Coupled-line stages are designed with corrugated periods to accurately allocate inherent transmission zeros at three leading even harmonics of design frequency, fo. The corrugation pattern is finely trimmed so that phase velocities of the two eigenmodes can be simultaneously equalized at these frequencies. By decreasing number of coupled periods in a stage, frequencies of the zeros can be arbitrarily scaled up to a certain extent. In this way, a parallel-coupled line bandpass filter with a cascade of several such stages can be synthesized to be free of spurious harmonics up to at least 10 fo, with aid of tapped input/output coupling scheme. The measured data of the fabricated bandpass filter show a rejection level of better than 30 dB in the upper stopband up to 18 fo.


Smart building is an effective solution to address the issue of energy consumption in today's cyber-physical systems (CPSs) connected world. As an important tool to collect information from a fleet of electric appliance that installed in the building scope, a wireless sensor network is widely employed for this purpose. In this paper, we propose to incorporate forward error correction into the media access control layer of IEEE 802.15.4 standard for packets transmission, as the originally used automatic repeat request mechanism is a timing and energy consumed process that should be avoided in a noisy wireless channel of a smart building environment. Based on the developed CPS simulation platform, the bits error rate and packets error rate of convolutional codes (CCs), Reed-Solomon (RS) codes, and their concatenated codes are intensively investigated, on condition of been applied to different packet length and code rates. We show that the CCs are superior to other codes in most cases. However, the RS and CCs concatenated codes are good candidates, and the RS codes with larger symbol length are preferred for a longer packet. In this regard, future research will concentrated on non-line-of-sight wireless channel, and take the pulse interference from other devices into account.


In Argentina, deforestation due to agriculture expansion is threatening the Semi-arid Chaco, one of the largest forested biomes of South America. This study focuses on the north-west boundary of the Argentine Semi-arid Chaco, where soybean is the most important crop. Deforestation was estimated for areas with different levels of soil and rainfall limitation for agriculture between 1972 and 2001, with a finer analysis in three periods starting in 1984, which are characterized by differences in rainfall, soybean price, production cost, technology-driven yield and national gross domestic product. Between 1972 and 2001, 588 900 ha (c. 20% of the forests) were deforested. Deforestation has been accelerating, reaching >28 000 ha yr−1 after 1997. The initial deforestation was associated with black bean cultivation following an increase in rainfall during the 1970s. In the 1980s, high soybean prices stimulated further deforestation. Finally, the introduction of soybean transgenic cultivars in 1997 reduced plantation costs and stimulated a further increase in deforestation. The domestic economy had little association with deforestation. Although deforestation was more intense in the moister (rainfall >600 mm yr−1) areas, more than 300 000 ha have already been deforested in the drier areas, suggesting that climatic limitations are being overcome by technological and genetic improvement. Furthermore, more than 300 000 ha of forest occur in sectors without major soil and rainfall limitations. If global trends of technology, soybean markets and climate continue, and no active conservation policies are applied, vast areas of the Chaco will be deforested in the coming decades.


Osteoclasts, which are specialized bone multinuclear cells, are responsible for bone lytic diseases such as osteoporosis. 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone is a flavonoid from Acacia confusa. In the present study, we found that 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone markedly inhibited receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastic differentiation from mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone also reduced the mRNA expression levels of osteoclastic marker genes including the calcitonin receptor (CTR) and cathepsin K. In addition, 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone decreased the bone resorption activity of osteoclasts on dentin slices. We found that 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone inhibited RANKL-induced expression of c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1), a key transcription factor of osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, ectopic overexpression of a constitutively active form of NFATc1 completely rescued the anti-osteoclastogenic effect of 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone, suggesting that the anti-osteoclastogenic effect was mainly attributed to the reduction in NFATc1 expression. Taken together, our data suggest that 3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavone inhibits osteoclast differentiation and bone loss and may therefore be considered a promising drug candidate for treating or preventing bone-lytic diseases.


Soil is a material that serves as an support for the basis of a constuction, be it construction of
buildings, bridges and roads. Each region has different soil characteristics in other regions, there
is high and has a bearing capacity of those that are low. To improve the soil characteristics that
can lead to low bearing capacity, the necessary repairs to soil stabilization methods. Stabilization
efforts are often undertaken by stabilizing additives. In this research using a chemical additive
material that is TX-300, which is expected to improve the characteristics of the soil so the soil is
worthy of a construction established.
Soil samples that tested in this research is the soft clay are derived from Rawa Sragi, East
Lampung. This study used soil mixed with ash content about 0,9 ml with the optimum variation of
curing time used is 7 days, 14 days and 28 days. Based on the test of physical properties of
original soil, AASHTO classifies soil samples in group A-7 (clay soil) and subgroup A-7-5, while
the USCS classifies soil samples as fine-grained soil and belonging to CH group.
The results of laboratory studies indicate that the stabilization material using TX-300 can improve
the physical and mechanical properties of soft clay. The soil that has been stabilized with TX 300
has increased the value of specific gravity and bearing capacity and it is decreased of liquid limit
and indeks plastisity of soft clay. Based on the test results, this type of clay is not too good to be
used as a ground subgrade for road construction, because its PI's value is about ≥ 10% despite
value of CBR is plenty high.


Depression with melancholic features appears to be a discrete affective syndrome characterised by profound psychomotor, cognitive and mood disturbances that are qualitatively different from other forms of depression. Some investigators have hypothesised that melancholia may have a neurological basis with psychomotor disturbances associated with selective alterations in dopamine neurotransmission and disturbances in basal ganglia function. A number of studies have examined the role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of melancholia. Although relatively few prospective trials have focused on melancholic depression, several retrospective meta-analyses and trials in populations that are likely to include a high proportion of melancholic patients have provided a wealth of data. While some early studies suggested that SSRIs might be less effective in the treatment of melancholia, the results of these may have been biased and confounded by several side-effects of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), which might contribute to their apparent efficacy It appears, however, that the SSRIs may vary among themselves in their apparent efficacy in melancholia. In this regard, sertraline may be more efficacious than other SSRIs and similar to TCAs in the treatment of patients with melancholia. Several studies have suggested that the presence of melancholic features may predict a good response to sertraline, and it has been hypothesised that this may be the result of the relatively potent dopaminergic activity of sertraline, compared with other SSRIs.


Malignant tumors can induce a hypercoagulable state known as Trousseau syndrome that increases the risk for venous thromboembolism including disabling cerebral infarction. Anticoagulant therapy without anticancer treatment is not effective for amelioration of this coagulation abnormality. Most patients with lung cancer positive for activating mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but the efficacy and safety of EGFR-TKIs in such patients with a poor performance status (PS) due to Trousseau syndrome has been unclear. We here describe a patient with EGFR mutation–positive lung cancer who developed disabling cerebral infarction due to Trousseau syndrome. Administration of the EGFR-TKI gefitinib and anticoagulant therapy resulted in a partial tumor response and recovery from both the coagulation abnormality and the severe neurological symptoms. After the development of resistance to gefitinib, the EGFR-TKI osimertinib was safely administered until disease progression without recurrence of the coagulation abnormality. This case suggests that gefitinib followed by osimertinib may be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with EGFR mutation–positive lung cancer who experience disabling cerebral infarction due to Trousseau syndrome.


Abstract Sequential monthly-mean temperature fields in the mid-latitude western North Pacific (30–45°N, 140–180°E), constructed from TRANSPAC XBT (expendable bathythermograph) data over a two-year period, are employed to analyze the interaction between mesoscale variability and the mean flow of the Kuroshio Extension. An empirical temperature–dynamic height regression, and the geostrophic approximation, lead to the computation of mean and eddy horizontal velocity components over the region, from which horizontal eddy processes in both the mean momentum and the mean kinetic energy balances of the Kuroshio Extension are estimated. The Kuroshio Extension generally loses mean kinetic energy as it travels from the coast of Japan from 140 to 180°E, with much larger eddy kinetic energy west of the Shatsky Rise (160°E) than east of there. Concentrating upon zonally-averaged quantities in both subregions east and west of the Shatsky Rise, horizontal eddy momentum fluxes due to transient mesoscale variability (i.e....


This paper presents external load disturbance compensation that used to deadbeat load torque observer and regulation of the compensation gain by parameter estimator. The position response of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) follows that of the nominal plant. The load torque compensation method is composed of a deadbeat observer that is well-known method. However it has disadvantage such as a noise amplification effect. To reduce of the effect, the post-filter, which is implemented by MA process, is proposed. The parameter compensator with recursive least square method (RLSM) parameter estimator is suggested to push real system to nomial operating point of the motor system. The proposed RLSM estimator is combined with a high performance torque observer to resolve the problems. As a result, the proposed control system becomes a robust and precise system against the load torque and the parameter variation. A stability and usefulness, through the verified computer simulation and experiment, are shown in this paper.


Modern wireless standards use spectrally efficient complex modulation schemes and multiple carriers. The modulated RF signal in such systems has a variable envelope with high peak to average power ratio (PAPR) thus requiring linear amplification in the transmitter path. However, linear amplifiers suffer from poor efficiency. On the other hand, there is an increased trend to use wireless transceiver terminals that support an increasing number of different radio standards. A dream is to have a software-defined radio. Furthermore, in order to overcome the spectrum scarcity problem, dynamic spectrum access with cognitive radio technology is a very promising approach. In such applications a flexible or reconfigurable hardware platform is needed to allow for a flexible choice of radio frequency. Traditional hardware cannot handle these requirements. This thesis covers solutions to these two problems: (a) a transmitter power efficiency problem amplifying signals with a large PAPR and (b) a lack of flexible RF front-ends to choose an arbitrary RF transmitter frequency. The scope is limited to the RF front-end of the transmitter.


