In 1975, five manufacturers of chromate pigment in Japan were examined in a study of the carcinogenicity of chromates. These companies were producing lead chromate, zinc chromate, molybdate orange and/or strontium chromate. The current study covers a cohort of 666 workers involved in the manufacture of chromate pigment for at least 1 year between 1950 and 1975. The workers were followed up for 15-40 years, until 1989. Many previous reports have found an excess lung cancer risk among workers involved in the manufacture of chromate pigments and chromate chemicals. In the current study, subjects were classified on the basis of years worked, years of observation, characteristics of company, type of work engaged in for the longest period of time, and involvement in the manufacture of zinc chromate. Mortality was compared with that of all Japanese males by means of the person-year method. The route of exposure was primarily inhalation through the respiratory system. None of the results showed statistically significant differences that would suggest an excess risk for malignant neoplasms, particularly lung cancer, among workers engaged in the manufacture of chromate pigment in Japan.


The generalized oscillator strength (GOS) is an important property of the atom which manifests the atomic wavefunction directly. GOSs for the potassium resonance transition have been investigated using the spin-polarized technique of the random-phase approximation with exchange (RPAE) and the Hartree-Fock approximation (HFA). Two minima are predicted by both calculations. The first minimum, which is narrower and has never been measured before, is predicted by the RPAE at a momentum transfer value of K = 0.8838 au, while the second is the well measured one at 2.907 au. The positions of the minima are found to be influenced by inter-shell correlations significantly. We recommend a careful experimental search for the first minimum around the predicted value.


A new approach for the acquisition of static, wideline (14)N NMR powder patterns is outlined. The method involves the use of frequency-swept pulses which serve two simultaneous functions: (1) broad-band excitation of magnetization and (2) signal enhancement via population transfer. The signal enhancement mechanism is described using numerical simulations and confirmed experimentally. This approach, which we call DEISM (Direct Enhancement of Integer Spin Magnetization), allows high-quality (14)N spectra to be acquired at intermediate field strengths in an uncomplicated way and in a fraction of the time required for previously reported methods.


LC-UV and LC-MS methods have been developed which permit the analysis of parthenolide in different Mexican/US feverfew samples and commercial products. The study was undertaken to confirm the presence of parthenolide in Mexican plant samples and its comparison with US feverfew samples. The best results were obtained with a Phenomenex Luna C18 (2) column using gradient mobile phase of water and acetonitrile:methanol (9 : 1). Elution was run at a flow rate of 1.0 mL per min and ultraviolet detection at 210 nm. The results obtained using LC-UV were comparable to those obtained using LC-MS. Parthenolide was detected in all the samples analyzed and is the major chemical constituent of feverfew. The samples collected in Oaxaca, Mexico (0.28%) and Puebla, Mexico (0.25%) showed the highest content of parthenolide. All Parthenium samples were also examined under light and fluorescent microscopy.


We apply Deep Q-network (DQN) with the consideration of safety during the task for deciding whether to conduct the maneuver. Furthermore, we design two similar Deep Q learning frameworks with quadratic approximator for deciding how to select a comfortable gap and just follow the preceding vehicle. Finally, a polynomial lane change trajectory is generated and Pure Pursuit Control is implemented for path tracking. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework in simulation, from both the decision-making and control layers. The proposed architecture also has the potential to be extended to other autonomous driving scenarios.


Abstract: The possibility of new and objective evaluation of yarn appearance wound on the board is described. A statistical method which has previously been used for the evaluation of surface unevenness of flat textile - semivariograms is used. The yarn board appearance is converted into a grey-scale image and the fluctuation in degrees of greyness between square fields in the image is evaluated by semivariogram. This method was applied on standard yarn boards from the standard CSN 80 0704 in addition to real yarn boards. The results of semivariograms constructed from a simulated ideal appearance of yarn on the board are discussed with the aim of introducing an ideal case behaviour of semivariograms. The possibility of using this function for the objective evaluation of yarn board appearance is also discussed.


Abstract In vitro coculture system provides a powerful tool for tissue engineering. In this study, we evaluated the gene expressions of human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) on polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold in coculture model with fetal chondrons. Electrospun PCL scaffolds (900 nm fiber diameter) were created and human infrapatellar fat pad-adipose-derived stem cells (IPFP-ASCs) were seeded on these scaffolds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed attachment of human IPFP–ASCs to scaffold. IPFP-ASCs on scaffolds were cocultured with fetal chondrons in transwell. Gene expressions were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). In comparison with control group, the expression level of collagen type 2 and aggrecan were significantly decreased but Indian Hedgehog(IHH) significantly increased (P < 0.05).These findings may interpreted that IPFP-ASCs seeded on PCL scaffold, in cocultures with fetal chondrons are tending toward osteogenesis rather than chondrogenesis.


The region of South-Eastern Europe is unique in that it can demonstrate us all the stages of democratic transition, starting from the first democratic reforms in the 90-ies of XX century and down to accession to the European Union. The article describes the transformation occurred in the media systems of Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia, and also the main results achieved in the process of democratic transition are revealed. Nowadays it is obvious that these countries face many problems during the transition. National media systems demonstrate a high degree of political parallelism and economic marginality.  The South-Eastern European media are focused on covering political life, their political involvement is much stronger than in other European countries. As a result the media became an instrument of the political power, today it is hard to draw a line between political and journalistic activity. Another problem is the high level of political extremism in mass media. The article also describes the negative effects that currently hinder the integration of the media in the studied countries into the European information space. The study takes into account various domestic and external factors, influencing the development of media environment in the Balkan States. Keywords: media system, South-Eastern Europe (SEE), democratic transition, European integration JEL Classifications: F51; F55; F59; Z13


OBJECTIVE
To explore the relevance of health behaviors and influencing factors for detection rate of carotid plaques to prevent the formation of carotid plaque.

METHODS
A total of 2 628 healthy subjects aged over 40 years were selected randomly from Department of Cardiology at our hospital from 2009-2010. A questionnaire survey was conducted on age, education level, marriage, occupation, income, diet, living habits and lifestyle factors. Logistic regression analysis was made for the influencing factors of internal carotid artery plaque.

RESULTS
Single factor analysis showed that gender, age, smoking rate, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, carotid artery intima-media thickness (intima-media thickness, IMT), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) had significant effects on plaque formation. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C and number of health behaviors were the major influencing factors for the formation of carotid plaque. Compared with the <2 ideal cardiovascular health factors and actuators, the risk levels of 3, 4, 5, >5 ideal cardiovascular health behaviors/factors and occurrence of carotid plaques were 0.65, 0.45, 0.39 and 0.29 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The formation of carotid plaque is affected by many factors. The number of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors is negatively correlated with plaque formation and it can prevent the occurrence of carotid plaque.


Summary Objectives. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence, clinical features and environmental risk factors of behavioural problems among adoptees coming to Italy from Eastern Europe. Methods. Forty-six internationally adopted children from Eastern Europe were evaluated at their placement in a family and during the following 12 months. Predefined and semistructured interviews regarding the adoptive parents' socio-demographic status, children's pre-adoptive living conditions and their behaviour following adoption were performed. Parents also compiled the Child Behaviour Checklist, while the behaviour of the adoptees during play were observed by mental health professionals. Results. Adoptive parents were mainly middle-aged, financially stable and with a middle to high level of education. Thirty out of 46 (65.2%) adoptees exhibited internalized and externalized behavioural problems at arrival. Girls were more problematic than boys, with a prevalence of externalized behaviours. Behavioural problems were mainly related to emotionally and environmentally deprived conditions of pre-adoptive life, a longer time spent in an orphanage, age at removal from the biological families and age at adoption. During the follow-up period many behavioural problems decreased, but others became manifest. Conclusions. Paediatricians must be aware of behavioural problems among internationally adopted children and of the related environmental risk factors. Pre-adoptive preventiveeducational and post-adoptive managing-educational services for appropriate emotional counselling to international adoptees and their parents are needed.


The RNA moiety of ribonuclease P from Escherichia coli (M1 RNA) has been photoreacted with 4'-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (HMT) and long-wave UV light (320-380 nm) in a buffer containing 60 mM Mg2+, where the RNA moiety acts as a true catalyst of tRNA processing. Limited specific digestion and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis yield fragments cross-linked by HMT. By photoreversal of the isolated cross-linked fragments and enzymatic sequencing of the fragments, the positions of the cross-links have been elucidated. This method allows us to locate the cross-link to +/- 15 nucleotides. Further assignments of the exact locations of the cross-links have been made on the basis of the known photoreactivity of the psoralen with different bases. Nine unique cross-links have been isolated in the M1 RNA including four long-range interactions. The short-range interactions are discussed here in detail.


In recent years, more and more videos are captured from the first-person viewpoint by wearable cameras. Such first-person video provides additional information besides the traditional third-person video, and thus has a wide range of applications. However, techniques for analyzing the first-person video can be fundamentally different from those for the third-person video, and it is even more difficult to explore the shared information from both viewpoints. In this paper, we propose a novel method for first- and third-person video co-analysis. At the core of our method is the notion of "joint attention'', indicating the learnable representation that corresponds to the shared attention regions in different viewpoints and thus links the two viewpoints. To this end, we develop a multi-branch deep network with a triplet loss to extract the joint attention from the first- and third-person videos via self-supervised learning. We evaluate our method on the public dataset with cross-viewpoint video matching tasks. Our method outperforms the state-of-the-art both qualitatively and quantitatively. We also demonstrate how the learned joint attention can benefit various applications through a set of additional experiments.


