In 2008, extra-curricular career development programs developed for psychology undergraduates at the Queensland University of Technology were incorporated into the formal curriculum. While a whole of course approach has been adopted, this session will explore the impact of a new introductory unit, Psychology in Professional Contexts, which adopts a constructivist approach to student career exploration. First-year students are introduced to key theories, models, and processes of career development, and the diversity of contexts in which their psychological knowledge can be applied, while developing and highlighting the value of important generic abilities such as critical thinking, team communication, critical reflection, and information literacy. Materials are drawn from the media, guest speakers' professional profiles, the students' own experiences, and traditional and emerging areas of psychology. Assessment and learning activities involve case analysis, problem-based learning, and discussion-based classes. The content of these professional development classes is also aligned with that of the core discipline units studied concurrently, to encourage the transfer of career development skills and knowledge across the psychology curriculum. This presentation will focus on 4 years of curriculum development in Psychology in Professional Contexts, and discuss changes initiated in 2011 which incorporate interactive online environments and extend the role of problem-based learning.


The authors describe a case of intracranial vascular calcifications that mimicked small saccular aneurysms on CT angiography (CTA). The density of two vascular calcifications was visually similar to that of contrast in the parent vessel, making them indistinguishable from aneurysmal outpouchings. Comparison of the CTA with the non-contrast head CT (NCCT) was critical to distinguish low-density calcifications from tiny aneurysms.


Experiences with new multikinase inhibitors are limited, especially in children. In this report we summarize our experience with 2 patients with relapsed acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), one with FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3-internal tandem duplication mutation and the other with a single base mutation (D835Y). Both patients received sorafenib, one for 19 days and the other for 42 days, with clofarabine-including chemotherapy. One additionally received sunitinib for a total of 20 days. Both patients developed severe pancytopenia, hypertension, life-threatening bleedings from the gastrointestinal system, and, finally, intrapulmonary hemorrhage. Although both reached severe aplasia of the bone marrow without blastic infiltration, death occurred with neutropenic sepsis.


ABSTRACT:  Streptomycetes are Gram-positive, soil-inhabiting bacteria of the order Actinomycetales. These organisms exhibit an unusual, developmentally complex life cycle and produce many economically important secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants, insecticides, and anti-tumor agents. Streptomyces species have been the subject of genetic investigation for over 50 years, with many studies focusing on the developmental cycle and the production of secondary metabolites. This information provides a solid foundation for the application of structural and functional genomics to the actinomycetes. The complete DNA sequence of the model organism, Streptomyces coelicolor M145, has been published recently, with others expected to follow soon. As more genomic sequences become available, the rational genetic manipulation of these organisms to elucidate metabolic and regulatory networks, to increase the production of commercially important compounds, and to create novel secondary metabolites will be greatly facilitated. This review presents the current state of the field of genomics as it is being applied to the actinomycetes.


We study a strongly attractive system of a few spin-(1/2) fermions confined in a one-dimensional harmonic trap, interacting via two-body contact potential. Performing exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian we analyze the ground state and the thermal state of the system in terms of one- and two-particle reduced density matrices. We show how for strong attraction the correlated pairs emerge in the system. We find that the fraction of correlated pairs depends on temperature and we show that this dependence has universal properties analogous to the gap function known from the theory of superconductivity. In contrast to the standard approach based on the variational ansatz and/or perturbation theory, our predictions are exact and are valid also in a strong-attraction limit. Our findings contribute to the understanding of strongly correlated few-body systems and can be verified in current experiments on ultra-cold atoms.


Many optimization-based portfolio rules fail to beat the simple 1/N rule out-of-sample because of parameter uncertainty. In this paper we suggest a grouping strategy in which we first form groups of equally weighted stocks and then optimize over the resulting groups only. This strategy aims at balancing the trade-off between the benefits from optimization and the losses from estimation risk. We rely on Monte-Carlo simulations to illustrate the performance of the strategy, and we derive the optimal group size for a simplified setup. Furthermore, we show that estimation risk also has an impact via the criterion by which the assets are sorted into groups (like the expected excess returns or betas), but does not negate the grouping approach. We relate our work to linear asset pricing models, and we conduct out of sample back-tests in order to confirm the validity of our grouping strategy empirically.


One of the major issues in Target-coverage problem of wireless sensor network is to increase the network lifetime. This can be solved by selecting minimum working nodes that will cover all the targets. This paper proposes a completely new method, in which minimum working node is selected by modified Ant colony Algorithm. Experimental results show that the lever of algorithmic complication is depressed and the searching time is reduced, and the proposed algorithm outperforms the other algorithm in terms.


Study on Fine Finishing Process Using Liquid-Bonded Wheel (1st Report) Increase of Critical Endurable Pressure of Liquid-Bonded Wheel in Machining Kenji KAWATA and Yasuhiro TANI The paper is concerned with the increase of endurable pressure in machining of a new lapping wheel named "Liquid-Bonded Wheel". The bond strength of this wheel is smaller than that of conventional grinding wheels. But endurable pressure of this wheel becomes high enough to withstand the mechanical shock of bumping to the workpiece and machining by employing some technique as follows. (1) Improving the angular accuracy of the axis of the main spindle of machine. (2) Using finer abrasives for increasing the contact points by unit volume of stacked grains in the wheel. (3) Using combination in still finer grains with the fine grains for increasing the density of the mixture. The wheel employing these technique has the endurable pressure of about 1 MPa in machining. Moreover, packing the vessel uniformly with abrasive grains may be important, for an uneven packing may deteriorate the flatness of the working surface of the wheel, and the flatness may influence the geometrical accuracy of the finished surface of workpiece. The wheel packed uniformly with grains is manufactured by covering the bottom of a mold with some annular plates.


Abstract The Galactic Center contains large amounts of molecular and ionized gas as well as a plethora of energetic objects. Water masers are an extinction-insensitive probe for star formation and thus ideal for studies of star formation stages in this highly obscured region. With the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we observed 22 GHz water masers in the entire Central Molecular Zone with sub-parsec resolution as part of the large SWAG survey: "Survey of Water and Ammonia in the Galactic Center". We detect of order 600 22 GHz masers with isotropic luminosities down to ~10−7 L⊙. Masers with luminosities of ≳10−6 L⊙ are likely associated with young stellar objects. They appear to be close to molecular gas streamers and may be due to star formation events that are triggered at pericenter passages near Sgr A*. Weaker masers are more widely distributed and frequently show double line features, a tell-tale sign for an origin in evolved star envelopes.


In this work we report on an experimental investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of a 850 nm multitransverse mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) when subject to high-frequency current modulation. Different frequencies and modulation amplitudes are applied to the VCSEL. Regular periodic dynamics - with periods equal to the modulation period or twice the modulation period - and irregular pulsating dynamics are obtained. Different dynamical behaviors are illustrated by using power time traces, radio-frequency spectra and bifurcation diagrams. Our results show that irregular pulsating dynamics in multimode VCSELs subject to large-signal current modulatton can be obtained due to the competition between different transverse modes.


Significant volumes of wastewater are routinely generated during agro-industry processing, amounting to millions of tonnes annually. In line with the circular economy concept, there could be a possibility of simultaneously treating the wastewater and recovering bio-energy resources such as bio-hydrogen. This study aimed to model the effect of different process parameters that could influence wastewater treatment and bio-energy recovery from agro-industrial wastewaters. Three agro-industrial wastewaters from dairy, chicken processing, and palm oil mills were investigated. Eight data-driven machine learning algorithms namely linear support vector machine (LSVM), quadratic support vector machine (QSVM), cubic support vector machine (CSVM), fine Gaussian support vector machine (FGSVM), binary neural network (BNN), rotation quadratic Gaussian process regression (RQGPR), exponential quadratic Gaussian process regression (EQGPR) and exponential Gaussian process regression (EGPR) were employed for the modeling process. The datasets obtained from the three agro-industrial processes were employed to train and test the models. The LSVM, QSVM, and CSVM did not show an impressive performance as indicated by the coefficient of determination (R2) < 0.7 for the prediction of hydrogen produced from wastewaters using the three agro-industrial processes. The LSVM, QSVM, and CSVM models were also characterized by high prediction errors. Superior performance was displayed by FGSVM, BNN, RQGPR, EQGPR, and EQGPR models as indicated by the high R 2 > 0.9, an indication of better predictability with minimized prediction errors as indicated by the low root mean square error (RMSE), mean square error (MSE), and mean absolute error (MAE).


The study of neurotransmitter release using aggregate cell cultures has been limited by the fact that cell aggregates are obtained only when cells are maintained in suspension with rotatory agitation. In this report we describe a simple and easy method that uses aggregate cell cultures to study the release of neurotransmitters. The results demonstrate that this relatively simple technique can be of great value to address the problem of neurotransmitter release and study the mechanisms of action of natural and synthetic compounds on the differentiation of functional synapses in the CNS.


Studies of global change and other regional issues depend on ecological data collected at multiple study areas or sites. An information system model is proposed for compiling diverse data from dispersed sources so that the data are consistent, complete, and readily available. The model includes investigators who collect and analyze field measurements, science teams that synthesize data, a project information system that collates data, a data archive center that distributes data to secondary users, and a master data directory that provides broader searching opportunities. Special attention to format consistency is required, such as units of measure, spatial coordinates, dates, and notation for missing values. Often data may need to be enhanced by estimating missing values, aggregating to common temporal units, or adding other related data such as climatic and soils data. Full documentation, an efficient data distribution mechanism, and an equitable way to acknowledge the original source of data are also required.


