One of the aims of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is infrastructural development. In pursuance of this goal, partnerships and collaborations remain key responses. Thus, Goal 17, which is the climax of the SDGs, revolves around partnering with private investors to generate the required capital for the attainment of said developmental goals. Using some public-private partnership (PPP) projects as case study, this paper aims to analyse how early involvement or non-involvement influences the project communities to trust the project handlers and give support towards sustainable infrastructural development. The researcher applied qualitative method data gathering techniques and analysis. Findings show that communities that seemed to have been well engaged at the initial stages only experienced 'therapeutic' and 'manipulative' involvement because firstly there was a flagrant disregard for initial agreed-upon principles and tenets of inclusive governance and secondly the promoters of the collaborations did not do enough to have an all-inclusive advocacy with community groups. The study recommends that the law governing the implementation of PPP in Lagos State be modified to allow community representatives feature prominently on the committee for infrastructural projects right from the initial stage through the entire process.


Using data from 1983 to 2010, we propose a new fear measure for Treasury markets, akin to the VIX for equities, labeled TIV. We show that TIV explains one third of the time variation in fund- ing liquidity and that the spread between the VIX and TIV captures flight to quality. We then construct Treasury bond variance risk premia as the difference between the implied variance and an expected variance estimate using autoregressive models. Bond variance risk premia display pronounced spikes during crisis periods. We show that variance risk premia encompass a broad spectrum of macroeconomic uncertainty. Uncertainty about the nominal and the real side of the economy increase variance risk premia but uncertainty about monetary policy has a strongly neg- ative effect. We document that bond variance risk premia predict excess returns on Treasuries, stocks, corporate bonds and mortgage-backed securities, both in-sample and out-of-sample. Fur- thermore, this predictability is not subsumed by other standard predictors.


Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays a critical role in the carbon (C) cycle of forest soils, and has been recently connected with global increases in nitrogen (N) deposition. Most studies on effects of elevated N deposition on DOC have been carried out in N-limited temperate regions, with far fewer data available from N-rich ecosystems, especially in the context of chronically elevated N deposition. Furthermore, mechanisms for excess N-induced changes of DOC dynamics have been suggested to be different between the two kinds of ecosystems, because of the different ecosystem N status. The purpose of this study was to experimentally examine how long-term N addition affects DOC dynamics below the primary rooting zones (the upper 20 cm soils) in typically N-rich lowland tropical forests. We have a primary assumption that long-term continuous N addition minimally affects DOC concentrations and effluxes in N-rich tropical forests. Experimental N addition was administered at the following levels: 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. Results showed that seven years of N addition significantly decreased DOC concentrations in soil solution, and chemo-physical controls (solution acidity change and soil sorption) rather than biological controls may mainly account for the decreases, in contrast to other forests. We further found that N addition greatly decreased annual DOC effluxes from the primary rooting zone and increased water-extractable DOC in soils. Our results suggest that long-term N deposition could increase soil C sequestration in the upper soils by decreasing DOC efflux from that layer in N-rich ecosystems, a novel mechanism for continued accumulation of soil C in old-growth forests.


In this study, we examine the drivers of household energy consumption, specifically investigating the relative importance of household socio-economic characteristics versus dwelling characteristics in explaining per capita gas consumption for space heating. The study draws upon a large random sample of households from the English Housing Survey (EHS) to understand the importance of, and interaction between, household and building characteristics. A multivariate OLS regression is used to identify the relative effects of various consumption drivers on gas used for space heating. The use of standardised coefficients allows for a discussion of the marginal contributions of each factor to energy consumption. The results show that variation in gas usage is largely determined by household socio-economic characteristics rather than physical dwelling characteristics. This includes the significant influence of household characteristics such as composition (or type), size, employment status, and income. The main contribution of the study is to underline the relative importance of household socio-economic characteristics over dwelling characteristics in explaining per capita energy consumption. The reported findings challenge the prevailing policy practice, which focuses purely on dwelling characteristics, disregarding the occupants' status and energy consumption behaviour.


Introduction – Nurses are needed not only to help patients in physical recovery, but also the mental recovery. A patient who cannot afford the requirement to recover because of their physical limitations may experience stress as a sense of helplessness. It is the nurse's duty to reduce the psychological stress by helping physically and providing psychological assistance, such as showing affection and nurturing. For this reason, it is important that the patients allow themselves to accept the presence of a nurse. Similarly, it is also important for the nurse to have a deep concern on the patient in forms of active listening as well as helping patients to listen to their feelings and empathy. We designed a program namely "know your nurses" aiming to improve the relationship of patients and nurses by using the modular system. We implement this program at Kemang Medical Care (KMC), a hospital in Jakarta. Our goal is to develop a methodology improving the quality of patients' care by create a model of effective communication between patients and nurses.Methodology – The program is conducted by providing training to nurses about communication method to build stronger relationships between nurses and patients. We teach factors affecting communication, elements of therapeutic communication, therapeutic communication, communication techniques with sensitive patients, and recognize obstacles in communication that should not be done by nurses. In addition, patients are asked to get to know their nurse better and explain the importance of this case to their services.Results – The result shows the development of the patient's ability to remember the name of the nurse/midwife. We found that at first, only 64.2% of patients who remembered the name of their nurse/ midwife. A month later, we saw an increase of 29.9%, so in May 83.4% of patients were able to remember the name of their nurse/midwife. The next month, the case increased again by 10.4% so that only 7.9% of patients who remained unable to remember the name of their nurse/ midwife. This meant that there was monthly average improvement as much as 20.2% so we were confident in July nearly all patients has been able to remember the name of their nurse/midwife. The proportion of nurses' ability in considering the needs of the patient. In April, only 72% of nurses could consider the needs of the patient. In June, 96% of nurses were able to remember the patient's needs.Discussion – Efforts to improve the nurse-patient relationship at KMC is carried out by increasing the visit frequency per shift patients. This research find management is better, nurses understand more about the condition of the patient, the patients are more built up, and more optimum nursing care.


IEEE 802.16, also known as WiMAX, has received much attention recently for its capability to support multiple types of applications with diverse Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements. Beyond what the standard has defined, radio resource management (RRM) still remains an open issue, which plays an important role in QoS provisioning for different types of services. In this chapter, we propose a downlink resource management framework for QoS scheduling in OFDMA based WiMAX systems. Our framework consists of a dynamic resource allocation (DRA) module and a connection admission control (CAC) module. A two-level hierarchical scheduler is developed for the DRA module, which can provide more organized service differentiation among different service classes, and a measurement-based connection admission control strategy is introduced for the CAC module. Through system-level simulation, it is shown that the proposed framework can work adaptively and efficiently to improve the system performance in terms of high spectral efficiency and low outage probability.


In machine learning and optimization, one often wants to minimize a convex objective function $F$ but can only evaluate a noisy approximation $\hat{F}$ to it. Even though $F$ is convex, the noise may render $\hat{F}$ nonconvex, making the task of minimizing $F$ intractable in general. As a consequence, several works in theoretical computer science, machine learning and optimization have focused on coming up with polynomial time algorithms to minimize $F$ under conditions on the noise $F(x)-\hat{F}(x)$ such as its uniform-boundedness, or on $F$ such as strong convexity. However, in many applications of interest, these conditions do not hold. Here we show that, if the noise has magnitude $\alpha F(x) + \beta$ for some $\alpha, \beta > 0$, then there is a polynomial time algorithm to find an approximate minimizer of $F$. In particular, our result allows for unbounded noise and generalizes those of Applegate and Kannan, and Zhang, Liang and Charikar, who proved similar results for the bounded noise case, and that of Belloni et al. who assume that the noise grows in a very specific manner and that $F$ is strongly convex. Turning our result on its head, one may also view our algorithm as minimizing a nonconvex function $\hat{F}$ that is promised to be related to a convex function $F$ as above. Our algorithm is a "simulated annealing" modification of the stochastic gradient Langevin Markov chain and gradually decreases the temperature of the chain to approach the global minimizer. Analyzing such an algorithm for the unbounded noise model and a general convex function turns out to be challenging and requires several technical ideas that might be of independent interest in deriving non-asymptotic bounds for other simulated annealing based algorithms.


The success of fruit storage in storehouses is conditioned and depends largely on the environment factors, on applied technology and storage conditions. The better the optimal factors are known on which the growth and formation of the fruit depends, when and how to manipulate and transport the fruit, the more secure the premise for the success for the good preservation of fruit is. It is absolutely necessary to know the main factors that must be taken into account in order to bring into storehouse only fruit corresponding to this purpose. The experiments were organized in comparative variants in the case of apples based on 6 homologated varieties of apple (Florina, Generos, Golden Delicious, Idared, Jonathan and Redix) present in the current assortment in Moara Domneasca farm and in Romania. After 120 days of storage, determinations were made concerning: evolution of the soluble dry matter content; evolution of some components; organoleptic appraisal (appearance, firmness, taste). The results showed that, after storage, the dry matter content, the titratable acidity, the total sugar content and the vitamin C content recorded an increased or decreased evolution depending on variety, compared to the initial content.