E-governance can be implemented very effectively using the cloud computing technologies. Security and privacy of data are the major challenges in cloud-based e-governance systems. With proper access control and user revocation schemes, we can protect the privacy and security of data stored in cloud servers used for e-governance. There are a lot of techniques to achieve the controlled access in cloud computing. In some applications of e-government, the users should be allowed to access data, only for a specific period of time. In this paper, we introduce a temporal access control scheme based on attribute-based encryption (ABE), which allows users to access the data according to their access policy and for a specific time period only. Our model includes both the temporal access scheme and a time-based proxy re-encryption scheme to allow a user's access right to expire automatically.


Obviously, there is a need for automated information security analysis, validation, evaluation and testing approaches. Unfortunately, there is no state-of-art approach to carrying out information security evaluation in a systematic way. Information security evaluation of software-intensive and telecommunications systems typically relies heavily on the experience of the security professionals. Requirements are within the focus of the information security evaluation process. Information security requirements can be based on iterative risk, threat and vulnerability analyses, and technical and architectural information. There is a need for more practical ways to carry out this iterative process. In this paper we discuss security evaluation process, security objectives and security requirements from the basis of the experiences of a security testing project


Implementing a robotic urological surgery program requires institutional support, and necessitates a comprehensive, detail‐oriented plan that accounts for training, oversight, cost and case volume. Given the prevalence of robotic surgery in adult urology, in many instances it might be feasible to implement a pediatric robotic urology program within the greater context of adult urology. This involves, from an institutional standpoint, proportional distribution of equipment cost and operating room time. However, the pediatric urology team primarily determines goals for volume expansion, operative case selection, resident training and surgical innovation within the specialty. In addition to the clinical model, a robust economic model that includes marketing must be present. This review specifically highlights these factors in relationship to establishing and maintaining a pediatric robotic urology program. In addition, we share our data involving robot use over the program's first nine years (December 2007–December 2016).


The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at a remarkable rate as a result of climatic warming. This mass loss coincides with the export of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in glacial meltwaters. However, little is known about how the source and composition of exported DOM changes over the melt season, which is key for understanding its fate in downstream ecosystems. Over the 2015 ablation season, we sampled the outflow of Leverett Glacier, a large land‐terminating glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and DOM fluorescence were analyzed to assess the evolution of DOM sources over the course of the melt season. DOC concentrations and red‐shifted fluorescence were highly associated (R2 > 0.95) and suggest terrestrial inputs from overridden soils dominated DOM early season inputs before progressive dilution with increasing discharge. During the outburst period, supraglacial drainage events disrupted the subglacial drainage system and introduced dominant protein‐like fluorescence signatures not observed in basal flow. These results suggest that subglacial hydrology and changing water sources influence exported DOC concentration and DOM composition, and these sources were differentiated using fluorescence characteristics. Red‐shifted fluorescence components were robust proxies for DOC concentration. Finally, the majority of DOM flux, which occurs during the outburst and postoutburst periods, was characterized by protein‐like fluorescence from supraglacial and potentially subglacial microbial sources. As protein‐like fluorescence is linked to the bioavailability of DOM, the observed changes likely reflect seasonal variations in the impact of glacial inputs on secondary production in downstream ecosystems due to shifting hydrologic regimes.


The emergence of the Internet as a measureable manifestation of our social and economic relationships changed the domination of networks in our lives. From about 2000, the internet has allowed us to study and understand the type of networks in which we live, and to model their behaviour. The Internet has fundamentally changed the distribution of wealth. The rich became richer simply because of the larger scale of the trading network and stretched national wealth distributions. Network effects are therefore likely to be responsible for much of the perceived increases in inequalities in the last 20-30 years, and policies to tackle poverty must therefore address the extent to which the poor can engage with society's networks of wealth creation. The greatest challenge to continued growth and prosperity, and therefore to peace and justice, is climate change. The potential cost of inaction on climate change could be as high. Our self-organising social networks have structured our societies and economies, and are now reflected in our technology networks. We can now replicate their evolution in computer simulations and can therefore better assess how to deal with the greatest challenges facing us in the next few decades.


Infrared and visible image fusion plays a vital role in the field of computer vision. Previous approaches make efforts to design various fusion rules in the loss functions. However, these experimental designed fusion rules make the methods more and more complex. Besides, most of them only focus on boosting the visual effects, thus showing unsatisfactory performance for the follow-up high-level vision tasks. To address these challenges, in this letter, we develop a semantic-level fusion network to sufficiently utilize the semantic guidance, emancipating the experimental designed fusion rules. In addition, to achieve a better semantic understanding of the feature fusion process, a fusion block based on the transformer is presented in a multi-scale manner. Moreover, we devise a regularization loss function, together with a training strategy, to fully use semantic guidance from the high-level vision tasks. Compared with state-of-the-art methods, our method does not depend on the hand-crafted fusion loss function. Still, it achieves superior performance on visual quality along with the follow-up high-level vision tasks.


Research indicates that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) impact positively on students' attainment in primary school mathematics classrooms, depending on the nature of the pedagogy used (Higgins, Xiao, & Katsipataki, 2012). However, how ICTs are used pedagogically depends on how teachers perceive them (Bray & Tangney, 2017). Over the past decade, South Africa has invested heavily in ICTs in education, in the hopes that their use may impact positively on extremely low outcomes that are recorded in mathematics and reading in the country (Spaull, 2013). This investment, however, has not paid dividends, calling into question exactly how ICTs are used in teaching/learning in this context. This paper seeks to address teachers' perceptions of teaching with ICTs in order to ascertain whether teachers do indeed use ICTs in their classrooms and whether they believe this changes their pedagogy thereby impacting positively on outcomes in mathematics at a grade 6 level. Interviews with 6 teachers across 4 non-fee-paying schools, using Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a frame, indicated that teachers do indeed believe that their pedagogy has shifted with the use of ICTs and that this has had a positive impact on mathematics learning.


lative yield of the lowest triplet state of acridine increases with increasing temperature in water, ethanol, and isopropanol, but decreases in methylmethacrylate (MMA) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). In benzene it remains constant in the range of 278 to 336 K. The lowest excited singlet state is of π,π* character in all the solvents studied. The energy gap between the singlet π,π* and n,π* states is larger in the order of water>alcohols>MMA, PMMA and benzene. The intersystem crossing through the singlet n,π* state becomes less singnificant for larger energy gap.


Loss-of-function mutations in the SCN5A gene, encoding the cardiac Nav1.5 sodium channel, have been previously associated with Brugada syndrome (BrS). Despite the low prevalence of the disease, we identified a patient carrying two SCN5A mutations. We aimed at establishing a correlation between genotype, clinical phenotype and in vitro sodium current. A 3-year-old boy presented with right bundle branch block and ST-segment elevation. Genetic analysis and electrophysiology studies in transfected HEK293 cells were performed to identify possibly disease-causing variants and assess their effect on sodium channel function. Two SCN5A variants were identified: a new frameshift deletion causing premature truncation of the putative protein (c.3258_3261del4) and a missense substitution (p.F1293S). In vitro studies revealed that the truncated mutant did not produce functional channels and decreased total sodium current when co-expressed with p.F1293S channels compared to p.F1293S alone. In addition, p.F1293S channels presented with a steep slope of steady-state activation voltagedependency, which was shifted towards more positive potentials by the co-expression with the truncated channel. p.F1293S channels also showed shift towards more positive potentials of the steady-state inactivation both alone and co-expressed with the deletion mutant. Our data identified a severe reduction of sodium channel current associated with two distinct SCN5A changes. However, all mutation carriers were asymptomatic and BrS electrocardiogram was observed only transiently in the compound heterozygous subject. These observations underline the difficulty of genotype/ phenotype correlations in BrS patients and support the idea of a polygenic disorder, where different mutations and variants can contribute to the clinical phenotype.


Background The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) has been validated as a predictor of overall survival and post-surgical mortality. CCI is adopted by Tokyo Guidelines as one of the main criteria in the management of acute cholecystitis. Our study evaluates the role of CCI in predicting difficult cholecystectomy. Methods All patients who underwent cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis between January 2017 and September 2019 were included. CCI, Emergency Surgery Score (ESS), and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score were calculated and analyzed to assess their predictive value for difficult cholecystectomy. Results A total of 96 patients were included and allocated to difficult and non-difficult cholecystectomy groups. CCI was found to be a significant predictor of difficult cholecystectomy (OR 1.59; 59% CI, 1.04. 2.42; p= 0.031). Similarly, ESS was found to be a predictor tool of difficult cholecystectomy (OR 1.42; 59% CI, 1.05. 1.93; p= 0.024). There was no significant difference in adverse outcomes between the two groups. Conclusion CCI was able to predict a difficult cholecystectomy in our study population. However further studies are required to evaluate if it can be used as a predictor of adverse outcomes in the context of acute cholecystitis.


In this paper, a new numerical technique to solve linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations of order 0 < α < 1 in sense of Caputo's definition is proposed. The efficiency of this technique will be illustrated by solving several examples of linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations of order 0 < α < 1. AMS Subject Classification: 65D25


We report a new approach for the synthesis of multifunctional Au core@Prussian Blue analogous (PBA) shell nanoheterostructures that involves PBA shell growth on the surface of cyanide-stabilized gold nanoparticles. It permits the assembly of Au@KNiII [FeII (CN)6 ] core@shell and Au@KNiII [FeII (CN)6 ]@KNiII [CrIII (CN)6 ] core@shell@shell heterostructures with well-defined and size-controlled gold cores and PBA shells. These heterostructures exhibit tunable size- and shape-dependent magnetic and optical properties: (i) the surface plasmon resonance band position and intensity mainly depend on the PBA shell thickness, and (ii) the magnetic properties (the transition temperature, the coercivity, and magnetic regime) depend in a complex manner on the thickness as well as the particular morphology of the magnetic shell.


