Background: Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) , estimated by various studies, ranged from 4.1% to 14.2% in men older than 60 years. Most cases of AAA are asymptomatic and often discovered incidentally. Approximately the initial presentation in 12% of cases of AAA is sudden rupture with subsequent high mortality. This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and screening necessity of AAA among Iranian men older than 65 years old. Methods: In this cross-sectional s tudy, men older than 65 years, who referred for ultrasound examination to three different centers in Tehran, Iran at the year 2008 were included for evaluation of size of the abdominal aorta and presence of AAA . Results: A total of 240 men older than 65 years enrolled in this study. AAA was found in 24 of the participants with prevalence rate of 10% in the studied population. Mean diameter of detected aneurysms was 3.93  1.435 cm. In 4 (1.7%) subjects, aneurysms greater than 5.5 cm in diameter were detected. One of these four subjects had the history of coronary artery disease and one was cigarette smoker. Three out of four had history of hypertension. Conclusion: Considering the estimated prevalence rate of AAA by the current study and the population of Iranian men older than 65 , implementing of mass screening for AAA in this group would detect 986 asymptomatic cases each year. Therefore, the authors recommend further studies about the cost-effectiveness of mass screening for AAA among Iranian men above 65 screening.


Introduction: cleft lip and palate is one of the most common developmental defects that affect the head and neck region. This might occur if the fusion between the embryological processes fail. Birth of a baby with a cleft lip or palate is an exhausting and emotional problem which needs Longterm and Multidisciplinary management by plastic surgeon, otolaryngologist, geneticist, pediatrician, social worker, periodontist, orthodontist, and a speech and language specialist The etiology is unknown but there are many predisposing factors which might lead to this defect. Aim: The aim of this study is find out the prevalence of cleft lip and palate and to screen the predisposing factors in newborn babies with cleft lip and palate in Benghazi hospitals Material and method: A Data were Collected from the Archives of Benghazi medical Center and Benghazi Pediatric Hospital to find out the incidence of cleft lip and palate among newborn. the following informations were registered: Date of birth-Birth weight-type of cleft-other congenital defect-age of the mother, her medical condition and drug consumption during pregnancy-age of the father and smoking habit family history of clefts. further Contacts were done by phone calls with the parents to collect more information. full information were acquired from 26 cases out of 43 registered cases of clefts. Statistic analyses using IBM SPSS V.22 Software were done to find out the correlation of predisposing factors with clefts through chi-square. Results: From the recorded 43 cases of cleft lip is 19.5%, cleft palate 48.8%, cleft lip & palate 31.7%. Males were affected more than females (males 65% vs females 35%). in the 26 cases Drug consumption during pregnancy was found 61.5%, mother medical problems 53.8%, family history from the mother side 7.7% and from the father side 11.5%, father smoking habit 46%. Conclusion: The p value from the predisposing factors was insignificant. The male cases rate was higher than females. Future studies should be done to obtain more information.


The complex molecular networks in the cell can give rise to surprising interactions: gene deletions that are synthetically lethal, gene overexpressions that promote stemness or differentiation, synergistic drug interactions that heighten potency. Yet, the number of actual interactions is dwarfed by the number of potential interactions, and discovering them remains a major problem. Pooled screening, in which multiple factors are simultaneously tested for possible interactions, has the potential to increase the efficiency of searching for interactions among a large set of factors. However, pooling also carries with it the risk of masking genuine interactions due to antagonistic influence from other factors in the pool. Here, we explore several theoretical models of pooled screening, allowing for synergy and antagonism between factors, noisy measurements, and other forms of uncertainty. We investigate randomized sequential designs, deriving formulae for the expected number of tests that need to be performed to discover a synergistic interaction, and the optimal size of pools to test. We find that even in the presence of significant antagonistic interactions and testing noise, randomized pooled designs can significantly outperform exhaustive testing of all possible combinations. We also find that testing noise does not affect optimal pool size, and that mitigating noise by a selective approach to retesting outperforms naive replication of all tests. Finally, we show that a Bayesian approach can be used to handle uncertainty in problem parameters, such as the extent of synergistic and antagonistic interactions, resulting in schedules for adapting pool size during the course of testing.


We present a deep neural network for data-driven analyses of infant rat behavior in an open field task. The network was applied to study the effect of maternal nicotine exposure prior to conception on offspring motor development. The neural network outperformed human expert designed animal locomotion measures in distinguishing rat pups born to nicotine exposed dams versus control dams. Notably, the network discovered novel movement alterations in posture, movement initiation and a stereotypy in "warm-up" behavior (the initiation of movement along specific dimensions) that were predictive of nicotine exposure. The results suggest that maternal preconception nicotine exposure delays and alters offspring motor development. In summary, we demonstrated that a deep neural network can automatically assess animal behavior with high accuracy, and that it offers a data-driven approach to investigating pharmacological effects on brain development.Relating neuronal activity to behavior is crucial to understand brain function. Despite the staggering progress in monitoring brain activity, behavioral analyses still do not differ much from methods developed 30-50 years ago. The reason for that is the difficulty for automated video analyses to detect small differences in complex movements. Here we show that applying deep neuronal networks for automated video analyses can help to solve this problem. More importantly, knowledge extracted from the network allowed to identify subtle changes in multiple behavioral components, which were caused by maternal preconception nicotine exposure in rat pups. Thus, the examples presented here show how neuronal networks can guide the development of more accurate behavioral tests to assess symptoms of neurological disorders.


OBJECTIVES
Pepper (oleoresin capsicum) spray is one of the most common riot-control measures used today. Although not lethal, exposure of pepper spray can cause injury to different organ systems. This review aimed to summarise the major clinicopathological effects of pepper spray in humans.

DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE, EMBASE database, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were used to search for terms associated with the clinicopathological effects of pepper spray in humans and those describing the pathophysiology of capsaicin. A phone interview with two individuals recently exposed to pepper spray was also conducted to establish clinical symptoms.

STUDY SELECTION
Major key words used for the MEDLINE search were "pepper spray", "OC spray", "oleoresin capsicum"; and other key words as "riot control agents", "capsaicin", and "capsaicinoid". We then combined the key words "capsaicin" and "capsaicinoid" with the major key words to narrow down the number of articles. A search with other databases including EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was also conducted with the above phrases to identify any additional related articles.

DATA EXTRACTION
All article searches were confined to human study. The bibliography of articles was screened for additional relevant studies including non-indexed reports, and information from these was also recorded. Non-English articles were included in the search.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Fifteen articles were considered relevant. Oleoresin capsicum causes almost instantaneous irritative symptoms to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Dermatological effects include a burning sensation, erythema, and hyperalgesia. Ophthalmic effects involve blepharospasm, conjunctivitis, peri-orbital oedema, and corneal pathology. Following inhalation, a stinging or burning sensation can be felt in the nose with sore throat, chest tightness, or dyspnoea. The major pathophysiology is neurogenic inflammation caused by capsaicinoid in the pepper spray. There is no antidote for oleoresin capsicum. Treatment consists of thorough decontamination, symptom-directed supportive measures, and early detection and treatment of systemic toxicity. Decontamination should be carefully carried out to avoid contamination of the surrounding skin and clothing.

CONCLUSION
Pepper (oleoresin capsicum) spray is an effective riot-control agent and does not cause life-threatening clinical effects in the majority of exposed individuals. Early decontamination minimises the irritant effects.


Cardiac transplantation has matured as a therapeutic intervention, allowing definitive treatment of critically ill children and adults with end-stage heart disease. The ongoing critical shortage of donor organs continues to deny hundreds of individuals access to this intervention. Accordingly, many of the most meaningful recent advances made in the field of cardiac transplantation involve means of expanding our donor pool. While current immunosuppressive regimens have been considerably successful in the management of acute cellular rejection, management of the problems of acute and chronic vascular rejection remains disappointing. Advances in this arena remain particularly urgent for physicians and surgeons involved in the care of heart transplant recipients.


For the analysis of square contingency tables with the same row and column ordinal classications, this article proposes a new model which indicates that the log-ratios of symmetric cell probabilities are proportional to the difference between log-row category and log-column category. The proposed model may be appropriate for a square ordinal table if it is reasonable to assume an underlying bivariate log-normal distribution. Also, this article gives the decomposition of the symmetry model using the proposed model with the orthogonality of test statistics. Examples are given. The simulation studies based on bivariate log-normal distribution are given.


ABSTRACT Enzymes involved in the triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis have been well studied in the model organisms of yeasts and animals. Among these, the isoforms of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) redundantly catalyze the first and rate-limiting step in glycerolipid synthesis. Here, we report the functions of mrGAT, a GPAT ortholog, in an insect-pathogenic fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. Unlike in yeasts and animals, a single copy of the mrGAT gene is present in the fungal genome and the gene deletion mutant is viable. Compared to the wild type and the gene-rescued mutant, the ΔmrGAT mutant demonstrated reduced abilities to produce conidia and synthesize TAG, glycerol, and total lipids. More importantly, we found that mrGAT is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and directly linked to the formation of lipid droplets (LDs) in fungal cells. Insect bioassay results showed that mrGAT is required for full fungal virulence by aiding fungal penetration of host cuticles. Data from this study not only advance our understanding of GPAT functions in fungi but also suggest that filamentous fungi such as M. robertsii can serve as a good model to elucidate the role of the glycerol phosphate pathway in fungal physiology, particularly to determine the mechanistic connection of GPAT to LD formation.


