Teachers' academic self-concept is considered an important factor influencing their professional competence. Regarding primary science education, positive science (teaching) related self-concepts might encourage teachers to plan and teach 'minds on' experiment-based science lessons leading to deep learning processes. However, research on pre- and in-service primary teachers' self-concepts and influencing factors, such as previous experimental experience, is scarce. Thus, this study investigates the impact of an experiment-based intervention on pre-service primary school teachers' experiment-related self-concept and self-concepts on planning and teaching experiment-based lessons. The evaluation followed a quasi-experimental, longitudinal (pre-post) design with an experimental group of N = 158 pre-service primary teachers and a baseline group (N = 44), not attending the course. According to the results, pre-service teachers gained little to moderate experimental experience in school and studying at university. Besides, the pre-service teachers with a science major gained significantly more experimental experience than those with other majors during their time at the university. Significant, positive correlations were found between previous experimental experiences and the self-concepts examined in this study. While self-concepts did not change in the baseline group, they increased significantly in the experimental group. One reason for this could be the perception of competence, as the findings reveal positive correlations between changes in self-concepts and perceived experimental competence during the intervention. Regarding the impact of the variable 'course format' on reinforcing the self-concepts, participants of the intensive block format seem to have a slight advantage compared to pre-service teachers attending the traditional, weekly course format. Furthermore, the results indicate that the course is equally beneficial for pre-service teachers with and without a science major.


High Performance Computing.- Multiple Stream Prediction.- Enhanced Loop Coalescing: A Compiler Technique for Transforming Non-uniform Iteration Spaces.- Folding Active List for High Performance and Low Power.- Reducing Misspeculation Penalty in Trace-Level Speculative Multithreaded Architectures.- Exploiting Execution Locality with a Decoupled Kilo-Instruction Processor.- Decoupled State-Execute Architecture.- A Scalable Methodology for Computing Fault-Free Paths in InfiniBand Torus Networks.- Using a Way Cache to Improve Performance of Set-Associative Caches.- Design of Fast Collective Communication Functions on Clustered Workstations with Ethernet and Myrinet.- Dynamic Load Balancing in MPI Jobs.- Workload Characterization of Stateful Networking Applications.- Using Recursion to Boost ATLAS's Performance.- Towards Generic Solver of Combinatorial Optimization Problems with Autonomous Agents in P2P Networks.- New Evaluation Index of Incomplete Cholesky Preconditioning Effect.- T-Map: A Topological Approach to Visual Exploration of Time-Varying Volume Data.- Cross-Line - A Globally Adaptive Control Method of Interconnection Network.- The Bandwidth Expansion Effectiveness of Cache Levels Block Prefetch.- Implementation and Evaluation of the Mechanisms for Low Latency Communication on DIMMnet-2.- Computationally Efficient Parallel Matrix-Matrix Multiplication on the Torus.- A New Dynamic Load Balancing Technique for Parallel Modified PrefixSpan with Distributed Worker Paradigm and Its Performance Evaluation.- Performance-Based Loop Scheduling on Grid Environments.- Reconfigurable Middleware for Grid Environment.- : An Enhanced Stream-Based Communication Mechanism.- Performance of Coupled Parallel Finite Element Analysis in Grid Computing Environment.- Photo-Realistic Visualization for the Blast Wave of TNT Explosion by Grid-Based Rendering.- Development of an Interactive Visual Data Mining System for Atmospheric Science.- A Calculus Effectively Performing Event Formation with Visualization.- A Similarity Evaluation Method for Volume Data Sets by Using Critical Point Graph.- Hybrid Parallelization and Flat Parallelization in HPF (High Performance Fortran).- Mapping Normalization Technique on the HPF Compiler fhpf.- Development of Electromagnetic Particle Simulation Code in an Open System.- Development of Three-Dimensional Neoclassical Transport Simulation Code with High Performance Fortran on a Vector-Parallel Computer.- Distributed Parallelization of Exact Charge Conservative Particle Simulation Code by High Performance Fortran.- Pipelined Parallelization in HPF Programs on the Earth Simulator.- Sampling of Protein Conformations with Computers to Predict the Native Structure.- Spacecraft Plasma Environment Analysis Via Large Scale 3D Plasma Particle Simulation.- PetaFLOPS Computing and Computational Nanotechnology on Industrial Issues.- 16.14 TFLOPS Eigenvalue Solver on the Earth Simulator: Exact Diagonalization for Ultra Largescale Hamiltonian Matrix.- Numerical Simulation of Combustion Dynamics at ISTA/JAXA.- Realization of a Computer Simulation Environment Based on ITBL and a Large Scale GW Calculation Performed on This Platform.- Computations of Global Seismic Wave Propagation in Three Dimensional Earth Model.- Lattice QCD Simulations as an HPC Challenge.- Energy-Efficient Embedded System Design at 90nm and Below - A System-Level Perspective -.- Empirical Study for Optimization of Power-Performance with On-Chip Memory.- Performance Evaluation of Compiler Controlled Power Saving Scheme.- Program Phase Detection Based Dynamic Control Mechanisms for Pipeline Stage Unification Adoption.- Reducing Energy in Instruction Caches by Using Multiple Line Buffers with Prediction.


Background Interstitial lung disease (ILD) affects 30–70% of patients with Polymyositis (PM) and Dermatomyositis (DM) and is one of the major contributors of morbidity and mortality. Objectives To study the efficacy and the safety of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCYC) according to the Euro-Lupus nephritis protocol for ILD in PM/DM patients. Methods Twelve patients with PM/DM (mean age 54± SD 8), who received, 500 mg IVCYC every other week, up to 12 times, according to the treating physician, as first line treatment, were retrospectively studied. Six patients had anti-Jo1, 4 anti-PL7, 1 anti-PL12, and 1 anti-MDA5 auto-antibodies. The median (IQR) disease duration before IVCYC was 4 (10,8) months. High doses of prednisolone were given for the first month and then gradually tapered. Response to treatment after a median (IQR) follow-up of 5 (2,8) months was based on pulmonary function tests (PFT) and HRCT). The extent of pure ground-glass opacity (pGGO), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), honeycomb cysts (HCs) and emphysema was scored (0=0%, 1=1–5%, 2=6–15%, 3=16–20%, 4=21–25%, 5=26–50%, 6=51–75%, 7= >75%) in the upper, middle and lower lung zones before and after therapy. The total score for each finding was calculated as the sum of the scores of the 3 zones (1). Results The mean IVCYC total amount was 4.75 ± SD 1.4 gr. Before IVCYC, the median (IQR) values of forced vital capacity (FVC)%, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)%, vital capacity (VC)%, total lung capacity (TLC)% and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO)% were 67 (26), 60 (14), 63 (11), 63 (12) and 57 (25), respectively. After therapy, the median (IQR) values became 74 (29), 80 (18), 80 (24), 77 (19) and 68 (27), respectively. The difference between baseline and follow-up TLC%, FVC% (fig.1) and VC% median values was statistically significant (p<0,05). FVC% and TLC% improved >10% in 6 and 5 patients, respectively; DLCO% improved >15% in 3 patients. Before IVCYC, the median (IQR) scores of pGGO and PF were 12,5 (9) and 12 (7), respectively. After IVCYC, they decreased (7 (6) and 9 (12), respectively). In the group of anti-Jo-1 positive patients, the difference was close to the statistically significant (from 13,5 (10) to 7,5 (15), p=0,06 and from 9,5 (10) to 4,5 (16), p=0,07, respectively). The median (IQR) pGCO scores of anti-Jo-1 negative patients improved (from 11,5 (11) to 8,50 (17)), while the median (IQR) PF scores were unchanged (from 13,5 (4) to 14 (10)). At baseline and follow up, the median scores of HCs and emphysema were 0. No statistically significant correlations were found between PFT values and HRCT scores. The difference of PF extent was negatively correlated with the disease duration before the first IVCYC (r=-0,56, p=0,056, fig 1). No adverse events or drug toxicity were observed. Conclusions After IVCYC according to the Euro-Lupus nephritis protocol PFT and HRCT findings improved in PM/DM patients with ILD without any adverse events or drug toxicity. Longitudinal controlled studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and the safety of this treatment protocol. References Goldin JG, et al.High-resolution CT scan findings in patients with symptomatic scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease.Chest. 2008 Aug;134(2):358–67. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Partial discharges are symptomatic of many degradation phenomena in power cables and can cause further deterioration of the insulation in many cases. The partial discharges may be detected by using online and offline techniques. However, offline techniques have a significant disadvantage in that they require the cables to be taken out of circuit. Hence, electricity supply companies prefer the use of online techniques. The downside is that online techniques have their own disadvantages e.g. interference, ambiguity of partial discharge location, and sensor optimisation difficulties. The paper provides an overview of the current state of the art in partial discharge detection and location and also suggests how some of the disadvantages of online detection and location might be overcome.


Sea surface salinity (SSS) is an important variable in the global ocean circulation. However, decadal to interdecadal changes in SSS are not well understood due to the lack of instrumental data. Here we reconstruct SSS from a paired, bimonthly resolved coral δ18O and Sr/Ca record from La Reunion Island that extends from 1913 to 1995. Coral Sr/Ca correlates with regional sea surface temperature (SST) back to 1966, when instrumental coverage is good, while coral δ18O does not. The slope of the monthly (annual mean) coral Sr/Ca‐SST regression is −0.040 mmol/mol per 1 °C (−0.068 mmol/mol per 1 °C) consistent with published estimates of the Sr/Ca‐SST relationship. Coral Sr/Ca suggest a warming of 0.39 °C since 1913. δ18O seawater is calculated by subtracting the temperature component from measured coral δ18O, using coral Sr/Ca as well as historical SST products. The derived δ18O seawater reconstructions are correlated (r > 0.6), and all show a significant shift in the midtwentieth century (−0.17‰ to −0.19‰), indicating a freshening of SSS by 0.7 psu. However, the timing of this shift depends on the temperature component and varies from 1947 (δ18O seawater calculated with historical SST) to the late 1950s (δ18O seawater calculated with coral Sr/Ca). Coral Sr/Ca shows warm temperature anomalies in the mid‐1950s, while historical SST products show warm anomalies from 1940 to 1945 followed by cooling in the 1950s, a pattern typical for the World War II bias. This suggests that historical SST may bias reconstructions of δ18O seawater and SSS from corals.


