This paper reports on a broadband dc ground isolated 20-Ω absorber for powers of up to 20 W. The realized absorber achieves reflections (referenced to 20 Ω) below -10 dB over almost two frequency decades from less than 50 MHz to 2 GHz. It can be used as load resistor in the characterization of power amplifiers, particularly switch-mode ones, where broadband non-50-Ω loads are required for measurement purposes. An additional advantage is that no bias-T is needed with this solution. This reduces measurement uncertainties due to the parasitics of the bias-T. Using the distributed concept offers a generic technique to realize such loads and also for other impedance values and other applications.


The story of Sudhana's pilgrimage to the truth, although one of the most important in all the Buddhist canon, is a dif3cult one to assimilate spiritually outside the precincts of Buddhist belief. Unlike the story of Prince Siddhartha's journey to awakening, which has proved inspiring to people of all faiths, Sudhana's journey to the truth does not seem to be structured by the sorts of mythical pattern that allow it entrance into spiritualities other than the explicitly Buddhist. Despite the literary devices needed to advance the story of a voyage of faith to supreme wisdom, there is far more to learn from the account about the otherness of Buddhism than about sentiments and aspirations common to all religious pilgrims. It appears to be crafted so deliberately as a didactic text for believers that the uncertain wanderings of the mind and heart that belong to the human pursuit of truth is all but edged out of the picture by the certitudes of faith. Indeed, at 3rst glance it does not even seem to be a document of 3dens quaerens intellectum, but only of scholastic instruction to one whose faith never wavers in the least.


Nanomanipulation of individual RNA molecules, using laser optical tweezers, has made it possible to infer the major features of their energy landscape. Time-dependent mechanical unfolding trajectories, measured at a constant stretching force (f(S)) of simple RNA structures (hairpins and three-helix junctions) sandwiched between RNA/DNA hybrid handles show that they unfold in a reversible all-or-none manner. To provide a molecular interpretation of the experiments we use a general coarse-grained off-lattice Gō-like model, in which each nucleotide is represented using three interaction sites. Using the coarse-grained model we have explored forced-unfolding of RNA hairpin as a function of f(S) and the loading rate (r(f)). The simulations and theoretical analysis have been done both with and without the handles that are explicitly modeled by semiflexible polymer chains. The mechanisms and timescales for denaturation by temperature jump and mechanical unfolding are vastly different. The directed perturbation of the native state by f(S) results in a sequential unfolding of the hairpin starting from their ends, whereas thermal denaturation occurs stochastically. From the dependence of the unfolding rates on r(f) and f(S) we show that the position of the unfolding transition state is not a constant but moves dramatically as either r(f) or f(S) is changed. The transition-state movements are interpreted by adopting the Hammond postulate for forced-unfolding. Forced-unfolding simulations of RNA, with handles attached to the two ends, show that the value of the unfolding force increases (especially at high pulling speeds) as the length of the handles increases. The pathways for refolding of RNA from stretched initial conformation, upon quenching f(S) to the quench force f(Q), are highly heterogeneous. The refolding times, upon force-quench, are at least an order-of-magnitude greater than those obtained by temperature-quench. The long f(Q)-dependent refolding times starting from fully stretched states are analyzed using a model that accounts for the microscopic steps in the rate-limiting step, which involves the trans to gauche transitions of the dihedral angles in the GAAA tetraloop. The simulations with explicit molecular model for the handles show that the dynamics of force-quench refolding is strongly dependent on the interplay of their contour length and persistence length and the RNA persistence length. Using the generality of our results, we also make a number of precise experimentally testable predictions.


Particle Induced X-ray Emission is a well-established technique for quantitative elemental analysis down to trace levels. During microbeam analysis, where the beam is collimated and focused into a small spot, the beam current reduces to nA or less. The generation of characteristic X-rays is reduced in the same proportion, leading to long data-acquisition times. This can partly be compensated for by using detectors with a large solid angle. In this work, the performance of an annular eight-element silicon drift detector with a total solid angle of 261 msr is described. The initial calibration of the detector was performed using thin elemental standards. Charge measurement was carried out both in a Faraday Cup positioned after the sample and by a pre-sample electrostatic deflection system sampling the beam charge into another Faraday Cup. The two methods were used in parallel and compared during the calibration measurements. A recently installed Versa Module Europe (VME) based data acquisition system equipped with, for example, multi-hit time-to-digital converters, amplifiers, and 32-channel scalers, was used to record data in event-by-event mode for simultaneous data evaluation on multiple computers. Off-line dead time and pile-up corrections were made on the event data that was sorted into spectra and fitted with the GeoPIXE software. The pre-sample deflection charge measurement gave consistent values for the calibration, and this is an important observation implying that non-conductive and thick samples will be able to quantify without the use of internal standards. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


It has been established that mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors have anti-inflammatory effects in models of experimental colitis. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. In this research, we investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of AZD8055, a potent mTOR inhibitor, on T cell response in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice, a commonly used animal model of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Severity of colitis is evaluated by changing of body weight, bloody stool, fecal consistency, histology evaluation and cytokine expression. We find that AZD8055 treatment attenuates DSS-induced body weight loss, colon length shortening and pathological damage of the colon. And AZD8055 treatment decreases colonic expression of genes encoding the pro-inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-1β,IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-a and increases colonic expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10. We show that AZD8055 treatment decreases the percentages of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in spleen, lymph nodes and peripheral blood of mice. We also find that AZD8055 treatment significantly reduces the number of T helper 1(TH1) cells and TH17 cells and increases regulatory T (Treg) cells in the lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes. Furthermore, we demonstrates that AZD8055 suppresses the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and the differentiation of TH1/TH17 cells and expands Treg cells in vitro. The results suggest that, in experimental colitis, AZD8055 exerts anti-inflammatory effect by regulating T helper cell polarization and proliferation.


At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in Washington, DC, on September 26, 1988, Nancy Snyderman, MD, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, presented a combined study, for eight institutions, that investigated the diagnostic role of panendoscopic examination. This was a prospective study begun in 1985 that included 569 patients who presented with upper aerodigestive tract malignancies and, as part of their preoperative evaluation, underwent panendoscopic examinations. Synchronous tumors were defined as a second tumor that appeared at the same time as the index tumor, whereas metachronous tumors were those that appeared within 6 months. Synchronous tumors were found in 7.9% of cases. Metachronous tumors were found in 10% of cases. The most common sites for the second primary tumor were other locations in the head and neck and in the lung. Of the head and neck primary tumors, the most common second site was


Spending on the NHS will rise by 0.4% in real terms over the next four years to reach a total of £114bn a year in 2014 (up from £104bn in 2010/11), chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne has announced in the first comprehensive spending review of the coalition government.

This is a fraction of the 6% annual increase in real terms spending that the NHS has enjoyed over the past decade and shows that the share of the gross domestic product allocated to the NHS will fall over the coming years.

Mr Osborne referred to the NHS as an "intrinsic part of the fabric of our country" and prioritised the health service for increased funds made available by savings in the welfare budget worth £7bn a year.

However, he said, "productivity in the NHS fell steadily in the past 10 years and that must not continue."

John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund, said that the increase of 0.1% a year in the NHS budget would soon be …


In February 2013, the 2 nd Nordic Biochar Seminar was successfully held in Helsinki, Finland. The fruitful meeting, well organized by Priit Tammeorg, offered a broad kaleidoscope of new insights into the novel interdisciplinary research topic of biochar. The papers in this issue clearly show that biochar use in agriculture can deliver benefits such as reductions in N 2 O emissions or N leaching (Kettunen and Saarnio), in addition to soil C storage without negative effects (Karer et al. , Anders et al. ). However, they also demonstrate that just one biochar addition does not turn each temperate fertile soil into a fertility miracle. In Terra preta sites, the pyrogenic carbon was likely an important ingredient, but it was combined with organic waste inputs and not used pure. Thus, yield-increasing pure-biochar effects in temperate soils are likely not a low-hanging fruit to be harvested without further ado. Rather, problematic soils should be the primary target; combined biochar-organics usage also deserves further research. However, considering the lack of political efforts to restore our planet's radiative balance, or tackle the challenges associated with soil degradation and resource consumption, no emerging chances should be missed. "Biochar" is such a chance – not more, but also not less. Shaping "biochar use in agriculture" into a safe, sustainable and economically feasible tool will only come at the cost of good hard research efforts; but it offers the unique chance to turn agricultural practices from being part of the problem into being part of the solution.


Bank and financial institutions require a method for assessing performance, considering some crucial financial statistics, and identifying strengths and weaknesses. The "CAMEL" model is a effective tool for assessing the performance of bank and financial institution. This model studied Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management quality, Earnings capacity, and Liquidity condition of sample banks. The study has made a modest attempt to use the CAMEL technique to examine the performance of three commercial banks in Nepal from 2011/12 to 2020/21. Rastriya Banijya Bank, a wholly government-owned, Nepal SBI Bank Limited (NSBIL) joint venture, and Prime Commercial Bank Limited (PCBL), privately owned, were considered as a sample banks for the analysis. The result explained that PCBL and NSBIL could keep their risk-weighted assets at more excellent Tier I and II capital levels, demonstrating their financial soundness. This also revealed that NSBIL could support a higher percentage of well-performing loans. RBBL, NSBIL, and PCBL, all BFIs maintained average returns on shareholder equity and returns on assets. It also found PCBL was first in terms of the ratio of liquid assets to total deposits, followed by NSBIL banks and RBBL. In light of this, this research will be tremendously instructive to academics, researchers, and bank management. They can utilize it to create a financial plan for the effectiveness of the bank performance as a whole.


