Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) has been known to possess a pozzolanic property. The abundance of POFA as an agricultural waste makes it a promising candidate for it to be used as a supplementary cementations material in palm oil producing countries. Trlls paper presents structural analysis and surface morphology of a treated Palm oil fuel ash (POFA). The untreated POFA was grounded for 1.5hours in a ball mill to reduce the particle size and to improve reactivity. It was then heated at a temperature of 600°C 1.5hours in an electric furnace. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffkaction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe the surface and internal structure of the POFA. The results among other things revealed that the POFA consist of mainly silica (SOz), with crystalline structure, microscopic examination showed that the POFA has a porous cellular structure and consists of irregular-shaped particles. This study implies that POFA is good candidate for various applications by ceramic industries.


The pulmonary complications of transfusion (TACO, TRALI and TAD) are the leading cause of transfusion‐related mortality and major morbidity. Advance in this area is essential in improving transfusion safety. This review describes the drivers for change in haemovigilance practice, the influence of recent key publications and future directions.


I was one of eight researchers who were part of the Worker' Cultural Action Committee (WCAC), an arts and cultural organisation affiliated with Newcastle Workers' Club. Our job was to work with writer Paul Brown, and co-directors Brent McGregor and David Watt, to plan and carry out the creative development of the "Aftershocks" project. The particular type of documentary drama we decided to work with is called Verbatim Theatre. We recorded interviews with various people associated with the Workers' Club employees, patrons, the Club Manager and others. All but one or two of these people had been in the Club when the earthquake struck. Once we tape-recorded our interviews, we transcribed each one. Paul Brown then edited the interviews, shaping them into a dramatic text designed for performance. His task was to 'sculpt' the language, but unlike a conventional playwright, not to write it. No dialogue was invented for "Aftershocks".


Leaves are valuable, but very rare, remains in archaeological contexts, as they can provide precise information on the landscape vegetation composition, the past climatic conditions and the use of plant resources in a settlement. La Draga (Spain) is an early Neolithic site partially waterlogged, which has allowed the preservation of organic material. During the excavation of the oldest level (7300–7000 cal BP), we recovered 29 leaf samples in an optimal state of preservation. Here we explore the potential of these leaves as indicators both of the use of vegetation at the settlement and of past climatic conditions. Firstly, we determined the species identity by comparing the leaf morphological and microanatomical traits with those of contemporary individuals. Secondly, we analyzed the leaf stomatal patterning (stomatal density, index, and size) as proxies of paleoclimate during the Neolithic, when lower atmospheric CO2 and wetter conditions are documented. The leaves of La Draga were identified as Laurus nobilis and Buxus sempervirens, two evergreen species well documented at the site from other archaeobotanical records, such as charcoal and wooden implements. We found no differences in stomatal traits between the archaeological and the contemporary leaves of L. nobilis and B. sempervirens, which shows the limitation of stomatal frequency as proxies for CO2. The presence of these species at the site provides good complementary data for past woodland vegetation composition and the production of wood implements. The wide distribution of L. nobilis leaves across the site suggests that this taxon was present in the riparian forest at the site surroundings. In contrast, leaves of B. sempervirens were grouped together, which might indicate that they belonged to the same branch, probably transported as raw material from nearby forests to the settlement. This study illustrates the value of archaeological leaves to provide a better understanding on the past vegetation and human activities.


The TAM (Tyro3, Axl, MerTK) subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their ligands, Gas6 and protein S (ProS1), are implicated in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in various cancers. The β-galactoside binding protein galectin-3 (Gal-3), which is also implicated in oncogenesis, has previously been shown to be a ligand for MerTK. However, the selectivity of Gal-3 for the other TAM receptors, and its TAM-mediated signalling and functional properties in cancer cells, remain to be explored. The present study was aimed at determining these, including through direct comparison of Gal-3 with the two canonical TAM ligands. Exogenous Gal-3 rapidly stimulated Tyro3 receptor phosphorylation to the same extent as the Tyro3 ligand ProS1, but not Axl, in the cultured human cancer cell lines SCC-25 (express both Tyro3 and Axl) and MGH-U3 (express Tyro3 only). Gal-3 also activated intracellular Erk and Akt kinases in both cell lines and furthermore protected cells from acute apoptosis induced by staurosporine but not from serum-starvation induced apoptosis. In addition, Gal-3 significantly stimulated cancer cell migration rate in the presence of the Axl blocker BGB324. Therefore, these results have shown Gal-3 to be a novel agonist for Tyro3 RTK, activating a Tyro3-Erk signalling axis, as well as Akt signalling, in cancer cells that promotes cell survival, cell cycle progression and cell migration. These data therefore reveal a novel mechanism of Tyro3 RTK activation through the action of Gal-3 that contrasts with those of the known TAM ligands Gas6 and ProS1.


1. Classification Comes Home to the Family 2. Family and the Domestication of Passions 2. Family, the Manners of the People, and Political Economy 3. Harriet Martineau's 'Embodied Principles' of Political Economy: Whose Bodies, What Principles? 4. There is no Place for Such a Family 5. What is to be Deemed a Family? 5. However You Define Family


George Lucas's Star Wars IV: A New Hope was the movie hit of 1977. Its score, composed by John Williams, was equally popular, winning the Oscar for Best Film Score and three Grammy awards; the American Film Institute even declared it the greatest American movie score of all time. Parts of the soundtrack were disco-fied for the radio parties, and since its initial release, the soundtrack has never been out of print. In fact, Twentieth Century Fox Film Scores, RCA Victor, and Sony Classical have created several re-releases of the soundtrack containing new material, interviews, and other extras. Star Wars' music has become iconic: you can get a ringtone of the Imperial motif, and I've seen wedding receptions where the newlyweds enter to the film's main theme. But what does the music of the movie convey about its characters, their roles in the film, and their genders?


The matrix Riccati differential equation is discussed, from the point of view of dissipativity or conservativity of its solutions. A survey is given of results relating to analytic properties of these solutions and to the geometry of the corresponding semigroup of matrix linear fractional transformations; further, a probabilistic interpretation is given of the properties of being dissipative or conservative, and the connection between dissipativity of the solutions of the Riccati equation and the stability of the screw method is studied. Physical and technical applications of the mathematical theory are given. There are 87 references.


The importance of emotion in tourism experiences has been widely discussed in many previous researchers. However, to date, not many study actually investigated the emotion related words that people use when they describe their tourism experiences. This study examined the emotional words that Korean people use when they explain their tourism experiences in three steps. First, from the 434 Korean emotion related words, 125 words were extracted by three researchers. Then, the 125 words were categorized into 61 negative emotional words and 65 positive emotional words based on a survey of 300 respondents. Finally, the most representative 49 emotion related words(25 negative and 24 positive) were selected out of the 125 words. After finalizing the emotional words list, the 49 emotional words were compared with Richins(1997) scale of emotional expression. The 49 emotional words were also classified into three categories according the three phases of a travel.


In this issue of Vet Record , Starke and Oosterlinck present a summary of the results of a study (p 63)showing that visual gait assessment is unreliable for differentiating sound and mildly lame horses, especially with hindlimb lameness.1 They also found experience or confidence in one's ability to detect lameness did not improve reliability.

This is another study concluding that subjective evaluation for lameness in horses is not a standard of practice that we should be satisfied with.2-7 As an equine practitioner who has been evaluating horses with lameness for over 35 years, I find this a hard pill to swallow. I believe I was mentored well over the years, by seasoned lameness evaluators, and that I know how to detect and assess lameness in the horse. Yet, reflecting on the number of times I've been challenged on my lameness assessments and then proven wrong by observant colleagues, interns and residents and even, occasionally, good veterinary students, I understand, believe, and accept Starke and Oosterlinck's results. If you don't have the opportunity (some would say curse) of evidence-based assessment or other experts looking over your shoulder keeping you honest, you begin to think you are right all the time, eventually perceiving yourself as becoming gifted in a skill that is difficult to explain. This is …


In this work we propose a new numerical approach to distinguish between regular and chaotic orbits in Hamiltonian systems, based on the simultaneous integration of both the orbit and the deviation vectors using a symplectic scheme, hereby called global symplectic integrator. In particular, the proposed method allows us to recover the correct orbits character with very large integration time steps, small energy losses and short CPU times. To illustrate the numerical performances of the global symplectic integrator we will apply it to two well-known and widely studied problems: the Hénon-Heiles model and the restricted three-body problem. PACS numbers: 05.45.-a, 45.10.-b, 05.45.Pq Symplectic integration of deviation vectors and chaos determination. 2


Follow-up for at least 5 years was available for 350 cases of stage IB and IIA carcinoma of the cervix managed by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Lymphadenectomy technique mapped the patterns of pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM). The effects on survival of specific factors relating to the lymphadenectomy (node count, number of positive nodes, site of positive nodes, number of sites positive, location of highest positive node) were determined for 80 women with LNM. The location of metastatic disease did not significantly predict survival. The incidence of LNM was 23% and 47.5% of these women survived 5 years. Only 45% of cases with a solitary LNM survived 5 years and in 45% of these recurrence was outside the pelvis. With the exception of the presacral group, the finding of isolated LNM in any other group with metastasis to the left side of the pelvis conferred the worst prognosis. The pattern of LNM from early stage carcinoma of the cervix is therefore random and the concept of a sentinel node or group is not tenable.


We have calculated x-ray and UV spectra of Be-like Fe (Fe XXIII) ions in a collisional radiative model including all fine-structure transitions among the 2s2, 2s2p, 2p2, 2snl and 2pnl' levels where n = 3 and 4, adopting data for the collision strengths by Zhang and Sampson (1992) and by Sampson, Goett and Clark (1984). Some line intensity ratios can be used for temperature diagnostics. We show 5 ratios in the UV region and 9 ratios in the x-ray region as a function of electron temperature and density at 0.3 keV Te 10 keV and ne = 1 – 1025 cm−3. The effect of cascade in these line ratios and in the level population densities are discused.


