A transcutaneous Energy Transfer (TET) is a system that uses electromagnetic fields to transfer power from outside the body to an artificial organ (AO) inside the body. In this work a systematic approach to obtain an optimal TET is proposed by using a multi-objective optimization approach that minimizes the volume and the thermal effects of the TET and takes into account the electrical constraints of the device. In order to solve the multi-objective optimization problem a Compromise Programming based criterion was adopted followed by a local constrained optimization. In order to reduce computational time, the device attributes were modeled by an alternative proposed Kriging tree model, which is a class of surrogate functions based on Kriging models from a set of data simulated by Finite Element Methods applications.


International conference on tidal environments was held every four years,it is the first time for China to be a successful host of the 7th conference in September,2008,bringing together newly research achievements on tidal deposition and environments."Modern and ancient tidal sedimentation and sedimentary sequences","tidal hydrodynamics-sediment dynamics and morphodynamics","impacts of global change and human activities on tidal environments" and "physical and mathematical modeling techniques for tidal environments" were considered as the focus topics.It introduced the six main tidal depositional systems on China's shallow and wide continental shelf which is famous for museum of tidal depositional morphology on continental shelf;for its close relations to human's activities the development of tide-dominated delta was drew much attention;identification and analysis of tidal sedimentary sequence not only show the source of sediments,but also reveal the dynamic mechanism of behavior pattern of tidal currents and sediments.The environmental effects of tidal deposition are not just regional but even more the apparent response to global change,therefore,its monitoring and physics-numerical simulation under this background play an irreplaceable role in the understanding of tidal depositional systems of high-and low-latitude regions in response to global change and transformation of depositional systems by extreme climate events.


This paper addresses some issues related to the nanomechanical responses of decagonal quasicrystals using nanoindentation techniques. A Hysitron Triboscope with a Berkovich indenter was used to carry out the nanoindentation tests on single crystals of Al–Co–Ni decagonal phase. The anisotropy in terms of nanohardness at higher load was observed, whereas it was not possible to establish the same at lower loads. However, the Young's modulus was found to be indistinguishable in all these cases. Discontinuity in load displacement, which is known as a 'pop-in' effect, was observed frequently at various load regime. It was found that this discontinuity was not due to cracking or a phase transformation effect, but to a plastic yielding phenomena and nanodeformation of the material. Significant differences between the nanohardness and microhardness were noticed and are discussed based on various experimental parameters and the consequent mechanical response of materials.


Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are global problems and currently over 100 million STIs occur each year in people within the 15-24 age bracket. Young people between ages 15 and 24 also account for more than fifty (50) percent of all HIV infections throughout the world. A survey research questionnaire made up of three trajectories including sexual behaviour scale, attitude towards STI/HIV/AIDS scale and knowledge of STI/HIV/AIDS scale was used in this study (n= 226, mean=18.3years). The study made use of frequency counts, percentage and regression analysis. The study indicates a fairly high knowledge level of STI/HIV (89.4%) with more males (87%) and younger participants (88%) possessing good knowledge of STI/HIV. Majority of the participants are sexually active (63.3%) and of this are more males (61.3%) and younger participants (15-19 years, 60%). Findings show that age (β = 0.025; t = 0.04; p > 0.05) was not a predictor of attitude towards STI/ HIV. However, knowledge of STI/HIV (β = 0.459; t = 5.032; p < 0.05) and sexual behaviour (β = 0.341; t = 4.278; p < 0.05) were strong predictors of attitude towards STI/HIV. This study shows the need for strong advocacy, enlightenment and community mobilization for improved awareness of STI/HIV. Local, community and religious leaders, including youth leaders should be incorporated into the drive to increase awareness and knowledge of STI/HIV/AIDS among young people in Nigeria. Keywords : STI/HIV knowledge and attitude, sexual behaviour, students


The synthesis of benzoquinone natural product 2 and three analogues is described. The synthesized compounds were tested for their ability to protect Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) lymphocytes from induced oxidative stress. One of the analogues (3) conferred cytoprotection in a dose-dependent manner in FRDA lymphocytes at micromolar concentrations. The biological assays suggest that the modification of the 2-hydroxy and N-(3-carboxypropyl) groups in the natural product can improve its antioxidant activity and significantly enhance its ability to protect mitochondrial function under conditions of oxidative stress.


Synaptoarchitecture is a new notion, refering to the spatial distribution of motor and plates, to the shape of these synapses and to the last ramifications of motor were fibers. In muscles of the rats limbs, endplates are forming a small strip almost perpendicularly to the main direction of muscle fibers. But in sphincters and in orbicular muscles end plates are randomly distributed. The spatial distributions of end plates in muscles of the limbs build up a synchronizer for simultaneous contraction of all fibers in a given muscle. However in some few muscles of the rat, as are the m. sartorius, m. gracilis and mm. glutei, there are many strips, corresponding to the composite structure of these muscles. A composite structure is one which fibers are not only attached to a tendon, but also to other fibers in the midst of the muscle, without any tendon. It is possible to synchronize even a composite structure, if all synapses are properly located, the end plates being all at the same distance from the farthest insertion. In some rodents, lagomorphs and carnivores almost all muscles are composite. Consequently they are all of the disperse type. There is a bunivoque correspondence between the composite structure and the disperse type of innvervation. The shape of motor end plates is changeable under various pathological and physiological circumstances. Beside the common form, there are "myoid" synapses, as may be encountered in myasthenia gravis, in intensive corticotherapy and in the sphincter ani externus. Myoid synapses are of several sorts: elongated, multipartite and minute synapses. For explanation of these various shapes a hypothesis is put forward, concerning structural changes in the postsynaptic membrane. Finally nervous fibers are so located, as to permit the follow up of the pertinent motor endplate, dislocated by muscular contraction.


This paper describes distinctive ethical challenges encountered in qualitative research with migrant children. It brings attention to how the exploratory nature of qualitative research, intersected with the multifaced realities of migrant children, shapes stances towards these ethical challenges.,The paper is developed through conceptual and reflective contributions. It narrates distinctiveness within ethical challenges via the literature. It then illustrates these, through the author's experiences of negotiating such tensions on a project with a category of migrant children, namely, separated children.,Ethical choices are made throughout the research processes. These choices need to be matched to distinctive childhood and migration intersections, and methodological frameworks must reflect these, including when applied to standardised ethical guidelines. Transparency, reflexivity and positionality influence these choices, and researchers have enhanced responsibility to minimise harm in how they research migrant children.,Findings relate to work in development, where sensitivities regarding research conduct are still present. The scope is therefore on particular challenges of dealing with ethical codes and practices. The intention of the author is for this to be a reflective discussion producing paper, but not a practice guide.,Its value is centred on taking generalised ethical challenges in qualitative work with children and systematically contextualising these regarding factors specific to migrant children, arguing that the way which migrant children are represented is in itself a key ethical challenge. It further contributes to the body of knowledge by describing procedures of a qualitative study which address some of this distinctiveness.


PII signal transduction proteins are among the most widely distributed signaling proteins in nature; these proteins are direct sensors of α-ketoglutarate and adenylylate energy charge and control receptors that are signal transduction proteins, metabolic enzymes, or permeases involved in nitrogen metabolism. Prior studies showed that α-ketoglutarate regulated the ability of PII to control the activities of glutamine synthetase adenylyltransferase (ATase) but did not affect the ability of PII to bind to ATase. Here, we show that a similar pattern of α-ketoglutarate regulation was obtained with another PII receptor, the two-component system transmitter protein NRII (NtrB). Although α-ketoglutarate was required for the binding of PII to NRII, PII bound to NRII equally well as the concentration of α-ketoglutarate was varied through its physiological range. Variation of the concentration of α-ketoglutarate through its physiological range provided dramatic regulation of the ability of PII to activate the phosphatase activity of NRII and controlled the ability of PII to inhibit the autophosphorylation of NRII. Thus, PII control of NRII activities could be dissected into distinct binding and regulation steps, and when present in its physiological concentration range, α-ketoglutarate apparently played a role in only the latter step.


The socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) offers a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of adolescent social isolation on the brain, immune system, and behavior. In the current study, male and female prairie voles were randomly assigned to be housed alone or with a same-sex cagemate after weaning (i.e., on postnatal day 21–22) for a 6-week period. Thereafter, subjects were tested for anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors using the elevated plus maze (EPM) and Forced Swim Test (FST), respectively. Blood was collected to measure peripheral cytokine levels, and brain tissue was processed for microglial density in various brain regions, including the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc), Medial Amygdala (MeA), Central Amygdala (CeA), Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST), and Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus (PVN). Sex differences were found in EPM and FST behaviors, where male voles had significantly lower total arm entries in the EPM as well as lower latency to immobility in the FST compared to females. A sex by treatment effect was found in peripheral IL-1β levels, where isolated males had a lower level of IL-1β compared to cohoused females. Post-weaning social isolation also altered microglial density in a brain region-specific manner. Isolated voles had higher microglial density in the NAcc, MeA, and CeA, but lower microglial density in the dorsal BNST. Cohoused male voles also had higher microglial density in the PVN compared to cohoused females. Taken together, these data suggest that post-weaning social housing environments can alter peripheral and central immune systems in prairie voles, highlighting a potential role for the immune system in shaping isolation-induced alterations to the brain and behavior.