The study was conducted in a greenhouse to examine the possibility of floral foam media use in hydroponic of Rosa hybrida. pH change in medium of rockwool, coir and floral foam at early time was stabilized from 5.6 to 6.2. However after 2 years, hydroponic culture system became acidic from 4.7 to 5.1. EC was higher in coir media than in rockwool media and floral foam media immediately after nutrient solution irrigation. However rockwool was 2.3 dS·m-1, coir was 2.5 dS·m-1 and floral foam media was 2.7 dS·m-1 at the hydroponic system after 2 years. Fluctuation of ion accumulation was detected in each media. Only T-N was increased at rockwool media. All components of fertilizer were generally increased in floral foam medium. In coir medium, T-N and CaO was increased while K2O, P2O5 and Na2O were decreased. Rooting rate by different media in Rosa hybrida cutting was effective in orders of floral foam, rockwool and coir. In case of growth, length of cut flower was increased in rockwool media culture. But significant differences were not found in flower height, flower diameter and cut flower harvest yield. Overall, compared with media of rockwool and coir, floral foam was equivalent. Therefore, in hydroponic culture of Rosa hybrida, the obtained results seem that rockwool and coir can be replaced to floral foam.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate changes of the stage, age of onset, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level of prostate cancer with socioeconomic development and medicare promotion.

METHODS
The medical records of 784 inpatients with prostate cancer were analyzed retrospectively, who were diagnosed in Peking University First Hospital from 1997 to 2007. According to the time of diagnosis, all the patients were sorted into three groups: earlier group (1997-2001), intermediate group (2002-2004), and contemporary group (2005-2007). The tumor stages, ages, Gleason scores, and PSA levels of each group and of the three groups were compared to determine whether the discrepancies were significant.

RESULTS
The discrepancies of ages, Gleason scores, and stages between earlier and intermediate groups were not significant. The differences of ages and stages between intermediate and contemporary groups were not significant, but the change of Gleason scores was significant. The discrepancies of Gleason scores and stages between earlier and contemporary groups were meaningful, but the change of ages was not significant.

CONCLUSION
As time passes, PSA levels and tumor stages of prostate cancer patients show a descending trend, but the discrepancy of ages between the three groups is meaningless. The weight of low risk and intermediate risk groups in localized prostate cancer is becoming heavy.


Two numerical methods are described for analyzing a terminator-type wave energy conversion device under the condition that the linear water wave theory is applicable. Two methods are proposed to calculate the device characteristics of an oscillating water column (OWC) type. One uses the flow rate and gauge pressure in the air chamber directly, because in this system the interaction between the OWC and the turbine is found to be controlled only by the flow rate and the pressure drop through the turbine. The other method uses the equation of the floating body motion in a manner similar to the equivalent floating body approximation. The relations between these methods are also examined. The hydrodynamic performance with frequency from zero to infinity is required in the simulation of irregular waves. However, resonance occurs when the air chamber breadth is nearly equal to multiples of half a wavelength. The impulse response function is then modified in order to eliminate the effects of the resonance frequency. Finally, it is confirmed that these solutions give good agreement with the experimental results.


In this talk, we introduce Merlin HugeCTR. Merlin HugeCTR is an open source, GPU-accelerated integration framework for click-through rate estimation. It optimizes both training and inference, whilst enabling model training at scale with model-parallel embeddings and data-parallel neural networks. In particular, Merlin HugeCTR combines a high-performance GPU embedding cache with an hierarchical storage architecture, to realize low-latency retrieval of embeddings for online model inference tasks. In the MLPerf v1.0 DLRM model training benchmark, Merlin HugeCTR achieves a speedup of up to 24.6x on a single DGX A100 (8x A100) over PyTorch on 4x4-socket CPU nodes (4x4x28 cores). Merlin HugeCTR can also take advantage of multi-node environments to accelerate training even further. Since late 2021, Merlin HugeCTR additionally features a hierarchical parameter server (HPS) and supports deployment via the NVIDIA Triton server framework, to leverage the computational capabilities of GPUs for high-speed recommendation model inference. Using this HPS, Merlin HugeCTR users can achieve a 5~62x speedup (batch size dependent) for popular recommendation models over CPU baseline implementations, and dramatically reduce their end-to-end inference latency.


Elaborate 3-D computer graphics scenes containing highly detailed geometric models are rapidly emerging as the " next frontier " requirement for Internet-based applications. In the past, such models have been represented by single, fixed resolution complex triangular meshes which place rigorous demands upon transmission bandwidth, storage capacity and rendering time. In order to accommodate and foster the transmission of 3-D data across the Internet, streamability, scalability and compression are required. This paper describes MetaStream™ (MTS), a framework for the storage of multiresolution 3-D models including associated geometry and texture data. By providing an efficient representation for progressively structured, compressed geometry and texture information while simultaneously preserving appearance attributes, MTS is able to overcome many of the hurdles associated with the practical use of streamable computer graphics and, we believe, represents an enabling technology for graphics over the Internet. Meta-creations and Intel have agreed on joint research and development of the MTS file format for 3-D graphics developers, and Microsoft has included MTS in its DirectX 6 and Chromeffects™ interactive media technology.


Schmer, M. R., Xue, Q. and Hendrickson, J. R. 2012. Salinity effects on perennial, warm-season (C4) grass germination adapted to the northern Great Plains. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 873-881. Limited information is available on the germination of perennial C4 grasses adapted to the northern Great Plains under saline conditions. Big bluestem (Andropogen gerardii Vitman), indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash], prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) seeds were evaluated under non-saline and saline conditions corresponding to electric conductivity (EC) values of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m-1, respectively. Ten cultivars were evaluated to determine salinity tolerance differences among and within species. Seeds were monitored for 21 d and analyzed for final germination percentage (GP), germination rate index (GRI), corrected germination rate index (CGRI), and germination velocity (GV). Differences among species were observed for all indices tested (P<0.01). Indices showed within species variation for big bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass. Big bluestem had the highest germination rates under increased salinity levels while prairie cordgrass had the lowest germination rates under non-saline and saline conditions. Indiangrass showed higher seed germination than switchgrass under low EC levels (0 to 4 dS m-1) but declined at a higher rate when EC levels exceeded 16 dS m-1. Results from this study suggest grassland reestablishment from seed on variable saline soils will be dependent on both the species chosen and the specific cultivar used.


Background: Elevation in serum bilirubin was reported recently, but the importance of the raised total bilirubin has not been stressed in acute appendicitis and appendicular perforation. The aim of the study was to establish the role of hyperbilirubinemia as a new diagnostic tool to predict gangrenous/perforated appendicitis. Subjects and Methods: This was a prospective observational study, which was conducted at the Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Science, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India. A total of 100 patients clinically diagnosed as appendicitis from August 2018 to August 2019 at Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Science, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India. Patients were clinically evaluated by detailed history, routine examination on initial contact with patients and the routine investigations as per surgery and anesthesia requirements with inclusion of serum total bilirubin. Based on histopathological examination patients will be categorized as positive (acute appendicitis with perforation and/or gangrene) and negative (acute appendicitis without perforation or gangrene). Results: Out of 100 patients, 20 were managed conservatively (mass formation) and was called for interval appendectomy after 6 weeks. In acute catarrhal appendicitis group 47 patients showed normal total bilirubin levels, whereas 8 patients showed increase in levels of total bilirubin.  In gangrenous appendicitis group all 10 patients showed elevated serum total bilirubin levels  In perforated appendicitis group consisted of 15, 11 patients showed elevated serum bilirubin levels and 4 patients showed normal total bilirubin levels. Conclusion: Serum bilirubin is easily available test and cheap and can be estimated from the sample of blood drawn for routine blood investigations.


Two endophytic actinobacteria, strains SBTS01T and W18L9T, were isolated from leaf sheath tissue and leaf sample of Jasmine rice (Oryza sativa KDML 105), respectively, grown in a rice paddy field in Roiet Province, Thailand. The polyphasic study showed that both strains belonged to the genus Streptomyces; they are aerobe, with well-developed substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia to form long chains of spores. Strain SBTS01T shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Streptomyces rochei NRRL B-2410T (99.0%) and Streptomyces naganishii NRRL ISP-5282T (99.0%). Strain W18L9T shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Streptomyces shenzhenensis DSM 42034T. The genotypic and phenotypic data of strains SBTS01T and W18L9T distinguished these two strains with the closely related species with valid names. The genome analysis showed the dDDH, ANIb and ANIm values of the draft genome between strain SBTS01T and its related species; S. rochei NRRL B-2410T (29.4, 81.1, 86.5%) and W18L9T and its closest species; S. shenzhenensis DSM 42034T (72.5, 95.1, 97.0%). The name proposed for the new species of type strain SBTS01T is Streptomyces spinosus (=NRRL B-65636T =TBRC 15052T). The name proposed for the novel subspecies of strain W18L9T is Streptomyces shenzenensis subsp. endophyticus (=NRRL B-65635T =TBRC 15051T). Both strains could produce antibiotics to inhibit pathogens and contained plant growth promoting (PGP) traits. Genome mining of these two strains revealed that they comprised many Biosynthesis Gene Clusters (BGCs); terpene, type 1, 2 and 3 polyketide synthase, Non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), and lanthipeptide including genes encoding PGP traits; nitrogen fixation, ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase and siderophore production.


We show that the genetic algorithm that Leu described to plan component placement sequences and feeder assignments for pick-and-place printed circuit board assembly tasks is a special case of a more general model that supports multiple placement-nozzles and independent feeder and board link (chromosome) evaluation methods. We also show that independent link evaluation can be used to offset a reduction in the parent link sample space and that these results are better than what can be achieved through link-pair evaluation. These generalizations extend the capabilities of the genetic algorithm to a broader range of manufacturing scenarios.


The Van Nuys Prognostic Index (VNPI) purports to predict the risk of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after excision of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). It is a simple scoring scheme based on a retrospective evaluation of data from a single group of investigators. Various versions of VNPI have been proposed using clinical and pathologic features including tumor size, tumor grade, margin width, and patient age. Despite common use of VNPI in the clinical management of patients with DCIS, independent validation is lacking.