The entry into force of the Statute of the International Criminal Court represents an important development for the prosecution of international crimes committed by individuals. The Court has jurisdiction over violations related to both human rights and humanitarian law, but the Court has a complementary jurisdiction in relation to national courts. The aforementioned issues imply relevant relations between international and national law, mainly in criminal matters, which are usually reserved to national jurisdiction. In this paper we present some issues related to this complex relationship.


Introduction: Anxiety and depression are underdiagnosed in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. Few studies have tried to identify their association with hospitalization (severe exacerbation). The objective of this study was to determine whether the anxiety/depression was associated with severe exacerbation.
Method: A prospective cohort study based on a sample of 512 patients diagnosed with COPD originating from Primary Care in a rural area in Lleida (Spain) and monitored between 01/11/2012 and 31/10/2014. For each patient, variables of interest were recorded; they were administered the HADS test (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) to determine the possible presence of anxiety/depression, and its association with severe exacerbation was analysed using a logistic regression model.
Results: Initially, the prevalence of anxiety/depression was 15.6%. The incidence of global hospitalization in the first year was 8.2%, and 11.3% in the second. In patients with anxiety/depression, it increased to 17.5% in the first year and 18.8% in the second. In the multivariate regression model, the diagnosis of anxiety/ depression almost doubled the risk of hospitalization (ORa=1.94) (p<0.041).
Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are associated with an increased risk of hospitalization. Intervention studies are needed to evaluate the effects of anxiety/ depression in the hospitalization.


This study evaluated whether continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) diffusion model could be used to distinguish benign from malignant renal tumors, as well as compared the diagnostic effectiveness between the diffusion parameters of CTRW and apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC). The results demonstrated that CTRW diffusion model as a new noninvasive MR technique, was able to differentiate benign from malignant renal masses in vivo, and further improve the diagnostic efficiency of renal malignant masses compared with conventional diffusion imaging.


Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is one of the critical elements of the global climate system, and strongly affects food production and security of most people over Asia. However, the characteristics and the forcing drivers of the ASM system at decadal to centennial time scales remain unclear. To address these issues, we report four 1500-yr long climate model simulations based on the Community Earth System Model (CESM), including full-forced run (ALLR), control run (CTRL), natural run (NAT), and anthropogenic run (ANTH). After evaluating the performances of the CESM in simulating ASM precipitation, a 10-100 bandpass filter is applied to obtain the decadalcentennial signals in ASM precipitation. The main conclusions are (1) the variation of ASM intensity shows significant decadal to centennial periodicities in the ALLR, such as ~15, ~25, ~40, and ~70 years. (2) the major spatial-temporal ASM precipitation distributions in the ALLR show an external forced mode and climate internal variability mode, respectively. (3) The leading forced mode of ASM precipitation is mainly affected by natural forcing over the past 1500 years and characterizes a meridional spatial 'tripole' mode. In the NAT (solar irradiation and volcanic eruptions), the substantial warming (cooling) over the western tropical Pacific enhances (or reduces) the SST gradient change in the tropical Pacific, and modifying the ASM rainfall distribution. Our findings contribute to better understanding of the ASM in the past, and provide implications for future projections of the ASM under global warming.


Spiking neural networks show promising capability in handling the same kind of scaling up of problems as living brains, due to their more faithful similarity to biological neural networks. The big challenge of dealing with spiking neural networks is getting data into and out of them, which requires proper encoding and decoding methods. Presented in this paper is an adaptation of Izhikevich's model of a polychronous spiking network and an encoding scheme for real valued data. Data is chosen arbitrarily to cover the range of the encoding scheme in order to best demonstrate the network's response to different inputs. Preliminary results show that the network is able to recognize distinct input values and respond to them with unique spiking patterns.


This essay proposes a reading of A. Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-02) from the perspective of soundscape studies. It applies the lexicon, taxonomy, and strategies of this field of study to the interpretation of the literary crime scene(s). To sustain its ideas, the essay takes into consideration a few other stories from the Holmes canon as well. The essay reveals the importance of the soundscape as a fundamental element not only in the economy of the investigation, but also in Doyle's project of post-Darwinian restructuring of reality. So, together with Doyle's need for rendering a coherent vision of the universe in his novel, the essay also considers his need for rendering a coherent hearing of the universe.


ABSTRACT The brood sex ratio of the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata is highly variable among parents in areas where it has been introduced. Such variation in the sex ratio may reflect variation in the source population, or it may have stemmed from the mixture of multiple source populations with different sex-determining mechanisms. To distinguish these hypotheses, the sex ratios of F1 (hatchlings from wild-collected egg masses) and F2 snails (produced from crosses of the F1 snails) from three sites in the native range in Argentina were studied. The sex ratios of the F1 snails were not significantly different from 0.5, although there was a slight but significant difference among populations. The F2 broods from intra-population crosses also lacked variation in the sex ratio. However, the sex ratios in F2 broods from inter-population crosses were highly variable, from 0 (all females) to 0.84 (mostly males). Thus, the large variation in the sex ratio in areas where P. canaliculata has been introduced is probably due to the mixture of source populations.


Previous work has shown that the efficacy of cancer prevention by selenium-enriched garlic (Se-garlic) is primarily dependent on the action of selenium. Additionally, supplementation of Se-garlic inhibited the post-initiation phase of mammary carcinogenesis when it was given continuously to the animals. In this report, experiments were carried out in which treatment with the Se-garlic was started after carcinogen dosing (DMBA or MNU) but was restricted to either the early or late stage of neoplastic progression. The results from these two models showed that a short-term exposure to the Se-garlic for 1 month immediately following carcinogen administration was just as effective in cancer prevention as the continuous exposure regimen (5 months), suggesting that the Se-garlic may irreversibly alter the process of clonal expansion and/or selection of transformed cells during their early stage of development. Plasma and mammary tissue selenium levels essentially returned to basal levels at 1 month after withdrawal of supplementation. These observations imply that the outcome of cancer protection by short-term Se-garlic intervention was not due to a slow turnover, and therefore a lingering presence, of selenium in the target organ or in the circulation. The above finding was in contrast to that of a second study in which Se-garlic was supplemented starting at 13 weeks after carcinogen treatment. With this protocol, the number of new tumors and the number of new tumor-bearing rats found during the intervention period (weeks 13 to 22) were not statistically different between the control and supplemented groups, suggesting that Se-garlic had a minimal effect on the later stages of mammary carcinogenesis.


The surveillance test specified in JEAC4201 requires the fracture toughness evaluation of base metal at 1/4-T thickness and T-L orientation, where the initial fracture toughness generally is the minimum in whole thickness at any orientation. In the present study, actual through-wall fracture toughness distribution from a commercial RPV base metal on both of T-L and L-S (actual through crack orientation) orientations were evaluated from Zion Unit 1, which was decommissioned after 25 years (15EFPY) commercial operation. A base metal block of 40mm(T) × 216mm(L) × 216mm(S) was retrieved from belt line region by effort of ORNL and provided to CRIEPI under the USA - Japan collaborative agreement on civil nuclear research framework called CNWG. Through-wall fracture toughness distribution was characterized by means of the Master Curve method utilized by 4mm thickness C(T) "Mini-C(T)" specimens. Near surface material possessed significantly high fracture toughness at amount of 40 degrees Celsius lower reference temperature (To) than those in center thickness locations, despite of higher neutron fluence gained during service operation. Pressurized thermal shock evaluation by probabilistic fracture mechanics code PASCAL4 demonstrated that through-wall fracture probability can be remarkably lowered by considering through-wall fracture toughness distribution.


