AbstractThe timing of daily extreme wind speeds from 10 to 200 m is considered using 11 yr of 10-min averaged data from the 213-m tower at Cabauw, the Netherlands. This analysis is complicated by the tendency of autocorrelated time series to take their extreme values near the beginning or end of a fixed window in time, even when the series is stationary. It is demonstrated that a simple averaging procedure using different base times to define the day effectively suppresses this "edge effect" and enhances the intrinsic nonstationarity associated with diurnal variations in boundary layer processes. It is found that daily extreme wind speeds at 10 m are most likely in the early afternoon, whereas those at 200 m are most likely in between midnight and sunrise. An analysis of the joint distribution of the timing of extremes at these two altitudes indicates the presence of two regimes: one in which the timing is synchronized between these two layers, and the other in which the occurrence of extremes is asynchro...


Death from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains the most common cause of death worldwide, and is also a significant cause of morbidity. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is performed in a significant number of IHD patients that meet certain clinical and angiographic criteria or are unsuitable for percutaneous coronary intervention. Increasingly higher risk surgeries are taking place, as the population survives to become more aged with well-managed co-morbidities. As such, the myocardium is at risk of peri-operative myocardial injury (PMI) during CABG surgery, the presence of which impacts on clinical outcomes. There are a number of strategies already in place to protect the myocardium during CABG surgery including therapeutic hypothermia, and the use of cardioplegic solutions, but there is a need to increase cardioprotection especially in higher-risk patients. In this regard, remote ischaemic conditioning (RIPC) is a promising, yet simple and cheap, non-invasive intervention, which shows huge promise in reducing PMI during CABG surgery. RIPC involves the serial inflations and deflations of a blood pressure cuff to the upper and/or lower limbs to induce brief cycles of ischaemia and reperfusion to the skeletal muscle. Despite the promise, clinical studies have produced variable results RIPC in the setting of CABG surgery, with confounding factors such as co-morbidities (age and diabetes) and comedications (propofol and glyceryl trinitrate) being proposed to interfere with the cardioprotective effect. In two separate clinical studies of adult patients undergoing CABG surgery, we investigated the effect of diabetes and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) on the cardioprotective effect elicited by RIPC. We used an intensified RIPC protocol comprising 3 cycles of simultaneous inflation and deflation of two cuffs – one placed on the upper arm and the other on the thigh. The primary outcome measures of both clinical studies, was the extent of peri-operative myocardial injury (PMI), as evidenced by the 72 hours serum Troponin T area-under-the-curve. Secondary outcomes measures included the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation, acute kidney injury, inotrope score and length of intensive care and hospital stay. In the diabetic study, we found that RIPC significantly reduced the extent of PMI, whereas in the GTN study, RIPC resulted in only a non-significant reduction in PMI, when compared to control. There were no differences in the secondary outcome measurements with RIPC versis control in either study. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that intensifying the RIPC stimulus can overcome the confounding effects of diabetes and GTN on RIPC cardioprotection in patients undergoing CABG surgery.


Metallic catalysts have a tendency to lose their activity over time due to various reasons such as change in oxidation state of the metal, deposition of material on the catalyst or structural rearrangement of the catalysts. Metallic catalysts (such as Pt based catalysts) are often rare and expensive. Therefore, there is currently an interest in developing self-regenerating catalysts which independently recover their activity after deactivation without human intervention and which thus have a high turnover number. Our aim is to review the applications of these catalysts and study their mechanism of regeneration in various systems. Perovskites based catalyst systems have shown indication that they can be used instead of the conventional catalyst used in the automobiles to treat exhaust gases, in a cost effective manner. A modification of the crystallographic structure has enhanced the regenerative ability of cobalt nanoparticles, have found application in the Fischer Tropsch Synthesis. Self-healing non precious metal-based catalyst provides an economic alternative in hydrogen production by water splitting with sunlight as the main energy source. Palladium based self-healing catalysts are used in CO detection devices. 'Kearby' Catalyst, a self-regenerating catalyst used in the preparation of the vinyl monomers via catalytic dehydrogenation.


The TMLV Technology Program is concerned with the use of magnetic levitation for suspension of high-speed ground vehicles traveling at speeds of 480 km/h. The program is configured to permit comparative evaluation of two competing MAGLEV concepts -- repulsion and attraction. The program has two major tasks: conceptual design of a passenger-carrying system which meets a specified ride quality objective, and design and test of a high-speed (480 km/h) rocket-propelled test vehicle capable of providing engineering data relevant to the aforementioned conceptual design. The high-speed tests will be carried out at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California. This paper will discuss both parts of the program, with emphasis on the superconducting magnets used in the levitation/guidance systems.


We present a 23-year-old woman with a 7-year history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) who became pregnant. At the 23rd week of pregnancy she exhibited the signs and symptoms (hypertension, edema, proteinuria) of both diabetic nephropathy and preeclampsia. A cesarean section was successfully performed. The proteinuria persisted for more than 3 months after delivery. Renal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of diabetic glomerulosclerosis together with the renal findings attributable to preeclampsia. The rapid acceleration of diabetic nephropathy in this patient was attributed to preeclampsia. We therefore recommend that patients with DM be followed closely during pregnancy in an attempt to prevent the acceleration of renal damage by preeclampsia.


Objective: The aim of the study was to ascertain if cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors are carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) risk factors. Methods: Analysis of pooled baseline data from two large prospective cohort studies (n = 1824) assessed the relationships between a modified Framingham Heart Study CVD risk score both CTS and abnormal nerve conduction study prevalence. Quantified job exposures, personal and psychosocial confounders were statistically controlled. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for individual risk scores. Results: There was a strong relationship between CVD risk score and both CTS and abnormal nerve conduction study after adjustment for confounders, with odds ratios as high as 4.16 and 7.35, respectively. Dose responses were also observed. Conclusions: In this workplace population, there is a strong association between CVD risk scores and both CTS and abnormal nerve conduction study that persisted after controlling for confounders. These data suggest a potentially modifiable disease mechanism.


A 240MHz 5th-order gm-C low-pass filter for WiMedia UWB system is presented. The filter uses a 1.2V supply and is fabricated in 0.13mum CMOS. The filter is targeted for a direct-conversion radio receiver and is based on precise-gain filter synthesis. It includes gain control from 13 to 48dB in 1dB steps. The filter achieves an input-referred noise of 7.7nV/radicHz, an out-of-band IIP3 of -8.2dBV and consumes 24mW


The 1980-1982 milk supply contamination on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, by the insecticide heptachlor offered an opportunity to investigate the possible human teratogenicity of this organochlorine. An analysis of incidence rates for 23 major congenital malformations, derived from hospital-generated data collected by the Birth Defects Monitoring Program of the Centers for Disease Control, failed to show any remarkable rate increase on Oahu in 1981-1983, based on comparisons with the rates for previous time periods on this island and with the rates for two unexposed populations (the other Hawaiian islands and the total U.S.). A rise in the rates of cardiovascular malformations and hip dislocation was apparent but antedated the exposure. These results suggest that no major rate increase for malformations recognized at birth resulted from the heptachlor contamination on Oahu. However, misclassification of exposure status in this study may have obscured a more moderate effect.


One of the criticisms of metrics founded on climate-based daylight modelling (CBDM)
is that they are unverifiable in practice. This criticism received some attention following
the decision in 2013 by the Education Funding Agency to make CBDM and the
useful daylight illuminance (UDI) metric a mandatory requirement for the evaluation of
designs submitted for the Priority Schools Building Programme. Some of the difficulties
related to the validation of CBDM metrics apply also to daylight factors. However,
several other challenges need to be addressed and practical solutions found before
any attempt at validation of CBDM metrics can be made. This paper identifies those
challenges and describes a framework for the practical evaluation of daylighting performance
in real world settings, and thus a basis for the validation of CBDM metrics. The
task of validation requires a conflation of state-of-the-art techniques in measurement
and modelling. Measurement techniques under consideration include high dynamic
range imaging and 'smart sensors'. A key obstacle to real world validation in, say,
classrooms is that it is often not possible to rely on measurements of illuminance taken
on the horizontal plane because such locations are rarely free from disturbance during
normal use. It becomes necessary therefore to measure illuminance at more reliable
locations (e.g. walls) and use these as a proxy for illuminance performance on the horizontal.
The relation between wall and desk performance is space-specific and can be
determined using CBDM. The first steps towards practical application of this framework
are described.


The SnRK1 protein kinase balances cellular energy levels in accordance with extracellular conditions and is thereby key for plant stress tolerance. In addition, SnRK1 has been implicated in numerous growth and developmental processes from seed filling and maturation to flowering and senescence. Despite its importance, the mechanisms that regulate SnRK1 activity are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the SnRK1 complex is SUMOylated on multiple subunits and identify SIZ1 as the E3 Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) ligase responsible for this modification. We further show that SnRK1 is ubiquitinated in a SIZ1-dependent manner, causing its degradation through the proteasome. In consequence, SnRK1 degradation is deficient in siz1-2 mutants, leading to its accumulation and hyperactivation of SnRK1 signaling. Finally, SnRK1 degradation is strictly dependent on its activity, as inactive SnRK1 variants are aberrantly stable but recover normal degradation when expressed as SUMO mimetics. Altogether, our data suggest that active SnRK1 triggers its own SUMOylation and degradation, establishing a negative feedback loop that attenuates SnRK1 signaling and prevents detrimental hyperactivation of stress responses.