Ahs!ract. In 10 Bulgarian coal deposits studied the content of gold varies from 3.8 to 171 ppb in ash and from 0.7 to 33 ppb in coal. Fer some of the deposits the sorption ash is a concentrator of gold. The coal lithotypes, and especialJy the isolated vi train lenses are often enriched in gold in comparision to the whole coal samples. On the basis of own data, as well as of analysed data from certain published papers the presence of Au 0 rg (Aubio included) and Auinorg is assumed. The higher con tent of gold in coal of some deposits is due to the following gold-bearing source areas: the Madjarovo gold field (for the Valce Pole coal deposit), gold-bearing quartz veins (for the Meden Buk deposit), gold bearing placers (for the Pernik coal basin) and the influence of the marine transgression (for the Bur gas basin).


CONTEXT
Prostate cancer remains a significant public health problem. Recent publications of randomized trials and the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations have drawn attention to overtreatment of localized, low-risk prostate cancer. Active surveillance, in which patients undergo regular visits with serum prostate-specific antigen tests and repeat prostate biopsies, rather than aggressive treatment with curative intent, may address overtreatment of low-risk prostate cancer. It is apparent that a greater awareness of the critical role of pathologists in determining eligibility for active surveillance is needed.

OBJECTIVES
To review the state of current knowledge about the role of active surveillance in the management of prostate cancer and to provide a multidisciplinary report focusing on pathologic parameters important to the successful identification of patients likely to succeed with active surveillance, to determine the role of molecular tests in increasing the safety of active surveillance, and to provide future directions.

DESIGN
Systematic review of literature on active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer, pathologic parameters important for appropriate stratification, and issues regarding interobserver reproducibility. Expert panels were created to delineate the fundamental questions confronting the clinical and pathologic aspects of management of men on active surveillance.

RESULTS
Expert panelists identified pathologic parameters important for management and the related diagnostic and reporting issues. Consensus recommendations were generated where appropriate.

CONCLUSIONS
Active surveillance is an important management option for men with low-risk prostate cancer. Vital to this process is the critical role pathologic parameters have in identifying appropriate candidates for active surveillance. These findings need to be reproducible and consistently reported by surgical pathologists with accurate pathology reporting.


In the Ni 2 MnGa based alloys with additions of transition element Ni-Mn-Ga-X, the martensitic transformation temperature T M was observed as a function of the valence electron concentration per atom e/a The T M (e/a) strongly depends on e/a and increases with increasing e/a. In this paper, to examine the effect of X atom on the phase transformation in Ni-Mn-Ga-X alloys, the electronic structures for six systems were calculated for four phases that is, the paramagnetic cubic. the paramagnetic monoclinic, the ferromagnetic cubic and the ferromagnetic monoclinic phases. Moreover, the total energy differences ΔE(e/a) between two phases among four phases were calculated as a francium of e/a. The variations of T M (e/a) were predicted by the difference ΔE(e/a) between the cubic and monoclinic structures in) a ferromagnetic state. It was found that their correspondence is good for some systems and that the features of T M (e/a) reflect the changes of the density of states of X atoms.


Constraint are a major focus of theoretical and empirical study in leisure research. However, analyses of psychometric properties of constraints measures are rare. This study assessed the factor structure and invariance of a leisure constraints measure applied to sport participation among middle school adolescents (ages 11 to 15 years old) using panel data over two time periods nine months apart (N = 2,029). We compared the validity of three baseline models: a theoretical 3-factor model, a 7-factor model, and a second-order factor model. The 7-factor model exhibited a more appropriate measurement model based on fit indices and statistical comparisons. Using the 7-factor model, construct validity and invariance of the model over time (Time 1 and Time 2) was examined by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The model was found to be invariant at the factor loading and intercept levels, while there was some evidence of non-invariance at further constrained levels. In general, the 7-factor model appeared to be psychometrically stable and applicable over a range of demographic subgroups, lending evidence to its use as a measure in leisure or sport participation constraint studies that involve socio-demographic comparisons. The findings suggest that while the theoretical structure may be effective in simplifying constraint categories, a more detailed specification using subfactors of the dimensions is better for measurement.


Intestinal carcinoid tumors are uncommon malignancies which grow slowly and rarely cause any symptoms. Small bowel tumors can, at times, cause bowel obstruction and rarely, bleeding. We present a 52-year-old male who presented to the hospital for evaluation of melena. His endoscopy and colonoscopy came back negative and patient unfortunately failed to get capsule endoscopy as an outpatient. One year later, patient presented with excruciating abdominal pain and was found to have small bowel obstruction with multiple transition points. Patient was found to have four nodular lesions in the small intestine which were found to be carcinoid tumor. Surgical resection definitely improved his outcome and patient did not need adjuvant therapy after surgery. This patient was a diagnostic challenge due to unusual presentation and negative CT scan imaging during both presentations. Carcinoid tumors are highly infiltrating tumors; hence, high degree of suspicion should be kept for earlier detection and better outcome. J Med Cases. 2016;7(8):320-322 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2562w


BACKGROUND
The current understanding of health inequities in people with intellectual disabilities does not readily translate into improvements in health status or health care. To identify opportunities for action, the 2013 IASSIDD health SIRG conference organized ten intensive workshops.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The workshops each addressed separate topics, a workshop of self advocated was included as well. Workshop reports were analyzed using a qualitative thematical analysis approach.

RESULTS
A total of 134 participants attended the workshops. The analysis of the workshop reports resulted in three main themes: approach, know-how and visibility and a pervasive theme, that of person-centered support.

CONCLUSION
Everyone that can contribute to better care should be empowered and facilitated to do so, environments should be accessible and inclusive in nature. Sharing experiences, expertise and data sources within and outside intellectual disabilities care and research were mentioned as ways forward. Strong (policy) visions, felt urgency and shared responsibility are required.


Dependable architectures demonstrably possess properties such as safety, security and fault tolerance. We are interested in developing methods allowing formal demonstrations through proof that an architecture does indeed possess the desired dependability properties. We focus on architecture hierarchies as a means of enabling such demonstrations. Integrated avionics offer unprecedented generality and on-board computing utilization which areadaptability enabling technologies. We pose integrated avionics as a challenge problem for dependable software architectures and we propose a research agenda for solving it. What are dependable software


An adaptive controller is derived for linear time-invariant systems with uncertain parameters restricted to a finite set, such that the closed loop system including the non-linear learning procedure is stable and satisfies a prespecified l2-gain bound from disturbance to error. As a result, robustness to unmodelled (linear and non-linear) dynamics follows from the small gain theorem. The approach is based on a dynamic zero-sum game formulation with quadratic cost. Explicit upper and lower bounds on the optimal value function are stated and a simple formula for an adaptive controller achieving the upper bound is given. The controller uses semi-definite programming for optimal trade-off between exploration and exploitation. Once the uncertain parameters have been sufficiently estimated, the controller behaves like standard H-infinity state feedback.


B, et al. Phase III study of recombinant interferon gamma in advanced renal cell carcinoma. ] Urol 1988;139:251-5. 5 Bonnen EM, Oldham RK. Gamma interferon: physiology and speculation on its role in medicine. .7 Biol Response Miod 1987;6:275-301. 6 Gross G, Roussaki A, Brzoska J. Low doses of systemically administered recombinant interferon-gamma effective in the treatment of genital warts. 7 Invest Dermatol 1988;90:242. 7 Panitch HS, Hirsch RL, Haley AS, Johnson KP. Exacerbations ofmultiple sclerosis in patients treated with gamma interferon. Lantcet 1987;i:893-4. 8 Wolfe F, Cathey MA, Hawley DJ, Schindler J. Recombinant interferon gamma in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1986;29:S18. 9 Lemmel EM, Franke M, Gaus W, et al. Results of a phase II clinical trial on treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with recombinant interferon-gamma. Rheumatol Int 1987;7: 127-32. 10 Cannon GW, Schindler JD, Emkey RD, et al. Double-blind trial of recombinant interferon gamma versus placebo in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1987;30:S 18. 11 Lemmel EM, Obert HJ, Hofschneider PH. Low dose gamma interferon in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 1988;i: 598. 12 Browning J. Interferons and rheumatoid arthritis: insight into interferon biology? Immunology Today 1987;8:372-3. 13 Parkin JM, Eales LJ, Galazka AR, Pinching AJ. Atopic manifestations in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome: response to recombinant interferon gamma. Br Med,7 1987; 294:1185-6.


Federated Learning (FL) is an appealing method for applying machine learning to large scale systems due to the privacy and efficiency advantages that its training mechanism provides. One important field for FL deployment is emerging IoT applications. In particular, FL has been recently used for IoT intrusion detection systems where clients, e.g., a home security gateway, monitors traffic data generated by IoT devices in its network, trains a local intrusion detection model, and send this model to a central entity, the aggregator, who then computes a global model (using the models of all gateways) that is distributed back to clients. This approach protects the privacy of users as it does not require local clients to share their potentially private IoT data with any other parties, and it is in general more efficient than a centralized system. However, FL schemes have been subject to poising attacks, in particular to backdoor attacks. In this paper, we show that FL-based IoT intrusion detection systems are vulnerable to backdoor attacks. We present a novel data poisoning attack that allows an adversary to implant a backdoor into the aggregated detection model to incorrectly classify malicious traffic as benign. We show that the adversary can gradually poison the detection model by only using compromised IoT devices (and not gateways/clients) to inject small amounts of malicious data into the training process and remain undetected. Our extensive evaluation on three real-world IoT datasets generated from 46 IoT devices shows the effectiveness of our attack in injecting backdoors and circumventing state of the art defenses against FL poisoning. Finally, we discuss shortly possible mitigation approaches.