Objective: We wished to assess the relationship between the plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their tissue inhibitors with intrarenal vascular resistance level, renal function and development of microalbuminuria in patients with resistant hypertension (RH) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Design and Method: A total of 18 patients with RH and type 2 DM were included in the study (mean aged 58.6 ± 7.5 years, 6 male, office blood pressure (BP) 174.4 ± 20.2/94.1 ± 15.2 mmHg, basal glycaemia 8.8 ± 2.3 mmol/L, HbA1c 6.8 ± 0.7%, an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 74.2 ± 27.9  mL/min/1.73m 2), which submitted to office BP measurements, renal Doppler ultrasound and laboratory tests to assess microalbuminuria (defined as 30–300 mg/24 h), eGFR (MDRD formula), HbA1c and basal glycaemia levels, plasma concentrations of MMP-9, MMP-2, tissue inhibitor of MMP type 1 (TIMP-1). Results: Decreased MMP-9 concentration was linearly associated with increased resistive index (RI) in renal arteries (in the main renal arteries: R = −0.60, p = 0.009 (right), R = 0.−60, p = 0.008 (left); in segmental arteries: R = −0.49, P = 0.038 (right) and R = −0.59, P = 0.012 (left)), while growth of TIMP-1/MMP-9 ratio was positively correlated with RI at segmental arteries (R = 0.51, R = 0.028- on the right, R = 0.46, P = 0.04- on the left). Additionally, decreased MMP-9 concentration was linearly associated with decreased eGFR (R = 0.53, P = 0.029). No correlation was observed between MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-1/MMP-9, TIMP-1/MMP-2 ratios and microalbuminuria, however, microalbuminuric patients had a higher TIMP-1/MMP-2 ratio than normoalbuminuric patients (2.97(2.15–3.80) and 1.58(1.39–1.99)ng/mL, accordingly, P = 0.026). Besides, microalbuminuric patients had a higher TIMP-1/MMP-2 ratio than normoalbuminuric patients [2.97 (2.15–3.80) and 1.58 (1.39–1.99), accordingly, P = 0.026)]. Conclusions: In patients with RH and type 2 DM the decreased MMP-9 activity and increased TIMP-1/MMP-9 ratio are associated with growth of intrarenal vascular resistance and decline of renal filtration function. Furthermore, increased TIMP-1/MMP-2 ratio in these patients was due primarily to increase in basal glycaemia level and linked to development of microalbuminuria.


The increasing use of renewable energy sources to produce electricity requires additional operational flexibility from fossil-fuel gas and steam turbines. To compensate for renewable energy fluctuations in the electrical grid, a gas turbine (GT) engine needs to be more flexible, operating in peaking and partial loading modes as well as the base-load operation mode. Understanding how these different modes affect the lifetime of turbine components is critical to ensuring favourable RAM (Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability).Component lifetimes in peaking modes are limited by the number of thermo-mechanical cycles that a component can experience before crack initiation. The useful lifetime of some components can be increased by basing the predicted lifetime on the number of cycles for crack initiation plus the number of cycles for the crack to reach its maximum allowable length based on the fracture toughness K1C criterion for linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). This is usually accomplished by using the Paris law to predict the rate of crack growth. Once cracks are formed, further propagation depends on the states of stress and strain near the cracks. These factors, which drive crack growth, can be quantified by the energy release rate. The Paris law predicts crack growth as a function of the energy release rate under linear elastic conditions, commonly for load controlled tests with load ration R>0. However, large thermal and mechanical loading can result in plastic deformation under cyclic loading conditions.Most GT components operate under strain controlled conditions generated by thermal loading. In this paper, a novel method is used to characterize crack growth under cyclic strain conditions in regions under plastic strain. The experimental data reveal that the rate of crack growth changes under plastic conditions in comparison with the linear elastic case. Especially compared to very high stress intensities ΔK of load controlled tests, here the allowable displacement limiting strain control matters. Applying experimental data from material tested under cyclic loading and elastic-plastic material response, component lifetime has been reliably predicted. Hereafter the developed method is referred to as elastic plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) lifetime assessment. The EPFM approach more closely predicts the observed rate of crack growth than linear elastic fracture mechanics. LEFM over-predicts component lifetime for cracks growing in plastic regions under cyclic loading and could lead to catastrophic failure of a component. Therefore, the lifetime of a highly loaded component is more reliably assessed using the EPFM approach, as demonstrated for two alloys in this paper.Copyright © 2014 by Alstom Technologie AG


This paper introduces implementation and analysis of speech recognition system. Speech Recognition is the process of automatically recognizing a certain word spoken by a particular speaker based on individual information included in speech waves. This paper presents one of the techniques to extract the feature set from a speech signal, which can be used in speech recognition systems and an analysis study has been performed. A wide range of possibilities exist for parametrically representing the speech signal for the speaker recognition task, such as Linear Prediction Coding (LPC), Mel-Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCC),and others. Studies and experiments show that MFCC provides better results than LPC. Here vector quantization is used to increase speech recognition accuracy. Experiments shows that as the no. of MFCC coefficients increases get better accuracy, code book size also affects accuracy. The MFCC and VQ algorithm, for speech recognition have been implemented in MATLAB 7.7(R2008b) version on Windows7 platform. The control circuitry has been implemented in Keil µVision3; the supporting hardware setup is being implemented. Keywords: Speech Recognition; MFCC; Vector Quantization; LPC


The evolution of the atmosphere of Mars and the loss of volatiles over the lifetime of the solar system is a key topic in planetary science. An important loss process for atomic species, such as oxygen, is ionospheric photochemical escape. Dissociative recombination of O2+ ions (the major ion species) produces fast oxygen atoms, some of which can escape from the planet. Many theoretical hot O models have been constructed over the years, although a number of uncertainties are present in these models, particularly concerning the elastic cross sections of O atoms with CO2. Recently, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission has been rapidly improving our understanding of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars and its interaction with the external environment (e.g., solar wind), allowing a new assessment of this important loss process. The purpose of the current paper is to take a simple analytical approach to the oxygen escape problem in order to (1) study the role that variations in solar radiation or solar wind fluxes could have on escape in a transparent fashion and (2) isolate the effects of uncertainties in oxygen cross sections on the derived oxygen escape rates. In agreement with several more elaborate numerical models, we find that the escape flux is directly proportional to the incident solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance and is inversely proportional to the backscatter elastic cross section. The amount of O lost due to ion transport in the topside ionosphere is found to be about 5–10% of the total.


This study aims to determine and analyze 1) the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on dividend policy and value of the firm; 2) the effects of dividend policy mediated in order of causality between corporate governance mechanisms and value of the firm. The sample used was the manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange with the observation period starting in 2000 to 2007. The results showed that: 1) corporate governance mechanisms in istitutional ownership represented by institutional ownership have a positive and significant impact on dividend policy represented by dividend payout ratio; 2) corporate governance mechanisms are represented by institutional ownership, independent boards, and board's size have a positive effect and significant impact on dividend policy, represented by Tobin's q; and 3) the dividend policy does not mediate the relationship of causality between corporate governance mechanisms (which are represented by boards institutional ownership and board's size) with Tobin's q. Key Word : corporate governance mechanism, value of the firm, boards independent, dividend payout ratio


The final microflora in the corrosion process of concrete sewer pipes was investigated. When the corroded sample was examined using several media, bacterial colonies were found only on acid media (pH 2.5); fungi were detected on neutral solid media (pH 6.5) as well as on acid media (pH 2.5). The acidophilic bacterial colonies were identified as Thiobacillus thiooxidans using a specific identification method for species of acidophilic thiobacilli. The dark green fungi that appeared on the isolation media showed similar morphological characteristics, even though the media used for isolation varied in pH and nutrient. The fungi showed tolerance against acid, although the optimum pH for their growth was neutral. The results showed that the severely corroded sewer pipe was inhabited by two kinds of microorganisms, Thiobacillus thiooxidans and the fungi. An isolated fungus, strain OMSOfl, could oxidize sulfide to thiosulfate. Thiosulfate can be utilized by T. thiooxidans as an energy source, and is converted to corrosive sulfate. Continued vigorous growth of T. thiooxidans presumably depends on a mutualistic relationship with the fungus. It is proposed that a close association between the two microorganisms accelerates the corrosion of concrete sewer pipes.


In order to improve energy supply diversity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, sustainable bio-fuels are strongly supported by EU and other governments in the world. While the feedstock of biofuels has caused a debate on the issue of sustainability, the used cooking oil (UCO) has become a preferred feedstock for biodiesel manufacturers. However, intensive energy consumption in the trans-esterification process during the UCO biodiesel production has significantly compromised the carbon reduction potentials and increased the cost of the UCO biodiesel. Moreover, the yield of biodiesel is only ∼90% and the remaining ∼10% feedstock is wasted as by-product glycerol. Direct use of UCO in diesel engines is a way to maximize its carbon saving potentials. This paper, as part of the EPID (Environmental and Performance Impact of Direct use of used cooking oil in 44 tonne trucks under real world driving conditions) project, presents the life cycle analysis of Straight UCO (SUCO) in terms of CO2 and energy consumption, compared with the UCO biodiesel and petroleum diesel. The UK carbon calculator developed by UK Department for Transport was used for the calculations. The results show that SUCO renewable fuel can reduce the WTW carbon footprint by 98% compared to diesel and by 52% compared to the UCO biodiesel.