The themes of poor communication, lack of measurement and erratic supply-chain performance are common issues that we either encounter in our every-day working life, or have read about in our professional journals. In 2001 a large business within Case X initiated a programme to tackle a number of these issues by embarking on a mission to improve internal service quality which eventually led to a sizeable number of ServQual activities across a wide-range of services engaging in excess of 2,000 individuals.
A common theme seen during this programme were that departments had difficulty describing who their customers were, the services they provided to those customers, coupled with this was a lack of measurement of the attributes that were or thought to be import to the customer. This eventually led to the research into a toolset that can assist organisations to understand the supply-chain that they operate within. The toolset is styled, Developing a Customer-focused Approach (DaCfA) a Model and Toolset (suite of matrices and templates) designed to capture and facilitate the review supply-chain information.
This Research takes the DaCfA Model, and Toolset developed within Case X, and through a suite of case studies applies both to inside and outside the Case X environment as well as in the internal and external supply-chain. This Research shows that the DaCfA Model and Toolset have made a valuable contribution to knowledge.
Research, enhanced by literature identified a number of themes (referred to as Theoretical Themes) that were observed within business units undertaking DaCfA activities, these themes were independently observed within the write-ups of the case studies that participated in this Research.
The Research concludes that the research aim and objectives were fully achieved and the following contribution to knowledge concerning:
 The DaCfA Model
 The DaCfA Toolset, specifically around the:
o Customer/supplier interfaces and relationships
o Measurement definition
 A set of themes (styled Theoretical Themes) that are readily observed within organisations undertaking a Customer-focused activity.


The purpose of this paper is to identify the problems to solve in order to simulate real-time crowds in a Virtual Environment. We try to classify these problems and study how they have been addressed until now by the research community and our Lab in particular. We then discuss for each problem what are the future challenges and how to address them.


We studied the response of biochemical markers of bone metabolism to exercise intensity in horses. Four horses were walked on a mechanical walker for one week (pre-exercise). Then they performed low-speed exercise on a high-speed treadmill in the first week and medium-speed exercise in the second week and high-speed exercise in the third week of training. We measured two indices of bone resorption, serum hydroxyproline concentration and the urinary deoxypyridinoline/creatinine ratio, and serum osteocalcin (OC) concentration as an index of bone formation. Both indices of bone resorption gradually decreased during the experiment. Serum OC concentration did not change in the first week but was significantly lower in the second and the third weeks compared to in the pre-exercise period and in the first week. These results suggest that the low-speed exercise decreased bone resorption but did not affect bone formation, which possibly results in increasing bone mineral content and strengthening of bones. The high-speed exercise decreased bone formation and bone resorption, i.e., bone turnover was suppressed. The low-speed exercise may be preferable for increasing bone mineral content.


Whether the same patient with essential hypertension (EH) has the same PRA profile at different occasions, is still uncertain. The validity of the classification of these patients into low or normal renin hypertension depends upon the reproducibility of this profile. A nomogram based on PRA and 24 hr urine sodium in normals, was constructed by computing the regression line with its tolerance limits of not less than 95%. In 30 patients with EH, the PRA and 24 hr urine sodium were determined in 2 separate occasions. Classification of patients showed a change of 30% when PRA was taken during at least 2 hours recumbency. However, when PRA following ambulation is considered, the change appeared only in 6/30 (20%). This change was not large. Thus good reproducibility of PRA is obtained on post-ambulation PRA and changes larger than the 95% tolerance limits, are considered.


The significance of the events of 2016 for the future development of constitutional law has been widely discussed in both scholarly commentaries and the popular press. After the death of Justice Antonin Scalia early in that year, many progressives looked forward hopefully to the prospect of regaining control of the Supreme Court for the first time in almost fifty years. However, after the Senate refused to consider Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to replace Justice Scalia, the surprise victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election led instead to further consolidation of the conservative dominance of the Court. Unlike the election of 2016, the impact of the presidential election of 2004 on the evolution of constitutional doctrine has generally been ignored by commentators. In 2004, apparently due in part to the backlash against the drive to obtain legal recognition for same-sex marriages, Republican George W. Bush won a narrow victory over Democrat John Kerry. Bush soon had the opportunity to fill two vacancies on the Court, and both of his choices have in general brought a conservative perspective to the cases that have come before them. If, by contrast, Kerry had been elected in 2004, he would have almost certainly chosen progressives to replace Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and William Rehnquist, giving progressives a majority on the Court that they would still enjoy today. This article begins by outlining the development of the dispute over same-sex marriage and the apparent relationship between that dispute and the Republican victory in 2004. The article then describes the consequences that that victory has had for the ultimate resolution of a wide variety of constitutional disputes and concludes by discussing the lessons of the election and its aftermath for our understanding of the role that the institution of judicial review has come to play in our political system. * Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University School of Law. In writing this article, I benefited greatly from the insights of my colleague Katie Eyer. 486 UA LITTLE ROCK LAW REVIEW [Vol. 42


Recent years brought a new challenge to the microwave industry for which traditional dispenser cathodes could not provide an answer. Extremely small dimensions and tight tolerances along with high power and frequency requirements prompted scientists and engineers to search for a new approach in cathode technology. In their work [1]-[2], Ives at al. introduced a novel technology that immediately drew attention of the industry. Controlled porosity reservoir cathodes from sintered tungsten wires offered a solution to many unsolved issues in cathode technology which initial testing performed at Calabazas Creek Research confirmed. After obtaining the legal rights to this technology, Semicon Associates manufactured and tested several different cathode assemblies in order to validate design and manufacturing processes. Results will be presented.


A/M~Tw!,In this paper, a multicarrier DS/CDMA system with adaptive antenna array is proposed for a multipath fading channel. A multipath fading channel is modeled as a Nakagami-m fading channel. The performance is evaluated in terms of bit error probability, and system capacity for the multicarrier DS/CDM A system with adaptive antenna array is estimated. From the analytic and simulation results, it is shown that the overall system capacity increases significantly compared to the system without adaptive antenna array.


The detailed study of the exoplanetary systems HD189733 and HD209458 has given rise to a wealth of exciting information on the physics of exoplanetary atmospheres. To further our understanding of the make-up and processes within these atmospheres we require a larger sample of bright transiting planets. We have began a project to detect more bright transiting planets in the southern hemisphere by utilising precision radial-velocity measurements. We have observed a constrained sample of bright, inactive and metal-rich stars using the HARPS instrument and here we present the current status of this project, along with our first discoveries which include a brown dwarf/extreme-Jovian exoplanet found in the brown dwarf desert region around the star HD191760 and improved orbits for three other exoplanetary systems HD48265, HD143361 and HD154672. Finally, we briefly discuss the future of this project and the current prospects we have for discovering more bright transiting planets.


The high-pressure structural behaviour of the cubic spinel CdCr2Se4 (space group ) and tetragonal CdGa2Se4 () has been investigated experimentally and theoretically in order to understand the large difference in compressibility between the two selenides. The experimental values of the bulk modulus for these compounds are 101(2) and 48(2) GPa, respectively. These values compare well with 92 and 44 GPa obtained from first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory formalism. The observed difference in compressibility between the cubic and tetragonal structures can be understood in terms of polyhedral analysis. In a hypothetical cubic spinel structure (), the calculated bulk modulus for CdGa2Se4 is 85 GPa. This value together with the experimental and theoretical results for CdCr2Se4 suggest that the selenium-based cubic spinels should have a bulk modulus about 100 GPa, which is half the value found for the oxide spinels.


Systematic archeological excavations of Gradina in Biograci near Lištica, which were carried out during 1969 and 1971 under the leadership of Irma Čremošnik, put a very valuable archeological site on the archeological map of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the research of that time, Biograci was primarily interpreted as a Roman fortification and a high-altitude settlement with an Avar-Slavic phase. Only a recent revision of the material in the Classical Antiquity collection of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina noticed material that was redefined and dated to the early Byzantine period and the Migration period. From the extremely diverse material from this site with a very wide dating, and thus a long continuity of settlement, the finding of a fragmented cheek flaps- paragnatids from the Baldeinheim type helmet stands out.2 The paper is exclusively dedicated to the professional and scientific processing of the bronze sheet metal plate with traces of gilding, which, in comparison with the complete findings of helmets of this type, was identified as part of the paragnatide helmet of the Baldeinheim type. Geographically, the closest sites to Biograci with complete or almost complete helmets of this type are Vid-Bedemi in Narona near Metković, Batajnica in Srijem, Heraclea Lyncestis near Bitola, Zidani Gaber nad Mihovim i Rifnik pri Šetjurju. The appearance of the so-called western group of helmets known as Baldeinheim-type helmets during the Migration period is an extremely rare find at archeological sites, while no helmet of this type has been found at archeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina so far.


Background and Objectives Venous thrombosis is one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality all over the world. Elevated plasma homocysteine is known as a cause of vein morphology changes and endothelial dysfunction which lead to platelet activation, fibrinolysis inhibition and finally atherothrombosis. In this study, we evaluated the role of homocysteine in atherothrombosis as compared to the control group with no history of thrombosis. Material and Methods In this case control study, 100 patients with arterial thrombosis (54 men and 46 women) as the case group and 68 as control (40 men and 28 women) were involved. Blood samples were taken in the EDTA-located tube and transported to the laboratory for fasting plasma homocysteine to be measured by ELISA kits. Some data such as age, sex, thrombosis history and familial thrombosis history were taken from the patients through a questionnaire. We measured fasting plasma homocysteine in both case and control groups by ELISA method. The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS statistical software using T-Test and Chi-square, odds ratio was also calculated. Results The average rates of homocysteine in the case and control group were 23.85 ± 18.4 and 11.48 ± 3.4 μmol/lit respectively showing statistical significance. The hyperhomocysteinemia frequency in the case group was 48% whereas 17.6% in the control. A significant difference was also observed in the frequency of hyperhomocysteinemia between male (70.4%) and female (21.7%) in the case group. There was a moderate correlation between homocysteine level and age in the case group. Conclusions According to the achieved odds ratio (2.27), hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for thrombosis. It means that homocysteine measurement should be determined in thrombosis-affected or high risk patients. Dietary supplementation with low doses of folate and vitamin B12 should be considered in affected persons.


