdominal CT angiography showed the dilatation of second part of duodenum and vascular compression of the proximal third part of the duodenum between the aorta and superior mesenteric artery. We report a case of 15 year old young boy who presented with recurrent postprandial pain in the epigastric region, accompanied by epigastric fullness, nausea, postprandial bilious vomiting and weight loss. When conservative measures were ineffective, laparoscopic retrocolic duodenojejunostomy, side to side anastomosis, was performed in the patient to relieve the obstruction. This case report is unusual as it is concerned with the description of a rare disease entity and its radiological appearances for early preoperative diagnosis, better understanding and management of the disease are discussed in the pertinent light of literature.


The aetiology of vitiligo remains obscure. In this study, the role of integrins in the observed inability of melanocytes to repopulate lesional skin was investigated. Antibodies directed to α2, α3, α5, αv, α6, β1 and β3 integrin subunits were used. Immunohistology revealed no marked differences in the overall levels of expression of integrins between control, non‐lesional, perilesional or lesional skin. Moreover, no differences were noted in the level of expression of integrins or the adhesive capacity between cultured control cells derived from three separate donors and vitiligo‐derived melanocytes from two donors. Rather, it was clearly observed that towards the lesion, vitiligo skin contains increasing amounts of tenascin in the basal membrane and papillary dermis in five patients employing T2H5 antihuman tenascin antibody. The anti‐adhesive effect observed in vitro for this extracellular matrix molecule using normal melanocytes may contribute to loss of pigment cells in vitiligo or to ineffective repopulation of the lesions.


The issues around the environmental integrity of international market mechanisms have gained a great deal of attention in the wake of the Paris Agreement. In addition, with the agreement on market-based measures for international aviation being reached, these issues are likely to gain even more prominence in countries' efforts to prepare for the implementation of international market mechanisms. In a context where inaccurate accounting is one of the environmental integrity risks associated with market mechanisms, an emissions trading registry is critical for avoiding "double counting"—the situation where a single GHG emission reduction or removal is used more than once to demonstrate compliance with mitigation targets. An emissions trading registry is an online database that issues, records, and tracks the carbon units that are exchanged within market mechanisms or financed through Results-Based Climate Finance programs. Given the length of time and capacity needed for the development of a registry, it is essential for countries that are in the process of designing market mechanisms to factor in specific regulatory, administrative, functional, and technical aspects of registry development. Against this backdrop, and to further facilitate future registry design and implementation, this report provides policy makers and other stakeholders with technical insights and guidance on how to support country-specific decision making and activities related to registry development.


Background—To present perioperative and long-term results of percutaneous treatment of adult isthmic coarctation of the aorta by means of a self-expandable closed-web uncovered nitinol stent (Sinus-XL, Optimed, Esslingen, Germany). Methods and Results—Preoperative, perioperative, and long-term clinical and computed tomographic angiography data were collected and analyzed prospectively. A total of 52 consecutive patients were treated with the Sinus-XL stent. Mean age was 36.6 (21–67) years, peak invasive trans–coarctation of the aorta gradient was 54.7±9.9 mm Hg, and upper body hypertension unresponsive to medical treatment was present in all patients. Mean stent diameter and length were 24.2 mm (22–28 mm) and 70.4 mm (40–80 mm), respectively. Eight patients (15.4%) required coarctation of the aorta predilatation. All patients underwent poststent dilatation with a noncompliant balloon. Postoperative peak gradient (3.3±2.5 mm Hg) was reduced significantly (P<0.001) and minimal aortic diameter was increased significantly (4.6±1.9 versus 18.6±2.5 mm; P<0.001). All patients were discharged home (mean hospitalization, 3.5 days). At follow-up (47.6 months; 12–84), 1 (1.9%) noncardiovascular mortality was reported. Aortic computed tomography confirmed the absence of stent collapse and secondary migration and documented stability in aortic diameter (18.3±2.7 mm). Thirty patients (57.7%) were completely weaned-off antihypertensive medications and their use dropped from 2.6 to 0.9 drugs/patient (P<0.001). Ankle-brachial pressure index increased from 0.75 to 0.98 (P<0.001). Conclusions—Adult coarctation of the aorta treatment by means of a self-expandable uncovered stent is safe and durable. The peculiar stent design maintains adequate localized radial strength over time with minimal trauma on the adjacent aortic wall and negligible device-related complications. Blood pressure control optimization is immediate and persistent even at long-term follow-up.


The high temperature deformation conditions were investigated for the grain growth during subsequent supersolvus annealing in a PM nickel base superalloy N18. If the strain is sufficiently high, the strain rate imposed to the material appeared to be critical with regard to the grain growth. The development of very large grains (abnormal grain growth) during the supersolvus annealing is consecutive to a deformation at a strain rate in a narrow region of transition between stage II (superplastic behaviour) and stage III.


Dengue viruses (DENV) are currently responsible for more human morbidity and mortality than any other known arbovirus, and all four DENV are known to exist in sylvatic cycles that might allow these viruses to persist if the urban (Aedes aegypti) cycle could be controlled. To determine whether DENV were being maintained in a sylvatic cycle in a forested area about 14 km southwest of Iquitos, Peru, a city in which all 4 serotypes of DENV circulate, we placed 20 DENV seronegative Aotus monkeys in cages either in the canopy or near ground level for a total of 125.6 months. Despite capturing >66,000 mosquitoes in traps that collected some of the mosquitoes attracted to these monkeys, blood samples obtained once a month from each animal were tested and found to be negative by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgM and IgG antibodies to dengue, yellow fever, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Oropouche, and Mayaro viruses. Although all four DENV serotypes were endemic in nearby Iquitos, the findings of this study did not support a DENV sylvatic maintenance and transmission cycle in a selected area of the Amazon rainforest in northeastern Peru.


The controlled solidification of a metal from an undercooled melt into a predetermined metastable product phase has been demonstrated for the iron-nickel alloy system. This was achieved by introducing an external nucleation seed of suitable catalytic potency. The metastable b.c.c. phase was identified through its melting point well below the equilibrium f.c.c. value, in agreement with a calculated metastable phase diagram.


When airways narrow, either through the action of smooth muscle shortening or during forced expiration, the lung parenchyma is locally distorted and provides an increased peribronchial stress that resists the narrowing. Although this interdependence has been well studied, the quantitative significance of airway remodeling to interdependence has not been elucidated. We have used an improved computational model of the bronchial response to smooth muscle agonists to investigate the relationships between airway narrowing (as indicated by airway resistance), parenchymal shear modulus, adventitial thickening, and inner wall thickening at lung recoil pressures of 4, 5, and 8 cmH2O. We have found that, at low recoil pressures, decreases in parenchymal shear modulus have a significant effect that is comparable to that of moderate thickening of the airway wall. At higher lung recoil pressures, the effect is negligible.