The increase in power consumption due to interconnects and the variation in delays (delay spread) among long interconnects are becoming important issues for design of high performance and low power circuits in scaled technologies. We propose an adaptive supply voltage technique for low swing interconnects. The proposed technique assigns different supply voltages to drive interconnects based on their delay. The voltage assignment is done only once during the initialization period of the circuit. Hence, there is no extra power consumption in the active mode. We also show that there is an optimum number of supply voltages required to achieve maximum power saving. Simulation results show that for a set of 64 buses we can achieve 42.8% and 55.9% reductions in the power consumption and delay spread, respectively.


This paper specifically investigates the effect of an acid producing fungus and anaerobic sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) on nanophase modified fly ash (FA) concrete specimens. Four different types of concrete specimens namely FA (FA concrete with 40 wt % replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement), FAT (FA concrete modified with 2 wt % TiO2), FAC (FA concrete modified with 2 wt % CaCO3), and FATC (FA concrete modified with 2 wt % TiO2:CaCO3) were fabricated. These specimens were exposed to microbial cultures for accelerated biodeterioration studies. Growth of microbes on specimen surfaces was visualized by epifluorescence microscopic studies. Important biodeterioration parameters like pH reduction, weight loss, thickness, and diameter loss under biofilms were analyzed. Absence of degradation phases like ettringite and calcium oxalate in the modified FA concrete was confirmed using X‐ray diffraction studies. Results proved biodeterioration resistance of all the three nanophase modified FA concrete specimens. Among the three, FAT emerged superior with excellent resistance to biodeterioration owing to the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 457–466, 2019


A model is described to predict the hydrodynamic loads on an underwater vehicle at high incidence angles. The model has been implemented into a trajectory program to allow the prediction of highly nonlinear maneuvers such as low speed hovering and vertical rise and descent. Two key features of the model are the ability to predict out-of-plane loads due to asymmetric hull vortex shedding and fin loads through the linear, stall and post-stall flow regimes. Model validation was performed by comparing predicted total force and moment coefficients with missile and airship data.<<ETX>>


We have recently proposed a Cellular Nonlinear Network (CNN) based on nonlinear oscillator properties to perform image processing tasks. We present here the electronic implementation of the elementary cell of this CNN. We experimentally verify the main property of the CNN, that is the possibility to enhance a weak difference of initial condition between two specific cells of the CNN at a given time. For this optimal time, a contrast enhancement of a weak contrasted gray scale is possible.


This paper addresses the important question of what happened to the Indian stock market following financial liberalisation. Considering three stock market indicators, viz., size, liquidity and volatility, and applying two time series trend break techniques of Perron (1989, 1997) on monthly data (1991:1 to 1998:12) of Bombay Stock Exchange, it has been found that the Indian stock market grew and became more liquid after liberalisation. However, in respect of volatility the market had not exhibited any significant changes.


Archean subaqueous basalt flows in Rouyn-Noranda area consist of several structural divisions in vertical sequence. The complete, ideal sequence of structural divisions within a typical flow is, from base to top: massive lava, pillow lava, isolated- and broken-pillow breccia (pillow breccia), and stratified hyalotuff. Any variant of this standard sequence, formed by omission of one or several of the structural divisions, has been observed. Most commonly encountered are the following four sequences: (1) massive lava - pillow breccia, associated in the field with the sequence pillow lava - 2 pillow breccia, and (2) massive lava - pillow breccia - hyalotuff, associated with the sequence pillow lava - pillow breccia - hyalotuff. Lateral transitions from massive lava into pillow lava have been mapped and suggest that pillow lava is distal relative to massive lava. Large flow lobes or tubes (megapillows) are present in the transition zone. Mapping of the relations of megapillows and normal-size pillows suggests that pillows form by a budding and branching process, rather like present-day pillows observed to form during the flow of lava into the sea. Relations between massive lava, pillow lava, and pillow breccia suggest that massive lava formed by the surging advance of large volumes of hot lava of low viscosity; pillows formed at the distal flow front due to a decrease of temperature and an increase of viscosity, resulting in a decrease of the flow velocity; pillow breccias apparently formed at the waning stage of the eruption, when the supply of fresh lava was reduced. Hyalotuff apparently formed by lava-fountaining at the fissure, in shallow water.


This work presents an approach for measuring material volumes in a closed cylindrical silo by using acoustic waves and resonance frequency analysis of silo's acoustic systems. With an assumption that the acoustical systems were linear and time-invariant, frequency responses of the systems were identified via measurement. A sine sweep was generated, amplified and fed to a loudspeaker inside the silo. Acoustic waves were picked up by a microphone and processed to yield the silo's frequency response. Resonance frequencies and wave mode numbers of standing waves in the frequency range below 900 Hz were analyzed and used for calculation of air-cavity lengths. With known silo's dimension, the material volume estimations were achieved. Sets of experiments for estimating volumes of sand, cement, water, rice grain, and stone flakes in a closed silo, were done. It was found that the approach could successfully estimate the volumes of sand, cement, and water with a satisfactory accuracy. Percent errors of the estimations were less than 3% from the actual volumes. However, the approach could not estimate the volume of rice grain and stone flakes, since their sound refractions were neither resulted in standing waves nor acoustical modes in the silo.


Plant defense and adaptation to adverse environmental conditions rely on gene expression control, such as mRNA transcription, processing, stability, and translation. Sudden temperature changes are common in the era of global warming; thus, understanding plant acclimation responses at the molecular level becomes imperative. mRNA translation initiation regulation has a pivotal role in achieving the synthesis of the appropriate battery of proteins needed to cope with temperature stress. In this study, we analyzed the role of translation initiation factors belonging to the eIF4E family in Arabidopsis acclimation to cold temperatures and freezing tolerance. Using knockout (KO) and overexpressing mutants of AteIF4E1 or AteIF(iso)4E, we found that AteIF4E1 but not AteIF(iso)4E overexpressing lines displayed enhanced tolerance to freezing without previous acclimation at 4°C. However, KO mutant lines, eif(iso)4e-1 and eif4e1-KO, were more sensitive to the stress. Cold acclimation in wild-type plants was accompanied by increased levels of eIF4E1 and eIF(iso)4E transcript levels, polysomes (P) enrichment, and shifts of these factors from translationally non-active to active fractions. Transcripts, previously found as candidates for eIF(iso)4E or eIF4E1 selective translation, changed their distribution in both P and total RNA in the presence of cold. Some of these transcripts changed their polysomal distribution in the mutant and one eIF4E1 overexpressing line. According to this, we propose a role of eIF4E1 and eIF(iso)4E in cold acclimation and freezing tolerance by regulating the expression of stress-related genes.


This work presents the outputs from a project which aimed to lay the foundation of a 3D ultrasound imaging system where the emphasis was on real-time data acquisition and near real-time data visualization. To be able more precisely to describe the behavior of a sparse array system, a 25 Gbyte dataset containing every transmit and receive combination of a 50/spl times/50-element fully connected 3 MHz array has been collected. The data have been processed off line on a cluster of 150 UNIX work stations to form experimental synthetic aperture 3D volume images. We propose new methods based on the principle of suppression of grating lobes to form symmetric and non-symmetric regular sparse periodic and radially periodic designs. The performance of the new layouts come close to that of dense arrays. Our designs have simplicity in construction, flexibility in the number of active elements and possibility to trade off sidelobe peaks against sidelobe energy.


Past research done in Russian samples demonstrated similar correlations between expressive suppression and the Big Five traits to those found in the United States and in European countries. In Russia, expressive suppression showed a positive association with Conscientiousness and was not related to Agreeableness. Just like in other countries with western cultural values, expressive suppression of negative emotions showed an inverse correlation with psychological well-being, whereas the suppression of positive emotion was not related to well-being. In the present study, we replicated the classical experiment by J. Gross and R. Levenson in a Russian sample (N = 59), aiming to assess the effects of inhibiting positive and negative emotions. Emotions (amusement, sadness, and neutral state) were induced using validated video clips accompanied by an instruction to view normally or with expressive suppression. Under the expressive suppression condition Russians showed: (1) lower activity of cheek muscles, while the forehead muscles toughened under the expressive suppression of amusement and relaxed under the expressive suppression of sadness; (2) the intensity of target emotion did not change, while the expressive suppression of amusement enhanced the background negative emotions, and the expressive suppression of sadness enhanced background positive emotions; (3) the sympathetic activation of the electrodermal and cardiovascular systems did not change. Thus, unlike Americans, for Russians expressive suppression appears to be a typical strategy of emotional regulation that does not cause a decrease in amusement selfreports or additional activation of the sympathetic nervous system. © 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK


As with any sampling process, image acquisition is subject to spatial domain aliasing. Many designs of optical filters have been proposed that reduce the amount of aliasing in image acquisition. Still, the most common systems are based on birefringent optical materials. Unfortunately, these filters are expensive and the actual filter response curve can only partially be influenced. We propose a new refractive optical low-pass filter (ROLPF) based on refraction at a structured glass plate. The transparent plate features a single surface with a defined structure. This leads to refraction and will lead to a modified light distribution on the sensor. The plate is placed in front of the sensor and is moved in the image sensor plane during an exposure. This causes an averaging process and results in a spatial domain filtering. The response curve of this setup can be controlled by designing the gradient of the surface. This filter will be easy to manufacture, it offers a true low-pass characteristic which can be specifically designed and the bandwidth can be adjusted at runtime by variation of the distance to the sensor.


Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is one of the primary pathogens that causes severe economic losses to sericulture. Comparative transcriptomics analysis has been widely applied to explore the antiviral mechanism in resistant strains. Here, to identify genes involved in BmNPV infection, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) between two Bombyx mori strains: strain 871 (susceptible to BmNPV infection) and the near‐isogenic strain 871C (resistant to BmNPV). Our results showed that 400 genes were associated with resistance in strain 871C, and 76 genes were related to susceptibility in strain 871. In addition, the correlation analysis of DEGs and WGCNA showed that 40 genes related to resistance were highly expressed in the resistant strain. Among them, gene BGIBMGA004291 was the most noticeable. We further identified the effect of gene BGIBMGA004291, which encoded a multiprotein bridge factor 2 (MBF2) family member (MBF2‐10), on viral infection in cells. Our data suggested that MBF2‐10 inhibited viral infection. Taken together, this study showed specific module trait correlations related to viral infection in strains 871 and 871C, and we identified a resistance‐related gene. These findings suggested promising candidate genes with antiviral activity, aiding in the analysis of the antiviral molecular mechanisms in resistant strains.


The following paper describes the microgenetic analysis of the translation process of 'Le Petit Chaperon Rouge' carried out by six students during the Translation Seminar of Scientific and Literary Texts and its Didactics, instructed at the Institute of Research in Education of the University of Veracruz. This article's purpose is to demonstrate the process which was carried out during the microgenetic analysis, as well as to give an initial report of its results and the advantages that this kind of analysis could represent for the translation teaching-learning process. Furthermore, we describe the computer program called El Espia, which enabled us to explore thoroughly and automatically the students' translation process, in order to identify learning scenarios and carried out a microgenetic analysis.


Treatment of the contaminated aqueous solutions to improve their quality is indispensible for their reuse resulting in an emergent challenge to develop facile, nontoxic and less energy consuming techniques to purify water. Present study is therefore aimed at the synthesis of an adsorbent using agricultural waste i.e. coconut shell. The charcoal obtained from coconut shell was modified by acid activation and manganese doping following a simple chemical route. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Preliminary studies were carried out to compare the adsorption potential of acid modified coconut shell charcoal (AMCSC) and manganese doped coconut shell charcoal (MDCSC) for the removal of chromium (VI) and iron (III) from aqueous solutions. Various physicochemical parameters such as adsorbent dosage, initial metal ions concentration and pH were studied. MDCSC was found to be a better adsorbent for metals as compared to AMCSC and removed chromium more efficiently than iron from synthetic solutions i.e. 56.10% at optimum conditions i.e. 0.6 g/L adsorbent dosage, 10 mg/L initial metal ions concentration and pH = 3. The effect of adsorbents on color and conductivity of the aqueous solutions was also noted; slight variation in color of all the aqueous solutions with a maximum of 91.67% removal was observed. of various i.e. biosorbent dosage, initial metal ions and The effect of treatment on and conductivity of the aqueous


Based on a general theory of detonation waves with an embedded sonic locus that we have previously developed, we carry out asymptotic analysis of weakly curved slowly varying detonation waves and show that the theory predicts the phenomenon of detonation ignition and failure. The analysis is not restricted to near Chapman–Jouguet detonation speeds and is capable of predicting quasi-steady, normal detonation shock speed versus curvature ($D$–$\kappa$) curves with multiple turning points. An evolution equation that retains the shock acceleration, $\skew2\dot{D}$, namely a $\skew2\dot{D}$–$D$–$\kappa$ relation is rationally derived which describes the dynamics of pre-existing detonation waves. The solutions of the equation for spherical detonation are shown to reproduce the ignition/failure phenomenon observed in both numerical simulations of blast wave initiation and in experiments. A single-step chemical reaction described by one progress variable is employed, but the kinetics is sufficiently general and is not restricted to Arrhenius form, although most specific calculations are performed for Arrhenius kinetics. As an example, we calculate critical energies of direct initiation for hydrogen–oxygen mixtures and find close agreement with available experimental data.


Background Maltese healthcare professionals use the British National Formulary (BNF) as the main source of reference for medicinal products. However, a number of products which are available on the local market are not listed in the BNF. The Maltese Medicines Handbook is a handbook designed to include medicinal products which are not listed in the BNF. Purpose The aim was to update the formulary to its fourth version, launch an online version of the formulary and assess its use among healthcare professionals. Material and methods Products authorised in Malta but not listed in the BNF were identified by comparing information on the Maltese Medicines List to that found in the BNF. Information concerning preparations to be included in the formulary was obtained from the SPC of the drugs and Martindale. Data included in the handbook version of the formulary were placed online. The final version was published and distributed to healthcare professionals. Evaluation of this version was conducted through questionnaires distributed to 30 healthcare professionals randomly chosen from all those who were given a copy. Results The Medicines Authority list consisted of 4438 drug entries. When compared with the BNF, it was found that 629 products had their trade name, active ingredient or both not available in the BNF. From these 629 entries, 550 products had only their active ingredient listed and 79 had neither present in the BNF. 17 medical devices were included. All the participants (n=30) found the formulary useful and the majority stated that they use it frequently. The presentation was highly acclaimed by all since all aspects were given a high score. Participants believed that the formulary was up to date and a great service to local healthcare professionals. All participants stated that the online version of the formulary was a good innovation, although the majority (n=22) preferred using the handbook version. Conclusion Important suggestions considered for future similar studies include the additional information regarding 'Cautionary and advisory labels' and that the time of updating the handbook is decreased from 3 years to 2 years or less. The online version of the formulary can be accessed on http://www.maltesemedicineshandbook.com/ No conflict of interest


The structural and financing problems of the Hungarian economy became apparent well before the 2008_2009 financial crisis. Low labour market activity slowed down the growth potential of the economy; meanwhile, high foreign and domestic debt increased vulnerability. The global crisis had severe adverse real economic effects, while the deepening political crisis has also hampered effective crisis management. Recognizing the special nature of the crisis, Hungarian economic policy introduced and implemented a new economic strategy, incorporating both conventional and non-conventional elements, based on the coordinated functioning of fiscal and monetary policy. Mutually complementary and sequential steps were able to stabilize the financial situation of the Hungarian economy, and restart growth and the healthy functioning of financial intermediation; meanwhile, the social acceptance of reforms has been preserved. However, to make economic convergence sustainable, turnaround in competitiveness is still needed.


The scientific article is devoted to the study of the incidence of elderly people through the prism of the demographic status of the population of Ukraine during 2010–2019. Purpose: to study the dynamics of aging of the population of Ukraine and determine the incidence of elderly people. Material & Methods: analysis of scientific, methodological, regulatory literature, research of data from the State Statistics of Ukraine, copying from medical records. The study processed 487 medical records of the elderly. Results: according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, it was determined that from 2010 to 2019 the proportion of people over working age is 1/6 of the country's population and has some upward trend. In the structure of the incidence of elderly people, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, and diseases of the nervous system were most often encountered. Conclusions: in Ukraine, as in most countries of the world, the nation is aging. In connection with the deterioration in the health of the population of Ukraine, as evidenced by the results of screening studies, scientists pay attention to the problem of attracting to motor activity.


Mortality is the most extreme effect of ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B; 280–315 nm) on living organisms, but sublethal effects of UV-B may also be important. Moreover, there may be population differences in response to UV-B, but this aspect has not been well explored for animal populations. Amphibians have been a model system for studying the detrimental effects of UV-B. However, previous research on the effects of UV-B on amphibians has mainly focused on embryos. Few studies have investigated how UV-B affects larvae. We examined potential sublethal effects of UV-B on the long-toed salamander Ambystoma macrodactylum from two different populations. Observational data from field transects indicated that larvae are potentially exposed to UV-B in their natural habitat. Choice tests indicated that larvae select shaded regions more often than those in the sun, but do not directly distinguish between regions with high and low UV-B. Laboratory experiments indicated a survivorship difference between individuals from low- and high-elevation sites. When exposed to relatively low levels of UV-B individuals from low-elevation sites experienced higher mortality than controls (no UV-B). There were no differences in mortality between UV-exposed and non-exposed larvae from the high-elevation population. Although mortality of UV-B exposed larvae was not significantly different from controls in the high-elevation population, sublethal effects on growth were observed. Individuals from the high-elevation site grew significantly less when exposed to UV-B than individuals shielded from UV-B. Our study demonstrates that larval A. macrodactylum are exposed to UV-B in nature, that UV-B exposure can cause mortality as well as having sublethal effects on growth and that there are potential population differences in sensitivity to UV-B radiation.


Testing and validation of flight hardware in ground-based facilities ca n result in significant cost savings and risk reduction. We focus particular attention on ground validation for small satellite proximity operations. We designed a relative motion emulation system for aerospace vehicles using Relative Motion Vehicles (RMVs) capable of large planar motion and limited 6 degree-of-freedom motion. Though the state of the RMV is approximated through internal sensors, an external measurement system is required to correct for secular drift. The commercial NorthStar system from Evolution Robotics provides a vision-based 2-D localization solution using active infrared (IR) beacons. This paper addresses characterization and implementation of the NorthStar system as a 6-DOF state measurement system. The noise characteristics of the NorthStar Detector were determined, as were the output characteristics of the IR light emitting diode (LED) beacons. These characteristics were used to produce a high fidelity model of the measurement system in which multiple Detectors are placed around the perimeter of the workspace and multiple beacons are installed on the RMV. Simulation and hardware test results demonstrate the efficacy of this approac h. Nomenclature


Purpose Ruptured dissecting vertebral artery aneurysms should be treated immediately because of the high risk of rebleeding. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy of endovascular internal trapping by platinum coils for ruptured dissecting vertebral artery aneurysms. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed 13 cases (eight men and five women; aged 50–80 years; mean 65 years) of acutely ruptured aneurysms of the vertebral artery treated by endovascular internal trapping between April 2003 and February 2010. Endovascular trapping was done by coil embolization of the dissected arterial segment, including the aneurysm. Evaluated subjects included success of the therapy, presence of rebleeding, procedural complication and other technical issues. Results In all cases, endovascular internal trapping was done successfully. There was no case of rebleeding. Three cases in which perforating arteries to brainstem originated from the dissected segment had postprocedural medullary infarction. However, the neurological symptoms diminished during the follow-up period. Conclusion Endovascular internal trapping is an effective and feasible therapy for ruptured dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery in terms of prevention of rebleeding. However, there is a risk of postprocedural medullary infarction in cases of perforating arteries originating from the dissected segment.