The lateral hypothalamus has been long suspected of triggering the expression of positive emotions, because stimulations of its tuberal portion provoke bursts of laughter. Electrophysiological studies in various species have indeed confirmed that the lateral hypothalamus contributes to reward mechanisms. However, only the rudiments of the neural circuit underlying the expression of positive emotions are known. The prefrontal cortex, the lateral hypothalamus, and the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) are involved in these circuits; so, too, are the brainstem nuclei that control the laryngeal muscles and subserve mimicry, as well as the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The implicated populations of hypothalamic neurons have not been defined either anatomically or molecularly. One promising candidate is the novel parvafox nucleus, which we recently described, in the murine medial forebrain bundle (mfb), which specifically expresses parvalbumin and Foxb1. With the molecularly defined parvafox nucleus as a centerpiece, the inputs from the prefrontal cortex and the projections to the PAG and brainstem can be studied with precision. By drawing on genetic approaches, it will be possible to manipulate the circuitry selectively with spatial and temporal exactitude and to evaluate the concomitant autonomic changes. These data will serve as a basis for imaging studies in humans using various paradigms to provoke the expression of positive emotions. In conclusion, studies of the hypothalamic parvafox nucleus will reveal whether this entity represents the fulcrum for positive emotions, as is the amygdala for fear and the insula for disgust. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1616–1623, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In history, anthropomorphism was central to architecture. From Vitruvius to Le Corbusier, the human body served as a measure for proportion in the architectonics of embodiment. Some argue that Le Modulor represented the end of the body metaphor. However, contemporary theory points to new analogies between body and building, which are based on relationality rather than transprojections or physical emulations. With postmodemism and post-structural feminism, the humanist body was replaced with extendibility and a crossbreeding between body and environment. With this came a shift in body theory from objectification to an emphasis on SUbjectivity - where the body of the user is seen as measure again. However, this measure is based on the performativity and sensibility of a conscious subject who performs an act. Simultaneous to this development, emerged the notion of interface. With cyber culture, the interface is not only defined as a technological element but as an aspect of embodiment. In this context, I suggest an ana(ogy based on 'Relationallnterfacings', where a sensible and locational interface intervenes with a virtual construction (or a map) in architectural site. This in tum allows for a particularisation of memory, site-mapping and suspension of boundaries. Relational interfacings, I argue, promise to redirect the forces from monumentality to intimacy in architecture, and from a passive body to a conscious user in action. Three interventions test the affects of relational interfacings on users performativity, sociality and site-specificity. These interventions took place in real architectural sites and involved using intuitive and locational technologies to produce a virtual map on site. In the course of examining these interventions, I discuss the development of an Intervention Protocol as a diplomatic framework to guide the interventions design and analysis. This protocol helps to mark a crucial intersection of discourses and practices and sites, which locate the intervention within a definite social/architectural formation. It also promises to secure a shift from body objectification to subjectivity. The intervention protocol involves three main processes: (a) site-mapping to study memory, sociality and site-specificity, (b) ethnographic mapping where body movement becomes a measure of performativity, and (c) the possibility of a horizontal replication. In the conclusion, I revisit the postmodem body and discuss the body of user as a possible measure in architecture. I also redefine the interface as an aspect of embodiment, and discuss the impact of virtuality and interfacings in the body-architecture analogy. The thesis ends with a discussion of the interventions' development and of the outcomes, usefulness and possible applications of the interventions.


The introduction of basic treatment for heart failure dates to the late 1990s. Since that time, apart from a few new developments reserved for selected patients, there has been little progress. During these years, the epidemiology of the disease has evolved. The number of patients is constantly increasing and the prognosis is often darker than most oncological pathologies. With the arrival of the sacubitril/valsartan combination, Entresto®, a new therapeutic class has emerged. It has shown a significant reduction in mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure. The additional benefits to be expected from this molecule are still being evaluated. Significant positive remodeling seems to be a reality for many patients. This spectacular advance, however, is not the final solution. In addition, patients with preserved heart failure do not seem to benefit the same from this molecule. Other advances are being assessed. Sacubitril/valsartan is the first revolution, perhaps, in a long series.


Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) fruit are a major crop of Thailand and many other countries. Tamarind fruit are used in food processing, but their  seeds, which constitute about 34% of each fruit, are largely a wasted byproduct. Production of fresh noodles, using flour made from tamarind seed (TSF) as a partial substitute for wheat flour, was tested. The proportion of TSF in the flour was varied from 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%, with the balance being white wheat flour. Results showed that with increasing the levels of TSF in the flour there was a concomitant increase in their carotenoid content, but 15% resulted in negative responses from the sensory evaluation panel due mainly to darkening and browning of the color of the noodles and making them less soft and less elastic. These perceptions by the panelists were reflected in the measurement of L*, a* and b* and the tensile force of dough and tensile strength of cooked noodles. When the noodles made from 10% TSF plus 90% wheat flour were tested, their moisture content, protein, total carbohydrate, fat and ash were 70.6, 6.26, 21.5, 1.08, 0.490 g/100g and calories was 121 kcal/100g, respectively and their mineral contents were calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium at 16.0, 14.4, 45.3, 27.2 and 130 mg/100g, respectively. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity also progressively increased with increasing levels of TSF in the flour. The total phenolic content from noodles made from 10% TSF plus 90% refined wheat flour were 7.92 mg GAE/g, antioxidant activity was 29.6 mM TE/g by ferric reducing antioxidant power, 17.1 mM TE/g by 2,2 diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl assay and 3.84 mM TE/g by 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazo line-6- sulphonic acid). The descriptive analysis of eight trained panelists discovered 16 individual attributes of cooked noodles made from 10% TSF plus 90% wheat flour.These attributes were yellowness, turbidity, egg odor, flour odor, tamarind flour odor, roasted tamarind seed odor, alkaline odor, egg flavor, flour flavor, tamarind flour flavor, roasted tamarind seed flavor, bitter taste, wetness, smoothness, softness and elasticity. The descriptive analysis showed that the cooked noodles containing 10% TSF had similar characteristics to cooked noodles made from 100% wheat flour except for roasted tamarind seed odor, tamarind flour flavor and roasted tamarind seed flavor that were unique characteristics, as would be expected.
Key words: Antioxidant activity, Chemical properties, Noodle, Sensory attributes, Tamarind seeds flour


The horizontal and vertical chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl) distributions along the ship route of 79th cruise of R/V "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh" in the Atlantic Ocean in December 2019—January 2020 were obtained. Analysis of the observations was conducted for the biogeochemical provinces which were determined by means of the different hydrometeorological conditions for the phytoplankton community functioning.Three methods of Chl measurements were applied: standard extraction method of the seawater samples, the fluorometer underway measurements in the flow-through water system at the depth of 5 m and in-situ profiling fluorometer measurements at stations. Also, measurements of the seawater temperature and salinity in the flow-through water system, the CTD and optical profiling, and ARGO floats were used.The maximum Chl values in the near-surface ocean layer are observed at zones of divergence in the Canary upwelling systems (CNRY) (1.3 mg/m3) and in the Falkland (Malvinas) Current system (4.8 mg/m3), and also in the Drake Strait (1.2 mg/m3). The least Chl values (0.01–0.12 mg/m3) are observed in the tropical, equatorial areas and in the South Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclonic Gyre (SASTG) at the ship route.Vertical Chl profiles with absence of the significant Chl maximum were found. In the CNRY region the Chl values were not changed much within the euphotic zone. While in the region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Drake Strait and in the offshore stream of the Falkland Current the quasi-homogeneous Chl profiles were observed in the upper layer which is almost 2 times deeper than the euphotic zone.In the profiles with the significant local Chl maximum the most Chl value of 3.5 mg/m3 is observed at the depth about 12 m in the upwelling region on the Patagonian Shelf. In other regions the depth of Chl maximum localization (0.2–0.9 mg/m3) varies widely from 25 to 120 m. In the western part of the SASTG region the absolute Chl maxima were found at the depth of 120 m, that is deeper, then the euphotic zone which is equal to 100 m.


Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common chronic neurodegenerative disorder, has complex neuropathology. The principal neuropathological hallmarks of the disease are the deposition of extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) comprised of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein. These changes occur with neuroinflammation, a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and neuronal synaptic dysfunction, all of which ultimately lead to neuronal cell loss and cognitive deficits in AD. Aβ1–42 was stereotaxically administered bilaterally into the CA1 region of the hippocampi of 18-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. This study aimed to characterize, utilizing immunohistochemistry and behavioral testing, the spatial and temporal effects of Aβ1–42 on a broad set of parameters characteristic of AD: p-tau, neuroinflammation, vascular pathology, pyramidal cell survival, and behavior. Three days after Aβ1–42 injection and before significant neuronal cell loss was detected, acute neuroinflammatory and vascular responses were observed. These responses included the up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1, also known as CD31), fibrinogen labeling, and an increased number of activated astrocytes and microglia in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. From day 7, there was significant pyramidal cell loss in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and by 30 days, significant localized up-regulation of p-tau, GFAP, Iba-1, CD31, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the Aβ1–42-injected mice compared with controls. These molecular changes in Aβ1–42-injected mice were accompanied by cognitive deterioration, as demonstrated by long-term spatial memory impairment. This study is reporting a comprehensive examination of a complex set of parameters associated with intrahippocampal administration of Aβ1–42 in mice, their spatiotemporal interactions and combined contribution to the disease progression. We show that a single Aβ injection can reproduce aspects of the inflammatory, vascular, and p-tau induced pathology occurring in the AD human brain that lead to cognitive deficits.


An analysis of the first two years of postseismic surface deformations from GPS reveals that afterslip is the only mechanism significantly contributing to postseismic deformation following the 2004 M6 Parkfield, California earthquake. Finite element modeling shows this event to have been too small to significantly stress the lower crust and upper mantle, thus viscoelastic relaxation did not lead to detectable surface displacements. Similarly, coseismically induced pressure changes in the upper crust were not sufficient to induce a measurable poroelastic response. From 10 days to two years after the Parkfield earthquake, postseismic displacements at all GPS stations experience the same characteristic decay time (∼2 weeks). This suggests that only afterslip was activated and the distribution of slip remained unchanged in this time period. Afterslip was found to be broadly distributed in the upper 15 km of the crust and associated with a moment release of much greater magnitude than the coseismic rupture.


Systemic lidocaine (3-4 mg/kg) was tested for its effect on identified spinal cord wide-dynamic-range (WDR) neurons in rats with a unilateral chronic neuropathy induced by two different peripheral nerve injuries (section or compression by ligatures). In both cases, neurons on the side ipsilateral to the injuries showed a spontaneous firing frequency higher than that of the opposite intact side (23.5 +/- 3.4 vs 4.2 +/- 1.5 spikes/sec). The hyperactivity was not affected by a sensory block of the peripheral receptive field. It was consistently found that lidocaine suppressed or reduced the spontaneous neuronal hyperactivity on the ipsilateral side, whereas it had no effect on the normal spontaneous activity of the neurons on the intact side. In all recordings, the hyperactivity returned to the prelidocaine injection rates within 20 min. These results indicate a preferential action of subanesthetic doses of lidocaine on the hyperactive WDR neurons. Such preferential action is related to a susceptibility acquired by WDR neurons of the peripherally injured side and is not simply attributable to the increased frequency of firing.