The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) introduced two
resource records (RR) for authenticated denial of existence: the NSEC
RR and the NSEC3 RR. This document introduces NSEC5 as an alternative
mechanism for DNSSEC authenticated denial of existence. NSEC5 uses
verifiable random functions (VRFs) to prevent offline enumeration of
zone contents. NSEC5 also protects the integrity of the zone contents
even if an adversary compromises one of the authoritative servers for
the zone. Integrity is preserved because NSEC5 does not require
private zone-signing keys to be present on all authoritative servers
for the zone, in contrast to DNSSEC online signing schemes like NSEC3
White Lies.


The authors report a case of acute respiratory failure that fulfils the diagnostic criteria for acute eosinophilic pneumonia. Bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia and eosinophilic lung diseases are also discussed. The pathogenetic events, including the role of IL-5, eotaxin 1 and 2 and VEGF are emphasised.


In patients with locally advanced breast cancer, radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy following surgery has been a mainstay of treatment for breast cancer with demonstrated survival advantage in numerous randomized trials. However, despite recent advances in treatment, many women still ultimately succumb to this disease highlighting the need to improve our therapeutic options. Previous work from other groups demonstrated that the therapeutic effects of RT depend in part on activation of the immune system, but little is known about the details of this activation. To address this, we explored the effects of RT on the immune microenvironment in a syngeneic orthotopic murine transplantation model of breast cancer and found that 7 days following RT tumors had significantly increased numbers of CD11b+ macrophages compared to untreated tumors. When we depleted these macrophages using a CSF1 inhibitor or CSF1 blocking Ab following RT we found significantly delayed tumor growth compared to RT alone. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key orchestrators of the tumor microenvironment and can be either classically-activated expressing cytotoxic molecules leading to tumor cell death ("anti-tumor") or alternatively-activated in which they secrete proangiogenic, prosurvival, and proinvasive factors that foster tumor progression ("pro-tumor"). Given the delayed growth when TAMs were depleted following RT, we hypothesized that the infiltrating TAMs are predominantly of the pro-tumor phenotype and that a milieu that favors an anti-tumor phenotype would enhance the effect of RT. We tested this hypothesis using a blocking antibody against IL-4, the predominant cytokine which drives the alternatively-activated phenotype, and we observed significantly reduced tumor growth in mice treated with the combination of RT and IL-4 blockade compared to mice treated with either agent alone. These studies indicate that infiltrating macrophages following RT have a protumor function, and that conversion of these macrophages to a cytotoxic phenotype may improve the efficacy of RT. Citation Format: Stephen L. Shiao, David G. DeNardo, Bruce A. Faddegon, David M. Underhill, Catherine C. Park, Lisa M. Coussens. Impact of macrophage function on the efficacy of radiation therapy. [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Conference on Cellular Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment; 2014 Feb 26-Mar 1; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A28. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.CHTME14-A28


Spiritual practices are gaining an increasingly wider audience as a means to enhance positive affect in healthy individuals and to treat neurological disorders such as anxiety and depression. The current study aimed to examine the neural correlates of two different forms of love generated by spiritual practices using EEG; love generated during a loving kindness meditation performed by Buddhist meditators, and love generated during prayer, in a separate group of participants from a Christian-based faith. The loving kindness meditation was associated with significant increases in delta, alpha 1, alpha 2 and beta power compared to baseline, while prayer induced significant increases in power of alpha 1 and gamma oscillations, together with an increase in the gamma: theta ratio. An increase in delta activity occurred during the loving kindness meditation but not during prayer. In contrast increases in theta, alpha 1, alpha 2, beta and gamma power were observed when comparing both types of practice to baseline, suggesting that increases in these frequency bands are the neural correlates of spiritual love, independent of the type of practice used to attain the state of this type of love. These findings show that both spiritual love practices are associated with widespread changes in neural activity across the brain, in particular at frequency ranges that have been implicated in positive emotional experience, integration of distributed neural activity, and changes in short-term and longterm neural circuitry.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effectiveness of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control program for health care workers in a tertiary care hospital emergency department (ED).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We recorded the number of confirmed COVID-19 workers in the ED on March 2, 2020, and April 12, 2020. Workers were screened if they had symptoms or were traced as contacts. Variables recorded were age, sex, staff position, work area, and reason for contact. We used the χ2 test to compare ED workers to workers in other areas of the health care system.

RESULTS
Of the 3900 health care workers (279 in the ED), 1744 cases (92 in the ED) were included for analysis. A total of 736 workers (52 in the ED) had symptoms, and 151 had positive test results (9 from the ED). Two of the infections in the ED workers (22.2%) were attributed to patient contact and 7 (77.8%) to nonwork-related contact either in the workplace or in the community. The prevalence of COVID-19 among ED workers was 3.2% (9/279). The prevalence among other health system workers was 3.9% (142/3621). The differences in COVID-19 prevalence between the 2 groups was not significant. Nor was there a significant difference in the reasons for contact with the virus between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSION
Based on the prevalence of COVID-19 among ED workers and other health care workers, the reasons for risk of contact with the virus, and the time frame for gathering the data, we conclude that the prevention and control measures in the ED have been effective.


The utilization of a new organizational polyclinic structure enables one to raise significantly the quality of dispensarization of railway workers. Language: ru


This study analyzed the organic distribution characteristics of original and treated water and their impacts on drinking water quality using a conventional water treatment process in the typical water supply sources for towns in the southwest hilly area of China. The results showed that the water supply source in this area is micro-polluted water. Dissolved organics of low molecular weight accounted for the great majority of the organics, with the proportion ranging from 50% to 80%. There were 53 kinds and 14 classes of organics, including alkanes, esters, phenolic compounds, and benzenes, with the proportion from 80% to 90%. The amounts of organic acid, alkene, alcohols, and aldehyde were small, while the amounts of dichloromethane, phenol, and dibutyl-phthalate were relatively high. Herbicides, food additives, and antibiotics were detected, such as terbuthylazine, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, and nalidixic acid. The conventional water treatment process could efficiently remove the compounds with molecular weights higher than 10×103 and organic acid; however, it was limited greatly in its removal of alkanes, esters, phenolic compounds, and benzenes.


Purpose: To prepare and evaluate floating microspheres of curcumin for prolonged gastric residence and to study their effect on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Floating microsphere were prepared by emulsion-solvent diffusion method, using hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose, chitosan and Eudragit S 100 polymer in varying proportions. Ethanol/dichloromethane blend was used as solvent in a ratio of 1:1. The floating microspheres were evaluated for flow properties, particle size, incorporation efficiency, as well as in-vitro floatability and drug release. The anti-diabetic activity of the floating microspheres of batch FM4 was performed on alloxaninduced diabetic rats. Result: The floating microspheres had particle size, buoyancy, drug entrapment efficiency and yield in the ranges of 255.32 - 365.65 μm, 75.58 - 89.59, 72.6 - 83.5, and 60.46 - 80.02 %, respectively. Maximum drug release after 24 h was 82.62 % for formulation FM4 and 73.879, 58.613 and 46.106 % for formulations FM1, FM2, and FM3 respectively. In-vivo data obtained over a 120-h period indicate that curcumin floating microspheres from batch FM4 showed the better glycemic control than control and a commercial brand of the drug. Conclusion: The developed floating curcumin delivery system seems economical and effective in diabetes management in rats, and enhances the bioavailability of the drug. Keywords: Gastro-retentive, Sustained release, Bioavailability, Curcumin, Floating microspheres, Diabetes


1. The International Federation of Robotics expects to have a presence on the World Wide Web by the time this issue of Robotica is published. The URL will be http://www.ifr.org. The IFR Web pages will include information about the Federation's activities as well as links to its member associations in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.


BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
Flow of a fluid through a collapsible tube is under the influence of various factors including the external compressing pressure. Because the intraabdominal pressure may compress the ureter, an experimental study has been planned to determine and compare the normal intraabdominal and renal pelvic pressures and the alterations in renal pelvic pressure in response to the increments in intraabdominal pressure in the rabbits.

METHODS
Eight adult rabbits were used for the experiment. Under general anesthesia, an urethral catheter, a nasogastric tube, and an intraperitoneal catheter were placed to measure intravesical (IVP), intragastric (IGP), and intraabdominal pressures (IAP), respectively. Intracranial pressure monitorization catheter was placed into the renal pelvis to monitor intrapelvic pressure (IPP). Basal pressure measurements have been recorded. The pressures have been recorded in every 5 minutes, and IAP has been increased gradually about 3 to 4 cm of water pressure in every step for 30-minute periods.

RESULTS
Increases in the intrapelvic pressure values have been significantly higher than the increases in the IAP (P < .001). A significant correlation has been found between IPP and IAP (P = .000, r = 0.866). By using linear regression analysis the relationship has been found to be IPP = 7.303 + 1.985 (IAP). Intragastric pressure values have been higher compared with IAP values (P < .001), whereas intravesical pressures have not differed from IAP (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS
Elevations in IAP results in augmented increases in the IPP. Poiseuille and Laplace Laws suggest this augmented increase to resemble proximal ureteric obstruction. Increases in IAP may simulate proximal ureteric obstruction and may take part in the pathogenesis of hydronephrosis. J Pediatr Surg 36:901-904.


Twenty-six fungal cultures, including ten Caldariomyces (= Leptoxyphium) cultures and five other capnodiaceous fungi, were examined for extracellular chloroperoxidase production on four growth media. Only the Caldariomyces cultures produced enzyme activity and enzyme production was highest on growth in a phytone medium. Chloroperoxidase was partly purified from the ten Caldariomyces cultures. All preparations were glycoproteins, with different carbohydrate content. The absorption spectra of the ten samples were indistinguishable and this was reflected in similar Rz (A 403/A 280) values. SDS-PAGE revealed two major bands of protein in all preparations but in different proportions: staining for carbohydrate confirmed these bands to be glycoproteins. PAGE at pH 3 showed each preparation to be composed of several isoenzymes and these could be grouped according to their migration patterns. Kinetic constants, where determined, and pH optima showed no differences among the ten preparations and all exhibited catalase and peroxidase activities in the same relative proportions to chlorinating activity.


Abstract Objective Postlaminectomy syndrome diagnoses secondary to adjacent segment degeneration are a substantial and rising cause of morbidity in the United States. Emerging spinal cord neuromodulation technologies have produced successful outcomes for postlaminectomy neuropathic pain but are less effective in treating neurogenic claudication secondary to recurrent lumbar stenosis. Percutaneous interspinous process decompression systems can be used as a salvage treatment modality for persistent structural neurogenic claudication in postlaminectomy syndrome or after spinal cord stimulator implantation. Methods This paper is a review of emerging evidence for efficacious utilization of percutaneous interspinous process decompression. Results A recent pragmatic trial of subjects who underwent percutaneous interspinous process decompression for lumbar stenosis with intermittent neurogenic claudication reported that 63% (26/41) maintained minimal clinically important improvement in visual analog scale (VAS) leg pain, 61% (25/41) in VAS back pain, 78% (32/41) in function objective values, and 88% (36/41) reported satisfaction with treatment at 12 months postop. All subjects in a small case series of seven individuals with postlaminectomy adjacent-segment disease reported postoperative satisfaction scores of 3 or 4 on a 0–4 scale and were also able to decrease or wean completely off controlled pain medications. In another study, there was a significant decrease in average leg pain (60% improvement, P < 0.0001, N = 25) and axial low back pain (58% improvement, P < 0.0001, N = 25) in patients who underwent one- or two-level percutaneous interspinous process decompression as a rescue treatment for reemerging neurogenic claudication after spinal cord stimulator implantation. Conclusions The spine often is a focus of progressive disease. Furthermore, mechanical changes associated with spinal instrumentation can lead to additional disease at adjacent levels. Many individuals will present with symptomatic neurogenic claudication recalcitrant to multimodal management strategies, including even the most sophisticated neuromodulation technologies. Implementation of salvage percutaneous interspinus process decompression implantation in cases of adjacent segment degeneration or incomplete spinal cord stimulation can decompress structural causes of neurogenic claudication while sparing the patient from more invasive surgical reoperation techniques.


Studies of bacterial communities can reveal the evolutionary significance of symbiotic interactions between hosts and their associated bacteria, as well as identify environmental factors that may influence host biology. Atta sexdens is an ant species native to Brazil that can act as an agricultural pest due to its intense behavior of cutting plants. Despite being extensively studied, certain aspects of the general biology of this species remain unclear, such as the evolutionary implications of the symbiotic relationships it forms with bacteria. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, we compared for the first time the bacterial community of A. sexdens (whole ant workers) populations according to the habitat (natural versus agricultural) and geographical location. Our results revealed that the bacterial community associated with A. sexdens is mainly influenced by the geographical location, and secondarily by the differences in habitat. Also, the bacterial community associated with citrus differed significantly from the other communities due to the presence of Tsukamurella. In conclusion, our study suggests that environmental shifts may influence the bacterial diversity found in A. sexdens.


Background Older people are at high risk of physical inactivity. Activity trackers can facilitate physical activity. We aimed to investigate the effect of interventions using activity trackers on physical activity, mobility, quality of life and mental health among people aged 60+ years. Methods For this systematic review, we searched eight databases, including MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL from inception to April 2018. Randomised controlled trials of interventions that used activity trackers to promote physical activity among people aged 60+ years were included in the analyses. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017065250. Results We identified 23 eligible trials. Interventions using activity trackers had a moderate effect on physical activity (23 studies; standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.55; 95% CI 0.40 to 0.70; I2=86%) and increased steps/day by 1558 (95% CI 1099 to 2018 steps/day; I2=92%) compared with usual care, no intervention and wait-list control. Longer duration activity tracker-based interventions were more effective than short duration interventions (18 studies, SMD=0.70; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.93 vs 5 studies, SMD=0.14; 95% CI −0.26 to 0.54, p for comparison=0.02). Interventions that used activity trackers improved mobility (three studies; SMD=0.61; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.90; I2=10%), but not quality of life (nine studies; SMD=0.09; 95% CI −0.07 to 0.25; I2=45%). Only one trial included mental health outcomes and it reported similar effects of the activity tracker intervention compared with control. Conclusions Interventions using activity trackers improve physical activity levels and mobility among older people compared with control. However, the impact of activity tracker interventions on quality of life, and mental health is unknown.