Abstract Background: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is often disseminated and mainly involves lymph nodes, spleen, liver or bone marrow. Peritonitis due to MAC infection (PMAC) is a very uncommon manifestation. Methods: In this report, after describing the case of the only PMAC infection in our 10-year retrospective study, which occurred in an AIDS patient who was non-adherent to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), we performed a systematic literature review of documented bacteriological PMAC. Results: Including our patient, 51 cases of PMAC have been reported. Patients were most often male (sex ratio 2.14), with a median age of 41 years (2.8–72) and an immunodeficiency in all cases, most often AIDS (57%), cirrhosis (20%) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) (18%). Ascites was more often chylous (54%) than exudative (46%) and, in this case, lymphocytic (60%), with an inconstantly positive acid-fast bacilli smear (54%). Non-disseminated PMAC patients were more likely to have peritoneal dialysis (39% versus 6.5%, p < .01) or cancer with immunosuppressive therapy (39% versus 0%, p < .0001), while AIDS was the leading underlying disease in disseminated-PMAC patients (83% versus 11%, p < .001). Mortality was high (50%), with no difference between disseminated and non-disseminated PMAC. Conclusions: This report highlights the need to be aware of an atypical presentation of PMAC infection, which is associated with a high rate of mortality even for non-disseminated infection.


Treatment of cancer metastasized to bone is still a challenge due to hydrophobicity, instability, and lack of target specificity of anticancer drugs. Poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (ε-caprolactone) polymer (PEG-PCL) is an effective, biodegradable, and biocompatible hydrophobic drug carrier, but lacks bone specificity. Polyaspartic acid with eight peptide sequences, that is, (Asp)8, has a strong affinity to bone surface. The aim of this study was to synthesize (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles as a bone-specific carrier of hydrophobic drugs to treat cancer metastasized to bone. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy data showed that (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles (size 100 nm) were synthesized successfully. (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles did not promote erythrocyte aggregation. Fluorescence microscopy showed clear uptake of Nile red-loaded (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles by cancer cells. (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles did not show cytotoxic effect on MG63 and human umbilical vein endothelial cells at the concentration of 10–800 μg/mL. (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles bound with hydroxyapatite 2-fold more than PEG-PCL. Intravenously injected (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles accumulated 2.7-fold more on mice tibial bone, in comparison to PEG-PCL. Curcumin is a hydrophobic anticancer drug with bone anabolic properties. Curcumin was loaded in the (Asp)8-PEG-PCL. (Asp)8-PEG-PCL showed 11.07% loading capacity and 95.91% encapsulation efficiency of curcumin. The curcumin-loaded (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles gave sustained release of curcumin in high dose for >8 days. The curcumin-loaded (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles showed strong antitumorigenic effect on MG63, MCF7, and HeLa cancer cells. In conclusion, (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles were biocompatible, permeable in cells, a potent carrier, and an efficient releaser of hydrophobic anticancer drug and were bone specific. The curcumin-loaded (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles showed strong antitumorigenic ability in vitro. Therefore, (Asp)8-PEG-PCL nanoparticles could be a potent carrier of hydrophobic anticancer drugs to treat the cancer metastasized to bone.


Secretion of effectors across bacterial membranes is usually mediated by large multisubunit complexes. In most cases, the secreted effectors are virulent factors normally associated to pathogenic diseases. The biogenesis of these secretion systems and the transport of the effectors are processes that require energy. This energy could be directly obtained by using the proton motive force, but in most cases the energy associated to these processes is derived from ATP hydrolysis. Here, a description of the machineries involved in generating the energy required for system biogenesis and substrate transport by type II, III and IV secretion systems is provided, with special emphasis on highlighting the structural similarities and evolutionary relationships among the secretion ATPases.


This paper describes some new concepts in dealing with the circuitry for Loran-C automatic timing systems. The conventional analog techniques associated with phase-adjusting networks have been replaced by an incremental digital phase-shifting device. The Loran-C period generator includes facilities for delay compensation by means of an epoch monitor producing a 1-Hz output coincident with the master station TOC (time of coincidence). The required initial time information has to be accurate within ± 20 ms. The automatic format identification and decoding equipment together form a system which takes into account the information of every Loran-C pulse. Owing to the use of digital signal treatment, the synchronization accuracy is limited only by the resolution of the incremental phase shift. The automatic cycle selection device is based on sampling techniques where the derivative of the envelope is calculated. The time of coincidence has to be precalculated and fed into the thumbwheel memory of the epoch monitor, which is automatically initiated when the synchronizing operations are concluded. For VLBI purposes and transcontinental use, the accuracy of this system will be better than 1 μs when post corrections, supplied by the U.S. Naval Observatory, are taken into account.


This paper presents two approaches to derive an asymptotic distribution of the robust Adaptive Normalized Matched Filter (ANMF). More precisely, the ANMF has originally been derived under the assumption of Gaussian distributed noise where the variance is different between the observation under test and the set of secondary data. We propose in this work to relax the Gaussian hypothesis: we analyze the ANMF built with robust estimators, namely the M-estimators and the Tyler's estimator, under the Complex Elliptically Symmetric (CES) distributions framework. In this context, we derive two asymptotic distributions for this robust ANMF. Firstly, we combine the asymptotic properties of the robust estimators and the Gaussian-based distribution of the ANMF at finite distance. Secondly, we directly derive the asymptotic distribution of the robust ANMF. Then, Monte-Carlo simulations show the good approximation provided by the proposed methods. Moreover, for a non-asymptotic regime, the simulations provide very promising results.


An examination for endometrial cancer has been done by cytology. However, cytology is sometimes not possible because of closed or narrow cervix of postmenopausal woman. We did a retrospective study regarding the usefulness of CA125 or transvaginal ultrasonography in postmenopausal cases. The mean +/- S.D. of CA125 in normal menopausal women was 10.3 +/- 3.0 U/ml. The value of mean +/- 2S.D., the finding of Relative Operating Characteristic curve and the purpose that false positive was 0%, so we set 17 U/ml as the cut off value for CA125. In 46 cases with postmenopausal endometrial carcinoma, 23 cases were screened; and in 30 cases with surgical stage I, 10 cases were screened with this cut off value. The echoic patterns for uterine cavities which were observed by transvaginal ultrasonography were divided into 4 patterns (type I: anechoic pattern, type II: linear pattern, type III: clear mass pattern, type IV: unclear mass pattern). In 20 cases with postmenopausal endometrial cancer, 19 cases had type III or IV. In 41 normal postmenopausal women, 26 cases showed an anechoic pattern and 14 cases showed a linear pattern. It was found that 97.5% of cases with anechoic or linear patterns were normal endometrium. The screening by transvaginal ultrasonography was more useful than CA125. However CA125 was more useful than transvaginal ultrasonography in detecting lymph node metastasis.


This article explored the role of Islamic banks in increasing the amount of domestic savings and funding the economic development process in Jordan during the period (2010-2019). A descriptive analytical approach was adopted. The data was obtained from the Association of Banks in Jordan. It was analyzed through carrying out the linear regression analysis. The researchers concluded that the assets of Jordanian Islamic banks increased. That indicates that there was an increase in the savings of Islamic banks. They found that the total credit facilities provided by Islamic banks to individuals and for all sectors have increased. They found that there is a positive significant relationship between the assets in Islamic banks from one hand and credit facilities from another hand. They recommend exerting effort to increase the savings of Islamic banks.


The authors have synthesized soluble aromatic polyimides derived from 2,2'-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 3,3'- or 4,4'-diamino-diphenylsulfone (m-DDS or p-DDS) to develop a novel membrane oxygenator. Asymmetric gas exchange membranes for the oxygenator were prepared by a dry/wet phase inversion process. The resulting membrane structure consisted of an ultrathin, selective, and defect free skin layer supported by a porous substructure. The membranes exhibited extremely high gas flux and selectivity. CO2 flux through the polyimide membranes used in this study increased with a decrease in CO2 pressure and was in accordance with the dual mode transport described by a combination of the Henry and Langmuir modes. This indicates that CO2 is selectively removed from the membranes at low CO2 pressure as compared with presently available materials for membrane oxygenators, such as polydimethylsiloxane and polypropylene. The number of platelets adherent to the surface of the polyimide were significantly smaller than those on polydimethylsiloxane and polypropylene, and the deformation and aggregation of platelets on polyimide were not observed. These findings suggest that aromatic polyimides with sulfone diamine moieties are promising membrane materials for an oxygenator.


It is well known that the mean square delay spread in strongly coupled multi-core fibers increases linearly with the propagation distance. In this paper we quantify for the first time the coefficient of this linear growth and characterize its dependence on the main fiber parameters. Our analysis shows that the root-mean mean delay spread reduces with the fluctuations of the coupling coefficient between cores, while it increases with the correlation length of these fluctuations and with the beat length of the two polarizations of each core.


This paper presents the Solar-2002 zero impact renovation project in Belgium. Its characteristics are based on fundamental principles taking advantage of natural resources by diverting the sun shine and rain in the building design. The building has been renovated aiming to achieve principals of occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency, renewable energy production, resource conservation and reduction of environmental impacts. The paper reviews the design concepts including the passive and active strategies and compare building actual performance to actual monitoring results. Innovations related to architectural design, building system performance and simulation are presented. Results show that the house achieved energy and carbon neutral balance, closed water cycle and almost a cradle to cradle building material cycle. However, monitoring results shows the difficulty to maintain optimal thermal comfort during extreme summer and winter periods. Achieving the environmental zero impact objectives is not economically feasible without the subsidies from the federal and regional government.


