Mystical thought is a critical thought developed against official thought and official scientific understanding. This can be observed and discussed separately in both individual and collective layers of mystical life with its religious epistemological in one way and historical, social, political, and economic aspects in the other. Specific to this study after the death of the Prophet, the religious sciences that emerged during the tadwīn period built on the Arabic language-centered sensualism, and in this regard, it was structured with the Arab form.
None of the above-mentioned built sciences satisfy mystical worldviews. Is this attitude of them a "completion process" or a critical intellectual process? We consider the critical intellectual process as a "critical intellectual and vital" step that includes "completion".
The above dilemma continued in Turkish thought even after joining the Islamic civilization. However, we think that a more comprehensive "Turkish mind", including the Islamic civilization along with its previous cultural resources, is maintained in the wise tradition. In this context, we think that the most fundamental and last form that forms the Turkish mind through Gokturk Script, Kashgari's Dīwān and Yesevism is the Turkish language.
Keywords. Turkish Language, culture, mind, mysticism, Yesevism.


Since Viterbi Decoder (VD) plays an important role in the realization of HDTV and other digital systems, many efforts have been made on the research and development of the integration of VDs. Survivor Memory Unit (SMU) is one of the three major units which consist of a Viterbi decoder. A novel VLSI approach for realizing SMU differing from the traditional technique is proposed in this paper. A rate=4/5, v=3, L=15, 32 QAM Viterbi decoder with this new structure has been designed and passed the computer simulation.


According to data in 2005, number of malnutrition's under 5 th years children cases in NTB reach 10% from all of under 5 th year children on the average 498.000 people. Amount number of malnutrition's under 5 th year children can be caused of social-economy status, parent's education and knowledge about nutrition, child rearing patterns and accompanying disease. Malnutrition profile of under 5 th year children is very important to know the life of malnutrition under 5 th year children that seen from nutrition status, age, clinical symptom, social-economy and accompanying disease, also to know what makes it easier malnutrition and what therapy that must given to malnutntion patient. Knowing malnutrition profile in under 5 th year children in North Lombok NTB in 2008 and 2009. This study is was done of subject's medical report and observation, that is under 5 th year children that have malnutrition in 2008 and 2009 using z score by weight/height. This study's structured form that includes the information required in the research, that is structured form that contains required info, like identity (name, age, sex, address source of funds), accompanying diseases, clinical symptom. The data obtained were performed using Excel program, then result from that frequency distribution was shown in table and diagram. The study results that amount of malnutrition patients reach 59 patients (97%) from 59 one, the highest age who suffer from malnutrition 18-24 month (20%), accompanying diseases suffered by most of diarrhea (25%), most climcal symptom are thin (39%), he source of funds used by many is not known that is as much 52%, and patient who received additional therapy as much as that 68%. Conclusions from this study, amount number of malnutrition's under 5 th year children with 18- 24 month of age that accompanied by concomitant diseases in North Lombok in 2008 and 2009 was caused by low social-economy and less parent's education and knowled#e about nutrition.


A syntaxonomical analysis of the dry grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) in Bosnek karst region, Mt Vitosha (SW Bulgaria) has been carried out. These grasslands are part of the intrazonal vegetation distributed within the belts of xerophilous oak and mesophilous beech forest in the south-western foothills of the mountain. The bedrock is carbonate, the soils are dry and shallow, climate – moderate continental. This vegetation grows mostly on steep slopes, with southern and south-western exposition. Apart from the typical for Festuco-Brometea calcicoles, the studied vegetation is characterized by many endemic (regional and local) species and at the same time includes a lot of Mediterranean species. As a result of the analysis, a new association, Bromo moesiacae-Stipetum epilosae ass. nova, has been established that belongs to the alliance Saturejon montanae. A comparison with related syntaxa from other karst mountains from SW Bulgaria and E Serbia is made, and some conclusions about the origin of the steppe vegetation in that region are drawn.


Two fundamentally different ways of conceptualizing and measuring firm diversity—by business count and by strategy—are identified, their strengths and weaknesses discussed, and their suitability for investigating commonly asked questions evaluated. A business count measure is claimed to be suitable for research comparing diversified and nondiversified firms but not for investigating differences among diversified firms. For the latter task, a strategic measure of diversity is recommended.


The soils and sediments of two small watersheds and their retaining ponds were sampled in a study of the erosional transport of plutonium and cesium in midwestern ecosystems. In a watershed which had been used exclusively for row crops no relationship was observed between plutonium content of the sediments and location of the pond or clay content. In a pasture watershed sorting of the eroded material had occurred prior to entry into the pond and also within the pond. Clay content in the pasture pond sediments was significantly higher than in the soils of the surrounding watershed and increased with increasing distance from the inlet. Plutonium concentration in the sediments was strongly correlated with clay content, reflecting the higher plutonium content of finer soil particles. Cesium behaved similarly to plutonium in the soils and sediments of both watersheds. Where sorting occurs, as in the pasture watershed, deposits of fine sediments will contain higher plutonium and cesium concentrations than in the original surface soil.


We studied the renal effects of nicardipine, a calcium entry blocker, in eight patients with essential hypertension (group A, WHO I or II), six hypertensive type II diabetics with mild-to-moderate nephropathy (group B, urinary albumin 200–789 mg/day), and six hypertensive type II diabetics with severe or advanced nephropathy (group C, urinary albumin 1,596–4,300 mg/day). The patients received an intravenous dose of nicardipine hydrochloride (0.5 mg) or saline placebo in a random order. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal blood flow (RBF) were measured by means of thiosulfate sodium and p-aminohippurate, respectively, during the 30 min after the nicardipine or saline injection. Blood pressures were serially monitored during the study. Nicardipine reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly (P < .05 to .01) at all measurement periods in all study groups compared with the respective placebo. Nicardipine increased RBF (P < .01), GFR (P < .05), and urinary Na+ excretion (P < .01) and decreased total renal vascular resistance (P < .01) in groups A and B, but these parameters remain unchanged in group C. The filtration fraction remained unaltered in all groups. The results indicate that nicardipine has several favorable renal effects with a concomitant hypotensive action in hypertensive type II diabetics with mild-to-moderate nephropathy, as observed in patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension, and the renal pharmacological responsiveness appears to be related to the severity of nephropathy. Nevertheless, nicardipine can be a useful agent in lowering blood pressure without deteriorating renal function in hypertensive type II diabetics with advanced nephropathy.


Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a distinctive fibroblastic and myofibroblastic spindle cell neoplasm with an accompanying inflammatory cell infiltrate and frequent receptor tyrosine kinase activation at the molecular level. The tumor may recur and rarely metastasizes. IMT is rare in the head and neck region, and limited information is available about its clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics in these subsites. Therefore, we analyzed a cohort of head and neck IMTs through a multi-institutional approach. Fourteen cases were included in the provisional cohort, but 1 was excluded after molecular analysis prompted reclassification. Patients in the final cohort included 7 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 26.5 years. Tumors were located in the larynx (n=7), oral cavity (n=3), pharynx (n=2), and mastoid (n=1). Histologically, all tumors showed neoplastic spindle cells in storiform to fascicular patterns with associated chronic inflammation, but the morphologic spectrum was wide, as is characteristic of IMT in other sites. An underlying fusion gene event was identified in 92% (n=11/12) of cases and an additional case was ALK-positive by IHC but could not be evaluated molecularly. ALK represented the driver in all but 1 case. Rearrangement of ALK, fused with the TIMP3 gene (n=6) was most commonly detected, followed by 1 case each of the following fusion gene partnerships: TPM3-ALK, KIF5B-ALK, CARS-ALK, THBS1-ALK, and a novel alteration, SLC12A2-ROS1. The excluded case was reclassified as spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma after detection of a FUS-TFCP2 rearrangement and retrospective immunohistochemical confirmation of rhabdomyoblastic differentiation, illustrating an important diagnostic pitfall. Two IMT patients received targeted therapy with crizotinib, with a demonstrated radiographic response. One tumor recurred but none metastasized. These results add to the growing body of evidence that kinase fusions can be identified in the majority of IMTs and that molecular analysis can lead to increased diagnostic accuracy and broadened therapeutic options for patients.


Software for a service (SaaS) brings unprecedented benefits to business applications such as cost reduction and productivity. This study aims to understand the behavioral intentions of businesses that are not considering using SaaS, are in the process of evaluating the use of SaaS, are evaluating but not adopting, and planning to evaluate and use SaaS. Data were collected by asking 18 questions from 76 businesses not adopting SaaS and analyzed with One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Fisher's LSD test was used as a post hoc analysis to observe the differences between the groups. The findings showed that those who do not plan to use SaaS and those who evaluate and plan to use SaaS, and those who are in the process of evaluating the use of SaaS and those who plan to use SaaS, differed significantly in their opinions about the perceived advantages and security concerns. On the other hand, it is seen that the decision makers' support of all non-SaaS adopters and the attitudes of non-SaaS adopters located in different market regions were similar. The research will contribute to informing SaaS providers to ensure business continuity and to produce customized software and applications suitable for the challenges and barriers faced by business operations


TiO2 (Degussa P25) photocatalysts harboring abundant oxygen vacancies (Vacuum P25) were manufactured using a simple and economic Vacuum deoxidation process. Control experiments showed that temperature and time of vacuum deoxidation had a significant effect on Vacuum P25 photocatalytic activity. After 240 min of visible light illumination, the optimal Vacuum P25 photocatalysts (vacuum deoxidation treated at 330 °C for 3 h) reach as high as 94% and 88% of photodegradation efficiency for rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline, respectively, which are around 4.5 and 4.9 times as that of pristine P25. The XPS, PL and EPR analyses indicated that the oxygen vacancies were produced in the Vacuum P25 during the vacuum deoxidation process. The oxygen vacancy states can produce vacancy energy level located below the conduction band minimum, which resulting in the bandgap narrowing, thus extending the photoresponse wavelength range of Vacuum P25. The positron annihilation analysis indicated that the concentrations ratio of bulk and surface oxygen vacancies could be adjusted by changing the vacuum deoxidation temperature and time. Decreasing the ratio of bulk and surface oxygen vacancies was shown to improve photogenerated electron–hole pair separation efficiency, which leads to an obvious enhancement of the visible photocatalytic activities of Vacuum P25.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) on the damage of blood-brain barrier, and the intervention of the compounded vitamin in rat.