To investigate the long-term outcome in patients with syringomyelia associated with Chiari malformation (chronic tonsilar herniation), we investigated the actual factors of the patient's problems by a questionnaire for the patient. Replies to the questionnaires were obtained from 44 patients with syringomyelia who had been treated with expansive suboccipital cranioplasty with dural plasty (with plugging of the central canal in 20 patients). In 25 cases (68%) in whom the motor dysfunction of the upper extremities remained, the symptoms improved in 16 cases (43%) and were unchanged in 9 cases (24%). In 18 cases (64%) in whom the motor dysfunction of the lower extremities remained, the symptoms improved in 10 cases (36%) and were unchanged in 8 cases (29%). In 31 cases (78%) in whom the sensory disturbance remained, the symptoms improved in 19 cases (48%) and were unchanged in 12 cases (30%). The motor dysfunction of the upper extremities persisted significantly in more patients having a duration of illness over 2 years than in patients with those less than 2 years. Sensory disturbance persisted significantly in more patients with a duration of illness over 3 years than in patients with that less than 3 years. These results suggest that firstly, sensory disturbance (disturbance of the posterior horn) is most apt to remain, then motor dysfunction of the upper extremities (disturbance of the anterior horn) and followed by motor dysfunction of the lower extremities (disturbance of the pyramidal tract). We conclude that patients should be treated before having irreversible spinal cord disturbance.


The precise mechanisms initiating and perpetuating the cellular degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain unclear. There is decreased expression of the main brain gangliosides, and GM1 ganglioside in particular, in the PD brain along with decreased expression of the genes coding for the glycosyltranferase and the sialyltransferase responsible for the synthesis of these brain gangliosides. However, potentially important pathogenic mechanisms contributing to the neurodegeneration in PD may also include altered levels of expression of genes involved in glycosylation, sialylation and sphingolipid synthesis and metabolism. Although various studies have described pathological lipid and glycolipid changes in PD brain, there have been limited studies of expression of glycobiology-related genes in PD brain. The current study was performed as an initial attempt to gain new information regarding potential changes in glycoprotein and glycolipid-related genes in PD by investigating the gene expression status for select glycosyltransferases, sialyltransferases, sialidases, sphingosine kinases, and lysosomal enzymes in the substantia nigra and putamen from patients with PD and neurologically normal controls. Results showed altered expression of glycosyltransferase genes (B3GALT2 and B4GALT1) potentially involved in microglial activation and neuroinflammation, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) modulators (SPHK1, SPHK2, and SGPL1) involved in sphingolipid synthesis and metabolism, polysialyltransferase genes (ST8SIA2 and ST8SIA4) that encode enzymes responsible for polysialic acid (polySia) biosynthesis, and the sialidase NEU4, expression of which has been linked to the clearance of storage materials from lysosomes. The data presented here underscore the complexity of the glycolipid/sphingolipid dysregulation in the PD brain and continued and expanded study of these processes may not only provide a greater understanding of the complex roles of aberrant glycosylation sialylation, and sphingolipid synthesis/metabolism in the pathophysiology of PD but may identify potential druggable targets for PD therapeutics.


It is well accepted that pregnancy establishes microchimerism. Lately, transmaternal passage of cells from elder siblings has been suggested as possible source of non-fetal microchimerism in nulliparous women. Recently, we identified both non-maternal microchimerism and minor H antigen specific cellular immune responses against these microchimeric cells in umbilical cord blood. The identification of the latter microchimeric cells from birth onwards explains the high incidence of microchimerism in healthy people and in people with different diseases. The circulating microchimeric cells of different origin can induce a wealth of antigen specific responses. Thus, nobody is born naïve: we are all microchimeras.


The main factors which influenced the concrete flexural strength and compressive strength were investigated by using orthogonal test method.Based on the orthogonal test results the influence of stone dust content on cementitious hydration properties,concrete flexural strength and abrasion resistance were studied,the results showed that the maximal heat release rate and its corresponding time decreased with increasing the stone dust content in cementitious.The compressive strength and abrasion resistance increased first and then decreased with increasing the stone dust content in manufactured sand,it reached the maximal value when the stone dust content was 10%.In the ranges of 3%~13%,the concrete compressive strength and abrasion resistance which using manufactured sand were higher than that using river sand.


In any wastewater treatment plant large amount of sludge generation is major issue. The final disposal of the sludge cost almost 60% of total operational cost of treatment plant. In addition to this, it is necessary to meet today's stringent pollution control norms, thus finding methods to minimize excess of sludge is of growing interest. The paper mainly focuses on sludge reduction based on cell lysis cryptic growth method using ozonation for both in wastewater line and sludge line.


This study aimed to examine the inner psychological characteristics of cult members, provide a basis for the implementation of psychological counseling. 63 cult members and 69 ordinary people were assessed with the Self-Consistency and Congruence Scale (SCCS), the Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Self-rated Health Measurement Scale (SRHMS).  Cult members scored significantly lower than the control group in the total score of the interpersonal trust, self-flexibility dimension and self-rated health. (t=-3.67,p<0.01;t=-2.34,p<0.05; t=-4.66,p<0.01); cult members scored significantly lower on each dimension of self-rated health than the control group (t= 3.22, p< 0.01;t= 4.18, p< 0.01; t= 3.49, p< 0.01;t = 4.66, p< 0.01); cult members scored significantly higher than the control group in the total score of the self and experience disharmony dimension and the trait anxiety level (t=2.11,p<0.05;t=5.67,p<0.01); cult members' self-consistency and congruence has negative correlation with mental health (r=-0.372,p<0.05); trait anxiety and mental health have a negative correlation relationship (r=-0.557,p<0.01); the main factors influencing cult members' mental health were self and experience disharmony and trait anxiety, with two factors explaining 22.3% of the mental health. Cult members were reported to have lower interpersonal trust, lower self-consistency and congruence, lower health level and higher trait anxiety (the so-called "three-low-and-one-high" symptoms). We can use the solution-focused brief therapy to implement mental counseling, which has an emphasis on problem-solving without an entanglement of the causes, and on promotion of cult members' changes in a positive attitude.

 Key words: Cult members, "three-low-and-one-high" symptoms, solution-focused brief therapy.


Brain activation through computer training of attention and executive function could stimulate brain plasticity in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Aim: The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a computer based training on visual spatial abilities, visual attention, executive function and visual memory, in MCI patients. Method: The participants were 59 MCI patients, age 68.08 (7.25), education 9.17 (3.93), and MMSE 27.73 (1.35), classified in one experimental (N=30) and one control group (N=29). The groups were matched in age (p= 0.60), education (p= 0.06), drugs (0.51) and gender (p= 0.52). The experimental group attended 20 weekly sessions in a period of 6 months, including tasks of visual attention, visual spatial abilities, visual memory, and executive function. The control group did not participate in any type of intervention and was in a waiting list. Neuropsychological assessment was performed at baseline and at the end of the training. Results: At baseline, there were no between groups differences in cognitive abilities. At the end of the training, between groups comparison yielded differences in favor of the experimental group in attention (p≤ 0.00), verbal fluency (p= 0.00), visual memory (p= 0.01), verbal memory (p=0.00) and learning through feedback (p=0.00). Within group analysis of the experimental group's performance has shown improvement in attention (p=0.00) and daily function (p=0.00). Controls have shown an improvement in perseverant responses and cognitive flexibility (p≤0.00) and naming (p=0.02), and deterioration in abilities of attention (p≤0.00). Conclusion: Computer cognitive training helped the experimental group to improve attention abilities and the improvement was generalized in verbal memory and in ADL as well.


This preliminary report summarizes the results of recent studies of the carabid beetles belonging to the genus Taehys in Galápagos. In addition to the two species previously known to occur in the islands,


ABSTRACT

The typical features of asymmetric flow in supersonic ducts and Coanda effect which attaches a jet to an adjacent solid surface are summarized. Based on these similar features and six typical flow patterns in nozzles, the Coanda effect is employed to analyze the asymmetric SBLI (Shock/Boundary Layer Interactions) qualitatively and allows to give a preliminarily reasonable explanation. The evolution roadmap of flow pattern in 2-D ramp and axisymmetric nozzles is summed up. The results show that the entrainment of mainstream shear layer on separation flow caused by SBLI should be the predominant reason for flow asymmetry, which is the manifestation of Coanda effect in confined SBLI. Flow asymmetry will disappear when the Coanda effect breaks down due to strong SBLI causing large separations. When asymmetric SBLI appears, two flow patterns are possible: one has Restricted Shock Separation (RSS) on both sides; the other one has RSS on one side and Free Shock Separation (FSS) on the other side. Asymmetry flipping in nozzle flow experiments from one run to the next is a result of randomicity of the Coanda effect. The flow pattern with RSS on both sides and high confinement level maybe a probable cause for asymmetry flipping unsteadiness in one test run.