In this article, a novel approach to measuring the gross groundwater recharge rate over a district area is presented. It is based on soil resistivity measurements. It is nondestructive, and allows quick, low-cost mapping of infiltration over large areas, which makes it particularly relevant for land planning. An empirical relationship between soil resistivity, ρ , and permeability, k , must be established before the permeability is related to the gross recharge rate theoretically. The method has been applied in Marpoyan Damai, Pekanbaru, Indonesia. The empirical relationship between resistivity and permeability was determined as log k = −0.1588 ρ + 6.628. The administrative districts within Marpoyan Damai with the lowest and highest annual gross groundwater recharge rate were found to be Wonorejo (about 61,000 m 3 /a for a 0.3 km 2 drainage area) and East Sidomulyo (about 881,000 m 3 /a for 1.44 km 2 ).


The 2020 Census County Assessment Tool was developed to assist decennial census data users in identifying deviations between expected census counts and the released counts across population and housing indicators. The tool also offers contextual data for each county on factors which could have contributed to census collection issues, such as self-response rates and COVID-19 infection rates. The tool compiles this information into a downloadable report and includes additional local data sources relevant to the data collection process and experts to seek more assistance.


This study reports a comparative and mechanistic genotoxicity assessment of four engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) across three species, including E. coli, yeast, and human cells, with the aim to reveal the distinct potential genotoxicity mechanisms among the different nanomaterials and their association with physiochemical features. Both the conventional phenotypic alkaline comet test and the newly developed quantitative toxicogenomics assay, that detects and quantifies molecular level changes in the regulation of six DNA damage repair pathways, were employed. The proposed molecular endpoints derived from the toxicogenomics assays, namely TELI (Transcriptional Effect Level Index) and PELI (Protein Effect Level Index), correlated well with the phenotypic DNA damage endpoints from comet tests, suggesting that the molecular genotoxicity assay is suitable for genotoxicity detection. Temporal altered gene or protein expression profiles revealed various potential DNA damage types and relevant genotoxic mechanisms induced by the tested ENMs. nTiO2_a induced a wide spectrum of DNA damage consistently across three species. Three carbon-based ENMs, namely carbon black, single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and fullerene, exhibited distinct, species and ENM property-dependent DNA damage mechanisms. All carbon based ENMs induced relatively weak DNA damage repair response in E. coli, but more severe DNA double strand break in eukaryotes. The differences in cellular structure and defense systems among prokaryotic and eukaryotic species lead to distinct susceptibility and mechanisms for ENM uptake and, thus, varying DNA damages and repair responses. The observation suggested that eukaryotes, especially mammalian cells, are likely more susceptible to genotoxicity than prokaryotes in the ecosystem when exposed to these ENMs.


An improved butt coupling method is used to fabricate an electroabsorption modulator (EAM) monolithi-cally integrated with a distributed feedback (DFB) laser. The obtained electroabsorption-modulated laser (EML) chip with the traditional shallow ridge exhibits very low threshold current of 12 mA, output power of more than 8 mW, and static extinction ratio of -7 dB at the applied bias voltage from 0.5 to -2.0 V.


Analyzing the control quality in autonomic contour of articulation control system an account is made for the nonlinearities of the type of the zone ofunsensitivity, limitation and logarithmic response of the receptor. Regions of stablity and autooscillation frequency are determined. The role of recontrolling value is stated as a criterion of the control quality. It is suggested that the mechanisms of some stammering forms are concerned with the initiation of autooscillations in the articulation control system.


The ArF laser sputtering of calcium hydroxide, strontium hydroxide, and sucrose crystals is studied by laser induced fluorescnce (LIF) and LIF time of flight (TOF) techniques under vacuum conditions. Studied using LIF for these three materials, at several fluences (0.83, 1.7, and 2.2 J /cm 2 ) and probe distance (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.5, and 2.1 cm) yield an average rotational temperature of 560±16 K from the first six rotational states for the Q1, R1, R2, and Q2 lines. No rotational cooling was observed as a function of distance. The translational temperature analysis by LIF-TOF indicates that the process can be represented by a fast and slow component


The availability is one of the most important feature of a technical object which shapes its operational quality. The paper undertakes the issue related to the quantification of functional availability of vehicles, with reference to reliability aspects. The conducted exploitation research paved the way for elaborating methods of determining functional availability for vehicles, in particular focusing on reliability. The essential research was conducted using the developed mathematical model based on the probabilistic, stochastic Markov process, which allowed modelling the process of changes in the exploitation states of vehicles.
In view of the above, it is essential to develop methods that enable the most accurate estimation of the functional availability of vehicles. Knowing the values of functional availability, we can estimate the probability of performing assigned tasks and precisely control the vehicle exploitation system, especially in terms of availability, which is important for vehicles.
This work presents a method for determining the functional availability of vehicles, taking into account the limitations introduced by the vehicle exploitation system.  Particular attention was paid to the possibility of using probabilistic, stochastic semiMarkov models, whose rules and method of creation were generally described, with regard to the ability to acquire operational data in the vehicle exploitation system.


Implant loosening is a common indication for total hip replacement (THR) revision. High contact forces and implant twisting moments are thought to be associated with implant loosening. Relationships between joint positioning and hip forces, or outcomes, have been investigated through in vivo and in vitro modalities. Relationships between hip forces and gait are less understood, despite repeated findings that gait following a THR does not fully return to normal. We tested the hypothesis that gait parameters would be better predictors of implant force (peak contact forces and peak twisting moment during walking) than joint positioning parameters. Subjects underwent gait analysis, hip force modeling, and measurement of clinical radiographs 1 year after successful THR surgery. Gait parameters were consistently more influential in determining hip forces. Alone, gait explained as much as 67% of the variation in force, compared to a maximum of 33% by joint geometry. Combinations of gait and joint positioning parameters together explained up to 86% of the variation in hip force parameters. Results suggest that gait may provide a valuable postoperatively modifiable target to improve hip loads and potentially reduce the risk for implant loosening. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1576–1582, 2009


In this project, the homogeneous advanced oxidation (AOP) process based on the generation of very reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals has been used for degrading Diethanolamine. With the presence of ultraviolet and hydrogen peroxide in this method, degradation of diethanolamine (DEA) in solution will be further studied. Other than that, the effects of initial hydrogen peroxide concentration, diethanolamine concentration, initial pH and temperature will be examined to determine the optimum condition for degrading diethanolamine. In most of
petrochemical plant, amine-based CO2 is used to capture carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide in the flue gas before it is released to the atmosphere. It is very
important to remove carbon dioxide in the flue gas because releasing flue gas with carbon dioxide content to the atmosphere can increase greenhouse gases which then
lead to serious environmental problem. An experiment in the laboratory will be conducted and the sample will be analysed by using total organic carbon (TOC)
Shimadzu Model equipment to measure the total organic carbon after 4 hours degradation. The experiment conducted involved the effects of initial hydrogen
peroxide concentration, initial diethanolamine concentration, initial pH and temperature to the DEA degradation by using UV/H2O2. Finally, optimization of
DEA degradation is determined by using Portable StatgraphicsCenturion 126.96.36.199 statistical software and also by doing experiment in laboratory.


Soil moisture, salinity, ground water table and salt concentration were measured monthly in seven typical plant communities for one year in Sangonghe basin of Xinjiang. Temporal dynamics of soil water and salinity during growing season were compared within these communities. The dominant species in each of these communities were Suaeda physophora, Reaumuria soongorica, Anabasis aphylla and Kalidium foliatum, Tamarix ramosissima, Alhagi pseudalhagi and Haloxylon ammodendron respectively. Results show that soil water content and salinity were significantly different among all these communities. In the edge of alluvial fan and low reaches of the river, ground water table was high, soil profile was moist, and salt concentrated in the soil upper layers and surface. Soils were all saline with dominant species of T. ramosissima, A. aphylla and K. foliatum. In the plain area, communities were dominated by R. soongoricaand S. physophora Ground water table was generally low, but soil surface and up layer contained high salt concentration. Soil here belonged to strong to medium salinized soil. In ecotone, ground water table increased due to the irrigation in the nearby oasis. From soil surface to deep layers, water content increased gradually with no salt accumulation for all the layers. Vegetation in ecotone was stable and dominated by A. pseudalhagi. In intervale of desert, ground water table was very deep and soil was very dry throughout of the profile. There were no significant differences in vertical and temporal change of soil moisture. Communities were dominated by H. ammodendron. Spatial and temporal dynamics of the soil moisture and salinity caused community subrogation, and were the two main factors that affected distribution and succession of plant communities.


By examining 139 patients suffering from locomotor diseases the author could observe the characteristic accompanying diseases as well as high uric acid level in 40 cases. She analyses the current opinions on hyperuricaemia and reports on her observations with uricosuric and antithrombotic coated Rabenid tablet (RG). She found sulfinpyrazone to be effective and valuable in the examined indication field.