METHODS
54 normal male SD rats were randomly distributed into three groups: (1) Control group; (2) Model group; and (3) Intervention group. The level of plasma Hcy was detected with high performance liquid chromatography. The content of Evans Blue leaked out brain tissue was measured by colorimetry. The transcription of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA was evaluated by RT-PCR.

RESULTS
The level of plasma Hcy, and the content of Evans Blue leaked out brain tissue and the expression of MMP-2 mRNA of model group were 32.2 +/- 1.3, 6.67 +/- 0.54, 0.372 +/- 0.088 respectively,all significantly higher than those of the control group (12. 4 +/- 0. 9, 3.32 +/- 0.56, 0.035 +/- 0. 21, all P < 0.01). The level of plasma Hcy, and the content of Evans Blue leaked out brain tissue and the expression of MMP-2 mRNA of the intervention group was significantly lower than those of the model group (12.5 +/- 1.4 vs 32.2 +/- 1.3, 3.42 +/- 0.45 vs 6.67 +/- 0.54, 0.118 +/- 0.052 vs 0.372 +/- 0.088, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate Hcy could increase the permeability of blood-brain barrier, the mechanism may be activating the transcription of MMP-2 in rats. The compounded vitamin has a protective effect on blood-brain barrier via lowering the level of plasma Hcy.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of colla tape over the titanium mesh have same effectiveness compare to other materials to reduce exposure of the titanium mesh in guided bone regeneration (GBR). One of the most frequent complications in GBR procedure is early exposure of the barrier membrane. The exposure of membrane could make poor result in GBR procedure. Moreover, In the case of non-resorbable membranes like as a titanium mesh, the frequency of the exposure rates increase more than the resorbable membranes. The stiffness of barrier membrane could help to maintain the space of the bony defects, but it has more exposure frequency in the early stage of healing time. The advantage of using colla-tape over the titanium mesh as a reservoir is 1) to stabilize the wound 2) to release tension at the superficial layer of the flap. 3) to prevent soft tissue ingrowth beneath the titanium mesh at the beginning of the healing period. It is also useful that the non-resorbable or resorbable barrier membrane, PRP, PRF are capable to cover the titanium mesh but colla-tape has cost-effectiveness and simple procedure compare to other materials.


In the presence of a uniform field the one-dimensional spin-1 2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model develops zero frequency excitations at field-dependent 'soft mode' momenta. We determine three types of critical quantities, which we extract from the finite-size dependence of the lowest excitation energies, the singularities in the static structure factors and the infrared singularities in the dynam-ical structure factors at the soft mode momenta. We also compare our results with the predictions of conformal field theory.


The application of finite numerical electromagnetic techniques to electromagnetic compatibility based problems is reviewed. The factors which determine the performance and limitations of a numerical approach are first considered. Then the operation of the three main techniques (finite difference, transmission-line matrix, and finite element) is explained. The paper concentrates mainly on time-domain techniques with brief remarks on the use of the frequency domain. An overview of recent EMC applications is used to illustrate the capabilities and limitations of each technique. Future advances are then considered. >


Summary Throughout the existence of the Polish People's Republic (PPR), its scientific and technical intelligence (S&TI) supported Polish mining, energy, metallurgy, and machine industries. Cooperation with companies and research and development centers intensified in the first half of the 1970s, as a natural consequence of the experience accumulated by the intelligence service in the previous fifteen years. The most crucial issues related to the improvement of secret methods of acquiring technologies for the Polish economy were defining the scope of the tasks, i.e. the types of technologies which can be acquired by intelligence or purchased in the black market, selecting objects, (i.e. institutions and organizations with the required knowledge), and recruiting personal sources of information in western facilities. Apart from acquiring specific solutions S&TI also developed analyses related to specific countries, as well as to specific technologies in the global aspect or to international corporations that possessed the technologies. Furthermore, S&TI was engaged by the Polish government to provide information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of International Trade during trade negotiations with foreign contractors. Author draws the history of Polish S&TI during the 70s and 80s, showcasing its operations, explaining its modus operandi and discussing the question about the efficiency of illicit transfer of know-how from OECD for the purposes technical progress in communist Poland. Article bases on recently declassified documents of Polish intelligence service from the pre-1990 period. There are moreover other archival records as well as secondary sources explored.


BACKGROUND
Cutaneous melanocytic proliferations are diverse both morphologically as well as in their behavioural patterns. Both dermatologists and pathologists regularly encounter diagnostic dilemmas while interpreting such lesions.

AIM
To study all cutaneous premalignant and malignant lesions with respect to their clinical features and histopathological findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective study was done in the Department of Pathology over a period of 10 years (2004-14) on all the clinically pigmented lesions that were biopsied or excised. Out of these only premalignant and malignant melanocytic lesions were analysed with respect to their important clinical and histologic features. Immunohistochemistry was carried out using HMB-45 and S-100 where indicated.

RESULTS
A total of 338 skin cancers were reported, out of these 27, 7.9% were cutaneous malignant melanoma. Premalignant lesions were 33. The mean age for premalignant lesions and melanomas was 43 years and 50.7 years respectively with a male predominance in both groups. The sole of foot/ankle was the most common site of involvement by melanoma (n=8,29.6%) while sun exposed sites like face and scalp were common sites for development of premalignant lesions like dysplastic nevi, lentigo simplex, pigmented seborrheic keratosis and Bowens disease. One case presented as post-traumatic scar tissue which turned out to be desmoplastic melanoma. One case of amelanotic melanoma presented as recurrent painful penile ulcers. Both cases were confirmed on Immunohistochemistry.

CONCLUSION
All pigmented lesions should be regarded as tumours of uncertain malignant potential and treated with complete excision if possible with long term follow up.


It is well established in nonromantic contexts that people tend to like individuals who like them (Kenny, 1994); in fact, such reciprocity of liking emerges even when individuals first meet for only a few minutes (Chapdelaine, Kenny, & LaFontana, 1994). Textbooks and common psychological lore frequently extend these findings to romantic liking, but the validity of this extension is unclear. When asked to recall a falling-in-love experience, individuals often report learning of another person's affection shortly before developing passionate feelings in return (Aron, Dutton, Aron, & Iverson, 1989). Nevertheless, such retrospections can be misleading. Moreover, the opposite hypothesis that potential romantic partners who play "hard to get" are desirable and individuals who demonstrate unconcealed romantic interest seem desperate and unappealing is also plausible (for discussion, see Walster, Walster, Piliavin, & Schmidt, 1973). One useful perspective on reciprocal liking derives from Kenny's social relations model (Kenny, 1994; Kenny & Nasby, 1980). This model distinguishes between two statistically independent correlational indicators of reciprocity: dyadic, which refers to liking that is shared uniquely between two individuals, and generalized, which refers to the tendency for people who generally like others to be liked themselves. Although correlations of nonromantic liking ratings demonstrate both positive dyadic and positive generalized reciprocity (Kenny, 1994), we hypothesized that romantic reciprocity would prove more nuanced. In a romantic setting, the dyadic-reciprocity correlation should remain positive, but the generalized-reciprocity correlation is likely to be negative. Although someone might indeed be likeable if he or she were to demonstrate platonic liking for many other people (Folkes & Sears, 1977), demonstrating romantic liking for many others could convey unselectivity and even desperation. Therefore, if expressing romantic desire emerges as a generalized tendency rather than a unique response to a particular individual, it may be antieffective at inducing ano her person's desire.


Six species of the genus Anopheles (An. claviger were prevalent, An. messeae and An. hyrcanus were intermediate, and An. martinius, An. algeriensis and An. superpictus were rare) were recorded in the Chu [correction of Chuisk] Valley in the north of the Republic of Kirghizia. Due to the fact that the malaria situation was worsening, the potential epidemiological significance of Anopheles that predominate under the man-made districts of the region under study was comparatively analyzed. Mosquitoes were collected in the 1991-1992 seasons. This paper gives data on the seasonal attacking activity of the predominant Anopheles species in the foothills and lowlands of the Chu River valley. The maximum seasonal attacking activity of mosquitoes has been found to coincide with the time of their greatest numbers and to be in the hot summer period (July-August) that makes it favourable for the causative agents of malaria to develop.