We examined the long-term health outcomes associated with being born small for gestational age (SGA) or large for gestational age (LGA). A total of 632 young adults aged ≈20.6 years were recruited from a longitudinal study (Chiang Mai, Thailand) in 2010: 473 born appropriate for gestational age (AGA), 142 SGA, and 17 LGA. The clinical assessments included anthropometry, blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Young adults born SGA were 1.8 and 3.2 cm shorter than AGA (p = 0.0006) and LGA (p = 0.019) participants, respectively. The incidence of short stature was 8% among SGA compared with 3% in AGA and no cases among LGA participants, with the adjusted relative risk (aRR) of short stature among SGA 2.70 times higher than that of AGA counterparts (p = 0.013). SGA participants also had a 2 h glucose 7% higher than that of the AGA group (105 vs. 99 mg/dL; p = 0.006). Young adults born LGA had a BMI greater by 2.42 kg/m2 (p = 0.025) and 2.11 kg/m2 (p = 0.040) than those of SGA and AGA, respectively. Thus, the rate of overweight/obesity was 35% in the LGA group compared with 14.2% and 16.6% of SGA and AGA groups, respectively, with corresponding aRR of overweight/obesity of 2.95 (p = 0.011) and 2.50 (p = 0.017), respectively. LGA participants had markedly higher rates of BP abnormalities (prehypertension and/or hypertension) with an aRR of systolic BP abnormalities of 2.30 (p = 0.023) and 2.79 (p = 0.003) compared with SGA and AGA groups, respectively. Thai young adults born SGA had an increased risk of short stature and displayed some impairment in glucose metabolism. In contrast, those born LGA were at an increased risk of overweight/obesity and elevated blood pressure. The long-term follow-up of this cohort is important to ascertain whether these early abnormalities accentuate over time, leading to overt cardiometabolic conditions.


The paper looks at seven novels by women published since 2000, and asks in what ways they reconfigure realism and the social text of the recent Nigerian past. Their authors are engaged in a lively dialogue with their literary precursors, male and female, using their interpretation of the past. Though realism is their preferred mode, it is a realism that bears the trace of pre-existing non-realist modes of expression and belief. By reclaiming the traditionally negative icon of the abiku child, they effect a retrieval of the feminine repressed, casting the feminine double as shadow or negative to the paradigmatic male protagonist of Nigerian fiction and reinserting it into the postcolonial national narrative. Like one of the protagonists, these novels ask the urgent question: "What was the country I loved? The country I would fight for? Should it have borders?"


The real-time tracking dynamic control model for slab continuous casting,CCPS ONLINE,has been developed by use of slice element method in terms of the discrete grids with the same interval,based on the heat transfer solidification model coupled with the micro-segregation model of multi-alloy.The model can be applied to adjust the key process parameters of slab continuous casting procedure(secondary cooling water amount,segment roll gap) dynamically according to the reasonable metallurgical rules and the online tracking information of as-cast slab,so as to obtain steady reliant casting process conditions and good slab quality,which has been put into industrial practice successfully.From the producing situation at site and the relevant tests,it shows that the model has high reliance and strong practicability due to the reasonable control arithmetic and the good simulation precision,which can be widely used in the slab continuous casting industry.


It has long been known that the vast majority of all information en route to the cerebral cortex must first pass through the thalamus. The long held view that the thalamus serves as a simple hi fidelity relay station for sensory information to the cortex, however, has over recent years been dispelled. Indeed, multiple projections from the vestibular nuclei to thalamic nuclei (including the ventrobasal nuclei, and the geniculate bodies)- regions typically associated with other modalities- have been described. Further, some thalamic neurons have been shown to respond to stimuli presented from across sensory modalities. For example, neurons in the rat anterodorsal and laterodorsal nuclei of the thalamus respond to visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and somatosensory stimuli and integrate this information to compute heading within the environment. Together, these findings imply that the thalamus serves crucial integrative functions, at least in regard to vestibular processing, beyond that imparted by a "simple" relay. In this mini review we outline the vestibular inputs to the thalamus and provide some clinical context for vestibular interactions in the thalamus. We then focus on how vestibular inputs interact with other sensory systems and discuss the multisensory integration properties of the thalamus.


Separating turbulent boundary-layers can be energized by streamwise vortices from vortex generators (VG) that increase the near wall momentum as well as the overall mixing of the flow so that flow separation can be delayed or even prevented. In general, two different types of VGs exist: passive vane VGs (VVG) and active VG jets (VGJ). Even though VGs are already successfully used in engineering applications, it is still time-consuming and computationally expensive to include them in a numerical analysis. Fully resolved VGs in a computational mesh lead to a very high number of grid points and thus, computational costs. In addition, computational parameter studies for such flow control devices take much time to set-up. Therefore, much of the research work is still carried out experimentally. KTH Stockholm develops a novel VGJ model that makes it possible to only include the physical influence in terms of the additional stresses that originate from the VGJs without the need to locally refine the computational mesh. Such a modelling strategy enables fast VGJ parameter variations and optimization studies are easliy made possible. For that, VGJ experiments are evaluated in this contribution and results are used for developing a statistical VGJ model.


We consider the problem of task offloading and resource allocation in mobile edge computing (MEC). To maintain satisfactory quality of experience (QoE) of end-users, mobile devices (MDs) may offload their tasks to edge servers based on the allocated computation (e.g., CPU/GPU cycles and storage) and wireless resources (e.g., bandwidth). However, these resources could not be effectively utilized unless an encouraging resource allocation scheme can be proposed. What's worse, task offloading incurs additional MEC energy consumption, which inevitably violate the long-term MEC energy budget. Considering these two challenges, we propose an online joint offloading and resource allocation (JORA) framework under the long-term MEC energy constraint, aiming at guaranteeing the end-users' QoE. To achieve this, we leverage Lyapunov optimization to exploit the optimality of the long-term QoE maximization problem. By constructing an energy deficit queue to guide energy consumption, the problem can be solved in a real-time manner. On this basis, we propose online JORA methods in both centralized and distributed manners. Furthermore, we prove that our proposed methods enable the achievement of the close-to-optimal performance while satisfying the long-term MEC energy constraint. In addition, we conduct extensive simulations and the results show superiority in performance over other methods.


This paper proposes a new model of a good participatory governance. A model based on a threedimensional approach characterized by a set of mechanisms allowing good governance of management powers within cooperatives. In this respect, the first dimension "the disciplinary dimension" illustrates the agency theory in which regulatory mechanisms must be used to minimize conflicts of interest between cooperators and managers. The second dimension "the cognitive dimension" is based on the alternative theories that solve the problem of cognitive conflicts within cooperatives between knowledge holders and cooperators who lack of knowledge. The last dimension "the partnership dimension" illustrates the stakeholder theory and involves the participation of all stakeholders in decisionmaking. From this perspective, this model illustrates the interdependence of the three dimensions in such a way that they are complementary to achieve a good governance. The threedimensional approach on which our model is based is inspired by the contribution that consider the cooperatives 'governance is based on the bringing together a set of theories of corporate governance even if they are contradictory: multi-paradigmatic paradox. This approach allows to face the cooperative dilemma.


The effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment on the pituitary response to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was studied in rats in various reproductive conditions. A 3-day treatment of cycling rats with FSH (Metrodin; 10 IU/injection) lowered the spontaneous pre-ovulatory. LH-surge and suppressed the pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) response to GnRH. FSH also suppressed the LH response of pseudopregnant (PSP) rats on day 8 of pseudopregnancy, but not that of day-8 PSP rats which had been ovariectomized on day 4 (OVX-PSP rats). GnRH induced self priming in cycling, PSP and OVX-PSP rats. Oestradiol strongly augmented the pituitary LH-response to GnRH injection in PSP and OVX-PSP rats, but not in cycling rats; probably because in these latter animals the LH response to GnRH was already augmented by endogenous oestradiol. FSH suppressed the LH response to GnRH in oestradiol-treated PSP and cycling rats; in these latter rats the suppression of the LH response was as strong as that in cycling rats not treated with oestradiol. FSH did not suppress the LH response of oestradiol-treated OVX-PSP rats. The effect of FSH was not associated with changes in plasma oestradiol and progesterone concentrations. Analysis of the data revealed that FSH specifically suppressed the augmentative effect of oestradiol, but did not affect the GnRH-self priming effect. It is concluded that under the influence of FSH, the ovaries produce a factor which suppresses the augmentative effect of oestradiol on the GnRH-induced LH response of the pituitary gland. It is suggested that this effect of FSH underlies the suppression of the spontaneous LH-surges of FSH-treated cycling rats. As the present putative 'oestrogen-antagonizing factor' did not suppress the GnRH-self priming effect, it is suggested that this factor is not identical to gonadotrophin surge inhibiting factor.


The p K a values are important for the in-depth elucidation of catalytic processes, the computational determination of which has been challenging. The first simulation protocols employing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to calculate p K a values appeared almost two decades ago. Since then several slightly different methods have been proposed. We compare the performance of various evaluation methods in order to determine the most reliable protocol when it comes to simulate p K a values of transition metal-based complexes, such as the here investigated Ru-based water oxidation catalysts. The latter are of high interest for sustainable solar-light driven water splitting, and understanding of the underlying reaction mechanism is crucial for their further development.


A Matrix Converter is an electricity converter to operate direct convertion of Variable Voltage Variable Frequency (VVVF) without Direct Convertion (DC) link part. Some applied examples of motor drives by the Matrix Converter (Fig.1). This paper presents basic characteristic of parallel-connected dual induction motor drives with the Matrix Converter. Purposes of this system are low cost and saving space in the industrial field to operate plural motors. However, in case of the unbalanced loads, both motors are unstable and each motor makes the speed response differenced to cause the rotor flux change. We indicate the new strategy to control stably by applying the average value control in slip-frequency vector control. Moreover, we propose to decrease the speed response of two motors by choosing feed-forward term in the speed control system applying two degrees of freedom control (2DOF).