Numerical approximation of the Boltzmann equation is a challenging problem due to its high-dimensional, nonlocal, and nonlinear collision integral. Over the past decade, the Fourier-Galerkin spectral method has become a popular deterministic method for solving the Boltzmann equation, manifested by its high accuracy and potential of being further accelerated by the fast Fourier transform. Albeit its practical success, the stability of the method is only recently proved by Filbet, F. & Mouhot, C. in [$ Trans. Amer. Math. Soc.$ 363, no. 4 (2011): 1947-1980.] by utilizing the "spreading" property of the collision operator. In this work, we provide a new proof based on a careful $L^2$ estimate of the negative part of the solution. We also discuss the applicability of the result to various initial data, including both continuous and discontinuous functions.


The aim of the article is to illustrate the important role that parents can play in the development of the education of learners with Down syndrome (DS). A literature review was done to obtain background information on the concept DS and on the history and possibilities of education for learners with DS, as well as on the role of the parent in the management of the education of learners with DS. A qualitative case study, focusing on the narrative approach was implemented to illustrate the management of the educational opportunities and thus, the self-actualisation of all learners with DS. The educational history of an academically successful girl with DS was followed in order to establish what lay behind her success. From the findings it can be deduced that parents and educators should collaborate to enhance the educational opportunities of learners with DS. The contribution this article makes is to convey to educators and parents the important role they can play in the advancement of the education of learners with DS, as a possible way to give these learners a better chance to live a meaningful life. The assumption is that if learners with DS receive optimal stimulation and encouragement from their parents and teachers in collaboration with one another, from an early age, their educational skills and self-actualisation will benefit to a large extent. This will improve their opportunities to become valued human beings.


Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is a pivotal mediator in the inflammatory immune response that is characteristic of a number of chronic disorders. The etiology and pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have for many years been an enigma. The recent identification of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex responsible for interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE, caspase-1) activation, has generated new possibilities for the elucidation of the etiology and pathophysiology of IBD and as a consequence also for the identification of new treatment targets.


Virulence is defined as the relative capacity of a microorganism to overcome the defense mechanisms of the host organism and thereby cause disease. Virally induced virulence is usually quantitated by measuring the mean time to death or appearance of symptoms following viral inoculation. In this review we make a distinction between general virulence and neurovirulence. We define neurovirulence as the degree of pathogenesis in the nervous system, but intend it to be more encompassing than the simple ability of the virus to grow in the central nervous system (CNS). This distinction is made possible by recent advances that permit an integrated assessment of the degree of pathology, reactive gliosis, and inflammatory response to infection in the intact organism with specific antisera and molecular probes.


The ULI, created in 1895 by the Jewish bourgeoisie of Paris who wished to renew French Judaism through modernization, was at first encouraged by the chief rabbi Zadoc Kahn of the Central Consistory, who allowed this group to meet and later organize prayers in French on Sundays at the synagogue on rue de la Victoire. The ULI was deprived of this privilege when Zadoc Kahn died at the end of 1905, and had to find a separate place of worship in 1907: thus established the synagogue on the rue Copernic, led by Rabbi Louis-Germain Levy. At first, the ULI did not affiliate with the "Union des associations cultuelles" (the successor of the Central Consistory, which kept its previous name in current language), and gradually relaxed the religious practices customary in France. In 1924, however, a new change occurred, as well as an agreement with the Consistory of Paris. From this date on, the ULI belonged to the Jewish community of Paris, introduced prayers in Hebrew and the celebration of Shabbat in its religious practices, and ceased allowing mixed-marriages and conversions without circumcision. In the period leading up to the Second World War, the ULI created a Progressive Youth organization, a magazine and a scout movement. Moreover, the ULI joined the World Union for Progressive Judaism. During the thirties, the noachid Aime Palliere was a successful preacher at Copernic, and this gave birth to a dissension between the rationalist trend of Louis-Germain Levy and the tendencies to mystical effusiveness and orthodoxy expressed by Aime Palliere. However, the conflict came to a sudden end at the outbreak of the Second World War.


This article traces the development of moral education (ME) in Botswana from pre‐colonial times to the present day. It shows how during this time ME has undergone three distinct phases of development, each emphasising a particular ideology. In pre‐colonial times ME was offered as part of indigenous education in the home and community, both formally and informally, directly and indirectly. During the missionary/colonial period (1870s–1966) and in the first three decades of Botswana's independence (1967–1998), ME was taught in the formal school curriculum as an aspect of religious education. During this period religious education was confessional, using Christian moral values as a yardstick in exploring the material content of the syllabus. Since the national educational reforms of the 1990s, ME has undergone a paradigm shift, whereby it has become disengaged from religious education and secularised as a stand‐alone subject in the junior secondary curriculum. This paper examines each of these three phases of development, and concludes by offering an assessment of the efficacy of the current phase, given the religiosity of Botswana as a country and the consequences of previous teacher training with ME having been located within religious education.


A self-organized criticality model of a thermal sandpile is formulated for the first time to simulate the dynamic process with interaction between avalanche events on the fast time scale and diffusive transports on the slow time scale. The main characteristics of the model are that both particle and energy avalanches of sand grains are considered simultaneously. Properties of intermittent transport and improved confinement are analyzed in detail. The results imply that the intermittent phenomenon such as blobs in the low confinement mode as well as edge localized modes in the high confinement mode observed in tokamak experiments are not only determined by the edge plasma physics, but also affected by the core plasma dynamics.


BAGLEY, W.T. 1979. Hackberry — a hardy plant often overlooked. Am. Nurseryman 150(3): 1.5, 88-89. The hackberry's ability to withstand adversity has been overlooked in recent years as trees are selected for ornamental plantings in the Central Plains region. Although there are no serious insect or disease problems, the leaf nipple galls caused by insects of four pachypsylla species detract from its appearance. Occasionally the witches'-brooms caused by eriophyes species, a gall mite, working in conjunction with powdery mildew fungus, can cause unsightly deformity. Phenological information and injury to trees due to drought or cold in the Nebraska and Kansas plantations are compared. It is quite likely that there are many variants in the total population within and beyond the extremes described. Eventually the original and the other test plantations can be used as seed orchards. The result should be hackberry nursery stock improved in uniformity, vigor, and adaptability to Great Plains sites. LEWIS, C.E. 1979. Interesting tree trunks. Am. Nurseryman 150(1): 12-13. Tree trunks are fascinating. Whether the trees are found deep in the forest, gracing the front lawn of a home or along a street, people can enjoy the various trunk characteristics by merely stopping and looking. The few tree trunks pictured here show the diversity among the different trees. Tree trunks may differ in size, color, character, smoothness or roughness of the bark, and the way the branches break from the main trunk. A tree trunk can be viewed from close range, but it is better to view the whole trunk as a unit and then gradually move in to observe the details.