In order to understand the bonding between metals and oxides, interfaces were studied with high-resolution transmission electron microscoy, analytical TEM' in-situ experiments down to an atomic scale and first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. It was possible to combine HRTEM observations with the analysis of the chemical composition within one monolayer at the metal-oxide interfaces. With in-situ experiments, a detailed visualization of order-disorder transitions on an atomic scale at metal-oxide interfaces could be realized. A computer code was developed to relate HRTEM observations to charge transfer (ionicity) and charge redistribution along metal- oxide interfaces. The interfaces of interest were fabricated by internal oxidation to obtain many small oxide precipitates inside a metal matrix. This method produces many clean interfaces for investigations in each sample and such internally oxidized samples are easy to prepare for transmission electron microscopy


Abstract.
 Increases in atmospheric CO2 had impacts on plant evolution throughout geological times and enabled mass selection of productive crop ancestors. Recent studies suggest that the ongoing CO2 fertilisation justifies the establishment of breeding programs to develop crops whose yield will profit from the greater availability of carbon without compromising seed quality. It has been shown that old cultivars may respond more strongly to CO2 enrichment than their modern counterparts. In order to address this issue, old and modern cereal cultivars (wheat, spelt, barley and rye) and ancestors of wheat (Aegilops, einkorn, emmer) were grown at ambient (380 ppm) and expected future (550 ppm) concentrations of CO2 in growth chambers simulating a seasonal climate typical for south-west Germany. Phenology, senescence, growth, yield formation and seed quality (ash and nitrogen (N) concentrations) were assessed and the CO2 response ratio (RR, i.e. performance under elevated v. ambient CO2) of the parameters was evaluated with respect to the year of cultivar release. Across the 32 accessions tested, seed mass increased by 34% under elevated CO2, whereas seed ash and N concentrations decreased by 8 and 10%, respectively, with large inter- and intra-specific variation. Yields of modern wheat and barley cultivars proved higher than of old cultivars, but only in barley was RR higher in the older cultivars. Some accessions showed deviations from the negative relationship between seed mass and N concentration, rendering them suitable candidates for developing cultivars adapted to high CO2.


Networks of gene regulation govern morphogenesis, determine cell identity and regulate cell function. But we have little understanding, at the local level, of which logics are biologically preferred or even permitted. To solve this puzzle, we studied the consequences of a fundamental aspect of gene regulatory networks: genes and transcription factors talk to each other but not themselves. Remarkably, this bipartite structure severely restricts the number of logical dependencies that a gene can have on other genes. We developed a theory for the number of permitted logics for different regulatory building blocks of genes and transcription factors. We tested our predictions against a simulation of the 19 simplest building blocks, and found com-plete agreement. The restricted range of biological logics is a key insight into how information is processed at the genetic level. It constraints global network function and makes it easier to reverse engineer regulatory networks from observed behavior.


Aim To determine the most significant criteria in the diagnosis of true precoicois puberty and premature thelarche. Methods 68 girls were analyzed in the endocrinological department in Minsk over 2003–2011 yrs. Group 1(G1) - girls with isolated thelarche (IT) (58 (85.3%); group 2(G2) - with true precoicois puberty (TPP) (10 (14.7%). Ultrasound (u/s) organs of the small pelvis, bone age, the levels of hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2); gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GRH) stimulating test were conducted to all patients. Results were processed using the Statistica 6.1. Results Breast development in G1: stages on Tanner 2 (84.3%), 3 (15.7%); G2: Tanner 2 (80%), 3 (20%). The onset of thelarche G1 1.2±0.3 yrs, G2 5.3±0.77 (p=0.2). Bone age(BoA)/biological age(Bia) G1 0.63±0.08 (< 1yrs), G2 3.3±0.01. Uterus length G1 28.1±0.83 (< 35 mm), G2 35.4±2.9 (p=0.1). There was an excess of prepubertal ovaries norm (>0.2ml) G1 65%, G2 48% with the presence of follicules G1 20%, G2 100%. Basal FSH levels G1 4.73±0.52 (1.8–10.5 IU/L), G2 4.25±0.87 (p=0.3); LH G1 0.76±0.13 (1–10 IU/L), G2 2±0.8 (p=0.15); E2 G1 0.12±0.02 (< 0.5 ng/ml), G2 0.14±0.05 (p=0.08). There was a pubertal excess of LH levels in G2 (39.4±20.4 IU/L) by conducting GRH stimulating test. Conclusions The differential diagnosis between TPP and IT are: advance BoA to BiA, the excess of uterus length by u/s and E2 levels, excess of LH levels by conducting stimulating test with GRH (which is the most important feature).


The main target of the present work was to investigate the effects of two different concentrations (1 and 5 ppm) of lanthanum nitrate on the susceptibility of V.sinensis seeds to pathogen infection during germination stage.The relatively low applied concentration of La-nitrate (1 ppm) led to rapid emergence of radicles, significant increase in percentage of germination and a significant decrease in percentage of infected seeds. Also,there was a significant increase in major growth attributes of the developed seedlings. The biochemical activities of Vigna sinensis L. responded well to the low concentration of La-nitrate and participated in acquisition of pathogen tolerance and in growth enhancement of the seedlings. Thus, in response to the relatively low applied concentration of La-nitrate a significant increase in total soluble sugars, amino acids, total nitrogen, antioxidant enzymes, phenolic compounds was obtained mean while the content of cytosolic calcium subjected to a significant decrease. On the other hand, application of a relatively high concentration of La-nitrate (5 ppm), via disturbing the biochemical activities had retarded seed germination, major defensive mechanism, hence increased susceptibility to pathogen infection and retarded seedling growth.


OBJECTIVE
To analysis the effectiveness of preoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) on glomus jugularis tumors.

METHODS
A retrospective study of 14 cases of glomus jugularis tumors which received preoperative DSA was carried out. Among them, 10 cases were accepted balloon occlusion test and selective embolization of supplied vessels.

RESULTS
Hypervascular changes was found in all 14 cases and compression of internal carotid artery was found in 5 cases. Ascending pharyngeal artery was the main supplied vessel. Balloon occlusion test was applied in 10 cases, 2 were intolerable and 8 were passed occlusion test. Ten cases were accepted embolizations and tumor blood supply was conspicuous decreased. Neurovascular complications did not occurred after DSA but postoperatively in 2 cases. Intraoperative bleeding was less in embolization patients than that of without embolization.

CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative DSA association with balloon occlusion test and embolizations might be a safe option on surgery of glomus jugularis tumors.


In this study, convective boiling tests were conducted for enhanced tube bundles. The surface geometry consists of pores and connecting gaps. Tubes with three different pore sizes (d p = 0.20, 0.23 and 0.27 ㎜) were tested using R-123 and R-134a for the following range: 8 ㎏/㎡s ≤ G ≤ 26 ㎏/㎡s, 10 ㎾/㎡ ≤ q0 ≤ 40 ㎾/㎡ and 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.9. The convective boiling heat transfer coefficients were strongly dependent on heat flux with negligible dependency on mass flux or quality. For the present enhanced geometry (pores and gaps), the convective effect was apparent. The gaps of the present tubes may have served routes for the passage of two-phase mixtures, and enhanced the boiling heat transfer. The convective effect was more pronounced at a higher saturation temperature. More bubbles will be generated at a higher saturation temperature, which will lead to enhanced convective contribution. The pore size where the maximum heat transfer coefficient was obtained was larger for R-134a (d p = 0.27 ㎜) compared with that for R-123 (d p = 0.23 ㎜). This trend was consistent with the previous pool boiling results. For the enhanced tube bundles, the convective effect was more pronounced for R-134a than for R-123. This trend was reversed for the smooth tube bundle. Possible reasoning is provided based on the bubble behavior on the tube wall. Both the modified Chen and the asymptotic model predicted the present data reasonably well. The RMSEs were 14.3% for the modified Chen model and 12.7% for the asymptotic model.


This paper built photovoltaic (PV) grid power system model in MATLAB/Simulink, and researched some factors which can influence the current harmonics of grid for single grid-connected photovoltaic (pv) inverter. These factors include irradiance, environmental temperature, the control method of inverter, the imbalance of the three-phase grid and the voltage harmonics of the grid. This paper also studied the condition that multiple photovoltaic grid inverters can weaken the grid current harmonics in the point of common coupling (PCC).


We give a potential-theoretic characterization of the right-continuous processes which can be embedded in Brownian motion in R' by means of an increasing family of standard stopping times. In general it is necessary to use a Brownian motion process whose filtration is richer than the natural one.


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Malus sylvestris var. domestica, crop density, analysis of covariance, least squares means ABSTRACT. The influence of rootstock on average fruit weight was evaluated for a subset of data from a multilocation NC-140 apple (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.) rootstock trial. Data for eight dwarf rootstocks were collected at four locations for 2 years. Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate the effect of rootstock on average fruit weight when crop density or number of fruit per tree was included in the linear model as a covariate. When number of fruit harvested per tree was used as a covariate, average fruit weight was not affected by rootstock in either year in Ontario. In Michigan and Virginia, rootstock and number of fruit per tree, but not the rootstock × number of fruit interaction, were significant, so common slopes models were used to estimate least squares means for average fruit weight. In general, trees on M.27 and P.1 produced the smallest fruit, and trees on B.9, M.9 EMLA, and Mac.39 produced the largest fruit. In New York the interaction of rootstock × number of fruit was significant, so least squares means were estimated at three levels of number of fruit per tree. Both years, at all levels of number of fruit, trees on M.26 EMLA produced the smallest fruit and trees on M.27 EMLA produced the largest fruit. Average fruit weight was most affected by number of fruit per tree when Mark was the rootstock. In general, results were similar when crop density was used as the covariate, except that trees on M.27 EMLA did not produce small fruit in Michigan and Ontario.