Abstract. September open water fraction in the Arctic is analyzed using the satellite era record of ice concentration (1979–2014). This analysis suggests that there is a statistically significant breakpoint (shift in the mean) and increase in the variance around 1988 and another breakpoint around 2007 in the Pacific sector. These structural breaks are robust to the choice of algorithm used for deriving sea ice concentration from satellite data, and are also apparent in other measures of open water, such as operational ice charts and the record of navigable days from Barrow to Prudhoe Bay. Breakpoints in the Atlantic sector record of open water are evident in 1988 and 2007 but more weakly significant. The breakpoints appear to be associated with concomitant shifts in average ice age, and tend to lead change in Arctic circulation regimes. These results support the thesis that Arctic sea ice may have critical points beyond which a return to the previous state is less likely.


Many memorable characters in Western culture could be viewed as having features of autism or Asperger syndrome. In spite of the familiarity of autistic stereotypes such as Star Trek 's Mr Spock, more completely described characters with autism are still unusual. In recent years there has been a growing interest in autism, mirrored by an increase in depictions of autism in popular works of fiction and autobiography. In this article I will outline the issues that have preoccupied writers and the techniques they have used to demonstrate autistic difference. Some writers have illuminated aspects of the autistic triad of social impairment, abnormalities of language and need for sameness. Other writers have opened our eyes to the autistic world view in its strangeness and richness. Still more have started to examine prejudice, disability rights and the implications of an international autism community. As in other areas of mental health, literature can help inform, entertain and question our attitudes and values.


The goal of regenerative periodontal therapy is to completely restore the tooth's supporting apparatus that has been lost due to inflammatory periodontal disease or injury. It is characterized by formation of new cementum with inserting collagen fibers, new periodontal ligament, and new alveolar bone. Indeed conventional, nonsurgical, and surgical periodontal therapy usually result in clinical improvements evidenced by probing depth reduction and clinical attachment gain, but the healing occurs predominantly through formation of a long junctional epithelium and no or only unpredictable periodontal regeneration. Therefore, there is an ongoing search for new materials and improved surgical techniques, with the aim of predictably promoting periodontal wound healing/regeneration and improving the clinical outcome. This article attempts to provide the clinician with an overview of the most important biologic events involved in periodontal wound healing/ regeneration and on the criteria on how to select the appropriate regenerative material and surgical technique in order to optimize the clinical outcomes.


Abstract. Nijssen's Information Analysis Method (niam) provides a powerful grammar for generating conceptual schema diagrams. We evaluate this grammar systematically using an ontological model proposed by Bunge, Wand and Weber. Our analysis shows niam'Sgrammar has many desirable features. Nevertheless, we conclude it is deficient in three respects. First, we argue that construct overload occurs in niam'Sgrammar. Multiple real‐world features are represented by the same grammatical construct in niam. As a result, we predict users of niam will sometimes be confused about which characteristics of the real world are being represented by niam'Soverloaded grammatical constructs. Second, we argue that construct redundancy occurs in niam. Multiple grammatical constructs can be used to represent the same real‐world feature. As a result, we predict users of niam will choose to employ only one of the grammatical constructs provided to represent a particular real‐world feature. Alternatively, they will equivocate in their choice of a grammatical construct and thus undermine their effectiveness and efficiency in using niam. Third, we argue niam has construct deficit. Some ontological constructs have no corresponding grammatical construct in niam. As a result, we predict users of niam will employ other grammars to represent real‐world features that cannot be represented by niam'Sgrammar. We predict that using multiple grammars to represent real‐world features, however, will evoke other problems associated with attaining consistent representations among the scripts generated via the grammars.


This study considers the partial monitoring problem with $k$-actions and $d$-outcomes and provides the first best-of-both-worlds algorithms, whose regrets are favorably bounded both in the stochastic and adversarial regimes. In particular, we show that for non-degenerate locally observable games, the regret is $O(m^2 k^4 \log(T) \log(k_{\Pi} T) / \Delta_{\min})$ in the stochastic regime and $O(m k^{2/3} \sqrt{T \log(T) \log k_{\Pi}})$ in the adversarial regime, where $T$ is the number of rounds, $m$ is the maximum number of distinct observations per action, $\Delta_{\min}$ is the minimum suboptimality gap, and $k_{\Pi}$ is the number of Pareto optimal actions. Moreover, we show that for globally observable games, the regret is $O(c_{\mathcal{G}}^2 \log(T) \log(k_{\Pi} T) / \Delta_{\min}^2)$ in the stochastic regime and $O((c_{\mathcal{G}}^2 \log(T) \log(k_{\Pi} T))^{1/3} T^{2/3})$ in the adversarial regime, where $c_{\mathcal{G}}$ is a game-dependent constant. We also provide regret bounds for a stochastic regime with adversarial corruptions. Our algorithms are based on the follow-the-regularized-leader framework and are inspired by the approach of exploration by optimization and the adaptive learning rate in the field of online learning with feedback graphs.


INTRODUCTION
Long asymptomatic course of diabetes and insufficient treatment lead to many chronic complications.

AIM OF STUDY
Assessment of the quality of ambulatory diabetes care in Szczecin and nearest region.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
In year 2001 patients with previously diagnosed diabetes hospitalized in 35 wards of several hospitals in Szczecin were inquired for data concerning ambulatory care before hospitalization.

STUDY GROUP
120 subjects (60 women and 60 men), aged 65 +/- 13 years, diabetes duration 9.1 +/- 7.1 years. Type 2 diabetes--104 cases, type 1-10 cases, other types of diabetes--6 cases.

RESULTS
Health care was provided by general practitioners (GPs) for 63% of patients, by diabetologist for 31% of them; 6% stayed out of control. In the proceeding month 49% of subjects attended visit related to diabetes; in 10% such a visit was reported in the period longer than 6 months. Glucose measurement performed every day was reported by 28% of subjects, once a month--by 36%, rarely--by 15%. Blood pressure measurements were performed by doctors in 43% of subjects, self control was performed by 42% of them and in 10% blood pressure was not measured at all. In the proceeding year eyes examination related to diabetes was performed in 63% of patients; in 26% such examination was never done. Foot examination was never done in 66% of diabetics. ECG examination was done in 57% of subjects last year, in 39% it was never done. Cholesterol serum level was measured last year in 52% of subjects.

CONCLUSIONS
1. Quality of ambulatory diabetes care is highly unsatisfactory and insufficient. 2. To improve health care for diabetics obligatory training in practical diabetology was conducted for all GPs from north-west region of Poland in 2002 y.


Operator inattention can lead to accidents in industry, resulting in injury, death, and financial loss. To prevent this, we present a warning system that leverages artificial intelligence and augmented reality. In order to compare our warning system with the business-as-usual (safety mat) and no warning conditions, we conducted experiments with nine participants using quantitative measurements. Additionally, augmented reality warning types (auditory, visual, and audiovisual) were compared in an experiment with 30 participants. Several hypotheses were tested using subjective questionnaires: participants accept the warning system as beneficial overall (H1), participants prefer auditory warnings to visual warnings (H2), and the audiovisual system would be the most preferred warning system (H3). Participants' acceptance of the system was high, and they preferred audiovisual warnings to the other types of warnings. Participants ranked the visual warning as preferable to the auditory warning. The results can be utilized to design warning systems to reduce industrial accidents.


Suicide is a dangerous clinical event causing 2% of human mortality. Due to its inherent danger to life and complexity, suicide studies are in high demand. Many resources have been allocated to the development of predicting suicides, its prevention and useful medical interventions so that biomedical and scientific study of the subject is indispensable. Historically, knowledge on suicide was largely based on mental illness studies. The diagnosis of suicide,mood disorders and the treatments have been reported since over 2000 years ago (Hippocrates in 460-377, BC). Despite a long history of association between suicide and mood disorder, the related terminology have evolved greatly. Yet, mortality reduction has been minimal despite many diagnostic and therapeutic studies and no effective therapeutic means have been developed. To improve on this scenario, we review the history and literature on suicide.


We find that Galactic disk stars near the anticenter exhibit velocity asymmetries in both the Galactocentric radial and vertical components across the midplane as well as azimuthally. These findings are based on Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) spectroscopic velocities for a sample of ∼400,000 F-type stars, combined with proper motions from the PPMXL catalog for which we have derived corrections to the zero points based in part on spectroscopically discovered galaxies and QSOs from LAMOST. In the region within 2 kpc outside the Sun's radius and ±2 kpc from the Galactic midplane, we show that stars above the plane exhibit net outward radial motions with downward vertical velocities, while stars below the plane have roughly the opposite behavior. We discuss this in the context of other recent findings, and conclude that we are likely seeing the signature of vertical disturbances to the disk due to an external perturbation.


We previously documented the presence of mutations/deletions in the tumor suppressor gene p16 in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). However, the association of these p16 alterations with clinical outcome is unknown. In this study, RNA was isolated from 19 frozen SCCHN from 19 patients who were previously enrolled in the OSU intensification regimen 2. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and direct sequencing analysis was then performed on the specimens to detect p16 gene alterations. Clinical outcome for each patient was updated and correlated with the p16 alterations found. Five tumor specimens were found to have no or very low expression of p16 when compared with normal tissue. The remaining 14 tumor samples demonstrated overexpression of p16 relative to the level of expression in normal tissue. Sequence analysis of the p16 RT-PCR product from these specimens allowed identification of mutational changes in the coding sequence of p16 in four of the SCCHN specimens. Subsequent analysis of clinical outcome associated with locoregional/distant failure demonstrated no correlation with either altered expression of p16 or mutational status of p16. Results from this study indicate that p16 alterations are frequently found in this cohort of SCCHN. However, p16 alterations alone do not appear to be associated with clinical outcome.