Rhode Island Hold'em is a poker card game that has been proposed as a testbed for AI research. This game, with a tree size larger than 3.1 billion nodes, features many characteristics present in full-scale poker (e.g., Texas Hold'em). Our research advances in equilibrium computation have enabled us to solve for the optimal (equilibrium) strategies for this game. Some features of the equilibrium include poker techniques such as bluffing, slow-playing, check-raising, and semi-bluffing. In this demonstration, participants will compete with our optimal opponent and will experience these strategies firsthand.


Both enantiomers of 13-(E) and 13-(Z) isomers of 11-cis-locked bicyclo[5.1.0]octanyl retinal were prepared by an improved synthesis and incubated with bovine opsin. The synthesis also establishes the absolute configuration of the enantiomers. Only one of the enantiomers binds to opsin, thus showing the steric restrictions regarding the middle polyene moiety of the retinoid molecule; this is in sharp contrast to the known leniency of the ring moiety binding site of retinoids. However, although one enantiomer is incorporated into the pigment, the circular dichroic spectrum of the pigment incorporating the bound enantiomer yields only a very weak Cotton effect, showing that, once incorporated, the bicyclo[5.1.0]octanyl chromophore is flattened by the opsin binding site. The titled retinoid was synthesized for study of the absolute conformation of the retinal pigment in rhodopsin.


Bactericidal activity of caprylic acid (CA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP) was investigated in this study in order to design a suitable formulation for use in the food-processing industry. Antibacterial effects of the two chemicals were tested in vitro against the reference strains of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Enteritidis CCM 4420, Escherichia coli CCM 3988, Listeria monocytogenes CCM 5578 and Staphylococcus aureus CCM 4223, as well as against the wild bacterial strains obtained from various food commodities (poultry meat, rabbit meat, raw milk sheep cheese 'Bryndza') and potable water. First, suspension test was carried out to determine the minimum bactericidal concentrations for individual chemical compounds. While most Gram-negative bacteria tested were effectively inhibited by HP at a 0.5% concentration, the growth of Gram-positive bacterial strains was stopped by a 2% solution. CA showed similar antibacterial effect on all bacterial strains tested except for Staph. aureus showing the same sus-ceptibility as Gram-negative bacteria. The wild strains generally had higher resistance to both chemicals than the reference strains. Combination of HP and CA at concentrations of 0.01%; 0.05% and 0.1% was further tested by the suspension test, carrier test, and carrier test with simul-taneous exposure to UV light. The total bactericidal activity against selected foodborne pathogens was already observed at a concentration of 0.1% and the efficiency was significantly increased by the use of UV radiation. A novel disinfectant based on the combination of HP with CA appears to be a suitable binary formulation for potential use in the food sector.


Background: Lobular carcinoma (LC) is a distinctive neoplasm originating in the milk producing glands and constituting about 12% of all breast cancer cases. LC differs from the more common invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) by morphology and biology. We report the results of a descriptive epidemiological study of LC and a comparison of the pathogenesis of lobular and ductal carcinoma of the breast. Methods: A total of 86,846 cases of invasive LC (ILC) from women, aged 20 to 85, were obtained from NCI9s SEER Program for the years 1973-2008 in the United States. There were 20,512 cases of LC in-situ (LCIS) and 66,634 cases of ILC. For comparison, 692,201 cases of IDC and 61,569 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were collected. The analysis compared trends, age specific rates, log-log plots, age frequencies and relative survival rates. Results: From 1973-2008, the age-adjusted rate of LC progressively increased from 5.8 to 16.4/ 100,000 women. In an age frequency analysis of age versus rate, LCIS increased to 0.22/ 100,000 women at age 50, and then declined to 0.02/100,000 women at age 80. ILC increased to 0.11/100,000 women at age 50, and then plateaued after menopause but did not decline. Log-log plots revealed parallel curves between ILC and IDC in both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal age groups. At age 50, the age specific rate of LCIS increased to 11.3/100,000 women then progressively decreased. In contrast, the age specific rate of DCIS was 22.1/100,000 women at age 50 and continued to increase after menopause. Conclusions: At menopause, the incidence of LCIS decreases as a result of lobular involution of the breast. In contrast, DCIS continues to increase. ILC does not decline but plateaus suggesting that the initiation of ILC occurs before menopause, but the tumor becomes clinically apparent only after menopause. Although morphologically different, parallel log-log plots of age specific rates and age frequency analysis suggest a similar pathogenesis for IDC and ILC even though epidemiological patterns are different. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5499. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5499


Background
While recent randomised phase III trials show that trifluridine/tiperacil (TAS-102) may prolong life in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (rmCRC), palliative aspects on its efficacy and tolerability in real world patients need further elucidation.

Methods
A retrospective observational multicentre study was designed, including all patients with rmCRC who received TAS-102 under 2016-2019 in the South East Health Care region of Sweden. 48 patients were identified. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), time to ECOG performance status deterioration (PSD), safety and dose reductions, admission to and duration of access to palliative care, and administration of TAS-102 in the last 30 days before death.

Results
Median OS, PFS, and time to PSD (a proxy for impaired quality of life) from start of TAS-102 were 6.4 months (95% CI: 4.4-8.4), 2.3 months (95% CI: 1.8-2.7) and 2.5 months (95% CI: 1.9-3.2), respectively. Following uni- and multivariable regression analyses, the number of previous treatment lines (≤2 vs. ≥3) was statistically independent for OS (median 7.8 vs. 5.3 months, P=0.05), PFS (median 2.4 vs. 1.8 months, P=0.03), and time to PSD (median 2.8 vs. 1.8 months, P=0.03). Thirty-four (71%) of the patients received reduced doses. The most common grade 3-4 toxicity was neutropenia (39%). Forty-three (90%) were admitted to GP or hospital-based home palliative care. Median time for access to any form of palliative care before death was 2.3 (95% CI: 0.5-3.2) months. Few patients (n=3, 7%) received their last dose of TAS-102 in their last 30 days of life.

Conclusions
The outcome and tolerability of TAS-102 in rmCRC appear similar in a real-world context and randomised trials. The retrospective design and limited sample size preclude firm conclusions on subgroup analyses, but it appears that the prognosis is slightly better the earlier TAS-102 is introduced. Treatment durations are generally short, and early admission to a palliative care provider is recommended.


The title compound, C24H14O9·H2O, displays a cup-shaped form. The water molecule is disordered over two set of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.78:0.22. The molecule of the compound has four stereocenters and corresponds to the SSRR/RRSS diastereoisomer. In the molecule, the maximum dihedral angle between the planar benzene rings is 80.40 (4)°. The H atoms of the hydroxy groups are engaged in hydrogen bonding, forming infinite chains parallel to the a axis. These chains are interlinked through water molecules, resulting in the formation of a two-dimensional network parallel to the (001) plane. Futhermore C—H⋯O, C—H⋯π and slipped π–π interactions result in the formation of a three-dimensional network.


Because telomere length and dynamics relate to individual growth, reproductive investment and survival, telomeres have emerged as possible markers of individual quality. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, in species with parental care, parental telomere length can be a marker of parental quality that predicts offspring phenotype and survival. In king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), we experimentally swapped the single egg of 66 breeding pairs just after egg laying to disentangle the contribution of prelaying parental quality (e.g., genetics, investment in the egg) and/or postlaying parental quality (e.g., incubation, postnatal feeding rate) on offspring growth, telomere length and survival. Parental quality was estimated through the joint effects of biological and foster parent telomere length on offspring traits, both soon after hatching (day 10) and at the end of the prewinter growth period (day 105). We expected that offspring traits would be mostly related to the telomere lengths (i.e., quality) of biological parents at day 10 and to the telomere lengths of foster parents at day 105. Results show that chick survival up to 10 days was negatively related to biological fathers' telomere length, whereas survival up to 105 days was positively related to foster fathers' telomere lengths. Chick growth was not related to either biological or foster parents' telomere length. Chick telomere length was positively related to foster mothers' telomere length at both 10 and 105 days. Overall, our study shows that, in a species with biparental care, parents' telomere length is foremost a proxy of postlaying parental care quality, supporting the "telomere – parental quality hypothesis."


[Purpose] This study was to compare the shoulder and trunk muscle activity according to the various resistance condition during knee push-up-plus. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty healthy adults participated in this study (9 males and 11 females). The subjects performed dominant-leg-extended knee push-up-plus apply to resistance in the direction of abduction, adduction, extension and the flexion. The surface Electromyography activities of the upper trapezius, serratus anterior, homolateral external oblique and the heterolateral internal oblique were measured. The Electromyography activities of each muscle were compared using a one-way repeated analysis of variance. [Results] The Electromyography activities of serratus anterior and external oblique muscles between the resistance directions were significantly increased extension. The Electromyography activities of heterolateral internal oblique muscle between the resistance directions were significantly increased adduction. [Conclusion] To suggest use of the decision exercise tolerance orientation when muscle strengthening exercises for shoulder and trunk according to variation resistance in lower extremity during Push-up-plus.


A systematic three-dimensional (3D) frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain technique for the consistent and rigorous analysis of infinite graphene layers is developed in this study. The generalised formulation divides the overall geometry into unit cells and applies the appropriate Floquet periodic boundary conditions to their lateral surfaces. In this framework, the infinite graphene sheet is carefully manipulated by means of an efficient subcell discretisation concept along with a complex surface conductivity representation defined by quantum mechanical equations. This conductivity model is, subsequently, converted to its volume counterpart to allow realistic time-domain investigations, while the dispersive nature of graphene is described via an auxiliary differential equation algorithm. Furthermore, a set of linearly polarised normally incident wideband pulses or obliquely incident monochromatic waves excite the computational domain based on a properly modified total-field/scattered-field scheme. Numerical simulations, involving an assortment of multilayer arrangements, reveal the promising accuracy and stability of the proposed method through detailed comparisons with data from analytical closed-form expressions.


