Multivariate cooperative relations exist widely in the academic society. In-depth research on multivariate relationships can effectively promote the integration of disciplines and advance scientific and technological progress. The mining and analysis of advisor-advisee relationships in the cooperative network, as a hot research issue in sociology and other disciplines, is still facing various challenges such as the lack of universal models and the difficulty in identifying multivariate relationships. The traditional advisor-advisee relationship mining methods only focus on the binary relationship, and require secondary processing of node attributes and edge attributes. Therefore, based on the attributes of the node, edge, and network, we transfered the Capsule Network to multivariate relation analysis. The experimental results proved the simplicity and reliability of this model. And we studied the effects of the network feature vectors' dimension, routing iterations, and normalization on the performance of the Capsule Network. Considering that Capsule Network takes a long training time, we adopted Warm Restarts method to speed up the training process. In addition, we also used the model to generate a large-scale multivariate academic genealogy.


Male infertility makes up half of all infertility globally, and numerous etiological factors play a significant role to it. Oligoasthenozospermia is a sperm disorder that involves two disorders at the same time, Oligozoospermia (low sperm count) and Asthenozoospermia (Abnormal sperm motility). The signs and symptoms of oligoasthenozoospermia can be co-related with Kshina Shukra in Ayurveda. In Ayurveda Asta-vidha Shukra dushti are mentioned. Kshina Shukra is one among the Asta-vidha Shukra dushti, in which qualitative as well quantitative vitiation of Shukra dhatu occur. While describing the Dushti associated with Shukra and Artava, Vagbhatacharya explained Kshina Shukra as a pathological condition caused by vitiated Vata and Pitta.
 The present case study explains the role of Shodana aushadi and Shamana aushadi in the management of oligoasthenozoospermia. The patient has report of low sperm count and abnormal morphology was subjected to Ayurvedic management protocol initially Shodana treatment and then Shamana aushadi, administration of Satavari Kshira paka for 30 days.
This Ayurvedic treatment protocol including a combination of both Shodana and Shaman therapies were helpful in improving the seminal parameters like sperm count will increase from 10 million/ml to 90 million/ml, Actively motility increase from 0% to 30%, Moderately motility increase from 0% to 30%, Slightly motility increase from 10% to 20%, Non motile decrease from 90% to 20% and number of normal spermatozoa increase to 98%. Hence this approach can be considered in patients with low sperm count and motility.


A child with a 4‐year history of acute and chronic respiratory symptoms of unknown aetiology was investigated for hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Lung disease due to inhalation of material from a contaminated central humidifier was suggested by the clinical history, the presence of precipitating antibodies in the serum against the humidifier water, a pulmonary response to challenge with the humidifier water, and marked improvement after removal of the humidifier. No fungi were cultured from the humidifier nor were antibodies against a number of fungal antigens identified by radioimmunoassay inhibition techniques. Antigenic material was found in the humidifier water and the household water prior to its reaching the humidifier. This antigenic material was not found in laboratory tap water supplied from the same general source (Lake Michigan) but from a different pumping station. Three of the child's siblings gave histories suggestive of a single concurrent episode of acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis and one sibling had a history suggestive of chronic hypersensitivity lung disease. No association could be found between HLA‐haplotypy and disease in the patient and the siblings.


An encephalopathic delirium occurs due to a disturbance of brain function leading to a change in mental status. Fluctuating consciousness, hallucinations, disorientation, and short-term memory deficits are common presentations. This syndrome is more frequent among elderly people and occurs in up to 30% of hospitalized patients1. There are many medical conditions that can cause a delirium, including organ failures and electrolyte imbalances, etc. Polypharmacy and/or toxicities increase the risk of developing a confusional state. When considering a delirium diagnosis, a thorough evaluation is mandatory. This includes history taking from patients and their family, a physical examination, and a neurological evaluation. Laboratory investigations include a basic metabolic panel, a complete blood count, liver function tests, a calcium assay, toxicology or plasma drug level screening, thyroid stimulating hormone, urine analysis, and in certain cases, a rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and/or human immunodeficiency viral levels (HIV), etc. A computerized tomography scan of the head or magnetic resonance imaging is obtained in most cases. Early, prompt management of delirium decreases morbidity and mortality.


ABSTRACT Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne virus that poses an incomparable public health problem, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas. Vaccination remains the most rational measure for controlling DENV infection. In this study, an ultraviolet irradiation (UV)-inactivated DENV-2 carried by N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles (UV-inactivated DENV2 TMC NPs) was investigated as a potential non-replicating dengue vaccine candidate. Using a human ex vivo model, the human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs), we showed that TMC served as both a vaccine vehicle and a potent adjuvant. TMC NPs not only efficiently enhanced UV-inactivated DENV2 internalization into MoDCs but also greatly increased the breadth of UV-inactivated DENV2 immunogenicity to drive the maturation of MoDCs. Moreover, UV-inactivated DENV2 TMC NPs were highly immunogenic in mice, inducing greater levels of antibodies (total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a and neutralizing antibodies) and T cells (activated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells) against DENV-2 compared to soluble DENV-2 immunogens. Notably, the neutralizing activity of sera from mice immunized with UV-inactivated DENV2 TMC NPs was significantly augmented in the presence of complement activation, leading to the strong elimination of both DENV-2 particles and infected cells. We further showed that the immunogenicity of an inactivated dengue-based vaccine was significantly improved in a concentration-dependent manner. These positive results warrant further investigations of this platform of vaccine delivery for tetravalent vaccines or monovalent vaccines in sequential immunizations.


Objectives To evaluate the associations of body mass index (BMI) with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and expanded CVD mortality in the elderly. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Annual physical examination program for the elderly from 2006 to 2010. Participants We included 77,541 Taipei residents aged ≥65 years (39,365 men and 38,176 women). Measurements BMI was categorized as underweight (BMI<18.5), normal weight (18.5≤BMI<25), overweight (25≤BMI<30), grade 1 obesity (30≤BMI<35), or grade 2–3 obesity (BMI≥35). Mortality was ascertained by national death files. Results Underweight (hazard ratios [HRs] of all-cause, CVD, and expanded CVD mortality: 1.92, 1.74, and 1.77, respectively), grade 2–3 obesity (HRs: 1.59, 2.36, and 2.22, respectively), older age, male sex, smoking, and high fasting blood sugar were significant predictors of mortality. Meanwhile, being married/cohabitating, higher education, alcohol consumption, more regular exercise, and high total cholesterol were inversely associated with mortality. Multivariate stratified subgroup analyses verified smokers (HRs of all-cause, CVD, and expanded CVD mortality: 3.25, 10.71, and 7.86, respectively, for grade 2–3 obesity), the high triglyceride group (HRs: 5.82, 10.99, and 14.22, respectively for underweight), and patients with 3–4 factors related to metabolic syndrome (HRs: 4.86, 12.72, and 11.42, respectively, for underweight) were associated with mortality. Conclusion The associations of BMI with all-cause, CVD, expanded CVD mortality in the elderly are represented by U-shaped curves, suggesting unilateral promotions or interventions in weight reduction in the elderly may be inappropriate. Heterogeneous effects of grades 1 and 2–3 obesity on mortality were observed and should be treated as different levels of obesity.


In this paper we propose a sensitivity-analysis technique for device design. By this method, we determine the linearized variations of the device terminal characteristics following some change either in the impurity distribution, or in device geometry, such as channel length and oxide thickness. This technique has been implemented in our general-purpose two-dimensional device-analysis program (HFIELDS) and proved to be very efficient, as only the assembly of the RHS and one back-substituton is required in order to achieve the final result. It is believed that the present method can be profitably used for both deterministic and statistical device design.


This position paper sketches a framework for modeling introspective reasoning and discusses the relevance of that framework for modeling introspective reasoning about memory search. It argues that effective and flexible memory processing in rich memories should be built on five types of explicitly represented self-knowledge: knowledge about information needs, relationships between different types of information, expectations for the actual behavior of the information search process, desires for its ideal behavior, and representations of how those expectations and desires relate to its actual performance. This approach to modeling memory search is both an illustration of general principles for modeling introspective reasoning and a step towards addressing the problem of how a reasoner— human or machine—can acquire knowledge about the properties of its own knowledge base.


We have studied the resistance of metallic nanowires (silver and copper) as a function of the wire diameter in the temperature range 4.2 K-300 K. The nanowires with an average diameter of 15 nm-200 nm and length 6 microm were electrochemically deposited using polycarbonate membranes as template from AgNO3 and CuSO4, respectively. The wires after growth were removed from the membranes by dissolving the polymer in dichloromethane and their crystalline nature confirmed by XRD and TEM studies. The TEM study establishes that the nanowires are single crystalline and can have twin in them. The resistivity data was fitted to Bloch-Gruneisen theorem with the values of Debye temperature and the electron-acoustic phonon coupling constant as the two fit variables. The value of the Debye temperature obtained for the Ag wires was seen to match well with that of the bulk while for Cu wires a significant reduction was observed. The observed increase in resistivity with a decrease in the wire diameter could be explained as due to diffuse surface scattering of the conduction electrons.


Abstract The concept of inclusivity involved an understanding of people, programmes and places, embedded with complex issues. 21 student designers took part in a first-of-its-kind five-day codesign programme to develop solutions for inclusive and engaged communities with residents. This quasi-experimental study aimed to develop a value-based approach using likelihood ratio table and a Naïve Bayes classifier method to assess the success of a codesign programme, in comparison to past programmes with different design challenges. Methodology proposed a systematic investigation to evaluate this programme holistically. Students discussed with stakeholders to uncover the complexities of human and environmental factors in design at early stage of ideation, and semi-structured participants' observation tasks were considered instead of researcher's observations in the method of assessment. Selected teams were introduced to two new design methods to empathise better with seniors, i.e., Care Circle and See and Shoot. Findings revealed that these teams showed greater levels of critical inquiry when overcoming three key challenges, i.e., (1) identifying key personas, (2) examining potential use environment, and (3) access to market.