At rare intervals there have been obtained from the Kimmeridge Clay in several localities (inland and also on the Dorset coast) remains of very large reptiles differing front the contemporary Enaliosaurs (the Plio-, Plesio-, and Ichthyosaurs) by the adaptation of their limbs to walking upon dry land. On June 23, 1869, I brought before the Society a large humerus of such a reptile, which had been obtained in Kimmeridge Bay by J. C. Mansel Pleydell, Esq., a Fellow of our Society. It was afterwards presented by him to the British Museum; and to the Saurian indicated by it I gave the name of Ischyrosaurus. The subject of this note is a much larger limb-bone lately found in the Kimmeridge-clay beds, near Weymouth, by Mr. R. I. Smith, and intended to be added to the national collection. It was enveloped in large septarian masses, which stuck so closely to it that thin laminæ of the surface of the bone were unavoidably detached in stripping the matrix from it. The natural surface, where uninjured, is smooth; it has a close, fine grain resembling that of the humerus of the Ischyrosaurus, and quite unlike the coarse texture of many Enaliosaurian bones. The bone has been much fissured, and cemented together by spar; and some parts have been distorted by squeezing; but the general figure is well preserved.


The deployment of robots at the World Trade Center (WTC) site after September 11, 2001, highlighted the potential for robots to aid in search and rescue missions that pose great threats and challenges to humans. However, robots that are tele-operated and tethered for power and communication are restricted in terms of their operational area. Thus, rescue robots must be equipped with onboard autonomy that enables them to select feasible plans on their own, within their physical and computational limitations. There are three main characteristics that a rescue robot's onboard system must posses. First, the system must be able to generate plans for mobile systems, that is, plans with activities and paths. Second, in order to operate as efficiently as possible, particularly in emergency situations, the system must be globally optimal. Third, the system must be able to generate plans quickly. This thesis introduces a novel autonomous control system that interleaves methods for spatial and activity planning, by merging model-based programming with roadmap-based path planning. The primary contributions are threefold. The first contribution is a model that represents possible mission strategies with activities that have cost and are constrained to a location. The second is an optimal pre-planner that reasons through the possible mission strategies in order to quickly find the optimal feasible strategy. The third contribution is a unified, global activity and path planning system. The system unifies the optimal pre-planner with a randomized roadmap-based path planner, in order to find the optimal feasible strategy to achieve a mission. The impact of these contributions is highlighted in the context of an urban search and rescue (USAR) mission. Thesis Supervisor: Brian Williams Title: Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics


Currently, batik with natural coloring in various regions in Indonesia is much sought and developed.  The ability of business management to be one of the keys to develop the business of natural staining batik. The natural coloring process is longer than synthetic coloring. The process of making the coloring compositions also requires a lot of trials to get the colors that match the desired ones. In the other side, natural coloring batik also has a specific market.  This research will trace and reveal facts of the process of natural batik business management. The result is (1) Natural batik business has a progressive grow because the process of innovation done by owners in several ways. (2) The cultural development of batik is carried out by all types of entrepreneurship, and the process depends on the vision possessed by the business owner and his entrepreneurial spirit. The development of local and national culture was done through keeping the batik design and batik patterns of the ancestral heritage, Involving the expert craftsmen from generation to generation and developing batik motifs and patterns  (3). Awareness of preserving the environment by batik entrepreneurs comes along with the processing of natural batik coloring itself.


This article analyses the treatment of non-professional suretyship agreements across the EU in the context provided by Commission initiatives aimed firstly at creating a single market in financial services and secondly at improving the coherence of European private law. Predictably, given their polycontextual function, we are confronted with starkly divergent national approaches towards such agreements: a 'Tower of Babel' rather than a 'common core'. The article proceeds to consider how we may see elements of commonality arising through the tension between the differing national approaches - seen in terms of a Unitary Network. In the course of this analysis the treble paradox of surety protection is described. The article finishes with a prediction of the relevance of a dual-track strategy in this field: involving measures of sector-specific, vertical harmonisation, and a programme of common-law style, non-legislative harmonisation through judicial convergence.


Kumstat M, Hrazdira L. Diet-Induced Thermogenesis: Comparison of Two Isocaloric Meal-Replacement Shakes. A pilot study. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 7, No. Proc1, pp. S140-S146, 2012. The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) between two liquid meal-replacement shakes of different macronutrient compositions: high protein (HP) and high carbohydrate (HC) meal. Five male subjects (26 ± 3.7 y, body mass index 24.6 ± 1.7 kg·m -2 ) completed the crossover, single-blind study. During two separate occasions (non-consecutive days) indirect calorimetry measurement was taken. Production of CO2, consumption of O2 and respiratory exchange ratio were monitored before and after ingestion of two isocaloric liquid meals with energy content of 7 kcal/kg per fat free weight. The postprandial period measurement lasted 180 min. Nonparametric statistics was used and value of 0.05 was accepted as the limit of significance. An immediate and persistent thermic effect was caused by the test meals. The total DIT calculated in HP and HC meals was: 51.8 ± 17.2 kcal/180 min and 32.13 ± 13.4 kcal/180 min, respectively (where p = 0.14). No statistically significant difference in postprandial energy expenditure between HP (0.29 ± 0.10 kcal·min -1 ) and HC (0.18 ± 0.07 kcal·min -1 ) meals was observed (where p = 0.14). Elevated values of energy expenditure did not return to the baseline after 3 hours. The DIT, expressed as percentage of energy consumed, averaged 8.7 ± 2.9 % for the HP meal, compared to 5.4 ± 2.3 % for the HC meal (where p = 0.14). Results indicate that the macronutrient composition plays a significant role in metabolic responses. It was concluded that an increment in the energy expenditure above


Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) stabilized methods for the Navier-Stokes equations are considered and analyzed. We consider two cases, the case in which the snapshots are based on a non inf-sup stable method and the case in which the snapshots are based on an inf-sup stable method. For both cases we construct approximations to the velocity and the pressure. For the first case, we analyze a method in which the snapshots are based on a stabilized scheme with equal order polynomials for the velocity and the pressure with Local Projection Stabilization (LPS) for the gradient of the velocity and the pressure. For the POD method we add the same kind of LPS stabilization for the gradient of the velocity and the pressure than the direct method, together with grad-div stabilization. In the second case, the snapshots are based on an inf-sup stable Galerkin method with grad-div stabilization and for the POD model we apply also grad-div stabilization. In this case, since the snapshots are discretely divergence-free, the pressure can be removed from the formulation of the POD approximation to the velocity. To approximate the pressure, needed in many engineering applications, we use a supremizer pressure recovery method. Error bounds with constants independent on inverse powers of the viscosity parameter are proved for both methods. Numerical experiments show the accuracy and performance of the schemes.


A new species of Brissus is described from the lower Oligocene (Rupelian–Vicksburgian) Bridgeboro limestone of southwestern Georgia. Brissus bridgeboroensis n. sp. most closely resembles the Recent Brissus unicolor (Leske) of the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico, but it differs primarily in features of the posterior paired petals. Brissus bridgeboroensis is the oldest known member of the genus from continental North America.


Crystals of the alpha-hemolysin heptamer, a transmembrane pore-forming toxin from Staphylococcus aureus, have been grown using the nonionic detergents n-decyldimethyl- and n-decyldiethylphosphine oxide, phosphorus homologs of the ionic amine oxide detergents. Five crystal forms were obtained, one of which diffracted X-rays to 3 A resolution. This crystal form displayed elements of pseudo mm symmetry in screened precession photographs yet it was triclinic with unit-cell dimensions a = 173, b = 173, c = 102 A, alpha = 92.6, beta = 94.8, gamma = 90.2 degrees.


Gastric cellular and humoral immune responses investigated by immunoperoxidase staining of 53 antral biopsies showed significant differences in Campylobacter pylori‐associated gastritis as compared with non‐bacterial chronic gastritis and normal controls. IgA, secretory component, and complement C3 coated bacilli were seen in all cases of active chronic gastritis. C3 was always associated with coating by IgA, IgM, or both, which were rarely seen in gastritis without polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration. Intraepithelial mononuclear cellular infiltration was seen in 18 of 26 cases of C. pylori‐associated chronic gastritis. The intraepithelial mononuclear cells stained positively for T cells and histiocytes.


In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, global medical research has undertaken a relentless quest to unravel the virulence mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2, the innate barriers of host defense, the surveillance of progress toward herd immunity, and the attempts to quickly identify and evaluate novel or alternative coronavirus interventions. This nutrition update highlights the important role of dietary factors in achieving optimum health and also explores possible approaches to augmenting innate host defenses. The potential anti-coronavirus benefits of micronutrients and macronutrients (ie, minerals, vitamins, lipids, proteins and polyphenols) to combat COVID-19 infection through inhibition of viral targets on human cell surface (ie, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) for docking, entry, and replication and, furthermore, to regulate immune and inflammatory responses (cytokine storm), oxidative stress (redox imbalance), and normal signaling pathways to the reduce health risks among vulnerable populations (ie, elderly) with metabolic disorders (ie, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, asthma) and recovery of patients to normal health are discussed.


Objective One of the indicators critical to the success of violence reduction programmes among female sex workers (FSWs) is the pattern of disclosure of violence. This study examines the rate of non-disclosure of violence among FSWs in India by perpetrators of violence and programme exposure. Methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study conducted among FSWs in 2009 across four states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The analytical sample included 1341 FSWs who experienced physical violence in past six months. Multilevel logistic regression stratified by state was conducted to examine predictors of non-disclosure. Results About 54% of FSWs did not disclose their experience of violence to anyone with considerable variations in the pattern of disclosure across states. Another 36% of FSWs shared the experience with NGO worker/peer. Compared to violence perpetrated by paying partners/stranger, that by non-paying partner were twice more likely to report non-disclosure (53% vs. 68%, Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 1.8, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.3–2.4). Similarly, FSWs who were not registered with an NGO/sex worker collective were 40% more likely to report non-disclosure of violence against those registered (58% vs. 53%, AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.9). Conclusions Non-disclosure of physical violence is quite high among FSWs which can be a barrier to the success of violence reduction efforts. Immediate efforts are required to understand the reasons behind non-disclosure based on which interventions can be developed. Community collectivisation and designing gender-based interventions with the involvement of non-paying partners should be the way forward.


