Language is an essential feature of communication for all poeple. It is utilized through various tools and media, and singing songs is one of the traditional forms of communication. Songs are usually written for particular reasons, messages, and purposes, and sometimes targeted for specific audience or listeners. Song lyrics usually contain various themes such as social and current issues and problems which the songwriter strives to share through expressions of his or her ideology, thoughts and feelings. This paper is aimed to find out the text analysis, social cognition and social context in the humanity song entitled We Shall Overcome through Teun A. van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis model. This model shows that the choice of words or the diction is cohesive and coherent and is able to communicate the general meaning of this humanity song. Furthermore, the social cognition in this humanity song is related with the current social context which involves the recent situation in Palestinine, where there is still in conflict with Israel.


Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller. Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009In 1850, at Yale University, the annual football match of freshmen vs. sophomores was underway. A freshman spectator on the sidelines dressed in a long robe with his long hair in a queue was trying to understand this mass of bodies pushing against each other when he saw the ball pop loose from the group. He picked it up and ran as fast as he could toward the goal line. The players stood in amazement for a moment, then a sophomore ran after the freshman and pulled on his queue. The pain made Yung Wing drop the ball, which he kicked across the goal line winning the game for the freshman team - a true upset. The boys hefted Yung to their shoulders in celebration. Thus begins the book Fortunate Sons about Chinese students in America, in particular the Chinese Educational Mission of 1872-1881, which Yung Wing championed and directed.This introductory story demonstrates that the book reads like a novel - like historical fiction - except that it is true and well documented. The book is divided into three sections. Part I tells of Yung Wing who was brought to America by a Christian missionary. Yung graduated from Yale and returned to China with the goal of encouraging the Imperial Court to send Chinese students to the United States for education in western knowledge. The book describes his work and eventual success in the creation of the Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) and his return to America to direct the program. Part II explains the journey of the 120 Chinese students, thirty per year for four years, and their experiences living with New England families and attending school. Part III details their return to China when the mission abruptly ended and then follows a few of them through their lives and activities. It provides an overview of Chinese history from the 1880s into the 1900s, including the French attack on Foochow, the war with Japan, the demise of the monarchy, and the struggle to modernize China.In 1847, at the age of 19, Yung Wing was taken to America by a missionary-teacher, Reverend Samuel Brown, who schooled Yung while serving in China. Rev. Brown lived in Connecticut, so Yung lived there too and was the first Chinese student admitted to Yale University, graduating in 1854. He returned to China and the rest of part I explains his adjustment back in his homeland, the challenges China was facing, the corrupt Qing dynasty, the increasing European presence, and Yung's work to earn money for his own stability. He helped found an arsenal with purchased Western technology, which produced guns and cannons. He also aided in establishing an engineering school near the arsenal where local Chinese students could train in designing, building, and operating the Western machines. He finally became a mandarin, in recognition of his knowledge and abilities. He promoted the idea that China should send students to America and pay for their education at the finest colleges there, with the idea that they would become the future leaders of China unburdened by antiquated thinking and superstitions (p. 85). They would learn Western skills that would help their country to modernize.In the late 1800s China was ravaged by poverty, population growth, and aggressive European armies. Driven by a desire for progress and reform, called the Self Strengthening Movement, the Chinese Imperial Court agreed to send students under the direction of Yung Wing to America to study at New England's finest schools. The students chosen to go (with their parent's permission) were 11-14 years old and were expected to stay in America for 15 years, going to high schools and universities to learn skills that would help them advance China toward modernity. The students sailed across the Pacific Ocean, landing in San Francisco in September 1872. To these boys, mostly from poor families in Southern China, the bustle of the city, the strange language, the hotel amenities, and the new technology were amazing and difficult to comprehend. …


Transparent glass ceramics embedding Ni2+-doped γ-(Ga, Al)2O3 nanocrystals were prepared and the optical properties of Ni2+-doped glass ceramics were investigated. The glass ceramics showed a broadband near-infrared emission centering at about 1210 nm with full width at half maximum of more than 220 nm and long fluorescent lifetime. The change of optical signal at the 1300 nm telecommunication band with and without 980 nm excitation was also presented when the seed beam passed through the bulk glass ceramics.


The correct assembly of the BACE (β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme or β-secretase) complex and its subsequent trafficking to cellular compartments where it associates with the APP (amyloid precursor protein) is essential for the production of Aβ (amyloid β-peptide), the protein whose aggregation into senile plaques is thought to be responsible for the pathogenesis of AD (Alzheimer9s disease). These processes rely upon both transient and permanent BACE–protein interactions. This review will discuss what is currently known about these BACE–protein interactions and how they may reveal novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of AD.


Information security to date has been driven a lot of attention in business world. The cyber security standards play significant and crucial role in promoting feasible approaches to organizations while making comprehensive strategical planning. This paper aims at providing a systematic overview of information technology (IT) security management in organizations. Conducted a structured literature from academic database and industry whitepapers, we review a number of the critical issues and challenges facing the industry today and in the future. In line with the fundamental elements of information security, we propose an integrated framework to understand the current situation of IT security management. In particular, we focus on several critical fundamental functions of IT security management: Security and Risk Management, Security Operations, and Security Assessments and Testing. Then, we use the proposed framework as a lens to discuss and solve the security issues in bring your own device (BYOD) in organizations. Keywords: IT security, IT security framework, bring your own device DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/12-18-01 Publication date :June 30th 2020


In this paper two applications of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in nuclear spectroscopy analysis are discussed. In the first application, an ANN assigns quality coefficients to alpha particle energy spectra. These spectra are used to detect plutonium contamination in the work environment. The quality coefficients represent the levels of spectral degradation caused by miscalibration and foreign matter affecting the instruments. A set of spectra was labeled with quality coefficients by an expert and used to train the ANN expert system. Our investigation shows that the expert knowledge of spectral quality can be transferred to an ANN system. The second application combines a portable gamma-ray spectrometer with an ANN to automatically identify radioactive isotopes in real-time. Two neural network paradigms are examined and compared: the linear perceptron and the optimal linear associative memory (OLAM). Both networks have a linear response and are useful in determining the composition of an unknown sample when the spectrum of the unknown is a linear superposition of known spectra. One feature of this technique is that it uses the whole spectrum in the identification process instead of only the individual photo-peaks. This approach has been successfully tested with data generated by Monte Carlo simulations and with field data from both sodium iodide and germanium detectors. >


Fast proximity corrections for electron beam (e-beam) patterning with circular symmetry are implemented. Calculations are applied particularly to the Fresnel zone plate (FZP). Considerable reduction of numerical data is obtained by exploiting the symmetry of the FZP; the typical calculation time for a FZP with 300 zones is of the order of 30 min. Two accelerating voltages, 40 keV and 50 keV, were used to test the reliability of proximity corrections. It was demonstrated that in both cases, proximity corrections are necessary; at 40 keV, FZPs with 0.1 µ m resolution and high aspect ratio of 5 were fabricated, whereas at 50 keV, a resolution of 70 nm and high aspect ratio greater than 7 was attained. Comparison between experimental and theoretical evaluations of parameters related to the optical efficiency of the FZP, such as, zone line-width accuracy and line/space ratio, reveal them to be very close to their ideal values. According to an accurate metrological study by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the zone line-width errors are within the SEM measurement accuracy where that for the outermost zones (line-widths between 70 nm and 100 nm) is better than 10 nm.


Inferring 3D structure of a generic object from a 2D image is a long-standing objective of computer vision. Conventional approaches either learn completely from CADgenerated synthetic data, which have difficulty in inference from real images, or generate 2.5D depth image via intrinsic decomposition, which is limited compared to the full 3D reconstruction. One fundamental challenge lies in how to leverage numerous real 2D images without any 3D ground truth. To address this issue, we take an alternative approach with semi-supervised learning. That is, for a 2D image of a generic object, we decompose it into latent representations of category, shape, albedo, lighting and camera projection matrix, decode the representations to segmented 3D shape and albedo respectively, and fuse these components to render an image well approximating the input image. Using a category-adaptive 3D joint occupancy field (JOF), we show that the complete shape and albedo modeling enables us to leverage real 2D images in both modeling and model fitting. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated through superior 3D reconstruction from a single image, being either synthetic or real, and shape segmentation. Code is available at http://cvlab.cse.msu.edu/project-fully3dobject.html.


Monthly increments of length, weight gain, and head circumference were recorded from birth to 4 years of age in 52 children with cystic fibrosis. At birth the children showed stunting. Standard deviation (SD) scores at birth for height, weight, and head circumference were -1.24, -0.72, and -1.82 respectively. Over the first four years, length and weight SD scores showed a consistent improvement. However, there was very limited improvement in head circumference, which stabilised 1 SD below the mean from 1.5 years to 4 years. Our data suggest that head growth lags behind gain in height and weight in children with cystic fibrosis despite good nutritional management in early infancy. The data may also support the expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in choroid plexus and ependyma.


From the perspective of information transmission, by comparing American relatively mature standard system of publishing and writing with Chinese, we find that the dissemination of information is not in place, which is one of the important reasons causing the majority of recipients unable to effectively obtain standard information. Therefore, to improve the propagation direction of our current Chinese style standard and to put forward "author-based" construction of standard system in the academic standard should be taken in to consideration so as to grasp the direction of development of the standard of academic works from the macro reform on standard construction style and from micro improvements on the four key problems.