We investigate a block detection strategy for hard limited MSK signals. In contrast to the published work of Leib and Pasupathy (see EEE-TC, vol.40, p.1430-1441, September 1992) on optimal incoherent block detection, only first order phase differentials are exploited. This reduces the implementation complexity of a block detector significantly, since no complex valued calculations are necessary. A near-maximum likelihood detection metric is derived by suitably approximating the joint probability density function of a block of phase differentials. It is shown that the proposed detection scheme approaches the performance of coherent detection with increasing block lengths. Compared to coherent antipodal signalling, a degradation in performance still remains which is determined by the predetection filter.


Time synchronization is essential for any kind of network due to network software requirements. Since WSNs have particular constraints and limitations'; synchronizing the physical times for these networks is considered to be a complex task. In this paper we study newly presented time synchronization protocols in wireless sensor networks. There are some synchronous and asynchronous methods. Some are based on remote clock reading and others are based on source clock frequency recovery. Energy consumption is critical in WSN. Minimizing the number of message transmissions from sensor nodes to the head node or from the head to the source nods is the best way to save energy. We will discuss some of the methods of time synchronization in WSN. We will discuss TFTS, ISTS, Algorithm Based on SFD, Double-Broadcasting for WSN and Indirect-Broadcasting Synchronization Protocol for WSN. Each method has its certain characteristics such as power consumption and accuracy and so on. Study results shows that each network should have its own operational time synchronization protocol due to its own needs. In this paper, the researcher studies recent time synchronization protocols.


This paper aims to demonstrate that there is a gap in the way patient's autonomy is being discussed. All attention is focused on informed consent, and this approach is essentially wrong. Consenting is just a part of the process of choosing, and is not enough to allow patients to exercise their right to autonomy. This can only be accomplished through the complete and understandable disclosure of all information regarding treatment, their options and possible consequences.


There is a strong urge for methodologies for leak detection in pipelines and location that are quick and require less costly instrumentation. Moreover they should not cause the cessation of pipeline operation, and not require that the whole network be surveyed by trained personnel; leak detection methodologies based on transient analysis can achieve these goals. Basing the reflexion according to fast detecting systems, spectral analysis response is a topic of interest. Among spectral analysis response techniques, FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and wavelets are included. Different other techniques are utilized but they are costly and difficult to be used. The research proposes the use of FFT for smaller and zigzag pipelines by overcoming limitations encountered in current scientific literature. The developed improvements, used for pipeline section small than 20 cm, permit to prevent, with interesting accuracy, the leakage.


A proper model of RF absorber must be developed based on information such as absorber reflectivity, in magnitude and phase, for various angles of incidence, and for parallel and perpendicular polarizations. Unfortunately, these data are not available due to the practical limitations of the test fixtures to measure the RF absorber performance. Manufacturer data sheets normally specify only the magnitude of the absorber reflectivity for normal incidence. A model has been developed in this paper for pyramidal RF absorber with pyramid length shorter than a quarter wavelength and poor reflectivity performance. Since the reflection from the metal backing would be much higher than the reflection and scattering from the pyramid tips, the metal boundary may be modeled as a lossy dielectric with certain effective dielectric constant, e eff , and effective conductivity, σ eff , and the thickness extends to infinity. The appropriate values of e eff and σ eff can be derived based on the reflectivity information given by the manufacturer's data sheet. The reflectivity at oblique incidence is calculated and compared with the results of method of homogenization and moment method. A reasonable match between the different models is obtained. The plane-boundary dielectric model can be used to evaluate the degradation of reflectivity level with respect to angle of incidence. It can be used in a simulation tool for design of anechoic chamber.


AIM
Evaluating the association of maxillary sinus dimensions and the maxillary arch dimensions may help to understand the interrelationship between the maxillary sinus and the anatomical facial features. The study aimed to investigate the correlation of the 2-D and 3-D maxillary sinus dimensions with the linear measurement of the maxillary arch width (MAW) in adult individuals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using 54 cone-beam computed tomography scans obtained from patients starting their treatment in dental clinics of dental college, Jazan University. Maximal vertical diameter (maximal height) of the maxillary sinus (MSH), maximal horizontal diameter (maximal width) of the maxillary sinus (MSW), maximal anteroposterior diameter (maximal length) of the maxillary sinus (MSL), MAW, and maxillary sinus volume (MSV) were measured and recorded using 3-D Slicer software. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rho-ρ) was used to analyze the strength and type of the relationship between variables.

RESULTS
In both males and females, moderate to strong correlation (ρ range between 0.65 and 0.80) was observed between MSV for all linear measurements of the maxillary sinuses on both sides. The maxillary sinus length showed the weakest correlation with MAW in both genders Conclusion: The relationship of MAW with MSV on both sides shows a stronger correlation than its relationship with all 2-D linear measurements of maxillary sinuses.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The clinician should take into consideration the structure and function of the maxillary sinus when treating the midfacial structures for trauma or congenital malformations.


ABSTRACT Design solutions addressing climate resilience and sustainable development are desired for policy application, yet often encounter friction within the design team as well as between designers and external community members. Factors include unfamiliarity with issues and strategies, resistance to innovation, and constraints of time and budget, among others. Here, we aimed to understand how design may be supported through adapting the established practice of Value Methodology to better address policy goals. Action research methods adapted the standard Value Methodology process by collecting community inputs and addressing second law considerations. Challenges related to stakeholder concerns, practitioner preferences, and uncertainty under future conditions, especially climate change, were addressed by applying Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to elicit community value expressions. Absent detailed forecast or scenario analysis, entropy-based qualitative assessment was applied in proxy for resilient approaches. The adapted Value Methodology approach was applied for collaborative innovative design across green buildings, net-zero military installations, regional climate resilient infrastructure systems, and multi-state renewable energy developments. Examination of how and when parties shared inputs indicated general patterns revealing user acceptance. Through cumulative action research across multiple cases, our study revealed that entropy assessment aided systems-level problem-solving during community and designer workshops to guide problem definition, generate designs, and evaluate alternatives. Additionally, outcomes were improved when stakeholder input was obtained early and repeated iteratively. The main findings are drawn from practitioner and stakeholder responses which may provide input to shape further research and practical use in the field as design teams seek practical ways forward for complex assignments.


Polymer-modified mortar Semi-destructive tests Mechanical properties Finite element method Adhesion Nowadays, polymers in cement-based mortars are frequently used to improve mechanical properties and increase the adhesion between the repair mortar and concrete substrate. In the present study, the mechanical properties of the polymer-modified mortars in the various ages were evaluated using the semi-destructive and in-situ "friction-transfer" and "pull-off" tests. For this purpose, the repair mortar was prepared with various styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex-cement ratios (10, 15, and 20%) and tested at 7, 42, and 90 days of age. The correlation between the results from semi-destructive tests and the compressive and flexural strengths of mortars were determined. The calibration diagrams were presented to determine the mechanical properties of the mortars. Also, the effect of the polymer was investigated on the shrinkage and bond strength between mortars and concrete substrate. Finally, the stress and cracks obtained from the "friction-transfer" and "pull-off" tests were presented using the finite element analysis software (ABAQUS). There was excellent congruence between the results from the above tests and the finite element analysis. There was a high correlation between the results of the "friction-transfer" and "pull-off" tests. Therefore, the simple and inexpensive "friction-transfer" device can be used instead of the expensive "pull-off" device. Besides, the significant correlation between the mechanical properties of the polymer-modified mortars and the above tests shows the suitability of the semi-destructive methods in investigating the mechanical properties of


The majority of spiral and elliptical galaxies in the Universe host very dense and compact stellar systems at their centres known as nuclear star clusters (NSCs). In this work we study the stellar populations and star formation histories (SFH) of the NSCs of six nearby galaxies with stellar masses ranging between $2$ and $8\times10^9~{\rm M_{\odot}}$ (four late-type spirals and two early-types) with high resolution spectroscopy. Our observations are taken with the X-Shooter spectrograph at the VLT. We make use of an empirical simple stellar population (SSP) model grid to fit composite stellar populations to the data and recover the SFHs of the nuclei. We find that the nuclei of all late-type galaxies experienced a prolonged SFH, while the NSCs of the two early-types are consistent with SSPs. The NSCs in the late-type galaxies sample appear to have formed a significant fraction of their stellar mass already more than $10$ Gyr ago, while the NSCs in the two early-type galaxies are surprisingly younger. Stars younger than $100$ Myr are present in at least two nuclei: NGC 247 and NGC 7793, with some evidence for young star formation in NGC 300's NSC. The NSCs of the spirals NGC 247 and NGC 300 are consistent with prolonged \in situ star formation with a gradual metallicity enrichment from $\sim-1.5$ dex more than $10$ Gyr ago, reaching super-Solar values few hundred Myr ago. NGC 3621 appears to be very metal rich already in the early Universe and NGC 7793 presents us with a very complex SFH, likely dominated by merging of various massive star clusters coming from different environments.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the perspectives of placement staff on outreach training.

INTERVENTION
Block clinical placements in primary care settings for dental undergraduates and hygiene and therapy students.

METHOD
After completion of the placements, 32 participating staff across nine primary care locations took part in qualitative interviews and focus groups. The staff provided data on placement organisation, the students' development and their supervision, and any effects on themselves as hosts.