Intra-row vine spacings of 1.2 and 2.1 m, singlewire and 30-cm wide T-trellises, and pruning to spur numbers per vine of 10-12 and 16-18 and spurs with one or two nodes, were compared in an experiment on the low vigor grape cultivar Muscat Gordo Blanco at Griffith, N.S.W. Over the eight crop years of the experiment, the 1.2-m intra-row spacing produced 32% more total crop per 8.5-m plot than the 2.1-m spacing. Incomplete extension of the cordons of the 2.1-m spaced vines is given as the reason for their lower per plot yields. T-trellis increased total yield by 6%. The number of nodes left on a vine at pruning, either by varying spur numbers per vine or node number per spur, had no influence on yield. In the more severely pruned treatments a compensatory bursting of fruitful basal buds was observed.


Powdered Nd - Fe - B permanent magnets were sieved to different particle sizes and oxidized in an ambient air furnace in the temperature range for different times. Transmission Mossbauer spectrometry was used to determine the dissociation kinetics of the phase. The experimental curves were fitted according to the Ginstling - Brounshtein model, taking into account the real distribution of particle size. The kinetic parameters, namely the activation energy and the diffusivity pre-exponential factor were determined to be and respectively, It appeared that the kinetics parameters could be determined as well by considering a simple theoretical single-particle analysis model. The influence of the particle size was studied in the case of this simple model.


During the first 150 years of Qing rule, the suicides of women were the subject of unprecedented quantities of legal and ritual legislation and a frequent topic of debate in imperial, official, and literati discourses on law, ethics, and social order. This legislation often appeared contradictory, banning honors for suicide in principle, yet granting frequent exceptions. This article examines the complex array of political, cultural, and social factors that produced this intensification of state and elite interest in female suicide and created the apparent inconsistency of state policies. It argues that evolving Qing policies toward female suicide reflected a surprising convergence of statecraft goals, Qing imperial agendas, Han literati interest in promoting orthodox social norms, Manchu ethnic concerns, and the enduring fascination that the pathos of the female martyr held for male rulers and officials in general.


In zebrafish, action of the chemokine Cxcl12 is mediated through its G-protein-coupled seven-transmembrane domain receptor Cxcr4 and the atypical receptor Cxcr7. Employing this animal model, it was revealed that this Cxcl12 signalling system plays a crucial role for directed migration of primordial germ cells (PGC) during early testicular development. Importantly, subsequent studies indicated that this regulatory mechanism is evolutionarily conserved also in mice. What is more, the functional role of the CXCL12 system does not seem to be limited to early phases of testicular development. Data from mouse studies rather demonstrate that CXCL12 and its receptors are also involved in the homing process of gonocytes into their niches at the basal membrane of the seminiferous tubules. Intriguingly, even the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) present in the adult mouse testis appear to maintain the ability to migrate towards a CXCL12 gradient as demonstrated by functional in vitro migration assays and in vivo germ cell transplantation assays. These findings not only indicate a role of the CXCL12 system throughout male germ cell development in mice but also suggest that this system may be evolutionarily conserved. In this review, we take into account the available literature focusing on the localization patterns of the CXCL12 system not only in rodents but also in primates, including the human. Based on these data, we discuss whether the CXCL12 system is also conserved between rodents and primates and discuss the known and potential functional consequences.


The signaling activities of multiple developmental ligands require sulfated heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans as coreceptors. QSulf1 and its mammalian orthologs are cell surface HS 6-O-endosulfatases that are expressed in embryonic mesodermal and neural progenitors and promote Wnt signal transduction. In this study, we have investigated the function of QSulf1 in fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling, which requires 6-O-sulfated HS for FGF receptor (FGFR) dimerization and tyrosine kinase activation. Here, we report that QSulf1 inhibits FGF2- and FGF4-induced mesoderm formation in the Xenopus embryo and FGF-dependent angiogenesis in the chicken embryo through 6-O-desulfation of cell surface HS. QSulf1 regulates FGF signaling through inhibition of HS-mediated FGFR1 activation by interfering with FGF-HS-FGFR1 ternary complex formation. Furthermore, QSulf1 can produce enzymatically modified soluble heparin that acts as a potent inhibitor of FGF2-induced angiogenesis in the chicken embryo. QSulf1, therefore, has dual regulatory functions as a negative regulator of FGF signaling and a positive regulator of Wnt signaling. Therefore, QSulf1 provides another reagent to produce enzymatically modified heparin compounds, in vivo and in vitro, to modulate cellular signaling in stem cell-based therapies to promote tissue regeneration and in cancer therapies to control cell growth and block angiogenesis.


The book entitled "Medicinal plant Abrus precatorious L.". Anti-inflammatory, analgesics, Antipyretic activity, antidiabetic and antilipidemic activities with special reference to its anti-oxidant activity were done with the plant extract.This book consists of several chapters mainly focusing on anti-cancer and wound healing properties of the plant in animals. This book highlights information on synonym, vernacular names, distribution, parts used, extraction process,in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities and phytochemical analysis. This book consists of 11 chapters. This book will be very useful to the under graduate and post graduate students of Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, Toxicology, Pharmacognosy and Botany. Compilation should prove extremely useful to the Herbal Medicine Manufacturers. Common people will also get interest about this book. It is a handbook to read, keep and refer to again and again.


Data on the surface recombination rates of spin-polarised hydrogen and deuterium above liquid helium can be faithfully reproduced by a theory in which the rate-determining process in each case is spin exchange occurring through atom-atom collisions in two-dimensional space.


This experiment investigated the effects of three corrective feedback methods, using different combinations of correction, or error cues and positive feedback for learning two badminton skills with different difficulty (forehand clear - low difficulty, backhand clear - high difficulty). Outcome and self-confidence scores were used as dependent variables. The 48 participants were randomly assigned into four groups. Group A received correction cues and positive feedback. Group B received cues on errors of execution. Group C received positive feedback, correction cues and error cues. Group D was the control group. A pre, post and a retention test was conducted. A three way analysis of variance ANOVA (4 groups X 2 task difficulty X 3 measures) with repeated measures on the last factor revealed significant interactions for each depended variable. All the corrective feedback methods groups, increased their outcome scores over time for the easy skill, but only groups A and C for the difficult skill. Groups A and B had significantly better outcome scores than group C and the control group for the easy skill on the retention test. However, for the difficult skill, group C was better than groups A, B and D. The self confidence scores of groups A and C improved over time for the easy skill but not for group B and D. Again, for the difficult skill, only group C improved over time. Finally a regression analysis depicted that the improvement in performance predicted a proportion of the improvement in self confidence for both the easy and the difficult skill. It was concluded that when young athletes are taught skills of different difficulty, different type of instruction, might be more appropriate in order to improve outcome and self confidence. A more integrated approach on teaching will assist coaches or physical education teachers to be more efficient and effective. Key pointsThe type of the skill is a critical factor in determining the effectiveness of the feedback types.Different instructional methods of corrective feedback could have beneficial effects in the outcome and self-confidence of young athletesInstructions focusing on the correct cues or errors increase performance of easy skills.Positive feedback or correction cues increase self-confidence of easy skills but only the combination of error and correction cues increase self confidence and outcome scores of difficult skills.


Description: Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians of all time, introduced the notion of a vector to define the existence of gravitational forces, the motion of the planets around the sun, and the motion of the moon around the earth. Vector calculus is a fundamental scientific tool that allows us to investigate the origins and evolution of space and time, as well as the origins of gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear forces. Vector calculus is an essential language of mathematical physics, and plays a vital role in differential geometry and studies related to partial differential equations widely used in physics, engineering, fluid flow, electromagnetic fields, and other disciplines. Vector calculus represents physical quantities in two or three-dimensional space, as well as the variations in these quantities. The machinery of differential geometry, of which vector calculus is a subset, is used to understand most of the analytic results in a more general form. Many topics in the physical sciences can be mathematically studied using vector calculus techniques. This book is designed under the assumption that the readers have no prior knowledge of vector calculus. It begins with an introduction to vectors and scalars, and also covers scalar and vector products, vector differentiation and integrals, Gauss's theorem, Stokes's theorem, and Green's theorem. The MATLAB programming is given in the last chapter. This book includes many illustrations, solved examples, practice examples, and multiple-choice questions.


In the 1880s and 1890s, the British Isles-Ireland especially-experienced a Celtic Literary Revival. Drawing on both history and religion, this revival focused on aspects of old Celtic spirituality and how their beliefs were intertwined with the natural world around them. While not everyone was sympathetic to this sense of spirituality and nostalgia, the revival did gain traction amongst many authors of the time. Using the works of influential writers like William Butler Yeats and the Rhymers Club, this paper seeks to explore how Celtic spirituality was being rediscovered and interpreted during the late Victorian period.


Intracranial neoplasms represent a significant proportion of all tumours in dogs and cats. While many treatment modalities have been examined in order to treat them, efforts to evaluate success are hampered due to the relatively infrequent attempts at definitive antemortem diagnosis. In humans, stereotactic needle biopsy has become a common method of providing a definitive diagnosis of brain tumours with safety and reliability, and cytological techniques have been developed to aid intraoperative diagnosis from biopsy specimens. Stereotactic techniques have recently become available for use in dogs and cats, but little information has been published in the veterinary literature evaluating the normal cytological appearance of the brain or comparing different cytological techniques for intraoperative diagnosis. In order to evaluate the normal cytological appearance of the canine brain, smears were prepared from samples taken from a normal brain and stained with toluidine blue, following which the cytological appearance of different regions of the brain were described. Samples were also taken from a variety of lesions at post mortem from 10 dogs and 1 cat to evaluate 3 preparation techniques (touch impression, medium pressure impression and smear preparation) and 4 stains (Diff-Quik, May-Grunwald- Giemsa, toluidine blue and Zynostain). This study provides a useful guide to the normal cytological appearance of the canine brain, which was found to show similarities with the normal cytological appearance of the human brain. The preparation techniques and stains examined provided good diagnostic accuracy, with smear preparation and Diff-Quick stains showing slightly greater accuracy than other techniques. The greatest difficulty was encountered with diagnosis of inflammatory lesions, due to the potential for confusion with other pathological processes. The most important factors for diagnosis appeared to be the use of the smear preparation and the Diff-Quick stain, high overall slide quality and familiarity of the cytologist with the stain used. While further work needs to be performed to validate the stains and preparation methods that have shown most promising results, it is to be hoped that diagnostic accuracy will improve with increased familiarity with the stains and preparation methods examined.