A specific agglutinative and absorbed K 99 antiserum was produced and also the presence of the antigen K 99 was proved in strains E. coli, isolated from calves. It was proved that out of 272 strains E. coli 46/16.9% are positive for antigen K 99. It was also found out that 95.3% of the enteropathogenic and 2.1% of the non-enteropathogenic E. coli contain the antigen K 99. The antigen K 99 is produced at a temperature of 37 degrees C and not at 18 degrees C and is unstable as regards temperature.


The financial crisis and the rash of mortgage defaults put the servicing of securitized residential mortgage loans under severe stress and raised some important issues related to the way the role of the servicer is defined. This article focuses on major considerations that bondholders, primary servicers, trustees, and other transaction parties should contemplate while structuring future transactions. Specifically, the article highlights the following issues in depth: default servicing activities, the role of servicers in non-servicing activities, and the replacement of servicers. In the course of discussing these issues, the author also proposes solutions to consider in connection with future transactions.


We present a practically efficient algorithm that finds all global minimum cuts in huge undirected graphs. Our algorithm uses a multitude of kernelization rules to reduce the graph to a small equivalent instance and then finds all minimum cuts using an optimized version of the algorithm of Nagamochi, Nakao and Ibaraki. In shared memory we are able to find all minimum cuts of graphs with up to billions of edges and millions of minimum cuts in a few minutes. We also give a new linear time algorithm to find the most balanced minimum cuts given as input the representation of all minimum cuts.


Nowadays, writing is considered as a complex cognitive process in which several factors are involved that lead to a right writing use in adult age. This process is set up by different sub-processes, between which we can highlight transcription. The transcription skill takes a relevant place in writing acquisition, being of a special importance in the school beginning. If children are imprecise and slow in the transcription process it can lead to a serious setback in to their composition ability and quality. Transcription has a significant effect into the global writing and the academic efficiency in school age even that is considered as a powerful predictor to identify children that are more likely to show severe deficit in the acquisition of writing skills. A discovery that strengthen the importance of identifying writing difficulties as soon as possible. It should be added that nowadays writing teaching at the beginning is focused almost, solely and exclusively, in the most formal text aspects, just like handwriting or legibility, excluding fluency instruction. The current study analyzes the differences in writing fluency and accuracy between children that receive educational support because of their backwardness in the education program and normally achieving children. For this purpose , we selected a sample of 181 normally achieving children and 181 children receiving educational support, belonging to Primary Education and whose ages are in 6 ‐ 9 years old range. Obtained results show that children that receive educational support present a lack of writing fluency and accuracy, problems that without an appropriate instruction could lead in future writing difficulties.


Neomysis integer (Peracarida: Mysidacea) is a dominant member of the hyperbenthos of the upper reaches of European estuaries. They are highly dynamic environments that experience, amongst other things, large-scale fluctuations in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. The present study reports the tolerance and swimming responses of N. integer to hypoxia, together with the modifying effects of environmentally realistic cadmium concentrations (0 to 1.0 μg Cd 2+ l -1 ). The tolerance (ET 50 , or time taken for 50 % of mysids to show an effect) of N. integer to hypoxia was ca. 5 min at 20 % saturation (59.4 μmol O 2 l -1 ); however, a 7 d pre-exposure to 0.5 μg Cd 2+ l -1 reduced the ET 50 to ca. 3 min. Mysids did not avoid areas of severe hypoxia (<10% saturation) and made excursions of short duration (ca. 30 s) into such areas. Following cadmium exposure, however, mysids did avoid areas of hypoxia. When challenged with a current velocity of 6 cm s -1 (normal for their natural habitat), mysids showed positive rheotaxic behaviour, but as DO concentration was progressively decreased, fewer mysids swam forward into the current and more maintained position. Fewer cadmium-exposed mysids showed positive rheotaxis than control mysids, and decreasing DO concentration had no significant effect on the proportion of mysids exhibiting this behaviour. The results are discussed in terms of how DO concentrations might affect mysid distributions in the natural environment and how cadmium exposure might disrupt these responses.


We study how the interaction between economic openness and competitive selection affects the effectiveness of employment (and entry) subsidisation. Within a two country heterogeneous-firms model with endogenous labour supply, we find that optimal employment subsidies are always positive even though they can have pro- or anti-competitive effects on industry selection depending on whether the economy is open or not. We also find that selection effects resulting from international competition and fiscal externalities may imply that non-cooperative policies entail under-subsidisation of employment. Whilst always having procompetitive selection effects on the industry, entry subsidies are shown to be less effective in raising employment and welfare than employment subsidies.


A medium-voltage (MV) wind turbine generator (WTG)-battery energy storage (BESS) grid interface converter topology with medium-frequency (MF) transformer isolation is introduced in this paper. The system forms a three-port network in which several series stacked ac-ac converters transform the low-frequency (50/60 Hz) utility MV into MF (0.4 to 2 kHz) ac voltage by modulating it with MF square wave. This voltage is then fed to the MF transformer primary windings. The secondary and tertiary windings interface with the WTG side and the BESS side, respectively, after power conversion. The power generated by WTG is transferred to the MF transformer secondary windings through a three-phase pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifier and a three-phase PWM inverter, whereas the power transfer between the BESS and the tertiary winding occurs through a three-phase PWM inverter. It is shown that the utility grid sinusoidal currents, the battery current, and the WTG output currents can be controlled to be of good quality using PI and DQ control strategies. Thus, the proposed MF transformer-based three-port topology results in smaller converter weight/volume. Moreover, the control can handle voltage sags/swells and provide low voltage ride-through capability. Simulation waveforms along with experimental results are shown as proof of concept.


Purpose of review To describe the clinical significance of and the diagnostic approach to Raynaud phenomenon (RP) in the peripheral extremities and the heart. Recent findings Nailfold capillaroscopy has recently been standardized in an expert consensus paper. Abnormal capillaroscopy in combination with specific autoantibody profiles and clinical signs are highly predictive of progression of RP to systemic sclerosis (SSc). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can also perform tissue characterization of both the extremities and the heart. Microvascular wall abnormalities detected using nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with SSc may lead to deposition of erythrocyte-derived iron, due to microhemorrhages, which may predispose to fibrosis. MRI can assess the presence of iron using T2∗ measurements. Summary RP is a hallmark of the microvasculopathy in SSc and can affect both the peripheral extremities and the heart. Nailfold capillaroscopy is the current gold standard for the evaluation of the peripheral microvasculature. Other imaging modalities include thermography, laser Doppler-derived methods, 99mTc-pertechnetate hand perfusion scintigraphy, power Doppler ultrasonography, dynamic optical coherence tomography, MRI, and photoacoustic imaging, but these are currently not widely used. Cardiac RP can be investigated with positron emission tomography or cardiovascular magnetic resonance, with the latter offering the additional possibility of tissue characterization and iron content quantification secondary to microhemorrhages.


Drug promiscuity (i.e., inhibition of multiple enzymes by a single compound) is increasingly recognized as an important pharmacological consideration in the drug development process. However, systematic studies of functional or physicochemical characteristics that correlate with drug promiscuity are handicapped by the lack of a good way of quantifying promiscuity. In this article, we present a new entropy-based index of drug promiscuity. We apply this index to two high-throughput data sets describing inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms by small-molecule drugs and drug candidates, and we demonstrate how drug promiscuity or specificity can be quantified. For these drug-metabolizing enzymes, we find that there is essentially no correlation between a drug's potency and specificity. We also present an index to quantify the susceptibilities of different enzymes to inhibition by diverse substrates. Finally, we use partial least-squares regression to successfully predict isoform specificity and promiscuity of small molecules, using a set of fingerprint-based descriptors.


Rosa spinosissima is an endangered species in Norway, found only within a limited area on the southwestern coast. Presumed hybrid forms between R. spinosissima and rose species within R. sect. Caninae have been recorded from this area since the late 19th century. Here, analyses of such hybrid plants and selected populations of the tentative parent species were performed using AFLP markers, nuclear DNA content, pollen viability and seed germination rates, in addition to classic morphometric analysis. It is established that the hybrid rose represents a single hybrid taxon, viz Rosa × sabinii, formed by recurrent asymmetrical hybridization events between R. spinosissima and R. mollis, with the latter being the obligate ovule donor. The evidence presented does not indicate hybridization with other co-occurring rose species, or of introgression from R. mollis into R. spinosissima through backcrossing with R. ×sabinii.


With today's continuous increase of both seaborne trade and foreign crew boarding ships, it is necessary to study the standardization of Marine English with respect to Aids to Navigation(AtoN) for the safety of ships. After reviewing the organization of the standard council of the equipment and article of AtoN, the standardization of various types of AtoN was not capable of meeting by the only existing council's activities. For on-the-job progress, it was necessary for the subcommittee to be composed by types of AtoN. It is thus desirable to the integrated approach to the combination of the civil, the public, academic circles and research institutes, which harmonized the council's flexibility and professionalism in the composition of the members. Subjects, levels and targets in each course were presented from results of the study on the standardization scheme of Marine English related to AtoN. The ET steps were classified by the difficult degree to which the principles of interpretation and communication were applied. This study contributed to the scheme that was firstly established to solve the problem of the audiovisual English ET due to the lack of the professionalism of the existing marine affairs by presenting the standardization scheme of Marine English prior to the institutional reform related to AtoN.