Language toxicity identification presents a gray area in the ethical debate surrounding freedom of speech and censorship. Today's social media landscape is littered with unfiltered content that can be anywhere from slightly abusive to hate inducing. In response, we focused on training a multi-label classifier to detect both the type and level of toxicity in online content. This content is typically colloquial and conversational in style. Its classification therefore requires huge amounts of annotated data due to its variability and inconsistency. We compare standard methods of text classification in this task. A conventional one-vs-rest SVM classifier with character and word level frequency-based representation of text reaches 0.9763 ROC AUC score. We demonstrated that leveraging more advanced technologies such as word embeddings, recurrent neural networks, attention mechanism, stacking of classifiers and semi-supervised training can improve the ROC AUC score of classification to 0.9862. We suggest that in order to choose the right model one has to consider the accuracy of models as well as inference complexity based on the application.


September 11th, 2001. It is difficult to doubt that on that day something happened that was destined, in all likelihood, to determine a change of epoch, a shift of paradigm: 'And so, the twenty–first century finally begins' (Auster 2003: 88). Yet, actually, it is not easy to explain why: it is as if, still today, we could not find the right words to give sense to that horror, in real time, before our eyes. All right, for the first time, since 1812, the United States were under attack on their territory; for the first time the barbarians managed to strike at the heart of the Empire (Chomsky 2001). But certainly this is not sufficient to explain the 'terror'. And least of all, the numbers of deaths occurred on that day: all things considered, those numbers are few if compared to the children that every day starve, also in some sense before our eyes. The question is different: on that morning, together with the Twin Towers, something else fell – once forever. What? This journal article is available in Law Text Culture: https://ro.uow.edu.au/ltc/vol22/iss1/7 67 Law Text Culture Vol 22 201800 Freewheeling Democracy as an Impossible Figure in Jacques Derrida*


The persistence of ovarian cancer stem-like cells (OvCSCs) after chemotherapy resistance has been implicated in relapse. However, the ability of these relatively quiescent cells to produce the robust tumor regrowth necessary for relapse remains an enigma. Since normal stem cells exist in a niche, and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the highest abundance immune cell within ovarian tumors, we hypothesized that TAMs may influence OvCSC proliferation. To test this, we optimized OvCSC enrichment by sphere culture and in vitro polarization of monocytes to a TAM-like M2 phenotype. Using cocultures that permitted the exchange of only soluble factors, we found that M2 macrophages increased the proliferation of sphere cells. Longer-term exposure (5-7 days) to soluble TAM factors led to retention of some stem cell features by OvCSCs but loss of others, suggesting that TAMs may support an intermediate stemness phenotype in OvCSCs. Although TAM coculture decreased the percentage of OvCSCs surviving chemotherapy, it increased the overall number. We therefore sought to determine the influence of this interaction on chemotherapy efficacy in vivo and found that inhibiting macrophages improved chemotherapy response. Comparing the gene expression changes in OvCSCs cocultured with TAMs to publicly available patient data identified 34 genes upregulated in OvCSCs by exposure to soluble TAM factors whose expression correlates with outcome. Overall, these data suggest that TAMs may influence OvCSC proliferation and impact therapeutic response.


This work considers the issue of selecting the criteria for ranking of the stations used to monitor the status of spatially distributed systems and the processes within such systems, as well as for establishing the priority for locating such stations. The paper offers a SWOT-based method intended to classify all criteria with regard to internal and external opportunities and threats and to overlay on one another iteratively the results of SWOT analyses in order to generate a unified set of criteria. The criteria, so obtained, are compared with regard to the available databanks and GIS maps, and only those criteria that are supported by the information being sufficient for their evaluation are sorted out. The criteria, so selected, are fit for further multi-criteria optimization of a network of monitoring stations with the use of systems analysis methods; they ensure better accuracy, validity, reliability and information value of such optimization results. The functionability of the method has been demonstrated by the example of designing the network of the surveillance monitoring stations for the surface water quality in line with the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive.


In the present work the concept of a binding polynomial is revisited for the most widely used case of self-assembly of identical molecular units and results in the re-construction of a link to the grand partition function of such a system. It is found that if the self-assembly process is not pronounced (i.e., the product of the equilibrium constant and the monomer concentration is close to zero), the binding polynomial has the meaning of a molecular partition function that is given by the summation over energy levels of any molecule in the system. In other cases the concept of a binding polynomial may be misleading.


PURPOSE
To investigate the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a clinical patient material.

METHODS
Thirty eyes in 30 consecutive patients with AMD and a juxtafoveal CNV underwent PDT with verteporfin with standard parameters. The patients were followed up for 12 months and retreated every 12 weeks in the event of leakage from CNV. Nineteen patients (63.3%) had a predominantly classic CNV, eight (26.7%) had a 100% occult CNV and three (10%) had a minimally classic lesion. In 27 patients (90%) the lesion was < or = 3 MPS (Macular Photocoagulation Study) disc diameters and < or = 3 MPS disc areas.

RESULTS
There was a positive correlation between duration of symptoms and loss of visual acuity at 12 months (p < 0.02). For predominantly classic lesions, there was a positive correlation between duration of symptoms and lesion size (p < 0.005). At 12 months, leakage had stopped after 3.3 +/- 0.9 treatments in 80% of the patients. Visual acuity remained stable in 63.3% of the patients.

CONCLUSION
Photodynamic therapy appears to be beneficial in patients with AMD and juxtafoveal CNV.


Purpose. Improving the technology of concretes on the basis of secondary mineral resources (waste foundry sand of metallurgical and machine-building industry, ash-and-slag mixes of thermal power plants). Methodology. Generally accepted standard methods in the study of the basic properties of raw materials, concrete mixes and concretes are used in the work. The samples were moulded using specially made laboratory vacuum equipment. Findings. The study results on the main properties of concretes on the basis of secondary mineral resources confi rmed the ef-fectiveness of vibrovacuum technology. For example, the strength of ash-and-slag vacuum concrete is on average higher than the strength of vibrocompacted concrete from a mobile concrete mix by 6–10 MPa or by 60–100 % (depending on the cement con-sumption). Also, high-quality concretes with moderate cement consumption for various types of construction are obtained on the basis of waste foundry sand. Originality. Scientifi c and technical bases of the technology of vibrovacuum concrete on the basis of waste foundry sand and ash-and-slag mixes were developed. Practical value. Through the development of the technology of vibrovacuum products based on secondary mineral resources concrete, high-quality concretes (increased strength, frost resistance, etc.) were obtained for road and other types of construction. This technology allows applying the existing technological equipment without fundamental design changes, carrying out immediate dismantling of moulded products, which signifi cantly reduces the metal consumption of the technology.


ABSTRACT This article employs Yosso's framework of 'community cultural wealth' to explore the ways in which educated Uyghurs, one of China's 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, build on social networks like family and friends to improve their own social standing and contribute to the benefit of their communities. Through Yosso's lens, ethnic minorities have their own cultural capital, which is distinct from the dominant group, and which can also be maximized to garner a successful status within society. This study undertook to discover: (a) In what ways do Uyghurs draw from their own community resources to navigate within a Mandarin Chinese-dominant education and economic system? (b) In what ways do Uyghurs support others within their own community for success? The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork collected within Xinjiang during the fall of 2013, interviews conducted with educated Uyghurs in Xinjiang and eastern China during multiple visits between the years of 2010-2013, and an analysis of interactive Uyghur language websites during the Spring of 2014.


The kinetochores of isolated HeLa cell chromosomes attached to an electron microscope specimen grid, fixed in formaldehyde, and stained with alcoholic phosphotungstic acid are visible as dark, preferentially stained structures distinct from the chromatin with which they are associated. When unfixed chromosomes are immobilized by attachment to grids and incubated with chick brain tubulin, microtubules are observed to assemble onto the kinetochores. This demonstrates the competence of kinetochores in isolated chromosomes to act in vitro as microtubule assembly sites and suggests that they also possess this capacity in vivo. In addition, the results provide a possible means for isolating and characterizing kinetochores.


The study examined soil and honey samples from the Maramureș region, assessing potentially toxic elements and their concentrations. The highest concentrations were found for (Cu), (Zn), (Pb), (Cr), (Ni), (Cd), (Co), and (As), while (Hg) remained below the detection limit. Samples near anthropogenic sources displayed elevated metal levels, with the Aurul settling pond and Herja mine being major contamination sources. Copper concentrations exceeded the legal limits in areas near these sources. Zinc concentrations were highest near mining areas, and Pb and Cd levels surpassed the legal limits near beehives producing acacia honey. Nickel and Co levels were generally within limits but elevated near the Herja mine. The study highlighted the role of anthropogenic activities in heavy metal pollution. In the second part, honey samples were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations, with variations across types and locations. Positive correlations were identified between certain elements in honey, influenced by factors like location and pollution sources. The research emphasized the need for pollution control measures to ensure honey safety. The bioaccumulation factor analysis indicated a sequential metal transfer from soil to honey. The study's comprehensive approach sheds light on toxic element contamination in honey, addressing pollution sources and pathways.