Normal human cells have a limited lifespan in culture called the Hayflick limit. Recent studies have indicated that telomere shortening is one of the important meters utilized by cells to determine the Hayflick limit, and that activation of a mechanism to maintain telomere length is essential for cells to become immortal. It is generally believed that cells must have a means to maintain telomeres in order to progress to malignancy. Most cancers do this by activating an enzyme called telomerase which adds telomeric repeats to the telomere ends. Recently, expression of this enzyme has been shown to extend the lifespan of cells. This review discusses the research that led to the discovery of telomerase, the characteristics of telomerase complex, and how recent and future advances in the telomerase field may lead to better diagnostic and treatment protocols for many different cancer types.


The ferroelectric switching behaviour and piezoelectric response of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) prepared by drawing at stretching ratios from 1 to 5 and temperatures from 80 to 140 °C has been studied. Stretching ratio and temperature deeply influence the α (non-ferroelectric) to β (ferroelectric) phase transformation. The variations in the phase content are accompanied by changes in the degree of crystallinity and the microstructure, all of them influencing the macroscopic piezoelectric and ferroelectric response of the material. This work shows how the piezo- and ferroelectric behaviour of PVDF depends on the aforementioned parameters and, in particular, on the crystalline β-phase content. Coercive electric field, remnant polarization and saturation polarization increase with increasing ferroelectric β-phase content in the sample. In a similar way, samples with higher β-phase content show higher d33 piezoelectric coefficients.


Abstract As the most common primary intraocular malignancy of childhood, retinoblastoma (RB) has had a complex journey in its management, following a course from enucleation as the first life-saving treatment to numerous globe-salvaging therapies during the last century. Currently, this potentially lethal disease has achieved high survival rates owing to multidisciplinary management and the introduction of neoadjuvant and multimodal chemotherapy. Therefore, the goal of treatment is shifting toward conserving the globe and vision as much as possible. Up until recently, many advanced cases of RB were enucleated primarily; however, targeted chemotherapy via the ophthalmic artery and management of intraocular seeding by local administration of chemotherapeutic agents have revolutionized the globe-conserving therapies. The added benefit of avoiding systemic complications of cytotoxic drugs resulted in these methods gaining popularity, and they are becoming a main part of care in many referral centers. Initially, there were some safety concerns regarding these approaches; however, increasing experience has shown that these modalities are relatively safe procedures and many complications can be averted by changing the choice of the drug and using some prophylactic measures. It is hoped that, in the near future, with advances in early diagnosis and patient-targeted molecular therapies, as well as gene-editing techniques, the patient's vision can be saved even in advanced RB.


BACKGROUND
Prevention of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), a major childhood chronic disease with rapidly increasing incidence, is an urgent topic of research. We investigated whether 5% oligofructose (OF) as compared to 5% cellulose had a protective effect against diet-induced T1DM in the diabetes-prone BioBreeding (BB) rat model.

METHODS
Groups of BB rats were fed the experimental diets from weaning. The diets were a cereal-based rodent diet (diabetogenic, positive control) and semi-synthetic rodent diets containing hydrolysed casein (non-diabetogenic, negative control), soy or whey as the sole protein source and 5% cellulose as fibre source. In additional groups fed soy and whey protein, the fibre source was 5% OF. T1DM incidence up to the age of 160 days was recorded applying biochemical and morphological criteria. Physiological effects of fibre were assessed through the analysis of biochemical parameters in plasma and of the protein/DNA ratio in intestinal mucosa.

RESULTS
T1DM incidence was diet-dependent. Cereal-, soy- and whey-based diets were significantly more diabetogenic than the hydrolysed casein-based diet. Five per cent OF did not affect the incidence of T1DM induced by either soy or whey proteins as compared to cellulose, nor induce any of the biological effects attributed to a fermentable fibre.

CONCLUSIONS
In the BB rat model, 5% OF in the diet did not have any protective effects against diet-induced T1DM. The present data do not suggest dietary OF as a promising approach for the dietary prevention of T1DM.


BackgroundIdentifying novel and actional targets in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains an unmet medical need. TAK1 was originally identified as a TGF-β-activated kinase and was further proved to phosphorylate and activate numerous downstream targets and promote cancer progression. Although TAK1 depletion leads to early onset of hepatocarcinogenesis in mice, the role of TAK1 in developed HCC progression and targeted therapy resistance is poorly understood. MethodsThe expression of TAK1 and MTDH in HCC cell lines and patients and sorafenib-resistant models was analyzed by in silico analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. In vivo and In vitro experiments was introduced to examine the function of TAK1 or MTDH in HCC and sorafenib resistance using small interfering RNA and pharmacological inhibitors in combination with or without sorafenib. Co-immunoprecipitation and RNA immunoprecipitation was carried out to determine the binding between TAK1 and FBXW2 or between MTDH and FBXW2 RNA.ResultsOur findings unraveled the clinical significance of TAK1 in promoting HCC and sorafenib resistance. We identified a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase, FBXW2, targeting TAK1 for K48-linked polyubiquitylation and subsequent degradation. We also found that MTDH contributes to TAK1 upregulation in HCC and sorafenib resistance, through binding to FBXW2 mRNA and accelerate its degradation. Moreover, combination of TAK1 inhibitor and sorafenib suppressed the growth of sorafenib-resistant HCCLM3 xenograft in mouse models.ConclusionThese results revealed novel mechanism underlying TAK1 protein degradation and highlighted the therapeutic value of targeting TAK1 in suppressing HCC and overcoming sorafenib resistance.


This article traces putatively democratic speech and interactional techniques from their development during WWII to their translation into postindependence Delhi community development projects led by Ford Foundation consultants. Moving beyond a focus on highlevel development discourse, this article describes the techniques of speech through which development was brought to ground and the ways of speaking that community development promoted in its target populations. The deployment of these techniques in Delhi shows how the promotion of democracy aggressively attacked existing forms of sociality within the city. [speech genres, democracy, technology, development, India]


It is said that water we use in daily life insists on several molecules connected with hydrogen bonding. However, the quantum dynamics of water after hydrogen-bond dissociation has not been researched so far, although there are many a study of water relating to bonding with its other chemical compounds. We focus on the hydrogen bond-dissociated water supposed to possess elementary particle-like matter after high pressure of approximately 100 MPa to water. The matter in the water is described as <H + ~e ->, in which the proton and the electron exist neither separately nor forming hydrogen, and we call the quantum state the extended particle. Moreover, the particle exists for a long period stably. Here we wish to associate the macroscopic phenomena of water we usually encounter with the microscopic nature due to the function of the particle. The motivation of the research is essential to understand water from an idea of the particle. Furthermore, here, we wish to associate the usual macroscopic phenomena of water with the microscopic nature due to the function of the particle so that we can control to keep the water clean in an environment as another motivation. Furthermore, the reduction of radioactive cesium to change a stable barium atom was persuaded by taking into consideration the particle which enters into the radioactive substance. This is a breakthrough in the nuclear reaction without a huge energy outside. We discussed the mechanism of radiation reduction from a radioactive substance. Finally, we investigate particle stability as a function of the distance between H + and e − and focus on the overlap of their wave functions. The system is assumed to exist in a potential well that allows the stable existence of the particle from a theoretical viewpoint.


We measure the ellipticity of isolated clusters of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) using gravitational lensing. We stack the clusters, rotating so that the major axes of the ellipses determined by the positions of cluster member galaxies are aligned. We exclude the signal from the central 0.5 h−1 Mpc to avoid problems with stacking alignment and cluster member contamination. We fit an elliptical Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) profile and find a projected, two-dimensional axis ratio for the dark matter of f = b/a = 0.48+0.14 −0.09 (1σ ), and rule out f = 1 at 99.6% confidence thus ruling out a spherical halo. We find that the ellipticity of the cluster galaxy distribution is consistent with being equal to the dark matter ellipticity. The results are similar if we change the isolation criterion by 50% in either direction.


A problem of impedance description of magnetic field on the surface of heterogenic Earth is discussed in the article. The concepts of impedance tensor, Vise - Parkinson tensor, generalized impedance tensor, Leontovich's impedance approximation and its generalization are analyzed. It is noticed that these models are of particular character and are real only in cases of special forms of giving primary field and do not always correspond to conditions of conducting real magnet ot elluric experiment. Generalized system of vector identities of impedance type is given for harmonic electromagnetic field on the closed interfaces and generated on their base generalized accurate differential equation of impedances and the system of scalar equations which determine this surface. It is noticed that in case of necessity of using their incomplete, truncated forms these models in contrast to classical ones, have interior criteria of their application and do not demand for their substantiation any additional empirical or heuristic considerations.


Lake Rotorua is experiencing increasing nutrient-related water quality problems. This paper is one in a series that explores the idea of creating a nutrient trading system as part of the ongoing policy response to this problem.1 Most of the current nutrient flows to the Lake come from non-point rural sources - measuring these emissions is challenging. We find that it is possible to monitor/model nutrient loss from a wide range of activities in the Rotorua catchment. The model OVERSEER combined with ROTAN and some other models for forestry, urban and geothermal activities and horticulture already exist. They are currently in a process of enhancement - a particular area of current weakness is knowledge of the groundwater lags from specific locations in the catchment. The land-based models need to be used in a specific form that relies on initialisation with verifiable data and uses easily collated and verified data on an annual basis. The form of the model should be fixed for each regulatory year to minimise uncertainty for landowners and regulators. The models need to be updated to reflect new science. The process for doing this needs to be strategic and credible (this will be discussed in a later paper on governance processes). Once changes are recommended they need to be implemented in a way that is perceived to be fair.