Abstract Objectives Financial constraint is the underpinning determinant of household food insecurity; however, there has been little research examining the impact that increasing the 'money available' to food-insecure households could have on food purchasing. The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of additional money (in the form of supermarket vouchers) on food expenditure in food-insecure households with children. Design A parallel randomized controlled trial with a 4-week baseline phase followed by a 4-week intervention phase. Households were randomized to either receive vouchers (coupons) for 4 weeks or a control group that did not receive any vouchers. Setting Dunedin, New Zealand. Subjects Low-income households with children (≤18 years) reporting food insecurity (n 214). Results The mean monetary value of the vouchers received by households was $NZ 17·00 per week. The voucher group spent $NZ 15·20 (95 % CI 1·46, 28·94) more per week on food during the intervention phase compared with the control group (P = 0·030). There were no differences in expenditure between the voucher and the control group for the food groups 'fruit and vegetables' (mean difference: $NZ 0·46; 95 % CI −1·97, 2·89; P = 0·709), 'meat and poultry' (mean difference: $NZ 0·29; 95 % CI −3·07, 3·64; P = 0·866) and 'dairy' (mean difference: $NZ 0·82; 95 % CI −0·75, 2·42; P = 0·302). Conclusions Providing money via supermarket vouchers to food-insecure households resulted in an increase in overall expenditure on food.


Metabolomics proposes to unveil the molecular machinery involved in each specific disease by the comprehensive analysis of low-molecular-weight metabolites in a biological sample. This narrative mini-review analyzes previous studies applying ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based metabolomics to highlight different metabolic pathways involved in male hypogonadism and testosterone replacement therapy, both in the case of insulin-sensitive patients with primary hypogonadism and in the case of insulin-resistant patients with functional hypogonadism. In functional hypogonadism, metabolomics revealed that different biochemical pathways are affected. In detail, glycolysis is the most important biochemical process involved in these patients. Glucose metabolism is fueled by amino acid degradation, and gluconeogenesis is widely stimulated. Some important pathways, including glycerol, are compromised. Furthermore, mitochondrial electron transport is influenced, namely, by a decrease in ATP production. On the contrary, beta-oxidation of short- and medium-chain fatty acids does not represent an energy source in hypogonadal patients. Both lactate and acetyl-CoA are converted into ketone bodies, which increased immensely. However, carnosine and β-alanine are greatly reduced. These metabolic changes are associated with increased fatigue and mental confusion. After testosterone replacement therapy, a complete restoration is achieved for only a part of the metabolites. It is of note that only in patients with functional hypogonadism treated with testosterone are ketone bodies produced at high levels, so the symptoms sometimes reported by these patients after the beginning of the therapy (difficulty in concentrating, depressed mood, brain fog, and memory impairment) might represent a specific "keto flu-like" syndrome, related to the metabolic ketonic state.


People reminisce to entertain themselves, to connect with others, and to increase self-awareness. Photographs have proven a great resource to support reminiscing. However, with a move towards digital capture and storage, people have more photos that end up undervalued and underused. This thesis explores how interaction design can support reminiscing in everyday life, in particular through the use of digital photos. We focus on serendipitous reminiscing: the casual recollection and reliving of past experiences, brought about by chance encounters with things that remind of one's past. These encounters are easily afforded to physical things but not to digital photos. Based on a diary study on involuntary reminiscing, a repertory grid study on remembering as experience, and two research-through-design studies on interactive photo displays, this thesis explores how people relate to memory cues in everyday life. We confirm that encounters with personal media and other things that remind one of one's past are welcome, and that the value of photo displays stems from making photos present in everyday life (rather than their interactive features). The findings contribute to design research by furthering the understanding of remembering as experience and the development of several novel concepts that facilitate serendipitous reminiscing.


The story of the Sri Lankan Family Planning movement is told from its inception in 1953, prompted by a visit by Margaret Sanger 1952. The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka was founded with the health of women and children, and both contraception and infertility treatment as its policies. The first clinic, called the "Mothers Welfare Clinic," treated women for complications of multiparity: one woman was para 26 and had not menstruated in 33 years. The clinic distributed vaginal barriers, spermicides and condoms, but the initial continuation rate was 5% year. Sri Lanka joined the IPPF in 1954. In 1959, after training at the Worcester Foundation, and a personal visit by Pincus, the writer supervised distribution of oral contraceptives in a pilot project with 118 women for 2 years. Each pill user was seen by a physician, house surgeon, midwife, nurse and social worker. In 1958 Sweden funded family planning projects in a village and an estate that reduced the birth rate 10% in 2 years. The Sri Lankan government officially adopted a family planning policy in 1965, and renewed the bilateral agreement with Sweden for 3 years. In 1968 the government instituted an integrated family planning and maternal and child health program under its Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This was expanded in 1971 to form the Family Health Bureau, instrumental in lowering the maternal death rate from 2.4/1000 in 1965 to 0.4 in 1984. During this period IUDs, Depo Provera, Norplant, and both vasectomy and interval female sterilizations, both with 1 small incision under local anesthesia, and by laparoscopic sterilization were adopted. Remarkable results were being achieved in treating infertile copies, even from the beginning, often by merely counseling people on the proper timing of intercourse in the cycle, or offering artificial insemination of the husband's semen. Factors contributing to the success of the Sri Lankan planned parenthood program included 85% female literacy, training of health and NGO leaders, government participation, approval of religious leaders, rising age of marriage to 24 years currently, and access of all modern methods.


Diabetologists have been well aware since the seminal work of Himsworth (1) in the 1930s that type 2 (insulin resistant) and type 1 (insulin deficient) diabetes were distinct entities with different pathophysiological bases. They have been aware for some time that type 2 diabetes is associated with resistance of tissues such as muscle and liver to the biological effects of insulin. Furthermore, they knew that type 2 diabetes per se and insulin resistance could both predispose to an increased risk of premature coronary artery disease and particularly the premature occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI). By contrast, cardiologists came to embrace these concepts only slowly. It was not until approximately 1999 (2) that the major organizations that represented them consistently designated type 2 diabetes as a risk factor for coronary artery disease. It was against this backdrop that we and others sought to identify pathophysiological determinants that were both manifestations of type 2 diabetes and determinants of acceleration of coronary artery disease and precipitation of MI. Because type 2 diabetes is the predominant form, comprising more than 90% of patients with diabetes, and because its association with premature coronary artery disease is particularly well established, type 2 diabetes is the focus of this article and was the focus of the journey from the bench to the bedside that it addresses. Because we were graciously invited to describe our particular journey, we have emphasized references to our own work.

We and others have been interested in the fibrinolytic system in relation to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and precipitation of MI (3–5). Fibrinolysis in blood is mediated by activation of plasminogen activators, particularly tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), that can be elaborated from endothelial cells in association with intravascular thrombosis (Fig. 1). t-PA is a serine protease. When it is …


Mother-to-child-transmission of HIV-1 offers a unique setting in which maternal antibodies both within the mother and passively transferred to the infant are present at the time of viral exposure. Untreated HIV-exposed human infants are infected at a rate of 30 to 40%, meaning that some infants do not get infected despite continued exposure to virus. Since the potential of HIV-specific immune responses to provide protection against HIV is a central goal of HIV vaccine design, understanding the nature of maternal antibodies may provide insights into immune mechanisms of protection. In this study, we isolated and characterized HIV-specific antibodies from the mother of an infant whose transmitted virus has been well studied. ABSTRACT Infants of HIV-positive mothers can acquire HIV infection by various routes, but even in the absence of antiviral treatment, the majority of these infants do not become infected. There is evidence that maternal antibodies provide some protection from infection, but gestational maternal antibodies have not yet been characterized in detail. One of the most studied vertically infected infants is BG505, as the virus from this infant yielded an Envelope protein that was successfully developed as a stable trimer. Here, we isolated and characterized 39 HIV-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nAbs) from MG505, the mother of BG505, at a time point just prior to vertical transmission. These nAbs belonged to 21 clonal families and employed a variety of VH genes. Many were specific for the HIV-1 Env V3 loop, and this V3 specificity correlated with measurable antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. The isolated nAbs did not recapitulate the full breadth of heterologous or autologous virus neutralization by contemporaneous plasma. Notably, we found that the V3-targeting nAb families neutralized one particular maternal Env variant, even though all tested variants had low V3 sequence diversity and were measurably bound by these nAbs. None of the nAbs neutralized BG505 transmitted virus. Furthermore, the MG505 nAb families were found at relatively low frequencies within the maternal B cell repertoire; all were less than 0.25% of total IgG sequences. Our findings illustrate an example of the diversity of HIV-1 nAbs within one mother, cumulatively resulting in a collection of antibody specificities that can contribute to the transmission bottleneck. IMPORTANCE Mother-to-child-transmission of HIV-1 offers a unique setting in which maternal antibodies both within the mother and passively transferred to the infant are present at the time of viral exposure. Untreated HIV-exposed human infants are infected at a rate of 30 to 40%, meaning that some infants do not get infected despite continued exposure to virus. Since the potential of HIV-specific immune responses to provide protection against HIV is a central goal of HIV vaccine design, understanding the nature of maternal antibodies may provide insights into immune mechanisms of protection. In this study, we isolated and characterized HIV-specific antibodies from the mother of an infant whose transmitted virus has been well studied.


An immunochemistry analyser has been used in testing a series of specific proteins (complement components C3 and C4, properdin, factor B, immunoglobulins G, M and A, alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-acid protein and alpha 2-macroglobulin) in biological fluids of normal and diabetic women in third-trimester pregnancy. Significant abnormalities in the protein spectrum were found in diabetes mellitus, a marker to be used in monitoring of diabetic pregnancies and control of therapy.