RESULTS
The major themes included the learning environment, supervision and communication. The staff saw benefits to students in working in a smaller primary care clinic with nursing support and immediately available supervision by a dental generalist. Other benefits included increased confidence, broader clinical experience and applying theoretical learning to new communities. Effective communication and adequate resourcing were critical success factors. There was some disruption of clinics' normal working, but many unanticipated benefits. Staff supported the outreach placements in primary care settings to enhance students' dental education.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide a planning and evaluation framework for dental educators involved in outreach.


Neural activity has been suggested to initially trigger ATP production by glycolysis, rather than oxidative phosphorylation, for three reasons: glycolytic enzymes are associated with ion pumps; neurons may increase their energy supply by activating glycolysis in astrocytes to generate lactate; and activity increases glucose uptake more than O2 uptake. In rat hippocampal slices, neuronal activity rapidly decreased the levels of extracellular O2 and intracellular NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), even with lactate dehydrogenase blocked to prevent lactate generation, or with only 20% superfused O2 to mimic physiological O2 levels. Pharmacological analysis revealed an energy budget in which 11% of O2 use was on presynaptic action potentials, 17% was on presynaptic Ca2+ entry and transmitter release, 46% was on postsynaptic glutamate receptors, and 26% was on postsynaptic action potentials, in approximate accord with theoretical brain energy budgets. Thus, the major mechanisms mediating brain information processing are all initially powered by oxidative phosphorylation, and an astrocyte–neuron lactate shuttle is not needed for this to occur.


The World Wide Web is expanding day by day. With the great growth of the Web, it has become a massive challenge for the all-purpose single process crawlers (A crawler is a program that downloads and stores Web pages, often for a Web search engine) to locate the resources that are precise and relevant in an appropriate amount of time, so more enhanced and convincing algorithms are in stipulate. Thus it becomes vital to improve the crawling procedure, in order to finish downloading pages in a sensible amount of time. Web crawler which employs multi-processing to allow multiple crawler processes to run concurrently. We have proposed a resourceful concurrent crawler that is fusion of page rank and concurrent multi-process crawler, offering a means to efficiently crawl the Web and presenting a scalable solution that allows crawl speeds to be tuned as needed.


Jacquemaire laboratories' history started in 1881 with Léon Jacquemaire (1850-1907). He was associated with drug manufacturing since he met Dr Robin during the 1870 war. Dr Robin asked him to produce phosphates. This product, as well as glycerophosphates and B1édine, made the financial success of Jacquemaire before he died in 1907. Shortly before, Jacquemaire's assistant filed the trademark hich was later on sold to Fumouze and became a great success. But the name of Jacquemaire first remains associated with Blédine, which explains that many have forgotten that he was first a pharmacist!


The masses in Estrada's film are massified, i.e., individuals forced by circumstance to bond together and to search for a liberator. In politics, such a representation remains sublimely real. Estrada coached the masses to posit him as their ally and salvation. And the masses, which comprised the huge voting population, gave him the ultimate chance to serve them. In this essay, I am interested in assessing how Estrada's films and politics have mobilized the masses. This is a cultural analysis of the discursive construction and use of the masses. How do individuals bond together for a political purpose without having to realize their class interest? How do the masses remain a massified entity inside and outside Erap's filmic and political machine? How are the masses extolled in entertainment industries and yet marginalized in actual social politics? How are the Filipino masses metropolitanized in recent imperialist globalization?


The adsorption of H2 on two kinds of Mg3N2(110) crystal surface is studied by first principles. Adsorption sites, adsorption energy, and the electronic structure of the Mg3N2 (110)/H2 systems are calculated separately. It is found that H2 is mainly adsorbed as chemical adsorption, on these sites the H2 molecules are dissociated and the H atoms tend to the top of two N, respectively, forming two NH, or the H atoms tend to the same N forming one NH2. There are also some physical adsorption sites. One of the bridge sites of Mg3N2(110) surface is more favorable than the other sites. On this site, H atoms tend to the top of two N, forming two NH. This process belongs to strong chemical adsorption. The interaction between H2 molecule and Mg3N2(110) surface is mainly due to the overlap-hybridization among H 1s, N 2s, and N 2p states, covalent bonds are formed between the N and H atoms.


Non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) is due to many different causes. Fetal hypomobility has been alluded to as a possible cause. We present a preterm fetus with NIHF secondary to fetal hypomobility. Fetal movements were undetected after the 20th week of gestation. The infant was born 8 weeks later and was edematous, had pleural effusions, and no spontaneous movements. He died on day four of life. Diffuse massive central nervous system (CNS) destruction found on post-mortem examination was thought to be the origin of the hypomobility. As all other causes of NIHF were eliminated, we propose that the NIHF in this infant was due to the hypomobility. This case then gives support to the assertion that fetal hypomobility is another cause of NIHF. The cause of the CNS catastrophy remains unelucidated.


Background: Cranioplasty (CP) is a neurosurgical procedure performed after decompressive craniectomy using autologous bone graft or various artificial materials. Aim: To find differences in complications between patients who underwent CP using an autologous bone flap versus a titanium mesh as well as to identify significant risk factors for post-CP complications Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Methodology: A total of 46 patients were included in this study, out of which 37 were males (80.4%) and 9 were females (19.6%). All patients underwent cranioplasty using titanium mesh or autologous bone graft. Results: Comparison of outcome between autologous graft and titanium implant was done. In 45.7% patients, autologous bone graft was used while titanium implant was used in 54.7%. 23.9% patients had developed different types of complications in both groups, out of which 81.9% were from autologous group and 18.1% belonged to titanium graft group. Surgical site infection was noted in 18.1% of patients (equally) in both groups. Craniopalsty infection was noted in 45.4% patients who underwent autologous graft. Hematoma was encountered in 2 patients; both with autologous bone graft and none in patients who had titanium mesh cranioplasty. Removal of autologous bone graft was done in one patient whileremoval was not done in the other arm of study. Bone resorption was seen in five patients, all of which had autologous bone graft. Learning curve is that this technique be followed by neurosurgeons for better outcome. Practical implicatio Titanium mesh cranioplasty is a technique to be followed by junior neurosurgeons for learning and good outcome, decrease duration of hospital stay and preservation of precious resources of hospital. Conclusion: Cranioplasty in which titanium mesh is used is superior to autologous bone grafting as it has lessercomplications. Keywords: Autologous graft, bone resorption, cranioplasty, hematoma, infection, titanium mesh.


This paper describes how Single Event Effects (SEEs) produced by heavy ions disturb the operation of Pinned Photodiode (PPD) CMOS Image Sensors (CISs) in the frame of space and nuclear applications. Several CISs with 4T and 5T pinned photodiode pixels were exposed to ions with a broad Linear Energy Transfer range (3.3 to 67.7 MeV·cm2/mg). One sensor exhibited Single Event Latchups (SELs). Physical failure mechanism and latchup properties were investigated. SELs are caused by the level shifters of the addressing circuits, which create frame perturbations - following which, in some cases, parts of the addressing circuits need to be hardened. In the second part of the paper, the effects of anti-blooming capabilities on the Single Event Transient effects (SETs) are analyzed. SETs in pixels can be partially mitigated by anti-blooming through the transfer gate and/or a dedicated transistor. This work also shows that the number of pixels disturbed by SETs can be reduced by using appropriate anti-blooming techniques.


Objective: Intestinal ischemia decreases barrier function of the gut and enhances translocation of bacteria and toxins. Several studies indicate that fish oil can modulate prostaglandin formation and thus, regional blood flow and immune function. This study was performed to determine the effects of parenteral diets with omega‐3 fatty acids on microcirculation and barrier function of the gut. Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled animal study. Setting: University laboratory. Subjects: A total of 64 male Sprague‐Dawley CD rats. Interventions and Measurements: For 48 hrs, eight groups of eight rats each received total parenteral nutrition with four different types of lipids. The source of fat in group L was soybean oil only and in group L‐M a mixture of soybean oil and medium‐chain triglycerides. In groups FO‐20 and FO‐40, 20% or 40%, respectively, of the soybean oil in group L‐M was replaced by fish oil. The other four groups received an additional continuous infusion of endotoxin (0.1 mg/100 g body weight per day) for the last 24 hrs. Blood flow was measured with microspheres, and translocation was determined by microbiological methods and instillation of radioactive‐marked bacteria into the gut. Main Results: In the animals without fish oil, the endotoxin application reduced the blood flow to the intestine ∼25%. Animals with fish oil in their diets showed normal values. Translocation of gut bacteria was increased significantly in all endotoxin groups. However, less‐viable bacteria could be detected in the animals with fish oil diets in their mesenteric lymph nodes and livers. Conclusions: In this model, diets enriched with fish oil abolish the endotoxin‐induced decrease of nutritive blood flow to the gut and ameliorate the bactericidal defense of the splanchnic region. The lower count of viable bacteria in the fish oil groups is more related to an improved killing of translocated bacteria than a reduction of the translocation rate.


The Finnish spent nuclear fuel disposal is based on the Swedish KBS-3 concept in crystalline bedrock. The concept aims at long-term isolation and containment of spent fuel in copper canisters surrounded by bentonite buffer which mostly consists of montmorillonite. For the long-term modelling of the chemical processes in the buffer, the cation-exchange selectivity coefficients have to be known at different temperatures. In this work, the cation-exchange selectivity coefficients and cation-exchange isotherms were determined in batch experiments for montmorillonite at three different temperatures (25 °C, 50 °C and 75 °C). Five different ratios of NaClO 4 /Ca(ClO 4 ) 2 were used in the experimental solutions. After equilibration the solution and montmorillonite were separated and the solution analysed to get the desired exchange parameters. The experiments were modelled with a computational model capable of taking into account the physicochemical processes that take place in the experiment.