The frontline therapy R‐CHOP for patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has remained unchanged for two decades despite numerous Phase III clinical trials investigating new alternatives. Multiple large studies have uncovered genetic subtypes of DLBCL enabling a targeted approach. To further pave the way for precision oncology, we perform genome‐wide CRISPR screening to uncover the cellular response to one of the components of R‐CHOP, vincristine, in the DLBCL cell line SU‐DHL‐5. We discover important pathways and subnetworks using gene‐set enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction networks and identify genes related to mitotic spindle organization that are essential during vincristine treatment. The inhibition of KIF18A, a mediator of chromosome alignment, using the small molecule inhibitor BTB‐1 causes complete cell death in a synergistic manner when administered together with vincristine. We also identify the genes KIF18B and USP28 of which CRISPR/Cas9‐directed knockout induces vincristine resistance across two DLBCL cell lines. Mechanistic studies show that lack of KIF18B or USP28 counteracts a vincristine‐induced p53 response suggesting that resistance to vincristine has origin in the mitotic surveillance pathway (USP28‐53BP1‐p53). Collectively, our CRISPR screening data uncover potential drug targets and mechanisms behind vincristine resistance, which may support the development of future drug regimens.


Latent-variable generative models offer a principled solution for modeling and sampling from complex probability distributions. Implementing a joint training objective with a complex prior, however, can be a tedious task, as one is typically required to derive and code a specific cost function for each new type of prior distribution. In this work, we propose a general framework for learning latent variable generative models in a two-step fashion. In the first step of the framework, we train an autoencoder, and in the second step we fit a prior model on the resulting latent distribution. This two-step approach offers a convenient alternative to joint training, as it allows for a straightforward combination of existing models without the hustle of deriving new cost functions, and the need for coding the joint training objectives. Through a set of experiments, we demonstrate that two-step learning results in performances similar to joint training, and in some cases even results in more accurate modeling.


We obtain formulas for the spectral zeta function of the Laplacian on symmetric finitely ramified fractals, such as the Sierpinski gasket, and a fractal Laplacian on the interval. These formulas contain a new type of zeta function associated with a polynomial (rational functions also can appear in this context). It is proved that this zeta function has a meromorphic continuation to a half-plane with poles contained in an arithmetic progression. It is shown as an example that the Riemann zeta function is the zeta function of a quadratic polynomial, which is associated with the Laplacian on an interval. The spectral zeta function of the Sierpinski gasket is a product of the zeta function of a polynomial and a geometric part; the poles of the former are canceled by the zeros of the latter. A similar product structure was discovered by M.L. Lapidus for self-similar fractal strings.


In this paper, we analyzed the physical essence for producing a series of step structures or oscillating effect of dc Josephson current within one flux quantum period Φ0 by placing Josephson junction, two-junction SQUID and the supercon ducting ring containing a single junction in a cavity, when one of the eigen-frequencies ωr of which is equal to Josephson frequency and the Q-Value is sufficiently high. We point out that the frequency effect of the feedback field would produce a series of induced steps for Josephson junction or two-junction SQUID, as ω = ωr, the oscillating electric-magnetic field excited by the junction current reacts on the junctions themself. Furthermore, a series of new step structures should occur within the Φ0 since the amplitude of the feedback field is modulated by applied magnetic field as the modulation of the amplitude of the feedback field is coupled with that of the radiation. For the superconducting ring containing a single junction, as nω=ωr,, the feedback radiation of stationary electric-magnetic wave will give rise constrained oscillation of the supereurrent with a smaller period than the Φ0.


The authors examine how North American societies have historically handled the problem of orphanhood. A preference for adoption by individual families over the institutionalization of orphans by the state is noted. The development of the family solution to orphanhood over the course of the nineteenth century and the extension of the system to deal with orphans brought in from the United Kingdom are discussed. The development of an institutional system for orphans in the late nineteenth century is also described. (SUMMARY IN ENG) (ANNOTATION)


Filtering is an important issue in signals and images processing. Many images and videos are compressed using discrete cosine transform (DCT). For reducing the computation complexity, we are interested in filtering block and images directly in DCT domain. This article proposed an efficient and yet very simple filtering method directly in DCT domain for any symmetric, asymmetric, separable, inseparable and one or two dimensional filter. The proposed method is achieved by mathematical relations using vector processing for image filtering which it is equivalent to the spatial domain zero padding filtering. Also to avoid the zero padding artifacts around the edge of the block, we prepare preliminary matrices in DCT domain by implementation elements of selected mask which satisfies border replication for a block in the spatial domain. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, we compared the spatial domain filtering results with the results of the proposed method in DCT domain. The experiments show that the results of our proposed method in DCT are exactly the same as the spatial domain filtering.


Abstract The military victories of the Northern Expedition (1926–28) ended nearly two decades of political fragmentation and ushered in a new era of centralized government in China. A key concern of the Nationalist government, based in Nanjing, was bringing the haphazard array of private schools that had emerged since the republic's founding in 1911 in line with the Nationalists' political agenda. The Nationalist leadership also hoped to use their educational reforms to bring the frontier regions, many of which were only tenuously allied with Nanjing, more formally under their control. Thus, the new regime set out to achieve the twin goals of regulating private schools and cultivating ties among the frontier region's population. These two goals became entangled in an unexpected manner at the private Muslim Chengda Teachers School. Although the Nationalists banned private teachers schools in 1933, they deliberately exempted Chengda from such regulations to further their frontier agenda. Later, when the central government's frontier political calculations changed, the Nationalists rescinded such protection and forced Chengda to abide by the original regulations.


The comparative morphohistochemical study of the sciatic nerve was performed in rats by the method of detecting Ca2+-dependent acid phosphatase activity at different periods after the crush. It was shown that in 2 hours the activity abruptly decreased at the site of injury, but in 5 days there was a recovery from the proximal area, although a tendency to degeneration of the nerve distal segment was outlined. Moderate proliferation of Schwann cells and endoneurium cells were observed since day 13 after crush; in 35 days the restoration of enzyme activity only in the extensor bundles of fibers (n. peroneus communis) was registered. In 70 days after Schwann cells crushing, a connective tissue layer between the nerve fibre bundles and cross-collaterals of nerve fibre winding the adjacent muscles was detected. To confirm the results of morphohistochemical study, the electrophysiological investigation was carried out to record the spinal cord single motoneurons activity to stimulation of extensor and flexor (n. gastrocnemius) branches of Schwann cells. Software analysis revealed a progressive increase of excitatory poststimulus reactions not reaching the normal level for flexor in contrast to the extensor nerve. Depressor effects, almost twice exceeding the normal levels and more pronounced for the extensor nerve, suggest the possible impact of the protective purpose. The use of pharmacological protection in order to accelerate the rehabilitation of the damaged nerve might be required.


By means of the techniques of Boolean valued analysis, we provide a transfer principle between duality theory of classical convex risk measures and duality theory of conditional risk measures. Namely, a conditional risk measure can be interpreted as a classical convex risk measure inside of a suitable set-theoretic model. As a consequence, many properties of a conditional risk measure can be interpreted as basic properties of convex risk measures.
This amounts to a method to interpret a theorem of dual representation of convex risk measures as a new theorem of dual representation of conditional risk measures. As an instance of application, we establish a general robust representation theorem for conditional risk measures and study different particular cases of it.


Abstract : The Naval Surface Warfare Center needs to develop the capability to determine numerically the characteristics of a propagating stress wave in saturated sand. To provide needed experimental data, SRI International performed precision experiments with the objective of measuring saturated sand material response resulting from the detonation of a spherical explosive charge. The instrumentation consisted of particle velocity gages as the primary measurement tool and stress gages as a secondary measurement tool. Four experiments were performed using Eglin Beach sand at nominal saturation levels of 100%, 95%, and 78%, and 77%. The particle velocity time histories of the 100% and 78% saturated sand models showed 20% higher peak particle velocities in the 78% saturated sand model at ranges up to 2.04 cm from the charge and 30% lower peak particle velocities in the 78% saturated sand model at ranges beyond 3.05 cm from the charge. The higher peak particle velocity in the 78% saturated sand model near the charge is due to the lower inertial resistance because of less water in the pore space. The lower peak particle velocity in the 78% saturated sand model farther away from the charge is the result of larger attenuation of the particle velocity.


Since its inception in the early 30s in France, the theory of negritude has gained huge acclaim, experienced significant changes and had an important impact on the world's social, cultural and political processes and phenomena, including the francophone literature of sub-Saharan Africa.