This essay is about the political and hermeneutical ramifications of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which had such a devastating effect upon millions of people. The first section deals with how a national disaster like a tsunami becomes a vehicle for both decolonization and recolonization. In Dutch colonial Indonesia, an earlier tsunami became in the hands of nationalists an ideal gift to whip up anti-colonial sentiments. The current humanitarian reconstruction, with all its good intentions, lends itself to economic, cultural and spiritual neo-colonialism. The second section looks at how the biblical flood story was utilized for the justification of colonial projects such as the invasion of South America and also used as a benchmark to evaluate and judge other peoples' history and chronology, and how in the process the authenticity of the biblical account was established. The third section addresses the theological reactions of different faith communities, which tend either to blame an angry God for the misfortune, or attribute the disaster to the misbehavior of the people. The last section advances the idea that a possible place to look for an answer to the theological conundrum produced by the tsunami is in secular stories which, in contemporary society, act as surrogate sacred texts. The essay analyses two novels—Jose Saramago's The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, and Vicente Lenero's The Gospel of Lucas Gavilan, which shed new light on old stories and offer a complex picture of God.


Summary
The Amicon TCIR recycle system with Diaflo PM30 filters provided a rapid, simple and inexpensive method for the concentration of baboon endogenous virus from a large quantity of culture medium from chronically infected cells. The recovery of infectivity and virion RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity was substantially better than after the conventional concentration methods of ultra-centrifugation or precipitation with ammonium sulphate or polyethylene glycol 6000. The combination of ultrafiltration and Ficoll gradient centrifugation is recommended as a general procedure for the purification of fragile C-type viruses.


In large reservoirs, the water column alters in-situ stress state along an existing fault or fracture. The load of the water column is often so intense that it can significantly change the stress state leading to induced seismicity. Various empirical and calculative techniques are in place to predict the probable occurrence and magnitude of such seismic variations. This paper utilizes the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) approach for prediction of Magnitude (M) of reservoir induced earthquake. RVM is developed in probabilistic framework. It produces sparse solution. RVM uses two input parameters namely depth of the reservoir and the other being a comprehensive parameter representing reservoir geometry for prediction of M.


This paper studies the temperature control of gas-fired oven using PID controller. Oven control system has the characteristics of non-linearity, time delays and setpoint response. It is difficult to overcome the effects of these factors and get the satisfactory results without appropriately tuning of the PID controller gains required for stability and good transient performance. The Ziegler-Nichols closed loop, Good Gain and Skogestad's are the PID tuning methods implemented in this paper to control the output temperature of the gas-fired oven system. The PID tuning methods are compared, based on their rise time, maximum overshoot and settling time. The performance of Skogestad's tuning method at different temperature set point is superior to Ziegler-Nichols closed loop and Good Gain PID tuning method.


Under the background of rapid agricultural economic development, rural financial and accounting work is of great significance. From rural accounting management system, rural accountant allocation and rural accounting training, this paper analyzes current situations of rural accounting work in China. In rural financial and accounting work, there are following problems. (1) Accounting behavior is not standard, and basic accounting work is to be further strengthened; (2) Internal control is not perfect and implementation of supervision mechanism is formalized; (3) Few people manipulate accounting behavior and accounting information is not transparent. In view of these problems, it puts forward countermeasures for improving rural accounting work: (1) establishing perfect agricultural accounting system; (2) regulating fund management order; (3) promoting computerized agricultural financial and accounting work; (4) improving professional and comprehensive quality of rural accountants.


During a decade of operation of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT), thousands of blazars have been detected in the γ-ray band. However, there are still numbers of blazars that have not been detected in the γ-ray band. In this work, we focus on investigating why some flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) are undetected by Fermi-LAT. By cross-matching the Candidate Gamma-ray Blazars Survey catalogue with the Fourth Catalog of Active Galactic Nuclei Detected by the Fermi-LAT, we select 11 γ-ray-undetected (γ-ray-quiet) FSRQs as our sample and collect their quasi-simultaneous multiwavelength data. In the framework of the conventional one-zone leptonic model, we investigate their underlying physical properties and study the possibility that they are undetected in the γ-ray by modelling their quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions. In contrast to a smaller bulk Lorentz factor suggested by previous works, our results suggest that the dissipation region located relatively far away from the central super-massive black hole is more likely to be the reason why some γ-ray-quiet FSRQs are undetected by Fermi-LAT.


We report a system for remote control and automatic management of a fleet of earth-moving and construction machines with assisted guidance in earthworks and road construction. The system can be divided into three segments: control segment, positioning segment, data transmission segment. The positioning segment is based on WAAS or classical DGPS techniques. The transmission segment consists of GSM and fixed telephone network modems. The 3D positions of the machines, calculated in real time, are sensed at the control segment, at the same time as the differential corrections, by a single device built for this application. The control segment is based on a computer and a skilled operator running GIS-CAD software which controls the working accuracy of the earth-moving or operating processes with respect to the planned profile of the works. Laboratory and field tests were carried out to simulate the working performance of the system: during the tests, the 3D positions were considered with differential corrections from the WAAS/EGNOS system and with DGPS RTCM differential corrections via Internet. In this paper, we describe the system architecture and the preliminary experimental results.


Gas-vacuolate filaments of Oscillatoria agardhii form a metalimnetic layer in Deming Lake, Minnesota. The environmental factors which affect buoyancy and the physiological processes which mediate changes in buoyancy were determined. Buoyant filaments lost their buoyancy in a few hours when incubated at light intensities above those found in situ (approximately 15 mumol photons m-2 s-1, or 1% of the surface value). The rate of buoyancy loss was accelerated by the addition of 10 muM phosphate at irradiances >200 mumol photons m-2 s-1. The effect of nutrient additions on buoyancy was also investigated over a longer time period by incubating metalimnetic samples in situ. The samples were deployed for 6 days at a depth where the irradiance was 8% of the surface value. As found in short-term experiments, the addition of phosphate resulted in the largest decrease in buoyancy. However, the addition of ammonia in addition to phosphate attenuated the buoyancy loss on day 2, and on day 6 the filaments in these treatments were almost completely buoyant. The physiological status of the filaments in these treatments was assayed by analysis of elemental ratios of C, N and P, and by measurement of cellular chlorophyll, polysaccharide and protein. In addition, the cellular content of gas vesicles was determined. The construction of ballast balance sheets from these data indicated that changes in buoyancy were primarily due to differences in the amount of polysaccharide ballast in the cells. However, in another set of in situ experiments, the increase in measured ballast molecules did not explain the observed loss of buoyancy. We hypothesized that another, undetected ballast-providing molecule had accumulated in the cells.


This study addresses bilevel linear multi-objective problem issues i.e the special case of bilevel linear programming problems where each decision maker has several objective functions conflicting with each other. We introduce an artificial multi-objective linear programming problem of which resolution can permit to generate the whole feasible set of the upper level decisions. Based on this result and depending if the leader can evaluate or not his preferences for his different objective functions, two approaches for obtaining Pareto- optimal solutions are presented.


Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of local immune cell infiltration in human cystic echinococcosis (CE) by identifying the subtypes of immune cells using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fifty surgically removed hydatid cyst samples and surrounding tissues were collected from patients referred to Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. IHC was performed on the surrounding host tissue of hydatid cysts using anti-human CD3, CD19, CD8, CD4, CD68, CD56, Ki-67 and Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) antibodies. The results were then compared to hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic hepatitis. In the host-tissue reaction site of liver hydatid cysts, a distinct pattern of local immune cell response, which outwardly consisted of a pack of the fibrous elements, a layer of palisading macrophages, an eosinophil-containing layer and a layer of accumulated lymphocytes, was observed. However, in some cases there were no positive cells for CD56+ natural killer cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. The CD3+ T cells were the predominant inflammatory cells in all groups, followed by CD19+ B cells. It can be concluded that different immune cells are involved in the local response to human hydatid cysts.


In this paper, we report on a prototype aug- mented reality (AR) platform for accessing abstract infor- mation in real-world pervasive computing environments. Using this platform, objects, people, and the environment serve as contextual channels to more information. The user's interest with respect to the environment is inferred from eye movement patterns, speech, and other implicit feedback signals, and these data are used for information filtering. The results of proactive context-sensitive infor- mation retrieval are augmented onto the view of a handheld or head-mounted display or uttered as synthetic speech. The augmented information becomes part of the user's context, and if the user shows interest in the AR content, the system detects this and provides progressively more information. In this paper, we describe the first use of the platform to develop a pilot application, Virtual Laboratory Guide, and early evaluation results of this application.


elegant job of bringing the entire story of Maggie and her grandfather's legacy full circle in his concluding chapter, reinforcing the effect of a unified narrative rather than a series of vignettes. The thematic insistence on the way each photographically captured moment opens onto a story of the interconnectedness of experience is further reinforced by the form itself, since each author's brief installment interconnects at some point with the narrative as a whole. Certain of the chapters have more metaphoric resonance than others, but all of them feature a high-interest plot line with an explanation or clue to some part of Maggie's puzzle or to her brother's development. This therefore works as both a novel and a curricularly useful model of effective collaborative writing. KC


Clinical guidelines are systematically developed statements to help doctors and their colleagues make decisions about appropriate health care for specific disorders. Such guidelines ought to be properly based on published peer reviewed practice. However, there is little of this sort of help in Huntington's disease, although the literature base is growing. This paper does not attempt to be definitive, rather it presents a method of management which has evolved to match the needs of patients as they emerge, and which as far as is possible, is in accord with the evidence available at present. HISTORY In 1872, at a medical meeting in Ohio, USA, George Huntington (Huntingdon 1872) described the disease which later came to bear his name. He was a young general practitioner who worked in his father's practice, as had his father's father before that. They therefore had known several generations of some families and had recognised the


This paper proposes a new duplex method of uplink and downlink packets for wireless multihop networks. Both uplink and downlink packets are all relayed in the same direction on a one-way relay route. Two core nodes are placed on the relay route to enable the one-way relay: one of the two core nodes serves as a gateway for downlink packet relays and the other one does for uplink relays. Throughput performances of the proposed one way relay associated with the intermittent periodic transmit, a packet relay method with high relay efficiency, are compared with that of a conventional continuous transmit method with minimum path loss routing. Simulation results show higher throughput achieved by the proposed method than that of the conventional method. This paper also proposes a fair relay scheduling method which favorably works with the one-way relay associated with the intermittent periodic transmit.