Brain natiuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone secreted specifically by the left ventricular myocytes. Its concentration is correlated with the severity of symptomatic or asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. The measurement of BNP has several applications from the screening of populations to the monitoring of the effects of treatment and the evaluation of the prognosis of cardiac failure. The emergence of new methods of rapid measurement will enable its usage as a routine investigation in the near future. Large scale clinical trials are, however, required to confirm the hopes raised by this new marker of left ventricular dysfunction.


Using Brownian dynamics simulations and Sogami's effective pair potential with a long-range attractive term for the colloidal particles, we report that the mechanism of making voids in charged colloids is the long-range attractive interaction between particles. The present results are in good agreement with the experimental observations of stable voids in equilibrium with ordered structures, which may not be explained by repulsive potentials without a long-range attractive interaction such as the Derjaguin-Landau-Vervey-Overbeck potential. Our results are also in a good agreement with Monte Carlo simulation results. The voids have been reported with ordered structure in charged colloids by Brownian dynamics simulations.


This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary levels of Brewtech dried brewers yeast (BY) and GroBiotic-A (GB) on growth performance, proximate body composition, immune response, and resistance of juvenile Nile tilapia to Streptococcus iniae challenge. A practical basal (control) diet formulated to contain approximately 32% crude protein and 6% lipid was supplemented with 1% and 2% of BY or GB. Each diet was fed to Nile tilapia in quadruplicate aquaria for 12 weeks. Weight gain, feed intake, survival, and whole body proximate composition of fish were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. Serum total protein, total immunoglobulin, lysozyme, and agglutinating antibody titer to S. iniae were not significantly affected by dietary supplementation of BY or GB. However, serum haemolytic complement activity (SH50) of fish fed 1% BY was significantly higher than those of fish fed the control diet and diets supplemented with 2% BY or GB. Cumulative mortality of fish 20 days post-challenge with S. iniae was unaffected by dietary treatments. However, fish fed diets supplemented with 1% BY and 2% BY or GB had substantially reduced and earlier cessation of mortality.


Information on histological features of oil palm is scarce, especially on seed development. This study aims to examine the cell structure and anatomy of developing oil palm seed. The seeds were analysed by histochemical technique and light microscopy. At early developmental stages, a vacuole fluid-filled endosperm was formed. As the seed developed further, the enlargement of the endosperm size was observed accompanied by cellularisation. Cells were formed from the periphery towards the centre of the endosperm. Accumulation of storage reserves within the cells started at week 10 after anthesis. Polysaccharides were stored in the form of thickened walls whilst lipid and protein were stored in the cytoplasm. At late developmental stages, the endosperm cavity was fully cellularised and storage reserves accumulated within the entire cell. A small cylindrical embryo was seen embedded within the massive endosperm tissue. The endosperm functions as a nutrient reservoir for the embryo. This histological study of developing oil palm seeds provides information on the nature and anatomical changes in endosperm tissues as well as shedding light on the growing points of seed development.


Epipodophyllotoxin derivatives, such as etoposide (VP-16), constitute an important class of anticancer agents, the major cytotoxic effects of which are associated with trapping of the topoisomerase II/DNA cleavable complex and formation of protein-DNA cross-links and nicked DNA. VP-16, however, can be metabolized to several highly reactive products, including an ortho-quinone (VPQ). The inhibitory activity of VPQ against purified human topoisomerase II processing of supercoiled DNA was studied and compared with that of the parent compound, VP-16. Our results show that VPQ is a powerful inhibitor of topoisomerase II, which prevents DNA strand passage in the presence of ATP. As with VP-16, trapping of the cleavable complex is highly reversible upon removal of divalent ions, which indicating that VPQ alters the cleavage-reunion equilibrium of topoisomerase II and DNA mainly by noncovalent interactions, as does the parent compound. However, we observed several differences between the effects induced by VP-16 and VPQ, including a strong inhibition of the second DNA strand religation, which implies the involvement of additional (asymmetric) mode(s) of interactions of the VPQ, possibly by interference with ATP binding by the homodimeric enzyme, and/or involving covalent interactions. Reduced or oxidized glutathione prevented trapping of the topoisomerase/DNA cleavable complex by VPQ, but not by VP-16, probably by forming covalent adducts with the former.


With high aspect ratio, tight spacing, small line widths, and low supply voltages associated with the scaling of the DRAM cell, signal for the sense amplifier becomes weaker for each new DRAM generation. We have developed a signal margin testing methodology capable of identifying process sensitivities relevant to DRAM functionality and reliability at low temperatures. This paper describes the test methodology and discusses the benefits derived from applying this method to 256M DRAM product development.


The effect of rain kinetic energy and soil amendments on infiltration and erosion from three Israeli soils was studied using a drip-type simulator. The soil samples were from the top layer (0-250 mm depth) of cultivated fields differing in their texture, specific surface area and lime content. Three kinetic energies of raindrops were obtained by varying heights of fall (h = 0.4, 1-0 and 1.6 m) of 3 mm diameter drops. The soil types studied were Typic Chromoxerert, Typic Rhodoxeralf and Calcic Haploxeralf. Soil amendments were phosphogypsum (PG) and a combined application of an anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) with PG. An increase in the impact energy of the raindrops reduced depth of rain before ponding, final infiltration rate (FIR), cumulative infiltration (i.e. infiltration parameters) and increased soil erosion. The addition of PAM+PG to the soil surface significantly increased the infiltration parameters and reduced erosion compared with the PG and control treatments. The Typic Chromoxerert was the least susceptible of the three soils to sealing, probably because of its high smectitic clay content, high specific surface area and high CaCO3 content which stabilize soil structure. The Typic Rhodoxeralf with the lowest specific surface area was the most susceptible to clay dispersion, and seal formation. Relative to the Typic Chromoxerert and the Typic Rhodoxeralf, the Calcic Haploxeralf was intermediate in its susceptibility to seal formation.


We study the molecular dynamics of two discs undergoing Newtonian ("inertial") dynamics, with elastic collisions in a rectangular box. Using a mapping to a billiard model and a key result from ergodic theory, we obtain exact, analytical expressions for the mean times between the following events: hops, i.e.~horizontal or vertical interchanges of the particles; wall collisions; and disc collisions. To do so, we calculate volumes and cross-sectional areas in the four-dimensional configuration space. We compare the analytical results against Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, with excellent agreement.


The purpose of this article is to provide a retrospective look at how career counselling has evolved within Canada, examining what has changed within the field and how it has remained true to its social justice roots. Following a summary of historical milestones, evolutions in theory and practice, training, professional associations, certification, research and evaluation, and policy are described. It is important to note that, because this review primarily shares the perspectives and experiences of three career development leaders from English-speaking Canada, there is limited coverage of the very rich and relevant history of career counselling within the province of Quebec and the francophone community.HISTORICAL CONTEXTCareer counselling has a long history in Canada. This history was documented in a comprehensive book by the Counselling Foundation of Canada (CFC, 2002) and, more recently, in the first section of the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) textbook, Career Development Practice in Canada (Shepard & Mani, 2014). A few significant milestones are highlighted here.Career counselling has social justice roots. In the early 1900s, lobbying began for employment offices within the community, specifically by the Salvation Army and the YMCA-YWCA. Their focus was on assisting people to find accommodation, as well as training and work. As early as 1912, Etta St. John Wileman argued for employment bureaus across Canada. She also lobbied extensively for career guidance and counselling in schools. Fier provocative questions still ring true today: "What sustained coordinated effort is made throughout the Dominion to ascertain the abilities and natural bent of the child to fit for occupation after school?" and "What knowledge do parents secure as to conditions of trades and occupations, rates of pay, training necessary to give a child a fair start in the Industrial World?" (as cited in CFC, 2002, p. 15).Although it can be challenging to imagine Canada prior to the safety net of employment insurance (originally called unemployment insurance [UI]), UI was only first legislated in 1940. During the same decade, the YMCA-YWCA introduced vocational counselling, and these services continue to be offered across Canada today. Parallel supports (in schools and in the community) were particularly important post-World War II, when the federal government also began to fund postsecondary vocational counselling to support war veterans (Neault, Shepard, Hopkins, & Benes, 2012). "Fitting the person to the job" became a crucial economic imperative both during and following World War II. This led to what is now often referred to as the "test and tell" movement in career counselling. It was an era in which many standardized assessment instruments, several of which remain in use today, were developed, normed, and validated.As early as the 1950s, the field of career counselling became identified as an extension of applied psychology, specifically counselling psychology. Although the roots of career development and career counselling theory and practice are within psychology, it can be argued that this positioning has created significant challenges for the evolving identity of the field as a distinct discipline. Especially since the 1990s, the field of career development has clearly emerged as the bridge between managing the complexities of individual career development and choice and the changing Canadian economy and labour market realities. At the university level, career counselling training has traditionally been housed within postgraduate education and/or psychology departments. Faculties of education offered mas- ter's degrees in guidance with very strong concentrations in psychology and very little, if any, focus on labour market understanding. In counselling psychology programs today, courses focused on the demand side of the labour market remain very sparse. Professor Norm Amundson of the University of British Columbia (UBC) is quoted as saying,I ran the other way [when being approached about career counselling]. …


Rossby wave activity propagating into the eastern tropical Pacific from the midlatitudes during northern winter is examined in some detail. These waves are associated with the intrusion of high potential vorticity air into low latitudes, and they modulate cloudiness, stability, and vertical motion in the vicinity of the ITCZ. In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere the horizontal phase and group propagation of the wave activity are qualitatively like those of a nondivergent barotropic Rossby wave. As the waves move equatorward, they become more shallow and propagate upward into the stratosphere. The horizontal and vertical propagation is consistent with the tilts of the waves, the large-scale three-dimensional background flow, and with the signatures of momentum and heat fluxes associated with the wave activity. In the lower troposphere, paired cyclonic anomalies on either side of the equator accompany the upper level wave activity to the west of the ITCZ cloudiness signal. These waves amplify following the peak in the ITCZ cloudiness and propagate westward along the equator. This suggests that the upper-level wave activity, and possibly the associated convective heating, can trigger the excitation of the equatorially trapped Rossby modes. The transient wave activity appears to be a crucial component of the momentum balance of the eastern tropical Pacific circulation. There is substantial interannual variability in the wave activity, consistent with observed changes in the large-scale basic state associated with the Southern Oscillation.