This study investigated the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance on tax aggressiveness of listed firms in Nigeria. A cross-sectional research design was utilized for the study, and data were collected from the published annual reports. Using a sample of 50 companies for the period of 2007 to 2013, the findings of the study reveal that there is a negative relationship between CSR performance and tax aggressiveness in Nigeria. A significant relationship was also found between firm size and tax aggressiveness, though with mixed positive and negative results. In addition, the results reveal a negative and significant relationship between firm performance and tax aggressiveness, and the extent of tax aggressiveness is reinforcing. It can be concluded that firms are more or less likely to engage in tax aggressiveness depending on their CSR standpoints and dimension and other corporate characteristics. It is recommended that more attention should be given by tax administrations to understand conditions where tax aggressiveness is more likely and measures should be put in place to combat it.

 Key words: Corporate social responsibility, tax, Nigeria.


A double-blind crossover trial in 50 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was carried out to compare the clinical effectiveness of 800 mg. azapropazone per day with 100 mg. indomethacin per day. Blood plasma concentrations of azapropazone were also studied in 10 patients. Patients received both drugs for a 3-week period, the order of treatment being determined at random. Although there were no marked differences in any of the objective measurements, patients assessments of response to and preference for each drug treatment period suggested that azapropazone produced significant improvement compared to that with indomethacin. Plasma levels of azapropazone remained remarkably constant for each patient. Side-effects with both drugs were mild and transient, and there were no marked variations from normal in any of the laboratory parameters measured.


Trace metals are inorganic elements that are required for all organisms in very low quantities. They serve as cofactors and activators of metalloproteins involved in a variety of key cellular processes. While substantial effort has been made in experimental characterization of metalloproteins and their functions, the application of bioinformatics in the research of metalloproteins and metalloproteomes is still limited. In the last few years, computational prediction and comparative genomics of metalloprotein genes have arisen, which provide significant insights into their distribution, function, and evolution in nature. This review aims to offer an overview of recent advances in bioinformatic analysis of metalloproteins, mainly focusing on metalloprotein prediction and the use of different metals across the tree of life. We describe current computational approaches for the identification of metalloprotein genes and metal-binding sites/patterns in proteins, and then introduce a set of related databases. Furthermore, we discuss the latest research progress in comparative genomics of several important metals in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, which demonstrates divergent and dynamic evolutionary patterns of different metalloprotein families and metalloproteomes. Overall, bioinformatic studies of metalloproteins provide a foundation for systematic understanding of trace metal utilization in all three domains of life.


Isolated kidney cells accumulated L[1-14C]ascorbic acid in a time-dependent manner and reached a steady state after 15 min at 37 degrees C. Initial velocity for uptake was over 300 pmol/mg protein per min when cells were separated from the bathing solution using a density gradient established during centrifugation. The uptake process was saturable with an apparent concentration at half maximal uptake of 36 mumols/L. Ascorbate uptake was reduced by metabolic inhibitors and was temperature dependent. Although ascorbic acid is an acid anion at pH 7.4, uptake did not appear to be inhibited by other acid anions such as p-aminohippurate and probenecid; however, involvement of the ion gradient established by Na+, H(+)-adenosine triphosphatase could not be confirmed. Replacing the sodium ion with other monovalent ions reduced the accumulation of ascorbate significantly. Isoascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids inhibited ascorbate uptake (34 and 13 mmol/L, respectively), whereas high concentrations of glucose showed some stimulation. These findings indicated that ascorbic acid is reabsorbed by the kidney in a sodium-dependent active transport process that is not common to other acid anions and has some specificity for the ascorbic acid structure.


When inferring phylogenetic relationships, not all sites in a sequence alignment are equally informative. One recently proposed approach that takes advantage of this inequality relies on sites that contain amino acids whose replacement requires multiple substitutions. Identifying these so-called RGC_CAM substitutions (after Rare Genomic Changes as Conserved Amino acids-Multiple substitutions) requires that, first, at any given site in the amino acid sequence alignment, there must be a minimum of two different amino acids; second, each amino acid must be present in at least two taxa; and third, the amino acids must require a minimum of two nucleotide substitutions to replace each other. Although theory suggests that RGC_CAM substitutions are expected to be rare and less likely to be homoplastic, the informativeness of RGC_CAM substitutions has not been extensively evaluated in biological data sets. We investigated the quality of RGC_CAM substitutions by examining their degree of homoplasy and internode certainty in nearly 2.7 million aligned amino acid sites from 5,261 proteins from five species belonging to the yeast Saccharomyces sensu stricto clade whose phylogeny is well-established. We identified 2,647 sites containing RGC_CAM substitutions, a number that contrasts sharply with the 100,887 sites containing RGC_non-CAM substitutions (i.e., changes between amino acids that require only a single nucleotide substitution). We found that RGC_CAM substitutions had significantly lower homoplasy than RGC_non-CAM ones; specifically RGC_CAM substitutions showed a per-site average homoplasy index of 0.100, whereas RGC_non-CAM substitutions had a homoplasy index of 0.215. Internode certainty values were also higher for sites containing RGC_CAM substitutions than for RGC_non-CAM ones. These results suggest that RGC_CAM substitutions possess a strong phylogenetic signal and are useful markers for phylogenetic inference despite their rarity.


Do small wording differences in message-based behavioral interventions have outsized effects on behavior? An influential initial study, examining this question in the domain of political behavior using two small-scale field experiments, argues that subtle linguistic cues in voter mobilization messages describing someone as a voter (noun) instead of one who votes (verb) dramatically increases turnout rates by activating a person's social identity as a voter. Two subsequent large-scale replication field experiments challenged this claim, finding no effect even in electorally competitive settings. However, these experiments may not have reproduced the psychological context needed to motivate behavioral change because they did not occur in highly competitive and highly salient electoral contexts. Addressing this major criticism, we conduct a large-scale, preregistered replication field experiment in the 2016 presidential election. We find no evidence that noun wording increases turnout compared to verb wording in this highly salient electoral context, even in competitive states.


In many experiments, experimenters use the random lottery incentive mechanism and ask many questions to each subject. That is, at the end of the experiment, just one of the questions is picked at random, and the subject paid on the basis of their answer to this one question. The idea is that subjects should separate the various questions and reply to each as if it were a separate question. This procedure is methodologically sound if the subjects' preferences obey Expected Utility (EU) theory (which implies a form of separation), but if they do not, this incentive mechanism is open to criticism. Indeed many referees use this argument against the research: they argue that subjects do not consider questions separately. If the questions are revealed to the subjects one by one, then the appropriate alternative hypothesis is that their behaviour evolves with the questions. Here this hypothesis is tested: that the questions already answered affect the answers to the subsequent questions. The analysis shows that this is generally not the case. This finding is of importance not only for the experimental community, but also for the wider community of economists – who typically, when analysing economic data, have to assume some kind of separation of present from past behaviour. The analysis indicates that such an assumption is defensible. An experimental defence of a procedure used widely in non-experimental empirical economics research is provided.


In this study, we show a new gesture recognition method for clothing-based gesture input methods using active and passive acoustic sensing. Our system consists of a piezoelectric speaker and a microphone. The speaker transmits ultrasonic swept sine signals, and the microphone simultaneously records the ultrasonic signals that propagate through the garment and the rubbing sounds generated by the gestures on the garment. Our method recognizes a variety of gestures, such as pinch, twist, touch, and swipe, by incorporating active and passive acoustic sensing. An important feature of our method is that it does not require a dedicated garment or embroidery embedded since our system only requires a pair of piezoelectric elements to be attached to the usual garment with a magnet. We performed recognition experiments of 11 gestures on the forearm with four types of garments made from different materials and recognition experiments of five one-handed gestures on the button of a shirt and the pocket of pants. The results of a per-user classifier confirmed that the f-scores were 83.9% and 95.9% for 11 gestures with four different types of garments and 5 gestures that were selected assuming actual use, respectively. In addition, we confirmed that the system recognizes five gestures, which can be performed with one hand, with 89.2% and 92.6% accuracy in the button and pocket sites, respectively.


This paper presents a synthesis and statistical analysis of published hydrocarbon-field and pool data on the Granite Wash as well as data on lineaments, both within the Peace River area and, more regionally, in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Numerical correlation within each data set suggest compellingly that for both types of data there is a fractal/mixed ("multi") fractal property. Hydrocarbon pools and fields in the Granite Wash play appear to be somewhat fractally distributed, but not in a totally scale-invariant manner, indicative of a "multifractal" property to the distribution of pools and fields within the Granite Wash. Faults in the area of the Peace River Arch appear to show a fractal influence at all scales, and for different ages of faulting, including Devonian or older and Carboniferous. Fractal analysis allows one to combine data from fault-networks of different ages to assess the cumulative spatial and size distributions of faults within a given study area. Differentiation of fractal versus multifractal distributions of pool and field data is a potential tool that can be used to differentiate those plays in which there are simple controls on reservoir formation (fractal), versus those plays in which the controls are more complex (multifractal). Estimations of undiscovered hydrocarbon potential of the Granite Wash in the Peace River Arch area through fractal geometry give encouraging preliminary results, suggesting that there is much potential in the Granite Wash for the discovery of future small pools and fields. Although the present study points to an approach that may be used for approximation of hydrocarbon potential in an area, further documentation of fractal and mixed ("multi") fractal distributions of oil and gas fields in immature play areas remains to be done. The possibilities for locating additional pools and fields locally within the Granite Wash using paleotopographic and paleostructural reconstructions, along with fractal/multifractal analysis remain to be explored.