Thank you for allowing me to reply to your correspondents. I am grateful to Dr Casey for emphasising the importance of efficient resuscitation and that it requires an anaesthetist. Editorial brevity precluded my enlarging on all the points I wished to make. I cannot agree however that a mannequin is an adequate substitute for the live patient in the anaesthetic room on which to learn resuscitation techniques. Lumbar epidural blocks remain largely the province of anaesthetists on the grounds that the patient may collapse and require resuscitation; yet among the last 8000 epidurals in this hospital there has been no case of accidental total spinal. IVRA has passed into the hands of non-anaesthetists, because it is so simple to perform, quite forgetting that it is a much more dangerous technique than epidural blockade. The relative circulatory toxicity of lignocaine and bupivacaine remains unresolved. Though the work cited by Dr Goold suggests a higher toxicity for bupivacaine than lignocaine in acidotic conditions, other studies"* indicate a greater margin of safety for bupivacaine than for lignocaine. Indeed, when we were as free with our overdoses of lignocaine as we have been latterly with bupivacaine, very similar cases of apparently irreversible circulatory toxicity were reported following the older agent.' Cardiovascular effects of prilocaine have not been subject to the same scrutiny, nor has the agent been used as extensively as bupivacaine in this country by non-anaesthetists. A single trial of non-comparable concentrations of the two drugs, to which both Dr Goold and I refer, is not evidence of wide use. Nevertheless, Tryba and his colleagues4 have, shown that when used in equipotent concentration, the plasma levels of bupivacaine approach the toxic much more nearly than do those of prilocaine. I therefore must concur with Dr Goold and reassure Dr Casey that I believe prilocaine 4 mg/kg will prove safer than bupivacaine 1.5 mg/kg on kinetic grounds alone; it is moreover now being marketed by Astra in preservative-free solution. May I take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of weighing the patient prior to any form of regional anaesthesia? The concentration of local anaesthetic is irrelevant to toxicity (provided unknowing injection into the circulation is avoided) it is the maximum safe dose in mg/kg that is important. Indeed there may be less venous escape if IVRA is performed with a small volume of high conceatration than the reverse. And the logic of proscribing bupivacaine 0.75% in obstetrics, instead of simply reiterating that the maximum safe dose is 2 mg/kg, eludes me.


In this paper laying date and clutch size of breeding Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio in two time periods (1905–1925 and 1985–1999) in southern Poland are compared. Comparisons were made on two separate data sets: a museum collection and nest-cards from the Polish Nest Record Scheme. No significant differences between time of laying (median was 26 May in both periods) and clutchsize (5.01 vs. 5.06, respectively) were found. The possibility of using mu seum collections and nest-cards to analyse long-term trends in life-history traits is discussed.


The use of non-overlap windings rather than overlap windings is a topic for debate. Non-overlap windings are generally cheaper and easier to manufacture but result in a high amount of magnetomotive force sub- and higher-order harmonics. A strategy to reduce these harmonics has been previously published and this study aims to provide a performance comparison of a large-scale wound rotor synchronous generator with a modified non-overlap winding and a classical overlap winding. Hence, design optimisations of a 16/18 and 16/72 pole/slot grid-connected 3 MW wound rotor synchronous generator for medium-speed wind generation are conducted. The optimisations are performed using the modified method of feasible direction gradient-based optimisation because of its simplicity and fast results. Optimal solutions for the 16/18 and 16/72 3 MW models are obtained and the performance of the solutions compared. The results show that the 3 MW 16/18 model performs favourably against the 3 MW 16/72 model, especially regarding the lower active mass.


In a previous paper, we proposed two heuristic algorithms for the euclidean 2period Balanced Travelling Salesman Problem (2B-TSP). In this problem, which arises from a similar one introduced by Butler et al., a certain number of customers must be visited at minimum total cost over a period of two days: some customers must be visited daily, and the others on alternate days (even or odd days). Moreover, the number of customers visited in every tour must be 'balanced', i.e. it must be the same or, alternatively, the difference between the maximum and the minimum number of visited customers must be less than a given threshold: this kind of constraint does not appear explicitly in the paper by Butler. In this paper a third algorithm is presented which overcomes some inadequacy of the algorithm A2 we proposed in the previous paper. The new algorithm's performance is then analyzed, with respect particularly with the first proposed algorithm.


The growth of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films by rf-sputtering using a facing targets geometry is described. This study focuses on the influence of the substrate on PZT thin film composition, structure, and electrical properties. The deposition temperatures ranged from room temperature to 700 °C and the process gas was a mixture of argon and oxygen. Effects of deposition conditions and post-deposition annealing on film composition, microstructure, and properties were evaluated using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and measurements of the permittivity and polarization. The microstructure, composition, and permittivity of the films were found to be strongly dependent on the substrate temperature and on the preparation history of the films.


The delay time involved in switching indium cryotrons is investigated as a function of the applied magnetic control fields. For overdrive fields greater than the isothermal critical magnetic field, but smaller than the constant-entropy critical magnetic field, the rate of transition appears to be controlled by the rate of supply of latent heat from the environment. In this range of overdrive, delay times (for build-up of full resistance) experimentally determined and calculated with overdrive and temperature as controlled variables are in the range of 0.1 to 1 µsec in good quantitative agreement. For overdrive fields 40 per cent above the critical magnetic field, the delay times (10 to 40 nsec) for build-up of full resistance are unexpectedly long compared to the phase propagation time through the film (less than 1 nsec) computed from Pippard's equations for eddy-current delay. Indeed, the normal phase appears to nucleate first in isolated regions from which it propagates laterally (i.e., in the plane of the film) to provide for a rather continuous increase in resistance from the time the pulse is started until the transition is complete. Thus, the major delay in the completion of the transition is probably associated with the time taken to propagate the phase between the various nucleation sites. The propagation distance, i.e., the distance between nucleation centers, is then calculated to be several microns. Methods of decreasing the delay time are discussed.


With the growing popularity of data and service outsourcing, where the data resides on remote servers in encrypted form, there remain open questions about what kind of query operations can be performed on the encrypted data. In this paper, we focus on one such important query operation, namely range query. One of the basic security primitive that can be used to evaluate range queries is secure comparison of encrypted integers. However, the existing secure comparison protocols strongly rely on the encrypted bit-wise representations rather than on pure encrypted integers. Therefore, in this paper, we first propose an efficient method for converting an encrypted integer z into encryptions of the individual bits of z. We then utilize the proposed security primitive to construct a new protocol for secure evaluation of range queries in the cloud computing environment. Furthermore, we empirically show the efficiency gains of using our security primitive over existing method under the range query application.


According to a first program, a supplementary comparison of Rn-222 volume activity was drawn up as a bilateral supplementary comparison between NSC 'Institute of Metrology', Ukraine, and VNIIFTRI, Russia. It took place in March 2005. In April 2005, at the 5th meeting of COOMET held in Braunschweig (Germany), representatives of these institutes exchanged data which showed the comparability of the national standards of Ukraine and Russia for the check points. During the discussion of the procedure some other institutes decided to join the comparison program, which was extended to BelGIM (Belarus), PTB (Germany), VNIIM (Russia) and RMTC (Latvia). The national standards of volume activity of radon-222 were thus calibrated using one standard radon radiometer as the transfer standard. Results are shown in the Final Report of the comparison. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by COOMET, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).


In this article, we modelled the Colombian long run economic growth (1925–2003) using a two-regime first order Markov switching model. We found evidence of nonlinearity in the annual rate of economic growth. The results show that changes between regimes are sudden and sporadic. The Colombian economy remains in the sustainable growth regime most of the time. The turning points from the Markov switching model capture very well the behaviour of real output through time. In fact, they identify the four main depressions of the century.


Abstract The structure of zinc chloride complexes with different ratios of chloride to zinc, formed in concentrated ZnCl2 aqueous solutions, were determined from large-angle X-ray scattering using concentrations of the chloride complexes estimated by complementary Raman spectroscopic measurements. The highest chloro complex, [ZnCl4]2-, is tetrahedral with a Zn-Cl bond length of 2.294(4) Å. The trichloro complex, [ZnCl3]-, which coordinates one water molecule, is pyramidal with the Cl-Zn-Cl angle 111°. The Zn-Cl and the Zn-H2O bonds are 2.282(4) and 1.9 Å, respectively. The two lower complexes, [ZnCl2] and [ZnCl]+ , cannot be separated by Raman spectra. The average Zn-Cl distance in these complexes is 2.24 Å, and the average Zn-H2O distance is 1.9 Å. In [Zn(H2O)6]2+ the Zn-H2O distance is 2.15 Å.


HPTLC fingerprinting profile of the alcohol and aqueous extracts of Drosera burmannii is described. Seven components have been detected in the alcohol extract. Further, plumbagin, an useful antifertility agent, was also detected by comparison with the reference standard. The aqueous extract revealed two spots with no spot corresponding to plumbagin.


The persistent programming systems of the 1980s offered a programming model that integrated computation and long-term storage. In these systems, reliable applications could be engineered without requiring the programmer to write translation code to manage the transfer of data to and from non-volatile storage. More importantly, it simplified the programmer's conceptual model of an application, and avoided the many coherency problems that result from multiple cached copies of the same information. Although technically innovative, persistent languages were not widely adopted, perhaps due in part to their closed-world model. Each persistent store was located on a single host, and there were no flexible mechanisms for communication or transfer of data between separate stores. Here we re-open the work on persistence and combine it with modern peer-to-peer techniques in order to provide support for orthogonal persistence in resilient and potentially long-running distributed applications. Our vision is of an infrastructure within which an application can be developed and distributed with minimal modification, whereupon the application becomes resilient to certain failure modes. If a node, or the connection to it, fails during execution of the application, the objects are re-instantiated from distributed replicas, without their reference holders being aware of the failure. Furthermore, we believe that this can be achieved within a spectrum of application programmer intervention, ranging from minimal to totally prescriptive, as desired. The same mechanisms encompass an orthogonally persistent programming model. We outline our approach to implementing this vision, and describe current progress.