It is commonplace to see academic staff (teaching staff) in Nigerian Universities stagnated for a long period of time that is without promotions, due to lack of funds for further academic development and publications. The popular syndrome of "publish or perish" has, over the time, had its toll on academic staff of Nigerian Universities. As succour, the Federal Government of Nigeria set up Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in 2011 as an intervening agency, to, among other objectives, fund academic staff trainings in tertiary institutions within and outside the country. It has, however, been worrisome that many Universities have not been accessing funds allocated to them due to their inability to fulfil the conditions attached and thereby depriving academic staff of the opportunity of accessing Government funds for academic advancement. This work titled "TETFund International Programmes and Academic Staff Development in South East Nigeria" an attempt to determine the extent to which Universities in the South Eastern part of Nigeria have been able to access and utilize funds allocated to them by this agency with respect to training of academic staff overseas. Two universities were selected for this work viz; University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. Published works of TETFund as well as literature on related terms were reviewed. The survey research was adopted as research design. Primary data were collected with the aid of questionnaire and analysed with correlation coefficient. It was found that there is positive significant relationship between TETFund's international training programmes and academic staff advancement/development in the Universities in South East of Nigeria. It further revealed that funds allocated to these Universities overtime were under accessed due to their inability to meet conditions. It was recommended that the Universities should expedite action to meeting the conditions for assessment by getting better acquainted with the modalities/conditions for assessment. It is recommended that the Universities should avoid partiality in nominating staff for trainings, conferences and workshops. As well, it was recommended that TETFund should give opportunity to institutions that missed their funds to access them in the next year.


Editors' Note: Commenting on "Pearls & Oy-sters: Tacrolimus neurotoxicity presenting as an isolated brainstem lesion," Dr. Chang wonders whether the patient reported had, in fact, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) rather than a direct neurotoxic effect of tacrolimus. Drs. Saadi and Schmahmann, authors of the article, explain that the patient's blood pressure was within the normal range throughout hospitalization, making PRES unlikely. Critiquing "Safety and immunologic effects of high- vs low-dose cholecalciferol in multiple sclerosis," Dr. Kantor comments that the Class I evidence of safety/tolerability is incorrect because the trial was not powered to demonstrate such an effect, and because of differences in urine calcium:creatinine ratio, incidence of nausea, and hypercalcemia between the 2 groups. Sotirchos et al., authors of the article, disagree with these …


Purpose - This paper aims at analyzing the feasibility of fiscal consolidation implementation in the case of Indonesia. The main question to be investigated is whether fiscal consolidation will deteriorate economic growth or not. Methods -  This research uses various probabilistic models to assess the successfulness of fiscal adjustments. Probit and logit models are used as a preliminary estimate. The robustness checks are conducted by binary extreme value and Tobit models. Findings -  The results indicate that the magnitude of government revenue is less than that of government spending. They seem that increasing government revenue (taxes, for instance) is less harmful compared to reducing expenditures, which denies empirically what Keynesian economists approve of. Implication -  The results highlight that Indonesia's fiscal authority should immediately reform the economic, regulatory, and institutional environments in adopting fiscal austerity policies. The reforms are strongly required to realize fiscal health as well as to promote economic growth. Originality -  This paper contributes the literature on fiscal policy in developing countries. Unlike other empirical studies, this research compares the actual output over the potential output, instead of the past actual output, to evaluate the successfulness of fiscal consolidations.


A novel two‐dimensional, physically based model of soil erosion and sediment transport coupled to models of hydrological and overland flow processes has been developed. The Hairsine‐Rose formulation of erosion and deposition processes is used to account for size‐selective sediment transport and differentiate bed material into original and deposited soil layers. The formulation is integrated within the framework of the hydrologic and hydrodynamic model tRIBS‐OFM, Triangulated irregular network‐based, Real‐time Integrated Basin Simulator‐Overland Flow Model. The integrated model explicitly couples the hydrodynamic formulation with the advection‐dominated transport equations for sediment of multiple particle sizes. To solve the system of equations including both the Saint‐Venant and the Hairsine‐Rose equations, the finite volume method is employed based on Roe's approximate Riemann solver on an unstructured grid. The formulation yields space‐time dynamics of flow, erosion, and sediment transport at fine scale. The integrated model has been successfully verified with analytical solutions and empirical data for two benchmark cases. Sensitivity tests to grid resolution and the number of used particle sizes have been carried out. The model has been validated at the catchment scale for the Lucky Hills watershed located in southeastern Arizona, USA, using 10 events for which catchment‐scale streamflow and sediment yield data were available. Since the model is based on physical laws and explicitly uses multiple types of watershed information, satisfactory results were obtained. The spatial output has been analyzed and the driving role of topography in erosion processes has been discussed. It is expected that the integrated formulation of the model has the promise to reduce uncertainties associated with typical parameterizations of flow and erosion processes. A potential for more credible modeling of earth‐surface processes is thus anticipated.


The degree to which fine-scaled variation in floral symmetry is associated with variation in plant fitness remains unresolved, as does the question of whether floral symmetry is in itself a target of pollinator-mediated selection. Geranium robertianum (Geraniaceae) is a broadly distributed species whose five-petaled flowers vary widely with respect to their degree of rotational asymmetry. In this study, we used a naturally occurring population of plants to investigate whether floral rotational asymmetry and leaf bilateral symmetry were phenotypically correlated with a series of fitness-related traits, and also used an experimental array with model flowers to investigate the preference of insect visitors for varying degrees of floral size and symmetry. We found that leaf asymmetry was not associated with any of the phenotypic traits measured, and that the degree of floral rotational asymmetry was strongly associated with decreased flower size and decreased pollen production. Our experimental arrays showed that insect visitors did not discriminate among model flowers on the basis of size or symmetry alone; however, insect visitors preferentially visited smaller, symmetric model flowers over larger, severely asymmetric model flowers. Taken together, our results suggest that floral and leaf symmetry in G. robertianum are not likely strong indicators of phenotypic quality, and that floral symmetry is unlikely to be a target of pollinator-mediated selection. However, the relationship between floral asymmetry and pollen production may provide a role for fecundity selection on symmetry in this species. These data importantly add to the growing literature on the adaptive nature of floral symmetry in the wild.


Cold-light bleaching treatment has grown to be a popular tooth whitening procedure in recent years, but its side effect of dental enamel demineralization is a widespread problem. The aim of this study was to synthesize zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite as an effective biomaterial to inhibit demineralization or increase remineralization. We synthesized zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite containing different zinc concentrations and analysed the product using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The biological assessment of Zn-HA was conducted by CCK-8 assay and bacterial inhibition tests. pH cycling was performed to estimate the effect of Zn-HA on the enamel surface after cold-light bleaching treatment. The XRD, FTIR, and EDS results illustrated that zinc ions and hydroxyapatite combined in two forms: (1) Zn2+ absorbed on the surface of HA crystal and (2) Zn2+ incorporated into the lattice of HA. The results indicated that 2% Zn-HA, 4% Zn-HA, and 8% Zn-HA effectively inhibited the growth of bacteria yet showed poor biocompatibility, whereas 1% Zn-HA positively affected osteoblast proliferation. The XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the use of Zn-HA in pH cycling is obviously beneficial for enamel remineralization. Zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite could be a promising biomaterial for use in cold-light bleaching to prevent enamel demineralization.


This paper introduces a new viewpoint in knowledge management by introducing KM-services as a basic concept for knowledge management. It discusses the vision of service oriented knowledge management (KM) as a realisation approach of process oriented knowledge management. In the following process oriented knowledge management as it was defined in the EU-project PROMOTE (IST-1999-11658) is presented and the KM-service approach to realise process oriented knowledge management is explained. The last part is concerned with an implementation concept that uses Web-technology to realise a service framework.


The authors revealed age and occupation related features of reproductive health, determined the risk factors and specified the prophylactic measures.


Calculated values of inductance of steel reënforced aluminum cable, presented in this paper, show that previously published values of inductance obtained experimentally are in error by amounts ranging up to 5 per cent. Furthermore, all these errors are on the low side, that is, the unsafe side from the standpoint of the design engineer.


The change of helicopter rotor broadband noise due to different surface roughness during ice accretion is investigated. Comprehensive rotor broadband noise measurements are carried out on rotor blades with different roughness sizes and rotation speeds in two facilities: the Adverse Environment Rotor Test Stand facility at The Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Maryland Acoustic Chamber. In both facilities, the measured high-frequency broadband noise increases significantly with increasing surface roughness height. Rotor broadband noise source identification is conducted and the broadband noise related to ice accretion is thought to be turbulent boundary layer-trailing edge noise. Theory suggests turbulent boundary layer-trailing edge noise scales with Mach number to the fifth power, which is also observed in the experimental data confirming that the dominant broadband noise mechanism during ice accretion is trailing edge noise. A correlation between the ice-induced surface roughness and the broadband noise level is developed. The correlation is strong, which can be used as an ice accretion early detection tool for helicopters, as well as to quantify the ice-induced roughness at the early stage of rotor ice accretion. The trailing edge noise theories developed by Ffowcs Williams and Hall, and Howe both identify two important parameters: boundary layer thickness and turbulence intensity. Numerical studies of two-dimensional airfoils with different ice-induced surface roughness heights are conducted to investigate the extent that surface roughness impacts the boundary layer thickness and turbulence intensity (and ultimately the turbulent boundary layer-trailing edge noise). The results show that boundary layer thickness and turbulence intensity at the trailing edge increase with the increased roughness height. Using Howe's trailing edge noise model, the increased sound pressure level of the trailing edge noise due to the increased displacement thickness and normalized integrated turbulence intensity are 6.2 and 1.6 dB for large and small accreted ice roughness heights, respectively. The estimated increased sound pressure level values agree reasonably well with the experimental results, which are 5.8 and 2.6 dB for large and small roughness height, respectively.