In the paper, micro channel heat exchangers are applied to residential and commercial heat pump airconditioning systems. The performance of heat pump system using micro channel heat exchangers is compared with that of baseline heat pump system using tube & fin heat exchangers. Experimental results show that the capacity of heat pump system can increase by 4% at most by using micro channel heat exchangers, and energy efficiency can increase by 4% at most. The weight of heat exchangers can be reduced by 45% at most, and the refrigerant charge can be reduced by 51% at most. In addition, the distribution of refrigerant becomes more uniform by distribution optimization.


Semiconductor detectors, such as Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT), offer improved energy resolution (ER) and potentially improved tumor contrast in breast imaging. We evaluated the effect of changes in ER on tumor contrast. Studies were performed on a prototype CZT detector, a commercial CZT-based system, a multicrystal CsI system and a conventional NaI system. The same low energy high resolution collimator was used on each system and the same total counts (250 kcts) were acquired in each image. CZTmodules in a detector can exhibit different ERs. We imaged a breast phantom containing 4 tumors (diameters 4.9, 7.2, 7.2, and 9.8 mm) over individual CZT modules with intrinsic ers of 5.8-17.5%. Tumor to background ratio was 6.2:1 and tumors were placed 1 and 4 cm deep in the 6-cm thick breast phantom. A standard _+ 10% energy window and narrower energy windows (-5%/+ 10% and -7%/+ 10%) were used. Tumor contrast was determined by maximum tumor intensity divided by mean background intensity. Tumor contrast was not significantly affected by differences in ER between CZT modules. Tumor contrast improved by 2-10% with a narrow energy window. At the same ER, the CZT systems yielded slightly better contrast than the CsI system. M1 pixilated systems performed better than the NaI system. Scatter in the breast was found to be low and accounts for only -11% of counts in a _+ 10% energy window for a 6 cm- thick breast. No strong relationship was observed between ER and tumor detectability, which may be due to low scatter in the breast. Detector element size in pixilated systems appears to be more important than ER in determining tumor contrast.


Great efforts have been devoted to exploring the emergent phenomena occurring in heterostructures of correlated oxides. However, the presence of both magnetic and electrical dead layers in functional oxide films generally obstructs the device functionalization and miniaturization. Here, we demonstrate an effective strategy to significantly reduce the thickness of dead layers in a prototypical correlated oxide system, La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) grown on LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates, via strain engineering by inserting a Sr3Al2O6 buffer layer with a different thickness at heterointerfaces. In this way, the thicknesses of the magnetic and electrical dead layers of LSMO films on the LAO substrates notably decrease from 8 to 4 unit cells and from 13 to 9 unit cells, respectively. Our results provide a convenient method to minimize or even eliminate the dead layers of correlated oxides through the interfacial strain engineering, which has potential applications in nanoscale oxide spintronic devices.


Measures of entropy have been widely used to characterize complexity, particularly in physiological dynamical systems modeled in discrete time. Current approaches associate these measures to finite single values within an observation window, thus not being able to characterize the system evolution at each moment in time. Here, we propose a new definition of approximate and sample entropy based on the inhomogeneous point-process theory. The discrete time series is modeled through probability density functions, which characterize and predict the time until the next event occurs as a function of the past history. Laguerre expansions of the Wiener-Volterra autoregressive terms account for the long-term nonlinear information. As the proposed measures of entropy are instantaneously defined through probability functions, the novel indices are able to provide instantaneous tracking of the system complexity. The new measures are tested on synthetic data, as well as on real data gathered from heartbeat dynamics of healthy subjects and patients with cardiac heart failure and gait recordings from short walks of young and elderly subjects. Results show that instantaneous complexity is able to effectively track the system dynamics and is not affected by statistical noise properties.


Pairing symmetry in the cuprate superconductors is an important and controversial topic. The recent development of phase-sensitive tests, combined with the refinement of several other symmetry-sensitive techniques, has for the most part settled this controversy in favor of predominantly $d$-wave symmetry for a number of optimally hole- and electron-doped cuprates. This paper begins by reviewing the concepts of the order parameter, symmetry breaking, and symmetry classification in the context of the cuprates. After a brief survey of some of the key non-phase-sensitive tests of pairing symmetry, the authors extensively review the phase-sensitive methods, which use the half-integer flux-quantum effect as an unambiguous signature for $d$-wave pairing symmetry. A number of related symmetry-sensitive experiments are described. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the implications, both fundamental and applied, of the predominantly $d$-wave pairing symmetry in the cuprates.


Blasphemy charges against Ahok (BasukiTjahajaPurnama), as he contested Jakarta's gubernatorial election, turned into a test of how successful Islamic hardliners can be in exercising influence on the moderate Muslim majority. Ahok was the first Chinese Christian governor of Jakarta in the contemporary times enjoying immense popularity. His political rivals, who are a group of extreme Muslims, exploited religious sentiment to win the election. This governor election, then, seemingly became a battle between the moderate majority, who mostly support Ahok, and the hardliners, who are clearly outnumbered.
This case points to the emergence of an iceberg appearing from the Islamic movement, some seventy years after the political independence of Indonesia. Though it does not indicate whether Indonesia will in the near future become an Islamic state, it is clear that the pendulum is swinging from the middle to the right. Responding to this recent development, minorities, especially Christians including Catholics, should redefine their place in Indonesia.


The significant frequency drift of integrated microwave photonic filters (IMPFs) is caused by relatively independent frequency fluctuations of the optical carrier and the photonic integrated filter, which imposes a rigid limitation on the practical application. In this paper, a novel method is proposed for suppressing the frequency drift of IMPFs. The scheme is implemented by utilizing an on-chip high-Q microring resonator as a frequency monitoring unit to track the instantaneous frequency drifts caused by the optical carrier drift and the temperature fluctuations of the photonic integrated chip. And the same frequency tuning is simultaneously applied on the photonic integrated filter to suppress the frequency drift of IMPFs based on the differential scheme. As a proof of concept, the proposed IMPF scheme is demonstrated on the Si3N4 platform, and the frequency drift is measured to be tens of MHz in one hour. Compared with conventional IMPF schemes, the frequency drift is significantly suppressed by 86.3% without using complex laser frequency stabilization and temperature control systems.


The paper presents a novel method to identify the location and development stages of offshore wind turbines, at a global scale, for the period 2016-2021, using radar imagery of the Santinel-1mission. The methods proposed employs deep learning based object detection, linking the SyntEO approach for automatic synthesis of large annotated training data and a cascade of two convolutional neural network models. This allowed the identification of, first, the offshore wind farm areas, and second, the offshore wind farm turbines. The detection of OWT development stages was realized by applying two consecutive peak finder algorithms to the swap profiles of the time series imagery. The data generated and method used are new, the workflow is thoroughly documented and described with sufficient detail. The resulted DeepOWT data set is openly available in a readily usable format compatible with geo-spatial software like QGIS. One strong aspect is the comparison of the resulted data set with the OSM database and the GOWT v1.3 data set, which validates and emphasizes the advantages of the resulted Deep OWT data set. The identified locations of OWTs are also consistent with the data provided by other open-source data repositories such as EmodNET. The research is highly relevant in the context of the accelerated energy transition, leading to the high scale deployment of offshore wind farms. The results can represent valuable inputs in large-scale environmental impact assessments of renewable infrastructure, at a global scale. This can contribute to a more coherent, strategic and knowledge-based decision-making process related to future deployments of OWFs, when considering potential impacts on the marine environment.


We consider stationary, cylindrically symmetric configurations in general relativity and formulate necessary conditions for the existence of rotating cylindrical wormholes. It is shown that in a comoving reference frame the rotational part of the gravitational field is separated from its static part and forms an effective stress-energy tensor with exotic properties, which favors the existence of wormhole throats. Exact vacuum and scalar-vacuum solutions (with a massless scalar) are considered as examples, and it turns out that even vacuum solutions can be of wormhole nature. However, solutions obtainable in this manner cannot have well-behaved asymptotic regions, which excludes the existence of wormhole entrances appearing as local objects in our Universe. To overcome this difficulty, we try to build configurations with flat asymptotic regions by the cut-and-paste procedure: on both sides of the throat, a wormhole solution is matched to a properly chosen region of flat space at some surfaces $\Sigma_-$ and $\Sigma_+$. It is shown, however, that if we describe the throat region with vacuum or scalar-vacuum solutions, one or both thin shells appearing on $\Sigma_-$ and $\Sigma_+$ inevitably violate the null energy condition. In other words, although rotating wormhole solutions are easily found without exotic matter, such matter is still necessary for obtaining asymptotic flatness.


Many applications, such as text modelling, high-throughput sequencing, and recommender systems, require analysing sparse, high-dimensional, and overdispersed discrete (count-valued or binary) data. Although probabilistic matrix factorisation and linear/nonlinear latent factor models have enjoyed great success in modelling such data, many existing models may have inferior modelling performance due to the insufficient capability of modelling overdispersion in count-valued data and model misspecification in general. In this paper, we comprehensively study these issues and propose a variational autoencoder based framework that generates discrete data via negative-binomial distribution. We also examine the model's ability to capture properties, such as self- and cross-excitations in discrete data, which is critical for modelling overdispersion. We conduct extensive experiments on three important problems from discrete data analysis: text analysis, collaborative filtering, and multi-label learning. Compared with several state-of-the-art baselines, the proposed models achieve significantly better performance on the above problems.