An unusual case of a Chinese "immortal" (hsien) was the T'ang dynasty statesman Ho Chih-chang (659-744). During his life, Ho displayed little interest in religion until a late-life ordination as a Taoist priest. During the Sung dynasty, however, he was gradually elevated to "immortality" in a series of hagiographical tales. In the 10th-century T'ai-p'ing kuang-chi, Ho appears as a character who learns humility. In the 11 th-century Kao-tao chuan, he appears as a character who yields to the Taoist ideals of restraint and orderly progress. In the 13th-century Chia-ting Ch'ih-ch'eng chih, Ho appears as a master of pharmika who ascends to heaven after a life of several centuries. In that text, the figure of Ho no longer has moral significance: he represents a romantic ideal of "the immortal," but no longer serves as a meaningful spiritual exemplar. In fact, in that text he ceases to function as a representative of Taoist values, for Taoists always aspire to a moral and spiritual elevation, a personal perfection for which the concept of "immortality" serves as a potent metaphor. I suggest that the compilers of such texts appropriated honored historical figures like Ho in an effort to persuade sceptical members of the Chinese elite that "immortality" was a valid and respectable ideal.


ABSTRACT This article explores the practice of pre-empting controversy as an example of the wicked problem of cultural participation in the digital media. Drawing on science and technology studies (STS), research into the history of cybernetics, artificial intelligence (AI), and policy studies, it argues that the ongoing digital transformation and the expansion of the algorithmic public sphere does not solve but amplifies the problem of cultural participation, challenging the 'participatory turn' in cultural policy, defined as cultural policy's re-orientation to encourage participation of different stakeholders at different stages of policymaking. This process is analysed through two cases: the postponing of a retrospective exhibition of the painter Philip Guston in the United States and the pre-emptive ban of a public art project centred on a monument for the Soviet Lithuanian writer Petras Cvirka in Lithuania. In both cases, risk management through pre-emption backfired and revealed the lack of institutional preparedness to foresee and deal with the digital social.


The surface EMG (sEMG) is a biological electrical signal of neuromuscular activity distribution. From the point of the non-stationary and nonlinear, the independent component analysis method is firstly used to eliminate the power frequency interference in sEMG. Secondly, the low noise signal is proce s se d by empirical mode decomposition (EMD), then use the decomposed signal to establish AR model. The model coefficients are used as signal features and PNN optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to classify six types of forearm motions. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


A double‐blind, between‐patient comparison of intramuscular pethidine 100 mg and nalbuphine 20 mg for the relief of pain during labour in 80 patients is described. Severity of pain was assessed before and after treatment by subjective pain scores and visual analogue scales. Neither of these methods showed a significant difference between the treatments. Nalbuphine was associated with less maternal nausea and vomiting than pethidine, but this possible advantage was somewhat offset by a tendency of the drug to produce more maternal sedation and dizziness. The mean umbilical vein/maternal vein ratio was significantly higher for nalbuphine (0.78. SEM 0.03) than for pethidine (0.61, SEM 0.02). which suggests easier placental transfer of the former. This finding was reflected in significantly lower 2–4 hour neurobehavioural scores for the infants of mothers given nalbuphine, but there was no significant difference between these scores at 24 hours. On the basis of this study, nalbuphine does not offer a substantial improvement over pethidine for pain relief in labour.


The Colombian scorpion Centruroides margaritatus produces a venom considered of low toxicity. Nevertheless, there are known cases of envenomation resulting in cardiovascular disorders, probably due to venom components that target ion channels. Among them, the human ether-à-go-go-Related gene (hERG1) potassium channels are critical for cardiac action potential repolarization and alteration in its functionality are associated with cardiac disorders. This work describes the purification and electrophysiological characterization of a Centruroides margaritatus venom component acting on hERG1 channels, the CmERG1 toxin. This novel peptide is composed of 42 amino acids with a MW of 4792.88 Da, folded by four disulfide bonds and it is classified as member number 10 of the γ-KTx1 toxin family. CmERG1 inhibits hERG1 currents with an IC50 of 3.4 ± 0.2 nM. Despite its 90.5% identity with toxin ɣ-KTx1.1, isolated from Centruroides noxius, CmERG1 completely blocks hERG1 current, suggesting a more stable plug of the hERG channel, compared to that formed by other ɣ-KTx.


Purpose
The re-use of good design solutions is a key source of evidence and knowledge in the design of healthcare buildings. However, due to the unique nature of healthcare built environments, the critical application of this evidence is of paramount importance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the features of such critical application and identify the aspects that need to be considered during the re-use of good designs.

Design/methodology/approach
Data from three case studies of hospital designs in the UK were used to explore the processes behind the adaption and re-use of design solutions during the design of healthcare buildings. Data were thematically analysed to distinguish the aspects that should be carefully compared and contrasted during design re-use.

Findings
Existing designs of healthcare buildings should be captured and evaluated along with: patient demographics, care models of the hospital, other local departmental needs and facility operational aspects in order to ensure the effectiveness of re-use. In addition, properly introducing the design to the users is also a part of successful design re-use.

Research limitations/implications
The findings of this research were integrated into a framework to support healthcare designers on the effective re-use of good designs. This data-driven framework could be validated further with design practitioners. Further, this research relied on memory recall of the interviewees and the accuracy and completeness of documentary records.

Practical implications
This research provides details of how healthcare built environment designs are embedded in project-unique circumstances. The results could therefore be used to develop meaningful and informative evaluation mechanisms for new and re-used healthcare building design features.

Originality/value
This research extends the understanding of the critical application of healthcare design evidence, by explaining how healthcare design solutions should be evaluated during the design process.


─ In this paper, a dual-band and dual-polarized electrically tunable reconfigurable reflectarray antenna (RRA) is proposed, fabricated and measured for the beam-scanning performance. The RRA element, a single layer structure with two split-rings and a pair of varactor diodes, can be electrically tuned to work at the two orthogonal polarization modes of the incident electric field at 4.2GHz and 6.5GHz, respectively. Besides, the range of the phase compensation of the element is over 300° at the two polarization modes. Then, a RRA with 15×15 elements is designed, fabricated and measured to prove the validity. The main beam direction can be controlled by tuning these varactor diodes of the RRA and the beam-scanning range is from -60° to 60°. The experimental results and simulation results are in good agreement to prove the correctness and feasibility of the design of the novel dual-band and dual-polarized electrically tunable RRA. Index Terms ─ Beam-scanning, electrically tunable, reconfigurable reflectarray antenna, varactor diodes.


Introduction. Gestationaltrophoblastic neoplasia(GTN) is a malignant lesion arising from placental villous and extra-villous trophoblast, occuring in 1:40,000 pregnancies. Invasive mole and choriocarcinoma are the vast majority of GTN, produce substantial amounts of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Hyperthyroidism in GTN is due to stimulation of thyroid gland by hCG which has a similar structure with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).Case. A 28-year-old female, suspected with choriocarcinoma and anemia, had history of recurrent vaginal bleeding in 8 months, accompanied with loss of appetite, weight loss, palpitation and tremor. Physical examination: pulse rate 114x/minutes, respiration rate 26x/minutes, temperature 38 0C, conjunctival anemia and dyspneu. Laboratory: anemia, leukocytosis, hypoalbuminemia, hypokalemia, increase ofLDH, increase of bhCG >1,500,000 mIU/mL, T4 14.1 ug/dL (4.40-10.90 ug/dL), FT4 1.95 ng/dL (0.89-1.76 ng/dL), and decrease of TSH. Abdominal CT Scan suggested uterine mass suspected as malignancy infiltrating to rectum with metastatic features in liver, base of left lung, spleen and left kidney. Increased CA-125, and metastatic features of lung right paracardial and left suprahilar from Chest X-ray were found.Discussion.GTN diagnostic criteria include: increased bhCG examined ³4 x; increased bhCG ³3 weekly examination; histology diagnosis of choriocarcinoma; increased bhCG > 20,000 more than 4 weeks post evacuation and the presence of metastasis. Hyperthyroidism in GTN is potentially life threatening because of heart failure and thyroid storm.Conclusion.Hyperthyroidism increases morbidity and mortality in GTN patient, so periodic thyroid examination is essential to prevent further complication of hyperthyroidism.


In this paper, the payload condition is considered and computer simulation is carried out to analyze the dynamic behavior of the middle-sized truck under the condition with different weight and location. The computer model for the truck is established and ADAMS/Car is employed to simulate the truck vehicle. A single lane change and bump-pass simulation are performed to evaluate the performance according to the weight and the position of it. Effects of the location and weight of commercial vehicle are analyzed. According to the simulation results, the front deck is preferred as the load location.


We investigate global stability of fast AQM scalable TCP (FAST), a network congestion control scheme for the Internet modelled by a nonlinear delay differential equation with heterogeneous delays. The stability conditions resemble the ones from the linearization, are delay-dependent and scalable for arbitrary network sizes; the special structure of the system and the choice of TCP/AQM dynamics allow the construction of appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals in a scalable way.