This paper proposes some extensions to the work on kernels dedicated to string alignment (biological sequence alignment) based on the summing up of scores obtained by local alignments with gaps. The extensions we propose allow to construct, from classical time-warp distances, what we called summative time-warp kernels that are positive definite if some simple sufficient conditions are satisfied. Furthermore, from the same formalism, we derive a time-warp inner product that extends the usual euclidean inner product, providing the capability to handle discrete sequences or time series of variable lengths in an Hilbert space. The classification experiment we conducted, using either first near neighbor classifier or Support Vector Machine classifier leads to conclude that the positive definite elastic kernels we propose outperform the distance substituting kernels for the classical elastic distances we tested. In a similar way, the kernel based on the distance induced by the time-warp inner product outperforms significantly on the considered task the kernel based on the euclidean distance.


This paper presents a novel time-domain algorithm for detecting and attenuating the acoustic effect of wind noise in speech signals originating from mobile terminals. The detection part makes use of metrics that exploits the properties of the spectral envelop of wind noise as well as its non-periodic and non-harmonic nature. LPC analyses of various orders are carried out and the results used to distinguish between wind and speech frames and to estimate the magnitude and location of the wind noise 'resonance'. The suppression part entails constructing a parameterized postfilter of an appropriate order having a 'null' where the wind noise 'resonance' is. Wind-only frames are used to estimate the wind noise energy, from which the emphasis parameters of the post-filter are adjusted to provide an appropriate attenuation. The proposed scheme may be combined with background-noise suppression algorithms, or with speech-formant-enhancing post-filters in the context of a speech codec.


Three phase three level neutral point clamped (NPC) rectifier is a popular topology for power converter front-ends to achieve controllable DC voltage. In this paper, its mathematical model is analyzed and a dual-loop control strategy is adopted to regulate both DC voltage and input power factor. Instead of space vector PWM, an improved multi-level carrier based PWM is presented. The control system is developed on DSP and a FPGA is employed to generate the PWM signals. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified by the experimental results.


The work carried out in CENIM on amorphous and nanostructured aluminium alloys is described. Results about Al-LTM-ETM, Al-Fe-Nb and Al-Cu-Zr, and Al-LTM-RE, Al-Fe-Nd (LTM = Late Transition Metal, ETM = Early Transition Metal y RE = Rare Earth) alloys obtained by rapid solidification, inert gas atomization and melt-spinning, as well as mechanical alloying are presented.


I examine the impact of contract enforceability on corporate performance. My tests sidestep the issue of endogeneity between contracting and economic outcomes using "asset tangibility" (i.e., the resale value or ease of redeployment of corporate assets) as an instrument. Because asset tangibility changes over time for reasons that are outside of the control of firms and financiers (e.g., industry demand for second-hand assets), it can be used to identify a causal link between financing and performance. The identification works along the lines of a moral hazard argument: when asset tangibility is high managers have heightened incentives to perform since firm liquidation/reorganization becomes a more credible threat. I find evidence that the ex post resale value and redeployability of corporate assets drive the relative performance of firms that rely more heavily on external financing for their investment. Specifically, I show that the component of investment that is explained by external financing is associated with superior (inferior) relative-to-rival product market performance, capital market valuation, and accounting returns when asset tangibility turns out to be high (low) after the firm raises financing. Crucially, these sorts of tangibility-driven dynamics are not observed for internally-funded investment (when contract enforceability is irrelevant), and obtain despite the fact that asset tangibility does not unconditionally forecast firm performance. The effect of asset tangibility on investment performance under external financing is magnified when firms are near distress.


Abstract This paper seeks to enrich our understanding of research on technology adoption by examining a potential boundary condition, related to culture, of the fairly recently developed model of technology adoption and use-i.e., unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Based on the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, we outline the similarities and dissimilarities between the hypotheses specified in the original UTAUT, which was validated in the U.S., and how the relationships will play in the context of employees in China. We conducted an empirical study in a single organization that operated both in the U.S. and China and collected longitudinal data from a total of over 300 employees in one business unit in each of the two countries. Our study confirmed our hypotheses that social influence will be more uniformly important across all employees, without contingencies related to gender, age and volunatariness that were found to be the case in the U.S. As we theorized, other UTAUT hypotheses held both in the U.S. and China. This work contributes by examining culture as a boundary condition and identifies the bounds of generalizability of UTAUT.


In this study, three Safflower varieties (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Malawi, Giza1, Ethiopia were obtained from Egypt; of which the Ethiopian variety was analyzed for content of moisture, crude fiber, proteins, oils, carbohydrates, and ash. In addition, detailed studies were conducted on amino acid profile and minerals. Total phenols and fraction of phenolic compound were studied. The moisture content ranged from 5.24% to 6.23% and the protein content ranged from 14.70% to 16.21%, crude fiber 21.34% to 22.51 %,total lipid 32.47% to 35.12%, nitrogen free extract ranged from 22.47% to 26.11%, and ash 3.45% to 4.21% (on wet weight basis). Amino acid analyses revealed that Malawi, Giza1 and Ethiopian have higher level of arginine 5.28, 4.76, and 3.94 (g/100g) respectively. The total polyphenols content of defatted safflower meal was ranged from 452.52 mg to 677.27 mg (GAE /100g).


Ascites is a common complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis, and yet relatively little is known about its biochemical composition. We conducted two metabolomic investigations, comparing the profile of ascites from 33 cirrhotic patients and postoperative peritoneal drainage fluid from 33 surgical patients (Experiment 1). The profile of paired ascites and plasma was also compared in 17 cirrhotic patients (Experiment 2). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based metabolomics identified 29 metabolites that significantly characterized ascites fluid, whether postoperative drainage fluid or plasma were used as controls. Ten elevated amino acids (glutamine, proline, histidine, tyrosine, glycine, valine, threonine, methionine, lysine, phenylalanine) and seven diminished lipids (laurate, myristate, palmitate, oleate, vaccenate, stearate, cholesterol) largely comprised the cirrhotic ascites metabolomic phenotype that differed significantly (adjusted p < 0.002 to 0.03) from peritoneal drainage fluid or plasma. The pattern of upregulated amino acids in cirrhotic ascites did not indicate albumin proteolysis by peritoneal bacteria. Bidirectional clustering showed that the more severe the cirrhosis, the lower the lipid concentration in ascitic fluid. The metabolomic compartment of ascites in patients with decompensated cirrhosis is characterized by increased amino acids and decreased lipids. These novel findings have potential relevance for diagnostic purposes.


In freshwater the caiman gains water at the rate of 3.5 ml/kg hr or 1.1 μl/cm2 hr. Of this 70% is the result of uptake through the skin, the rest being due to drinking. This gain in water is excreted by the kidneys as a hypotonic urine. Urine sodium losses are reduced by active sodium uptake from the urine during storage for 3 to 4 hours in the cloaca. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that the skin is somewhat permeable to sodium, which moves along concentration gradients.

In air the caiman loses water by evaporation (1.2 μl/cm2 hr). About 75% of this takes place from the skin.

In 3.3% NaCl solution caimans show elevated serum sodium concentrations and 20% of them die within 24 hours. The sodium accumulation is mostly due to drinking (4.4% of the body weight/day), and only to a minor extent to osmotic water loss through the skin (2.5% of the body weight/day or 0.6 μl/cm2 hr). The permeability of the caiman is compared to that of fishes, Amphibia and other reptiles.


Abstract. An accurate speciation mapping of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) emissions has an important impact on the performance of chemical transport models (CTMs) in simulating ozone mixing ratios and secondary organic aerosols. Taking the INTEX-B Asian NMVOC emission inventory as the case, we developed an improved speciation framework to generate model-ready anthropogenic NMVOC emissions for various gas-phase chemical mechanisms commonly used in CTMs in this work, by using an explicit assignment approach and updated NMVOC profiles. NMVOC profiles were selected and aggregated from a wide range of new measurements and the SPECIATE database v.4.2. To reduce potential uncertainty from individual measurements, composite profiles were developed by grouping and averaging source profiles from the same category. The fractions of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOC) were corrected during the compositing process for those profiles which used improper sampling and analyzing methods. Emissions of individual species were then lumped into species in different chemical mechanisms used in CTMs by applying mechanism-dependent species mapping tables, which overcomes the weakness of inaccurate mapping in previous studies. Emission estimates for individual NMVOC species differ between one and three orders of magnitude for some species when different sets of profiles are used, indicating that source profile is the most important source of uncertainties of individual species emissions. However, those differences are diminished in lumped species as a result of the lumping in the chemical mechanisms. Gridded emissions for eight chemical mechanisms at 30 min × 30 min resolution as well as the auxiliary data are available at http://mic.greenresource.cn/intex-b2006 . The framework proposed in this work can be also used to develop speciated NMVOC emissions for other regions.


The first experimental demonstration that fast ion induced stabilization of thermal turbulent transport takes place also at low values of plasma toroidal rotation has been obtained in JET ILW (ITER-like wall) L-mode plasmas with high (3He)-D ICRH (ion cyclotron resonance heating) power. A reduction of the gyro-Bohm normalized ion heat flux and higher values of the normalized ion temperature gradient have been observed at high ICRH power and low NBI (neutral beam injection) power and plasma rotation. Gyrokinetic simulations indicate that ITG (ion temperature gradient) turbulence stabilization induced by the presence of high-energetic 3He ions is the key mechanism in order to explain the experimental observations. Two main mechanisms have been identified to be responsible for the turbulence stabilization: a linear electrostatic wave-fast particle resonance mechanism and a nonlinear electromagnetic mechanism. The dependence of the stabilization on the 3He distribution function has also been studied.