PURPOSE
To associate hipotony with grip strength in palmar prehension seeking to indicate parameters and a scale of force for bearers of the Down's Syndrome, once there is a growing increase of the longevity in that population and a lack of works, as well as to identify through literature revision and an anatomic and kinesiologic analysis of the muscles involved in this movement.

METHODS
Transversal analytic study that had the participation of 138 individuals, distributed in two groups: group of study (GE) = 28 (Down Syndrome's bearers) and the group control (GC) = 110 (normal individuals). The instrument used was the JAMAR dynamometer.

RESULTS
It was verified grip strength significantly smaller for the group GE in relation to the group GC.

CONCLUSIONS
men has a prevalence palmar prehension grip strength in relation to women; it was verified a significant deficit of the palmar prehension grip strength in the group GE when compared with the group GC; the obtained results should be considered an indicative of force to rehabilitate the hand function in individuals with Down's Syndrome; it should be taken in consideration the hand's characteristics of the Down's Syndrome bearer, because perhaps they present better results for grip strength with the dynamometer in the position 1; the principal muscles involved in the movement are: long flexor of the thumb; tenars muscles (opponent of the thumb, adductor of the thumb and short flexor of the thumb); hypotenars muscles (short flexor of the minimum finger); superficial flexor of the fingers; deep flexor of the fingers and the 4 lumbrical.


Contact tracing is the approach to identifying physical contact between human beings using a variety of data such as personal details and locations to discover the potential infection of diseases. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing has been used extensively to quarantine the people at risk to stop the spread. Moreover, the data collected during contact tracing are typical spatiotemporal data, which can be used to study the disease and discover the spread pattern. However, both traditional labor-intensive and modern digital-based approaches have limitations in terms of cost and privacy concerns. In this paper, we proposed GeauxTrace, a Blockchain-based privacy-protecting contact tracing platform, which separates private data from proof of contact. Sensitive data collected by the front-end app via Bluetooth-based methods are stored locally, and only the proofs of contacts are uploaded onto the immutable private blockchain, which forms a global contact graph at the backend. Our approach not only enables multi-hop risky users to be notified but also reveals the infection patterns via the global graph, which could help study diseases and assist the policymaker. Our implementation shows the feasibility of the proposed platform in real-world scenarios and achieves the performance of 20-30 user requests per second.


An inductively coupled plasma spectrometric method is described for the determination of 4 elements (Ca, B, P, and Mg) in calcium borogluconate veterinary medicines. Samples are diluted, acidified, and sprayed directly into the plasma. Reproducibility relative confidence intervals for a single sample assay are +/- 1.4% (calcium), +/- 1.8% (boron), +/- 2.6% (phosphorus), and +/- 1.4% (magnesium). The total element concentrations for each of 4 elements compared favorably with concentrations determined by alternative methods. Formulation estimates of levels of calcium gluconate, boric acid, phosphorus, and magnesium salts can be made from the analytical data.


The major tokamak disruption limits the operation of present tokamaks, and present experimental evidence points to the m = 2, n = 1 tearing mode as being primarily responsible for its occurrence. Numerical codes capable of following the full nonlinear history of this mode have been used to develop and test feedback stabilization schemes utilizing helical coils mounted on the interior of the tokamak wall. It is found that a phase detecting feedback system is capable of stabilizing the magnetic island at an island width of a few percent of the tokamak minor radius, requiring a coil current of one to two kiloamps for typical discharge parameters (in PLT).


A recently developed biological model of lactation described changes in daily milk yield throughout lactation as the result of 3 processes, secretory cell differentiation, cell death, and secretion rate per cell. This paper extends the model to describe the production of milk components (fat, protein, lactose, and water) throughout lactation by replacing milk secretion rate of the original model with the secretion rates of the four components. The milk component model approach was used to examine the relationship between milk yield and the major determinants of its production, using the secretion of milk components throughout lactation. Newly derived models were tested on 461 lactations from a single Holstein herd and used to estimate variability of secretion rates throughout lactation. Because the pattern of cell numbers throughout lactation is not precisely known, an alternative pattern of cell numbers was modeled and the concomitant change in secretion rates outlined. Fat secretion rate was the most variable, as measured by its weekly coefficient of variation throughout lactation. Secretion rates of lactose and water were nearly constant throughout lactation and highly correlated (0.94). Fat and protein secretion rates also were well correlated (0.53). The known biochemistry of milk component production related well to the secretion rate observations derived from the model. Lactose secretion rate and numbers of active secretory cells primarily determined daily milk yield.


Through modification of the coupled-wave equation for three-wave mixing optical parametric amplification, the influence of the spectral properties of the pump radiation is investigated theoretically. It is shown that the is larger when the pump power is distributed among several laser cavity modes as compared with that for gain a single-mode case with the same power and otherwise identical conditions. However, sidebands close to the carrier frequency are created in the amplification process, and this development causes problems for on-line applications in fiber communication systems. The carrier-to-sideband ratio is evaluated and shown to be significantly degraded when the gain is large enough.


The decommissioned infrastructure and their temporary new life-spans have been experimented by architects and designers by repurposing old existed structures and buildings. These precedents were mainly to explore their potentials while proposing new but short programmes for sustainable and economic concerns in local communities.

In addition to these concerns, our aim was to examine the gradient between naturalised architecture and industrial/synthetic natures around them. Examining apparent opposites, we have been looking at continuities rather than fractures between landscape and the human demands placed upon it. Locating our specific site in London, United Kingdom, we have started to work on New River which is an artificial waterway located in England, opened essentially in 1613 to supply London inhabitants with fresh drinking water. Using this 400-year-old, 32km long item of infrastructure as our vehicle, the studio investigated what forms & roles architecture might adopt along its length in this specific region. By examining the environments that are seemingly natural and finding them man-made, our studies aim to utilize the nature that we find in our city (London). Our pedagogical goal was to develop a project framework to enable synthetic architectural design methodologies with potential to mitigate contextual use with new programmes.

To explore this goal, BA architecture students at the London South Bank University, under studio 1, have engaged in a series of design projects that have looked for novel and innovative approaches for integrating decommissioned infrastructure and new programmes that have highly complex but positive conditions. The students used contemporary surveying techniques that included extremely precise landscape and topographical details by using drones. Furthermore, contemporary computational techniques such as coding, spatial prototypes and finally design speculations that derived from the existed natural environments being studied.

The synthetic natures, as both practice and pedagogy, sought to extract both physical and social constraints of the natural environments and enable creative exploration of new programmes that might create new type of architectural interventions with infrastructure.


Background: Axillary lymph node metastasis is one of the most important prognostic determinants for patients with breast cancer. It's a big progress from axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), however, SLNB also has some limitations, including the detection failure rate, false negative rate, tracer allergies et al. Since about 70% of early breast cancer patients have negative SLNs, surgery maybe overtreatment for these patients and noninvasive assessment of axillary staging seems to be a better choice. It's not easy to detect and mapping metastasis lymph nodes in vivo non-invasively because we don't have specific cancer markers, but what we know is that most breast cancer cells come from epithelial origin and should have epithelial markers, and this kind of markers should not show up in lymph system. EpCam is a surface epithelial marker and expressed in 80-100% breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of EpCAM antibody in detecting breast cancer lymph node metastases non-invasively. Methods: VX2 rabbit model which is an epithelial tumor model with lymph node metastasis was used in this experiment. Anti-EpCAM was labeled with a near infra-red (NIR) fluorescence imaging agent Cy7 and selected as metastasis tracer. New Zealand white rabbits were assigned to study group and control group at random. Twelve rabbits in the study group received VX2 tumor injection to bilateral mammary glands and 12 rabbits in the control group were tumor free. Twenty four cases of axillary lymph nodes metastasis were investigated in each group because of bilateral experiments. Anti-EpCAM/Cy7 was subcutaneously injected around the tumors in study group or in mammary gland in control group at a dosage of 0.1ml (10umol/L). After 30 hours of screening by a NIR fluorescence detection machine, all the axillary lymph nodes in both groups were removed for pathological examination and the fluorescence status of each node was recorded. Result: The fluorescence signal could be detected 2 hours after injection in 24 cases in the control group and 23 cases in the study group. Thirty hours later, fluorescence disappeared in all cases in the control group and all the lymph nodes resected were pathological negative. While in study group, fluorescence signal could be detected continuously in 14 cases and 13 were proven to be pathological metastasis. The case failed to have fluorescence image from the beginning finally proved to be vascular invasion and cancerous node formation. The sensitivity, specificity rate of anti-EpCAM/Cy7 to detect axillary lymph node metastasis was 92.8% (13/14) and 90.0% (9/10). Conclusion: The NIR dye labeled EpCAM antibody (anti-EpCAM/Cy7) has a high accuracy in evaluating the axillary lymph node status of breast cancer in the animal experiment. Our tiny preclinical experiment showed the value of using EpCAM antibody as a new method for noninvasive lymph node evaluation for breast cancer and potentially extended in a lot of other epithelial originated cancers. Citation Format: Shu Wang, Jiajia Guo, Liulu Zhang, Houpu Yang. Noninvasive assessment of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer using EpCAM antibody [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-01-15.