Sixty-nine patients with Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries were studied, with a mean age of 8.3 years. Forty-nine had atrial situs solitus (SS) and 20 atrial situs inversus (SI). The diagnosis was proved by echocardiography in 28 cases and in all by angiocardiography. In cases with SS, 29 presented ventricular septal defect (VSD), 20 had subvalvular pulmonary stenosis (SVPS), 13 tricuspid regurgitation (TR), 13 atrio-ventricular block (AVB), and seven without associated defects. In cases with SI, 13 had VSD, 14 SVPS, five IT, three AVB, and two without associated defects. The long-term follow-up of the atrioventricular (AV) conduction in 53 cases, ranging between 2 and 37 years (mean 8.3) showed at the beginning of the evaluation 37 cases with normal AV conduction, 14 with first degree AVB, and two with complete AVB. At the end of the follow-up 24 cases had normal AV conduction, 13 first degree, two second degree, four intermittent and 10 complete AVB. The contingency table showed that the possibility of developing changes of the AV conduction was greater in those cases who had an abnormality at the beginning with a relative risk of 2.27 (p = 0.03). Twenty-three cases had SVPS associated with VSD without significant symptoms. During a follow-up ranging from 1 to 20 years (mean 6.5 +/- 5.9), five of these patients were surgically corrected at ages from 6 to 11 years. The remaining cases have had a stable course. At the beginning of the study, 18 cases had TR, and it developed in five more patients during the same follow-up period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A monostatic Doppler radar can yield accurate vehicle speed measurements over a very limited angular extent. When applied to a multilane superhighway geometry, the area within which the vehicle must be confined for accurate measurement becomes quite small. A much larger area yielding accurate measurement can be achieved by designing the radar system for bistatic operation. In this geometry the transmitter and receiver are on opposite sides of the multilane highway and both transmitting and receiving antenna beams are oriented towards the vehicle. A radiation leakage link is required between transmitter and receiver to provide a reference frequency signal. Examples are given to show the conceptual advantage of a bistatic radar compared to a monostatic radar.


How does the "postmodern" feature in contemporary Japanese writings? This essay considers the works of two Japanese writers, Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto in light of current postmodern theories and how they illuminate various aspects of modern Japanese literature. I specifically consider Murakami's Nejimaki-dori kuronikuru (1994/5; The Wind-up Bird Chronicle 1998) and Yoshimoto's "Love Songs" (2000) because both texts rehearse the ludic nature of postmodern writings that problematise meaning and explode signifiers into multifaceted possibilities. Interestingly, both narratives are, to a certain extent, "ghost stories", a genre well-known for its discursive instability. As such, by approaching these ghost stories from a postmodern perspective, this essay seeks to explore questions involving gender, sexuality, history, space and subjectivity that confront and construct the Japanese identity today. I begin this essay with a consideration of the state of contemporary Japanese literature, and how the "postmodern" is a dominant feature. I then briefly discuss the place of ghosts in postmodern narratives, focussing specifically on the way their presence forces the present to confront the past, and thus, distorts contemporaneity. This confrontation is imperative if trauma is to be revisited so that reparation may be possible. I then proceed to analyse the two selected narratives. The notion of hyper-reality predominates my discussion of Murakami's work. In the simulacral space that characterises the novel, identities and meanings are violently distorted, time becomes arrested or complicated, and familiar representations—such as the hero and the villain— become undetermined. Rather than reading Noboru—the novel's alleged Gothic villain—as the nemesis of Tōru (the story's proverbial hero), I reverse the configuration to demonstrate that it is the latter, with his proclivity towards ennui and listlessness, who is the real villain in text, obstructing the former from "liberating" his patients from their spectre of desires that remain


Rats given a liquid diet containing 10% (v/v) alcohol consume high quantities of alcohol. Within 8 hr after cessation of the alcohol intake, the animals will show alcohol-withdrawal reactions including a supersensitivity to harmine-induced tremor and an inhibition of exploratory behaviour in a neutral environment. Several drugs can overcome one or more of these alcohol-withdrawal reactions. A reduction of the alcohol withdrawal-induced inhibition of exploration, in terms of both the number of transits into the open field and the time spent in the open field, was obtained with chlordiazepoxide, ritanserin, mianserin and propranolol. Of these four compounds, propranolol and mianserin were also active against the supersensitivity to both 5.00 and 10.00 mg/kg harmine-induced tremor. Chlordiazepoxide and ritanserin were only active against 5.00 mg/kg harmine. Other compounds that reversed the supersensitivity to harmine-induced tremor during alcohol withdrawal included buspirone, fluoxetine, haloperidol, clonidine, flunarizine and baclofen. Very limited effects on both alcohol-withdrawal reactions were observed with ondansetron, nimodipine and MK-801. Risperidone and SCH 23390 were inactive. These results demonstrate that some alcohol withdrawal reactions can be studied in a systematic way and that various pharmacological agents can differentially interact with these alcohol withdrawal reactions.


Rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) uplink requires optimization of decoding order and power allocation, while decoding order is a discrete variable, and it is very complex to find the optimal decoding order if the number of users is large enough. This letter proposes a low-complexity user pairing-based resource allocation algorithm with the objective of minimizing the maximum latency, which significantly reduces the computational complexity and also achieves similar performance to unpaired uplink RSMA. A closed-form expression for power and bandwidth allocation is first derived, and then a bisection method is used to determine the optimal resource allocation. Finally, the proposed algorithm is compared with unpaired RSMA, paired NOMA and unpaired NOMA. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Various state agencies, including the Florida Department of Transportation are rapidly moving towards a more practical percent-within-limit (PWL) specification. The current specification is based on unknown standard deviation because the range of variability is high and difficult to estimate. The parameters of PWL specifications, the acceptable quality level (AQL) and the rejectable quality level (RQL), which are selected based on engineering judgment, could lead to buyer and seller risk level greater than the values recommended by American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The purpose of this paper is to provide guidelines to determine AQL, RQL and appropriate sampling frequency using operation characteristic (OC) curves based on known standard deviation to achieve the recommended risk levels. This was demonstrated by selecting two parameters (a) asphalt content and (b) the percent passing 2.36 mm sieve, of ten Superpave mixtures. The study showed that an excessive sampling frequency of ten per lot was required to achieve the AASHTO recommended buyer's risk of 5%. In addition, a framework was developed to evaluate the sampling plan and its associated the risk level based on the construction and material variability observed in the field.


The composition of hydrothermal plumes reflects the physical and chemical characteristics of seafloor hydrothermal fluids, which in turn reflects the host rock and subseafloor reaction conditions as well as the water column processes that act to alter the plumes as they disperse and age. Here, we show that the turbidity, current, pH value, dissolved Fe (dFe), and dissolved Mn (dMn) compositions of hydrothermal plumes can be used to understand the spatial distribution and source of hydrothermal systems in the submarine geological environment. Data were obtained from 18 hydrocast stations, among which the water column samples were collected at 8 stations during the MANUS cruise of R/V KEXUE in 2015. The results showed that the Satanic Mills plume and Fenway plume rose approximately 140 m and 220 m above the seafloor, respectively. In the Satanic Mills plume, dFe remained longer than dMn during lateral plume dispersal. There was a clear intersection of the Satanic Mills plume and Fenway plume between 1625 m and 1550 m in the PACMANUS hydrothermal field, and the varied dispersion trends of the mixed plumes were affected by current velocities at different depths. The physical and chemical properties of the seawater columns in the Manus Basin were affected by the input of high-Mn, high-Fe, and low-Mg vent fluids. The turbidity and dFe, dMn, and dissolved Mg concentrations in the sections of the plumes proximal to the Satanic Mills, Fenway, and Desmos vent sites were generally higher (turbidity, Mn, and Fe) and lower (Mg) than those in the sections of the plumes that were more distal from the vent sites. This implied that the plumes proximal to their vent fluid sources, which were interpreted to have relatively young ages, dispersed chemically over time, and their concentrations became more similar to those of the plumes that were more distal from their vent fluid sources.


The Rho family of small GTPases controls a wide range of cellular processes in eukaryotic cells, such as normal cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, gene regulation, actin cytoskeletal organization, cell fate determination, and neurite outgrowth. The activation of Rho-GTPases requires the exchange of GDP for GTP, a process catalyzed by the Dbl family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors. We demonstrate that a newly identified guanine nucleotide exchange factor, GEFT, is widely expressed in the brain and highly concentrated in the hippocampus, and the Purkinje and granular cells of the cerebellum. Exogenous expression of GEFT promotes dendrite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons, resulting in spines with larger size as compared with control spines. In neuroblastoma cells, GEFT promotes the active GTP-bound state of Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA and increases neurite outgrowth primarily via Rac1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PAK1 and PAK5, both downstream effectors of Rac1/Cdc42, are necessary for GEFT-induced neurite outgrowth. AP-1 and NF-κB, two transcriptional factors involved in neurite outgrowth and survival, were up-regulated in GEFT-expressing cells. Together, our data suggest that GEFT enhances dendritic spine formation and neurite outgrowth in primary neurons and neuroblastoma cells, respectively, through the activation of Rac/Cdc42-PAK signaling pathways.


Abstract Recently, the issue of the role of the Eddington limit in accretion discs became a matter of debate. While the classical (spherical) Eddington limit is certainly an over-simplification, it is not really clear how to treat it in a flattened structure like an accretion disc. We calculate the critical accretion rates and resulting disc luminosities for various disc models corresponding to the classical Eddington limit by equating the attractive and repulsive forces locally. We also discuss the observational appearance of such highly accreting systems by analyzing their spectral energy distributions. Our calculations indicate that the allowed mass accretion rates differ considerably from what one expects by applying the Eddington limit in its classical form, while the luminosities only weakly exceed their classical equivalent. Depending on the orientation of the disc relative to the observer, mild relativistic beaming turns out to have an important influence on the disc spectra. Thus, possible super-Eddington accretion, combined with mild relativistic beaming, supports the idea that ultraluminous X-ray sources host stellar mass black holes and accounts partially for the observed high temperatures of these objects.