Despite the safety management and safety measures, occupational accidents in the workplace are inevitable, and occupational deaths and injuries occur every year around the world. One of the management approaches to control of risk is transfer risk. In this approach, the total or part of losses caused by accident compensated by the third party (insurance markets). This approach is used when the probability of occurrence of the accident is low but its impact and consequences are severe. In this article, we reviewed the studies related to insurance and occupational accidents. The aim was to find a link between insurance and occupational accidents and to answer the question that whether insurance has an effect on the reduction or increase of accidents or not. According to a study conducted on various papers from various databases, it has been shown that insurance, in addition to compensation, can improves safety and reduce accidents. Also, despite the fact that insurance may have other negative economic effects in organizations, it can reduce both the risk of occupational accidents and financial risks for insurers through an incentive and economic approach.


The fluctuation of an animal's numbers between restricted limits is determined by a balance between that animal's capacity to increase and the environmenta1 cheks to this increase. Many authors have indulged in the calculating the propressive increase of a population when no checks nrerc operating. Thus Huxley calculated that the progeny of a single Aphis in the course of 10 generations, supposing all survived,would "contain more ponderable substance than five hundred millions of stout men; that is, more than the whole population of China", (in Thompson, 1929). Checks, however, do occur and it has been the subject of much controversy to determine how these checks operate. Certain general principles—the density-dependence concept of Smith ( 1955) , the competition theory of Nicholson (1933)—have been proposed both verbally and mathematically, but because they have been based in part upon untested and restrictive assumptions they have been severelv criticized (e.g. Andrewartha and Birch 1954). These problems could be considerably clarified if we knew the mode of operation of each process that affects numbers, if we knew its basic and subsidiary components. predation, one such process, forms the subject of the present paper.


Protocadherin-19 belongs to the cadherin family of cell surface receptors and has been shown to play essential roles in the development of the vertebrate nervous system. Mutations in human Protocadherin-19 (PCDH19) lead to PCDH19 Female-limited epilepsy (PCDH19 FLE) in humans, characterized by the early onset of epileptic seizures in children and a range of cognitive and behavioral problems in adults. Despite being considered the second most prevalent gene in epilepsy, very little is known about the intercellular pathways in which it participates. In order to characterize the protein complexes within which Pcdh19 functions, we generated Pcdh19-BioID fusion proteins and utilized proximity-dependent biotinylation to identify neighboring proteins. Proteomic identification and analysis revealed that the Pcdh19 interactome is enriched in proteins that regulate Rho family GTPases, microtubule binding proteins and proteins that regulate cell divisions. We cloned the centrosomal protein Nedd1 and the RacGEF Dock7 and verified their interactions with Pcdh19 in vitro. Our findings provide the first comprehensive insights into the interactome of Pcdh19, and provide a platform for future investigations into the cellular and molecular biology of this protein critical to the proper development of the nervous system.


We determined whether the exposure of mouse epidermal cells to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) induces the production of factors that can stimulate the in vitro and in vivo growth of syngeneic melanoma cells. Epidermal sheets isolated from the back skin of C3H/HeN mice were placed into sterile medium and exposed to different doses of UVB radiation; 18 h later, culture supernatants were harvested. Supernatants of epidermal sheets not exposed to UVR served as controls. Supernatants from UVR-treated epidermal sheets, but not control supernatants, stimulated the in vitro and in vivo growth of some murine melanomas, but not cells of a fibrosarcoma, a hepatocellular carcinoma, or a squamous carcinoma. Supernatants of UVR-treated epidermal cells injected into the ears of syngeneic mice stimulated epidermal cell proliferation in a short-term assay. We conclude that UVR may contribute to the incidence of cutaneous melanoma by its ability to cause the release from epidermal cells of diffusible factors that promote the outgrowth of small numbers of melanoma cells.


In view of the fact that a large number of derivatives of benzoxazole have been found to exhibit a wide variety of pharmacological activities. In the current research work, the title compounds were synthesized from 2-substituted benzoxazole-5-carbohydrazide (1) on treatment with equimolar quantities of anhydrides afforded 1-((2-substituted-1,3-benzoxazol-5-yl)carbonyl)-1,2-dihydropyridazine-3,6-dione (2), of 1-((2-substituted-1,3-benzoxazol-5-yl) carbonyl) tetrahydropyridazine-3,6-dione (3) and 2-((1,3- benzoxazol-5-yl)carbonyl)-2,3-dihydrophthalazine-1,4-dione (4). The identification and characterization of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, melting point, Thin layer chromatography, FT-IR, 1 H NMR and mass spectral data. All the compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity. In view of interesting biological activities and pharmacological importance associated with benzoxazole derivatives hence, the some of the derivatives of benzoxazole containing heterocyclic ring have been prepared and their bio-potential have been evaluated.


Desmoid tumors are mesenchymal nonmetastasizing neoplasms. Although rare in the general population, they are a common extracolonic manifestation of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Because of high tumor recurrence rates, surgery has been less than satisfactory in the treatment of desmoid tumors. In the current study, high doses of tamoxifen in combination with sulindac were used to treat severe desmoid tumors to avoid surgery.


"They don't get your wind…"

Nearly all in tobacco control today can only imagine the early days of television, when young sports fans watching their favourite team would be exposed to a steady stream of cigarette commercials featuring testimonials by top athletes. In the USA, overt cigarette advertisements have long since gone from the airwaves. Yet Formula One car racing, which reaches over 40 billion TV viewers each year, retains several tobacco sponsors whose brand logotypes and colours are constantly in view on the racing cars, banners, and drivers' uniforms. And although 1984 marked the last Olympic Games to have an official cigarette sponsor, in October China's largest cigarette company, Baisha, signed a 21 year old Olympic gold medallist hurdler to endorse a leading cigarette brand in print ads and commercials. "Everyone likes Liu Xiang and hopes he will soar higher and faster and maintain his sunny, healthy, progressive image," boasted the company's president.1

The connection between sports and tobacco is as old as professional athletic competition itself. Just a few years after teams in the National Baseball League began playing in 1876, trading cards with pictures of the players made their debut in cigarette packages. Numerous cigar and cigarette brands were named after sports-related themes. One brand of chewing tobacco, Bull Durham, advertised on outfield fences in baseball parks in the South, gave the name to the pitchers' warm up area behind the fence. A rare protest of the attempt to associate baseball and smoking occurred in 1911 when Hall of Fame second baseman, Honus Wagner, demanded that a cigarette company remove his picture from a tobacco trading card.

In the early decades of the last century, tennis, golf, swimming, football, track and field, skiing, and ice skating were often depicted in cigarette advertising as activities demanding a cigarette for enhanced performance and even good health.2 American Tobacco's Lucky Strike ads featured drawings of athletes with an obese shadow they would cast if they …


We consider source requantization in two forms - successive degradation (i.e., source fidelity reduction) and bit stealing (i.e., information embedding) when no forward planning has been done to facilitate the requantization. We focus on finite-alphabet sources with arbitrary distortion measures as well as the Gaussian-quadratic scenario. For the successive degradation problem, we show an achievable distortion-rate trade-off for non-hierarchically structured rate-distortion achieving codes, and compare it to the distortion-rate trade-off of successively refinable codes. We further consider source requantization in the form of bit stealing, whereby an information embedder acts on a quantized source, producing an output at the same rate. Building on the successive degradation results, we develop achievable distortion-rate trade-offs. Two cases are considered, corresponding to whether the source decoder is informed of any bit stealing or not. In the latter case, the embedder must produce outputs in the original source codebook. For the Gaussian-quadratic scenario, all trade-offs are within 0.5 bits/sample of the distortion-rate bound. Furthermore, for bit stealing, the use of simple post-reconstruction processing that is only a function of the embedded rate can eliminate the loss experienced by uninformed decoders.


In many instances, wound colonising-bacteria are thought to be capable of forming biofilms, a significant factor contributing to delays or failure in wound healing. This review summarises the accumulated knowledge of biofilm and addresses the unmet need of biofilm detection in clinical wound samples.