We report the performance of an instrument that employs a torsion balance for probing a non-standard force in the sub-micrometre range. High sensitivity of 1.2 × 10−10 N Hz−1/2 at 1 mHz is achieved by using a torsion balance that has a long torsional period, strong magnetic damping of all vibrational motions and a feedback system that employs an optical lever. In torsion balance experiments, the distance fluctuations during measurements and the accuracy to which the absolute distance is determined are crucial for determining the sensitivity of the balance to a macroscopic force in the sub-micrometre range. We have estimated the root mean square amplitude of the distance fluctuation to be 18 nm by considering the effects due to seismic motions, tilt motions, residual angular fluctuations and thermal fluctuations. We have also estimated the error of the absolute distance to be 13 nm and the statistical error of the force to be 3.4 × 10−12 N by measuring the electrostatic forces. As a result of this systematic study, we have evaluated the sensitivity of the balance to both a non-standard force and to the Casimir force.


OBJECTIVE
This clinical study assesses the diagnostic and therapeutic problems entailed in so-called gastrointestinal angiodysplasias. Summary back ground data: the topic presents numerous, still unresolved, issues: classification (its clinical presentation and classification); anatomo-pathological identification; diagnosis and localization; treatment of patients with acute massive bleeding; long-term outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirteen patients, equally distributed between both sexes an with a mean age of 54 years (range = 23-75), were observed and operated over a nearly 20 year period. All patients had acute massive bleeding localized to the stomach, duodenum, ileum, colon and rectum. Diagnosis and localization were previously obtained in nine patients, mostly using selective angiography. With the exception of two rectal localizations treated with embolization, all patients underwent surgical resection. In two cases operated on without previous diagnosis, (rebleeding occurred).

CONCLUSION
The data available in the literature are broadly substantiated, even if the mean age reported seems somewhat lower (54 yrs). Localizations were detected in nearly all segments of the gastrointestinal tract, and the indication to surgical resection possibly after detection of the angiodysplasia and source of bleeding is confirmed. The best diagnostic technique is selective angiography.


We propose a novel hybrid inertial sensors-based indoor pedestrian dead reckoning system, aided by computer vision-derived position measurements. In contrast to prior vision-based or vision-aided solutions, where environmental markers were used—either deployed in known positions or extracted directly from it—we use a shoe-fixed marker, which serves as positional reference to an opposite shoe-mounted camera during foot swing, making our system self-contained. Position measurements can be therefore more reliably fed to a complementary unscented Kalman filter, enhancing the accuracy of the estimated travelled path for 78%, compared to using solely zero velocities as pseudo-measurements.


BackgroundPreliminary reports show that nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with increased mortality compared with community acquired infection.MethodsRetrospective comparison of COVID-19 adult patients who were classified according to probable time of acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 and symptom onset. Data from hospitalized patients that were hospitalized in non-COVID-19 areas were reviewed.All patients were classified as community-acquired/Community-onset (CA-CO), Community- acquired/hospital-onset (CA-HO) and Hospital-acquired/Hospital-onset (HA-HO) cases. All patients without respiratory symptoms were tested on day one and if negative, hospitalized in non-COVID-19 areas.Results We identified 59 patients that fulfilled the definition of CA-HO or HA-HO COVID-19. Patients in the CA-CO group were less likely to have multiple comorbidities than the patients in the CA-HO and HA-HO groups. Mortality was lower in the CA-CO group (21.8%) compared to the other groups, although it did not reach statistical significance. DiscussionWe identified 9 clusters of HA-HO cases arising from multiple-bed rooms from the non-COVID-19 areas. There was no significant difference for HA-HO COVID-19 between patients placed in a common-room bed compared to patients placed on single bed rooms (p=.19). Nevertheless, the RR for HA-HO COVID-19 was 105 (95% CI 62.9 to 177.6) for patients treated in a common-room allocating another COVID-19-detected patient within the immediate 24 h time frame (P=<0.01).ConclusionHospital-acquired COVID-19 is newly described and poses a challenge for infection control. We identified small clusters related to multiple-bed rooms from non-COVID-19 hospitalization wards and propose a simple time-based classification for hospital surveillance and isolation precautions.


Most hardware in the area of IoT and embedded systems only ever runs a single application. To reduce the cost and increase performance the hardware can be tailored to this application. Unfortunately, identifying, designing, and evaluating application-specific optimizations is complex and requires significant effort. However, application-specific hardware also performs significantly better compared to using general-purpose processors. Prior work attempts to address this problem via approaches from the Register-Transfer Level (RTL) as well as the application level, with RTL being effective but resource-intensive, while high-level approaches are faster but lack accuracy. In order to combine the advantages of high-level and low-level approaches we propose an open source Virtual Prototype (VP) based workflow to automatically identify promising hardware optimization candidates based on recurring patterns. Our results demonstrate that a VP can be used effectively as a starting point for application-specific hardware optimization.


AbstractSlovenian plans for transferring the existing card authority file into an automated one may serve as a starting point to rethink the concept of the catalogue in general. The existing model can be transferred into a computer file based on the temporary references established within the block 9— of the COMARC format. At the same time, decisions for future concept of a catalogue in and international environment can be at least foreseen. Abandoning the local (i.e. national) practice would open the door to the international cooperation in the authority field. Each nation should take responsibility for establishing authority control for its authors. Problems appearing while exchanging these files and adapting them to local uses may then be resolved, with help of the computer technology, in a mutual dialogue


IT, information technology, influences our life more and more. Since the newest IT documents, such as papers, reports and data sheets, are mostly issued in English, some graduated students feel difficulty to collect new information for updating their knowledge. It is because their native language and course books are not in English. In order to improve their professional English in study and applications, a new way, bilingual education, is developing in some countries. This paper focuses on the organization, objects, and contents of bilingual education for electronic or computer engineering. The plan, practice and review for bilingual education are discussed. As an example, MCU, Micro-Controller Unit, course with bi-language is introduced. According to assessment of experts and feedback of students, the attempt is significant and helpful.


Tyrophagus communis and T. putrescentiae are the primary acarid mites that cause damages to edible fungi. They have similar damaging symptoms and morphological characteristics. They are difficult to distinguish, and many people often mistake T. communis for T. putrescentiae. Tyrophagus communis often infests the original culture and cultivated medium in natural farming or commercial production. From 2021 to 2022, T. communis seriously damaged the cultivated medium of Tremella fuciformis (Fig. 1). Being fed by T. communis on mycelium and primordia (Fig. 2), the medium gradually turned brown-black and decayed, resulting in fruiting bodies appearing delayed, or even without fruit coming out. It was still found to damage the fungi after the disinfestation of the houses infested with T. communis. In addition to Tremella fuciformis, T. communis also infested Hypsizygus marmoreus, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Auricularia polytricha and Pleurotus ostreatus. The infested original cultures must be discarded due to the loss of their value. The fruiting bodies of T. fuciformis on the infested medium emerge unevenly, being difficult to manage, and their yield and beneficial values are reduced. The safety production of these edible fungi was affected by T. communis. The biological characteristics, causes of infestation and prevention methods of T. communis need to be further studied to ensure the green and safe production of edible fungi.


This paper analyzes the reaction of stock prices to the new information about inflation. Based on daily returns to the Standard and Poor's composite portfolio from 1953–78, it seems that the stock market reacts negatively to the announcement of unexpected inflation in the Consumer Price Index (C.P.I.), although the magnitude of the reaction is small. It is interesting to note that the stock market seems to react at the time of announcement of the C.P.I., approximately one month after the price data are collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


Service robots are expected to reliably make sense of complex, fast-changing environments. From a cognitive standpoint, they need the appropriate reasoning capabilities and background knowledge required to exhibit human-like Visual Intelligence. In particular, our prior work has shown that the ability to reason about spatial relations between objects in the world is a key requirement for the development of Visually Intelligent Agents. In this paper, we present a framework for commonsense spatial reasoning which is tailored to real-world robotic applications. Differently from prior approaches to qualitative spatial reasoning, the proposed framework is robust to variations in the robot's viewpoint and object orientation. The spatial relations in the proposed framework are also mapped to the types of commonsense predicates used to describe typical object configurations in English. In addition, we also show how this formally-defined framework can be implemented in a concrete spatial database.


Serotonin (5-HT) functions as a chemoattractant that modulates neural migration during prenatal and early postnatal development. However, its molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. The effect of 5-HT on neural cell migration was examined using PC12 neuron-like cell line. Transwell migration assay was used to determine the effect of 5-HT on PC12 cell migration. The results demonstrated that 5-HT and nerve growth factor (NGF) induced PC12 cell migration in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, 5-HT receptor antagonists suggest that 5-HT-induced migration was mediated by serotonin receptor 6 (5-HT6), a Gs-protein coupled receptor that elevates the intercellular cAMP level. By contrast, antagonists of serotonin receptor 3 (5-HT3) did not show any effects on PC12 cell migration. Clozapine, an inhibitor of cAMP accumulation mediated by 5-HT6, significantly reduced the effect of 5-HT on the PC12 cell migration. An inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) also suppressed migration. These results suggest that 5-HT induces PC12 cell migration by activating cAMP/ERK signaling pathways, which is mediated by 5-HT6 receptor.


The seventeenth century witnessed the transition from the qualitative physics to quantitative. The very process was not easy and obvious, it consisted of discussions in many fields. One of them was the question about the nature of chemistry which was undergoing then some changes towards the form we know now. The main argument concerned the explanatory principles one should invoke to understand properly certain outcomes of chemical experiments. The present paper is a presentation of such an (indirect) argument between R. Boyle, a prominent proponent of corpuscular, quantitative principles and S. Duclos, an al-chymist and a proponent of paracelsian, qualitative ones. What is interesting Duclos knew The Sceptical Chymist, Boyle's main work which contained a severe critique of paracelsian chymistry, and attempted to point out some weaknesses of Boyle's own position. Duclos scrutinized Boyle's experiments described in his Certain Physiological Essays and other works and argued for certain shortcomings of Boyle's laboratory skills, his failure to indicate some literature sources and, first of all, insufficiency of Boyle's arguments for the corpuscular thesis. According to Duclos, Boyle did not follow in laboratory certain procedures recommended by himself, using unclear notions and applying the corpuscular principles without proper justification. What is more, Duclos argued also in favor of paracelsian chymistry presenting some qualitative explanations in experiments in which Boyle failed to give quantitative ones. Knowing the further development of natural philosophy, it seems interesting to realize how complex it was. The present paper shows also how much irremovable from scientific research is the theoretical component.