Modern networks are highly variable and, as a result, source coders are commonly used under conditions that they were not designed for. We address this problem with a source-coding philosophy that aims at the instantaneous re-optimization of a source coder to match a wide range of constraints on rate or quality and a wide range of packet-loss rates. We present a number of technologies that can be reconfigured by solving analytic relations that use the current conditions and a statistical description of the source as input. The technologies include distribution-preserving quantizers, flexible multiple-description quantizers, and a rate distribution scheme. Based on the generic technologies, we created a complete audio coder. Formal listening tests show that the resulting audio coding scheme with full flexibility provides a quality that is on-par with the best standardized codecs for any particular rate.


The adverse effect of fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae on the morphology of male meiotic chromosomes of grasshopper Acrida turrita was studied. Significant increase in the induction of aberrations as sickness, clumping pseudobridges, laggards, polyploid cells, extra element and stretching was manifested in treated grasshoppers as compared to control. Both the fungi induced a dose and time dependent increase in the number of chromosome aberrations. The frequency of production of percentage aberrations by B. bassiana in grasshopper was 6.50, 6.56, 7.24 with 10%, 7.12, 7.60, 8.16 with 20%, 9.45,10.04,10.25 with 30% after 6, 8, 10 hours respectively and 4.24, 5.60, 5.54 with 10%, 6.51, 6.98, 9.10 with 20% and 7.51, 8.21, 10.25 with 30% at 6, 8, 10 hours respectively by M. anisopliae .


Interdisciplinary research, drawing from robotics, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science, is a cornerstone to advance the state-of-the-art in multimodal human-robot interaction and neuro-cognitive modeling. Research on neuro-cognitive models benefits from the embodiment of these models into physical, humanoid agents that possess complex, human-like sensorimotor capabilities for multimodal interaction with the real world. For this purpose, we develop and introduce NICO (Neuro-Inspired COmpanion), a humanoid developmental robot that fills a gap between necessary sensing and interaction capabilities and flexible design. This combination makes it a novel neuro-cognitive research platform for embodied sensorimotor computational and cognitive models in the context of multimodal interaction as shown in our results.


This article analyses the politics of performance management in the United Kingdom, focusing on the extent to which a highly centralised Westminster majoritarian polity has encouraged the top-down control of public services. It does so by comparing the approaches to performance management that prevailed under the Labour Governments (1997–2010) and the Coalition (2010–2015) to demonstrate the degree of continuity that exists between the ostensibly divergent approaches that each sought to develop. In particular, the article reveals that despite various promises to 'let go', successive governments have instead sought to 'hold on' to the detail of delivery, which has resulted in a burgeoning disconnect between 'managers' and 'the managed'. Presenting the results of an extensive programme of original empirical research, this article is therefore of significance for theories of performance management, and illuminates the connection between macro-level 'patterns of democracy' and meso-level 'patterns of public administration'.


Slow sand filtration has been admitted as an old method of water treatment and has been widely used in the world. This type of sand filter is prominent in its simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness. The term effectiveness refers to the performance on removing particulate matter and microorganisms. There are some significant factors should be considered in the system of slow sand filtration, such as grain size distribution of media, sand type, bed depth, operation mode of filter, and filtration rate. This study focuses on the influence of different effective size of media and operation mode in slow sand filtration especially on removing turbidity. Grain size distribution is represented by the effective size (d10) and uniformity coefficient (Cu). In regard to the operation mode, both sizes were operated under intermittent operation mode and were compared in two different level of supernatant layer: decreasing level and constant level. Laboratory scale experiments were conducted using four filter columns. Two filter columns were filled up with Rhein sand in different effective size of d10 0.075 mm and d10 0.50 mm. Uniformity coefficient Cu 2.5 and curvature coefficient Cc 1 were the same for both d10. Every column was fed with the same concentration of artificial raw water. The artificial raw water was created from Heilerde (clay from Germany) which passed 0.063 mm sieve opening mixed with tap water. Fine grain size tends to be easier to be controlled in regard to filtration rate, and vice versa for the coarse grain size. Surprisingly, the coarse grain size was able to remove turbidity as good as the fine grain size. Permeability of column was also tested and it decreased along with the addition of Heilerde.


A Common problem usually faced by a manufacturing company is whether it should make all the components itself or buy source of them from outside sources. A company has competitive advantage whenever it has an edge over rivals in attracting customers and defending against competitive forces. Competitive advantage is derived from the key term cost advantage. Price cutting supported by cost advantage. That's why companies may arise a question whether it would be worthwhile to buy from outside rather than make it .The solution for this huge question may be make or buying or Business Process Outsourcing. Business Process Outsourcing has been recognized as a means of achieving organizational strategy. The Harvard Business Review identified outsourcing as one of the most important management ideas of the last 75 years. In simple words we can say that outsourcing is "the transfer to a third party of the continuous management responsibility for the provision of a service governed by a service level agreement." The benefits of outsourcing fall into two categories: immediate gains (e.g. service cost reduction, focus on core services thanks to an "eyes on, hands off" mode), and longer-term benefits (e.g. flexibility, access to expertise, improved quality). In this paper an attempt has been made to focus on current trend and the need of Business Process Outsourcing in the current business Scenario.


Anniversaries provide a pretext for reflection—celebration for national independence days, mourning for war-time massacres. For political reforms and legal innovations, anniversaries warrant a different set of reflections: less predictable or uniform, more sober stock taking and weighing of achievements and failures than affirmation of unequivocal success or defeat. This fourth special issue of the Anti-Trafficking Review embraces the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the 2000 United Nations (UN) Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (hereafter Trafficking Protocol), and evaluates the impact of this landmark instrument of international law on the grave social, political and economic problems it targets. Among the many and varied constituencies concerned with issues of trafficking, from government bodies to international advocacy groups to sex worker collectives, the Trafficking Protocol has attracted considerable attention. It has been widely ratified, its definition of trafficking has been extensively invoked, its criminalisation mandates have been aggressively followed, its victim protection measures have been enthusiastically cited.


Abstract Background We present an analysis of increasing rates of invasive group A streptococci (iGAS) over a 15-year period in Alberta, Canada. Methods From 2003 to 2017, the emm type of iGAS isolates was identified from patients with iGAS disease in Alberta. Demographic, clinical, and risk factor data were collected. Results A total of 3551 cases of iGAS were identified in Alberta by isolation of a GAS isolate from a sterile site. The age-standardized incidence rates of iGAS increased from 4.24/100 000 in 2003 to 10.24 in 2017. Rates (SD) were highest in those age <1 (9.69) years and 60+ (11.15) years; 57.79% of the cases were male. Commonly identified risk factors included diabetes, hepatitis C, nonsurgical wounds, addiction, alcohol abuse, drug use, and homelessness. The overall age-standardized case fatality rate was 5.11%. The most common clinical presentation was septicemia/bacteremia (41.84%), followed by cellulitis (17.25%). The top 4 emm types from 2003–2017 were emm1, 28, 59, and 12. In 2017, the top 4 emm types (emm1, 74, 101, and 59) accounted for 46.60% of cases. Conclusions The incidence of iGAS disease in Alberta, Canada, has increased from 2003 to 2017. This increase has been driven not by a single emm type, but rather what has been observed is a collection of common and emerging emm types associated with disease. In addition, it is also likely that societal factors are playing important roles in this increase as risk factors associated with marginalized populations (addiction, alcohol abuse, and drug use) were found to have increased during the survey period.


Much laboratory training activity assumes that all individuals have adequate skills for learning from immediate experience. The following study is based on the alternate premise that this type of learning requires a scientific posture toward one's world, and that this posture may be much more difficult for some personality types than for others. The author investigated this premise, using the Sensation Intuition scale of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (1962), and assuming that the Intuitive (N) mode of perception would be more facilitative of operation in the "laboratory style" than the Sensation (S) mode. Using three laboratory populations, it was found that the S-N scale does predict tendencies toward laboratory interpersonal value orientations (as measured by the Managerial Behavior Questionnaire) and ratings of effectiveness in a T Group. The scale was found less effective in predicting actual change. Several implications for laboratory selection and design are suggested.


Abstract Extract For descriptive purposes the terms lymphosarcoma, malignant lymphoma, or lymphocytic leukaemia are synonymous. Each describes a highly fatal neoplastic disease characterized by lymphatic tissue enlargement or invasion of non-lymphatic tissue by often a typical cells of lymphoblastic character. The disease in its many forms is common to man, dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, sheep and horses.


BACKGROUND
The Cardiac failure, Hypertension, Age, Diabetes, Stroke [Doubled] (CHADS(2)) score is a useful scheme for risk stratification of thromboembolism patients, but there is little information about its usefulness for the evaluation of antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy.

METHODS AND RESULTS
This study included 459 paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) patients (309 men, mean age 66 ± 12 years, mean follow-up 50 ± 35 months) and prophylactic efficacy was analyzed on the basis of CHADS(2) score. (1) Survival rates free from AF recurrence at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months were, respectively, 89%, 74%, 63% and 47% in score-0 group (n=152); 92%, 68%, 59% and 48% in score-1 group (n=158); 86%, 64%, 56% and 46% in score-2 group (n=84); 81%, 65%, 51% and 35% in score-3 group (n=43); and 68%, 50%, 36% and 18% in ≥ score-4 group (n=22) (P<0.05; score-0, score-1 or score-2 vs. ≥ score-4 group). (2) Survival rates free from progression to chronic AF at 12, 36, 60 and 90 months were, respectively, 95%, 93%, 91% and 89% in score-0 group; 97%, 91%, 89% and 88% in score-1 group; 96%, 93%, 88% and 83% in score-2 group; 91%, 74%, 67% and 60% in score-3 group; and 91%, 82%, 68% and 55% in ≥ score-4 group (P<0.01; score-0, score-1 or score-2 vs. ≥ score-4 group). (3) In multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for potentially confounding variables, CHADS(2) score was associated with AF recurrence (odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.81, P<0.001), and progression to chronic AF during AAD therapy (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.69, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
When using a rhythm control strategy, the CHADS(2) score is a useful scheme for predicting the outcome of AAD treatment of patients with paroxysmal AF.