Background: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a radiosensitive malignancy accounting for 10% of childhood cancer mortality. NB cells frequently express the norepinephrine transporter (NET) providing a specific mechanism for uptake of NET-ligands. Meta -[ 131 I]iodobenzylguanidine ([ 131 I]MIBG) is a NET-ligand radiotherapeutic that shows single-agent response rates in refractory NB of 40-50%. However, due to the long path lengths of 131 I beta (β)-emission, and low biological effectiveness compared to alpha (α)-emitting radionuclides, [ 131 I]MIBG is generally not curative, perhaps due to non-targeting of isolated circulating tumor cells. Here we report our efforts to optimize NET-targeted radiotherapy by developing relevant preclinical models of refractory NB for α-particle therapeutic [ 211 At] MABG therapy. Methods: We first determined NET (SLC6A2) mRNA and protein expression in 35 human NB cell lines using quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. We then chose 5 lines with absent to intermediate levels of native NET expression (NB1691, SKNSH, IMR5, NLF and SKNBE2) for dual forced overexpression of human NET and luciferase cDNAs. We used [ 125 I]MIBG for cell-based uptake assays in all isogenic pairs and biodistribution experiments in athymic mice bearing three separate NET-transduced xenografts (N=5 per cell line). These cell lines were also treated with [ 131 I]MIBG and/or external beam radiation (XRT) followed by multi-log cytotoxicity assays. Therapeutic trials of [ 131 I]MIBG (25 mCi/kg) in NB1691 subcutaneous xenograft and metastatic mouse models were also conducted. In parallel, [ 211 At] MABG was synthesized by: (i) cyclotron-production of 211 At via 209 Bi(α,2n) 211 At reaction (ii) distillation of 211 At from the target, and (iii) solid phase no-carrier-added synthesis of [ 211 At] MABG by radioastato-destannylation. [ 211 At] MABG uptake studies were performed in isogenic NB cell lines. Results: Unlike primary human NBs, NET expression was low in the majority of 35 cell-lines studied (median normalized expression value = 0.145; range 0.000-1.005), but all transduced lines showed significant overexpression (0.860-1.107) comparable to human primary tumors. Transduced lines showed 4-10 fold higher uptake of [ 125 I]MIBG than non-transduced isogenic parental cell lines in vitro, and demonstrated significant tumor-specific uptake and retention in vivo with tumor-muscle ratios ranging from 13.80 to 29.48. In vitro cytotoxicity experiments using [ 131 I]MIBG showed NET-expressing cell lines to be more susceptible to treatment compared to non-NET expressing pairs (IC50 of 2.937nCi vs. 15.99 nCi). Treatment of mice bearing NB1691-NET xenografts with [ 131 I]MIBG showed tumor growth delay (p=0.0065), but no significant impact on survival, likely due to de novo radioresistance (1200 cGy of XRT had no impact on NB1691 proliferation; IMR-05 showed 97% decreased cell viability). Lastly, we successfully synthesized [ 211 At] MABG, with radiochemical yields of ∼20% and showed NET specific uptake of [ 211 At] MABG into 1691 NET transfected cells. Conclusions: Development of targeted radiotherapy for neuroblastoma has been limited by the lack of preclinical models and alternative therapeutics. Our development of multiple isogenic pairs with varying NET expression, documentation of de novo radiation sensitivity, and the production of [ 211 At] MABG, will allow for rapid assessment of targeted radiotherapeutic strategies (including combination approaches) to support clinical development of alpha-particle therapeutics in a childhood cancer. Citation Format: V Batra, AM Chacko, M Gagliardi, C Hou, J L. Mikitsh, R H. Freifelder, A Kachur, B C. LeGeyt, A Schmitz, L Toto, G Vaidyanathan, M R. Zalutsky, K K. Matthay, W A. Weiss, W C. Gustafson, D Pryma, J M. Maris. Preclinical development of meta-[211At] astatobenzylguanidine ([211At] MABG) targeted radiotherapy for neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pediatric Cancer at the Crossroads: Translating Discovery into Improved Outcomes; Nov 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;74(20 Suppl):Abstract nr B48.


Space launch systems of the 20th century are still regarded as both costly and unsafe. They have never acquired the reliability of commercial aircraft and they cannot abort from lift–off to mid–mission without massive losses. Most types of launchers are sacrificed after launch, and both hardware and environmental costs are significant. The cost of the launcher itself dominates this operation as it is the first, last and only time it flies. The user pays for the entire vehicle. For commercial aircraft operations, the frequency of flight and the lifespan of the aircraft means that the individual passenger pays about 6 for the cost of the aircraft per flight and the remainder is for fuel and operations. For commercial space launch to become both routine and economic, the need is to achieve the reliability, the sustained operation over a long lifespan, and the easy refurbishment of commercial aircraft. In seeking this solution, design studies have accepted that the ballistic missile launch may give way to either vertical or horizontal take–off aircraft using airbreathing propulsion up to a high flight Mach number and rockets thereafter. This paper examines the factors that shape the choice of airbreathing engines and airframe characteristics for SSTO space launchers, transatmospheric vehicles, boost–glide intercontinental range vehicles, and an associated demonstrator vehicle.


Kampung Niroh is located in Gua Musang district of Kelantan. The research is covered in 25km2 area. Sungai Galas also found in the area which flow across the area fi-om north to south. It is the main river in the research area and connected to Sungai Subong as well. The drainage patterns in the area are mostly covered by dendritic and radial pattern at a small part of the area. The objective of the research is to produce a geological map of Kampung Niroh, Gua Musang with the scale of 1:25000. Geological mapping is conducted to collect information and rock samples in the research area. Rock samples collected in study area has undergo petrography analysis to obtain the actual mineral content of the rock, and further assisted in confirming the lithology of the area. Geological map is formed by using ArcGIS according to the lithology in the study area. The final results showed that the area is mostly covered by sedimentary rocks including shales, sandstones, tuffs, and limestones. A geological structure such as dragged fold was discovered in the area as well. Dendritic drainage patterns showed that most of the area is covered by rocks that had similar resistance to weathering. Radial drainage pattern is found in the area which had a central elevated point, also confirmed as the highest point in the research area. Geomorphologies of Kampung Niroh are mostly covered by hills and fluvial area nearby Sungai Galas since the highest elevation of the area is only 320 meters. At the end of this research a geological map is produced with exact information about the lithology of the area. Geologic condition of the research area also can be studied according to the geomorphology, drainage pattems, and geological structures data that has been obtained. The correlation of lithology and geomorphology was obtained based on physical and mechanical properties of rocks, drainage controlled, and vegetation controlled.


The safe operation of vehicles on roads depends, among other things, on a properly functioning brake system. Air brake systems are widely used in commercial vehicles such as trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses. In these brake systems, compressed air is used as the energy transmitting medium to actuate the foundation brakes mounted on the axles. In this paper, a model-based diagnostic system for air brakes is presented. This diagnostic system is based on a nonlinear model for predicting the pressure transients in the brake chamber that correlates the brake chamber pressure to the treadle valve (brake application valve) plunger displacement and the pressure of the air supplied to the brake system. Leaks and "out-of-adjustment" of push rods are two prominent defects that affect the performance of the air brake system. Diagnostic schemes that will monitor the brake system for these defects will be presented and corroborated with experimental data obtained from the brake testing facility


Cerebellar ataxia is one of the most disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and also one of the least responsive to pharmacotherapy. However, cerebellar symptoms often improve dramatically in MS patients by brief, extracerebral applications of picotesla flux electromagnetic fields (EMFs). This report concerns two MS patients with chronic disabling ataxia who experienced rapid improvement in gait and balance after receiving a series of treatments with EMFs. To assess whether improvement in cerebellar gait is accompanied by changes in body image perception, a parietal lobe function, both patients were administered the Human Figure Drawing Test before and after a series of brief treatments with EMFs. Prior to application of EMFs these patients' free drawings of a person showed a figure with a wide-based stance characteristic of cerebellar ataxia. After receiving a series of EMFs treatments both patients demonstrated a change in body image perception with the drawings of the human figure showing a normal stance. These findings demonstrate that in MS improvement in cerebellar symptoms by pulsed applications of picotesla EMFs is associated with changes in the body image.


Doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used for the treatment of a wide range of cancers such as breast and lung cancers, and malignant lymphomas, but is generally less efficacious in gastrointestinal cancers. The most accepted explanation for the DOX refractoriness is its resistance development. Here, we established DOX-resistant phenotypes of human gastric MKN45 and colon LoVo cells by continuous exposure to incremental concentrations of the drug. While the parental MKN45 and LoVo cells expressed carbonyl reductase 1 (CBR1) highly and moderately, respectively, the gain of DOX resistance further elevated the CBR1 expression. Additionally, the DOX-elicited cytotoxicity was lowered by overexpression of CBR1 and inversely strengthened by knockdown of the enzyme using small interfering RNA or pretreating with the specific inhibitor quercetin, which also reduced the DOX refractoriness of the two resistant cells. These suggest that CBR1 is a key enzyme responsible for the DOX resistance of gastrointestinal cancer cells and that its inhibitor is useful in the adjuvant therapy. Although CBR1 is known to metabolize DOX to a less toxic anticancer metabolite doxorubicinol, its overexpression in the parental cells hardly show significant reductase activity toward low concentration of DOX. In contrast, the overexpression of CBR1 increased the reductase activity toward an oxidative stress-derived cytotoxic aldehyde 4-oxo-2-nonenal. The sensitivity of the DOX-resistant cells to 4-oxo-2-nonenal was lower than that of the parental cells, and the resistance-elicited hyposensitivity was almost completely ameliorated by addition of the CBR1 inhibitor. Thus, CBR1 may promote development of DOX resistance through detoxification of cytotoxic aldehydes, rather than the drug's metabolism.


Purpose: This study synthesized the literature on eating difficulties among older adults with dementia in long-term care facilities.Methods: A scoping review, using the framework proposed by Arksey & O'Malley (2005) and supplemented by Levac et al. (2010), was conducted. Literature was searched from RISS, KISS, DBpia, PubMed, and CINAHL. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted their characteristics, using pre-tested forms to determine final inclusion. In total, 1283 articles were identified, and 13 articles were used for the final analysis.Results: The Eating Behavior Scale and the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia scale were the most widely utilized measurement tools. The most common factors related to eating behavior in older adults with dementia were cognitive and physical functions in the individual domain, the caregiver's attitude toward eating in the inter-individual domain, and meal type in the environmental domain.Conclusion: Measurement tools reflecting the eating behavior of older adults with dementia must be developed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of this issue and create effective interventions for the specific context of long-term care facilities in Korea. The results of this study are intended to serve as a basis to develop meal support programs for older adults with dementia.


Two species of digenetic trematodes were found to parasitize Loricariichthys platymetopon Isbrucker & Nijssen, 1979, collected at the Upper Parana River floodplain, Brazil. Crocodilicola pseudostoma was found in the digestive tract and Clinostomum complanatum occurred on the surface of the body. This is the first record of Crocodilicola pseudostoma in this host.