The response of forests to a warmer climate depends upon the direct impacts of temperature on forest ecophysiology and indirect effects related to a range of biogeophysical processes. In alpine regions, reduced snow accumulation and earlier melt of seasonal snowpacks are expected hydrologic consequences of warming. For forests, this leads to earlier soil moisture recharge, and may increase summer drought stress. At the same time, increased air temperature alters plant net primary productivity. Most models of climate change impacts focus either on hydrologic behaviour or ecosystem structure or function. In this study we address the interactions between them. We use a coupled model of eco‐hydrologic processes to estimate changes in evapotranspiration and vegetation productivity under temperature warming scenarios. Results from Yosemite National Park, in the California Sierra Nevada, suggest that for most snow‐dominated elevations, the shift in the timing of recharge is likely to lead to declines in productivity and vegetation water use, even with increased water‐use efficiency associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The strength of this effect, however, depends upon interactions between several factors that vary substantially across elevation gradients, including the initial timing of melt relative to the summer growing season, vegetation growth, and the extent to which initial vegetation is water‐limited or temperature‐limited. These climate‐driven changes in vegetation water use also have important implications for summer streamflow. Results from this analysis provide a framework that can be used to develop strategic measurement campaigns and to extrapolate from local measurements of vegetation responses to watershed scale patterns. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The objectives of this research were : (1) to find out the difference
between students achievement in English by students taught by using Jigsaw
Cooperative Learning Model and Expository Learning Model, (2) to find out the
difference between students achievement in English with extrovert and introvert
personal trait, (3) to find out the interaction between learning model and personal
trait on students achievement in English .
This quasi experimental research took all of IX th grade students of SMP
Negeri 2 Kutalimbaru Kabupaten Deli Serdang of Academic Year 2010/2011 as
population, which consists of 108 students. The sample was taken by using cluster
random sampling method. The sample of the research for Jigsaw Cooperative
Learning Model class were 36 students, and 35 students for expository learning
model class. The technique of data analysis used in this research was Anova. The
research method used was quasi experiment factorial 2 x 2 design. The
hypotheses were tested at significance level a = 0.05. Before analyzing data,
the normality were tested by Lilliefors and variant homogenity were tested by
using Barlett and Fisher test.
The result of the hypothesis testing indicated that : (1) the students
achievement in English taught by using Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Model
(X = 29.08) was higher than the students achievement taught by using
expository learning model (X = 26.51). (2) The students achievement in English
with extrovert personal trait (X = 28.97) was higher than that introvert personal
trait ( X = 26.69). (3) There was an interaction between learning model and
personal trait on the students achievement in English .
It was then recommended for English teachers in order to pay attention
and consider to the factors of students personal trait as a basis of determining the
learning model. Finally, it is expected that the result of this research could
improve the quality of learning process.


The understanding of infection and colonization rates of soilborne pathogens on perennial crops is critical for determining proper timing of appropriate control measures. Studies were conducted to evaluate symptoms and colonization of roots of containerized apple trees by Phymatotrichopsis omnivora (Duggar) Hennebert during 1997 and 1998 at College Station, TX (USA). Three-year-old trees growing in 114 L containers were inoculated with sclerotia. Symptoms were detected after nine weeks, and 100% of the inoculated trees showed symptoms after 15 weeks. In another set of trees inoculated the second study year, there were only 80% showing symptoms of infection after 12 weeks. A separate experiment was developed to evaluate pathogen movement along live roots, dead roots, and through bare soil from an infected tree to adjacent healthy trees. Although fungal strands were visible within 10 days after inoculation and the viability of sclerotia was still around 83%, the experiment failed to produce extensive colonization and spread of the fungus on roots of apple trees or through the soil.


INTRODUCTION
In the UK, diagnoses rates for gonorrhoea in 2005 were 196/100,000 for 20-24 year old men, and 133/100,000 for 16-19 year old women. Co-infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is reported in 10-40% of people with gonorrhoea in the USA and UK.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments for uncomplicated infections in men and non-pregnant women; and in pregnant women? What are the effects of treatments for disseminated gonococcal infection? What are the effects of dual treatment for gonorrhoea and chlamydia infection? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to July 2006 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS
We found 21 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antibiotic regimens (dual treatment, multiple dose, single dose).


Abstract : In Year 1 we showed that administration of pregnancy-associated hormones to carcinogen-exposed rats not only reduced the appearance of mammary cancers (as does pregnancy) but also led to generation of AFP in serum at near pregnancy levels in support of our hypothesis. The Year 2 plan was designed to confirm that AFP (not the hormones of pregnancy) is the proximal inhibitor of breast cancer. We planned to perform similar studies in rodents that would be passively immunized against AFP in which inhibition should fail. However due to the cost of those experiments we first employed an in vitro pseudo-human model for passive immunization. We challenged cultures of HepG2 human liver cancer cells with hormones of pregnancy and demonstrated elevated secretion of AFP into the culture media. When these media were added to cultures of T47D human breast cancer cells cell proliferation was inhibited. However preventing inhibition by adding anti-AFP antibodies was not achieved failing with three different antibodies. Investigation disclosed that the antibodies employed failed to deplete the AFP content of the media. We are now investigating a large panel of antibodies as well as their use in higher concentrations before beginning studies using the in vivo model. Achievement of a strategy that effectively neutralizes AFP is critical to completing the work that was proposed to evaluate whether AFP is the proximal breast cancer inhibitor elicited by the hormones of pregnancy.


The purpose of this work is the creation of a method, which would automatically detect the most suitable discretization of wire structures. The method is based on using information about currents and charges distribution to detect critical regions of an antenna. Such an adaptive scheme significantly accelerate the process of simulation of modern wire antennas.


We have designed and implemented a query processor, called APPROXIMATE, that makes approximate answers available if part of the database is unavailable or if there is not enough time to produce an exact answer. The accuracy of the approximate answers produced improves monotonically with the amount of data retrieved to produce the result. The exact answer is produced if all of the needed data are available and query processing is allowed to continue until completion. The monotone query processing algorithm of APPROXIMATE works within the standard relational algebra framework and can be implemented on a relational database system with little change to the relational architecture. We describe here the approximation semantics of APPROXIMATE that selves as the basis for meaningful approximations of both set-valued and single-valued queries. We show how APPROXIMATE is implemented to make effective use of semantic information, provided by an object-oriented view of the database, and describe the additional overhead required by APPROXIMATE.


Background: There is a dynamic and reciprocal interaction among ECM and involving cells, cytokines, growth factors and proteases (MMP/TIMP). The controlled degradation of ECM by extracellular proteases particularly MMP/TIMP and serene proteases forms the basis of wound healing. To study clinical factors (BMI, DM) influencing healing of acute abdominal surgical wounds as graded by tissue expression of MMP 2, MMP 9 and TIMP. Subjects and Methods: The present study was conducted in 46 patients in the Department of General Surgery, Kamineni Hospitals, L.B. Nagar, Hyderabad. Results: Type II DM was found in 63 % of patients and found to be having significantly affecting wound healing (p = 0.0017). Wound healing was delayed in uncontrolled DM. Diabetics with healed wound had increased expression of MMP-2 and decreased expression of MMP-9 while Diabetics with non-healed had strong expression of MMP-9 and TIMP as compared to MMP-2. Obesity was seen in 47.82 % of patients and significantly affected wound healing (p = 0.0022). Obese patients with healed wounds had increased expression of MMP-2 and MMP – 9 with decreased TIMP levels. Conclusion: The present study strongly supported tissue expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP 2 balance between 7-14 days as a good predictor of wound healing in abdominal laprotomy wounds.


Experiments on underexpanded cold jet flows from a convergent nozzle under simulated flight conditions have shown that a large periodic spinning motion of the jet can occur with greatly enhanced broadband noise production. Shadowgraph pictures indicate that this oscillatory jet motion accompanies the generation of random weak shock waves at the source. These waves appear to be generated at the point downstream of the nozzle exit where the shock cells in the jet begin to disappear. The weak shock waves propagate upstream and have been identified to be the cause of enhanced broadband jet noise production in flight. In addition, the results show that the boundary-layer flow conditions over the outside of the primary nozzle (simulating engine cowl flow in flight) influence the production of these random weak shock waves.


The paper presents an approach to optimize the use of satellite capacity in DVB-S2 forward links. By reducing the so-called safety margins, in the adaptive coding and modulation technique, it is possible to increase the spectral efficiency at expenses of an increased BER on the transmission. The work shows how a system can be tuned to operate at different degrees of this trade-off, and also the performance which can be achieved in terms of BER/PER, spectral efficiency, and interarrival, duration, strength of the error bursts. The paper also describes how a Markov chain can be used to model the ModCod transitions in a DVB-S2 system, and it presents results for the calculation of the transition probabilities in two cases.