Oxylipins are the oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids and have been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) converts epoxy-fatty acids to their corresponding diols, is found in the brain, and its inhibition is a treatment target for dementia. In this study, male and female C57Bl/6J mice were treated with an sEH inhibitor (sEHI), trans-4-[4-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-cyclohexyloxy]-benzoic acid (t-AUCB), for 12 weeks to comprehensively study the effect of sEH inhibition on the brain oxylipin profile, and modulation by sex. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure the profile of 53 free oxylipins in the brain. More oxylipins were modified by the inhibitor in males than in females (19 versus 3, respectively) and favored a more neuroprotective profile. Most were downstream of lipoxygenase and cytochrome p450 in males, and cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase in females. The inhibitor-associated oxylipin changes were unrelated to serum insulin, glucose, cholesterol, or female estrous cycle. The inhibitor affected behavior and cognitive function as measured by open field and Y-maze tests in males, but not females. These findings are novel and important to our understanding of sexual dimorphism in the brain's response to sEHI and may help inform sex-specific treatment targets.


With the increasing popularity of RGB-depth (RGB-D) sensor, research on the use of RGB-D sensors to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) indoor scenes has gained more and more attention. In this paper, an automatic point cloud registration algorithm is proposed to efficiently handle the task of 3D indoor scene reconstruction using pan-tilt platforms on a fixed position. The proposed algorithm aims to align multiple point clouds using extrinsic parameters of the RGB-D camera obtained from every preset pan-tilt control point. A computationally efficient global registration method is proposed based on transformation matrices formed by the offline calibrated extrinsic parameters. Then, a local registration method, which is an optional operation in the proposed algorithm, is employed to refine the preliminary alignment result. Experimental results validate the quality and computational efficiency of the proposed point cloud alignment algorithm by comparing it with two state-of-the-art methods.


Recent research in machine learning has focused on breaking audio spectrograms into separate sources of sound using latent variable decompositions. These methods require that the number of sources be specified in advance, which is not always possible. To address this problem, we develop Gamma Process Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (GaP-NMF), a Bayesian nonparametric approach to decomposing spectrograms. The assumptions behind GaP-NMF are based on research in signal processing regarding the expected distributions of spectrogram data, and GaP-NMF automatically discovers the number of latent sources. We derive a mean-field variational inference algorithm and evaluate GaP-NMF on both synthetic data and recorded music.


Abstract Mass media play an important role in grassroots democracy, yet the dynamics of media–citizen interaction remains under-researched. Using the case of the 'Civil Monitory Organization' (CMO) programme in Zhejiang's Wenzhou city, this article shows how local media, and the local government to whom the local media are held accountable, shape citizen participation. This article develops the framework of 'contingent participation' to analyze the constraints on local political participation. Based on the observation of CMO activism, this article typologizes four participation behaviours: (1) symbolic participation; (2) instrumental participation; (3) managed participation; and (4) transgressive participation. This article concludes that contingent participation yields paradoxical results inherent under authoritarian rule: it aims to mobilize citizens to hold government accountable, yet denies the free flow of information and full participation of citizens.


In parallel with developments in technology, home automation systems are being increasingly used. In this study, computer networks and the power system can be controlled by Internet for a remote device. This application was carried out in two stages of software and hardware. The software is developed in C # programming language. This software is connected to the computer using a remote server devices, performed the required information has been sent. The


This study aimed to evaluate the ability of magnesium chloride modified carbonized rice hull (MCRH) material for ammonium removal from synthetic and domestic wastewater. The MCRH material was prepared by using waste rice hull from a household rice-processing factory and magnesium chloride salt via a simple mixing and annealing method. The material was then characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The effects of rice hull modification by magnesium chloride and experimental conditions such as initial ammonium concentration (20 100 mg/L), amount of adsorbent (0.8 2.0 g/L), and adsorption time (0 32 h) on the ammonium removal efficiency and adsorption capacity were investigated. Adsorption kinetic and isotherms were also studied for MCRH material. Results showed that magnesium was successfully added on carbonized rice hull with Mg/C molar ratio of 0.22. Ammonium adsorption isotherm fitted well to Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacity of 65.36 mg/g. The adsorption was physical process and adsorption kinetic was best described by intra-particle diffusion model with the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.942 0.979. Ammonium adsorption feasibility of MCRH was proved through the treatment of domestic wastewater containing 80.7 ± 1.6 mg/L initial ammonium concentration with removal efficiency of 86.8 %. Ammonium concentration of the effluent met the allowable value (10 mg/L) as given by QCVN 14: 2008/BTNMT (column B) National technical regulation on domestic wastewater. In conclusion, MCRH has a potential for being an economical and abundant material in Vietnam. The post adsorption material that accumulated ammonium would be potentially used for soil quality improvement.


Over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) and microwave radar networks can together generate track data over a wide surveillance region. However the data is often subject to ambiguity and uncertainty due to the complexities of the HF signal propagation environment, which give rise to multipath OTHR tracks, as well as ambiguities in target associations between multiple microwave radars. This report describes an association and fusion algorithm which deals with both sources of uncertainty. The algorithm is capable of fusing OTHR multipath tracks and non-OTHR tracks (e.g. microwave radar or GPS), as well as dealing with multipath tracks from OTHR networks. The algorithm achieves this through a very general, model based, approach which deals with multipath effects as well as asynchronicity between sources of data. Importantly, the approach incorporates track history in its computation of association probabilities and fused estimate calculations, thus exploiting temporal as well as instantaneous spatial relationships between tracks. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE


This paper focuses on brining out the facts about how Pakistan can benefit from globalization by right adoption of technology. Our main claim in this paper is that Pakistan has adopted globalization but has not been able to improve its economic condition because of lack of proper planning and lack of right adoption of technology. As without right adoption of technology no country can make progress. The main reasons of why Pakistan is not getting benefited from globalization are also discussed in this paper. A comparative study has been done on the developed and developing countries that have benefited from globalization. After a detailed analysis key points have been mentioned, as an answer to what needs to be done by Pakistan, in order to get successful in race of globalization.


The pool-type Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept developed by Argonne National Laboratory includes on-site recycle of discharged core and blanket fuel materials. The process and fabrication steps will be demonstrated in the EBR-II Fuel Cycle Facility with IFR fuel irradiated in EBR-II and the Fast Flux Test Facility. The proposed process consists of two major steps: a halide slagging step and an electrorefining step. The fuel is maintained in the metallic form to yield directly a metal product sufficiently decontaminated to allow recycle to the reactor as new fuel. The process is further described and available information to support its feasibility is presented.


Lasers are produced with noble gases; are used in cell study; and are 'steered' by electronic means Laser action at more than 60 new wavelengths has been observed in a new class of gas ion laser. Four gaseous elements — argon, krypton, xenon, and neon — were used to achieve the action, which occurred in both the singly and doubly ionized states of these inert, or "noble" gases. Both pulsed- and continuous-wave operations were achieved.


Rockfalls from roadcuts are a major hazard and pose problems for transportation agencies across the country. In the context of rockfall hazard management, however, no consensus exists about the role of geology in assessing rockfall hazard. This study investigates the geologic contribution to rockfall hazard through application of rockfall hazard rating systems to roadcuts in Tennessee and through additional data collection to reveal correlations between hazard characteristics and geologic attributes. The geologic character of 80 roadcuts in central and eastern Tennessee was evaluated using the Tennessee Rockfall Hazard Rating System (RHRS), which is a revision of the National Highway Institute (NHI) RHRS. Scores for both RHRSs were compared to evaluate whether the improved reproducibility of scoring for the Tennessee RHRS yielded unintended losses of scoring accuracy and sensitivity. Additional geologic attribute data beyond those used in the RHRS system were collected to determine with logistic regression analysis whether relationships among the geologic attributes, rockfall type, and block size exist. Results indicate the revised geologic component of Tennessee's RHRS is more informative and permits description of a wider spectrum of geologic conditions thandoestheNHI version.Logisticregressionanalysis indicates rockfall type correlates to lithologic variation and the number of discontinuity sets; and block size correlates to structurally controlled rockfall, lithologic variation, mechanical layer thickness, and number of discontinuity sets. Consequently, roadcuts containing potential rockfall modes with two or more discontinuity sets, no lithologic variation, and mechanical thicknesses that exceed 1.0 m are expected to have greater Geologic Character scores.


Scalable video transmission over a network is easily adaptable to different types of mobile experiencing different network conditions. However the transmission of differentiated video packets in an error-prone wireless environment remains problematic. We propose and analyze a cross-layer error control scheme that exploits priority-aware block interleaving (PBI) in the MAC layer for video broadcasting in CDMA2000 systems. The PBI scheme allocates a higher priority to protecting the data which are more critical to the decoding of a video stream, and therefore has more effect on picture quality in the application layer. The use of Reed-Solomon coding in conjunction with PBI in the MAC layer can handle error bursts more effectively if its implementation takes account of underlying error distributions in the physical layer, and differentiates between different types of video packets in the application layer. We also calculate the maximum jitter from the variability of the Reed-Solomon decoding delay and determine the size of jitter buffer needed to prevent interruptions due to buffer underrun. Simulations demonstrate the extent to which we can improve the perceived quality of scalable video.


Leaves paste of Coleus aromaticus is used as a traditional remedy for urolithiasis in India. In the present study, the anti urolithiatic activity of Coleus aromaticus was investigated in ethylene glycol induced urolithiatic rats. There was a significant increase in the levels of calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys as well as lipid levels in the blood serum. Treatment with hydro alcoholic extract of C.aromaticus leaves (CALHAE) significantly reduced cholesterol levels at 300 and 600 mg/kg, and triglyceride levels at 600 mg/kg in urolithiatic rats. Histopathalogical reports confirmed that chronic administration of CALHAE (300 and 600 mg/kg) diminished number of calcium oxalate crystals in kidneys. CALHAE has shown reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in urolithiatic rats. Moreover, CALHAE showed potent in vitro antioxidant activity in DMPD, ABTS radicals (MnO2 method). Results from these studies support the safe and effective use of C.aromaticus leaves for urolithiasis treatment. Keywords: Coleus aromaticus, Calcium oxalate crystals, Hypolipidemic activity, Antioxidant activity


In this study, we tried to discriminate the direction of arm force from hemoglobin concentration changes measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). A self-organizing map (SOM) was used to classify the force direction information obtained from the NIRS signals. In a human subject experiment, the subjects were required to perform isometric arm movements in four directions. We investigated the feature quantities extracted from the time series data of the NIRS signals during the movement task. The feature vectors were used as the input vectors to the SOM. We tried to estimate the arm force direction by using a simple method based on the clusters given by the SOM. The results confirm that the direction of force is discriminable from the NIRS signal. In spite of the simple classification approach, the discrimination test yielded an average discrimination rate of 87.5 % for two directions. The experiment results suggest that NIRS signal must contain information related to the force directions.