Forty middle and small rivers in three towns of Fengjing, Songjiang and Zhujiajiao of suburban Shanghai were chosen as sampling sites for water quality research. Measurement results of DO, CODCr, TP, TN and so on show that the rivers are under heavy eutropic conditions, which are several times greater than the critical values of the worst level (Type V) of water. Water pollution situation has different temporal and spatial characteristics. Non-point pollution, such as village domestic sewage, farmland runoff, livestock feces, has become the primary source of pollution of the middle and small rivers in suburban Shanghai.


AutoLISP was used to automate AutoCAD to produce reinforced concrete drawing of a half-turn dog-leg staircase, on receiving information relating to geometry and related parameters. This was done to improve efficiency as well as to save time and effort during structural detailing of the staircase type. The software development was based on the use of AutoLISP customization features to define X and Y coordinates of any point that the software uses to draw any element in the detailing. AutoLISP functions were used to define function of routines, obtain user input, define the drawing pattern and change the system variables where necessary before using the command function to produce the desired drawing. This was done in the AutoLISP integrated development environment (VLIDE). The software has enhanced time utilization and efficiency during structural detailing work such that drawings that could have taken hours to produce (even by a good AutoCAD user) can now be completed in a fraction of the time. Keywords: AutoCad, Autolisp, Dod-leg staircase, Software development, Structural detailing


The advent and prosperity of the GPS equipped devices and reliable location technologies has resulted in a wide growth of location based service. As a certain type of geo-spatial application, moving objects on fixed networks must sustain high update rate for millions of devices, and provide efficient real-time querying on multi-attributes such as time-period and arbitrary spatial dimension. Traditional DBMSs support complex index structures which can effectively cope with spatio-temporal data. However, current relational databases have encountered the ever-increasing scale of datasets, which make a claim for scalability of data manage system. Meanwhile, key-value store databases are designed to be scalable, available and distributed, without much support for data organization including management of spatio-temporal data. In this paper, we present a novel hybrid index structure to organize data, combining a statistical based R-tree for indexing space and applying Hilbert curve for traversing approaching space. With key-value store, which insures effective querying response time and high insert rates, we propose rules for generating target row key which take skewed data handing into account. The cluster of HBase consists 8 nodes, with data volume in a level of millions. Our implementation proves that range queries and k-NN queries sustain response time in hundreds of milliseconds.


This paper examines the special use of art works as a store of value in Germany during the Third Reich era. Some Jews were able to buy their freedom, as the fascists closed in. Then as the Third Reich fell, some escaping fascists used art works to secure freedom outside of Germany. One of the characteristics of money is a store of value. When confidence in a currency is present, the more conventional form of money takes precedence. A respected, economic form of currency and coin has all three elements of money: medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account. This last trait is especially absent when using various art works as money, as there is no agreed upon unit of account with such different art. Furthermore, art works could not qualify as a medium of exchange, since only a very small amount of the population was involved in this way of dealing in art during the stressed times for the Third Reich.


Background The aim of this study was to generate utility data to support economic evaluation of interventions for compromised first permanent molars (cFPMs) and to assess the reliability of responses using alternative elicitation methods.MethodsFifty adult respondents attending a Paediatric Dentistry department with their child completed a questionnaire to elicit utility values for eight clinical treatment scenarios for a compromised first permanent molar tooth (cFPM). These scenarios included restorations, prosthetic replacements or presence of a gap (missing tooth). The question formats included a ranking, a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a time trade off (TTO) exercise.ResultsMean utility values for each health state were generated using the VAS and TTO data. A white filling generated the highest utility (0.786 [VAS], 0.763 [TTO]) and was ranked as the most favourable treatment option. An open gap generated the lowest utility (0.344 [VAS], 0.523 [TTO]). A closed gap (0.6392 [VAS]) was rated below various tooth restorations but above a traditional bridge (0.5944 [VAS]) or denture (0.4312 [VAS]), according to mean VAS scores. VAS responses showed better agreement (kappa=0.48) with the ranking exercise compared to TTO responses (kappa= -0.003).ConclusionsPlausible and broadly consistent values were generated with VAS and TTO, but TTO data seemed to be less reliable. These data allow comparison of treatment options involving extraction and gap closure or restoration of cFPMs using a single measure of patient preference.


We are developing dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques to determine nanoscale elastic properties. Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) makes use of the resonant frequencies of an AFM cantilever while its tip contacts the sample surface at a given static load. Our methods involve nanosized silicon probes with tip radius R ranging from approximately 10 nm to 150 nm. The resulting radius of contact between the tip and the sample is less than 20 nm. However, the contact stress can be greater than a few tens of gigapascals, exceeding the theoretical yield strength of silicon by a factor of two to four. Our AFAM experiments indicate that, contrary to expectation, tips can sometimes withstand such stresses without fracture. We subjected ten tips to the same sequence of AFAM experiments. Each tip was brought into contact with a fused quartz sample at different static loads. The load was systematically increased from about 0.4 μN to 6 μN. Changes in tip geometry were observed in images acquired in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) between the individual AFAM experiments. All of the tips with R < 10 nm broke during the first AFAM experiments at static loads less than 1.6 μN. Tips with R > 40 nm plastically deformed under such loads. However, a group of tips with R from 25 nm to 30 nm neither broke nor deformed during the tests. In order to reach higher contact stresses, two additional tips with similar values of R were used in identical experiments on nickel and sapphire samples. Although the estimated stresses exceeded 40 GPa, we did not observe any tip fracture events. Our qualitative observations agree with more systematic studies performed by other groups on various nanostructures. The results emphasize the necessity of understanding the mechanics of nanometer-scaled bodies and the impact of size effects on measurements of mechanical properties on such scales. Contribution of NIST, an agency of the US government; not subject to copyright.


Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical cyclone (TC) ever recorded in the Philippines, made landfall in the central Philippines on 8 November 2013. To understand roles of TC-ocean interactions on Haiyan, numerical simulations of Haiyan and analogous Typhoon Mike (1990) were performed using a 2-km-mesh nonhydrostatic atmosphere model (NHM) and its atmosphere-wave-ocean coupled model (CPL). Comparison between Haiyan and Mike revealed that relatively rapid translation and small sea surface cooling (SSC) were the factors critical for simulating the extraordinary intensity of Haiyan. Without SSC, Mike might have become stronger than Haiyan. To evaluate uncertainties of TC intensity predictions under different oceanic initial conditions, ensemble simulations for thirty-three oceanic conditions were performed with a 7-km mesh NHM and its CPL for the two TCs. Uncertainties of preexisting oceanic conditions directly affected the central pressures simulated by the NHM. In addition, uncertainties of simulated central pressures were reduced via modification of the secondary circulation due to reduction in the uncertainties of sea surface temperature, irrespective of geographical location, even though wave coupling resulted in some uncertainties of drag coefficients, surface winds, and latent heat fluxes near the TC centers. The ensemble simulations also indicate the importance of TC moving speed and thereby sea surface cooling on TC predictions.


ABSTRACT Deficits in reading fluency and in spelling can dissociate during development, resulting in groups with reading deficit only (RD), spelling deficit only (SD) and combined reading and spelling deficit (RSD). The current study investigated the one-to-two-year longitudinal stability of these subgroups in 167 German-speaking children. Reading fluency deficits (irrespective of spelling skills) were stable over time, while spelling deficits were stable in the RSD-group but not in the SD-group. Lower stability in the SD-group resulted from the fact that many children improved their spelling skills over time. Improvement in spelling was associated with good performance in phoneme awareness together with intact RAN and decoding skills.


This letter describes a successfully developed enhancement-mode double-doped AlGaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction FET with a buried p+-n junction gate structure for low-voltage-operated mobile applications. The buried p+-GaAs gate structure effectively reduced on-resistance (Ron) and suppressed drain-current frequency dispersion for the device with high positive threshold voltage, resulting in high-efficiency characteristics under low-voltage operation. The fabricated p+-gate HJFET exhibited a low Ron of 1.4 Omegamiddotmm with a threshold voltage of +0.4 V. Negligible frequency dispersion characteristics were obtained through pulsed current-voltage measurements for the device. Under a single 2.7-V operation, a 19.8-mm gate width device exhibited a power added efficiency of 51.9% with 26.8-dBm output power and a -40.1-dBc adjacent channel power ratio using a 1.95-GHz wideband code-division multiple-access signal


Estimates by Family Health International and UNFPA predict that the annual cost of modern family planning in meeting the target overall contraceptive prevalence level of 52% will be between $5-9 billion by the year 2000. The number of couples using modern methods of contraception will increase dramatically in future years incurring great cost to donors governments and users. Urbanization rising incomes and higher education levels are generally seen as positive factors in permitting an expanded private sector role in the provision of modern contraceptives providing an alternative source to donor and government programs. The for-profit concerns within the private sector of developing countries were studied using available 1978-89 data from 26 countries to examine private family planning sources of contraceptives. Also hypothetical determinants of private family planning use are established and their interrelationship with the use of for-profit family planning services is investigated. Contrary to result expectations it was found that use of the major provider for-profit private sector is declining in the face of rising incomes urbanization and better education. Government services are crowding out the private sector. Additionally results indicate a strong user desire for longer-term methods. Full comprehension of the private sector and the factors governing choice of contraceptive source should lead to more effective use of donor and government funding in efforts to achieve set population objectives. Policy and program development will more accurately reflect social needs. Policy implications of the results are discussed.