1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of an intact baroreceptor reflex mechanism in the expression of the cardiovascular response to 8-OH-DPAT and to determine whether there are any differences between the activation of central alpha 2-adrenoreceptors and 5-HT1A receptors in this respect. To this end, the effects of 8-OH-DPAT and clonidine have been assessed on blood pressure, heart rate, ECG and cardiac contractility indices in conscious sino-aortic baroreceptor denervated (SAD) rats and their sham-operated controls. 2. In both sham-operated and SAD rats, intravenous (i.v.) administration of 8-OH-DPAT (32 micrograms kg-1) and clonidine (8 micrograms kg-1) produced falls in systemic blood pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure and dP/dtmax. 3. 8-OH-DPAT produced similar bradycardia in each group of rats; in contrast, clonidine had a greater effect in the SAD animals. Increases of the PQ interval mirrored the heart-rate changes with both compounds. 4. No significant changes in end diastolic blood pressure or in the myocardial contractility indices dP/dtmax/P and Vmax were evident. 5. This study provides support for the view that i.v. 8-OH-DPAT lowers blood pressure and heart rate through a central mechanism. The effects occur independently of an intact baroreceptor reflex and are not associated with effects on myocardial contractility. 8-OH-DPAT shows close qualitative similarities to clonidine in this model.


SUMMARY In this study, an iron removal process, which makes use of the catalytic effect of ferric iron, is proposed. For this purpose, a lab-scale continuous flow aeration/ sedimentation unit with or without recycling was built. The aim of the study was to verify the validity of the findings of batch-type oxidation experiments also for continuous flow conditions. The efficiency of oxidation was about 57-79 % when the system was operated without recycling. Fe(II) removal efficiencies could be increased to 80-89 %, 90-97 % and 98-99.6% for the recycling ratios of 50 %, 80% and 100%, respectively. The increase of Fe(II) removal was explained by an increase of ferric concentration in the aeration tank as a result of recycling. The higher the Fe(III) concentration in the aeration tank the better was the Fe(II) removal efficiency up to a Fe(III) concentration of 300 mg/l. Beyond this level, no significant increase in removal efficiency of ferrous iron was observed with increasing ferric iron concentration.


Argument We examine the creation and functioning of the "Pasteur Institute in Palestine" focusing on the relationship between biological science, health policy, and the creation of a "new society" within the framework of Zionism. Similar to other bacteriological institutes founded by colonial powers, this laboratory was developed in response to public health needs. But it also had a political role. Dr. Leo Böhm, a Zionist physician, strived to establish his institution along the lines of the Zionist aspiration to develop a national entity based on strong scientific foundations. Even though the institute enjoyed several fruitful years of operation, mainly during World War I, it achieved no lasting national or scientific importance in the country. Böhm failed to adapt to new ways of knowledge production, scientifically and socially. The case study of the "Pasteur Institute in Palestine" serves as a prism to view the role of the public health laboratory in the history of Palestine with its ongoing changes of scientific, organizational, and political context.


BACKGROUND
hip fractures as well as cognitive dysfunction become increasingly prevalent in growing ageing populations. Hip fractures are approximately three times more common in elderly women.

OBJECTIVE
we analysed outcome after hip fracture with respect to gender and cognitive function.

DESIGN
population-based, prospective cohort study.

SETTING
four university hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden.

SUBJECTS
a total of 2,134 consecutive patients admitted with hip fracture during 2003.

METHODS
gender differences in residence, walking ability and activity of daily living (ADL) were analysed at baseline, after 4 and 24 months in patients with and without intact cognitive function.

RESULTS
women were older, more often living alone and had poorer walking ability (P < 0.001). Cognitive dysfunction was equally common by gender. Women were more often treated with a prosthesis (P < 0.001) and sent to rehabilitation (P < 0.001). In the cognitive dysfunction group, men had more co-morbidity (P < 0.001) and total loss of walking ability (P = 0.03), but more often resided in own homes (P = 0.03). There was no gender difference in ADL.

CONCLUSION
men had a higher risk for loss of walking ability and death only in patients with cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive function was the most important factor for returning to own home and regain pre-fracture function.


Purpose of review Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the biggest complications in open and endovascular aortic repairs. Historically, cerebrospinal fluid drains (CSFD) have been one of the most effective modalities in reducing SCI and one of the most studied. CSFD placement also carries its' own set of procedural risks. This editorial intends to evaluate recent literature to determine whether CSFDs remain a valuable tool in aortic repair. Recent findings As the surgical management of thoracic aortic aneurysms has evolved, there has been an increasing number of endovascular repairs. Current recommendations emphasize prophylactic CSFD placement in endovascular repair cases deemed 'high risk.' However, several meta-analyses differ on whether prophylactic CSFD placement reduced the risk of SCI. The incidence of SCI decreased between 2014 and 2018, despite a similar rate of prophylactic CSFD placement suggesting other techniques are being performed and may be effective in spinal cord protection as well. Summary There has been conflicting data on whether CSFDs have a role in reducing the risk of SCI in endovascular aortic repair. Some studies suggest that there is no benefit to placement while others suggest that routine prophylactic drains should be placed for all endovascular cases. Despite this, efforts have been made to selectively place CSFDs in those patients deemed at 'high risk' for SCI. CSFDs also remain a part of rescue treatment for postoperative SCI. This suggests that CSFDs continue to be a valuable tool that we need to better comprehend. Future research is necessary to better understand how patient risk factors can be balanced with perioperative management to help identify patients who may benefit from CSFD placement.


This work is pointed towards the semiotic and mythological aspects of the threshing floor in Slavic culture, including the period from the Middle Ages till the contemporary folklore. According to the real form and the functions of the threshing floor, its dynamical cosmological symbolic is stressed, accenting its celestial character: - threshing floor = sky/heaven; - the hinge = axis mundi; - the circular movement of the animals = cyclical dynamics of the celestial bodies. A few myths referring to this particular object are elaborated. "The threshing Floor where the Birds are threshing Immortelle" is explicitly represented in the stories from Macedonia and Bulgaria, while implicitly its presence can be noticed in the Balkan rituals connected with the "Christmas Straw" and the legends of "The Milky Way" ("Godfather`s Straw"/"Kumova slama"). The relation between the mythologized threshing floor and the faries is elaborated through the components "Fairies' Threshing Floor" ("Vilino gumno", "Judinsko horo"), present throughout toponyms and legends. The second part of this work will give elaboration to the motif of the "Metallic Threshing Floor".


Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using 68Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA) became an important tool in the prostate cancer (PC) diagnosis. Despite its high sensitivity and specificity, this method may produce false-positive findings, as indicated by previous studies. This case report aims to warn nuclear medicine physicians, oncologists, and urologists about the possibility of false-positive findings using this imaging modality, especially in patients who have already been diagnosed with other malignancies. A 69-year-old man, previously treated for an extrapleural solitary fibrous tumor (ESFT), underwent staging tests after a new diagnosis of high-risk PC. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging revealed an abnormal uptake in the prostate and in the right humerus. A biopsy was performed, and the pathology showed a lesion consisting of an ESFT metastasis. Diagnostic issues related to 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging should be disseminated to help physicians make appropriate treatment choices for each patient and avoid unnecessary procedures.


Make-to-order production is generally operated in a very unpredictable and competitive environment, where the key factors to succeed are to provide high service levels and flexibility while at the same time offering inexpensive products. To receive customers, production companies must often promise short lead-times and the option of adjustable order quantities and delivery dates. Coping with uncertainty and variable demand is a challenging task. With the additional challenge of cutting down the production costs to be able to provide inexpensive products, proper planning and scheduling of the production becomes very difficult and crucial for success. It is therefore of crucial importance to develop systematic methods to address the problem of planning and scheduling under uncertainty in order to create efficient and reliable plans and thereby reduce the risk of delayed deliveries of customer orders. This study introduces the subject of creating robust production plans and schedules in the typical modern production environment characterised by several important sources of uncertainty. We introduce an efficient and practical modelling approach for creating robust production plans under uncertain and varying demand conditions. As an inspiration we have a large real-world problem originating from a complex pharmaceutical enterprise.


The present study deals with the numerical solution of the G-heat equation. Since the G-heat equation is defined in an unbounded domain, we firstly state that the solution of the G-heat equation defined in a bounded domain converges to the solution of the G-heat equation when the measure of the domain tends to infinity. Moreover, after time discretisation by an implicit time marching scheme, we define a method of linearisation of each stationary problem, which leads to the solution of a large scale algebraic system. A unified approach analysis of the convergence of the sequential and parallel relaxation methods is given. Finally, we present the results of numerical experiments.