Ectoparasitism may be recognized as one of the main costs of coloniality, but little is known about how it affects the fitness and social structure of bats, the most gregarious of mammals. We studied these issues using the colonial bat Miniopterus schreibersii and its haematophagous parasitic mite Spinturnix psi as a model. Body condition is an important indicator of individual fitness that is potentially affected by ectoparasitism. Thus, we measured host body condition and mite loads in a total of 969 bats throughout the annual cycle. Mites were rare while hosts hibernated, increased in abundance in spring and peaked during nursing season of bats, when they were particularly abundant on lactating females and young bats. This strong seasonal variation in mite loads is related to the reproductive cycle of mites, which in turn appears to be synchronized with the reproductive cycle of their hosts. Mite loads and the condition of bats were negatively correlated, and information available suggests that this may be due to an effect of parasitism, although other possible causes for this trend cannot be excluded. However, a negative correlation was only observed during the bat's nursing season, when mites were most abundant, and heavily parasitized bats lost about 10% of their weight. Mite parasitism did not seem to be a significant disadvantage of coloniality, except in nurseries, where it might impose some costs. However, as females and young usually aggregate in these colonies, we presume that for them such costs are probably offset by advantages of group living. Adult males, however, are usually absent from nurseries, which may be a strategy to minimize mite parasitism. Overall, the results suggest that ectoparasitism may play a role in determining the social structure of M. schreibersii and of many other temperate bats that have similar life cycles and ectoparasitic loads.


The article presents a comparative analysis of the results of in vivo scanning of oral mucosa leukoplakia with optical coherence tomography (OCT) method and pathological studies in 15 patients (9 females and 6 males aged 27-82). The study revealed specific OCT signs of leukoplakia: even disorder of tissue layering and less clear visualization of lamina propria. OCT is an important stage in the differential diagnosis of leukoplakia of the oral mucosa and significantly complements the clinical and pathomorphological study.


Abstract. Andreychev A. 2021. Short Communication: Proportion faunal assemblages of carnivorous mammals in geoecological districts of Mordovia, Russia. Biodiversitas 22: 4625-4632. In the forest-steppe area, carnivorous mammals are represented by species of different faunistic assemblages. This circumstance makes the study region a priority since the species of which faunistic assemblages prevail is of interest. Fifteen carnivorous species have been identified in the territory of Mordovia. Among them, the family Mustelidae predominates in terms of the number of species. The species are found in all geoecological districts, but their distribution is uneven. The most notable species in the region are located in coniferous and broad-leaved forests (40%) and species widely distributed in several natural areas (40%). 13% of the total number of noted species belong to the taiga fauna types. The steppe type of fauna is represented by only 7% of the total number of recorded species. For each geoecological region, the fauna features are given, and a list of rare and exciting species is given. The forest-steppe zone to which Mordovia belongs is compared by the fauna of carnivorous mammals with other regions from three typical faunal assemblages.


This paper theorises that a person's mindset is a commonplace trait that has an impact in economic systems. A mindset contrasts with other theoretics which use choice and information sets to limit the economic actor's decision-making by focusing on the description of a person's knowledge rather than on available options. The persistent way a person thinks about the world influences their treatment of information and further development of knowledge. The mindset concept accommodates the complexity of individuals and their idiosyncrasies, whereas a standard economic approach simplifies these characteristics. In this paper, Lamberton's discussion of mindsets is extended from information sharing, cultural embeddedness and lock-in to the necessity of a mindset held by each person, change in a person's knowledge and the impact on groups of people. Instead of being a statement about the limited capacity of a person to think, a mindset is a consequence of history and the build-up of knowledge through disjointed experiences. It is argued that a mindset does not necessarily restrict a person to set economic activity, but instead preserves wider economic structures. Through some examples of mindsets, such as the entrepreneurial mindset, this discussion moves away from the acquire-then-use understanding of how people use information towards an economic person with a mind sense constructed through situated learning.


One of the largest terrain corrected SAR mosaics, a mosaic of the state of Alaska, was created from 800 ERS-1 SAR summer images. Because of rain events, significant temporal changes of soil moisture often cause substantial changes in the signature of adjacent SAR images acquired on different dates. After an extensive search for suitable images from a large database of the available 1992 and 1993 images, a nearly seamless large-scale digital mosaic of Alaska was successfully generated at a pixel resolution of 100m. The applications potential of the mosaic are demonstrated by examples in mapping soil moisture, forest fire scars, glaciers, geological, and volcanic features.


Haskell's laziness allows the programmer to solve some problems naturally and declaratively via recursive equations. Unfortunately, if the input is "too recursive", these very elegant idioms can fall into the dreaded black hole, and the programmer has to resort to more pedestrian approaches. It does not have to be that way: We built variants of common pure data structures (Booleans, sets) where recursive definitions are productive. Internally, the infamous unsafePerformIO is at work, but the user only sees a beautiful and pure API, and their pretty recursive idioms – magically – work again.


Heavy metals are widespread pollutants of great concern as they are non degradable and thus persistent. These metals are used in various industries from which effluents are consequently discharged into the environment. Introduction of metals in various forms into the environment can produce numerous modifications of microbial communities and affect their activities. In order to survive in heavy-metal polluted environments, many micro-organisms have developed means of resistance to toxic metal ions.At higher concentrations, however, heavy-metal ions form unspecific complex compounds in the cell, which leads to toxic effects. Some heavy-metal cations, e.g. Hg2+, Cd2+and Ag+, form strong toxic complexes, which makes them too dangerous for any physiological function. Microbiological processes can either solubilize metals, thereby increasing their bioavailability and potential toxicity, or immobilize them, and thereby reduce the bioavailability of metals. These biotransformations are important components of biogeochemical cycles of metals.


In two species of Heterodontus, H. portusjacksoni and H. galeatus, the first scales to develop form two opposing rows along the caudal fin axis on both the left and right sides of the fin. The opposing rows originate from an initial scale located on either side of the posterior tip of the caudal fin, with subsequent scales erupting in a posterior to anterior direction along the tail axis. These scale rows may strengthen tail movements, providing aeration in the egg case, but are lost later in ontogeny. Development of subsequent body scales shows a more irregular origin and arrangement, from anterior to posterior, to cover the dorsal and ventral lobes of the caudal fin. Although the early developmental pattern of the scale associated with the Heterodontus caudal fin has not been previously described, several chondrichthyan taxa, including chimeroids, likewise possess ordered rows of flank scales early in ontogeny that are subsequently lost. These ordered scales contrast with previous suggestions that chondrichthyan scale development is entirely random. Instead, regulated and sequential development of scales may be a plesiomorphic character for both chondrichthyans and osteichthyans, with the less organized arrangement in later ontogenetic stages being a derived condition within Chondrichthyes.


Aim and purpose: Proving the effects of airborne pollutants regarding the rate of mortality caused by malignant diseases as well as determining its incidence and prevalence. Methods and materials: Research has descriptive-analytic character and it is retrospective regarding its type. The group used statistically in the research consists of residents of municipality Zenica, municipality Zavidovići, and air pollutants (sulphur dioxide and airborne particles). Cantonal public health office in Zenica conducted the research with the data assistance from: Metallurgic institute "Kemal Kapetanović", Cantonal and Federal statistics department, Federal public health office, and Municipal office Zenica. Specific questionnaires have been prepared for the use in the research. They are filled in from the existing bulletins, reports, yearbooks etc. Also the existing reports from the "Kemal Kapetanović" Institute, bulletins from the Cantonal public health office Zenica, and statistics reports from the Federal and Cantonal public health offices have been used. When determining the risk of disease, for the statistical analysis of data several methods were used: descriptive statistics methods, chi-squared test, and correlation tests. Results: During the 30 years period of time, 100% of the population of all age groups from municipalities Zenica and Zavidovići were considered. After analysing the data with the Chi-squared test, correlation and disease risk outcomes, the results show that the air pollution has the effect on the mortality rate caused by malignant diseases. Air pollution dispersion is significantly higher in Zenica than in the control group, there is a high correlation between getting sick and dying. Conclusions: City of Zenica has higher concentration of sulphur dioxide and airborne particles than in the city of Zavidovići. More people die from malignant diseases in Zenica than in Zavidovići.


The Civil Rights Commission Act of 1998 (H.R. 3117) would reauthorize the commission through FY2001. It was introduced by Representative Canady on January 28, 1998, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and reported with an amendment on March 2, 1998. It passed the House, amended, by voice vote on March 18.


This Letter examines the effectiveness of the Dyson-Schwinger (DS) equations as a calculational tool in quantum field theory. The DS equations are an infinite sequence of coupled equations that are satisfied exactly by the connected Green's functions G_{n} of the field theory. These equations link lower to higher Green's functions and, if they are truncated, the resulting finite system of equations is underdetermined. The simplest way to solve the underdetermined system is to set all higher Green's function(s) to zero and then to solve the resulting determined system for the first few Green's functions. The G_{1} or G_{2} so obtained can be compared with exact results in solvable models to see if the accuracy improves for high-order truncations. Five D=0 models are studied: Hermitian ϕ^{4} and ϕ^{6} and non-Hermitian iϕ^{3}, -ϕ^{4}, and iϕ^{5} theories. The truncated DS equations give a sequence of approximants that converge slowly to a limiting value but this limiting value always differs from the exact value by a few percent. More sophisticated truncation schemes based on mean-field-like approximations do not fix this formidable calculational problem.


Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is the most effective wafer global planarization technology. The CMP polishing head is one of the most important components, and zone back pressure control technology is used to design a new generation of polishing head. The quality of polishing not only depends on slurry, but also depends on the precise control of polishing pressures. During the CMP polishing process, the set pressure of each chamber is usually not the same and the presence of a flexible elastic diaphragm causes coupling effects. Because of the coupling effects, the identification of multi-chambers and pressure controls becomes complicated. To solve the coupling problem, this paper presents a new method of multi-chamber decoupled control, and then system identification and control parameter tuning are carried out based on the method. Finally, experiments of multi-chambers inflated at the same time are performed. The experimental results show that the presented decoupling control method is feasible and correct.


This paper investigates the evolution of regional disparity over the period 1980-2001, reviews the debate on its causes, discusses future development strategies, and draws relevant conclusions for policymakers. Our study confirms that overall regional disparity declined in the 1980s but increased in the 1990s. The gap between the inland and coastal regions was the dominant contributor to the overall regional disparity. There was no club convergence within the inland and coastal regions. Economic, geographical and historical factors put the coast in a better position than the inland for growth. Regional development strategies and policies, globalisation and economic liberalisation, and factor market distortions, which are closely linked with each other, have played an important role in regional disparity. It will be a long-term task to significantly reduce regional disparity. The Chinese central government needs to (1) allow a similar degree of openness and economic liberalisation across regions; (2) work out detailed procedures to remove barriers to the movement of factors of production; (3) provide industrial development guidelines; and (4) help the establishment of better infrastructure in the inland and especially the west, and encourage resource allocation based on comparative advantages.


Some recent theoretical papers following Morris and Shin (2002) have emphasised the role of agents' overreaction to public information in beauty contest games, which leads to reconsidering the benefits from transparency. We present an experiment on a coordination game that is characterised by both fundamental and strategic uncertainty: agents receive public and private information about a fundamental state. They have an incentive to choose actions that are close to the fundamental state but they also have an incentive to coordinate their actions. We find that, in line with theoretical predictions, subjects put a larger weight on the public signal. However, the weight is smaller than theoretically predicted. These weights can be explained by limited levels of reasoning. Stated second order beliefs indicate that subjects underestimate the information contained in public signals about other players' beliefs. In the extreme case of a pure co-ordination game (without incentive to meet fundamentals) subjects still use their private signals, preventing full co-ordination. These results indicate that (i) public information is less detrimental to welfare than predicted by theory, (ii) providing private information matters and is eventually reducing welfare. JEL Classification: C72, C92, D84.


The design of a novel transmission to convert rotational into translational motion, or vice versa, is reported in this paper. The transmission is based on a cam mechanism with multiple rollers mounted on a translating common follower. This feature thus provides pure-rolling contact, thereby eliminating the friction of rack-and-pinions. Moreover, a provision is made to allow for the elimination of backlash. The design relies on a unifiedmethodology for indexing cam mechanisms, whereby the same procedure is used to design planar, spherical, and spatial mechanisms.


If I adhere strictly to the title proposed for me and speak only of the genetic activity of the sex chromosomes in germ cells, there is very little to say. The evidence is necessarily indirect and includes, first, examples of differential behaviour of germ cells of different sex chromosome constitution in situations where competitive proliferation is a possibility, as in some mosaics and chimaeras; and secondly, exceptional species in which the sex chromosome constitution is normally different in germ cells and soma. The species concerned are all mammals. An instance of the first kind is provided by observations made on a 39,X /41,XYY mosaic mouse discovered by chance in the course of an irradiation experiment (Evans, Ford & Searle 1969). All the spermatogonia and spermatocytes examined contained 41 chromosomes, including two Y chromosomes, whereas bone marrow (the only other tissue examined) was mosaic, the probability of difference being due to sampling error being very low. The question, then, was whether the failure to detect mosaicism among the germ cells was a consequence of chance exclusion of the 39, X cell type from the germ line during development, or of differential proliferation and/or survival of 41,XYY germ cells in the testicular environment. The latter interpretation was favoured on the grounds: (1) A 39,X /41,XYY mosaic is likely to have originated by non-disjunction of the Y chromosome at the first cleavage division of a 40,XY zygote, since other theoretically possible modes of origin would require the combination of rare events or other implausible assumptions. (2) Primordial germ cells of the constitution 39, X are capable of reaching the developing gonad and subsequently forming functional oocytes as evidenced by the fertility of 39, X female mice (Russell, Russell & Gower 1959). (3) Nearly all half-and-half coat colour mosaic mutants are also germ cell mosaics (Russell 1964), implying that when two distinct cell lines are present very early in development both lines are likely to be represented among the germ cells


Context: The proper management of people can help software organisations to achieve higher levels of success. However, the limited attention paid to the appropriate use of theories to underpin the research in this area leaves it unclear how to deal with human aspects of software engineers, such as motivation and satisfaction. Objectives: This article aims to expose what drives the motivation and satisfaction of software engineers at work. Methods: A multiple case study was conducted at four software organisations in Brazil. For 11 months, data was collected using semi-structured interviews, diary studies, and document analyses. Results: The Theory of Motivation and Satisfaction of Software Engineers (TMS-SE), presented in this article, combines elements from well established theories with new findings, and translates them into the software engineering context. Conclusion: The TMS-SE advances the understanding of people management in the software engineering field and presents a strong conceptual framework for future investigations in this area.


The integration of cultural elements into the operational planning process is a complex task that requires practical and theroretical tools for a wide comprehension of the context to help solve the problem. This article shows the results of an empirical research which presents conflicting cultural factors as the starting point for the construction of mediating structures. The main result of our research is a partial cognitive structure, a system of ideas, represented in a template listing the basic conflictive factors at the tactical level that military could find in the development of their tasks. The template is also a valuable aid to design military training curricula and to be applied to any post-conflict stability operation in complex environments resulting from irregular or asymmetric conflicts.


Epicondylitis lateralis of the elbow (tennis elbow) is a common lesion. For the chronic cases, the treatment is not so easy, so that we tried to treat it with the application of new type brace which is modified the dorsal cock-up splint.Materials are 19 cases of the chronic tennis elbow. Male is 8 persons and female is 11. The utilizing period is average 3.6 weeks. The interval from onset to the application of the splint is about av. 9 months.The important point of this splint is to maintain the wrist in slight dorsi-flexed position. So that the extensor carpi radialis muscles are kept in relaxation. During the use of splint we permit to move their arm freely in working or ADL motions.The follow-up period is more than 8 months. Results are follow; effective are 9, unknown are 7 and not effective are 3 cases.For the cases of rheumatoid arthritis, the effect of this splint is not expectable.


When Englishman and Turk fell side by side in the killing fields of the Crimea, it was not the first time that Christian and Muslim blood was shed, and intermingled, in the cause of battling a common foe. It is fashionable today to talk of a 'clash of civilizations', and of an unbridgeable chasm between the Islamic world and Christendom. But in this bold and iconoclastic book Ian Almond demonstrates that in Europe, the heart of the west, Muslims and Christians were often comrades-in-arms, repeatedly forming alliances to wage war against their own faiths and peoples. As we read of savage battles, deadly sieges and many acts of individual heroism, we learn of Arab troops rallying in their thousands to the banner of a Christian emperor outside the walls of Verona. Of Spanish Muslims standing shoulder to shoulder with their Christian Catalan neighbours in opposition to Castilians. Of Greeks and Turks forming a steadfast bulwark against Serbs and Bulgarians, their mutual enemy. And of tens of thousands of Hungarian Protestants assisting the Ottomans in their implacable and terrifying march on Christian Vienna. As the author shows, any notion that 'Christian Europe' has long been opposed by a 'Muslim non-Europe' grossly misrepresents the facts of a rich, complex and - above all - shared history. The motivations for these interfaith alliances were dictated by shifting diplomacies, pragmatic self-interest and realpolitik, not by jihad or religious war. This insight has profound ramifications for our understandings of global politics and current affairs, as well as of religious history and the future shape of Europe.


A molecular theranostic agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) consisting of four [GdDTTA](-) complexes (DTTA(4-) = diethylenetriamine-N,N,N″,N″-tetraacetate) linked to a meso-tetraphenylporphyrin core, as well as its yttrium(III) analogue, was synthesized. A variety of physicochemical methods were used to characterize the gadolinium(III) conjugate 1 both as an MRI contrast agent and as a photosensitizer. The proton relaxivity measured in H2O at 20 MHz and 25 °C, r1 = 43.7 mmol(-1) s(-1) per gadolinium center, is the highest reported for a bishydrated gadolinium(III)-based contrast agent of medium size and can be related to the rigidity of the molecule. The complex displays also a remarkable singlet oxygen quantum yield of ϕΔ = 0.45 in H2O, similar to that of a meso-tetrasulfonated porphyrin. We also evidenced the ability of the gadolinium(III) conjugate to penetrate in cancer cells with low cytotoxicity. Its phototoxicity on Hela cells was evaluated following incubation at low micromolar concentration and moderate light irradiation (21 J cm(-2)) induced 50% of cell death. Altogether, these results demonstrate the high potential of this conjugate as a theranostic agent for MRI and PDT.