Dear Editor,

I read with great interest the article by Jusufbegovic et al. titled, "Changing Trends in the Management of Diabetic Macular Edema at a Single Institution Over the Past Decade.[1] Although the study has several interesting results, the finding that stood out most was the 2013 cohort's 0.3 logMar (equivalent of 2 Snellen lines) improvement in visual acuity particularly when compared to the near zero (0.01 logMar) improvement in the 2003 cohort. Having a visual acuity outcome in a "real-world" population that compares as closely as the 2013 cohort's does to DME clinical trial results represents a tremendous accomplishment for the ophthalmologists who treated these patients. This study uses a large sample size that alone suggests a certain degree of validity to the results; however confirming this through replication in other populations will be difficult due to the omission of several important details from the original manuscript.

Certainly one question is whether the apparent magnitude of improvement between the 2003 and 2013 cohorts is due to differences in the composition of the two cohorts. With the multitude of clinical trials demonstrating the superior visual results from anti-VEGF agents relative to focal laser for DME, few would disagree that injections are the new standard of care for the majority of DME patients. The majority, however, does not mean all, and currently, little guidance exists on the benefit of treating patients with DME not involving the fovea or DME involving the fovea with very good vision (better than 20/40) with anti-VEGF agents. This becomes an important point when reviewing this study, and may explain part of the visual acuity differences seen between the 2003 cohort and the 2013 cohort. Given the study requires a patient to have received at least 1 treatment for inclusion, the 2003 cohort likely had more patients with a better starting visual acuity. This would be due to the classical guidelines for treating clinical significant macular edema including edema adjacent to the fovea, but not necessarily involving the fovea, with focal laser therapy. It is unclear what percent of these patients were included in the 2003 cohort or how these patients were dealt with in the 2013 cohort. If non-fovea involving DME was treated by this practice with bevacizumab, then attaining a 0.3logMAR visual improvement is even more impressive since most of these patients are not able to improve by 2 Snellen lines of acuity. Although determining percentages of patients with fovea-involving DME would be difficult, this issue could be partially clarified by reporting results based on 2-3 categories of starting vision, or at the very least, the initial and end visual acuities of each cohort.

Other important population characteristics that affect change in vision after treatment are also not specified. For example, could DME patients be carried over from one year's cohort to another, or were only new patients included? If the patients were new, did they have to be treatment naive or just new to the practice? Given the 2013 cohort's visual acuity results, it is most likely these were treatment naive patients (bevacizumab treated patients would not be expected to average a 2 Snellen line improvement in the middle of a therapeutic course), but these characteristics are never explicitly stated. Nor were the follow-up requirements for inclusion in the study provided. Presumably each patient had to have at least 2 visits in the cohort period for beginning and end comparisons. Alternatively, it is unclear if a DME patient first seen in September 2013 would be followed for a full calendar year for pre-and post comparisons or only until the last visit prior to the stated end of the study, November 2013. This has direct implications for interpreting the average number of office visits (if all data is cut-off in November 2013, then the visit number is likely an underestimation) and may also inform why the visual change seen in the 2003 cohort (0.01 LogMar improvement) was so little. In the protocol I DRCRnet trial, the focal laser only arm had gradual visual improvement throughout the last 6 months of the first year of treatment, which if the author's 2003 cohort had an arbitrary cutoff of December 31, then many treated patients would not have the potential for full improvement.[2]

Lastly, new studies are most beneficial when they are placed within the context of other previous reports. This represents the first "real-world" experience that mirrors the results seen in clinical trials for DME. Prior to this, one "real-world" DME study using administrative claims data showed an average of 3.6 injections over 5.3 office visits[3] and another practice based study demonstrated 2.6 injections in the first year of treatment with a mean 3.7 letter increase in vision.[4] These results led Kiss et al. to speculate that the difference between clinical trial and real world visual acuity results is likely due to a lower rate of injections received.[4] The current study demonstrates that an average of 9 visits (compared to 13 per year in most clinical trials) can obtain clinical trial level visual acuity results, but without injection frequency data, the reader is unable to fully determine how the ophthalmologists in the practice accomplished this.

The study by Jusufbegovic et al. has set a high mark for visual outcomes in a typical clinic setting that the rest of the DME treating community will have to try and match. However, comparisons between this population and others have been greatly limited by the report's omission of important features of the study cohorts and methods for calculating change in visual acuity. Inclusion of these study characteristics would greatly aid the replication of this study in other populations.


An orthogonal chaotic vectors based differential chaos shift keying (OCV-DCSK) digital communication system is presented. In this system the data transmission rates are increased by sending M bits in the same frame without needing for synchronization and channel state information since it use the benefit of non-coherent modulation of the DCSK and the orthogonality of chaotic vectors in the same scenario as QCSK system but instead of using Hilbert transform to create two orthogonal signals in QCSK, Gram Schmidt process is used to create M orthogonal chaotic signals from the M non-orthogonal chaotic signal. In the proposed system the analytical expression for OCV-DCSK are derived in AWGN and multipath fading channels. The simulation results show that the derived analytical expression have matched the Monte-Carlo simulation of the proposed system. Furthermore, comparison between orthogonal chaotic vectors and non-orthogonal, that are generated either as different initial conditions with the same chaotic generator or as different types of chaotic maps, reveals its superior BER performance in multipath fading channel.


The core of this paper deals with the construction of input-decoupled observers which seek asymptotic estimation of a desired output variable (a linear combination of state and input) of a time-invariant either continuous- or discrete-time system driven by unknown inputs and disturbances. Exact, almost, optimal (suboptimal) and constrained optimal estimation or filtering problems are formulated and studied. All the problems defined and studied here are inherently interconnected, and have a strong common thread of estimation and filtering in the face of the unknown input and external disturbance signals. They are interconnected from a variety of angles, e.g. they are motivated by one another, methods of obtaining the solvability conditions and their methods of solution rely on one another, etc. Thus, a hierarchy of problems and their solutions is built on top of one another. Some of the problems studied here are known in the literature but not in as general a form as is given here, while a majority of the problems studied here are new. A classical variation of all the above problems is also studied here by introducing an l-step delay in estimating the desired output from the measured output. The underlying philosophy throughout this work has been to study most if not all of the facets of estimation and filtering in one stretch under a single folder. Our study of all the above problems has been guided by three important perspectives: (1) obtaining the solvability conditions, both necessary and sufficient; (2) obtaining optimal performance whenever it applies; and (3) developing sound methodologies to design and construct appropriate observers or filters.


In order to check our physical model for partial discharges (PDs) in a tree channel, the light emission from a PD in an actual tree was observed. The experimental results agreed with the model. By using the model, conditions for the formation of typical phase-amplitude-number (ϕ-q-n) pattern of PDs from treeing was discussed.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, high consumption of red or processed meat and a diet with low fibre, fruit, and vegetable intake increase CRC risk. Despite advances in surgery (the basic treatment for recovery), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, CRC remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Therefore the social importance of this problem stimulates research aimed at developing new tools for rapid CRC diagnosis and analysis of CRC risk factors. Considering the association between the cholesterol level and CRC, we hypothesize that cholesterol spectroscopic and AFM (atomic force microscopy) studies combined with chemometric analysis can be new, powerful tools used to visualize the cholesterol distribution, estimate cholesterol content and determine its influence on the biochemical and nanomechanical properties of colon cells. Our paper presents the analysis of human colon tissues: normal and cancer and human colon single cells normal CCD18-Co and cancer CaCo-2 in the physiological state and CaCo-2 upon mevastatin supplementation. Based on vibrational features we have shown that Raman spectroscopy and imaging allow cholesterol content in human colon tissues and human colon single cells of both types to be tracked and allow the effectiveness of mevastatin in the mevalonate pathway modulation and disruption of the cholesterol level to be proven. All observations have been confirmed by chemometric analysis including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA). The positive impact of statins on cholesterol content has also been studied by using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A significant increase in Young modulus as a mechanomarker for CaCo-2 human cancer colon cells upon mevastatin supplementation compared to CCD18-Co human normal colon cells was observed. This paper is one of the first reports about the use of Raman spectroscopic techniques in cholesterol investigations and the first one about cholesterol investigation using Raman spectroscopy (RS) on human cells ex vivo in the context of colon cancer development.


My Dear Sir, The great interest which you have taken in the geology of Denmark, and the influence which you have exerted on the whole progress of geology, more especially of that portion which relates to our knowledge of the newer formations, make me wish to communicate, through you, some facts which appear to me worthy of being known to a Society, which has so much promoted our science. You are satisfied that a great part of Sweden is rising, not uniformly, but in a manner which generally decreases in amount from north to south on the Swedish coast of the Bothnian Gulf*; and in your last anniversary speech you have published some observations by Mr. Nilsson on the subsidence of Scania, the southernmost part of Sweden †. Thus it appears to be proved, not only that the elevation varies in different places, but that even a movement in an opposite direction takes place in some parts of this extensive country. In corroboration of these facts, I will only mention, that the island of Saltholm, situated in the Sound, and opposite to Copenhagen, is mentioned in the records of the Chapter of Roeskilde in the 13th century, on account of the income which the clergy derived from it. At present the island is hardly five feet above the level of the Sound, and it is almost every autumn overflowed by the sea, some artificial mounds serving as places of safety for the cattle which in summer graze on the island.