This study is aimed to prove an alternative of delayed procedure on random skin flap by undermining through a small incision. An experimental study was performed to assess 2 cm x 7 cm random skin flap viability on the back of 51 female Sprague-Dawley rats weighted 200-250 gram which were grouped randomly. Group A was group for conventional delayed procedure which was done through elevation of bipedicled flap; group B was for delayed procedure through small incision, while group C acted as control group. The percentage of area of viable flap was counted with Auto CAD Map program. Using SPSS program version 10 the data was then analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test and experiment wise error rate. Mean of percentage of viable flap area of group A was 73,34 ± 9,73, group B 73,02 ± 11,99, and group C 49,65 ±6,62. No different results of delay procedures performed on group A and B while the result of group C was significantly different compared to group A and B (p<0,01). As conclusion, delay procedure of random skin flap by undermining through small skin incision is effective and has no significant difference with the conventional delay procedure by elevation of bipedicled flap. Keywords: bipedicled flap, delay procedure, random skin flap, undermining


A 4–8 GHz ultra wide band microstrip array antennas with improved gain for weather Radar applications was designed and fabricated. The microstrip radiating elements of the proposed array antennas are powered using a T-junction power divider with quarter wave-transformer impedance for a best matching. The design of this array antennas is based on the geometry of a linear array antennas well studied [ref (8)], which is based on minimizing of the electromagnetic (EM) coupling between the radiating elements and as decreasing the number of side lobes. The array antennas with dimension of (110 × 214 × 1.58 mm3) is fabricated on FR-4 epoxy dielectric with relative permittivity of 4.4 and thickness h = 1.58 mm, it is performed in the full-wave EM solver High Frequency Structure Simulator, CST and verified by measurement. The proposed broadband array antennas show a better performance than the references antennas in deferent parameter which cited after.


Presentation at the 2nd annual Forum for Development Cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, which commenced the 15th-16th of November 2001. The Centre for Sami Studies hosted the conference at the University of Tromso, Norway. Full conference report available at http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3003


In this paper we want to find a statistical rule that assigns a passing or failing grade to students who undertook at least three exams out of five in a national exam,
 instead of completely dismissing these students. While it is cruel to declare them as failing, especially if the reason for their absence it not intentional, they should have
 demonstrated enough merit in the three exams taken to deserve a chance to be declared passing. We use a special classification method and nearest neighbors methods based on the
 average grade and on the most modal grade to build a statistical rule in a supervised learning process. The study is built on the national GABECE educational data which is a
 considerable data covering seven years and all the six regions of the Gambia.


A case of bilateral testicular Leydig cell tumor with left adrenocortical adenoma in a 27-year-old male is presented. He underwent bilateral radical orchiectomy, and was diagnosed with a malignant Leydig cell tumor. Computed tomography revealed left adrenal mass and primary adrenal tumor or metastatic malignant Leydig cell tumor was suspected. Left adrenalectomy was performed and the histopathological diagnosis was adrenal cortical adenoma. The adrenal cortex and testicle are of common mesodermal origin and the histologic pattern may overlap. Examination of the adrenal gland is necessary for patients with testicular Leydig cell tumor. We review and briefly discuss a case recently reported in Japan.


Pathologic fractures of the tibia due to a metastasis are rare. The treatment of an established fracture is sometimes conservative, but more often surgical. The purpose of the surgical procedure is to improve the quality of life and the ambulatory status, to relieve pain and to facilitate activities of daily living and nursing care. Four cases of operatively managed metastatic fractures of the tibia are presented with emphasis on the surgical technique. The scarce literature on metastatic tibial fractures in reviewed. The operative technique to be used does not only depend on the location of the tumor but also on the primary tumor, the response to adjuvant therapy and the life expectancy. For metastatic shaft fractures an intramedullary nail, sometimes augmented with bone cement, is preferred. For distal or proximal fractures a compound osteosynthesis with plates and screws offers a good solution. In the epiphyseal and metaphyseal region of the tibia an amputation or a tumor prosthesis is the procedure of choice.


Linear refraction of waves on inhomogeneous current is known to provoke extreme waves. We investigate the effect of nonlinearity on this phenomenon, with respect to the variation of significant wave height, kurtosis and occurrence of freak waves. Monte Carlo simulations are performed employing a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation that includes the effects of a prescribed non-potential current. We recommend that freak waves should be defined by a local criterion according to the wave distribution at each location of constant current, not by a global criterion that is either averaged over, or insensitive to, inhomogeneities of the current. Nonlinearity can reduce the modulation of significant wave height. Depending on the configuration of current and waves, the kurtosis and probability of freak waves can either grow or decrease when the wave height increases due to linear refraction. At the centre of an opposing current jet where waves are known to become large, we find that freak waves should be more rare than in the open ocean away from currents. The largest amount of freak waves on an opposing current jet is found at the jet sides where the significant wave height is small.


Virtually all migration research examines international migration or urbanization. Yet understudied rural migrants are of critical concern for environmental conservation and rural sustainable development. Despite the fact that a relatively small number of all migrants settle remote rural frontiers, these are the agents responsible for perhaps most of the tropical deforestation on the planet. Further, rural migrants are among the most destitute people worldwide in terms of economic and human development. While a host of research has investigated deforestation resulting from frontier migration, and a modest literature has emerged on frontier development, this article explores the necessary antecedent to tropical deforestation and poverty along agricultural frontiers: out-migration from origin areas. The data come from a 2000 survey with community leaders and key informants in 16 municipios of migrant origin to the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), Petén, Guatemala. A common denominator among communities of migration origin to the Petén frontier was unequal resource access, usually land. Nevertheless, the factors driving resource scarcity were widely variable. Land degradation, land consolidation, and population growth prevailed in some communities but not in others. Despite similar exposure to community and regional level push factors, most people in the sampled communities did not out-migrate, suggesting that any one or combination of factors is not necessarily sufficient for out-migration.


A compact and tunable Erbium-doped fiber laser is demonstrated using a highly concentrated Erbium-doped fiber in conjunction with a microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MMZI) structure for the first time. A stable laser output is achieved at 1531.7 nm region with a peak power of -19 dBm and an optical signal to noise ratio of 30.1 dB using a 980-nm pump at 100 mW power. The operating wavelength of the laser can be tuned from 1530.2 to 1532.7 nm by changing the path length difference (PLD) inside the MMZI from 1.6 to 2.7 mm at room temperature. It is also observed that the operating wavelength linearly shifts to a longer wavelength as the PLD increases with a tuning slope efficiency of 0.17 nm/mm. The tuning ability is due to the alteration of the induced optical phase shift inside the MMZI which affects the optical interference and the dominant peak which is responsible for the lasing action.


Using language game notions and the equivalence between games, this document studies John Nash's decision of not playing the coalitional game proposed by John von Neumann. The key point is that Nash suggested hypothetical worlds that are incompatible with the kind proposed by von Neumann. And, at the root of this difference, lies their different notions of rationality.


The role of calcium in the metabolism of carbohydrates is rather complex. It has been shown particularly "in vitro" but also "in vivo", to act on beta cells and peripheral effectors. Cytosolic calcium is determinant for insulin secretion in beta cells. It may be increased by a transfer of extracellular calcium into the intra cellular medium or by a transfer of cytoplasmic organelles into the cytosol. The former is due to the action of glucose or its metabolites. The latter is dependent on the CAMP, probably modulated by the glucose or its metabolites. The action of calcium causes the calmodulin to push on the phosphorylated proteins as does the action of CAMP on the protein kinases. The phosphorylated proteins act on the microtubular and microfilamentous systems; they are responsible for the insulin exocytosis. Calcium interposes a large number of insulin agonists and antagonists. These effects have been proved "in vivo" pathology (hypocalcemia, hyperparathyroidism or hypoparathyroidism) and during intravenous calcium infusion or during administration of products which modify calcium repartition. Calcium on peripheral effectors is considered as a second insulin messenger. But the role of calcium is, in fact, more complex, acting on the affinity of the insulin receptors. Its action on the enzymes could either be agonistic or antagonistic of insulin. The "in vitro" results are also variable.


Probabilistic models are useful for analyzing systems which operate under the presence of uncertainty. In this paper, we present a technique for verifying safety and liveness properties for probabilistic timed automata. The proposed technique is an extension of a technique used to verify stochastic hybrid automata using an approximation with Markov Decision Processes. A case study for CSMA/CD protocol has been used to show case the methodology used in our technique.


A technique for fabricating multichip modules (MCMs) by mounting chips in holes etched into silicon motherboards is described. With this approach the front faces of the chips are coplanar with the front of the motherboard, and, hence, the connections between the chips and the motherboards may be made by standard thin-film processes. A method for fabricating such modules using electron beam lithography to locate the chips and to define the interconnections between the chips and the motherboard is discussed. The feasibility of the processes is demonstrated with measurements on a module designed and fabricated to test the stability of the processes. >


BACKGROUND
Compared with term infants (39-41 weeks), early-term (37-38 weeks) and late preterm (34-36 weeks) infants have increased breastfeeding difficulties. We evaluated how hospital practices affect breastfeeding by gestational age.