The Air Force's Armstrong Laboratory recently developed a distributed interactive simulation system. The purpose of this system is to support training effectiveness research involving combat skills. Currently, this simulation system provides the laboratory with most of the air combat simulation capabilities found in more expensive full mission simulators. This paper describes the training needs that lead to the development of this system and summaries the results of two operational training utility evaluations. The first of these evaluations used engineering research simulators at McDonnell Aircraft while the second used the laboratory's local area, distributed simulation network. Participants in both evaluations were mission ready pilots and air weapons controllers. Results of both evaluations show that pilots and controllers perceive similar training benefits in each simulation environment. 1 AIR COMBAT TRAINING NEEDS


The type series of Sargus species described from Scandinavia by P. F. Wahlberg and J. W. Zetterstedt have been studied and lectotypes designated. S. rufipes Wahlb. is a species related to S. splendens Meig. but distinctly different. The differences are described and the male genitalia figured. The established synonymy S. nubeculosus Zett.=S. cuprarius L. has been confirmed. S. nigripes Zett. is a synonym of S. splendens Meig. (syn. nov.). S. minimus Zett. has been fixed by lectotype designation as a synonym of S. cuprarius L.


Mire surface levels reflecting the water table depth are known to be an important vegetation gradient in boreal peatlands. We classified the vegetation by TWINSPAN, interpreted the vegetation gradients by ordination (Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling) and analysed the peat thickness for the TWINSPAN communities and species (Indicator Species Analysis) from small-sized sample plots over extremely thin-peated to medium thick-peated, minerotrophic mire expanse vegetation from an aapa-mire complex Hirvisuo, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The TWINSPAN communities and the ordination-result could be interpreted in relation to the mire surface levels and additionally in relation to the stability of the water regime on the basis of water level measurements made from the same habitat types in an earlier research. Peat thickness correlated with the stability of the water regime so that communities with an unstable water regime on sand were thin-peated (0–30 cm), while communities with a stable water regime were more thick-peated. We conclude here that the mire-ecological water-table gradient was dissected into two vegetation gradients in Hirvisuo: the gradient formed by mire surface levels reflecting the mean water table level and the stability of the water regime, which represents a gradient of local importance over boreal Fennoscandia. Peat procuding ability of the bottom layer in mires seems to be much dependent on it.


The andon is a visual management tool used mainly in manufacturing systems to highlight the status of the operations. In construction industry, its use is not widely known nor reported in academic literature. In understanding the difficulties imposed by this kind of production, it is necessary to adapt this tool to the construction sites. An andon device was implemented in a 55 hectares area of large horizontal residential project, with more than eight hundred apartments, at Fortaleza, Brazil, in order to indicate for the engineer team the exactly position of the problem in each workstation. The device was adapted to a touch screen terminal inside the workstations and it was shared for nine hundred workers, each one has its own identification number. They have to log in at the andon terminal and indicate the actual status of the operation he is executing. As a result, the andon allowed increasing operations transparency, to identify some planning issues and to solve the main causes of interruptions that were classified in four main areas: lack of material, problems with manpower, design documentation and safety. Also, the andon improved worker's sense of responsibility by forecasting future problems that will affect the production. The use of the andon adapted to a horizontal project is an inspiration to other construction companies of how to implement this Toyota system traditional tool at extent construction sites.


In Drosophila, the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein 2 (dCREB2) has been reported to modulate the formation of long-term olfactory memory (LTM). Overexpression of a repressor isoform of CREB (dCREB2-b) under the control of a heat-shock promoter was reported to block LTM, whereas overexpression of an activator isoform (dCREB2-a) was reported to enhance LTM. A ratiometric model based on these results predicts that the balance of functional dCREB2-a and dCREB2-b provides a switch for memories to remain labile or to become enduring. We show here that the dCREB2-a transgene originally reported to enhance LTM carries a mutation that produces a translational reading-frame shift with the consequent formation of a stop codon at predicted amino acid position 79. Overexpression of this mutant dCREB2-a transgene or a corrected dCREB2-a transgene failed to show any enhancement of LTM. Overexpression of the dCREB2-b repressor transgene, in contrast, produced the anticipated block in LTM formation. We discuss the implications of these findings and propose an alternative model for the role of dCREB in Drosophila LTM.


The objective of research is to find out (1) the background of monetary
policy enactment in Soeharto times during 1966-1971; (2) the monetary policy in
Soeharto times during 1966-1971; (3) the implementation of monetary policy in
Soeharto times during 1966-1971; and (4) the impact of monetary policy in
Soeharto times on the economical and political sectors during 1966-1971.
This research used a historical method. The data source employed was
written primary and secondary sources. The data of research was collected using
literary study technique. Technique of collecting data employed in this study was
a historical analysis technique. The research procedure included heuristic,
criticism, interpretation, and historiography.
Based on the result of research, it can be conclusion that: (1) the
background of monetary policy enactment in Soeharto times during 1966-1971
was the monetary riots, the production disruption, commercial balance deficit, as
well as the government's increased budget deficit, foreign debt, demoralization,
all of which are the inheritances from Soekarno government; (2) the monetary
policy in Soeharto times during 1966-1971was based on the MPRS Provision No.
XXIII/MPRS/1966 on July 5 about the Reformation of Economical, Financial and
Development Foundation Policy. Such MRS provision required an integral
economic-financial policy, pertaining two inseparable sides: physical production
and monetary aspects. Therefore, New Order government undertook an
economical policy prioritizing the monetary stability by making monetary policy
coordination, fiscal policy or other macroeconomic policy supporting the
economical stabilization and rehabilitation; (3) the implementation of monetary
policy in Soeharto times during 1966-1971began with the scheduling of foreign
debt and asking for foreign grant to create a balanced budget and to recover
Indonesian economy. Along with it, the government made the attempts of saving
mobilization, credit distribution to the priority sectors in economy, and adjustment
of high interest rate as well as the recovery of single exchange value; (4) the
impact of monetary policy in Soeharto times on the economical and political
sectors during 1966-1971in economic sector included the success of reducing the
growth rate of circulating money and inflation rate, the improvement of public
saving mobilization, balanced budget establishment, the more stable export and
import value corresponding to Indonesian economic requirement and the recovery
of capital flow to home. The impact in political sector included: (a) New Order
Government used economic development to strengthen its legitimacy; (b) New
Order Government created civil bureaucracy that was effective and loyal to the
executive power to support the economic development program; (c) New Order
occurred as the authoritarian bureaucratic country (NBO) as the consequence of
political stability establishment supporting the economic development; and (d) the
dependency on Mafia Berkeley andforeign aid.


Circadian rhythms significantly affect metabolism, and their disruption leads to cardiometabolic diseases and fibrosis. The clock repressor Rev-Erb is mainly expressed in the liver, heart, lung, adipose tissue, skeletal muscles, and brain, recognized as a master regulator of metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, inflammatory response, and fibrosis. Fibrosis is the response of the body to injuries and chronic inflammation with the accumulation of extracellular matrix in tissues. Activation of myofibroblasts is a key factor in the development of organ fibrosis, initiated by hormones, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and mechanical stress. This review summarizes the importance of Rev-Erb in ECM remodeling and tissue fibrosis. In the heart, Rev-Erb activation has been shown to alleviate hypertrophy and increase exercise capacity. In the lung, Rev-Erb agonist reduced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing fibroblast differentiation. In the liver, Rev-Erb inhibited inflammation and fibrosis by diminishing NF-κB activity. In adipose tissue, Rev- Erb agonists reduced fat mass. In summary, the results of multiple studies in preclinical models demonstrate that Rev-Erb is an attractive target for positively influencing dysregulated metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis, but more specific tools and studies would be needed to increase the information base for the therapeutic potential of these substances interfering with the molecular clock.


This portfolio contains work which was submitted as part of the practitioner Doctorate (PsychD) in psychotherapeutic and counselling psychology at the University of Surrey. It comprises of three dossiers which reflect the three aspects of the training course; academic, therapeutic and research works. The academic dossier contains two essays. The first an essay focusing on how the understanding of attachment experiences is important to the practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy, and counselling psychology. The second essay presents the implications of homework assignments for the process and therapeutic relationship within a cognitive behavioural framework. The therapeutic dossier reflects years two and three of the training course and contains brief placement descriptions of my psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural clinical placements. The dossier also contains a final clinical paper which includes reflections of my personal and professional training in counselling psychology across a period of six years. The research dossier contains three pieces of work completed over the last three years of training. The first a literature review which explores the psychological impact of hair loss on self image and identity in women who have experienced chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. It offers a discussion on how psychotherapeutic interventions which leave out the body and touch could be incorporated with touch therapies namely massage to provide a more holistic intervention for individuals with this chronic illness which may implicate the body. The second is a research project exploring women's experiences of hair loss as a result of treatment for breast cancer and their use of mind and body interventions. This was a qualitative project using Interpretative phenomenological analysis. The third piece of work is also a qualitative research project focusing on how psychotherapists of varying orientations and who have chronic health condition manage their own health status when working psychotherapeutically with clients.