Summary: We investigated the effects of the new β-adrenoceptor antagonist, bopindolol, on stimulated renin secretion and on renal function in conscious rats. Intravenous doses of 10, 31.6, and 100 μg/kg of bopindolol antagonized the rise in plasma renin activity (PRA) induced by the administration of isoproterenol (10 μg/kg, s.c.). Peak PRA, evident at 15 min after isoproterenol, reached 27 ± 3 ng/ml/h with bopindolol (100 μg/kg) pretreatment vs. 105 ± 7 ng/ml/h in saline controls. Antagonism by bopindolol (100 μg/kg, i.v.) of isoproterenol-stimulated rise in PRA persisted through 12 h. Within this dosage range, bopindolol itself had no significant effect on PRA. Significant antagonism of β-adrenoceptor-induced hypotension resulted with 31.6 and 100 μg/kg of i.v. bopindolol. Orally administered bopindolol produced significant antagonism of isoproterenol-induced increase in PRA at a dose of 316 μg/kg; however, oral doses of 31.6–316 μg/kg of bopindolol failed to significantly alter furosemide-stimulated increase in PRA. Bopindolol alone had little effect on renal excretory function but caused a slight attenuation of furosemide-induced diuresis and electrolyte excretion. Plasma electrolytes and osmolarity were unaffected by bopindolol alone or in conjunction with furosemide. These results indicate that bopindolol (a) is a potent, long-acting, orally active, antagonist of β-adrenoceptor-stimulated renin secretion in the rat, (b) is ineffective in antagonizing furosemide-induced rise in PRA, (c) does not elevate basal levels of PRA by virtue of its intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, and (d) does not cause dramatic alteration of renal excretory function at effective β-blocking doses.


Suryukhoe (水陸齋) is a Buddhist ceremony for the purpose of consoling the wandering spirits and hungry spirits of water and land, sermons on Buddhist scriptures and incense food to save souls. The record of the origins of these rites and various rituals and procedures is called Suryukritual(水陸儀式文). Suryukhoe was first practiced by Wuzong of Liang Dynasty. The origin of Suryukhoe was the ceremony held to save the queen of Mujong who was reincarnated as a serpent due to her sins committed during her lifetime. And the picture depicting this story is called , and the ritual book Cibeidaochang chanfa (『慈悲道場懺法』) containing the rituals and procedures of repentance was organized by the military commander. Suryukhoe was a Korean-centered Buddhist ceremony until the Song Dynasty. However, with the patronage of Yuan Yuan, it spread throughout China, and the collection of rituals related to Suryukhoe was also published and edited several times. Heaven, Earth, Mingyang, Water and Land Rituals (『天地冥陽水陸儀文』) and Dharma Realm Saint Fan Shui Lu Sheng will practice fasting rituals『法界聖凡水陸勝會修齋儀 There is a 軌』. Among them,  was drawn on the first page of Heaven, Earth, Mingyang, Water and Land Rituals (『天地冥陽水陸儀文』) published in the Yuan Dynasty, configuration is maintained. On the other hand,  is the earliest extant example of two engravings engraved in the Western Xia. Yuan played a role in spreading Suryukhoe throughout China and organized ritual houses related to Suryukhoe. Here, it was seen that the engravings of West Xia flowed into the collections of ceremonies compiled in the Yuan Dynasty and were present in the collections of ceremonies related to Suryukhoe in Goryeo and Joseon.


As the number of RSS news feeds continue to increase over the Internet, it becomes necessary to minimize the workload of the user who is otherwise required to scan through huge number of news articles to find related articles of interest, which is a tedious and often an impossible task. In order to solve this problem, we present a novel approach, called InFRSS, which consists of a correlation-based phrase matching (CPM) model and a fuzzy compatibility clustering (FCC) model. CPM can detect RSS news articles containing phrases that are the same as well as semantically alike, and dictate the degrees of similarity of any two articles. FCC identifies and clusters non-redundant, closely related RSS news articles based on their degrees of similarity and a fuzzy compatibility relation. Experimental results show that (i) our CPM model on matching bigrams and trigrams in RSS news articles outperforms other phrase/keyword-matching approaches and (ii) our FCC model generates high quality clusters and outperforms other well-known clustering techniques.


The relative importance of long-term popularity and short-term temporal correlation of references for Web cache replacement policies has not been studied thoroughly. This is partially due to the lack of accurate characterization of temporal locality that enables the identi cation of the relative strengths of these two sources of temporal locality in a reference stream. In [21], we have proposed such a metric and have shown that Web reference streams di er signi cantly in the the prevelance of these two sources of temporal locality. These ndings underscore the importance of a Web caching strategy that can adapt in a dynamic fashion to the prevelance of these two sources of temporal locality. In this paper, we propose a novel cache replacement algorithm, GreedyDual*, which is a generalization of GreedyDual-Size. GreedyDual* uses the metrics proposed in [21] to adjust the relative worth of long-term popularity versus short-term temporal correlation of references. Our tracedriven simulation experiments show the superior performance of GreedyDual* when compared to other Web cache replacement policies proposed in the literature.


The present study examined the orientation of cultured human gingival fibroblasts in simulated periodontal spaces in vitro containing three dimensional hydrated collagen gels. Extracted human teeth were root planed followed by root resection and root canal instrumentation. The middle and cervical thirds of each root were cut transversely to create 600-micron thick sections. Cortical bovine bone was cut, sectioned, and contoured to create bone rings 600 micron thick with an internal diameter large enough to accommodate a root slice leaving a circumferential space varying from approximately 0.1 to 1.0 mm. Root slices and bone rings were incubated in an enzyme solution to remove all remaining soft tissues and then completely demineralized in EDTA (18%) for 72 hours. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were plated to confluency in tissue culture dishes. The dentin slices were then gently placed over the HGF monolayer along with bone rings around them to create simulated periodontal spaces. Five days later, when initial cell attachment to the dentin and root slices had occurred, a collagen gel was poured in the space. The cultures were maintained for six weeks and were then processed for transmission electron microscopy. The HGF appeared to have formed multilayered cell sheets extending from the periphery of the root slices to the inner surface of bone rings. The HGF had apparently attached to both the bone and root surfaces. There was a close interaction of cells with the matrix fibrils of the gel. The cells and matrix fibrils were oriented parallel to each other.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This paper presents a new method for text independent speaker recognition. We embed both training and test sessions into a session space. The session space is a direct sum of a common-speaker subspace and a speaker-unique subspace. The common-speaker subspace is Euclidean and is spanned by a set of reference sessions. Kernel-PCA is used to explicitly embed sessions into the common-speaker subspace. The common-speaker subspace typically captures attributes that are common to many speakers. The speaker-unique subspace is the orthogonal complement of the commonspeaker subspace and typically captures attributes that are speaker unique. We model intersession variability in the common-speaker subspace, and combine it with the information that exists in the speaker-unique subspace. Our suggested framework leads to a 43.5% reduction in error rate compared to a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) baseline.


ABSTRACT The fragile Himalayan region could be regarded as the sink for various pollutants transported from urbanized and polluted areas of South Asia. Therefore, in order to understand the concentrations, spatial distribution, pollution, and risk assessments of toxic heavy metal, mercury (Hg), surface soil samples were taken from the central Himalayas in the Langtang region. The average THg concentration in the Langtang Himalayas was 35.75 ± 24.41(ngg−1), which is comparable to the Tibetan top soil values and slightly lower than world average soil values. In addition, an inverse relationship of THg with elevation were observed (i.e. decrease in concentration with increase in elevation) in the Langtang Himalayan soils. Meanwhile, THg concentrations and TOC% were significantly positively correlated at both the depths (0–10 and 10–20 cm), inferring the sorption capacity of organic carbon for Hg. The results of the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution index (PI) indicated limited or no pollution by Hg in the Himalayan soils. Further, surface soils had a low potential ecological risk in the region. Therefore, the Hg value from this study could be used for the further evaluation and calculation of Igeo, EF, and PI for water, soil, and aerosol in the Himalayan region as background reference value. However, Hg pollution from long-range transport and atmospheric deposition (wet/dry) in future could not be ignored in the Himalayan region.


LiFePO4 has been intensively investigated as a cathode material in Li-ion batteries, as it can in principle enable the development of high power electrodes. LiFePO4, on the other hand, is inherently "plagued" by poor electronic and ionic conductivity. While the problems with low electron conductivity are partially solved by carbon coating and further by doping or by downsizing the active particles to nanoscale dimensions, poor ionic conductivity is still an issue. To develop colloidally synthesized LiFePO4 nanocrystals (NCs) optimized for high rate applications, we propose here a surface treatment of the NCs. The particles as delivered from the synthesis have a surface passivated with long chain organic surfactants, and therefore can be dispersed only in aprotic solvents such as chloroform or toluene. Glucose that is commonly used as carbon source for carbon-coating procedure is not soluble in these solvents, but it can be dissolved in water. In order to make the NCs hydrophilic, we treated them with lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), which removes the surfactant ligand shell while preserving the structural and morphological properties of the NCs. Only a roughening of the edges of NCs was observed due to a partial etching of their surface. Electrodes prepared from these platelet NCs (after carbon coating) delivered a capacity of ∼155 mAh/g, ∼135 mAh/g, and ∼125 mAh/g, at 1 C, 5 C, and 10 C, respectively, with significant capacity retention and remarkable rate capability. For example, at 61 C (10.3 A/g), a capacity of ∼70 mAh/g was obtained, and at 122 C (20.7 A/g), the capacity was ∼30 mAh/g. The rate capability and the ease of scalability in the preparation of these surface-treated nanoplatelets make them highly suitable as electrodes in Li-ion batteries.