METHODS
This Listening to Mothers III survey cohort included 1,860 mothers who delivered a 34-41-week singleton from July 2011 to June 2012. High hospital support was defined as at least seven practices consistent with the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative's Ten Steps for United States hospitals. Logistic regression tested mediating effects of hospital support on the relationship between gestational age and breastfeeding at 1 week postpartum.

RESULTS
High hospital support was associated with increased exclusive breastfeeding (AOR 2.21 [95% CI 1.58-3.09]). Just 16.4 percent of late preterm infants experienced such support, compared with early-term (37.9%) and term (30.7%) infants (p = 0.004). Although overall breastfeeding rates among late preterm, early-term, and term infants were 87, 88, and 92 percent, respectively, (p = 0.21), late preterm versus term infants were less likely to exclusively breastfeed (39.8 vs. 62.3%, p = 0.002). Inclusion of hospital support in multivariable modeling did not attenuate the effect of late preterm gestation.

DISCUSSION
Differences in practices do not account for decreased exclusive breastfeeding among late preterm infants. Hospital supportive practices increase the likelihood of any breastfeeding.


The theoretical description used for the analysis of beam-voltage dependent CL and ERIC contrasts from a surface-parallel dislocation is summarized. The importance of the use of a realistic carrier generation model is discussed and suitable methods of the evaluation of defect parameters (depth position, dcfect strength) are proposed.


We study a model in which two players with opposing interests try to alter a status quo through instability-generating actions. We show that instability can be used to secure longer-term durable changes, even if it is costly to generate and does not generate short-term gains. In equilibrium, instability generated by a player decreases when the status quo favors them more. Equilibrium always exhibits a region of stable states in which the status quo persists. As players' threat power increases, this region shrinks, ultimately collapsing to a single stable state that is supported via a deterrence mechanism. There is long-run path-dependency and inequity: although instability eventually leads to a stable state, it typically selects the least favorable one for the initially disadvantaged player.


Zingiberaceae is taxonomically complex family where species are perennial herb. However, lack of chloroplast genomic information severely hinders our understanding of Zingiberaceae species in the research of evolution and phylogenetic relationships. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of fourteen Curcuma species were assembled and characterized using next-generation sequencing. We compared the genome features, repeat sequences, sequence divergence, and constructed the phylogenetic relationships of the 25 Zingiberaceae species. In each Zingiberaceae species, the 25 complete chloroplast genomes ranging from 155,890 bp (Zingiber spectabile) to 164,101 bp (Lanxangia tsaoko) contained 111 genes consisting of 77 protein coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNAs and 30 transfer RNAs. These chloroplast genomes are similar to most angiosperm that consisted of a four-part circular DNA molecules. Moreover, the characteristics of the long repeats sequences and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were found. Six divergent hotspots regions (matK-trnk, Rps16-trnQ, petN-psbM, rpl32, ndhA, and ycf1) were identified in the 25 Zingiberaceae chloroplast genomes, which could be potential molecular markers. In addition to Wurfbainia longiligularis, the ψycf1 was discovered among the 25 Zingiberaceae species. The shared protein coding genes from 52 Zingiberales plants and four other family species as out groups were used to construct phylogenetic trees distinguished by maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) and showed that Musaceae was the basal group in Zingiberales, and Curcuma had a close relationship with Stahlianthu. Besides this, Curcuma flaviflora was clustered together with Zingiber. Its distribution area (Southeast Asia) overlaps with the latter. Maybe hybridization occur in related groups within the same region. This may explain why Zingiberaceae species have a complex phylogeny, and more samples and genetic data were necessary to confirm their relationship. This study provide the reliable information and high-quality chloroplast genomes and genome resources for future Zingiberaceae research.


Polysulfone(PSF) ultrafiltration membranes were prepared by phase inversion process with PSF as the material of the membranes,the PEG as additives,then the PSF membranes were modified by UV irradiation and the influence of the structure and capability were characterized by strength of break,contact angle,FTIR,SEM,flux and interception.The results showed that the strength of break reduced and their hydrophilicity increased with the increasing of irradiation time.The water flux of the membranes which was irradiated went up and retention reduced greatly.The contact angle of grafted membrane surface reduced,which showed that the hydrophilicity of membrane surface strengthened. FTIR analysis confirmed that new functional group was grafted on the surface of the membranes.SEM experiment approved that the grafted chain was on the surface,not in the pore.A good effect was gained by the modifying of UV irradiation.


Examining the experiences of organizational practitioners, this informative book features contributions from experienced leaders, consultants and managers in various organizations, and narrative accounts of the contributors work address key topical questions. Rather than offering descriptions of organizational life, this book provides reflective accounts of real life experiences of researching in organizations, and will be a valuable insight for academics and business school students and practitioners. In considering several key questions in terms of daily experience, the contributors explore the perspective of complex responsive processes, investigate how this assists them to make sense of their experience and analyze how it leads to their development.


Background: SARS-Cov2 has caused unprecedented morbidity, and mortality across the world. Clinically, acute SARS-Cov2 infection ranges from asymptomatic disease to severe pneumonia with respiratory failure, acute kidney and/or cardiac injury. These severe manifestations are induced by hyperinflammation. After the acute phase, a chronic COVID syndrome can occur. Until now, there is no treatment for this chronic syndrome. We first suggested that the syndrome could be due to protracted intensity inflammation. In that way, we decided to test tVNS (transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation) on the syndrome because this procedure could reduce inflammatory processes. Methods: 20 patients suffering from chronic COVID syndrome were selected. The symptoms were carefully recorded, and a personal intensity scale was constructed for each patient. They received 10 daily tVNS stimulations using a Parasym device. Clinical assessments and measures of blood inflammatory factors were performed on days 0, 5 and 10. The data were analyzed using non-parametric statistical methods. Results: All the patients completed the study. The clinical manifestations of the disorder were globally similar for each patient: a wax-andwaning syndrome combining fatigue, pain, digestive problems and cognitive difficulties. All the patients improved dramatically during treatment. We did not observe a modification of the blood inflammatory circulating factors, invalidating the hypothesis of an effect of tVNS on a remaining inflammatory state. Conclusions: In this study, we showed that tVNS is an interesting tool for patients with chronic COVID syndrome. Even if this preliminary study did not confirm the hypothesis of protracted inflammation, it helped to propose an alternate explanation, based on the clinical observations supporting COVID-induced dysautonomia. We suggest that tVNS improves chronic COVID syndrome through a "sympathetic reset".


The public health importance of Kudoa infection in fish remains unclear. Recently in Japan a Kudoa species, K. septempunctata, was newly implicated as a causative agent of unidentified food poisoning related to the consumption of raw olive flounder. Other marine fishery products are also suspected as causative raw foods of unidentified food poisoning. For this study, we detected kudoid parasites from sliced raw muscle tissues of a young Pacific bluefin and an adult yellowfin tuna. No cyst or pseudocyst was evident in muscles macroscopically, but pseudocysts were detected in both samples histologically. One substitution (within 1100 bp overlap) and ten substitutions (within 753 bp overlap) were found respectively between the partial sequences of 18S and 28S rDNAs from both isolates. Nucleotide sequence similarity searching of 18S and 28S rDNAs from both isolates showed the highest identity with those of K. neothunni from tuna. Based on the spore morphology, the mode of parasitism, and the nucleotide sequence similarity, these isolates from a Pacific bluefin and a yellowfin tuna were identified as K. neothunni. Phylogenetic analysis of the 28S rDNA sequence revealed that K. neothunni is classifiable into two genotypes: one from Pacific bluefin and the other from yellowfin tuna. Recently, an unidentified kudoid parasite morphologically and genetically similar K. neothunni were detected from stocked tuna samples in unidentified food poisoning cases in Japan. The possibility exists that K. neothunni, especially from the Pacific bluefin tuna, causes food poisoning, as does K. septempunctata.


This study examines whether Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) can be used to highlight zones of neotectonic deformation. Away from well-exposed coastal zones, the assessment of regional tectonic deformation is often hampered by dense vegetation, steep-sided high relief and rugged, poorly-accessible terrain. Such regions are of prior interest in examining and understanding their neotectonic status. The test region for this study is the island of Crete, located in the outer forearc of the Hellenic subduction zone, associated with collision of the African plate and the Eurasian plate. This tectonic setting affects the island's landscape, with mountainous relief and geomorphological processes that are strongly influenced by neotectonic deformation of the ground surface. A set of geomorphometric analyses of SRTM DEMs (such as asymmetry factor, mountain front sinuosity, stream-length gradient index, amplitude relief etc.), were compared with drainage basin geomorphological variations. Some of the characteristic features associated with the deformation of the bedrock and the landscape of the study area were: i) tectonically active mountain fronts; ii) uplifted and tilted blocks and; iii) migration of streams due to tectonic control. Consideration of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach combines various extracted SRTM DEM-based geomorphometrics for detecting zones of neotectonic deformation. The methodology developed in this study provides a low-cost reconnaissance tool for assessing regional tectonic regimes and zones of neotectonic activity. It can provide a useful alternative to Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data for highlighting zones of neotectonic deformation, particularly where vegetation or snow cover limits the effectiveness of InSAR.


Lending by banks basically have an assurance bank of capability and debtors to repay their debts, and must be conducted on the basis of the principle of sound lending and the precautionary principle so that the credit does not harm the interests of the bank, customers debtor and the public depositors. It must be implemented, given the bank's loans to risk that is not returned in accordance with the agreement. One of the factors that would cause the value of bad loans is not comparable to a loan guarantee. In the banking world generally embraced the concept of an assessment of the highest collateral 80% of the value of the collateral, and the loan amount can be given is 80% of the value of the collateral. Keywords: Fiduciary; Credit; Implementation.