A13 Flexible heteroarotinoid (Flex-Het) compounds induce apoptosis through direct targeting of mitochondria and Bcl-2 proteins, inhibit angiogenesis through regulation of cytokine expression and induce differentiation through increased E-Cadherin expression. In addition, the lead Flex-Het, SHetA2, induces G1 cell cycle arrest through induction of Cyclin D1 protein phosphorylation, ubiquitination and degradation. Overexpression of Cyclin D1 abrogated the G1 arrest. SHetA2 counteraction of carcinogen-induced Cyclin D1 expression was associated with SHetA2 chemoprevention of transformation in an organotypic model. Cyclin D1 is a tightly controlled protein that drives G1 cell cycle progression. Overexpression of Cyclin D1 is frequently observed in ovarian cancer and is believed to be an early event in ovarian tumorigenesis. The hypothesis of this study was that SHetA2 induces G1 arrest through modulation of a biological system driven by Cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 degradation was associated with several expected down-stream events in 2 ovarian cancer cell lines. Co-IP assays demonstrated that Cyclin D1 loss was associated with relocation of p21 from the Cyclin D1 complex to the Cyclin E2 complex. Consistent with the stimulatory effect of p21 on the CyclinD1-Cdk4/6 complex and the inhibitory effect on the CyclinE2-Cdk2 kinase activity, Western blot analysis demonstrated that phosphorylation of Rb on serine 780, known to be induced by CyclinD1-Cdk4/6-p21, was decreased. This was followed by decreased Rb phosphorylation on serine 612, which is known to be induced by CyclinE2-Cdk2. SHetA2 inhibition of Cyclin A protein expression, confirmed that the repression of Rb phosphorylation prevented the release of E2F from Rb, thus preventing expression of S Phase genes. An rtPCR array demonstrated that 7 genes involved in cell cycle regulation were significantly altered above background in both ovarian cancer cell lines. Ingenuity analysis demonstrated that several of these genes are involved in an interacting biological system driving the cell cycle. A Cdk4 inhibitor, p16, and the down-stream gene Bax were up-regulated, while several Cyclin D1 and E2F interacting genes were also regulated. Study of upstream events driving Cyclin D1 degradation demonstrated that the GSK3β kinase, known to induce Cyclin D1 threonine 286 phosphorylation, was phosphorylated/inhibited by SHetA2 and not involved in the cell cycle arrest. This phosphorylation event could be due to the SHetA2 induced phosphorylation of Akt serine 473, which has been shown to lead to increased GSK3β phosphorylation. Experiments with libraries of chemical and siRNA kinase inhibitors demonstrated that inhibition of kinases, such as EGF-R, mTOR, PKC, DNA-PK, contributed to SHetA2 growth inhibition, depending on their expression and activity patterns in the specific cell lines evaluated. In conclusion, SHetA2 inhibition of Cyclin D1 induced a number of changes in down-stream and associated targets consistent with G1 arrest. Experiments are ongoing to identify the specific kinase responsible for SHetA2 induction of Cyclin D1 phosphorylation. Knowledge of SHetA2 modulation of the biological system regulating cell cycle progression provides important information, such as response biomarkers, that can be used in translational research associated with planned chemoprevention trials. Supported by CA106713 Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A13.


Crystallization kinetic controls the crystallographic orientation, inducing anisotropic properties of the materials. As a result, preferential orientation with advanced optoelectronic properties can enhance the photovoltaic devices' performance. Although incorporation of additives is one of the most studied methods to stabilize the photoactive α‐phase of formamidinium lead tri‐iodide (α‐FAPbI3), no studies focus on how the additives affect the crystallization kinetics. Along with the role of methylammonium chloride (MACl) as a "stabilizer" in the formation of α‐FAPbI3, herein, the additional role as a "controller" in the crystallization kinetics is pointed out. With microscopic observations, for example, electron backscatter diffraction and selected area electron diffraction, it is examined that higher concentration of MACl induces slower crystallization kinetics, resulting in larger grain size and [100] preferred orientation. Optoelectronic properties of [100] preferentially oriented grains with less non‐radiative recombination, a longer lifetime of charge carriers, and lower photocurrent deviations in between each grain induce higher short‐circuit current density (Jsc) and fill factor. Resulting MACl40 mol% attains the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.1%. The results provide observations of a direct correlation between the crystallographic orientation and device performance as it highlights the importance of crystallization kinetics resulting in desirable microstructures for device engineering.


The external method of traditional Chinese medicine refers to the treatment of disease rehabilitation by means of various external methods, which can promote the recovery of various functions. This type of treatment has the characteristics of rapid, gradual change, easy to learn, easy to promote, use of safety, and low toxicity. This paper, based on the different methods of external treatment, will present the commonly used methods of external treatment, and expound its effect, clinical application and characteristics. Research results show that combined with modern technology, optimize the traditional Chinese medicine external treatment methods, can improve the therapeutic effect of drugs and reduce the adverse reaction of drugs, to promote the research and development of Chinese medicine for external use method and the application scope, so that it is better to guide Chinese medicine clinical external use. External treatment this concept has a long history, as early as the theory of large q, to really want is in "within internal governance, the external governance", after that in a book also have involved, but for the outside governance concept and scope of the research has not been clear, to the middle period of Qing dynasty, the emergency wide raw set "First aid ""Richard Yue prose"appeared one after another, in addition to governance theory gradually mature, theory of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine is also gradually developed.


The feasibility of nonvolatile memory (NvRAM) structure with nondestructive readout (NDRO) capability based on Si-MOSFET integrated with a ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene copolymer (P(VDF-TrFE)) as a gate along with SiO2 buffer has been demonstrated. Measurement of channel current IDS shows no saturation due to uniform ferroelectric field across gate channel. Modulation of channel conductance is attributed to sensitively switchable polarization field. Remarkable switching drain current ratio of >105 times with ON/OFF operations were obtained. Memory window is obtained to show the polarization field regulating threshold voltages of the integrated organic polymer FET.


Corporations' underlying principles have altered dramatically as a result of advances and threats over the previous two decades. Internal and external pressures on businesses have made it necessary for them to keep a careful eye on their surroundings, either to maintain competitiveness or to learn more about potential threats and opportunities. This study aims to determine if and how competitive intelligence might benefit small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Researchers evaluated the direct influence of competitive intelligence on strategic marketing decisions made by SMEs by focusing on five different types of intelligence: market intelligence, competitor intelligence, customer intelligence, partnership intelligence, and technical intelligence. The researchers also used the embeddedness of competitive intelligence as a moderator to assess the effect of competitive intelligence on marketing strategies. The research team used hierarchical multiple regression and the Sobel test to analyze the impact of competition information on the marketing strategies of SMEs in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Nonetheless, the study quantified the direct influence on strategic marketing decisions made by SMEs by employing five distinct categories of competitive intelligence (market intelligence, competitive intelligence, customer intelligence, partner intelligence, and technical intelligence). Additionally, researchers used competitive intelligence as a mediator to evaluate the impact of competitive intelligence on strategic marketing choices. The study found that in all areas of competitive intelligence (market intelligence, competitor intelligence, customer intelligence, partner intelligence, and technical intelligence), competitive intelligence has a direct and ingrained effect on the strategic marketing decisions made by small and medium-sized businesses.


As the construction industry grows year by year, optimization of resources is becoming essential to reduce their required number, their costs and as a consequence the total cost of the project. Project managers have to face problems regarding management of cost, time, and available resources for single projects. What is more challenging is to optimize the available resources for multiple projects, which would result in appreciable savings. Most of the companies in the construction industry commonly optimize the resources for single project. However, with the presence of several mega projects in many developing countries running at the same time, there is a need for a model to enhance the efficiency of available resources among multiple simultaneous projects. This paper discusses a numerical model of cost optimization and allocation of up to nine resources for up to three projects for a given company, taking into consideration the transportation of resources from one project to another and the cost of unused resources. The model was developed using a genetic algorithm, and it is used on the identified critical resources. It calculates the cost of each resource, minimizes the cost of extra resources, cost of unused resources, and generates the schedule of each project within a selected overall program.