Temporary streams are becoming increasingly common, but ecological responses to streambed drying are poorly characterized in the temperate continental region of central Europe. In addition, global research has focused on community responses to drying, whereas effects on individual populations remain unknown. We explored the population structure of Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in a central European temporary stream. Benthic gammarids were sampled on five dates during a flow recession, one date between two drying events (of 10 and 20 days, respectively), and five dates after flow resumed. Additional benthic samples were taken from isolated pools and dry sediments during drying events, and freeze cores were collected to compare the vertical distribution of amphipods during wet and dry phases. Gammarids were measured, adults distinguished from juveniles, adults sexed, and female reproductive state determined. Densities increased during flow recession, potentially reflecting both a decline in submerged habitat availability and seasonal increases in juvenile abundance. Persistence within dry benthic sediments was minimal, whereas pools and saturated subsurface sediments supported high population densities. Juveniles comprised 80 % of the subsurface population, suggesting that their ability to inhabit small interstices promotes persistence within the dry reach. Juveniles also comprised 92 % of pool inhabitants, despite their potential exposure to predation. Adults dominated after flow resumed, and population structure was altered post-drying by the loss of spring-recruited juveniles and reproductive females. Our results suggest that streambed drying may have longer-term effects than typically characterized by community-level studies. We recommend management actions that support populations of ecologically important species as they adapt to changing flow regimes.


Forty advanced pregnant Jafarabadi buffaloes of 2-4 parity were divided into two equal groups, viz. control and treatment (n = 20 each). The animals of control group were maintained on routine farm feeding schedule and those under treatment group were subjected to additional oral supplements daily with 50 g of chelated mineral mixture and 150 g of bypass fat along with concentrates for 6 weeks prepartum till 2 weeks postpartum, and then bypass fat was given @ 15 g/litre of milk produced till 60 days postpartum. All the buffaloes were subjected to blood collection on day -45, -30, -7, 0, 7, 15, 30, 45 and 60 peripartum. Postpartum animals were followed at weekly interval by per rectal palpation and ultrasonographically for uterine involution, first postpartum estrus and conception. The overall mean blood glucose of prepartum period increased significantly p less then0.01 on the day of calving and reduced back to prepartum levels within next 7 days postpartum in both the groups. The buffaloes supplemented with peripartum nutrients had significantly p less then 0.01 higher blood glucose levels than the control group. The mean plasma total protein 7.96 ± 0.04 g/dl and thyroid hormones T3 1.44 ± 0.05 ng/ml and T4 28.25 ± 0.86 ng/ml were found to be within the normal range, and did not vary between sampling days or between groups. The peripartum supplementation of bypass fat did not influence the levels of plasma total cholesterol. However, the levels of β-hydroxybutyrate BHBA and non-esterified fatty acids NEFA tended to be higher in control than treatment group at most of the peripartum intervals. The period of uterine involution 32.75 ± 0.57 vs 37.00 ± 0.56 days and service period 107.10 ± 4.43 vs 133.65 ± 6.04 days were significantly p less then 0.05 shorter with higher postpartum fertility 85 vs 50% CR in nutrient supplemented than control group. It was concluded that peripartum bypass fat and mineral supplementation prevented negative energy balance and/or ketosis and improved postpartum fertility in high yielding Jaffrabadi buffaloes.


Remains of coccosteid placoderm fishes (Placodermi: Euarthrodira: Coccosteidae) from the Ardatovka Beds (Givetian, Middle Devonian) of the Pavlovsk Quarry, Voronezh Region (the territory of the Central Devonian field) are briefly described. This material is currently stored at the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University. Only disparate data on coccosteids and their close relatives (determinations at a level of high taxa), known from this territory, appeared in the literature to date. Bones and their fragments of the trunk armour are mainly presented in the collection. Only one fragment of the nuchal (occipital) bone of the head armour is exhibited. The coccosteid bones from Middle Devonian of the Pavlovsk Quarry are morphologically closer to plates of Livosteus (Gross), known from the Givetian of the Main Devonian field; but there are some differences, such as a ventral sensory groove on the anterior medio-ventral bone, a slightly developed posterior lateral corner of the posterior ventro-lateral and others. These remains are preliminary identified as Livosteus aff. L. grandis (Gross). These new materials supplement the data on the morphology and distribution of coccosteids from the East European platform.


We describe recent progress in developing linear scaling ab initio electronic structure methods, referring in particular to our highly parallel code CONQUEST. After reviewing the state of the field, we present the basic ideas underlying almost all linear scaling methods, and discuss specific practical details of the implementation. We also note the connection between linear scaling methods and embedding techniques.


Abstract Peirce's notions of diagrammatic reasoning and hypostatic abstraction are relevant to educational research in areas where diagrams and abstraction play an important role. In this paper, I analyze an example from statistics education in which diagrammatic reasoning created opportunities for hypostatic abstraction. For instance, where students initially characterized data points as being 'spread out,' they later said, 'the spread is large.' This is a prototypical example of hypostatic abstraction — taking a predicate as a new object that can have predicates itself. More generally, the notion of diagrammatic reasoning proved helpful to identify the key learning processes involved in learning to reason about statistical concepts.


Internet of Things and Data Analytics Handbook describes essential technical knowledge, building blocks, processes, design principles, implementation, and marketing for IoT projects. It provides readers with knowledge in planning, designing, and implementing IoT projects. The book is written by experts on the subject matter, including international experts from nine countries in the consumer and enterprise fields of IoT. The text starts with an overview and anatomy of IoT, ecosystem of IoT, communication protocols, networking, and available hardware, both present and future applications and transformations, and business models. The text also addresses big data analytics, machine learning, cloud computing, and consideration of sustainability that are essential to be both socially responsible and successful. Design and implementation processes are illustrated with best practices and case studies in action. In addition, the book:


Three combined media ensuring the determination of 8 characteristics typical of bacteria belonging to the group Proteus-Providencia (tryptophane deamination, urease activity, production of hydrogen sulfite and indol, fermentation of mannitol, maltose, adonitol and inositol) are presented.


In this research work, graphite flake has been used as an additive in magnetorheological (MR) fluid to improve its thermal and tribological performance. MR fluids with varying amounts of graphite flakes (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt%) are prepared to show effective thermal and tribological performance. A test rig is developed with a DC motor, torque sensor, and MR clutch operated in a shear mode to test the torque transmission. Results show the lubrication effects of graphite flakes in the MR fluid. Torque transmission is improved in on-state and off-state using graphite flakes-based MR fluid as compared with conventional MR fluid. Heating of the MR clutch is also reduced with the graphite flakes-based MR fluid. Wear marks and damages are decreased significantly with the increased amount of graphite flakes as found in surface roughness tests. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy are used to characterize the worn surfaces. This research provides information about the effectiveness of graphite flakes in the MR clutch to improve the device's performance.


This year has seen many advances in the treatment of incontinence in the elderly, particularly the use of devices to control genuine stress incontinence and new drug treatments for detrusor instability to reduce side-effects and improve compliance. The results of existing surgical treatments for genuine stress incontinence have been evaluated more closely and newer techniques, which are less invasive and produce less morbidity, have been applied and evaluated in the elderly.


Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption is one of the hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS). It is incompletely understood whether BBB disruption is the initial MS event leading to MS lesion formation or whether it is merely a consequence of cellular infiltration in the central nervous system (CNS). The presence of gadolinium enhancing (Gd+) lesions on serial brain MRI scans is frequently used to evaluate BBB disruption. The presence of Gd enhancement has therefore been used as a reference for most works evaluating promising biomarkers of BBB disruption that are reviewed here. These promising biomarkers include cytokines and chemokines, and their receptors, cell surface markers, and matrix metalloproteinases and their natural inhibitors. At this time, none of these markers have been shown as sensitive as the presence of Gd enhancement to reflect BBB disruption. However, MRI scanning is not only unpractical and expensive; it may also under represent the overall extent of BBB disruption. Developing new MS biomarkers that are sensitive and specific for BBB disruption could 1) improve the monitoring of disease activity; 2) improve the monitoring of response to MS therapies which target BBB disruption; and 3) advance our understanding of dynamic MS processes participating in BBB disruption.


We examine several formulations of the common practice of jumping to conclusions when actions demand decisions but solid knowledge fails. This practice permeates artificial intelligence, where systems assume many conclusions automatically as defaults simply because the questions they decide are known to occur frequently, and where other assumptions are formulated and adopted only when ignorance stalls action. After developing the motivations and general nature of these inferences, we introduce a formal basis for describing them. This formulation allows separate introduction of the several ideas involved, and so facilitates characterization of some important combinations and some previous proposals. Initial results are proved about these theories, including the aptness of the formal notions with respect to the intuitive motivations. Benefits of this formulation include an indication of the ways notions from logic and metamathematics can enter into psychologies without subscribing to all of logic or metamathematics, an indication of the importance of conservation of mental states in the description of psychologies, and formal and intuitive relations between the approach of reasoned assumptions and its popular alternatives, deductivism and Bayesianism.