The efficiency of remediation of vadose zone organic compounds can be enhanced by refinement of methods for soil venting and bioventing in complex heterogeneous systems. This can be accomplished by a) identification of physical and chemical conditions (e.g., soil temperature, moisture content, flow rates) required for rapid contaminant removal rates, b) precise engineering control of identified parameters in the subsurface, and c) development of knowledge-based operational strategies providing greater removal efficiencies at low cost. One method with promise is to moderately heat and humidify the input/replacement air during venting. Initial calculations indicate that this strategy may be quite effective in enhancing remediation of heterogeneous systems with diffusional control of cleanup time.


Internationalization sustains company's growth. But the process may be much too demanding for SME's. Thus entrepreneurs can lean their firm's international development on networking in order to fit into foreign business ecosystems and get opportunities to create higher value despite resources shortages. In this framework the role of the international French chamber of commerce network will be enlighten by the presentation of five specific companies whose internationalization in Japan has been helped through networking with the French Chamber of commerce in Japan. These case studies show how networking may accelerate internationalization of small and medium companies and help them bypass the traditional incremental process of internationalization.


Background : In the pre-operative assessment of lung cancer patients functional evaluation of operability is a crucial step. It includes, apart from spirometry, measurement of diffusion capacity and exercise testing, split function studies by means of lung perfusion scintigraphy. Using this approach it is possible to predict postoperative lung function and therefore assess resection limit and operability. As computed tomography (CT) is essential for pre-operative evaluation in every patient, a recently advanced CT-protocol, the so called dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), by which lung tissue perfusion gets visible, might be a new and better alternative to radioactive scintigraphy. Objectives : To compare calculated percentage values for perfused lung tissue, as measured on the one hand by lung perfusion scintigraphy and on the other hand gathered by DECT. Methods : Seven patients were included in this pilot project. All patients had to undergo lung perfusion scintigraphy, as well as dual-energy computed tomography a few days before surgery. Lung function testing and assessment of diffusion capacity was performed in all patients preoperatively. Results : Patients (mean age 61±8 yrs) were investigated by scintigraphy and DECT. Split studies revealed no significant difference in calculated percentages for lung perfusion between both methods ( p >0.05). Values for the FEV1 ppo did not differ between scintigraphy or DECT results which served as basis for calculation. Conclusion : There is no significant divergence between the use of dual-energy CT and lung perfusion scintigraphy for pre-operative evaluation of lung cancer patients.


AbstractThis paper discussed the place of counselling for persons with visual impairment for effective career choice. This study is mainly significant in two respects: the place of counselling within the radius of Nigerian education has been downplayed as it is very possible to enrol in primary, secondary and tertiary education without formal counselling for once, and secondly, it draws attention to the counselling needs of persons with visual impairment on career choice which is indispensable because of their 'special' character. Career choice is an important issue in every man's life. For persons with visual impairment, making a career choice is not always easy, and making an effective choice requires the inputs of many professionals amongst whom are the guidance counsellors. One technique through which counselling achieves results is through career education. Critical as career education and counselling may be, both have received less significance attention which invariably impinge on the success of persons with visual impairment in making effective career choices. Many persons with visual impairment have lost out on their ambition for lack of proper counselling. For effective counselling on career choice, amongst the counsellor's strategy will be the need to seek and use the parents' knowledge in developing the counselling programmes or manuals, development and maintenance of effective communication between parents and the counsellors/professionals, and explanation of what is being recommended and why it is done. The paper concluded that in counselling persons with visual impairment on career choices, counsellors should among other things assess the strength of available resources, the interest of the visually impaired person, the intellectual capacity of the student, the excellent of the handicapping condition and the nature of the economy.Keywords: counselling, visual, impairment, career, national, development.INTRODUCTIONEducation is an indispensable medium of bringing about the development of citizens either normal or handicapped. The wealth, strength, social and economic wellbeing of a nation is direct consequence of its technological advancement and development of humanities (Umoru, 2005). Education is a pivot on which the nation's development rotates. It is the concern of government to provide education to all her citizens without discrimination on grounds of disability, gender, religion, tribe, socio- economic background or otherwise (Omede, 2009).Educating persons with visual impairment is problematic. This is because an individual with visual impairment is confronted with a number of challenges ranging from participation in social activities, locomotion, and education to mention a few. It is more expensive to educate children with visual impairment than their sighted peers. This is as a result of high cost of equipment and materials used in educating them (Chukuka, 2009). The author explains further that the cost of braille machines, type writers, moving to and from the school, church, mosque and other places of importance is definitely higher for children with visual impairment than the sighted children, since they have need for a companion most of the time. Obani (2004) affirmed that a child with physical disability such as blindness may not be able to move around easily and may have to be carried for a longer time than a non-disabled child. Unlike sighted children who can easily learn so many things merely by observing and imitating, the child with visual impairment will need to be guided and supervised when learning so many concepts, thus requiring more time to be cared for. Research has shown that loss of vision is associated with difficulties in performing basic activities of daily living, functional and educational activities thereby reducing the welfare state of the individual. In accordance with this, special educators, guidance counsellor, psychologists and allied specialists should work in collaboration in ensuring the provision of equality education and counselling services for persons with visual impairment. …


The effect of piroxicam on the metabolism of healthy and osteoarthrotic (OA) chondrocytes was studied in vitro. The chondrocytes were obtained from five healthy, five moderately OA, and four severely OA hips or knees. The chondrocytes were cultured in a high-density, short-term in vitro model. In this culture, the healthy chondrocytes as well as the OA chondrocytes retain their metabolic properties. Piroxicam was used in concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 micrograms/ml, which is comparable to the concentrations reached in vivo after oral administration. In cultures of healthy chondrocytes, piroxicam inhibited proliferation and synthesis of proteoglycans. The metabolism of moderately damaged chondrocytes was not influenced by piroxicam. In severely damaged chondrocytes, the proliferation was significantly inhibited by piroxicam. In order to avoid the possible negative side effects of piroxicam on the metabolism of healthy and severely OA chondrocytes, piroxicam treatment of an OA joint with synovitis should be restricted to the period of the effusion.


A method to locate conical intersections between the ground-state potential surface and the first electronically excited states of polyatomic molecules is described. It is an extension of the Longuet-Higgins sign-change theorem and uses reaction coordinates of elementary reactions as the starting point of the analysis. It is shown that the complete molecular landscape 1 can be partitioned into 2-D domains, each bordered by a Longuet-Higgins loop formed from reaction coordinates of elementary reactions. A domain may contain a conical intersection and if it does, it contains only one (the uniqueness theorem), whose energy is higher than the neighboring minima or transition states. The method can be helped by symmetry, but applies also to systems having no symmetry elements. It is demonstrated for some simple cases. The presence of a conical intersection is manifested by the nature of ground-state thermal reactions, as shown for instance by the fact that the transition state in the ring opening of the cyclopropyl radical is nonsymmetric. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005


The first genetically modified crops and foods to be approved for commercial use in the European Union have prompted intense controversy. Food retailers and processors have been forced to take up the concerns voiced by their customers. New networks of groups have formed to oppose the technology. In response to these pressures, regulators who approved the products have had to reconsider questions they had previously dismissed or officially resolved. Governments have devised more precautionary measures of various kinds. For example, they have increased the burden of evidence for demonstrating safety, have broadened the practical definition of the 'adverse effects' which must be prevented, and have devised marketstage precautions for such effects. These extra measures manage the risk debate as well as any risks. In such ways, the technocratic model of European harmonization is being challenged and superseded. This may allow differences in national practices to be viewed as valuable expert resources for a different harmonization model, rather than as deviations from a universal rational norm. Regulatory conflicts offer precautionary opportunities, which could lead to more flexible and democratic procedures. Theoretical perspectives – on risk, uncertainty, precaution, European integration, expertise and the internal market – help illuminate these possibilities.


A bounded container maintains a collection of elements that can be inserted and extracted as long as the number of stored elements does not exceed the predefined capacity. We consider the concurrent implementations of a bounded container more or less memory-friendly depending on how much memory they use in addition to storing the elements. This way, memory-optimal implementation employs the minimal possible memory overhead and ensures that data and metadata are stored most compactly, reducing cache misses and unnecessary memory reclamation. In this paper, we show that non-blocking implementations of a large class of element-independent bounded containers, including queues, stacks, and pools, must incur linear in the number of concurrent processes memory overhead. In the special cases when the ABA problem is excluded, e.g., by assuming that the hardware supports LL/SC instructions or by storing distinct elements, we show that the lower bound can be circumvented, by presenting lock-free bounded queues with constant memory overhead. For the general case, we present a CAS-based bounded queue implementation that asymptotically matches our lower bound. We believe that these results open a new research avenue devoted to the memory-optimality phenomenon.


Authors addressing the problem of how to assess properly human rights when derogated in the face of national security claims often point out the difficulty of determining what national security means.' This ambiguity presents several problems for those who monitor human rights.2 Wolfers has observed that when political formulas such as "national interest" or "national security" gain popularity they need to be scrutinized with particular care. They may not mean the same thing to different people. They may not have any precise meaning at all. Thus, while appearing to offer guidance and a basis for broad consensus, such formulas may be permitting everyone to label whatever policy he favors with an attractive and possibly deceptive name.3 Formerly, "national defense" meant military preparedness to protect national territorial intergrity, independence, and sovereignty against actual attacks from external aggressors. Such a state entailed actual war waged by regular armies, usually in accordance with a set of rules internationally accepted as the Law of War. The use of the army for other purposes was "militarism." Such a clear-cut characterization cannot be ascribed to the current concept of national security. Today, the definition of national security depends upon the definer's