Giant brain aneurysms represent a formidable neurosurgical challenge: these life-threatening yet nonmalignant lesions are potentially curable by surgical obliteration. Remarkable recent advances toward safe and effective treatment are described in Giant Intracranial Aneurysms , edited by two leaders in this field, Drs Awad and Barrow. The heart of the matter is this: the natural history of these lesions is usually dismal, their detection is now straightforward, and their obliteration can often be achieved with good results. Data on natural history reviewed by Anson indicate that most patients with symptomatic giant aneurysms will die within a few years. Clinical presentation is usually due to subarachnoid hemorrhage or mass effect, but occasionally a giant aneurysm announces its presence by seizure, thromboembolism, headaches, or as an incidental finding on a noninvasive study. In the chapter on imaging, magnetic resonance images show the aneurysm's anatomy and its relation to arteries and parenchyma. For operative planning,


The responses of the vascular cambium and tracheid differentiation to extreme drought in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) were investigated. The research focused on the drought year of 2005, in the primary study area at Maigmo (MAI) in southeastern Spain, with comparisons in Jarafuel (JAL) and Guardamar (GUA). The climate in this region is typically warm and dry with hot summers. Wood formation throughout the 2005 growing season was studied in transverse microtome sections and integrated with a retrospective dendrochronological analysis of crossdated increment cores collected in 2009. For most anatomical sections collected throughout the growing season at MAI, the vascular cambium appeared to be dormant as indicated by the low number of cells per radial file. Occasionally, immature xylem derivatives were observed during the growing season but without production of an annual ring. In increment cores collected at MAI, the 2005 position in the annual ring series contained either a narrow ring of both earlywood and latewood (47% of samples), a narrow ring of apparent latewood with no earlywood (13%), or a missing ring (50%). We introduce the term "dark ring" to refer to those annual rings of apparent latewood with no earlywood. For trees at JAL, the 2005 ring had below-average width and contained both earlywood and latewood. At GUA, the trees produced the widest 2005 ring of all three sites and mainly contained an intra-annual density fluctuation (IADF). The IADF was formed after cambial reactivation in the autumn. Although dark rings, IADFs, and especially missing rings complicate dendrochronological analysis, these anatomical features may provide an additional proxy record from which to infer climate variability and change in the past.


Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) high colorectal cancers (CRCs) have a deficiency in mismatch repair (MMR) and increased levels of PD-L1, LAG-3, and IDO, and respond positively to anti-programmed death (PD) therapy. MSI low or microsatellite stable (MSS) CRCs that make up majority of tumors in clinical practice have not seen any benefit with PD inhibition. MSS CRC have higher proportion of KRAS oncogenic mutations as compared to MSI CRC. Reovirus, a naturally occurring oncolytic double-stranded RNA virus, has intrinsic preference for replication in KRAS mutant cells causing apoptosis in CRC. Current study was designed to investigate if reovirus could potentiate a beneficial effect of anti-PD therapy in MSS CRC. Methods: An array of CRC cell lines were screened for sensitivity to reovirus by MTT assay and expression of stem cell markers by RNA-seq and FACS. Based on MSI and KRAS status, four cell lines were explored further. Cells were treated with 5MOI reovirus for 48hr and expression of PD-L1 and PD-L2 with and without the potentiating effect of IFN-γ was assayed using FACS and qPCR. Combinatorial effect of reovirus with anti-PD-1 agent was studied in syngeneic models of BALB/c (CT26; KRASmut, MSS) and C57BL/6 (MC38; KRASwt, MSI) mice. The mice were grouped as control (PBS/IgG2A isotype control), reovirus, anti-mouse PD-1 antibody, and combination. Reovirus was used at a dose of 10 million/100 uL daily and anti PD-1 antibody was given i.p 200 ug/100 uL twice a week. Survival data and tumor volumes were recorded. HCT116 cells were xenografted in nude mice and treated with equivalent dose of reovirus. At the end point IHC was performed on excised paraffin-fixed tumor tissue with CD8 and granzyme antibodies. Results: Administration of reovirus was found to be most effective in cell lines tested. HCT116 (MSI & KRASmut), SW620 (MSS, KRASmut), LIM2405 (MSI, KRASwt) and HT29 (MSS, KRASwt) were chosen based on expression of CD133, CD44 and CD24. HCT116, LIM2405 and SW837 revealed increased and HT29 reduced expression of PD-L1 upon treating with reovirus. Survival data and tumor volume measurements showed better potentiating effect of reovirus on anti-PD-1 therapy in CT26 syngeneic model when compared with MC38. While single-agent therapy did not increase survival, the combination did improve survival with significance vs. control in both BALB/c (median 42 vs. 16 days, p=0.003) and C57BL/6 (median 24 vs. 17 days, p=0.02). The reovirus-treated xenografted tumor tissue showed a higher infiltration of T lymphocytes as confirmed by CD8-positive and intensified granzyme staining. Conclusion: Reovirus as single agent is more potent in KRASmut CRC. Syngeneic mice models proved synergistic anticancer effect of reovirus and anti-PD1 agent combination. Reovirus administration increased PD-L1 expression in CRC cells; possible mechanistic rationale for synergistic efficacy. Citation Format: Titto A. Augustine, Radhashree Maitra, Peter John, Sanjay Goel. Potentiating effect of reovirus in anti-PD1 therapy in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3917.


[1] The adjoint sensitivity technique is used to diagnose the transport pathway and chemical transformations of a pollutant plume from Asia to Hawaii in a three-dimensional chemical transport model (HANK) driven by winds from the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR) Mesoscale Modeling System (MM5). The simulation takes place within the timeframe of the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) Photochemistry Experiment (MLOPEX) 2c (15 April to 15 May 1992). Unlike trajectories, the adjoint technique takes into account all model processes including diffusion and convection in accounting for the transport of the pollutant plume and clearly defines the footprint of the plume. The transport of the pollutant plume is primarily analyzed from an isentropic perspective. The plume is lofted upward out of the Asian boundary layer in a very narrow band immediately above the surface cold front in the warm conveyor belt of a developing synoptic storm. Once lofted into the free troposphere, the plume travels almost isentropically to Hawaii, with very little additional mixing. The chemical and physical transformations within the plume are consistent with measurements on Hawaii as part of MLOPEX 2c: in particular, the initial loss of water and HNO3, the conversion of NOy from PAN to NOx to HNO3, the slow mixing rate in the free troposphere and the small ratio of HNO3 to NOx are consistent with the measurements. The chemical signature of pollutant plumes at MLO is investigated. The plumes have much higher concentrations of hydrocarbons than average and low concentrations of HNO3. The concentrations of PAN, NOx, H2O, and H2O2 were not found to distinguish rapid transport from Asia.


The most common ecological response to climate change is the shifts in species distribution ranges. Nevertheless, landscape fragmentation compromises the ability of limited dispersal species to move following these climate changes. Building connected environments that enable species to track climate changes is an ultimate goal for biodiversity conservation. Here, we conducted an experiment to determine if electric power transmission lines could be transformed in a continental network of biodiversity reserves for small animals. We analysed if the management of the habitat located inside the base of the transmission electric towers (providing refuge and planting seedlings of native shrub) allowed to increase local richness of target species (i.e., small mammals and some invertebrates' groups). Our results confirmed that by modifying the base of the electric transmission towers we were able to increase density and diversity of several species of invertebrates and small mammals as well as number of birds and bird species, increasing local biodiversity. We suggest that modifying the base of the electric towers would potentially facilitate the connection of fragmented populations. This idea would be easily applicable in any transmission line network anywhere around the world, making it possible for the first time to build up continental scale networks of connectivity.


Heart disease remains the single largest cause of death in developed countries, and novel therapeutic interventions are desperately needed to alleviate this growing burden. The cardiac lymphatic system is the long-overlooked counterpart of the coronary blood vasculature, but its important roles in homeostasis and disease are becoming increasingly apparent. Recently, the cardiac lymphatic vasculature in zebrafish has been described and its role in supporting the potent regenerative response of zebrafish heart tissue investigated. In this review, we discuss these findings in the wider context of lymphatic development, evolution and the promise of this system to open new therapeutic avenues to treat myocardial infarction and other cardiopathologies.


Nine cases of mantle cell lymphoma with gastrointestinal involvement were retrospectively reviewed, and their clinical features, including the involved organs, macroscopic forms, treatment methods, and prognoses were evaluated. The involved organs in the gastrointestinal tract were the stomach in 5 cases, the duodenum in 4, the ileum in 5, the cecum in 1, the colon in 4, and the rectum in 2. The macroscopic form of the gastric involvement varied, and included the protruding type in 3 cases, the ulcerated type in one, and the superficial type in one. On the other hand, the macroscopic form of the intestinal involvement from the duodenum to the rectum was mostly of the multiple lymphomatous polyposis type, which was observed in 6 cases. A hyper CVAD/MA regimen and high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation was performed in 5 cases. All of these 5 cases continue to show a complete response.


A lot of work has focused on compensating nonlinear distortions of the microspeaker under large excitation, yet it is unclear at which level the effect of nonlinear distortion is imperceptible or not annoying. In this study virtual listening tests were performed to evaluate the deterioration of sound quality in music signals with different levels of nonlinear distortion by a microspeaker. Binaural recordings of the music played by the microspeaker were made at different voltage levels, adjusted to the same RMS power, and afterwards reproduced by a low distortion reference headphone. The "double-blind triple-stimulus with hidden reference" method was used in the listening tests. Listeners were required to not only discern the distortion, but also rank the severity of the distortion. The effects of several factors including subject, program material and distortion level on the perceived distortion are discussed.


A study of imaging the Fukushima Daiichi reactors with cosmic-ray muons to assess the damage to the reactors is presented. Muon scattering imaging has high sensitivity for detecting uranium fuel and debris even through thick concrete walls and a reactor pressure vessel. Technical demonstrations using a reactor mockup, detector radiation test at Fukushima Daiichi, and simulation studies have been carried out. These studies establish feasibility for the reactor imaging. A few months of measurement will reveal the spatial distribution of the reactor fuel. The muon scattering technique would be the best and probably the only way for Fukushima Daiichi to make this determination in the near future.


OBJECTIVE
This study explored whether certain economic markers are associated with changes in the selection of primary care as a career.