This article provides information technology on the analysis and synthesis of models for ensuring the quality characteristics of the working surfaces of products during mechanical processing, taking into account the defects of the material structure. Various micro defects are described, the development of which, under the influence of mechanical processing, leads to the appearance of cracks and their increase and, as a result, local or complete destruction. The problem of thermoelasticity for bodies weakened by inhomogeneities is solved. The probabilistic-statistical approach in increasing the accuracy of identification of technological processes of mechanical processing, development, and implementation of new, more effective methods and means of information and computer modeling is considered. The developed model takes into account the influence of inhomogeneities of technological origin (starting from the workpiece and ending with the finished product), which arise in the surface layer during the manufacture of structural elements, the analysis of which allows the creation of an information base of criteria, the implementation of which allows preventing the loss of functional properties of the responsible elements. Mathematical models of the dynamics of thermomechanical processes accompanying the mechanical processing of products from materials of the heterogeneous structure have been improved in the form of a spatially non-stationary formulation of the problem based on systems of differential equations of thermoelasticity in partial derivatives and discontinuity conditions on defects of the elastic-deformation characteristics of the processed material, which, unlike existing ones, made it possible to increase the accuracy of identification of mathematical models generally. Mathematical models of the system for evaluating the effectiveness of the functioning of technological complexes of mechanical processing have been developed, which make it possible to determine the relationship between the state parameters of the treated surfaces and the main controlling technological characteristics that provide the necessary properties of functionally gradient materials. Finally, the modeling results provide an opportunity to create effective information technology, which makes it possible to reduce the loss of functional properties of heterogeneous systems significantly.


Data parallel ML models can take several days or weeks to train on several accelerators. The long duration of training relies on the cluster of resources to be available for the job to keep running for the entire duration. On a mesh network this is challenging because failures will create holes in the mesh. Packets must be routed around the failed chips for full connectivity. In this paper, we present techniques to route gradient summation allreduce traffic around failed chips on 2-D meshes. We evaluate performance of our fault tolerant allreduce techniques via the MLPerf-v0.7 ResNet-50 and BERT benchmarks. Performance results show minimal impact to training throughput on 512 and 1024 TPU-v3 chips.


Side-by-side operation of multiple floaters in the ocean environment is very challenging and the operators always prefer a maximum operable weather window, in order to minimise the cost incurred from the downtime. The safety of the gangway connecting the floaters is very crucial and its dynamic response in the ocean environment raises concerns during operations. Therefore, an efficient dynamic positioning system is essential to maintain the floater and ultimately, the gangway response within the desired limits. In this work, a novel dynamic positioning system for floater operating aside another vessel is presented. The system includes an adaptive controller combined an optimised thruster allocation law and with a sea state detector. The adaptive control is achieved by using the barrier Lyapunov function and a predictor-based method in combination with the neural network scheme. The limitations include the saturation of inputs and the forbidden zones due to thruster-thruster or thruster-hull interaction. An optimised allocation for lower fuel consumption, wear and tear of the thruster equipment and to ensure the resultant command in the respective direction of the azimuth thrusters is designed. The optimisation here is a non-convex problem and a locally convex reformulation of second order is implemented. The presence of unknown shielding effect due to nearby vessel in a side-by-side configuration and input time delay is also considered in the development of this thruster allocation law. In order to overcome these effects, a novel sea state detector is designed. The sea state detector can effectively monitor the variation of drift wave-induced force on the vessel and activate the neural network compensator in the controller when a large wave drift force is identified. Simulation studies are conducted to verify the efficiency of this dynamic position system and a demonstration of flotel in side-by-side configuration with a turret moored FPSO is presented for the non-collinear ocean environment.


Abstract : Conventional approaches for a distributed low probability of detection communications system with a large number of unique transmitters and a single or a few receivers, require receiver complexity proportional to the number of transmitters. To improve efficiency in terms of receiver complexity, two alternative designs are analyzed and compared to a reference receiver, whose complexity grows linearly as the number of transmitters increases. The first alternative system groups the transmitters into clusters whose pseudorandom noise codes have some chips in common. The resulting receiver would then perform two stages of processes: identification of the transmitting cluster and received bit detection. The total number of processes required for any given transmitter would be substantially less than the traditional receiver. The second alternative design would utilize a common long spreading code and a shorter cyclically shifted spreading code in each transmitter. The receiver utilizes the cyclic shift property of the fast Fourier transform to recover efficiently both the identity of active receivers and the data sent using a single branch. The complexity of the two proposed systems is compared to that of the reference system.


Proton and neutron densities have been obtained for the even-even isotopes of Sn from Sn to Sn using a Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model with a Skyrme interaction. The matter densities so defined have been used with realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions in a folding model to specify optical potentials for the elastic scattering of protons with energies in the range 40 to 200 MeV. Those potentials have been used to make predictions of the differential cross sections and spin observables for proton scattering. As the target mass increases, the emergence of the neutron skin in the Sn isotopes is revealed by marked effects in the differential cross section. Comparisons with available data show how similar scattering data for the neutron-rich isotopes may provide constraints for the model structures. PACS numbers: 21.10.Gv,24.10.Ht,25.40.Cm Electronic address: firstname.lastname@example.com Electronic address: email@example.com Electronic address: firstname.lastname@example.com


The scalability limitations of centralized management models have motivated distributed management models, in which management programs describing some management tasks are distributed and executed on managed systems. In the models, management program distribution that considers dynamic network resource utilization is one of the most important challenges, in striking a load balance between management and managed systems for an entire managed network. Some methods for load balancing have been studied; however, they cannot adequately be achieved throughout an entire managed network. This arises from criteria for load balancing that lacks dynamic network resource utilization, or from a localized subnetwork in which the performance is limited, although it does include processing loads for dynamic network resource utilization. To solve this, a new dynamic load balancing method is proposed for distributed network management. Thus, systems that execute management programs are decided dynamically on the basis of CPU utilization for each system and the bandwidth required for executing all management programs. Two typical algorithms derived from the proposed method, each having different criteria in the form of mean deviation and range types with respect to CPU utilization, are introduced. They were evaluated analytically. according to capability, i.e., how well they perform as close to load balancing as possible, as well as time complexity. The results show that the mean deviation type algorithm performs better at almost the same computational cost. A prototype system is also implemented based on the proposed method, and evaluated empirically by applying it to an operational LAN. The proposed method performs well in trials with a trivial overhead.


This paper describes the attributes and practical realisation of mesh architectures for broadband wireless access (BWA) deployment. The mesh concept eliminates the need for base stations and instead uses an arrangement of short point-to-point connections that evolves as subscribers join the system. This inherently simple concept can be developed to produce systems with many attractive advantages for operators and subscribers. Future services will require high data rates, complete flexibility in the ratio of traffic received to traffic sent, low cost equipment and capability to reach virtually any subscriber who wants service. As deployment moves from the relatively high revenue business subscriber towards mass-market deployment, issues such as high levels of coverage, spectral efficiency, capacity, co-existence and ease of deployment become increasingly important. Mesh solutions offer substantial benefits in all these areas.


what the term &dquo;poor-white&dquo; comprehends should be read carefully. It will leave many unanswered questions in the reader's mind, but will help to avoid the impression all Southern sharecroppers and tenants are poor-whites. The book represents comprehensive and critical examination of the literature of the South. Moreover, it is well written. As literary-social taxonomy, it has assembled a most fascinating population of human specimens. LOWRY NELSON University of Minnesota


Abstract The article reflects on the changes and developments of the pedagogical views on activism, participation and engagement in Poland. In the tradition of Polish social pedagogy there are some key elements that have influenced the way various educators see their role in shaping the participatory aimed education. The Author reminds that not only current models of education for democracy play important part in shaping social activism in the country, but also the ancestry of rich Polish experience, amalgamated from specific historical, cultural, political, social and pedagogical roots and traditions. The variety of these models as well as the tensions between the past, the present and the future, influence today's difficulty seen among activists to rely on some common identity that would help them be recognized in the society as promoters of engagement. This, in turn, puts in question their role in social education development.


924 BACKGROUND: VEGF expression is highly regulated posttranscriptionally through the 59- and 39-untranslated regions (UTRs) of its mRNA. PTC299 is a novel, orally bioavailable, small molecule designed to act through the VEGF 59-UTR to inhibit tumor VEGF production. In multiple preclinical human tumor xenograft models, PTC299 reduces tumor and circulating plasma VEGF concentrations, decreases tumor microvessel density, and substantially slows tumor growth. When given together with cytotoxic agents or with other antiangiogenics, PTC299 enhances tumor growth delay. In a single-dose study in human healthy volunteers, PTC299 was well tolerated through the highest dose administered (3 mg/kg). Plasma concentrations active in preclinical models were achieved. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This Phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, escalating multiple-dose study in healthy adult volunteers has evaluated oral PTC299 treatment given twice per day (BID) for 7 days to determine PTC299 safety, PK profile, and effects on plasma and serum VEGF levels; subjects have been followed with clinical observations, safety laboratory testing, and frequent plasma sampling over the dosing period and also at 7 and 14 days after the last PTC299 dose. RESULTS: 8 subjects (3 PTC299, 1 placebo per gender) have been enrolled at each of 3 progressively higher dose levels on a BID schedule, for a total of 24 subjects (12 males, 12 females; median age 46 [range, 21-64] years). PTC299 has been well tolerated with no serious, dose-limiting, or definitively drug-related adverse events. PK data indicates dose proportional increases in plasma exposures with an accumulation in Cmax and AUC0-24 of ~2-fold over 7 days. The target trough plasma concentration has been maintained at all dose levels with the highest dose tested achieving a mean trough plasma concentration ~5 times the target plasma concentration at 12 hours after the final PTC299 dose. Additional accrual to evaluate PTC299 doses given 3 times per day is currently ongoing. CONCLUSIONS: PTC299 is the first drug specifically designed to modulate post-transcriptional control mechanisms to treat human disease. In this initial, multiple-dose clinical study, PTC299 shows safety at plasma exposures associated with preclinical activity. Final clinical data on dose ranging, safety, PK, and plasma/serum VEGF levels will be presented at the meeting. PK modeling will be used to project an appropriate dosing regimen for subsequent studies in cancer patients.