Global issues have emphasized the importance of training effectiveness as the essence of developing and managing quality human resources. Hence, to reinforce the management and implementation of national public policy for Malaysia, an easier way of measuring training effectiveness should be determined. Unfortunately, the information of psychometric properties for general instrument to measure training effectiveness was limited. Therefore, the objective of this article is to discuss research findings on constructing a valid and reliable instrument to measure training effectiveness or the development of General Training Effectiveness Scale (GTES). Research was done through three studies including jury validation, pilot study, and actual study*. The development of GTES's psychometric properties have included face validity, content validity, and constructs validity (including convergent, discriminant and nomological validity), as well as reliability and construct reliability. Data was analysed using reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM) through SPSS and AMOS software. Significantly, the GTES as produced in this research can be used as an instrument to measure the effectiveness of training in private and public sector. Subsequently, this effort will support the improvement of quality human resources in public sector for effective national policies implementation.


Background: To date, there is scant knowledge and inconsistent results
about physical activity, exercise and job strain in relation to pelvic girdle
pain (PGP). Hence, the aims of the present study were: 1) determine prevalence
of PGP and severe PGP during pregnancy and 2) compare background and
lifestyle factors in addition to total physical activity level (at work,
commuting, housework and recreational exercise) in those who experienced PGP
and those who did not in pregnancy. Methods: Healthy pregnant women (n = 467)
were allocated to the study from Oslo University Hospital, Norway. The
participants filled in a validated self-administered questionnaire, Physical-Activity-Pregnancy-Questionnaire
(PAPQ) in gestation-week 32 - 36. The questionnaire contained 53 questions with nine specific questions addressing PGP.
The key question on PGP was asked cross-sectionally and also posed
retrospectively for pre-pregnancy, 1st and 2nd trimester (During this pregnancy, did you experience any PGP?) ("Yes
versus No"). Results: More than
half of the women (57.5%) reported to suffer from PGP, with 18.4% reporting
severe PGP. Compared the no-PGP group, women with PGP were significantly more
likely to be sick-listed, multiparous, they perceived their job to be
physically demanding, as well as had physically demanding household chores,
including childcare. In addition, they were more prone to have experienced PGP
in previous pregnancies and suffered from
urinary incontinence (UI) in the current pregnancy. Most women with severe
PGP reported to be sedentary in the 3rd trimester; however they
performed more strengthening exercises at home than the women without PGP. Severe
PGP also showed an association with standing/walking ≥50% at work. Conclusion:
Women who exercised regularly in the 3rd trimester were less
likely to report PGP, while job strain was associated with higher prevalence of
PGP. There is a need for a prospective study with larger sample size to further
evaluate if exercise has any causal association with PGP.


The creation of artificial structures with very narrow spectral features in the terahertz range has been a long-standing goal, as they can enable many important applications. Unlike in the visible and infrared, where compact dielectric resonators can readily achieve a quality factor (Q) of 106, terahertz resonators with a Q of 103 are considered heroic. Here, we describe a new approach to this challenging problem, inspired by the phenomenon of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) in 1D structures. In the well-studied EOT problem, a complex spectrum of resonances can be observed in transmission through a mostly solid metal structure. However, these EOT resonances can hardly exhibit extremely high Q, even in a perfect structure with lossless components. In contrast, we show that the inverse structure, a periodic array of very thin metal plates separated by air gaps, can exhibit non-trivial bound states in the continuum (BICs) reflection resonances, with arbitrarily high Q, and with peak reflectivity approaching 100% even for a vanishingly small metal filling fraction. Our analytical predictions are supported by numerical simulations, and also agree well with our experimental measurements. This configuration offers a new approach to achieving ultra-narrow optical resonances in the terahertz range, as well as a new experimentally accessible configuration for studying BICs.


Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory is tested with
adolescent Venezuelan students (n = 2354), examining the relationship between deviant behavior, self-control, age, sex, socioeconomic status, and size of settlement. The hypothesis that "low self-control increases the probability of individual and group deviance" is supported, except for drug-related behaviors. Males with low self-control show a greater probability of engaging in individual and group deviant behaviors.


Gamma logs of measured surface sections provide an excellent correlation tool in wildcat areas where well control is sparse and outcrops are abundant. Gamma logs of measured surface sections can be correlated with gamma logs of any nearby wells that have penetrated the same strata. Subtle changes in lithology that may have been missed during routine section measuring are detected by surface gamma measurements. Furthermore, gamma measurements over covered intervals may give clues to the nature of the buried lithology. A portable scintillation counter is used to take gamma measurements. These measurements are recorded along with lithologic descriptions. Five-foot-intervals provide the best results. Surface gamma logs are successfully used in correlating members of the Jurassic Twin Creek Limestone from wells in the northern Utah Overthrust to outcrops in north-central Utah. They are also useful in correlating upper Paleozoic rocks in the Basin and Range province. End_of_Article - Last_Page 438------------


Legacy program execution system, which is necessary for grid to enable users to reuse all legacy programs without reengineering source codes, is still an open problem. We propose general running service (GRS) as a legacy program execution framework to solve two of the most important problems, shielding heterogeneousness of all kinds target system and exactly configuring complex execution environments required by legacy program. In this paper, we first abstract the task model of grid task as the core of our execution framework, following with some conceptions of GRS are provided including application deployment, JSDL job submission and target system adapter. And then the detail of GRS implementation in ChinaGrid Support Platform (CGSP) is provided. Furthermore, the performance of GRS through comparing with GRAM of GT4 is also evaluated


In this paper, we reformulate some constructions of real and complex diagonal lattice space-time codes from number fields which have been given explicitly or implicitly by other researchers. These constructions establish a connection between good diagonal lattice space-time codes and number fields with small absolute values of discriminants. We present two tables for diversity products of some lattice space-time codes from these constructions. The maximal rank of diagonal lattice space-time codes with positive diversity product is determined. We also discuss the asymptotic problem of lattice space-time codes. By using an infinite tower of Hilbert class field and a tamely ramified class field tower, we obtain asymptotically good sequences of lattice space-time codes. Some asymptotic upper bounds are given in the paper as well.


A hybrid circuit of a semiconductor chip and synaptically connected neurons was implemented and characterized. Individual nerve cells from the snail Lymnaea stagnalis were immobilized on a silicon chip by microscopic picket fences of polyimide. The cells formed a network with electrical synapses after outgrowth in brain conditioned medium. Pairs of neurons were electronically interfaced for noninvasive stimulation and recording. Voltage pulses were applied to a capacitive stimulator on the chip to excite the attached neuron. Signals were transmitted in the neuronal net and elicited an action potential in a second neuron. The postsynaptic excitation modulated the current of a transistor on the chip. The implementation of the silicon-neuron-neuron-silicon circuit constitutes a proof-of-principle experiment for the development of neuroelectronic systems to be used in studies on neuronal signal processing, neurocomputation, and neuroprosthetics.