Page 3 Abstract In the worldwide infrastructure network especially bridges are of essential importance. The request for sustainable structures is urgent as for bridge lifecycle design it is intended to cover a lifespan of more than 100 years. Shifting from an initial cost-effective mode to a lifecycle cost-effective mode is demanding in regard of increasing importance of maintenance, rehabilitation and renewal of bridges also in view of the rapid growing traffic volume on bridges. Within the European funded research project "Sustainable Steel-Composite Bridges in Built Environment" (SBRI) a holistic approach is applied by combining analyses of environmental, economic and functional qualities. The obtained results provide a basis for European recommendations for the design of sustainable bridges. The present handbook describes a lifecycle model for a sustainable bridge design integrating environmental, economic and functional aspects. With Lifecycle Performance (LCP), Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) and Lifecycle Costs (LCC) the most relevant elements are introduced. The complete process is illustrated by a case study covering the entire lifespan, from the construction to the demolition of three different types of bridges crossing a motorway. Sustainable Steel-Composite Bridges in Built Environment


ABSTRACT By PCR screening, we found an extremely high prevalence of TT virus (TTV) in the general populations from different geographic regions. This suggests that TTV may be a common DNA virus with no clear disease association in humans. TTV genotyping by phylogenetic analysis was also performed.


beta-Cyclodextrin (beta-CD) forms a series of supramolecular complexes with aromatic or aliphatic guest molecules such as benzaldehyde, butyl acrylate, etc. Remarkable blue shifts (lambda max) of the UV-vis absorption peaks of the guest molecules are observed after the formation of inclusion complexes. The congestion lines appearing in the guest molecules are reduced in a remarkable extent accordingly. The mechanisms of the blue shifts are investigated herein.


Hemodynamic and hemogasanalytic comparative study was performed in 46 patients admitted to our Coronary Care Unit because of myocardial infarction. The values of pH; PO2; PCO2; HbaO2; HbvO2; SBP; CVP; PAP; WP; Q; and CI were recorded simultaneously in every patient one or more times during the first 72 hours of the disease. The patients were divided into four classes according to the severity of hemodynamic impairment. Statistical analysis of the obtained results was then performed. In all patients more or less severe hypoxemia was found, but it was not statistically related to the severity of hemodynamic impairment. Instead, the values of PvO2 and HbvO2 showed a very significant correlation with Q and CI. Moreover, in 11 patients the venous admixture (QVA/Q) was measured several times in order to study the cause of the arterial hypoxemia thoroughly. It showed a very significant direct correlation with Q and CI. The interpretation of this phenomenon is then discussed and it is suggested that, in such patients, an increase of cardiac output causes an increased flow through poorly ventilated areas.


Taiwan's rowing has achieved well performance in the Asian Games, but it has not in the Olympics. To get good results, in addition to the hard work and solid and effective training on weekdays, the qualification of the players is one of the key factors. Therefore, this research attempts to construct an artificial intelligence (AI) evaluation algorithm for rowing athletes to obtain advantages in the sports field, and can start from the athletes. The AI algorithm involves the hierarchical analysis method (AHP) is adopted to invite experts and scholars in the rowing field to answer the expert questionnaire. The TOPSIS (technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution) method is then applied to calculate the ranking of material selection indicators, aiming to construct an evaluation model for rowers. The main research result shows that physicality is considered as the highest priority among the four main criteria of talent identification, following in a descending order by specialism, reaction and psychological elements. The propose model established by the most beneficial decision model for identification of talented rowers in the future.


The vital importance of systemic inflammatory reactions in developing a critical condition of any etiology is generally accepted at the present developmental stage of reanimatology and intensive care. The metabolic component remains a less studied part of a complex of the universal pathophysiological changes that characterize a critical condition. Lipid metabolic changes in sepsis are less investigated. Some publications indicate a role of fatty acids in regulating a systemic inflammatory reaction and in maintaining the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions in the development of a systemic inflammatory reaction. Others show their role in endothelial damage. The latter are of great interest due to the fact that lipolysis occurs just on the endothelium with the involvement of lipases. The purpose of this study was to reveal lipid metabolic changes and to define an association between the lipid metabolic parameters and the severity of a systemic inflammatory reaction in patients with severe sepsis, as well as their possible impact on the outcome of the critical condition.


The payments market is a dynamic market. Novel payment instruments are being launched at a fast clip. Unfortunately, a classification that adequately distinguishes all possible payment instruments by their most relevant characteristics is missing in the literature. In this paper a classification system is introduced that – just like a matryoshka doll – consists of multiple nested layers. The classification has five layers, comprising the type of money, the core payment mechanism, the channels and networks involved, the form factor and authentication device used, and, ultimately, seven generic payment methods. The idea is that a specific combination of features from each of the five layers ultimately defines a real-life payment instrument. Besides its comprehensiveness, the added value of the classification is that it reveals the true nature of a payment instrument, which on closer scrutiny may not be all that novel.


The current descriptive study investigates the conceptions of a group students (pre-service and in-service teachers) enrolled in a Master of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at La Trobe University, Australia, have of assessment in the context of English language teaching. This study was conducted in first place to address a gap in the literature about English teachers' conceptions of assessment, and I second place to explore the level of agreement among those conceptions and the type of assessment preferred by the participants. For this purpose, 26 active students in the course accepted the invitation to participate in the study and completed an online survey administered through Qualtrics Management Platform. This quantitative descriptive study done in 2020 used Survey as the research method since it promotes the collection of data to describe the research object. The quantitative data obtained through an online survey were summarized and graphed in tables with the objective of answering the research questions. The results showed that participants' understandings of assessment and forms of assessment were slightly inclined towards the use of summative assessment rather than formative. In contrast, their conceptions of assessment purposes and principles were inclined towards formative assessment features. All in all, it could be said that even though these participants seemed to cope more with summative assessment, they favoured formative purposes and principles of assessment. This suggests that respondents' summative views of assessment in the use of types and forms of assessment are potentially affected by institutional demands, and do not entirely reflect the respondents' assessment understandings.


A study to determine the association of fertilizer with soil water deficit in tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] was conducted in a rain-out shelter using potted plants, in which five rates of fertilizer (0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg Nitrogen ha−1) and six levels of soil water content (38, 34, 30, 26, 22 and 18% v/v) were applied in a complete randomized design and replicated three times. The soil water treatment was maintained for a period of 12 weeks during which shoot growth, plant water relations, and dry matter partitioning in tea were determined. A parallel field experiment with the above fertilizer rates was conducted at three sites in which shoot density and shoot weight were determined during the dry season. Fertilizer improved leaf-to-root and leaf-to-total mass ratios (P < 0.001), reduced shoot growth, shoot water potential and specific leaf area (P < 0.001). The fertilizer exacerbated drought effect on tea through disproportionate assimilate partitioning which consequently weakened the ability of tea to tolerate water stress. Results suggest an indirect contribution of fertilizer supply to drought susceptibility in tea.


Network-on-chip (NoC) is an efficient interconnection designing method for solving the limitations of buses in connecting IP cores. Power consumption is one of the most important issues in this area, solving this problem can lead to a more reliable and efficient design of NoC. Besides, there is another problem which is the More's law is reaching an end. In this paper, we used a new approach, which improves designing points, so we can design NoC architecture more efficiently based on previous designs. Briefly, this method adds one step before the overall change of architecture which tests if the current design can be improved if we change some internal characteristics. For validation, we applied this method by using wire NoC, and changing its bottlenecks, and make them more efficient by using mapping and adding antennas for wireless communication. While this method seems simple at the first sight, but the result can help many designing, which are vital for industries, and technologies like Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Briefly, this method can be used in NoC architectures and make them more efficient in a new style for new purposes. The results compared with the basic designing method with the new improved method; power and Energy improvements are respectively 25% and 46% with mapping and wireless improvements and approximately 60% more than traditional NoC in comparison with the basic method in this approach. This method also paves the way for green computing by avoiding producing more chemicals and products from a reusability perspective.


Two different strains of thymidine-requiring Haemophilus influenzae (thy-) were isolated from the sputum of two patients with chronic obstructive airways disease, during therapy with oral trimethoprim for the treatment of an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Both patients responded clinically. Since trimethoprim levels in sputum and serum were very low the patients were probably non-compliant. Isolates of H. influenzae prototrophic for thymidine (thy+) were isolated from both patients in remission before, at the onset of exacerbation and also within two weeks of stopping therapy. Thy- and thy+ isolates from the same patient were of identical biotype but isolates from the two patients were of different biotypes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of trimethoprim for the thy+ isolates obtained after therapy was significantly higher than the MIC for the isolates obtained at the onset of exacerbation. Thy- isolates were further investigated and a novel mechanism of low-level trimethoprim resistance is proposed.


The reactions of the boryl-substituted stannylene Sn{B(NDippCH)2}2 (1) with carbon dioxide have been investigated and shown to proceed via pathways involving insertion into the Sn-B bond(s). In the first instance this leads to formation of the (boryl)tin(ii) borylcarboxylate complex Sn{B(NDippCH)2}{O2CB(NDippCH)2} (2), which has been structurally characterized and shown to feature a κ2 mode of coordination of the [(HCDippN)2BCO2]- ligand at the metal centre. 2 undergoes B-O reductive elimination in hexane solution (in the absence of further CO2) to give the boryl(borylcarboxylate)ester {(HCDippN)2B}O2C{B(NDippCH)2} (3) i.e. the product of formal diboration of carbon dioxide. Alternatively, 2 can assimilate a second equivalent of CO2 to give the homoleptic bis(borylcarboxylate) Sn{O2CB(NDippCH)2}2 (4), which can be prepared via an alternative route from SnBr2 and the potassium salt of [(HCDippN)2BCO2]-, and structurally characterized as its DMAP (N,N-dimethylaminopyridine) adduct. Structural and reactivity studies also point to the possibility for extrusion of CO from the [(HCDippN)2BCO2]- fragment to generate the boryloxy system [(HCDippN)2BO]-, a ligand which can be generated directly from 1 via reaction with N2O. The initially formed unsymmetrical species Sn{B(NDippCH)2}{OB(NDippCH)2} has been shown to be amenable to crystallographic study in the solid state, but to undergo ligand redistribution in solution to generate a mixture of 1 and the bis(boryloxy) complex Sn{OB(NDippCH)2}2.