Impervious surface area and regional precipitation has increased due to climate change as a result of various developmental activities associated with urbanization and industrialization; such changes are detrimental to and pose a threat to human lives. Unlike the previous factory-oriented model of the standardized industrial complex, the Seok-mun National Industrial Complex aims to establish a test-bed for developing a futuristic industrial complex. Besides being a water detention basin for flood control, the test-bed is a comprehensively designed waterfront for irrigation, flood control, and the ensuring of water quality. To ensure a hybrid-type waterfront, serving a variety of functions as a detention basin and other needs of an industrial complex, it is necessary to establish a water circulating system for the drainage area of this complex. To ensure the sustainability of the Seok-mun detention basin, solutions need to be explored for securing water and for assuring the quality of water inflow into the detention basin at time of precipitation need to be explored. In the present study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted on water circulation, water sources, and water treatment facilities to ensure the quantity and quality of water by examining . In the present study, we analyzed whether the establishment of a water circulating system, which could separately manage the detention basin and irrigation canal, would be the most appropriate approach.


Abstract. Flood management is a critical issue when facing natural disasters. In current practice, the evaluation of potential threat areas is a multi-disciplinary task. It requires much communication and coordination between institutions such as the meteorological unit and hydrological unit, which makes the process time-consuming and less efficient. This study developed a system called FloodViz, which integrates all the associated tasks. FloodViz collects the rainfall forecasts from the meteorological agency, analyzes the datasets of rainfall forecasts using the rainfall threshold to evaluate the potential flood areas, and then organizes the results through data visualization to make them user-friendly for decision makers. To validate FloodViz, we tested this system during Typhoon Feng-wong. The results showed that FloodViz can reduce the time spent during the flood management process by 17 minutes. Based on the results, FloodViz can improve the operating efficiency of decision-making and help decision makers in their flood response.


The deep cement mixing (DCM) method is one of the popular methods of ground-improvement techniques for enhancing the bearing capacity and reducing settlements of thick deposits of soft clay with high water content. High cement content, of the order of 10 % to 25 %, are often used in practice. To reduce the requirement of cement, an attempt is made in the present study to replace the cement partially with fly ash, as a fly ash–cement composite. Different percentages of Class F fly ash (10 %, 20 %, and 30 %) to Ennore marine clay with different proportions of cement (10 %, 15 %, and 20 %) were added and tested. The optimum clay water content at which maximum strength is achieved was determined for various mixes based on unconfined compressive strength tests. A detailed study showed that addition of 20 % Class F fly ash is effective in all combinations. The behavior of the composite under one-dimensional consolidation was also tested.


Normal-hearing subjects participated in two CMR experiments. For experiment 1, two, three, five or nine 20-Hz-wide comodulated flanking bands were presented continuously or gated simultaneously with a 2000-Hz signal. The signal had a duration of 400 ms. Larger CMRs were obtained as the number of flanking bands increased for both the continuous and gated conditions. For fewer number of bands, the average CMR for continuous noise was substantially larger than for gated noise. As the number of bands increased, CMR increased more for gated than for continuous noise, and the difference between CMRs for gated and continuous noise decreased. Experiment 2 involved detecting a 400-ms 1000-Hz pure-tone signal in a seven-band comodulated noise complex. The noise bands, presented continuously or gated with the signal, were either 10, 20, 40, or 80 Hz wide. Larger CMRs were observed for continuous maskers and for smaller masker bandwidths; however, the effect of gating did not change significantly across bandwidth. The results of the first experiment indicate that the effects of gating on CMR are minimized when the number of auditory channels providing information is large. The results of the second experiment indicate that this effect is not simply a function of the large CMR magnitude obtained with a large number of flanking bands.


Skeletal muscle atrophy, a conventional clinical feature in patients with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sepsis and severe burns, is defined as a reduction in muscle mass. During atrophy, the protein degradation is abnormally activated and the aberrance between protein synthesis and protein degradation results in muscle atrophy. Previous studies have demonstrated that miRNAs, small non-coding RNA molecules, serve an important role in the regulation of muscle atrophy. Further studies have indicated the implications of the ubiquitin-proteasome and PI3K/Akt/FoxO signaling pathways and myogenic regulatory factors in miRNA-mediated muscle atrophy. Therefore, in this review, the effects and molecular mechanisms of miRNAs on muscle atrophy are summarized, leading to the suggestion that miRNAs may serve as potential therapeutic targets in muscle atrophy.


Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the difference between sensory brain responses of nonpainful tactile stimuli applied to the fingers of the right-hand dominant individuals between the hemispheres. Materials and Methods: Nineteen healthy volunteers (9 women, mean age ± standard deviation: 23.00 ± 2.24 years) participated in the study. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were taken from 40 channels polysomnography system. A uniform nonpainful stimulus was applied to two fingers (index and middle fingers) of the right and left hand with a pneumatic stimulator unit. Results: Non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) whole night sleep-related potentials were evaluated. When the stimulus was applied to the right hand, central and parietal regions of the P50 response component appeared significantly earlier in the left hemisphere. When the left-hand stimulus was applied, the P50 and N100 response components appeared significantly early in central, parietal, and temporal regions in the left hemisphere. Hence, amplitudes of the right-hand response components (P50 and N100) were found to be greater in the central, parietal, and temporal regions in the left hemisphere. When the stimulus is applied to the left hand, the amplitude of the P50 component was greater in the central and temporal regions in the left hemisphere. Conclusion: P50 and N100 are components related to sensory processing. The difference in latency and amplitude observed in these components between hemispheres indicates the presence of lateralization in sensory processing during sleep.


ENGLISH: A construction of an asset is challenging work associated with huge responsibilities. Project manager's main challenges in construction are generally Time-Cost-Quality dependent. In addition to these factors, Project Managers or construction Manager have to deal with numerous uncertainties in the process of construction. Considering its diverse nature and activity performed in construction. Here major role playing factor in success of a project is efficient scheduling of the construction project. While scheduling a project, the factors which are considered are mostly tangible, such as resources, labor and capital.
My main objective in this research is to reduce the duration of the activity involved in construction, while considering qualitative factors like site organization, Labor Skills and quality of equipment used and reveal the effect of these tangible factors on duration of the project. Since these factors are difficult to be measured using classical mathematic theories. We have opted Fuzzy Logic Theory as our base, which can measure mathematically with use of Fuzzy Logic Tool Box in MATLAB®. In order to implement the proposed technique, various membership functions need to be estimated using judgement and guidance of experts. One of the main advantage of the proposed technique is that it can be easily implemented in existing computer programs and thus having a possibility to schedule a project efficiently.


The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands have been implicated in the activation of oxidant stress and inflammatory pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) leading to the initiation and augmentation of atherosclerosis. Here we report that non-receptor Src tyrosine kinase and the membrane protein caveolin-1 (Cav-1) play a key role in the activation of RAGE by S100B in VSMCs. S100B increased the activation of Src kinase and tyrosine phosphorylation of caveolin-1 in VSMCs. A RAGE-specific antibody blocked both these effects. An inhibitor of Src kinase, PP2, significantly blocked S100B-induced activation of Src kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinases, transcription factors NF-κB and STAT3, superoxide production, tyrosine phosphorylation of Cav-1, VSMC migration, and expression of the pro-inflammatory genes monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and interleukin-6. Cholesterol depletion also inhibited S100B-induced effects indicating the requirement for intact caveolae in RAGE-specific signaling. Nucleofection of either a Src dominant negative mutant, or a Cav-1 mutant lacking the scaffolding domain, or Cav-1 short hairpin RNA significantly reduced S100B-induced inflammatory gene expression in VSMCs. Furthermore, VSMCs derived from insulin-resistant and diabetic db/db mice displayed increased RAGE expression, Src activation, and migration compared with those from control db/+ mice. The RAGE antibody blocked enhanced migration in db/db cells. These studies demonstrate for the first time that, in VSMCs, Src kinase and Cav-1 play important roles in RAGE-mediated inflammatory gene expression and migration, key events associated with diabetic vascular complications.


5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an antimetabolite frequently used in the treatment of cancer. The most common adverse reactions are acute gastrointestinal effects and bone marrow suppression while neurological, ocular and dermatological toxicities are unusual. Several cutaneous manifestations can be found. They are hyperpigmentation, maculo-papular eruption and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPES) promptly reversed with discontinuation of 5-FU. The etiopathogenesis of such manifestations is still unknown particularly as regards PPES, but it has been postulated that the local drug accumulation secondary to different scheduling (continuous infusion instead of bolus infusion), the total amount of drug, alcoholism, local trauma, increased blood flow could be responsible for them. In this study we have reported 10 cases of dermatological toxicity (1 of these had PPES) observed from January '91 to December '93 in 81 patients treated with bolus injection of 5-FU containing combination chemotherapy.


Aspergillus niger FETL FT3, a local extracellular tannase producer strain that was isolated from one of dumping sites of tannin-rich barks of Rhizophora apiculata in Perak, Malaysia. This fungus was cultivated in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask under submerged fermentation system. Various physical parameters were studied in order to maximize the tannase production. Maximal yield of tannase production, that is, 2.81 U per mL was obtained on the fourth day of cultivation when the submerged fermentation was carried out using liquid Czapek-Dox medium containing (percent; weight per volume) 0.25% NaNO3, 0.1% KH2PO4, 0.05% MgSO4 ·7H2O, 0.05% KCl, and 1.0% tannic acid. The physical parameters used initial medium pH of 6.0, incubation temperature of 30°C, agitation speed of 200 rpm and inoculums size of 6 × 106 spores/ ml. This research has showed that physical parameters were influenced the tannase production by the fungus with 156.4 percent increment.