In time series analysis, statistics based on collections of estimators computed from sub-samples play a crucial role in an increasing variety of important applications. Proving results about the joint asymptotic distribution of such statistics is challenging since it typically involves a nontrivial verification of technical conditions and tedious case-by-case asymptotic analysis. In this paper, we provide a novel technique that allows to circumvent those problems in a general setting. Our approach consists of two major steps: a probabilistic part which is mainly concerned with weak convergence of sequential empirical processes, and an analytic part providing general ways to extend this weak convergence to functionals of the sequential empirical process. Our theory provides a unified treatment of asymptotic distributions for a large class of statistics, including recently proposed self-normalized statistics and sub-sampling based p-values. In addition, we comment on the consistency of bootstrap procedures and obtain general results on compact differentiability of certain mappings that seem to be of independent interest.


Instead of the conventional graphite, new additional reducing agents (diamond, silicon, metal elements, etc.) have been mixed with zinc oxide (ZnO) powder to fabricate ZnO micro/nanostructures by a thermal vapour transport method. Due to the strong reducibility for those additions, the corresponding heating temperature is decreased by 100-500° C compared to the case of graphite, which subsequently decreases the corresponding growth temperature for the products. Being placed separately for the powder sources of ZnO and addition, a vapour-vapour reduction-oxidation reaction mechanism between the sources is proposed as an important channel to fabricate ZnO. Photoluminescence and magnetic examinations indicate that the ZnO products synthesized have strong ultraviolet (visible) emissions and are room-temperature ferromagnetic, meaning that the products are available for applications.


The production of clean fuels and chemicals from waste feedstocks is an appealing approach towards creating a circular economy. However, waste photoreforming commonly employs particulate photocatalysts, which display low product yields, selectivity, and reusability. Here, a perovskite‐based photoelectrochemical (PEC) device is reported, which produces H2 fuel and simultaneously reforms waste substrates. A novel Cu30Pd70 oxidation catalyst is integrated in the PEC device to generate value‐added products using simulated solar light, achieving 60–90% product selectivity and ≈70–130 µmol cm−2 h−1 product formation rates, which corresponds to 102–104 times higher activity than conventional photoreforming systems. The single‐light absorber device offers versatility in terms of substrate scope, sustaining unassisted photocurrents of 4–9 mA cm−2 for plastic, biomass, and glycerol conversion, in either a two‐compartment or integrated "artificial leaf" configuration. These configurations enable an effective reforming of non‐transparent waste streams and facile device retrieval from the reaction mixture. Accordingly, the presented PEC platform provides a proof‐of‐concept alternative towards photoreforming, approaching more closely the performance and versatility required for commercially viable waste utilization.


Multi-resolution image analysis by Fast Fourier Transform (MFFT) algorithm has been presented and evaluated for pixel level image fusion. The idea is to apply simple and proven technique of FFT to image fusion. The performance of this algorithm is compared with that of well known wavelet based image fusion technique. It is observed that the performance of image fusion by MFFT is slightly better than wavelet based image fusion algorithm. It is computationally very simple and it could be well suited for real time applications. KeywordsMulti resolution, Image fusion, FFT, image processing, wavelets, fusion quality, fusion rule;


Nonlinear Physics for Beginners-Lui Lam 1998-03-31 Almost all real systems are nonlinear. For a nonlinear system the superposition principle breaks down: The system's response is not proportional to the stimulus it receives; the whole is more than the sum of its parts. The three parts of this book contains the basics of nonlinear science, with applications in physics. Part I contains an overview of fractals, chaos, solitons, pattern formation, cellular automata and complex systems. In Part II, 14 reviews and essays by pioneers, as well as 10 research articles are reprinted. Part III collects 17 students projects, with computer algorithms for simulation models included. The book can be used for self-study, as a textbook for a one-semester course, or as supplement to other courses in linear or nonlinear systems. The reader should have some knowledge in introductory college physics. No mathematics beyond calculus and no computer literacy are assumed. Request Inspection Copy


This paper presents three different gas turbine condition monitoring models developed by artificial neural networks. Operational data from an ALSTOM GT11-N1 has been employed for training and evaluation of the artificial neural network models. The developed models differ by their selected input and output parameters. These ANN models are used for prediction of performance parameters of the gas turbine. When tested on data collected after a training period, the models reveal different degradation trends, i.e. difference between expected and measured performance parameter values. The approach adopted in this paper shows that powerful monitoring tools can be developed form operational data with artificial neural networks.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Secondly, the attachment of the patient valve appears to be to the port that would normally accommodate the reservoir bag, and the bag and adjustable pressure limiting valve are on a new structure. It is not clear if the machined part is incorporated, but presumably it is, in order to accommodate these changes. It is, in my experience, the machinad parts that add considerably to the cost. A reply


The present work investigates two approaches for force evaluation in the lattice Boltzmann equation: the momentum-exchange method and the stress-integration method on the surface of a body. The boundary condition for the particle distribution functions on curved geometries is handled with second-order accuracy based on our recent works [Mei et al., J. Comput. Phys. 155, 307 (1999); ibid. 161, 680 (2000)]. The stress-integration method is computationally laborious for two-dimensional flows and in general difficult to implement for three-dimensional flows, while the momentum-exchange method is reliable, accurate, and easy to implement for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional flows. Several test cases are selected to evaluate the present methods, including: (i) two-dimensional pressure-driven channel flow; (ii) two-dimensional uniform flow past a column of cylinders; (iii) two-dimensional flow past a cylinder asymmetrically placed in a channel (with vortex shedding); (iv) three-dimensional pressure-driven flow in a circular pipe; and (v) three-dimensional flow past a sphere. The drag evaluated by using the momentum-exchange method agrees well with the exact or other published results.


The purpose of this study was to uncover ways that spouses living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) sustain engagement in their relationships. Coming to understand caring marital relationships when a partner is diagnosed with AD will help nurses to provide more effective support. Fifteen couples participated. Thirty conversations were analyzed with qualitative methods. Three overall themes of spousal caring were identified: engaging with compassion, patiently reaching out, and trusting in the existence of deep attachment. A central theme emerged: relating with compassion by reaching out and trusting in the existence of deep attachment strengthened by many years of marriage. Nurses have the opportunity to support caregivers struggling to find ways to connect with loved ones with AD. Understanding conversation patterns will help nurses provide support for caregivers affected by challenges of AD.


In 33 insulin-dependent, I and II type diabetic patients the authors evaluated the intraplatelet concentration of 12-hydroperoxyeicozatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE) and malonylodialdehyde (MDA) which are the products of lipoxygenase (LO) and cyclooxygenase (CO) metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) in blood platelets. Moreover, in all patients, determinations of cholesterol total lipids, phospholipids, triacylglycerols were performed as well as serum lipoproteinogram. The studies were done in diabetic ketoacidosis and 2 weeks after compensation of diabetes was attained. Sixty healthy persons, with no changes in the coagulation system, constituted the control group. In patients with diabetic ketoacidosis a higher intraplatelet concentration of 12-HPETE (7.2 +/- 4.0 nmol/10(9) platelets) was found as compared with the values observed in the control group (4.7 +/- 2.1 nmol MDA/10(9) platelets); p less than 0.01. Intraplatelet MDA concentration did not, however, show a statistically significant difference. When compensation of diabetes was obtained the mean intraplatelet 12-HPETE concentration fell to values close the normal ones (5.5 +/- 3.4 nmol MDA/10(9) platelets). Nevertheless, the results of comparative determinations of mean values of both 12-HPETE and MDA concentrations in ketoacidosis as well as in compensated diabetes did not show statistically significant difference. High intraplatelet 12-HPETE concentration in diabetic ketoacidosis may be a cause of the formation or intensification of atherosclerotic changes, typical of this group of patients. The studies did not prove any correlation between the intraplatelet concentration of AA metabolism products and blood glucose concentration and lipid metabolism products. Neither was there any correlation between 12-HPETE and MDA concentration and the duration of clinically symptomatic diabetes.


Thermal load prediction is essential for optimal operations of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Usually, the building thermal load is predicted by using artificial neural network (ANN) model based on environmental input variables. Unfortunately, it is not obvious that how many the input items should be or what preprocessing of inputs are best, which can cause significant overfitting and hurt ANN performance. The artificial neural networks existed for thermal load prediction has poor generalization ability. Two methods for improving generalization of ANN are introduced in this paper, which are correlation analysis of the historical data and principal component analysis of input data. ANN input items can be determined reasonably by correlation analysis of the historical data. And the dimension of ANN model will be reduced by principal component analysis. Using the two methods, ANN performance will be better than before.


The Epic of Gilgamesh has been interpreted by Th. Jacobsen and his followers primarily as the story of a hero who struggles beyond his capacity to find immortality, gets disappointed, and finally faces the truth, maturing and turning to 'normality' on the premise that it is his achievements and not himself that will last. The present paper challenges a literal reading of the plot of the Epic along these lines, and through select comparison with the ancient Egyptian, 'heterodox' Hebrew, Iranian, and Gnostic traditions, argues that the meaning system embedded in the Epic can be thought to point to notions of 'mysticism' and 'soteriology', expressed in a distinctively Mesopotamian idiom that suppresses an explicit display of such concepts.