Biofuels are expected to be a major contributor to renewable energy in the coming decades under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). These fuels have many attractive properties including the promotion of energy independence, rural development, and the reduction of national carbon emissions. However, several unresolved environmental and economic concerns remain. Environmentally, much of the biomass is expected to come from agricultural expansion and/or intensification, which may greatly affect the net environmental impact, and economically, the lack of a developed infrastructure and bottlenecks along the supply chain may affect the industry's economic vitality. The approximately 30 million acres (12 million hectares) under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) represent one land base for possible expansion. Here, we examine the potential role of the CRP in biofuels industry development, by (1) assessing the range of environmental effects on six end points of concern, and (2) simulating differences in potential industry growth nationally using a systems dynamics model. The model examines seven land-use scenarios (various percentages of CRP cultivation for biofuel) and five economic scenarios (subsidy schemes) to explore the benefits of using the CRP. The environmental assessment revealed wide variation in potential impacts. Lignocellulosic feedstocks had the greatest potential to improve the environmental condition relative to row crops, but the most plausible impacts were considered to be neutral or slightly negative. Model simulations revealed that industry growth was much more sensitive to economic scenarios than land-use scenarios—similar volumes of biofuels could be produced with no CRP as with 100% utilization. The range of responses to economic policy was substantial, including long-term market stagnation at current levels of first-generation biofuels under minimal policy intervention, or RFS-scale quantities of biofuels if policy or market conditions were more favorable. In total, the combination of the environmental assessment and the supply chain model suggests that large-scale conversion of the CRP to row crops would likely incur a significant environmental cost, without a concomitant benefit in terms of biofuel production.


In This paper presents an approach for optimal placement and sizing of fixed capacitor banks and also optimal conductor selection in radial distribution networks for the purpose of economic minimization of loss and enhancement of voltage. The objective function includes the cost of power losses, voltage profile, fixed capacitor banks and also type of conductor selection. Constraints include voltage limit, maximum permissible carrying current of conductors, size of available capacitors and type of conductors. The optimization problem is solved by the Imperialism Competitive algorithm method and the size and site capacitor banks and type of conductors is determined. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, computer simulations are carried out on actual power network of Kerman city, Iran and the simulation results are presented and discussed


Earth mounds fields are wetlands characterized by having a plan relief interspersed with mounds. The knowledge of the levels of trace elements in this environment is important to support sustainable management in areas subject to human intervention in order to reconcile the productive demand and environmental conservation. The objective of this study was to determine the levels and establishing baseline values for trace elements (Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, Pb, As, Cd, and Se), Fe and Mn in the earth mounds fields soils on the southwest region of the Mato Grosso State. For this soil samples were collected at the depth of 0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm in "murundus" and "flat" environments, which represent the mounds themselves and the area around it, respectively. The proposition of baseline values was performed according to Conama Resolution 420/2009. The baseline values proposed for these environments were: Zn 7.8; Ni 6.0; Cu 9.2; Cr 21.0; Pb 10.8; As 1.6; Cd <0.03; Se <0.31 and Mn 16.5 mg kg-1 and Fe 4.9 g kg-1. The levels observed reflect the poverty of the source materials of these soils in these elements, as well as the absence of contamination.


There are various types of brackets available in orthodontics. This retrospective study investigated the difference in clinical efficiency between Damon Q self-ligating brackets (SLB) compared with MBT conventional ligating brackets (CLBs) during tooth alignment in straightwire fixed appliance therapy. Twenty patients (8 males and 12 females), aged between 12 and 25 years, were randomly divided into two groups: 9 patients received the SLB and 11 received the CLB. Upper arch impressions were taken for pre-treatment records (T0). A transpalatal arch was soldered to both maxillary first molar bands prior to extraction of the maxillary first premolars, followed by straightwire fixed appliances (0.022 × 0.028 inch). A 0.014 inch nickel titanium (NiTi) wire was used as the levelling and aligning archwire. Four monthly reviews were undertaken and impressions of the upper arch were taken at each appointment (T1, T2, T3, and T4). Displacements of the teeth were determined using Little's irregularity index (LII). Data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U-test. In the aligning stage, the CLB group showed significantly faster alignment of the teeth compared with the SLB group at the T1–T2 interval (P < 0.05). However, there were no differences at T2–T3, and T3–T4 for either group (P > 0.05). The CLB group showed 93 per cent crowding alleviation compared with 76 per cent for the SLB after 4 months of alignment and levelling. MBT brackets aligned the teeth faster than Damon Q but only during the first month. There was no difference in efficacy between the two groups in the later 3 weeks. Alleviation of crowding was faster with CLB than with SLB.


In this paper, we introduce a class of systems called Information Management Assistants (IMAs). IMAs automatically discover related material on behalf of the user by serving as an intermediary between the user and information retrieval systems. IMAs observe users interact with everyday applications and then anticipate their information needs using a model of the task at hand. IMAs then automatically fulfill these needs using the text of the document the user is manipulating and a knowledge of how to form queries to traditional information retrieval systems (e.g., Internet search engines, abstract databases, etc.). IMAs automatically query information systems on behalf of users as well as provide an interface by which the user can pose queries explicitly. Because IMAs are aware of the user's task, they can augment their explicit query with terms representative of the context of this task. In this way, IMAs provide a framework for bringing implicit task context to bear on servicing explicit information requests, significantly reducing ambiguity. IMAs embody a just-in-time information infrastructure in which information is brought to users as they need it, without requiring explicit requests. In this paper, we present our work on an architecture for this class of system, and our progress implementing Watson, a prototype of such a system. Watson observes users in word processing and Web browsing applications and uses a simple model of the user's tasks, knowledge of term importance, and an understanding of query generation to find relevant documents and service explicit queries. We close by discussing our experimental evaluations of the system.


There is far less information available for men about vasectomy than there is available for women about comparable contraceptive services. Also men do not have medical check-ups on a regular basis and therefore have less contact with medical practitioners during which vasectomy could otherwise be discussed. Vasectomy needs to be promoted in order for men to learn about and accept it as their contraceptive method of choice. To that end Marie Stopes International (MSI) launches a vasectomy promotion campaign annually which includes advertising in local newspapers and upon billboards at football stadiums. The campaigns use light-hearted and bold ideas with some shock value. This approach helps to relax men who otherwise tend to be wary of both the surgical procedure and subsequent consequences of vasectomy. Prevailing social norms should however guide the content of promotional campaigns. The UK is one of only a few countries in the world where about the same proportions of men and women use sterilization; 16% of men and 15% of women have been sterilized. A MSI campaign in the UK which began during fall 1997 prompted an increase in the number of inquiries about vasectomy at the Marie Stopes Vasectomy Clinic. Promotional campaigns in developing countries have also been successful. It is also important that campaigns be put in the larger context of promoting all contraceptive methods.


Leibniz often refers to the Principle of Sufficient Reason as something like a first principle. In some texts, however, he attempts to give positive arguments in its favor. I examine two such arguments and find them wanting. The first argument has two defects. First, it is question-begging; and, second, when the question-begging step is excised, the principle that one can derive is highly counterintuitive. The second argument is valid, but it has the defect of reaching only a nearly trivial conclusion.


First introduced into medicines in the 1930s, the sulfonamide functional group continues to be present in a wide range of contemporary pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Despite their popularity in the design of modern bioactive molecules, the underpinning methods for sulfonamide synthesis are essentially unchanged since their introduction, and rely on the use of starting materials with preinstalled sulfur-functionality. Herein we report a direct single-step synthesis of sulfonamides that combines two of the largest monomer sets available in discovery chemistry, (hetero)aryl boronic acids and amines, along with sulfur dioxide, using a Cu(II) catalyst, to deliver a broad range of sulfonamides. Sulfur dioxide is provided by the surrogate reagent DABSO. The reaction tolerates broad variation in both coupling partners, including aryl, heteroaryl and alkenyl boronic acids, as well as cyclic and acyclic alkyl secondary amines, and primary anilines. We validate the method by showing that a variety of drugs, and drug-fragments, can be incorporated into the process.


A thorough analysis of composite inertial motion
(relativistic sum) within the framework of special relativity leads to the conclusion
that every translational motion must be the symmetrically composite
relativistic sum of a finite number of quanta of velocity. It is shown that
the resulting spacetime geometry is Gaussian and the four-vector calculus to
have its roots in the complex-number algebra. Furthermore, this results in superluminality of signals travelling at or
nearly at the canonical velocity of light between rest frames even if
resting to each other.


This paper looks at the concept of cultural proximity, as suggested by Joseph Straubhaar in his 1991 paper Beyond Media Imperialism: Assymmetrical [sic] Interdependence and Cultural Proximity. It argues that, based on a polysystem study of film noir adaptations from the early 1990s, both cultural proximity and distance may either enhance or inhibit the cross-cultural or cross-generic flow of media content depending on some specific conditioners such as the stability or instability (e.g., success or lack thereof) of the target genre or context and the conservative or innovating function of the adaptations in their target context. doi: 10.5294/pacla.2017.20.3.3


We describe a case of pulmonary hypertension and high-output heart failure in a 61-year-old woman suffering from relapsing Graves disease. The patient experienced prompt hemodynamic and symptomatic recovery after normal thyroid function was restored. Possible mechanisms for the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension due to hyperthyroidism include damage to pulmonary vascular endothelium due to high cardiac output or an autoimmune process or increased metabolism of intrinsic pulmonary vasodilators. Another possible mechanism is vascular vasoconstriction due to decreased cholinergic output.