Under the auspices of the Africa for Results Initiative (Afrik4R), the African Community of Practice (AfCoP) on Managing for Development Results (MfDR) held from November 11 2013 to November 3


Purpose Investigate development of specific performance adaptions and hormonal responses every fourth week during a 12-wk high-intensity training (HIT) period in groups with different interval-training prescriptions. Methods Sixty-three well-trained cyclists performing a 12-wk intervention consisting of two to three HIT sessions per week in addition to ad libitum low-intensity training. Groups were matched for total training load, but increasing HIT (INC) group (n = 23) performed interval-sessions as 4 × 16 min in weeks 1–4, 4 × 8 min in weeks 5–8, and 4 × 4 min in weeks 9–12. Decreasing HIT (DEC) group (n = 20) performed interval sessions in the opposite order as INC, and mixed HIT (MIX) group (n = 20) performed all interval-sessions in a mixed distribution during 12 wk. Cycling-tests and measures of resting blood hormones were conducted pre, weeks 4, 8, and 12. Results INC and MIX achieved >70% of total change in workload eliciting 4 mmol·L−1 [la−] (Power4mM) and V˙O2peak during weeks 1–4, versus only 34%–38% in DEC. INC induced larger improvement versus DEC during weeks 1–4 in Power4mM (effect size, 0.7) and V˙O2peak (effect size, 0.8). All groups increased similarly in peak power output during weeks 1–4 (64%–89% of total change). All groups' pooled, total and free testosterone and free testosterone/cortisol ratio decreased by 22% ± 15%, 13% ± 23%, and 14% ± 31% (all P < 0.05), and insulin-like growth factor-1 increased by 10% ± 14% (P < 0.05) during weeks 1–4. Conclusions Most of progression in Power4mM, V˙O2peak and peak power output was achieved during weeks 1–4 in INC and MIX, and accompanied by changes in resting blood hormones consistent with increased but compensable stress load. In these well-trained subjects, accumulating 2–3 h·wk−1 performing 4 × 16 min work bouts at best effort induces greater adaptions in Power4mM and V˙O2peak than accumulating ~1 h·wk−1 performing best effort intervals as 4 × 4 min.


Several clinical investigations have been published regarding the interaction of nifedipine and quinidine. The results of these studies are contradictory. In vitro studies indicate that the 3-hydroxylation and N-oxigenation of quinidine appear to involve the P4503A4 family, a form of cytochrome that predominantly catalyzes the aromatization of nifedipine, too. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of oral intake of 200 mg quinidine on the kinetics of 20 mg nifedipine as a retarded formulation and vice versa. Twelve healthy male volunteers between 18 and 40 years were treated. Each subject was studied on three occasions each separated by a one week washout period. Drug administration consisted of one oral dose of nifedipine (Adalat retard 20 mg), one oral dose of quinidine (Chinidin sulfuricum "Buchler" 200 mg) or a combination of both (20 mg nifedipine and 200 mg quinidine) in a randomised 3 way crossover. Administration of the test drugs in combination slightly increased the bioavailability of both--nifedipine [N] to 18% and quinidine [Q] to 16%--and decreased the clearance of both drugs. The results were not statistically significant. Based on our data, the combination of nifedipine and quinidine seems to lack a clinically relevant interaction.


Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Traditional Diplomatic Structures: Diplomacy as Bricks and Mortar. 3. The Traditional Diplomatic Ideology -- the Obsession with the Billiard Ball. 4. The Changing World. 5. Political and Social Change. 6. The New World of International Relations. 7. Dismantling the Traditional Diplomatic Machine. 8. Public Diplomacy. 9. Towards a New Diplomacy. Notes. Index.


. The mid-Norwegian Voring margin bounding the northern Atlantic underwent several rift episodes after the Caledonian orogeny. Permo-Triassic extension concentrated at the eastern inner margin, followed by Jurassic-Cretaceous extension at the center of the margin. Finally, more westward, the last rift episode led to continental breakup in the earliest Eocene. Although the general architecture of the margin may be clear, the timing and distribution of particularly the oldest rift structures are poorly constrained. We use two-dimensional forward tectonostratigraphic modeling for better quantitative understanding of the tectonic evolution of the margin. Two regional profiles crossing the margin have been analyzed. Modeling profiles and fill well as the underlying crustal structure of the margin. The modeling allows us (1) to quantify the distribution and timing of extension of subsequent rift episodes, (2) to predict the basin and crustal architecture at deep levels, and (3) to test different interpretations of the seismic data. The level of lithospheric necking during basin formation is constrained by basement topography and Moho depth and lies within the middle crust (20 km). Furthermore, we investigate the migration of the rift axes and the elastic lithospheric strength during the different rift episodes. Locations of previous extension are not reactivated during renewed rifting. Instead, renewed rifting occurs preferentially in regions where the lithosphere has experienced less extension.


Purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two types of stress, cold and nutritional, on the viability and the in vitro virulence of the foodborne pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Methodology. Ten diverse isolates were kept in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) at optimal (37 °C) or at refrigeration temperature (7 °C), for 1 and 7 days. The viability of the cells [log colony‐forming units (c.f.u.)/ml] and their in vitro virulence, before and after storage in these conditions, were investigated. In vitro virulence (log PFA) was evaluated using the human intestinal epithelial cell line HT‐29 in plaque‐forming assays (PFAs). Results/Key findings. In general, when compared with the conditions at 37 °C, the exposure at 7 °C for 7 days seemed to increase the resistance of the isolates to nutritional stress. Nutritional stress per se acted significantly to decrease the in vitro virulence of the isolates. After 7 days of nutrient deprivation, whether at optimal or at refrigeration temperature, the majority of the isolates assumed a low‐virulence phenotype. Conclusion. Our results suggest that when L. monocytogenes are in refrigerated post‐processing environments that are unable to support their growth they may increase their resistance to nutritional stress and may decrease their virulence. This should be considered when performing risk assessments for refrigerated ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods.


Polarized neutron scattering experiments have demonstrated that Dy/Y multilayer structures possess a coherent spin helix with a preferable chirality induced by the magnetic field. The average chirality, being proportional to the difference in the left- and right-handed helix population numbers, is measured as a polarization-dependent asymmetric part of the magnetic neutron scattering. The magnetic field applied in the plane of the sample upon cooling below T(N) is able to repopulate the otherwise equal population numbers for the left- and right-handed helixes. The experimental results strongly indicate that the chirality is caused by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction due to the lack of the symmetry inversion on the interfaces.


Foundation design is often controlled by the serviceability limit state and the mobilised settlement under operational conditions is often the governing design condition. Accurate predictions of pile displacements are often hampered by the inherent soil variability. This paper describes an analysis which incorporates the uncertainty in soil properties directly into the pile settlement calculations through a monte-carlo simulation. A t-z analysis is performed which assumes the axial load in a pile is resisted by non-linear uncoupled spring elements, which are dependent on the properties of the surrounding soil. The input soil parameters are modelled by log normally distributed variables. The ultimate friction mobilised by the soil springs is calculated using the Cone Penetration Test based Imperial College pile design approach. CPT data from an Irish dense sand test site is used in the analysis. The springs are assumed to be auto-correlated with depth in a similar manner to the CPT profile, with the degree of correlation defined by the scale of fluctuation. In the final section, the results are discussed in light of previous research which assumed uncorrelated soil properties.


A promising approach to low-cost photovoltaic devices is to fabricate thin film solar cells using solution-processable nanocrystal inks. This is applicable to the material class of kesterites having favourable opto-electronic properties and the potential for high efficiencies. This study looks at the chalcogenide compound Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) in particular which consists of earth-abundant elements and therefore provides means for truly sustainable energy generation. Re-dispersed in an organic solvent, the nanoparticles can easily be deposited in thin films on top of glass substrates. Subsequent annealing is used to promote grain growth for a dense, polycrystalline absorber layer. The resulting films (or as-synthesised particles) are analysed with respect to their crystal structure, phase purity, morphology, chemical composition, and opto-electronic properties. Combining a variety of methods helps to disentangle the complex material characteristics of the quaternary compound.

The reproducibility of CZTS nanocrystal synthesis by the hot-injection method is briefly discussed. The focus of this thesis is on the influence of the annealing temperature held at a constant value in a range between 400°C and 600°C for 1h on the film development. This is supplemented by an investigation of the influence of different annealing times between 0.5h and 3.0h at a moderate temperature of 500°C and by an exemplary analysis of cross-sections through samples of a CZTS absorber on a molybdenum rear contact layer. The experiments suggest that temperatures around 600°C are preferable in order to enhance the quality of the crystal structure and to obtain large-grained films which is seen as a major area of improvement in this field of research. Increasing the annealing time, in contrast, does induce hardly any changes in the material and is therefore less effective in achieving high-quality absorber layers. The final state of the films is reached after only about 1h of annealing.


An independent components analysis algorithm is applied to extract vibratory signals generated by termites from background noise. Signals from a microphone in uniform and Gaussian noise, were taken as sensor outputs. Bispectrum is proposed as a higher-order statistic to characterise time series. Experiments prove that detection and characterisation can be performed successfully even with low signal-to-noise ratio signals.


Equine encephalomyelitis of the eastern type is a disease of the late summer and fall and cases are found in greatest numbers near salt marshes. The epidemiological findings are against its transmission by contact and favor the view that it is insect borne. Although virus can be demonstrated in the blood of infected horses it is present for a relatively short time, and the possibility that the disease is not primarily an infection of horses but that it is transmitted to them from another host is considered.


159 We have previously shown that inhibition of E2F activity is essential for the initiation of squamous differentiation (1,2). For this reason, we postulated that endogenous inhibitors of E2F may exist that are involved in the initiation of squamous differentiation. In the present study we examine the potential role of E2F7 in regulating E2F-dependent functions in human keratinocytes (proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis). We found that E2F7b was the most highly expressed splice variant of E2F7 whose expression was restricted primarily to proliferating keratinocytes. In a series of reporter assays we were able to show that E2F7 could inhibit E2F1-dependent proliferation markers and could sensitise keratinocytes to subsequent differentiation stimuli. Based on these data we propose that E2F7b is likely to be a physiologically-relevant regulator of the initiation of squamous differentiation. We next went on to show that E2F7b was a potent suppressor of E2F1-induced keratinocyte apoptosis. Combined, these data suggest that the antiproliferative, pro-differentiative activity of E2F7 is consistent with a tumour suppressor function whilst the anti-apoptotic activity is consistent with that of an oncogene. This situation is the opposite to that reported for E2F1. This proposition takes on more significance when combined with our observation that E2F7b and E2F1 are highly expressed (10-100 fold) in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). This would suggest that the overexpression of E2F7 could contribute to SCC formation. These data would also suggest that the inhibition of E2F7 could be a novel way to induce apoptosis or sensitise SCCs to cytotoxic drugs.


Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a public health problem in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While reference sickle cell centers have been implemented in capital cities of African countries and have proven to be beneficial for SCD patients, they have never been set up in rural areas for families with very low sources of income. Method: A cohort of 143 children with SCD aged 10 years old (IQR (interquartile range): 6–15 years) (sex ratio male/female = 1.3) were clinically followed for 12 months without any specific intervention aside from the management of acute events, and then for 12 months with a monthly medical visit, biological follow-up, and regular prophylaxis. Results: The median age of patients at the diagnosis of SCD was 2 years (IQR: 1–5). The implementation of standardized and regular follow-ups in a new sickle cell referral center in a remote city showed an increase in the annual mean hemoglobin level from 50 to 70 g/L (p = 0.001), and a decrease in the lymphocyte count and spleen size (p < 0.001). A significant decrease (p < 0.001) in the average annual number of hospitalizations and episodes of vaso-occlusive crises, blood transfusions, infections, and acute chest syndromes were also observed. Conclusions: Creation of a sickle cell referral center and the regular follow-up of children with SCD are possible and applicable in the context of a remote city of an African country and represent simple and accessible measures that can reduce the morbimortality of children with sickle cell disease.


The significance of finding lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament on ultrasound, with special emphasis on patients with inflammatory liver disease, has been evaluated. In one study a comparison was made with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is another non-invasive imaging modality without the hazards of ionizing radiation. Lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament were found in benign as well as in malignant disease. In patients with abnormal biochemical test results regarding liver function, enlarged lymph nodes as the only pathological finding on ultrasound examination indicate the presence of chronic inflammatory liver disease and indicate the need for a liver biopsy. In patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, lymph node size, as well as changes in node size at a follow-up examination after two years, correlated with laboratory values reflecting cholestasis, hepatocellular damage and immunoreactivity. Changes in node size also correlated with changes in intralobular inflammation, as seen in the liver biopsies. In patients with chronic active hepatitis, a tendency towards a positive correlation between the size of the lymph nodes and laboratory values reflecting cholestasis and humoral immunoreactivity was seen, as well as a tendency towards an association with liver inflammation in the liver biopsies. These findings support our hypothesis that size and change in size of the hepatic nodes are valuable diagnostic parameters in patients with chronic liver diseases. Compared with basic low-field MRI (0.2 T), ultrasound seems superior for evaluation of lymph nodes in the liver hilus. (Less)


Increasing the efficiency of risk assessment for the purposes of personal insurance is impossible without using the latest achievements of modern science. This translates into a growing interest in the use of genetic research results by insurers, which manifests itself not only in legislation and insurers' practices, but also in international recommendations on personal medical data processing for insurance purposes. Based on analysis of foreign practices, the authors determine priority areas of respective legislation development, in particular, legislative recognition of a ban on insurers' access to genetic data in the context of obligatory medical insurance and group insurance programs; granting insurers the right to use genetic testing results for the purposes of life insurance, personal accident and sickness insurance, voluntary medical insurance, if the sum insured exceeds a statutory threshold.

The reported study was funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) according to Research Project No. 18-29-14056.


To ensure correct DNA replication, eukaryotes have signaling pathways that respond to replication-associated DNA damage and trigger repair. In both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a complex of proteins, including the cullin protein Rtt101p and two adapter proteins Mms22p and Mms1p, is important for proper response to replication stress. We have investigated this system in Candida albicans. In this pathogen, Mms22p is important for recovery from DNA replication damage induced by agents including methylmethane sulfonate, camptothecin, and ionizing radiation. Although no clear ortholog of Mms1p has been identified in C. albicans, loss of either Mms22p or Rtt101p generates similar damage sensitivity, consistent with a common function. In S. cerevisiae, the Mrc1p−Csm3p−Tof1p complex stabilizes stalled replication forks and activates a replication checkpoint and interacts with Mms22p. A similar complex in S. pombe, consisting of the Tof1p and Csm3p orthologs Swi1p and Swi3p, along with the fission yeast Mrc1p, genetically also interacts with Mms22p. Intriguingly in C. albicans only Mrc1p and Csm3p appear involved in damage repair, and Mms22p is required for responding to DNA damage agents in MRC1 or CSM3 conditional mutants. In C. albicans, although the loss of RAD57 greatly impairs response in the pathogen to many DNA-damaging agents, lethality due to camptothecin damage requires concomitant loss of Rad57p and Mms22p, suggesting that Mms22p is only essential for homologous recombination induced by camptothecin. These results establish that although C. albicans uses conserved cellular modules to respond to DNA damage and replication blocks, the specific details of these modules differ significantly from the S. cerevisiae model.


Objective:To assess progress toward ensuring a globally safe blood supply. Design and Methods:We examined 2 global databases for blood safety: (1) that of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) blood safety indicator; and (2) that of the Global Database on Blood Safety (GDBS), a database developed by the World Health Organization. The UNGASS data were collected through the Ministry of Health based on the GDBS data, followed by a reconciliation and cross-checking of the data by World Health Organization and United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). Results:The proportion of United Nations member countries reporting UNGASS data for blood safety is among the highest of all UNGASS indicators: 147 of 192 United Nations Member States participated in UNGASS reporting in 2008 and 125 of them (85%) submitted data on blood safety. Ninety-one of the 125 countries (73%) reported that 100% of collected blood units were screened in a quality assured manner, but 34 countries did not screen all collected blood units in accordance with minimum quality standards. GDBS data showed that 80.7 million blood units were collected globally in 167 countries during 2004-2005, of which 77.3 million were tested for HIV and at least 0.6 million of the remaining 3.4 million donations went untested. Conclusions:Progress has been made toward eliminating blood transfusion as a significant cause of HIV infection globally. Screening all donated blood for HIV in accordance with minimum quality standards remains vital, however, as health care systems should, at a minimum, do no harm. This goal is achievable and would assist in reaching Millennium Development Goals by 2015.


The article deals with the essence and peculiarities of various theories and approaches to the study of integration within European integration Communities. It provides the analysis of theoretical approaches and concepts by various schools on the definition of "integration", preconditions for the emergence and development of the European integration placing special emphasis on the essence and content of the European legal integration theory. The author focuses on describing legal integration theory within the European integration Communities.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of prescription step-therapy programs in terms of plan-sponsor savings and member experience at the point of service.

STUDY DESIGN
Plan-sponsor savings were measured using a quasi-experimental, case-control design. Member experience with step therapy was measured using a self-administered mailed survey.

METHODS
A 20,000-member plan implemented 3 step therapy programs in September 2002: proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Pharmacy claims from September 1, 2001, through June 30, 2003, were examined to compare changes in per-member-per-month (PMPM) net cost between the intervention group and a random sample of members from commercial plans without the step therapy programs. A mailed, self-administered survey was sent to members with a step edit from September 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

RESULTS
The employer experienced a decrease of 0.83 dollars in net cost after implementing step therapy, while the comparison group had an upward trend of 0.10 dollars PMPM for these therapy classes. Member-reported outcomes indicated that approximately 30% of patients received a generic, 23% were granted a medical exception for the brand, 17% received no medication, and 16% paid the full retail price for the brand. If the pharmacist vs the patient contacted the physician, members were 8 times more likely to receive a medication covered by the health plan (OR, 8.10; 95% CI, 2.94-22.33 vs OR, 8.23; 95% CI, 3.11-21.93). Compared with those who received first-line therapy, those who paid out of pocket for the brand medication vs those who did not receive any medication were less likely to be satisfied with their pharmacy benefit (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.08-0.80 vs OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.41).

CONCLUSIONS
Step therapy produces significant drug savings. However, there appear to be opportunities to further members' and providers' understanding of these programs.


Summary Unfractionated harvests of foot-and-mouth disease virus grown in baby hamster kidney cells fixed complement with both heterotypic and homotypic antisera but the freshly prepared intact virus (25 nm. component) from these harvests fixed complement only with the homotypic antiserum. Storage at 4° or heating at 37° released an antigen from the 25 nm. component which fixed complement with heterotypic serum. This antigen could also be prepared by mixing the 25 nm. component with baby hamster kidney cells but it was obtained in greatest yield by disrupting with guanidine. It had a sedimentation coefficient of 14S in sucrose gradients. Serum from hyperimmunized infected guinea pigs which had been absorbed with excess homotypic 25 nm. component fixed complement with the disrupted virus but not with intact virus. The disrupted virus also reacted with heterotypic antiserum produced by inoculation of guinea pigs with inactivated 25 nm. component, providing further evidence that the antigen is a structural component of the virus particle.


Amphiphilic nanoparticles are highly biocompatible frameworks widely used for shuttling hydrophobic molecules across hydrophilic cellular environments. Their use can also span applications focused on achieving a selective binding against a target receptor. However, the molecular factors leading to an optimal binding often remain a critical step to assess. Here we have evaluated through advanced sampling free-energy simulations, combined with electronic circular dichroism spectra predictions, the binding of an amphiphilic polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based nanoparticle incorporating folate monomers with human folate receptor alpha. It turns out from the free-energy predictions that the optimal binding is achieved when the receptor target and the ligand-mimicking nanoparticle have a comparable size and the shortest spacer length of the folate monomer. Furthermore, we calculated the ECD spectrum of the folate monomer binding the target receptor, as well as that of the binding pocket of the receptor. Noteworthy, only when the optimal binding is achieved, the two ECD spectra closely match each other. Shape factors control the binding efficacy of nanoparticles with target receptors.