Persistent Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common finding in extremely low gestational age newborn infants and its prevalence is inversely proportional to the gestational age. The presence of a persistent PDA is associated with increased mortality and several significant morbidities including intraventricular hemorrhage, pulmonary hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, and chronic lung disease or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. However, treating PDA has not been demonstrated to have beneficial impact on the long term outcomes. Currently there is no consensus on whether to treat the PDA or not, and if treat, when to treat and how to treat. The echocardiography is the investigation of choice to diagnose PDA, estimating the magnitude of shunt volume and assessing its hemodynamic significance, and to exclude/diagnose any associated congenital heart defect before any intervention. Various echocardiographic parameters and staging/scoring systems have been described to help the clincians making the clinical decisions and some of theses scoring systems are quite complex to apply in a busy day to day clinical practice. This concised review paper is focused to help the clinicians in making a clinical decision based upon clincial and echocardiography parameters. Hence, only the parameters which are commonly used and helpful in making the clinical decisions in day to day clincial practice have been described in this paper.


We explore the evolution of the office market rents in Madrid by means of a spatial hedonical modelling. We estimate rental levels in a semi-annual basis by fitting a model with a set of hedonical exogenous variables as well as with the impacts of "neighbour" transactions. Our dataset comprises a new-letting contract list since 2003 to 2014 with a semi-annual structure including both a wide range of characteristics intrinsic to each leased property and the geocoding (UTM coordinates) of each transaction. This allows us to both uncover impacts on real rents of several hedonical property characteristics and outline a controlled dynamic path for real rents. The focal elements determining rents in the Madrid office market are localization with respect to the Central Business District (the farther from the CBD the lesser the rent), the age of the construction, the technical quality of the building and the international openness of the tenant, which is a proxy for its commitment with the landlord via a strong lease contract. We also prove the existence of relationships of influence of neighbour office rents on new-contract rent levels. In terms of the dynamics of the rents themselves, when estimating the rent of an archetypical office, our methodology effectively captures the downward span between 2003 and 2004 as a result of the "dot-com" bubble bust, the pick-up period of the recent Spanish economy boom (2005-2008) and the bust period of 2008-2014. Compared to the simple average and the deal-size weighted average, our methodology uncovers a lower average rent in the bust period. This may be explained by the limitation of average methodology to capture spatial feedback in prices as well as sample composition skewness that our methodology actually does not have.


C-BNp/NiCrAl composite coating was deposited by cold spraying using a mechanically alloyed composite powder. To modify coating microstructure, especially the bonding at the interfaces between c-BN particles and NiCrAl alloy matrix, and bonding at the sprayed particle/particle interface, annealing treatment at series of temperatures in Ar atmosphere was carried out. The results show that a zigzag interface layer is formed at the interface between c-BN particle and NiCrAl matrix after annealing at 825°C for 300 min through reaction of c-BN with NiCrAl. It is also observed that the thickness of the interface reaction layer increases with the increasing annealing temperature. Moreover, the interface between spray particles and the plastic deformation ability of the cermet coating can be improved through post-spray annealing. Vickers microhardness test shows that the hardness decreases with increasing annealing temperature due to the reduction of work hardening effect and grain growth of NiCrAl alloy matrix resulting from recovery and recrystallization during annealing treatment.


Sera from 1133 Turkish horses were obtained and tested for equid herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3) antibodies using a sero-neutralisation test. The sample consisted of 420 privately owned working horses from 2 regions of Turkey, 428 brood horses from private stud farms and breeding stations, and 285 racehorses from private stud farms. Neutralising antibodies against EHV-3 were found in 287 (25.3%) of the 1133 analysed sera. The highest seroprevalence for EHV-3 was detected in the brood horses (51.2%), followed by the racehorses (10.2%), and the working horses (9.3%). The seroprevalence rates tended to be higher in female horses than in male horses for all 3 horse populations tested (P < 0.01). The findings indicate significant differences in EHV-3 seropositivity rates between horses used for breeding and those used for work and racing (P < 0.001), suggesting that the intended use of horses may be an important factor in the epidemiological assessment of EHV-3 infection.


The efficiency of a carbonate matrix acidizing treatment relies strongly on the dominant wormhole channels formed during the treatment. We have developed and confirmed a theory to predict when the dominant wormhole channels are most efficiently created. Based on this theory, a wormhole population density model was developed In a carbonate acidizing treatment design, the acid volume needed to bypass the near wellbore damage area or penetrate a distance away from the wellbore depends not only on wormhole propagation distance but also on how many wormholes are created. This study investigates the wormhole population density, which means how many wormholes per area of rock surface or per wellbore length will be created. The study is based on the following strategy. For a given rock/acid system, the optimal acid injection flux at which dominant wormholes are initiated is obtained from the wormhole propagation theory. For a given formation, a corresponding pressure gradient at the optimal acid flux is calculated. This pressure gradient is also called the wormhole initiation pressure gradient. When a wormhole is initiated at an arbitrary point along the wellbore, the local pressure distribution is disturbed, resulting in lower pressure gradients into the formation in the region surrounding the wormholes. In this region of reduced pressure gradient and hence, reduced flux, initiation of other wormholes is suppressed. At a sufficient distance from the initial wormhole, the pressure field is undisturbed and other wormholes will develop. We numerically simulated the flow field around a wellbore with a wormhole extending into the formation to quantify this phenomenon. From this study, we predict the wormhole population density along a wellbore as a function of the acidizing conditions. An example is provided to show the application of the wormhole population density model in a treatment design. Fluid loss through the walls of the wormholes and wellbore, optimal acid injection flux, and wormhole propagation rate are also taken into account in this example. The example shows how the wormhole population density model is used to predict the required acid volume (gal/ft) to yield the desired productivity improvement.


Background: A key component of maintenance chemotherapy for pediatric ALL is weekly oral methotrexate (MTX), typically given at 20 mg/m2/dose. Another component is steroid/vincristine pulses although there is uncertainty regarding their need or their optimal frequency. AALL0932 was designed to optimize maintenance therapy by asking two questions: (1) the potential superiority of a starting weekly oral MTX dose of 40 mg/m²/dose as compared to the standard 20 mg/m2/dose; and (2) whether giving vincristine/dexamethasone (VCR/DEX) pulses every 12 weeks was non-inferior to every 4 week pulses. Both oral MTX arms used identical dose modifications to adjust dose based on blood counts. Methods: AR patients had SR B-ALL without CNS3 or testicular leukemia, unfavorable genetic characteristics or Down syndrome, AND had either favorable genetics (presence of trisomies of chromosomes 4 &10 or ETV6/RUNX1 fusion) with Day 8 peripheral blood (PB) minimal residual disease (MRD) ≥ 0.01% or CNS2 status, Day 29 bone marrow (BM) MRD less than 0.01%, or if neutral cytogenetics, had Day 8 PB MRD less than 1% and Day 29 BM MRD less than 0.01%. AR patients were randomized to 1 of 4 Maintenance regimens using a 2 x 2 factorial design: (A): VCR/DEX pulses every 4 weeks and oral MTX 20 mg/m²/week (standard arm); (B): VCR/DEX pulses every 4 weeks and oral MTX 40 mg/m²/week; (C): VCR/DEX pulses every 12 weeks and oral MTX 20 mg/m²/week; and (D): VCR/DEX pulses every 12 weeks and oral MTX 40 mg/m²/week. Between 2010 and 2015, 2366 AR ALL patients were randomized at the start of maintenance to MTX 20 mg/m²/week [Arms A and C (n=1186)] or 40 mg/m²/week [Arms B & D (n=1180)] starting dose. Results: Interim monitoring of COG AALL0932 concluded that a futility boundary had been crossed and that the study would not be able to demonstrate that oral MTX 40 mg/m²/week is superior to 20 mg/m²/week. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) estimates for AR patients who received oral MTX 20 mg/m²/week vs. 40 mg/m²/week are 95 ± 2.4% vs 92.3 ± 2.9%, respectively (p=0.95). Corresponding 5-year overall survival (OS) rates are 98.2±1.5% vs. 97.5±1.7%, respectively (p=0.82). Results from the VCR/DEX pulse randomization remain blinded. Conclusion: Patients with average risk ALL, which accounts for a third of all children with ALL, have outstanding outcomes with 5-year DFS/OS rates of 95% and 98% with standard oral MTX dosing during maintenance therapy. Escalation of the MTX starting dose does not improve outcome. Disclosures Zweidler-McKay: ImmunoGen: Employment. Borowitz: Beckman Coulter: Honoraria; HTG Molecular: Honoraria; Becton-Dickinson Biosciences: Research Funding. Hunger: Novartis: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Equity Ownership; Erytech Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria.


Henri Lefebvre authored over seventy books in his lengthy lifetime. Rhythmanalysis contains the last of these, Éléments de rythmanalyse (published posthumously in 1992), together with two earlier essays and an introduction by Stuart Elden. Greatly influential in European intellectual life, Lefebvre here attempts to distill many of the insights and concerns of his previous studies into a "rhythmanalytical project." Rhythmanalysis is a schematic attempt to found a new science, "a new field of knowledge [savoir ]: the analysis of rhythms" (p. 3). Such lofty ambitions aside, from the point of view of American political science the English-language publication of Lefebvre's final book is of little consequence. The vast majority of political scientists have likely never even come across Lefebvre's name, let alone read any of his work. For some, there may have been some exposure to Lefebvre by way of his influence—both directly and through the contributions of Manuel Castels, David Harvey, and Ira Katznelson, among others—on urban studies and geography. For fewer still, if only because there are so few political scientists who are on the left, Lefebvre may have been discovered because of his role in the May 1968 events in France or as a theoretical touchstone in the New Left's turn away from orthodox Marxism and economic reductionism. Even given these notable exceptions, however, it is undoubtedly the case that the reception of Lefebvre within American political science has been minimal. Paradoxically, even within the disciplines where Lefebvre is a major presence, especially geography, things are apparently not a whole lot better. For Stuart Elden, the appropriation of Lefebvre's work on space by English-speaking academics has resulted in an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of Lefebvre's ideas: "It would therefore be harsh, but not perhaps unfair, to suggest that Lefebvre's work has suffered as a result of being read in English and appropriated for a certain type of academic work by certain types of scholars." Lefebvre's most influential work, in this context, has been The Production of Space (1991). Geographers and urbanists have extensively appropriated this work in their analysis of how urbanism, the built environment, and spatial scale are central to the workings and continued expansion of capitalism. So far so good, it would seem, but through this reasonable and understandable appropriation what has often been left out is the question of time. In the attempt to come to terms with space as such, the question of temporality has often been forgotten—even though


This paper presents a topical overview of molecular-dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations for polymer systems close to solid interfaces. The simulations utilize simplified coarse-grained models: The polymers are represented by bead-spring chains, and the walls by a crystalline layer of Lennard-Jones particles or by a smooth impenetrable barrier. This approach has two advantages. First, it reduces the complexity of the simulation. Often, it is only then possible that the interesting length and time scales can be studied at all. Second, the approach concentrates on generic features that are believed to determine the physics of the problem under consideration. The results of the simulation can thus help to single out those features which should be incorporated in an analytical treatment. In this paper, we want to illustrate the versatility of these models by applying them to a broad spectrum of different problems. The situations considered range from the adsorption of a polymer from dilute solution onto a wall, over the importance of sub-monolayer monomeric or polymeric lubricants for kinetic friction, to the crystallization or glass transition of dense polymer films.