Recent wide-area hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray surveys have shown that the fraction of X-ray-obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the local universe significantly decreases with intrinsic luminosity. In this Letter we point out that two corrections have to be made to the samples: (1) radio-loud AGNs have to be excluded, since their X-ray emission might be dominated by the jet component, and (2) Compton-thick sources have to be excluded too, since their hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray emission are also strongly attenuated by Compton scattering. The soft gamma-ray-selected AGN samples obtained by Swift and INTEGRAL provide the best opportunity to study the fraction of obscured AGNs in the local universe in the least biased way. We choose these samples to check if the corrections could alter the above result on the fraction of obscured AGNs. We find that before the corrections both samples show significant anticorrelation between LX and NH, indicating an obvious decrease in the fraction of obscured AGNs with luminosity. However, after the corrections, we find only marginal evidence of anticorrelation (at the 98% confidence level) in the Swift sample and no evidence at all in the INTEGRAL sample, which consists of a comparable number of objects. We conclude that current samples only show a marginal decrease in the fraction of obscured AGNs in the local universe and that much larger samples are required in order to reach a more robust conclusion.


A layered compression algorithm is presented which delivers spatial scalable encoded bit streams for remote video monitoring system. The complexity of the algorithm is modest and is well suited to real time implementation. Based on the layered compression algorithm, a codec system model is established. High-speed video compression can be realized with parallel data compression in this codec system. For image reconstruction, a prediction method using two nearest pix points is presented.


It has not been previously reported that the world's first "organic" farming society was the Australian Organic Farming and Gardening Society (AOFGS), which was founded in Australia in October 1944. The association was based in Sydney, New South Wales, and the first issue of its journal, the Organic Farming Digest (OFD), was dated April 1946. This was Australia's first, and the world's second, "organic" farming journal. The 18-month delay between the founding of the society and the first publication of the journal was because paper was unavailable in Australia for that purpose during WWII. The society published a total of 378 articles in 29 issues from 1946 to 1954. Articles from Australia, UK, USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and Denmark were published. Topics included: farming and gardening; health; environment; politics and economics; and animal welfare. More than 190 authors were published. British authors published included Sir Alfred Howard, Lady Louise Howard, Lady Eve Balfour, and Friend Sykes. American authors published included Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, Jerome Rodale, Gaylord Hauser, and Louis Bromfield. Australian authors from the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland were published. These included Sir Stanton Hicks, then Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Adelaide University, NSW grazier Colonel Harold White, and Tasmanian MLC Henry Shoobridge. More than 130 original articles were published, and other articles were reproduced from many sources including: Organic Gardening (USA); Bio-Dynamic (USA); Soil and Health (UK); Health and the Soil (UK); Mother Earth, (UK); Trees and the Earth (UK); Farmers Weekly (South Africa) and Compost Magazine (NZ). The Society was wound up in 1955, due to lack of financial support. The digests published by the AOFGS document a decade of the thoughts, aspirations, focus, theory and practice of Australia's first practitioners and proponents of organic farming, from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s.


The home care industry is being challenged by many changes, most notably an abrupt reorientation in HCFA reimbursement policy. One way agencies can combat the dwindling flow of funds is to improve labor productivity by performing more home visits with the same staff. Health care professionals have not traditionally embraced this concept, but the emphasis on cost containment makes "productivity-mindedness" a requirement. A sensitive, open process will help staff realize that quality of care and and cost-consciousness are not mutually exclusive. Carefully structured productivity tools can help provide agencies with the information they need to make better plans and decisions. A productivity improvement program, carefully planned and implemented by enlightened, enthusiastic management in cooperation with staff, can provide agencies with the benefits of improved efficiency. Such a program also provides agency leaders with the means to turn the challenge of providing quality care with fewer resources into new agency opportunities.


In this paper, a design methodology for the minimization of various performance metrics of MOS Current-Mode Logic (MCML) circuits is described. In particular, it allows to minimize the delay under a given power consumption, the power consumption under a given delay and the power-delay product. Design solutions can be evaluated graphically or by simple and effective automatic procedures implemented within the MATLAB environment. The methodology exploits the novel concepts of crossing-point current and crossing-point capacitance. A useful feature of it is that it provides the designer with useful insights into the dependence of the performance metrics on design variables and fan-out capacitance. The methodology was validated by designing several MCML circuits in an IBM 130 nm CMOS process.


ERISA is justly hailed as a paramount achievement in labor and social welfare legislation. The worker-protective elements of ERISA get most of the attention. Yet Congress also emphasized that employee benefit plans "substantially affect the revenue of the United States because they are afforded preferential Federal tax treatment" which justified a coordinate declaration of policy, "to protect...the Federal taxing power". ERISA § 2(a), (c), 29 U.S.C. § 1001(a), (c). The tax-subsidized but largely unregulated regime that preceded ERISA facilitated widespread tax abuse. Reducing wasted revenue by focusing preferential tax treatment on plans providing retirement savings to a broad cross-section of the workforce — not just to the business owners — is the often-overlooked dual objective of ERISA. This article seeks to recover the tax shelter limitation aspect of ERISA. Part II briefly explains the origins of ERISA's tax controls. Part III surveys ERISA's accomplishments and limitations in suppressing pension tax shelters. Part IV describes later momentous developments to which ERISA pointed the way.


In Lewy body dementia (LBD), disturbances of sleep and/or arousal including insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome are common. These disorders can each exert a significant negative impact on both patient and caregiver quality of life; however, their etiology is poorly understood. Little guidance is available for assessing and managing sleep disorders in LBD, and they remain under-diagnosed and under-treated. This review aims to (1) describe the specific sleep disorders which occur in LBD, considering their putative or potential mechanisms; (2) describe the history and diagnostic process for these disorders in LBD; and (3) summarize current evidence for their management in LBD and consider some of the ongoing and unanswered questions in this field and future research directions.


Abstract The actions of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-system are controlled by six IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). The IGFBPs are thought to affect local effects of IGF-I and IGF-II due to higher affinity if compared to IGF-I receptors and due to cell-type specific IGFBP expression patterns. It was found in IGFBP knockout models that the IGFBP family is functionally redundant. Thus, functional analysis of potential effects of IGFBPs is dependent on descriptive studies and models of IGFBP overexposure in vitro and in vivo. In the literature, the role of the IGFBPs for bone growth is highly controversial and, to date, no systematic look has been taken at IGFBPs resolving functional aspects of IGFBPs at levels of cell types and specific locations within bones. Since IGFBPs are thought to represent local modulators of the IGF actions and also exert IGF-independent effects, this approach is particularly reasonable on a physiological level. By sorting the huge number of in part controversial results on IGFBP effects in bone present in the literature for distinct cell types and bone sites it is possible to generate a focused, more specific and a less controversial picture of IGFBP functions in bone.


This research examines the tweeting behavior of US president Donald Trump during the early crisis months of 2020. A study of 1507 tweets posted in January-April 2020, and a comparison of these to tweets from the first year of his presidency (2017) led to several statistically significant conclusions.  Overall, the language of the tweets remained somewhat positive or pleasant. Trump's tweets were both longer and much more frequent in 2020 (the rate rose from 7 to 30 per day). The pleasantness of the language in tweets was negatively related to their popularity (popular tweets used relatively unpleasant language). The president's tweeting behavior modified somewhat (e.g. fewer hourly tweets) in conjunction with the coronavirus crisis and the abrupt decline of the markets in March. The tweets gave evidence of a distinctly Trumpian vocabulary that favored words and phrases such as "great", "hoax", and "fake news media".


What elements make a speaking activity successful? Which tasks or activities truly help build English speaking fluency? What mistakes do ESL teachers often make when designing a speaking activity? Keith S. Folse, author of more than 35 ESL textbooks and four on speaking, answers these questions. In this highly accessible and practical resource, Keith S. Folse provides a wealth of information to help ESL/EFL teachers design and use speaking tasks that will actually improve students' speaking fluency. The book presents and discusses the relevant research and assessment issues and includes case studies from twenty different settings and classrooms around the world so that readers learn from others about the problems and successes of using various speaking activities. Teachers will find the chapters on Twenty Successful Activities and Ten Unsuccessful Activities particularly valuable. The successful activities are provided for classroom use and are reproducible. The book also contains five appendixes that explain what teachers need to know about vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar and how they affect the teaching of speaking. Samples of successful lesson plans and a list of resources useful for teaching speaking are also included.