METHODS
Using linear regression models, we examined whether economic factors in the United States could be used to predict the variability in US senior match rates in family medicine and three hospital-based specialties between 1978 and 2000.

RESULTS
A linear regression model using several economic indicators showed that public and private expenditures were associated with the US senior match rates in family medicine, anesthesia, and radiology. As private expenditures increased, the match rate for family medicine fell while the match rates for anesthesia and radiology increased. Increases in public expenditures were associated with increased family medicine match rates and declining match rates for the other two specialties. Increases in private spending resulted in average increases of 0.92% and 2.38% in the anesthesia and radiology match, respectively, with a drop in family medicine match rates of 1.36%. We found that for every 1% increase in public expenditures for health, family medicine match rates rise on average 1.39%, while anesthesia rates fall by 0.84% and radiology rates drop 2.16%.

CONCLUSIONS
The amount of public and private funding for health care is associated with US senior match rates in family medicine, anesthesia, and radiology. Changes in these funding sources may predict future student specialty choice and could be used to plan residency match rates in disciplines such as family medicine.


Abstract. Although snow depth on sea ice is a key parameter for Sea Ice Thickness (SIT), there currently does not exist reliable estimations. In Arctic, nearly all SIT products use a snow depth climatology (the Warren-99 modified climatology, W99m) constructed from in-situ data obtained prior to the first significant impacts of climate change. In Antarctica, the lack of information on snow depth remains a major obstacle in the development of reliable SIT products. In this study, we present the latest version of the Altimetric Snow Depth (ASD) product computed over both hemispheres from the difference of the radar penetration into the snow pack between the CryoSat-2 Ku-band and the SARAL Ka-band frequency radars. The ASD solution is compared against a wide range of snow depth products including model data (Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS) or its equivalent in Antarctica the Global Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (GIOMAS), the MERCATOR model and NASA's Eulerian Snow On Sea Ice Model (NESOSIM, only in Arctic)), the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR-2) passive radiometer data, and the Dual-altimeter Snow Thickness (DuST) Ka-Ku product (only in Arctic). It is validated in the Arctic against in-situ and airborne validation data. These comparisons demonstrate that ASD provide a consistent snow depth solution, with space and time patterns comparable with those of the alternative Ka-Ku DuST product, but with a mean bias of about 6.5 cm. We also demonstrate that ASD is consistent with the validation data. Comparisons with Operation Ice Bridge's (OIB) airborne snow radar in Arctic during the period of 2014–2018 show a correlation of 0.66 and a RMSE of about 6 cm. Furthermore, a first-guess monthly climatology has been constructed in Arctic from the ASD product, which shows a good agreement with OIB during 2009–2012. This climatology is shown to provide a better solution than the W99m climatology when compared with validation data. Finally, we have characterised the SIT uncertainty due to the snow depth from an ensemble of SIT solutions computed for the Arctic by using the different snow depth products previously used in the comparison with the ASD product. During the period of 2013–2019, we found a spatially averaged SIT mean standard deviation of 20 cm. Deviations between SIT estimations due to different snow depths can reach up to 77 cm. Using the ASD data instead of W99m to estimate SIT over this time period leads to a reduction of the average SIT of about 30 cm.


Health professions education (HPE) researchers come from many different academic traditions, from psychology to engineering to rhetoric. Trained in these traditions, HPE researchers engage in science and the building of new knowledge from different paradigmatic orientations. Collaborating across these traditions is particularly generative, a phenomenon the authors call the multidisciplinary edge effect. However, to harness this productivity, scholars need to understand their own paradigms and those of others so that collaboration can flourish. This Invited Commentary introduces the Philosophy of Science series-a collection of articles that introduce readers to 7 different paradigms that are frequently used in HPE research or that the authors suggest will be increasingly common in future studies. Each article in the collection presents a concise and accessible description of the main principles of a paradigm so that researchers can quickly grasp how these traditions differ from each other. In this introductory article, the authors define and illustrate key terms that are essential to understanding these traditions (i.e., paradigm, ontology, epistemology, methodology, and axiology) and explain the structure that each manuscript in this series follows.


Because sea stars are the primary predators of the Japanese scallop, Mizuhopecten yessoensis, they are being removed from scallop fishing grounds, despite the lack of information on their predatory impacts. We experimentally examined the predatory behavior of the sea stars Asterias amurensis and Distolasterias nipon on the Japanese scallop. In the first experiment, we hypothesized that sea stars respond to distant chemical cues from live scallops. However, the results showed that neither A. amurensis nor D. nipon responded to the chemical cues of live intact animals, though it is commonly known that they respond to the chemical cues of carrion. We also examined the effects of the relative sizes of the sea stars to the scallop on their predator-prey relationship. We altered the body size ratios of the Japanese scallop to A. amurensis in the summer and winter, and to D. nipon in the summer, and observed the scallops' survival. In all experiments, logistic regression models were applied to changes in survival under different prey-to-predator size ratios, which were calculated by dividing the scallop size by the sea star size. Our results suggested that survival of the Japanese scallop rapidly increases with increasing body size. The ratios at which mortality was 50% provide an important parameter in estimating the predation risk from sea stars in scallop fishing grounds. Our study will contribute to the effective and responsible management of Japanese scallop mariculture.


Emergency response operations are a promising application area for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). Most existing MANET routing protocols assume that an end-to-end path between source and destination can be established. However, this assumption may not hold in a hastily formed network established during an emergency response. This paper evaluates a store-and-forward mechanism for proactive routing protocols to mitigate the effects of network disruptions. The mechanism is integrated into two routing protocols. The modified protocols are evaluated in an emergency response scenario that includes a disaster area mobility model and a wireless obstacle model. The scenario represents a realistic first responder operation after an incident in a chemical facility. The evaluation results show that networks for disaster responses benefit from the modified routing protocols.


This laboratory and others have shown that methylprednisolone sodium succinate and betahistine hydrochloride can each reduce the size of experimental myocardial infarct in dogs at six hours. In light of the fact that these two agents probably act via different mechanisms, a study was carried out to determine if there would be cumulative effects of using these two agents together. Using a left anterior descending coronary artery ligation model to create an experimental myocardial infarction and an intracellular lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) stain to measure the infarct size, 66 dogs were studied. Nineteen dogs served as controls with no therapy; 20 received a continuous intravenous infusion of betahistine hydrochloride (0.24 mg/kg/min) for six hours following ligation; 10 dogs received methylprednisolone sodium succinate intravenously 30 mg/kg at one hour postligation; and 17 other dogs received betahistine hydrochloride intravenously (0.24 mg/kg/min) over six hours following ligation, plus methylprednisolone sodium succinate intravenously (30 mg/kg) at one hour postligation. At six hours, the combined treatment demonstrated no significant improvement over betahistine HCl alone (control, 16.0%; betahistine HCl, 11.4%; combined, 11.2% P less than 0.05). At 24 hours, only the combined treatment group demonstrated a significant infarct size reduction (control, 15.5%; methylprednisolone, 13.1%; betahistine--HCl, 14.2%; combined, 9.7%; P less than 0.0025). Other parameters that were evaluated and analyzed include mean aortic pressure, left atrial pressure, cardiac index, total peripheral resistance, arterial and coronary sinus pH, pCO2, pO2, hematocrit, O2 consumption, O2 content difference, and coronary sinus lactate and creatine phosphokinase (CPK). These results suggest a significant cumulative effect in reducing infarct size over that achieved with one agent alone; however, further studies are needed to determine the appropriate dosage and temporal factors.


PURPOSE
Graphic processing units (GPUs) are increasingly used for scientific applications, where their parallel architecture and unprecedented computing power density can be exploited to accelerate calculations. In this paper, a new GPU implementation of a convolution/superposition (CS) algorithm is presented.

METHODS
This new GPU implementation has been designed from the ground-up to use the graphics card's strengths and to avoid its weaknesses. The CS GPU algorithm takes into account beam hardening, off-axis softening, kernel tilting, and relies heavily on raytracing through patient imaging data. Implementation details are reported as well as a multi-GPU solution.

RESULTS
An overall single-GPU acceleration factor of 908x was achieved when compared to a nonoptimized version of the CS algorithm implemented in PlanUNC in single threaded central processing unit (CPU) mode, resulting in approximatively 2.8 s per beam for a 3D dose computation on a 0.4 cm grid. A comparison to an established commercial system leads to an acceleration factor of approximately 29x or 0.58 versus 16.6 s per beam in single threaded mode. An acceleration factor of 46x has been obtained for the total energy released per mass (TERMA) calculation and a 943x acceleration factor for the CS calculation compared to PlanUNC. Dose distributions also have been obtained for a simple water-lung phantom to verify that the implementation gives accurate results.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that GPUs are an attractive solution for radiation therapy applications and that careful design, taking the GPU architecture into account, is critical in obtaining significant acceleration factors. These results potentially can have a significant impact on complex dose delivery techniques requiring intensive dose calculations such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and arc therapy. They also are relevant for adaptive radiation therapy where dose results must be obtained rapidly.


For vessels which operate offshore for extended periods, there has been industry interest in providing means to recharge the battery systems without repeated return to port. Solutions would ideally use renewably sourced power as opposed to onboard charging from diesel engines.
 The electric charging buoy is a concept that has arisen based on existing technologies from the single point mooring (SPM) buoy. To support this innovation, we can draw from experience with offshore vessels, SPMs, and electrical transmission and storage systems as they relate to safety of personnel and assets at sea. The result has been the development of Classification requirements for charging buoys which address issues such as system design, operating philosophy, operations, testing and verification. Electrical safety and establishing connections in a marine environment are fundamental to deploying this technology.
 Key factors include the buoy structure, power sources (e.g. onshore grid connection, offshore substation, offshore wind turbines), voltage ranges, power quality, maximum allowable current, and on-buoy systems such as transformers, converters, and cables. It is also important to address risks related to vessel profiles for connection time to the buoy and the environmental conditions which may be experienced.
 This paper outlines the considerations for SPM-based charging and the process by which existing standards have been combined with established practice to develop criteria, including input from interested stakeholder organizations that are engaged in battery powered operations. The new Rules are presented along with their underlying goals. Readers will gain an understanding of the process and the importance of supporting innovation in the energy transition, from the design stage through construction and in-service surveys.