This 21st century, research and development related learning strategies have been widely implemented, one of which is the use of project-based learning model. This model has a positive effect on student learning outcomes. However, most of the use of this model focuses more on the appropriateness between the concepts and projects the students are working on. This is considered less hope to compete in the 21st century, especially in aspects of life and career skills. Thus, it is necessary to design a learning strategy that facilitates student to use the concepts that they learn to solve daily problems or even entrepreneurship by applying the Entrepreneurial Science Thinking (ESciT) approach. Therefore, this paper will describe the application of the Entrepreneurial Science Thinking (ESciT) approach in project-based learning as a learning strategy that is expected to provide opportunities for students to further improve their skills not only on the mastery of concept but also on life and career skill.


Background: Significant racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence have been noted. Poverty may be an important factor contributing to these disparities. Methods: State cancer registry data on prostate cancer incidence (143,829 cases) from Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Alabama were geocoded to the Census tract and county level. The annualized, age-adjusted incidence rates for African Americans and whites were calculated and crude and smoothed maps of these rates were generated. Prostate cancer incidence was statistically modeled as a function of area-based measures of poverty, median household income, education, rural status, and percent of households headed by females. Results: At the Census tract level, poverty was associated with decreased prostate cancer incidence among whites and had no effect upon such incidence among African Americans. However, increased median household income was associated with increased prostate cancer incidence for both populations, as was increased levels of higher education. An increased proportion of the population with lower educational levels was associated with decreased prostate cancer incidence rates for African Americans but showed no effect upon rates among whites. Rural status decreased the incidence rate among African Americans, whereas prostate cancer incidence increased among rural whites. For both African Americans and whites, prostate cancer incidence increased as the percentage of households headed by females increased. Statistical modeling at the county level resulted in findings that were contradictory to those at the Census tract level. However, he goodness of fit of the statistical models at the Census tract level were better than at the county level. Conclusion: Area-based measures of poverty do not explain the increased incidence of prostate cancer among African Americans. Other factors, such as dietary practices, may help explain the disparity in prostate cancer incidence between African Americans and whites.


Understanding the dynamic behavior of a system is a key determinant to successful system maintenance. This paper contributes two studies at Ericsson Radio Systems of the perfective maintenance of large and distributed systems. Our approach is a holistic method based on tracing and the technical solution to acquisition of trace data is to use CORBA interceptors. Our method has proven useful in solving a wide variety of problems in design as well as implementation and test-all this at a small price. Examples of improvements are performance, new test cases and merging of objects.


The patient with end-stage renal disease show several nervous complications. The factors contributing to the nervous complications are still incompletely characterized. Cyanate, known as one of the uremic toxins, is derived spontaneously from urea. To investigate the mechanism of cyanate-induced effect on C6 glioma cells, the glioma cells were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mM cyanate. There was a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability and the decreased number of cell was observed in glioma cells by treatment with cyanate. Western blot showed the down- regulation of procaspase-3, which means up-regulation of caspase-3, and the up-regulation of caspase-8, but the down-regulation by cyanate. In addition, cDNA microarray showed 934 down-regulated genes and 165 up-regulated genes on 1,099 genes in cyanate treated group. Treatment with cyanate led to 16 down-regulated genes and 6 up-regulated genes on apoptosis category, and especially heat shock 70 kD protein 1A gene on the category of apoptosis was significantly up-regulated. These results suggest that cyanate can induce apoptosis through caspase-8 and caspase-3 in glioma cells and decrease of gene expression including apoptosis category in glioma cells. These effects of cyanate may play a role in the nervous complications of patient with end-stage renal disease.


OBJECTIVE
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) now includes trauma-related blame as a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Criterion D3; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). To date, most blame research has utilized quantitative scales, primarily for self-blame, with little attention to other forms of blame. The aims of this study were to (a) identify the common blame types reported by interpersonal trauma survivors through open-ended statements, and (b) explore how well these blame types converge with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) screener's blame item and total scores.

METHOD
Using a mixed-method design, interpersonal trauma survivors (N = 132) completed the Life Events Checklist and the PCL-5. They also provided a written statement indicating why they believe their traumatic event occurred, which was later coded into types of blame by three independent raters.

RESULTS
Five blame types emerged from survivors' statements: self, perpetrator, other, global, and circumstance. However, in most cases the presence or absence of each of the blame types was not reliably associated with posttraumatic distress.

CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that trauma-related blame attributions are more nuanced than is typically measured and that factors such as the degree of distress caused by a particular blame attribution, or how believable the thought is to the survivor, might be more clinically meaningful than the specific content of the belief. Clinicians and researchers might benefit from the development of a more nuanced measure of trauma-related blame. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).


Several methods for determination of extractable iron (Fe; or so-called "active Fe") have been proposed. In this study, three methods of Fe extraction were tested: 1.5% phenanthroline (pH 3) and 1 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) from fresh leaves, and 1 M HCl from oven-dry leaves. A six-year-old avocado orchard (cultivar 'Hass'), grown on a calcareous soil in the proximity of Cabildo (Valparaíso region, Chile), was selected for the study. Samples of mature (5–7 moths-old) leaves of different degree of chlorosis were collected. Total Fe concentrations in chlorotic leaves were similar or even greater than in green leaves. Regressions between the extractable Fe concentrations and the leaf SPAD-color were statistically significant for phenanthroline method, while non-significant for HCl methods. Thus, phenanthroline method was superior over others for diagnosis of Fe deficiency in avocado. Phenanthroline-extractable Fe concentration of 6 mg kg−1 was considered as a critical value for mature avocado leaves.


Pulsar timing array projects measure the pulse arrival times of millisecond pulsars for the primary purpose of detecting nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves. The measurements include contributions from a number of astrophysical and instrumental processes, which can either be deterministic or stochastic. It is necessary to develop robust statistical and physical models for these noise processes because incorrect models diminish sensitivity and may cause a spurious gravitational wave detection. Here we characterise noise processes for the 26 pulsars in the second data release of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array using Bayesian inference. In addition to well-studied noise sources found previously in pulsar timing array data sets such as achromatic timing noise and dispersion measure variations, we identify new noise sources including time-correlated chromatic noise that we attribute to variations in pulse scattering. We also identify "exponential dip" events in four pulsars, which we attribute to magnetospheric effects as evidenced by pulse profile shape changes observed for three of the pulsars. This includes an event in PSR J1713$+$0747, which had previously been attributed to interstellar propagation. We present noise models to be used in searches for gravitational waves. We outline a robust methodology to evaluate the performance of noise models and identify unknown signals in the data. The detection of variations in pulse profiles highlights the need to develop efficient profile domain timing methods.


Theravada Buddhist polities in ancient Southeast Asia comprised kingdoms located in present-day Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. Theravada Buddhism became influential in mainland Southeast Asia in the 11th century. Little information exists on the economy of daily life during that period; existing records from 1100 until 1600 mainly deal with administrative and religious affairs, from which some information about the economy can be extracted. These mainland Buddhist polities are typically described as practicing "redistributive economic systems," a term that Karl Polanyi used to refer to geopolitical entities in which the primary source of subsistence is agriculture, and an administrative center, usually located in the capital, collects revenue from taxes on agricultural production, trade, and other specialized activities that are owned or controlled by the central government or other designated authorities, such as religious orders. The redistributive model is contrasted with the market economies of maritime port polities such as those in insular Southeast Asia. This binary opposition is, however, overstated, as demonstrated by diversity found in mainland Southeast Asia, where some polities relied both on agriculture and maritime trade. Polanyi's model does not satisfactorily account for the diversity of the Theravada Buddhist polities of Myanmar and Thailand. Some scholars from Redfield and Singer to Miksic have constructed more elaborate models including the orthogenetic versus heterogenetic spectrum, on the basis of Polanyi's thought but which attempt to utilize polythetic rather than monothetic concepts and scalar rather than stadial classifications.


When the training samples of well log data for Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps(KSOM) are large and high dimensional, the adjacent clusters may be overlap in a common region. In the paper, a new model of clustering analysis and recognition for well log data is proposed with Ultsch Emergent Self-organizing Maps(ESOM) of neural network. This method can overcome the weakness of KSOM and optimize the result of clustering by using component map, U-Matrix and P-Matrix to visually compare and analysis the clusters on boundless toroid topology grids. This model is trained by the data clustering and visualization for key wells' data in oilfield block. The results show that this new model has good application prospects for well log interpretation using the trained pattern classifier.


Improving strategies for predicting the risk of developing heart failure (HF) and cardiovascular mortality in the older population is challenging. Previous studies use models that utilize troponin measurements using standard assays, but these lack sensitivity to detect troponin in the general population. This study analysed serum samples with the new high-sensitive troponin T (cTnT) assay in individuals recruited to the Cardiovascular Health Study (a multicentre prospective observational study of cardiovascular disease in community-dwelling ambulatory older adults). cTnT concentrations were measured at baseline (n 1⁄4 4221) and at 2–3 y intervals (n 1⁄4 2918). Patients were followed up for a median of 11.8 y for outcomes of new-onset HF and cardiovascular death. Individuals were categorized based on baseline cTnT concentration: ,3, 3–5.44, 5.45–8.16, 8.17–12.94 and .12.94 ng/L. The incident rate (IR) for development of HF and cardiovascular death was associated with the baseline cTnT concentration (cTnT .12.94 ng/L: IR of 6.4 [per 100 y] and adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] of 2.48 for HF, IR of 4.8 and aHR of 2.91 for cardiovascular death; compared with cTnT ,3 ng/L: IR of 1.6 and 1.1 for HF and cardiovascular death, respectively). In individuals with detectable cTnT at baseline, an increase of .50% was associated with increased risk of HF and cardiovascular death (aHR: 1.61 and 1.65, respectively), while a decrease of .50% was associated with a decreased risk of HF and cardiovascular death (aHR: 0.71 and 0.73, respectively). The addition of baseline cTnT to clinical risk factor models modestly improved classification and discrimination of patients with HF and cardiovascular death, and the additional inclusion of the change in cTnT further improved classification for HF and cardiovascular death. The paper concludes that low concentrations of cTnT are associated with a gradient risk for new-onset HF and cardiovascular death in community-dwelling adults .65 y old, and that longitudinal changes in cTnT concentration are independently associated with a dynamic change in risk of HF and cardiovascular death.


Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiaiting cells (CICs) are defined as a small population of cancer cells that have self-renewal capacity, differentiation potential and high tumor-initiating ability. CSCs/CICs of ovarian cancer have been isolated by side population (SP) analysis, ALDEFLUOR assay and using cell surface markers. However, these approaches are not definitive markers for CSCs/CICs, and it is necessary to refine recent methods for identifying more highly purified CSCs/CICs. In this study, we analyzed SP cells and aldehyde dehydrogenese bright (ALDHBr) cells from ovarian cancer cells. Both SP cells and ALDHBr cells exhibited higher tumor-initiating ability and higher expression level of a stem cell marker, sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2), than those of main population (MP) cells and ALDHLow cells, respectively. We analyzed an SP and ALDHBr overlapping population (SP/ALDHBr), and the SP/ALDHBr population exhibited higher tumor-initiating ability than that of SP cells or ALDHBr cells, enabling initiation of tumor with as few as 102 cells. Furthermore, SP/ADLHBr population showed higher sphere-forming ability, cisplatin resistance, adipocyte differentiation ability and expression of SOX2 than those of SP/ALDHLow, MP/ALDHBr and MP/ALDHLow cells. Gene knockdown of SOX2 suppressed the tumor-initiation of ovarian cancer cells. An SP/ALDHBr population was detected in several gynecological cancer cells with ratios of 0.1% for HEC—1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma cells to 1% for MCAS ovary mucinous adenocarcinoma cells. Taken together, use of the SP and ALDHBr overlapping population is a promising approach to isolate highly purified CSCs/CICs and SOX2 might be a novel functional marker for ovarian CSCs/CICs.


The primary objective of research is to determine the improved structural efficiency of plates can be with variable fiber spacing. The Post-buckling of laminated composite plate with variable fiber spacing is obtained numerically, using eight node isoparametric quadrilateral elements (serendipity element) with five degree of freedom per node. The mathematical formulation is based on first-order shear deformation theory and von-Karman non-linearity. The effect of the initial geometric imperfection, fiber spacing, orientation fiber, and direction of in-plane loading were considered. Numerical results for boron/Epoxy fiber reinforced laminates are presented for the different effects of the composite plate under in-plane loading. This study showed that the post buckling behavior of composite plate very sensitive for type of distribution fiber and the seventh distribution equation gives maximum buckling load and smallest deformation.


This article presents an analysis of trends in the supply of RNs. When weighted for population growth, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 2002 projection of future RN shortages indicates a more immanent and stronger decline in RN supply than initially presented. Analysis of national RN survey data from 1977 to 2000 finds recent decreased gains and increased losses from the RN license pool, a decline in RNs working or looking for work in nursing, and RN supply shifts away from bedside nursing. Policy implications to address these trends include regulatory/legislative and incentive approaches aimed at improving education and employment.


This paper investigates effective human-robot collaboration (HRC) and presents implications for human resource management. A review of current literature on human resource management in the industry 4.0 showed that there is limited research on human-robot collaboration in hybrid teams and even less on management of these teams. In order to fill this gap in the literature, this paper investigates factors affecting intention to collaborate with a social robot by conducting a Vignette study. We hypothesised that six technology acceptance factors inspired by the UTAUT (Venkatesh et al., 2013) and the TAM (Davis, 1989); Performance Expectancy, Trust, Effort Expectancy, Social Support, Organisational Support and Computer Anxiety would significantly affect a users' intention to collaborate with a social robot. Furthermore, we hypothesised a moderating effect of a particular HR system, either productivity-based or collaborative. Using data from 109 men and women, this study tested the effect of the aforementioned variables on a users' intention to collaborate with the social robot. Findings were analysed using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Hierarchical Multiple Regression and ANOVA. We found that Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy and Computer Anxiety significantly affect the intention to collaborate with a social robot. A significant moderating effect of a particular HR system was solely found for Performance Expectancy. Our findings expand the current HRM literature since technology acceptance models are partly applicable in the context of smart technologies in the industry 4.0 and support understanding employees' intention to collaborate with these technologies. Human resource management can support human-robot collaboration by a combination of comprehensive training and education, empowerment and incentives supported by an appropriate HR system.


The desire of older people to age in place suggests that future-proofing the home environment is fundamental to providing greater person-environment congruence at a time of global ageing. The emerging genHOME network, founded by the UK College of Occupational Therapists, promotes the health and well-being of older and disabled people and their families through the co-ordination and dissemination of international research on home modification or adaptation and housing design. For environmental gerontologists this core resource network grounded in practice and driven by negotiation with users provides an important route for the dissemination of research with application. In this symposium researchers from more developed countries attached to the network use empirical work to debate common research priorities including participatory approaches in countries with diverse housing types, tenure, space standards, modification regulations and funding opportunities. Aiming to inform national and international policy through innovative research there is recognition of diversity in the evidence presented through language and cultural difference, and a need for consistent research methodology and outcome measures. Discussion will address similarities and differences in priorities and invite the audience to debate the value of this initiative and how it can be extended and made more inclusive. The symposium seeks to question how far current understanding of culturally specific home modification/adaptation could lead to wider discussion of more age-inclusive design and architectural practice for new build housing (individual and collective), and to learn from other countries how this relates to population growth in times of climate change questioning person-environment fit.


Rheumatic pain is usually generalized, but in a variety of conditions it may present as localized and often remain so. These conditions include palindromic rheumatism, osteoarthritis, gout or pseudogout, seronegative spondyloarthropathy, septic arthritis, tendinitis and bursitis, radiculopathy and nerve entrapment, nodular growth, and tendon enlargement. When the presenting feature is focal pain in muscles, joints, or fibrous tissue, the differential diagnosis should include these considerations.


The macroscopic theory of the capture efficiency of the highly ordered (orthonomic) matrix for HGMF/S is introduced. An orthonomic coefficient upon which efficiency is critically dependent, is identified. Results from theoretical modelling show that: (1) for the achievement of a virtual 100% capture efficiency, orthonomic matrices require a decreasing number of matrix layers as the orthonomic coefficient is increased, thus providing cost benefits; (2) the macroscopic theory compares closely with the microscopic theory of Hayashi and Uchiyama (1980) for an optimised binary set of parallel wires.


ABSTRACT: We investigated the antennal morphology, sensillar types, and sensillar distribution in the dark ("melanic") and the light ("succinea") forms of Asian multicolored ladybirds, H. axyridis, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antennae of both sexes of H. axyridis consist of the scape, pedicel, and nine flagellomeres. Seven sensillar types are distinguished: four types of sensilla trichodeae (s.tr), four types of sensilla basiconicae (s.ba), four types of sensilla chaetica, and one type each of sensilla coeloconica (s.co), sensilla sporangium (s.sp), sensilla placoidea (s.pl), and Böhm bristle (s.bm). Sensilla trichodea are the most numerous; sensilla chaetica are the next most abundant. The number of other sensillar types is greatly reduced. On the tip of the 9th flagellomere, various types of sensilla are densely packed, except for s.bm and s.pl. No remarkable differences are found in the antennal size, shape, and sensillar types between the melanic and succinea forms of H. axyridis, but there is a difference in the total number of s.tr.2 between the two forms. No differences are found in the antennal size and the total number of sensillae between males and females of each form. According to the distribution of sensillae and sensillar functions reported in the past, s.tr are presumed to be pheromone receptors in H. axyridis, s.ch may function as mechanoreceptors and chemoreceptors, s.ba and s.co are postulated as plant volatiles receptors and chemo-, thermo-, or hygroreceptions, respectively, and s.bm may be related to perceiving the antennal position and movement.


The immunogenic properties of the dihapten and monohapten derivatives of polyethylene glycol with different nitroaromatic groupings were studied. 2,4-dinitrophenyl, 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenyl and trinitrophenyl-ethyl groupings were used as hapten groups. The injection of monohapten compounds was found to induce the accumulation of antibody-forming cells secreting antibodies to trinitrophenyl in the spleen of normal and athymic nude mice. As early as on day 3 the number of antibody-forming cells considerably exceeded their background level, the process of B-cell activation being, to a certain extent, thymus-independent. Dihapten compounds were not immunologically active. The effect rendered by the nitroaromatic derivatives of polyethylene glycol, revealed in this study, is linked with the known capacity of polyethylene glycol to adsorb on the surface of cell membranes.


Thermodynamic properties of n-hexane have been calculated over a temperature range of 32° to 540°F. and up to a pressure of 600 lb./sq. in. abs. These properties were determined from vapor pressure, volumetric, heat capacity, and latent heat of vaporization data through the application of rigorous thermodynamic relationships. The calculated data have been found to be internally consistent. The enthalpy values are believed to be accurate to within 0.5 B.t.u./lb. and the entropy values to 0.0005 B.t.u./(lb.)(°R.).


Ganoderma lucidum fungus has some biomass components with beneficial health properties. The knowledge about its nutritionals requirements for growing will favor its industrial production at lower cost. In this work, the effect of C/N ratio, the presence of different carbon, nitrogen and micronutrients sources, on fungal biomass production, were evaluated. Using glucose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, an optimal C/N ratio of 16,7:1 was found, for which the maximal biomass production was 25 g/L. Replacing glucose by lactose or barley flour and peptone by yeast extract at the same C/N ratio, the biomass production was enhanced to 35 g/L. With barley flour in the culture medium, the presence of Mg and K salts and thiamine did not turn out into a major increase of biomass. The G. lucidum biomass production is promoted by C/N ratios in the culture medium nearly equivalent to that found in the fungus, as well as the presence of complex substrates as barley flour which, additionally, contributes with important micronutrients along with the carbon source.