The PRINT project (PRIority for urbaN commercial Traffic) (2008-2011) investigated whether it was possible to provide improved running time for commercial traffic by signal control priority as well as access to reserved lanes. Ten test vehicles were equipped with on-board units, which made it possible to give them priority based on principles normally used for public transport vehicles at traffic lights. The results showed that the commercial vehicles saved 9 to 15 % in travel time through the signal controlled area. Simulations were used to investigate travel time reductions gained by commercial traffic if they were given access to lanes reserved for buses. Savings varied between 0 and 65 %, and depended upon available capacity and local conditions. A questionnaire survey was also part of the project. Its purpose was to map operating conditions for commercial vehicles in Oslo, and to investigate what willingness to pay existed among freight companies for access to priority measures for freight transport on roads in Oslo. The results show that only a third of companies were willing to pay anything at all, and the average amounts that emerged were far below what the industry itself values the time lost in transport to, and what the government uses in cost-benefit analyses. Most respondents specified amounts less than 12.5 EUR/hour to save driving time during rush hours. Some high values meant that the average value was 15.5 EUR/hour. Fewer companies were willing to pay to save time during off-peak, and the average value was only 8.2 EUR/hour. The willingness to pay for a "monthly pass", giving full access to the priority lanes, was on average 135 EUR/month. When it came to questions about mobility, three out of four companies felt that these were large or very large problems, and almost all experienced poor mobility also outside the traditional rush hours. There was a strong correlation between experience of poor mobility and the degree of malcontent with the authorities. While 38% of all respondents were very dissatisfied with the infrastructure facilities supplied by the authorities, 78% of those who experienced poor accessibility as a very big problem were very dissatisfied. A majority could seldom or never shift shipments to off-peak times. The companies estimated that the average time in queue per vehicle and day was almost an hour. Mondays were the worst, followed by Fridays. All believed that the delays on roads in Oslo were a problem. Two-thirds felt that the delays could vary and affect punctuality, while the rest believed that delays were largely known in advance. It was generally agreed that providing priority in traffic for commercial traffic would help the company. 52% had expectations that the company would be helped to a certain extent, and 41% to a significant extent. There were clear links between a belief in priority measures and several of the questions about queues and delays. Those with the greatest expectations of prioritizing had, for example, the highest average and maximum time in queue per vehicle per day, the highest proportion of poor accessibility as a very big problem, the highest percentage of delays also during off-peak times and the highest percentage of delays that could vary and affect punctuality. This shows that the introduction of priority measures would have been well received and have helped many companies significantly. Firms perceived that their customers put the most emphasis on reliability and price as competitive factors. Environment, in the sense of opting for the most environmentally friendly mode of transport, were considered the least significant of seven competitive factors. This paper will discuss several questions arising from the low willingness to pay found in this study. Should several small time savings for freight transport be valued in the same manner as for large time savings? How can commercial traffic utilize reduced travel time? Will they be able to make one more trip during the workday or serve another costumer, or simply reduce costs for extra work hours?


A biologically inspired control approach for reducing vibrations in distributed elastic systems has been derived and experimentally verified for narrow‐band excitation. The control paradigm approximates natural biological systems for initiating movement, in that a low number of signals are sent from an advanced, centralized controller (analogous to the motor cortex of the brain) and are then distributed by local simple rules to multiple control actuators (analogous to muscle fiber). Both theoretical and experimental investigations of three different local rules were carried out including a stability analysis for reducing beam vibrations. In general the results have demonstrated that the biological control approach has the potential to control multimodal response in distributed elastic systems using an array of many actuators with a reduced order main controller. Thus significant reductions in control system computational complexity have been realized by this approach.


Abstract Expressions of low-frequency tidal periods are found throughout the Indonesian Seas' temperature field, supporting the hypothesis that vertical mixing is enhanced within the Indonesian Seas by the tides. The thermal signatures of tidal mixing vary mostly at the fortnightly and monthly tidal periods due to nonlinear dynamics redistributing tidal energy into these periods. Away from the coasts, the largest tidal mixing signatures are observed in sea surface temperature within the Scram and Banda Seas. Most of the Indonesian Throughflow passes through the Banda Sea where strong vertical mixing modifies the thermocline by transferring surface heat and freshwater to deeper layers before the upper water column is exported to the Indian Ocean. Modulation of vertical eddy fluxes within the Indonesian Seas by fortnightly and monthly tides may act to regulate ocean-atmosphere fluxes.


Air conditioning systems (ACSs) represent one of the main demands for electricity in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. The use of a photovoltaic air conditioning unit (PVACU) represents an attractive application to this demand for reasons such as environmental concerns and the match between diurnal cooling load and solar resource. A PVACU consists of a photovoltaic generator (PVG) that supply an ACS through direct current to direct current and frequency converters, without energy storage. This system considers the natural adjustment of the ACS cooling capacity according to the PVG power. Modeling the ACS, the PVG, and the thermal load (TL) makes possible to evaluate PVACU performance. For this, a small library's TL and an ACS supplied by a PVG were used as case study. The PVG installed capacity assumes values of 700, 1000, and 1400 Wp. The simulation results show that the PVACU with a 1400 Wp PVG would be sufficient to regulate internal temperature within international comfort standards in the range of 20 °C to 24 °C. According to the data obtained in the simulations, it was possible to conclude that the PVACU has a large potential to be used in air conditioning of other environments in regions with Amazonian climatic conditions.


Background: Motion perception may be preserved after damage to striate cortex (primary visual cortex, area V1). Awareness and normal discrimination of fast-moving stimuli have been observed even in the complete absence of V1. These facts suggest that motion-sensitive cortex (the V5/MT complex or V5/MT+) may be activated by direct thalamic or collicular inputs that bypass V1. Such projections have been identified previously in monkeys but have not been shown in humans using neuroimaging techniques. Methods: We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography to visualize white matter fiber tracts connecting with V5/MT+ in 10 healthy volunteers. V5/MT+ was localized for each subject using functional MRI (fMRI). Functional activity maps were overlaid on high-resolution anatomical images and registered with the diffusion-weighted images to define V5/MT+ as the region of interest (ROI) for DTI tractography analysis. Fibers connecting to V1 were excluded from the analysis. Results: Using conservative tractography parameters, we found connections between the V5/MT+ region and the posterior thalamus and/or superior colliculus in 4 of 10 subjects. Conclusions: Connections between the V5/MT+ region and the posterior thalamus and/or superior colliculus may explain visual motion awareness in the absence of a functioning V1.