In this paper, negative-bias temperature-instability (NBTI) modeling, based on a generalized reaction-diffusion framework, is presented. Unlike the previous models, the release of atomic hydrogen from the Si-H bonds at the Si/oxide interface and its subsequent conversion into molecular H2 are considered without the (unphysical) assumption of instantaneous transition. The conversion reactions are handled explicitly with finite transition time and numerical solutions that contain both H and H 2 dynamics are obtained. The conversion reactions result in a distinct time behavior which cannot be predicted from either H- or H2-only simulations. The results are then explained analytically. The implications of hydrogen conversion dynamics on saturation of NBTI characteristics and device lifetimes are also discussed


We explore the question of what happens with the asymptotically highly damped quasi-normal modes (l fixed, |ωI | → ∞) when the underlying spacetime has no event horizons. We consider the characteristic oscillations of a scalar field in a large class of asymptotically flat spherically symmetric static spacetimes without (absolute) horizons, such that the class accommodates the cases that are known to be of some sort of physical interest. The question of the asymptotic quasi-normal modes in such spacetimes is relevant to elucidate the connection between the behavior of the asymptotic quasi-normal modes and the quantum properties of event horizons, as put forward in some recent important conjectures. We prove for a large class of asymptotically flat spacetimes without horizons that the scalar field asymptotically highly damped modes do not exist. This provides in our view additional evidence that there is indeed a close link between the asymptotically highly damped modes and the existence of spacetime horizons (and their properties).


The output torque of a three-phase interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) can be controlled within its allowable range using a pulse-width modulation (PWM) DC-AC inverter. In this paper, the effect of load torque on the iron losses of an IPMSM is studied by considering three different driving conditions, namely no-current, noload, and load conditions. In order to perform a careful evaluation in the experiments, the motor is tested at various rotational speeds, namely 750 min−1, 1500 min−1, and 2250 min−1; the voltage modulation index of the PWM inverter and the load torque are also varied. The experimental results in all the test cases show that the iron losses of the motor vary when the excitation condition is varied among the no-current, no-load, and load cases. Furthermore, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA) is performed for the main test case when the motor is operated at the rated speed of 750 min−1 for reference purpose. The harmonic components caused by the excitation inverter in the stator voltage, current, and magnetic flux density are found to be the main reasons for the increase in iron losses of the motor in the no-load and load conditions compared to the no-current condition; an increase in torque also causes a relatively significant increase in the iron losses.


Karyotypes, sex chromosome systems and meiotic characteristics are reported for ten spider species belonging to the families Gnaphosidae, Philodromidae, Salticidae, Oxyopidae and Sicariidae by using standard Giemsa staining. The male diploid numbers (2n) and sex chromosome systems are as follows: Berinda hakani 2n = 22 (X1X2), Berinda ensigera 2n = 22 (X1X2), Trachyzelotes lyonneti 2n = 22 (X1X2), Trachyzelotes malkini 2n = 22 (X1X2), Zelotes caucasius 2n = 22 (X1X2) (Gnaphosidae); Thanatus pictus 2n = 28 (X1 X2), Tibellus macellus 2n = 24 (X1 X2) (Philodromidae); Neon reticulatus 2n = 21 (X0) (Salticidae); Peucetia virescens 2n = 28 (X1X2) (Oxyopidae) and Loxosceles rufescens 2n = 21 (X1 X2Y) (Sicariidae). All species have monoarmed chromosomes with the exception of L. rufescens that has biarmed (metacentric and submetacentric) chromosomes. The obtained data are the first results for the genera Berinda, Trachyzelotes and Neon. Additionally, with the exception of L. rufescens, all species are being chromosomally analyzed for the first time.


Community- and home-based care services for the elderly are carried out in many communities of cities in China, meanwhile, these initial small-scale pilots have been gradually extended, and this has become the trend of community development in the next few years. However, community and home care services for elderly people are still facing problems such as inadequate coverage and low-service levels. The significance as well as the challenge of service innovation and service engineering becomes apparent. The authors give an overview on the current situation of community and home care services in Beijing and illustrate how service engineering methodology is applied to two concrete new service products in one community in Beijing. Preliminary results of one collaborative project between Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering and Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering in Germany are illustrated and discussed.


Lead (Pb) from the traffic accumulates in roadside soils, which are usually vegetated to control erosion. Plants release soluble organic substances that bind Pb. Root macropores also create preferential pathways through which water can flow. Both these processes may enhance Pb mobility. We used large lysimeters to investigate the transport of Pb in a contaminated (445 mg Pb kg−1) soil under vegetation (Phacelia tanacetifolia). Despite the high soil pH (7.2), Pb leached into the drainage water during the 5‐month experiment. The fast response of the system to intense rainfall events indicated the presence of preferential flow. By comparing Pb concentrations in filtered and unfiltered leachates, we found that Pb was leaching primarily on suspended material. An increase in Pb concentration in the leachate at the end of the experiment indicated the remobilization of Pb, possibly by decaying vegetation. We parameterized the dual‐porosity MACRO model using the experimental results. The simple parameterization of MACRO used to simulate the Pb concentrations in the drainage water produced an overall model efficiency of 0.81: MACRO simulated the Pb concentrations well, but it failed to predict the observed increase of Pb in the leachate at the end of the experiment. The model gave the best prediction of Pb concentrations with a small partition coefficient (kd= 150 cm3 g−1). Long‐term simulations of Pb mobility showed that for our specific conditions preferential flow was the main process determining the fate of Pb.


Transient charge and discharge currents in oriented PET films (Melinex) were measured over a wide range of temperature and electrical stresses. Some limited studies of the nature of these current transients were also made by varying parameters such as electrode material and the sample thickness. Isochronal characteristics (i.e. current/temperature plots at constant times) constructed from these data seemed to reveal two broad peaks, one centred at approximately 160K and the other at 390K. The results suggested that the low temperature isochronal peak was due to structural motions ( beta -relaxation) whereas the peak at 390K was not due to a second-order transition process ( alpha -relaxation).


The advent of big data analysis as a profession as well as a hobby has brought an increase in novel forms of data exploration and analysis, particularly ad-hoc analysis. Analysis of raw datasets using frameworks such as pandas and R have become very popular [8]. Typically these types of workflows are geared towards ingesting and transforming data in an exploratory fashion in order to derive knowledge while minimizing time-to-insight. However, there exists very little work studying usability and performance concerns of such unstructured workflows.


Calcification and ossification of the meninges have held the interest of pathologists and anatomists for many generations, and the numerous workers who have investigated the subject have brought to light so much information concerning them that our present knowledge of this subject seems almost complete. However, the importance of the roentgen ray in the diagnosis of cranial pathology and the fact that calcification and ossification of the meninges are to be considered in the interpretation of all roentgenograms of the head make a reconsideration of this subject appropriate. Bony new growths in the dura are found frequently in the animal kingdom. They are present in the falx of the dolphin, the seal, the platibus(Ornithorhynchus paradoxus)and in the tentorium of cats, bears, horses and pachyderms.1 The first reported instance of ossification of the meninges in man was probably that of Antonius Cattus2in 1557. In 1761 appeared


In order to improve the rate performance and cycling stability at high current densities of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a sample composite of SnO2 and three-dimensional graphene (SnO2/3DG) was fabricated using a hydrothermal method, with polystyrene balls (PS) as templates. The reversible capacity is 720.8 mA h g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1, after 100 cycles. The rate performance is also excellent, with a reversible capacity of about 800 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to its 3D structure, which possesses a large specific surface area and abundant reaction active positions, leading to fast kinetics and short pathways for both Li-ions and electrons.


Abstract. Atmospheric deposition is an important source of micronutrients to the
ocean, but atmospheric deposition fluxes remain poorly constrained in most
ocean regions due to the limited number of field observations of wet and dry
atmospheric inputs. Here we present the distribution of dissolved aluminium
(dAl), as a tracer of atmospheric inputs, in surface waters of the Atlantic
Ocean along GEOTRACES sections GA01, GA06, GA08, and GA10. We used the
surface mixed-layer concentrations of dAl to calculate atmospheric
deposition fluxes using a simple steady state model. We have optimized the
Al fractional aerosol solubility, the dAl residence time within the surface
mixed layer and the depth of the surface mixed layer for each separate cruise to
calculate the atmospheric deposition fluxes. We calculated the lowest
deposition fluxes of 0.15±0.1 and 0.27±0.13 g m−2 yr−1
for the South and North Atlantic Ocean (>40∘ S and >40∘ N) respectively, and the highest fluxes of 1.8
and 3.09 g m−2 yr−1 for the south-east Atlantic and tropical
Atlantic Ocean, respectively. Overall, our estimations are comparable to
atmospheric dust deposition model estimates and reported field-based
atmospheric deposition estimates. We note that our estimates diverge from
atmospheric dust deposition model flux estimates in regions influenced by
riverine Al inputs and in upwelling regions. As dAl is a key trace element
in the GEOTRACES programme, the approach presented in this study allows
calculations of atmospheric deposition fluxes at high spatial resolution for
remote ocean regions.


Maulid Nabi is widely celebrated throughout the world, including in Indonesia, many cultural traditions influence this warning. There are two opinions that suggest the beginning of the emergence of the Maulid tradition, first held by the caliph Mu'iz li Dinillah, and during the time of Sultan Salahuddin al-Ayyubi.
Keywords: Maulid Nabi, Tradition, Indonesia