Summary: Strains of killer yeasts of various genera from a variety of sources were tested for their ability to kill each other, two neutral strains and four classes of mutants isolated as being resistant to killer toxin from a stock killer strain k12-1. The strains tested fell into four groups designated TOX1 to TOX4 according to their killing/immunity reaction with one another and their ability to kill the resistant mutants.


The current and magnetic field profiles of a steady-state, tokamak-like plasma sustained by DC helicity injection are determined by assuming that the plasma relaxes to a state where the ohmic dissipation rate is minimum. Helicity balance is imposed as a constraint and the basic features required for DC helicity injection, a pair of electrodes magnetized by an externally produced flux, are included in a 2D model. The field is calculated self-consistently and only the values of experimentally controllable parameters are used.


Using an ice radar system, we detected anomalous reflection strengths over subglacial disseminated sulfide zones beneath the Mt. Henry Clay Glacier in southeast Alaska. The subglacial sulfide zones, which were verified by drill holes, were not detected by previous magnetic, helicopter EM, or ground‐based time‐domain EM surveys. The sulfide zones were mapped by measuring lateral variations in the strength of radar echoes from the ice‐bedrock interface at the base of the glacier. The reflected power from these disseminated occurrences ranged from 20 percent to 60 percent of the theoretically predicted reflected power from a perfect conductor at the base of the ice. The empirical results of this experiment suggest that ice radar may be a useful tool for direct mineral exploration in ice‐covered terrain.


Background SNV are a group of rare conditions characterized by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessel walls. Despite current immunosuppressive treatment of SNV their clinical course and outcome are highly variable. That's why searching new biomarkers that may be useful for determining vasculitis activity, responding to treatment and risk of relapse are needed. Objectives To identify serum levels of the biomarkers of vascular wall damage before and after induction treatment of SNV. Methods Three serum proteins (alpha actin 2 (α-SMA), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and elastin) representing damage of blood vessel walls and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) titres were measured in 22 pts with SNV (granulomatosis with polyangiitis – 12, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis – 2, microscopic polyangiitis – 3, polyarteritis nodosa – 5) before induction treatment and at 6.75±3.33 (M ± SD) months after the beginning of induction therapy, and also in 26 healthy controls. The 22 pts included 6 male and 16 female with median age 48.8±10.5 years. Pts received induction therapy based on EULAR Recommendations for the Management of Primary Small and Medium Vessel Vasculitis (2009). Clinical activities of pts were calculated according to the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). All pts with SNV after induction treatment were divided into group of responding to treatment (decrease BVAS in 5 and more points, group1, n=17) and group of non-adequate response to treatment (without decrease BVAS in 5 and more points, group 2, n=5). The outcomes of this study were the differences in markers levels in pts with SNV before and after induction treatment, and also the differences in markers levels between pts with responding to treatment and pts with non-adequate response to treatment estimated by analysis of the absolute changes in markers levels. Results The mean BVAS in pts before treatment was 20.7±6.09 and 7.47±8.01 - after treatment (4.29±3.60 in group 1 and 22.3±5.03 in group 2). The titers of ANCA were elevated in 72.7% of pts before treatment and remained elevated in 54.5% of pts during treatment. There were no differences in levels of ET-1 and elastin in pts with SNV before treatment and controls, and also after induction treatment. The levels of α-SMA were significantly higher (by 52%) in pts with active SNV (94.1±87.8 ng/ml) compared with controls (44.7±25.7 ng/ml, p<0.05) and showed twofold decreasing due to treatment (45.8±31.3 ng/ml, p<0.05). The analysis revealed that the levels of α-SMA in group 1 during treatment decreased from 94.6±81.3 ng/ml to 39.9±22.3 ng/ml (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in levels of α-SMA before and after treatment in group 2 (108.7±124.9 ng/ml vs 102.6±36.0 ng/m). Conclusions The levels of serum α-SMA are elevated in severe active SNV. There are significant differences in levels of this marker before and approximately at 7 months after beginning of induction therapy in pts with SNV, especially in pts with responding to treatment. α-SMA hasn't shown differences before and approximately at 7 months after beginning of induction therapy in pts with non-adequate clinical response to treatment. This biomarker may be useful for estimating response to treatment in pts with SNV, but the future researches are needed. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The radio frequency discharge plasma sources are widely utilized to prepare functional thin films and to etch insulated layers in semiconductor devices in microelectronic industry. Especially, a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) is the most popular discharge because the equipment is very simple and almost maintenance free. However, there is a problem such as low-density plasma under low-gas pressure less than 10 Pa, that is, low processing rate. In this chapter, the production principle of conventional CCP and the special CCP with various electrodes and magnets is reviewed. The applications pre - pared by the special CCP system are also presented. Finally, the future plan including problems is described.


Hearing is one of the most important features that every human being possesses, one of the five senses along with sight, smell, taste, and touch. This function is accomplished owing to the complex mechanism of the sensory organ for hearing, the ear, and its coordination with the nervous system. The impairment of the cochlear normal function, impairment of the transduction of the mechanical acoustic signal in the synaptic activity of the auditory nerve leads to disorders of the complex ear mechanism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the speech development, that is, to assess the speech-voice development by using the Test for recognition of simple questions in the period of 6, 12 and 24 months. The results of the test for development of hearing perception showed progression during the examined period. Subjects in whom cochlear implant was placed in the younger age showed better results at the Test for recognition of simple questions and they recognized the meaning of a larger number of questions. This was statistically confirmed with calculated correlations between the age when the intervention was realized and the number of perceived simple questions at 6, 12 and 24 months post-implantation. All three correlations were negative and statistically significant.
Keywords: impaired hearing, cochlear implant, hearing perception, speech development


A simple, rapid and self-contained system for assaying the immunoreactive fraction of radiolabeled antibodies was developed using affinity thin-layer chromatography (ATLC). ATLC combines use of solid-phase-bound antigen and conventional TLC. The technique is an improvement over existing means of measuring immunoreactive fraction (bead-type or cell-type assays) in that it has neither wash steps nor centrifugation steps, yet provides results essentially identical to those obtained with the more time-consuming assays. ATLC is accomplished using chromatography strips that are coated with antigen material in a discrete region near the origin. The antigen-coated strips are then blocked in serum, air-dried and stored. For use, radiolabeled antibody is spotted at the origin, and the strip is developed using a buffered solvent. Immunoreactive antibody binds to the antigen at or near the origin, while radioactivity not associated with immunoreactive antibody migrates with the solvent front. Antigen-negative strips (serum-blocked only) are used to measure "nonspecific" binding. The ATLC development time is about 16 min, and the results can be obtained in about 30 min. The assay described in this report uses antigens from colon tumor and is suitable for use with B72.3 and other colon cancer-reactive antibodies.


Large amounts of highly contaminated water over 800,000 m3 accumulated in the reactor, turbine building and the trench in the facility were generated from the nuclear accident of Fukushima NPS (BWR) caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. At present, the cold shutdown is completed stably by the circulating injection cooling system (SARRY, KURION) for the decontamination of radioactive nuclides such as 134Cs and 137Cs using zeolites and crystalline silicotitanate (CST). Further, the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) is under operation for the decontamination of 62 nuclides such as 90Sr, 129I and 60Co, etc. However, the adsorption behaviors of actinoids through the decontamination systems are complicated, and especially their adsorption properties for zeolites and CST, major inorganic adsorbents, are not yet clarified. In near future, the decontamination of actinoids leached from the crushed fuel debris will be an important subject. In this study, the practical adsorption properties of U(VI) for various inorganic adsorbents were evaluated under different solution conditions.
 The adsorption properties (distribution behaviors and adsorption kinetics) were evaluated by batch adsorption method; 19 kinds of inorganic adsorbents including zeolites and CST (crystalline silicotitanate) were contacted with U(VI)) solutions. The conditions of 5 kinds of U(VI) solutions were as follows;
 Solution 1: [U(VI)] = 50 ppm, initial pH = 0.5 ∼ 5.5
 Solution 2: [U(VI)] = 50 ppm, [NaCl] = 0.1 M, initial pH = 4.0
 Solution 3: [U(VI)] = 50 ppm, [CaCl2] = 0.1 M, initial pH = 4.0
 Solution 4: [U(VI)] = 4.84 mM, [NaCl] = 0.1 M, initial pH = 3.18
 Solution 5: [U(VI)] = 4.86 mM, 2,994 ppm boric acid/30% seawater, initial pH = 4.25
 The uptake (%) and distribution coefficient (Kd. cm3/g) were estimated by counting the radioactivity using NaI(Tl) scintillation counter and liquid scintillation counter.
 In the simple Solution 1, the Kd values for zeolites increased linearly with equilibrium pH up to pH 7. The Kd value for tin hydroxide had a maximum profile around pH 7 and a relatively large Kd value above 104 cm3/g was obtained. In the presence of NaCl and CaCl2 (Solution 2 and 3), relatively large Kd values above 102 cm3/g were obtained, other than mordenite and clinoptilolite, and the effect of [Ca2+] on U(VI) uptake was larger than that of [Na+]. In Solution 4 containing high concentration of U(VI), the uptake(%) was considerably lowered, while that for zeolite A, X and Y was estimated over 20%. Similar tendency was observed in Solution 5, and, in the case of granulated potassium titanate, yellow precipitate was observed on the surface due to the increase of equilibrium pH up to 5.25.
 The adsorption behavior of U(VI) on inorganic adsorbents is mainly governed by three steps; ion exchange, surface precipitation of hydrolysis species and sedimentation depending on equilibrium pH, and hence it should be noted the change of U(VI) chemical species. These basic adsorption data are useful for the selection of inorganic adsorbents in the Fukushima NPS decontamination process.