Purpose: Diabetes mellitus (DM) in pregnancy produces adverse outcomes with significant human and economic costs. Potential lifetime cost savings of preventative preconception counseling for women with diabetes may reach $4.3 billion (U.S.). Preconception education has been shown in prior research to improve knowledge of reproductive risks in an adolescent diabetic population and to improve future health outcomes. This study assessed the current extent of preconception DM-related reproductive risk education at a tertiary academic medical center to better inform the opportunity for a systematic quality improvement intervention. Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) of females (N=70), ages 16-19, seen in the Pediatric Endocrinology clinic (20132016) and diagnosed with type 1 DM, type 2 DM, or insulin resistance. Any reproductive risks education documentation by providers, nursing or educators within Pediatric Endocrinology, or within consults to Nutrition or Obstetrics and Gynecology was reviewed and characterized. Results: According to EMR documentation, patient education for nonreproductive medical needs and complications of DM were consistently present in this population: 96% of patients received general diabetes education with at least 4/8 components. However, documented education regarding DM reproductive risks occurred for only 18% of the same patients while contraceptive use discussion occurred for 20%. Conclusion: The potential benefits of preconception education may include achieving recommended glucose control preceding and during pregnancy with fewer downstream maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Although limited by the single site, retrospective design and the unknown rate of reproductive education documentation failure, our findings reveal a performance gap of potential downstream medical significance. Recognizing this deficiency provides an opportunity for a population-based intervention to create improved health


This investigation studied the consistency of the within-cycle torque pattern in hand cycling (1) in subsequent cycles, (2) between different individuals, (3) between different power output levels, and (4) with respect to fatigue. Ten nondisabled male participants performed a progressive peak arm crank ergometry test; a number of 5-minute submaximal tests at 10, 20, 30, and 40 W; and one 15-minute submaximal test at 80% to 90% of their peak heart rate. A hand cycle unit attached to a computerized motor allowed for power output adjustments and registered position and torque. Variation coefficients were calculated and averaged for evaluation of the pattern consistency. Values were 2.7% to 3.9% for subsequent cycles, 3.2% to 5.3% between participants, 2.8% between different power output levels, and 3.1% with respect to fatigue. These results indicate a consistent within-cycle torque distribution pattern for subsequent cycles that is minimally influenced by factors such as power output and fatigue.


Sildenafil is a novel drug, primarily used to treat erectile dysfunction in males [1]. It has also been used to treat female sexual disorders [2] and pulmonary hypertension [3]. The drug acts through the NO-c GMP pathway causing smooth muscle dilatation/relaxation, hence increasing the blood flow to the penis, allowing the corpora cavernosa to accommodate more blood resulting in erection of the penis. The adverse effects of the drug reported so far have been headache, flushing, dyspepsia, nasal congestion, abnormal vision (blue-green vision), diarrhea, increased incidence of respiratory and urinary tract infection, dizziness and skin rash [4]. To the best of our knowledge, mastalgia has not been mentioned so far as an adverse effect of the drug. We hereby report such a case which we have recently seen. A 32-year-old male complained of breast tenderness after taking sildenafil 50 mg/day for a period of 3 weeks prescribed for erectile dysfunction. He was not on any concurrent medication. Systemic examination revealed no abnormality. Examination of the breasts revealed tenderness confined to the nipples and areolae of both breasts. However, there was no erythema, local rise of temperature or induration. The pain subsided within 48 h following withdrawal of sildenafil. However, pain and tenderness reappeared after 72 h following introduction of the drug and subsided within 48 h of stopping sildenafil. We would like to share our observation with others in the field.


The road network maintaining stability is critical for guaranteeing urban traffic function. Therefore, the vulnerable links need to be identified accurately. Previous vulnerability research under static condition compared the operating states of the old equilibrium before the event and the new equilibrium after the event to assess vulnerability ignoring the dynamic variation process. Does road network vulnerability change over time? This paper combines the vulnerability assessment with the traffic flow evolution process, exploring the road network vulnerability evaluation from the perspective of time dimension. More accurate identification and evaluation of vulnerable nodes and links can help to strengthen the ability of road network resisting disturbances. A modified dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) model is established for dynamic path selection (reselect the shortest path at the end of each link) based on the dynamic user optimal (DUO) principle. A modified cell transmission model is established to simulate the traffic flow evolution processes. The cumulative and time-varying index of vulnerability assessment is established from the viewpoint of traveler's time loss. Then the road network vulnerability assessment combined the traffic flow model with the vulnerability index. The road network vulnerability assessment of Bao'an Central District of Shenzhen, China, reveals that road network vulnerability does contain a dynamic process, and vulnerable links in each phase can be exactly identified by the model. Results showed that the road network would have a large vulnerability during the disordered phase when the main road fails. Therefore, prioritizing the smooth flow of main roads can weaken the impact of road network vulnerability exposure.


[reaction: see text] A short synthesis of (+/-)-spectinabilin via a trans-selective Suzuki coupling and subsequent Negishi-type methylation, and its biomimetic conversion to (+/-)-SNF4435C and (+/-)-SNF4435D is described.


Sexual assault protective behavioral strategies (PBS) may be negatively associated with sexual assault victimization. However, no studies to date have prospectively examined whether the use of sexual assault PBS is negatively associated with subsequent sexual assault experiences. The current study examined the association between the use of sexual assault PBS and subsequent sexual assault victimization severity. College women who reported engaging in heavy episodic drinking (n = 77) were assessed online for their use of sexual assault PBS and history of sexual assault victimization. In addition, a 3-month follow-up survey was given assessing sexual assault victimization severity in the past 3 months. The use of sexual assault PBS was negatively associated with sexual assault severity in the 3-month follow-up period. Future research should further examine these PBS to create more college-specific PBS and to determine whether they are useful as risk-reduction strategies.


The uptake, distribution, and clearance properties of 123I-IMP in the brain were evaluated in controls and asymptomatic crack users to investigate cerebral blood flow alterations in crack abuse. Serial dynamic planar images of the brain (0-25 min), SPECT of the brain (0.5 hr and 4 hr) and whole-body scans (75 min) were obtained in 21 crack abusers and 21 control subjects. Major observations include: (a) foci of abnormally reduced 123I-IMP activity mainly in the frontal and parieto-occipital cortex or marked irregularities in the uptake of 123I-IMP throughout the cerebral cortex consistent with moderate to severe disruption in regional cerebral blood flow were observed on the 0.5 hr SPECT images of 16/21 asymptomatic crack users; (b) no correlation could be demonstrated between the incidence or severity of SPECT perfusion abnormality with the frequency, amount or length of time of crack use; (c) focal perfusion defects observed in 6/21 crack users on the 0.5-hr SPECT images partially or completely filled-in on delayed SPECT at 4 hr in four of six subjects; (d) the rate of cerebral uptake of 123I-IMP in crack users averaged 23% less than observed in control subjects over the first 25 min after tracer administration; and (e) 123I-IMP activity reaching the brain of cigarette smoking control subjects (n = 14) at 25 min after injection averaged 42.5% less than in nonsmoking controls (n = 7). Quantitative measurements of the uptake and distribution properties of 123I-IMP in the brain proved to be an objective, sensitive and useful measure of regional cerebral blood flow in crack abuse.