Ciliated hepatic foregut cysts (CHFCs) are rare congenital legions that arise from the embryonic foregut. The cysts are formed during fetal development by evagination from their respective portions of the foregut, and are characterized by a ciliated epithelial lining. Approximately 100 cases of CHFC have been reported, of which only 13 were in children. Although CHFC is typically benign, malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been reported in 3 cases. Survival rate after progression to malignancy is poor, as SCC in this setting is biologically aggressive. We present 4 new cases of CHFC in children between 5 months and 17 years old. Our cases are unusual, as some of the cysts exhibit multilocularity and biliary communication, and 2 of our patients were diagnosed under the age of 1. Additionally, 1 of the cysts was 19.3 cm in diameter, making it the largest reported CHFC to our knowledge. Ciliated hepatic foregut cysts should be included in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions.


While there has been a growing acceptance among the general public in Norway that euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be made legal, the Norwegian Medical Association still strongly opposes such acts. A recent survey at the University Hospital in Trondheim confirms that Norwegian physicians in general have a very restrictive attitude towards euthanasia. Among 483 physicians (response rate 72.8%), only 17.6% were in favour of physicians actively contributing to shortening the life of a patient. However, 36% of the surgeons and gynecologists had a more liberal view, although only 16.5% would personally assist in such acts. None of 69 oncologists, pediatricians, neurologists or neurosurgeons were willing to perform euthanasia. Should euthanasia be established as a legal right, a considerable number of physicians would probably insist on having the right to abstain.


Family functioning may serve as protective or risk factors in the development of youth psychopathology. However, few studies have examined the potentially reciprocal relation between child psychopathology and family functioning. To fill this gap in the literature, this study tested for time-ordered associations between measures of family functioning (e.g., cohesion, conflict, and emotional expressiveness) and child psychopathology (e.g., total behavior problems, externalizing, and internalizing problems) using data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN; N = 1143, 52.3% female, Nwaves = 5). We used a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model to identify whether child psychopathology preceded and predicted family functioning, the reverse, or both processes occurred simultaneously. At the between-person level, families who tended to have more cohesion, who lacked conflict, and who expressed their emotions had lower levels of child psychopathology. At the within-person level in childhood, we found minimal evidence for time-ordered associations. In adolescence, however, a clear pattern whereby early psychopathology consistently predicted subsequent family functioning emerged, and the reverse direction was rarely found. Results indicate a complex dynamic relation between the family unit and child that have important implications for developmental models that contextualize risk and resilience within the family unit.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prognostic value of p27 protein expression in clinically localised prostate cancer with respect to biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Fifty-two patients (median age 63 years) with prostate cancer were treated by radical prostatectomy in an 18-month period. Data recorded: preoperative PSA level, histopathological Gleason grade, pathological stage and status of surgical margins. p27 expression was evaluated in this group of tumors by immunohistochemistry (positivity was defined as > or = 30% positive cells). Biochemical relapse (BR) was defined by a serum PSA level > or = 0.3 ng/ml.

RESULTS
Twenty-two out of 47 patients (47%) with available follow-up showed a low p27 protein expression. p27 expression did not correlate with pathological stage, Gleason score, serum PSA levels or the status of the surgical margins. Patients presented with BR during the follow-up (risk of BR (RBR) at 36 months: 40%). Patients with low p27 expression showed a higher RBR than the others (RBR 36-month 59% vs. 18%, respectively; p = 0.02). In a multivariate analysis, only p27 along with stage maintained the predictive value for biochemical relapse.

CONCLUSION
p27 expression is a promising prognostic factor in prostate cancer, since it has proved to be a predictor of biochemical relapse.


Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new acute respiratory infectious disease which can lead to multiple organ dysfunction in severe patients. However, it is still a lack of effective antiviral drugs for COVID-19. Herein we investigated the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma (CP) in the treatment of severe COVID-19, with an attempt to explore new therapeutic method.
Methods

Clinical data of three imported severe COVID-19 patients with CP treatment, who were under quarantine and treated in a designated COVID-19 hospital from March 2020 to April 2020, were collected and analyzed.
Results

The three patients were clinically classified as severe type, including one male and two females, aged 57, 59 and 65 years old, respectively. The main underling diseases included hypertension, diabetes, sequela of cerebral infarction and postoperative thyroid adenoma. The common symptoms included cough, fever and short of breath. All the patients received antiviral drugs and other supportive treatments. Additionally, CP treatment was also administrated for them. Forty-eight to seventy-two hours after CP transfusion, all the patients improved with alleviated symptoms, elevated arterial oxygen saturation, decreased C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 markers. And the total lymphocytes, T lymphocytes (CD3+) and their subsets (CD4+, CD8+) also obviously increased. Repeated chest CTs also showed obvious absorption of lesions in bilateral lung. Only one patient had mild allergic reaction during CP infusion, but no severe adverse reactions were found.
Conclusions

The early application of CP for severe COVID-19 patients can improve the condition rapidly, and the therapy is generally effective and safe.


The international community is now paying more attention to `the systemic, widespread and grave violations of international human rights norms' (United Nations ECOSOC Resolution 1503, (1970) See Burgental (1995)) in North Korea due to its chronic famine and nuclear ambition. The issues and engagement politics regarding human rights in North Korea constitute hot political debates. There are three key factors to improve human rights status in North Korea: the consistent international censure; enlarging engagement and people contact through inter-Korean relations; and economic reform in North Korea. These factors are interrelated and affect each other. The crucial point is to press and induce the North Korean regime to a compromise path.


Molecular characterization of human norovirus (HuNoV) genotypes enhances the understanding of viral features and illustrates distinctive evolutionary patterns. The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of the genetic diversity and the epidemiology of the genotypes involved in HuNoV outbreaks in Catalonia (Spain) between 2017 and 2019. A total of 100 HuNoV outbreaks were notified with the predominance of GII (70%), followed by GI (27%) and mixed GI/GII (3%). Seasonality was observed for GII outbreaks only. The most prevalent genotypes identified were GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012, GII.4[P16] Sydney 2012 and GII.2[P16]. As compared to person-to-person (P/P) transmitted outbreaks, foodborne outbreaks showed significantly higher attack rates and lower duration. The average attack rate was higher in youth hostel/campgrounds compared to nursing homes. Only genotypes GI.4[P4], GII.2[P16], GII.4[P16], GII.4[P31] and GII.17[P17] were consistently detected every year, and only abundance of GII.2[P16] showed a negative trend over time. GII.4 Sydney 2012 outbreaks were significantly associated to nursing homes, while GII.2[P16] and GI.3[P3] were most frequently identified in youth hostel/campgrounds. The average attack rate was significantly higher when comparing GII.2[P16] vs. GI.4[P4], GII.2[P16] vs. GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012, and GII.6[P7] vs. GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012. No correlations were found between genotype and outbreak duration or age of affected individuals.


ABSTRACT From whole-cell DNA of a clinical isolate of the enterobacterial species Rahnella aquatilis, a β-lactamase gene was cloned that encoded a chromosomally encoded Ambler class A enzyme, RAHN-1. RAHN-1, with a pI of 7.2, shares 76, 73, and 71% amino acid identity with the extended-spectrum β-lactamase of chromosomal origin from Serratia fonticola and with the plasmid-mediated β-lactamases CTX-M-2 and CTX-M-1, respectively. The hydrolysis spectrum of the clavulanic acid-inhibited RAHN-1 was expanded to cephalosporins such as cefuroxime, cefotaxime, and ceftriaxone, but not to ceftazidime. Its expression was not inducible.


This paper discusses the observation of molecular hydrogen line emission outside near-infrared wavelengths, and in particular the opportunities afforded to molecular astrophysics by studies in the mid- and far-infrared.


Objectives Laparoscopic nephropexy has been reported as a minimally invasive approach for symptomatic nephroptosis. We performed five cases of laparoscopic nephropexy using a self-made polytetrafluoroethylene "basket" to fix the inferior parts of kidneys to 12th rib. Methods All patients (four women and one man) had symptomatic nephroptosis presenting with flank pain, repeat hemoturine or hydronephrosis. Preoperative ultrasonography, intravenous urography and renal CT scan in supine and upright positions were done for nephroptosis diagnosis. Transperitoneal laparoscopic nephropexy were carried out using self-prepared "basket" made of stripes cutting from polytetrafluoroethylene herniorrhaphy mesh. After the kidney was completely dissected from surrounding perirenal fat, it was put into the non-absorbable polytetrafluoroethylene "basket" through multiple suturing and fixation to renal capsule. Then suspended the kidney by fixation the lower pole of kidney to the twelfth rib, and reinforced by suturing the posterior surface of the kidney to the quadratus lumborum muscle. Results The operation was successfully completed laparoscopically in all cases without major perioperative complications. The average operative time was 95 minutes, and the mean estimated blood loss was less than 60 mL. Hospital stay was 4.5 days (range, 3–6 days). Postoperative urography or ultrasound revealed complete resolution of loin pain and nephroptosis with a median follow-up of 8 months (range, 2–15 months). Conclusions Laparoscopic nephropexy using self-made polytetrafluoroethylene "basket" with a modified three-point fixation technique is an effective minimally invasive procedure for treating symptomatic nephroptosis with excellent short-term results.