An up-to-date ecotoxicological risk assessment of plant protection products (PPPs) depends on the constant improvement of risk assessment methods and guidelines, and a thorough evaluation of their impacts. Here, we explain how the risk assessment of PPPs with regard to bees and the authorisation of PPPs is conducted in Switzerland. We further report the design and application of a new method to study homing flights of honey bees using the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technique. The new method allowed to address the effects of sublethal doses of two neonicotinoids, thiamethoxam and thiacloprid, on the flight capacities of honey bees. Currently, this study design is under evaluation in an international ring test, in which the Swiss Bee Research centre participates. It is the first test design focussing on sublethal effects of PPPs on honey bees and a draft method will be submitted to OECD to become an official test guideline in the near future. Potential shortcomings and ideas for refinements on the RFID test design are discussed.


Dolomite was studied in the Reinecke field in west Texas to determine its origin, reservoir characteristics, and effect on oil production. The Reinecke reservoir includes approximately 25% dolomite in an upper Pennsylvanian to lowest Permian limestone buildup. Dolomites are fine to coarsely crystalline with undulose extinction. Petrography indicates that dolomite formed diagenetically late. Dolomites overgrow stylolites, indicating precipitation during deep burial. Low δ18O values are consistent with primary fluid inclusions that indicate dolomite precipitation or recrystallization at 92 to 118°C. These temperatures are much higher than those in the existing reservoir or what should have been encountered during regional burial.

Two types of dolomite are observed. One type is stratiform, replaced micrite-rich facies, and is interpreted as early dolomite that recrystallized in hydrothermal brines. The second type crosscuts stratigraphy and depositional facies and has vertically continuous morphologies that trend northwest-southeast. The latter dolomite is interpreted as forming in hydrothermal brines derived from latest Permian-aged highly evaporated seawater. These brines descended deep into the basin because of their greater density and then ascended because of heating and thermal convection. Reinecke dolomites have lower porosity but higher permeability than the surrounding limestones. As a result, dolomites provide "raceways" for fluids moving through the reservoir. These dolomites helped an artificially enhanced bottom-water drive to recover approximately 50% of the original oil in place. The dolomite has complicated a crestal CO2 flood. These hydrothermal Reinecke dolomites have lower porosity but much higher permeability than most nearby Permian dolomites formed in evaporated seawater during shallow burial.

Arthur H. Saller is a stratigrapher with Chevron Energy Technology Company in Houston, Texas. He has worked in the petroleum industry for 27 yr helping with exploration and production projects in west Texas, Canada, Angola, and Southeast Asia. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Kansas, M.S. degree from Stanford University, and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University (1984). John A. (Tony) D. Dickson received his Ph.D. from Queen Mary College, London University in 1967. He has had academic positions in Cardiff, Nottingham, and Cambridge universities. He has worked on Smackover, Andrews, Horseshoe Atoll, Shu'iaba, Tengiz, and other oil reservoirs. He retired from academia in 2007 and is now consulting and conducting courses in carbonate diagenesis.


As a 'text of terror', Judges 11 is the topic of extensive feminist interpretation. Filtering the text through a typical feminist hermeneutic of suspicion or remembrance, the text is deconstructed and the story's victim, Jephthah's daughter, is rendered a submissive pawn of a patriarchal society. Using a feminist, Pentecostal hermeneutic, the biblical reader appreciates this disturbing Scripture, not as an object to deconstruct, but as Spirit-Word that deconstructs its reader and its reader's world. As one sees Jephthah's daughter with new eyes, one is able to see her as a courageous daughter who takes a radical stand against her father's world that is determined by martial valor. As Judges 11 is read with the Spirit, the reader herself experiences transformation as she enters into the Spirit's grief, brooding, and transformation of this nameless daughter and of all those who hear, with her, the unheard voice of God.


This paper discusses the experience of erased frontiers between public and private spaces, on the one hand, and between adults and children, on the other, which encompasses decisive, if not catastrophic consequences on the permanence of a common world and its transmissibility. The relationship between school and citizenship comes as the unifying thread in this discussion whose main argument denies the existence of the so-called "student-citizen". Finally, it brings forward a brief note on a (conservative) democratic school.


Cervical and mediastinal cystic lymphangioma are rare and benign tumours. They looked like a lateral and cervical mass. Medical imaging allows to suspect the diagnosis but histology only may to assert it. The best therapy is surgery. Sclerosis by chemical drugs is only an alternative if surgery is not possible. A recovery is completely obtained if the whole tumour is removed.


Techniques for delivering video on demand (VOD) content via peer-to-peer (P2P) techniques are provided. A VOD distribution service maintains associations of viewers that have specific VOD content. As new viewers, which lack the specific VOD content, make requests for the specific VOD content from the VOD distribution service, the VOD distribution service identifies a P2P viewer from which the specific VOD content may be acquired via a P2P transaction.


This paper proposes the calculation of fractional algorithms based on time-delay systems. The study starts by analyzing the memory properties of fractional operators and their relation with time delay. Based on the Fourier analysis an approximation of fractional derivatives through time-delayed samples is developed. Furthermore, the parameters of the proposed approximation are estimated by means of genetic algorithms. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the new perspective.


Plant density and fertilization are key practices for improving the fruit quality and yield of vegetables grown in greenhouses. The experiment was performed to investigate the effects of density and fertilization on the fruit yield and quality, economic efficiency of Solanum lycopersicum L. at Duc Trong district of Lam Dong province. The density (50,000; 33,000; 25.000 plants ha-1) and the fertilizer rates (240N – 100P2O5 – 275K2O; 300N – 125P2O5 – 344K2O; 360N – 150P2O5 – 413K2O kg and 420N – 175P2O5 – 482K2O kg ha-1) were studied in a completely randomised split plot design with three blocks. The fertilizer rate (420N – 175P2O5 – 482K2O kg ha-1) was produced the highest height (562.39 cm), fruit setting rate (69.87%), number of fruit per plant (95.65 fruits), average fruit weight (106.37 g), fruit yield (441.11 tons ha-1) and marketable fruit yield (204.31 tons ha-1). The density (25,000 plants ha-1) gave the highest fruit setting rate (75.35%), number of fruit per plant (94.84 fruits), average fruit weight (113.24 g), individual fruit yield (10.02 kg per plant) and fruit yield (501.17 tons ha-1). The combination of density (25,000 plants ha-1) and fertilizer rate (420N – 175P2O5 – 482K2O kg ha-1) have the highest fruit yield (613.5 tons ha-1), marketable fruit yield (223.91 tons ha-1) and rate of return (2.44). In addition, this combination was the best density and fertilizer level management strategy for greenhouse-grown Lahay 334 tomato cultivar in Lam Dong province, Vietnam. Original Research Article Chau and Chinh; APRJ, 8(3): 22-31, 2021; Article no.APRJ.74312 23


This paper presents a novel multiple-access modulation scheme which combines key characteristics of single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) with continuous phase modulation (CPM) in order to generate a power efficient waveform. CPM-SC-FDMA is developed based upon the observation that the samples from a CPM waveform may be treated as "data symbols" taken from a constant-envelope encoder. As with any encoder output, these samples may be precoded using the Discrete Fourier Transform and transmitted using SC-FDMA. Having originated from a constant envelope CPM waveform, CPM-SC-FDMA can potentially retain much of the power efficiency of CPM-thus resulting in a lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) than conventional SC-FDMA. In this paper, we account for the information rate, memory, power efficiency, bit error rate (BER) performance and spectral occupancy of CPM-SC-FDMA. In addition, we investigate the impact of amplifier nonlinearity on BER performance as the number of users increases. Finally, we provide a detailed numerical comparison with a commensurate convolutionally coded QPSK-SC-FDMA scheme (CC-QPSK-SC-FDMA). We show a CPM-SC-FDMA scheme that provides an overall gain of up to 4 dB relative to the CC-QPSK-SC-FDMA scheme over a frequency-selective channel.


Radio frequency identification (RFID) channel is with deeper small-scale fades than a traditional one-way wireless channel. This paper presents a new signaling scheme based on space-time block coding (STBC) for multiple-antenna RF tags. Simulation results of 1×2×1 and 2 × 2 × 2 RFID channels, when considering various values of link correlation coefficient between the forward and backscatter links, suggest that further diversity gain can be achieved by the proposed STBC-based signaling scheme for multi-antenna RF tag when compared with the identical signaling scheme.


We have synthesized TiO2 doped strontium borate glasses, 70B2O3-(30-x)SrO-xTiO2 and 70B2 O3 -20SrO(10-x)Na2 O-xTiO2 . The composition dependence of glass structure, density, thermal properties, durability, and cytotoxicity of degradation products was studied. Digesting the glass in mineral acid and detecting the concentrations of various ions using an ICP provided the actual compositions that were 5-8% deviated from the theoretical values. The structure was investigated by means of (11)B magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. DSC analyses provided the thermal properties and the degradation rates were measured by measuring the weight loss of glass disc-samples in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C in vitro. Finally, the MTT assay was used to analyze the cytotoxicity of the degradation products. The structural analysis revealed that replacing TiO2 for SrO or Na2 O increased the BO3/BO4 ratio suggesting the network-forming role of TiO2 . Thermal properties, density, and degradation rates also followed the structural changes. Varying SrO content predominantly controlled the degradation rates, which in turn controlled the ion release kinetics. A reasonable control (2-25% mass loss in 21 days) over mass loss was achieved in current study. Even though, very high concentrations (up to 5500 ppm B, and 1200 ppm Sr) of ions were released from the ternary glass compositions that saturated the degradation media in 7 days, the degradation products from ternary glass system was found noncytotoxic. However, quaternary glasses demonstrated negative affect on cell viability due to very high (7000 ppm) Na ion concentration. All the glasses investigated in current study are deemed fast degrading with further control over degradation rates, release kinetics desirable.