In order to improve complex shape piston productivity computer integrated manufacturing system (CIMS) technology is presented. Design elements need to be taken into account in CIMS technology, which are geometry, material choice, and rationalization of components (reducing assemblies) and cost. In design freedom phrase, this new design freedom will place much more responsibility on the designer to think about the exact requirements of a part – with the unlimited geometry capability designers will therefore need to be much more imaginative to make full use of the new manufacturing processes. New design paradigm is presented and mechanical designers will be able to manufacture any complexity of product they require. Effect of graded materials on product design is considered and 2D and 3D of piston are carried out. CAD issues and assembly constraints of complex shape piston of diesel engine are discussed. It gives new method to design and produce complex shape piston of diesel engine.


Whistleblowing is the act of disclosing information from a public institution or private organisation with the purpose of revealing cases of corruption or secrecy that are of immediate or potential danger to the public interest. When systems of public control and accountability fail, whistleblowing is a measure of last resort against corruption and unrestrained secrecy, and should then be granted legal protection. This study argues that the European Union should stand up for the legal protection of whistleblowers and encourage their contribution towards more transparent institutions and economic transactions. To this purpose, it outlines a set of policy recommendations for the introduction of a European Directive in this field.


Perhaps the biggest problem preventing more widespread use of computers in guidance is the effort required to collect, update and maintain the occupational data base. This paper critically reviews the process of transferring the data from source to computer, and describes an on-line interactive method whose design aims include ease-of-use, generation of error-free information, and independence for the counsellor.


Oxime derivatives of dehydrocholic acid and its esters were designed for anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) drugs according to principles of assembling active chemical fragments. Twelve compounds were synthesized from dehydrocholic acid by esterification and oxime formation, and their anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activities were evaluated with HepG 2.2.15 cells. Results showed that 5 compounds exhibited more effective inhibition of HBeAg than positive control, among them 2b-3 and 2b-1 showed significant anti-HBV activities on inhibiting secretion of HBeAg (IC50 (2b-3) = 49.39 ± 12.78 μM, SI (2b-3) = 11.03; IC50 (2b-1) = 96.64 ± 28.99 μM, SI (2b-1) = 10.35) compared to the Entecavir (IC50 = 161.24 μM, SI = 3.72). Molecular docking studies showed that most of these compounds interacted with protein residues of heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) in host hepatocyte and bile acid receptor.


In this paper, a novel approach for controlling complex networks is proposed; it applies sliding-mode pinning control for a complex network to achieve trajectory tracking. This control strategy does not require the network to have the same coupling strength on all edges; and for pinned nodes, the ones with the highest degree are selected. The illustrative example is composed of a network of 50 nodes; each node dynamics is a Chen chaotic attractor. Two cases are presented. For the first case the whole network tracks a reference for each one of the states; afterwards, the second case uses the backstepping technique to track a desired trajectory for only one state. Tracking performance and dynamical behavior of the controlled network are illustrated via simulations.


The understanding of the performance and design of national networks with rerouting is now well advanced. In particular, simple and robust dynamic routing strategies, and sympathetic dimensioning procedures, have been developed. However, the extension of this understanding to international networks requires consideration of a number of new issues. An important example concerns the partitioning of benefits. Joint action will lead to a surplus of benefits over costs, relative to the present arrangements. How should these benefits be divided between carriers? In this paper we consider which divisions are likely to be stable against competing (and overlapping) coalitions. In particular we investigate coalitions comprising 3,4 and 5 members selected from a set of 6 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Japan UK and the USA. The theoretical tools we use are multi-commodity flow theory and the theory of ga~es.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the costs of open and closed surgical exposure and subsequent orthodontic treatment for the correction of palatally displaced canines (PDCs).

TRIAL DESIGN
A multicentre, two-arm parallel group randomized controlled trial.

METHODS
One hundred twenty adolescents between 9 and 16 years of age, from three orthodontic specialist centres, were randomized to one of the two surgical exposure interventions. The randomization was conducted according to a two-arm parallel group 1:1 allocation ratio, using computerized lists with block randomization. In both the surgical techniques, whole mucoperiosteal flaps were raised, and bone covering the PDCs was removed. In the open technique, glass ionomer was built up on the PDC crown - reaching above the mucosa through a hole punched in the flap - to allow the canine to erupt autonomously. After eruption, the canine was orthodontically moved above the mucosa. In the closed technique, an eyelet was bonded onto the PDC, the flap was repositioned and the canine was orthodontically moved beyond the mucosa. The trial ended when the PDC was successfully aligned in the dental arch.Cost analysis was performed including costs for surgery, orthodontic treatment, emergency visits, and material, as well as costs for transports and time spent in connection with every appointment.

BLINDING
Patients and caregivers could not be blinded due to obvious limitations of the clinical setting, while outcome assessors and data analysts were blinded.

RESULTS
A cost-minimization analysis was performed since both exposure groups succeeded equally well in terms of treatment effects. The two different surgical exposures and following orthodontic treatments did not differ significantly in terms of costs.

GENERALIZABILITY AND LIMITATIONS
Costs are estimated in the Swedish setting, which needs to be considered if applying the results in other settings. Calculations of total cost do not include finishing, debonding, retention, and follow-up.

CONCLUSION
There is no significant difference in costs between closed and open surgical exposure with following orthodontic treatments in PDCs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02186548.


Abstract This volume results from a conference intended to assess the exploration and exploitation primarily of onshore fold–thrust belts. These are commonly perceived as 'difficult' places to explore and therefore are often avoided by companies. However, fold–thrust belts host large oil and gas fields and barriers to effective exploration mean that substantial resources may remain. This volume shows how evaluation techniques have developed over time. It is possible in certain circumstances to achieve good 3D seismic data. Structural restoration techniques have moved into the 3D domain and simple thermal constraints can be enhanced by using more sophisticated palaeo-thermal indicators to more accurately model burial and uplift evolution of source and reservoirs. Awareness of the influence of pre-thrust structure and stratigraphy and of hybrid thick and thin-skinned deformation styles is supplementing the simplistic thin-skinned fault-bend and fault propagation models employed in earlier exploration. The 'learning curve' in fold–thrust belt exploration has not been steep and further improvement seems likely to be a slow, expensive and iterative process with information from outcrop, well penetration and slowly improving seismic data. Industry and academia need together to develop and continually improve the necessary understanding of subsurface geometries, reservoir and charge evolution and timing.


Geographically, the North Cowden field is on the transition between the Llano Estacado on the north and the Edwards Plateau on the south. Geologically, it is on the eastern margin of the Central Basin platform. The presence of a structure was indicated by subsurface data, and the discovery well was completed by the Southern Crude Oil Purchasing Company in September, 1930. The producing structure is an anticline 7½ miles long, with about 100 feet of closure indicated by present control. Oil is obtained from sands and limestone of lower Whitehorse age, and production is most prolific on the east, or basinward, flank of the structure--a condition due, at least in part, to the thickening of sands basinward from the crest. The first pay is reached at an average depth of 4 027 feet, and the average amount of pay section penetrated is 89 feet. A gas cap exists in the first pay zone on the higher parts of the structure. Progressive folding during Whitehorse and upper Castile time moved the axis of the structure basinward. Post-Rustler movement shifted it about 1¼ miles west to its present position. The present productive area of the field includes 9,760 acres. The Cowden anhydrite is defined in this paper. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1712------------


ABSTRACT In this study, we proposed Cu-doped TiO2, prepared by the alkaline and heat treatment of titanium (Ti) metal, for use in dental applications because of its bone-bonding and antibacterial properties generated by the release of Cu ions and visible-light-responsive photocatalysis. We successfully prepared Cu-doped TiO2 on a Ti chip surface with a Cu content of 7 at.%. The apatite-forming ability of the Cu-doped TiO2 was evaluated using a simulated body fluid and it was found that apatite formation occurred. Hence, we concluded that Cu-doped TiO2 exhibits bone-bonding properties. The antibacterial properties of Cu-doped TiO2 for Escherichia coli were higher than those of non-doped TiO2 under visible light irradiation. The enhanced antibacterial effect was mainly caused by the visible-light-responsive photocatalysis of Cu-doped TiO2. We confirmed that the reactive oxygen species generated by the visible-light-responsive photocatalysis of Cu-doped TiO2 were hydroxyl radicals formed by the reaction of hydroxide ions (OH−) and holes (h+). Our findings are useful for the development of novel bioactive TiO2-based coatings and bulk materials with antibacterial properties by Cu doping.


The adaptive detection of point-like targets in the presence of multipath is considered in this article. Target return signal is modeled as the sum of direct path return and reflected path return signals under the assumption of a zero-mean complex circular Gaussian noise with an unknown covariance matrix. A new approach to exploit multipath returns in target detection with an adaptive regime is studied. The novelty of this approach is that the multipath returns are exploited with a priori knowledge of the reflecting environment, so that we have the knowledge of the reflected steering vector for a known actual direct path steering vector. As a case study, we analyze a radar-target scenario over a flat conducting surface.