The plasmonic properties of a gold nanorod array surface can be tuned through modification of the surface parameters. To experimentally fabricate and investigate would be both resource and time expensive. This work utilises a finite element method (FEM) model to investigate the effect of varying parameters on the optical properties of the surface. Near-field coupling effects are considered within the nanorod array and between the array and gold underlayer. Increased coupling and blue-shifted resonance peaks occur for reduced array spacing and increased underlayer thicknesses red-shift resonance positions and increase overall extinction values. Nanorod geometry simulations show that larger diameters significantly blue-shift resonance peaks and increase local field enhancements throughout the array; whereas increasing height increases the extinction spectra and causes red-shift of resonance peaks. The results obtained for these investigations aid understanding of the electromagnetic interactions associated with the nanorod array which will benefit practical applications of the surface. Current experimental nanorod array geometries were investigated for plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) applications, with the maximum plasmonic signal and field enhancements occurring for 25x200nm array with 60nm spacing at fluorescent absorption and emission wavelengths. However, these significant field enhancements are localised to the surface of the nanorods rather than throughout the array so fluorescent molecules would have to be in contact with the surface to experience these enhancements.


Transport of people and goods has always been associated with the generation of some pollution, whether atmospheric, sound or visual. Managing the urban environment presents a major challenge: preserving environmental resources and also ensuring decent living conditions for the current population and for future generations. In the era of motorized and carbonized transport, vehicles are the main source of emission of atmospheric pollutants, mainly in large urban centers and important precursors of ozone. An important advance in minimizing vehicle emissions was the introduction of cleaner and additive fuels into the Brazilian market. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the use of 0.15% dienitro on S50 Diesel in engines with EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and S10 Diesel in engines with SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) and EGR system. The tests were performed with a gas analyzer directly on the exhaust of vehicles with engine speed of 1300 rpm. Results show CO emission reductions of 72.8, 37.9, 15.7% and NOx emission reductions of 48.0, 48.5 and 31.0%, respectively for the S50 EGR, S10 SCR and S10 EGR system. This additive has a slight increase of 1 or 1.5 points in cetane number, low vaporization enthalpy (energy to vaporize) and high combustion enthalpy, ie, Dienitro increased cetane number, faciliting the start of combustion and reducing CO. On the other hand, a fuel that releases less energy during combustion consequently produces lower temperatures within the combustion chamber, ie additives with lower combustion enthalpy have lower NOx emissions.


An assay for pyruvate kinase (PK) was tested as a diagnostic tool for cork spot, a major physiological disorder in pear (Pyrus communis L. cv. d'Anjou) fruit. PK activity and Ca and protein concentrations were measured in peel of normal and affected fruit during selected months in 2 years. Protein concentrations was more closely associated with cork spot than PK activity or Ca concentration. These preliminary results suggested the PK assay was a poor diagnostic tool for cork spot


Objectives The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae spp. isolated from different ICUs at Menoufia University hospitals; to detect the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESβLs), AmpC β-lactamases, and carbapenemases among the isolated pathogens by using phenotypic methods; and to investigate the presence of blaKPCand blaNDMresistance genes using real-time PCR. Background ESβL producers are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, especially among patients in ICUs. Carbapenemases are diverse enzymes that vary in the ability to hydrolyze carbapenems and other β-lactams. Materials and methods This study involved 270 clinical specimens from 160 patients. ESβL production was detected by resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and aztreonam and confirmed by combined disk test. AmpC production was detected by cefoxitin disk test and confirmed by AmpC disk test. Carbapenemases were detected by resistance to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem, and then confirmed by modified Hodge test, phenylboronic acid combined disk (PBA-CD) test, and imipenem/EDTA combined disk (IPM/EDTA-CD) test. Carbapenemase gene (blaKPCand blaNDM) detection was performed by real-time PCR. Results In all, 52.89% of Enterobacteriaceae isolates were extreme drug resistant, 26.45% were pandrug resistant, and 14.88% were multidrug resistant. Carbapenem resistance was 60.33% for imipenem, 65.29% for meropenem, and 85.95% for ertapenem. Risk factors associated with ICUs were ICU stay greater than and equal to 14 days, exposure to invasive procedures, and comorbid conditions. ESβL production occurred in 41.32% and AmpC occurred in 32.23% of Enterobacteriaceae spp. Carbapenemase production was detected in 69.86%; Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) was detected in 60.27%; and metallo-β-lactamase was detected in 75.34%. blaKPC gene was detected in 26.03% of imipenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae spp., whereas blaNDMgene was not detected in all tested isolates. Conclusion Surveys of the prevalence, antibacterial susceptibility patterns, and identification of resistance patterns of bacterial isolates are important for determining appropriate empirical therapy for infections in critically ill patients.


We demonstrate that expression of v-Ha-ras in mouse embryonal P19 cells results in genome-wide demethylation. Analysis of the pattern of methylation of specific genes reveals that different types of genes are demethylated in the ras transfectants: skeletal muscle specific genes, a gene specifically expressed in the adrenal cortex (c21), ubiquitous genes, and exogenously introduced sequences. Transient transfection and in vitro demethylation assays reveal that the ras transfectants express high levels of a general DNA demethylation activity. This demonstrates that the general DNA demethylation activity in mouse embryonal cells is controlled by an important cellular signal transducer and that DNA demethylase is a potential downstream effector of Ras.


A decision support system (DSS) was based on the splitting of total nitrogen (N) fertilizer application combined with in-season assessments of crop N requirements aimed to matching, at field scale, potato (Solanum tuberosum) total crop N requirements and mineral N supply from soil and fertilizers. After the preplanting establishment of the total N recommendation based on the predictive balance-sheet method at a specific field scale, 70% of the recommended amount was applied to the crop at planting. Subsequently, at 20–50 days after emergence (DAE) the need for supplemental N was assessed through noninvasive measurements of leaf chlorophyll concentration directly in the field. A simple conditional relationship was established to support potato growers' decisions on the usefulness of applying the remaining 30% N. This required a crop N status (CNS) assessment in the fertilized field and within a small, untreated area (zero-N for reference). The strategy developed is economically feasible, easy to operate, and validated for several potato varieties. It also gives the grower the possibility of improving N use efficiency (NUE). Several tools to assess CNS have been investigated, or are currently being investigated, at the Walloon Agricultural Research Center in Gembloux, Belgium (CRA-W) for integration into this strategy. All the tools are evaluated for four main characteristics: measurement accuracy and precision, sensitivity to N, specificity to N, and feasibility. There are invasive or noninvasive tools. The use of a chlorophyll meter (CM) has been currently developed in the DSS. Current CRA-W research is investigating the potential of crop light reflectance as an indicator of CNS (ground-based radiometers for near remote sensing and satellite multispectral imagery for spatial remote sensing).


A dynamic thresholds buffer control scheme called partial sharing and partial partitioning (PSPP) is proposed. This scheme uses complete sharing (CS) for inactive ports and complete partitioning (CP) for active ports with dynamic buffer adjustability. Computer simulation shows that the loss performance of the PSPP is better than the CS and CP techniques under various traffic conditions even without threshold retuning.


The edge feature extraction of image is one of the research fields of image processing theory and application. The traditional methods of image feature extraction are simple and proficient, but the accurate performance of the feature extracted is not even higher. As such, a new method for extracting image edge feature was proposed by using the two-dimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition (2-D EMD) and Riesz Transform. Firstly, the image was decomposed to multi-level Intrinsic) Mode Function (IMF) by 2-D EMD, and then the Riesz Transform with stronger local preserving ability was used for analyzing their local properties instead of the Hilbert Transform, by which the edge feature extraction with higher resolution was carried on. Finally, simulation shows that the proposed method is feasible and valid.


Using weblogs, or blogs, as vehicles for knowledge management initiatives is a relatively new concept, but one that has gained rapid recognition. The earliest weblogs appeared only a few years ago. As personal journals, often espousing individual political views or chronicling personal daily events, blogs did not seem to fit into an organizational knowledge management framework. Attitudes towards weblogs and uses of blogs are changing quickly, however. In a collaborative work environment, blogs bring significant benefits to enterprises willing to adopt the technology. Writers of blogs, called bloggers, can add to the sum total of knowledge for research projects, share industry and product knowledge, capture and disseminate pertinent news from outside the enterprise, and contribute valuable insights on specific subjects. They are particularly useful for promoting knowledge in cross-cultural environments.


This article considers scientific data and methods taken as a vocabulary for a visual language of poetics, shaping an artistic practice exploring the liminal poetics of space, time, science and mythology, equally considered. These artworks focus on the moving image as an immersive, architectonic construct, one that makes it possible to blur the boundary between space and time. They are cinematic environments that create a space of spatial and temporal ambiguity, open to the performative role of the viewer in composing the unfolding narrative. The artworks presented here began in the crossover between art and science, technology and anthropology, exploring topics and incorporating methods from each area. Transdisciplinary processes play a critical role in this artistic research. These works reflect cinema approached as a multimodal field of possibilities in which montage motivates movement and focus through this field, creating a participatory composition of sight, sound, movement and memory that immerses viewers by actuating somatic perception. Shape, scale, immersion, interactivity, simultaneity, embodiment, implementation and the manipulation of time create concrete metaphors that echo the multivalent content of the works: a collaboration with 300 tropical spiders to create a Kino, then letting the audience walk freely among them (or the spiders freely among the audience); an immersive environment enacting the space-time of glacial ice to experience the time of a different form of matter as somatosensory experience; a journey through the human history of the Moon, transcending time, political ideologies, realities and cultures as an encompassing field of simultaneous views and sounds; performing a 2000-year-old act of Thessalian magic on the skyline of Hong Kong. Combining the technological tools available to cinema and science, contrasting magnifications and speeds of observation reveal a material poetics beyond appearance. The artworks presented here elaborate the details of cardinal subjects, diving deep into fundamental domains to unravel the cultural implications embedded within the aesthetics of their data artefacts.