Abstract Motivation Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the genetics underlying cancer development and progression is a central goal of biomedical research. Its accomplishment promises key mechanistic, diagnostic and therapeutic insights. One major step in this direction is the identification of genes that drive the emergence of tumors upon mutation. Recent advances in the field of computational biology have shown the potential of combining genetic summary statistics that represent the mutational burden in genes with biological networks, such as protein–protein interaction networks, to identify cancer driver genes. Those approaches superimpose the summary statistics on the nodes in the network, followed by an unsupervised propagation of the node scores through the network. However, this unsupervised setting does not leverage any knowledge on well-established cancer genes, a potentially valuable resource to improve the identification of novel cancer drivers. Results We develop a novel node embedding that enables classification of cancer driver genes in a supervised setting. The embedding combines a representation of the mutation score distribution in a node's local neighborhood with network propagation. We leverage the knowledge of well-established cancer driver genes to define a positive class, resulting in a partially labeled dataset, and develop a cross-validation scheme to enable supervised prediction. The proposed node embedding followed by a supervised classification improves the predictive performance compared with baseline methods and yields a set of promising genes that constitute candidates for further biological validation. Availability and implementation Code available at https://github.com/BorgwardtLab/MoProEmbeddings. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


The dark-field laser scattering system has been developed to inspect surface defects in infrared cut-off filters and then laser scattering characteristics against the defects are investigated. The qualitative analysis for the reliable and accurate detection performance is described through the correlation between incident angles of a laser and viewing ones of a camera. In this paper, reliable and important information with laser scattering is given for the surface defect inspection of IR filters. Its performance has been verified through various experiments.


Purpose. In tissues outside the brain, vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF) causes vascular hyper-permeability by opening of inter-endothelial junctions and induction of fenestrations and vesiculo-vacuolar organelles (VVOs). In preliminary studies, we observed that in blood-retinal barrier endothelium, other cellular mechanisms may underlie increased permeability caused by VEGF. This was further investigated in material of an in vivo experimental model of VEGF-induced retinopathy. Methods. Two monkeys received 4 intravitreal injections of 0.5 µg VEGF in one eye and PBS in the other eye prior to sacrifice at day 9. One monkey received 12 injections of 1.25 µg VEGF in one eye and PBS in the other eye prior to sacrifice at day 24. As a control, an untreated eye of a fourth monkey was studied. Results. In the high-dose VEGF-injected eye, fluorescein angiography showed intense retinal micro-vascular leakage. This leakage was also demonstrated by immunohistochemistry demonstrating extravasation of endogenous fibrinogen and IgG. However, in these leaky blood vessels the number of pinocytotic vesicles (caveolae) at the endothelial luminal membrane were significantly higher and, only in the VEGF-injected eyes, these pinocytotic vesicles transported plasma IgG. By electron microscopy, no fenestrations or VVOs were found in the endothelial cells of the VEGF-injected eyes. Conclusion. We conclude that increased vascular permeability for plasma proteins induced by VEGF in blood-retinal barrier endothelium is predominantly caused by a mechanism involving active trans-endothelial transport via pinocytotic vesicles and not by formation of endothelial fenestrations or VVOs.


Aims A retrospective study was conducted to correlate the results of myocardial perfusion G-SPECT with clinical evaluation and coronary angiography in the assessment of isolated apical and/or peri-apical reversible perfusion defects. Methods Coronary angiography was performed in 14 patients (eight males, six females) with isolated apical and/or peri-apical reversible perfusion defects documented on stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Results Of the eight male patients, seven had >70% LAD stenosis and one patient had 30% LAD stenosis seen on coronary angiography. Only two of the six female patients (33.3%) had a positive angiogram. In all of the positive angiograms, including those with single, double or triple-vessel disease, the most significant lesion was seen in the LAD artery. Where in addition to the apex, the inferoapical or apicolateral segments were also affected, the culprit stenosis was seen to involve the LAD artery with either normal angiographic appearance or associated less severe stenosis of the right coronary or left circumflex arteries. There was a good correlation between the angiographic and G-SPECT determination of the left ventricular systolic function. Conclusions Caution should be exercised in the interpretation of isolated apical and/or peri-apical mild reversible perfusion defects in women without stress-induced symptoms and ECG changes, as there is a higher incidence of false-positive MPS studies in this group of patients. In patients with reversible perfusion defects affecting the apex and/or the periapical segments, the most significant stenosis revealed on coronary angiography was found in the LAD artery, independent of the number of diseased coronary arteries.


Nonlinear self-consistency equations, including for the first time the effects of mode competition, are derived for index and gain gratings. Additional terms to those contained in self-consistency equations for lasers with a conventional resonator are found. Approximate analytic solutions for single- and two-mode operation of distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers are obtained with the help of the energy theorem. The analysis includes nonvanishing end reflectors of DFB structure. >


Since the original demonstration of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs), the performance of these devices has shown rapid improvement. QCLs can now deliver milliwatts or more of continuous-wave radiation throughout the terahertz frequency range (300 GHz to 10 THz). Therefore, QCLs have become widely used in various applications such as spectroscopy, metrology or free-space telecommunications. For many of these applications there is a need for compact tuneable quantum cascade lasers. Nowadays most tuneable QCLs are based on a bulky external cavity configuration. We explore the possibility of tuning the operating wavelength through a fully integrated on-chip wavelength selective feedback applied to a dual wavelength QCL. Our numerical and analytical analyses are based on rate equation models describing the dynamics of QCLs extended to include delayed filtered optical feedback. We demonstrate the possibility to tune the operating wavelength by altering the absorption and/or amplification of the signal in the delayed feedback path. The tuning range of a laser is limited by the spectral width of its gain. For inter-band semiconductor lasers this spectral width is typically several tens of nm. Hence, the laser cavity supports the existence of multiple modes and on chip wavelength selective feedback has been demonstrated to be a promising tuning mechanism. We have selected a specific QCL gain structure with four energy levels and with two lasing transitions in the same cascade. In this scheme, the two lasing modes use a common upper level. Hence, the two modes compete in part for the same carriers to account for their optical gain. We have added delayed wavelength specific filtered optical feedback to the rate equation model describing these transitions. We have calculated the steady states and their stability in the absence of delay for the feedback field and studied numerically the case with non-zero delay. We have proven that wavelength tuning of a dual wavelength QCL through filtered optical feedback is possible in this system under certain circumstances.


Pollen grains of 9 species of the genus Plantago (Plantaginaceae), including 8 taxa native to Poland, were observed under a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope. Descriptions of grain sculpture are illustrated only SEM micrographs. The studied pollen grains were medium-sized or small, spherical or prolate spheroidal. Their sculpture was always verrucate with granulation. In the studied taxa, internal apertures had the form of pores. Their number ranged from (4)5-9(14). The pores were scattered on the surface of pollen grains. Identification features of individual taxa include: presence or absence of an annulus around each pore, annulus structure, ornamentation of the pollen grain and operculum, type of aperture membrane, number of internal pores, and pore diameter. We suggest that two new pollen grain types, characteristic of P. intermedia and P. arenaria , should be distinguished, and that P. alpina should be assigned to the P. coronopus type.


Purpose: This study was to explore the effect of preventive health education intervention in the knowledge, attitude, practice of betel nut chewing, and self-efficacy of anti-betel nut chewing for adolescent students. Methods One hundred eighty-six indigenous samples were recruited, and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent fourteen-week classes regarding the prevention of betel nut chewing. Both groups took post-tests immediately after intervention in order to evaluate the instant effect of the teaching program. The follow-up (post-post-test) evaluated the instant improvement at the 28th week (14 weeks after the end of the class). Results There was no difference in knowledge of the hazards of betel nut chewing among pre-tests, post-tests, and post-post-test in the experimental group. The attitude, practice of betel nut chewing and self-efficacy of anti-betel nut chewing aspects was significantly different among pre-tests, post-tests, and post-post-test after intervention. There was a significantly immediate and instant improvement after health education intervention. Conclusion Health education enables students to better resist the use of betel nuts. This study confirmed the importance of health education programs in dealing with the health risks of betel nut chewing for the risk group Students.


Precipitation estimation from passive microwave radiometry based on physically based profile retrieval algorithms must be aided by a microphysical generator providing structure information on the lower portions of the cloud, consistent with the upper-cloud structures that are sensed. One of the sources for this information is mesoscale model simulations involving explicit or parameterized microphysics. Such microphysical information can be then associated to brightness temperature signatures by using radiative transfer models, forming what are referred to as cloud‐radiation databases. In this study cloud‐radiation databases from three different storm simulations involving two different mesoscale models run at cloud scales are developed and analyzed. Each database relates a set of microphysical profile realizations describing the space‐time properties of a given precipitating storm to multifrequency brightness temperatures associated to a measuring radiometer. In calculating the multifrequency signatures associated with the individual microphysical profiles over model space‐time, the authors form what are called brightness temperature model manifolds. Their dimensionality is determined by the number of frequencies carried by the measuring radiometer. By then forming an analogous measurement manifold based on the actual radiometer observations, the radiative consistency between the model representation of a rain cloud and the measured representation are compared. In the analysis, the authors explore how various microphysical, macrophysical, and environmental factors affect the nature of the model manifolds, and how these factors produce or mitigate mismatch between the measurement and model manifolds. Various methods are examined that can be used to eliminate such mismatch. The various cloud‐radiation databases are also used with a simplified profile retrieval algorithm to examine the sensitivity of the retrieved hydrometeor profiles and surface rainrates to the different microphysical, macrophysical, and environmental factors of the simulated storms. The results emphasize the need for physical retrieval algorithms to account for a number of these factors, thus preventing biased interpretation of the rain properties of precipitating storms, and minimizing rms uncertainties in the retrieved quantities.