Most video advertising campaigns today are still evaluated based on aggregate demographic audience metrics, rather than measures of individual impact or even individual demographic reach. To fit in with advertisers' evaluations, campaigns must be optimized toward validation by third-party measurement companies, which act as "oracles" in assessing ground truth. However, information is only available from such oracles in aggregate, leading to a setting with incomplete ground truth. We explore methods for building probabilistic classification models using these aggregate data. If they perform well, such models can be used to create new "engineered" segments that perform better than existing segments, in terms of lift and/or reach. We focus on the setting where companies already have machinery in place for high-performance predictive modeling from traditional, individual-level data. We show that model building, evaluation, and selection can be reliably carried out even with access only to aggregate ground truth data. We show various concrete results, highlighting confounding aspects of the problem, such as the tendency for pre-existing "in-target" segments actually to comprise biased subpopulations, which has implications both for campaign performance and modeling performance. The paper's main results show that these methods lead to engineered segments that can substantially improve lift and/or reach---as verified by a leading third-party oracle. For example, for lifts of 2-3X, segment reach can be increased to 57 times that of comparable, pre-existing segments.


This paper argues that if used correctly, computer-mediated courseware (CMC), in the form of an online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) such as Blackboard or Moodle, has the potential to offer adult learners in university settings an optimal autonomy-supportive environment for learning English as a second language at a distance. The paper firstly considers how to promote learner autonomy through offering participants choices during the initial stages of a course through a negotiated syllabus. It then divides the language learning process into metacognitive and cognitive linguistic capacities and provides examples of strategies to increase autonomy in these spheres. Autonomy with regard to metacognitive linguistic capacities can be developed first by the multimodal aspect of CMC, in particular, the unprecedented access to resources, second, through the array of mediums to select in the creation and submission of assignments and third, through the notion of 'dissemination' (Mayes, 2002), which allows for 'vicarious learning' (Bandura, 1986). Autonomy with regard to cognitive linguistic capacities can be promoted through goal-oriented participant interaction on spoken and written forums on the platform, followed by consciousness-raising language activities guiding students to notice patterns in the language. In conclusion, it is suggested that a VLE might lead to optimum learning through the facilitation of a state of 'flow' or 'autotelic' activity, a concept closely related to autonomy and intrinsic motivation.


Background: Paraquat (PQ) poisoning is a serious public health concern, especially in developing countries, due to its easy access and lack of awareness of potential harms. No effective treatment has been reported yet. Conventional hemodialysis (HD) is still used in many centers for excreting PQ or reducing acute kidney injury, but there is no consensus on its efficacy. Therefore, we aimed to review the HD efficacy in PQ poisoning mortality. Materials and Methods: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Excerpta Medical Database, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge, Pro-Quest, ScienceDirect, Springer, Clinical Key, Scientific Information Database, Magiran, and Iran-doc, in publications before January 1, 2020. We compared patients who underwent HD (Group 1) with those who did not (Group 2). The outcome was considered mortality/survival. The data were analyzed by Comprehensive Meta-analysis Software. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis included five studies with a combined total of 203 patients. The patients in the Group 1 had higher mortality than Group 2 (odds ratio, 2.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.22–6.64; P = 0.02). There was no evidence of publication bias (P value for Egger's test = 0.833). Conclusion: Although HD did not affect the survival of patients, other variables such as the amount of ingested PQ, poisoning severity, the time between PQ ingestion and the start of HD, duration, and times of HD sessions may influence the results regarding mortality.


In terms of the distribution of pre-Neogene rocks, the California Continental Borderland and associated coastal areas can be divided into the inner Borderland and the outer Borderland,each of which is floored with juxtaposed Mesozoic to Paleogene sedimentary sequences and a coeval melange resembling the Great Valley Sequence-Franciscan Complex couple of central and northern California. The stratigraphy of the Borderland shows local differences, and only the contemporary basins preserve more complete stratigraphic records that can be compared with each other. Seismic sequence analyses provide a basis for inferring that the Patton, Tanner, Santa Catalina, Santa Monica, San Pedro basins and San Diego Trough are floored with Franciscan-type basement, covered by Miocene to Hol cene sediments. The Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, and Santa Barbara basins are underlain by thick Mesozoic to Paleogene sequences draped by Miocene strata and filled with Paleocene to Holocene sediments. Generally speaking, Mesozoic to Paleogene sequences are composed of shallow- to deep-water siliciclastic deposits. The Miocene sequences are dominated by volcaniclastic and biogenic sediments, and the Pliocene to Holocene sequences are dominated by deep-water mass-flow deposits. Based on the available chrono-stratigraphic information, a preliminary interbasinal stratigraphic correlation can be established. The tectono-stratigraphic history of the Borderland can be accounted for by the interactions between the East Pacific Rise and the North American continent. During Mesozoic to early Tertiary times, the Borderland was a part of an Andean-type continental margin characterized by the coeval accumulation of fore-arc basin sequences and trench melange. After the East Pacific Rise impinged on the North American continent in the late Oligocene, transform tectonism gradually replaced subduction as the triple junctions passed along the continent edge. In the middle Miocene, End_Page 127------------------------ wrench processes transposed a piece of continental margin northwestward to form the outer Borderland, and caused formation of Borderland basins and deposition of widespread Miocene volcaniclastics and San Onofre-type sediments. After the major transform activity jumped to the present San Andreas fault in the late Miocene, tectonism dwindled in the offshore area and the residual transform forces gradually forged the present basin-and-ridge configuration. Available stratigraphic information indicates that the Cretaceous and Eocene apparently were periods of high sea stand, as evidenced by extensive marine incursion in the coastal area, whereas the Paleocene and Oligocene are periods of relative low sea stand. The Miocene is a period of high sea stand marked by extensive biogenic pelagic sedimentation. The Miocene-Pliocene boundary is characterized by a transition from biogenic sedimentation to mass-flow deposition. A period of slow mass-flow sedimentation in the late Pliocene is attributed to reduced terrigenous sediment input during the sea-level rise.


The aim of the study is to obtain the exact state of iron oxide catalyst active phase in reaction conditions, as well as the correlation between the active phase and catalytic properties of iron-containing catalysts. In situ Mössbauer spectroscopy is the major investigation technique. It is established that the change of reaction conditions (temperature and gas reaction mixture) lead to redistribution of the relative weight of spectra components and influence mainly tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated cations in Fe3O4 phase. It was concluded, that the active sites of the catalyst in studied reaction are probably pairs of Fe3++Fe2+-(Fe2.5+) ions, i.e. the mixed valance iron ions. The obtained catalytic activity can be explained with combination of the natural thermo-activated and catalytically induced electron exchange and better synchronizing of oxidation and reduction steps of the catalytic reaction.


This paper presents a new circuit of op-amp based LC oscillator design for wireless communications. This LC oscillator can be classified as a harmonic oscillator. Unlike Hartley, Colpitis and Clapp oscillators, the resonant tank circuit of the proposed op-amp based LC oscillator is composed of only two components --- single-inductor and single-capacitor, in parallel connection. Also, the LC oscillator does not use resistor components. The aim of this paper is to provide a low cost solution for sinusoidal oscillator design, particularly in low power mobile applications, where the power amplifier stage can be eliminated if the RF oscillator has enough output current and output voltage capabilities to supply the antenna load. On the other hand, the digital modulator is also integrated with the RF oscillator. The proposed op-amp based LC oscillator is analyzed and discussed using PSPICE simulation results. To verify the concept, experimental results are given. It can be observed that the simulation results are in line with the experimental results.