BACKGROUND. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with an aggressive phenotype and decreased survival. TNBC is characterized by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) which predict for a better prognosis and likely reflect immune recognition of tumor-associated antigens by TIL. However, potent immune suppressive signals exist in the tumor microenvironment such as those mediated by PD-1 with its ligand, PD-L1. Therefore, to test the validity of decreasing PD-1/PD-L1-mediated immune suppression, a Phase Ib study of single-agent pembrolizumab in 32 patients with advanced TNBC showed a partial response of 16.1% and stable disease of 9.7%, thereby attesting to the effectiveness of single-agent pembrolizumab in these patients. Other studies have demonstrated that cytotoxic chemotherapy favorably modulates immunity against cancer and there is therefore a strong rationale to combine chemotherapy with an immune modulator such as pembrolizumab for the treatment of mTNBC. TRIAL DESIGN. This is an investigator-initiated, industry-sponsored (Merck) pilot study of carboplatin (C), nab-paclitaxel (N) and pembrolizumab (P) in 30 patients with metastatic (m) TNBC. Eligible patients will receive 3 cycles of CNP, with each cycle consisting of C (AUC 6 on days 1 of a 21-day cycle), N (100 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 21-day cycle), and P (200 mg IV on day 15 of each cycle). After completion of 3 cycles CNP, patients with responding or stable disease by RECIST 1.1 criteria will be eligible for additional cycle(s) of CNP. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. Patients must have radiologically measurable mTNBC, an ECOG performance status of 0-1, must not have received more than 2 prior therapies for this disease, and must be willing to undergo a preliminary biopsy of a metastatic focus for research purposes. A second post-treatment biopsy will be encouraged but will not be mandated. SPECIFIC AIMS. The primary objective is to determine overall response rate (ORR) in patients treated with CNP. The secondary objectives are to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and safety/tolerability of CNP. Correlative objectives include the identification of pathologic and genomic correlates of response to CNP. STATISTICAL METHODS. Clinical response will be scored using RECIST 1.1 criteria. Under the proposed treatment, the expected clinical response is about 35%. With the precision of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval for the response rate set to 0.17 (the distance to the expected response rate of 35%), the sample size required for the study is 30 patients. The true response rate of therapy will be estimated based on the number of responses using a binomial distribution and its confidence intervals will be estimated using Wilson9s method. The Kaplan-Meier method will be used to estimate PFS. Factors including pathologic and genomic correlates that predict survival outcomes will be identified by Cox model or extensions of the Cox model. TARGET ACCRUAL. We plan to enroll 30 patients over 2 years, with the first patient expected to be enrolled in September 2016. CONTACT INFORMATION. Joseph Baar, MD, PhD. Seidman Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Citation Format: Baar J, Abraham J, Silverman P, Budd GT, Vinayak S, Varadan V, Moore H, Montero A, Fu P. Pilot study of carboplatin, nab-paclitaxel and pembrolizumab for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (ongoing clinical trial) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT2-01-10.


Following Thomas Aquinas, Francisco de Vitoria's analysis of justice in exchanges takes place by commenting on the corresponding questions of the Summa Theologica. The identification of the just price with that of common estimation occurs under a sufficient concurrence of sellers and buyers. A high level of concurrence limits the ability to take advantage of the need on the other side of the market. This fact guaranties a full consent of the parties involved in trading. Under conditions of market power or when some authority fixes a legal price, just price should also be taken as a normative ideal.


The objective of this paper is to investigate problems associated with Rural Housing Standard Plans for the Elderly based on the current status of 12 houses belonging to elderly people (60's and over) living in rural areas and engaged in farming activities, and to suggest improvements. The methods employed were a field survey with interviews and literature review. The results are as follows. First, the Plans were deemed inappropriate to prevent the possible accidents in entrance area such as slippiness and falls because the eaves are not long enough. Second, the area of foyer and the volume of foyer storage in the Plans are not enough to accommodate the subject's behaviors and their rural life. Third, rather than using the sink, many subjects preferred to wash simply in the shower while sitting, so the planning of a bathroom can't meet the subject's needs and behaviors. Fourth, the subjects prefer L + DK to LDK but the Plans were designed in the manner of LDK only. Fifth, the subjects have needs for bathrooms belong to the master bedrooms, but only one case of Plans satisfied their needs. Six, bedrooms with the exception of the master bedroom are used as storage in order to make up for a lack of storage space, but many storage space such as dressing rooms and pantries was not taken into consideration in the Plans. Lastly, the planning of storehouses does not meet the subjects' using behaviors for storehouses desirable


There are a number of cases in the theories of queues and dams where the limiting distribution of the pertinent processes is geometric with a modified initial term — herein called zero-modified geometric (ZMG). The paper gives a unified treatment of the various cases considered hitherto and some others by using a duality relation between random walks with impenetrable and with absorbing barriers, and deriving the probabilities of absorption by using Waldian identities. Thus the method enables us to distinguish between those cases where the limiting distribution would be ZMG and those where it would not.


Mobilization of scientific and indigenous knowledge in support of sustainable agriculture has been identified as a vital activity that faces numerous challenges today, yet constraints and limitations on traditional agricultural extension methods as well as high costs of information provision have been cited as barriers to improving the livelihood of farmers in developing countries, particularly those residing in the lowest socioeconomic category known as 'base of the pyramid'. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have long been regarded as forces for positive change in agriculture and rural development despite a track record of modest success with many initiatives. This paper describes the approach and initial results of an ongoing initiative involving researchers from Sri Lanka and Canada to create a community-university partnership intended to establish local capacity for inclusive innovation using low cost ICTs that can support knowledge mobilization within agricultural communities of practice. Initial results of the project point toward 'technology stewardship' as a promising approach for building capacity for local innovation through a community-university research partnership.


Flux ropes are a proposed site for particle energization during magnetic reconnection, with several mechanisms proposed. Here, Magnetospheric Multiscale mission observations of magnetic mirror structures on the edge of two ion‐scale magnetopause flux ropes are presented. Donut‐shaped features in the electron pitch angle distributions provide evidence for electron trapping in the structures. Furthermore, both events show trapping with extended 3D structure along the body of the flux rope. Potential formation mechanisms, such as the magnetic mirror instability, are examined and the evolutionary states of the structures are compared. Pressure and force analysis suggest that such structures could provide an important electron acceleration mechanism for magnetopause flux ropes, and for magnetic reconnection more generally.


Background: Intestinal obstruction (IO) is the failure of propagation of intestinal contents, and may be due to a mechanical or functional pathology. Objective: The aim of this study was to find out the factors, causes, management, and complications associated with IO among adults at KeysaneyHospital. Materials and Methods: A three-year hospital based cross-sectional study was carried out between January 1 st , 2014 and December 31 st , 2016 with use of the data collected from 180 patients' medical files including demographics, duration of the disease process, year of admission, hospital stay, causes of IO, operative findings, management, outcomes and complications. Results: In the study group, 148 (82.2%) patients were men, whereas 32 (17.8%) were women, and among all admitted patients, 88 (48.8%) patients lived in Mogadishu. The peak age was between 21-40 years, with a second peak age among elderly patients between 51-70 years. A majority of the patients of 73% presented within more than a week of illness, while 67 (37.2%) patients were discharged within the first week, 47 (26.1%) were discharged within the second week, and 66 (36.6%) stayed in the hospital for more than two weeks. Mechanical obstruction accounted for 142 (78.9%) of all cases. Mechanical small bowel obstruction (SBO) was the most common type with a rate of 61.1%, followed by mechanical large bowel obstruction (LBO) with a rate of 15.6%, while mechanical SBO/LBO was found in 2.2% as compounds of volvulus. Paralytic ileus was found in 9.4% of the cases. The type of obstruction could not be determined in 11.6% of the cases. Overall, adhesions and bands (36.7%) were the most common cause of obstruction followed by strangulated hernias (16.7%) and volvulus (12.7%). Tuberculosis peritonitis (7.8%) was the most common cause of paralytic ileus. Nonoperative management was carried out in 94 (60%) patients while the remaining 64 (40%) cases underwent surgery. Common post-operative complications were wound infection (3.3%) and peritonitis (2.8%). Other rare post-operative complications included wound dehiscence and organ failure. Conclusions: Several factors contribute to either the cause, or the management of IOs. Some of these determinants may include the time since the onset of illness because of late presentation due to lack of health facilities, lack of health awareness, ignorance and poverty. Poor clinical judgment and lack of management guidelines are also the negative factors leading to poor prognosis in these patients. International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 01 No. 02 July'17. Page : 70-78


Dr. Jack Wittenberg: This was the first hospital admission of a 30-year-old man who complained of abdominal pain of 36 hours' duration. The pain began with a chilly sensation associated with diffuse abdominal discomfort which steadily increased. He had diarrhea for which he took kaolin mixture with pectin (Kaopectate) with minimal relief. On the morning of admission he awoke with increasing pain and was anorectic. By the time he came into the emergency ward, the pain was severe and steady, and had localized to the right of the umbilicus, and radiated into the right flank. On physical examination, the patient's temperature was 102 F (38.9 C) and his pulse rate was 104 beats per minute. There was muscle spasm in the mid and upper abdomen on the right, with localized abdominal tenderness and rebound tenderness lateral to the umbilicus. Bowel sounds were normal, and no masses were felt. Laboratory examination


In this paper we consider the estimation of the frequency of a complex exponential in noise. This problem is of prime significance in many signal processing applications. In particular, we focus on robust low computational complexity estimators that rely on the highly efficient FFT algorithm. We generalise a number of interpolators to the zero-padded case and derive both their interpolation expressions and theoretical performance under any amount of zero padding. We also propose a hybrid algorithm that combines the interpolators with the maximisation of a non-linear function of the residual to implement the fine search. Simulation results confirm the improved performance of the proposed algorithms. The hybrid algorithm is found to have a lower estimation variance that is extremely close to the Cramer-Rao bound, while the zero-padded estimators have a lower SNR threshold.