Births were observed in two free‐ranging groups of red‐handed howlers (Alouatta belzebul) in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. Both events occurred in the early afternoon, and were relatively rapid and discrete. No other group members approached the females during parturition, nor attempted to interfere with the neonate in any way. Only one of the mothers ingested the placenta. This same female carried the neonate ventrally during the first month of life and then it was carried dorsally. The other infant was carried by its mother in a dorsal position from birth onward. Both infants survived their first month, but subsequently disappeared, in the second and fourth months of life. The precise causes of their death are unknown. In one case, we speculate that the infant's death was due to infestation by botfly larvae. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1075–1079, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract The aim of the present study is to recreate the new role that academic publishing houses perform in the conditions of digital transformation and the growing number and volume of scientific publications in the conditions of oligopolistic competition, of structuring the ecosystem of academic publishing as an opportunity to build a network of mutually intersecting interests. The chosen approach analyzes the dynamic environment in which academic publishing houses function under the influence of subsequent crises and changes in the business model of accumulation and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Bearing in mind the special role of academic publication and distribution, it has a key role in the exchange of scientific knowledge, expanding the possibilities of access and use of already created and distributed scientific production to increase academic institutions' competitiveness. Academic publishing and knowledge dissemination are facing the need for digital transformation and redesign of the access system. Only in such a case will it realize its practical goals of creating added value and return on the resources invested in the system. This change in the role of academic publishing makes it relevant. It strengthens its contribution to limiting the opportunities for abuse of authors' copyright on the results of their scientific research. Academic publishing and distribution form a changing and relatively new field that, in the current market conditions, is tasked with satisfying the interests of universities, researchers and end-users for access to scientific knowledge. The main challenges faced by academic publishing include: the provision of open access to scientific information; the protection of intellectual property; the realization of economic efficiency based on invested resources and increased competitiveness. In the end, academic publishing houses are economic agents, using various funding sources, and hence realize to varying degrees the effect of their improved market positioning. In this way, this industry contributes to the promotion of scientific knowledge and copyright protection for researchers, the possibility of comparisons and new searches, and for investors in the publishing business − to receive a real return for the resources invested. The present study is tasked with giving a new perspective to the business of academic publishing and distribution as a socially significant ecosystem subject to basic economic laws and its role in sharing scientific knowledge to improve the welfare of society.


Foxo1 plays an important role in the integration of hormone-activated signaling pathways with the complex transcriptional cascade that promotes preadipocyte differentiation of clonal cell lines from rodents. We isolated the full-length cDNA of porcine FoxO1 gene using RACE, confirmed by visual Northern blotting. The deduced amino acids indicated 94% and 90% identities with the corresponding human and mice aa. Analysis of the aa sequence, showed that it included a Forkhead domain (aa 167-247), a transmembrane structure domain (aa 90-113), a LXXLL motif (aa 469-473), and 51 Ser, 8 Thr, and 4 Tyr phosphorylation sites, indicating a potential important role for FoxO1 transcriptional activity in vivo. Using the IMpRH panel, we mapped FoxO1 gene to chromosome 11p13. Our data provide basic molecular information useful for the further investigation on the function of FoxO1 gene. Time-course analysis of FoxO1 expressions indicated that levels of mRNA and protein gradually increased from day 0 to 3, and it reached almost maximal level at day 3, then decreased from day 5 to 7 in porcine primary preadipocyte differentiation. After induction by IGF-1, GPDH activity and accumulation of lipid increased, however, expressions of FoxO1 mRNA and protein were inhibited in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest that FoxO1 takes part in porcine preadipocyte differentiation and expressions of FoxO1 were regulated by IGF-1. (


Despite limited availability of platinum group metals such as palladium (Pd), there is an increasing demand to use them especially as catalysts. However, conventional recovery of these metals has proven detrimental to the environment, therefore, sustainable recycling and production is required. Biological synthesis of Pd (0) has proven to be an innovative method for recovery of palladium. This study aims to investigate the deposition of Pd at different concentrations by a pure isolate of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and a consortium of Sulphatereducing bacteria. The reduction was accelerated at the expanse of formate as an electron donor at a pH of 4. The results showed that after 12 hours of incubation a black precipitate of reduced Pd formed, the consortium produced a higher percentage reduction of 90% at a concentration of 2mM while the pure isolate had a percentage reduction of 77%. SEM showed electron oblique deposits on the surface of the bacteria, the deposits were between 40nm and 50nm in size. The use of the consortium proved to be highly efficient for the potential bioremediation of palladium contaminated environments.


Service-orientation and model-driven engineering are two of the most dominant software engineering paradigms nowadays. This position paper explores the synergies between them and show how they can benefit from each other. In particular, the paper introduces the notion of Modeling as a Service (MaaS) as a way to provide modeling and model-driven engineering services from the cloud.


Hyperparameter tuning of deep learning models can lead to order-of-magnitude performance gains for the same amount of compute. Despite this, systematic tuning is uncommon, particularly for large models, which are expensive to evaluate and tend to have many hyperparameters, necessitating difficult judgment calls about tradeoffs, budgets, and search bounds. To address these issues and propose a practical method for robustly tuning large models, we present Cost-Aware Pareto Region Bayesian Search (CARBS), a Bayesian optimization algorithm that performs local search around the performance-cost Pareto frontier. CARBS does well even in unbounded search spaces with many hyperparameters, learns scaling relationships so that it can tune models even as they are scaled up, and automates much of the"black magic"of tuning. Among our results, we effectively solve the entire ProcGen benchmark just by tuning a simple baseline (PPO, as provided in the original ProcGen paper). We also reproduce the model size vs. training tokens scaling result from the Chinchilla project (Hoffmann et al. 2022), while simultaneously discovering scaling laws for every other hyperparameter, via an easy automated process that uses significantly less compute and is applicable to any deep learning problem (not just language models).


Abstract : Innovative metallic surface treatments for corrosion protection of facility systems and components have been reviewed, including plasma spraying, electroless nickel plating, and ion plating. The work is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers effort to find coatings with properties superior to conventional polymeric types. The three methods were judged for adhesion, corrosion and erosion resistance, rust mitigation, and possible use in electromagnetic shielding. A brief description of physics is given for these methods along with case studies documenting their performance. Such metallic treatments may be a cost-effective, long-term corrosion protection alternative to traditional polymeric coatings, depending on component design and purpose. (Author)


The thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/polystyrene composites, prepared by a method known to produce a uniform distribution of SWCNT bundles on the micrometer length scale, was measured in the temperature range from approximately 140 to 360 K. The thermal conductivity enhancement (50% for 1 mass % at 300 K) is reasonably constant above room temperature but is reduced at the lower temperatures. This result is consistent with the expected, large contribution of interfacial thermal resistance in SWCNT/polymer composites. Enhancements in electrical conductivity show that 1 mass % loading is in the region of the electrical percolation threshold.


This paper introduces a novel fractional-order gradient operator for medical image structure feature extraction. The proposed operator can be seen as generalization of the first-order Sobel operator based on the GL fractional derivative definition. The generalization goal is to utilize the frequency characteristic of the fractional derivative for extracting more structure feature details. A thresholding is set based on the average fractional-order gradient for marking the edge points, and then the image structure can be extracted. Experiments show that the proposed fractional-order operator yields good visual effects.


Many different variables have been used to measure the firm's growth. Employment and sales are the two most used criteria within the literature on growth determinants. Most of the time, researchers do not provide any theoretical justification for using one or the other criterion and appear to use them interchangeably, as if they constituted equivalent representations of the same observable reality, that is, the firm's size. Using a sample of Belgian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), we have tested the interchangeability of these two criteria. Our results show that these two types of growth are determined by factors that are largely distinct. Organisational growth is thus shown to be a multifaceted phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a single dimension. This also means that growth cannot be measured through composite indicators, mixing different variables like sales or workforce, because they do not measure the same phenomenon. From a managerial point of view, this means that the resources that are mobilised and the strategies that are implemented by a firm should vary depending on whether it wishes to attain one or the other type of growth.


Ectopic pregnancy in the interstitial part of fallopian tube is a rare event. It occurs when an embryo implant in the lateral angle of the uterine cavity medial to the internal ostium of the fallopian tube. Interstitial pregnancies account for 2-4% of all the tubal pregnancies.


The stability of the Bianchi type I anisotropic brane cosmology is analyzed in this paper. We also study the effects of the brane solution by comparing the models on the 3-brane and the models in the conventional Einstein space. The analysis is presented for two different models: one with a perfect fluid and the other with a dilaton field. It is shown that the anisotropic expansion is smeared out dynamically for both theories in the large time limit, independent of the models of different types of matter. The initial states are, however, dramatically different. A primordial anisotropic expansion will grow for the conventional Einstein's theory. On the other hand, it is shown that the initial state is highly isotropic for the brane universe, except for a very particular case. Moreover, it is also shown that the Bianchi type I anisotropic cosmology is stable against any anisotropic perturbation for both theories in the large time limit.


With a standardization process that attracted much interest, QUIC can been seen as the next general-purpose transport protocol. Still, it does not provide true multipath support yet, missing some use cases that Multipath TCP addresses. To fill that gap, the IETF recently adopted a Multipath proposal merging several proposed designs. While it focuses on its core components, there still remains one major design issue: the amount of packet number spaces that should be used. This paper provides experimental results with two different Multipath QUIC implementations based on NS3 simulations to understand the impact of using one packet number space per path or a single packet number space for the whole connection. Our results show that using one packet number space per path makes Multipath QUIC more resilient to the receiver's heuristics to acknowledge packets and detect duplicates.


In the introduction to his tractate De oratione Evagrios Pontikos speaks of figures that are "triangles", "squares", and even "spheres". These remarks are less cryptic if one regards the numerical systems used in late antiquity. However, they may hint at a hidden structure within De oratione . Selecting all chapters whose numbers are "triangles", or "squares" respectively, etc., we find chains of sayings which follow certain themes woven into the "fabric" of the tractate. This discovery reveals again Evagrios as the master of literary composition.


This paper presents an analysis of high frequency resonance caused by switching on the unload transformers, including its equivalent circuit, basic equations, resonance conditions, origin of harmonic energy and its analytical methods. Two typical resonance phenomena from HVDC and HVAC transmission systems are studied by means of EMTP, and the simulation results provided a good agreement with the field measurement. The potential problems caused by energization of transformer and its countermeasures for different system conditions are discussed.