A package delivery storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: an input unit for enabling input of a password; a memory unit for storing the user's terminal number and a relieving package delivery number; a communication module for transmitting a password, which is input through the input unit, to a terminal, which is stored in the memory unit, through a wired/wireless communication network; and a control unit for conducting a control such that, when an authentication signal is received from the terminal stored in the memory unit, the locking device is unlocked.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse clinical manifestations and laboratory findings in childhood patients with polyarticular-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Methods: Eleven cases of polyarticular JRA who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children`s Hospital from June 1988 to May 1995 were investigated for clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. Results: 1) There were 6 males and 5 females and their ages of onset were 4 years to 15.1 years(mean 10.9 years). 2) Systemic manifestations were not observed, but low-grade fever was noted in 5 patients. 3) The involvement of joints was symmetric in 9 patients and asymmetric in 2 patients. 4) The most commonly affected joints were knees and ankles, followed by proximal interphalangeal joints of hand, shoulder, elbow, temporomandibular joint, and other joints. 5) Roentgenographic changes of joints were detected in 6 patients and bone scan in 7 patients showed increased uptake in the involved joints. 6) The main laboratory findings observed were microcytic and hypochromic anemia (64%), thrombocytosis (82%), elevated eryhtrocyte sedimentation rate (100%), positive or increased C-reactive protein (100 %), positive rheumatoid factor(RF) (18%), positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) (27%). RF was positive in 2 girls with later age of onset and the pattern of immunofluorescent ANA were all homogeneous. 7) Nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were used most frequently and steroid with or without sulfasalazine was tried in 4 patients unresponsive to NSAIDs. 8) At last follow-up, 6 cases(55%) were classified as functional class I, 4 cases(36%) as class II, and 1 case(9%) as class III. Conclusion: These data showed the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of polyarticular-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Korean children.


In this paper a new approach to construction of the noisy pixels map is presented. In order to identify noisy pixels, simple statistical analysis of pixel context is carried out. Comprehensive analysis of the algorithm performance is provided for images degraded by fixed-valued (salt-and-pepper) noise. Results of introduced method are presented and compared with results achieved with other filtration approaches.


The optimal design of reinforced concrete folded plate structures under
 multiple loading conditions is presented. The design variables include
 geometrical quantities, like the thickness, dimensions of the structural
 members (plates), and topological parameters, which define the locations and
 the connectivity of such elements. The structural analysis required during
 the design process is performed by using the classical finite strip method
 and complex harmonic coupled finite strip method for the solution of the
 corresponding geometric nonlinear design problem. Some applications to the
 optimal design of prismatic folded plates show the effectiveness of the
 proposed procedures. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br.
 ON174027: Computational Mechanics in Structural Engineering i br. TR 36017:
 Utilization of by-products and recycled waste materials in concrete
 composites in the scope of sustainable construction development in Serbia:
 investigation and environmental assessment of possible applications]


Abstract The Environment Agency Guidance on Requirements for Authorisation (GRA) of a geological disposal facility (GDF) requires a demonstration that "the possibility of a local accumulation of fissile material such as to produce a neutron chain reaction is not a significant concern." A neutron chain reaction that is just self-sustaining is also known as critical. Waste packages can be designed to ensure that criticality is impossible during the transport and operational phases of a GDF, and for a significant period post-closure. Over longer times, however, packages may degrade, and groundwater flows could lead to a localized accumulation of fissile material. Hence, even though the initial distribution of materials would need to change substantially, criticality cannot be ruled out completely. This paper describes how an accumulation of fissile material could, hypothetically, lead to a critical configuration; how such a system could evolve; what the local consequences could be; and how the engineered and geological barriers could be affected. The conclusion from studies to date is that, even for large (and very unlikely) fissile accumulations, the consequences of a post-closure criticality event are not a significant concern.


The HIV-1 integrase enzyme (IN) plays a critical role in the viral life cycle by integrating the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host chromosome. This function of IN has been well studied, and the knowledge gained has informed the design of small molecule inhibitors that now form key components of antiretroviral therapy regimens. Recent discoveries unveiled that IN has an under-studied yet equally vital second function in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. This involves IN binding to the viral RNA genome in virions, which is necessary for proper virion maturation and morphogenesis. Inhibition of IN binding to the viral RNA genome results in mislocalization of the viral genome inside the virus particle, and its premature exposure and degradation in target cells. The roles of IN in integration and virion morphogenesis share a number of common elements, including interaction with viral nucleic acids and assembly of higher-order IN multimers. Herein we describe these two functions of IN within the context of the HIV-1 life cycle, how IN binding to the viral genome is coordinated by the major structural protein, Gag, and discuss the value of targeting the second role of IN in virion morphogenesis.


Existing literature shows promising effects of physical activity on children's cognitive outcomes. This study assessed via a randomized, controlled design whether additional curricular physical activity during the school day resulted in gains for children's fluid intelligence and standardized achievement outcomes. Participants were children (N = 460) from four urban schools in the Southeast United States. Schools were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Treatment schools received additional physical activity breaks throughout the school day while control schools maintained a typical schedule without curricular activity breaks. Results from the one-year study show positive effects for children's mathematics and reading achievement but no differences across treatment and control groups for children's fluid intelligence scores. Implications for school psychologists in promoting physical activity breaks on a systems-wide level are discussed.


Background— Sudden deaths in young competitive athletes are highly visible events with substantial impact on the physician and lay communities. However, the magnitude of this public health issue has become a source of controversy. Methods and Results— To estimate the absolute number of sudden deaths in US competitive athletes, we have assembled a large registry over a 27-year period using systematic identification and tracking strategies. A total of 1866 athletes who died suddenly (or survived cardiac arrest), 19±6 years of age, were identified throughout the United States from 1980 to 2006 in 38 diverse sports. Reports were less common during 1980 to 1993 (576 [31%]) than during 1994 to 2006 (1290 [69%], P<0.001) and increased at a rate of 6% per year. Sudden deaths were predominantly due to cardiovascular disease (1049 [56%]), but causes also included blunt trauma that caused structural damage (416 [22%]), commotio cordis (65 [3%]), and heat stroke (46 [2%]). Among the 1049 cardiovascular deaths, the highest number of events in a single year was 76 (2005 and 2006), with an average of 66 deaths per year (range 50 to 76) over the last 6 years; 29% occurred in blacks, 54% in high school students, and 82% with physical exertion during competition/training, whereas only 11% occurred in females (although this increased with time; P=0.023). The most common cardiovascular causes were hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (36%) and congenital coronary artery anomalies (17%). Conclusions— In this national registry, the absolute number of cardiovascular sudden deaths in young US athletes was somewhat higher than previous estimates but relatively low nevertheless, with a rate of <100 per year. These data are relevant to the current debate surrounding preparticipation screening programs with ECGs and also suggest the need for systematic and mandatory reporting of athlete sudden deaths to a national registry.


A human peripheral T-cell cDNA library was screened with two labeled synthetic oligonucleotides encoding regions of a human placenta protein-tyrosine-phosphatase (protein-tyrosine-phosphate phosphohydrolase, EC 184.108.40.206). One positive clone was isolated and the nucleotide sequence was determined. It contained 1305 base pairs of open reading frame followed by a TAA stop codon and 978 base pairs of 3' untranslated end, although a poly(A)+ tail was not found. An initiator methionine residue was predicted at position 61, which would result in a protein of 415 amino acid residues (Mr, 48,400). This was supported by the synthesis of a Mr 48,000 protein in an in vitro reticulocyte lysate translation system using RNA transcribed from the cloned cDNA and T7 RNA polymerase. The deduced amino acid sequence was compared to other known proteins revealing 65% identity to the low Mr PTPase 1B isolated from placenta. In view of the high degree of similarity, the T-cell cDNA likely encodes a newly discovered protein-tyrosine-phosphatase, thus expanding this family of genes.


The advanced therapeutic procedures of the head and neck cancer, which trend the quality of life, were discussed. Among these cancers, those of the maxillary, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma were adopted, because more cases suffer from these carcinomas. The laryngectomized person loses his or her voice, because of the deficit of the phoniatric organ, and has many troubles for life. The rehabilitation of speech should be considered important. In order to avoid the troubles for the patient's life, after the primary treatment of the head and neck cancer, it is ideal that the cancer cases can be treated completely with the anti-cancerous chemotherapeutic drugs.


We claim that a new level of studies is needed to answer a series of important questions about the expanding global chronic disease burden for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and for related conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. These require a new study design structure, related to a new level of theory that goes beyond the current single-factor, a-theoretic epidemiological studies. This new platform for the design of large-scale Work/Stress/Disease studies would assess CVD-related disease mechanisms in a more general and dynamic form, based on the use of new tools for measuring autonomic functions in an occupational stress context and a new theory of disease causation. A sample outline is presented for such a study, based on Stress-Disequilibrium Theory (SDT) hypotheses, building on analytic tools developed for the assessment of stress-related exhaustion effects and chronic disease risks from Heart Rate Variability (HRV) research studies. The goal is to assess the associations between social organizational risks, particularly at work, and hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes II. The study design is multi-stage, spanning across several levels of disease-related de-regulation, and addressing co-morbidity of the conditions themselves. The study design is meant to span across a broad social population at all levels and would probably be multi-site, involving several countries, to yield the larger sample increased power for finding associations for work - physiological effects.