This paper deals with the problem of determining the optimum number of workstations to be used in parallel and workers at some stations using simulation optimization approach in a paint shop line of an automotive factory in Ankara, Turkey. In the optimization stage of the study response surface methodology (RSM) is used to find the optimum levels of considered factors. Simulation model and optimization stage integration is used both to analyse the performance of the current paint shop line and deter mine the optimum working conditions, respectively, with reduced cost, time and effort.


This is a study of how urban elementary grades students develop and express functions. Data were analyzed according to the forms of representations students used, the progression in students' mathematical language and the operations they employed, and how they attended to one or more varying quantities. Findings indicate that students are capable of functional thinking at grades earlier than perhaps thought. In particular, data suggest that students can engage in covariational thinking as early as kindergarten and are able to describe how quantities correspond as early as 1 st -grade. Although pattern finding in single variable data sets is common in elementary curricula, we conclude that elementary grades mathematics should extend further to include functional thinking as well.


Resource management in complex socio-technical systems (e.g. management and control (road, rail, sea, air), industrial engineering systems, transportation logistics, etc.) is a central and crucial process. The many diverse components involved, together with various constraints such as real-time conditions, make it impossible to devise exact optimal solutions. In this article, we present an approach to the resource management problem based on the multi-agent paradigm to be applied in the context of a shipboard command and control (C2) system. A general architecture for multi-agent planning and scheduling for achieving a common shared goal together with a real-time simulation environment as well as a simulation test-bed using the agent teamwork approach is described.


Several observations from experiments in rodents and human patients suggest that diabetes affects pineal gland function, including melatonin secretion; however, the accumulated data are not consistent. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the pineal gland in the domestic pig, a species widely used as a model in various biomedical studies. The study was performed on 10 juvenile pigs, which were divided into two groups: control and diabetic. Diabetes was evoked by administration of streptozotocin (150 mg/kg of body weight). After six weeks, the animals were euthanized between 12.00 and 14.00, and the pineal glands were removed and divided into two equal parts, which were used for biochemical analyses and for preparation of explants for the superfusion culture. The pineal contents (per 100 μg protein) of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, 5-hydroxytryptophol, 5-methoxyindole acetic acid, 5-methoxytryptophol, and 5-methoxytryptamine were significantly lower in diabetic pigs than in control pigs. In contrast, the level of N-acetylserotonin was significantly higher in diabetic animals. No significant differences were found in the level of melatonin between control and experimental pigs. The amounts of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were significantly lower in the pineal glands of diabetic animals. The level of vanillylmandelic acid was higher in diabetic pigs. No differences were observed in the level of basal and NE-stimulated release of N-acetylserotonin or melatonin between the pineal explants prepared from control and experimental animals. In vitro treatment with insulin was ineffective. In conclusion, streptozotocin-induced diabetes affects both indole metabolism and adrenergic neurotransmission in the pig pineal gland.


In this paper, we propose an improved least square(LS) channel estimation algorithm for the aeronautic broadband mobile communication system due to the complication and fast-variation characteristics of its channel. The algorithm reduces the noise and improves the accuracy of channel estimation by dynamically adapting the number of zero-forcing noise coefficients in the channel coefficients estimated by a method based on QR decomposition. Simulation results show that the bit error rate(BER) performance of the proposed algorithm is much better than that of the LS channel estimation, and the mean square error(MSE) performance of the proposed algorithm is improved by one fourth of that of the LS method.


For the scattering process of light through the two rough surfaces consisted of semitransparent coatings and rough substrate,considering the shading effect and multiple scattering,Monte Carlo model of surface scattering was established based on surface generation method.The reflected light distribution of the semitransparent coatings on rough substrate was obtained.The effects of coatings thickness,surface roughness and incident light wavelength on Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function(BRDF)were studied.Simulation results show that BRDF is largely affected by surface roughness,and the reflection peak decreases linearly with the root-mean-square slope of the surface.The semitransparent coatings thickness changes the value of BRDF.When the thickness is equal to one-tenth of the wavelength,BRDF reaches the minimum value.The local distribution of BRDF in the specular reflection direction with nearinfrared light illumination tends to broaden up in comparison with visible light illumination,and the directional hemispherical reflectance with near-infrared light illumination is also larger.


A patient with alexia without agraphia (pure alexia) is reported. Bedside examination of the visual fields disclosed no abnormalities, but perimetric examination demonstrated an incomplete right homonymous hemianopsia with some sparing of the peripheral part of the visual field. The literature on pure alexia without hemianopsia is reviewed and it is concluded that this syndrome has hardly been described with certainty.


Lifestyle interventions, namely optimizing nutrition and increasing physical activity, remain the cornerstone of therapy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as this can lead to the significant improvement or resolution of disease. The optimal nutritional approach to treat NAFLD remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of different nutritional patterns on hepatic, metabolic, and weight-loss endpoints. MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. Randomized trials of dietary interventions alone for adults with NAFLD were selected. Two authors independently reviewed articles, to select eligible studies, and performed data abstraction. Six studies, representing 317 patients, were included. The participants had a median age of 46, mean body mass index (BMI) 31.5 and were 64.3% male. The mean study duration was 16.33 ± 8.62 weeks. Reduction in hepatic steatosis (HS) was statistically significant in 3/5 Mediterranean Diet (MD), one low-carbohydrate, one intermittent fasting (IF) and 1/2 low fat (LF) diet interventions. A total of 3/5 studies using MD, 1/2 LF interventions, and the one IF intervention demonstrated significant reductions in weight. In conclusion, there appears to be most data in support of MD-based interventions, though further randomized trials are needed to assess comparative effectiveness for NAFLD.


For networks with packet forwarding, distributed control to enforce cooperation for node packet forwarding probabilities is essential to maintain the connectivity. In this paper, we propose a novel self-learning repeated game framework to optimize packet forwarding probabilities of distributed users. The framework has two major steps: first, an adaptive repeated game scheme ensures the cooperation among users for the current cooperative packet forwarding probabilities; second, a self-learning scheme tries to find better cooperation probabilities. Some special cases are analyzed to evaluate the proposed framework. From the simulation results, the proposed framework demonstrates the near optimal solutions in both symmetrical and asymmetrical networks.


The State of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil is the most important Brazilian producer region. The Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas and the brown mussels Perna perna are the main species currently produced. The occurrence and impact of parasites on bivalves from natural or culture populations from Brazil are still poorly studied. This work describes several diseases, parasites and commensals from four edible bivalve species, from cultured and exploited stocks, from five sites at Santa Catarina State. Unspecific histopathological symptoms of stress, parasites and commensals were found, including viral gametocytic hypertrophy and rickettsia-like organisms with very low prevalences; the protozoan Nematopsis sp. with high prevalence and, ovarian parasites with low prevalences; and, diverse metazoans, such as turbellarian, sporocysts and metacercariae of trematodes, metacestoda larvae and spionid polychaete. Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium assays for detection of Perkinsus spp. did not detect any infected bivalves. Polymerase chain reaction assays for Marteiliodies chungmuensis in oysters with ovarian lesions produced negative results.


The purpose of the study was to substantiate and develop the improved model of the specialized nephrology care for the children with infectious inflammatory diseases of the urinary system at the regional level. Materials and methods. The official statistical data have been studied (reports on the state of medical care for children in the Chernivtsi region and data from the Center of medical statistics of the Ministry of Healthcare from 2006 to 2017), information-analytical and statistical methods have been used. The modern etiological structure of uropathogens – urinary tract infection pathogens among the children of the Chernivtsi region (2009-2016) was studied. Clinical and laboratory examination of 3,089 children (0-17 years old) was conducted in the region; the regional spectrum of sensitivity to antibacterial drugs was determined among the main groups of urinary tract infection pathogens; their age, gender and administrative-territorial differences among the children's population of the region are analyzed. Results and discussion. During 2012-2017 there was a significant increase (by 23.0%) in the incidence of infectious and inflammatory groups of the urinary system diseases among children of 0-14 years old, while among adolescents there was simultaneously an intensive decrease in indicators (by 40.0%) compared to 8.7% in 2006-2011. The ratio of indicators and their dynamics suggests that the growth of sick adolescents is largely due to the insufficient effectiveness of medical care, while children of 0-14 years old is due to their low and insufficient prevention. The data formed the foundation for substantiation and development of an improved functional-organizational model of the system. In addition to the existing and functionally changed elements the model contains new elements: regional/inter-regional center of specialized medical aid for children with infectious-inflammatory diseases of the urinary system. Conclusion. Implementation of the elements of the suggested improved model in a part of a rational approach in distribution of functions concerning medical observation of patients at the stages of providing medical aid enabled to make the period of hospitalization of nephrological patients by 11.40% shorter and an average period of treatment of patients with infectious-inflammatory diseases of the urinary system by 2.93% shorter. Efficiency of implementation of certain elements of the suggested model with its positive evaluation by independent experts and its compliance with the strategy of branch reforms enables to recommend the improved functional-organization model of providing medical aid for children with infectious-inflammatory diseases of the urinary system at the regional level to be introduced into the health care system of Ukraine


Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are favoured antibacterial agents in nano-enabled products and can be released into water resources where they potentially elicit adverse effects. Herein, interactions of 10 and 40 nm AgNPs (10-AgNPs and 40-AgNPs) with aquatic higher plant Salvinia minima at 600 µg/L in moderately hard water (MHW), MHW of raised calcium (Ca2+), and MHW containing natural organic matter (NOM) were examined. The exposure media variants altered the AgNPs' surface properties, causing size-dependent agglomeration. The bio-accessibility in the ascending order was: NOM < MHW < Ca2+, was higher in plants exposed to 10-AgNPs, and across all exposures, accumulation was higher in roots compared to fronds. The AgNPs reduced plant growth and the production of chlorophyll pigments a and b; the toxic effects were influenced by exposure media chemistry, and the smaller 10-AgNPs were commonly the most toxic relative to 40-AgNPs. The toxicity pattern was linked to the averagely higher dissolution of 10-AgNPs compared to the larger counterparts. The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence analytical techniques were found limited in examining the interaction of the plants with AgNPs at the low exposure concentration used in this study, thus challenging their applicability considering the even lower predicted environmental concentrations AgNPs.