In 1920, the philosopher Fritz Mauthner published an essay entitled "Mother tongue and Fatherland" (Muttersprache und Vaterland) in which he offers a reflection on the metaphor of the "mother tongue" and its political uses, in the context of the rise of nationalisms and the reconfiguration of identities throughout Europe. Languages in general are a powerful means of determination and assignation, but these linguistic boundaries become charged with especially strong associations and delimitations when it comes to the idea of the "mother tongue". In this paper I propose to analyze how the mapping of (linguistic) borders – that enclose as well as define – is conceptualized and metaphorized in terms of family relations and national issues, by examining the notion of "mother tongue" itself. The expression does not so much denominate a concept but it functions as a common expression that condenses different linguistic, ideological and emotional imaginaires, defining our relation to language by a series of borders, individual and collective – thus the idea of a shared language of communication, the political quality of the national language, the image of the mother's language and the natal image of the maternal tongue. The paper will examine, in a comparative perspective, the status of the powerful image of the "mother tongue" in contemporary fiction and discourse and how it enables us to better understand the ways of minding (and overstepping) the multiple borders and borderlines it contains and expresses


Human actions are spatio-temporal patterns. A popular representation is to describe the action by features at interest points. Because the interest point detection and feature description are generic processes, they are not tuned to discriminate one particular action from the other. In this paper we propose a saliency measure for each individual feature to improve its distinctiveness for a particular action. We propose a spatio-temporal saliency map, for a bag of features, that is specific to the current video and to the action of interest. The novelty is that the saliency map is derived directly from the SVM's support vectors. For the retrieval of 48 human actions from the visint.org database of 3, 480 videos, we demonstrate a systematic improvement across the board of 35.3% on average and significant improvements for 25 actions. We learn that the improvements are achieved in particular for complex human actions such as giving, receiving, burying and replacing an item.


The objective of this work has been to determine that human settlements in the Jumilla-Yecla Altiplano region of the Murcia Region can be classified as rural population groups. This question is of interest within the scope of the Territorial Ordinance Guidelines of the region. To do this, flow diagrams were devised, with conditions such as: being a population nucleus and being located in rural areas, which had to comply with the human settlements studied –exception of the archaeological sites–. Only nine elements were qualified as villages, among the forty-nine cases studied. This work has allowed a first approximation to the definition-determination of rural population in the study area.


This position paper presents a comparative study of co-occurrences. Some similarities and differences in the definition exist depending on the research domain (e.g. linguistics, NLP, computer science). This paper discusses these points, and deals with the methodological aspects in order to identify co-occurrences in a multidisciplinary paradigm.


Anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have proven to be a very powerful tool to constrain dark matter annihilation at the epoch of recombination. However, CMB constraints are currently derived using a number of reasonable but yet untested assumptions that could potentially lead to a misestimation of the true bounds (or any reconstructed signal). In this paper we examine the potential impact of these systematic effects. In particular, we separately study the propagation of the secondary particles produced by annihilation in two energy regimes: first following the shower from the initial particle energy to the keV scale, and then tracking the resulting secondary particles from this scale to the absorption of their energy as heat, ionization, or excitation of the medium. We improve both the high- and low-energy parts of the calculation, in particular finding that our more accurate treatment of losses to sub-10.2 eV photons produced by scattering of high-energy electrons weakens the constraints on particular dark matter annihilation models by up to a factor of 2. On the other hand, we find that the uncertainties we examine for the low-energy propagation do not significantly affect the results for current and upcoming CMB data. We include the evaluation of the precise amount of excitation energy, in the form of Lyman-alpha photons, produced by the propagation of the shower, and examine the effects of varying the helium fraction and helium ionization fraction. In the recent literature, simple approximations for the fraction of energy absorbed in different channels have often been used to derive CMB constraints: we assess the impact of using accurate vs approximate energy fractions. Finally we check that the choice of recombination code (between RECFAST V1.5 and COSMOREC), to calculate the evolution of the free electron fraction in the presence of dark matter annihilation, introduces negligible differences.


Reliable feature point matching is a vital yet challenging process in feature-based image registration. In this paper, a robust feature point matching algorithm, which is called recovery and filtering vertex trichotomy matching, is proposed to remove outliers and retain sufficient inliers for remote sensing images. A novel affine-invariant descriptor, which is called the vertex trichotomy descriptor, is proposed on the basis of that geometrical relations between any of vertices and lines are preserved after affine transformations, which is constructed by mapping each vertex into trichotomy sets. The outlier removals in vertex trichotomy matching (VTM) are implemented by iteratively comparing the disparity of the corresponding vertex trichotomy descriptors. Some inliers mistakenly validated by a large number of outliers are removed in VTM iterations, and several residual outliers that are close to the correct locations cannot be excluded with the same graph structures. Therefore, a recovery and filtering strategy is designed to recover some inliers based on identical vertex trichotomy descriptors and restricted transformation errors. Assisted with the additional recovered inliers, residual outliers can be also filtered out during the process of reaching identical graphs for the expanded vertex sets. Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance on precision and stability of this algorithm under various conditions, such as remote sensing images with large transformations, duplicated patterns, or inconsistent spectral content.


An application of TDR'(Time Domain Reflectometry) was developed and demonstrated for use with the in-situ plasma vitrification (ISPV) environmental restoration project. The technique was simple, using an inexpensive sacrificial TDR probe made out of ordinary coaxial cable. This technique proved its viability for field operation in support of the Vitrification process. This presentation will detail the design, construction, operation and field results of the TDR instrumentation that was developed and used in this project. Other practical applications of this technology will be suggested.


We show that a reflexive subspace of the predual of a von Neumann algebra embeds into a noncommutative Lp space for some p>1. This is a noncommutative version of Rosenthal's result for commutative Lp spaces. Similarly for 1 < q < 2, an infinite dimensional subspace X of a noncommutative Lq space either contains lq or embeds in Lp for some q < p < 2. The novelty in the noncommutative setting is a double sided change of density.


BACKGROUND/AIM
Human parvovirus B19 is a pathogen that affects different parts of the body. We planned this study because of the lack of data on B19 seroprevalence based on different body-system diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The prevalence of parvovirus B19 antibodies was investigated retrospectively in 1239 patients by review of medical records from 2009-2012, according to their diseases classified under general titles in compliance with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Parvovirus B19-specific antibodies were detected by quantitative enzyme immunoassays.

RESULTS
The positivity rate was 27.8% for only IgG, 8.5% for only IgM, and 2.6% for both IgG and IgM. The highest positivity for IgG alone was found in musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases (55.9%), while the highest positivity for IgM was found in neoplasms (16.4%). The highest positivity for IgG was seen in rheumatoid arthritis (72.2%) and pregnancy (52.6%), and the highest positivity for total IgM was found in upper respiratory tract disease (21.0%) and hepatic failure (17.1%).

CONCLUSION
Parvovirus B19 seroprevalence was relatively low in northeastern Anatolia compared to most serological studies conducted in other regions. We think that this study has provided the first wide-ranging information on the seroprevalence of B19 in diseases and disorders of the major human body systems.


The radiographs of 52 fresh cadaveric wrists were reviewed to assess their reliability in predicting the presence or absence of degenerative changes at the radiocarpal, midcarpal, and carpometacarpal joints. Direct comparison with anatomic dissection showed that except for the radioscaphoid articulation, there were no other sites with significant correlation between the radiographic and anatomic findings. We conclude that plain radiographs are not totally reliable for assessing changes of degenerative joint disease in the wrist.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

According to the traditional Asian medicine, herbs containing daidzein, hesperidin, oleanolic acid and bacalein were used as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor folk medicines. On the basis of this information, in this study, we investigated whether natural products including daidzein, hesperidin, oleanolic acid and bacalein affect proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells stimulated by 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) or estradiol. The results were as follows : (1) Both estradiol and PhIP significantly induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells at the concentrations of 10nM and 100nM, respectively; (2) Oleanolic acid and baicalein inhibited proliferation of PhIP-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells, dose-dependently; (3) Daidzein and hesperidin also inhibited proliferation of estradiol-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells, dose-dependently. We suggest that these four natural compounds can be novel drug candidates for preventing breast cancer provoked by dietary estrogenic compounds found in cooked meat such as PhIP. Also, effects of these four natural compounds on MAPK-ERK pathway should be investigated for elucidation of action mechanism through future study.

(Key words: Natural products, MCF-7, PhIP, Estradiol)

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 772.


Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is an emerging network architecture to increase flexibility and agility within operator's networks by placing virtualized services on demand in Cloud data centers (CDCs). One of the main challenges for the NFV environment is how to efficiently allocate Virtual Network Functions (VNF) to Virtual Machines (VMs). Although a significant amount of work/research has been already conducted for the generic VNF placement problem, network latency among various network components has not been comprehensively considered yet. To address this concern, in this article, we design a more comprehensive model based on real measurements to capture network latency among VNFs with more granularity to optimize placement of VNFs in CDCs. Experimental results are promising and indicate that our approach, namely VNF Low-Latency Placement (VNF-LLP), can reduce network latency by up to 64.24% (50.33% in average) compared with two generic algorithms. Furthermore, it has a lower lead time (time to find a suitable VM to host a VNF) as compared with two classic approaches.