Fire resistance is an important factor in sustaining the structural stability of steel framed buildings on fire. However, evaluation of the fire resistance of steel columns has been conducted using rolled steels for general structures, SS 400. Recently, rolled steels for welded structures, such as SM 400 and SM 490, have been used frequently because they have better performance of welding than the SS 400. However, there has been doubt about how much fire resistance SM 400 and SM 490 have. To evaluate by calculation the fire resistance of an H-section column made of SS 400 its mechanical and thermal properties were derived and suggested respectively in the form of regressive equations and the analysis was done based on heat transfer and thermal stress analysis. In this study, the results of the evaluation of H-section columns made of SS 400 with loaded fire tests turned out to be conservative. As a result, a new guideline is required to get the exact fire resistance of another structural steel. †(Received June 27, 2013)


The results of concentrations of 22 trace elements, namely, Au, Ag, As, Pb, Zn, Cu, Co, Mo, Hg, Sb, Tl, Sc, Cr, Ni, La, W, V, U, Th, Bi, Sr and Ga in 56 stream sediment samples collected from Orle drainage system were subjected to univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. The univariate methods used include frequency distribution and cumulative probability plots, while the multivariate methods used are correlation and factor analyses.
Frequency distribution plots showed that the elements are either log-normally or near log-normally distributed at 95 % confidence level. Cumulative probability plots of the elements show that the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Sc, Ni, Cr and Ga consisted of one population, whereas those of Au, Hg, Mo, As, La, W, U, Th, Bi, Sr, Tl and V were made up of two populations. Pearson correlation coefficients show that strong correlations exist among Cu-Pb-Zn-Mo-As-Sc-Ni-Bi-V, Au-Hg-Ni-Co-Cu-V, Co-Ni-Cr-Sr-Au, W-As-Mo-Bi, La-Cu-Pb-Zn-Sc-Bi-Ga-Tl, U-Th-La, Co-Tl-V-Ga-Cu-Zn-As-Sc-Ni-Cr, Mo-Ga-V and Hg-Cu-ZnNi-V-Mo-Co. Five factors, whose structures were similar to the subjective groupings derived from the correlation matrix, were derived from R-mode factor analysis and have been interpreted in terms of underlying rock lithology, potential mineralization, and physico-chemical conditions in the environment.
A high possibility of occurrence of mineralization of different metals exists in some of the Precambrian basement complex rocks that underlie the study area. The possible mineral potential of the area include base metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Mo, etc.), Au-Sb-Hg and U-Th-La mineralization. Some elemental associations reflect basement geology and the likelihood of occurrence of the possible mineralization with specific rocks types. Gold and base metal mineralization is likely to occur within the mafic-ultramafic rocks, most probably amphibolite, and U-Th-La mineralization is likely to occur within the felsic rocks, most probably pegmatite in this area.
 Keywords : Reconnaissance, stream sediment, trace elements, statistical analysis, mineralization. Global Journal of Geological Sciences Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 63-74


The Uhland type soil core sampling equipment was used to obtain cores 74 mm in diameter and 76 mm high from the surface 0.25 m of an alluvial soil in Louisiana. Samples were taken in pairs; one sample was taken by hammering the cutting head into the soil, and the other sample was taken by pressing the cutting head into the soil using a hydraulic cylinder. Data for 26 pairs of samples showed that the saturated hydraulic conductivity for the hammered samples averaged 2.36 µm/s, and that for the pressed samples averaged 4.28 µm/s. The difference was statistically different at the 99.5% level. Average oven-dry weight of soil in the cores was 6 g greater for the hammered than for the pressed cores.


Explosives contaminate millions of hectares from various sources (partial detonations, improper storage, and release from production and transport) that can be life-threatening, e.g., landmines and unexploded ordnance. Exposure to and uptake of explosives can also negatively impact plant health, and these factors can be can be remotely sensed. Stress induction was remotely sensed via a whole-plant hyperspectral imaging system as two genotypes of Zea mays, a drought-susceptible hybrid and a drought-tolerant hybrid, and a forage Sorghum bicolor were grown in a greenhouse with one control group, one group maintained at 60% soil field capacity, and a third exposed to 250 mg kg−1 Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX). Green-Red Vegetation Index (GRVI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), Modified Red Edge Simple Ratio (MRESR), and Vogelmann Red Edge Index 1 (VREI1) were reduced due to presence of explosives. Principal component analyses of reflectance indices separated plants exposed to RDX from control and drought plants. Reflectance of Z. mays hybrids was increased from RDX in green and red wavelengths, while reduced in near-infrared wavelengths. Drought Z. mays reflectance was lower in green, red, and NIR regions. S. bicolor grown with RDX reflected more in green, red, and NIR wavelengths. The spectra and their derivatives will be beneficial for developing explosive-specific indices to accurately identify plants in contaminated soil. This study is the first to demonstrate potential to delineate subsurface explosives over large areas using remote sensing of vegetation with aerial-based hyperspectral systems.


Embryo implantation is critically dependent on a supportive uterine environment. Uterine receptivity is the culmination of a cellular and molecular transformation mediated locally by paracrine signals under the governance of ovarian steroid hormones, with cells and cytokines of the immune system playing integral roles in this process (1,2). The implantation rates and subsequent pregnancy rates in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) programs are lower than the normal fertile population. During IVF treatment regimens, intercourse is not allowed and artificial insemination is excluded. There is a substantial body of evidence supporting the need for exposure of the female reproductive tract to semen / seminal plasma around the time of embryo implantation in order to maximize reproductive efficiency (3). The aim of this chapter is to examine the available evidences suggesting why intercourse is beneficial or harmful to assisted reproductive techniques outcome.


Full details of our synthetic studies toward plusbacin A3 (1), which is a depsipeptide with antibacterial activity, and its dideoxy derivative are described. To establish an efficient synthetic route of 1, a solvent-dependent diastereodivergent Joullié-Ugi three-component reaction (JU-3CR) was used to construct trans-Pro(3-OH) in a small number of steps. Two strategies were investigated toward the total synthesis. In the first synthetic strategy, the key steps were the trans-selective JU-3CR and a macrolactonization at the final stage of the synthesis. The JU-3CR using alkyl isocyanides in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol provided the trans products, and the coupling of the fragments to prepare the macrocyclization precursor proceeded smoothly. However, attempts toward the macrolactonization did not provide the desired product. Then, the second strategy that included esterification in an initial stage was investigated. Methods for constructing trans-Pro(3-OH) were examined using a convertible isocyanide, which could be converted to a carboxylic acid required for the following amidation. Ester bond formation was achieved through an intermolecular coupling using a hydroxyl-Asp derivative and the corresponding alcohol, and the amidation afforded a linear depsipeptide. The macrolactamization of the linear peptide gave the cyclic depsipeptide, and then the global deprotection accomplished the total synthesis of 1 and its dideoxy derivative.


High temperature creep properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys have been evaluated quantitatively. Creep test was carried out under a stress range of 50-100 MPa and a temperature range of 250-300°C. Within the limits of the creep test conditions used in this study, the activation energy for creep of investigated alloys is in the range of 160-240 kJ/mol, and the stress exponent is in the range of 3.7-5.2. Accordingly, the creep mechanism of the investigated alloys is considered to be power law creep. Creep resistance of the investigated alloys depends on chemical composition, it improves with increase in gadolinium content, which implies an increase in the quantity of precipitates. The creep resistance of the high gadolinium-containing alloys exceeds that of the existing heat resistant magnesium alloy, WE54A alloy.


Protein synthesis inhibition is an immediate response during stress to switch the composition of protein pool in order to adapt to the new environment. It was reported that this response could be either protective or deleterious. However, how cells choose to live or die upon protein synthesis inhibition is largely unknown. Previously, we have shown that elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF2K), a protein kinase that suppresses protein synthesis during elongation phase, is a positive regulator of apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Consistently, here we report that knock-out of eEF2K protects mice from a lethal dose of whole-body ionizing radiation at 8 Gy by reducing apoptosis levels in both bone marrow and gastrointestinal tracts. Surprisingly, similar to the loss of p53, eEF2K deficiency results in more severe damage to the gastrointestinal tract at 20 Gy with the increased mitotic cell death in small intestinal stem cells. Furthermore, using epithelial cell lines, we showed that eEF2K is required for G2/M arrest induced by radiation to prevent mitotic catastrophe in a p53-independent manner. Specifically, we observed the elevation of Akt/ERK activity as well as the reduction of p21 expression in Eef2k−/− cells. Therefore, eEF2K also provides a protective strategy to maintain genomic integrity by arresting cell cycle in response to stress. Our results suggest that protective versus pro-apoptotic roles of eEF2K depend on the type of cells: eEF2K is protective in highly proliferative cells, such as small intestinal stem cells and cancer cells, which are more susceptible to mitotic catastrophe.


In spite of clear cut indications for surgery and the use of standardized techniques, operative failures are still to be found in carotid surgery, that is, the occurrence or aggravation of neurologic symptoms in connection with surgical reconstruction. These can present when the patient regains consciousness or develop from hours to days postoperatively. Within 3 1/2 years 93 carotid artery operations were performed in 79 patients. The purpose of our presentation is to describe 5 patients who developed neurologic deficits after a successful carotid reconstructive procedure within 18 hours to 10 days postoperatively. These patients were immediately returned to the operation room and reoperated upon. In 4 of 5 cases we achieved a complete recovery. Even though our patient content is small we want to point out that in patients who develop neurological deficits postoperatively after successful surgical procedures an immediate reoperation is mandatory, and may be completely successful. In almost all patients with recurrent neurological deficits after primarily successful reconstructions we carried out control angiograms. We want to emphasize that these procedures are not obligatory since the cause for reoperation is nearly always technical and will require operative revision.