By focusing a femtosecond laser pulse and measuring the resultant four-wave mixing (FWM) signal, we successfully estimate refractive index distribution inside a transparent sample based on the analytical expression for FWM intensity and refractive index.


Rotational invariance is a popular inductive bias used by many fields in machine learning, such as computer vision and machine learning for quantum chemistry. Rotation-invariant machine learning methods set the state of the art for many tasks, including molecular property prediction and 3D shape classification. These methods generally either rely on task-specific rotation-invariant features, or they use general-purpose deep neural networks which are complicated to design and train. However, it is unclear whether the success of these methods is primarily due to the rotation invariance or the deep neural networks. To address this question, we suggest a simple and general-purpose method for learning rotation-invariant functions of three-dimensional point cloud data using a random features approach. Specifically, we extend the random features method of Rahimi&Recht 2007 by deriving a version that is invariant to three-dimensional rotations and showing that it is fast to evaluate on point cloud data. We show through experiments that our method matches or outperforms the performance of general-purpose rotation-invariant neural networks on standard molecular property prediction benchmark datasets QM7 and QM9. We also show that our method is general-purpose and provides a rotation-invariant baseline on the ModelNet40 shape classification task. Finally, we show that our method has an order of magnitude smaller prediction latency than competing kernel methods.


In this study, online identification of state delays is discussed. First, a novel adaptive time delay identification technique is proposed for general classes of nonlinear systems subject to state delays. The stability of the time delay identification algorithm is analyzed via Lyapunov-based techniques. In this work, we consider the time delay as a nonlinear parameter effecting the system which is a seemingly novel departure from the existing literature. As an extension, this technique is modified to design a tracking controller for general classes of nonlinear systems subject to state delays. The main novelty of this controller is that identification of unknown state delays are ensured while output tracking objective is satisfied. Numerical simulations are conducted that demonstrate the efficiency of the time delay identification algorithm and the tracking controller.


This article presents a multisensor fusion strategy for a novel road-matching method designed to support real-time navigational features within advanced driver assistance systems. In road navigation, context, integrity, reliability and accuracy are essential qualities for road-matching methods. Particularly, managing multihypotheses is a useful strategy to treat ambiguous situations in the road-matching task. In this study, multisensor fusion and multimodal estimation are realized using a hybrid Bayesian network. To manage multihypothesis, multimodal estimation is proposed. Experimental results, using data from antilock braking system sensors, a differential global positioning system receiver, and an accurate digital roadmap illustrate the performance of the proposed approach, especially in ambiguous situations.


Electronic excited states at the 〈001〉 and 〈111〉 surfaces of a simple cubic solid are investigated, with inclusion of a contact electron–core hole interaction. Contributions of bulk and surface bands to bound and resonant excitons are derived without approximations. The resulting spectrum dramatically depends on the nature and energy of empty surface states. A large increase of the exciton binding energy near the surface is obtained in some situations, while in others binding is suppressed altogether in the first few planes, and a ''dead layer'' results. Limiting cases relevant to the discussion of recent observations of surface excitons in semiconductors and insulators are identified.


To the Editor. Study groups that include problem solving are valuable educational experiences for health sciences students. They complement the traditional lecture-based teaching model. In an effective group, students develop critical-thinking, listening, and persuasion skills that would be difficult to accomplish on their own. Small-group discussions enable students to apply basic core knowledge to clinical practice scenarios. There are efforts in pharmacy education to focus on active learning in the curricula to promote higher-order learning.1

Selecting the appropriate quantity of members is essential in the creation of a study group. A group of 4 to 6 students is probably optimal. All members should be dedicated to learning and have a sense of responsibility to the other members. The group should not have a student who dominates or blocks discussions. It may be better not to have close friends in the group. Ground rules must be agreed upon by all group members. These rules could include such things as not talking at the same time as another member or being prepared for each session. Failure to comply with the rules could mean expulsion from the group.

Development of explicit learning outcomes to be met during the upcoming meeting and choosing a suitable set of group tasks that will promote the accomplishment of the objectives are essential steps for study session preparation. For example, if the domain is hypertension, each member would be assigned a specific problem to present (ie, hypertension in the elderly, or hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease). Each member would develop a case scenario to be discussed during the session. Members should have studied and learned the material to the best of their ability on their own. Learners must understand the basic core knowledge of the situations where problems occur before they can solve problems effectively. Members should not come to the meeting expecting to "just listen." Knowledge acquisition must be attained prior to moving into the problem-solving phase.

The member who prepared the clinical scenario will be the discussion leader. The leader should not give a lecture on the subject or provide answers too quickly. Thus, the leader facilitates group learning, keeps the group on track, and stays within the time limits allotted for the topic. At first, students may not feel comfortable or even qualified to lead a group of their peers in a discussion. However, the topic leader should be able to guide the group through the basic or common obstacles. When a roadblock is reached, the group should bring it back to the classroom, which will allow the professor to demonstrate a more advanced problem-solving process.

Study sessions can be beneficial in developing lateral thinking. Once the group reaches a conclusion, the leader could introduce new information requiring the group to reassess the situation and develop new strategies. Members should role play as patients and other members must provide counseling. As Albert Einstein remarked, "If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand it well enough."

Before promoting study groups for students, the faculty members should consider the type of material to be mastered. If it is basic core knowledge, individual studying may be the most appropriate method of learning. If the faculty member is expecting the students to develop critical-thinking skills, creating an effective study group to practice these new and sometimes frustrating elements of reasoning is essential. For these types of study groups to be successful, faculty members must demonstrate how to collect the appropriate data, interpret the salient elements, and correctly apply logic and reason in the development of an appropriate solution. Faculty members should explain and demonstrate the common mistakes new practitioners make when designing treatment plans.

To summarize, a properly formulated study group can be a highly effective tool for developing problem-solving skills. There are surprisingly little published data on the effects of structured study groups on critical-thinking skills. However, there is growing evidence regarding the effectiveness of team-based learning in pharmacy education.2 The study groups described above closely resemble team-based learning but without any faculty presence. Ultimately, the primary role of educators should be to engage students to develop problem-solving skills. Importantly, to be highly successful in the twenty-first century our graduates must be adept at solving different kinds of unfamiliar problems!


In the last decade much effort has been introduced into treating toxic acute kidney injury with novel mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) approaches. Inflammation is known to play a crucial role in cisplatin induced acute kidney injury, were the inflammatory pathways were shown to be predominantly driven by T lymphocytes. However, most preclinical studies of stem cell xenotransplantation are performed on severe complex immunodeficiency animals lacking innate and adaptive immunity responses, therfore markedly altering the real inflammatory state of the diseased and influencing natural course of illness. MSC were shown to have a great therapeutic potential in many disorders, where, it is not known whether those are equally effective in immunocompetent and immunocompromised microenvironment. Antithymocyte immunoglobulin is a polyclonal antibody preparation with multiple effects on immune system with preferential influence on peripheral T cell depletion. This drug enables dose dependantimmunosupression, therefore allowing verification of the hypothesis that therapeutic functions and immuneregulatory properties of MSC are largerly affected by immunologic microenvironment and contribute to regeneration of kidney injury predominantly, when introduced in the non-inflammatory niche.

Here we describe the diagnostic and treatment challenge in a patient with unrecognized sub-acute bacterial endocarditis associated with ANCA-PR3 immuno complex proliferative and crescentic glomerulonephritis. In patients with ANCA-PR3 immuno complex glomerulonephritis and other overlapping manifestations suggesting systemic disease, it is important to recognize and aggressively treat any possible coexisting bacterial endocarditis, This is the most important step for a favorable patient outcome, including complete clinical and pathohistological resolution of the glomerulonephritis.

Biography :

A…½eljkaVeA"eriA"‡-Haler works as a Medical Doctor, specialist of Nephrology at Nephrology department, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana. As a Nephrologist, she is faced with numerous challenges from the field of Nephrology on daily basis and is specially oriented in the fields of kidney transplantation, regenerative medicine and substitutive therapies of acute and end stage kidney failure. She has completed her PhD from University of Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine in 2016 and her thesis is revealing impact of immunological environment on the behavior and functions of transplanted stem cells. Her interests of research involve studies on stem cell transplantation for regeneration of kidney injury and immune tolerance in kidney transplantation.

As a Nephrologist, she faces numerous challenges from the field of Regenerative Medicine on daily basis. She has completed her PhD from University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine in 2016. Her research interests include studies on stem cell transplantation she is also interested in doing research in some topics like cell Biology, cell culture, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cell Research etc.

In this conference they discussed about microarray technology, it was demonstrated that cisplatin affects numerous genes that are involved in various functions in the kidney, such as biochemical pathways related to creatinine biosynthesis, osmoregulation, kinase signaling, cell cycle-related genes, renal transporters, renal injury, regenerative responses, gene therapy, cell therapy, cell biology.

I have attended the conference on March 20-22, 2017 Orlando, USA. It was a tremendous experience for gaining knowledge on pharmaceutical industry. It was a good opportunity for me to learn key notes, and experience the wide range of products in pharmaceutical industry. The main advantage of attending the pharmaceutical exhibition's and expos is you get to hear some great professor's from different countries talking on wide range of products. I even got a chance to hear some of the great People who own leading pharmaceutical industry's around the globe talking on products they manufacture and marketing strategies. For an easy understanding of different aspects in the pharmaceutical industry, there were some stalls in the expos who displayed poster presentations. These posters helped me to understand various procedures in manufacturing and selling of products.