Background: Vaginal microbiota is not only an important source of bacterial colonization for neonates, but also plays a key role in maternal and neonatal health. In China, povidone iodine is used to disinfect vaginal during delivery. To date there has been no comprehensive study to investigate the vaginal microbiome composition after disinfection.Results: In this study, 27 women were recruited from Bao an Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Shenzhen, China). Vaginal samples before and after delivery were collected. Neonatal oral samples were also collected right after birth. Bacterial compositions of these study subjects were investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing of V3-V4 hyper-regions based on Hiseq 2500 platform. The results showed that vaginal microbiome during pregnancy were dominated by Lactobacillus spp. The identified microbiomes were separated into three community state types (CSTs), and a new CST (dominated by L. helveticus) was observed in this study. After disinfection, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus decreased and alpha diversity increased significantly. Moreover, most CST III and CST VI during pregnancy, both them dominated by Lactobacillus, shifted to CST IV in vaginal samples after disinfection. Additionally, the similar change pattern was observed in neonatal oral microbiome, and they overlapped with vaginal samples after disinfection in NMDS analysis.Conclusions: Perineal disinfection resulted in the decrease of genus Lactobacillus and increase of alpha diversity both in maternal vaginal microbiome and neonatal oral microbiome. In further, it is vital to understand the influence on maternal and neonatal health of vaginal microbiome community structure change after disinfection.


Thirty-five patients with complex post-traumatic leg defects were treated surgically between 1986 and 1992. 10 of these patients had severe open fractures (Gustillo III a, b and c), 25 others suffered from cutaneous and bony sequelae. The choice of the various covering flaps is discussed according to the place and type of defect and also according to their trophic properties. In the light of their own experience and a review of the recent literature, the authors stress the necessity of covering the defect as soon as possible, particularly when a free flap is indicated. Muscle flaps are preferred. Bony reconstruction can then be achieved by a conventional graft.


A historical review is made covering twenty-six years during which there were twenty-four meetings for field demonstrations and presentation of scientific papers. Twenty volumes of Proceedings were produced, consecutively numbered from Fifth to Twenty-Fifth from 1961 through 1981. The First Meeting was at Holloman Air Force Base on 17 May, 1955 in response to a request by Don Blanchard of the Society of Automotive Engineers for a tour of facilities and Field Demonstrations by the Aeromedical Field Laboratory relating to automotive crash research, for the benefit of the newly organized SAE Committee on Motor Vehicle Seat Belts and invited guests. The evolution of the Stapp Car Crash Conferences in terms of organization and program development is traced. Contributions to automotive safety research resulting from the Car Crash Conferences are discussed.


Abstract. Mountain forests provide natural protection against avalanches. They can both prevent avalanche formation in release zones and reduce avalanche mobility in runout areas. Although the braking effect of forests has been previously explored through global statistical analyses on documented avalanches, little is known about the mechanism of snow detrainment in forests for small and medium avalanches. In this study, we investigate the detrainment and braking of snow avalanches in forested terrain, by performing three-dimensional simulations using the Material Point Method (MPM) and a large strain elastoplastic snow constitutive model based on Critical State Soil Mechanics. First, the snow internal friction is evaluated using existing field measurements based on the detrainment mass, showing the feasibility of the numerical framework and offering a reference case for further exploration of different snow types. Then, we systematically investigate the influence of snow properties and forest parameters on avalanche characteristics. Our results suggest that, for both dry and wet avalanches, the detrainment mass decreases with the square of the avalanche front velocity before it reaches a plateau value. Furthermore, the detrainment mass significantly depends on snow properties. It can be as much as ten times larger for wet snow compared to dry snow. By examining the effect of forest configurations, it is found that forest density and tree diameter have cubic and square relations with the detrainment mass, respectively. The outcomes of this study may contribute to the development of improved formulations of avalanche–forest interaction models in popular operational simulation tools and thus improve hazard assessment for alpine geophysical mass flows in forested terrain.


The article analyzes some variants of assimilation of new territories and development of unbuilt sites on the example of alluvial lands of Vasilyevsky Island.The data on the functional load, architectural and artistic features and principles of investment are regarded. The exclusive role of transport connectivity and framework is emphasized. The authors are of the opinion that the idea of laying a high-speed highway through the city center on Vasilyevsky Island is really a breakthrough significantly increasing St. Petersburg urban development potential. It is underlined that the sale of economy-class apartments, which had been conceived as the main source of financing the work according to the plans of 2017, has failed to become a sufficient basis for the cost of land reclamation and creation of a representative coastal multifunctional complex. According to the authors, the negative factor in this aspect was the inertia of the design and construction system, which has developed in St. Petersburg for many decades and is focused on the mass residential development of vast peripheral territories, and does not envisage the development of a highly urbanized environment. Considerations about the prospects for further development of building on the alluvial lands of Vasilyevsky Island are offered.


Consumers make purchase decisions in each and every aspect of their life. Thus studying consumer behaviour becomes more vital. All marketing decisions & activities are based on assumptions about consumer behavior. The following objectives were framed for the paper, to study the factors influencing the purchase of agricultural tractors and to evaluate the most important factors like brand name, subsidy, horsepower, maintenance etc considered for the purchase of agricultural tractors. The study was carried out in Sivaganga district of Tamilnadu state. Descriptive research design has been used in this study. The researcher has used both primary and secondary data for this research. The researcher has collected primary data from the tractor owners who had bought their tractor for service to the dealer point during the study period in sivaganga district. Factor analysis was used to find out the most influencing factors considered by the respondents while making the purchase decision of tractor. It is found as per the ranking given by the respondents subsidy is ranked first and followed by sources consulted, horse power, after sales service, price and brand name respectively are considered for purchase of tractors.


BACKGROUND
The signal transduction pathways involved in interleukin-2 (IL-2) synthesis have become a focus of interest for pharmacological intervention. Regulation of synthesis of IL-2 requires costimulation of two cell surface receptors, the T cell receptor and an appropriate costimulatory receptor. Antibodies such as anti-CD3 to stimulate the T cell receptor and anti-CD28 can be used to induce this costimulation. Previous methodologies employed antibody coupled to polystyrene microtiter plates or solution phase stimulation.

METHODS
Here, a method using magnetic beads to present anti-CD3 and anti-CD28, to the Jurkat T cell line was developed. Conditions were also developed for simultaneous analysis of the effect of test compounds on cell viability. The IL-2 synthesis methods and cell viability methods have been used to evaluate signal transduction inhibitors.

RESULTS
This method was then employed to test the effects of various signal transduction inhibitors on IL-2 synthesis. Agents which increase cAMP, cyclosporin and inhibitors of calmodulin, tyrosine kinases/phosphatases, protein kinase C, and PC-PL-C decrease IL-2 synthesis at concentrations which do not affect cell viability.

CONCLUSION
These results found with this novel system of stimulation with antibody to CD3 and CD28 compare favorably with activities reported in the literature thus validating this rapid facile system for evaluation of the effect of signal transduction inhibitors in IL-2 synthesis.


Male Sprague-Dawley rats and male B6C3F1 mice excreted 5-15% of a tracer dose of [14C]trichloroethylene as 14CO2 within 24 h after ip injection of a single dose in a corn-oil vehicle. The proportion of the dose excreted as CO2 was greater in mice than in rats, but increased in the rats after starvation or pretreatment with phenobarbital. As the dose was increased toward the LD50 level, the proportion excreted as 14CO2 decreased slightly, but this was largely due to increased loss of unchanged trichloroethylene. The excretion of 14CO2 was thus correlated with the expected level of microsomal metabolism of trichloroethylene to an electrophilic intermediate capable of binding to glutathione or macromolecules. Liver protein labeling was observed to be relatively high (10,000-23,000 cpm/mg in the mouse), while DNA labeling was consistently observed to be very low, not allowing identification of any adducts by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Also, no effect on DNA fragmentation was seen by alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation after injection of an LD50 dose of trichloroethylene. The ability of trichloroethylene to interact with DNA in vivo was thus observed to be very slight.


We propose an iterative mode-dropping algorithm that optimizes input signals to achieve the sum capacity of the MIMO-MAC with per-antenna power constraint. The algorithm successively optimizes each user's input covariance matrix by applying mode-dropping to the equivalent single-user MIMO rate maximization problem. Both analysis and simulation show fast convergence. We then use the algorithm to briefly highlight the difference in MIMO-MAC capacities under sum and per-antenna power constraints.


The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 dramatically changed the payment environment for institutional providers of non-acute health services by mandating a shift in Medicare reimbursement of outpatient, home health, and skilled nursing services from the traditional cost-based approaches to prospective payment. Although they were designed to slow health care spending, these Medicare payment reforms, particularly the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rules, were projected to have a disproportionately negative impact on many rural hospitals. Subsequent revisions to the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) modified the initial legislation to alleviate or postpone the negative financial impact, including a hold harmless provision for small (100-bed or under) rural hospitals. Due to delays in processing hospital cost reports, sufficient data to assess the impact of the new outpatient payment system on small rural hospitals have only recently become available. We simulated the effect of OPPS on the financial performance of rural hospitals in four states - Iowa, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. Our findings suggest that the profitability and cash position of small, government-owned, and Medicare-dependent hospitals will be adversely impacted by outpatient PPS. The results also suggest that the number of financially distressed rural hospitals will increase significantly. The small rural hospitals currently protected by the hold harmless provision are those that are likely to be hardest hit by OPPS.


Free Space Optics (FSO) links get attraction due to high bandwidth and the flexibility of wireless communication links. However weather patterns like fog and heavy snow fall effect the availability of FSO. Microwave links operating at 40-43 GHz can be considered as back up link due to similar properties regarding offered data rates and flexibility of set up. However rain limits microwave link availability. Redundant use of these links has proved as highly available high bandwidth wireless connection. But it needs redundant transmission on back up link of microwave even when FSO link is available. In this paper a switch over between these links has been proposed. Its performance has been simulated for one year measured availability data for these links.