LOCATE, a new computer software program, was used to outline tumor margins on scanned projection radiographs (ScoutView). This information was transferred to simulator radiographs and the results compared with tumor margins determined by all other methods. Twenty-two patients with various types of tumors in different parts of the body were studied with computed tomography and then therapy planned without the benefit of images from this program. When program information was made available, it stimulated a change in the radiation therapy plan in 18 cases (82%). Phantom studies demonstrated that magnification inherent in the program images was not significantly different from that in simulator radiographs. Program-generated tumor margins on ScoutView images were shown to accurately reflect tumor margins outlined on cross-sectional computed tomographic images as long as no patient motion occurred on the table during the study. LOCATE provides a useful means of tumor localization for therapy planning in many cases.


Inherent optical property (IOP) spectral models for the phytoplankton absorption coefficient, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficient, and total constituent backscattering (TCB) coefficient are linear in the reference wavelength IOP and nonlinear in the spectral parameters. For example, the CDOM absorption coefficient IOP a(CDOM)(lambda(i)) = a(CDOM)(lambda(ref))exp[-S(lambda(i)- lambda(ref))] is linear in a(CDOM)(lambda(ref)) and nonlinear in S. Upon linearization by Taylor's series expansion, it is shown that spectral model parameters, such as S, can be concurrently accommodated within the same conventional linear matrix formalism used to retrieve the reference wavelength IOP's. Iteration is used to adjust for errors caused by truncation of the Taylor's series expansion. Employing an iterative linear matrix inversion of a water-leaving radiance model, computer simulations using synthetic data suggest that (a) no instabilities or singularities are introduced by the linearization and subsequent matrix inversion procedures, (b) convergence to the correct value can be expected only if starting values for a model parameter are within certain specific ranges, (c) accurate retrievals of the CDOM slope S (or the phytoplankton Gaussian width g) are generally reached in 3-20 iterations, (d) iterative retrieval of the exponent n of the TCB wavelength ratio spectral model is not recommended because the starting values must be within approximately +/-5% of the correct value to achieve accurate convergence, and (e) concurrent retrieval of S and g (simultaneously with the phytoplankton, CDOM, and TCB coefficient IOP's) can be accomplished in a 5 x 5 iterative matrix inversion if the starting values for S and g are carefully chosen to be slightly higher than the expected final retrieved values.


The Midrashic literature and biblical translations focus majorly on the verses that describe the gathering in Haman's house and the preparing of the gallows for Mordechai the Jew (Es 5:14). The goal of this study is to discuss the narrative shaped by the Targum and Midrashic sources and to examine both the realistic domain concerning methods of punishment that were suggested and the theological–educational meaning of the punishment and the type of tree chosen. Targum Rishon develops the contents of the conversation in Haman's house as to how Mordechai should be executed. While according to the text, the suggestion to hang Mordechai appears to have been the only method agreed upon by all those present at the meeting, Targum Rishon includes several forms of killing and torture that were proposed and considered. While Targum Rishon presents the theological meaning of the choice to kill Mordechai specifically by hanging him from a gallows, a Midrash aggadah attempts to clarify the species of the tree used to prepare Mordechai's gallows and comes to the surprising conclusion that it was a type of thorn tree. Regarding Haman's search for a suitable beam on which to hang Mordechai, Midrash Abba Gorion relates that the beam was found in the king's palace or, according to another opinion, the sawed beam found originated from Noah's ark. Contribution: The Midrashic sources portray an entire scene that includes discourse, deliberations and choice in Haman's house and in heaven. It seems that the authors of the Midrash and the Targum not only clarify the text and complement the story by adding missing realistic details, they also enrich the text with new meanings that serve their theological concepts.


Achilles tendon rupture has been a difficult problem for surgeons, especially in older patients, since tendon strength and flexibility are significantly diminished compared to young people. The Achilles tendon endures the highest tensile stresses in the body while running, leaping, and skipping, with tensile loads up to 10 times body weight. There are many treatment options for Achilles tendon repair, including open surgery, percutaneous repair, and ultrasound therapy. Open repair has the danger of scar dehiscence owing to poor skin conditions. In contrast, small invasive operations have the risk of sural nerve damage and a higher possibility of re-rupture. The gold standard method or approach is still under question. Plantar flexion in the ankle is primarily a function of the Achilles tendon; hence, post-operative plantar flexion is a significant determinant of the desired result. We present the case of a 57-year-old male farmer suffering from a left Achilles tendon rupture due to trivial trauma. This rupture consisted of a significant defect, present in the watershed area with signs of tendinosis at the insertion of the tendon. The patient was managed surgically by turn-o-plasty and the degenerated insertion site was augmented with the help of a suture disc. This case report focuses on surgical management by turn-o-plasty for significant defects in the Achilles tendon by using a suture disc to augment the defect.


We report a case of pneumonectomy followed by radical pancreatectomy after oral administration of TS-1 for pancreatic cancer with complications ofa lung tumor. The patient was a 66-year-old woman. A pancreatic tail tumor and 2 lung nodules were detected on CT scans, and were diagnosed as pancreatic cancer and metastatic lung cancer. During a total of1 1 courses ofTS -1 therapy, the pancreatic tumor tended to contract, but both pulmonary nodules remained unchanged. Due to differences in treatment effect, double cancers of the lung and pancreas were suspected, rather than metastatic lung cancers. We performed a VATS partial resection of the left lower lobe for diagnostic therapy. The pathological diagnosis revealed an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor and a primary lung cancer. We diagnosed that a radical pancreatectomy was possible and performed distal pancreatectomy. Pathological diagnosis confirmed an invasive pancreatic ductal carcinoma. Oral administration ofTS -1 was performed as adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Liver metastasis was observed 10 months after pancreatectomy, and GEM therapy was initiated. Peritoneal dissemination was observed at 2 years following pancreatectomy, and the patient died at 2 years and 9 months. TS-1 therapy for synchronous lung tumors and pancreatic cancer with careful observation allowed for a definitive radical resection. This method was an effective treatment for lung nodules with pancreatic cancer.


Although a number of tools for evaluating Java code style and black box functionality exist, little work has been done on evaluating Java code with respect to a structural specification, for example, one that specifies the existence of required classes, fields, methods and constructors. The CheckM250 project developed and evaluated the use of a tool to perform an automated check of such a structural specification. Tutors were surveyed on the usefulness of the tool when marking students' code, and on its potential usefulness for students to use when working on their assignments, in comparison with other resources. Most tutors using the specification checking tool reported it to be useful, and some reported that it increased their accuracy in marking. Reasons for not using the tool included lack of awareness, lack of time, and the simplicity of the assignment it was trialled on.


This study introduces a self-forming dynamic membrane (SFDM) with large-pore mesh filter materials instead of conventional MF/UF membranes for wastewater treatment. Development of SFDM on the mesh filter surface plays a major role in reducing the wastewater turbidity and its performance in a self-formation dynamic membrane bioreactor (SFDMBR). To evaluate formation of the dynamic membrane, biological and hydrodynamic parameters, including mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and aeration rate, were examined. The experimental results showed that with elevation of MLSS in the bioreactor (up to MLSS = 9,000 mg/L), the effluent turbidity diminishes with rapid formation of SFDM, with the shortest formation time (5 min) obtained in SFDM operations, though it results in increased membrane fouling. SFDM was well formed at low aeration rates of 2.5 L/min and 5 L/min, due to very low shear stress on the mesh filter surface, given the results of turbidity in comparison with aeration rates of 10 L/min and 15 L/min. The filtration performance of SFDM in treatment of synthetic wastewater was tested under a constant operational flux (58 L/m2 h). Total chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4-N removals were 88-93% and 96-98.8%, respectively. These results indicated that the treatment process can be performed effectively by SFDMBR.


EPIDERMOID CYSTS of the bony skeleton of the hand and specifically of the phalanges have been periodically described since Sonntag's original report in 1923. 1 Less than 50 cases have been reported in the literature. As it is a comparatively uncommon entity, the addition of a new case and a brief review of the clinical features is considered pertinent. Report of a Case A 38-year-old married, oil company employee had crushed his middle three fingers between two pipes while at work on June 30, 1962. Initial treatment consisted of local cleansing and application of a topical ointment but without x-ray examination. The wounds apparently healed uneventfully, but subsequently, the middle-digit nail plate developed a longitudinal fissure and the fingertip was intermittently painful and swollen. Pain was aggravated even by light touch and became progressively worse in the six weeks prior to seeking medical attention on May 7, 1963. Past history