Conference was held for two days and it was really nice and we enjoyed a lot and we even met many people all around world gained so much of knowledge.

Attending an expo was a new experience all together. Speaking of the venue, as everyone knows Rome is a beautiful country to begin with. As I registered online for the expo, I got the access badge and the schedule of 2 days in the mail. On reaching the venue, there was huge welcoming ceremony and everything was just going on time as mentioned in the schedule. On first day, there was welcome speech and details of the companies exhibiting. It took me a bit longer to attend each stall because we had to get introduced to every company exhibiting and in return they had to explain everyone from the start of their company. It was a great opportunity to get introduced to many people from different countries and gaining knowledge and exchanging ideas. By talking to people from different countries, I could get information on Pharmaceutical products and industries of their countries. Second day, there were lot of conferences and every program was on time as mentioned in the schedule. Only negative thing for me was the costing of the entry ticket to the expo. It would be great if the price was affordable which gives many others a good opportunity to gain knowledge.

I thank the expo for giving me an opportunity to speak in front of delegates and many other people from pharmaceuticals industry all over the world. I thank everyone for giving good reviews and testimonials for my talk. It was really a great experience for me to attend this two day conference and I enjoyed all the talks at the conference venue and gained lot of knowledge. I am also interested in attending more and more conference of conference series in future. I also suggest young students to attend the conferences organized by conference series to gain knowledge from the talks that speaker's present. I met colleagues with varying levels of experience in the field of Stem cell therapy and gene therapy.


The recent Gaia Third Data Release contains a homogeneous analysis of millions of high-quality Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) stellar spectra by the GSP-Spec module. This led to the estimation of millions of individual chemical abundances and allows us to chemically map the Milky Way. Among the published GSP-Spec abundances, three heavy-elements produced by neutron-captures in stellar interiors can be found: Ce, Zr and Nd. We use a sample of about 30,000 LTE Ce abundances, selected after applying different combinations of GSP-Spec flags. Thanks to the Gaia DR3 astrometric data and radial velocities, we explore the cerium content in the Milky Way and, in particular, in its halo and disc components. The high quality of the Ce GSP-Spec abundances is quantified thanks to literature comparisons. We found a rather flat [Ce/Fe] versus [M/H] trend. We also found a flat radial gradient in the disc derived from field stars and, independently, from about 50 open clusters, in agreement with previous studies. The [Ce/Fe] vertical gradient has also been estimated. We also report an increasing [Ce/Ca] vs [Ca/H] in the disc, illustrating the late contribution of AGB with respect to SN II. Our cerium abundances in the disc, including the young massive population, are well reproduced by a new three-infall chemical evolution model. Among the halo population, the M 4 globular cluster is found to be enriched in cerium. Moreover, eleven stars with cerium abundances belonging to the Thamnos, Helmi Stream and Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus accreted systems were identified from chemo-dynamical diagnostics. We found that the Helmi Stream could be slightly underabundant in cerium, compared to the two other systems. This work illustrates the high quality of the GSP-Spec chemical abundances, that significantly contributes to unveil the heavy elements evolution history of the Milky Way.


Important advances have been made in SOFC development utilizing a ceramic framework based upon yttria zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes supported upon porous YSZ electrode skeletons. This ceramic framework is sintered at high temperatures with subsequent impregnation and low temperature processing of the active electrode materials. Here we seek to develop this impregnated electrode concept by investigating a novel scaffold material similar to the main corrosion product of ferritic stainless steel. The chromium rich spinel (MnFeCrO4) was used as an electrode support material, either alone or impregnated with (La0.75Sr0.25)0.97Cr0.5Mn0.5O3‐δ, La0.8Sr0.2FeO3‐δ, Ce0.9Gd0.1O2‐δ, CeO2 and/or Pd. In these initial studies it was found that all of the impregnated phases adhere very well to the spinel and considerably enhance performance and stability to a level sufficient for SOFC applications.


Background: The use of radial access for percutaneous coronary intervention (r-PCI) is associated with reduced risk of bleeding complications and higher patient satisfaction. However, the use of r-PCI differs greatly by country and is unknown in China. We examined trends in the adoption of r-PCI in China over the past decade and identified factors associated with its use.

Methods: We used a two-stage random sampling strategy to create a nationally representative sample of 5,462 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in China in 2001 (n=402; 24 sites), 2006 (n=1,390; 44 sites), and 2011 (n=3,670; 54 sites). We calculated the weighted proportion of patients receiving r-PCI in each time period and conducted multivariable analysis to identify the patient and hospital characteristics associated with not receiving r-PCI in 2011.

Results: Among 5,462 patients who underwent PCI, the use of r-PCI increased markedly over time (2001: 3.4% [95% CI 0.0%-8.5%]; 2006: 36.5% [95% CI 34.2%-38.9%], 2011: 74.7% [95% CI 73.9-75.6]; P for trend <0.001). Increases in r-PCI use were widespread, including high-risk subgroups such as the elderly, women, and patients with acute coronary syndromes (Figure). In multivariable analysis of 3,670 patients undergoing PCI in 2011, cardiogenic shock and emergency PCI were strongly associated with failure to use r-PCI in 2011.

Conclusion: Over a recent ten-year period, radial access became the predominant strategy for PCI in China, even among high-risk patients. This study demonstrates the responsiveness of the interventional cardiology community to emerging evidence. A deeper understanding of the factors facilitating r-PCI adoption in China may help increase its usage in countries in which r-PCI use remains low.

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Childhood obesity is a significant and growing health problem in the India and other parts of the world. Secular trend data in the India suggest that children have become substantially heavier over the last several decades and that their risk for a number of health problems is increasing as a result.Childhood obesity is associated with both physical and emotional morbidity.Discrimination against obese children begins early in childhood and becomes progressively institutionalized. Because obese children tend to be taller than their non-obese peers, they are apt to be viewed as more mature. The inappropriate expectations that result may have an adverse effect on their socialization (Dietz, 1998). Childhood obesity affects self-esteem and has negative consequences on cognitive and social development.


Tantalum nitride (Ta-N) films were deposited by reactive sputtering of tantalum in a nitrogen/argon gas mixture at three different gas ratios and two different substrate temperatures. SEM, EDS, XRD, and optical spectrophotometry measurements were used to assess this deposition technique as part of ongoing and future work on the fabrication and characterization of Ta-N-containing ternary alloy films and device structures. The results showed that increasing the substrate temperature and the N-fraction in the sputtering gas mixture led to finer grain morphology and denser film structure. The films were found to be amorphous with no substrate heating. For substrate temperature of 300 °C, the films were amorphous for N-fraction of 0.5 and crystalline for N-fraction of 0.17 or 0.83. The optical bandgap values obtained from spectrophotometry measurements showed a substantial variation with substrate temperature and nitrogen gas fraction from 1.62 to 2.1 eV. Graphical abstract


ABSTRACT Reflexive accounts of physical education (PE) pedagogy and practice offer potential to reveal much about the intended and unintended learning, for both students and teachers, that can result from certain pedagogic encounters. Despite the promotion of reflective practice/s as a possible 'panacea' for improved teaching and learning, there is widespread concern that such approaches have relatively little influence in 'shaking or stirring' the deep-seated notions of effective pedagogy that are held by many physical educators [Mordal-Moen, K., & Green, K. (2014). Neither shaking nor stirring: A case study of reflexivity in Norwegian PE teacher education. Sport, Education and Society, 19(4), 415–434]. Inherent here are concerns that an increase in critical awareness alone does not necessarily lead to pedagogic translation [Hickey, C. (2001). "I feel enlightened now, but … ": The limits to the pedagogic translation of critical social discourses in PE. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20(3), 227–246]. Against that backdrop, we continue to support the use of reflective practice techniques as tools through which to interrogate the socio-cultural conditions and power relations that install enduring notions of effective pedagogy and dominant professional identities [Coia, L., & Taylor, M. (2017). Let's stay in the swamp: Poststructural feminist reflective practice. In R. Brandenburg, K. Glasswell, M. Jones, & J. Ryan (Eds.), Reflective theory and practice in teacher education (pp. 49–62). Singapore: Springer Singapore]. In this paper, we explore PE pedagogy and practice through reflective practice with two female teachers in all-boys' schools. Specifically, we critique the use of video-stimulated reflections from a feminist poststructuralist perspective to make visible the possibilities, challenges and tensions inherent in this methodological approach.


The precipitation during non-growth season (coincide with non-monsoon season) in the monsoonal areas are extremely important for the forest ecosystems, because they are the critical moisture source in the early growth season when the monsoon has not arrived. This manuscript provided with opportunity to observe the long-time variability of the NGS precipitation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, where historical NGS precipitation was not reconstructed before, and such work provides with important knowledge to evaluate the future of regional forest development. The background of the study and importance of the current investigation were introduced well. The methodology was sound and provided in detail. The results and discussions were convincing and were presented logically in order. However, there are some minor points which needs to be addressed, as well as some suggestions which can be considered to refine the work.


We describe a new fabrication method for a glass microchip using amorphous silicon on the glass surface as an etch mask and a bonding interface for anodic bonding. We investigated the mobilities and bandwidths of electroosmotic flow (EOF) and analytes in microchip electrophoresis. Significant band broadening was observed in a microchip composed of a hybrid material (glass and silicon dioxide membrane) compared with a microchip of single material due to the nonuniformity of the surface charge density.