In this paper we investigate the radiation pattern of a complete 1-18 GHz antenna system featuring a 1.8 in parabolic reflector and a double ridged broadband feed horn with coaxial input using a combination of the method of moments (MoM) and a physical optics (PO) approach. It was found that in the lower frequency range the horn antenna system exhibits a single main lobe in the direction of the center horn axis as expected. However, contrary to common belief, at frequencies greater than 12 GHz, the main lobe starts to split into four main lobes pointing into off-center-axis directions with a broadside gain reduction. This effect was observed both theoretically and experimentally. Although this type of antenna has existed for over four decades, up to now there is no explanation for this unwanted behavior in the open literature. In the past, several electromagnetic simulations of ridged horn antennas were made, but not over such a broad operational frequency range and neither including the coaxial feed nor the complete parabolic reflector system. The purpose of this investigation is to close this gap and to contribute to a better understanding of broadband ridged horn antennas.


Double skin facades (DSFs) have overheating problems in warm seasons which may increase the cooling loads in buildings. A previous study has developed an integrated phase change material (PCM) blind system and proved its capacity of mitigating the overheating phenomenon in DSFs. This paper focuses on the effect of design parameters on the thermal performance of such systems by conducting a simulation study of a DSF integrated with a PCM blind with different material properties, positions in cavity, and tilt angles of blades. The results indicate that the performance of the integrated PCM blind system can be optimised with careful geometric design and proper thermophysical properties of the PCM.


Using the transfer matrix technique, we estimate the entropy for a gas of rods of sizes equal to k (named k-mers), which cover completely a square lattice. Our calculations were made considering three different constructions, using periodical and helical boundary conditions. One of those constructions, which we call profile method, was based on the calculations performed by Dhar and Rajesh to obtain a lower limit to the entropy of very large chains placed on the square lattice. This method, so far as we know, was never used before to define the transfer matrix, but turned out to be very useful, since it produces matrices with smaller dimensions than those obtained using the usual approach. Our results were obtained for chain sizes ranging from k=2 to k=10 and they are compared with results already available in the literature. In the case of dimers (k=2) our results are compatible with the exact result. For trimers (k=3), recently investigated by Ghosh et al., also our results were compatible, with the same happening for the simulational estimates obtained by Pasinetti et al. in the whole range of rod sizes. Our results are also consistent with the asymptotic expression for the behavior of the entropy as a function of the size k, proposed by Dhar and Rajesh for very large rods (k≫1).


The purpose of the research is to compare the effectiveness of the supramolecular complex of albendazole with basic albendazole at toxocarosis in laboratory mice to evaluate the potential prospects of a new drug in treatment of tissue Toxocara sp. infection. Materials and methods. The study used 75 female BALB/c mice. All mice were infected with infective Toxocara canis eggs by oral gavage once, by 800 infective eggs each. The mice in the test groups were given base albendazole (ABZ) and improved albendazole (ABZ-DDS) in a doses of 50 to 200 mg/kg. The mice in the control group were given distilled water of 50 mcl within the same time limits. T. canis eggs were cultivated to rear their infective stages in Petri dishes in a thermostat at 25 °С. ABZ and ABZ-DDS suspensions were prepared using distilled water and Tween-20 in proportions required to obtain necessary concentrations. The drug was given to mice by oral gavage in the amount of 0.2 to 0.5 ml per mouse. In order to separate and count Toxocara sp. larvae, the muscular tissue was minced and digested in the simulated gastric fluid (SGF) for 50 minutes in a 'Gastros' apparatus at 37 °С. The visceras, namely, liver, lungs, heart, kidneys and brain were minced and placed on a sieve into the SGF solution for 4 hours at 37 °С. The microscopy and counting of larvae were carried out using a microscope. Results and discussion. As of the 20th day after the infecting, the ABZ and ABZ-DDS efficacy was 59.25 and 65.82%; 66.95 and 69.70%; and 69.35 and 76.48% in a doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg respectively. As of the 40th day after the infecting, the ABZ and ABZ-DDS efficacy was 66.54 and 70.87%; 68.03 and 73.41%; and 74.45 and 75.88% in a doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg respectively. The number of T. canis larvae reduced in the mouse brain when the ABZ-DDS was applied in a doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. There were not significant differences in the results of the therapy in different periods after the infecting (on the 20th and 40th day). As the dose was increased, the ABZ and ABZ-DDS efficacy was enhanced significantly.


Abstract 627 Introduction: Inhibitory antibodies (inhibitors) to exogenous factor VIII (FVIII) are the major complication of treatment with recombinant FVIII for patients with hemophilia A. Inflammatory "danger signals", such as would be produced by surgical injury, have been hypothesized as important acquired determinants of inhibitor risk. Surgery has been associated with an increased inhibitor risk in observational studies of humans. However, it is not possible to experimentally separate surgical injury from intensive FVIII exposure in humans, and this relationship has not previously been explored in animal models of hemophilia A. We investigated the relationship between surgical injury and FVIII inhibitor development in two distinct mouse models of hemophilia A. Methods: The hemophilia A models used were F8 exon 16 knockout (E16KO) mice and F8 exon 17 knockout mice with the humanized major histocompatibility complex II allele HLA-DRB1*1501 (E17KO/hMHC). The model surgical procedure was an open-and-close laparotomy under isofluorane anaesthesia at 6 to 12 weeks of age. Recombinant human FVIII, with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS), was administered intravenously through the tail vein. Preoperatively, FVIII was given in doses of 2 units (approximately 0.1 mcg/unit) weekly for 4 weeks; postoperatively FVIII was given in doses of 2 to 6 units daily for 3 to 5 days. Blood was obtained via retro-orbital sampling or cardiac puncture, and plasma was separated by centrifugation. Plasma was assayed for IL-1 and IL-6 concentration by ELISA, for anti-FVIII IgG by ELISA, and for inhibition of FVIII coagulant activity (FVIII:C) by Bethesda assay. Single cell suspensions of splenocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Data was analyzed using Student t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests. All animal experiments were approved by the Animal Care Committee at Queen9s University. Results: In E16KO mice, surgery produced greater than 5-fold increases in IL-1 levels (p=0.0005) and 150-fold increases in IL-6 levels (p=0.000023), compared to FVIII controls in the 24 hrs after the surgical injury. Surgery also resulted in significantly increased expression by splenic dendritic cells of CD80 (p=0.0004), but not of CD40 or CD86. All E16KO mice developed high-titre antibodies (by both ELISA and Bethesda assay) and there was no difference in Bethesda titres between surgery and control groups, either for mice FVIII-naive at time of surgery (p=0.27), or for mice with FVIII exposure prior to surgery (p=0.66). In contrast to E16KO hemophilic mice, FVIII immune responses were seen in only some E17KO/hMHC animals. Proportions of FVIII-naive E17KO/hMHC mice that did develop detectable antibodies were similar between surgery and control groups (47% vs. 53% for ELISA, p=0.72; 7% vs. 22% for Bethesda, p=0.19); among mice who developed antibodies, ELISA and Bethesda titres were not significantly different between surgery and control groups (p>0.05). E17KO/hMHC mice were exposed to FVIII, and those that were tolerant to FVIII (ie. did not have antibodies detectable by ELISA) then had either surgery with post-operative FVIII exposure, FVIII without surgery, or FVIII and LPS. No FVIII-tolerant E17KO/hMHC developed antibodies detectable by ELISA after surgery or after FVIII exposure alone, but 100% of FVIII-LPS-exposed mice developed antibodies (p=0.001). Conclusions: Although laparotomy produces acute increases in the inflammatory cytokines IL-1 and IL-6 and upregulates expression of the costimulatory molecule CD80 on antigen presenting cells, E16KO mice that underwent laparotomy did not have greater immunologic responses to FVIII than those who did not. FVIII-naive E17KO/hMHC mice who underwent surgery were no more likely to develop detectable antibodies than those who did not, and surgery did not result in higher-titre immune responses. In E17KO/hMHC mice who were immunologically tolerant to FVIII, surgery did not break this tolerance, although coadministration of LPS and FVIII did; tolerance could be broken in these mice, but was not broken by surgical injury. Given the limitations of existing clinical research in this area, our results indicate that understanding of specific inflammatory stimuli involved in FVIII inhibitor development in humans should be obtained before proceeding with the assumption that surgical injury alone is a significant risk factor for inhibitors in patients with hemophilia A. Disclosures: Moorehead: Baxter Biosciences: Honoraria, Travel funding for educational meetings Other; Bayer: Honoraria, Travel funding for educational meetings, Travel funding for educational meetings Other. Steinitz: Baxter BioScience: Employment. Reipert: Baxter Biosciences: Employment.


In this paper, we extend the mapping approach to the N-order Schrodinger equation. In terms of the extended mapping approach, new families of variable separation solutions with some arbitrary functions are derived.