Research was completed to investigate the impact of dietary rapeseed meal (RSM) sinapine (SNP) on broiler chickens. The control treatment was based on a corn/soybean meal diet, as were six additional treatments which contained three levels of SNP bisulphate or semi-purified SNP in the form of an ethanol extract concentrate. The last three treatments were corn-based but soybean meal was replaced by graded levels of RSM at 15, 22.5 and 30% of the diet and thereby added SNP in its native form. SNP bisulphate and SNP ethanol extract did not affect feed intake and performance of broiler chickens. SNP bisulphate increased diet AME (apparent metabolisable energy) (P < 0.01) while SNP ethanol extract increased diet AME and faecal protein digestibility (P < 0.01 and 0.05 respectively) in comparison with the control diet. Dietary treatment caused minor effects on tissue measurements. All the diets containing SNP reduced the empty weight of caeca (P < 0.05 or 0.01), suggesting that the hind gut might be an important metabolic site for SNP. The ileal digestibility of SNP was 35–42, 27–38 and 30–46% for SNP bisulphate, SNP ethanol extract and RSM SNP respectively, while faecal digestibility values were 68–72, 65–75 and 54–63% for the same treatment groups. A major metabolic pathway of SNP via hydrolysis into sinapic acid and choline in the digestive tract was identified. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry


Robotic surgical system has been widely applied in sphincter-preserving surgery for low rectal cancer with the advantages of clear 3D images and stably flexile manipulation. Its application principle includes radical resection of tumor and complete preservation of function. The main operation procedures of robotic surgical system in sphincter-preserving surgery for low rectal cancer are as follows: (1) Anterior resection of low rectal cancer: It is safe and feasible and has obvious advantages in observation of pelvic nerves, dissociation of presacral and sacral side, and high rate of sphincter-preserving, while the improvement of postoperative recovery and long-term survival needs to be verified by further large sample researches. (2) Per anus intersphincteric resection (ISR): It is mainly applied in T1 and T2 stage tumors with 2 cm distance from tumor low margin to anal edge after dissociation of mesorectum. The greater difficulty of manipulation is found in ISR, while robotic surgical system can complete the intersphincteric resection by transabdominal approach, but anal function may be affected with the possibility of feces spillage at night, so robotic ISR is now still in exploration stage. (3) Transanal everted pull-through resection (Welch resection): Associated application of this operation is rarely reported at home and abroad. Our department has completed 51 robotic procedures of Welch resection till March 2017. Welch resection is successfully performed in all the patients. The short-term clinical outcomes are quite satisfactory and long-term survival is followed up. We think that this procedure is safe and feasible under the strict mastering of indications. Owing to special manipulation advantages of quickly precise dissociation, cutting and anastomosis in small pelvic space, when compared to laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgical system has higher sphincter-preserving rate for low rectal cancer, however, no other advantages are found. We believe that with the development of surgical instruments and ongoing of large sample studies, robotic surgical system will play a more important role in the treatment of low rectal cancer.


Full lung tomography with the addition of a plain film diaphragm view was performed on 319 patients. Information not evident on tomography was found on the additional view in 13% of the cases. The plain film diaphragm view is recommended as a simple and inexpensive adjunct to linear and pluridirectional full lung tomography.


Electrostatic techniques can be used to keep dust and aerosols from depositing on optical components. The system makes use of a corona discharge and a safety screen, located out of the optical path, to charge the incoming dust and then push it away from the optical surface. The system is effective for the dust particles normally found in the atmosphere, power consumption is quite limited.


Computational models can play an important role in cognitive science as they permit the test and validation of psychology theories by forcing the operationalization of general (and sometimes loose) theoretical concepts into detailed operations which must run on a computer program. Models capable of replicating known behavioral and cognitive phenomena, including the reproduction of errors and impaired performance, can also be used to make further predictions to revise and refine psychological theories (Pezzullo et al. 2013; Cangelosi and Parisi 2002).


Abstract : Normally, solving weapon system problems requires a deliberative process of arriving at engineered solutions, and of testing and evaluating them under controlled conditions. But this process became a casualty of war when damaged aircraft needed improvised fixing in flight. During the heat of World War II air battles, with no time to ponder and test a solution, aircrews relied on their own ingenuity to bring aircraft -- in this case, B-17s and B-24s -- back to base. The B-24 Liberators of the 5th Bomb Group operated in an atmosphere rife with disaster. The runway they used at Samar in the Philippines in 1945 was packed coral, sharp enough to cut tires, yet yielding enough to cause wheels with flat tires to gouge into its surface. When the Liberators experienced asymmetrical tire failures on the coral, they often turned abruptly toward the ditches that paralleled the runway. The 5th Bomb Group, self-nicknamed the Bomber Barons, drew patrol missions in the uncertain days of August 1945, after Japan reeled under two atomic bomb attacks, but before the formal surrender. The Group's task was to reconnoiter the China coast for any evidence of recalcitrance by Japanese forces, and it took a lot of gasoline to fly from Samar to China and back. On one such sortie, a loaded Liberator had sufficient speed to give good controllability on take-off, until the left main tire blew out. Just clearing the coral at about 6 AM, the bomber was lucky to be airborne, but its crew still faced the predicament of an inevitable return to the same treacherous airstrip that had claimed lives and airframes before. But what to do about the crippled B-24 in the air? Its fate was in the hands of Lt Col Albert W. James, who brought some prior Wright Field test and evaluation savvy with him when he joined up with the 5th Bomb Group in the Pacific. This article recounts how James helped this crew land safely with a main tire blowout, and how he helped another crew land safely with a nose tire blowout.


The dominance of computer technology in work and leisure poses challenges for older people. Their lack of computer experience and computer literacy impedes their ability to explore and use new interactive systems. This is particularly challenging for the design of public access systems, such as ticket vending machines (TVM). This article describes a conflict relevant for many designers considering age-related differences in technology use: should the user be taught to use the existing design or should the design be changed to accommodate older users? An experiment was conducted to directly compare these alternative approaches with each other and with a simulation of an existing TVM. It compares three TVM designs regarding the usability criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, controlling for age, and cognitive and motivational characteristics. 62 older (M = 68 years) and 62 younger (M = 25 years) participants were split into three groups: The control group solved 11 tasks using a simulation of the TVM, the video group watched a brief instructional video before solving the same tasks with the same TVM, and the wizard group used a redesigned wizard interface instead. Results indicate that young and old participants' performance improved after watching the video, but older participants improved more, reaching the effectiveness of the young control group. In the wizard condition, age differences in effectiveness and satisfaction were eliminated; however, speed differences remained in all conditions. The results suggest that the simple integration of minimal video instruction or a task-oriented wizard design can make public access systems truly universally usable, and that the wizard TVM was a true "walk-up-and-use system."


A Communication network with certain number (M) of sub-channels and several transmitter-receiver pairs (N), each of unit transmit power constraint is considered. This paper aims to investigate the throughput of this network in the case of decentralized single-hop and one-shot game, assuming the number of links, N, as well as the number of sub-channels, M, are the common information among users. Moreover, direct channel gains of M sub-channels to the affiliated receiver are assumed to be the only transmit side information, while transmitters are unaware of cross gains. It is proved that for the case of strong interference assumption, the optimum power allocation strategy is a threshold based sub-channel selection together with an on-off scheme, meaning each user sends with full power over the best sub-channel as long as the corresponding channel gain exceeds a certain threshold, otherwise it remains silent. Accordingly, it is shown the achievable sum-rate of this strategy scales as Mlog(N)−Θ(loglog(N)).


BACKGROUND
A series of animal and in vitro data confirms that nicotine impairs bone healing, diminishes osteoblast function, and causes autogenous bone graft morbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of nicotine on the healing of bone defects treated by the guided bone regeneration (GBR) principle.

METHODS
Sixteen mongrel dogs were used. One defect was surgically created bilaterally and randomly assigned as an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane site or a non-membrane control site. The animals were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: group 1, placebo (n = 8) and group 2, subcutaneous administration of nicotine (2 mg/kg) twice daily (n = 8). After 4 months, the animals were sacrificed and the specimens routinely processed for semi-serial decalcified sections. The evaluated parameters were bone height, bone width, bone density, and bone area of newly formed bone.

RESULTS
Intergroup analysis (Kruskal-Wallis) showed that membrane-protected defects in the placebo group demonstrated an increased bone area when compared to membrane-protected defects in the nicotine group and non-membrane sites, regardless of nicotine administration (P < 0.05). In addition, nicotine administration significantly affected bone density in membrane- and non-membrane-protected sites (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Within the limits of the present study, nicotine might affect, but not prevent, bone healing in defects treated by guided bone regeneration. The mechanisms of this effect should be investigated further.


A finite volume-lattice Boltzmann algorithm is applied to study skin friction behaviour in different channel flows. For this purpose, cell centred scheme is adapted to discretize the Boltzmann equation and consistent boundary conditions are also addressed, which resulted in a wider domain of stability. A simulation of flow in a two dimensional channels with different geometries are carried out. The results are compared with the valid previous results in which favourable agreement was observed. The results showed that skin friction in plane Poiseuille flow converged to 24/Re, but skin friction distribution in suddenly enlarged channels regain symmetry after some distance downstream of the expansion plane.


Hybrid zones represent evolutionary laboratories, where recombination brings together alleles in combinations which have not previously been tested by selection. This provides an excellent opportunity to test the effect of mo- lecular variation on fitness, and how this variation is able to spread through populations in a natural context. The snapdragon Antirrhinum majus is polymorphic in the wild for two loci controlling the distribution of yellow and magenta floral pigments. Where the yellow A. m. striatum and the magenta A. m. pseudomajus meet along a valley in the Spanish Pyren- ees they form a stable hybrid zone. Alleles at these loci recombine to give striking transgressive variation for flower colour. The sharp transition in phenotype over ∼1km implies strong selection maintaining the hybrid zone. An indirect assay of pollinator visitation in the field found that pollinators forage in a positive-frequency dependent manner on Antirrhinum, match- ing previous data on fruit set. Experimental arrays and paternity analysis of wild-pollinated seeds demonstrated assortative mating for pigmentation alleles, and that pollinator behaviour alone is sufficient to explain this pat- tern. Selection by pollinators should be sufficiently strong to maintain the hybrid zone, although other mechanisms may be at work. At a broader scale I examined evolutionary transitions between yellow and anthocyanin pigmentation in the tribe Antirrhineae, and found that selection has acted repeatedly to promote the spread of pigment alleles. These results demon- strate that pollinators are a major determinant of reproductive success and mating patterns in wild Antirrhinum.