The propagation of the high-power microwave (HPM) with a frequency of 6 GHz in the lowpressure argon plasma was studied by the method of fluid approximation. The two-dimensional transmission model was built based on the wave equation, the electron drift-diffusion equations and the heavy species transport equations, which were solved by means of COMSOL Multiphysics software. The simulation results showed that the propagation characteristic of the HPM was closely related to the average electron density of the plasma. The attenuation of the transmitted wave increased nonlinearly with the electron density. Specifically, the growth of the attenuation slowed down as the electron density increased uniformly. In addition, the concrete transmission process of the HPM wave in the low-pressure argon plasma was given.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of forest healing program activities using natural environments on life recognition and prosocial behavior of child. Kindergarten children in Cheongju City were divided into two test groups and a control group. Test Group A participated in the forest healing program at the Infant Forest Experiences Center, while Test Group B had forest healing program activities in the classrooms of early childhood education institutions. Control group did not carry out the forest healing program but carried out the program by the Nuri Curriculum. The forest healing program was conducted once a week for a total of 12 sessions, each session lasting one hour. The forest healing program is based on physical and chemical sensory factors through the five senses. The effect of the forest healing program, and the data were analyzed by one way ANOVA and covariance analysis (ANCOVA). According to the result, the children of Test group A showed greater improvements in all sub-factors of respect for life (perspective on respect for life, knowledge of respect for life, and cooperative behavior with respect for life) than Test group B or Control group. Test group A also showed an increasing trend in all sub-factors of prosocial behavior (ability to regulate personal emotions, ability to build interpersonal relationships, and ability to adapt to kindergarten). The forest healing program using natural environments showed significant effects on the respect for life and prosocial behavior for 5-year old children.


Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy and remains incurable. Glucocorticoids (GC) are among the most commonly used therapy for myeloma by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis in myeloma cells. While GC treatments are usually effective at first, all patients will eventually develop resistance. Understanding the mechanism of GC resistance is an important step towards developing new therapy to overcome this significant clinical problem. In order to study the mechanism underlying the GC resistance phenotype in myeloma, we compared the gene expression profiles of the clinically relevant myeloma clones derived from the same patient (MM.1) which are either sensitive or resistant to GC-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition. By cDNA microarray analysis, we identified NALP7 and NALP11 among the few genes that showed most significant differential levels of expression between the sensitive and resistant myeloma lines. Both genes belong to the NALP (NATCH-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing proteins) family of proteins which have been implicated in the innate immune response. However, their function and regulation in myeloma has never been explored. Using a two-step quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis, we have demonstrated that the NALP7 expression was significantly reduced whereas the NALP11 expression was markedly increased in GC-resistant MM.1 cells compared to the GC-sensitive MM.1 cells. We then investigated the biological significance of NALP gene differential expression in myeloma GC-resistance. To test whether suppressing NALP7 expression would lead to GC-resistance, we transfected the sensitive MM.1 cells with NALP-7 siRNA which effectively knocked down NALP7 mRNA level by over 80%. The knock-down of NALP-7, however, did not appear to affect the GC sensitivity of the transfected myeloma cells as dexamethasone (dex) treatment effectively caused growth arrest and apoptosis in transfected cells as in the control cells. We have also tested whether suppressing NALP11 expression would overcome the resistance to GC treatment by transfecting the GC-resistant MM.1 cells with NALP11 siRNA. While NALP11 expression was effectively knocked down to less than 20%, the transfected cells remain resistant to GC treatment as in the control cells, suggesting that NALP11 expression is not required to maintain the GC-resistant phenotype. We further investigated the upstream signaling cascades influencing NALP7 and NALP11 expression. Interestingly, dex treatment suppressed the expression of both NALP7 and NALP11 genes in the GC-sensitive MM.1 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Co-treatment with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU486 blocked the down-regulation of NALP7 and NALP11 by dex, suggesting that a functional GR is required to mediate this action. In GC-resistant MM.1 cells which have much reduced levels of wild type GR, NALP7 and NALP11 mRNA levels were not affected by dex treatment, suggesting further that the suppression of NALP7 by GC requires sufficient levels of GR. Our studies demonstrated that the differential expression of two NALP family genes, NALP7 and NALP11, correlates with GC sensitivity in myeloma, and that both genes are regulated by glucocorticoid signaling. The biological significance of their differential regulation in myeloma remains to be determined.


Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is the most commonly mutated gene in colon cancer and can cause familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Hypermethylation of the APC promoter can also promote the development of breast cancer, indicating that APC is not limited to association with colorectal neoplasms. However, no pan-cancer analysis has been conducted. We studied the location and structure of APC and the expression and potential role of APC in a variety of tumors by using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases and online bioinformatics analysis tools. The APC is located at 5q22.2, and its protein structure is conserved among H. sapiens, M. musculus with C. elaphus hippelaphus. The APC identity similarity between homo sapiens and mus musculus reaches 90.1%. Moreover, APC is highly specifically expressed in brain tissues and bipolar cells but has low expression in most cancers. APC is mainly expressed on the cell membrane and is not detected in plasma by mass spectrometry. APC is low expressed in most tumor tissues, and there is a significant correlation between the expressed level of APC and the main pathological stages as well as the survival and prognosis of tumor patients. In most tumors, APC gene has mutation and methylation and an enhanced phosphorylation level of some phosphorylation sites, such as T1438 and S2260. The expressed level of APC is also involved in the level of CD8+ T-cell infiltration, Tregs infiltration, and cancer-associated fibroblast infiltration. We conducted a gene correlation study, but the findings seemed to contradict the previous analysis results of the low expression of the APC gene in most cancers. Our research provides a comparative wholesale understanding of the carcinogenic effects of APC in various cancers, which will help anti-cancer research.


A three-dimensional localization algorithm for wireless sensor networks based on the BFGS (Broyden, Fletcher, Goldfarb, Shanno) optimization is proposed. By defining an objective function for three-dimensional localization, the localization work is transformed into an unconstrained optimization problem. The BFGS algorithm, which is a classical algorithm for the unconstrained optimization problem, is adopted for localization for wireless sensor networks, and avoids the inverse matrix calculation in the least square algorithm. The effects of the amount and the distribution of the beacon nodes are analyzed, and the experimental results show that the localization accuracy under the marginal distribution of the beacon nodes is better than the one under the random distribution of the beacon nodes. The final simulation results indicate that the BFGS algorithm has a higher accuracy and less calculation, and is less affected by the non-line-of-sight error than the least square algorithm.


The Covid-19 pandemic has caused recessions in many countries around the world. This happened after economic growth in the first and second quarters of 2020. Some of the countries experiencing recession are Singapore, South Korea, Germany, Japan, France, Hong Kong, and the United States. If the economic growth in each quarter is also negative, Indonesia will experience a recession. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) noted that Indonesia's economic growth rate fell to minus (5.32%) in the second quarter of 2020. Previously, Indonesia's economic growth in the first quarter of 2020 was 2.97% or started to slow down. Inflation is a tendency to increase the prices of goods and services in general, which continues continuously, which will reduce the purchasing power of the public, especially for low-income groups. Therefore, it is hoped that there will be a control over the rate of inflation, especially during the Covid 19 Pandemic which had an impact on Indonesia's macro conditions. This observation discusses "The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Indonesia's Inflation Rate", aims to determine the effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Level of Inflation in Indonesia. The results of this observation show that in March 2020 there was inflation of 2.96% year on year (yoy), with an increase in the price of gold jewelery and several food prices that experienced a quite drastic increase.


A new method to describe the presence of multi-particle clusters in the ground state (vacuum) of a many-body system is presented. It relies on a unitary transformation in Fock space and can be used to investigate alpha -clustering in nuclei as well as clustering in the QCD and in the QED vacua.


An easy-to-read publication defining 100 key circus terms translated in nine languages. The 24-page full color Guide (A4 size) is categorized by aerial acts, acrobatics, balancing, juggling, daredevil and specialty acts, clowning and performing animals. Terms are illustrated by photographs supplied by circuses and participants in the Federation's annual World Circus Photo Contest. Perfect for circuses and organisations to give to visiting media. Edited by R. Huey, Ph.D.


Stress-management interventions have been integrated into treatments for people with mental disorders. Nevertheless, most studies on these interventions have been conducted on patients with schizophrenia in Western countries, and limited studies have used objective measurements of stress. We developed a group-based, four-session stress-management (S-Manage) program for people with mental disorders, consisting of two major components: psychoeducation and relaxation practice. This single-group, pretest–posttest, quasi-experimental study was undertaken to test the initial effects and determine the effect sizes of the program. A convenience sample of 55 inpatients were recruited from a mental health ward at a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Self-report questionnaires and physiological measures of stress (skin temperature and salivary immunoglobulin A [SIgA]) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and repeated-measures analysis of variance. Most participants were Singaporean, female, single, and employed. Diagnoses included schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and mixed diagnoses. All received standard care provided by the hospital. Participants had significant reductions in objective stress, measured by skin temperature (effect size = 0.54) and SIgA (effect size = 0.16), and subjective stress (effect size = 0.16) as well as improved psychological health (effect size = 0.40) in response to the intervention. This study provides preliminary evidence to support the positive effects of the S-Manage program on people with mental disorders. Future studies should further test the efficacy of the program using more rigorous methods such as randomized controlled trial and multicenter study.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of heating on the welding process of SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) in terms of hardness and microstructure of welded metal. Much welding has been done by preheating but below the temperature used below the initial martensitic temperature which reaches 452 ° C, this data is sourced from research by S.Zheng et.al and Y. Huang et.al. For this reason, an experiment was carried out with heat temperatures above a martensitic temperature of 500 ° C. The results show that in the Weld Metal area the pearlite structure appears larger, the effect of current strength on HAZ width is directly proportional, the greater the current strength, the wider HAZ, and hardness are affected by the rough grains of martensite KeywordsMicrostructure, HAZ Width, Hardness, Preheat, Pearlite, Ferrite


High-precision many-body perturbation theory calculations are reported for the ground state of the neon atom within the algebraic approximation, i.e. by using a finite basis set expansion. The second-order many-body perturbation theory correlation energy component is calculated using an even-tempered universal basis set sequence of Gaussian-type functions of increasing angular quantum number. The basis subsets for each symmetry are systematically truncated so as to attempt to maintain an accuracy of ~1 µHartree. The resulting energy components are compared with other recent results, including those obtained by employing correlation-consistent basis sets and the recent finite-element study by Flores and Kolb. A sub-µHartree level of accuracy was achieved for the E2( = 1) energy component.