A 26-year-old man, acutely ill with fever, anemia, and hepatomegaly, was found to have an epidermoid carcinoma by percutaneous needle biopsy of a left apical lung mass. Following resection of the necrotic tumor, fever, anemia, and hepatomegaly disappeared. The patient is alive with no evidence of cancer 30 months later.


Thirty Pigeonpea genotypes studied for genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistic indicated wider genetic diversity. Considerable variability was observed for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of pods per plant and seed yield due to non-linear pooled deviation. The variability was low for number of primary branches per plant and test weight. Among the 7 characters studied, seed yield contributed the most (89.49%) towards the divergence of genotypes followed by number of pods per plant, days to 50% flowering and plant height. The genotypes were grouped into 8 clusters, maximum inter cluster distance being observed between the clusters III and VII (725.69). Hence, crossing of parents from these clusters would be desirable for combining earliness, short plant height, more primary branches per plant with more pod number coupled with high seed yield. The genotypes ICPL 98008, ICPHAL 4979-2 and ICP 77303 were identified as desirable and stable for days to maturity. Stability parameters along with per se performance across three kharif seasons revealed that ICPL 20036 and ICPL 20058 were stable genotypes for seed yield and were found to be suitable for low input cultivation while, ICPL 13198 was found suitable for input rich cultivation.


This paper introduces and develops the concept of multiple busy state resources to simplify the process of stratifying statistics associated with resources. Most simulation languages recognize only busy and idle states. In many applications stratification of the busy state statistics is necessary to account for phenomena such as failures, repairs, maintenance, shift capacity changes, and cost tracking. These ideas are demon strated by way of an implementation in a discrete simulation language.


The deployment of communication systems mainly depends on the availability of appropriate microelectronics. Therefore, the Fraunhofer-Institut fur Mikroelektronische Schaltungen und Systeme (IMS) considers the combined approach to communication and microelectronic system design as crucial. The paper explores the impact of anticipated communication services for future wireless communication systems on the evolution of microelectronics for wireless terminals. A roadmap is presented which predicts the hardware/software split of future software defined radio terminals (SDR terminals). Additionally, a new philosophy for analog and digital codesign is introduced, which may help to accelerate the appearance of mobile software defined radio terminals.


Milk is favored globally as a healthy drink rich in nutrition. Milk nutrition can boost health to protect the body against disease. This study has aim to observe the correlation between the number of milk consumption and information trend with recovery number of COVID case. This study uses a quantitative method, using statistics from free websites as the sample. The result shows that milk consumption correlates with the recovery case, but does not determine whether a country has a low or high recovery case. Montenegro has the highest recovery rate than Finland, even the number of consumption is lower. Thus, the popularity point does not correlate whether with the number of consumption, nor the recovery rate. Popularity point only shows the most favored topic being discussed through the network.


Hosokawa Tama Gracia perished in 1600 under mysterious circumstances . She was a noblewoman married to a powerful daimyo , the daughter of a traitor, and a Kirishitan convert during the "Christian Century" in Japan . In life, she was both dutifully subservient and tenaciously bold . In death, she was fodder for propaganda, and in the hands of both European and Japanese writers, her life story was rewritten for specific narrative purposes . The most striking of these artistic transformations is her depiction as a Christian martyr in the late seventeenth-century Latin Jesuit drama Mulier fortis ( The Valiant Woman ) . The drama Mulier fortis , as an amalgam of traditional Western conventions and exotic Oriental imagery, demonstrates an attempt by European Catholics to weave foreign individuals, like Hosokawa Tama Gracia, into the suprahistorical and even supracultural narrative structure of martyrdom in order to construct a global Catholic identity and reinforce the universality of Catholic belief .


The normal urinary chromatographic pattern on the high-resolution UV-Analyzer exhibits approximately 20 major peaks and more than 100 minor peaks. Three of the major chromatographic peaks, observed in most urinary samples from both normal and pathologicsubjects,have recentlybeen identified as 5.hydroxymethyl.2furoic acid, 2-furoylglycine, and 2,5-furand ica rboxylic acid. A related compound, 5.hydroxymethyl-2-furoylglycine, was also identified in the urine of leukemic patient who was excreting an abnormal amount of the free acid. The compound 5.hyd roxymethyl-2-furoic acid and its glycine conjugate have not, to our knowledge, been previously reported in human urine, and the excretion of 2-furoylglycine and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid by all humans is not generally recognized. The four identified compounds seem to be biochemically interrelated, and a mechanism for their formation from uronic acids is postulated. Analytical techniques and results utilized in the identification of these compounds are discussed. High-resolution (m/im 20,000) mass spectrometric data obtained from three independent laboratories are presented for 5-hyd roxymethyl-2furoic acid, illustrating the accuracy and precision that can be expected for a random sample submitted to a well-equipped facility.


Celebrity endorsements have long been used as a promotional tool in marketing communication. However, literature has documented inconsistent findings on the effects of celebrity endorsements compared to no endorsement or noncelebrity endorsements, suggesting a close examination about the reliability and robustness of celebrity endorsements is needed. This study conducted a p -curve analysis among two sets of published studies based on different comparison groups (celebrity endorsements vs. no celebrity endorsement; celebrity endorsements vs. noncelebrity endorsements) to investigate if both sets of studies contain an evidential value. The significantly right-skewed p curve suggests that both sets of published studies have some integrity. However, the studies that compared celebrity endorsements with no celebrity endorsements showed low statistical power. Theoretical and methodological implications for celebrity endorsement research were discussed.


In this letter, a miniaturized tapered electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure with wide stopband and flat passband is presented. Chebyshev tapered EBG distribution is adopted to minimize ripples in the passband caused by the periodicity of planar EBG structure. The defected ground structure (DGS) is employed for enlarging the bandwidth of stopband and reducing the size of EBG patterns. Two transmission zeros are introduced by spurline and open stubs to get higher attenuation level. In comparison with traditional planar EBG structure, compact size, flat passband, and wide stopband are achieved in the proposed design. Measured and simulated S-parameters indicate that the proposed design has a relative fractional bandwidth of 93.7% in the stopband below -20 dB.


Robots used for pipe inspection have been studied for a long time and many mobile mechanisms have been proposed to achieve inspection tasks within pipelines. Localization is an important factor for an inpipe robot to perform successful autonomous operation. However, sensors such as GPS and beacons cannot be used because of the unique characteristics of inpipe conditions. In this paper, an inpipe localization algorithm based on elbow detection is presented. By processing the projected marker images of laser pointers and the attitude and heading data from an IMU, the odometer module of the robot determines whether the robot is within a straight pipe or an elbow and minimizes the integration error in the orientation. In addition, an off-line positioning algorithm has been performed with forward and backward estimation and Procrustes analysis. The experimental environment has consisted of several straight pipes and elbows, and a map of the pipeline has been constructed as the result.


Pd/CuO-Ce0.5Mn0.5O2 was prepared and applied to the synthesis of glucuronic acid and glucuronolactone by selective catalytic oxidation from methyl glucoside.The supports and corresponding catalyst were characterized by XRD,SEM and XPS techniques.The influence of different CuO-doping content of supports on the structure of catalyst and the yield of target products was discussed.The results showed that the supports composed by Cu-Ce-Mn complexing metal oxides could improve redox ability to Pd active component due to the synergistic effect between metals.Under the conditions of 0.5% Pd and 9% CuO,the Pd/CuO-Ce0.5Mn0.5O2 catalyst had good activity and selectivity with 70% total yield of glucuronic acid and glucuronolactone.


Studies on the role of institutions and innovation attributes in affecting the adoption of Integrated Plant Management Technology have been carried out in several subdistricts in West Bandung and Sumedang Districts, West Java Province. The objectives of this study were to: 1) describe the role of extension service institutions, farmer groups, and innovation attributes on the adoption of Integrated Plant Management, 2). analyze factors affecting the adoption of Integrated Plant Management, and 3) find strategies to increase the adoption of Integrated Plant Management. The study population was all group members who had participated in a program to increase rice-corn and soybean production (Pajale) with a total of 173 people in West Bandung District and 143 people in Sumedang District. A total of 124 people as sample were determined to follow the Slovin formula. Data and information were collected through interviews and direct observation to respondents using a closed questionnaire that has been tested for its validity and reliability. The results showed that the majority of respondents rated that; 1) the role of extension institutions, farmer groups, and innovation attributes were categorized as good; 2) extension institutions at the subdistrict level, farmer groups, and innovation attributes significantly affected (ά = 0.001) the adoption in both districts where R 2 = 0.962.


The basic purpose of the study was to understand and analyze the relationship between the work related variable  experience of the employee, number of jobs changed previously and current designation he holds and voluntary turnover intentions. It also served the purpose of identifying the relationship if any between the number of jobs changed by an employee and his present designation with his voluntary turnover intentions. It was found by the study that the experience that an employee holds as well as the number of times he changed his jobs have significant influence in the development of voluntary turnover intentions. The study chose respondents working in the software companies in Chennai city working population where job hopping is identified as a common trend. For the analysis of data one way ANOVA was used for the study.