Shrinkage greatly influences the mechanical and fatigue properties of compacted graphite iron and it is necessary in order to study the causes of shrinkage in compacted graphite iron and to predict it effectively. In this paper, a kind of cylindrical necking test sample was designed to evaluate the shrinkage in compacted graphite iron, and a method to calculate the size of shrinkage was proposed. By observing the microstructure around the shrinkage zone, it is concluded that concentrated shrinkage mainly appears in the solidification region where the dendritic gap is closed, and the isolated shrinkage mainly occurs in the final solidification region, and the supersaturated carbon elements are gathered on the surface of the shrinkage. The cause of shrinkage in compacted graphite iron is caused by its solidification method, where the austenite dendrites and the eutectic clusters are generated close to the melt zone during the solidification process, leading to the inability to feed the shrinkage. Based on the thermodynamic analysis, the equations between the volume change of each phase, solid phase rate, and time during solidification of compacted graphite iron were established to theoretically explain the formation mechanism of the shrinkage. Taking nine parameters such as the chemical elements and characteristic values of thermal analysis as the input nods, a four-layer BP neural network model for predicting the size of shrinkage in compacted graphite iron was constructed, and the R-squared of the model reached 97%, which indicates it could be used to predict the shrinkage tendency.


Human action segmentation is important for human action analysis, which is a highly active research area. Most segmentation methods are based on clustering or numerical descriptors, which are only related to data, and consider no relationship between the data and physical characteristics of human actions. Physical characteristics of human motions are those that can be directly perceived by human beings, such as speed, acceleration, continuity, and so on, which are quite helpful in detecting human motion segment points. We propose a new physical-based descriptor of human action by curvature sequence warp space alignment (CSWSA) approach for sequence segmentation in this paper. Furthermore, time series-warp metric curvature segmentation method is constructed by the proposed descriptor and CSWSA. In our segmentation method, descriptor can express the changes of human actions, and CSWSA is an auxiliary method to give suggestions for segmentation. The experimental results show that our segmentation method is effective in both CMU human motion and video-based data sets.


Rationale: In recent years, many clinical trials have used low-dose mifepristone to control uterine fibroids, some of which have achieved good results. However, according to the classic concept, long-term use of mifepristone could induce malignant transformation of the endometrium, and the effect of ultra-low-dose of mifepristone on uterine fibroids is still uncertain. Researchers are short on cases of uterine fibroids treated with mifepristone for long periods (more than a year). Patient concerns: A 47-year-old woman went to the hospital because of anemia. Diagnoses: The patient was diagnosed with uterine leiomyoma. Interventions: The patient refused the suggestion of surgery, she was continuously treated with an ultra-low-dose (12.5 mg per 5 days) of mifepristone monotherapy for 4 years. Outcomes: The uterine leiomyoma was stable, anemia and other symptoms disappeared, and the menstrual cycle, liver and kidney function, and tumor markers were normal. Lessons: Judging from our case, long-term, ultra-low-dose mifepristone for uterine fibroids treatment was safe and more effective than conventional therapy.


The NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex is required for gene regulation, cell cycle progression, and DNA repair. Dissection of the 13‐subunit complex reveals that the Eaf7 subunit bridges Eaf5 with Eaf3, a H3K36me3‐binding chromodomain protein, and this Eaf5/7/3 trimer is anchored to NuA4 through Eaf5. This trimeric subcomplex represents a functional module, and a large portion exists in a native form outside the NuA4 complex. Gene‐specific and genome‐wide location analyses indicate that Eaf5/7/3 correlates with transcription activity and is enriched over the coding region. In agreement with a role in transcription elongation, the Eaf5/7/3 trimer interacts with phosphorylated RNA polymerase II and helps its progression. Loss of Eaf5/7/3 partially suppresses intragenic cryptic transcription arising in set2 mutants, supporting a role in nucleosome destabilization. On the other hand, loss of the trimer leads to an increase of replication‐independent histone exchange over the coding region of transcribed genes. Taken together, these results lead to a model where Eaf5/7/3 associates with elongating polymerase to promote the disruption of nucleosomes in its path, but also their refolding in its wake.


Production from several matured oil and gas fields is impacted by high water cut. Common causes of excess water production in wells are coning, inflow through fractures and poor cement quality behind casing. Operators always aim at increasing the recovery of oil and gas and prolong well life in the absence of or negligible water cut. Polymeric gel system is a clear fluid formulated with low-molecular-weight polymer which allows penetration into matrix pore spaces for complete shut-off. Its low viscosity prior to crosslinking aids its injectivity; after placement in small openings such as pore throats and channels in cement behind casing, the final product is a rubber-like ring gel which penetrates formation matrix to reduce permeability and eventual shut-off flow. This paper focuses on the application of polymeric gel solution designed to shut off water production in two wells in Niger Delta. The candidate wells were carefully selected following a comprehensive review of the well schematic, petrophysical information and the reservoir performance monitoring logs. Based on the results of the data analyzed, polymer gel system was recommended. The required laboratory tests were conducted to confirm gelation time prior to field deployment. Coiled tubing and thru tubing inflatable packer were the preferred deployment method for precise treatment placement. The wells were shut-in for five days and surface samples were collected and kept in the water bath under downhole temperature conditions to allow curing of the treatment. The wells were opened after the curing time, and pressure tested against cured treatment system downhole and held for 10mins. The positive results from the pressure tests in both wells showed that total shut-off of the existing perforations were successful. The wells were thereafter re-perforated at shallower depths and production sustained on both wells.


We study a binary dynamical process that is a representation of the voter model with two candidates and opinion makers. The voters are represented by nodes of a network of social contacts with internal states labeled 0 or 1 and nodes that are connected can influence each other. The network is also perturbed by opinion makers, a set of external nodes whose states are frozen in 0 or 1 and that can influence all nodes of the network. The quantity of interest is the probability of finding m nodes in state 1 at time t. Here we study this process on star networks, which are simple representations of hubs found in complex systems, and compare the results with those obtained for networks that are fully connected. In both cases a transition from disordered to ordered equilibrium states is observed as the number of external nodes becomes small. For fully connected networks the probability distribution becomes uniform at the critical point. For star networks, on the other hand, we show that the equilibrium distribution splits in two peaks, reflecting the two possible states of the central node. We obtain approximate analytical solutions for the equilibrium distribution that clarify the role of the central node in the process. We show that the network topology also affects the time scale of oscillations in single realizations of the dynamics, which are much faster for the star network. Finally, extending the analysis to two stars we compare our results with simulations in simple scale-free networks.


ment in Bihar in the politically turbulent sixties. The Brahmarshi Sena, another identic fiable caste force drawing support from the landed Bhumihar Babhans, was set up as the 'youth wing' of the Brahmarshi Samaj. It was organised by an MLA who had the distinction of being a National Security Act detenue and a 'social servant' to boot.


Surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) spectroscopy has been establishing itself as an ultrasensitive analytical technique with a cross-disciplinary range of applications, which scientific growth is triggered by the continuous improvement in the design of advanced plasmonic materials with enhanced multifunctional abilities and tailorable surface chemistry. In this regard, conventional synthetic procedures yield negatively-charged plasmonic materials which can hamper the adhesion of negatively-charged species. To tackle this issue, metallic surfaces have been modified via diverse procedures with a broad array of surface ligands to impart positive charges. Cationic amines have been preferred because of their ability to retain a positive zeta potential even at alkaline pH as well as due to their wide accessibility in terms of structural features and cost. In this review, we will describe and discuss the different approaches for generating positively-charged plasmonic platforms and their applications in SERS sensing.


In recent years, the UK Health and Safety Executive, the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the British Computer Society have collaborated in the management of a project to produce a set of competencies for engineers working in the sensitive area of safety-critical or safety-related systems. The resulting document owed much to the existence of the international standard IEC 61508. The development of competency descriptors for those involved in the design and development of safety-critical systems has led to some consideration of the properties of these competencies and to principles that may be applied in a more general setting. This article aims to capture these thoughts.


Mixed composition monolayers of similar n-alkanethiols on are formed by self-assembly. While the average surface composition of these films accurately reflects the composition of the deposition solution, scanning tunneling microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements show that the films phase separate on the nanometer scale. Scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to follow molecular motions within these films. We discuss our observations in terms of the formation and stability of the phase-segregated domains, and their potential importance in nanoscale applications.


This report summarizes results from WP3 (the focus group study) and WP4 (the Identity and Citizenship-study) drawing on previous deliverables (mainly D. 11, 13, 15-16, 17 and 19) and further developing earlier analyses. It begins by presenting results as to Arabicspeakers' media uses, especially foregrounding the various ways in which they combine channels from the countries of origin with transnational and Swedish channels, and the high level of media literacy shown in their assessments of the channels they watch. After that, senses of identity and civic belonging are discussed, as well as the ways in which participants experience these belongings. Participants' civic literacy is also emphasized, i.e. their ability to reflect upon and compare legal regimes and forms of governance in different countries.


Businesses have used alliances to share knowledge and resources amongst themselves to achieve corporate goals, yet little is written in the literature on how non-profit organizations manage alliances and what makes these alliances effective. This paper examines how Australian environmental non-governmental agencies (NGOs) perceive their alliances with other NGOs, profitbased organizations and governmental partners. To a large extent this paper replicates the work of Milne, Iyer and GoodingWilliams (1996) and includes measures of alliance effectiveness developed by Bucklin and Sengupta (1993). The findings suggest that Australian environmental NGOs use varying mechanisms to manage these alliance relationships, which is generally supported in the existing literature.


Cloud computing enables a wide range of users to access distributed over the Internet. During the centralized cloud management to satisfy user needs and data backup becomes a critical concern. The proposed method solves this issue by focuses on the following factors, user provisioning cost, security, load balancing and redundancy .To carry out this process perform local and global de-duplication process, chunking of data, hash function, load balancing. An intelligent data chunking and Hash functions is performed to chunks of data. Load balancing function is used to balance the load while storing the files into the resources of cloud. Propose a fully distributed scheme which works in a constant number of rounds and achieves optimal balance with high probability. The optimal centralized algorithm is used for generating the migrations in cloud storage. Perform experiments to demonstrate that proposed scheme can significantly higher efficiency over the state-of-the-art methods.