Background During the outbreak of COVID-19, the national policy of home quarantine may affect the mental health of parents. However, few studies have investigated the mental health of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims To investigate the depression, anxiety and stress of the students' parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore the influence factors, especially the influence of social support and family-related factors. Methods The Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Perceived Stress Scale-10 and Social Support Rating Scale were applied to 1163 parents to measure the parents' depression, anxiety, stress and social support. Results (1) The detection rates of depression and anxiety in parents were 6.1% and 4.0%. The depression, anxiety and perceived stress of parents in central China were significantly higher than those in non-central China. The anxiety of college students' parents was lower than that of parents of the primary, middle and high school students. The depression, anxiety and perceived stress of parents with conflicts in the family were significantly higher than those with a harmonious family. Other factors that influence parents' depression, anxiety and perceived stress include marital satisfaction, social support, parents' history of mental illness and parenting style, etc. (2) The regression analysis results showed that perceived stress, social support, marital satisfaction, family conflicts, child's learning stage as well as parents' history of mental illness had significant effects on parents' anxiety and depression. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of parents was affected by a variety of factors. Good marital relationships, good social support, family harmony and parents without a history of mental illness may be protective factors for parents' mental health, while perceived stress and child in middle or high school are risk factors for parents' mental health.


The requirement for improved modeling of cells in culture for study of cell-to-cell interactions has led to an increased focus on three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models. In this study, NG108-15 neural cells and rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells were successfully grown as monocultures and as a coculture on the biocompatible nylon mesh substrates. This has allowed proliferation and interactions between the two cell types to be monitored on the mesh over time. Electrophysiological recordings validated the NG108-15 neural cell differentiation which confirmed the similarity of recorded action potentials in two-dimensional culture environments. A variety of assays have been used, demonstrating the use of nylon as an appropriate substrate for neural cell in vitro studies, and nylon can easily be imaged using inverted microscopy. These studies confirm the suitability of the nylon 3D culture presented for modeling neural cell behavior. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1575-1584, 2018.


Objective Small prospective studies have identified that children exposed to valproate in utero have poorer scores on cognitive testing. We wanted to identify whether children exposed to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in utero have poorer school performance. Methods We used anonymised, linked, routinely collected healthcare records to identify children born to mothers with epilepsy. We linked these children to their national attainment Key Stage 1 (KS1) tests in mathematics, language and science at the age of 7 and compared them with matched children born to mothers without epilepsy, and with the national KS1 results. We used the core subject indicator (CSI) as an outcome measure (the proportion of children achieving a minimum standard in all subjects) and the results in individual subjects. Results We identified 440 children born to mothers with epilepsy with available KS1 results. Compared with a matched control group, fewer children with mothers being prescribed sodium valproate during pregnancy achieved the national minimum standard in CSI (−12.7% less than the control group), mathematics (−12.1%), language (−10.4%) and in science (−12.2%). Even fewer children with mothers being prescribed multiple AEDs during pregnancy achieved a national minimum standard: CSI (by −20.7% less than the control group), mathematics (−21.9%), language (−19.3%) and science (−19.4%). We did not observe any significant difference in children whose mothers were prescribed carbamazepine or were not taking an AED when compared with the control group. Conclusions In utero exposure to AEDs in combination, or sodium valproate alone, is associated with a significant decrease in attainment in national educational tests for 7-year-old children compared with both a matched control group and the all-Wales national average. These results give further support to the cognitive and developmental effects of in utero exposure to sodium valproate as well as multiple AEDs, which should be balanced against the need for effective seizure control for women during pregnancy.


This paper introduces a continuous system capable of automatically producing the most adequate speaking style to synthesize a desired target text. This is done thanks to a joint modeling of the acoustic and lexical parameters of the speaker models by adapting the CVSM projection of the training texts using MR-HMM techniques. As such, we consider that as long as sufficient variety in the training data is available, we should be able to model a continuous lexical space into a continuous acoustic space. The proposed continuous automatic text to speech system was evaluated by means of a perceptual evaluation in order to compare them with traditional approaches to the task. The system proved to be capable of conveying the correct expressiveness (average adequacy of 3.6) with an expressive strength comparable to oracle traditional expressive speech synthesis (average of 3.6) although with a drop in speech quality mainly due to the semi-continuous nature of the data (average quality of 2.9). This means that the proposed system is capable of improving traditional neutral systems without requiring any additional user interaction.


Sulphonylureas have been proposed to decrease the clearance of insulin based on the finding that they increase peripheral insulin concentrations more than C-peptide concentrations. However, direct evidence for such an effect has so far been lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate whether glibenclamide affects clearance of insulin in Type 2 diabetic patients. Nine patients with Type-2 diabetes participated in the study. Insulin clearance and glucose metabolism was assessed with a 240 min euglycaemic insulin clamp in combination with infusion of somatostatin (400 micrograms h-1) to completely suppress endogenous insulin secretion. Either saline or glibenclamide was infused throughout the clamp in random order. During both the glibenclamide and the saline protocol the C-peptide level declined to < 0.07 nmol l-1 within 150 min, indicating that insulin secretion was completely suppressed. However, peripheral clamp insulin concentrations remained similar during both saline and glibenclamide protocols (3374 +/- 258 vs. 3350 +/- 265 pmol l-1 x 240 min, p = NS). There was no significant difference in the metabolic clearance rate of insulin during the glibenclamide compared to the saline experiment neither during the first 120 min (796 +/- 36 vs. 757 +/- 34 ml m-2min-1) nor during the last 2 h of the clamp (780 +/- 43 vs. 724 +/- 35 ml m-2min-1). Total glucose metabolism during the first two (14 +/- 2 vs. 15 +/- 2 mumol kg-1 min-1) and the last 2 h of the clamp was similar both during saline and glibenclamide infusions (27 +/- 4 vs. 28 +/- 4 mumol kg-1min-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Electrical stimulation of-pre-rigor muscle has received considerable attention recently as a means to increase tenderness or alleviate the effects of cold shortening. The process is being used commercially in New Zealand for accelerated conditioning of lambs. Research in the U.S. has involved varied methods of electrical stimulation on different types of slaughter animals. Electrical stimulation is also being investigated as a means to accelerate hot processing. This paper will background the research on electrical stimulation and discuss future research needs.


A waveguide filter was designed with significant reductions in size and weight and improved out of band spurious levels compared to a conventional filter. The wide bandwidth, high rejection level stopbands required a different approach to a conventional waveguide filter design. Eigenmodes of the ridge-loaded cavity are calculated using Method of Galerkin. The resultant generic structure is used for CAD synthesis of the band pass filter applying Mode Matching Technique. Experimental results are presented for an X-band filter showing good agreement with predicted characteristics. The filter performance is analyzed and compared to traditional design approach showing the advantages of using ridge-loaded cavities.


A three-dimensional solution is given to the problem of a through-thickness edge crack in a thin 90/0/0/90 laminate under uniform tension normal to the crack direction. The solution is obtained from a three-dimensional finite-element analysis based on the hybrid stress model, and formulated through the Hellinger-Reissner variational, principle. The results indicate that the classical 1/√r stress singularity is maintained for the in-plane stresses which vary through the thickness and are discontinuous at the ply interface. The interlaminar shear and normal stresses also increase rapidly as the crack tip is approached; the interlaminar shear stresses are always maximum at the ply interface, while the interlaminar normal stress may be maximum at the interface or at the laminate center. The in-plane stresses follow a similar distribution and give an average through-thickness stress-intensity factor similar to two-dimensional predictions. The interlaminar stresses show a strong interaction of the crack tip singular and free-edge effects, as well as a strong influence of the degree of biaxiality of the in-plane stresses. The results suggest several aspects of subsequent subcritical crack extension.


We tackle the problem of learning robotic sensorimotor control policies that can generalize to visually diverse and unseen environments. Achieving broad generalization typically requires large datasets, which are difficult to obtain for task-specific interactive processes such as reinforcement learning or learning from demonstration. However, much of the visual diversity in the world can be captured through passively collected datasets of images or videos. In our method, which we refer to as GPLAC (Generalized Policy Learning with Attentional Classifier), we use both interaction data and weakly labeled image data to augment the generalization capacity of sensorimotor policies. Our method combines multitask learning on action selection and an auxiliary binary classification objective, together with a convolutional neural network architecture that uses an attentional mechanism to avoid distractors. We show that pairing interaction data from just a single environment with a diverse dataset of weakly labeled data results in greatly improved generalization to unseen environments, and show that this generalization depends on both the auxiliary objective and the attentional architecture that we propose. We demonstrate our results in both simulation and on a real robotic manipulator, and demonstrate substantial improvement over standard convolutional architectures and domain adaptation methods.