This research was aimed to know the management of KUB Sari Kelapa and to
know how factors of age, educational level, and income were able to influence
KUB Sari Kelapa member participation. The participation form of KUB Sari
Kelapa members was divided into 3 dimensions namely: thoughts, power and
materials.
This was a case study research. The method used to determine the research venue
was purposive method. Sample taking method used census. The samples used
were 30 respondents coming from KUB Sari Kelapa members.
The management of KUB Sari Kelapa was explained using a descriptive analysis
technique, while KUB Sari Kelapa member participation level used a Likert Scale
analysis technique, and for factors that influenced KUB Sari Kelapa member
participation used a Multiple Linear Regression.
Based on the result was known the management of KUB Sari Kelapa with
administration and activity sections, the participation level of KUB Sari Kelapa
members was in low category, and the member participation's most influencing
factor was educational factor.
Keywords: Group, Participation, Enterprise


Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is a common complication in the early period of myeloablative autologous and allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Reported incidence varies from 30% to 80%. This study evaluates retrospectively the incidence of ARF, defined as the doubling of serum creatinine within the first 100 days after HCT, associated risk factors, the need of dialytic therapy as well as mortality of HCT patients who received a myeloablative autologous or allogeneic HCT in our Hospital between January 2003 and December 2004. One-hundred and forty patients (86 men, mean age: 32,9±14,69 years) were studied: 90 patients (53 men, mean age: 33,6±13,73 years) had an allogeneic HCT and 50 (33 men, mean-age: 31,71±16,25 years) an autologous HCT; 82 patients (51 men, mean age: 33,17±14,1 years) received a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation and 58 (35 men, mean age: 32,51±15,61 years) a bone marrow (BM) graft. The incidence of ARF was 21,5% (30/140) (16 men, mean age: 31,53±13,21 years) but did not reach a statistically significant difference between patients who received an allogeneic or autologous HCT (27% vs 12%, p=0.07) or were transplanted with BM graft or PBSC (10% vs 17%, p=ns). Nephrotoxicity (n=20), septic shock (n=16), graft vs host disease (n=6) and veno-occlusive disease (n=3) were the most common etiologies associated with ARF. The incidence of dialysis-dependent ARF was 30% (9/30) and was higher in patients with a BM graft (50% vs 7%, p<0.03) but did not differ in patients who received an allogeneic or autologous HCT (33% vs 16%, p=0.08); 4 patients were treated with intermittent hemodialysis and 5 with continuous dialytic therapy (continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration). Among patients who received only medical therapy (n=21), 11 had complete renal function recovery (RFR) and 2 had partial RFR. Overall mortality rate was 16,4% (23/140) and was higher in patients with ARF (57% vs 6%, p=0.0001), particularly if there was a need of dialysis therapy (100% vs 38%, p=0.006).

This study shows that ARF is prevalent during the early period of HCT and increases mortality, particularly if it is dialysis-dependent. However, in our cohort of patients the incidence of ARF was lower than the previously described in other studies. Low occurrence of veno-occlusive disease could explain this phenomenon, which may be related to adequate prophylactic measures.


'What happens when you put executives from Walmart and Patagonia in a room? This isn't the start of a bad joke, it's how the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (in short 'coalition') was born' (Schwartz 2011). In February 2011, 30 large fashion compa- nies launched a multi-stakeholder alliance with the aim to draft a set of sustain- ability indicators for use across the entire garment industry (Moore 2011). With members accounting for 60% of global sales (Zeller 2011), the initative seemed to be a groundbreaking step forward in an attempt to green textile supply chains. Especially as it was the first grass-roots collaboration coming from the corporates themselves instead of initiated by NGOs or enforced by governments. At the same time, the new platform was critically received as just another 'greenwashing initiative'. Many questioned the efficacy of quantifying and reducing negative social and environmental impact done within the boundaries of big-and thus bad per se?-business. Seen as an antithesis to a growing focus on local production and (re)valuation of resources and communities (McDermott 2011), the formation of the coalition could possibly endanger existing work done by organisations such as Textile Exchange and Made By. Traditionally perceived as an industry not known for its transparency, a thought- provoking question could be how members seek equilibrium between their own interests and the ambitions of the coalition. Most of them have their own sustain- ability initiatives and one might wonder how far they go in bringing these best practices to the table of the coalition. Additionally it is interesting how members view the existence of earlier initiatives and the foresight of collaboration with these institutions. Will the coalition become a strong multi-stakeholder initiative that really furthers innovation towards more sustainable business practices (O'Connor 2011)? Or will it end up being a loosely coupled network of companies that priori- tise advancement of their own brands over real industry change? In other words: will the coalition turn out to be an interlock that ties together best practices in a solid framework or will it rather be a zigzag stitch1 that allows companies to bend the rules to their own good?


Mg is being used as a therapeutic agent in different clinical conditions, i.e. preeclampsia or eclampsia, and as a tocolytic agent to prevent premature delivery. For these reasons we decided to systematically investigate the cardiovascular and respiratory effects of excess Mg in 25 piglets less than 1 day to 3 months of age, lightly anesthetized with Saffan, tracheotomized, paralyzed with C-10 and artificially ventilated on 100% O2. A 1.0 M infusion of MgCl2 was given for 15-60 min, and arterial plasma samples were drawn before and at the end of the infusion for the determination of plasma Mg and Ca levels. Phrenic nerve activity was recorded monophasically simultaneously with arterial blood pressure, electrocardiogram, end-tidal CO2 and intratracheal pressure on a dynograph and on analog tape. In a subset of experiments (n = 6), spontaneous ventilation was monitored in piglets of different ages to determine the Mg concentration at which spontaneous ventilation ceased. Blood gases were measured at 45-min intervals, as well as both immediately before and after the MgCl2 infusion, and pCO2 and pH were maintained within normal limits. As a consequence of the high plasma concentration of Mg, mean arterial pressure and heart rate declined, and the inspiratory duration significantly decreased. Our results indicate that young piglets can survive high levels of plasma Mg (greater than 14 mM).


This was a cross-sectional study which aimed to determine associations between hematologic indices such as red blood cell cholinesterase (RBC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), with illnesses related to pesticide exposure among cutflower farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet. One hundred two (102) randomly selected cutflower farmers underwent comprehensive, personal physical health and laboratory examinations and answered a questionnaire on work practices and illness. Majority were males (52%) and most belonged to the 20–35 age group (45%). Majority of exposed farmers were symptomatic, with most common complaints being headache (48%), easy fatigability (46.1%) and cough (40.2%). Analysis showed that RBC cholinesterase levels were positively associated with age (p = 0.02), and selling pesticide containers (p = 0.008). number of years of using pesticides (p = 0.022), use of contaminated cloth (p = 0.033), incorrect mixing of pesticides (p = 0.041), sex (p = 0.002) and illness due to pesticides (p = 0.005) were correlated with abnormal MCV. Significant associations were also found for hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC, white blood cell (WBC) and platelet count. Predictors of RBC cholinesterase were years of pesticide use (p = 0.037) and abnormalities on health (p = 0.029). The findings of the study can be used for information dissemination and pesticide reduction programs for the cutflower farmers.


This paper presents a class of count-and-threshold mechanisms, collectively named /spl alpha/-count, which are able to discriminate between transient faults and intermittent faults in computing systems. For many years, commercial systems have been using transient fault discrimination via threshold-based techniques. We aim to contribute to the utility of count-and-threshold schemes, by exploring their effects on the system. We adopt a mathematically defined structure, which is simple enough to analyze by standard tools. /spl alpha/-count is equipped with internal parameters that can be tuned to suit environmental variables (such as transient fault rate, intermittent fault occurrence patterns). We carried out an extensive behavior analysis for two versions of the count-and-threshold scheme, assuming, first, exponentially distributed fault occurrencies and, then, more realistic fault patterns.


If we want to estimate expected return on individual securities or on a portfolio, we need theory. Estimates based on past data are inaccurate, partly because of the many ways in which people can "mine" past data. "Explaining average return" is like explaining variance but does little to help us estimate expected return. Theory can help, though, by telling us how factors are priced and why factors and securities are mispriced.


This paper provides a description of a novel network layer protocol for underwater acoustic networking (UAN) that provides a mechanism for network control and management enabling the implementation of responsive, self-configuring, adaptable, and scalable networks whose performance are predictable. The protocol draws from the demonstrated efficiencies of multi-protocol labeled switching, dynamic source routing, and multi-constraint based resource allocation schemes. The paper describes the expected benefits of establishing full duplex functionality between network nodes and presents some of the preliminary simulation findings regarding the viability of autonomously determining the network topology utilizing the full duplex node connections. Relay Platform


The power take-off (PTO) stability is one of the most important concerns for wave energy converters (WECs). The PTO unit converts the mechanical energy produced by the wave absorber (WA) unit into useful electrical energy. Due to the drastic input energy variation of real wave motions, the generated electrical power from the PTO unit significantly fluctuates and is potentially harmful to electrical and electronic appliances. This paper proposes an improved hydraulic PTO (HPTO) for the WECs. An improved HPTO unit comprises a dual high-pressure accumulator (HPA) module and fluid energy control (FEC) module, which significantly enhances the generated electrical power from the generator under irregular wave circumstances. A complete model of wave absorber device with conventional and improved HPTO units was built in MATLAB/Simulink using a Simscape fluids toolbox. The parameters of the FEC control strategy were optimized using a genetic algorithm. The improved HPTO unit model was simulated with five irregular wave inputs to evaluate its performance in irregular conditions. The effects of the HPA pressure constraints on the improved HPTO unit performance were also investigated. Overall, the simulation results indicate that the improved HPTO unit was able to generate a stable power up to 87.3% of WECs in an irregular sea state.